Responsa in a Moment
by Rabbi David Golinkin

This section of the Schechter website contains over 165 responsa and articles written by Rabbi Golinkin beginning in October, 2000, including his columns Insight Israel (2000-2006) and Responsa in a Moment (2006 ff.). There are 15 categories. In general, the responsa are organized within each category according to the order of the Shulhan Arukh, followed by articles related to that topic. An item followed by a reference in parenthesis is a responsum; the other items are articles. In a few cases, the same topic is discussed in both a responsum and an article. Approximately ten of these items have been listed under two categories.

Most of these responsa and articles are also available in book form from the Schocken-JTS Press Bookstore. The Insight Israel columns are available in Insight Israel, vols. 1-2, Jerusalem, 2003, 2006. The Responsa are available in Responsa in a Moment, vols. 2-5, Jerusalem, 2011-2021 (Volume 1 is not on this website.)

Rabbi Prof. David Golinkin

Rabbi Prof. David Golinkin

Rabbi Prof. David Golinkin is Professor of Talmud and Jewish Law at the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. He also serves as President of The Schechter Institutes, Inc. and is the President Emeritus of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies.

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All articles

~ 184 Articles ~

12/05/2024

A Zionist Sermon from Ukraine from 1920 in Honor of Israel’s 76th Birthday

02/04/2024

What is the Purpose and History of Adar II?

05/03/2024

Did Rashi Dictate Responsa to his Daughter?

23/01/2024

Are there ways of hiding a mezuzah in times of danger?

16/10/2023

The Secret of Eternal Youth: A Tribute to Prof. Alice Shalvi  z”l

10/08/2023

Is body piercing permitted according to Jewish law?

28/06/2023

Is mixed dancing really forbidden at weddings?

23/04/2023

Israel at 75: A Fifty-Year Retrospective

04/04/2023

Four Brief Responsa Regarding the Laws of Pesah

02/03/2023

The Proposed “Judicial Revolution” in Israel: What Can we Learn from our Sources?

25/01/2023

Should the cantor pray slowly, including many melodies to help the congregation achieve Kavanah or shorten the service to avoid tirha d’tzibbura (imposing on the congregation)?

04/08/2022

Nahem on Tisha B’av: Is it permissible to change the wording?

06/04/2022

Why is the Shabbat before Pesah called Shabbat Hagadol?

14/03/2022

What is the origin and history of the Bat Mitzvah ceremony?

06/02/2022

What are the sources and halakhic requirements for the Tohorah ritual?

29/12/2021

Is it permissible or required for the State of Israel to extradite a wanted criminal to another country?

31/08/2021

Additions to the Amidah: A Mahzor Mystery

09/06/2021

Is it Permissible to Borrow Secular or Church Music for Prayers and Zemirot?

08/04/2021

From the Holocaust to the Rebirth of Israel: A Tale of Two Letters –1938 & 1951

14/03/2021

What To Do When Erev Pesah is on Shabbat (1). Responsa in a Moment: Volume 15, Number 3, March 2021

22/02/2021

Must God’s Name Be Written in English as G-d?

01/12/2020

Does Halakhah Require Vaccination Against Dangerous Diseases Such as Measles, Rubella, Polio and Covid-19?

13/08/2020

Is it Permissible to Pray Barefoot?

02/07/2020

Why do Some Jews Refrain From Eating Food Cooked by Non-Jews? Is There Room for Leniency?

13/05/2020

If There is No Minyan, Are There Alternatives to the Mourner’s Kaddish?

05/04/2020

Ten Brief Responsa/Halakhic Reactions to the Corona Crisis

01/03/2020

In Light of the Spread of the Corona Virus, is it Permissible to Listen to the Megillah Reading “Live” Via Telephone, Radio, Television or on Facebook?: Responsa in a Moment: Volume 14, Number 4

23/02/2020

Negiah: Is it Forbidden for a Jewish Man
to Touch a Woman or Shake Her Hand?
Responsa in a Moment: Volume 14, Number 3

23/12/2019

Why Do We Light Hanukkah
Candles in the Synagogue?
Responsa in a Moment: Volume 14, Number 2

05/11/2019

When Should We Study Pirkei Avot and When Should We Recite Barekhi Nafshi andShirei Hama’alot on Shabbat Afternoon?

