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Halachic and Hashkafic Issues in Contemporary Society 91 - Hand Shaking and Seat Switching Ou Israel Center - Summer 2018
5778 - dbhbn ovrct [email protected] 1 sxc HALACHIC AND HASHKAFIC ISSUES IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY 91 - HAND SHAKING AND SEAT SWITCHING OU ISRAEL CENTER - SUMMER 2018 A] SHOMER NEGIAH - THE ISSUES • What is the status of the halacha of shemirat negiah - Deoraita or Derabbanan? • What kind of touching does it relate to? What about ‘professional’ touching - medical care, therapies, handshaking? • Which people does it relate to - family, children, same gender? • How does it inpact on sitting close to someone of the opposite gender. Is one required to switch seats? 1. THE WAY WE LIVE NOW: THE ETHICIST. Between the Sexes By RANDY COHEN. OCT. 27, 2002 The courteous and competent real-estate agent I'd just hired to rent my house shocked and offended me when, after we signed our contract, he refused to shake my hand, saying that as an Orthodox Jew he did not touch women. As a feminist, I oppose sex discrimination of all sorts. However, I also support freedom of religious expression. How do I balance these conflicting values? Should I tear up our contract? J.L., New York This culture clash may not allow you to reconcile the values you esteem. Though the agent dealt you only a petty slight, without ill intent, you're entitled to work with someone who will treat you with the dignity and respect he shows his male clients. If this involved only his own person -- adherence to laws concerning diet or dress, for example -- you should of course be tolerant. But his actions directly affect you. And sexism is sexism, even when motivated by religious convictions. -
Wedding Customs „ All Piskei Horav Yisroel Belsky Shlita Are Reviewed by Horav Yisroel Belsky Shlita
Halachically Speaking Volume 4 l Issue 12 „ Compiled by Rabbi Moishe Dovid Lebovits „ Reviewed by Rabbi Benzion Schiffenbauer Shlita Wedding Customs „ All Piskei Horav Yisroel Belsky Shlita are reviewed by Horav Yisroel Belsky Shlita Lag B'omer will be upon us very soon, and for this is because the moon starts getting people have not been at weddings for a while. smaller and it is not a good simon for the Therefore now is a good time to discuss some chosson and kallah.4 Others are not so convinced of the customs which lead up to the wedding that there is a concern and maintain one may and the wedding itself. marry at the end of the month as well.5 Some are only lenient if the chosson is twenty years of When one attends a wedding he sees many age.6 The custom of many is not to be customs which are done.1 For example, concerned about this and marry even at the walking down the aisle with candles, ashes on end of the month.7 Some say even according to the forehead, breaking the plate, and the glass, the stringent opinion one may marry until the the chosson does not have any knots on his twenty-second day of the Hebrew month.8 clothing etc. Long Engagement 4 Chazzon Yeshaya page 139, see Shar Yissochor mamer When an engaged couple decide when they ha’yarchim 2:pages 1-2. 5 Refer to Pischei Teshuva E.H. 64:5, Yehuda Yaleh 2:24, should marry, the wedding date should not be Tirosh V’yitzor 111, Hisoreros Teshuva 1:159, Teshuva 2 too long after their engagement. -
Sermon: How As a Christian Should I Respond? (Jen Goode 03‐04‐2018)
Page 1 – Sermon: How as a Christian should I respond? (Jen Goode 03‐04‐2018) (Exodus 20:1‐17; Psalm 19; John 2:13‐22) Let us pray: Holy One, I pray that the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart will be acceptable in your sight, my rock and my redeemer. Amen. On January 13 of this year, I posted on my Facebook page a letter I had seen to a company called Scholastic. I’m not sure if you all know this company, but Scholastic encourages school‐aged children to purchase books through monthly flyers that are sent home in backpacks. This is the letter Jaime Brusehoff wrote: “Dear Scholastic: I’ve heard you’ve been targeted … for offering and celebrating books that are LGBTQ‐inclusive. I’m sorry they’re targeting you with their ignorance and miseducation. As the mom of a transgender child, I want to say thank you. What you are doing matters. Your books make a difference. Representation matters, and when my transgender daughter reads a book that features a transgender character, she feels seen, affirmed, and valued. She thrives knowing that her peers are reading books about kids like her too. When she meets a new friend who doesn’t quite understand what it means to be transgender, do you know what she does? She hands them a book. I regularly do trainings for educators and other professionals who work with youth, and when I come with my stack of children’s books that celebrate gender creative and transgender kids, they are so happy and relieved. -
Maimonides on the First Commandment: Belief In
