Audio RoundupLatest Essays
Audio Roundup 2025:8
by Joel Rich
Why did Yosef advise Pharoe to plan for the seven years of plenty and seven years of famine in a way which would centralize the entire Egyptian economy under the pharaohs direct control?
And how some things don’t change:
מעשה רקח הלכות מתנות עניים פרק י הלכה א
חייבים אנו וכו’. ראוים הדברים למי שאמרן ובפרט בזמן הזה שהכל להוטים אחר הממון ושמעתי מפי הרב עמנואל חי ריקי זלה”ה בדרוש שעשה בעיר המהוללה אזמיר יע”א בהיותי שם סימן לדבר חבי כמעט רגע עד יעבור זעם ר”ת זנות עבודה זרה ממון כי ידוע דשיתא אלפי שני הוי עלמא ושני אלפים ראשונים היו להוטים אחר הזנות כדכתיב ויראו בני אלהים את בנות האדם וכו’ וב’ אחרים ע”ז כדאשכחן בזמן מלכי ישראל וכו’ ואלה האחרונים אחר הממון ע”כ יש לנו ליזהר ביותר על הצדקה כדי לקרב הגאולה וכבר אמרו שיש לכוין בכל יום בתפלה באמרו לישועתך קוינו כל היום למ”ש צפית לישועה לא לנו ה’ לא לנו כי לשמך תן כבוד:
- Rabbi Moshe Taragin-Sichat Mussar for Va’era: Gratitude Prevents Entitlement; Facing Your Vulnerability; Saying “Thank You”; Too Busy for Vision and Meaning; Resilience After Failure Midot (traits) need to become part of you. Focus on gratitude (nothing is coming to you), long term vision (if you don’t know where you want to go, any road will get you there), and discipline (don’t be lazy). Kach mkublani mbeit avi abba.
- Rabbi Michael Taubes-Parshat Shemos Kavannah When Saying Hashem’s Names We generally don’t say the shem hashem (TBD) but there are some exceptions. What must/should one have in mind when saying the shem in a bracha?
- Rabbi Mordechai I. Willig-Contemporary Halacha 5785 – Pru U’rvu, Contraception & Family Planning Shiur defines mitzvah of pru urvu and shevet. Applications for birth control (timing and approaches) are discussed.
- Rabbi Shaul Robinson-Gaza Hostage Deal (Jan 2025) Talmudic pidyon shvuyim sources and R Asher Weiss’s conclusion that they don’t apply in the current situation. US Jews don’t pay the price.
- Rabbi Reuven Brand,Rabbi Menachem Linzer,Rabbi Eli Samber-Being A Klal Yisrael Jew: A Chinuch Conversation Do US Jews feel differently since 10/7? (yes, but not fully). How does one become a klal yisrael jew? Chesed is one starting point, looking at others as fundamentally good is also helpful.
- R’ Asher Weiss-Shiur at Yeshivas Mevaseret:The Mitzvah of Talmud Torah The mitzvah of talmud torah includes learning, knowing, teaching and doing. Most individuals must earn a living but they need to be kovea itim and learn when they can!
- Rabbi Mordechai I. Willig-Keeping Two Days of Yom Tov in Israel Review of the various opinions on chulniks in eretz yisrael on yom tov (two days, one day, one and a half) and various resulting permutations based on geography and intent.
- Rabbi Dr. Yosef Bronstein-Sugyos in STAM – Are All Of Our Sifrei Torah Pasul? A Halachik Analysis of the Text of Our Torah We know the torah text we have today was based on an algorithm of majority rules of the three temple texts and it is not the same as the gemara’s (we see drashot’s there based on different spelling). How does that fit with what we consider errors for torah reading purposes in a sefer torah today?
- Rabbi Itamar Rosensweig-שבועות המשנה ואלו נשבעין ונוטלין Are shavuot drabanan and heset new rabbinic categories or are they hagdarot of a torah requirement? What situations were chazal concerned about when they implemented shavuot?
- R’ Shmuel Fuerst-Part 3: Kidney Donations and Transplants in Halacha: Receiving a kidney from a non-Jew; Donate right or left kidney; Marring a woman with kidney problems that should not get pregnant; Taking off meiser money for donating a kidney; Heirs of the deceased donor requesting recipient to help pay debts of the deceased donor; Who gets preference – mother or wife for a transplant; Giving a kidney to a non-Jew; Story -Do something extra for Ribono Sel Olomo and the Ribono Shel Olom will help you Kidney donation issues continuation including: taking from non-frum or non-Jew (no problem of timtum), right or left (left), marrying someone who must defer pregnancy (no, but…), deducting “costs” from maaser (yes), preference to mother or wife (dealer’s choice), give to non-Jew (generally not), and, doing for HKBH so he will do for you (sounds transactional?)
- Rabbi Jonathan Ziring-Cultured Meat (4) Final in a series summarizing the various approaches to cultured meat – either it’s meat or nothing or must be cultured from kosher meat. Will the final halacha be determined based on technical halacha and or on meta-policy issues?
- R’ Doniel Neustadt-Yarchai Kallah Bnei Yeshiva 5785: Keynote Address Divrei chizuk on torah learning – why is torah compared to eish?
