Halacha

Parashat Ki Tavo: The finest generation

Elul's call to confession requires more than admitting failure. Authentic teshuva also means recognizing personal growth and the courage, sacrifice, and resilience of this generation.

|ByMOSHE TARAGIN
HONEST ACCOUNTING cannot be selective
THOUSANDS OF RUNNERS take part in the Tel Aviv Night Run, Oct. 2025.

Guarding our health is an act of Jewish responsibility - opinion

Neglecting the body is not an expression of faith. Exercise, proper rest, and healthy habits are part of the Jewish obligation to protect the life entrusted to us.

|ByMICHAEL FREUND
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from the Vizhnitz Hasidic dynasty study Torah outside the Justice Ministry in Jerusalem during a silent protest against the imprisonment of yeshiva students who failed to comply with military recruitment orders, July 1, 2026; Illustrative.

Basic Law: Debasing Torah - opinion

The proposed Basic Law: Torah Study would grant constitutional status to Torah study, but in practice it would turn a sacred obligation into a political and legal instrument. That would harm Torah...

|BySHUKI FRIEDMAN
Second Temple Model

Beyond mourning: Rebuilding the Temple starts with rebuilding Israeli society - opinion

The Temple's restoration begins with restoring unity, justice, and shared responsibility in society.

|ByKENNETH BRANDER

Jewish burial amid tragedy: Halachic questions surrounding the return of hostage bodies

With the bodies of hostages set to return home, Jewish law raises complex questions—when to mourn, how to bury, and what to do when the remains are incomplete.

FEBRUARY 19, 2025ByMATHILDA HELLER
The Jewish Cemetery on the Mount of Olives

Nechama Goldman-Barash: A guiding light for women's voices in Halacha

Jerusalemite of the Week: Nechama Goldman-Barash has become a guiding light regarding the Jewish laws of gender, sexuality, marriage, and more.

FEBRUARY 16, 2025ByAARON REICH
Nechama Goldman-Barash.

A Valentine’s Day gift that lasts: The case for a halachic prenup – opinion

Celebrate love this Valentine's Day by committing to mutual respect and security with a halachic prenup.

FEBRUARY 14, 2025ByPNINA OMER
An engaged couple show their halachic prenuptial agreement after signing it.

Rabbi Yoel Pinto in a Special Meeting with Rabbi Meir Mazuz

FEBRUARY 6, 2025ByDAVID BERGER

IDF soldiers’ wives at risk: The urgent case for conditional divorces

The Israel-Hamas War has increased the risk of women becoming "chained" in their marriages because they can't get a Jewish divorce.

JANUARY 25, 2025ByEVE YOUNG
THE POSSIBILITY that a woman whose husband is in the IDF reserves can become ‘chained’ became an increasing problem after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas War.

What does Jewish law say about administering pain medications toward end of life?

Even if pain medications would incur a risk of hastening death, Jewish law permits – and even mandates – administering the therapies necessary to address the pain.

JANUARY 24, 2025BySHLOMO M. BRODY
View of medication. (Illustrative).

The Halachic lessons of a raging fire

JANUARY 16, 2025ByMARK FISH

'Uncovered': Examining Halacha through a female lens - review

Each of its nine chapters includes source material from biblical verses, Talmudic discussions, and classical and contemporary responsa, in Hebrew/Aramaic and English, presented chronologically. 

DECEMBER 21, 2024ByRIVKAH LAMBERT ADLER
‘SHEKHINA’ is a book of photographs by Leonard Nimoy (aka Mr. Spock) that includes this picture of a woman wearing an arm phylactery.

Halitza: The Jewish ritual for widows and how it is carried out in wartime - explainer

On an average year, it is estimated there are 15 to 20 such cases in Israel and a couple in the United States. During wartime, that number goes up.

DECEMBER 7, 2024BySHLOMO M. BRODY
An illustrative image of sandals.

Respecting our wives: Honoring ourselves

DECEMBER 3, 2024ByMARK FISH