Responsa Radio (Hadar Institute)

I recently heard the idea that if the reason behind a rabbinic ruling (gezeirah) becomes irrelevant, because the surrounding factors are no longer applicable, the decree no longer applies. This sounds like it could undermine a lot of halakhah in modern times. What is the definition of this concept how and when can it be applied?
 
Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org.

Content warning: this episode discusses suicide.

As an oncologist, I am often asked for guidance as patients approach end-of-life. To what extent am I obligated to encourage patients to continue life-prolonging treatment? How much does their quality of life matter? Am I allowed to mention physician-assisted suicide? Does anything if the patient is Jewish?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org.

As a veterinary technology student, I'm struggling with ethics of the use of animals in biomedical research. How does the halakhic concept of avoiding pain experienced by living things -  tza'ar ba'alei hayyim - inform the treatment of animals in modern research? And is there a Jewish way to mark the death of animal outside of ritual slaughter?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org.

The Shema is one of the most important prayers in Judaism, which is supposed to be recited when we go to sleep and when we wake up. But it's also part of the liturgy for morning and evening prayers. Which is more important? How many times a day should we be saying Shema?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org.

On a previous episode (Can You Make Seltzer on Shabbat? Responsa Radio #80), you mentioned that there is room to be lenient on the rules of food preparation when welcoming guests on Shabbat. Is that the really the case? If so, what are the limits?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org.

It is common in some shuls for the family of the Bnei Mitzvah to say Shehehiyyanu at some point during the Shabbat service. What is the function of Shehehiyyanu in this context?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org.

Can I use ingredients like spices, pure dried fruit, oil, or nut butter, without Passover certification on Passover? Are there ingredients you can use without a certification?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org.

If I spend Passover with family members who don't kasher their kitchens for the holiday can I eat kosher for Passover food from their pots or dishes? Is there room for leniency because they're my family? 

What if my roommates want to use non-kosher for Passover dishes and products? How can we share the kitchen? 

My minyan will likely want to keep broadcasting on Zoom after the pandemic is over and we are back in person. As someone who doesn't use technology on Shabbat, what does that mean for me? Should I decline to lead or read Torah or have an aliyah knowing that it is being broadcast?
 
Have a question about Jewish law you’d like answered on the show? Send an email to halakhah@hadar.org

Do I need to take my kippah off in a restaurant? More broadly, does there need to be full religious integrity/consistency around everything someone does at a certain moment for it to be valid? Listen as the Rabbis dive into and consider these questions. Have a question about Jewish law you’d like answered on the show? Send an email to halakhah@hadar.org

This special Hikhot High Holidays edition of Responsa Radio was recorded live with Rabbi Ethan Tucker, Rabbi Avi Killip, and Rabbi Aviva Richman in advance of an unprecedented High Holiday season. Have a question about Jewish law you’d like answered on the show? Send an email to halakhah@hadar.org

I was recently at a sporting event where the line to exit the bathroom took close to five minutes. How long following an action or event requiring a berakhah can you still make the berakhah? How does one behave while waiting for the opportunity if you are conscious of the fact that you need to make the berakhah but are temporarily unable and what ultimately severs the connection to the berakhah?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org.

After learning about green burials and mushroom death suits, I’m wondering about halakhic implications of such burials. It seems to me that such methods for burial uphold the charge to go up to the dust even better than traditional burial where the body remains intact in a casket or even sometimes in a concrete box for a very long time. Should all Jews switch to a mushroom burial?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org.

I have a blue tallit with white tzitzit. Someone recently told me that the tallit is supposed to be white. Is this true? Do I have to go out and get a white tallit?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org.

I live in Australia and I have a Zoom call with someone in the UK. The call is scheduled at 9:00 PM for me and 12:00 PM for them - it is therefore not Shabbat for me but *is* Shabbat for them. Do I have to reschedule this Zoom call? Am I allowed to be involved with someone else doing violating Shabbat when I'm not doing anything wrong at all?

