03 Jul Are Casinos Kosher?
A casino visit can be a fun way to spend your leisure time and money but is it a kosher trip? There is more to discuss than just the greed that energizes...
Shabbos Times for Apr 26, 2024 | 18 Nisan, 5784 | | Candle Lighting Time: 7:29 PM | Havdalah (72 min): 8:59 PM
26 Jun Turning a Shul into a Church
I. LOWER EAST SIDE DISPUTE The question has arisen numerous times whether a community may buy a church building to be used as a shul. In the 1850’s, such a question...
19 Jun Lack of Rabbi in the Modern Era
The modern era presents unique challenges to traditional religion. Most changes are matters of a phenomenon’s extent, quantity rather than quality. However, a greatly expanded phenomenon may require a different...
12 Jun Torah and Insight, Not Song
How we treat the Torah impacts what we learn from it. The Torah in its broadest sense is a source of knowledge, a combination of divine revelation and human interpretation....
05 Jun Do You Need a Rabbi for a Wedding?
I. WHAT A RABBI DOES Most of us have been to enough Jewish weddings that we know how they work. We can easily officiate. Even without a big crowd, all a...
29 May My Leniency & Your Stringency
The complex nature of halachah leads to multiple opinions on various issues — expert judgment often varies. We expect that two scholars who legitimately disagree still respect each other’s right...
23 May The Child Bribe of Tripoli
I. MARRIAGE, ANNULMENT AND MARRIAGE In 1516, two brothers in Tripoli, Lebanon (not Libya) married their children to each other — a nine-year old girl named Yakuta to her first...
16 May The Egyptian Samsonite
I. BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY Looking through sixteenth century responsa from the Mediterranean region, I saw something strange that I have not seen in any other time and place. Many...
09 May Does Torah Lead to Happiness?
I. HAPPINESS ISN’T UNIVERSAL Many people feel that their lives are enriched by Judaism. Their rituals and holidays bring joy and meaning while deepening their marriage and family ties. The...
01 May A TEEN ROMANCE IN JEWISH EGYPT
I. THE MARRIAGE In 1527, in a courtyard in Egypt, a young Jewish man gave a young Jewish woman a wedding ring against her father’s wishes. Or at least that is...