You don’t have to know the right question.

Avi, your Jew-ish Sherpa

A starting point for Jewish life, without pretending we all start in the same place.

People have been telling me for years that I should become a rabbi.

I’m not a rabbi.

And I don’t see rabbinical school in my future.

But I do want a place where we can talk about Jewish life without needing to know everything before we start.

So: Avi, your Jew-ish Sherpa.

The “ish” is doing some work there.

This is a conversation, not a claim that I can answer every question.

And it isn’t a ruling on how you should practice.

Different doors, same welcome.

I want JewsyNews to serve Jews across the spectrum.

Some people come looking for a story about Israel.

Some want to understand a holiday, find a community, or ask what a word means.

Some know a lot and still have questions.

Those are different reasons to walk through the door.

They don’t have to lead to different kinds of welcome.

I’m not here to recruit you into a denomination or convince you to become religious.

If you’re not Jewish and you’re curious, you can read along too.

We can explain things without turning the explanation into a sales pitch.

One thought at a time.

I like to put one sentence in a paragraph.

Not because the ideas are small.

Because a wall of words can make a simple idea harder to follow.

We can start with the question in front of us.

If a Hebrew or Yiddish word helps, we’ll explain it instead of treating it like a password.

Then we can go deeper.

When something is my opinion, I’ll call it my opinion.

When we’re discussing a teaching, we’ll give you a way to read it for yourself.

And when I don’t know, pretending won’t make the answer better.

More than the argument.

I want good news about Jews and Israel.

That doesn’t mean making things up to make us look good.

Facts still matter when we like the story.

And Jewish life deserves more room than whatever people are arguing about today.

There is room here for learning, community, useful help, and a little humor.

You don’t have to arrive with the right question.

Let’s start with the one you have.