When we had my son Rafi, knowing he was the last baby, I nicknamed him Rafikomen. The Ari taught that Jewish parents are imbued with Ruach Hakodesh (Divine inspiration) when they name their children. The names they choose describe the essence of their children. The gemara (Talmud) discusses a similar idea in terms of character in […]
Dear Jew in the City, You recently wrote about prayer and I was wondering: Do our prayers actually accomplish anything? Can my prayers make a difference in the world, or even in my own life? Sincerely, Joseph Dear Joseph, Thanks for your question. As we discussed in that previous article, the purpose of prayer […]
When Hamas terrorists came to maim, torture, rape and murder thousands of Israelis on October 7, a 22-year-old woman named Neta Portal and her boyfriend, Santiago, living in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, found themselves in a life and death situation. Neta turned to the one person she knew could save her — her estranged father – […]
Jonah Hill is in hot water again. We discussed him at length several months ago when his dumpster fire movie You People came out. Over the weekend, his ex-girlfriend, Sarah Brady, a surfer, started sharing troubling texts he sent her while they were dating last year. She accused Hill of “emotional abuse” in a collection […]
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 […]
Dear Jew in the City, What is the difference between guilt, regret, and feeling like a bad Jew? For example, I didn’t fast on the 10th of Tevet when I didn’t feel well, so I feel like a bad Jew. Sincerely, Shaindy Dear Shaindy, Thanks for your question. It’s one I’ve had a lot of […]
