Torah Corner

The Torah blog of Rabbi Yosef A. Cohen, MD of the Fleetwood Synagogue

Below you can find links to blog posts covering a range of topics. Rabbi Cohen writes about the parsha, chagim, and halacha, as well as a range of medical questions and how these topics overlap. 

There are also posts available on YUTorah by both Rabbis Cohen and Dayan.

The top of the page displays the most recent posts, while the categories section below can connect you to summaries and posts on a particular topic. 

Recent Posts

  • The Fleetwood Synagogue SoundCloud Page

    In addition to the various blog posts directly on the Torah Corner here on the Fleetwood Synagogue website, there are a large number of audio files on the Fleetwood SoundCloud page. These are audio only, without written commentary beyond the file name. The entire page is embedded below, although only a […]

  • Shmini Atzeret

    Today we face a halachic crisis. Over the Yamim Noraim our task was clear, we had reached the pinnacle point of spirituality and were devoting a day exclusively to bonding with Hashem. Over Sukkot, we knew what we needed to do. As we discussed, our goal then was to allow […]

  • Simchat Torah: A Raw Emotional Response

    Raw Words of Shock and Horror I do not know what to say. I stand before you as rabbi of our shul and I do not know what to say. Over 500 feared dead Over 100 feared abducted Over 1,000 wounded I do not know what to say. Ever since […]

  • Akiva, You’ve Comforted Us

    עקיבא נחמתנו The Gemara in Makkot describes how Rabbi Akiva and other Jewish leaders were touring the horrific destruction of Yirushalyim and the Beit Hamikdash. As the great leaders of the Jewish people came across the total demolition of the Holy City they ripped their clothes in mourning. As they […]

  • Halachic Talking Part I

    A. Background Production of sound by biological species requires phonation, the production of primary vocal tones by the vocal folds. Arytenoids, pyramidal shaped cartilages on the upper border of the cricoid cartilage, serve as the attachment sites for some of the intrinsic muscles of the larynx which allows for the […]

  • Halachic Hearing Part III

    C. Analysis of Sources and its Implications The sources discussed above reveal three worldviews with how to analyze CI. The first, espoused by Dr. Brama and Rabbi Rabinowitz, consider halachic hearing in terms of biological principles. As long as sound waves are converted to electrical impulses that stimulate the cochlear […]

  • Halachic Hearing Part II

    B. Sources As we discussed in the previous chapter, Rabbi Aurbach analyzed hearing aids as ineffective for halachic purposes as the patient hears the sound that was produced by the speaker not the sound of the person who spoke. Dr. Brama[1] assumed that Rabbi Aurbach would then not be concerned […]

  • Halachic Hearing Part I

    A. Background In the previous section, we considered halachic talking. Specifically, how devices that utilize microphone and speakers are considered in halacha. As mentioned, the same principles apply to microphones, hearing aids and telephones and as such there are many sources as the halachic analysis of one can be applied […]

  • Halachic Talking Part V

    D. Other Applications Another issue that has significant ramifications is the therapeutic options available to patients who undergo total laryngectomy. As reported by the CDC, in the United States, 12,500 cases of laryngeal cancer are diagnosed annually and 3,800 people die from the disease. Risk factors for developing laryngeal cancer […]

  • Halachic Talking Part IV

    C. Analysis of the Sources and their Implications The earlier sources that discussed microphones and hearing aids have a very liberal definition of what is considered producing sound in halacha. In effect, they argued that any sound that is produced due to human intervention is considered sound. Therefore, sound produced […]

Categories of the Posts of the Torah Corner

Tags of the Posts of the Torah Corner Blog

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