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Ever wanted to know the answer to some deep and challenging questions in halakhah (Jewish law)? Join Rabbi Avi Killip interviewing Rabbi Ethan Tucker with questions sent in by you (the public!) on all sorts of details of Jewish law.
Have a halakhic question you'd like answered on the show? Send an email to Ethan Tucker at halakhah@hadar.org. You can also leave a message at 215-297-4254.
Have some feedback for our show? Please send an email to responsaradio@openquorum.org.
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How Do I Forge My Own Religious Path While Respecting My Parents? - Sources for Episode 118I am a teenager who is becoming more observant. My parents are less then thrilled. How can I balance my observance with honoring my parents?
How Do I Forge My Own Religious Path While Respecting My Parents? - Transcript for Episode 118I am a teenager who is becoming more observant. My parents are less then thrilled. How can I balance my observance with honoring my parents?
Can I Read My Horoscope? - Sources for Episode 117Can I read my horoscope? Does it matter whether I’m reading it “just for fun” or if I’m really trying to predict the future? Are horoscopes more forbidden for us than they were for medieval rabbis, who probably considered astrology a legitimate science?
Can I Read My Horoscope? - Transcript for Episode 117Can I read my horoscope? Does it matter whether I’m reading it “just for fun” or if I’m really trying to predict the future? Are horoscopes more forbidden for us than they were for medieval rabbis, who probably considered astrology a legitimate science?
Should the Torah Be Translated as it's Read to Make it More Accessible? - Transcript for Episode 116In the mishnah we see the idea of a person who would translate the Torah into Aramaic after each verse is chanted from the Torah scroll. Would it be appropriate to have something like this now in order to enhance the understanding of the community?
Hadar Institute•21 Views•March 27, 2025•Translation,Jewish Law,Responsa Radio,Torah Reading,Halachah,Targum,Halakhah,Halacha
Can I Print an Overlay to Make Torah Reading More Accessible? - Transcript for Episode 118As a Gabbai, I am often reluctant to correct the person reading Torah so as not to add to their anxiety. Could we consider writing the vowels and trope onto the Torah itself or, less radically, making a see-through overlay?
Should the Torah Be Translated as it's Read to Make it More Accessible? - Sources for Episode 116In the mishnah we see the idea of a person who would translate the Torah into Aramaic after each verse is chanted from the Torah scroll. Would it be appropriate to have something like this now in order to enhance the understanding of the community?
Hadar Institute•21 Views•March 27, 2025•Halakhah,Halacha,Responsa Radio,Torah Reading,Translation,Targum,Halachah,Jewish Law
Making Sense of the Mehitzah - Transcript for Episode 115What is the history and reasoning behind the Mechitza? Why do they vary so much in size and material? And can a man walk over to the woman's side to carry a Torah?
Making Sense of the Mehitzah - Sources for Episode 115What is the history and reasoning behind the Mechitza? Why do they vary so much in size and material? And can a man walk over to the woman's side to carry a Torah?
Thanking God for "Opening the Eyes of the Blind" When I'm Disabled - Transcript for Episode 114How should a person with a disability interact with the corpus of Jewish ritual that presumes abilities? When I'm looking at Jewish ritual and whatever disability I have, it feels like they don't line up. Where does that leave me? What am I meant to do?
Hadar Institute•85 Views•March 11, 2025•Disability,Torah Reading,Morning Blessings,Halakhah,Rituals,Halacha,Birkot HaShachar
Thanking God for "Opening the Eyes of the Blind" When I'm Disabled - Sources for Episode 114How should a person with a disability interact with the corpus of Jewish ritual that presumes abilities? When I'm looking at Jewish ritual and whatever disability I have, it feels like they don't line up. Where does that leave me? What am I meant to do?
Can I Print an Overlay to Make Torah Reading More Accessible? - Sources for Episode 118As a Gabbai, I am often reluctant to correct the person reading Torah so as not to add to their anxiety. Could we consider writing the vowels and trope onto the Torah itself or, less radically, making a see-through overlay?
Can I Say Birkat Kohanim While Carrying a Gun? - Transcript for Episode 113I am a kohen who lives in Israel. Since October 7th, I've been required to carry my gun at all times, including the synagogue. Is it prohibited to make the blessing of Birkat Kohanim, which is essentially a blessing about peace, while carrying a weapon?
Can I Say Birkat Kohanim While Carrying a Gun? - Sources for Episode 113I am a kohen who lives in Israel. Since October 7th, I've been required to carry my gun at all times, including the synagogue. Is it prohibited to make the blessing of Birkat Kohanim, which is essentially a blessing about peace, while carrying a weapon?
Can I See My Therapist on Shabbat? - Episode 60Hadar Institute•2213 Views•August 2, 2021•Halakhah,Healing,Shabbat,Mental Health,Medicine,Working on Shabbat
Can I Read About Coronavirus on Shabbat? - Episode 69Hadar Institute•1457 Views•August 2, 2021•Coronavirus,Modernity,Pandemic,Covid-19,Shabbat,Changes in Halakhah,Halakhah,Zoom
How Should Jewish Criminal Lawyers Respond to Crime Scene Photos? - Episode 9Rabbi Ethan Tucker and Rabbi Avi Killip discuss the following question: 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?
