Is Living on a Heart-and-Lung Machine Considered a Life? By Rabbi Micha Cohn Q: Is a person whose heart is not beating and is living on a heart-and-lung machine Halachically considered alive? A: When heart transplantation was in its early stages with very low success rates, there was much Halachic discussion about the permissibility of these procedures not only from the … [Read more...]
The Sephardic Halacha Journal – Adar 5777
The SHJ Adar v9 HIRES … [Read more...]
Carrying the Megilla
When Purim falls on Motza’e Shabbat, is the Megilla Muktze? By Rabbi Moshe Pinchasi As this year (5777) Purim falls on Motza’e Shabbat, many will find it more convenient to just bring the Megilla along with them to Shul before Shabbat ends, and thus be prepared for the reading on Purim night. This would bring up the discussion of whether the Megilla is considered Muktze or … [Read more...]
Purim-Party Aftermath
Paying for Damages Caused While Intoxicated / Adapted from an article by Dayan Mordechai Lichtenstein, Bet HaVa’ad, Yerushalayim Last year, our Purim celebration was exceptionally joyful. All of us were having a great time, the singing and dancing was lively, the Divre Torah were uplifting, the food was exquisite, and the wine – was flowing. One of our guests, Yaakov, was … [Read more...]
The “Sdei Hemed”: Ribbi Hayim Hizkiyahu MiDini
One of the most prominent addresses in rabbinic literature towards the end of the nineteenth century, was in the quaint, unassuming town of Karaso-Bazar (Bilohirsk) in the Crimean Peninsula. The postman of this small town of 13,000 people – among them 3000 Jews of Krymchak (Crimean) and Ashkenazi descent – would deliver dozens of letters a day, from the most revered Halachic … [Read more...]