Special for Shavuoth 5768 Is Belief in God a Miztvah? Maimonides on the First Commandment Rabbi Assaf Bednarsh The first of the Ten Commandments, which we will read with much fanfare on Shavuot morning, is “Anochi Hashem Elokecha” – I am the Lord your God. Or is it? The Torah never actually refers to ten commandments, but to “Aseret HaDibrot”, ten statements, that God uttered to the Jewish people at Sinai. While the importance of these ten statements has never been questioned, the question of whether they in fact constitute commandments is quite controversial, specifically with regard to the first of these statements. Rambam, in his Sefer HaMitzvot, counts belief in God as the very first mitzvah, and cites “Anochi Hashem Elokecha” as the Biblical source for the commandment of faith. Ramban, however, in his glosses to Sefer HaMitzvot, points out that the passuk is not phrased as a commandment – “Believe in the Lord your God”, but rather as a statement of fact – “I am the Lord your God.” Therefore, the earlier mitzvah compendium Halachot Gedolot did not count the first of the ten statements as one of the 613 commandments, viewing it rather as a statement of theological fact. Of course, Halachot Gedolot does not deny that a good Jew must believe in God, but he understands that this requirement is too basic to be counted as a mitzvah. Faith is the pillar which supports all the 613 mitzvot of the Torah, and thus is not considered one of them. Rav Soloveitchik once summarized this disagreement using halachic terminology –Rambam considers faith as a mitzvah, but Halachot Gedolot considers it a “hechsher mitzvah”, a necessary precondition of the mitzvot. -
Halachic and Hashkafic Issues in Contemporary Society 24 - Must a Kallah Cover Her Hair - Part 1 Ou Israel Center - Summer 2016
5776 - dbhbn ovrct [email protected] 1 sxc HALACHIC AND HASHKAFIC ISSUES IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY 24 - MUST A KALLAH COVER HER HAIR - PART 1 OU ISRAEL CENTER - SUMMER 2016 A] HAIR COVERING FOR MARRIED WOMEN A1] THE TORAH DERIVATION - SOTAH //// v tv Jt«r , t g rpU wv hbpk v tv , t i v«F v sh ng vu 1. jh:v rcsnc The head of the sotah was made ‘paru’a’ in public. What does ‘parua’ mean? ivk htbd atrv hukda ktrah ,ubck itfn 'v,uzck hsf tvrga ,ghke ,t r,ux - grpu 2. oa h"ar Rashi explains the expression ‘para’ to refer to untying the woman’s braids and learns from this that Jewish women must cover their head. How does he get from one to the other? grpu (jh:v rcsnc) unf ubukeu umna vkd,b /vkudn - gurp :h"ar) /o vhneC vmnJk i º«r&vt v´«g rp(h F tU·v g*rp h¬F o ºgv(, t Æv J«n tr³Hu 3. (vatv atr ,t vf:ck ,una Rashi clearly learns that the word ‘parua’ means ‘uncovered’. utk t,ga tuvvs kkfn grpu ch,fsn b"t ruxts kkfn vkguc kg ,utb,vk v,aga unf vsn sdbf vsn vkuubk hfv vk ibhscgsn 4. rehg ifu atr ,ugurp ,tmk ktrah ,ubc lrs iht vbhn gna ,uv vgurp /cg ,ucu,f h"ar Rashi on the Gemara gives two derivations for the halacha: (a) uncovering the woman’s hair was designed to be a public humiliation and thus we can infer that covering the hair in public is dignified; and (b) the need to uncover the hair of the married woman implies that married women’s hair was generally covered. -
I. Maot Chitim II. Ta'anit Bechorim, Fast of the Firstborns III. Chametz
To The Brandeis Community, Many of us have fond memories of preparing for the holiday of Pesach (Passover), and our family's celebration of the holiday. Below is a basic outline of the major halakhic issues for Pesach this year. If anyone has questions they should be in touch with me at h[email protected]. In addition to these guidelines, a number of resources are available online from the major kashrut agencies: ● Orthodox Union: http://oukosher.org/passover/ ○ a pdf of the glossy magazine that’s been seen around campus can be found here ● Chicago Rabbinical Council: link ● Star-K: link Best wishes for a Chag Kasher ve-Sameach, Rabbi David, Ariel, Havivi, and Tiffy Pardo Please note: Since we are all spending Pesach all over the world (literally...I’m selling your chametz for you, I know) please use the internet to get appropriate halakhic times. I recommend m yzmanim.com or the really nifty sidebar on https://oukosher.org/passover/ I. Maot Chitim The Rema (Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim 429) records the ancient custom of ma'ot chitim – providing money for poor people to buy matzah and other supplies for Pesach. A number of tzedka organizations have special Maot Chitim drives. II. Ta’anit Bechorim, Fast of the Firstborns Erev Pesach is the fast of the firstborns, to commemorate the fact that the Jewish firstborns were spared during m akat bechorot (the slaying of the firstborns). This year the fast is observed on Friday April 3 (14 Nissan) beginning at alot hashachar (i.e. -
TEMPLE ISRAEL OP HOLLYWOOD Preparing for Jewish Burial and Mourning
