Tag: halakhah

What blessing do I recite over an eclipse?

A solar eclipse is certainly a unique natural event that causes us to ponder our place in the universe. What blessing do I recite?

Exploring Judaism April 4, 2024 Blessings CJLS

Pesah and Continued Kashrut Slavery: A Conceptual Reflection

A conceptual reflection of Pesah and Kashrut can bring more meaning to how we follow the halakhah of food on Pesah.

Rabbi Aaron Alexander March 12, 2024 Holidays Passover

Women and Headcovering

In a written teshuvah, Rabbi Jane Kanarek explains the answer to the question, "Should women and girls wear a headcovering?"

Reena Bromberg Gaber January 3, 2024 CJLS Halakhah

What does Judaism say about Abortion?

An overview of what Judaism says about abortion based on the decisions and analysis of the Rabbinical Assembly.

Rabbi Susan Grossman, Rabbi Avram Israel Reisner December 10, 2023 CJLS Halakhah

Non-Fasting Sh”tz on Yom Kippur

When should we use a non-fasting sh"tz on Yom Kippur? This CJLS teshuvah, originally written by Rabbi Gail Labovitz, explains.

Reena Bromberg Gaber September 28, 2023 CJLS Halakhah

Halakha and the Assessment of Risk

Halakha can be used for the assessment of risk; this can be relevant for pikuach nefesh (saving a life) or kashrut.

Rabbi Avram Israel Reisner September 7, 2023 Ethics Every Day

Protected: Distinctive Emphasis in Conservative Judaism: Vis-a-Vis the Halakha (1952)

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Rabbi Max L. Forman z"l June 29, 2023 CJ Journal - 1945-1959 Conservative Judaism

Protected: Conservative Judaism as a Unifying Force (1949)

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Rabbi Max Arzt z"l June 28, 2023 CJ Journal - 1945-1959 Conservative Judaism

A Jewish Lens on Investing and Gambling

What special ethical concerns arise as the distinction between company owners and customers is blurred by equity investment?

Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal, The Observant Life (Book) May 25, 2023 Business Ethics Commerce

Three Types of Prohibited Speech According to Jewish Law

It is largely agreed upon that the types of speech encompassed by the biblical prohibition fall into three categories of increasing severity.

The Observant Life (Book) May 19, 2023 Every Day Human interactions

Creating a Sacred Physical Space

Halakhah demands that we invoke God’s name in prayer only in settings that are worthy of the sacred enterprise of prayer.

Rabbi Dr. Karen Reiss Medwed, The Observant Life (Book) May 16, 2023 Every Day Prayer

Planning my Queer Halakhic Jewish Wedding

Making the choices for our queer wedding ceremony including the ceremony, ketubah, sheva berachot, circling, and breaking the glass.

Rabbi Becca Walker May 15, 2023 LGBTQ+ Lifecycles

A New Egalitarian Divorce

Rabbi Barmash's new teshuvah empowers women and infuses the rites of marriage and divorce with more equality and dignity for both partners.

Rabbi Deborah Megdal May 8, 2023 CJLS Divorce

When Can a Passover Seder Start Early? Other Festivals?

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?

Exploring Judaism March 19, 2023 CJLS Halakhah

Fixing Common Errors in a Kosher Kitchen

Mistakes will happen in a kosher kitchen. While some are easily corrected, others require a bit more effort. Here's what you do.

Rabbi Paul S. Drazen z"l, The Observant Life (Book) February 8, 2023 Every Day Guidelines for a Kosher Kitchen

Is Alcohol the best way to celebrate Purim?

According to a well-known custom, drinking – and drinking to excess – on Purim is required for Jews celebrating the holiday. What is the origin ...

Rabbi David Golinkin, The Schechter Institutes February 5, 2023 Halakhah Learning

Tefillin: A Reminder of What is Holy

Rabbi Julie Schwarzwald on wearing Tefillin: As I go about my work and my mundane routine, I am regularly reminded of what is holy.

Rabbi Julie Schwarzwald January 25, 2023 Accessories for Prayer Every Day

Rituals of Sukkot

Sukkot, one of the shalosh r’galim, the three pilgrimage festivals is celebrated five days after Yom Kippur.

Rabbi Alan Lucas, The Observant Life (Book) October 14, 2022 High Holidays Holidays

Erev Yom Kippur and the Customs Preceding It

Preparations on Erev Yom Kippur are intrinsic to the awe-inspiring observance of the day: a special meal, candle lighting, and charity.

Rabbi Alan Lucas, The Observant Life (Book) October 3, 2022 High Holidays Holidays

The Shofar on Rosh Hashanah

Sounding of the shofar is a characteristic mitzvah of Rosh Hashanah. The holiday is alternatively called the Day of Sounding the Shofar.

The Observant Life (Book), Rabbi Alan Lucas September 16, 2022 High Holidays Holidays

What are Kitniyot and when can I eat it?

In the early medieval period, it became customary for Ashkenazi Jews to not eat a category of foods called kitniyot. What are they?

Exploring Judaism March 31, 2022 CJLS Halakhah

What is an Eiruv Tavshilin?

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.

Rabbi Alan Lucas, The Observant Life (Book) March 22, 2022 Holidays Passover