Before discussing what the Torah says specifically about women, let’s first see what it says about all Jews and the mitzvot. Almost all of the mitzvot are dependent on some factor. Some depend on time (like Shabbat and the holidays), some on place (such as the agricultural mitzvot which apply only in
The moral questions regarding euthanasia and abortion are very sensitive issues which are discussed by all segments of society today. Much has already written about these topics in Jewish law. Therefore, the purpose here is not to deal with the Jewish legal issues themselves, but, rather, to give the general Jewish
Very often, Rosh Chodesh Tammuz falls out in the week that Parshas Korach is read. Perhaps there is a connection between this Rosh Chodesh and Korach. The sefer Shraga Hameir (Rav Shraga Feivel Schneelbalg, zt’’l) asks, why did Moshe Rabbeinu specifically pray that Korach and the men of his
Last week, we hosted an event on the growing drug issue in the Jewish community. A few hours before the event, a young man I know, or thought I knew well, sent the letter below to me. He asked that I share it with the hope his story can help others and I began the program by reading it. When I
As a species, the human being clearly dominates the world and is superior to all animals. But if we try to analyze how and why man is superior to animals, it is not so easily explained. For example, some might believe that man is physically stronger than all the animals. But that is clearly not so. In the case
When I first became a Rav I thought I could help everyone who called me. I had high expectations of being able to restore Shalom in a family where therapists had failed. I was sure I could help find the correct school for everyone whose child was out of school. And I thought every person suffering would
When tattoos were originally banned by the Torah, this action, in almost all cases, had the connotation of something religious and non-Jewish. Today’s tattoos are put on the body, by and large, as fashion statements, whims of the moment, or just for fun. Therefore, would they be permitted today in Jewish
We had a guest at our Shabbos table who had graduated a top tier university and became more Jewishly observant after graduating. “What motivated you to take this path?” we asked. “There were many factors,” he responded, “but the impetus began one summer while I was working on campus on a
One of the basic tenets of those who have opposed the State of Israel has been that the State violates the “Three Oaths” as found in the Talmud in Masechta Kesuvos 111. The Talmud says: “Why/What are these Three Oaths? One, that Israel should not storm the wall (Rashi interprets: forcefully). Two
Ask the average real estate professional for the three most important elements of a quality property and you will likely get the following response: location, location, and location. Developers can do almost anything to a property to fix it up but they can’t do anything about where it’s located. Often, people will