Shows
The Twelve Minute Shiur#84 - What Makes a Marriage a Marriage? Part 2In this installment we consider the (in)famous decision of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, the preeminent 20th-century Orthodox posek in North America, concerning Reform Jewish weddings. Spoiler alert #1: he thinks that they do not produce valid Jewish marriages according to halakhah. Spoiler alert #2: his ruling served a purpose that all of us progressive types can support, even if what he says about us is vituperative and insulting. As we like to say in the halakhah business: it's complicated. Which is why it's so interesting.
2025-11-0911 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#83 - What Makes a Marriage a Marriage? Part 1Two Jews walk into a church (stop us if you've heard this one!). They get married there, in a Christian ritual, with a priest as the officiant. Does halakhah recognize this marriage as valid under Jewish law? Some rather serious consequences ride on the answer to this question. In this installment, we consider the answer offered by a leading sage of the 15th century.Download the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast
2025-10-2612 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#82 - The Problem With ExpertiseWe hear much these days about "the death of expertise," a growing tendency to ignore and cast suspicion upon the counsel of physicians, scientists, economists - trained experts of every sort. Why is this? Is it because we're too dumb to listen to people who know better? Well, maybe! But that's only a partial answer, because the experts may bear their share of the responsibility, too. The halakhah instructs us to heed the counsel of the expert (the baki, the mumcheh) in their area of expertise, but it knows that despite their expertise – or sometimes even because of it...
2025-10-0512 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#81 - Three Blessings of ThanksgivingWe liberal Jews are quite familiar with the b'rakhah known as "Shehechiyanu." It's our all-purpose blessing of thanksgiving. We recite it all the time, over almost every conceivable moment of personal and communal celebration. In fact, though, the tradition knows of (at least) three b'rakhot of thanksgiving, each one to be recited at specific moments over specific things and under specific conditions. This doesn't mean we need to stop saying Shehechiyanu at the drop of a hat - er, kipah - but it's not a bad idea to keep the other b'rakhot in mind.Download the source...
2025-09-0812 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#80 - Students of Torah and Military Service: A Responsum of the Tzitz EliezerIn this installment, we look at a t'shuvah (responsum) from 1948 by a leading Orthodox posek on the question of draft exemptions for Torah students. We doubt that his opinion would be popular among today's chareidim. Not surprisingly, we find his reasoning impeccable.Get the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast.
2025-08-1812 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#79 - Are Students of Torah Exempt from Military Service?In Israel, as estimated 60,000 full-time students at chareidi (ultra-Orthodox) yeshivot are exempt from giyus (the draft). It's a bitterly contested issue, especially during a two-year war when the other segments of Israel's population have shouldered a heavy burden of military service. The chareidim justify the exemption for halakhic reasons (among others). Hmm... does Jewish law really grant yeshivah students an exemption from the army? In this installment, we consider their major arguments.Download the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast
2025-08-0611 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#78 - Why Do We Recite B'rakhot?The birkot hanehenin, the blessings we recite before deriving material benefit from Creation: why exactly do we recite them?
2025-07-1713 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#77 - Birkat Eirusin, or: Is Marriage a Mitzvah?At the moment of kiddushin, the inception of marriage, we recite the b'rakhah known as birkat eirusin, "the betrothal benediction." What does the text of that b'rakhah tell us about the nature of marriage according to the halakhah? Surprisingly - well, maybe not surprisingly - there's a machloket over that! Get the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast.
2025-06-3013 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#76 - K'vod Hab'riyot and Positive ChangeDo poskim rely upon the principle "great is human dignity" as an argument for making permanent and positive changes in halakhic observance? Not often... but sometimes they do. Here's an example of an Orthodox authority who uses the argument gadol k'vod hab'riyot to justify removing a well-known barrier to justice and equity in traditional practice. And although we progressives solved that problem many years ago, we do not hesitate to call this rabbi one of our halakhic heroes.Get the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast
2025-05-2713 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#75 - Gadol K'vod Hab'riyot: A Wedding on ShabbatIn shiur #73, we saw that the exalted halakhic principle "great is human dignity" has historically played but a minor, limited role in practical halakhic decision making. This shiur considers a famous exception to that rule. Rabbi Moshe Isserles permitted a couple to violate the Rabbis' prohibition against holding weddings on Shabbat when postponing the hupah until Sunday would have brought shame and humiliation upon the bride. His halakhic argument suggests that poskim are entitled to abandon established halakhic precedent when, in their estimation, ethical necessity demands a different decision. It's a big deal.Download the source sheet at www.fre...
2025-04-2713 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#74 - Why Don't We Recite a B’rakhah Over the Hagadah?It's a positive ("thou shalt") mitzvah to tell the story of our redemption from Egypt on seder night. So why do we not recite a b'rakhah, a blessing over Hagadah, the telling of the story? Many have asked this question, and many have offered answers. In this installment we consider some of those answers. And we may even suggest one of our own.Download the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast.
