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


It's time to acknowledge women's Torah knowledge - opinion

The High Court of Justice ruling is significant in that it is a critical recognition of women’s education, knowledge, and integration into the sphere of Torah and Halacha.

 THE WRITER converses with students in the Midreshet Lindenbaum Beit Midrash in Jerusalem.

Israeli public ready for relaxation of conversion laws - poll

The much-politicized issue of Jewish conversions has seen Israel’s left and right-wing debate the merits of halachic conversion and what should be considered a legitimate conversion for decades.

 President of the Supreme Court of Israel Esther Hayut and all fifteen justices assemble to hear petitions against the reasonableness standard law in the High Court in Jerusalem, on Tuesday, September 12, 2023.

Majority of Israelis feel deeper connection to Diaspora Jewry since October 7 - poll

The sense of solidarity has strengthened within the Haredi sector – 78%, the religious sector – 84%, former Soviet Union immigrants sector - 75%, and immigrants from other countries - 85%.

Olim attend an event marking 25 years of the great aliyah from the former Soviet Union,  in Jerusalem in 2015. Do we no longer have the resolve to save Jews?

What is the real meaning of unity in Israel these days? - opinion

You can’t open a newspaper, listen to the news, or scroll through social media without reading about the way the people of Israel have come together to fight for survival.

 BEIT MIDRASH LE’MAASEH: Men and women from across the political spectrum and the religious scale sit around one table.

Over 15 IDF soldiers pronounced dead in Gaza without bodies

Pronouncing a person’s death is one of the most sensitive, religiously complex issues faced by the Military Rabbinate.

 An IDF soldier salutes the grave of a fallen soldier at the Har Herzl military cemetery ahead of Israel's Remembrance Day, April 23, 2023.

Should Israeli hospitals treat Hamas terrorists? Jewish law explains

It ultimately remains difficult to justify prioritizing national resources for an enemy like Hamas when an Israeli citizen needs it at that moment.

 HAMAS MONSTER Yahya Sinwar, instrumental in the Oct. 7 attacks, was the recipient of lifesaving brain surgery at Israel's Shamir Medical Center in 2004.

Israel-Hamas war: The moral maze of hostage deals

NATIONAL AFFAIRS: Jewish teachings, Benny Gantz made clear, informed his decision to support the Israel-Hamas deal to save hostages held in Gaza.

 Thousands gather as families of hostages vow to not return home until their loved ones are freed.

This is why Israel plans to bury hundreds of cars, with ashes and blood stains

To preserve the sanctity of those murdered by Hamas, for the first time since the establishment of the state, they decided to bury the vehicles.

 Rabbi Yaakov Rose of ZAKA Tel Aviv examining the cars with remains in southern Israel

Denying Israelis Jewish burials: ‘What would God say?’ - opinion

As if it wasn’t bad enough for her grieving family that Alina was mercilessly killed, the Chevra Kadisha decided that Alina Plahti must be buried “outside the fence,” away from the Jewish graves.

 TOTALLY AVOIDABLE hurt, upset, and unnecessary additional trauma were caused to the family of Alina Plahti, says the writer.

Israeli rabbis are issuing guidance about how to adjust Jewish law during wartime

The opinions are almost all rooted in the core Jewish idea that pikuach nefesh, or the preservation of life, overrides nearly every other religious law.

 Head Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef seen with Chief Rabbi of Tzfat Shmuel Eliyahu at an inauguration ceremony for a new women's mikve, in the Northern Israeli town of Tzfat.