When you think of Kansas, you may think of cornfields, cows, rainbows and a young girl with a blue checkered dress trying to get back home. For Chani and Mendel Kleyman though, it was the backdrop for their love story. Mendel Kleyman was 23 when he decided he was ready to start dating. He was […]
There is hardly anything more universal than the desire to love and be loved. It doesn’t matter what country you live in, what religion you are or what family you come from — love unites us all. One thing we’ll never tire of reading is a great love story. Everyone wants to know how the […]
Dear Jew in the City- Are Orthodox Jews allowed to marry their cousins? Thanks, P.J. Dear P.J.- Thanks for your question. Before I discuss the Torah’s viewpoint, I’d like to debunk some misconceptions about “cousin marriage,” AKA consanguinity. From the fact that you asked the question, I infer that you are either looking for […]
After 12 years of marriage, a woman decided that she and her husband would have more joy in their lives and in their marriage by sleeping in separate beds. She writes, “When it comes to sleep, my husband and I are opposites. I like flailing around, while he sleeps like a log. I pile on […]
Dear Jew in the City- What’s with the business of a man being “koneh” a woman and the way the girl’s father gives ownership to the husband with the kerchief at the wedding? Thank you, Z.C. Dear Z.C.- The first thing to know is that words don’t mean the same thing in all times, places […]
Dear Jew in the City- Do we have the concept of soulmates in Judaism? Can you have more than one? Thank you, Annie Dear Annie- Thanks for your question. We do indeed have such a concept in Judaism; most people refer to it using the Yiddish word “bashert” (meaning one’s “destined” mate). And it shouldn’t […]
