13 votes

Rav Moshe Feinstein's opinion on the State of Israel

Interesting question and it is true that artscroll's biography of R Moshe Feinstein doesn't address the question explicitly. Here are a few relevant statements showing R Moshe's position. From the ...
mbloch's user avatar
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11 votes
Accepted

What should one do to help Israel during war?

HaRav Asher Weiss shlita sent out a clip (in Hebrew) with divrei chizuk and hisorerus on his WhatsApp group (to join - https://chat.whatsapp.com/JSImuTgfWWlEGjwwqgvFSO). It is also now on Torah ...
Dov's user avatar
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10 votes

Rav Moshe Feinstein's opinion on the State of Israel

Need to provide sources, but on one foot, I think the best way to describe his position was: "a convenient distance." Zionism wasn't Rav Moshe's raison d'etre; neither was anti-Zionism. When you're ...
Shalom's user avatar
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9 votes
Accepted

Did the state of Israel fulfill ancient prophecy?

There are numerous prophecies about the Messianic era and they are generally viewed together as a "single package". As such, Orthodox Judaism is hesitant to declare a single prophecy of that package ...
Clint Eastwood's user avatar
9 votes
Accepted

The Halachic Reasoning Behind the Neturei Karta

This question is far too broad to answer here but the essence of what they follow is based upon the teachings of Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum. There are two primary sources that lay out their approach. The ...
Yaacov Deane's user avatar
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9 votes

Does a person who kills someone by accident have to go live in Chevron nowadays?

The Sefer HaChinuch writes as follows: Sefer HaChinuch Mitzvah # 410 ונוהגת מצוה זו בזמן שישראל על אדמתן וסנהדרין של שבעים ואחד יושבין במקומן המוכן להם בירושלם לדין דיני נפשות And this ...
Alex's user avatar
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7 votes

What should one do to help Israel during war?

HaGaon HaRav Moshe Shternbuch spoke about the recent events to his talmidims. He said that: “Each one should go learn because every little bit of limmud Torah can provide salvation. The danger is ...
Shmuel's user avatar
  • 8,780
7 votes
Accepted

Responsa/Rabbinic Thought on Israeli Reprisal Operations

Rabbi Shaul Yisraeli wrote a lengthy essay on the subject shortly after Qibiya, published in his book עמוד הימיני, pp. 113-139. He first noted: "מאז נסתיימה המלחמה ה"רשמית" של מדינות ...
Harel13's user avatar
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6 votes

Did the state of Israel fulfill ancient prophecy?

While the verse cited does predict a return of the Jews to the land of Israel it also includes details which have not yet been realized. The return of large numbers of Jews to Israel and an ...
Yirmeyahu's user avatar
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5 votes

Retroactive psak and conversions

Revised psak can be three different things. 1) A Rabbi or Beis din, realizes they made a big mistake. (certain pigs are kosher ... ooops! wrong) So after the psak (legal decision) is issued (example:...
David Kenner's user avatar
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4 votes

Burning the Israeli flag

It might be a chilul Hashem for all the reasons expressed in the comments above. But it might be more than that. Rav Soloveichik believed the Israeli flag has the Halachik status and Holiness of a ...
mbloch's user avatar
  • 47.9k
4 votes

What is the best way to keep updated with status of hechsheirim in Israel?

Kosharot is a website dedicated to educating consumers on Kashrut issues in Israel. They publish regular updates which might be exactly what you are looking for. For an interesting podcast on the ...
mbloch's user avatar
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4 votes

Does the Rashi on Sanhedrin 98a really mean that the state of Israel is going to be conquered?

Disclaimer: This is just an opinion from the Satmar Rav. There are others that feel different about this, but please don't judge if this answer does not suit you. This is the accepted among Satmar-...
Shmuel's user avatar
  • 8,780
4 votes

Is there an halachic basis for allowing attacks that may or even will result in civilian casualties?

The Torah has very specific rules about besieging an enemy city- how to offer peace to the inhabitants, not to destroy the fruit trees around the city, etc. A city- not a military base or a fort, but ...
יהושע ק's user avatar
3 votes

Why, how, and when the switch from "הנותן תשועה למלכים" to "אבינו שבשמים"?

