Click below links to download PDF versions of our Halacha Journal: 2 Page Shul Version Vayera Print Full Print Version Vayera Print Full Version … [Read more...]
‘Interest’ing Accounts
Reuven allows Shimon to make a purchase on his credit card. Shimon will pay the issuing bank directly, including the interest charged by the bank, several months hence. Both men reckon that there is no Ribbit problem, because the bank isn’t owned by Jews. But Halacha views this case differently. The bank has never heard of Shimon; the responsible party on the account is … [Read more...]
What’s Yours is Mine
Rooting out Middat Sedom A Shiur Halacha by Dayan Shlomo Cohen on Parashat VaYera In this week’s Parasha we read about the destruction of the people of Sedom, a town with evil and wayward ways. Hachamim relate many stories of the atrocities they committed. Hashem in all his mercy saw no alternative but to completely destroy Sedom despite Avraham Avinu’s pleas. What did … [Read more...]
Free Wifi
Using a Wireless Internet Connection without Permission Adapted from a Shiur given by Rabbi Zvi Ralbag In today’s world, Poskim are often faced with Halachic questions related to technology that did not exist in earlier times. Take, for example, the following commonly asked question: Is it permitted to use a neighbor’s wireless internet connection without permission? On one … [Read more...]
Holy Gift: Gifting a Mezuza or Other Items of Kedusha to A Non-Jew
In the United States, schools and yeshivas benefit from the government’s largesse in numerous ways. When public officials pay official visits to our institutions, it is common to reciprocate by presenting them with some token of appreciation and gratitude, as a form of common courtesy. There have been instances in which communal leaders chose to present non-Jewish public … [Read more...]