Rz Weekly

In the latest edition of RZWeekly we discussed the question of what it means to be an American Jew, and how changes in how and where American Jews live have affected their sense of identity. Specifically, we consider whether an American Jew should feel fully comfortable in America, or whether they should feel like both a ‘resident’ and a ‘stranger’. We hope you enjoy the show!

Rabbi Benny Lau recently published a guide for families of members of the religious LGBTQ+ community, and more recently in an interview, Rabbanit Malka Puterkovsky suggested that shifts in the dynamics of marital relationships should mean that we should reevaluate the laws of non-intimate touch between husbands and wives when in a state of Niddah. In light of this, Rabbi Avraham Stav wrote a thought-provoking facebook post where he considered why both these well known individuals felt it necessary to make a disclaimer that they were not rendering a halachic ruling, and how we should understand the notion of publicizing of bold halachic perspectives in this manner. Given all this, the RZWeekly team decided to dedicate our most recent episode to explore this question, during which we considered the concept of halachic advocacy, the difference between religious guidance and religious rulings, the classic process of Sages presenting halachic theories to their peers, and whether Rabbi Stav’s observations about Rab

Following last week's discussion about Rav Shmuel Eliyahu, we wanted to know more about the challenges inherent in servicing as an official rabbi in the State of Israel. We are fortunate that Rabbi David Stav, Chief Rabbi of Shoham, agreed to join us to speak about his experiences. In a wide-ranging discussion, Rav Stav explained the official responsibilities of a local rabbi in Israel today, who employs him, what he does (or does not) do every day, and how his work can influence the Israeli public in a myriad of ways.

In the most recent episode of RZWeekly we invited Rabbi Dr. Shuki Friedman (Director of the Center for Religion, Nation and State, and faculty member at the Peres Academic Center) to discuss the important question of whether a Chief Rabbi in Israel may speak his conscience. This discussion follows a recent High Court ruling which stated that Tzfat Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu must have a disciplinary trial in response to numerous statements he has made over the years. As Justice Stein explained, as a public servant, a Chief Rabbi may speak freely when speaking of halacha, but he may not speak freely when discussing wider social and political issues. Given this ruling, what does it mean to be a Rabbi, and especially a Chief Rabbi, in Israel today?

In recent months, there has been much public discussion about the Breslov movement, and recently, a fascinating three-part documentary titled ‘Rabbeinu’ was shown on the Israeli ‘Kan’ TV channel exploring the religious and spiritual attraction of Rabbi Nachman in which Rabbi David Menachem asserted that, since disengagement, the Torah of Rabbi Nachman has replaced the Torah of Rav Kook in the Religious Zionist world. In light of all this, we – at RZWeekly – decided to discuss the attraction of Rabbi Nachman to so many Israelis, including Religious Zionists, and why so many men and women have found their place in this unique Chassidic movement.

In the final episode of RZWeekly for 5780, Johnny, Mali and Reuven reflect on their favorite episode in the past year and discuss what they will be praying for in the coming year.

As Religious Zionists, what should our reaction be with the fact that in place of the annexation plan, Israel has formally established political and economic ties with the UAE? Which is the greater good from a spiritual perspective? And why haven’t we heard a spiritual and political groan from those who – for religious reasons - hoped for annexation?

The recent gang rape of a 16-year-old girl in Eilat has shocked all those living in Israel and many others around the world. Given the paucity of any formal or public response from Jewish leaders, we decided to initiate – with the sensitivity that this subject certainly deserves - a public conversation to consider some of the ways in which images and messages objectifying women, such as the increased access to violent pornography, are currently available, and how these may be contributory factors to a society where such horrific events occur.

Did Schools, Yeshivot and Seminaries provide effective and successful online learning during the COVID pandemic? What are we to expect in the coming weeks as semester is about to begin? And what new solutions are out there to help schools, teachers and parents? In this candid conversation we reflect on our experiences as teachers and parents during the COVID pandemic, while comparing our Israel-based experiences with other stories from elsewhere in the Jewish world. Beyond this, we dedicate some of our time to launch KITAH (see https://kitah.org/) which is a new and exciting Kahn-academy styled online learning solution for Middle and High Schools, which has just been launched by R’ Reuven Spolter with R’ Johnny Solomon.

Last month, ‘The Atlantic’ published a fascinating article by Arthur C. Brooks exploring the difference between success and happiness (see https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2020/07/why-success-wont-make-you-happy/614731/). We decided to dedicate an episode of RZ Weekly exploring how we define succes, happiness, and what we should pursue in terms of living a meaningful life.

