While almost all Jewish communities celebrate a boy's Bar Mitzvah at 13, many communities are split for girls—some 12, some 13. Why should girls be required to do mitzvot before boys? What does this age split accomplish? And is it still relevant in egalitarian Jewish communities?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

You're not supposed to pray somewhere unclean, like a bathroom. But if I'm in the bathroom and can hear the prayers nearby, am I allowed to say "amen"?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

I was trying to help someone on the street get some food. They asked for a sandwich, so I went into a nearby shop—and suddenly panicked because I realized it was Passover! What was I supposed to do in this case? What are the parameters of buying and touching hameitz for non-Jews during the holiday?

My family are coming in from 1000s of miles away for the eclipse on April 8th, but they won't be around for Pesah on April 22nd. I want to do a mock or model Seder with them, but I know some things are only supposed to be done on actual Seder night. What should I include or exclude? How can I make the mock Seder feel substantive, but at the same time, still a rehearsal and not a replacement of Seder itself?

I'm organizing my community's reading of Megillat Esther. Can I include English explanations or kids' plays between the chapters? What is at stake in breaking up the reading?

In celebration of 100 episodes of Responsa Radio, we're re-releasing our favorites with an update from Rav Eitan and Rav Avi at the end of the episode.

Responsa Radio creator David Zvi Kalman's favorite is episode #9: I'm a lawyer who often has to look at crime scene photos. What are the considerations of k'vod ha-met (honor for the dead) that I should be taking into account in my job?

In celebration of 100 episodes of Responsa Radio, we're re-releasing our favorites with an update from Rav Eitan and Rav Avi at the end of the episode.

Rav Eitan's favorite is episode #27: Can I set up my coffee maker on a timer before Shabbat to make my perfect cup on Shabbat itself? And if I can't do that, can I use a French press on Shabbat to get a better cup than instant?

In celebration of 100 episodes of Responsa Radio, we're re-releasing our favorites with an update from Rav Eitan and Rav Avi at the end of the episode.

Rav Avi's favorite is episode #24: Brit Milah is an ancient and well-known ceremony to welcome boys into the world, but there's no such long-standing, equal ritual for girls. How should we think about this, and what are steps for the future when creating rituals like this?

When kids ask big questions, how do you respond? Whether you are parent, educator, or just a curious person, you've probably asked yourself the same questions.

This podcast doesn’t have all the answers, but it can give you language and frameworks to engage meaningfully with these questions. 

Every week, Rabbi Shai Held invites an expert guest to explore a big question: Who is God? Why did God create the world? Why do bad things happen? No pressure.  

I want to be more observant. Where do I start? 

Rav Avi and Rav Eitan reflect on this important question as they also celebrate our 100th episode! 

In honor of our 100th episode, over the next few weeks we will be updating and re-releasing some of our favorite episodes ever. Stay tuned!

Why might cheese not be kosher even if all the ingredients are? What does this say about relationships between Jews and non-Jews today?

For centuries, the process of halakhah has relied on a rabbi or posek, someone who is learned in Jewish texts, who has trained for years to be a resource for our halakhic questions. But now, with the release of large language models like ChatGPT, I'm wondering: is the human interaction an essential part of the halakhic process, or can I get my halakhic answers from an AI chatbot?

With any new industry, there are important questions to address from legal and religious perspectives. Responsa Radio creator David Zvi Kalman comes back to ask this question about generative AI for his new podcast, Belief in the Future. Given the way the new large language models trawl the internet for content, is it permitted to use them or does it count as theft?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

If I find myself at a large Hanukkah party or a communal gathering where Hanukkah candles are lit, do I still need light when I get home? If I do, is it okay to say the blessing two times? What if I said the blessing at Ma'ariv while leading the service? Does it matter how late I'm getting home?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org.

My shul has started reciting extra Tehilim and adding the Mi SheBerakh for captives. I've heard that some communities in Israel are saying Avinu Malkeinu every day, even on Shabbat. Is that something we should be doing? How should we be thinking about liturgical changes right now? How will we know when it's time to stop saying Tehilim?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org.

What is our obligation to redeem captives from a halakhic perspective? How far does this obligation extend and are there limits?

Email us at responsa@hadar.org if you have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio.

