While there are numerous challenges when it comes to Orthodox Judaism comporting with modern mores, one of the most common issues that people struggle with is the prohibition of women being witnesses in Jewish courts. There is no official reason given for this limitation, it is simply based on verses in Devarim 16:6 and 19:15, […]
Building Bridges: An Interview with Allison Josephs Allison Josephs’ website Jew in the City is all about celebrating the intersection of Orthodox Judaism and the realities and conundrums of everyday life. Browsing through this beautiful site, one encounters articles that range from the light-hearted (for instance, a recent post was titled “Why Judaism believes in […]
Dear Jew in the City- Why do a lot of Orthodox Jewish men have beards? Sincerely, Steve Dear Steve- Thanks for your question, which we intentionally arranged to answer following last week’s question, which was on payes (sidelocks). As we mentioned there, Leviticus 19:27 contains two prohibitions, not to round the corners of the head […]
Dear Jew in the City- I understand that Jewish law requires modest dress and behavior but does it require looking unattractive too? I sometimes hear people say that a woman can only look beautiful in private. Are there Torah sources to back this up? All the best, Ashley Dear Ashley- Thanks for your question. I […]
Hi JITC- What are your thoughts on “being sheltered (from the “non-Jewish world)”? Is it a good thing or a bad thing? What’s the halacha? Thanks! B Dear B- I’m afraid that this is an area that leaves the realm of halacha and enters that of meta-halacha. You may be familiar with a famous quote […]
Thirsty for Wisdom of the Body, Finding It in Dance Rabbi Hanania Schwartz and Yuval Azoulay covered their heads with yarmulkes and mumbled a blessing before sipping from their water bottles. Then, yarmulkes off, they began to perform a short dance. The excerpt is from “Heroes,” which was performed at the JCC Manhattan when the […]
