Rabbi Zachary Rothblatt takes us on a fascinating journey through the Cairo Geniza, a recently discovered treasure trove of Jewish texts and artifacts. This episode uncovers the Geniza's secrets, shedding light on the lives and traditions of medieval Egyptian Jewry. Rabbi Rothblatt also shares with us an intriguing responsum which provides insight into the complex relationships between Rabbanite and Karaite communities, revealing surprising interactions - even marriages! - that challenge our conventional understanding of early Jewish sectarianism.

Rabbi Zachary Rothblatt is a Judaic Studies teacher at Kohelet Yeshiva in Merion Station, Pennsylvania. He received rabbinic ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary at Yeshiva University where he also earned a master’s degree in Bible and Talmud and a certificate in Mental Health Counseling. Rabbi Rothblatt holds both an M.A. in Education and a B.A. in Business from Johns Hopkins University. He has also studied at Ner Israel Rabbinical College and Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh. Based in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, he is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Talmud at the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies at Yeshiva University.

Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz, a close disciple of the preeminent HaRav Hershel Schachter (and a leading scholar in his own right), offers an intimate glimpse into the renowned posek's approach to halachic decision-making. Drawing on Rav Schachter's earlier work, Eretz HaTzvi (no. 6), Rabbi Lebowitz shares a compelling example which illustrates Rav Schachter's distinctive style of pesak. This insightful conversation showcases Rav Schachter's nuanced understanding, meticulous analysis, and compassionate application of halacha, highlighting the profound impact of his leadership on contemporary Jewish law.

Click here to purchase his latest sefer: Kinyan Halacha: From Pesukim to Poskim (Bereishis).

In this episode, Rabbi Yehoshua Duker delves into the fascinating world of the Terumas HaDeshen, a foundational work in the development of halacha. Written by Rabbi Yisrael Isserlin in the 15th century, this seminal text bridged the medieval and modern eras, addressing complex halachic queries. Rabbi Duker explores the question of whether the Terumas HaDeshen fabricated his own inquiries, provides an in-depth exposition of how the Terumas HaDeshen ruled in a case that pitted Torah study against parental concerns (responsum no. 40) and does a rapid fire round of teshuvos toward the end. 

Rabbi Yehoshua Duker is a teacher and editor living in Ramat Beit Shemesh. He taught for many years in post-high school yeshivas for overseas students, and currently teaches in Yeshivat Neveh Shmuel in Efrat. He has edited many English sefarim in Halacha and Machshava, most prominently serving as the senior editor for the Koren Steinsaltz Talmud Bavli. 

Our guest, Rabbi Tuvia Berman seeks to identify the essential components of Jewish education. What - if any - is the role of Lomdus, Medresh, Machshava, and Dikduk? He breaks down the Chavos Yair's (responsum, no. 124) incisive approach and offers general insights from his long and multi-faceted career as a Jewish educator. 

Rabbi Tuvia Berman is the Director of Institutional Advancement at Yeshivat Eretz HaTzvi. In addition, he has held numerous posts in education from the high school level through adult education. A graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Graduate School, he learned at Yeshivat Har Etzion and received Semikha from Yeshivat HaMivtar in Efrat. He founded the Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus (JLIC) at Brandeis University and served as the rabbinic advisory to the Orthodox community there for several years. Previously, he was a RaM at Midreshet Lindenbaum and he currently lives in Efrat.

Our guest, Rabbi Ezra Schwartz examines Chacham Ovadia Yosef's ruling on suspected infidelity (Yabia Omer, Vol. 3, E.H. #1) which has implications for the couple's marital status and finances alike. Rabbi Schwartz summarizes the key principles employed by Chacham Ovadia and highlights the unique methodology employed to protect the potential mamzer (illegitimate offspring) in question.

Rabbi Ezra Schwartz is the Harry Rabin Professor of Talmud and Jewish Law at RIETS / Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yitzchak Elchonon, where he also serves as a Rosh Yeshiva and bochein. He also coordinates the Bronka Weintraub High School Bekiut Program, for high school students to study Talmud and served as the Senior Rabbi of Mount Sinai Jewish Center of Washington Heights. 

Discover the extraordinary legacy of Rav Mordechai Pinchas Teitz, the rabbi of Elizabeth, NJ, and a visionary leader who rescued sacred texts and transformed the lives of countless American Jews. Dr. Rivkah Blau shares a teshuva he published in the journal, HaPardes (Year 25, Issue #3, p. 5) and provides several inspiring stories of her esteemed father. 
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Dr. Rivkah Blau served as an adjunct professor at Stern College and began teaching Torah when she was fifteen.  She has been a teacher, principal, lecturer and author in the decades since. Her doctoral thesis at Columbia was on Psalms in English poetry. And she is a member of the editorial board of Tradition.
Learn Torah, Love Torah, Live Torah, her biography of her father, Rav Mordechai Pinchas Teitz, z’l - who is the subject of today’s episode - was published in Israel as V'Samachta B'Chayecha, conveys his approach of Torah knowledge for everyone, while enjoying what is good in modern life.

This episode features Rabbi Chaim Jachter's scholarly examination of the relationship between kashrus and personal trust in halacha (kim lei b’gavei). By introducing the recent Responsa Atzei Besamim (Y.D., no. 10), Rabbi Jachter investigates the parameters of trusting individuals with varying kashrus standards. His discussion addresses key issues, including The halachic implications of relying on others' assessments, the boundaries of dining in others' homes, and the general interplay between unity, inclusivity, and halachic adherence.

Returning to his early educational roots, Moshe Kurtz interviews his lifelong Rebbe and Rosh HaYeshiva, Rav Yaakov Bender about an array of questions pertaining to Jewish education. Through the lens of several teshuvos in Igros Moshe (Y.D. 2:104, Y.D. 4:30, and C.M. 2:51), Rabbi Bender emphasizes the importance of compassion and inclusivity as a hallmark of Jewish education. 

Rav Yaakov Bender is the Rosh HaYeshiva of Yeshiva Darchei Torah in Far Rockaway, NY. He is a Musmach of the Mirrer Yeshiva, Founder of Hatzalah in Flatbush and Far Rockaway, member of the Vaad Roshei Yeshivos of Torah Umesorah and Resident Rabbi at Camp Banim for over 50 years.

In this episode, Rabbi Jeffrey Saks delves into the intriguing world of Chalitza, a Jewish law procedure for dissolving a levirate marriage, through the lens of the Maharsham's Responsum (1:14). This complex case involves a hot air balloon ride, obscure texts, and an exclusive revelation about the Nobel laureate Shai Agnon's potential influence from this case.

Rabbi Jeffrey Saks is the founding director of ATID – The Academy for Torah Initiatives and Directions in Jewish Education, in Jerusalem, and its WebYeshiva.org program. He is the Editor of the journal Tradition, Director of Research at the Agnon House in Jerusalem, and teaches at Midreshet Amudim. A three-time graduate of Yeshiva University (BA, MA, Semicha), Rabbi Saks has published widely on Jewish thought, education, and literature and served as Series Editor of The S.Y. Agnon Library at The Toby Press.

In this episode, Dr. Elana Stein Hain examines a unique pair of responsa by the Rambam (no. 160-161, Mechon Yerushalayim Ed.), which present a harrowing marital dispute from two opposing perspectives - one from the wife's point of view and the other from the husband's. By analyzing these two teshuvos, Dr. Stein Hain gets to the deeper meaning of the place for legal workarounds (ha'aramos) and how they actually help by maintaining the integrity of the halachic system.