Dear JITC- Does Coronavirus mean we’re in the end of days? People I know say this is the end and either Moshiach or the war of Gog and Magog is imminent. Thanks, Joe Dear Joe- I’m sorry but this question made me shake my head a little because of the things people are telling you. […]
Hi JITC- I’m a non-shomer Shabbos Jew. I go to shul a few times a month and keep mostly kosher. I would love to see a post about how shuls are changing their traditions in light of the coronavirus. Especially interesting to me would be kissing the mezuzah, drinking from the Kiddush cup that the […]
Dear Jew in the City- Can we ever sin in order to do good? On one hand, I know you can’t do an aveirah to do a mitzvah, but on the other, I heard that Queen Esther committed a sin for the good of the Jewish people. Which one is it? Thank you, L.E. Dear […]
Dear Jew in the City- Harry Potter was just translated into Yiddish but isn’t witchcraft prohibited in the Torah? How is this book okay to read? -MM Dear MM- Why should it not be okay to read? Witchcraft is prohibited in the Torah, reading about witchcraft isn’t. Along similar lines, murder is prohibited by the […]
Dear Jew in the City- What is the meaning of having a birthday for trees? Thanks, Stephanie Dear Stephanie- Thanks for your question. Aside from the fact that “birthday” is something of a mistranslation, the idea of Tu b’Shevat is actually kind of a technical legal thing and not a day celebrating nature or agriculture […]
Hi JITC- What does Judaism say about gun rights? Thanks, Emma Dear Emma- Thanks for your timely question. Before we get into it, I’d like to preface by saying that, whatever we determine the Torah’s position to be, it does not necessarily mandate a political position for us. For example, the Torah permits slavery and […]
