Dear Jew in the City, What did the Jewish people do in the time of Chanukah to merit miracles and what can we do now to merit miracles in our day? Sincerely, Jonah   Dear Jonah, Thanks for your question, though I want to reframe it before I answer: don’t plan for miracles. We have […]

Dear Jew in the City, People often say that learning Torah “holds up the world.” What does that mean exactly? At this time when it’s being more stressed than ever, how is it actually helping? Sincerely, Erin   Dear Erin, Thanks for your questions. Before I answer them, I’d like to give you some important […]

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 […]