The prayer was instituted in 1948 by the Sephardic and Ashkenazic Chief Rabbis of the newly formed State of Israel, respectively Rabbis Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel and Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog. The prayer ...
AviSch's user avatar
  • 73
3 votes

XX century Aliyah, State of Israel, and righteousness of the Jews

Rabbi David Forhman argues that this is exactly the case in a video dvar torah on Parashah Haazinu as part of his Aleph Beta video series. His argument is that the process for teshuva on a national ...
יהושע ק's user avatar
3 votes

Is it a Mitzva Deorayta (Biblical Commandment) to serve in the IDF?

Reb Shlomo Zalman Auerbach says IDF soldiers may risk their lives to recover the body of a slain comrade because if soldiers think that if they are killed their bodies will be left in the field this ...
pcoz's user avatar
  • 2,010
3 votes

What should one do to help Israel during war?

Rav Michoel Sorotzkin https://youtu.be/F_XmSeR23OA quotes Rav Chaim Kanievsky Zt"l who would always tell people to learn something that has to do with the problem. For example, during the Gulf ...
Learnmore's user avatar
  • 196
3 votes

Is there an halachic basis for allowing attacks that may or even will result in civilian casualties?

Even in a defensive war (which will be the presumed context going forward), first you offer peace. Then you offer anyone from the enemy who wishes to flee to be able to flee, and let them - both of ...
Rabbi Kaii's user avatar
  • 7,202
2 votes

How do soldiers in the IDF obey Deuteronomy 23:13?

One thing that seems to have been overlooked by both the OP and the other, highly upvoted answer, is that the article that the OP cites for the explanation of this Mitzvah already answered the ...
Seth J's user avatar
  • 41.5k
2 votes

Seeking conversion programmes in Israel for women

There are least two organizations focused on supporting women converts in Israel through the conversion process Machon Meir/Machon Ora (here and here) ITIM (here) In addition here are three serious ...
mbloch's user avatar
  • 47.9k
2 votes

Can someone who lives in Israel visit Eilat?

Rav Wosner(zatzal) and Rav Yitzchak Yosef (shlita) paskened it is not part of Israel according to halacha, and one may not go there strictly for a pleasure trip. Sources : http://revach.net/halacha/...
torahmike's user avatar
  • 625
2 votes
Accepted

Seeking a demographic "pamphlet" of Israeli neighborhoods

I have found Nefesh b' Nefesh's community database to be an excellent resource for this sort of information. Jerusalem is of course a fantastic place in Israel for Torah learning because of the ...
mbloch's user avatar
  • 47.9k
2 votes

In Israel, what is the difference between l'mehadrin and badatz

Mehadrin is a general term, meaning enhanced/ stricter kashrut. People use it to describe a particular standard, or they might mean a general term for one or several hechsherim (kosher supervisions) e....
Miriam's user avatar
  • 651
2 votes

How do I determine kashrut status of fresh produce from Israel?

This lists the Last Dates of Kedushas Shevi’is, Sefichin and Biur 5775/5776: http://www.star-k.org/articles/kashrus-kurrents/3023/last-dates-of-kedushas-sheviis-sefichin-and-biur-57755776/ Here is a ...
joshv2's user avatar
  • 21
2 votes

Rav Moshe Feinstein's opinion on the State of Israel

BezH I wrote an extensive article regarding R. Moshe Feinstein's relationship with the State of Israel (including many previously unknown sources), and how it changed over the years to be more ...
ארי שבט 's user avatar
2 votes

Rabbi Grossman's tzedakkah segula for soldiers

Partial answer... Possibly see the Kaf HaChaim on SA OC 110:27: ישתדל ההולך שיעשהו שליח מצוה או יקח בעצמו איזה מטבע ויעשה בו
Dov's user avatar
  • 30.2k
1 vote
Accepted

Law of Return and Step Children

Stepchildren must be allowed in under the Law of Return, witness a very specific case described below: https://www.jta.org/archive/behind-the-headlines-despite-grievances-cuban-olim-feel-lucky-to-be-...
Maurice Mizrahi's user avatar
1 vote

A Tnach Guidebook to Israel?

I saw this question at the time and knew I had seen such a book but couldn't find it - today I saw it in person (at Pomerantz since I see you are from Yerushalaim) and liked it. The Bible on ...
mbloch's user avatar
  • 47.9k
1 vote

Why, how, and when the switch from "הנותן תשועה למלכים" to "אבינו שבשמים"?

To add to AviSch's answer, this article (Hebrew) from Tzohar has an anecdote which may shed some light on why Hanotein Teshuah was replaced soon after the establishment of the state. על הזיקה בין ...
Joel K's user avatar
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