Dear Jew in the City, What is [REDACTED] Judaism? Sincerely, Tom Dear Tom, Thanks for your question. You may be wondering why I redacted it, removing certain information before releasing it to the public like some sort of sensitive government document. It’s because you asked about another stream of Judaism. (Which one isn’t important; readers […]

Dear Jew in the City, What is the status of physical pleasure in Judaism? Is it good or evil? How can I tell what is too much and what is too little? Sincerely, Rob Dear Rob, Thanks for your question. Now I’m going to ask you one: do you know what musar is? Musar is […]

Dear Jew in the City, What’s the deal with this Jewish death curse? Is there any legitimacy to it? Sincerely, Alex Dear Alex, Thanks for your question. For context, let’s explain what happened to prompt this inquiry. Exiled Ukrainian oligarch Hennady Korban – who is Jewish – recently revealed that he performed a ritual known […]

Dear Jew in the City, Are Jews allowed to pray on the Temple Mount? Sincerely, AJ Dear AJ, Thanks for your question. The answer is both halachic and political. Before we get to the question of praying on the Temple Mount, let’s first address whether Jews may even ascend the Temple Mount. Short answer: it’s […]

Editor’s note: After publishing this article, a reader asked us to clarify the following points: The article below is not attempting to discuss the modern day halachic understanding of the issue of child sexual abuse. In modern times, child sexual abuse is prohibited additionally given its devastating effects on its victims – depression, anxiety, PTSD, […]

Dear Jew in the City, Why do Orthodox Jews do circle dancing? Sincerely, Kayla   Dear  Kayla, Thanks for your very interesting question. It might surprise you to learn that circle dancing is not exclusively Jewish, let alone Orthodox. Circle dances can be found the world over, from Armenia to Sweden, from Greece to Germany, […]