The Q & A with Rabbi Breitowitz Podcast

Dedication opportunities are available for episodes and series at https://ohr.edu/donate/qa Questions? Comments? podcasts@ohr.edu Yeshivat Ohr Somayach located in the heart of Jerusalem, is an educational institution for young Jewish English-speaking men. We have a range of classes and programs designed for the intellectually curious and academically inclined - for those with no background in Jewish learning to those who are proficient in Gemara and other original source material. To find the perfect program for you, please visit our website https://ohr.edu/study_in_israel​ whatsapp us at https://bit.ly/OSREGISTER or call our placement specialist at 1-254-981-0133 today! Subscribe to the Rabbi Breitowitz Q&A Podcast at https://plnk.to/rbq&a Submit questions for the Q&A with Rabbi Breitowitz https://forms.gle/VCZSK3wQJJ4fSd3Q7 Subscribe to our YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/OhrSomayach/videos 00:00 Why is there a distinction between kri and kesiv? 05:02 Do plates that become treif need to be buried? 07:55 Can one turn a light off on Shabbos if the power is off? 09:45 Did R' Chaim Vital want his seforim published? 14:42 Which kaddish is best to say if there is no mourner in the minyan? 18:35 When Chazal describes certain sins as equivalent to murder, is that considered in halacha? 25:13 Should we pray for a people like ISIS, considering that Avraham prayed for Sodom? 29:!5 If a pregnant woman is sentenced to death, do we postpone the execution until she gives birth? 30:31 Could one bring the ashes of a Jewish person to Israel and bury them? 33:05 What exactly are sheidim? 37:13 Why is there not a unified Jewish minhag now that we're all mixed together in a global community? 48:26 Why was the Chief Rabbi of England allowed to attend the coronation? 54:58 What is the origin of kissing the hand of a Rav? 56:58 How can we be held accountable for not accomplishing our purposes since we no longer have prophets to inform us of our purposes? 1:04:27 Is Sodom really localized evil? Are there not spiritual effects caused by their sins? 1:06:56 What is the source for placing rocks on graves? 1:09:21 Why bother to be a tzadik if a tzadik is held to a higher standard? 1:14:28 If scientists would eventually be able to print human DNA and place it in an artificial cell in an artificial womb, thus creating an artificial human, would this be considered a human in halacha? 1:19:22 What is the source for pidyon nefesh? 1:23:03 Why is Terumah-Tetzaveh out of chronological order? 1:25:32 Why does the manslaughterer go free when the kohen gadol dies? 1:30:03 Is headstone a halacha or a minhag? 1:31:48 How could Tamar be burned at the stake if it's not a method of execution in the Torah? 1:34:16 How is a chacham greater than a prophet? You can listen to this and many other Ohr Somayach programs by downloading our app, on Apple and Google Play, ohr.edu and all major podcast platforms. Visit us @ https://ohr.edu PRODUCED BY: CEDAR MEDIA STUDIOS

Dedication opportunities are available for episodes and series at https://ohr.edu/donate/qa Questions? Comments? podcasts@ohr.edu Yeshivat Ohr Somayach located in the heart of Jerusalem, is an educational institution for young Jewish English-speaking men. We have a range of classes and programs designed for the intellectually curious and academically inclined - for those with no background in Jewish learning to those who are proficient in Gemara and other original source material. To find the perfect program for you, please visit our website https://ohr.edu/study_in_israel​ whatsapp us at https://bit.ly/OSREGISTER or call our placement specialist at 1-254-981-0133 today! Subscribe to the Rabbi Breitowitz Q&A Podcast at https://plnk.to/rbq&a Submit questions for the Q&A with Rabbi Breitowitz https://forms.gle/VCZSK3wQJJ4fSd3Q7 Subscribe to our YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/OhrSomayach/videos You can listen to this and many other Ohr Somayach programs by downloading our app, on Apple and Google Play, ohr.edu and all major podcast platforms. Visit us @ https://ohr.edu PRODUCED BY: CEDAR MEDIA STUDIOS