There's a new community that just started in my neighborhood and I want to check them out but I heard they use instruments during their Shabbat service. What is the problem with instruments on Shabbat? What are the factors I should think about when working out if I want to attend this service?

What is our obligation to redeem captives from a halakhic perspective? How far does this obligation extend and are there limits?

Email us at responsa@hadar.org if you have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio.

My shul has started reciting extra Tehilim and adding the Mi SheBerakh for captives. I've heard that some communities in Israel are saying Avinu Malkeinu every day, even on Shabbat. Is that something we should be doing? How should we be thinking about liturgical changes right now? How will we know when it's time to stop saying Tehilim?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org.

If I find myself at a large Hanukkah party or a communal gathering where Hanukkah candles are lit, do I still need light when I get home? If I do, is it okay to say the blessing two times? What if I said the blessing at Ma'ariv while leading the service? Does it matter how late I'm getting home?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org.

For centuries, the process of halakhah has relied on a rabbi or posek, someone who is learned in Jewish texts, who has trained for years to be a resource for our halakhic questions. But now, with the release of large language models like ChatGPT, I'm wondering: is the human interaction an essential part of the halakhic process, or can I get my halakhic answers from an AI chatbot?

Why might cheese not be kosher even if all the ingredients are? What does this say about relationships between Jews and non-Jews today?

I want to be more observant. Where do I start? 

Rav Avi and Rav Eitan reflect on this important question as they also celebrate our 100th episode! 

In honor of our 100th episode, over the next few weeks we will be updating and re-releasing some of our favorite episodes ever. Stay tuned!

When kids ask big questions, how do you respond? Whether you are parent, educator, or just a curious person, you've probably asked yourself the same questions.

This podcast doesn’t have all the answers, but it can give you language and frameworks to engage meaningfully with these questions. 

Every week, Rabbi Shai Held invites an expert guest to explore a big question: Who is God? Why did God create the world? Why do bad things happen? No pressure.  

In celebration of 100 episodes of Responsa Radio, we're re-releasing our favorites with an update from Rav Eitan and Rav Avi at the end of the episode.

Rav Avi's favorite is episode #24: Brit Milah is an ancient and well-known ceremony to welcome boys into the world, but there's no such long-standing, equal ritual for girls. How should we think about this, and what are steps for the future when creating rituals like this?

In celebration of 100 episodes of Responsa Radio, we're re-releasing our favorites with an update from Rav Eitan and Rav Avi at the end of the episode.

Rav Eitan's favorite is episode #27: Can I set up my coffee maker on a timer before Shabbat to make my perfect cup on Shabbat itself? And if I can't do that, can I use a French press on Shabbat to get a better cup than instant?

In celebration of 100 episodes of Responsa Radio, we're re-releasing our favorites with an update from Rav Eitan and Rav Avi at the end of the episode.

Responsa Radio creator David Zvi Kalman's favorite is episode #9: I'm a lawyer who often has to look at crime scene photos. What are the considerations of k'vod ha-met (honor for the dead) that I should be taking into account in my job?

I'm organizing my community's reading of Megillat Esther. Can I include English explanations or kids' plays between the chapters? What is at stake in breaking up the reading?

My family are coming in from 1000s of miles away for the eclipse on April 8th, but they won't be around for Pesah on April 22nd. I want to do a mock or model Seder with them, but I know some things are only supposed to be done on actual Seder night. What should I include or exclude? How can I make the mock Seder feel substantive, but at the same time, still a rehearsal and not a replacement of Seder itself?

I was trying to help someone on the street get some food. They asked for a sandwich, so I went into a nearby shop—and suddenly panicked because I realized it was Passover! What was I supposed to do in this case? What are the parameters of buying and touching hameitz for non-Jews during the holiday?

I'm planning on going to the total solar eclipse that will be visible in North America on April 8th. is there a blessing or some other liturgy that I should say as I see it?

