Rabbi Natasha Mann

It is a running joke with my Hebrew students that I am not good at translating Hebrew into understandable English on the first attempt. The Hebrew is fine, I like to claim; it’s the English I’m having difficulty with. This is how I find myself explaining to Omar, the head of the industrial kitchens at the American Jewish University: “The way that it swallows it is the way that it throws it back up.” Omar looks at me blankly. He’s holding a blowtorch in one hand, and has just asked me the very innocent question of whether he can use the blowtorch to kasher everything in the kitchen in preparation for Passover. Omar is very excited about the blowtorch. “I’m going to try that again,” I say, peering over at my cauldron of nearly-boiling water. It’s taking forever to heat up, but I’m not; between the steaming water on the stovetop, the ovens being turned up to full capacity, and Omar’s blowtorch occasionally firing, the industrial kitchens at the American Jewish University are sweltering. I...

     Mishnah: Kiddushin 1:7 (3rd Century CE) כָּל מִצְוֹת הַבֵּן עַל הָאָב, אֲנָשִׁים חַיָּבִין וְנָשִׁים פְּטוּרוֹת. וְכָל מִצְוֹת הָאָב עַל הַבֵּן, אֶחָד אֲנָשִׁים וְאֶחָד נָשִׁים חַיָּבִין. וְכָל מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה שֶׁהַזְּמָן גְּרָמָהּ, אֲנָשִׁים חַיָּבִין וְנָשִׁים פְּטוּרוֹת. וְכָל מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה שֶׁלֹּא הַזְּמָן גְּרָמָהּ, אֶחָד אֲנָשִׁים וְאֶחָד נָשִׁים חַיָּבִין. וְכָל מִצְוַת לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה, בֵּין שֶׁהַזְּמָן גְּרָמָהּ בֵּין שֶׁלֹּא הַזְּמָן גְּרָמָהּ, אֶחָד אֲנָשִׁים וְאֶחָד נָשִׁים חַיָּבִין, חוּץ מִבַּל תַּשְׁחִית וּבַל תַּקִּיף וּבַל תִּטַּמָּא לְמֵתִים: The observance of all mitzvot of the son upon the father is obligatory for men, but women are exempt; the observance of all mitzvot of the father upon the son is obligatory for men and women. The observance of all time-bound positive mitzvot is obligatory for men, but women are exempt; the observance of all positive mitzvot that are not time-bound is obligatory for men and women.  The observance of all the ne...

Below is a summary of some research I'm doing into the place of emotional distress in halakhic decision making, specifically regarding the use of technology (e.g. livestreaming) on the High Holy Days of 5781. If you would like to see a more in-depth view of my sources and interpretation, please do get in contact with me (most easily done at rabbi.natasha@newlondon.org.uk). (Please note: the area of law in which I'm discussing is around the termination of pregnancy. This might be a difficult subject for some to read about.) The introduction of mental health into the halakhic equation regarding termination of pregnancy began as a method for protecting life (pikuach nefesh) and classifying the fetus as a pursuer (rodeif; this allowed rabbis to prioritise the life of the mother), largely relying on the opinion of Rabbi Israel Meir Mizrahi in the late seventeenth century. However, it has since been expanded to cover cases in which there is non-lethal emotional distress ov...