Dear Jew in the City- What’s the difference between a halacha, minhag, chumra and inyan? Which ones are mandatory and which are optional? Thanks, Eli Dear Eli, Thanks for your question. Let’s start with halacha. “Halacha” means law. These can be Biblical or rabbinic. The Torah gives us mitzvos – commandments – like “keep Shabbos,” […]
Dear JITC- I just saw Spider-Man, which seems to be about the Christian version of justice. Christians believe in turning the other cheek. Desmond Tutu, who just died, said Holocaust survivors should forgive Nazis! Jews believe in compassion but also in stopping and punishing evil. Why does Judaism believe in vengeance in addition to compassion? […]
Watch our live interview on the halachic and hashkafic implications of BRCA testing with Rabbi Jason Weiner, the senior rabbi and director of the Spiritual Care Department at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, where he is responsible for the chaplaincy team and all aspects of spiritual care. This video is in partnership with JScreen. Visit […]
Last week, a Sephardic member of our shul (synagogue) asked me which Middle Eastern country my family comes from. “None,” I explained, “We’re Ashkanazi.” “Really?” he exclaimed, “I was certain you were Sephardic.” After this encounter, I got to thinking: despite being completely Ashkanazi, with both sides of my family hailing from Ukraine, Russia and […]
Hi JITC- Can I cover my sukkah if it rains? I heard there is something called schlach? Thanks, Aidel Dear Aidel- Thanks for your question. You’ve created a portmanteau of two words. Schach is a mass noun (i.e., a thing whose discrete components are not counted); the roof of your succah is made from schach. […]
A new kind of phone call has been coming in to General Electric’s technical support: those of people who have inadvertently and unknowingly activated their oven’s Sabbath Mode. This handy feature, designed to help observant Jews keep religious laws, might be confusing to users of other faiths when they encounter it, but it is a […]
