Ep. 159 Current Jewish Questions 50 – Halakhic Humor

Rabbi Yuter closes out his Current Jewish Questions series at The Stanton Street Shul with a Very Special 50th class discussing parameters of humor in Rabbinic Judaism.

Current Jewish Questions – Halakhic Humor Sources (PDF)

Current Jewish Questions – Halakhic Humor




Ep. 158 Current Jewish Questions 49 – Reparations for Slavery and Discrimination

Inspired by Ta-Nehisi Coates’ recent Atlantic essay The Case for Reparations, Rabbi Yuter addresses this complicated topic through Biblical and Rabbinic sources.

Current Jewish Questions – Reparations Sources (PDF)

Current Jewish Questions – Reparations




Ep. 155 Current Jewish Questions 47 – Science and Judaism

This class introduces the topic of how to handle when Judaism and science conflict with each other.

Current Jewish Questions – Science and Judaism Sources (PDF)

Current Jewish Questions – Science and Judaism




Ep. 153 Current Jewish Questions 46 – Boxing / MMA

Back from a long hiatus (and a bout with bronchitis), Rabbi Yuter returns with a discussion on how combat sports like Boxing or Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fit in with Jewish law.

Current Jewish Questions 46 – Boxing and MMA Sources (PDF)

Current Jewish Questions 46 – Boxing / MMA




Halakha vs. Halakhic Gerrymandering – With Visual Aids

Religious Jews often talk about halakhah, and by their self-identification will attempt to frame their practices within a halakhic framework, but few if any can offer a logically coherent or consistent system to describe how halakhah is supposed to work. For example, one of the recurring issues in the Jewish community is what are the rules of halakhic adaptation, how does Jewish Law change, and how do we determine which changes are legitimate or flawed.

This is a subject about which I have discussed extensively on this site and even devoted a 30 part series dedicated to describing The Halakhic Process. However, it appears that for many people on the internet it is too much trouble to listen to classes, consult primary sources necessary for an argument, read long posts with a critical eye towards comprehension, let alone suffer the inconvenience of having to substantiate their own opinions with any semblance of rigor.1

Thus, as a quasi-public service, today I am going to illustrate fundamental differences in approaches to halakhah by actually providing illustrations.




Ep. 151 Levaya / Funeral for My Grandfather, Mayer Bender (Meir Yechiel ben Moshe Ephraim V’Leah)

“It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice”
Sign in LBC Clothing

Dear Friends,
This past Thursday, April 10th 2014, 10 Nissan in the Hebrew Calendar, my grandfather Mayer Bender Meir Yechiel ben Moshe Ephraim v’Leah passed away at the age of 94. The following is an audio recording of the funeral, in which you will hear in detail just what an exceptional person he was. Those who knew him invariably loved him, and I consider myself privileged to have had a relationship with him, and honored to have been his grandson.

Levaya / Funeral for My Grandfather, Mayer Bender (Meir Yechiel ben Moshe Ephraim V’Leah)