by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on March 25, 2026
QUESTION I understand that the halakha is that I cannot begin any of the preparations for the second seder on the first day of Yom Tov, including setting the table and warming up the food, until it is nightfall (tzeit ha’kokhavim).…
by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on March 24, 2026
Can porcelain or marble countertops be kashered, and if so how? This question comes up regularly when people move into a previously-owned house, or on an annual basis when it is time to kasher the kitchen for Pesach. This is not a trivial question.…
by Rabbi Rafael Polisuk
Posted on February 25, 2026
בתשובה זו נבקש להראות כי אף שההנחה והפסיקה הרווחת היא שחרשים צריכים להתפלל בדיבור פה, הדבר אינו רצוי מבחינה הלכתית אם הוא בא על חשבון הכוונה, וכי עדיף שיתפללו בשפת הסימנים. בחלק הראשון נבסס מסקנה זו באמצעות חמישה מהלכים ועיונים עיקריים:א.…
by Rabbi Rafael Polisuk
Posted on February 25, 2026
Deaf people can find it extremely difficult to daven in the traditional way. As one individual has reported: “Saying every word of the Amidah out loud in Hebrew takes me more than 20 minutes. It is physically tiring, mentally draining, and the sounds I make sometimes disturb others.…
by Rabbanit Aliza Sperling
Posted on February 25, 2026
QUESTION May a blind person be the ba’al korei to read from the Torah for the congregation using a Braille text to access what is written in the sefer torah? ANSWER Until the invention of Hebrew Braille in the 1940s, the only option for a blind person’s keriat ha’torah was to recite Torah from memory.…
by Rabbi Haggai Resnikoff
Posted on February 1, 2026
Alarmism has been at the core of environmental rhetoric for at least 50 years. The sense that an imminent, planetwide disaster is brewing due to humanity’s industrial lifestyle has motivated virtually all calls for environmental action in that time. Indeed, from the point of view of scientists and activists alike, there is much truth to the claim that Earth, as a whole, is in terrible danger.…
by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on October 20, 2025
Originally published in Routledge International Handbook of Sex Therapy and Religion on the Jewish Approach to Sex and Sexuality Download as a PDF including sources > Introduction When observant Jewish men and women think about sex and sexuality, they often carry with them a complex tapestry of messages from their religious upbringing.…
by Rabbi Menachem Leibtag
Posted on June 26, 2024
Rabbi Menachem Leibtag from Yeshivat Har Etzion explores the different interpretations and applications of the term “ger” (stranger or convert) in the Torah, highlighting its significance and implications for both Jewish law and communal responsibilities.…
by Rabbi Tully Harcsztark
Posted on June 26, 2024
Rabbi Tully Harcsztark from SAR High School/Machon Siach discusses psychological insights from the Yichud sugya in Kiddushin, exploring the complexities of human drives and moral behavior.…
by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on May 23, 2024
This year’s YCT Shavuot reader focuses on conversion. If your community would like to receive a shipment of holiday booklets in the future, please contact office@yctorah.org. Download Here…
by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on March 11, 2024
Please enjoy this resource booklet which includes words on Purim, disabilities and inclusion. We hope that this reader is a step in increased awareness and brings home the message that all Jews, no matter their difference have the zechut to access our Torah and our beautiful heritage.…
by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on October 13, 2023
The need to create religious communities that are fully embracing and empowering of all its members is a matter of high priority for us at YCT and lies at the heart of what the traditional circle-dance celebration of Tu b’Av represents: a community in which pains are taken to make sure that no one feels lesser or marginalized, a community in which everyone is included and everyone has equal access.…
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