25/09/2019

Repentance, Prayer and Tzedakah: A New Year Greeting from Rabbi Prof. David Golinkin

25/08/2019

Moses and Herzl
Responsa in a Moment: Volume 13, Number 5

05/05/2019

All I Really Need to Know about Judaism, I Learned in Pirkei Avot

05/04/2019

Is There an Obligation to Kiss the Tzitzit?

05/02/2019

How May One Abbreviate the Loud Repetition of the Amidah?

19/12/2018

A Hidden Lesson of the Hanukkah Story

05/12/2018

Is it Permissible to Study Biblical Criticism?

05/08/2018

Why do Jews from Islamic Lands Object to Sitting with Crossed Legs in a Synagogue?

05/06/2018

Is a Double Ring Ceremony Permissible?
Responsa in a Moment Volume 12, Number 5

05/05/2018

The State of Israel and the Jews of North America: From Problems to Solutions

06/03/2018

How Can One Sell Hametz Which is in a Different Time Zone? Responsa in a Moment: Vol. 12, No. 3, March 2018

06/02/2018

How Should a Person Repent
for Causing an Accidental Death?
Responsa In a Moment: Volume 12, Number 2 February 2018

06/12/2017

Is it Permissible for Women to Serve
as Shohatot (Ritual Slaughterers)?
Responsa in a Moment: Vol. 12, No. 1, December 2017

06/07/2017

Ahavat Hinam (Groundless Love) as an
Antidote for Sinat Hinam (Groundless Hatred)
Responsa in a Moment: Volume 11, Number 6

11/06/2017

Some Thoughts about the Kotel, Conversion and Sinat Hinam

06/06/2017

Why Do Certain Synagogues Sing Psalm 92 After the Torah Reading of the Shabbat Minhah Service?

06/03/2017

Why did IKEA eliminate all women from their
Israeli catalogue aimed at ultra-Orthodox Jews?
Responsa in a Moment: Volume 11, Number 4

06/01/2017

Why is it customary to place a stone on a grave?

10/11/2016

Why do Jews Use the Matronymic in Prayers for the Sick?*

10/09/2016

Why I Flew One Million Miles
for Jewish Education
Responsa in a Moment: Vol. 11, Issue No. 1, September 2016

10/07/2016

Is it Permissible to Renovate or Build a New Building During the Nine Days Which Begin on Rosh Hodesh Av?

10/06/2016

Why do Jews Eat Milk and Dairy Products on Shavuot?

10/06/2016

Why Do We Spill 16 Drops of Wine While
Reciting the Ten Plagues During the Seder?
Responsa in a Moment: Vol. 10, Issue No. 6, April 2016

10/02/2016

Is it Permissible to Institutionalize Parents with Alzheimer’s Disease? Responsa in a Moment: Volume 10, Issue No. 5, February 2016

10/01/2016

What is the Proper Way to Refer to the Parents of a Convert?

10/11/2015

The Middle Way in Israel Today
Responsa in a Moment: Vol. 10, Issue No. 3, November 2015

13/10/2015

Why Do Children March with Flags on Simhat Torah?

11/09/2015

Why do we Wear a Kittel and use White Torah Mantles, Table Covers and Ark Curtains in the Synagogue on the High Holy Days?

10/07/2015

As a Driven Leaf by Rabbi Milton Steinberg – Notes and Sources

10/06/2015

Is Judaism Really in Favor of Pluralism and Tolerance?

10/05/2015

Why do We Decorate Synagogues and Homes with Trees and Flowers in Honor of Shavuot?

15/03/2015

Rice, Beans and Kitniyot on Pesah: Are they Really Forbidden? Responsa in a Moment: Volume 9, Issue No. 4, March 2015

10/02/2015

What is the Halakhic Status of an Uncircumcised Jew?

