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It’s about Freedom of Choice, not Freedom of Speech

May 22, 2012 – 10:14 pm | 12 Comments

By Anthony Frosh
As happened last year at Limmud Oz in Sydney, advocates of the destruction of the State of Israel have had their application to host a session rejected. And just as happened last year, …

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Articles tagged with: halacha

The Melbourne Beth Din – This Problem is Fixable

March 15, 2012 – 4:57 pm | 7 Comments

Following his previous article outlining what’s wrong with the Melbourne Beit Din, Rabbi Yaron Gottlieb puts forward some solutions.
The Beth Din (Jewish court) is unique. No other communal institution has anything like its power. My …

The Cost of Kosher

March 13, 2012 – 9:19 pm | 322 Comments

By Rabbi Meir Rabi
Cost is a strong negative influence that most people consider when evaluating Kosher foods and Kosher services. I distinctly recall being very uncomfortably unable to answer the plaintive question; “Rabbi, why is …

The Melbourne Beit Din – Please G-d you will Never Need Them

February 16, 2012 – 11:18 am | 162 Comments

By Yaron Gottlieb
The Melbourne Beit Din is in an enviable position in the community. We are aware of their presence, but we are glad to ignore their day-to-day actions. Nonetheless most of us have heard …

Six reasons why you might already be keeping kosher

February 6, 2012 – 9:31 pm | 111 Comments
Can food be kosher without a label?

By Robert Efraim Bel
So you only buy kosher meat, stay away from crustaceans, never mix meat and milk, and always check the food labels. You try your best but all this is of course a …

The Essence of Torah

August 3, 2011 – 1:17 pm | 2 Comments

By Simon Holloway
It is no secret that the weight of our traditions, and the vast bulk of our legislation, derives not from an explicit reading of the Torah, but instead from the long and methodical …

Kosher Wars V – The Empire Strikes Back

March 7, 2011 – 10:20 pm | 19 Comments

By David Werdiger
The “kosher wars” have been reignited recently with the release by Rabbi Moshe Gutnick of The Kashrut Authority (I will refer to them as KA(Syd) to avoid ambiguity) of a statement regarding the …

Who is a Jew – from the Bible to the Beit Din

November 16, 2010 – 2:07 pm | 18 Comments

By Simon Holloway
It was about two years ago now. I was having lunch with a friend and fellow contributor to Galus, when he asked me the big question: “What’s your background?” Well, my mother is …

Why we need a Religious Dispute Resolution Tribunal

November 11, 2010 – 8:07 pm | 29 Comments
Darth Vader vs Obi Wan Kenobi

By David Segal
Shortly after the well-known conflict involving Caulfield Shule was adjudicated by the secular court, the Council of Orthodox Synagogues of Victoria (COSV) announced that within six months or shortly thereafter it would establish …

Be a Mensch – Become an Organ Donor

June 2, 2010 – 9:32 pm | 8 Comments
If only I had a heart. Become an organ donor.

By Rivqa Berger
I know an organ recipient who believes that organ donation is halachically prohibited. Generally I consider myself a fairly tolerant person, but if I saw him in the street I wouldn’t even say …

Rabbi Rabi reflects on the so-called soft matzah controversy

May 10, 2010 – 4:56 pm | 411 Comments

By Rabbi Meir Rabi
For background on soft matzah see this and this.
I wonder what constitutes a “controversy” or a “controversial pesak”?
Is it the tumult raised by parties who are not impartial?
By those who may have …