I have really enjoyed reading all your articles and watching your videos -- they answer many questions (some that I didn't even know I had). One of the many things you're good at is explaining the idea of modesty within the Jewish tradition. I recently had a Sabbath meal with a somewhat famous rabbi from the most religious part of Jerusalem, and I mostly knew what to expect. But one thing caught me off guard -- the women didn't sing because it was considered immodest. I found that especially hard to grasp and confusing because I am a singer who is possibly interested in conversion. I thought that you could help to explain a bit about why this is, and if there are contexts that are different. This may be a decision between my future career and religion. Maybe some more information would help my decision.
I'm reform and don't understand why Orthodox women don't read Torah in temple. If you have not heard Torah sung by a woman you have only heard half of the Torah!! The most important thing is that Torah is READ by someone with a love for it. I would appreciate your thoughts on this. It is something I don't understand.
I recently released the latest episode of "Jew in the City" with a guest appearance by Mayim Bialik. The video has gotten an overwhelmingly positive response, but there have been some negative comments posted on various websites too. I was called an "apologist" in at least one place, but I must set the record straight - and my husband will vouch for me on this one - I generally do whatever I can to avoid apologizing.
For the Orthodox ladies who wear a wig and claim part of the reason is for modesty, isn't wearing a wig over hair kind of like wearing a t-shirt with a naked body printed on it? (Sorry for the crude example.) Wouldn't it be better to cover the hair with a cloth? I know some Orthodox ladies do, and this seems to make more sense to me.
Although I am thoroughly sleep-deprived from a three week old baby that has been eating nearly every hour round the clock (I didn't know that the circles under my eyes got this dark), I wanted to take a moment to discuss the topic of Orthodox Jews and birth control, since regular readers of this blog know that I have two young daughters in addition to my new baby boy.
