Leading a risky lifestyle from the viewpoint of Halacha By Rav Yitzhak Grossman The 2016 Central Italy Earthquake Italians held a state funeral recently to mourn 37 of the 292 known deaths of the earthquake that occurred on Wednesday, August 24th. The quake could not have been a total surprise, since the region in which it occurred, the Apennine Mountains, is one of the … [Read more...]

Pre-ordering merchandise and issues of Ribbit By Dayan Shmuel B. Honigwachs, Bet HaVa’ad Halacha Center Dave loves technology. So when he heard that Apple was releasing it newest product, the iPhone 7, he quickly tried to decide whether or not he can afford to constantly keep up with the latest. Unfortunately, he thought for too long. When he finally got through to Apple they … [Read more...]

Patrolling the Har HaBayit may entail a rigorous Halachic protocol By Rav Yosef Fund, Posek for the Bet HaVa’ad Visiting Har HaBayit – the Temple Mount – is all the “rage” these days, as many Jews from diverse backgrounds are now taking advantage of the limited access they are afforded to our holiest site. This has sparked an outrage among Muslims, who have been violently … [Read more...]

The Halachot of counting people and possessions Adapted from a Shiur by Rav Dov Bresser In an increasingly statistics-based society, we are always counting, measuring and polling. Governments count votes and constituents in order to function as democracies, gauge policies and provide services. Scientists and doctors count cured or infected patients in order to properly assess … [Read more...]

Public officials and their duty to dispel suspicion By Rabbi Yosef Fund For decades, every major presidential candidate has released his or her tax records. While it is not a legal requirement, this tradition is intended to shed light on whether a candidate attempts to take advantage of the tax structure, and is often a sticking point on the campaign trail. “For the last … [Read more...]