In celebration of 100 episodes of Responsa Radio, we're re-releasing our favorites with an update from Rav Eitan and Rav Avi at the end of the episode.

Our sound engineer, David Khabinsky's favorite is episode #78: A few months ago, one of the largest kosher certification agencies announced that it would not certify "Impossible Pork," despite the fact that nothing in the ingredients or preparation of Impossible Pork is not kosher. What determines whether or not a food is kosher, apart from the ingredients?

In celebration of 100 episodes of Responsa Radio, we're re-releasing our favorites with an update from Rav Eitan and Rav Avi at the end of the episode.

Our producer, Jeremy Tabick's favorite is episode #7: The laws of eruv—constructing a sometimes questionable boundary around a neighborhood to allow carrying objects on shabbat—often seem obscure, bizarre, and made-up. But what are the ways in which it makes sense? What are the operating principles behind these laws?

Halakhic works are often a dizzying compendium of multiple perspectives on a given issue, often making it difficult to determine how to behave in a given situation. In this lecture, R. Ethan Tucker argues this is a feature rather than a bug. Critical values that are meant to guide our lives are rarely fully manifest in any given time, place, or situation. It is our job to discern the wisdom of each voice and allow that wisdom to make a claim on us, rather than submitting ourselves to one path. Recorded at the Halakhah Intensive, May 2024.

LOOK OUT FOR NEW RESPONSA RADIO EPISODES COMING SOON!

You asked and we answered! A new season of Responsa Radio begins next week. We're going to dig in to topics like artificial intelligence, the value of human life, and our responsibilities toward fellow Jews, just to name a few.

Have a halakhic question you want answered on Responsa Radio? Send your question to  responsa@hadar.org.

I've often heard the phrase "all of Israel are responsible for each other" (kol yisrael areivim zeh be-zeh). But what does this mean? What does the responsibility entail? How is it supposed to change my actions toward other Jews?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

There's a stereotype that I've seen on the internet recently that Jews don't care about non-Jewish life. How am I supposed to respond when somebody uses this argument? What do Jewish sources say about the imperative of saving the lives of non-Jews?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

With any new industry, there are important questions to address from legal and religious perspectives. Responsa Radio creator David Zvi Kalman comes back to ask this question about generative AI for his new podcast, Belief in the Future. Given the way the new large language models trawl the internet for content, is it permitted to use them or does it count as theft?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

You're not supposed to pray somewhere unclean, like a bathroom. But if I'm in the bathroom and can hear the prayers nearby, am I allowed to say "amen"?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

While almost all Jewish communities celebrate a boy's Bar Mitzvah at 13, many communities are split for girls—some 12, some 13. Why should girls be required to do mitzvot before boys? What does this age split accomplish? And is it still relevant in egalitarian Jewish communities?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

My community has a retreat over Yom Tov where almost everyone spends a lot of time at the pool. I grew up in a community that never swam on Shabbat or Yom Tov and now I'm trying to navigate a community where everyone does it. What should I do?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

I was at a meal at a non-Jewish colleague's home. We agreed to order food from a kosher restaurant but one of the dishes looks homemade. I don't want to be rude. Can I eat it? How can the framework of "sfeik sfeika," having two axes of doubt, help us make decisions when we don't have all of the information? This episode was recorded live at Hadar's 2024 Halakhah Intensive. 

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

There is a principle that says that milk from a deathly sick animal is not kosher. But in today's modern dairy industry it may be reasonable to assume that most if not all cows fall into this category. Can we justify consuming factory milk? If so, how? This episode was recorded live at Hadar's 2024 Halakhah Intensive.

