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The Twelve Minute Shiur

Freehof Institute

Byte-sized audio learning from the Freehof Institute of Progressive Halakhah

religion & spirituality judaism

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00:11:27

#84 - What Makes a Marriage a Marriage? Part 2

The Twelve Minute Shiur ·

2025/11/09

In this installment we consider the (in)famous decision of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, the preeminent 20th-century Orthodox posek in North America, concerning Reform Jewish weddings. Spoiler alert #1: he thinks that they do not produce valid Jewish marriages according to halakhah. Spoiler alert #2: his ruling served a purpose that all of us progressive types can support, even if what he says about us is vituperative and insulting. As we like to say in the halakhah business: it's complicated. Which

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00:12:51

#83 - What Makes a Marriage a Marriage? Part 1

The Twelve Minute Shiur ·

2025/10/26

Two Jews walk into a church (stop us if you've heard this one!). They get married there, in a Christian ritual, with a priest as the officiant. Does halakhah recognize this marriage as valid under Jewish law? Some rather serious consequences ride on the answer to this question. In this installment, we consider the answer offered by a leading sage of the 15th century.Download the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast

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00:12:35

#82 - The Problem With Expertise

The Twelve Minute Shiur ·

2025/10/05

We hear much these days about "the death of expertise," a growing tendency to ignore and cast suspicion upon the counsel of physicians, scientists, economists - trained experts of every sort. Why is this? Is it because we're too dumb to listen to people who know better? Well, maybe! But that's only a partial answer, because the experts may bear their share of the responsibility, too. The halakhah instructs us to heed the counsel of the expert (the baki, the mumcheh) in their area

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00:12:18

#81 - Three Blessings of Thanksgiving

The Twelve Minute Shiur ·

2025/09/08

We liberal Jews are quite familiar with the b'rakhah known as "Shehechiyanu." It's our all-purpose blessing of thanksgiving. We recite it all the time, over almost every conceivable moment of personal and communal celebration. In fact, though, the tradition knows of (at least) three b'rakhot of thanksgiving, each one to be recited at specific moments over specific things and under specific conditions. This doesn't mean we need to stop saying Shehechiyanu at the drop of a

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00:12:51

#80 - Students of Torah and Military Service: A...

The Twelve Minute Shiur ·

2025/08/18

In this installment, we look at a t'shuvah (responsum) from 1948 by a leading Orthodox posek on the question of draft exemptions for Torah students. We doubt that his opinion would be popular among today's chareidim. Not surprisingly, we find his reasoning impeccable.Get the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast.

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00:11:48

#79 - Are Students of Torah Exempt from Military...

The Twelve Minute Shiur ·

2025/08/06

In Israel, as estimated 60,000 full-time students at chareidi (ultra-Orthodox) yeshivot are exempt from giyus (the draft). It's a bitterly contested issue, especially during a two-year war when the other segments of Israel's population have shouldered a heavy burden of military service. The chareidim justify the exemption for halakhic reasons (among others). Hmm... does Jewish law really grant yeshivah students an exemption from the army? In this installment, we consider their major

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00:13:01

#78 - Why Do We Recite B'rakhot?

The Twelve Minute Shiur ·

2025/07/17

The birkot hanehenin, the blessings we recite before deriving material benefit from Creation: why exactly do we recite them?

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00:13:04

#77 - Birkat Eirusin, or: Is Marriage a Mitzvah?

The Twelve Minute Shiur ·

2025/06/29

At the moment of kiddushin, the inception of marriage, we recite the b'rakhah known as birkat eirusin, "the betrothal benediction." What does the text of that b'rakhah tell us about the nature of marriage according to the halakhah? Surprisingly - well, maybe not surprisingly - there's a machloket over that! Get the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast.

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00:13:04

#76 - K'vod Hab'riyot and Positive Change

The Twelve Minute Shiur ·

2025/05/27

Do poskim rely upon the principle "great is human dignity" as an argument for making permanent and positive changes in halakhic observance? Not often... but sometimes they do. Here's an example of an Orthodox authority who uses the argument gadol k'vod hab'riyot to justify removing a well-known barrier to justice and equity in traditional practice. And although we progressives solved that problem many years ago, we do not hesitate to call this rabbi one of our halakhic

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00:13:39

#75 - Gadol K'vod Hab'riyot: A Wedding on Shabbat

The Twelve Minute Shiur ·

2025/04/27

In shiur #73, we saw that the exalted halakhic principle "great is human dignity" has historically played but a minor, limited role in practical halakhic decision making. This shiur considers a famous exception to that rule. Rabbi Moshe Isserles permitted a couple to violate the Rabbis' prohibition against holding weddings on Shabbat when postponing the hupah until Sunday would have brought shame and humiliation upon the bride. His halakhic argument suggests that poskim are entitled

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00:12:47

#74 - Why Don't We Recite a B’rakhah Over the Hagadah?

The Twelve Minute Shiur ·

2025/04/02

It's a positive ("thou shalt") mitzvah to tell the story of our redemption from Egypt on seder night. So why do we not recite a b'rakhah, a blessing over Hagadah, the telling of the story? Many have asked this question, and many have offered answers. In this installment we consider some of those answers. And we may even suggest one of our own.Download the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast.

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00:12:40

#73 - Gadol K'vod Hab'riyot

The Twelve Minute Shiur ·

2025/03/26

"Great is human dignity."How great is it? Would you believe that it's so great that it takes precedence over mitzvot of the Torah?? Well, not so fast; it's complicated. And like the old saying goes: two Talmuds, two opinions.Download the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast

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00:12:11

#72 - Are We Allowed to Cause Harm to Ourselves?

The Twelve Minute Shiur ·

2025/03/04

Are we entitled to do anything we wish to our bodies and our persons, even to the point of inflicting substantive harm upon ourselves, so long as our act does not damage others? Modern Western thought, especially in its libertarian variety, tends to answer "yes." Traditional Jewish thought, which is hardly libertarian, would answer "no," correct? Well, not so fast. Rather than one clear and obviously correct answer, the halakhah offers us a way to think about and argue the

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00:13:05

#71 - Birkat Hatorah

The Twelve Minute Shiur ·

2025/02/13

If talmud torah k'neged kulam ("the study of Torah is equal in weight to all the other mitzvot combined"), then no wonder we recite a b'rakhah - or maybe more than one - for the act of Torah study. But - what do we recite? When precisely do we recite it? And over what sort of "Torah" do we recite it? So many questions... let's see if our texts can provide us with some answers.Download the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast

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00:13:06

#70 - On Strike!

The Twelve Minute Shiur ·

2025/01/27

Does the halakhah permit unions to strike, to walk off the job and to prevent nonunionized workers from replacing those on the picket line?It’s a machloket. Some authorities say that the Torah forbids workers to strike against employers and that there is a better way to resolve disputes over wages and working conditions. Others permit the strike as an invaluable tool of worker empowerment that draws its support from several provisions of Jewish law.In this installment, we’re looking at both

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00:12:41

#69 - Rav Ouziel on Organized Labor

The Twelve Minute Shiur ·

2025/01/13

How an outstanding 20th-century posek translates the ambiguities of the classical texts into a language that speaks to the economic realities of modern industrial society. The halakhah, he tells us, offers enthusiastic support for labor unionization even though those texts don't say so, at least not literally. Talk about "progressive halakhah" before that term was invented! But even he has doubts that unions are entitled to strike to enforce their demands. Is he right? We'll look at that subject in

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00:12:18

68. The Halakhah and Organized Labor

The Twelve Minute Shiur ·

2024/12/30

Does Jewish law permit workers to organize into labor unions to help secure better pay, benefits, and working conditions? Does it permit those unions to go on strike or undertake other such actions to enforce achieve their demands? The answer to those questions is a definite – maybe. In this shiur, we’ll look at some texts that may give us some guidance but that leave a lot of questions open. So stay tuned for our next shi'ur, when we’ll see how a leading 20th-century posek constructs from these

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00:11:57

#67 - Hanerot Halalu

The Twelve Minute Shiur ·

2024/12/15

"Throughout the eight days of Hanukkah / These lights are sacred /And we have no permission to make use of them / We may only look upon them..."That's part of the liturgy traditionally recited upon kindling the Hanukkah lights. But what does it mean to "make use" of the Hanukkah lights? Why are we not permitted to make use of them? And how do we know all of this anyway?A bit of learning for the festival of lights.Downlaod the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast

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00:11:58

#66 - Joshua's Rules for Sharing the Land

The Twelve Minute Shiur ·

2024/11/25

Our tradition teaches that Joshua imposed a set of t'naim, stipulations or conditions, upon the people before they took possession of the land. Those stipulations suggest a vision of land use that allows for private ownership and for public benefit. Does that vision have anything to teach us in our time?

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00:12:54

#65 - Is There a Requirement to Eat Meat on Festivals?

The Twelve Minute Shiur ·

2024/11/06

It's a mitzvah to rejoice on a festival. And what better way to rejoice than a se`udat yom tov, a festive meal? Does meat have to be on the menu? Many Orthodox Jews say "yes" and that they have the sources to prove it. We're here to say "no," and we've got sources, too. It's a machloket. And not to brag or anything, but we think that our argument is more persuasive! Get the source sheet at www.freehofinstitute.org/podcast

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