TRANSITIONS & CELEBRATIONS: Jewish Life Cycle Guides E EW A TEMPLE ISRAEL OP HOLLYWOOD Preparing for Jewish Burial and Mourning Written and compiled by Rabbi John L. Rosove Temple Israel of Hollywood INTRODUCTION The death of a loved one is so often a painful and confusing time for members of the family and dear friends. It is our hope that this “Guide” will assist you in planning the funeral as well as offer helpful information on our centuries-old Jewish burial and mourning practices. Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary (“Hillside”) has served the Southern California Jewish Community for more than seven decades and we encourage you to contact them if you need assistance at the time of need or pre-need (310.641.0707 - hillsidememorial.org). CONTENTS Pre-need preparations .................................................................................. 3 Selecting a grave, arranging for family plots ................................................. 3 Contacting clergy .......................................................................................... 3 Contacting the Mortuary and arranging for the funeral ................................. 3 Preparation of the body ................................................................................ 3 Someone to watch over the body .................................................................. 3 The timing of the funeral ............................................................................... 3 The casket and dressing the deceased for burial .......................................... -
Jewish Perspectives on Reproductive Realities by Rabbi Lori Koffman, NCJW Board Director and Chair of NCJW’S Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice Initiative
Jewish Perspectives on Reproductive Realities By Rabbi Lori Koffman, NCJW Board Director and Chair of NCJW’s Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice Initiative A note on the content below: We acknowledge that this document invokes heavily gendered language due to the prevailing historic male voices in Jewish rabbinic and biblical perspectives, and the fact that Hebrew (the language in which these laws originated) is a gendered language. We also recognize some of these perspectives might be in contradiction with one another and with some of NCJW’s approaches to the issues of reproductive health, rights, and justice. Background Family planning has been discussed in Judaism for several thousand years. From the earliest of the ‘sages’ until today, a range of opinions has existed — opinions which can be in tension with one another and are constantly evolving. Historically these discussions have assumed that sexual intimacy happens within the framework of heterosexual marriage. A few fundamental Jewish tenets underlie any discussion of Jewish views on reproductive realities. • Protecting an existing life is paramount, even when it means a Jew must violate the most sacred laws.1 • Judaism is decidedly ‘pro-natalist,’ and strongly encourages having children. The duty of procreation is based on one of the earliest and often repeated obligations of the Torah, ‘pru u’rvu’, 2 to be ‘fruitful and multiply.’ This fundamental obligation in the Jewish tradition is technically considered only to apply to males. Of course, Jewish attitudes toward procreation have not been shaped by Jewish law alone, but have been influenced by the historic communal trauma (such as the Holocaust) and the subsequent yearning of some Jews to rebuild community through Jewish population growth. -
Bris Or Brit Milah (Ritual Circumcision) According to Jewish Law, a Healthy Baby Boy Is Circumcised on the Eighth Day After His Birth
Bris or Brit milah (ritual circumcision) According to Jewish law, a healthy baby boy is circumcised on the eighth day after his birth. The brit milah, the ritual ceremony of removing the foreskin which covers the glans of the penis, is a simple surgical procedure that can take place in the home or synagogue and marks the identification of a baby boy as a Jew. The ceremony is traditionally conducted by a mohel, a highly trained and skilled individual, although a rabbi in conjunction with a physician may perform the brit milah. The brit milah is a joyous occasion for the parents, relatives and friends who celebrate in this momentous event. At the brit milah, it is customary to appoint a kvater (a man) and a kvaterin (a woman), the equivalent of Jewish godparents, whose ritual role is to bring the child into the room for the circumcision. Another honor bestowed on a family member is the sandak, who is most often the baby’s paternal grandfather or great-grandfather. This individual traditionally holds the baby during the circumcision ceremony. The service involves a kiddush (prayer over wine), the circumcision, blessings, a dvar torah (a small teaching of the Torah) and the presentation of the Jewish name selected for the baby. During the brit milah, a chair is set aside for Elijah the prophet. Following the ceremony, a seudat mitzvah (celebratory meal) is available for the guests. Please take note: Formal invitations for a bris are not sent out. Typically, guests are notified by phone or email. The baby’s name is not given before the bris. -
