Shiurim

12/05/24 - SHIUR 493 (9,304 Downloads) Hosted By: Rabbi Ari Wasserman

The new initiative to draft Chareidim into the army. Should Yeshiva boys draft into the all-Charedi “Chashmonaim” Brigade?

What are the arguments that there’s an obligation to serve in the IDF?
What are the arguments that there’s no obligation for someone learning Torah to join the army?
What if the person is not learning, but is working or doing something else?
What are the main challenges of a Chareidi boy/man joining the IDF?
Can those issues be fully addressed? What initiatives are currently under way to address the concerns?

11/15/24 - SHIUR 489 (20,548 Downloads) Hosted By: Rabbi Ari Wasserman

How long should you date before getting engaged? How long does it take to get to know the other person?

What should be the goal of dating?
What are the minimum interactions required by Halacha before engagement and marriage?
What’s the downside of going too quickly? Of going too slowly?
How clear do you need to be about what you are looking for in advance of dating?
What are some great ways to get to know the other person?

11/08/24 - SHIUR 488 (26,572 Downloads)

Tattoos in Halacha: Is microblading permitted? | The Real Deal- avoiding legal trouble

Is it microblading Assur because of tattooing?
Does it have to be for Avoda Zorah?
Does it have to be words or picture or a mark is enough?
Does it have to be permanent?
How many levels of skin does it have to penetrate?
Would it be Mutar for medical reasons, Shidduch reasons or even cosmetic reasons?

10/30/24 - SHIUR 486 (19,446 Downloads) Hosted By: Rabbi Ari Wasserman

Should Rabbanim be teaching girls and women?

What are the pros and cons of a man teaching girls/women?
If a Rav teaches girls/women, should there be a Mechitza? What if the Rav is not married?
Can/should a Rav call female students by first name or a nickname?
What Gedarim should a Rav institute for himself when teaching girls/women?
How does the relationship a Rebbe has with his male students compare to that of his female students?
Are there topics that women should not be teaching, like Halachah?

10/10/24 - SHIUR 486 (22,494 Downloads) Hosted By: Rabbi Ari Wasserman

What’s the role of a shul Rav during the Yomim Tovim? What are the most common and unusual questions being asked to our Rabbanim?

Are your responsibilities as a shul Rav any different during this time of year?
What questions are people asking you?
Is the war in Israel having an impact on you or your community?
What unusual incidents have happened in your shul during The Yomim Tovim?
What’s your favorite Devar Torah for Succos?

09/27/24 - SHIUR 483 (25,198 Downloads)

Are you allowed to take a shower on Yom Tov? | Are you allowed to give a donut to an obese person, and other fascinating shailos | Combating domestic abuse in our community

תכלה שנה עם קללותיה
Combating domestic abuse in our community

Showering us with Brocha
Three day Yom Tov – Are you allowed to take a shower on Yom Tov?

לא תעמוד על דם רעך
Are you allowed to give a donut to an obese person, and other fascinating shailos

09/19/24 - SHIUR 484 (19,388 Downloads) Hosted By: Rabbi Ari Wasserman

Ayin Hara – is it a real thing? Should we be concerned? How does it relate to Rosh Hashana and Tashlich?

How does Ayin Hara work, and what causes it?
Is there a way to proactively protect yourself from an Ayin Hara?
Is there a basis for the hand that people hang up for good luck, the red string or the blue eye?
Does it help to say “bli ayin hara” and Poo Poo Poo?
Are the services that are for hire to remove Ayin Hara legitimate, and how much do they cost?

09/12/24 - SHIUR 483 (18,462 Downloads) Hosted By: Rabbi Ari Wasserman

Do women have a Yeitzer Hara? Does Shmiras Einayim also apply to girls and women? Or, is it only a male problem?