Dedication opportunities are available for episodes and series at https://ohr.edu/donate/qa Questions? Comments? podcasts@ohr.edu 00:00 Does the law that the interpretation of a dream comes true still hold true today? 05:49 What is the status of the Black Hebrew Israelite ideology in halacha? 08:18 When is it proper to say "bli neder"? 10:07 If an AI has all the existing halachic literature, can we trust its answer to basic halachic questions? 15:13 How can one catch up in davening if one falls even farther behind every kaddish? 16:54 Can one rely on signs or omens when making a decision? 20:54 Can I make kiddush before a shehakol, if I make kiddush again by the seudah? 24:51 Is it a good idea to go to law school if it takes away from Torah and family? 29:23 Why are traditional Jewish measurements seemingly unstandard? 41:41 What is the source for following rabbis post-Sanhedrin? 54:13 Is there room to wear techeiles today? 57:59 Why was only Pharaoh, out of all the greatest evil men, given the chance to do teshuva? 1:01:50 What can one do between candle lighting and sunset? 1:03:04 What happened in that meeting between the Chazon Ish and ben Gurion? 1:04:52 When one is forced to make a halachic decision, should one rely more on memory or on logic, if the two don't align? 1:09:05 There are fig trees on Ohr Somayach's campus. Can the students eat it? What halachos must we worry about? 1:12:43 What are the issues with smartphones, and is the response to them excessive? 1:20:30 Who is the speaker of Elokai Neshamah? 1:22:46 When one answers "amen" to a sung beracha or kaddish, should one sing in kind? 1:25:04 When one must deal with an aggressive, violent person, e.g. a police officer apprehending a terrorist, how much can they be held responsible for responding in kind? 1:31:20 What is the "minimum shiur" so to speak of the mitzvah of teaching Torah? 1:33:01 How should the authorship of the Zohar affect our understanding of its wisdom? 1:35:00 Are artificially-created lifeforms considered halachically alive? What is the halachic limit of genetic modification? Yeshivat Ohr Somayach located in the heart of Jerusalem, is an educational institution for young Jewish English-speaking men. We have a range of classes and programs designed for the intellectually curious and academically inclined - for those with no background in Jewish learning to those who are proficient in Gemara and other original source material. To find the perfect program for you, please visit our website https://ohr.edu/study_in_israel​ whatsapp us at https://bit.ly/OSREGISTER or call our placement specialist at 1-254-981-0133 today! Subscribe to the Rabbi Breitowitz Q&A Podcast at https://plnk.to/rbq&a Submit questions for the Q&A with Rabbi Breitowitz https://forms.gle/VCZSK3wQJJ4fSd3Q7 Subscribe to our YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/OhrSomayach/videos You can listen to this and many other Ohr Somayach programs by downloading our app, on Apple and Google Play, ohr.edu and all major podcast platforms. Visit us @ https://ohr.edu PRODUCED BY: CEDAR MEDIA STUDIOS

Dedication opportunities are available for episodes and series at https://ohr.edu/donate/qa Questions? Comments? podcasts@ohr.edu Yeshivat Ohr Somayach located in the heart of Jerusalem, is an educational institution for young Jewish English-speaking men. We have a range of classes and programs designed for the intellectually curious and academically inclined - for those with no background in Jewish learning to those who are proficient in Gemara and other original source material. To find the perfect program for you, please visit our website https://ohr.edu/study_in_israel​ whatsapp us at https://bit.ly/OSREGISTER or call our placement specialist at 1-254-981-0133 today! Subscribe to the Rabbi Breitowitz Q&A Podcast at https://plnk.to/rbq&a Submit questions for the Q&A with Rabbi Breitowitz https://forms.gle/VCZSK3wQJJ4fSd3Q7 Subscribe to our YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/OhrSomayach/videos You can listen to this and many other Ohr Somayach programs by downloading our app, on Apple and Google Play, ohr.edu and all major podcast platforms. Visit us @ https://ohr.edu PRODUCED BY: CEDAR MEDIA STUDIOS

Dedication opportunities are available for episodes and series at https://ohr.edu/donate/qa Questions? Comments? podcasts@ohr.edu Yeshivat Ohr Somayach located in the heart of Jerusalem, is an educational institution for young Jewish English-speaking men. We have a range of classes and programs designed for the intellectually curious and academically inclined - for those with no background in Jewish learning to those who are proficient in Gemara and other original source material. To find the perfect program for you, please visit our website https://ohr.edu/study_in_israel​ whatsapp us at https://bit.ly/OSREGISTER or call our placement specialist at 1-254-981-0133 today! Subscribe to the Rabbi Breitowitz Q&A Podcast at https://plnk.to/rbq&a Submit questions for the Q&A with Rabbi Breitowitz https://forms.gle/VCZSK3wQJJ4fSd3Q7 Subscribe to our YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/OhrSomayach/videos You can listen to this and many other Ohr Somayach programs by downloading our app, on Apple and Google Play, ohr.edu and all major podcast platforms. Visit us @ https://ohr.edu PRODUCED BY: CEDAR MEDIA STUDIOS

