Questions tagged [current-events]

For questions about Judaism as it is practiced in, and relates to, the present-day world.

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Did Jews have to support freeing Aaron Mostofsky

According to this article one of the people convicted of crimes for breaching the US Capitol on January 6th, 2021 and sentenced to prison is an Orthodox Jew. Would the mitzvah of Pidyon Shvuyim apply ...
Kirk's user avatar
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2 answers
236 views

What's Neturei Karta's response to the current situation? [closed]

Everyone knows that Neturei Karta has befriended Iranian and Palestinian leaders. Is there any published material from them (articles, videos, etc) on the genocide that has just occurred? Whose side ...
Yehuda's user avatar
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3 votes
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Have any Orthodox rabbis or rabbinic organizations called for a communal fast on Thursday, October 12, 2023?

In response to the current war in Israel, and the current situation (as I write this: hundreds of Israelis held hostage by terrorists, including children and the elderly), the organization Hadar has ...
mweiss's user avatar
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2 votes
0 answers
42 views

Source for the practice of messianic interpretation of calamity

I seem to recall a Rashi somewhere in Nach which explains a Pasuk as praising B’nei Yisrael, who see every calamity that befalls them as heralding Mashiach. Can anyone source this?
Yø-c Ro's user avatar
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2 answers
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Is it an offensive stereotype that Jews tend to stick together? [closed]

I thought maybe this belonged on the Academia Stack Exchange, but then I thought I should ask the people directly, as I assume the highly ranked people on here are either Jewish or very familiar with ...
Curious Layman's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
80 views

Should One say Shehechyanu on world events?

The bracha of Shehechyanu (according to here) was instituted to be said "for uncommon or periodical occurrences and experiences, such as holidays and their mitzvot, fruits in their new season, ...
rosends's user avatar
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During covid-related social distancing minyan is it better for one person to get all aliyot or multiple people at a distance?

During the current covid-19 outbreak all shuls in the United States have closed and minyanim are for the most part not being conducted. The OU recently released guidance to be used when minyanim in ...
rikitikitembo's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
87 views

Do communities set public fast days for hurricanes or other natural disasters?

I hear occasionally about fast days in Israel when there's no rain. Some examples are in this answer. From one of the links there, R' Mosheh Lichtenstein is not in favor of fasting for rain in a ...
Heshy's user avatar
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14 votes
2 answers
2k views

(Why) May a Beit Din refuse to bury a body in order to coerce a man into giving a divorce?

I read recently of a case where a Rabbi (I assume as head of a Beit Din) instructed a Jewish burial society not to bury the body of a woman who is the mother of a man who refuses to give his wife a ...
rikitikitembo's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
132 views

Can a Judge Issue a Ruling After his Death?

In a recent decision (No. 18-272, Yovino v. Rizo, decided February 25, 2019 Per Curiam, properly cited as 586 U. S. ___ (2019)), the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) dealt with the matter of a ...
Menachem's user avatar
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Should one wish for the destruction of buildings of idol worship?

Two sequential questions, prompted by the Notre Dame fire: Is one obligated to wish that places of idol worship are consumed if they already are on fire? (I would think so, given e.g. OC 224:2) If so,...
Arithmomaniac's user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
290 views

Are Jews allowed to contribute to the reconstruction of the Paris cathedral?

I assume most of you have already heard about the sad events that happened yesterday in France. One of the main symbols of Paris, a functioning cathedral caught on fire and caused huge damage to the ...
Kazi bácsi's user avatar
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9 votes
1 answer
240 views

Who is pulled to safety first?

If a group of people are in mortal danger, all of the same gender (cf. Horayot 13a; some suggest that the Mishnah on Horayot is not discussing a case of rescuing from physical danger, cf. Tziz Eliezer ...
Oliver's user avatar
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KfP-for-Ashk'nazim rice cakes… now what if they're soaked?

A rabbi visited a ricecake factory, found that the rice never became wet in the process of manufacture (and was sifted well to be sure it's only rice), and decided that the ricecakes, which are anyway ...
msh210's user avatar
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7 votes
2 answers
165 views

Is Harav Shteinman's tzava'ah (last will) halachically binding?

The Rav Hakadosh Harav Shteinman zatzal wrote in his tzava'ah (last instructions) to the public, not to call him a Tzaddik or Yereh Shamayim, and not to write articles about him in the newspaper. Is ...
Ari's user avatar
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Charlie Gard's parents from a Halachic Perspective

As this question is somewhat extensive, I have divided the post into headers in order to make it easier to read and follow. Background Charlie Gard is a British baby who has a rare genetic disorder ...
DonielF's user avatar
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8 votes
1 answer
461 views

Permission to Drive on Shabbat for the President's Daughter

A few news sources have been reporting on Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner's having been granted rabbinic permission to drive on Shabbat after Ivanka's father's inauguration as president. (See, for ...
Shimon bM's user avatar
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1 vote
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Flint, Michigan: Who would be HALACHICALLY Liable?

