Posts by sophie

We’ve wandered onto the stage halfway through the action, and we’re trying to play catch up.

This month on Talking in Shul we’re talking about sex and the single Jewish Orthodox woman, and about Purim, a holiday that’s often billed as kid friendly. Is it really kid friendly, and what makes a holiday or a Jewish community kid friendly anyway?

In this episode: I’m a graduate student in insect biology and have ants to look after. Can I do so on shabbat? (00:26) There’s a huge variety of Kashrut practices for dishwashers: some people put meat and milk together, some people have separate dishwashers for meat and milk. How did this come about and how should I think about my own dishwasher practice? (13:18) Can I use free public transport on shabbat, assuming...

In this episode: There is a custom of burying someone with earth from the land of Israel. How did this custom come about? How old is it? Why do we do it? And is it a law or a custom? Can you use an umbrella on Yom Tov / festivals? There is no issue of carrying (unlike on Shabbat), but is there a concern of building, an act forbidden both on Shabbat and Yom Tov? I’m fostering a non-Jewish child. There is no clear expectation that...

In this month’s episode we discuss the school board controversy in East Ramapo New York, and the television show Transparent, available on Amazon Prime.