 Captivating Cases in Rabbinic ResponsaListen in on the surprising, practical questions your ancestors asked rabbis across Jewish history. Join this six-session course to discover the little-known world of rabbinic responsa, a vast archive of the real-life questions of ethics and practice Jews asked across history—and the scholarly answers rabbis wrote. Attached below are the questions which we will address in the course: 1. 1958, Brooklyn – Can an Israeli ocean liner sail on Shabbat? 2. 1954, Brooklyn – May a patient with a catheter pray and study? 3. 2015, New York – Who is the mother when there’s a mitochondrial transfer? 4. 1709, 1763, Hamburg – Is a chicken without a heart kosher? 5. 1772, Hamburg – Should burials be delayed due to the widespread fear of premature burial? 6. 1963, Manchester – May tefillin be brought into a hospital if they will be incinerated? 7. c. 1380, Valencia – Is a synagogue seat-holder justified in opposing the addition of new seats that would narrow his access? 8. c. 1450, Pavia – Do parents have the authority to dictate whom their children marry? 9. c. 1478, Pavia – Can all German Jews be taxed to help ransom the Regensburg Jews accused of a blood libel? 10. 1732, Algiers – Can a repurposed bathhouse be used for prayer during war? 11. c. 1450, Algiers – Can crypto-Jews eat grain-based foods on Passover that are typically avoided? 12. 1530, Modena – Should Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon be annulled? 13. c. 1300, Barcelona – Is one obligated to contribute toward communal expenses despite holding a royal tax exemption? 14. c. 1300, Barcelona – Can an astrolabe be used on Shabbat? 15. c. 1300, Barcelona – Should donors be recognized on plaques? 16. 1871, Lubavitch – Are new breeds of chicken imported to Europe kosher? 17. c. 1790, Lizhensk – Do parents have the right to stop their children from switching to pray in the Chasidic manner? 18. 1615, Lódź – Should the community invoke its autonomy to save a Jewish murderer? 19. 1944, Auschwitz – Can a father ransom his son, knowing another will be killed in his place? 20. c. 1570, Kraków – May a wedding take place after sunset on Friday, when delayed due to a dowry dispute? 21. 1908, Berezhany – Does a hot air balloon hovering over a sukkah invalidate it? 22. c. 1550, Salonika – May immigrants from Italian lands switch over to the Sephardic prayer rite? 23. c. 1173, Cairo – Should one believe in the Yemenite Jew claiming to be the messiah? 24. 1548, Cairo – Is it permissible to use a canal formed by the Nile’s rise for ritual immersion? 25. 1866, Jerusalem – Are new breeds of chicken imported to Europe kosher? 26. 2003, Jerusalem – Who is the mother in cases of ectogenesis? 27. 2003, Jerusalem – How does one track Shabbat on Mars? 28. 2022, Beit Shemesh – What’s the kosher status of lab-grown beef? 29. 2026, Worldwide – Can AI be used for Halachic decisions?
Lesson 1 What do these questions reveal about our ancestors? What did they think, feel, and value? Explore five fascinating stories to find out. 
Lesson 2 Do sages make assumptions about how reality works, or do they investigate the facts? Follow rabbis as they conduct five fascinating investigations worldwide. 
Lesson 3 See inside the process that enables the Torah’s ancient code to guide life in an ever-changing world. Witness the precise process of applying Talmudic precedent. 
Lesson 4 Explore four unexpected rulings to uncover the hidden fallback mechanisms within Jewish law: these aren’t exceptions to the law. They’re the law revealing its quiet values (like human dignity, and peace in the home). 
Lesson 5 Rules don’t always translate into reality easily. See how sages account for the practical, social, and emotional realities around a question to ensure their ruling leads to its intended outcome. 
Lesson 6 Could Artificial Intelligence decide Jewish law? Is lab-grown meat kosher? See how Jewish law is addressing the questions posed by tomorrow’s cutting-edge technology. |
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