Dear Jew in the City- I’ve been thinking about the Ten Plagues and how these awesome miracles happened for the Jewish people in the Passover story, as well as throughout the Torah. How come we don’t have miracles anymore? Sincerely, I’m a Believer   Dear Believer- That’s a great question. To answer that, we […]

The following is adapted from Maimonides’ Guide for the Perplexed. The concept that God puts people through trials is the most debated idea in the entire Bible. Most people assume (incorrectly) that God afflicts individuals not in response to their own sins but to provide them with an opportunity to earn reward. Trials are discussed […]

An Interview With The First Hasidic Woman Elected To Public Office In The U.S. Attorney and Hasidic community activist (and Orthodox Jewish All Star!) Rachel Freier won a contested primary for a civil court judgeship in Brooklyn’s 5th Judicial District and took her seat on the bench this week as a civil court judge. Freier, […]

Dear Jew in the City, I know that I’m supposed to resolve my differences with people this time of year, but I don’t know what to do. There’s someone I know who will do a perfunctory apology like they do every year, but it will be insincere. This individual has a history of hurting me […]

Recently, as I daven (pray), there is something that continues to leap out at me. Each time I say a bracha (blessing), I think about the fact that it begins by addressing God in the second-person, Baruch ATAH (Blessed are YOU). As I utter those first two words I am speaking to God, rather than about Him, […]

“It’s getting incredible reviews,” my husband exclaimed with a glint in his eye as he placed Wall Street Journal movie section on the coffee table last weekend. He had been reading a review on Gravity – the new movie with Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. “Spiritual, thrilling, existential” were the words being used to describe […]