by Rabbi Eliezer Melamed
The World’s Existence Depends on Torah From the beginning of Creation, the world was immersed in anxiety, for God had stipulated with His works of creation, saying: “If Israel accepts the Torah on the sixth day of the month of Sivan – you will continue to exist; if not – I will return you to … Read more
The Need to Express a Position I do not view myself as a military strategic expert, but since the question of attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities is on the public agenda and discussed in all media forums, I feel the need – and even a civil duty – to express my opinion. The Situation In recent … Read more
A Day of Feasting and Joy The mitzvah to be happy on Purim is greater than other holidays, for in regards to all the other holidays (Sukkot, Pesach, and Shavuot) it is written (Deuteronomy 16:14): “You shall rejoice on your festival”, and seeing as most people enjoy drinking wine, there is a mitzvah to so. … Read more
Remembering Amalek In order to better understand our relation to the nation of Amalek and the great importance the Torah places on the remembrance of this nation’s evil acts, we must take note of the fact that there are three explicit Torah commandments regarding Amalek. The first commandment is to “remember that which Amalek did … Read more
In this week’s Torah portion, we learn about the prohibition of eating ‘treifa’ (the flesh of an animal attacked by a predator in the field), as it is written (Exodus 22:30): “Be holy people to Me. Do not eat flesh torn off in the field by a predator. Cast it to the dogs.” The intention … Read more
Differences between Fruits and Vegetables In honor of Tu b’Shvat, we will briefly discuss the virtues of fruits of the tree. First, the halacha: The blessing recited over fruits of the tree, such as grapes, pomegranates, apples, pears, walnuts, and almonds is “Borei pri ha’etz”. Over fruits of the ground, such as corn, lentils, peas, … Read more
Suffering Animals Recently, I received a question from a veterinarian: “A pet owner brought me his cat which is suffering from extreme weakness and can barely move. We took x-rays and consulted with experts from America, and it turns out that the cat suffers from an incurable, extremely painful degenerative disease. This being the case, … Read more
Leaving a Child Out of the Will Q: Our son acts impolitely towards us, does not respect us, and is almost completely not religious. We are considering dispossessing him from our inheritance that we will leave for the rest of children after we pass on. Is this the proper thing to do? A: The Sages … Read more
Should I Resign? Q: I am a military rabbi. After what you wrote in last week’s column, should I resign? A: You do not have to resign, but you must realize that you do not serve in a rabbinical role, and you certainly are not a ‘mara d’atra’ (local halachic authority). Rather, you are a … Read more
Is it Permitted to Hear a Woman Sing Q: Rabbi, I heard that the ‘halacha’ (Jewish law) concerning hearing a woman sing is unclear, and some authorities are lenient. Isn’t the rabbi’s decision to be stringent and forbid hearing women sing, just stubbornness? A: This is a complex issue, and I will attempt to sum … Read more