Siha Al HaShe'ela

This is a Hebrew title: How did I guide an educational institution that accidentally purchased non-kosher pizzas at a significant cost? What was my response to an egalitarian prayer service organized without my knowledge in a public building? What did I do when I discovered that my halakhic ruling was incorrect? How did I rule on a father's request to pray for his sick child to pass away? These and many other challenging questions were faced by the author, Rabbi Ori Lifshits , during his tenure as the rabbi of Kibbutz Tirat Zvi and are discussed in this book from a personal and halakhic perspective. Siha al HaShe’ela (A Conversation on the Question) i s a first-person account offering readers a fascinating glimpse into the diary of a community rabbi. Each chapter begins with a real-life incident that raised a halakhic question. Rabbi Lifshits shares the dilemmas he faced in reaching a decision, the halakhic reasoning that guided him, and the broader implications of his rulings. Beyond the personal narrative, each story opens the door to fundamental discussions on the intersection between halakha, the community, and life itself. This book offers a rare opportunity to explore the inner workings of halakha, to step into the mind and heart of a decisor, and to form an opinion on essential questions of halakhic life: neighborly relations, coping with mourning, marriage and family harmony, parent-child dynamics, the role of women in the synagogue, halakha and science, memory and destruction, and more. Rabbi Ori Lifshits is a senior faculty member at Yeshivat Siah Yitzchak, holds a PhD in Jewish philosophy, and lectures in various academic settings.