Yehudah Herzl Henkin
Encyclopedia
Rabbi
Yehuda Herzl Henkin was born in 1945 and currently lives in Jerusalem.
His father was Hillel Henkin, a Jewish educator in New Haven, CT.
Rav Henkin has emerged in the last decade as a major posek
with four volumes of responsa
titled Bnei Banim.
His other works include:
He studied six years with his famous grandfather, Rabbi Yosef Eliyahu Henkin
, from whom he received semichah.
Rabbi Henkin served as the Rabbi of the Beit She'an valley before moving to Jerusalem.
His wife, Chana Henkin, is founder and head of Nishmat
, the Institute for Advanced Jewish Studies for Women.
He cites his grandfather R. Yosef Eliyahu Henkin that hearing Shofar
and Megilah cannot be done by radio, and that therefore Kol Isha does not apply over the radio.
R. Yehudah Henkin was unsure whether this applies to hearing a woman’s voice on television.
He allows women studying Talmud
.
He permits dancing on the Sabbath.
He permits a man to shake a woman's hand where the woman extends her hand first, and vice versa.
as more definitive than the Mishnah Berurah
.
, particularly the issue of calling women to the Torah
. In an article in the EDAH
journal article on the subject, he provided point-by-point halakhic
counterarguments, and also said:
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
Yehuda Herzl Henkin was born in 1945 and currently lives in Jerusalem.
His father was Hillel Henkin, a Jewish educator in New Haven, CT.
Rav Henkin has emerged in the last decade as a major posek
Posek
Posek is the term in Jewish law for "decider"—a legal scholar who decides the Halakha in cases of law where previous authorities are inconclusive or in those situations where no halakhic precedent exists....
with four volumes of responsa
Responsa
Responsa comprise a body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions addressed to them.-In the Roman Empire:Roman law recognised responsa prudentium, i.e...
titled Bnei Banim.
His other works include:
- A Biblical commentary, Hibah Yeteirah.
- Equality Lost: Essays in Torah Commentary, Halacha and Jewish Thought.
- New Interpretations on the Parsha.
- Qeri’at ha-Torah by Women: Where We Stand Today.
- Responsa on Contemporary Jewish Women’s Issues.
- Understanding Tzniut: Modern Controversies in the Jewish Community.
- Is Handshaking a Torah Violation?
He studied six years with his famous grandfather, Rabbi Yosef Eliyahu Henkin
Yosef Eliyahu Henkin
Rabbi Yosef Eliyahu Henkin was a prominent Orthodox rabbi in the United States.He was born in 1881 in Klimavichy, Belarus, then in the Russian Empire, and studied at the Slutzker Yeshiva under Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer...
, from whom he received semichah.
Rabbi Henkin served as the Rabbi of the Beit She'an valley before moving to Jerusalem.
His wife, Chana Henkin, is founder and head of Nishmat
Nishmat (yeshiva)
Nishmat: The Jewish Center for the Advanced Study of Women is a Modern Orthodox Jewish institution of higher Torah learning for women, or midrasha. It was one of the first places in the world to teach Jewish women Talmud and in-depth Halakha intensely and systematically...
, the Institute for Advanced Jewish Studies for Women.
Responsa
R. Yehuda Henkin discusses whether those who believe that the Lubavitcher Rebbe is the messiah are considered to be heretics, ruling that they are not. (Bnei Banim 4:26)He cites his grandfather R. Yosef Eliyahu Henkin that hearing Shofar
Shofar
A shofar is a horn, traditionally that of a ram, used for Jewish religious purposes. Shofar-blowing is incorporated in synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.Shofar come in a variety of sizes.- Bible and rabbinic literature :...
and Megilah cannot be done by radio, and that therefore Kol Isha does not apply over the radio.
R. Yehudah Henkin was unsure whether this applies to hearing a woman’s voice on television.
He allows women studying Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
.
He permits dancing on the Sabbath.
He permits a man to shake a woman's hand where the woman extends her hand first, and vice versa.
Deferring to the Arukh HaShulkan
He cites his grandfather R. Yosef Eliyahu Henkin as considering the Aruch HaShulchanAruch HaShulchan
Aruch HaShulchan is a chapter-by-chapter restatement of the Shulchan Arukh...
as more definitive than the Mishnah Berurah
Mishnah Berurah
The Mishnah Berurah is a work of halakha by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan , also colloquially known by the name of another of his books, Chofetz Chaim "Desirer of Life."...
.
- It is a more recent authority relative to the Mishnah Brurah. Although Aruch haShulchan on Choshen Mishpat preceded the Mishnah Berurah, the part on Orach Chayim was published up to 10 years after Mishnah Berurah).
- He covers all of the Shulkhan Arukh
- More importantly, the Arukh HaShulchan reflects the minhagim of the time, while the Mishna Berurah is much more precedent/text-based.
Partnership Minyan
He has written the major objection to the concept of a partnership minyanPartnership minyan
Partnership minyan is a term used by the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance to describe a prayer group that, according to its adherents, conforms to the strictures of Orthodox Judaism while still allowing for parts of the services to be led by both men and women...
, particularly the issue of calling women to the Torah
Torah reading
Torah reading is a Jewish religious ritual that involves the public reading of a set of passages from a Torah scroll. The term often refers to the entire ceremony of removing the Torah scroll from the ark, chanting the appropriate excerpt with special cantillation, and returning the scroll to...
. In an article in the EDAH
Edah
Edah was a Modern Orthodox Jewish organization, generally associated with the liberal wing of Orthodox Judaism in the United States and with the Religious Zionism movement of Israel. Its headquarters are located in Manhattan, New York City....
journal article on the subject, he provided point-by-point halakhic
Halakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
counterarguments, and also said:
- Regardless of the arguments that can be proffered to permit women’s aliyyot [Torah-reading] today— that kevod ha-tsibbur can be waived, that it does not apply today when everyone is literate, that it does not apply when the olim rely on the (male) ba`al qeri’ah and do not themselves read—women’s aliyyot remain outside the consensus, and a congregation that institutes them is not Orthodox in name and will not long remain Orthodox in practice. In my judgment, this is an accurate statement now and for the foreseeable future, and I see no point in arguing about it.
External links
- Index of the first three volumes of his responsa
- His responsa on women studying Talmud (English translation)
- Discussion of his dancing responsa
- Responsa Bnei Banim at HebrewBooks.org