Time to “Drain the Swamp”

Regretfully, in the last day there were two shocking and despicable acts of murder and attempted murder. A man set out – supposedly in the name of the Torah, purity and holiness, to eliminate impurity by an act more horrible than all others – itself, the source of all impurities – willful murder. Thank God, … Read more

A Sabbatical Year for All

Cessation from work in the Shmitta year has the same effect on Clal Yisrael as Shabbat has on the individual * Revealing one’s soul in the Shmitta year through additional Torah study out of pleasure and joy * In today’s world, the mitzvah of not doing agricultural work relates only to approximately two percent of … Read more

Changing the Law as They See Fit

The Attorney General should be fired for attempting to render meaningless the Law against Fraud in kashrut * The Supreme Court allows the Karaites to present their meat as being kosher and under rabbinical supervision * With the food industry becoming increasingly complex and intricate, the supervisory authority of the Chief Rabbinate on all kashrut … Read more

“When Av Arrives, We Curtail Our Joy.” How?

The various expressions of ‘curtailing our joy’ * Avoiding trips, hotel vacations, and attending parties * Blessing ‘Shehechiyanu’ when meeting a dear friend during the Nine Days * “Joyous building” is forbidden during the Nine Days. What exactly does this include? * What should building contractors and construction workers do?* Shopping during the Nine Days … Read more

Judge the Rabbi Fairly

The slander of Rabbi Riskin based on the YouTube video in English * Rabbi Riskin took upon himself the sacred mission of bringing non-Jews closer to understanding the Jewish faith * When speaking with members of other religions, it is inconceivable to demean their religion * Rabbi Kook said we should not seek to destroy … Read more

How Should Natural Gas Profits be Divided?

What does the Torah say about who gets the profits from gas – the public, or those who found it? * The principle set by the Torah: A person is entitled to enjoy the fruits of his own hard work, but natural resources and means of production should be shared equally * How can the … Read more

An Illegitimate Boycott

The controversy against the ‘heter mechira’ as an expression of opposition to Zionism and secularism * The opposition of the Chazon Ish to the ‘heter’, and his claim that the sale falls under the category of ‘shlichut l’davar aveira’ * The Chazon Ish’s claim dishonors rabbis who disagree with it, completely invalidating their opinions * … Read more

The History of the Heter Mechira

The question of what to do in the first shmitta in the year 5649 (1888), after thousands of years in exile * The disagreement about the heter mechira between the eminent poskim of Europe and Eretz Yisrael, and the reliance of most farmers on the lenient opinion * Among the poskim who prohibited the heter … Read more

When Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu Taught Halakha

Longing for the halakha classes of our mentor, Rishon Lezion Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu * Is one allowed to make carrot juice and eggplant salad from fruits and vegetables grown in the shmitta year * Rabbi Eliyahu on shmitta garbage cans: “What? Should we tell people to fill their houses with mosquitoes?!”* Is one allowed to … Read more

Do not Invalidate a Torah Scroll

The great merits of Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, who gave up on the good life in America and made Aliya in order to settle the Land, where he created exemplary institutions * Different approaches are part of the world of Halakha; even if our approach varies, it is forbidden to invalidate Rabbi Riskin’s position * Threatening … Read more