Are the Halachos of Shmiras Einayim more lenient for women than for men, and if so, why?
What’s the big deal about having thoughts, if they are only thoughts?
Is it permitted for a woman to gaze at men?
How – and from what age – should we educate our girls to stay away from inappropriate materials?
Practically speaking, are the schools seeing this Shmiras Einayim problems in the girls?

08/29/24 - SHIUR 481 (15,232 Downloads) Hosted By: Rabbi Ari Wasserman

Ozempic and weight loss injections – wonder drugs or a failure of our generation?

What causes someone to be unhappy with their looks?
Are our bodies halachically our own, such that we can do what we want with it?
Can we take medications when we don’t understand how they work and when there are serious side effects?
Should weight-loss injections be used only after trying to diet and control eating?
Can we suppress our appetite if it will take away from Oneg Shabbos and Simchas Yom Tov?
If someone uses Ozempic to lose weight while dating, does it need to be disclosed?

08/22/24 - SHIUR 480 (18,950 Downloads) Hosted By: Rabbi Ari Wasserman

Is therapy good or bad? Has the mental health industry lost its mind?

Why are people getting psychologically sicker and sicker despite there being more therapists and more mental health awareness?
How does having experienced “trauma” when younger impact one’s Bechirah Chofshis and being responsible for your own actions?
Do therapists focus too much on “trauma”?
Should podcasts, shiurim, etc. have “trigger warnings” to warn those with sensitivities that they should not watch/listen?
Do we need to use someone’s chosen pronouns, even calling a man by “she/her” and a woman by “he/his”?
What criteria should we use for finding a good therapist?

08/08/24 - SHIUR 478 (20,964 Downloads) Hosted By: Rabbi Ari Wasserman

Extremism – What causes Chareidi extremism? Is it a bad thing? What about Hilltop Youth extremism against Arabs?

What causes someone to become an extremist?
Is extremism stronger now than 20-30 years ago?
Are there similarities between Chareidi extremism, the Hilltop Youths and Leftists against Chareidim?
If you don’t agree with a law, can you violate it?
Are there times when extremism is warranted?
Is being OTD another form of extremism? And are there ways to improve the system?

08/01/24 - SHIUR 477 (23,382 Downloads)

Teaching our children about the dangers of camp (and life) | Lacetop Sheitels | Voting in Halacha

Teaching our children about the dangers of camp (and life)
Should you teach or them, or should you shield them from exposure?

Lacetop Sheitels in Halacha – Erase the Lace or Embrace the Lace?
Is it a new question or an age old Machlokes?

Voting In Halacha
Can you vote for a candidate that’s personally immoral?
Can you vote for a party that supports immoral values?
Can you vote for a party that’s anti Eretz Yisroel?

07/25/24 - SHIUR 476 (22,560 Downloads) Hosted By: Rabbi Ari Wasserman

What should we think about – and what should we teach our children about – non-Jews and the non-Jewish world?

Do all non-Jews hate us?
Does exposure to the non-Jewish world help or hurt our children when they grow up?
What are the hazards of teaching children negative attitudes about non-Jews?
What separations did Chazal institute between us and non-Jews? Why did Chazal feel that was necessary?
Do we need to be concerned with causing “Aivah” (animosity) with non-Jews, even if we are doing nothing wrong?

07/18/24 - SHIUR 475 (20,376 Downloads) Hosted By: Rabbi Ari Wasserman

Assassinations and Targeted Killings in Halacha – Donald Trump, Mohammad Deif, etc.

What’s the rationale to halachically permit targeted killings of Israel’s enemies?
Is there any difference between a targeted killing during an active war and when there’s no active war being fought?
What if there’s only a 10%, 20% or 30% chance that the target is where you think he is?
Do you need to be concerned about collateral damage during a targeted killing? And, what if it could be significant?
Is there a problem celebrating when our enemies are killed?

07/12/24 - SHIUR 474 (29,338 Downloads)

Halacha: Can an aging forgetful leader be replaced? | Should you allow your daughter to go out with a boy who smokes or vapes?

