Halakhah – Page 5

Taking Shehitah into Our Own Hands: My Journey to Become a Shohetet

It is clear that there is a renewed interest in shehitah among Jews from across the religious spectrum. Two recent Jewish news stories, “Backyard Kosher: Observant Jews Take Meat Ritual into Their Own Hands” (in jweekly, the Jewish newsweekly of Northern California) and “DIY Shechita” (from JTA, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency), explore what is motivating […]

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Solving the Mamzerut Problem

Geffen Feldman

It is time to face the issue of mamzerut. It is a subject that I was exposed to as a result of my work in Israel as a rabbinic advocate, working with women denied divorces (mesoravot get) and agunot. While separated from their husbands, some of these women became pregnant by other men and gave

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Women as Circumcisers: Are Mohalot Kosher?

Geffen Feldman

Anyone who has attended more than a few britei milah is likely to compare them: How fast did the mohel work? Did the baby cry a lot? How pale did the male family members become? But the guests at a brit milah of the grandson of Marcie and Tsvi Lieber in Silver Spring, Maryland, in

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The Question Behind the Question: The Process of P’sak

Geffen Feldman

I remember vividly a Shabbat in 2005 when some friends and I decided to visit a Modern Orthodox shul we had never before attended. The four of us—three females and one male—entered our respective sections and were immediately impressed by the warm welcome we received. The davening was pleasant and full of singing. The structural

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An Appreciation: Rav Aharon Lichtenstein, zt”l

Geffen Feldman

Shortly before this journal went to print, the Modern Orthodox world heard that Rav Aharon Lichtenstein, zt”l, had passed away. Given that this JOFA Journal is about the nature of halakhic authority, it seemed appropriate to write about the Modern Orthodox world’s leading Torah scholar and educator and the influence Rav Lichtenstein had on Orthodox

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Democratization of Halakhic Authority: Opportunities and Challenges

Geffen Feldman

We Jews—and, in particular, we Orthodox Jews— tend to think that it’s all about us. We labor under the illusion that we are an autonomous society, immune from external cultural trends and changes. However, when examining the changing nature of rabbinic authority in the twenty-first century, we must take into account a few significant worldwide

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Grassroots Change Begins in the Mikveh: The Story of the Eden Center

Geffen Feldman

Change happens in many ways. Sometimes it is through the bravery of leaders who fight for rights and bring about change by inspiring a movement. Sometimes there is a violent revolution that brings about rapid, drastic change. Sometimes there is a grassroots movement, where the masses demand that change take place. Eden is part of

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The Changing Nature of P’sak in the Twenty-First Century

Geffen Feldman

Imagine you are twenty-one years old and have a halakhic question you’d like to ask your rabbi. But who is your rabbi? Is it the rabbi of the shul where you grew up, who knew you as a child? He has known your family for decades, but doesn’t know you personally very well. Maybe it’s

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P’sak Halakhah and Women’s Voices

Geffen Feldman

This article is is dedicated to the memory of Belda Kaufman Lindenbaum, z”l. What does it mean to have an inclusive approach toward women and women’s voices in p’sak halakhah? The answer is not as simple as some might imagine. At Yeshivat Chovevei Torah (YCT) Rabbinical School, of which I am rosh hayeshiva, one of

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The Biggest Question: Whom to Ask?

Geffen Feldman

This year, for the first time in my life, I spent Passover in Israel. My eldest is there for her year between high school and college, and we thought it would be a meaningful experience for all of us to be in Jerusalem when we conclude our Seder with “l’shana haba’ah bi-Yerushalayim.” And so began

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