2025-04-0212 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#73 - Gadol K'vod Hab'riyot"Great is human dignity."How great is it? Would you believe that it's so great that it takes precedence over mitzvot of the Torah?? Well, not so fast; it's complicated. And like the old saying goes: two Talmuds, two opinions.Download the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast
2025-03-2612 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#72 - Are We Allowed to Cause Harm to Ourselves?Are we entitled to do anything we wish to our bodies and our persons, even to the point of inflicting substantive harm upon ourselves, so long as our act does not damage others? Modern Western thought, especially in its libertarian variety, tends to answer "yes." Traditional Jewish thought, which is hardly libertarian, would answer "no," correct? Well, not so fast. Rather than one clear and obviously correct answer, the halakhah offers us a way to think about and argue the question on the way to making decisions.Download the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast
2025-03-0512 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#71 - Birkat HatorahIf talmud torah k'neged kulam ("the study of Torah is equal in weight to all the other mitzvot combined"), then no wonder we recite a b'rakhah - or maybe more than one - for the act of Torah study. But - what do we recite? When precisely do we recite it? And over what sort of "Torah" do we recite it? So many questions... let's see if our texts can provide us with some answers.Download the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast
2025-02-1313 min
Jewish Ideas to Change the WorldHow Responsa Make Meaning: The Case of Non-Jewish HolidaysA virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dr. Mark WashofskyThe event was co-sponsored by Temple SolelAbout The Event: Reform Judaism has long taught and preached that our tradition permits us to participate fully in the life of the surrounding culture. But the sources of that tradition seem to communicate a very different message. In our session, we’ll read how two responsa—one Reform and one Orthodox—translate those sources into decisions that draw a (hopefully) proper balance between Jewish distinctiveness and citizenship in the wider world. In doing so, we’ll c...
2025-02-0856 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#70 - On Strike!Does the halakhah permit unions to strike, to walk off the job and to prevent nonunionized workers from replacing those on the picket line?It’s a machloket. Some authorities say that the Torah forbids workers to strike against employers and that there is a better way to resolve disputes over wages and working conditions. Others permit the strike as an invaluable tool of worker empowerment that draws its support from several provisions of Jewish law.In this installment, we’re looking at both sides.
Download the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast.
2025-01-2713 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#69 - Rav Ouziel on Organized Labor
How an outstanding 20th-century posek translates the ambiguities of the classical texts into a language that speaks to the economic realities of modern industrial society. The halakhah, he tells us, offers enthusiastic support for labor unionization even though those texts don't say so, at least not literally. Talk about "progressive halakhah" before that term was invented! But even he has doubts that unions are entitled to strike to enforce their demands. Is he right? We'll look at that subject in our next installment.
Download the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast.
2025-01-1312 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur68. The Halakhah and Organized Labor
Does Jewish law permit workers to organize into labor unions to help secure better pay, benefits, and working conditions? Does it permit those unions to go on strike or undertake other such actions to enforce achieve their demands? The answer to those questions is a definite – maybe. In this shiur, we’ll look at some texts that may give us some guidance but that leave a lot of questions open. So stay tuned for our next shi'ur, when we’ll see how a leading 20th-century posek constructs from these vague and often ambivalent sources a ringing endorsement of unionization in the...
2024-12-3012 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#67 - Hanerot Halalu"Throughout the eight days of Hanukkah / These lights are sacred /And we have no permission to make use of them / We may only look upon them..."That's part of the liturgy traditionally recited upon kindling the Hanukkah lights. But what does it mean to "make use" of the Hanukkah lights? Why are we not permitted to make use of them? And how do we know all of this anyway?A bit of learning for the festival of lights.
Downlaod the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast
2024-12-1511 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#66 - Joshua's Rules for Sharing the LandOur tradition teaches that Joshua imposed a set of t'naim, stipulations or conditions, upon the people before they took possession of the land. Those stipulations suggest a vision of land use that allows for private ownership and for public benefit. Does that vision have anything to teach us in our time?
2024-11-2511 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#65 - Is There a Requirement to Eat Meat on Festivals?It's a mitzvah to rejoice on a festival. And what better way to rejoice than a se`udat yom tov, a festive meal? Does meat have to be on the menu? Many Orthodox Jews say "yes" and that they have the sources to prove it. We're here to say "no," and we've got sources, too. It's a machloket. And not to brag or anything, but we think that our argument is more persuasive!
Get the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast
2024-11-0612 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#64 - The Strange Case of the Stolen LulavCan you fulfill the mitzvah of n'tilat lulav on Sukkot with a lulav that is stolen? That is, if you use a stolen lulav, are you yotzei? Do you fulfill your requirement? After all, even if it's stolen, it's still a lulav!Or does the halakhah refuse to recognize the action on the grounds that you have fulfilled a mitzvah by way of a transgression against the Torah?In this installment, we consider the legal and the moral aspects of this question.