10/12/2014

Why Do We Give Hanukkah Gelt and Hanukkah Presents? Responsa in a Moment: Volume 9, Issue No. 2, December 2014

10/11/2014

When Should One Correct the Torah Reader?

10/07/2014

What Does Jewish Law Say About the Murder of Muhammed Abu Khdeir and Other Attacks Against Innocent Arabs?

10/06/2014

Jewish Unity and the Spring Holidays
Responsa in a Moment: Volume 8, Issue No. 8, June 2014

10/04/2014

Why Do We Put a Shank Bone (zeroa) and Egg (beitzah) on the Seder Plate? Responsa in a Moment: Volume 8, Issue No. 6, April 2014

10/03/2014

Why do Ashkenazic Jews Eat Hamentashen on Purim? Responsa in a Moment: Volume 8, Issue No. 5, March 2014

10/01/2014

The Crisis in Jewish Law Today

10/12/2013

Torah Study vs. Acts of Loving Kindness: Which is More Important? Responsa in a Moment: Volume 8, Issue No. 3, December 2013

10/11/2013

Why the State of Israel Should Abolish the Chief Rabbinate

10/10/2013

Is it Permissible to Practice Reading the Torah From a Torah Scroll?

10/07/2013

The Status of Women in Jewish Law: a
Dialogue With Shmuel Rosner in the LA Jewish Journal Responsa in a Moment: Volume 7, Issue No. 9, July 2013

10/06/2013

Does Jewish Law Permit Internet Surveillance? Responsa in a Moment: Volume 7, Issue No. 8, June 2013

10/05/2013

Why do Many Jews Stay up all Night Studying Torah on Shavuot?

10/03/2013

“A Heritage of the Entire Jewish People from the Six Days of Creation” Responsa in a Moment: Volume 7, Issue No. 6, March 2013

10/02/2013

Just How Drunk Should a Jew Get on Purim? Responsa in a Moment: Volume 7, Issue No. 5, February 2013

10/01/2013

How Long Should a Child Recite the Mourner's Kaddish for a Parent?

10/12/2012

What does Jewish Law Have to Say about Surrogacy?

10/07/2012

Remembering the Destruction of the Temple – Good or Bad?*

10/06/2012

Why is Keriah Performed on the Left Side for Parents but on the Right Side for Other Relatives?

10/05/2012

Is it Permissible to Eat and Drink in a Synagogue Sanctuary or Bet Midrash?

10/04/2012

Romaine Lettuce or Horseradish:
Will the Real Maror Please Stand Up?

10/03/2012

May Women Read the Megillah in Public?
Responsa in a Moment: Volume 6, Issue No. 4, March 2012

10/11/2011

“Kol B’ishah Ervah” – Is it Really Forbidden for Jewish Men to Listen to Women Singing? Responsa in a Moment: Volume 6, Issue No. 2, November 2011

10/09/2011

The Confession of Sins on Yom Kippur

10/06/2011

Shavuot: Whatever Happened to The Ten Commandments?

10/04/2011

The Student Struggle Against the Holocaust

10/03/2011

Blotting Out Haman on Purim
Responsa in a Moment: Volume 5, Issue No. 5, March 2011

10/02/2011

When a Person Passed Away in Adar, When is the Yahrzeit Observed in a Leap Year?

10/01/2011

Is it Permissible to Change the Wording About the Sacrifices in the Middle Blessing of the Musaf Service?

10/12/2010

Is it Permissible to Sell or Rent an Apartment to a non-Jew in the Land of Israel?

10/11/2010

Why Don’t We Read a Scroll on Hanukkah? Responsa in a Moment: Volume 5, Issue No. 1, November 2010

10/06/2010

Should we Continue to Fast on Tisha B’av and other Fasts which Commemorate the Temple’s Destruction?

10/05/2010

Is There an Alternative to Reciting Akdamut on Shavuot?

10/04/2010

Why do Some Jews Recite a Special Verse at the End of the Amidah?

