The Times of Israel https://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/halacha/ News from Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World Tue, 09 Jun 2026 10:22:25 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://static-cdn.toi-media.com/www/uploads/2018/11/toi_icon_512-200x200.png halacha | The Times of Israel https://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/halacha/ 32 32 With Israelis under fire, a rabbi offers guidance where Jewish law meets mental health https://www.timesofisrael.com/with-israelis-under-fire-a-rabbi-offers-guidance-where-jewish-law-meets-mental-health/ Fri, 06 Mar 2026 13:42:48 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3769857 Rabbi Yoni Rosensweig says that for observant Jews, it can be challenging to observe laws like Shabbat while dealing with the anxiety and stress of missiles flying overhead

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]]> Rabbi’s ‘ruling’ discouraging eating Shabbat stew on Thursday nights briefly roils Israel https://www.timesofisrael.com/rabbis-ruling-discouraging-eating-shabbat-stew-on-thursday-nights-briefly-roils-israel/ Thu, 17 Jul 2025 16:10:41 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3596427 Top Haredi authority Rabbi Yitzchok Zilberstein suggests that having cholent during the week isn't healthy and takes away from the dish's holy status - but doesn't forbid it outright

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]]> Knesset rejects bill to let all terror victims be buried in Jewish cemeteries https://www.timesofisrael.com/knesset-rejects-bill-to-let-all-terror-victims-be-buried-in-jewish-cemeteries/ Thu, 10 Jul 2025 18:58:13 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3595548 Civil society groups say vote shows Israel has failed to learn lessons from October 7, when some victims who were not considered Jewish by law were buried in separate cemeteries

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]]> From radical drag queen to rabbi, film depicts journey of a Jewish law breaker https://www.timesofisrael.com/from-radical-drag-queen-to-rabbi-film-depicts-journey-of-a-jewish-law-breaker/ Sat, 08 Feb 2025 00:46:26 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3464045 'Sabbath Queen' follows gay scion of rabbinic dynasty Amichai Lau-Lavie for two decades as he challenges traditional Judaism's norms and becomes a respected communal leader

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]]> Amid war, divorce rates jumped 6.5% last year, rabbinate says https://www.timesofisrael.com/amid-war-divorces-rates-jumped-6-5-last-year-rabbinate-says/ Tue, 04 Feb 2025 12:40:55 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3474997 Rabbinical courts obtained writs of divorce for 221 women in 2024 whose husbands had refused to hand them over, says authority, which holds monopoly over Jewish divorce in Israel

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]]> IDF rabbinate opposes asking troops to sign form ‘unchaining’ wives in case of disaster https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-rabbinate-opposes-asking-troops-to-sign-form-unchaining-wives-in-case-of-disaster/ Fri, 22 Nov 2024 14:44:38 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3423336 While conditional divorces can free women in case of a husband's disappearance or loss of mental faculties in battle, rabbis say pushing such a document on soldiers may hurt morale

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]]> Haifa court rules divorce refusal is a crime, sentences husband to 18 months in prison https://www.timesofisrael.com/haifa-court-rules-divorce-refusal-is-a-crime-sentences-husband-to-18-months-in-prison/ Tue, 15 Oct 2024 19:52:02 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3398069 Man is 2nd to be sentenced to prison for refusing to give his wife a 'get,' after trapping her in marriage since 2004; rabbinic courts in US, Israel have issued rulings against him

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]]> IDF says head of Israeli brigade on Gaza border was killed Oct 7, body held by Hamas https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-says-a-gaza-brigade-chief-was-killed-on-october-7-body-held-by-hamas/ Sat, 02 Dec 2023 18:05:04 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?post_type=liveblog_entry&p=3168807 Col. Asaf Hamami, commander of Gaza Division's Southern Brigade, recognized as 'a fallen soldier held by a terror group'

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]]> What Matters Now to Rabbi Seth Farber: Hostages and mixed burials in Jewish law https://www.timesofisrael.com/what-matters-now-to-rabbi-seth-farber-hostages-and-mixed-burials-in-jewish-law/ Fri, 24 Nov 2023 07:20:41 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3161230&preview=true&preview_id=3161230 Issues of religion and state can take on more urgency in times of war. The head of ITIM, an NGO aimed at helping Israelis navigate the country’s religious bureaucracy, explains

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]]> Israeli rabbis are issuing guidance about how to adjust Jewish law during wartime https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-rabbis-are-issuing-guidance-about-how-to-adjust-jewish-law-during-wartime/ Sun, 22 Oct 2023 21:53:30 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3126677 Since Hamas's Oct. 7 onslaught, the rabbinic principle of pikuach nefesh, or preserving life, has taken precedence above all - though not everyone agrees on what it means

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]]> Fearing crisis, secular and devout unveil new Israeli manifesto at Ben Gurion’s home https://www.timesofisrael.com/fearing-crisis-secular-and-devout-unveil-new-israeli-manifesto-at-ben-gurions-home/ Tue, 12 Sep 2023 07:06:14 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3094120 The document, authored by prominent individuals from both sides of the religious divide, seeks to address what it means to have a Jewish state

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]]> Can you roll on Shabbos? San Francisco rabbis on the robotaxis flooding city streets https://www.timesofisrael.com/can-you-roll-on-shabbos-san-francisco-rabbis-on-the-robotaxis-flooding-city-streets/ Mon, 28 Aug 2023 03:31:31 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3080252 New technology is taking us into uncharted territory in Jewish law - but opinions are mixed on whether added mobility will bring communities closer or drive them apart

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]]> Conservative rabbis endorse use of electric cars on Shabbat, still divided on driving https://www.timesofisrael.com/conservative-rabbis-endorse-use-of-electric-cars-on-shabbat-in-divisive-new-vote/ Fri, 28 Jul 2023 03:48:49 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3060852 Just 10 members of the movement’s 25-rabbi Committee on Jewish Law and Standards were in favor and 6 voted against, 5 rabbis abstained, 4 did not attend

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]]> Bill seeks to strengthen rabbinical courts’ jurisdiction over child support https://www.timesofisrael.com/bill-seeks-to-strengthen-rabbinical-courts-jurisdiction-on-alimony-child-support/ Mon, 17 Jul 2023 16:33:39 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3053374 Opposition lawmakers say draft amendment compromises women's position and is part of a slide toward theocracy

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]]> As demand for Orthodox Jewish conversion soars, the number of successful cases dips https://www.timesofisrael.com/as-demand-for-orthodox-jewish-conversion-soars-the-number-of-successful-cases-dips/ Thu, 25 May 2023 06:41:30 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3021029 The government's protracted process is not appealing to most of the half-million Israelis who are not recognized as Jewish by the Rabbinate

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