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​ 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 is Torah's quality that it's difficult to learn without already knowing Torah a unique quality to Torah, and does not apply to secular studies? 09:33 What does it mean that certain Amoraim only learned a few of the orders of Mishnah? 11:19 Is it possible for a Torah-observant Jew to not get married? 16:03 Is it possible to learn between tasks, and if so, how? 20:45 Are Rebbeinu Gershom's 1000 years up? Were his takanos really universal? 29:20 Must one defend his beliefs, or can one rely solely on emunah? Is relying on emunah a weaker form of belief? 38:49 Is the Sephardic minhag to separate fish and milk nullified by modern medicine? 43:15 How can great rabbis respond to sin with midas hadin and not midas harachamim (kiruv)? 47:51 Could the Rav expound on the two types of emunah and their relative strength? 52:33 Why are angels depicted as complainers so often? Don't they only do Hashem's Will? 55:32 What is the importance of biography and history in learning a commentator? Aren't their words all that matter? 1:00:51 Do goyim have hashgacha pratis? Do they have reason to pray? 1:03:20 What are the origins of the different pronunciations of tav/sav? 1:07:46 How can a bachur keep Shabbat and kashrut in a non-kosher environment? 1:11:03 Does someone have to do a pidyon haben on himself if his parents didn't? 1:11:29 Is there any significance to the number 666? 1:13:22 What is an academic-Jewish work, and do they have a place in limud hatorah? 1:17:26 Why did God create pain? 1:22:47 If we're supposed to give and not take, why shouldn't we give gifts to non-Jews? 1:25:44 Can I put myself in danger to save another? 1:30:05 If there's an issue of engaging danger to protect others, how could one be a policeman at all? 1:31:39 Why is the Rambam so often a daas yachid? 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

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 Does chilul Hashem apply to non-Jews? 05:16 Can an Ashkenazi Jew trust the hechsherim when he goes to a Sephardi for Shabbat, eg. the back half of a cow? 14:49 Is exercise a mitzvah? 17:44 What does it mean for a person to have a "higher neshama"? 21:49 Is it a complaint against Avraham that he had a Yishmael, and similarly for Yitzchak? 24:54 What is the source for Shehecheyanu? 29:00 The case of the caused miscarriage in Mishpatim implies that abortion is not murder. Why then is it not permitted in general? 34:53 How should someone decide when to live in Israel? 41:42 If a Sanhedrin cannot be bloodthirsty, why can a king, seemingly? 46:29 Why doesn't tsaar balei chayim apply to sea creatures? 50:58 Is the "sperm switch" permissible? 55:06 Is it better to be bothered by interpersonal mitzvos or by mitzvos between man and God? 57:30 If one has a non-Jewish father, can one tell his father what he's studying? 58:25 How can Rava simply override an irrefutable kashya? 1:01:47 Do other substances have the same laws as excrement? 1:03:09 Is it possible to rebel unwittingly against God? 1:05:38 What does the Rav think about the proposed judicial reform? 1:10:17 Are there any examples of righteous rebellions in Tanach? 1:12:54 Is Viktor Frankel problematic? 1:14:48 How are we connecting to Hashem via oneg Shabbos? 1:17:50 Do new geirim have tumas meis? 1:19:35 At what point does one focus on reading skills rather than Artscroll and straight halacha? 1:22:41 Why do we often cut off tehillim or add on to tehillim in davening? 1:25:15 How is a woman's voice considered ervah just because it's nice, whereas there's a doubt regarding a woman's behind? 1:29:32 Sikh shechita is extraordinarily humane. Why don't we do that instead? 1:33:35 How would rabbis before the gemara delve into the Torah without a text? 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