Join Ohr Somayach Mentors Mission This Summer ! June 27 - July 2, 2023 Dedication opportunities are available for episodes and series at https://ohr.edu/donate/qa Questions? Comments? podcasts@ohr.edu Yeshivat Ohr Somayach located in the heart of Jerusalem, is an educational institution for young Jewish English-speaking men. We have a range of classes and programs designed for the intellectually curious and academically inclined - for those with no background in Jewish learning to those who are proficient in Gemara and other original source material. To find the perfect program for you, please visit our website https://ohr.edu/study_in_israel​ whatsapp us at https://bit.ly/OSREGISTER or call our placement specialist at 1-254-981-0133 today! Subscribe to the Rabbi Breitowitz Q&A Podcast at https://plnk.to/rbq&a Submit questions for the Q&A with Rabbi Breitowitz https://forms.gle/VCZSK3wQJJ4fSd3Q7 Subscribe to our YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/OhrSomayach/videos 00:00 Do we know what laws Rabbi Akiva darshaned from the tagin? 02:43 How do we deal with things in Jewish culture that originate in foreign cultures, like dress code or sirens? 13:43 When can one enter a shul that has a proper minyan but a woman chazanit? 18:40 How soon after sunset can one do mitzvos relying on tzes? 32:25 Is it proper to rely on a single halachic sefer without knowing how the sefer figures halacha? 36:10 How do we know what the spiritual functions are for any given item? 39:59 If someone learns just for interesting information and not lishmah, are they still yotzei the mitzvah of talmud Torah? 46:07 What actions of respect should be practiced more? 57:03 How does the authenticity of the Zohar's authorship affect its acceptance and impact on Judaism? 1:07:51 How are there private property laws if everything belongs to Hashem? 1:09:51 Could the Rav expound on the interaction between anti-Zionist Jews and the obligation to stand for the sirens in public? 1:23:05 How does one have respectful relationships with goyim and secular Jews? 1:29:30 If Moshe de Leon wrote the Zohar and lied about it, how could he be a Rishon? 1:33:53 Is it problematic the belief that the death of tzadikim can atone for klal Yisrael, given the pagan belief in human sacrifice and the Christian founding belief? You can listen to this and many other Ohr Somayach programs by downloading our app, on Apple and Google Play, ohr.edu and all major podcast platforms. Visit us @ https://ohr.edu PRODUCED BY: CEDAR MEDIA STUDIOS

