Dear Jew in the City, What is the connection between the Rosh Hashana segulot and eating those foods? Does eating them really do anything or is it symbolic? Sincerely, David Dear David, Oh, boy. This is one of those posts that isn’t going to be very popular with some people. For those who are […]
Dear Jew in the City, What does it really mean to do teshuvah and how do we do it properly? Sincerely, Noah Dear Noah, Thanks for your very timely question. Taking a page from the sage Hillel, I’ll explain teshuvah “on one foot.” When my oldest child was young, he had a toy car that […]
On the way to Rosh Hashana services today, I asked my 11 year old son how his prayers (with his father) the day before had gone. He said he was getting bored, so he started to read the stories below the prayers. He read about the one where the rabbi had his limbs amputated. I […]
Dear Jew in the City, Why is honey kosher if bees are not? Sincerely, Ryan Dear Ryan, Thanks for your question. It’s an excellent question, but I’m going to explain it for those who may not know why it’s excellent. There’s a general rule in kashrus that the products of non-kosher animals are likewise non-kosher. […]
As we start reading the Torah anew, we remember that Rav Kook once wrote that God left the world unfinished so that we could partner with Him to complete creation. Many Orthodox Jews wear black and white, but really there is so much color and creativity behind the scenes. You won’t believe what these Orthodox […]
Rosh Hashana is also known as the day of judgment. We enter a proverbial courtroom and face G-d’s judgement from the past year. The day seems solemn and can invoke terror within, but if you look at the way we celebrate the holiday, it doesn’t fit in at all. We get dressed up in beautiful […]
