By Hannah Morris
Our evening class with Rabbi Shmuel Klitsner at Midreshet Lindenbaum was interesting and enlightening. Rabbi Klitsner discussed how Halacha works and can be applied in the modern age. Halacha, according to Rabbi Klitsner, is the intersection between Torah and reality. The rabbi explained that Halacha is the application of Torah precedent to an ever-changing reality.
Rabbi Klitsner discussed an interesting example of how Halacha can be applied in the modern world. He explained the laws pertaining to an agunah, a woman whose husband has disappeared but it is not known if he is dead or alive. A woman in this situation is given a special status. She cannot remarry because it is not known for certain if her husband has died. Unfortunately, a woman can be stuck in this situation her entire life if the fate of her husband remains unknown.
This type of Halacha might seem outdated, but the laws regarding an agunah are still relevant in some cases. Several decades ago, an Israeli submarine was lost at sea. The wives of the men onboard were given agunah status, because the bodies of their husbands were never found. The Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of Israel ruled that they could remarry, taking into account the modern technology used in search and rescue missions.
I enjoyed learning about how Halacha can still be relevant in our daily lives. It is easy to overlook Halacha as an outdated system of laws. Rabbi Klistner’s session was a refreshing reminder about how Halacha is still a central part of Judaism, even in 2017.
My favorite part of the session with Rabbi Klitsner was learning about his program that teaches women to become Halachic experts and qualifies them to serve in a professional capacity in Jewish communities. Coming from a modern Orthodox background, our meeting with Rabbi Klitsner was particularly meaningful and powerful for me. Growing up, I did not have any female rabbis or Halachic authorities to look up to. It was inspiring to see someone in the Orthodox community taking steps to open this area up to women.