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 source for rounded luchos, and why is this rejected? 02:58 Does a baal teshuva have to give up certain hobbies? If he doesn't, should he hide them from his children? 18:40 When is someone who is brain dead considered halachically deceased? 27:04 How can one appreciate the concept of slavery in the Torah? 34:40 Does a double amputee have to keep tznius for their prosthetic legs? 37:04 What is the chiddush of the "like maaseh kedera" beraisa, according to Rav and Shmuel? 38:13 Would Hitler have a defense in a beis din from ain shliach ledavar aveirah? Was the Eichmann trial halachically valid? 46:06 Why is there a distinction between singular and plural in the beracha of tevilas keilim? 47:39 What is the proper response to someone who might be asking about Judaism only to disparage it, but might be asking honestly? 52:26 Is it possible to "kill one's enemy with kindness"? 56:39 Is milk added to coffee covered by a beracha made before the milk was available? 58:04 What is the Torah's view on non-Jews who never knew monotheism? 1:00:26 What are the ancestral origins of humans native to other continents? 1:03:36 What is the proper etiquette for mourner's kaddish for multiple mourners? 1:08:44 Why are women pasul for testimony? 1:10:02 How does Torah explain items carbon-dated to a time before 6000 years ago? 1:12:53 How do we deal with Reform converts who are not halachically Jewish? 1:14:20 Can one make aromatic berachos on spices and such used for food, like coffee? Can that coffee be used for drinking afterward? 1:15:42 In Az Yashir of Shacharis, why do we say the Aramaic translation of Hashem yimloch twice? 1:18:58 Can someone be a talmid chacham by reading Mesivta or Artscroll? 1:19:58 What is the halachic justification for saying Tehillim in the graveyard a violation of loeg lerash? 1:22:49 Can you bring the name Yisrael into the bathroom? What about the two-yod abbreviation? 1:24:26 How can one appreciate Shabbat from a rationalistic perspective? 1:27:15 Why are there so many Amoraim with names derived from "rav"? 1:27:58 How is it possible for someone to follow the mitzvos but be a disgusting person? 1:30:50 Are empty buildings part of the techum of Shabbat? 1:32:50 How do we define "kedushat Shabbat"? 1:33:55 Can a tattoo of Hashem's name be erased if the tattoo artist is a goy? 1:34:46 Is learning Torah to not feel empty lishmah? 1:35:50 Is it true that when one isn't feeling up to it, one can postpone davening? 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 OUR MISSION! 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 Who was Baruch Spinoza? 07:01 Is there a right of privacy in Torah? 12:15 Do other religions have equivalents to the Shulchan Aruch and the Gemara? 18:17 Why was there such ado about kabbalah at the time of the Ramchal? 24:10 When did kabbalah become more mainstream? 26:01 Why do we repeat certain pesukim three times? 28:51 Why don't we have kabbalists today? 36:11 Is it possible to be "higiya lehorah" in one sugya, but not in another? 40:27 Does the Rav believe in time travel, and to what degree is it possible in Torah? 41:54 How does one make sense of the story of Lot and his daughters, given that wine has certain physical side effects and that wine isn't so strong to inhibit moral judgment? 46:36 Is math divine or artificial? 51:00 Is there an increase in male chauvinist movements, and how should one view women as a whole? 1:02:12 If I'm given a dollar in the United States to give tzedakah in Israel, should I exchange it for shekel or use it as it is? 1:04:30 What is a love that doesn't depend on any reason? 1:07:18 What's the issue with Women of the Wall exactly? 1:12:52 Is one yotze the mitzvah of tzedakah with less than a pruta? 1:13:29 If there's no such thing as nature, how can one understand Rambam's view of hashgacha pratis? 1:18:32 Are there merits according to the Rambam? 1:20:00 How should shuls respond to the terrorist attack in Neve Yaakov? Should individuals acquire guns in response? 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

New Updated Q&A Coming Soon 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

