Shu"T First, Ask Questions Later

This is a very special episode for me, in which we discuss my Rebbe, HaGaon HaRav Moshe Dovid Tendler zt"l. We are joined by one of his granddaughters and a longtime colleague of mine, Rachel Rosensweig. She provides a synopsis of the Conjoined Twins ruling he was involved in and speaks more broadly about more personal aspects of Rav Tendler that many are likely unfamiliar with. Bio: Rachel Rosensweig teaches Gemara and Halacha at Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls in Teaneck, New Jersey, where she also coaches the school’s Torah Bowl team. Rachel received her B.A. in Judaic studies and biology from Stern College for Women. She holds an M.A. from Yeshiva University’s Graduate Program in Advanced Talmud and Tanach Studies (GPATS) as well as a dual M.S.-M.A. from the Azrieli School of Jewish Education and Administration and the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Judaic Studies. She was honored to receive the Wexner Graduate Fellowship/Davidson Scholarship as part of Class 33, the final cohort of the program. Rachel lives in Washington Heights, NY with her husband Moshe and daughter Miriam Shifra.

We are joined by Rabbi Daniel Korobkin, medieval scholar and the translator/annotator of the Feldheim edition of Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi’s Kuzari, who takes us into the story of a community in arms over whether and when to permit the study of secular knowledge. By looking at several responsa of the Rashba (1:415-417; Kisvei Yad no. 150) we get a glimpse into the age old question of how Judaism ought to interact with the broader world around it.

Rabbi Yehuda Halpert takes us 5 years back to the COVID Zoom Seder controversy, contrasts the different rabbinic responsa, and unpacks their significance for the post-pandemic era. Stay tuned for his upcoming book: Speaking to an Empty Shul: Timeless Lessons from Unprecedented Times (Mosaica Press, 2025).

In this episode, Rabbi Barry Gelman shares with us a personal case he dealt with regarding a family who was adamant about reburying their deceased six feet under. Rabbi Gelman shares with us the responsum he received from Eretz Hemdah (B'Mareh HaBazak 7:81) and how it made its way into a Texas courtroom. This is a fascinating discussion that incorporates Halacha, the American legal system and a regrettable family drama all wrapped up together.

Editor's Note: This episode is dedicated in memory of Joy Rothke (Shayna Fradel bas Reb Velvel) a"h. I want to thank Ben Rothke for his friendship and ideas that have helped me throughout this project. May our learning be a zechus for his sister's neshama and may Hashem give him and his entire family much nechama. - Moshe Kurtz --- In this episode, Rabbi Michoel Zylberman delves into a fascinating responsum by HaRav Nota Greenblatt zt"l of Memphis (reprinted in Kol Tzvi 22-23, 5782-5783) in which he defends a local conversion that was later challenged by rabbis in New York. Rav Greenblatt's uncompromising fealty to rigorous halachic standards and to the needs of his community serves as a paradigm for rabbinic leadership in America. Rabbi Michoel Zylberman is the Sgan Menahel (Associate Director) of the Beth Din of America. A Yadin Yadin musmach of RIETS, he was a member of the Bella and Harry Wexner Kolel Elyon, and holds an MA from the Bernard Revel Graduate School in Medieval Jewish history. In addition to his work at the Beth Din of America as an administrator, mesader gittin, and dayan, Rabbi Zylberman serves on the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary faculty as a rosh chabura and functions as the director of geirut for the Rabbinical Council of America. He is the author of Tov Lev on Masechet Pesachim with an appended Kuntreis Da’at Yehudit on the laws of Gittin and Gerut.

Today, we explore the recent compendium of responsa called Shu"T PUAH, produced by PUAH, an organization that helps families with the range of challenges in the fertility journey, including halacha, medicine, finances, counseling and more. We had the privilege to hear from Rabbi Elan Segelman, PUAH's rabbinic director in America. We explore different perspectives on artificial insemination and surrogacy - and walk away with an appreciation for the important work PUAH is doing within the realm of responsa and the real lived experience. Rabbi Elan Segelman is the rabbinic director for PUAH in America. After studying in Israel for two years at Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh, Rabbi Segelman attained a B.A. in Psychology from Touro College's Lander College for Men, as well as an M.A. from Touro College's Graduate School of Jewish Studies. Shortly after completing his Semicha, he was appointed as a Shoel U'Maishiv and Rebbe in the Lander College Judaic Studies Program. In 2016, Rabbi Segelman became the Rabbinic Educator at New York Medical College & Touro College of Dental Medicine in Valhalla, NY. Rabbi Segelman currently resides in Los Angeles, California, where he serves as the Rabbi of the Young Israel of Hancock Park. He can be reached at: esegelman@puahfertility.org To learn more about PUAH, click here. To purchase their books, click here.

