Jewish law
Death, justice, love: Three rabbis open up Judaism for beleaguered readers
By Beth Kissileff — April 3, 2024
(RNS) — A trio of new spring books written by rabbis demonstrate the strength of the adage that no two are alike.
Is cultured meat the kosher way to go?
By Mark Silk — February 6, 2023
And if we have cultured beef, is the real thing eco-kosher?
Abortion is not a ‘Jewish value’ for all Jews
By Avi Shafran — July 13, 2022
(RNS) — The media has deposited in the public sphere that all of Judaism embraces ‘abortion rights.’
Why post-Roe abortion bans must exempt religious Jews
By Jay Michaelson — May 12, 2022
(RNS) — Jewish law not only permits abortion, but in certain cases requires it.
An old synagogue in Krakow could heal our social ills
By Jeffrey Salkin — April 29, 2022
(RNS) — From the cobblestone streets, a lesson in religious (and cultural) diversity.
As Catholics mull Communion for politicians, Jews should look again at abortion issue
By Avi Shafran — July 1, 2021
(RNS) — Judaism, as it happens, is overwhelmingly about responsibilities, not ‘rights.’
Ruth Bader Ginsburg first woman and first Jew to lie in state at US Capitol
By Yonat Shimron — September 22, 2020
(RNS) — No woman, let alone a Jew, has received the honor of lying in state at the U.S. Capitol. For Jews, however, the tradition of lying in state is a difficult one.
There is more than one religious view on abortion – here’s what Jewish texts say
By Rachel Mikva — May 23, 2019
(The Conversation) — Although the Hebrew Bible does not mention abortion, a discussion of miscarriage in Exodus suggests that a fetus has a different status.
Your tax return is a sacred document
By Joshua Hammerman — April 16, 2018
(RNS) — Corny as it seems, I improvise a blessing when I put my completed tax forms in the mail. (Commentary)
To get around Jewish law, some rabbis insist on prenups
By Lilly Fowler — January 29, 2014
(RNS) Some Orthodox rabbis are insisting that couples planning to marry have a prenuptial agreement to avoid the pitfalls of breaking free from a Jewish marriage.
Orthodox rabbis charged in Jewish divorce shakedown plot
By Ted Sherman — October 11, 2013
(RNS) According to a criminal complaint unsealed Thursday (Oct. 10), the four are accused of charging families thousands of dollars to get recalcitrant husbands to agree to divorces, frequently by violent means.
Orthodox Jews use smartphones, websites to complete Talmud cycle
By Chris Lisee — July 31, 2012
(RNS) As 150,000 Orthodox Jews in North America celebrate the completion of a seven-year Talmud study program August 1, it’s easier than ever to study scripture, with the advent of websites, podcasts and smartphone apps. By Chris Lisee.
Passover prep takes spring cleaning to a whole new level
By Tracy Gordon — March 30, 2012
JERUSALEM (RNS) While Passover cleaning has been around since the Israelites fled from bondage in Egypt, some say the lengths to which many modern Jewish families go to avoid the smallest piece of leavened material has turned the "festival of freedom" into a season of domestic slavery. By Michele Chabin.
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