10/03/2010

Are Jews Required to Give a Maaser [Tithe] of their Income to Tzedakah?

10/02/2010

Is the Entire Kotel Plaza Really a Synagogue?

10/11/2009

What are the Attributes of a Good Cantor?

10/10/2009

Why do we Recite Psalm 27 from Rosh Hodesh Elul until Hoshanah Rabbah? Responsa for Today: Volume 4, Issue No. 1, October 2009

10/07/2009

Which Books May be Studied in Order to Hold a Siyyum? Responsa in a Moment: Volume 3, Issue No. 10, July 2009

10/06/2009

May Women Serve as Mohalot?

10/05/2009

Is it Permissible for a Jew to Attend the “Body Worlds” Exhibit?

10/04/2009

What is the Purpose of the Mnemonic Dzakh Adash B’ahav in the Haggadah? Responsa in a Moment: Volume 3, Issue No. 7, April 2009

10/03/2009

A Tribute to Bill Davidson z”l (1922-2009) Responsa in a Moment: Volume 3, Issue No. 6, March 2009

11/01/2009

What Can We Learn From Our Sources About the War in Gaza? Responsa in a Moment: Volume 3, Issue No. 5, January 2009

11/12/2008

Does Jewish Law Permit Taking a Census? Responsa in a Moment: Volume 3, Issue No. 4, December 2008

11/11/2008

How Often Should Mezuzot and Tefillin be Checked by a Sofer?

11/10/2008

A Responsum Regarding the Environment and Air Pollution – Responsa in a Moment: Volume 3, Issue No. 2, October 2008

11/09/2008

Why do we Eat Special Foods on Rosh Hashanah? Responsa in a Moment: Volume 3, Issue No. 1, September 2008

11/06/2008

A Responsum Regarding the Annulment of Conversions

11/05/2008

Why I Made Aliyah Responsa in a Moment: Volume 2, Issue No. 8, May 2008

11/03/2008

Reciting Verses Aloud in Honor of Esther During the Megillah Reading Responsa in a Moment: Volume 2, Issue No. 6, March 2008 Orah Hayyim 690:17

11/02/2008

Is There a Problem with Plaques?

11/01/2008

Should We Stand or Sit for the Kaddish?

11/12/2007

Does Jewish Law Permit Cremation?

11/11/2007

A Responsum Concerning a Landlord-Tenant Dispute – Responsa in a Moment: Volume 2, Issue No. 2, November 2007

11/10/2007

How Should Shemitah (The Sabbatical Year) be Observed in the State of Israel?

11/06/2007

Is it Permissible to Recite a Mee Sheberakh (Prayer for the Sick) for a Non-Jew?

11/05/2007

Is it Permissible for Jews to Enter the Temple Mount in Our Day? In Honor of Jerusalem on the 40th Anniversary of Reunification.

11/04/2007

Why is it Customary to Mourn Between Pesach and Shavuot?

11/03/2007

Must Cosmetics Be Kosher for Pesah? Responsa in a Moment: Volume 1, Issue No. 7, March 2007

01/02/2007

A Responsum Concerning the Addition of the Imahot (Matriarchs) to the Amidah (Silent Devotion)

11/01/2007

How Can Apostates Such as the Falash Mura Return to Judaism?

11/12/2006

A Responsum Regarding the Right to Privacy Responsa in a Moment: Volume 1, Issue No. 4, December 2006

11/11/2006

What is the Jewish Attitude Towards Medicine?

11/10/2006

Why and When Do We Read The Book of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) In Public?

11/09/2006

When Should Selihot Be Recited? Responsa in a Moment: Volume 1, Issue No. 1, September 2006

11/08/2006

Back to the Sources:
Some Reflections on the War in the Galilee

30/06/2006

On Torah, TALI and Tolerance

13/05/2006

Prayers for the Government and the State of Israel – Yom Haatzmaut 5766

13/04/2006

Introducing Megillat Hashoah: The Shoah Scroll Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Memorial Day) 2002

11/04/2006

The Origins of the Seder

12/03/2006

Yitro vs. Amalek: Purim 5766

12/02/2006

A Tale of Two TALI Schools

12/01/2006

Za’akat Dalot: Halakhic Solutions for the Agunot of Our Time

01/12/2005

Solomon Schechter, Rivka Lipa
and Jewish Women’s Studies

11/11/2005

When Should Baby Girls Be Named?

