We are not supposed to ask to be tested according to Jewish tradition. We learn this from King David who erred by asking for a test. It’s uncomfortable to see good coming out of unimaginable evil, but it seems to be how God created our world. We didn’t ask for October 7 – we’d give […]

Last Thursday, Ye, formerly known as (Kanye West) apologized to the Jewish people. He had a friend named DJ Akademiks post a video on X of his meeting with Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto asking for forgiveness for harming the Jewish people. He told the rabbi that he has bipolar disorder and he’s here to take […]

At the Memorial service for Charlie Kirk last night, his widow Erika publicly forgave her husband’s killer, saying she was following Christian practice. Would the Torah’s laws demand the same forgiveness? On September 10th conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, was assassinated by sniper fire during a debate at Utah Valley University […]

Dear Jew in the City- What’s the history of Selichos? Why did it come about? Best, Mark Dear Mark- Thanks for your question. As far as the liturgy goes, Selichos are fairly contemporary. By that I mean that they are measured in mere centuries, rather than millennia. Some of the prayers we recite, like Shema, […]

I was listening to a podcast the other day about the importance of maintenance (in business, specifically, but also in all areas of life), and how easy it is to drift off course incrementally if you’re not paying attention. This is something that I find directly relevant to my life as an Orthodox Jewish woman. […]

Earlier this month, the Jewish world mourned the passing of Rabbi Sholom Dovber Lipskar z”l, founder of the Aleph Institute—an organization built on the belief that no Jewish soul should ever feel forgotten, no matter their circumstances. Founded at the direction of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Aleph Institute has spent decades […]