Dear Jew in the City- Do we have the concept of soulmates in Judaism? Can you have more than one? Thank you, Annie Dear Annie- Thanks for your question. We do indeed have such a concept in Judaism; most people refer to it using the Yiddish word “bashert” (meaning one’s “destined” mate). And it shouldn’t […]

Dear JITC- I just saw my parents after 13 months since Covid started, since they have now been vaccinated. I remember there being a blessing over seeing someone you are close to after not seeing them for a year. Can you tell me about this? Thank you, Annie Dear Annie- The Sages, who wrote the […]

Hi JITC- People are having a hard time being decent to people they disagree with these days. How does the Torah say we’re supposed to treat our enemy? Thanks, Michelle Dear Michelle- I don’t always have the full context of a reader’s question and am sometimes left to infer some details. In this particular instance, […]

Dear Jew in the City- Does Orthodox Judaism believe that marriages should have romance? Thank you, Olivia Dear Olivia- My wife and I have a friend we’ve known for about three decades. While she’s now the wife of a well-known local rabbi, we met her as a college student going through all the usual dating […]

Dear Jew in the City- How do you balance Kibud Av v’Em when you’ve chosen a different path within Judaism than your family? Sincerely, B.T. Dear B.T.- No joke, this is literally the first “Ask Rabbi Jack” question I ever received, though I received it from the parent. Decades ago, on my very first day […]

Dear Jew in the City- I came from the secular world and the hyper-sexualization is so disturbing. Women are treated like objects, sex is ubiquitous, taking away the boundaries of private and public. I am proud to be raising my kids in a sheltered environment. But at the same time, I don’t want them to […]