In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon, the esteemed Israeli posek, about the role of halacha during a war. Additionally, we are joined by Rabbi Shmuel Ismach, a rebbe at Yeshiva University and a rabbi at Young Israel of Great Neck.

Amid the darkest and most chaotic times, we require the guidance of halacha even more than usual. And we see from Rabbi Rimon that halacha is not just a set of laws, but also the poetry that enables us to move forward. In this episode we discuss:

• What kinds of halachic questions does a rabbi need to answer when a war breaks out?
• Should a soldier donate a kidney during a war? Can a couple get married when people are dying? Should we really believe that God is with us when we’re being attacked?
• What kinds of questions does Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon ask to the soldiers?

Tune in to hear a conversation about the redemption we can find even when it seems out of reach.

Rabbi Shmuel Ismach joins at 15:22.
Interview with Rabbis Shmuel Ismach and Yosef Zvi Rimon begins at 23:13.

Rav Yosef Zvi Rimon is a prolific author of Halachic books which reflect his unique approach, taking the reader from the sources to the practical application of Halacha in our modern reality. Rav Rimon is Founder and Chairman of the Halacha Education Center which develops innovative educational curricula for Jewish studies using cutting-edge technologies, in Israel and abroad. In 2015, Rav Rimon was appointed the Rabbinic Head of Jerusalem College of Technology and Head of its Batei Midrash. A popular lecturer, Rav Rimon is frequently invited by communities in Israel, North America, the UK and Australia. He also serves as the Rabbi of Alon Shvut South in Gush Etzion. As Founder and Chairman of JobKatif, Rav Rimon was awarded the President’s Prize for Volunteerism in 2008 and the Moskowitz Prize for Zionism in 2014. Some of his published works in English include a commentary on the Haggadah, Shemita: From the Sources to Practical Halacha, and a Yom Kippur Machzor, available in both Nusach Ashkenaz and Nusach Sefarad editions.

References:

Shemita: From the Sources to Practical Halacha by Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon

Shabbat by Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon