You Asked, Rabbi Ulman Answered

Nomi Kaltmann

Book Review of MiLishkat HaDarom

When MiLishkat HaDarom—a compilation of rabbinic questions and answers by Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, the senior Dayan of the Sydney Beth Din—was published about a year ago, it largely flew under the radar. Written in rabbinic Hebrew, the book’s dense style limited its reach among English-speaking audiences. Yet behind its unassuming debut lies the work of a global authority on Jewish family law, by a rabbi and scholar whose expertise continues to shape the field in profound ways.

Rabbi Ulman is well known in Australia, and from his office in Sydney, Australia, he fields some of the world’s most pressing questions related to fertility, IVF, Jewish divorce, and the status of Kohanim. The book includes questions from many countries including Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, Singapore, Austria, and Israel, amongst others.

With endorsements from some of the greatest living rabbis in the world, including Zalman Nechemia Goldberg, Shlomo Moshe Amar, and David Lau, MiLishkat HaDarom is a groundbreaking work covering halakhic questions from many countries that rarely get attention.

Born in Leningrad in the former USSR, Rabbi Yehoram Ulman’s journey has taken him to yeshivot in Israel and the United States to his current home in Australia. A prominent figure in the Chabad Lubavitch movement, Ulman’s influence extends far beyond his affiliation.

Renowned as a trusted authority, he serves as the go-to halakhic expert for thousands of Chabad shluhim worldwide, delivering rulings on complex cases across dozens of countries. A scholar of extraordinary calibre, Ulman is known for his innovative halakhic solutions, stepping in where others might hesitate—such as navigating the intricacies of arranging a get for the ex-wife of the last Jew in Afghanistan who had been an agunah in Israel for many years.

Ulman’s book is divided into multiple sections, each with questions and answers on distinct topics such as Ishurei Yahadut, questions relating to Jewish Status, Mamzerut, which covers illegitimately conceived children, Kohanim, covering the priesthood, as well as sections dedicated to questions around fertility.

The questions, which can come from anywhere in the world, are always intricate and fascinating. Rabbi Ulman addresses the role of mitochondrial DNA in questions around Jewish status, as well as what a person should do if they lost their conversion certificate. Fertility questions are wide ranging, including artificial insemination from a husband to a wife, artificial insemination when the father is unknown, as well as questions related to the need for hashgahah [supervision] of fertility treatments like egg and sperm extraction. Unsurprisingly, Rabbi Ulman is in favor of rabbinic supervision of IVF, and in 1995 pioneered the halakhic protocol related to these treatments with Rabbi Yosef Feigelstock which is used in many countries.

The complex questions that he receives are eye opening. For example, when the COVID-19 pandemic began, a Jewish couple in China faced an urgent dilemma. They had recently welcomed a baby boy, but with no local mohel available and China’s borders firmly shut, there was no foreseeable way to perform their son’s brit milah. Desperate for a solution, they wrote to Rabbi Ulman, asking if a woman in their community—an Orthodox Jew who kept Shabbat and Kosher and was also a trained surgeon—could perform the circumcision.

Rabbi Ulman carefully considered the unique circumstances, including the possibility that it might take over a year before a traditional mohel could reach the couple in China. Ultimately, however, he ruled that the brit milah must be conducted in accordance with Jewish law and tradition. While the female doctor was highly skilled in medical circumcision, her training followed secular, non-Jewish methods, which did not align with Jewish tradition. Therefore, he concluded, she could not perform the brit milah.

Another question Rabbi Ulman received revolved around a delicate family matter. A couple had divorced, and the woman later married another man. However, her second husband suffered from severe erectile dysfunction, and despite consulting multiple doctors, the couple was unable to consummate their marriage during their nine months together. The second marriage ultimately ended in divorce, and the original couple reconciled, leading to a pressing halakhic question: could the couple remarry?

According to Jewish law, a woman who has been both married to and intimate with another man after divorcing her first husband is generally prohibited from remarrying him. Rabbi Ulman approached the situation with deep sensitivity and rigorous halakhic analysis. He determined that since the second marriage had not been consummated, the prohibition did not apply. Therefore, he ruled that the original couple could remarry, offering them a path forward within the framework of Halakha.

Some of the most intriguing and emotionally charged questions arise in the sections addressing Jewish status. These inquiries reveal the complex, often painful realities of life, such as a father declaring his son a mamzer based on the mother’s admission of infidelity, the status of children born to parents married in a Conservative wedding ceremony, or a woman who has been intimate with other men engaged to a Kohen. Among these questions and answers are also deeply tragic cases, like that of a survivor of childhood rape who still wishes to marry a Kohen.

While Orthodox halakhic law is sometimes criticized for its perceived rigidity, reading a modern work like MiLishkat HaDarom by Rabbi Ulman offers a refreshing perspective. It demonstrates how remarkably adaptable Halakha can be when a skilled and thoughtful authority examines a complex question, carefully weighing all the facts before arriving at a decision.

As I delved into the many questions and answers written in rabbinic Hebrew, I found myself wishing these fascinating cases could reach a broader audience in English. While I could navigate and understand the Hebrew, I know that many people lack the same textual grounding. Although I haven’t asked Rabbi Ulman if he plans to translate his book, several rabbis I consulted explained that many poskim deliberately choose not to translate their works into English. This decision often stems from a desire to prevent their rulings from being misapplied and to ensure that only those capable of engaging with the material in Hebrew can interpret and apply their answers correctly.

In addition, as I read through some of the questions in MiLishkat HaDarom, a concerning thought began to surface: the details in the book seemed strikingly specific. It might not be as challenging as one would hope to identify the businessman in Shanghai who discovered late in life that he was a Kohen yet sought to marry a Russian woman he had been involved with, whose parents had converted—and who turned to Rabbi Ulman for guidance. Similarly, within the tight knit global Jewish community it might not be too difficult to pinpoint the civilly married couple in Austria whose rabbi wrote to Rabbi Ulman seeking advice on whether the wife could begin using the mikveh in Vienna before they had a Jewish marriage ceremony. While these rulings are fascinating, their personal nature left me questioning whether such specific details should have been shared so openly.

Overall, MiLishkat HaDarom showcases the brilliance of a rabbi of Rabbi Ulman’s calibre, navigating the complexities of contemporary Jewish life with profound sensitivity and insight. His ability to address the difficult questions facing the Jewish people today while balancing tradition with modern realities shows the enduring relevance and adaptability of halakhic thought.