Audio RoundupLatest Essays
Audio Roundup 2025:39
by Joel Rich
Interesting in C”M 267 we see that originally a middling identification mark was considered sufficient to return a lost object. However, when tricksters became more numerous, the court determined that it would require witnesses as well.
It makes me wonder what caused the increase in tricksters and how perceived permanent had the increase to be in order to have required such an enactment. What were the causes? Could the causes be cultural, economic, God-fearingness levels, or something else altogether. What was the trigger event or level that made the court determine that this was a permanent change that needed a permanent enactment? I don’t think anybody knows the answer but this is a subset of a more general question about courts and subjectivity and when to intervene in the system which had existed from har sinai.
The rama in o”c 149:1 says it’s a mitzvah to accompany the sefer torah back to the aron. What mitzvah is it? at the end of the sif it records a minhag to bring children in to kiss the torah. How old should they be and did they just bring them in for this (and not for davening?)
- Rabbi Hershel Reichman-Al HaTeshuvah: Kapparah & Taharah On yom kippur, kapara is about forgiveness (meaning no punishment), tahara is about purification (of the stain on the soul). RYBS noted they can be separate (eg no punishment but also no purity). This explains how itzumo shel yom can work without tshuva (where there is national forgiveness) but not provide tahara (personal) only kapara.
- Rabbi Yehuda Turetsky-Rav Matisyahu Salomon on Teshuva: Embrace the Challenge and Love the Difficult Introduction to R Matityahu Solomon. One can have ahava with yira. Wanting tochecha for self-improvement brings one to ahava. We need both yirat haonesh and yirat haromemut.
- R’ Asher Weiss-אכילה לפני תקיעת שופר Generally one can’t start eating when there’s a mitzvah incumbent on them, is this true for tkiat shofar as well? The shulchan aruch doesn’t mention the prohibition but R Weiss doesn’t consider this dispositive. Is kiddush required? How much, and what, may one eat before tkiot?
- Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz-Ten Minute Halacha – Sleeping Alone in a House While the gemara mentions not sleeping alone in your home (TBD), it doesn’t seem to be the commonly accepted psak (especially when combined with some possible exceptions.)
- Rabbi Naftoli Horowitz,Rabbi Daniel Feldman,Rabbi Mordechai Farkash, Rabbi Yossi Gordon-9/6/25 – Shiur 527 – Kosher Kitchen, Treif Business? Be mkadeish shem shamayim in every facet of your life (me-hard to put the details into a rule book). Lubavitch approach to public displays of religiosity explained in detail.
- R’ Zev Smith-Challenging Schitah Questions Schita is a tolda of dosh so it applies on yom tov too. Grapes and olive squeezing is duraita (they’re grown for juice) which is the real issur. Many applications discussed including the concepts of ochel to ochel and holech libud.
- R’ Yisroel Reisman- Hakdama to Maseches Gittin Introduction to r reisman’s gemara gittin shiur. Major topic – when a get comes from mdinat hayam.
- Rabbi Ya’akov Trump-Pillars of the Jewish Community: The Jewish Day School with Rabbi Heshy Glass Out of town schools have different issues then in town schools. How much independence should individual schools and principals have (curriculum, finances, IT etc) vs taking advantage of the benefits of centralization. What is the parents’ role? (role model). We haven’t focused enough on our relationships with HKBH (me-adults too)!
- R’ Yisroel Reisman-Micha’s 13 Middos Micha’s 13 midot are paradigms for our actions. The first one is to have patience when someone acts against you, remember the bizyonot help you in shamaim. Do good for those who hurt you and you will eventually like them.
- Rabbi Dr. Jason Weiner-Rosh Hashanah: AI, Relationships & Community AI can play a supporting role in the medical field but values and relationships should be left to family. AI is a means to an end.
- Unpacking the Igros: Mikvah, Money, and Mysticism (Part #1) Review of several of r moshe’s tshuvot related to mikvaot (kashrut, and comparative priorities). R moshe’s psakim reflected concern for the common man. Also covered, r moshe’s personal mikveh hanhagot.
- Rabbi Michael Taubes-Halacha on the Parsha Ki Savo- Selichos Insights into slichot – why said, when and by whom.
- R’ Yisroel Reisma-H3 Business Summit 2024: B’shvil She’Tisasheir: The Path to Proper Maaser Kesafim Calculation Some tzedakah insights including the unique role of currency in Jewish law, calculating maaserable investment profit, and situations where one can/should give more than 20%.
- Rabbi Eric Gross,an- (Part 3): The Quiet Life, The Good Life, The Better Life, and the Afterlife Some themes in kohelet include absolute power of the monarch (and HKBH), enjoying one’s wealth and how words create reality. There are many contradictions in kohelet but chazal felt they could be resolves (examples provided). He believed in reward and punishment but didn’t see it being reflected in this world.
