Tag: Jewish Law
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Rabbi Danny Nevins Writes New Book on Torah and Technology
From The Jewish Standard (by Joanne Palmer) Rabbi Nevins, who grew up in River Vale, spent 13 years as a congregational rabbi in Detroit, another 13 years as the dean of the Jewish Theological Seminary’s rabbinical school, and now he’s head of school at the Golda Och Academy in West Orange. He’s also (in his…
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New Shabbos App Isn’t a Joke (But It’s a Joke)
Yitz Appel has created a mobile app for those who are Sabbath observant (Shomer Shabbos), but still want to use their smartphone. Called “Shabbos App”, he’s launching a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for its launch. Most people have thought it’s a joke, but Appel says it’s serious and has promised to show some rabbinic…
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Will Google’s Driverless Cars Be Kosher to Drive on Shabbat?
From Haaretz.com By Rabbi Yehoshua Looks Could a Google vehicle be kosher for Shabbat? Driverless cars are comparable to Shabbat elevators. Would Jewish law therefore permit using them on the day of rest? In 1950, Rabbis Morris Adler, Jacob Agus and Theodore Friedman from the Conservative movement authored a responsum on the permissibility of riding…
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Shabbat and Technology: What Are the Issues in the 21st Century?
Electronic books, known as e-books, became the dominant format for adult fiction in 2011 surpassing hardcover books and paperbacks according to the BookStats annual survey. We are increasingly choosing to read our novels, magazine, newspapers and even children’s books on ereaders and tablets. But is it permissible to do this on the one day of…
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Can You Sell Chametz Online For Passover?
Not every Jewish ritual can be transferred to the medium of the Internet, but even the question raises some interesting points for discussion. With the latest Web technology, we have seen how Jewish life-cycle events can be more inclusive and we have also looked into the legality of convening a minyan (prayer quorum) over the…
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Hillary Clinton Removed from History in Iconic White House Situation Room Photo by Hasidic Newspaper
An Ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Jewish newspaper named Der Tzitung has determined that the photo of top U.S. leaders receiving an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden was too scandalous. What was so offensive about the image? U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in the photo and, based on good intel, the editor of Der Tzitung discovered that…
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Can We Drive a Car Using Our Brain on Shabbat?
Futurists and auto engineers are now discussing a sitting vehicle which is driven solely with brain activity. Yes, you read that correctly: brain activity. But can it be used on Shabbat when observant Jews refrain from electricity and traditional forms of transportation. The Jerusalem Post reports, “This intriguing thought was discussed on Thursday by…
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Laws of Shabbat and e-Readers
The gadgets have changed our lives. And technology will change our lives even more in the future. For Sabbath observant Jews, tech gadgets pose some lingering questions about their usage on Shabbat. My teacher, Rabbi Daniel Nevins, is a member of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards — the body that decides matters of…
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Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook Privacy Policy and Jewish Law
Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, blogger Emily Gould, and the 10th-11th century scholar Rabbeinu Gershom share something in common. They all articulated their views about privacy. Zuckerberg was criticized last month for Facebook’s new privacy settings. Over 500 million worldwide users of Facebook had more of their information made public because Zuckerberg believes that “if people…