Cross-Dressing and Cross-Conduct: When Lo Yilbash Meets Contemporary Western Culture

Moshe Kurtz examines the Torah’s prohibition on cross-dressing as a lens to view the shifting contemporary gender norms.

The Forgotten Mourners

What is the halakhic status of those mourning the loss of their parents-in-law? Aaron Ross, inspired by his personal experience, grapples with the lack of formal aveilut rituals for non-biological relatives.

A More Holistic Halakhic Approach to Vaccine Inequity

Alan Jotkowitz disagrees with Sharon Galper Grossman’s and Shamai Grossman’s halakhic argument that wealthy nations should provide booster shots to their own populations before contributing doses to poorer countries.

U-shemor Nafshekha: The Curious History of the (Supposed) Mitzvah to Maintain One’s Health

What does the Torah mean when it says to "guard your nefesh (soul)"? Lehrhaus editor David Fried reevaluates the common understanding of a Torah mandate for healthy living.

Liturgical Repetition: When Singing Becomes Sacrilegious

With the High Holidays approaching, a time iconic for its songful liturgy, Moshe Kurtz scrutinizes the practice of cantors repeating words during davening.

From Polemic to Pandemic: The Past, Present, and Future of Hazarat ha-Shatz

Post-pandemic proposals to omit hazarat ha-shatz on a permanent basis have been soundly rejected by halakhic authorities. Is this due exclusively to halakhic considerations, or are additional factors at play? Yosie Levine contends that Ashkenazic rabbinic opposition to 19th-century attempts to eliminate hazarat ha-shatz may still be shaping halakhic discourse today.

The Pitfalls of Excessive Rabbinic Honorifics

What is the appropriate way to address a rabbi? Moshe Kurtz offers a thoughtful perspective on lay usage of rabbinic titles.

“Justice has not Been Done”: Officer Immunity and Accountability in Jewish Law (Part 2)

David Polsky meticulously explores officer immunity in Halakha and compares it with the American legal standard of qualified immunity.

“Justice has not Been Done”: Officer Immunity and Accountability in Jewish Law (Part 1)

David Polsky meticulously analyzes Halakhic sources on the use of force by officers of the law.

Halakhah Meets Non-Traditional Approaches to Ensuring COVID-19 Vaccination

Sharon Galper Grossman and Shamai Grossman examine the halakhic permissibility of vaccine mandates by governments and employers.