Download the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast
2024-10-1312 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#63 - Ba`al T'shuvah vs. Tzadik Gamur
Who is the better person: the ba`al t'shuvah, the repentant sinner,or the tzadik gamur, the wholly righteous individual who has never sinned at all?You can argue it either way. And - are you surprised? - the tradition does argue it either way!Plus, there's an element of halakhah that rides on the decision, which is why we talk about it here.
Download the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast
2024-10-0112 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#62 - How Many Shofar Sounds Are We Supposed to Hear?
The Torah says we are to hear the sound of t`ru'ah on Rosh Hashanah.What's a t'ru`ah?Why must it be sounded by a ram's horn?And how many sounds are we supposed to hear - one? Nine? Thirty? Sixty? 100?So many questions - can we answer them in twelve minutes?We can try!
Download the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast
2024-09-0511 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#61 - Judicial EthicsThe ethics of judges is - unfortunately - a timely subject. So it's a good time to look at some of what the halakhic literature has to say about it. As is often the case, our study may leave us with more questions than answers. But then, asking the right questions is a good first step.
2024-08-2312 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#60 - Yom Tov Sheni, Part 3In 1846, the Reform rabbinical conference at Breslau annulled the observance of yom tov sheni shel galuyot, the second festival day traditionally observed by Jews living outside of Eretz Yisrael. How could they simply do away with such an ancient religious practice? Is there any halakhic justification for their action? As those Reform rabbis would have replied (loosely translated from the German): you betcha!
Download the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast.
2024-07-3011 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#59 - Yom Tov Sheni, Part 2More on the second festival day, like: why do many Jews still observe it when we no longer have any doubt as to the right date of yom tov? And what about the second day of Rosh Hashanah? It looks, smells, and quacks just like a regular yom tov sheni... but it's not!
Source sheet available at www.freehofinstiute.org/podcast.
2024-07-1012 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur58. Yom Tov Sheni, Part 1Why do many Jews outside of Eretz Yisrael turn every Biblically-ordained festival day (yom tov) into a two-day observance? What's the nature of that second day, especially since we no longer have any uncertainty about determining the months and the dates of the Jewish calendar? And why do progressive Jews dispense with the observance of yom tov sheni altogether? Lots of questions, and we'll try to answer them, beginning with this installment. Warning: some of the answers may surprise you!
Get the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast
2024-06-2512 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#57 - May a Blind Person Be Called to the Torah?Rabbi Yosef Caro, in his Shulhan Arukh, holds that a blind person may not be called up to the Torah. That ruling stirred a halakhist of the next generation, Rabbi Binyamin Selonik, to write a responsum that holds the opposite. Just your ordinary, run-of-the-mill halakhic mahloket - except that Rabbi Selonik himself was blind, a reality he emphasizes explicitly and passionately in his text, making sure that we read the sources through the eyes of one who - if the Shulhan Arukh is right - would be excluded from participation in a beloved mitzvah.
Get the source sheet a...
2024-06-0713 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#56 - Thinking Halakhicly About DisabilityIn halakhah, as in life, there are two ways - one "passive," the other "active" - to think about disability and of our response to it. In this episode, we consider examples of each.
Source sheet available at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast.
2024-05-2313 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#55 - Who Is Worthy to Lead Us in Prayer? Part 2Picking up where we left off in episode #53. What qualities should we want in a shaliach tzibur (prayer leader)? And what qualities are we best advised to avoid? The halakhah weighs in.
Get the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast.
2024-04-2813 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#54 - Getting Rid of HametzPesach is coming. Time to get rid of your hametz. And there are four different ways to do it. Oh, the choices! This episode explores the whys and the hows.
Get the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast.
2024-04-1113 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#53 - Who Is Worthy to Lead Us in Prayer? Part 1The leader of the prayer service - the shaliach tzibur - is traditionally considered our representative or emissary before God. So it's understandable that we want to appoint the very best person, or at least someone who is worthy for that job. Okay... but how do we define "worthy"? The first of a two-part series.
Get the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast.
2024-03-1912 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#52 - "They Teach Him the Principles of the Faith": Is Rambam Just Making This Up?
For nearly a thousand years, students of the Mishneh Torah, Rambam's great code of halakhah, have sought to identify the Talmudic sources of his rulings. Sometimes, he appears to have no source whatsoever. When this happens, we have to ask: is Rambam just making this up? Is it permissible even for a great posek to derive a rule of halakhah on the basis of common sense or of his personal judgment? In this installment, we look at two outstanding commentators with two very different answers to that question.
Download the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast.
2024-03-0412 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#51 - B'rakhot: Is It Okay to Change the Text?
