Responsa Radio

We have an obligation to give tzedekah and care for those in need. At the same time, life is expensive and often requires having savings. Is it wrong to save money when others are suffering? Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

Can Jews conduct audit studies? These are studies in which researchers send out fictitious job or service applications, a random selection of which have a characteristic that may be discriminated against. Researchers then measure the differences in callback rates. This kind of study is often considered ethical because the scientific gains outweigh the deception and lack of consent, but is that the...

 Can I make seltzer, using a home soda maker, on Shabbat?  Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

Many people in aveilut (mourning) observe a practice of changing their usual seat in shul. But mourners are also supposed to avoid public demonstrations of mourning on Shabbat. If you are in mourning, and going to shul on Shabbat, should you change your seat? Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

In my family, after eating meat, we wait 3 hours until we eat dairy. Why 3 hours? And why don't I have to wait after eating dairy? Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

A 5-year-old named Ya'ara asks - when moshiach comes, and people come back from the dead, how old will everyone be? In this episode of Responsa Radio Kids Edition, R. Ethan Tucker and R. Avi Killip discuss the concept of the resurrection of the dead.  Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

Did the sages have last names? When did people start using last names anyway? In the next episode of Responsa Radio Kids Edition, R. Ethan Tucker and R. Avi Killip answer a question from a 6th grader named Avital. Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

Can you make Kiddush on frozen grapes if that's all you have? In the first episode of Responsa Radio Kids Edition, a new mini-series produced with a little help from Hadar's Children and Families Division, R. Ethan Tucker and R. Avi Killip answer a scrumptious question from a 5th grader named Ronit. Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.or...

A few months ago, one of the largest kosher certification agencies announced that it would not certify "Impossible Pork," despite the fact that nothing in the ingredients or preparation of Impossible Pork is not kosher. What determines whether or not a food is kosher, apart from the ingredients? Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

Now that Covid-19 rapid antigen tests are widely available, can I take them on Shabbat? We've previously talked about the halakhic restrictions on medical therapeutics on Shabbat (Responsa Radio #21), do these restrictions extend to diagnostics? Are there challenges that arise from the mechanics of the test itself, such as erasing the control line or dying a new color on the test strip? Have...

I work at Hillel where some students were interested in learning how to wrap tefillin, and they asked if it’s possible to do a workshop on Shabbat, which would be the best day timing-wise to hold the program. I know there is a prohibition on wearing and handling tefillin on Shabbat. This made me curious about the parameters of "Leshem Hinukh." What is the goal of this concept and how far...

My minyan will likely want to keep broadcasting on Zoom after the pandemic is over and we are back in person. As someone who doesn't use technology on Shabbat, what does that mean for me? Should I decline to lead or read Torah or have an aliyah knowing that it is being broadcast? Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

The rollout of a vaccine involves trying to answer impossible questions about prioritizing one life over another. What Jewish values are in play when thinking about this? What is my personal responsibility once the vaccine was offered to me, even if I don’t think it’s strictly necessary for me to take it?  This episode first appeared on Jewish Public Media . Have a question you'd like answere...

This week on Responsa Radio: Can the essence of obligation to visit the sick and comfort mourners really be fulfilled over Zoom? How are we to fulfill our (interpersonal) obligations while keeping ourselves safe and without making this pandemic worse?  This episode first appeared on Jewish Public Media . Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

Do I need to take my kippah off in a restaurant? More broadly, does there need to be full religious integrity/consistency around everything someone does at a certain moment for it to be valid?  Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

Ever wanted to know the answer to some deep and challenging questions in halakhah (Jewish Law)? Join Rabbis Ethan Tucker, Avi Killip, with questions sent in by you on all sorts of details of Jewish law. This is a joint project between the Center for Jewish Law and Values and Jewish Public Media.  This episode first appeared on Jewish Public Media . Have a question you'd like answered on Respo...

This special Hikhot High Holidays edition of Responsa Radio was recorded live with Rabbi Ethan Tucker, Rabbi Avi Killip, and Rabbi Aviva Richman in advance of an unprecedented High Holiday season.  Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

 Can I read about Corona Virus on Shabbat? This episode first appeared on Jewish Public Media . Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

This week on Responsa Radio: Why do rabbis “turn converts away three times”? As a non-rabbi, and in our day and age, what can and should I do as I interact with non-Jews who are deepening their interest in Judaism?  This episode first appeared on Jewish Public Media . Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

This week on Responsa Radio: I’m learning Hebrew, and loving it. But I’m stuck when it comes to praying from the siddur–it takes forever! Which is more important: reading the prayers in their original language, or reading them in a language I actually understand? This episode first appeared on Jewish Public Media . Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@ha...

What should I do if I’m offered fine china that came from a non-kosher kitchen? Is there anything I can do to make it usable in my kosher kitchen? This episode first appeared on Jewish Public Media . Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

We’re back with more from Responsa Radio, this time asking the question: How do we use space during Yom Kippur services? Tune in to find out more from Rabbi Avi Killip and Rabbi Ethan Tucker. This episode first appeared on Jewish Public Media . Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

Cooking on Yom Tov is permissible, as is lighting a stove burner from a pre-existing flame. But is turning off the stove more complicated? This episode first appeared on Jewish Public Media . Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

Can you attend the theater on Shabbat if you pay in advance? Could it be like going to a free museum? This episode first appeared on Jewish Public Media . Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

This episode first appeared on Jewish Public Media . Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org