What Makes Someone Jewish - And Should Religion Feel So Hard?

Who gets to define who is Jewish? Why does Orthodox Judaism not recognize Reform conversion? What makes Shabbat so special?Do we really have to keep all the mitzvot? And when religion feels overwhelming, where does mental health fit in?In this episode of Rabbi in the Hot Seat, Rabbi Dov Ber Cohen tackles questions of identity, practice, tradition, emotional wellbeing, and modern life with honesty, clarity, and zero scripts.0:00 Introduction0:25 What makes someone Jewish?1:22 Why isn’t a Reform convert considered Jewish by Orthodox standards?4:15 What is so special about Shabbat?5:40 There are too many mitzvot, do we have to keep them all?8:05 What does kickboxing have to do with Judaism?9:22 “Religion makes me miserable…”10:43 Have rabbis replaced the role of therapists?12:24 Should children use phones?To listen to Rabbi In The Hot Seat on your favorite podcast platform: https://pods.link/rabbiinthehotseat🔔 Subscribe and turn on post notifications so you don’t miss out on any wisdom!✡️ For more Jewish inspiration visit https://www.aish.com – the world's leading Judaism website. 👉🏼 Connect and follow for more Rabbi Dov Ber Wisdom 💫IG: ➡︎ https://www.instagram.com/rabbidovberofficial/https://www.instagram.com/aish.com/Tik Tok: ➡︎ https://www.tiktok.com/@rabbidovberofficial ✅Donate now! https://donate.aish.com/masteringlife