Should you allow your daughter to go out with a boy who smokes or vapes?
Is a smoker Possul Lei’dus?
If your father asks you to buy him a pack of cigarettes are you allowed to listen?
When a president loses his sanity does he lose his staus as a president?
Would Halacha require an aging forgetful leader to step down?
If the population loses their trust in the president (or leader) can they Halachically oust him?
When a husband loses his sanity can his wife or children take away his business?
When a father loses his sanity can his children take from his money for their wedding expenses?

07/04/24 - SHIUR 473 (21,428 Downloads) Hosted By: Rabbi Ari Wasserman

Supporting a son or son-in-law in learning – is it a good investment?

Is there an obligation to support a son (or son-in-law) in learning?
If the father (or father-in-law) commits to support, can he get out of it, for example when business is bad?
Does living comfortably facilitate or get in the way of quality learning?
Is it best to fund the strongest learner, the neediest person, or a relative?

06/27/24 - SHIUR 472 (19,348 Downloads) Hosted By: Rabbi Ari Wasserman

What Happens to Kids When Parents Fight

When does conversation between parents go from “discussing difficult issues” to being offensive and prohibited speech?
Should parents avoid all conflict in front of their children?
If there is ongoing tension between parents, should they attempt to hide it from the children?
What’s the impact of bad Shalom Bayis on children?
How should children handle when parents regularly fight?

06/06/24 - SHIUR 470 (23,196 Downloads) Hosted By: Rabbi Ari Wasserman

Learning Torah when it’s nearly impossible

What are valid reasons to cancel on your chavrusa or to miss your daily shiur?
How can you concentrate on your learning when you are stressed about life and so distracted?
How do you keep on learning over the long-term?
What gets people off-track from learning when they leave Yeshiva?
How can an IDF solider learn when fighting in Gaza or on the Lebanon border?

05/23/24 - SHIUR 468 (16,782 Downloads)

Conflict with the In-Laws – what causes it, how to deal with it

How do you handle a conflict between honoring in-laws and honoring your own parents?
Are there times that married children need to listen to input from in-laws?
Are there halachos about what to call your in-laws?
What does a mother-in-law do when she sees deficiencies in her daughter-in-law
Are there typically father-in-law issues, and if so, what?
What are healthy boundaries, and how do you establish them?

05/16/24 - SHIUR 467 (22,708 Downloads) Hosted By: Rabbi Ari Wasserman

Un-Lavish Living – why are we embarrassed to live below our means?

What keeps us spending when we can’t afford it?
What’s the impact on children when parents have an expensive standard of living?
Is there an obligation to refrain from looking at materialism which may tempt us?
Can we spend on luxuries when people need tzedakah?
What are the minimums required to celebrate a bar/bas mitzvah and a wedding?
Can having a low-budget bar/bas mitzvah or wedding hurt our children longer-term?

04/18/24 - SHIUR 465 (23,668 Downloads) Hosted By: Rabbi Ari Wasserman

Achdus – does “Achdus” mean I am supposed to embrace Jews I really don’t agree with?

Is Achdus a Halachic imperative, a Hashkafic concept or something else?
What’s the definition of “Achdus”? Is it different from “Kiruv”?
Can we outwardly express our disagreements?
Should we look to have Achdus with groups and movements of Jews who have values that are antithetical to Torah?

04/11/24 - SHIUR 464 (19,958 Downloads) Hosted By: Rabbi Ari Wasserman

Pesach – Great Divrei Torah for your Seder and beyond. Plus, lessons for today from Lavan’s attempt to destroy K’lal Yisroel

What’s your favorite Pesach Devar Torah?
Is there something unique you do at your seder?
What do you do to prepare for Pesach?
Is there something memorable that has happened to you at a seder?

04/05/24 - SHIUR 463 (23,332 Downloads)

Revisiting Bachurim in the IDF: Is Shevet Levi Patur from Milchemes Mitzvah? Are all Bochurim Shevet Levi?