Progressive Jews have been writing new texts for the b'rakhot, the blessings or benedictions that form the core of our worship, for just about 200 years. There are lots of reasons for that, but our question here is whether we violate halakhah when we do it. Does Jewish law permit us to alter the text - the nusach - of a liturgical form that tradition says was ordained by the ancient Rabbis and perhaps even by Ezra the scribe? We have a theory that says "yes."
Get the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast .
2024-02-0912 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#50 - Why Are We Still Saying Kiddush in the Synagogue?
We ask that the congregation please rise... to observe a custom (minhag) that was created for a very specific reason. That reason disappeared over 1000 years ago. So what did the Jews do about that? You guessed it: they maintained the minhag and came up with new reasons for it. That in itself tells us something about the role of minhag in our religious life. And as for those new reasons, do they have anything to teach us? Well, just maybe.
2024-01-1912 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#49 - The Death of King Saul and Physician-Assisted SuicideIt's one of the most famous cases of suicide in all of Jewish literature. Saul, king of Israel, falls on his sword in order to avoid being taken alive and abused by the Philistines. Does this story serve as a precedent in support of physician-assisted suicide in cases of terminal illness? Some say yes. But (and you saw this coming, didn't you?) it's complicated.
Download the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast.
2024-01-1012 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#48 - On the Flexibility of the Halakhah
At the Freehof Institute, we understand halakhah in its best sense not as a set of fixed rules but as a discourse, a language of thought and of argument that Jews utilize to study their sacred sources and determine just what they tell us when it comes to matters of sacred action. And we believe that language to be a flexible one, a process that can yield guidance fully coherent with our own liberal and progressive religious outlook. We certainly don’t believe that Rabbi Hayyim David Halevi (d. 1998), the S’fardic chief rabbi of Tel Aviv-Yafo, qualifies as a liberal...
2023-12-2012 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#47 - What's Wrong with the Electric Hanukkiah?According to halakhah, can you fulfill the mitzvah of Hanukkah, the lighting of the Hanukkah lamp, by using electric lights? Most Orthodox authorities say "no." We say "yes," and here's why.
Source sheet available at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast.
2023-11-2912 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#46 - Deception: Part 2In shiur #44, we saw that the halakhah prohibits g'neivat da`at, deceptive speech and conduct, behavior that creates a false impression in the mind of another. In this shiur we ask: are there exceptions to this isur, this prohibition? Is there any situation in which we are permitted to deceive? The Talmud clearly says "yes" - there are exceptions. But Rambam just as clearly says "no" - the prohibition is absolute. Now there's a conflict worthy of discussion!
Source sheet available at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcasts .
2023-11-1512 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#45 - On the Halakhah of WarDoes Jewish law distinguish between "just" and "unjust" wars? And what duties do we owe to noncombatant populations during wartime? This episode was recorded in October 2023, when these subjects suddenly and sadly became relevant for Israel and the entire Jewish people.
Source sheet available at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcasts .
2023-10-2619 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#44 - Deception: Creating a False ImpressionIt's no surprise that the halakhah frowns upon deceptive behavior (g'neivat da`at). We are forbidden to act in such a way as to create a false impression in the minds of others, even when our action causes them no material loss, simply because deception in and of itself is a bad thing. But how bad is it? Are we always forbidden to deceive? Without exception?
Well, there's a machloket about that.
Source sheet available at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast
2023-10-0412 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#43 - Kol Nidrei: Timing is EverythingDoes your community recite Kol Nidrei before or after sundown at the beginning of Yom Kippur? Does it matter? In a word: yes... because either way, you're making a statement. What statement is that? Glad you asked - do we have a shiur for you!
2023-09-1913 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#42 - Avinu Malkeinu on ShabbatAvinu Malkeinu - it's one of the most dramatic and powerful moments in the High Holiday liturgy. "Traditional" congregations omit this dramatic and powerful prayer on Shabbat, while Reform congregations recite it. Who's right? Well, you'll never believe this, but... it's a machloket! The Jews disagree among themselves - imagine that! In this installment, we'll explore the arguments of those who think that Avinu Malkeinu is inappropriate on Shabbat, and we'll consider why other communities are not persuaded by those arguments.
Our source sheet, along with a longer and more detailed essay on the topic, are available...
2023-09-0112 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#41 - Sounding the Shofar on ShabbatIt's almost 5784! This year, Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat, and Reform congregations will sound the shofar on that day. They do so because they observe only one day of the yom tov rather than the traditional two. They do so also because the halakhah supports their practice. Wait - what?? Doesn't the halakhah *prohibit* sounding the shofar on Shabbat? Well, there's actually a machloket over that, and in this installment we'll consider why the Reform practice conforms to the better side of the dispute.
Source sheet available at www.freehofinstitute.org/learning.
