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What Is the Torah’s View on Birth Control?
The first mitzvah in the Torah is given to Adam: pru u’reveu u’maleh et ha’aretz. “Be fruitful and multiply and fill up the land”. From these words our sages derived that there is an obligation to have children, one that is so highly regarded it is called a ‘mitzva rabbah’. Indeed, family and the home
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Can a Woman Give a Psak Halacha?
One of the remarkable traits of halacha is how it is applied to every aspect of our lives, on the personal, communal and global levels. Due to the dynamic nature of life and development, we will often be faced with halachic questions (sheilot) and sometimes will need to seek guidance and rulings from a competent
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Is Kollel the Ideal Way of Life?
Considering that a man has an obligation to support his wife and children, and that a woman cannot be forced to work, one may wonder how it is that the kollel phenomenon developed. The answer is simple: it is a joint decision, made out of love and honor between the couple, with the support of…
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Is the Blessing “Who Did Not Make Me a Woman” Derogatory?
The blessing focuses on an aspect of one’s identity and is not meant to degrade women, but rather as an expression of gratitude on the part of men for being obligated in more mitzvot than women, as women are exempt from positive, time-bound mitzvot. Rav Chaim David HaLevy emphasizes that it is a reminder to…
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The Mechitza: A Structure for Empowerment and Intention
The mechitza; it’s one of the most noted, and contested structures in our synagogues today…
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Can a Woman be a Shochet?
Shechita is the process of ritually slaughtering permitted animals in order to eat…
