Walking the Line - Halakha and Modern Orthodoxy

In this week's episode, we explore some of the unique challenges Modern Orthodox Jews face in trying to balance a commitment to halakha while engaging in the modern world.

We are joined by Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody and Rabbanit Laurie Novick who share their wisdom and insight in this fascinating discussion on how to find that balance, what some of the difficulties are, and what the future of Modern Orthodox halakhic observance looks like.

Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody is the founding director of the Tikvah Overseas Students Institute. A columnist for The Jerusalem Post since 2007, Brody previously served for a decade as a senior instructor at Yeshivat Hakotel and as a junior research fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute. Brody’s writings focus on making Jewish texts accessible to broader audiences while applying them to contemporary social and ethical dilemmas. His work has appeared in Mosaic, First Things, The Federalist, Tablet, Tzohar, The Forward, Hakirah, and other popular publications, and has been cited in Israeli Supreme Court decisions. His first book, A Guide to the Complex: Contemporary Halakhic Debates (Maggid Books), received a 2014 National Jewish Book Award. A summa cum laude graduate of Harvard College, he received rabbinic ordination from the Israeli Chief Rabbinate, an MA in Jewish philosophy at the Hebrew University, and his Ph.D. from Bar Ilan University Law School, where he continues to serve as a post-doctoral fellow. Originally from Houston, Texas, Rabbi Brody now lives in Modi’in with his wife Rocky and five children.

Rabbanit Laurie Novick is Director and Head Writer of Deracheha: Women and Mitzvot. Deracheha is an initiative of Yeshivat Har Etzion's Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash and the Stella K. Abraham Beit Midrash For Women – Migdal Oz. She has worked as a senior responder on Nishmat’s Health and Halacha website, www.yoatzot.org, since 2002, and taught at Nishmat for many years. Rabbanit Novick is also a member of a pilot cohort of Yoatzot Halacha who received advanced training in fertility issues and Halakha. She has degrees in Bible, Jewish Education, and Talmud and has also done additional graduate work in Counseling.

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Useful links:
The Tikvah Fund: https://tikvahfund.org/overseas/
Jewish Law Live: https://www.youtube.com/jewishlawlive
Jerusalem Post - Ask the Rabbi: https://bit.ly/2DXQzim
Deracheha: Women and MItzvot: https://www.deracheha.org/
Nishmat Yoatzot Halacha: https://www.yoatzot.org/home