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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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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

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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8 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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7 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
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

Rabbis and Politics

Shortly before the year 70, Jerusalem was surrounded by Roman troops. Raban Yochanan ben Zakai attempted to negotiate a surrender with the Romans. He recognized there was no realistic outcome in which ...
Shalom's user avatar
  • 129k
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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5 votes
Accepted

Dina D'Malchuta with regards to the State of Israel?

"The Ran (in Nedarim) explains that the exception to the rule of DDD is Eretz Yisroel, which the Ran categorically states that Dina Dmalchusa Dina is inapplicable in Eretz Yisroel, since the Torah ...
warz3's user avatar
  • 1,457
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
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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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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

Medically treating a 'rodef' (/terrorist)

I have zero comment as to today's politics. And when in comes to broader policies, there are many different concerns at play. I can refer you to likely the closest source material, though; assuming ...
Shalom's user avatar
  • 129k
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
  • 1,980
3 votes
Accepted

Is taking control of land by a Jew in Israel a sin if it was not controlled by him before?

I will start by addressing the specific question that you have asked here: "According to Halacha, is it a sin for a Jew to take control over some land in Eretz Yisrael when this land was taken against ...
Daniel's user avatar
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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
2 votes

What are we supposed to do with idolatry in Israel?

As far as what the modern State of Israel should do, this was addressed at length by its first Ashkenazi chief rabbi, Yitzchak Isaac Herzog. Broadly speaking, he felt that in a democratic state there ...
Shalom's user avatar
  • 129k
2 votes

What are we supposed to do with idolatry in Israel?

Destroy the idols - "pursue avodah zarah and get rid of it from the entire Eretz Yisroel" - Rambam, Hilchos Avodah Zarah 7:2. Not allow the idolaters to live there - ibid. 10:6.
Shamiach's user avatar
  • 1,657
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
  • 44.7k
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
  • 585
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
  • 41.3k
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
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
  • 44.7k
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
  • 650
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
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
  • 44.7k
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
  • 40.3k
1 vote

What is 'Maaseh Satan'?

The Ben Ish Chai Letter Aleph says that ודע, כי הנה כל אדם העושה קטטה ומריבה עם אשתו או בניו או משרתיו, ודאי נראה לו שהדין עמו, וראוי לריב על המכשלה שיצאה מתחת ידם בעניני הבית. אך באמת, מי שיש לו ...
ertert3terte's user avatar
  • 40.1k
1 vote

What is 'Maaseh Satan'?

Tl;dr The term is first used in the 11th century, (well before the State of Israel, or Satmar) and becomes more popular through the centuries. It is first used to refer to overtly miraculous acts ...
mevaqesh's user avatar
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