01/10/2005

The Four Faces of Simhat Torah (1)

13/09/2005

Do “Repentance, Prayer and Tzedakah Avert the Severe Decree”?

11/07/2005

The Jewish Attitude Towards Non-Violent Protest and Civil Disobedience

11/06/2005

On Turning Fifty

15/05/2005

Jerusalem in Jewish Law and Custom: A Preliminary Typology* In Honor of Yom Yerushalayim 28 Iyar 5765 - June 6, 2005

15/04/2005

Redemption is Like The Dawn

11/03/2005

Are Jews Still Commanded to Blot Out the Memory of Amalek?

11/02/2005

Returning Territories for the Sake of Peace

01/01/2005

What Maimonides Means to Me

07/12/2004

From Breslau to Jerusalem: A Vision for the Future Based on the Past

01/11/2004

To Tell or Not to Tell: Confidentiality vs. Disclosure in Jewish Law and Tradition (1)

11/10/2004

Why do we Sit in the Sukkah?

13/09/2004

Like Sheep or Like Soldiers? Solving a Mahzor Mystery

13/04/2004

Pesah Potpourri: On the Origin and Development of Some Lesser-Known Pesah Customs

12/03/2004

Wanted: A “Jewish Revolution”in the State of Israel

01/02/2004

A Midrash in Memory of Ilan Ramon z”l

01/01/2004

The Secret of Eternal Youth: A Tribute to Prof. Alice Shalvi

13/12/2003

Hanukkah Exotica: On the Origin and Development of Some Hanukkah Customs*

27/10/2003

“The Best of Three Worlds”: A Tribute to Professor Walter Ackerman (Acky) z”l (1925-2003)

14/10/2003

Pidyon shvuyim (The Redemption of Captives): How Far Should Israel Go in Order to Redeem Captives from Terrorist Organizations?

11/10/2003

Death and Life are in the Hand of the Tongue: Yom Kippur 5764

11/10/2003

The Basic Principles of Jewish Business Ethics

01/07/2003

 A Eulogy for Rabbi David Clayman z”l

15/06/2003

Heavenly or Earthly: Will the Real Jerusalem Please Stand Up

10/05/2003

 A Time Capsule from November 1947

13/04/2003

The Use of Drama at the Pesah Seder*

10/03/2003

A Wonderful Life: Rabbi Noah Golinkin z”l (1913-2003)

11/02/2003

On Conversion, Intermarriage and “Who Is a Jew?”

11/02/2003

Why Do We Need Synagogues?

11/01/2003

Why is Shabbat Shirah “for the Birds”?

01/12/2002

The Ideal Rabbi in Israel Today

01/10/2002

Evolving Attitudes Towards the Handicapped in Jewish Law: The Case of the  Deaf-Mute

11/06/2002

A Responsum Regarding Space Travel

13/05/2002

Shavuot: “Torah as Sweet as Honey”

11/03/2002

"The Stranger Within Your Gates” – Foreign Workers in Israel Today

13/02/2002

Purim: To Drink or Not to Drink?

02/01/2002

Jewish History is Like a Water Wheel

12/12/2001

Were the Maccabees Religious Extremists?

12/11/2001

Of Burials, Body Bags and Rabbis

10/07/2001

A Eulogy for Professor Israel Friedlaender, z"l

13/06/2001

If Most Jews Are Not Fundamentalists, Why Should They Observe Jewish Law?

13/03/2001

Cloning in Jewish Law

14/11/2000

A Halakhic Reaction to the Intifada

15/10/2000

Intifada 2000: Myth and Fact

13/07/2000

Tishah B’Av: Remembrance is the Secret of Redemption

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