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

Dedication opportunities are available for episodes and series at https://ohr.edu/donate/qa Questions? Comments? podcasts@ohr.edu Apply to Ohr Somayach! https://ohr.edu/study_in_israel​ 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 If Bnei Yisrael was only obligated in korban Pesach once they entered the land, why does Rashi say that Bamidbar doesn't start with korban Pesach because it was only done once in the midbar? 03:21 Should a ger say "shelo asani goy"? 04:05 What is the Jewish view of acupuncture, qi, etc? 13:12 Is it heretical to say that God needs us? 19:17 Why can't a worker, since he could quit, keep an object he found on the job? 23:38 If the firstborn has a natural spiritual power, why are so many important ancestors (Yitzchak, Yaakov, Yehudah, Moshe) younger brothers? 28:40 What is the source of tefillas hageshem, and why does it say to remove the yetzer hara? 32:28 How does bitachon work with the Rambam's view of hashgacha pratis? 38:00 Can a ger fulfill the commandment to honor one's parents? 40:32 How do we explain to those in the secular world that we, in yeshiva, learn Gemara all day? 47:55 Why is there a difference between when a human baby is born and when an animal baby is born? 52:21 What is the Torah opinion on mental health issues that inhibit a person's ability to interact with the world? 54:18 Who was Ovadiah the prophet? 57:26 What is the significance of the different spellings of mezuzzah in the Shema? 58:47 What is the source for the verses for peoples' names, and why are there different verses for the same names? 1:01:48 Why would God create someone who won't do teshuva? 1:03:49 Wouldn't the Egyptians notice so many Israelites were missing after the plague of darkness? 1:05:15 Rambam seems to define apikoros in two different ways. Are they contradictory? 1:09:22 Why does the Sephardi nusach have "chayim tovim", whereas the Ashkenazi nusach has just "chayim"? 1:13:59 If one does teshuva on a certain sin, but falls into that sin later, is the original teshuva nullified? Does teshuva take a set amount of time? 1:16:33 What is the importance of physical beauty? 1:21:00 Should one eat while learning? 1:23:36 How do we respond to the argument that because the Jews were oppressed, we should support homosexuals and Palestinians and the like? 1:25:36 Can one pray regarding an event that happened already but has an unknown outcome? 1:29:05 Is there such a thing as a legal coup? 1:32:00 How could the Day of Judgment, filled with fear, fall on Shabbos, filled with rest? 1:33:40 Why didn't the Baal Haggadah give the Torah's answer to the wicked son's question? 1:36:41 Should a religious person commit tax evasion in Israel? 1:39:56 What are the halachic considerations of moving a parent into a nursing home? 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 ohr.edu/donate/qa Questions? Comments? podcasts@ohr.edu 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 was Moshe punished for not circumcising his son in the wilderness, while Bnei Yisrael didn't circumcise in the wilderness? 01:22 Is someone a tinok shenishba if they've tried Judaism? 09:53 Regarding gadolim, which came first: the middos or the Torah? 16:51 How does one discuss the death of a family member with a toddler? 20:53 What are some halachic details of washing hands? 24:57 What is daas Torah? 32:08 Is there a makor for daas Torah? 36:40 Who was Rav Pam? 38:11 What makes Jerusalem fitting for the Temple over other holy cities? 40:11 What is the most important Jewish value? 46:42 How do we understand stories in the Gemara that display a lack of kindness? 50:45 Why did Moshe keep asking about his "uncircumcised lips"? 53:44 If one is at a Shabbos meal, and the host's daughter sings along in zemiros, should one leave the table? 59:10 What should we think about the political party "Tes", or the Religious Zionist Party? 1:02:05 How does one take terumah and maaser on demai nowadays? 1:03:31 Can one sing "Every Yid's a Big Tzadik"? 1:06:30 Why is work such a taboo in charedi society? 1:14:11 What does Torah have that geula doesn't, to bestow menuchas ruach? 1:17:59 What does "until this very day" mean? 1:19:28 What is the source for the "cry of humanity"? 1:23:40 Why should a name be based on life events, eg. Reuven? 1:25:37 What is the source for the Big Three aveiros? 1:26:57 Now that helping someone across the world is so easy, does that take priority over helping someone locally? 1:29:17 How did Dathan and Aviram deserve to leave Egypt? 1:32:22 Will I have similarities to my namesake? Can I change my own name? 1:35:28 Is there a hashkafic reason why dati leumi carry more guns? 1:36:18 How can there be basheret when there is divorce? 1:39:23 How do daas Torah and ruach hakodesh differ? 1:41:57 How could Elisha call bears on teenagers? 1:43:30 Can one say lashon hara on non-Jews? 1:44:23 Can one do an aliyas neshama for a living person? 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 @ ohr.edu PRODUCED BY: CEDAR MEDIA STUDIOS