Dedication opportunities are available for episodes and series at https://ohr.edu/donate/qa Questions? Comments? podcasts@ohr.edu Yeshivat Ohr Somayach located in the heart of Jerusalem, is an educational institution for young Jewish English-speaking men. We have a range of classes and programs designed for the intellectually curious and academically inclined - for those with no background in Jewish learning to those who are proficient in Gemara and other original source material. To find the perfect program for you, please visit our website https://ohr.edu/study_in_israel​ whatsapp us at https://bit.ly/OSREGISTER or call our placement specialist at 1-254-981-0133 today! 00:00 Can a ger be a shul rav or synagogue president? 02:46 Are non-Jews viewed as good or as bad? 08:59 Should one pray for a public revelation of Hashem? 13:05 Does the success of Jews antagonize the non-Jews? 16:27 Can one use a remote system to cook for other Jews while it is Shabbat for them but not Shabbat for him? 18:49 If a baal teshuva follows, say, the Gr"a for zmanim, does he have to become a Granik? 22:58 What is the most important thing for a parent to teach their child? 24:33 Does one owe "back taxes" for maaser? 30:21 If someone insults one's parents, one cannot forgive that someone. Does this apply to oneself if one is a cohen or talmid chacham? 36:26 Is it better to pray alone at sunrise, or to pray with a minyan later? What about a minyan earlier? 38:21 Should one do teshuva on aveiros done without knowing, and if so, how? 42:45 How does one find meaning in korbanos despite it being irrelevant today? 52:23 Is there a reliable source that Eliyahu HaNavi drinks the fifth cup at the Seder? 54:45 What is the fundamental difference between alcohol and drugs? 59:47 Does pack-up time before travel count towards the 18 minutes of travel time to a minyan? Must one still leave if engaged in another mitzvah? 1:05:00 What are some core ideas to speak about at the Seder? 1:08:58 Can one walk through a private parking lot? 1:10:26 Are non-Jews punished for negative actions that are not covered by the Noahide laws? 1:14:27 Does Rashi care about order of information in the Torah or not? 1:21:42 Why do some rabbis rely on miracles for parnassah even though it detracts from their Olam Haba? Were these miracles decided on Rosh Hashanah? 1:24:34 Why do we pray if we believe that God knows what is best for us? 1:34:06 Are bank failures common, and can we learn a message from the recent bankruptcies? 1:37:30 When can one accept an event as a "divine sign"? 1:39:15 Should the Jewish community emphasize physical health as much as spiritual health? 1:41:50 Should one seek to be on a higher level even if that increases judgment upon them? What is the benefit of a higher level? Subscribe to the Rabbi Breitowitz Q&A Podcast at https://plnk.to/rbq&a Submit questions for the Q&A with Rabbi Breitowitz https://forms.gle/VCZSK3wQJJ4fSd3Q7 Subscribe to our YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/OhrSomayach/videos You can listen to this and many other Ohr Somayach programs by downloading our app, on Apple and Google Play, ohr.edu and all major podcast platforms. Visit us @ https://ohr.edu PRODUCED BY: CEDAR MEDIA STUDIOS

Dedication opportunities are available for episodes and series at https://ohr.edu/donate/qa Questions? Comments? podcasts@ohr.edu Yeshivat Ohr Somayach located in the heart of Jerusalem, is an educational institution for young Jewish English-speaking men. We have a range of classes and programs designed for the intellectually curious and academically inclined - for those with no background in Jewish learning to those who are proficient in Gemara and other original source material. To find the perfect program for you, please visit our website https://ohr.edu/study_in_israel​ or call our placement specialist at 1-254-981-0133 today! Subscribe to the Rabbi Breitowitz Q&A Podcast at https://plnk.to/rbq&a Submit questions for the Q&A with Rabbi Breitowitz https://forms.gle/VCZSK3wQJJ4fSd3Q7 Subscribe to our YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/OhrSomayach/videos 00:00 How did Chazal know that hardships are prevented by learning Torah if hardships still occur? 06:21 Does Hashem put us in situations where we're bound to fail? 08:44 Why do we emphasize the failures of non-Jews, for example, that we toil and they toil, but only we get reward? 14:55 What does it mean to call the Torah a song, and if that's bad, why is it still in Tehillim? 19:19 What is the positivity of the Torah being a song? 20:52 Can a kohen get an organ transplant? 23:41 How can one tell whether to rest or to push through? 29:29 Why do we thank Hashem for the land of Israel when we eat food from, say, America? 33:24 What exactly is an 'al tikri', and where does it come from? 38:18 Is there an idea of a 'pressure valve' or a 'distraction' for the yetzer hara? 45:53 After committing an aveira, is it better to move on or to regret it? 47:38 How should a bachur use his newfound time during bein hazmanim? Is it better to read a book on skills-building or to read Gemara without it? 53:40 How does a child honor his parents who don't want him to learn? 57:38 What is the difference between safe spaces and Haredi society? They both refuse to be confronted with uncomfortable ideas, don't they? 1:03:12 If one only has one more night in Israel, should he go to his regular night seder or daven at the Kotel one more time? 1:06:12 Is someone allowed to take an epipen from a public first aid kit if he expects to have a reaction in the future? 1:10:02 If someone isn't ready to have children, should they still get married? 1:13:23 How can a person deal with loneliness without getting married? 1:17:57 What are the sources for gilgul? 1:21:07 How does one know if they're ready to get married? 1:23:02 Given that there should be strong distinctions between Jews and non-Jews, how should a baal teshuva interact with their non-Jewish friends? 1:25:50 What connection does a Jew have when they're not serving Hashem by learning or praying? 1:30:20 How can a benevolent, omnipotent God make earthquakes, if a man who makes an earthquake would be called evil? You can listen to this and many other Ohr Somayach programs by downloading our app, on Apple and Google Play, ohr.edu and all major podcast platforms. Visit us @ https://ohr.edu PRODUCED BY: CEDAR MEDIA STUDIOS