- Rabbi Sariel Malitzky-Will Eating an Apple and Honey on Rosh Hashana Really Give Me a Sweet New Year? Understanding the Simanim Simanim milta is not a segula but rather a trigger to tfila/bitachon.
- R’ Yisroel Reisman-Parshas Yisro: Empowering the Intellect Over the Heart and Desires Ish echad, lev echad – our intellect must dominate our laziness.
- R’ Yisroel Reisman- H3 Mid-Atlantic Business Halacha Summit 2024: Closing Keynote- Defining Success in a World of Pursuits T he True Measure of Man We need a ruach of being satisfied with our gashmiyut. The temptations for gashmiyut are greater once you leave the bet medrash. We’re not doing so well on this.
- R’ Yitzchak Breitowitz-Jewish Law & Ethics: Dignity and Death Penalty How does Judaism look at capital punishment on a philosophical and on a practical basis?
- R’ Yisroel Reisman -Understanding Megilla as a Cheftza Shel Mitzva vs. Divrei Torah R Chaim sees tzvei dinim in megila (shem sefer and divrei torah) – this may explain some seeming anomalies in accepted megila practices (eg touching klaf, not requiring perfect klaf).
- Rabbi Jonathan Ziring-Why Does Teshuva Not Exempt One From Court Imposed Punishment? Why doesn’t tshuva protect one from punishment by the earthly court? A number of answers posited based on the understanding the mechanics of tshuva and the purposes of punishment.
- Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz-Answering YUr Shailos 2.8 Q&A including: chazan skipping parts of the tfila due to time (maybe in psukei dzimra), found cash rules (generally yours), not touching which body parts, status of learning w/out birchat hatora, food in bathroom (OK if covered), women zimun (Ok but might be pritzut), shaking woman’s hand (OK but some say no), kaparot (use $ not chicken) and tips for asking for mchila.
- Rabbi Jonathan Ziring-How Communication Technology has Effected the Definition of Pikuach Nefesh – The Case of Autopsies (1) The nodeh byehuda’s not allowing educational autopsies due to pikuach nefesh was based on needing choleh lfaneinu. Has that definition changed due to massive databases which are instantly searchable and universally accessible?
- R’ Doniel Osher Kleinman-Parshas Ki Savo: Using A Sefer Torah To Practice Hagba Can you take out a sefer torah simply to practice hagba? There seems to be opinions both ways but it’s not simple (me-take it out to read first should be ok?)
- Rabbi Shay Schachter-Introduction to Hilchos Shabbos: What We Learn From the Torah’s Four Specific Examples Why are only 4 of the 39 mlachot specifically mentioned in the torah? Choresh and katzir – because they were an agricultural community. Havara is lchaleik (separate punishment for multiple transgressions) and hotzaa is a mlachagarua (no change in the object).
- Rabbi Dr. Nachum Amsel-(91) Siruv Pikuda – Following an Immoral or Non-Jewish order in the Army or not? Non-jewish sources debated the legality of refusing illegal orders in the 20th century. Does the israeli army have the halachic status of the Jewish king’s army and the “king’s” orders must be obeyed. In any event, one must refuse any orders which are against halacha? Must you also stop others (lo taamod)?
- Rabbi Daniel Fridman-Of Suffering and Teshuva: Subtle Lessons from Sefer Iyov Telling someone their yissurin are deserved is hurtful and you could be wrong! We need to introspect but realize we don’t know for sure we’re right.
- Rabbi Ya’akov Trump-PIllars of the Jewish Community: The Beis Din with Rabbi Shlomo Weissmann A brief history of batie dinim along with a deeper dive into the bet din of america’s procuedures and most common cases (divorce, dispute resolution and personal status).
- Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz-Can My Teshuvah Redirect a Missile? Can our personal tshuva move the needle for the clal? Yes! Why? We are one body, we don’t know the value in shamayim of one act here, maybe it’s the one act that tips the balance, and we have a butterfly effect on those around us.
- Rabbi Yona Reiss-From the Dayan’s Desk #182: Contemporary Issues in Stam Yeinam Discussion of yayin nesech and stam yeinam (wine made or touched by a non-ben-brit). What is the halacha today when libations are rare? Specifics discussed (eg temperature for mvushal, what is prohibited touching).
- Rabbi Michael Taubes-Parshas Ki Savo Is There a Mitzvah to be “B’Simchah” All (or Most of) the Time? Talmudic sources pro and con there being a mitzva to be bsimcha. Simcha of mitzva (me-lifnei hashem) is different from simchat kreiso). Find the right balance for you (me-and the tzibur).
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