- R’ Zev Smith-“Finders, Keepers” – When Does It Apply Hashavat aveida is a complex topic. How do you determine if it is an aveida or the person purposely left it there? How do you know if yeiush occurred? What if you know no one will come looking for it in your society? What “lost and found” conditions can be made (eg yeshiva/bus company, merchant …) to make things easier?
- Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz-A Woman Forgetting to Light Neiros Shabbos General discussion of shabbat and yom tov lighting reasons and why it’s a woman’s mitzvah. Under what circumstances must an extra “make-up” candle be lit? Is it a knas or a kapara? (me-why a lifetime knas?)
- Rabbi Dr. Jason Weiner-Dealing with the Darkness of Dementia: Awareness and Conversation There are a number of halachic issues which come into play with progressive dementia including kavod av and what is the afflicted individual’s chiyuv in which mitzvot. Insights from one who is in this process make worthwhile listening.
- R’ Asher Weiss-פרשת וארא: מצטער בקיום במצוות How much discomfort must one accept in order to do a mitzvah? There are a number of possible paradigms but R Weiss’s bottom line is that if it causes irreversible harm then it’s forbidden; if it’s a minor harm, deal with it; in-between is a subjective “hon rav” threshold.
- Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz-Ten Minute Halacha – Ta’us Akum Gezel akum is always forbidden! Aveidat akum and taut akum are forbidden to keep if it’s a chillul hashem, and a midat chassidut to return if it’s a kiddush hashem. What does it say about your midot if you don’t return it (me-are midot bifurcatable?)
- Rabbi Mayer E. Twersky-Striking the Balance Between Bitachon & Hishtadlus: Reflections on the Presidential Inauguration and the Start of a New Era We make our maximum hishtadlut in voting in elections but realize that it’s all up to HKBH (that’s bitachon).
- R’ Yitzchak Breitowitz-Q&A: Leaving Gehenom, Resurrection & Gender Q&A including: bishul akum, pipes “carrying” water on shabbat (no problem), eternal damnation? (no), bracha lvatala (risk/reward), davening in minyan with different nusach (private/yours, public/minyan’s), self-worth (important), non-jews in olam haba (depends on your definitions), discount to ani as maser (OK), hallel vs tfila, how know there’s one creator (logic), understanding angels, tearing on the midkash, negative references to non-jews in halachic literature (context based), conversion, extreme examples in gemara (pedagogical), misattribution in order to reinforce one’s position (sometimes), tinok shenishba, newspapers (ok to read), hishtadlut to make a living (balance priorities), and respect for older brother.
- Rabbi Netanel Wiederblank-Rambam on the Development of Torah she-Ba’al Peh The Rambam understood that talmudic machloket can not be based on transmission errors.
- Rabbi Aaron Buechler-In a Bind: Phylacteries & PTSD Is the mitzva of tfillin one of kshira or hanacha? Nakfa minas include who can put them on you and whether one makes a bracha in that situation.
- Rabbi Ben Kurzer-Contemporary Ethical Questions 1 – Netflix account sharing: Part 1 Stealing’s definition in halacha is subject to caveats, sometimes there’s implied consent. R Moshe has a tshuva dealing with copying a purchased tape which was originally sold with the explicit condition that it not be copied. When do we say zeh neheneh vzeh lo chaser? TBC.
- Rabbi Shay Schachter-Processing Our Complicated Emotions and Difficult Feelings Regarding the Current Hostage Deal Don’t let real life events which challenge your perception of how geula should work affect your emunah. America’s galut of Ashur (ashir=wealth), Israel’s is mitzraim (metzarim=physical continuity). Americans don’t get it (me-what does the long sweep of Jewish history teach us?)
- R’ Shraga Kallus-What Did The Weapons Of The Jewish Army Used To Look Like? (Mishna Berura Series E90 – Siman 76) The shovel was a “weapon” to bury tzoeh and allow torah study which will allow success in war. Includes analysis of various tzoeh and mitzvah situations.
- R’ Zev Smith-Wearing Jewelry and Non-Clothing Articles on Shabbos (M”B Chelek Gimmel – Siman 301) Wearing clothes on shabbat is permitted since they are tafel to you and thus batel. How does this rule apply to jewelry (women and men), keys, handkerchiefs, bobby pins, etc?
- Rabbi Moshe Walter-“Shovevim”-From the Chochmei Ashkenaz to the Gedolei Mekubalim: The Source, Significance, Meaning, and Minhagim of The Weeks Between Shemos and Mishpatim: What are these days all about? The fasts of shovavim (parshat shmot, vaera…) predates chassidut, there are a number of reasons given for these fasts.
- Rabbi Yehoshua Grunstein-The DRAFT Controversy- Concerns, Convulsions & Distortions On a pure halachic level the current war is a milchemet mitzvah even for those learning torah and there are no exceptions.
- Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz-Ten Minute Halacha – When The Kallah Can’t Have Grapes (or Wine) If the kala is allergic to wine, maybe she doesn’t drink the wine or we give her some other drink.
- Rabbi Jonathan Ziring-Cryptocurrency (A Review of R. Moshe Greenhut’s Article in Techumin 44) What is the halachic status of crypto currency (ownership, money, cash?) and what difference might it make?
Please direct any informal comments to joelirich@comcast.net.