Orthodox Conundrum

One of the most important conflicts that many Orthodox Jews face in the 21st century is the clash between authority and autonomy. Orthodox society is largely based upon following the tradition that has been handed down to us, and that tradition is often seen to be largely in the possession of great scholars. Accordingly, it seems like a violation of Torah principles to ignore the directives of ged...

Many people give little thought to the issue of conversion, and the challenges that people who convert face. In contrast, Rabbi Chuck Davidson, a leader in establishing non-coercive Orthodox alternatives to Israel's' Chief Rabbinate for over a decade and the av beit din of an independent conversion court, has spent years researching the halachic background of conversion. In this episode, Scott and...

Several well-publicized events in the Orthodox world over the past year have brought the issue of the separation of church and state into sharp relief. These include Yeshiva University's refusal to recognize the YU Pride Alliance - a refusal which, one year ago, Judge Lynn Kotler of the New York County Supreme Court said was a violation of the New York City Human Rights Law; the case is currently...

When Rivka Herzfeld was younger, she had a feeling that her muscles were not working the way that they should. During her year in Israel after high school, things got serious enough that her research intensified - and she soon discovered that she has an extremely rare degenerative condition that has seriously impacted her ability to use her muscles effectively. Doctors don't know what to call it,...

It is forbidden to listen to the voice of a woman singing if she is not his wife. (Aruch HaShulchan 21:3) One of the issues that bothers many poeple in the Orthodox world is the halachic concept of kol isha - that is, broadly defined, the prohibition for men to listen to a woman when she is singing. The exact parameters of this halacha are debated, such as whether this includes recordings, if it a...

In our last episode, Scott spoke with Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody about bringing greater awareness to issues associated with end-of-life and organ donation. This opened up an important conversation - but there's much more to say, particularly as it relates to clinical insights from people who actively work with dying patients and their families. To that end, Scott spoke with Dr. Blima Marcus, who was a...

The 49th chapter of Bereshit describes the vivid scene of Yaakov Avinu offering his final words and testament as his children, the progenitors of the twelve tribes, stand around his bed. In many ways, this represents an ideal death: confronting it with time to prepare, with nothing left unsaid, with a faithful family surrounding the person whose life is ending. Of course, very often it doesn't wor...

Tzniut is triggering. That became clear when the Orthodox Conundrum Podcast released episode 145 entitled, "The Challenges of Teaching Tzniut & the Challenges of Being Tzanua, with Shayna Goldberg." That episode, in which Scott asked Shayna to focus on issues related to tzniut (modesty) and clothing, addressed some of the most pressing concerns, and the conversation generated quite a bit of discus...

Last month, it was reported that due to low enrollment, the beginners and intermediate Talmud courses for women at Yeshiva University's Stern College would not be offered next year, meaning that the only remaining Talmud course would be the advanced class. We also learned that GPATS - the Graduate Program in Advanced Talmud and Tanach Studies - would only have one Talmud track instead of two, as i...

An important issue raised by our increased reliance on social media is the question of what it has done to the quality of our discourse: that is, the things we say, and the way we say them. It seems that too often, a willingness to engage in casual cruelty has emerged along with the social media revolution; and this has a serious effect on the way we live our lives away from our screens. And, of c...

In last week's episode, Episode 155, Scott spoke with Rabbi Mark Wildes of the Manhattan Jewish Experience about whether diaspora Jews have enough engagement with Israel, whether they care enough about Israel, and if they have the moral right to actively try to affect Israeli policies. They talked about whether diaspora communities have independent integrity, or if they should instead be seen as w...

With the terrible and heartbreaking news that came out of Israel over the course of Pesach - a mother and two children murdered by terrorists, a car ramming in Tel Aviv with an Italian tourist dead and others injured, plus rockets launched at Israel from Lebanon and Gaza - some have noted a disconnect between the attitudes of Jews who live in Israel, and those who live in the diaspora. The two gro...

As we approach the first night of Pesach, many people are looking for ideas that will enhance the Seder, and divrei Torah that will be meaningful to people who sit with us around the table. To that end, Scott spoke with the morning seder faculty of Yeshivat Yesodei HaTorah, the yeshiva that he directed alongside Rabbi Pesach Wolicki for eleven years. Along with Rabbi Wolicki, he was joined by Rabb...