In this week’s episode, we discuss Seth Rogen’s comments on Marc Maron’s podcast. Why did these comments cause such an uproar? We each share our personal reactions to their conversation, their remarks on Israel and on the contemporary Jewish experience.

In the lastest edition of RZ weekly we discuss the recent initial approval by the Knesset of a law forbidding Conversion Therapy. We consider why some religious leaders continue to support Conversion Therapy notwithstanding the research that suggests that it ineffective, harmful, and in some cases, dangerous.

Should Jews keep a low profile? Are there things Jews should avoid stirring up anti-semitism? In the latest episode of RZ Weekly, we examine a fascinating set of articles written by Rabbi Yosef Eliyahu Henkin which address all three of these questions, and in doing so, we consider the responses to anti-semitism of prior generations and how this differs from our response today, as well as how Anti-semitism is viewed differently by those living in Israel from many of those living in the Diaspora.

In our most recent edition of RZWeekly we ask, why is there antisemitism? Is there a theological reason for antisemitism? Also, how is antisemitism experienced by Jews in Israel and in the diaspora? What role does Israel play in the protection from or the rise of Antisemitism? Please listen and let us know your thoughts.

When Rabbi Andy Kahn, assistant rabbi at Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan, tweeted that “Jews are not an indigenous people”, he may not have expected his remarks to go viral. But when they did, many Jews in Israel and around the world were surprised by the level of support for such a claim, and this again raised the question of the disconnect between many contemporary Jews the concept of Jewish right to the Land of Israel. In our discussion we consider why such remarks received support, and whether the remarks by Rabbi Yaakov Ariel regarding Reform Judaism which we discussed in our previous episode may carry more weight than we may have liked to believe.

In the lastest edition of RZ Weekly we examine Rabbi Yaakov Ariel’s recently published article in the Mekor Rishon newspaper which he wrote in response to the recently publicised (online) meeting between (Orthodox) Rabbi Eliezer Melamed and (Reform) Rabbi Delphine Horvilleur. In his article, Rabbi Ariel forcefully expresses his view of the Reform movement and his opposition to any form of denominational dialogue. While we at RZ Weekly share many ideological beliefs with Rabbi Ariel, we felt that his article highlighted a lack of understanding of the current challenges facing the Jewish world.

The latest edition of RZ Weekly with R’ Reuven Spolter, Rabbanit Mali Brofsky and R’ Johnny Solomon begins with a short conversation about the upcoming Annexation plans and an honest discussion about why this topic is not getting the attention you would have expected in the RZ (Religious Zionist) world. We then moved on, starting from a discussion of how we feel about Jewish historical artifacts, to addressing the toppling and removal of statues in the US and around the world. In our (energetic) conversation, we each shared what we believe to be our understanding of the approach to history, the power of memory and the need for society to know its past while showing understanding and sensitivity in the present.

Recently, Rabbi Eliezer Melamed received significant criticism from numerous Israeli rabbis for actively engaging in dialogue with Delphine Horvilleur, a French Judaic scholar and a Reform Rabbi, in an online conference organized by Mekor Rishon. In this edition of RZWeekly we try and understand why he was criticised, what this says about the way Reform Judaism is understood by most Orthodox Jews in Israel, and past and present perspectives and policies concerning cross-denominational dialogue and collaboration in both Israel and the diaspora.

Some weeks ago one of our listeners suggested that we address the topic of ‘Should someone who moves to Israel change their minhagim (customs)?’ and in the latest edition of RZ Weekly, which begins with some brief remarks from Reuven, Mali and Johnny recent events in the US, we discuss the concept of minhag, the meaning of minhag in the melting pot of the State of Israel, and the pros and cons of holding fast to minhagim versus celebrating and adopting different minhagim that are part of the fabric of the Israeli experience.

In the latest edition of RZWeekly we discuss the harnessing various media platforms, especially social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, for the sharing of Torah content. For example, we consider the place of aesthetics in promoting Torah ideas and the extent to which images can and should be used to ‘sell’ Torah ideas (such as was recently done in ‘Nashim’ magazine). We also reflect on the fact that most social media platforms are driven by ‘clicks’ and ‘likes’ and ask how it is possible to balance the desire to share good Torah content on social media platforms which are often about self-promotion. Please listen and let us know what you think.