Halacha

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...

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.
 Second Temple Model

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

Sephardi Chief Rabbi David Yosef, December 28, 2025; illustrative.

Rights org. files complaint after Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yosef shames women for private mikveh use

 Buildings in old city, Safed, Northern District, Israel.

Safed Rabbinical Court may close this fall despite strong local demand


The red heifer: A statute with a cause - opinion

As a people bound to our Jewish texts, we question and delve into the unknowable to understand our relationship to God and mitzvot more fundamentally.

 The red heifers brought to Israel from Texas.

Shabbat has also become a casualty of the war - opinion

Violating Shabbat to keep our loved ones and country safe is a mitzvah. Let's pray we soon return to a time where it is a mitzvah we don't have to keep.

A religious Israeli soldier is seen near the Israeli-Gaza border, in southern Israel, December 19, 2023.

Educating tomorrow's children: Three women certified as halachic leaders

RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS: Rabbanit Avigayil Unterberg Nouriel, Rabbanit Idit Mevorach-Shaag, and Rabbanit Hila Naor joined 19 others already certified by the institute out of Ohr Torah Stone (OTS).

 From left: Rabbanit Hila Naor, Rabbanit Idit Mevorach-Shaag, and Rabbanit Avigayil Unterberg Nouriel.

‘Goyhood’ - Reuven Fenton on the story behind his debut novel

The character discovers, to his disbelief and horror, that his mother was not actually Jewish,

 REUVEN FENTON: ‘New York Post’ reporter, Orthodox Jew.

'Collected Essays': Invaluable insight on medieval Jewish life - review

Soloveitchik’s contributions continue to illuminate the corridors of Jewish intellectual history, leaving an indelible mark on generations of scholars and readers alike.

 The graves of Rabbi Avraham of Posquières (known as the Raavad) and his son Isaac, in Provence, France.

Is destroying frozen embryos permitted in Jewish law?

Halacha only allows for abortion for therapeutic reasons, with decisors greatly divided over the scope of justifying rationales.

 AN EMBRYOLOGIST holds a dish with human embryos at an IVF clinic.

After undergoing Orthodox conversion, Noa Arazi is helping others do the same

Arazi has devoted much of her time to helping prospective converts learn about the conversion process, drawing from her own conversion experiences on social media.

 performing in Daglanut for Israel independence Day.

Halachic State vs Caliphate: How do Jewish extremists differ from Islamist extremists? - opinion

Each fundamentalist movement presents to its followers a vision of a state of religious law between the river Jordan and the sea - a Halachic State or an Islamic Caliphate.

A scene from the documentary series The Jewish Underground,

Rabbanit Chana Henkin: Advancing women as Jewish law authorities

From her home in Jerusalem and the Nishmat campus south of Katamon, Rabbanit Chana Henkin has helped advance the role of women in halachic leadership and created the role of yoetzet halacha.

 Rabbanit Chana Henkin

Hannibal Directive in Jewish law

The Hannibal Directive is just one more reminder of the dangerous consequences of well-intentioned but ultimately misguided prisoner exchange policy.

 HOW FAR should the government go to ‘bring home its boys’?