2023-08-2312 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#40 - When Halakhah and Ethics Collide, Part 3In our previous installment, we saw how the Rabbis utilized the power of property confiscation (hefker beit din) as a way to repair inequities they perceived in the law of the Torah. In this shiur, we'll look at how that power enabled them to correct some glaring economic imbalances in the institution of marriage as the Torah defines it. In the process, they restructured that institution in a pretty fundamental way.
Source sheet available at www.freehofinstitute.org/learning
2023-08-1312 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#39 - When Halakhah and Ethics Collide, Part 2In our last installment, we looked at one way in which the Rabbis respond when they perceive that a mitzvah of the Torah or a rule of halakhah conflicts with accepted standards of ethics and justice: the way of story. The Rabbis, that is, create new narratives to offer context and explanation to the rule, showing that in fact it does not violate our sense of right and wrong. In this installment, the Rabbis take a more direct approach: they adopt legislation of their own to correct that faults they find in the Torah law. And we'll consider just...
2023-07-1912 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#38 - When Halakhah and Ethics Collide, Part 1How do we respond when we discover that a mitzvah of the Torah or a rule of halakhah conflicts with our sense of ethics and justice? For some, of course, that's not a problem at all: since the Torah is always right, our sense of ethics and justice must be wrong or distorted. We liberal and progressive Jews, of course, see things differently. And as a matter of fact, so do the Rabbis of the halakhic tradition. When they confront such a conflict, they don't pretend that it doesn't exist, nor do they simply reject ethics to exalt Torah...
2023-06-2612 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#37 - Jewish Law: The Quiet RevolutionIn theory, Jewish law judges must be ordained for that role. They must possess s'mikhah from a judge who is already ordained (samukh), forming a link in the teacher-to-student chain that stretches all the way back to Moses and Joshua. But s'mikhah, which could take place only in Eretz Yisrael, was discontinued some 1000 years ago (today's rabbinical ordination, purely symbolic, is not the same thing). So how can Jewish law function in a world quite different from the one envisioned in our ancient texts? The answer: the scholars of the Diaspora simply seized judicial power for themselves. That qualifies...
2023-06-0712 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#36 - The Mitzvah of Matzah: One Day or Seven Days?The official, codified halakhah says that we are obligated to eat matzah only one day, the first night of Pesach at the seder. But there's another tradition that understands the mitzvah of matzah to last for all seven days of the festival. This is no ordinary machloket among the Rabbis but a full-blown critique of the codified halakhah by scholars who find that official version to be spiritually insufficient and contradictory of the purpose of the mitzvah. We have here, in other words, a pretty good example of progressive halakhic thinking... by poskim who we don't normally think of...
2023-05-2312 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#35 - Why Don't We Pray for Rain When We Actually Need the Rain? Part 2We conclude out two-part series on birkat hashanim with a look at how one leading medieval sage makes a powerful argument in favor of allowing the Jews of all lands to pray for rain when they need it, during the rainy season in their countries. True, his argument was not accepted by the majority, but it sure makes sense to us.
Download the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/learning, scroll down to the Twelve Minute Shiur.
2023-04-2812 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#34 - Why Don't We Pray for Rain When We Actually Need the Rain? Part 1It's springtime! And we just stopped praying for rain in the t'filah, even though many of us live in places where we need the rain during this time of year. Why is that? Because the Jews in the entire Diaspora are required to behave as though they live in ancient Babylonia. Is there a fix for this? You bet there is, and it isn't our idea: some high-profile rishonim beat us to it. Now if somebody would only listen to them.
Download the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/learning, scroll down to the Twelve Minute Shiur.
2023-04-1712 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#33 - The Four Questions (?)In this installment, we have some questions about the Four Questions. Like: are they really questions at all? And: are there really four of them?
Join us for this look at one of everybody's favorite moments at the seder.
Download the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/learning, scroll down to the Twelve Minute Shiur.
חג כשר ושמח!
2023-03-2712 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#32 - Is Medical Treatment Compulsory?The halakhah teaches that the practice of medicine (r'fu'ah) partakes of the mitzvah of pikuach nefesh, the saving of human life. That's a moral obligation that overrides virtually any other mitzvah that might get in the way. If so, is medical treatment compulsory? Does Jewish law mandate that we always follow the instructions of the physicians? Like most interesting questions of halakhah, this one is complicated. In this episode, we explore that complexity.
Source sheet available at www.freehofinstitute.org/learning, scroll down to the Twelve Minute Shiur.
2023-03-1912 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#31 - Adloyada - Really??It's one of the strangest of all halakhic rules: "one is obligated to become intoxicated with wine on Purim to the point that one cannot tell the difference between 'cursed be Haman' and 'blessed be Mordekhai.'” Read literally, this is a requirement that we celebrate the joy of Purim by getting ourselves wasted, stinking drunk, which is hardly in keeping with almost everything else the tradition teaches us. So... must we read it literally? In this installment, we'll look at a number of authorities who don't. Which, of course, raises some interesting questions about the nature of halakhic in...