As a hypothetical scenario, we assume that the events of the Flint water crisis are taking place in a location where Beis Din and Jewish law are ascendant. Here's a quick summary of the facts: The ...
Isaac Kotlicky's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
317 views

Medically treating a 'rodef' (/terrorist)

Although this is done routinely in Israel, is a doctor halachically allowed to treat a terrorist that has been injured, given that they would be considered a rodef. Or is rodef an 'in the act' status, ...
bondonk's user avatar
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5 votes
2 answers
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Mosaic Law and ISIS

Recently I had a conversation about ISIS with a friend who is Catholic by faith, he said that ISIS should be stopped but that we (The US or any other foreign power) should not kill them, whereas I ...
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0 votes
1 answer
129 views

Was there any foreknowledge of the Paris hostage crisis within Judaism?

Did any school of thought within Judaism (like Kabbalah) predict the Paris hostage crisis? Did any Jewish scholar make a prediction? Are there any rumors about such a foreknowledge? The question is ...
Andromeda's user avatar
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758 views

Is there a punishment for disgracing our prophets/sages?

In light of the recent Charlie Hebdo incident with depictions of Mohammed (and others like), are there any punishments for derogatory depictions of our Jewish prophets and sages (be it in our times or ...
bondonk's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
113 views

Stealing something that could be considered offensive

Recently a video has emerged of a man taking down a Palestinian flag in the neighbourhood of Meah Shearim, Jerusalem. There is no indication as to what happened to the flag after it was taken down. In ...
bondonk's user avatar
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2 votes
0 answers
108 views

Underground crypts for burial

In light of this article what are the possible problems with burying the deceased in underground crypts? The article mentions: The head of the Jerusalem burial society told Haaretz that there is no ...
bondonk's user avatar
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8 votes
3 answers
947 views

Does demolition of terrorists' homes have any basis in Judaism?

Israel is currently implementing a policy of demolishing the homes of terrorists, even after they have been 'eliminated', as a deterrent to others. Is this kind of action OK, according to halacha + ...
Scimonster's user avatar
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12 votes
4 answers
295 views

Does Beis Din have the authority to quarantine?

In light of the recent discussions about the legality of quarantining potential Ebola patients, I was wondering if Halacha has the mechanism for such a thing. In an autonomous Jewish society, in ...
Y     e     z's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
68 views

Is there a requirement to fast if Ebola is reported in the city?

I remember learning in mesechet Taanis that if there is a plague in the city with a certain number of people and there are people dying daily that the city should declare a fast. Is there any ...
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8 votes
1 answer
542 views

Leaving cities during plagues

Over the Yomim Tovim I happened to skim through a copy of Rav Hirsh's sefer "Horeb". In one section he discussed a directive from Chazal to leave a city struck with plague. With Ebola having been ...
Yirmeyahu's user avatar
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9 votes
1 answer
495 views

Does Judaism appreciate the wanton destruction of idolatry done by Islamic groups?

Many of the idolatrous heritage sites like Bamiyan Buddha, Sufi shrines, and Hindu idols are being destroyed by Islamic fundamentalists around the globe. Does Judaism allow a non Jew to demolish such ...
yerushalmi's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
175 views

Did the Israeli soldiers who were involved in Operation Protective Edge eliminate any parts of davening?

I assume that those driving the tanks, going in the tunnels, and otherwise in immediate dangerous situations either completely miss a prayer, or eliminate parts of it. Maybe they are saying "Havinenu" ...
DanF's user avatar
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9 votes
2 answers
881 views

Can a couple have relations during dangerous times?

May a couple, living in Israel during a war or when Israel is under a constant barrage of rocket and other types of terrorist attacks, engage in marital relations? May a couple living outside of ...
not-allowedtochangemyname's user avatar
5 votes
3 answers
3k views

Which tehillim are best to say for the welfare of soldiers at war?

At least one Israel Defense Forces soldier fighting in Gaza is the son of dear friends of my family. I want to focus my tefilla on his welfare, by name, although I certainly pray for the well-being ...
Bruce James's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
82 views

Operation Protective Edge and My Brothers Keeper [closed]

In light of current events are there what are the halachic resolutions surrounding Operation Protective Edge and Operation My Brother's Keeper? Issues include: firing at legitimate targets if it is ...
bondonk's user avatar
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0 votes
0 answers
183 views

How should a Jew behave if kidnapped by a non-Jew?

