In this episode, R. Binyomin Fishman breaks down a disagreement between The Chazon Ish (Hilchos Beheima v'Chaya, no. 11) and R. Yisroel Belsky (Responsa Shulchan HaLevi 1:19) on the nature of Zebu, Bison and other marvelous animals - and what their kashrus status means for the broader question of how we determine normative halachic practice.

To find out more about R. Fishman's projects or for information about speaking arrangements, he can be contacted at his email which will be included in the show notes ([email protected]).

In this episode we explore whether there is a case to be made for coeducation in our Yeshivos and Jewish Day Schools. We open up with two (of several) responsa from Igros Moshe (Y.D. 2:104 and 4:28) and contrast it with a lesser known letter from Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. This is a special episode in which we are joined by two guests, Messrs. Michael Feldstein and Joseph Kaplan - both longtime observers and writers about the development of Orthodoxy in America.

Mr. Feldstein's book, "Meet Me in the Middle," can be purchased here: https://meet-me-in-the-middle-book.com/

Mr. Kaplan's book, A Passionate Writing Life, can be purchased here: https://www.judaicahouse.net/passionate-writing-life

Should a Jew care so much about material possessions? Ethical discourses generally emphasize the significance of money, but many halachic sources point to the importance of respecting one's property. R. Yitzchok Oratz focuses on a remarkable responsum of the Binyan Tzion (1:167) to infer how a Jew should think about protests that turn violent.

See also, his article in the Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society (Issue: LXXVI, p. 165), "Property Values: Rabbinic Ruminations on Property and Protest, Racism and Riots."

What should family life look like post-conversion? R. Zvi Romm shares a bittersweet responsum from Igros Moshe (Y.D. 2:130) in which R. Moshe Feinstein argues that it may not only be permissible for a convert to maintain a relationship with their biological parents, but a mitzvah.

In many Ashkenazi communities, a tallis gadol has become a symbol of adulthood, putting many single, male adults in a jarring position when they see men far younger than themselves donning a tallis purely by dint of marriage. The challenge becomes compounded for a single Rabbi who finds himself leading a congregation and - as the most religious figure in the room - appears to be missing an essential part of the ceremonial garb.

In this episode, R. Noah Marlowe breaks down a responsum of R. Chaim Dovid HaLevi (Aseh Lecha Rav 3:1) to determine whether there is room for new interpretations.

Sources here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1W5C7ZeOykqEaSagGdhtEBL6IUEQIXsPG8gHQcwCV9K8/edit

Is davening too long or do we not appreciate it enough? In this episode R. Pesach Sommer distills a responsum of R. Dovid Tzvi Hoffman (Melamed L'Hoil, no. 12) regarding a request to revoke the prayer leader's repetition of the Amida, and its implications for how we relate to prayer writ large.

In this episode, R. Dr. Shlomo Zuckier unpacks how recent Torah giants such as R. Moshe Feinstein's (Igros Moshe Y.D. 3:114-115) and R. Menashe Klein (Mishneh Halachos 12:214) reckoned with an alarming commentary of R. Yehuda HaChassid and whether his work would be better off never seeing the light of day.

In recent years, Rav Asher Weiss published a landmark responsum (Minchas Asher 2:134) in which he issued signifcant halachic dispensations for one undergoing therapy for O.C.D. In this epsiode, we bring on Rabbi Dr. Saul Haimoff, a rabbi and clinical psychologist, to assess the metzius, the facts on the ground.

Rabbi Elie Weissman presents a responsum of the Noda B'Yehudah (E.H. 75) in which a shliach (agent) is appointed to force a woman to accept a divorce document. R. Weissman delves into the halachic considerations and also reveals a not-so-obvious historical context to this responsum...that it was very personal for both the Noda B'Yehudah - and his interlocutor Rav Itzele Halevi (who is also Rabbi Weissman's ancestor).