Responsa Radio

By Hadar Institute

What's Responsa Radio about?

A podcast where you ask and we answer questions of Jewish law in modern times. Hosted by Rabbi Ethan Tucker and Rabbi Avi Killip. To submit a question, email [email protected].

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Responsa Radio episodes:

04.18.2024
Do the Laws of Eruv Make Any Sense At All? 100th Episode Update
In celebration of 100 episodes of Responsa Radio, we're re-releasing our favorites with an update from Rav Eitan and Rav Avi at the end of the episode. Our producer, Jeremy Tabick's favorite is episode #7: The laws of eruv—constructing a sometimes...
04.11.2024
Is Impossible Pork Kosher? 100th Episode Update
In celebration of 100 episodes of Responsa Radio, we're re-releasing our favorites with an update from Rav Eitan and Rav Avi at the end of the episode. Our sound engineer, David Khabinsky's favorite is episode #78: A few months ago, one...
04.04.2024
Is There a Blessing on Seeing a Solar Eclipse?
I'm planning on going to the total solar eclipse that will be visible in North America on April 8th. is there a blessing or some other liturgy that I should say as I see it?
03.28.2024
Can I Buy a Non-Jew a Sandwich on Passover?
I was trying to help someone on the street get some food. They asked for a sandwich, so I went into a nearby shop—and suddenly panicked because I realized it was Passover! What was I supposed to do in this...
03.21.2024
What Am I Allowed to Do at a Mock Seder?
My family are coming in from 1000s of miles away for the eclipse on April 8th, but they won't be around for Pesah on April 22nd. I want to do a mock or model Seder with them, but I know...
03.13.2024
Can I Put on a Play During the Megillah Reading?
I'm organizing my community's reading of Megillat Esther. Can I include English explanations or kids' plays between the chapters? What is at stake in breaking up the reading?
03.07.2024
How Should Jewish Criminal Lawyers Respond to Crime Scene Photos? 100th Episode Update
In celebration of 100 episodes of Responsa Radio, we're re-releasing our favorites with an update from Rav Eitan and Rav Avi at the end of the episode. Responsa Radio creator David Zvi Kalman's favorite is episode #9: I'm a lawyer who...
02.29.2024
How Can I Make Coffee on Shabbat? 100th Episode Update
In celebration of 100 episodes of Responsa Radio, we're re-releasing our favorites with an update from Rav Eitan and Rav Avi at the end of the episode. Rav Eitan's favorite is episode #27: Can I set up my coffee maker on...
02.22.2024
How to Name a Baby Girl: 100th Episode Update
In celebration of 100 episodes of Responsa Radio, we're re-releasing our favorites with an update from Rav Eitan and Rav Avi at the end of the episode. Rav Avi's favorite is episode #24: Brit Milah is an ancient and well-known ceremony...
02.21.2024
New Podcast Trailer: Answers WithHeld
When kids ask big questions, how do you respond? Whether you are parent, educator, or just a curious person, you've probably asked yourself the same questions. This podcast doesn’t have all the answers, but it can give you language and frameworks...
02.15.2024
How Do I Become More Observant?
I want to be more observant. Where do I start? Rav Avi and Rav Eitan reflect on this important question as they also celebrate our 100th episode! In honor of our 100th episode, over the next few weeks we will be updating...
02.08.2024
How Does Cheese Become Kosher?
Why might cheese not be kosher even if all the ingredients are? What does this say about relationships between Jews and non-Jews today?
01.24.2024
Can an AI Chatbot Answer My Halakhic Questions?
For centuries, the process of halakhah has relied on a rabbi or posek, someone who is learned in Jewish texts, who has trained for years to be a resource for our halakhic questions. But now, with the release of large...
12.11.2023
Do I Need to Light Hanukkah Candles Again After a Communal Lighting?
If I find myself at a large Hanukkah party or a communal gathering where Hanukkah candles are lit, do I still need light when I get home? If I do, is it okay to say the blessing two times? What...
12.04.2023
What Liturgical Changes Should We Be Making Right Now?
My shul has started reciting extra Tehilim and adding the Mi SheBerakh for captives. I've heard that some communities in Israel are saying Avinu Malkeinu every day, even on Shabbat. Is that something we should be doing? How should we...
11.27.2023
How Far Must We Go To Redeem Captives?
What is our obligation to redeem captives from a halakhic perspective? How far does this obligation extend and are there limits? Email us at [email protected] if you have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio.