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

I am a kohen who lives in Israel where I make the priestly blessing every day. After October 7th, I was recruited to my town’s First Response Team and am now required to carry my gun at all times, including the synagogue. Is it prohibited to make the blessing of Birkat Kohanim, which is essentially a blessing about peace, while carrying a weapon?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

As a person who is disabled, how am I supposed to relate to a system of mitzvot that often assumes its audience is able-bodied? For example, the morning blessings include the line thanking God for "opening the eyes of the blind"—but what if I am blind? Am I supposed to say this blessing?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

What is the history and reasoning behind the mechitzah? Why do they vary so much in size and material? In a setting where this is a mechitzah, can a man walk over to the women’s side to carry a Torah?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

In the mishnah we see the idea of a person who would translate the Torah into Aramaic after each verse is chanted from the Torah scroll. Would it be appropriate to have something like this now in order to enhance the understanding of the community?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

Can I read my horoscope? Does it matter whether I’m reading it “just for fun” or if I’m really trying to predict the future? Are horoscopes more forbidden for us than they were for medieval rabbis, who probably considered astrology a legitimate science?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

Music featured in this episode: All The Stars Have Aligned by The Morning Glass

As a gabbai, I am often reluctant to correct the person reading Torah so as not to add to their anxiety. I am wondering if we are entering a moment where technology might be helpful, such as writing the vowels and trope onto the Torah itself, or, less radically, making a see-through overlay. Would any of those options be acceptable to make reading Torah more accessible to all?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

Music featured in this episode: Help You Stand by Justin James. https://youtu.be/ICnzG6Qfibo?si=3n9K_3FRlNGQnBVD

I am a teenager who is becoming more observant. My parents are less then thrilled. For example, I would like to be observe Shabbat and not use my phone, but this sometimes creates difficulties as they will call or text me things during Shabbat. How can I balance my observance with honoring my parents?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

Music featured in this episode: Mom and the Radio by Bill Harley.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=q20XpkwGSUO9DD-w&v=yqeKu23CJ2E&feature=youtu.be

I have only ever been to seders where karpas is a simple piece of parsley dipped in saltwater, but there seems to be a growing trend of people doing much more elaborate karpas courses, often with multiple, full-blown appetizer dishes. Is this halakhically permissible?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

Music featured in this episode: Salty by Robbi Atkins https://soundcloud.com/robbi-atkins/salty-v3

What is the halakhic weight of shalom bayit and to what extent is it permissible to do something forbidden for the sake of preserving one’s marriage? For example, I have sleep apnea and use a CPAP machine during the week, mostly because it prevents me from snoring and disturbing my spouse’s sleep. My spouse wants me to use it on Shabbat too, since we have young children and sleep is a precious commodity in our home. Should I acquiesce and use the CPAP machine on Shabbat for the sake of shalom bayit?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

Music featured in this episode:  Breathe Easy by Tai Shan.

If I spend Passover with family members who don't kasher their kitchens for the holiday can I eat kosher for Passover food from their pots or dishes? Is there room for leniency because they're my family? 

What if my roommates want to use non-kosher for Passover dishes and products? How can we share the kitchen? 

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

Can I use ingredients like spices, pure dried fruit, oil, or nut butter, without Passover certification on Passover? Are there ingredients you can use without a certification?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org.

I like to go out the night after Passover to grab a cool beer in celebration of eating hametz (leaven) again. Do I need to worry if the owner of that bar is a Jew that didn't remove his hametz for the holiday?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

When davening in a prayer space that is not oriented towards Jerusalem, is there ever a time when it would be appropriate to physically orient oneself toward the east?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

Music featured in this episode: New Direction by Dave Tough

Many people in aveilut (mourning) observe a practice of changing their usual seat in shul. But mourners are also supposed to avoid public demonstrations of mourning on Shabbat. If you are in mourning, and going to shul on Shabbat, should you change your seat?

Can I make seltzer, using a home soda maker, on Shabbat? How about on Yom Tov? R. Ethan Tucker and R. Avi Killip discuss the religious instincts and halakhic issues at play.

