Orthodox Conundrum

It’s sometimes challenging to feel the aveilut, the mourning of the destruction, when the Jewish people live in a time of unparalleled prosperity, when we can visit and live in a thriving State of Israel, and when we see a beautiful city of Jerusalem filled with Jewish people from around the world. Am Yisrael still absorbs terrible blows; terrorism, the deaths of young soldiers, antisemitism and more continue to plague us. For many people, however, our day-to-day lives are comfortable enough that the destruction of a now-rebuilt city 2000 years ago feels distant from our everyday concerns. One of the ways that some people experience the lack of a Beit HaMikdash is to ascend the Temple Mount. Admittedly, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel has prohibited Jews from doing this, and the majority of great halachic authorities also say that it is not allowed. Rabbi Danny Myers, however, has a very different approach, and suggests that praying on the Temple Mount is not only allowed, but may even be an obligation. Scott discussed this contentious issue with Rabbi Myers, alongside the question of how people can find spiritual meaning during the Three Weeks when we are directed to mourn the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/. Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com    

One of the most important conflicts that many Orthodox Jews face in the 21st century is the clash between authority and autonomy. Orthodox society is largely based upon following the tradition that has been handed down to us, and that tradition is often seen to be largely in the possession of great scholars. Accordingly, it seems like a violation of Torah principles to ignore the directives of gedolei Torah and to do what we want instead. On the other hand, autonomy - the ability and right and even obligation to make our own decisions - is one of the most cherished values of Western society. But autonomy is not just a modern value that is necessarily in conflict with Torah thinking; in fact, autonomy is also an important Jewish value, as well. That makes the question of the clash between autonomy and authority something that we likely deal with almost every day. As Orthodox Jews, we dare not ignore the tradition and do whatever we want without regard for what anyone else says... yet many of us are loathe to sacrifice the right to think independently. This raises many questions: what is the definition of rabbinic authority? How autonomous can and should each of us be? Do I have the right to make halachic decisions on my own? What about in areas of hashkafa, or public policy? Can the gedolim insist that I act a certain way - and do I have the right to defy them? Scott asked these and many other questions to Rav Chaim Ozer Chait, and he offered some fascinating insights, as well as stories from his time studying under Rav Moshe Feinstein and others. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/. Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com  

Many people give little thought to the issue of conversion, and the challenges that people who convert face. In contrast, Rabbi Chuck Davidson, a leader in establishing non-coercive Orthodox alternatives to Israel’s’ Chief Rabbinate for over a decade and the av beit din of an independent conversion court, has spent years researching the halachic background of conversion. In this episode, Scott and Rabbi Davidson address the debate over the halachic requirements for conversion, what is being done in the Israeli Chief Rabbinate about the 500,000 people in Israel who are sociologically Jewish but not halachically Jewish, the argument between Rav Ovadia Yosef and Rav Elyashiv about whether people whose Jewish lineage is unclear should be assumed to be Jewish or not, the social problems that many converts face, the question of which beit din - if any - provides conversions that are universally accepted, retroactive invalidation of conversion, whether a rabbinic court should be welcoming or discouraging to potential converts, and much more. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/. Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Several well-publicized events in the Orthodox world over the past year have brought the issue of the separation of church and state into sharp relief. These include Yeshiva University’s refusal to recognize the YU Pride Alliance - a refusal which, one year ago, Judge Lynn Kotler of the New York County Supreme Court said was a violation of the New York City Human Rights Law; the case is currently under appeal. Another important situation is the recent uproar over the apparent refusal of numerous Chassidic schools in New York to follow curricular guidelines established by state authorities. And of course, the question of judicial reform in Israel inevitably touches on questions of how much the Israeli government can impose religious law, or provide legal exceptions to religious individuals and groups. In order to better understand some of the biggest questions surrounding church and state, Scott spoke with Professor Michael Avi Helfand. They discussed several specific situations, including the YU Pride Alliance and the chassidic school issue, to get past the often-incorrect public perception, and outline the actual legal issues in each case. They addressed whether private schools should be eligible for public funding, if this might lead to government authorities dictating educational requirements that Orthodox schools won’t be able to accept, and whether the government’s mandating aspects of the curriculum is necessarily tied to funding in the first place. They also touched on the philosophy behind the separation of church and state, how much of it is rooted in the Constitution and how much is based on broad interpretation, the definition of “core beliefs” and even the word “religion,” and much more. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/. Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com  

When Rivka Herzfeld was younger, she had a feeling that her muscles were not working the way that they should. During her year in Israel after high school, things got serious enough that her research intensified - and she soon discovered that she has an extremely rare degenerative condition that has seriously impacted her ability to use her muscles effectively. Doctors don’t know what to call it, so they use the inexact term “childhood-onset ALS” - and this condition has affected her life in many ways, from needing a motorized scooter in place of walking, to challenges in dating, to her inability to be hired as a teacher - a job for which she is eminently qualified. Yet Rivka maintains her self-confidence, poise, humor, and faith in G-d; she refuses to let her disability define her, even though it sometimes seems that others want to do exactly that.  In this conversation, Rivka relates her personal story, and articulates some of the challenges that she faces. She and Scott talk about the ways in which the Orthodox world can develop greater sensitivity and provide increased accessibility, as well as some of the positive and negative experiences that she has had in synagogues, schools, and other institutions. And crucially, they discuss practical steps that we can take to ensure that we treat individuals with the respect they deserve, and find ways to bring all people into our communities rather than perhaps unintentionally walling them off outside.  Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary newsletter and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/. Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com  

