by Rabbi Eliezer Melamed
I will not add my voice to the anti-Semitic choir exploiting the recent difficult events to malign those faithful to the Torah, the nation, and the country * When the majority of the Jewish people returns to live in Israel, the obligation to fulfill the mitzvoth of challa and tithes will be of Biblical status … Read more
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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