Since 1906, the Forward has been answering reader dilemmas about daily life in “A Bintel Brief,” Yiddish for a bundle of letters. Send your queries to [email protected], and listen to a podcast version of our signature advice column.
Bintel Brief
The Latest
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Life Bintel Brief: Rabbi Shmuley Boteach Says Self-Satisfaction ‘Is Not the Solution’
Dear Rabbi Boteach, The issue that I need help with is as follows: I have been married for two years, and my wife complains that I don’t last long enough. Now, it has reached a point where she doesn’t want to have sex anymore because she says it’s not worth her while. I realize that…
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Life Bintel Brief: Shoshanna Rikon on How To Help Singles — on the Sly
Dear Shoshanna, I’m a rabbi, and I’m working with my local Jewish community center to form a singles group. There are a lot of singles in our community, and we’re concerned about the escalating intermarriage that goes on. We want to develop some programming to attract Jewish singles so that they can meet each other…
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Life Bintel Brief: Shoshanna Rikon Says Not All Skeletons Should Be Left in the Closet
Dear Shoshanna, My boyfriend rarely asks me anything about past affairs, which is fine by me. But I’m wondering if I’m obliged to divulge some facts nonetheless. The problem is that one of our best couple friends includes a man with whom I had a brief affair several years ago — well before I met…
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Life Bintel Brief: Shoshanna Rikon Says ‘Concentrate on What Is in Front of You’
Dear Shoshanna, I recently broke up with my girlfriend of many years, which was a tough, but correct, decision. While we were dating, I considered breaking up with her over a woman for whom I can only describe my feelings as intoxicating (the reason why I didn’t was because I was going to move away…
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Life Bintel Brief: Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Give Me Advice
Shoshanna Rikon is a Jewish cupid. The founder of Shoshanna’s Matches, Rikon works to create love connections for Jewish singles in the New York tri-state area. Her work as an old-fashioned matchmaker in the town that gave the world “Sex and the City” has caught the attention of media outlets ranging from The New York…
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Life Bintel Brief: Lisa Loeb Says Honesty Is the Best Policy
Dear Lisa, Not too long ago, a friend set me up on a blind date. Being a very shy person, I was naturally a bit nervous. But the guy was perfectly nice, and we had a pleasant conversation. There was no chemistry between us, however, which I recognized at the time, and so I planned…
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Life Bintel Brief: Lisa Loeb Says Why Not Go for Coffee?
Dear Lisa, I recently signed up for J-Date. But I have trouble with this whole casual meet-lots-of-people thing. Here is why I’m bad at J-Date: I hate being ignored, and I can’t ignore people. For instance, this one guy instant-messaged me. I didn’t answer. Then he e-mailed me. Then he e-mailed me again. Finally, I…
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Life Bintel Brief: Lisa Loeb Says Don’t Call Your Daughter’s Boyfriend a ‘Parasite’
Dear Lisa, My daughter, a beautiful, brilliant college graduate with a law degree and a good job is about to become engaged to a Chabadnik (who, by the way, has no job except for being what I call a lay “Jew for Moses” with Chabad). It’s obvious that if she marries this parasite, she will…
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