Dear JITC, I know you’re not meant to “shop around” in matters of getting a psak (a ruling in a matter of Jewish law). But can you ever seek a second opinion and, if so, how? Best, Josh — Dear Josh, Thanks for your question. It dovetails very nicely with another topic that we discussed […]

I honestly can’t remember a time that I cried as much as I cried today. Monday night, a young man, Elan Ganeles z”l, 27 years old, was driving to his best friend’s wedding. He was shot in his car by a terrorist. This tragedy came after two sets of brothers were killed in two seperate […]

Thirty-six years ago, one fateful Sunday morning, my wife Rochel Leah suddenly passed away. I was 38 years old, and she was 36. We had 11 children together. I’m a Chabad rabbi; I always had faith in God. But I couldn’t comprehend this. Why would God take away a mother, a pillar of our community, […]

Dear Jew in the City, I feel like a bad Jew, what should I do? Sincerely, Joe Dear Joe, Thanks for your question. For the edification of readers, this question was received in response to the article “What’s the Difference Between Guilt, Regret and Feeling Like a Bad Jew?” In that article, I dismiss the […]

Chesed is a cornerstone of Jewish life. We encourage our children to do acts of kindness and expect the same of ourselves. Sometimes it can feel like we are going through the motions or are not really sure what the end goal is. But the word natan, to give, is a palindrome, spelled the same […]

Having three teenage daughters, body image is a huge topic in my house. I hear my girls and their friends obsess over how they look, and it’s hard to hear. I desperately want to raise them with a healthy sense of body confidence. I want them to be comfortable in their skin — to feel […]