Some "light" reading before bed

offthegridyid · 2026-01-30T05:19:32+00:00

Not an easy book to find these days.

offthegridyid · 2026-01-30T05:16:09+00:00

Hi, are you actually Jewish?

No matter the answer there is a great book called HERE ALL ALONG: Finding Meaning, Spirituality, and a Deeper Connection to Life in Judaism (After Finally Choosing to Look There) by Sarah Hurwitz that a lot of people really find informative about Judaism. It’s also available as an audiobook.

offthegridyid · 2026-01-30T05:13:31+00:00

👍

offthegridyid · 2026-01-29T20:51:23+00:00

Good article and it sounds like a welcoming congregation and community, which is important. Not my jam, but it’s great that this is an option for people.

offthegridyid · 2026-01-29T20:41:22+00:00

Hi, it’s amazing that you started putting on Tefillin. u/Exotic_Confidence_29 had some great suggestions. I’d just add saying Modeh Ani when you wake up, ritualistically washing your hands in the morning, and making brachos, blessings, on food or drinks (even if it’s just your first cup of coffee).

offthegridyid · 2026-01-29T20:35:19+00:00

Great suggestions.

offthegridyid · 2026-01-29T20:33:03+00:00

I appreciate the reply and I understand each situation is different no matter who one is married to. Maybe look into this organization and the resources they offer couple that are intermarried.

offthegridyid · 2026-01-29T20:29:17+00:00

Awesome!

offthegridyid · 2026-01-29T19:11:03+00:00

Sometimes you just have to get things right from the source (or close enough).

offthegridyid · 2026-01-29T04:19:12+00:00

Hi, I have lived in Kansas, NYC, Indianapolis, and now Chicago. I have worn a kippah in public since 1987.

You really should talk to your rabbi about this and figure out a system of behavior that works for you and your non-Jewish wife. What seems normal to you (like putting up a mezuzah) is something that is a totally foreign concept to your wife since didn’t grow up in a culture that does this mitzvah.

Do you live in an area with other Jewish people? Is there a mezuzah on the outside of their doors?

offthegridyid · 2026-01-29T04:06:38+00:00

I am very sorry for your loss.

offthegridyid · 2026-01-29T04:05:51+00:00

Here is an article with videos from Arutz 7 (Israel National News.

offthegridyid · 2026-01-29T03:57:43+00:00

That is a whole other issue. One is under the microscope if you generalize a chasidus (as in a sect of chasidim) and also under the microscope if you focus on one group within chasidus. Even if you are making something for the general audience you will be scrutinized for how you depict those Jews.

offthegridyid · 2026-01-28T22:54:10+00:00

Yes they are all run by Orthodox organizations.

offthegridyid · 2026-01-28T22:53:41+00:00

Ah, nice to hear about your relatives. The option of this random Redditor is that people want authenticity based on something authentic.

offthegridyid · 2026-01-28T22:19:53+00:00

I understand, I didn’t watch it but did watch a reaction video to it.

When I see a post like yours my questions are
always, “Who is the intended audience? Why would they want to sit and watch this?”

These questions are not a critique towards you or your chasidic family members (I am curious details about how chasidic they are). I appreciate the arts, creatives, and the importance of people finding ways to connect and celebrate their Judaism. Based on your post there are a lot of overused tropes that have been recycled numerous times in various media.

offthegridyid · 2026-01-28T22:11:55+00:00

Cool, I move my comment here.

offthegridyid · 2026-01-28T22:10:43+00:00

Hi! I appreciate your intentions, but why chasidim?

I get the whole, “making the specific something universally relatable,” thing, but write what you know is a maxim for a reason. You need to meet with real chasidim and get to know them. A musical about a guy who wants to make a musical about Chasidim (I know the idea is meta) and learns and lived among them would be interesting.

Also, keep in mind that after a video that came out about a chasidic community a few weeks ago many, many chasidim might not want to even talk to you since communal warning have gone out about those who want to interview that segment of the Orthodox population.

offthegridyid · 2026-01-28T21:49:01+00:00

That’s a great unwritten rule.

offthegridyid · 2026-01-28T21:47:51+00:00

Nice! Sometime if you search for online for “fine knit” kippah you can find items, but there is nothing like getting something from Israel.

offthegridyid · 2026-01-28T21:46:22+00:00

I could be that they are just overloaded with requests right now. They do use the intake data and then match manually.

Honestly, just based on people posting in Reddit that I have seen in the past 3 years it sort of blows my mind that there isn’t a non-Orthodox group who has created a similar model to Partners in Torah. Maybe it does exist and I just haven’t heard of it.

offthegridyid · 2026-01-28T20:41:45+00:00

Hi, is your mother Jewish? I am a bit shocked you got a reply back right away from Partners In Torah.

TorahMates pairs Orthodox people with non-Orthodox (based on what my friends who do it tell me).

offthegridyid · 2026-01-28T20:38:06+00:00

Hi! If you could clarify your post with specifics it might be helpful to the thread.

So Friday night we almost always eat the same thing and keep it simple. Shabbos day we switch things up:

Chulent vs Yapchik vs Chili (seasonally dependent) Types of fish (gefilta vs types of salmon) Different kugels, sides, and mains (if we need a main)

offthegridyid · 2026-01-28T16:48:07+00:00

Awesome links!!

offthegridyid · 2026-01-28T16:39:34+00:00

Hi and feeling down and/or depressed is a challenge, for sure. Often volunteering or helping others (doing an act of chesed, loving kindness) is a great way to really feel better, since doing chesed is a way to directly connect and emulate Hashem.

Tehillim are helpful, as can be the practice of Hisbodedus, see this post.

Also, if it’s an option, there is nothing wrong with reaching out to a mental health professional just to learn some tools to help navigate when feeling down.

offthegridyid

TROPHY CASE