#jewish law
Breaking News: Halachic Prenup Backed By Major Haredi Rabbis
Jew in the City was founded in order to break down stereotypes about the Orthodox community and publicize all the positive news about religious Jews that rarely makes the news. But about a year ago I realized that some of the negative ideas people have about our community aren’t based on “bad apples” or misconceptions. They’re based on real problems which WE need to fix. We can’t just make the Orthodox world LOOK good, we have to make sure the Orthodox world IS good.
Now it’s kind of hard to tackle communal-wide problems (especially when you’re trying to run and grow an organization!), but then I heard that for one of the issues which has gotten worse in the last year, there is a (nearly) foolproof solution! I am speaking about the agunah crisis…
Read more:http://jewinthecity.com/2015/03/historic-backing-of-halachic-prenup-by-haredi-rabbis/#ixzz3VzLilCaN
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Do Orthodox Jews believe in vaccinating?
Dear Jew in the City,
Lock the kids up…do not sicken everyone. You have no right to impose your beliefs against vaccination on the rest of society.
If you don’t see it this way…advice…leave this country. Go to someplace where ignorance and stupidity are bliss. America is NOT such a place. We lose ours, you will lose yours.
M.A.
Dear M.A.,
Though you have not specified which children you’d like to lock up, based on the news, I’m assuming your message is related to a recent outbreak of measles in California and the news that a percentage of kids in Jewish day schools in California are not vaccinated.
From the tone of your email you are obviously very upset with what’s going on, but you are also misinformed. There is no Jewish law against vaccinations. In fact, most rabbis are probably strong supporters of them.
Read more:
http://jewinthecity.com/2015/02/do-orthodox-jews-believe-in-vaccinating/#ixzz3QpBYFSsV
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The Catholic Jewish Fetus Who Learned Torah With An Angel
“I recently learned that my mother’s mother’s mother was Jewish,” she wrote in her email. Apparently Cynthia’s grandmother had converted to Catholicism before World War II as anti-Semitism was rising. (Her great-grandmother had perished in the Holocaust.) Cynthia understood that although she was raised Catholic, according to Jewish law, she was considered a Jew.Despite not being particularly close to her mother or grandmother, Cynthia explained how she had been inexplicably drawn to her Jewish heritage ever since she discovered it…
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Who Will Live And Who Will Die? A Troubling High Holiday Prayer
Every Rosh Hashana we say the prayer Unsaneh Tokef :
“On Rosh Hashanah we’ll be inscribed and on Yom Kippur we’ll be sealed – how many will pass from the earth and how many will be created; who will live and who will die; who will die at his predestined time and who before his time; who by water and who by fire, who by sword, who by beast, who by famine, who by thirst, who by upheaval, who by plague, who by strangling, and who by stoning. Who will rest and who will wander, who will live in harmony and who will be harried, who will enjoy tranquility and who will suffer, who will be impoverished and who will be enriched, who will be degraded and who will be exalted. But Repentance, Prayer, and Charityavert the evil Decree!”
I’ve said this prayer many times in my life, but was never bothered by it until this year. Perhaps it’s because I never considered the meaning behind the words until a couple weeks ago when I saw a video which illustrated it very literally, showing a slew of people suffering like Unsaneh Tokef describes and then concluding with “Repentance, Prayer, and Charity avert the evil Decree.” The video then suggested that the viewer make changes in his life so that next year will be a better one.
I immediately picked up the phone and started dialing the numbers of some of the rabbis I trust most.
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Can You Ever Pull The Plug? Life Support And Jewish Law
Since Joan Rivers’ death, several people have sent us questions about life support issues in Judaism, similar to the way that Robin Williams’ death piqued people’s curiosity about suicide in Jewish law, particularly as an effect of mental illness. I recognize that this is a sensitive topic and I address it with two caveats. The first is that issues such as this are far above my pay grade. Accordingly, while I am striving to impart information, I am definitely not attempting to rule in any matter of law. If anyone ever has a question of practical application in this area, he should contact a recognized Torah authority. (This is beyond the usual “ask your local Orthodox rabbi.”) The second caveat is that there are no doubt readers who have had occasion to address such end-of-life issues. Some of these readers may have acted counter to what I will soon say is Jewish law. No one is judging you. Having a terminally-ill loved one is a terribly difficult situation and no two cases are exactly alike. As the mishna in Pirkei Avos (2:5) says, we are not to judge another person until we have been in his or her place.
That having been said, the Jewish philosophy on life support is predicated on the belief that all life is sacred and is to be protected at virtually any cost
Read more: http://jewinthecity.com/2014/09/can-you-ever-pull-the-plug-life-support-jewish-law/#ixzz3DgtKCEx4
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