Responsa Radio

Responsa Radio


Latest Episodes

Should I Save Money or Give Tzedakah?
September 14, 2022

We have an obligation to give tzedekah and care for those in need. At the same time, life is expensive and often requires having savings. Is it wrong to save money when others are suffering?

Can I Lie for the Sake of Scientific Research?
September 01, 2022

Can Jews conduct audit studies? These are studies in which researchers send out fictitious job or service applications, a random selection of which have a characteristic that may be discriminated against. Researchers then measure the differences in callb

Can I Make Seltzer On Shabbat?
July 21, 2022

Can I make seltzer, using a home soda maker, on Shabbat? How about on Yom Tov? R. Ethan Tucker and R. Avi Killip discuss the religious instincts and halakhic issues at play.

Can I Change My Seat in Shul While in Mourning?
June 23, 2022

Many people in aveilut (mourning) observe a practice of changing their usual seat in shul. But mourners are also supposed to avoid public demonstrations of mourning on Shabbat. If you are in mourning, and going to shul on Shabbat, should you change your s

Why Do We Wait Between Eating Meat and Dairy? Responsa Radio Kids Edition #4
June 09, 2022

In my family, after eating meat, we wait 3 hours until we eat dairy. Why 3 hours? And why don't I have to wait after eating dairy?

How Old Will I Be at the Resurrection of the Dead? Responsa Radio Kids Edition #3
June 01, 2022

A 5-year-old named Ya'ara asks - when moshiach comes, and people come back from the dead, how old will everyone be? In this episode of Responsa Radio Kids Edition, R. Ethan Tucker and R. Avi Killip discuss the concept of the resurrection of the dead.

Did the Sages Have Last Names? Responsa Radio Kids Edition #2
May 12, 2022

Did the sages have last names? When did people start using last names anyway? In the next episode of Responsa Radio Kids Edition, R. Ethan Tucker and R. Avi Killip answer a question from a 6th grader named Avital.

Can You Make Kiddush on Frozen Grapes? Responsa Radio Kids Edition #1
April 29, 2022

Can you make Kiddush on frozen grapes if that's all you have? In the first episode of Responsa Radio Kids Edition, a new mini-series produced with a little help from Hadar's Children and Families Division, R. Ethan Tucker and R. Avi Killip answe

Is Impossible Pork Kosher?
March 31, 2022

A few months ago, one of the largest kosher certification agencies announced that it would not certify "Impossible Pork," despite the fact that nothing in the ingredients or preparation of Impossible Pork is not kosher. What determines whether o

Can I Take a Covid-19 Rapid Antigen Test on Shabbat?
March 10, 2022

Now that Covid-19 rapid antigen tests are widely available, can I take them on Shabbat? We've previously talked about the halakhic restrictions on medical therapeutics on Shabbat (Responsa Radio #21), do these restrictions extend to diagnostics? Are