Halakhic Zmanim (Jewish Times) Explained
Zmanim, halakhic times, divide the Jewish day. They determine and inform when we can perform Jewish activities. On Friday evenings, there is a time to
Rabbi Jeremy Markiz
Zmanim, halakhic times, divide the Jewish day. They determine and inform when we can perform Jewish activities. On Friday evenings, there is a time to
In asking the question “Are we allowed to wear weapons on Shabbat?”, we can explore a rabbinic controversy between fashion and ferocity.
What does eating cholent on a Thursday, Tisha B’av, Shabbat, and Jewish law have in common? This might surprise you.
What is the halakhic and Jewish ethical status of consuming, possessing, and selling cannabis for both medical and recreational purposes?
If medicine is not food, why should there be any restrictions on taking it during Pesah? The question arises because although medicine is not food,
Why is electricity such a complicated issue when it comes to Shabbat? What are the considerations? How can I learn more about it?
Getting engaged, like other lifecycle events in Judaism, offers us a chance to opt-in to this wonderful and rewarding project we call Judaism
What to do on Yom Kippur during/after a hurricane. In all matters of Jewish law, the preservation of human life is of primary concern. Period.
While Jewish law contains many opinions, the moral imperative is clear: every effort should be made to negotiate the release of hostages without delay.
Can we do work and labor on Tisha B’av? What role do our emotions play in that? The Medieval posek Terumat HaDeshen has an answer.
Rabbi Zecharias Frankel in 1845 explores the nature of Judaism as it faces progress and highlights the nature of change in Judaism.
In a recent teshuvah, the CJLS answers the question, “what is the Jewish status of a child born using a gestational carrier?”
Rabbi Greenberg writes, many ideas matured in rabbinic thought, particularly “group of ethical values usually associated with the concept of Democracy.”
Rabbi Gordis writes, “the main current of Biblical thought and Jewish tradition is fundamentally democratic…”
A solar eclipse is certainly a unique natural event that causes us to ponder our place in the universe. What blessing do I recite?
A conceptual reflection of Pesah and Kashrut can bring more meaning to how we follow the halakhah of food on Pesah.
In a written teshuvah, Rabbi Jane Kanarek explains the answer to the question, “Should women and girls wear a headcovering?”
An overview of what Judaism says about abortion based on the decisions and analysis of the Rabbinical Assembly.
When should we use a non-fasting sh”tz on Yom Kippur? This CJLS teshuvah, originally written by Rabbi Gail Labovitz, explains.
Halakha can be used for the assessment of risk; this can be relevant for pikuach nefesh (saving a life) or kashrut.
Rabbi Max L. Forman z”‘ wrote: “the formulation of a dynamic approach to Jewish law; not to a corpus or platform, but to a methodology.”
Rabbi Max Arzt z”l wrote, “Its realistic and reverential attitude to tradition is animated by a profound concern for Jewish unity…”
What special ethical concerns arise as the distinction between company owners and customers is blurred by equity investment?
It is largely agreed upon that the types of speech encompassed by the biblical prohibition fall into three categories of increasing severity.
Halakhah demands that we invoke God’s name in prayer only in settings that are worthy of the sacred enterprise of prayer.
Making the choices for our queer wedding ceremony including the ceremony, ketubah, sheva berachot, circling, and breaking the glass.
Rabbi Barmash’s new teshuvah empowers women and infuses the rites of marriage and divorce with more equality and dignity for both partners.
When is the earliest time that we can begin observing Jewish festivals, on first or second day of Yom Tov, in particular, the Passover seder?
Mistakes will happen in a kosher kitchen. While some are easily corrected, others require a bit more effort. Here’s what you do.
According to a well-known custom, drinking—and drinking to excess—on Purim is required for Jews celebrating the holiday. What is the origin of this custom? Are Jews really required to get drunk on Purim?
Rabbi Julie Schwarzwald on wearing Tefillin: As I go about my work and my mundane routine, I am regularly reminded of what is holy.
Sukkot, one of the shalosh r’galim, the three pilgrimage festivals is celebrated five days after Yom Kippur.
Preparations on Erev Yom Kippur are intrinsic to the awe-inspiring observance of the day: a special meal, candle lighting, and charity.
Sounding of the shofar is a characteristic mitzvah of Rosh Hashanah. The holiday is alternatively called the Day of Sounding the Shofar.
In the early medieval period, it became customary for Ashkenazi Jews to not eat a category of foods called kitniyot. What are they?
One is only permitted to cook on festivals to make food for the holiday itself, not for other days. There is an exception: eiruv tavshilin.