This episode is dedicated by the Kaufman siblings wishing a Mazel Tov to Avi & Chaya Kaufman on the birth of a baby girl! Dedication opportunities are available for episodes and series at https://ohr.edu/donate/qa Questions? Comments? podcasts@ohr.edu Yeshivat Ohr Somayach located in the heart of Jerusalem, is an educational institution for young Jewish English-speaking men. We have a range of classes and programs designed for the intellectually curious and academically inclined - for those with no background in Jewish learning to those who are proficient in Gemara and other original source material. To find the perfect program for you, please visit our website https://ohr.edu/study_in_israel​ or call our placement specialist at 1-254-981-0133 today! Subscribe to the Rabbi Breitowitz Q&A Podcast at https://plnk.to/rbq&a Submit questions for the Q&A with Rabbi Breitowitz https://forms.gle/VCZSK3wQJJ4fSd3Q7 Subscribe to our YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/OhrSomayach/videos 00:00 What is the difference between a segulah and an inyan, and can one rely on them? 03:51 Do we stand for our rabbi's wife? 06:30 Can one call, right after Shabbat, a non-Jew in a time zone where it is still Shabbat, so that the non-Jew will tell a Jew news? 09:29 In what cases can one use maaser for his family or friends? What about for kiruv? 13:44 Given specific hashgacha pratis, how do we understand the consequences of free will? 20:01 Should we wear a tie for davening? 27:15 What is kabbalah, and how can it argue with Torah shebal peh, the Will of Hashem? 31:26 If a gadol advises someone to make a major life change, is there any way out? 35:20 Is there a minimum income to be obligated in maaser? 36:28 Why is the pshat written in a way that contradicts Chazal's interpretations? 41:05 How are Potiphar's wife and Tamar different? And why doesn't any other father appear to his son to prevent his sin? 44:25 Which is more important: learning Hebrew to unlock the learning on your own, or to learn gemara in English now? 47:56 What do the details of the Mishkan teach us ethically, emotionally, and personally? 54:54 Can a girl who is dressed properly go to a mixed gym? 57:20 How does a Western-educated Jew accept yibum? 1:00:38 What is the source for the "minimum pru ur'vu"? How can there be a mitzvah based on chance? 1:06:16 What makes idolatry and adultery so absolutely evil? 1:10:59 How does one know what the best version of himself is? 1:15:15 How does a Western-educated Jew understand the mitzvah of a rapist to marry his victim (if the victim wants to)? 1:21:50 How do we know that the luz bone is nourished by melava malkah, which is not a positive commandment? 1:23:53 How does a religious Jew take extended vacations to places without Jewish communities? 1:27:05 Is there a reason we compare ourselves to goyim at a siyum? 1:28:24 What is love, and how do we handle fake love? 1:32:46 Could the Rav expound on the Moshichist movement in Chabad? 1:41:50 What's the most important thing to do for a healthy, happy marriage? You can listen to this and many other Ohr Somayach programs by downloading our app, on Apple and Google Play, ohr.edu and all major podcast platforms. Visit us @ https://ohr.edu PRODUCED BY: CEDAR MEDIA STUDIOS

Dedication opportunities are available for episodes and series at https://ohr.edu/donate/qa Questions? Comments? podcasts@ohr.edu Yeshivat Ohr Somayach located in the heart of Jerusalem, is an educational institution for young Jewish English-speaking men. We have a range of classes and programs designed for the intellectually curious and academically inclined - for those with no background in Jewish learning to those who are proficient in Gemara and other original source material. To find the perfect program for you, please visit our website https://ohr.edu/study_in_israel​ or call our placement specialist at 1-254-981-0133 today! Subscribe to the Rabbi Breitowitz Q&A Podcast at https://plnk.to/rbq&a Submit questions for the Q&A with Rabbi Breitowitz https://forms.gle/VCZSK3wQJJ4fSd3Q7 Subscribe to our YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/OhrSomayach/videos You can listen to this and many other Ohr Somayach programs by downloading our app, on Apple and Google Play, ohr.edu and all major podcast platforms. Visit us @ https://ohr.edu PRODUCED BY: CEDAR MEDIA STUDIOS