08.03.2023
Can Musical Instruments be Used on Shabbat?
There's a new community that just started in my neighborhood and I want to check them out but I heard they use instruments during their Shabbat service. What is the problem with instruments on Shabbat? What are the factors I...
07.13.2023
How Do Time Zones Work For Shabbat?
I live in Australia and I have a Zoom call with someone in the UK. The call is scheduled at 9:00 PM for me and 12:00 PM for them - it is therefore not Shabbat for me but *is* Shabbat...
06.29.2023
Is My Tallit Supposed to be White?
I have a blue tallit with white tzitzit. Someone recently told me that the tallit is supposed to be white. Is this true? Do I have to go out and get a white tallit? Have a question you'd like answered on...
06.08.2023
Should All Jews Switch to a Mushroom Burial?
After learning about green burials and mushroom death suits, I’m wondering about halakhic implications of such burials. It seems to me that such methods for burial uphold the charge to go up to the dust even better than traditional burial...
05.22.2023
R. Avi Killip on Shavuot: The Beauty of Every Word
Torah should be read slowly. Very slowly. One idea—and maybe even one word—at a time. To experience Torah at its most sensual, most fragrant, is to read it slowly and lovingly.
05.18.2023
How Much Time Do I Have to Say a Berakhah?
I was recently at a sporting event where the line to exit the bathroom took close to five minutes. How long following an action or event requiring a berakhah can you still make the berakhah? How does one behave while...
03.30.2023
Keeping Kosher for Passover When I'm Not in Control
If I spend Passover with family members who don't kasher their kitchens for the holiday can I eat kosher for Passover food from their pots or dishes? Is there room for leniency because they're my family? What if my roommates want...
03.16.2023
Does Everything Need a Kosher for Passover Certification?
Can I use ingredients like spices, pure dried fruit, oil, or nut butter, without Passover certification on Passover? Are there ingredients you can use without a certification? Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at [email protected].
01.26.2023
When Can I Make a Shehehiyyanu?
It is common in some shuls for the family of the Bnei Mitzvah to say Shehehiyyanu at some point during the Shabbat service. What is the function of Shehehiyyanu in this context? Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio?...
01.12.2023
Does Welcoming Guests Ever Override the Laws of Shabbat?
On a previous episode (Can You Make Seltzer on Shabbat? Responsa Radio #80), you mentioned that there is room to be lenient on the rules of food preparation when welcoming guests on Shabbat. Is that the really the case? If...
12.29.2022
When Should We Recite the Shema?
The Shema is one of the most important prayers in Judaism, which is supposed to be recited when we go to sleep and when we wake up. But it's also part of the liturgy for morning and evening prayers. Which...
12.15.2022
Can Animals Be Used in Medical Research?
As a veterinary technology student, I'm struggling with ethics of the use of animals in biomedical research. How does the halakhic concept of avoiding pain experienced by living things - tza'ar ba'alei hayyim - inform the treatment of animals in...
11.17.2022
How Should I Talk to Patients About Physician-Assisted Suicide?
Content warning: this episode discusses suicide. As an oncologist, I am often asked for guidance as patients approach end-of-life. To what extent am I obligated to encourage patients to continue life-prolonging treatment? How much does their quality of life matter?...
10.27.2022
Can a Rabbinic Ruling Outlive its Reasoning?
I recently heard the idea that if the reason behind a rabbinic ruling (gezeirah) becomes irrelevant, because the surrounding factors are no longer applicable, the decree no longer applies. This sounds like it could undermine a lot of halakhah in...
09.14.2022
Should I Save Money or Give Tzedakah?
We have an obligation to give tzedekah and care for those in need. At the same time, life is expensive and often requires having savings. Is it wrong to save money when others are suffering?
09.01.2022
Can I Lie for the Sake of Scientific Research?
Can Jews conduct audit studies? These are studies in which researchers send out fictitious job or service applications, a random selection of which have a characteristic that may be discriminated against. Researchers then measure the differences in callback rates....
07.21.2022
Can I Make Seltzer On Shabbat?
Can I make seltzer, using a home soda maker, on Shabbat? How about on Yom Tov? R. Ethan Tucker and R. Avi Killip discuss the religious instincts and halakhic issues at play.
06.23.2022
Can I Change My Seat in Shul While in Mourning?
Many people in aveilut (mourning) observe a practice of changing their usual seat in shul. But mourners are also supposed to avoid public demonstrations of mourning on Shabbat. If you are in mourning, and going to shul on Shabbat, should...
06.09.2022
Why Do We Wait Between Eating Meat and Dairy? Responsa Radio Kids Edition #4
In my family, after eating meat, we wait 3 hours until we eat dairy. Why 3 hours? And why don't I have to wait after eating dairy?
06.01.2022
How Old Will I Be at the Resurrection of the Dead? Responsa Radio Kids Edition #3
A 5-year-old named Ya'ara asks - when moshiach comes, and people come back from the dead, how old will everyone be? In this episode of Responsa Radio Kids Edition, R. Ethan Tucker and R. Avi Killip discuss the concept of...
05.12.2022
Did the Sages Have Last Names? Responsa Radio Kids Edition #2
Did the sages have last names? When did people start using last names anyway? In the next episode of Responsa Radio Kids Edition, R. Ethan Tucker and R. Avi Killip answer a question from a 6th grader named Avital.
04.29.2022
Can You Make Kiddush on Frozen Grapes? Responsa Radio Kids Edition #1
Can you make Kiddush on frozen grapes if that's all you have? In the first episode of Responsa Radio Kids Edition, a new mini-series produced with a little help from Hadar's Children and Families Division, R. Ethan Tucker and R....
03.31.2022
Is Impossible Pork Kosher?
A few months ago, one of the largest kosher certification agencies announced that it would not certify "Impossible Pork," despite the fact that nothing in the ingredients or preparation of Impossible Pork is not kosher. What determines whether or not...
03.10.2022
Can I Take a Covid-19 Rapid Antigen Test on Shabbat?
Now that Covid-19 rapid antigen tests are widely available, can I take them on Shabbat? We've previously talked about the halakhic restrictions on medical therapeutics on Shabbat (Responsa Radio #21), do these restrictions extend to diagnostics? Are there challenges that...
11.03.2021
Can I Do Something Forbidden for the Sake of Education?
06.17.2021
How Will We Return to Running Minyanim Virtually and In-Person?
My minyan will likely want to keep broadcasting on Zoom after the pandemic is over and we are back in person. As someone who doesn't use technology on Shabbat, what does that mean for me? Should I decline to lead...
03.16.2021
Announcement: Pre-Pesach Responsa Radio Live
Pesach is coming up and that means you might have some halakhic questions. Join us for a pre-Pesach live edition of Responsa Radio on March 18. Sign up at hadar.org/live
01.27.2021
I’ve Been Offered the Covid Vaccine—Now What?
The rollout of a vaccine involves trying to answer impossible questions about prioritizing one life over another. What Jewish values are in play when thinking about this? What is my personal responsibility once the vaccine was offered to me, even...
01.10.2021
Can the essence of obligation to visit the sick and comfort mourners really be fulfilled over Zoom?
This week on Responsa Radio: Can the essence of obligation to visit the sick and comfort mourners really be fulfilled over Zoom? How are we to fulfill our (interpersonal) obligations while keeping ourselves safe and without making this pandemic worse?...
10.27.2020
Do I need to take my kippah off in a restaurant?
Do I need to take my kippah off in a restaurant? More broadly, does there need to be full religious integrity/consistency around everything someone does at a certain moment for it to be valid? Listen as the Rabbis dive into...
10.21.2020
Can I staff a suicide hotline on Shabbat?
Ever wanted to know the answer to some deep and challenging questions in halakhah (Jewish Law)? Join Rabbis Ethan Tucker, Avi Killip, with questions sent in by you on all sorts of details of Jewish law. This is a joint...
09.08.2020
High Holidays Special Edition
This special Hikhot High Holidays edition of Responsa Radio was recorded live with Rabbi Ethan Tucker, Rabbi Avi Killip, and Rabbi Aviva Richman in advance of an unprecedented High Holiday season. Have a question about Jewish law you’d like answered...
05.21.2020
Can I read about Corona Virus on Shabbat?
Can I read about Corona Virus on Shabbat? The post Responsa Radio #69: Can I read about Corona Virus on Shabbat? appeared first on Jewish Public Media.
12.19.2019
Why Don’t Jews Proselytize? …Can They?
This week on Responsa Radio: Why do rabbis “turn converts away three times”? As a non-rabbi, and in our day and age, what can and should I do as I interact with non-Jews who are deepening their interest in Judaism?...

What's Responsa Radio about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Responsa Radio episodes:

Do the Laws of Eruv Make Any Sense At All? 100th Episode Update

Is Impossible Pork Kosher? 100th Episode Update

Is There a Blessing on Seeing a Solar Eclipse?

Can I Buy a Non-Jew a Sandwich on Passover?

What Am I Allowed to Do at a Mock Seder?

Can I Put on a Play During the Megillah Reading?

How Should Jewish Criminal Lawyers Respond to Crime Scene Photos? 100th Episode Update

How Can I Make Coffee on Shabbat? 100th Episode Update

How to Name a Baby Girl: 100th Episode Update

New Podcast Trailer: Answers WithHeld

How Do I Become More Observant?

How Does Cheese Become Kosher?

Can an AI Chatbot Answer My Halakhic Questions?

Do I Need to Light Hanukkah Candles Again After a Communal Lighting?

What Liturgical Changes Should We Be Making Right Now?

How Far Must We Go To Redeem Captives?

Can Musical Instruments be Used on Shabbat?

How Do Time Zones Work For Shabbat?

Is My Tallit Supposed to be White?

Should All Jews Switch to a Mushroom Burial?

R. Avi Killip on Shavuot: The Beauty of Every Word

How Much Time Do I Have to Say a Berakhah?

Keeping Kosher for Passover When I'm Not in Control

Does Everything Need a Kosher for Passover Certification?

When Can I Make a Shehehiyyanu?

Does Welcoming Guests Ever Override the Laws of Shabbat?

When Should We Recite the Shema?

Can Animals Be Used in Medical Research?

How Should I Talk to Patients About Physician-Assisted Suicide?

Can a Rabbinic Ruling Outlive its Reasoning?

Should I Save Money or Give Tzedakah?

Can I Lie for the Sake of Scientific Research?

Can I Make Seltzer On Shabbat?

Can I Change My Seat in Shul While in Mourning?

Why Do We Wait Between Eating Meat and Dairy? Responsa Radio Kids Edition #4

How Old Will I Be at the Resurrection of the Dead? Responsa Radio Kids Edition #3

Did the Sages Have Last Names? Responsa Radio Kids Edition #2

Can You Make Kiddush on Frozen Grapes? Responsa Radio Kids Edition #1

Is Impossible Pork Kosher?

Can I Take a Covid-19 Rapid Antigen Test on Shabbat?

Can I Do Something Forbidden for the Sake of Education?

How Will We Return to Running Minyanim Virtually and In-Person?

Announcement: Pre-Pesach Responsa Radio Live

I’ve Been Offered the Covid Vaccine—Now What?

Can the essence of obligation to visit the sick and comfort mourners really be fulfilled over Zoom?

Do I need to take my kippah off in a restaurant?

Can I staff a suicide hotline on Shabbat?

High Holidays Special Edition

Can I read about Corona Virus on Shabbat?

Why Don’t Jews Proselytize? …Can They?