Can Jews conduct audit studies? These are studies in which researchers send out fictitious job or service applications, a random selection of which have a characteristic that may be discriminated against. Researchers then measure the differences in callback rates. This kind of study is often considered ethical because the scientific gains outweigh the deception and lack of consent, but is that the case in Jewish law? What does halakhah have to say about lying for the sake of research?

We have an obligation to give tzedekah and care for those in need. At the same time, life is expensive and often requires having savings. Is it wrong to save money when others are suffering?

A 5-year-old named Ya'ara asks - when moshiach comes, and people come back from the dead, how old will everyone be? In this episode of Responsa Radio Kids Edition, R. Ethan Tucker and R. Avi Killip discuss the concept of the resurrection of the dead.

In my family, after eating meat, we wait 3 hours until we eat dairy. Why 3 hours? And why don't I have to wait after eating dairy?

Can chronic pain prevent you from leading prayers?

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It's a thorny question.

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Also: Can I "write off" any expenses for tzedakah purposes?

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Our most meta episode so far.

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And do I need to respect my community's custom?

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When is it ethical OK to take without asking?

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Can you say Hallel at night if your minyan doesn't meet during the day?

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And what if they want to donate their body to science?

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Does the source of the money matter? What if the donor's lifestyle conflicts with your morals?

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And if yes, how does that work?

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How do the laws of teshuvah work in the real world?

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Is it about risk, or just distance travelled?

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When can you say, "It's just business?"

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Does the Jewish legal discussion have a distinct take on car morality?

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Is this prohibition meaningful? Is it even prohibited?

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The post Responsa Radio: What is the “Ben Yomo” rule and does it make sense? appeared first on Jewish Public Media.

Is it allowed? Is it appropriate?

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Can I talk to it?

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And what about interfaith prayer spaces?

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Recorded live at Limmud UK

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Recorded live at Limmud UK.

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You're supposed to open up a mezuzah every few years. But why?

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And how much should they pay for it?

The post Responsa Radio #54: Can the Government Seize My Property? appeared first on Jewish Public Media.

Who gets to decide that a minyan has been reached?

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Is protest a Shabbat-appropriate activity?

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Why can't Europeans eat beans? Can you start the Seder early? How fancy are Rabbi Tucker's knives? These and other questions answered.

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What's the problem with getting a tattoo?

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Can I prepare non-Kosher food for a soup kitchen? Does it matter if I look identifiably Jewish?

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Can I bow down to the elders during my Karate class? Does Jewish law treat all bowing and salutes - whether part of a traditional class ceremony or directed toward a civic leader - the same?

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Can I See My Therapist on Shabbat? Tune in to find out more from Rabbi Avi Killip and Rabbi Ethan Tucker.

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We’re back with more from Responsa Radio, this time asking the question: Can non-Jews observe mitzvot? Tune in to find out more from Rabbi Avi Killip and Rabbi Ethan Tucker.

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We’re back with more from Responsa Radio, this time asking the question: How do we use space during Yom Kippur services? Tune in to find out more from Rabbi Avi Killip and Rabbi Ethan Tucker.

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What to Do with Grandma’s Treyf China? Tune in to find out more from Rabbi Avi Killip and Rabbi Ethan Tucker.

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This week on Responsa Radio: I’m learning Hebrew, and loving it. But I’m stuck when it comes to praying from the siddur–it takes forever! Which is more important: reading the prayers in their original language, or reading them in a language I actually understand? Tune in to learn from Rabbi Avi Killip and Rabbi Ethan […]

The post If I can pronounce the Hebrew, do I need to understand it? appeared first on Jewish Public Media.

This week on Responsa Radio: Why do rabbis “turn converts away three times”? As a non-rabbi, and in our day and age, what can and should I do as I interact with non-Jews who are deepening their interest in Judaism? Tune in to learn from Rabbi Ethan Tucker and Rabbi Avi Killip.

The post Why Don’t Jews Proselytize? …Can They? appeared first on Jewish Public Media.