It is forbidden to listen to the voice of a woman singing if she is not his wife. (Aruch HaShulchan 21:3) One of the issues that bothers many poeple in the Orthodox world is the halachic concept of kol isha - that is, broadly defined, the prohibition for men to listen to a woman when she is singing. The exact parameters of this halacha are debated, such as whether this includes recordings, if it applies to a woman singing by herself or to a choir as well, and much more. There are, frankly, a wide range of opinions about many issues surrounding kol isha. But we need to acknowledge, even if it goes against our sense of fairness, that the vast majority of poskim understand kol isha as a prohibition that is fully applicable today.  For women who sing professionally, the halachot surrounding kol isha are unquestionably challenging, and today Scott asks three Orthodox female performers how kol isha has affected them, how they navigate the challenges it presents, whether they feel cheated because they cannot perform in mixed-gender venues, if they follow this stricture as it’s traditionally understood, what kind of pushback they’ve received, and more - as well as other aspects of their experience as Orthodox women who sing. Join Scott and Franciska Kosman, Chanale Fellig-Harrel, and Dr. Kerry Bar-Cohn as they address this important topic. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary newsletter and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/. Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com  

In our last episode, Scott spoke with Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody about bringing greater awareness to issues associated with end-of-life and organ donation. This opened up an important conversation - but there’s much more to say, particularly as it relates to clinical insights from people who actively work with dying patients and their families. To that end, Scott spoke with Dr. Blima Marcus, who was a guest in episode 81 of this podcast. Blimi spoke about the very serious questions regarding how Orthodox providers help frum Jews die, and the clinical, emotional, and psychological issues that are involved. It nicely complements the episode with Rabbi Brody, and also highlights a serious area of disagreement.  This was a very important conversation. As difficult and perhaps unpleasant as it is to talk about end-of-life, it’s crucial that we confront it honestly and forthrightly so that, when the time comes for our loved ones, we’ll be informed about the issues, and prepared to implement the patient’s wishes. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary newsletter and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/. Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com  

The 49th chapter of Bereshit describes the vivid scene of Yaakov Avinu offering his final words and testament as his children, the progenitors of the twelve tribes, stand around his bed. In many ways, this represents an ideal death: confronting it with time to prepare, with nothing left unsaid, with a faithful family surrounding the person whose life is ending. Of course, very often it doesn’t work that way. Frequently, there are difficult decisions that the patient, or the patient’s family, needs to make. These include questions about when and in what circumstances to keep the patient alive, and when to allow death to occur. They also involve issues regarding hospice care, organ donation, do not resuscitate orders, and more. Understandably, many people are reluctant to discuss these issues before they’re relevant; but waiting until they are relevant often means having no idea what to do when it’s time to make these very serious decisions. Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody, the executive director of Ematai, is encouraging people to have these difficult conversations earlier rather than later, and to better understand the various issues at play - whether halachic, ethical, or medical. Scott was pleased to speak with him about a number of the most important and pressing end-of-life issues. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary newsletter and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/. Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com  

Tzniut is triggering. That became clear when the Orthodox Conundrum Podcast released episode 145 entitled, “The Challenges of Teaching Tzniut & the Challenges of Being Tzanua, with Shayna Goldberg.” That episode, in which Scott asked Shayna to focus on issues related to tzniut (modesty) and clothing, addressed some of the most pressing concerns, and the conversation generated quite a bit of discussion. Today’s conversation is again about tzniut, this time about tzniut as a whole, and from the perspectives of Bracha Poliakoff and Rabbi Anthony Manning, the authors of a very well-received new book entitled, Reclaiming Dignity: A Guide to Tzniut for Men and Women.  In this wide-ranging discussion, Scott spoke with his guests about some of the same issues discussed in the earlier podcast as well as some that are quite different. Among the topics are how to define tzniut, what has gone wrong in education for tzniut that so many people are turned off by the very word and the trauma some experience when it comes to tzniut, how to legitimize different approaches, the problem of weaponizing modesty in order to delegitimize others, how much of tzniut is subjective, the confusing of the terms tzniut and erva and the consequent problems, whether obsessing about modesty leads to oversexualization of women, the judgmentalism that seems to be part and parcel of typical thinking about tzniut, and much more. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com  

Last month, it was reported that due to low enrollment, the beginners and intermediate Talmud courses for women at Yeshiva University’s Stern College would not be offered next year, meaning that the only remaining Talmud course would be the advanced class. We also learned that GPATS - the Graduate Program in Advanced Talmud and Tanach Studies - would only have one Talmud track instead of two, as it did in the past; and that YU was not going to hire a new teacher to replace Rav Moshe Kahn z’l, who taught Talmud at Stern and who passed away several months ago. Although Stern has subsequently reversed course and does plan to offer those Talmud classes, the controversy raised important questions about the place of Talmud in the Torah curriculum for women. Should Gemara learning be a mandatory part of the high school curriculum for girls, as it generally is for boys? Regardless of whether Talmud classes for young women should be optional or mandatory, should they be modeled on the standard yeshiva styles of learning, or should Gemara be taught differently with a different emphasis depending on gender? Was the fact that women were generally discouraged or even prohibited from learning for two millennia  a necessary accommodation to reality or, in hindsight, a mistake? Are there still areas of scholarship that, for political or religious reasons, should remain the exclusive province of men? Do we need new methodologies of teaching Gemara to both boys and girls? How should a Talmud teacher address texts that likely won’t resonate with that teacher’s audience, such as a statement that teaching one’s daughter Torah is similar to teaching her “tiflut” - that is, something trivial or even obscene? To discuss these and other questions, Scott spoke with Rabbanit Michelle Cohen Farber, the founder of Hadran, the teacher of the first online daf yomi shiur taught by a woman, and the creator of the first international Siyum HaShas for Women three years ago. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com