I told you how my family and I don’t use many processed foods for Passover, thus avoiding many of the ugly price-fixing that goes on during the holiday. But some things, you just can’t buy — unless, of course, you…
Author: Matthue Roth
World Record Fastest Matzah Eating
Jeremy Moses of MyJewishLearning just took it upon himself to break the world record for matzah eating. (Disclaimer: before he tried, there was no world record for matzah eating.)
Tznius Envy
There are deadlines, and then there are deadlines. I’m the Writer in Residence this month over at BrooklynTheBorough.com, and I was supposed to turn in my column Friday. How I feel about deadlines is best expressed in an email that…
Merry Purim To All
I don’t know where this picture came from, but it’s doing the email rounds. If anyone has any background on who took it, pass the word to me and I’ll give due attribution (and either a high five or an…
Holy Hot Pants
Yes, I have several Mormon friends, and yes, they do make fun of each other for wearing what the more playful adherents of their religion have dubbed holy underpants. The link between ritual undergarments and religious purity didn’t start with…
Why I Don’t Eat Animals
I was just interviewed on the blog Heeb ‘n Vegan. Michael Croland, who runs the site, managed to get a lot out of me in very little space — we talk about Muslim punk music, my novel Never Mind the…
Vayigash: Cards on the Table
This week is the conclusion to the Joseph story…or is it? Joseph reveals himself. The brothers are freed. Everyone lives happily ever after…uh, in Egypt. MTV producer Liz Nord tells the story of this week’s G-dcast. Parshat Vayigash from G-dcast.com…
Chanukah: Dreidel-Spinning Champion of the Universe
I don’t know if you’re aware, but there’s this Festival of Lights thing that’s happening tonight. Jews celebrate it. They light candles or oil and publicize the miracle and clog up their arteries with deep-fried foods. But where, you may…
Hasid for a Day
A few weeks ago, Matthue Roth got a gig on the set of the TV show “The Good Wife” as an extra. 1. I’ve protested so frequently about the portrayal of Hasidic Jews in movies and TV — not to…
Toldot: Where the Wild Things Are
Well, what would you call it when your brother is a big, red, hairy hunter…and you have to dress up to pretend to be him? Y-Love and his crazy baritone voice give us a take on Toldot from — ok,…
Chayei Sarah: The Death of Sarah
If every match was this easy to set up, JDate would go out of business, and Frumster.com could become a non-paying site again. Avraham’s manservant cuts a deal with G-d, and goes to the nearest singles bar (ahem, a well)…
Vayeira: Runaways
There’s a lot of stories in Vayeira. Child sacrifice (well, almost), strange visits from strange figures who eat milk and meat together, and a whole bunch of complicated relationship stuff. It’s not surprising most people forget about a little baby…
Lech Lecha: Get Out of Here
Avraham and Sarah are the world’s first punk-rock couple. They smash idols, run away from their town, and marry their own relatives. If they were alive today, they’d have their own reality TV show. But the good kind, where you…
How to Hate the Gays
Last night I was working at our local co-op market. The crowd there is pretty diverse — Hasidic Jews, Caribbean immigrants, Park Slope people with $50 t-shirts (ironic, baby, ironic!)…and anyone else in search of good, cheap food. Once a…
Noah: A Dude and His Boat
So there was this guy, and he got the weather reports way earlier than everyone else, and….