Israel is in crisis, and Israeli society is deeply torn over the government's proposed reforms to the judiciary. However, while many people talk about what the Likud-led government is trying to do, there is less information about what is actually happening and its ramifications. With the dramatic events of this past week, when Defense Minister Yoav Gallant publicly suggested that the government ne...

As Orthodox Jews, we usually find the experience of mitzvah observance and participation in the Orthodox community to be a source of great religious meaning, comfort, and fellowship; Torah Judaism is the way that Orthodox Jews interact with G-d, and that reality, alongside the communal and social aspects, has made Orthodoxy a source of pride and joy. We must also recognize that aspects of Orthodox...

Nietzsche said, "When you look long into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you." Today's episode deals with a horrible situation where someone retained his sense of meaning, faith, and belief despite staring into the abyss. Ephraim Rimel experienced just about the worst thing that a person could experience, and somehow moved forward with his belief in G-d and Torah intact. He acknowledged that h...

In preparation for Purim, the Orthodox Conundrum is rereleasing an episode from 2020 with Dr. Zev Ganz, dealing with teenagers and alcohol abuse. Purim is, if not the most joyous holiday on the Jewish calendar, then certainly the most "fun." And therein lies the problem: are we teaching our children and students that having fun requires alcohol? Is teenage alcohol abuse a real danger, or is it hea...

In preparation for Parashat Zachor, the Orthodox Conundrum is rereleasing an episode from last year with Rabbi Aryeh Klapper, dealing with questions surrounding Amalek. How should Orthodox Jews relate to the mitzvah of wiping out Amalek - a Torah law that might seem immoral? What are we remembering when we think of Amalek, and is there a message within that resonates with committed Torah Jews livi...

There's a phenomenon in the Orthodox world which is called by various names, though most commonly "Off the Derech" or OTD, and "Datlash," short for "Dati Leshe'avar" - that is, formerly religious. For a community which prides itself on continuity and on passing the tradition from one generation to the next, the idea that people leave Orthodoxy is simultaneously painful and threatening. Why did he...

It is widely assumed that Jewish law requires the acceptance of certain principles of faith - most commonly associated with the thirteen foundational principles that the Rambam wrote about in his Commentary on the Mishnah in Masechet Sanhedrin. These principles, very broadly summarized, include G-d's existence, His unity and incorporeality, the fact that G-d is the eternal first cause and that pra...

In our previous episode, Scott talked with Shoshanna Keats-Jaskoll about the challenge to faith that takes place when some rabbis betray their calling by not acting as they should. When leaders fail us, they leave wreckage in their wake - the wreckage of failed expectations, of disappointment, of crisis, and of course the practical issues like, as Shoshanna related, needing to wait years for a get...

One of the saddest and most poignant emotions is disappointment - that is, when your illusions are shattered, when you anticipated something great, or magical, and it doesn't happen. Disappointment often means that a piece of innocence is irretrievably lost. What do we do when people we believe in, people we look up to as paragons of virtue, disappoint us? What happens to our faith when great rabb...

On January 18th, Rabbi Moshe Kahn passed away at the age of 71. The tributes to him as an ideal teacher, talmid chacham, and rebbe immediately started pouring in across social media. As one of today's guests asserted, if a woman wanted to engage in serious Talmud study in New York for the past four decades, Rav Kahn was the address. The obvious love and dedication shown towards him by his students...

Tzniut, or modesty, is one of the most controversial issues in the Orthodox world today. Indeed, different people see the issue of modesty through different lenses. Some wonder about how to teach students and children about tzniut so that they'll be more inclined to follow the halachot and established Orthodox customs; others ask questions from the opposite vantage point, wondering about whether t...

One of the most difficult issues confronting the Orthodox world today is the question of how to welcome people who identify as LGBTQ+, while simultaneously affirming the Biblical injunction that forbids sex between two men, and the Rabbinic prohibition that forbids sex between two women. This initial question opens up a host of additional challenges, including: how do we explain a mitzvah that app...