Does Eretz Yisroel need an army or can it totally rely on Torah protection?
Do we have responsibility to serve – besides the learning protection – like we find previous generations?
The Bochurim who aren’t learning should they go to the army?
Can we have Frum battalions run according to Torah?
What’s are we going to do when the Chareidim are a majority?

03/28/24 - SHIUR 462 (23,088 Downloads) Hosted By: Rabbi Ari Wasserman

What are our “Yeshiva bochers” struggling with nowadays?

What are the biggest challenges, struggles and difficulties confronting our boys today?
How do those challenges differ from those of the girls?
What impact are technology and alcohol consumption having on the boys?
Should Gemara be the focus of yeshiva learning?
What’s holding the boys back from performing at their best?

03/21/24 - SHIUR 461 (21,310 Downloads) Hosted By: Rabbi Ari Wasserman

Everyone should be a shadchan – how to set up a shidduch

Should each of us be setting up Shidduchim?
What are the biggest challenges and difficulties?
Is the “shadchanus” fee only paid to a professional Shadchan, or even to beginners?
What does the Shadchan need to do to earn the fee?
Can you set up two non-observant Jews? One frum and one not frum? Two non-Jews?
What advice do professional Shadchanim have for amateurs?

03/14/24 - SHIUR 460 (23,126 Downloads)

זכרון לנצח – Preserving the memory of Fallen Soldiers Through Posthumous Retrieval of זרע for Procreation

Is it permitted, forbidden or a Mitzvah?
Are you מקיים פריה וריבה?
Does it exempt you from חליצה?
Is there an issue of ניוול המת?
Is there an issue of הנאה ממת?
Is there an issue of ביטול מצוות קבורה?
Are there any moral issues?

03/08/24 - SHIUR 459 (28,426 Downloads)

Balancing אמונה and Service: The Haredi Dilemma in Military Conscription and Torah Study Commitment | Scaling Tradition: Reevaluating the Chazon Ish’s Conscription Exemption in a Growing Community | Study Time Required for to be מקיים והגית בו יומם ולילה

Don’t we have an Achrayus הַאַחֵיכֶם יָבֹאוּ לַמִּלְחָמָה וְאַתֶּם תֵּשְׁבוּ פֹה?
What difficulties – if any – do Frum soldiers face in the army?
What would a Frum army look like?
When a majority of Eretz Yisroel is Frum what will become of the army?
Are you obligated to learn every spare second you have?
Does it depend on someone’s health, wealth or stamina?

02/29/24 - SHIUR 458 (25,788 Downloads) Hosted By: Rabbi Ari Wasserman

Frum on the outside and empty on the inside – why are some of our best girls struggling with Yiddishkite?

What are the biggest challenges, struggles and difficulties confronting our girls today?
How have things changed over the years?
Should money be given to children if they will use it for the wrong purposes?
What’s the impact that technology/smartphones/social media is having on the girls?
What solutions do we have to inspire girls today?

02/22/24 - SHIUR 457 (23,404 Downloads) Hosted By: Rabbi Ari Wasserman

Avoiding the #1 reason for divorce – how to stay connected with your spouse and not drift apart

What are the halachic obligations spouses have to each other?
How does a relationship change over the course of a marriage?
Are there differences in how to stay connected at the beginning of marriage, in the middle and later in life?
What causes spouses to disconnect from each other?
Can you reconnect once you have already disconnected?
What’s the impact of social media on marriages?

02/08/24 - SHIUR 454 (23,578 Downloads) Hosted By: Rabbi Ari Wasserman

Getting over our fears – in dating, marriage, religious observance, of failure and more

What are the most common fears that people have?
How do we get over those fears?
What is “Jewish Mindfulness” and how can it help?
What are the most common fears in dating and marriage?
Can anxiety or OCD ever make a person patur from mitzvos?
Is it permitted to take experimental/homeopathic/Chinese medication treatments?