Lincoln Square Synagogue for As Sexuality, the Role Of
IflN mm Lincoln Square Synagogue Volume 27, No. 3 WINTER ISSUE Shevat 5752 - January, 1992 FROM THE RABBI'S DESK.- It has been two years since I last saw leaves summon their last colorful challenge to their impending fall. Although there are many things to wonder at in this city, most ofthem are works ofhuman beings. Only tourists wonder at the human works, and being a New Yorker, I cannot act as a tourist. It was good to have some thing from G-d to wonder at, even though it was only leaves. Wondering is an inspiring sensation. A sense of wonder insures that our rela¬ tionship with G-d is not static. It keeps us in an active relationship, and protects us from davening or fulfilling any other mitzvah merely by rote. A lack of excitement, of curiosity, of surprise, of wonder severs our attachment to what we do. Worse: it arouses G-d's disappointment I wonder most at our propensity to cease wondering. None of us would consciously decide to deprive our prayers and actions of meaning. Yet, most of us are not much bothered by our lack of attachment to our tefilot and mitzvot. We are too comfortable, too certain that we are living properly. That is why I am happy that we hosted the Wednesday Night Lecture with Rabbi Riskin and Dr. Ruth. The lecture and the controversy surrounding it certainly woke us up. We should not need or even use controversy to wake ourselves up. However, those of us who were joined in argument over the lecture were forced to confront some of the serious divisions in the Orthodox community, and many of its other problems. -
TRANSGENDER JEWS and HALAKHAH1 Rabbi Leonard A
TRANSGENDER JEWS AND HALAKHAH1 Rabbi Leonard A. Sharzer MD This teshuvah was adopted by the CJLS on June 7, 2017, by a vote of 11 in favor, 8 abstaining. Members voting in favor: Rabbis Aaron Alexander, Pamela Barmash, Elliot Dorff, Susan Grossman, Reuven Hammer, Jan Kaufman, Gail Labovitz, Amy Levin, Daniel Nevins, Avram Reisner, and Iscah Waldman. Members abstaining: Rabbis Noah Bickart, Baruch Frydman- Kohl, Joshua Heller, David Hoffman, Jeremy Kalmanofsky, Jonathan Lubliner, Micah Peltz, and Paul Plotkin. שאלות 1. What are the appropriate rituals for conversion to Judaism of transgender individuals? 2. What are the appropriate rituals for solemnizing a marriage in which one or both parties are transgender? 3. How is the marriage of a transgender person (which was entered into before transition) to be dissolved (after transition). 4. Are there any requirements for continuing a marriage entered into before transition after one of the partners transitions? 5. Are hormonal therapy and gender confirming surgery permissible for people with gender dysphoria? 6. Are trans men permitted to become pregnant? 7. How must healthcare professionals interact with transgender people? 8. Who should prepare the body of a transgender person for burial? 9. Are preoperative2 trans men obligated for tohorat ha-mishpahah? 10. Are preoperative trans women obligated for brit milah? 11. At what point in the process of transition is the person recognized as the new gender? 12. Is a ritual necessary to effect the transition of a trans person? The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Rabbinical Assembly provides guidance in matters of halkhhah for the Conservative movement. -
Pesach Status of Enriched White Rice Ask Ou
ww ww VOL. y h / NO. 7 IYAR 5771 / MAY 2011 s xc THEDaf a K ashrus a monthlyH newsletter for th e o U r a bb inic field representative DAF NOTES On Sunday, March 27, for the first time, the Harry H. Beren ASK OU OUTREACH Kashrut Shiurim were presented to the Sephardic community at Bnei Shaare Zion in Brooklyn, NY. The OU Poskim, Rav Hershel Schachter and Rav Yisroel Belsky, both discussed the current Pesach status of enriched white rice for those who are permitted to eat Kitniyot on Pesach. These discussions sparked much interest in the Sephardic community. Although by now, Pesach is behind us, the Daf feels it important to share with its readers the research Rabbi Gavriel Price has made on this subject in the article below, as well as the accompanying Teshuva written by Rav Schachter Shlita. Rav Schachter writes in his Teshuva that the potential Chametz in rice that is produced by several major US manufacturers would be Botul before Pesach. How- ever, it is proper for Sephardim to wash the rice to remove the possible Chametz in the added vitamins. It is preferable for Sephardim to use any unprocessed brown rice or white rice with an acceptable Kosher L’Pesach certification as found in Eretz Yisroel, for those permitted to eat Kitniyot. Please refer to the Teshuva for the reasons Rav Schachter gives for these Psokim. Parboiled, pre-cooked, boil-in-a-bag, and converted rice are either pesach statUs naturally enriched or use a special method of enrichment that will of enriched white rice not be discussed here.