Jewish Blogs

Cracked Up

Joan Rivers: a woman of chutzpadik and chilarity. We either love her, or hate her. She’s either the talk of the town, or fades into red carpet oblivion . . . only to be resurrected again. This time, with even more plastic surgery. (Is it okay to make fun of a woman who has paved the way for practically every ...

Counting the Omer

At the conclusion of each night’s counting of the Omer, we ask Hashem that we be purified and sanctified. We also say that our purification and sanctification triggers an influence of tremendous abundance in all the worlds – both material and spiritual.Before attempting to comprehend the above principles, we have to realize that the people of Israel at Pesach are ...

Countdown to God’s Favorite Prayers: Proofs Arrived

The new book is coming…the proofs arrived via UPS“This book invites the reader into the heart of Jewish spirituality, to learn about its idiom and imagery, its emotions and its great sweeping dramas. It invites the reader to meet six ideal personalities of Jewish prayer and to get to know some of God’s favorite prayers.”The countdown has started… changes as ...

Could Miguel Cotto Be Sued By Orthodox Union Over Kosher Tattoo?

Boxer Miguel Cotto lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr. last night in a unanimous decision in the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. As I’ve written about before on this blog, Miguel Cotto sports a tattoo on his right collarbone that represents the kosher symbol used by the Orthodox Union (a circle containing the letter “U”). Cotto got the well-known ...

Copyrights

According to Jewish law one cannot buy a davar shelo ba l’olam (something that doesn’t exist or is intangible) because there is no gemirat daat (final comittment). If there’s no gemirat daat, one cannot make a kinyan(acquisition).You can’t sell something that doesn’t exist yet because the buyer doesn’t know what he will get.For example, if a deal is made on next year’s crops, the buyer can renege on ...

Cookie Cleavage: How Much is too Much?

I took these pictures last Purim to illustrate a little-discussed aspect of the aspect of hamantashen baking: Cookie cleavage.By this I mean, how much of the filling is left exposed? And if your dough relaxes during baking, and the cookie opens up a little, how much exposed filling do you consider acceptable? Do the laws of tzniut apply to cookie fillings in ...

Cookbook Review: Simply Southern With a Dash of Kosher Soul

The good people from the Margolin Hebrew Academy/Feinstone Yeshiva of the South sent us a copy of their awesome kosher Southern cookbook to review, so last night I made three recipes and cozied up with Simply Southern With a Dash of Kosher Soul. Here are my thoughts:Read More: @ myjewishlearning.comReaders found more information by searching for:review simply southern cookbook (2)dash cookbook yeshiva (1)Dining ...

Conversion Chronicles: Chaim Potok books are not kosher

Part of my friend’s conversion process requires that a Rabbi from the beis din he is working with to come over and meet with the family and take a look at their house. So he put away all of the sex toys, non-kosher animal blankets and old pictures of their family swimming in mixed beaches to get ready for the ...

Contemporary Halacha-Meat & Fish

Rav Kana taught that if one bakes bread in an oven with roasted meat, one cannot eat this bread with dairy. Further on the Gemara in Pesachim writes that Rava B’Parziska prohibited consuming fish that had been roasted in an oven with meat, together with dairy. Mar B’rav Ashi adds that one should not even eat the fish itself because ...

Contemporary Abortion Politics: Good for the Jews?

This title is, admittedly, at least partially tongue in cheek. It refers to an old Jewish joke from my childhood, where any topic, no matter how seemingly unrelated, always came back to this question. But on a more serious note, the centrality of the abortion issue in this presidential election season has led me to conclude that the policies promoted ...

Container Gardening: Verbena Love

I’m in love with Verbena, and this year I’ve finally had a small success with a few little seedlings by virtue of the fact that I planted them in a big empty patch of dirt at the base of my lemon tree! Flowers that consist of clusters of tiny blooms always seem to be amongst my favorites, and verbena especially ...

Container Gardening In The California Wine Country!

I’m very happy to report that a love for container gardening seems to run in the family! On my recent visit to my brother’s home in Sonoma, CA, I spied this hydrangea topiary and thought that it was just perfect outside their sliding glass door. Who would have thought that a hydrangea would make such a gorgeous topiary? Well, now ...