Performing Mitzvot Under Duress Rabbi Micha Cohn [This post is for educational and enrichment purposes only; not a final Halachic decision.] An elderly woman lives alone. Years before, she had a fire in her home, and is still afraid of open fire. She always goes away for Shabbat to avoid lighting Shabbat candles at home. How about Hanukkah? What are her … [Read more...]
Hack Attack and Halacha: Is hacking allowed according to Halacha?
Dayan Yitzhak Grossman With each passing election, the specter of cyber-crime looms larger and larger. This is in addition to computer hacking carried out in the corporate arena. A number of years ago, a shadowy group of computer hackers styling themselves the “Guardians of Peace”, believed to be agents of the North Korean government, breached the security of … [Read more...]
Pennies on the Dollar
Debt Settlement in Halacha By Dayan Baruch Meir Levine We all take on too much. Often customers invest in their businesses with the hope that they will be able to advance only to find that the specific venture was not profitable and they are left with a pile of bills. Let us take the example of a customer who had fallen on hard times and had outstanding bills to the … [Read more...]
For You and Me?
The Halachic Background of the Immigration Controversy By Dayan Yitzhak Grossman; Dayan, Bet HaVaad Halacha Center With the recent Democratic takeover of Congress, the immigration controversy is once again heading toward a boil. While it is obviously impossible to find directly controlling precedents in the Halachic literature to such a complex and multifaceted … [Read more...]
Jews and Money: A Match Made in Heaven
By Rabbi Tzvi Price There is no way out of it. For better or for worse, correctly or incorrectly, Jews have always been associated with wealth. In truth, Judaism and wealth go back a long way. The first Jew, Avraham Avinu, was fabulously wealthy. As the Pasuk states (Bereshit 13,2): “And Avram was very heavy with livestock, silver and gold.” In this week’s … [Read more...]