Halacha Headlines

How has parenting changed over time? What lessons do we learn from Tanach? Should a parent discipline a child when the child will ignore the parent? How does a parent stay calm when the kids are misbehaving and not listening? What if the husband and wife are not on the same page when it comes to parenting? Should kids be brought to shul if they won’t behave? Can you discipline someone else’s child...

Can you ever make a Heter Meah Rabbanim without leaving a Get in Beis Din? Is a Beis Din ever allowed to withhold the Get from the woman? In order to get the husband visitation To get the husband financial compensation To get the woman to drop criminal charges To get the woman to drop lawsuits How easy is it to get a court to deny visitation from the father? And much more…

What did Gedolei Yisrael say about this and how did they behave? Should Menorah be lit in public? Should a yarmulka be worn at work? Should we wear black hats, shtreimels and other identifying marks? Wear talis and tefillin while walking to shul? Build a Succah in a public area? Should we remove Jewish and Israel references from our resumes when trying to get a job? What are the biggest religious...

How can a child withstand peer pressure Why do some kids give in easily to peer pressure and others don’t How should parents educate their children to withstand peer pressure What are the most common peer pressures in our yeshivos and girls’ schools Why do kids and teens involved in bad behaviors want to get their peers to join them Are we obligated to avoid negative influences and make Gedarim fo...

How a Magen was forced to give a Get How the torah would view the presidential pardon of his son Is there a concept of pardons in Torah Do we find pardons in Tanach? Do you always have to be Moichel someone who wronged you? When don’t you? A fascinating conversation

What are the arguments that there’s an obligation to serve in the IDF? What are the arguments that there’s no obligation for someone learning Torah to join the army? What if the person is not learning, but is working or doing something else? What are the main challenges of a Chareidi boy/man joining the IDF? Can those issues be fully addressed? What initiatives are currently under way to address t...

Do we need to give Tzedakah to everyone who asks? Should we give to someone who refuses to work? What if you think the person asking does not look legit? What if he smokes? Or he’s an alcoholic or uses drugs?

Can a Rav ever be Meikil to prevent a more serious עבירה? Do ends ever justify the means? Is a Kiruv setting different?

What should be the goal of dating? What are the minimum interactions required by Halacha before engagement and marriage? What’s the downside of going too quickly? Of going too slowly? How clear do you need to be about what you are looking for in advance of dating? What are some great ways to get to know the other person?

Is it microblading Assur because of tattooing? Does it have to be for Avoda Zorah? Does it have to be words or picture or a mark is enough? Does it have to be permanent? How many levels of skin does it have to penetrate? Would it be Mutar for medical reasons, Shidduch reasons or even cosmetic reasons?

What are the pros and cons of a man teaching girls/women? If a Rav teaches girls/women, should there be a Mechitza? What if the Rav is not married? Can/should a Rav call female students by first name or a nickname? What Gedarim should a Rav institute for himself when teaching girls/women? How does the relationship a Rebbe has with his male students compare to that of his female students? Are there...

Are your responsibilities as a shul Rav any different during this time of year? What questions are people asking you? Is the war in Israel having an impact on you or your community? What unusual incidents have happened in your shul during The Yomim Tovim? What’s your favorite Devar Torah for Succos?

תכלה שנה עם קללותיה Combating domestic abuse in our community Showering us with Brocha Three day Yom Tov – Are you allowed to take a shower on Yom Tov? לא תעמוד על דם רעך Are you allowed to give a donut to an obese person, and other fascinating shailos

How does Ayin Hara work, and what causes it? Is there a way to proactively protect yourself from an Ayin Hara? Is there a basis for the hand that people hang up for good luck, the red string or the blue eye? Does it help to say “bli ayin hara” and Poo Poo Poo? Are the services that are for hire to remove Ayin Hara legitimate, and how much do they cost?

Are the Halachos of Shmiras Einayim more lenient for women than for men, and if so, why? What’s the big deal about having thoughts, if they are only thoughts? Is it permitted for a woman to gaze at men? How – and from what age – should we educate our girls to stay away from inappropriate materials? Practically speaking, are the schools seeing this Shmiras Einayim problems in the girls?

Is there Kedusha on the har Habayis Nowadays? Can a טמא enter? Which טמאים can’t enter? Is the Kosel the wall of the עזרה or the הר הבית? Can you put your fingers into the wall of the Kosel? Are you a Rodeif if you go up to the Har Habayis?

What causes someone to be unhappy with their looks? Are our bodies halachically our own, such that we can do what we want with it? Can we take medications when we don’t understand how they work and when there are serious side effects? Should weight-loss injections be used only after trying to diet and control eating? Can we suppress our appetite if it will take away from Oneg Shabbos and Simchas Y...

Why are people getting psychologically sicker and sicker despite there being more therapists and more mental health awareness? How does having experienced “trauma” when younger impact one’s Bechirah Chofshis and being responsible for your own actions? Do therapists focus too much on “trauma”? Should podcasts, shiurim, etc. have “trigger warnings” to warn those with sensitivities that they should n...

Lacetop Sheitels – Response to callers Is a syndicator who is overly daring or reckless with their clients’ money required to use their own funds to compensate for the losses? What questions should an investor be asking?

What causes someone to become an extremist? Is extremism stronger now than 20-30 years ago? Are there similarities between Chareidi extremism, the Hilltop Youths and Leftists against Chareidim? If you don’t agree with a law, can you violate it? Are there times when extremism is warranted? Is being OTD another form of extremism? And are there ways to improve the system?

Teaching our children about the dangers of camp (and life) Should you teach or them, or should you shield them from exposure? Lacetop Sheitels in Halacha – Erase the Lace or Embrace the Lace? Is it a new question or an age old Machlokes? Voting In Halacha Can you vote for a candidate that’s personally immoral? Can you vote for a party that supports immoral values? Can you vote for a party that’s a...

Do all non-Jews hate us? Does exposure to the non-Jewish world help or hurt our children when they grow up? What are the hazards of teaching children negative attitudes about non-Jews? What separations did Chazal institute between us and non-Jews? Why did Chazal feel that was necessary? Do we need to be concerned with causing “Aivah” (animosity) with non-Jews, even if we are doing nothing wrong?

What’s the rationale to halachically permit targeted killings of Israel’s enemies? Is there any difference between a targeted killing during an active war and when there’s no active war being fought? What if there’s only a 10%, 20% or 30% chance that the target is where you think he is? Do you need to be concerned about collateral damage during a targeted killing? And, what if it could be signific...

Should you allow your daughter to go out with a boy who smokes or vapes? Is a smoker Possul Lei’dus? If your father asks you to buy him a pack of cigarettes are you allowed to listen? When a president loses his sanity does he lose his staus as a president? Would Halacha require an aging forgetful leader to step down? If the population loses their trust in the president (or leader) can they Halachi...

Is there an obligation to support a son (or son-in-law) in learning? If the father (or father-in-law) commits to support, can he get out of it, for example when business is bad? Does living comfortably facilitate or get in the way of quality learning? Is it best to fund the strongest learner, the neediest person, or a relative?