2023-03-0112 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#30 - When Doctors Do Harm: Medical Practice and the Halakhah, Part 2In installment #29, we saw how the halakhah, as expressed by some major rishonim and the leading codes, tends to protect the physician from claims for damages due to negligence in medical treatment. Well, it turns out that there's a different trend in halakhic thinking that holds doctors liable for those damages. It's the other side of the halakhah of malpractice.
Get the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute,org/learning, scroll down to the Twelve Minute Shiur.
2023-02-1712 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#29 - When Doctors Do Harm: Medical Malpractice and the HalakhahIn the previous two shiurim, we've seen that the practice of medicine (r'fu'ah) is defined as a mitzvah. It's holy work, a duty the physician owes to the patient. But if so, does halakhah exempt the physician from liability for causing injury (or worse) in the course of treatment? It's a complex question, and we begin its exploration in this installment.
Source sheet available at www.freehofinstitute.org/learning.
2023-02-0312 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#28 - The Mitzvah of Medicine, Part 2In our last installment, we saw how Ramban (Nachmanides) created a theory to prove that the practice of medicine is a mitzvah. In this shiur, we consider a different theory, that of Rambam (Maimonides). Since both these giant rishonim reach the same conclusion, is there a nafka minah, a practical difference between them? We think that maybe - just maybe - there is.
Download the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/learning, scroll down to the Twelve Minute Shiur.
2023-01-2312 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#27 - The Mitzvah of MedicineThe first in a series of shiurim devoted to the nature of medicine as understood in the halakhah.
It's a mitzvah to practice medicine, to heal the sick, right? Sure it is; the Shulchan Arukh says so explicitly. But as always, we have to ask that pesky Rabbinic question: how do we know this? In this case, it's Ramban (Nachmanides) to the rescue.
Download the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/learning, scroll down to the Twelve Minute Shiur.
2023-01-0612 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#26 - What is Prayer? A Follow-UpIn our previous shiur, we saw that Rambam regards the mitzvah of t'filah as d'oraita: that is, the Torah itself instructs us to pray once a day. So how does he think we got from that to the three- (or four-) times daily regimen of t'filot traditionally recited today?
Download the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/learning, scroll down to the Twelve Minute Shiur.
2022-12-2312 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#25 - What Is Prayer? And Why Is That Such a Hard Question?In this installment, we take a look at an old machloket between two halakhic giants - Rambam (Maimonides) and Ramban (Nachmanides) - over the status, the origin, and the function of prayer according to the tradition of the halakhah. That's why it's a hard question. Who has the better argument? Well, that's a hard question, too, but there's a lot we can learn from both sides.
Get the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/learning, scoll down to the Twelve Minute Shiur.
2022-12-0912 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#24 - Should Jews Celebrate Thankgiving?Thanksgiving is a beloved (if non-Jewish) holiday for American Jews. So why did the eminent Orthodox posek R. Moshe Feinstein rule that they shouldn't celebrate it? In this installment, we study his argument... and the reason that progressive halakhah disagrees.
Download the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/learning, scroll down to the Twelve Minute Shiur.
2022-11-2012 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#23 - Halakhah and the Regulation of Firearms, Part 2In this installment, we read another responsum of Rabbi Hayyim David Halevy on the subject of firearms control. How does halakhah want us to think, talk, and argue about this issue in the public sphere?
Download the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/learning, scroll down to the Twelve Minute Shiur.
2022-11-0810 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#22 - Halakhah and the Regulation of Firearms, Part 1Does Jewish law offer any useful guidance to societies facing the issue of the control and regulation of firearms? In this installment and the next, we explore that question by studying two responsa of Rabbi Hayyim David Halevy, who at his death in 1998 served as chief S'fardic rabbi of Tel-Aviv-Yafo.
Get the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/learning, scroll down to the Twelve Minute Shiur.
2022-10-2411 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#21 - The Sukkah: Why Size MattersNot too tall, not too small. Among other things, it's about humility.
2022-10-0612 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#20 - Pikuach Nefesh on Yom Kippur: Loading the DiceIn deciding whether to break one's fast on Yom Kippur, as with other medical issues, the halakhah tells us to follow the counsel of experts. Except when it doesn't. In this episode we explore how the halakhah makes sure that we always err on the side of life.
Source sheet available at www.freehofinstitute.org/learning, scroll down to The Twelve Minute Shiur.
2022-09-2812 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#19 - Patriotism and the Halakhah, Part 2In our last installment, we were left with the question: does Jewish law recognize that we bear a duty of patriotism? Does it oblige us to care for the country in which we live, to work for its welfare, to defend it against attack? In this shiur, we suggest a halakhic basis for patriotism, at least for citizens of democratic societies: the principle of dina d'malkhuta dina, "the law of the state is valid law," acknowledged as such by Jewish legal tradition.
Download the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/learning, scroll down to the Twelve Minute S...
