Halacha

A gripping chronicle of the incredible mesirus nefesh of Jews in the Holocaust

Their questions will astound you ...

"Can I eat treif to avoid starvation?"

"Can I save my own life at the expense of another Jew’s life?"

"What brachah do I make before the Nazis kill me?"

Through the dark years in the Kovno Ghetto, Rav Ephraim Oshry, zt"l, was not just a witness to the German atrocities but also a foremost posek, entrusted with the profound responsibility of answering the heartbreaking shailos posed by his fellow Jews.

Responsa from the Holocaust chronicles the extraordinary, unwavering resilience of Jews facing unimaginable circumstances. Rav Oshry documented their heart-wrenching questions and his careful, considered responses. After liberation, he recovered his hidden writings, preserving the moral dilemmas of his fellow Jews as a testament to the strength of the Jewish spirit, and ensuring that their voices -- loyal to Hashem even in the most trying times -- would echo through the generations. Learn More

The period between Pesach and Shavuos comes with the customs and sadness of mourning and the joyful halachos of counting S’firas Ho’Omer. In this book, Rabbi Meyer Bodner adapts the style and clarity of his distinguished father’s widely circulated sefarim (Halachos of Muktza, Halachos of Brochos, etc.) to elucidate the practical need-to know customs and halachos of S’firas Ho’Omer.

For example:

• May one attend and dance at a friend’s wedding and Sheva Brochos on days when it is his custom to show aveilus?
• Is it permitted to listen to relaxing music when it is his custom to show aveilus?
• May a women cut her nails, tweeze her eyebrows or have electrolysis done while keeping the customary aveilus?
• Is it permitted to take a haircut or shave on the first day of Shloshes Yemei Hagbola?
• May a bar mitzvah celebration be scheduled on a day other than the boy’s birthday (not bo b’yom)?
• If one mistakenly counted the days but omitted the weeks, or cannot remember if yesterday he counted correctly, may he continue counting with a brocha?
• May a woman count with a brocha and may she be motzi her friend?

Reviewed for halachic accuracy by Rabbi Shmuel Felder shlit”a and edited and reviewed by Rabbi Yisroel Pinchos Bodner shlit”a, this sefer accurately provides the answer to these and a myriad of other questions and quandaries concerning the customs and halachos of S’firas Ho’Omer. Learn More

• What constitutes a halachic discussion?
• How do we arrive at each conclusion?
• Why is the process so complex?
• Who may serve as a halachic authority?
• When can one ask a second halachic opinion?

In The Making of a Halachic Discussion, Rabbi Moshe Walter explores the history of halachic decision making, beginning with the Rif and Rambam continuing through the Mishnah Berurah and contemporary halachic works. Comprehensive definitions of halachic terminology are elucidated along with the laws of ruling on halachic queries and their application. Explore the fascinating world of p’sak halachah with this newly revised and designed edition. Your questions on the halachic process will be acknowledged and examined, ultimately resulting in an infinitely deeper appreciation of the ins and outs of this area of Torah.

“I am positive that anyone who brings this book into his house will be helped in many issues.”

Rabbi Ephraim Greenblatt

“Many will learn from here how to successfully reach ture p’sak halachah.”

Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky

“This work will be of great benefit to both teachers and students.”

Rabbi Dovid Cohen

“This sefer clarifies in a profound and fundamental manner the method of p’sak and the basics of halachic decision making. It seems to me that it is very important for both poskim and laymen. … It excels in clarity, integrity, and great breadth.”

Rabbi Asher Zelig Weiss

Rabbi Moshe Walter serves as the Rav of Woodside Synagogue Ahavas Torah and is the executive director of the Rabbinical Council of Greater Washington. Learn More

From the authors of the popular Guidelines series, this concise book contains everything you need to know about the laws of milk and meat. Learn More

FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES & CONCEPTS OF HILCHOS TEVILAS KEILIM, HECHSHER KEILIM & HAFRASHAS CHALLAH

Could glass be kashered? Does it need to be kashered?

If one cannot remove a stain from a keili, can it be kashered?

Does a pushpin use to design a cake require tevillah?

Does a keili that is always used with parchment paper require tevillah?

What happens if one divides five pounds of dough into many parts, freezes them, and only takes out one at a time to bake?

If one makes a few small batches of dough, how can they be combined together to be obligated in challah?

This sefer explains fundamental principles and concepts in a short and clear style in order to be able to understand the complicated halachos of hechsher keilim, tevillas keilim, and hafrashas challah.

