What’s My Line? Another Visit to the Shmitah Store

Original post: A Trip to the Shmitah Store Zemira is a cashier at "Shefa me-ha-Teva" (Nature's Bounty). We call it the shmita store because it markets the produce of the organization Otzar Haaretz. Otzar Haaretz provides produce acceptable during the sabbatical year, while striving to protect … [Read more...]

More on Schools and Mixed Dancing

When I told a friend about Tolerance in the Religious Zionist Community (be sure to click on the comments), she argued that it was "chutzpah" for parents to send their children to yeshiva tichonit and then host a bar mitzvah with mixed dancing. She maintained that mixed dancing is on the fringe of … [Read more...]

Ten Lessons for Our Daughters

My older sister, a long-time fan of this blog, sent me some suggestions for raising Orthodox girls (but they could apply to anyone) and challenged me to add a few of my own. Hers are marked with an asterisk.*Be educated and self-confident enough to know that you can support yourself if necessary.*If … [Read more...]

Eight Things about Simchat Torah

Better late than never. Even though Simchat Torah is a holiday in its own right, we tend to think of it as the eighth day of Sukkot. Preparing for one day of Simchat Torah is easy, especially when it falls on a weekday and cooking is allowed. On Friday we did laundry, put away most of the … [Read more...]

The Truth about Nursing in the Ezrat Nashim

Which of the following situations is disturbing, distracting, or inappropriate in shul? Cracking open a bag of Bamba for a toddler, who proceeds to distribute the contents around the shul Hansel and Gretel style. Shoving chairs right and left while pushing a monster stroller through the … [Read more...]

Tzniut Restrictions

Thank you for all the comments on the previous post. I hope this direct link will work for the reader in China who can only access the blog by email. Some commenters noted that by interpreting halacha on tzniut too strictly the rabbis (and Orthodox society) may unintentionally deter women from a … [Read more...]

Bloggers on Tzniut/Modesty/Jewish Women’s Dress

Last week I posted some comments about tzniut, and tagged some observant female bloggers with questions. Quite a few responded with a wide variety of opinions and experiences. Here are the ones I have seen so far: Sephardi Lady at Orthonomics: She points out that whether or not one wears a … [Read more...]

“Tzniut” Meme– Modest dress by Jewish women

A couple of my friends recently stopped covering their hair in public (as required by Jewish law, according to most Orthodox rabbis). I wasn't privy to either one's reasons for doing so, but I can imagine some possibilities: They don't "believe" in it any longer or think that it's halachically … [Read more...]

Pesach Roundup

I plan on this being my last Pesach-related post. Thanks to a pre-Yom Tov discussion with our offspring, we enjoyed the last day of the holiday. Two out of our five guests actually showed up. On erev chag, I went around to the neighbors collecting potatoes, which they were happy to donate to the … [Read more...]

Sex vs. Breastfeeding

Note: The columns by Rabbi Boteach are no longer available online. Rabbi Boteach urged a mother of an 11-month-old to wean in order to preserve her marriage.  I agree with him that having a strong marriage is a top priority. If one or both partners are unhappy the children will suffer, and will … [Read more...]