2022-09-1911 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#18 - Patriotism and the HalakhahIs it appropriate for a synagogue to display the national flag on its bimah? Does this exalt the flag to the status of Jewish religious symbol? Does this differ from the prayers that Jews have for centuries recited for the welfare of the king/queen/government? And for that matter, does halakhah have anything to say about "patriotism," devotion to the wellbeing of one's country?
We definitely won't cover all of that in twelve minutes, but we'll make a start! Get the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/learning, scroll down to The Twelve Minute Shiur.
2022-08-2911 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#17 - Happy the Elephant and the HalakhahHappy is an elephant housed at the Bronx Zoo. She was the subject of a recent court case that dealt with the question: what legal rights - if any - does an animal enjoy? And this got us thinking, naturally, about what Jewish law might have to say about the same question. Get the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/learning, scroll down to The Twelve Minute Shiur.
2022-08-1411 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#16 - Coercion and Tz'dakahIn our last few installments, we’ve been talking about the interplay of coercion and consent in the halakhah. In this shi`ur, we’ll take a look at the mitzvah of tz’dakah. It’s a mitzvah that, in theory, the community does not have the power to enforce. The Rabbis, however, were not satisfied with that state of affairs.
Download the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/learning, scroll down to the Twelve Minute Shi`ur.
2022-07-2811 min
The Twelve Minute Shiur#15 - Coercion, Consent, Marriage, and DivorceIn our last two installments, we’ve seen how the concepts of “consent” and “coercion” intersect in the halakhah, particularly in the realm of business transactions. Here in shi`ur number 15 we take a look at how those concepts play out in the traditional halakhah of marriage and divorce. The ancient Rabbis were prepared to utilize coercion, both legal and physical, to rescue wives whose husbands abused the power granted them under Torah law. Would that today’s Orthodox rabbinate might find the creative thought and energy to do the same.
For the source sheet, visit www.freehofinsti...
2022-06-3011 min
Jewish History with Rabbi Dr. Dovid KatzReform Rabbi Solomon Freehof (1892-1990)Expert in the Responsa Literature, though he himself kept nothing!
2022-06-201h 14The Twelve Minute Shiur#14 - Coercion and Consent, Part 2"If they hang him from a tree until he agrees to sell - the sale is valid."
In our previous shiur, we saw that, according to the halakhah, a person may be coerced into giving their free-will consent (g’mirat da`at) to a binding agreement. Illogical? Unjust? Yes, but maybe realistic, too. In this episode we dig a bit deeper into the psychological, ethical, and even theological elements of this issue.
2022-06-1213 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#13 - Coercion and Consent"If they hang him from a tree until he agrees to sell - the sale is valid."
That's absurd, right? Surely our freely-given consent is absolutely required before we take on a legal obligation! Well, that's what we'd like to think. But the halakhah declares that there are times when we are pressured – or coerced – into giving our “consent” to an agreement… and even so, the agreement is binding upon us. Where's the justice in that? This episode begins a series in which we consider that question, the not-always-clear line between coercion and consent.
2022-05-3113 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#11 - Prayer in Translation: Is It Kosher? Part 4: Tachlis!In this episode, we read a responsum by Rabbi Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg, an eminent 20th-century Orthodox authority, on our question. Weinberg is candid enough to admit that the reformers who introduced vernacular prayer back in the 1800s had a powerful halakhic argument to support then. He indicates, as well, that the Hatam Sofer’s creative halakhic theory forbidding prayer in the vernacular (episode 3 in this series) does not really prove the reformers wrong. But he goes on to forbid the introduction of the vernacular into the synagogue service for other, non-halakhic reasons. It’s a good example of how supp...
2022-05-0211 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#12 - Hallel on Yom Haatzmaut: B'rakhah or Not?Do you recite Hallel on Yom Haatzmaut? If so, do you say the b’rakhot? It makes a big difference. To recite a few Psalms is, well, to recite a few Psalms. But to recite them with b’rakhot is to declare that the recitation fulfills a religious obligation and that the day on which we mark Israel’s independence also celebrates an act of Divine redemption for the Jewish people. There's a great deal of theology and politics behind that statement. According to Jewish law, are we entitled - or forbidden - to make it?
In this e...
2022-05-0212 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#10 - Substitutes for Wine in the Four CupsIt’s a mitzvah mid’rabbanan, an ordinance of the ancient Rabbis, to drink four cups of wine at the seder on the night of Pesach. But must the four cups contain wine? It’s an important question, obviously, for people who can’t tolerate wine or simply hate its taste. It’s an even more serious question for those, like diabetics and alcoholics, who for serious medical and health reasons must avoid this substance that we call “the symbol of joy.” Does the halakhah permit substitutes for wine in the four cups?
You can download the source sheet a...
