By Dayan Yosef Greenwald Q: May one use Ma'aser money to support communal services or institutions that require the support of everyone in the community, such as a Mikveh, a Shul, or an Eruv? According to the rules of Hoshen Mishpat, such support should in fact be obligatory upon all members of the community. Consequently, if the building of the shul needs improvement, such … [Read more...]

Is there a concept of appealing a Bet Din’s decision in Halacha? By Dayan Yitzhak Grossman[1] Introduction In Part 1 of this series, examined a Talmudic precedent for the possibility of appealing a decision of a Bet Din. We noted a few sources which appeared to indicate that appealing a decision would not be recommended or permitted, while others may have supported the idea, … [Read more...]

Is there a concept of appealing a Bet Din’s decision in Halacha? By Dayan Yitzhak Grossman Introduction In most modern judicial systems, a litigant who is unhappy with a ruling issued against him by a local or district court may request to have the case reexamined by a higher-level court. The higher court can then uphold, or override, the earlier decision of the lower … [Read more...]

The Halachic Considerations of Hiring: Liability in the Workplace By Dayan Yehoshua Wolfe Upon embarking on any business venture, it is beneficial to anticipate that things might not go as planned, and staffing a job is no exception. When it comes to a worker’s liability for damages, employers might not be as safe as they think. For example, consider the process of building a … [Read more...]

Halachic Considerations of Hiring: Employee Compensation & Minhag HaMedina By Dayan Yehoshua Wolfe In our last article, we discussed the differences between a “S’chir Yom” – day laborer – referred to in American law as an “employee”, and a “Po’el Kablan” – a contractor – referred to in American law as an “independent contractor”. In this article, we will discuss the … [Read more...]