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The Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society is a semiannual Orthodox Jewish academic journal published by the Rabbi Jacob Joseph School and edited by Rabbi Benzion Sommerfeld. As its title implies, it is devoted to the interface between halakha (halacha, Jewish law and ethics) and modern society; thus, some articles will discuss how recent scientific developments are viewed by halakha while others may examine modern trends in Jewish life.
Regular contributors include Dr. Fred Rosner on medical issues, Rabbi J. David Bleich, and Rabbi Alfred Cohen. According to the masthead, all articles are vetted by halachic authorities.
The journal also often includes reviews of books on subjects that are relevant to the journal's scope.
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Halakha, also transliterated as halacha, halakhah, and halocho, is the collective body of Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandments (mitzvot), subsequent Talmudic and rabbinic laws, and the customs and traditions which were compiled in the many books such as the Shulchan Aruch. Halakha is often translated as "Jewish law", although a more literal translation might be "the way to behave" or "the way of walking". The word is derived from the root which means "to behave". Halakha not only guides religious practices and beliefs; it also guides numerous aspects of day-to-day life.
Rabbinic literature, in its broadest sense, is the entire spectrum of works authored by rabbis throughout Jewish history. The term typically refers to literature from the Talmudic era, as opposed to medieval and modern rabbinic writings. It aligns with the Hebrew term Sifrut Chazal, which translates to “literature [of our] sages” and generally pertains only to the sages (Chazal) from the Talmudic period. This more specific sense of "Rabbinic literature"—referring to the Talmud, Midrashim, and related writings, but hardly ever to later texts—is how the term is generally intended when used in contemporary academic writing. The terms mefareshim and parshanim almost always refer to later, post-Talmudic writers of rabbinic glosses on Biblical and Talmudic texts.
A yeshiva or jeshibah is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha, while Torah and Jewish philosophy are studied in parallel. The studying is usually done through daily shiurim as well as in study pairs called chavrusas. Chavrusa-style learning is one of the unique features of the yeshiva.
Modern Orthodox Judaism is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to synthesize Jewish values and the observance of Jewish law with the modern world.
Norman Lamm was an American Modern Orthodox rabbi, scholar, academic administrator, author, and Jewish community leader. He was the Chancellor of Yeshiva University until he announced his retirement on July 1, 2013.
A beth din is a rabbinical court of Judaism. In ancient times, it was the building block of the legal system. Today, it is invested with legal powers in a number of religious matters both in Israel and in Jewish communities in the diaspora, where its judgments hold varying degrees of authority in matters specifically related to Jewish religious life.
Chayei Adam is a work of Jewish law by Rabbi Avraham Danzig (1748–1820), dealing with the laws discussed in the Orach Chayim section of the Shulchan Aruch. It is divided into 224 sections - 69 dealing with daily conduct and prayer, and 155 with Shabbos (Sabbath) and Yom Tov (holidays).
Halakha addresses a number of topics applicable to tobacco and cigarette smoking. These include the health impacts of smoking; the permissibility of smoking on holidays and fast days, and the impacts of second-hand smoke on other people.
Eliezer Berkovits, was a rabbi, theologian, and educator in the tradition of Orthodox Judaism.
Hershel Schachter is an American Orthodox rabbi, posek, and rosh yeshiva at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS), part of Yeshiva University in New York City.
Zalman Nechemia Goldberg was an Ashkenazi rabbi, posek, and rosh yeshiva (dean) in Israel. He was a son-in-law of Shlomo Zalman Auerbach.
Howard (Chaim) Jachter is an American Orthodox rabbi, Dayan, educator, and author. He sits on the Beth Din of Elizabeth, New Jersey as a Dayan and Get administrator. Noted as an expert on the laws of Jewish divorce, he also chairs the Agunah Prevention and Resolution Committee of the Rabbinical Council of America. Rabbi Jachter is also the consulting rabbi for over 60 Eruvs across the United States. He serves as the Rabbi of Sha'arei Orah, the Sephardic Congregation of Teaneck, and is a faculty member at the Torah Academy of Bergen County (TABC). Author of sixteen books and over one thousand online and journal articles, he writes and lectures extensively on contemporary topics in Jewish law and thought. He has five children.
David Hanoch Yitzchak Bar-Hayim is an Israeli rabbi who heads the Shilo Institute, a Jerusalem-based rabbinical court and institute of Jewish education dedicated to the Torah of Israel.
The Zomet Institute is an Israeli high-tech non-profit organization specializing in IT equipment and electronic appliances designed to meet Halakha.
The Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists (AOJS) is an organization of scientists committed to the views and beliefs of Orthodox Judaism and promote the integration of scientific and Orthodox Jewish worldviews. The purpose of the organization was to provide a social milieu that supported the Orthodox theological stance of “Torah im Derekh Eretz" in Jewish communal life. The AOJS organized annual conventions and publications to support this aim, allowing for extensive interaction between religious and scientific worldviews.
In Jewish law, a posek is a legal scholar who determines the application of halakha, the Jewish religious laws derived from the written and Oral Torah, in cases of Jewish law where previous authorities are inconclusive, or in those situations where no clear halakhic precedent exists.
"Guide for the Halakhic Minyan" is a work published to provide Jewish worship groups, especially Partnership minyans, with halachic sources that support the participation of women in leadership roles in traditional worship services, including the reading from the Sefer Torah, Haftarah, and other special biblical readings, such as the Book of Esther on the Jewish festival of Purim.
Daniel Stein is a Rabbi and Rosh Yeshiva at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary of Yeshiva University in New York City where he holds the Perez and Frieda Friedberg Chair in Talmud.
Yosef Zvi Rimon is an Israeli Religious Zionist rabbi, author, lecturer and Posek who serves as rabbi of the Gush Etzion Regional Council and the Ashkenazi Synagogue of Alon Shvut Darom. He is Rosh Yeshiva of the Jerusalem College of Technology and a Rosh Kollel at Yeshivat Har Etzion. As of March 2024, Rav Rimon was named President of the World Mizrachi Movement.