02/01/24 - SHIUR 454 (26,002 Downloads) Hosted By: Rabbi Ari Wasserman

Raising unspoiled children in a spoiled world

How much should parents do for their children?
What are parents’ financial obligations to their children? Is there a maximum?
What causes a child to be spoiled?
Is it detrimental to grow up with less than your peers?
Do we need to treat all of our own children the same when buying them items?
What are the implications of having a spoiled child when they grow up?

01/25/24 - SHIUR 453 (23,712 Downloads)

The Shulchan Aruch of war

Abortion of a fetus conceived through rape
Women tying tzitzis
Sheva brachos without the chosson or kallah
Returning home before Shabbos if one knows they will be called up on Shabbos
Returning home while one’s wife is a niddah if he doesn’t think he’ll be able to withstand the temptation to hug
A hug before a spouse leaves for battle if the wife is Niddah
Burying blood-soaked cars
Pidyon Haben when the father or kohen is not present
Shortening the taharah process for Niddah during wartime
Saying shehecheyanu when one will not light or even see Chanukah candles
Eating homemade foods sent to the front
Matzah bakery that ran into a shelter in middle of making Matzos
Running to a shelter in middle of Shemone Esrei or Krias HaTorah
Yichud in a shelter
Rewriting Kesubos for people in the North or South who evacuated their homes
A Kohein entering an Ohel Hameis for shelter during a siren

01/18/24 - SHIUR 452 (19,964 Downloads) Hosted By: Rabbi Ari Wasserman

Dealing with traumatic times – how to dig out of a rut

What’s currently causing us the most trauma? The war? The captives? Antisemitism? Something else?
What’s the implication of not getting a body back from Hamas, and therefore no Kevura and no closure?
Is hearing the news and looking at war images helpful or hurtful?
How are students from out of Israel who are studying in Yeshivos and Seminaries in Israel handling the war?
How can we turn our current plight into a growth opportunity?
Will we have “Post-Traumatic Stress” or “Post-Traumatic Growth” from the war?

01/11/24 - SHIUR 451 (20,108 Downloads) Hosted By: Rabbi Ari Wasserman

What’s really going on in the Gaza battlefield. In Memory of Yakir and David HY”D – “Chavrusas in life, Chavrusas in death, Chavrusas in Olam Habah”

How to handle the stress of having a close relative fighting in Gaza and the loss of a loved one killed in battle.
Is there a halachic requirement that the IDF bury dead Hamas terrorists? Other Gazans?
What are the IDF soldiers experiencing? What about their parents, wives, and close friends?
Is it okay for soldiers to use the homes of Gazans without consent? Can soldiers use the food of Gazans left in their pantries and cook in their pots?
What are some of the unique halachic questions being asked by soldiers, their wives, and their families?

01/04/24 - SHIUR 450 (26,194 Downloads)

Amazon in Halacha

Shabbos:
Is it permissible to place an order with one-day delivery on a Friday?
If a package arrives on Shabbos, is it permissible to open and use it?
Is it permissible to make an online purchase on Friday when it is already Shabbos in the seller’s time zone, knowing the seller is Jewish?
Is it permissible to keep an Amazon account active during Shabbos and Yom Tov?

Ratings:
Is it permissible to leave negative reviews on products?
Is it permissible to create positive, but fictitious reviews for your own products to enhance sales?

Can one purchase items during the nine days (items like clothes and Keilim that is forbidden to buy in those days), to be delivered after tisha b’av?
Can one purchase item prior to the nine day to be delivered during the nine days?
Can one purchase items on Chol Hamoed (that are forbidden to purchase on Chol Hamoed) to be delivered after Yom Tov?
Can one purchase Chometz on Chol Hamoed to be delivered after Pesach?