2022-04-1211 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#9 - Prayer in Translation, Part 3: The Hatam SoferIn the first episode of this series, we learned that the classical halakhah, as expressed in the Talmud and the codes (poskim) permits the recitation of the major parts of the worship service in the vernacular, "the language that one understands." In the second episode, we saw that the same is true - technically - for mikra megillah, the reading of the scroll of Esther at Purim. But medieval halakhic authorities objected that since we don't know the precise translation of every word in the megillah, it is better to read the scroll in its original language even if...
2022-04-0814 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#8 - Prayer in Translation, Part 2In shiur #7, we looked at halakhic texts that permit the recitation of the major rubrics of Jewish liturgy (k’riat Sh’ma and t’filah) in “the language that one understands.”
In this installment, we trace the halakhah concerning the language of mikra Megillah, the mitzvah to recite/hear the scroll of Esther on Purim. We’ll see that, at least in theory, it is perfectly permissible to fulfill this commandment by reciting a text of Esther written in the vernacular.
But in practice…
Download the source sheet at https://www.freehofinstitute.org/learning.html...
2022-04-0412 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#7 - Prayer in Translation, Part 1It's one of the earliest halakhic controversies between the Jewish religious reformers and their opponents.
Download the source sheet at https://www.freehofinstitute.org/learning. Scroll down to the Twelve Minute Shiur #7.
2022-04-0412 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#6 - Must Doctors Always Tell Patients the Truth?Must doctors always tell their patients the truth? That’s a complicated question.
What does the halakhah say? That’s also a complicated question.
For the source sheet, go to https://www.freehofinstitute.org/learning and scroll down to the Twelve Minute Shiur #6.
2022-04-0411 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#5 - The Kushya of the Beit YosefIt’s one of the most famous kushyot (“difficulties”) in halakhic history: why does Hanukkah last for eight days when the miracle of the oil lasted for only seven days?
Got a teirutz (an answer)? Compare it with those of our lineup of sages!
For the source sheet, go to www.freehofinstitute.org/learning and scroll down to “The Twelve-Minute Shiur,” #5.
2022-04-0412 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#4 - The One and Only Mitzvah of Hannukah and the Very Best Way to Fulfill ItStudy along with the source sheet. Go to https://www.freehofinstitute.org/learning.html and scroll down to “The Twelve-Minute Shiur #4
2022-04-0412 min2022-03-2112 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#2 - The Ins and Outs of Dwelling in the SukkahThe second installment of the podcast version of our Twelve Minute Shiur.
Study along with us with the source sheet, available at https://www.freehofinstitute.org/learning.html . Just scroll down to the Twelve Minute Shiur #2!
2022-03-1512 minThe Twelve Minute Shiur#1 - The Mitzvah of Erev Yom KippurThe first installment of the podcast version of our Twelve Minute Shiur.
Study along wth us with the source sheet, available at https://www.freehofinstitute.org/learning.html . Just scroll down to The Twelve Minute Shiur #1!
2022-03-0911 min
Seven Minute TorahNoach: The Seven Noachide Laws (A Conversation with Rabbi Mark Washofsky)A conversation with Dr. Mark Washofsky about the Seven Noachide laws. We touch on issues of universalism in Judaism, Natural Law, and what it means to be a society.
In the bonus interview: the relationship between liberal Judaism and traditional Jewish law; what it means to make authentic Judaism choices; and why the Talmud belongs to all of us.
For more information about the Solomon B. Freehof Institute of Progressive Halakhah, visit freehofinstitute.org.
2021-10-0643 min
Kosher Queers54 — Vayeira: Old Thou, Younger-Looking You!This week, we talk about a cool trans Ishmael who is really good at her archery, an abundance of father figures and bio dads, and some cute gay prophets. Lulav also attempts — and absolutely whiffs — a literary reference derived from one of the kings mentioned.Here's a nonacademic summary of the history of how we stopped using "thou." Jaz recently read Modern Reform Responsa by Solomon Freehof and is currently reading Questions Jews Ask: Reconstructionist Answers by Mordecai Kaplan. You can follow them on Goodreads here. The Moby Dick deepread podcast we mention is Moby Dick Energy, our s...
2020-11-0548 min
The College Commons PodcastRabbi Mark Washofsky: Jewish Law in Reform JudaismWithout Jewish law, there would be no Jewish action says Rabbi Washofsky. Join this esteemed scholar as he discusses the impact of law on Jewish life and it's place within the Reform movement.
Rabbi Mark Washofsky, Ph.D. is the Solomon B. Freehof Professor of Jewish Law and Practice at HUC-JIR in Cincinnati. Dr. Washofsky has been a member of the HUC-JIR faculty since 1985, most recently serving as Professor of Rabbinics, and specializes in the literature of the Talmud and Jewish law. He received his rabbinical ordination (1980) and Ph.D. (1987) from HUC-JIR. He succeeded his teacher and mentor, Dr. Ben...
2016-08-2524 min