• Know when and how to ask a shailah.
• Know and understand common daily halachos.
• Clear and practical guide for kashering a kitchen for Pesach or from a non-Jew.
• A great way to review the halachos in an organized and systematic format.
• For those who never had the opportunity to learn it and for those who have learned it many times Learn More

The industry of software development is one that is extremely complex. Its intricate aspects are understood only by those in the industry and, as such, have led to significant issues which are overlooked by the consumer. Situations very often arise where unbeknownst to the consumer, he is given a product which is ill-suited to his needs. Oftentimes, the vendors themselves are unaware of these issues. These situations lead to some very serious Choshen Mishpat concerns which have not yet been adequately addressed. Additionally, there are a host of other standard industry procedures- some bordering on fraudulent- which raise considerable Halachic concerns.

In this ground-breaking sefer, the author, in consultation with prominent Rabbanim and Dayanim, explores the issues above as well as many other related topics in depth. The author is an experienced software engineer who has successfully designed and marketed cutting edge programs to major corporations. He is also a technology consultant and has advised and helped prominent businesses find solutions to their technological needs. With his years of experience in these fields, he has a vast knowledge and nuanced understanding of everything related to software design, marketing, purchasing and program implementation. As such, he is uniquely qualified to address these points from a variety of angles. Learn More

Those privileged to live in or visit Eretz Yisroel and Yerushalayim, the dwelling place of the Shechinah, have the fortunate opportunity to fulfill many of the obligations unique to our Land.

Covering a broad range of topics, this book brings the distinctive halachos and diverse minhagim of Eretz Yisroel to the awareness of the English reader. With extensive footnotes culled from hundreds of sources- including many rulings from contemporary poskim, as well as appendices that contain tefillos, berachos, and maps, for practical guidance— this work is a valuable resource for the scholar as well as the layman.

Topics include: Kedushas Eretz Yisroel and its borders, Yishuv Eretz Yisroel, tearing keriah, Tefillos, Shabbos and Yom Tov, weddings and funerals, Mekomos ha’kedoshim and kivrei tzaddikim, terumos, maasros, shemittah and much more

“I have looked through many parts of this sefer and must say that it is comprehensive and well researched…”

Rav Yitzchak Berkovits

“I was very excited to go through the important work התהלך בארץ.... It is well-written with Torah wisdom.... Anyone who studies it will have great benefit.”

Harav Yehudah Aryeh Halevi Dunner

About the Author:

Rabbi Chaim Leib Belsky is the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Tiferes Yisroel, a yeshiva for American students in Yerushalayim. Raised in Chicago, Illinois, Rabbi Belsky learned for many years in Mesivta Yeshiva Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin. He has spent the past twenty years in Yerushalayim, where he has developed a very close relationship with Rav Yitzchak Berkovits and Rav Yechezkel Shraga Weinfeld. Learn More

Halachic Considerations in Cancer Prevention and Management

Includes practical information and guidance

Few words in the dictionary are more frightening than "cancer." For Torah-observant Jews, there is an added element of complexity when it comes to cancer, whether regarding preventive measures or, R"l, an actual diagnosis.

• At what age should we screen for certain cancers, and to what extent are we halachically obligated to do so?
• In which situations does the medical community recommend prophylactic surgery, and does halachah require a person to undergo such surgeries?
• Is it permissible and/or required to participate in clinical trials when standard treatment options fail to control a person's cancer?
• What degree of autonomy does halachah grant a patient with metastatic cancer who is at the end of his or her life?

Dr. Moshe Ornstein is a veteran, frum oncologist who has also spent years learning and teaching halachah. In this book, he provides in-depth halachic analyses and discussions of common cancer-related topics, all written in a clear, easy-to-read manner. In addition to the halachic overviews the book offers, it is also a source of relevant and practical medical information about cancer prevention and treatment in general.

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I received your book Cancer in Halachah, and I find it useful for both scholarly and practical purposes, as well as informative in preventing the disease...
Rav Shmuel Kamenetzky

I am certain that this book will be very beneficial for patients struggling with this disease as well as for their families, and that it will increase the awareness amongst Klal Yisrael of how to prevent this disease from taking hold amongst us...
Rav Asher Weiss

Each chapter contains an excellent, up-to-date halachic discussion... I strongly recommend this book for all cancer patients, their families, and policymakers in this field of medicine.
Rabbi Prof. Avraham Steinberg, MD Learn More