Hear from the trenches – How are the Kehilos and families in Eretz Yisroel Managing

12/28/23 - SHIUR 449 (28,092 Downloads) Hosted By: Rabbi Ari Wasserman

Of course there should be Hakaras Hatov to the IDF soldiers. A response to a small minority who think otherwise. Does Torah-learning fully protect us, or is an army necessary?

Is Hakaras Hatov a halachic requirement, or just a nice thing to do?
Do we just feel gratitude, or do we need to say “thank you” or more?
Historically, did the Gedolim show Hakaras Hatov towards the soldiers of the IDF?
Why have a few Roshei Yeshiva said they are concerned about showing gratitude?
If Torah learning protects, why does Israel need an army?
Does the Israeli army enable those in Yeshiva to learn? Do those learning in Yeshiva enable the army to have military success?

12/21/23 - SHIUR 448 (26,530 Downloads) Hosted By: Rabbi Ari Wasserman

Is Israel an “occupier” of Palestinian land? Who owns “from the River to the Sea”?

Is there such a thing as the country of “Palestine”?
What are the halachic borders of Israel?
Is it mutar to give the Gaza Strip back now that Israel has retaken possession of it?
Is there a mitzvah to be buried in Israel? To make Aliyah? To exhume a body to Israel?
What does international law say about the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Golan Heights?

12/15/23 - SHIUR 447 (35,850 Downloads)

Zionism – Is today’s Zionism the same movement that caused so many religious to leave their roots and become irreligious?

Before WWII a lot of Gedolim were opposed to Zionism, what were their reasons?
After the war did a lot of the attitudes switch?
Why did they switch?
Is Zionism a danger to religion nowadays?

12/08/23 - SHIUR 446 (24,158 Downloads)

Daas Torah In Halacha and Hashkafa

Is there a Torah idea called Daas Torah?
Can it override doctors?
Does the “Daas Torah” have to know the facts?
Can it override Shulchan Aruch?
Even if it’s not in contradiction with Halacha, must we listen to it ?
Is there such a thing as saying blanket statements without proofs that must be listened to?
Are we supposed to be using our heads?
If someone questions “Daas Torah” should he be explained the position or be branded a Kofer?
Do we believe in infallibility of Gedolim?
Can there be two “Daas Torah’s”?
Are two different people allowed to have different views, or is it my way or the highway?
How should we treat someone who disagrees with us?

11/30/23 - SHIUR 445 (27,164 Downloads) Hosted By: Rabbi Ari Wasserman

Is “Zionism” a bad word? Where do Satmar and Neturei Karta disagree?

What’s the original Samtar Rav’s argument against the State of Israel?
Has the concept and definition of Zionism changed over time, and what does it mean today?
How are Satmar and Neturei Karta similar, and how do they differ?
Is there a prohibition of publicly going against the consensus view of Klal Yisrael?

11/24/23 - SHIUR 444 (32,932 Downloads)

Rally or not to Rally? “Chazir Treif” or Kiddush Hashem

Was the Rally in Washington correct?
In Galus do we keep our heads low, or do we try to garner support?
Do we do Hishtadlus or just Daven?
Do we join in rallies with people who don’t have the same belief system as ours?
Historically, what was the approach of the Gedolim?

11/17/23 - SHIUR 443 (23,846 Downloads)

Neturei Karta – Is Hatzalah allowed to save them on Shabbos? | Halacha Perspective on Warfare

Neturei Karta – Is Hatzalah allowed to save them on Shabbos?
Does the conflict in Gaza qualify as a מלחמת מצוה according to הלכה? In this case, is there a duty for individuals to join from distant locations? Are students from ישיבות required to participate?
Concerning unintended harm in warfare, such as civilian casualties: if a terrorist uses a taxi as a getaway vehicle, is it permissible to target the vehicle, risking the driver’s life? What is the stance on targeting buildings?
Is there a חיוב to bury terrorists according to Jewish law?
Laws of war according to the Geneva convention

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