Today we are joined by Rabbi Shmuel Lubin, a RIETS musmach, doctoral candidate in Microbiology, and host of "The Rishonim Podcast" who introduces us to the responsa of the Ri Migash (no. 114) and what it means for the study of Talmud, Responsa, and Halacha nowadays. Check out the Rishonim podcast here:https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/the-rishonim https://sites.google.com/view/rishonim

Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz, a close disciple of the preeminent HaRav Hershel Schachter (and a leading scholar in his own right), offers an intimate glimpse into the renowned posek's approach to halachic decision-making. Drawing on Rav Schachter's earlier work, Eretz HaTzvi (no. 6), Rabbi Lebowitz shares a compelling example which illustrates Rav Schachter's distinctive style of pesak. This insightful conversation showcases Rav Schachter's nuanced understanding, meticulous analysis, and compassionate application of halacha, highlighting the profound impact of his leadership on contemporary Jewish law. Click here to purchase his latest sefer: Kinyan Halacha: From Pesukim to Poskim (Bereishis).

Our guest, Rabbi Tuvia Berman seeks to identify the essential components of Jewish education. What - if any - is the role of Lomdus, Medresh, Machshava, and Dikduk? He breaks down the Chavos Yair's (responsum, no. 124) incisive approach and offers general insights from his long and multi-faceted career as a Jewish educator. Rabbi Tuvia Berman is the Director of Institutional Advancement at Yeshivat Eretz HaTzvi. In addition, he has held numerous posts in education from the high school level through adult education. A graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Graduate School, he learned at Yeshivat Har Etzion and received Semikha from Yeshivat HaMivtar in Efrat. He founded the Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus (JLIC) at Brandeis University and served as the rabbinic advisory to the Orthodox community there for several years. Previously, he was a RaM at Midreshet Lindenbaum and he currently lives in Efrat.

Discover the extraordinary legacy of Rav Mordechai Pinchas Teitz, the rabbi of Elizabeth, NJ, and a visionary leader who rescued sacred texts and transformed the lives of countless American Jews. Dr. Rivkah Blau shares a teshuva he published in the journal, HaPardes (Year 25, Issue #3, p. 5) and provides several inspiring stories of her esteemed father. --- Dr. Rivkah Blau served as an adjunct professor at Stern College and began teaching Torah when she was fifteen. She has been a teacher, principal, lecturer and author in the decades since. Her doctoral thesis at Columbia was on Psalms in English poetry. And she is a member of the editorial board of Tradition.Learn Torah, Love Torah, Live Torah, her biography of her father, Rav Mordechai Pinchas Teitz, z’l - who is the subject of today’s episode - was published in Israel as V'Samachta B'Chayecha, conveys his approach of Torah knowledge for everyone, while enjoying what is good in modern life.

Returning to his early educational roots, Moshe Kurtz interviews his lifelong Rebbe and Rosh HaYeshiva, Rav Yaakov Bender about an array of questions pertaining to Jewish education. Through the lens of several teshuvos in Igros Moshe (Y.D. 2:104, Y.D. 4:30, and C.M. 2:51), Rabbi Bender emphasizes the importance of compassion and inclusivity as a hallmark of Jewish education. Rav Yaakov Bender is the Rosh HaYeshiva of Yeshiva Darchei Torah in Far Rockaway, NY. He is a Musmach of the Mirrer Yeshiva, Founder of Hatzalah in Flatbush and Far Rockaway, member of the Vaad Roshei Yeshivos of Torah Umesorah and Resident Rabbi at Camp Banim for over 50 years.

In this episode, Dr. Elana Stein Hain examines a unique pair of responsa by the Rambam (no. 160-161, Mechon Yerushalayim Ed.), which present a harrowing marital dispute from two opposing perspectives - one from the wife's point of view and the other from the husband's. By analyzing these two teshuvos, Dr. Stein Hain gets to the deeper meaning of the place for legal workarounds (ha'aramos) and how they actually help by maintaining the integrity of the halachic system. Dr. Elana Stein Hain is author of Circumventing the Law: Rabbinic Perspectives on Loopholes and Legal Integrity (30% discount: use PENN-ESHAIN30 at checkout) and host of the bi-weekly podcast TEXTing, where ancient wisdom meets contemporary relevance. She gives a weekly online shiur on halakhic concepts called Din and Daf and serves as Rosh Beit Midrash at the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. She and her family are privileged to spend this year living in Israel.

In this episode, we sit down with Rabbi Asher Bush, a contemporary posek (Jewish legal authority), who offers a unique glimpse into the mind of a modern halachic decisor. Rabbi Bush shares his experiences and insights on how he navigates the complex challenges of the modern world while rendering halachic decisions. We touch on a host of topics from his responsa, Shoel B'Shlomo, including Health, Shabbos, Kashrus and Eretz Yisrael. Rabbi Bush's sefer can be purchased here: https://oupress.org/product/shoel-bshlomo/