If a Jew is kidnapped by a non-Jew that he suspects may kill him, according to halacha how should he act? Meaning, should he try to escape or not?
user avatar
7 votes
2 answers
252 views

What is the correct emotion to feel upon hearing about enemy civilian casualties?

Recent missiles sent by Hamas landed in Hebron. When my neighbor told me about this, it was unclear whether they had hurt any Arab civilians. I said that I hoped not, while my neighbor basically said ...
DaagahMinayin's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
145 views

Is national-brand mozzarella under constant supervision?

Shulchan Aruch and Rama, Yore Dea 115:2, indicate that cheese made by a non-Jew can't be eaten unless a Jew saw it being made. Kraft, a national brand, now has some Ⓤ-certified reduced-fat ...
msh210's user avatar
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6 votes
2 answers
460 views

When is a Yartziet Observed?

When is a Yartzeit observed, the day of death or the day of burial? I ask this question in response to the news of the terrible death of the three boys in Eretz Yisrael who died weeks before their ...
Bochur613's user avatar
  • 4,647
0 votes
1 answer
369 views

Can a Jewish Business Refuse to Serve Certain Customers?

There have been several recent court cases regarding Christian businesses that have refused to provide service to certain customers based on religious grounds. Assuming secular law has no opinion (...
Shmuel's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
256 views

The new book about the Lubavitcher Rebbe zt"l

What is the response of the Lubavitcher rabbinate (as in Lubavitcher rabbis in general, I am not referring to any specific rabbinical body) to the new book on the Rebbe zt"l by Josef Telushkin? Is it ...
Jewels's user avatar
  • 2,514
3 votes
1 answer
477 views

Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman's statement about waiting for Moshiach

Basically I am looking for more information from neutral or sympathetic sources about Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman's recent statement saying something along the lines of it was too hard for Bnei Torah ...
Yishai's user avatar
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13 votes
2 answers
408 views

Sending a Torah to the Moon

According to this article, there's an organization that wants to blast a Sefer Torah into space for safe keeping on the moon. Are there any halachik problems regarding such an endeavour (and if so, ...
Shmuel's user avatar
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7 votes
2 answers
1k views

What is a Get Zikui and in what cases has it been used?

The Safed Rabbinical Court recently gave a woman a "get zikui" to permit her to receive a divorce from her husband who has been in a coma for seven years. See this article. The article describes it ...
Bruce James's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
435 views

Life support for a dead pregnant woman for the sake of a pre-viable baby

Suppose a pregnant woman dies*, and it's too early in the pregnancy for the baby inside her to have any chance of viability if delivered now, but if the woman's body is kept connected to life-support ...
Isaac Moses's user avatar
  • 48k
1 vote
1 answer
324 views

Circumcision liability

A story was recently publicized about a Mohel who botched up a circumcision by cutting of more than he was supposed to, requiring six hours of surgery, numerous blood transfusions, a two month ...
Ess Kay's user avatar
  • 311
4 votes
1 answer
236 views

Halachic basis for opposing erection of a giant statute of Jesus in Israel

According to JewishIsrael.com an Arab Christian group plans to build a giant statute of Jesus on Har Kedumin (Mt. Precipice) near Nazareth on Jewish National Fund land. The Minister of Tourism, Uzi ...
Bruce James's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
600 views

Responses to Dor Daim / Talmidei HaRambam

Occasionally on this site and on other websites I stumble upon things written by Dor Daim or Talmidei HaRambam. I was wondering what the response is to these groups by other contemporary Orthodox ...
user avatar
11 votes
1 answer
543 views

Allowing unmarried/homosexual couples into a hotel

Recently there has been a high profile case in the UK concerning a religious christian couple who own a hotel. Due to their personal religious beliefs their policy was to refuse a room to couples who ...
bondonk's user avatar
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8 votes
1 answer
301 views

Riches found in a purchased item. Return or keep it?

A young rabbi reportedly found nearly $100,000 in a desk he'd purchased second-hand on Craigslist, and subsequently returned the money. Is this story about a Kiddush HaShem, or a Hassid Shoteh (...
Seth J's user avatar
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3 votes
0 answers
73 views

May an employer dismiss an employee to pressure him in a non–work-related matter

Without discussing whether the particular case currently in the news actually qualifies as the situation I’m describing, consider the following case: In his private life, an employee of mine is ...
J. C. Salomon's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
298 views

May a Jew own/operate a blog open to comments?

In light of recent events I would like to know if a Jew may own and operate a blog or website which is open to comments if it is found that comments can often contain lashon hara, rechilus or motzei ...
not-allowed to change my name's user avatar