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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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Body and Soul: Breastfeeding in the Torah
The act of breastfeeding is woven through the Torah, exploring the fundamental link that connects generations of mothers and children from ancient times all the way to our current day. From Sarah to Yitzchak, Yocheved and Moshe, and Chana and Shmuel, we find the tales of women sustaining their children through their bodies. We can…
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Women and Minyanim: An Halachic Discussion
Prayer is a central element of religious experience. Through prayer we connect directly to Hashem, thank Him, praise Him and pour out our souls. In Judaism, prayer is also an opportunity to come together as a community, and this can be seen in the role of the minyan, the quorum of ten men or more…
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Witchcraft: Reality or Fallacy?
Far from Shakespeare’s “hubble, bubble, toil and trouble”, women and witchcraft is a complex area…
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A Torah’s Outlook on Livelihood
“Six days of the week you shall labor.” The Torah commands us to work, to toil for the six days of the week leading up to Shabbos. Productivity and fulfillment are lauded as true Jewish principles. Yet, when we find ourselves straddling the tightrope named parnasa, we enter a world full of doubts, questions and…
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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…
