Responsa Radio

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?

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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 the resurrection of the dead. 

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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.

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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. Avi Killip answer a scrumptious question from a 5th grader named Ronit.

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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 a food is kosher, apart from the ingredients?

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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 arise from the mechanics of the test itself, such as erasing the control line or dying a new color on the test strip?

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I work at Hillel where some students were interested in learning how to wrap tefillin, and they asked if it’s possible to do a workshop on Shabbat, which would be the best day timing-wise to hold the program. I know there is a prohibition on wearing and handling tefillin on Shabbat. This made me curious about the parameters of "Leshem Hinukh." What is the goal of this concept and how far-reaching does it apply?

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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 or read Torah or have an aliyah knowing that it is being broadcast?

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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 if I don’t think it’s strictly necessary for me to take it? 

This episode first appeared on Jewish Public Media.

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