Hi JITC- What is the point of inviting these guests to our sukkah? Thanks, Max Dear Max- Thanks for your question. I see from the subject line of your message that “these guests” refers not to your corporeal yom tov guests but to the Ushpizin. “Ushpizin” is an Aramaic word that means guests. Aramaic is […]
This week I’m going to do something different. I’m going take two questions that were submitted separately and combine them into a single post because (a) they’re related and (b) my answers are relatively brief. The first question is: Dear Jew in the City, “Why do we shake the lulav and other arba minim […]
Dear Jew in the City, Why do some people approach Yom Kippur as a day of celebration? Sincerely, David Dear David, Um… because it is? On the surface, Yom Kippur may resemble Tisha b’Av, which is the saddest day in the Jewish calendar. On both of these days we refrain from eating and drinking, bathing, […]
Dear Jew in the City, What is the connection between the Rosh Hashana segulot and eating those foods? Does eating them really do anything or is it symbolic? Sincerely, David Dear David, Oh, boy. This is one of those posts that isn’t going to be very popular with some people. For those who are […]
Dear Jew in the City, What does it really mean to do teshuvah and how do we do it properly? Sincerely, Noah Dear Noah, Thanks for your very timely question. Taking a page from the sage Hillel, I’ll explain teshuvah “on one foot.” When my oldest child was young, he had a toy car that […]
Dear Jew in the City- What’s the difference between Hasidic vs. Orthodox Jews? What about the Jews on Shtisel vs. Hasidic Jews? Thanks, Michael Dear Michael- Thanks for your question. As I’ve mentioned in the past, I haven’t seen (and have no plans to see) Shtisel, so I can’t address that. But I can address […]
