Is a community or even an individual allowed to sound a siren alerting people that it is almost Shabbos? On the one hand, the noise certainly will bother someone who...
I. Philosophy From Tzfas Two weeks ago, we discussed the view of Rav Tzvi Hirsch Kalischer (19th cen., Poland) about faith and philosophical inquiry. Essentially, he permitted inquiry into fundamental areas...
Rav Yosef Eliyahu Henkin (d. 1973) was the leading halachic decisor in America of his day. He was the address for the most difficult halachic problems. Additionally, as the President...
Even those with only a passing knowledge of the Five Books of Moses recognize the death penalty applied to various sins. The Oral Torah, committed to writing centuries later, explains...
Many people are familiar with the long-standing debate about the propriety of a Torah Jew studying philosophy. Multiple times in the Middle Ages, rabbis debated the permissibility of studying philosophy...
Does the prohibition against washing dirty clothes on Chol Ha-Mo’ed, the intermediate days of the holiday, still apply today when doing laundry is relatively quick and easy?1 In theory, washing...
I. Teshuvah and Nineveh Conventional wisdom has it that the book of Yonah is about power of teshuvah, repentance. But if that is the case, why is teshuvah barely mentioned? Of...
Few experiences hurt more than a child’s death. Parents naturally blame themselves at some point in the mourning process but they are not to blame. G-d’s decision to take away...
I. EXTENT OF THE PROHIBITION The Gemara (Gittin 7a) asks from where we learn that music is forbidden. The Gemara answers with a few possible verses, including “Do not rejoice, Israel,...
In a responsum about bas mitzvah celebrations, Rav Ovadiah Yosef quotes an authority who raises questions about bar mitzvah invitations. In Yechaveh Da’as (2:29), Rav Yosef quotes Rav Avraham Musafya...