Dear Jew in the City, Why are we forced to be sad in the Three Weeks? Best, Aaron Thanks for your question, Aaron. For those who may not be aware, the Three Weeks is a period of increasing mourning that runs from the seventeenth day of the month of Tammuz through the ninth day of […]

Dear JITC, I’m not always clear when something a commentator says is from Sinai and when it’s their own interpretation. What makes one able to say, “I don’t hold by Rashi or the Maharal,” but not able to say “I don’t hold by the Chofetz Chaim’s laws of gossip? And if it’s because one is […]

Dear Jew in the City, What are tzitzit and why do Jewish men wear them? Sincerely, Jack Dear Jack, Thanks for your question. Just a heads-up, you said tzitzit, reflecting the Sephardic pronunciation, but I’m going to use tzitzis, à la the Ashkenazic. The answer to your question is fairly straightforward: we wear tzitzis because […]

Dear Jew in the City, I saw on Peacock’s The Calling that the Orthodox Jewish character guarded dead bodies. Why do they do that? Sincerely, Ed Dear Ed, Thanks for your question. Bodies need to be watched in case the deceased turns into a zombie. The person keeping watch will hopefully have a chance to sound […]

Dear Jew in the City, Honoring your parents is a Torah commandment that Jews of all backgrounds seem to know well. Jewish guilt is an often joked about stereotype and parents can sometimes become experts in guilting their children to abide by their wishes under the aforementioned commandment.  In all seriousness though, part of a […]

Dear Jew in the City, The Calling has the Orthodox detective saying a prayer (Kaddish) over every dead body he finds. Why do Jews pray for the dead? Sincerely, Jon Dear Jon, Thanks for your question. I haven’t seen The Calling so I can’t comment directly on the show, but there seems to be sufficient […]