What does Jewish law say about abortion?
Like most questions of halacha, it depends on who you ask.
Like most questions of halacha, it depends on who you ask.
There is a great political cartoon I saw recently entitled “Genesis of the Trial Attorney.” The single-framed cartoon depicts Moses coming down the mountain with the tablets of stone in his hands. The Jewish people stand below, seemingly ready to accept the law in its fullness, when one man comes forward with confidence and opines,…
A version of this post appeared in Rabbi Ovadia’s daily newsletter. It is important to understand the laws of putting out fire on Shabbat. There are lengthy discussions in the Mishnah, the Talmud, and Halachaic literature, which I have thoroughly analyzed below. Meanwhile, here are the essential guidelines: • Make sure fire alarms are installed…
Yom Kippur Eve And Teshuva (Repentance) • The guiding rule in observing Yom Kippur is maintaining a balance between respecting the sanctity of the day and one’s physical health. • According to Shulhan Arukh (Code of Jewish Law), the practice of doing Kapparot with chickens should be eliminated. • We must ask for forgiveness and reconcile with…
In February of this year, the Knesset passed a bill known as the chok ha’hasdarah or the Regulation Law. The purpose of the law is to retroactively legalize housing built in good faith, i.e. at the time it was built the builder did not know that the land they were building on was owned by…
I’m not a rabbi, nor am I an expert on Jewish law by any means — but I have been a practicing Modern Orthodox Jew for my entire adult life. As one of the few Orthodox Jews working at the beautifully pluralistic Forward, I often become the go-to gal for questions of religious custom and…
A version of this article originally appeared in the Texas Jewish Post. I find Shabbat dinner to be the perfect setting for those deep philosophical conversations that happen so rarely these days. We’re all so busy with work, family, technology and never-ending errands that finding the time or space to have meaningful conversations is becoming…
As the battle for the future of American health care rages in Washington, I find myself eager to understand what the Jewish tradition has to say on the subject. Does our ancient tradition offer any wisdom that might shed some light on this complicated subject? Do Jewish values point us in one direction or the…