Halakhah
Emotional subjectivity in Jewish law and ethics.
Halakhah and the trolley problem.
The author of our May essay on the Zoom seder joins us to talk about his ideas and the debate surrounding them.
“How God spoke is a mystery. That God spoke is of the utmost significance.”
From Ashkenazi and Sephardi to strict and lenient.
The Zoom-seder ruling was intended to ease human suffering, but it was also, in effect, a maneuver for influence within the Sephardi rabbinate and a bid to resist historical forgetfulness.
How the Zoom-seder debate opens up on questions of virtual reality.
With some help from the great rabbis of England.
Lenient rulings in response to new situations are not necessary if unfortunate accommodations, they are instead a testament to the strength and durability of Judaism.
Some families prefer the connection it offers. But an online seder seems like an acknowledgement of generational failure, a stopgap measure to keep nostalgic religious affiliation afloat.
What the headline-making rabbinic showdown over online seders reveals about Jewish law and its limits.
Those with greater ability to help are called upon to bear greater risk.
“Keep your feet inside your house.”
Clean your houses, wash your hands, don’t eat pickles—and avoid crowds.