There's a new community that just started in my neighborhood and I want to check them out but I heard they use instruments during their Shabbat service. What is the problem with instruments on Shabbat? What are the factors I should think about when working out if I want to attend this service?

I live in Australia and I have a Zoom call with someone in the UK. The call is scheduled at 9:00 PM for me and 12:00 PM for them - it is therefore not Shabbat for me but *is* Shabbat for them. Do I have to reschedule this Zoom call? Am I allowed to be involved with someone else doing violating Shabbat when I'm not doing anything wrong at all?

I have a blue tallit with white tzitzit. Someone recently told me that the tallit is supposed to be white. Is this true? Do I have to go out and get a white tallit?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org.

After learning about green burials and mushroom death suits, I’m wondering about halakhic implications of such burials. It seems to me that such methods for burial uphold the charge to go up to the dust even better than traditional burial where the body remains intact in a casket or even sometimes in a concrete box for a very long time. Should all Jews switch to a mushroom burial?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org.

I was recently at a sporting event where the line to exit the bathroom took close to five minutes. How long following an action or event requiring a berakhah can you still make the berakhah? How does one behave while waiting for the opportunity if you are conscious of the fact that you need to make the berakhah but are temporarily unable and what ultimately severs the connection to the berakhah?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org.

If I spend Passover with family members who don't kasher their kitchens for the holiday can I eat kosher for Passover food from their pots or dishes? Is there room for leniency because they're my family? 

What if my roommates want to use non-kosher for Passover dishes and products? How can we share the kitchen? 

Can I use ingredients like spices, pure dried fruit, oil, or nut butter, without Passover certification on Passover? Are there ingredients you can use without a certification?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org.

There's a stereotype that I've seen on the internet recently that Jews don't care about non-Jewish life. How am I supposed to respond when somebody uses this argument? What do Jewish sources say about the imperative of saving the lives of non-Jews?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

It is common in some shuls for the family of the Bnei Mitzvah to say Shehehiyyanu at some point during the Shabbat service. What is the function of Shehehiyyanu in this context?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org.

On a previous episode (Can You Make Seltzer on Shabbat? Responsa Radio #80), you mentioned that there is room to be lenient on the rules of food preparation when welcoming guests on Shabbat. Is that the really the case? If so, what are the limits?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org.

The Shema is one of the most important prayers in Judaism, which is supposed to be recited when we go to sleep and when we wake up. But it's also part of the liturgy for morning and evening prayers. Which is more important? How many times a day should we be saying Shema?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org.

As a veterinary technology student, I'm struggling with ethics of the use of animals in biomedical research. How does the halakhic concept of avoiding pain experienced by living things -  tza'ar ba'alei hayyim - inform the treatment of animals in modern research? And is there a Jewish way to mark the death of animal outside of ritual slaughter?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org.

Content warning: this episode discusses suicide.

As an oncologist, I am often asked for guidance as patients approach end-of-life. To what extent am I obligated to encourage patients to continue life-prolonging treatment? How much does their quality of life matter? Am I allowed to mention physician-assisted suicide? Does anything if the patient is Jewish?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org.

I recently heard the idea that if the reason behind a rabbinic ruling (gezeirah) becomes irrelevant, because the surrounding factors are no longer applicable, the decree no longer applies. This sounds like it could undermine a lot of halakhah in modern times. What is the definition of this concept how and when can it be applied?
 
Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org.

We have an obligation to give tzedekah and care for those in need. At the same time, life is expensive and often requires having savings. Is it wrong to save money when others are suffering?

Can Jews conduct audit studies? These are studies in which researchers send out fictitious job or service applications, a random selection of which have a characteristic that may be discriminated against. Researchers then measure the differences in callback rates. This kind of study is often considered ethical because the scientific gains outweigh the deception and lack of consent, but is that the case in Jewish law? What does halakhah have to say about lying for the sake of research?

Can I make seltzer, using a home soda maker, on Shabbat? How about on Yom Tov? R. Ethan Tucker and R. Avi Killip discuss the religious instincts and halakhic issues at play.

Many people in aveilut (mourning) observe a practice of changing their usual seat in shul. But mourners are also supposed to avoid public demonstrations of mourning on Shabbat. If you are in mourning, and going to shul on Shabbat, should you change your seat?

