Dear Jew in the City, On one hand the Torah tells us we’re not supposed to speak lashon hara (evil speech), on the other hand, the Torah commands us to not stand idly by our neighbors blood (lo ta’amod al dam rei’echa). If we think someone is dangerous, how do we know when to remain […]
We all need a minute huh! The loss of innocence, the confusion, the sadness, the anger, the betrayal it’s all coming up and can I just say that for anyone who has been working tirelessly in the world of sexual abuse it is not at all surprising in the least bit. Not for all the trauma therapists, child […]
Turn away from evil, do good, seek peace and pursue it. ס֣וּר מֵ֭רָע וַעֲשֵׂה־ט֑וֹב בַּקֵּ֖שׁ שָׁל֣וֹם וְרָדְפֵֽהוּ׃ I always understood the verse from Psalms in a simple way: remove yourself from bad behaviors, busy yourself with good ones, seek peace, and pursue it. It seems pretty straight forward. Recently, under the guise of our Tikun […]
Dear Jew in the City- There seems to be a discomfort about airing our dirty laundry in the Orthodox world. When are we allowed to publicize a problem? Thank you, P.T. Dear P.T.- Thanks for your question. You are no doubt aware that there is a very serious prohibition called lashon hara (evil speech). […]
”I walked into the store stressed and pressured. As that I’m newly engaged, this errand was one of too many which were overwhelming my schedule. After waiting for a while, I finally got the help I needed. As I was waiting for the saleswoman to ring me up, another woman in the store was schmoozing […]
“Lashon hara is geshmake,” (“Gossip is tasty,”) my rabbi announced to my seminary class years ago. My first inclination was to think, “Oh, no Rabbi, you too?!” But then I realized that God created our world so that gossip would be delicious to most people. Of course there are those who simply have no taste for […]