I've often heard the phrase "all of Israel are responsible for each other" (kol yisrael areivim zeh be-zeh). But what does this mean? What does the responsibility entail? How is it supposed to change my actions toward other Jews?

Have a question you'd like answered on Responsa Radio? Email us at responsa@hadar.org

In my family, after eating meat, we wait 3 hours until we eat dairy. Why 3 hours? And why don't I have to wait after eating dairy?

A 5-year-old named Ya'ara asks - when moshiach comes, and people come back from the dead, how old will everyone be? In this episode of Responsa Radio Kids Edition, R. Ethan Tucker and R. Avi Killip discuss the concept of the resurrection of the dead.

Did the sages have last names? When did people start using last names anyway? In the next episode of Responsa Radio Kids Edition, R. Ethan Tucker and R. Avi Killip answer a question from a 6th grader named Avital.

Can you make Kiddush on frozen grapes if that's all you have? In the first episode of Responsa Radio Kids Edition, a new mini-series produced with a little help from Hadar's Children and Families Division, R. Ethan Tucker and R. Avi Killip answer a scrumptious question from a 5th grader named Ronit.

A few months ago, one of the largest kosher certification agencies announced that it would not certify "Impossible Pork," despite the fact that nothing in the ingredients or preparation of Impossible Pork is not kosher. What determines whether or not a food is kosher, apart from the ingredients?

Now that Covid-19 rapid antigen tests are widely available, can I take them on Shabbat? We've previously talked about the halakhic restrictions on medical therapeutics on Shabbat (Responsa Radio #21), do these restrictions extend to diagnostics? Are there challenges that arise from the mechanics of the test itself, such as erasing the control line or dying a new color on the test strip?

My minyan will likely want to keep broadcasting on Zoom after the pandemic is over and we are back in person. As someone who doesn't use technology on Shabbat, what does that mean for me? Should I decline to lead or read Torah or have an aliyah knowing that it is being broadcast?
 
Have a question about Jewish law you’d like answered on the show? Send an email to halakhah@hadar.org

The rollout of a vaccine involves trying to answer impossible questions about prioritizing one life over another. What Jewish values are in play when thinking about this? What is my personal responsibility once the vaccine was offered to me, even if I don’t think it’s strictly necessary for me to take it? Tune in to […]

The post I’ve Been Offered the Covid Vaccine—Now What? appeared first on Jewish Public Media.

This week on Responsa Radio: Can the essence of obligation to visit the sick and comfort mourners really be fulfilled over Zoom? How are we to fulfill our (interpersonal) obligations while keeping ourselves safe and without making this pandemic worse? Tune in to learn from Rabbi Ethan Tucker and Rabbi Avi Killip as they dive […]

The post Can the essence of obligation to visit the sick and comfort mourners really be fulfilled over Zoom? appeared first on Jewish Public Media.

You asked and we answered! A new season of Responsa Radio begins next week. We're going to dig in to topics like artificial intelligence, the value of human life, and our responsibilities toward fellow Jews, just to name a few.

Have a halakhic question you want answered on Responsa Radio? Send your question to  responsa@hadar.org.

Do I need to take my kippah off in a restaurant? More broadly, does there need to be full religious integrity/consistency around everything someone does at a certain moment for it to be valid? Listen as the Rabbis dive into and consider these questions. Have a question about Jewish law you’d like answered on the show? Send an email to halakhah@hadar.org

Ever wanted to know the answer to some deep and challenging questions in halakhah (Jewish Law)? Join Rabbis Ethan Tucker, Avi Killip, with questions sent in by you on all sorts of details of Jewish law. This is a joint project between the Center for Jewish Law and Values and Jewish Public Media. In This […]

The post Responsa Radio #71: Can I staff a suicide hotline on Shabbat? appeared first on Jewish Public Media.

This special Hikhot High Holidays edition of Responsa Radio was recorded live with Rabbi Ethan Tucker, Rabbi Avi Killip, and Rabbi Aviva Richman in advance of an unprecedented High Holiday season. Have a question about Jewish law you’d like answered on the show? Send an email to halakhah@hadar.org

Can I read about Corona Virus on Shabbat?

The post Responsa Radio #69: Can I read about Corona Virus on Shabbat? appeared first on Jewish Public Media.