What would you do if saving your child meant another life would be lost?
How do you keep Shabbat… on Mars?
Is lab-grown meat kosher?
Should a Jewish community protect a murderer from execution?
And who is the mother when a child is born through modern reproductive technology?
These are not thought experiments from a philosophy class.
They are real questions, asked by real Jews, in real moments of crisis—and answered by rabbinic leaders who understood that Torah is not only eternal, but alive.
I invite you to join our new JLI course beginning Wednesday, Jan 21 at 7 pm: These and similar questions will be explored in Captivating Cases in Rabbinic Responsa, a journey across centuries and continents, from medieval Spain to Auschwitz, from ancient Cairo to the future of artificial intelligence.
Each of the six sessions explores a gripping case: A moral dilemma with no easy answers. The human story behind the question. And the halachic reasoning that guided Jewish leadership with courage, compassion, and clarity.
You’ll discover how rabbis confronted war, technology, medicine, social upheaval, and ethical chaos, and how their decisions continue to shape how Jews live, choose, and think today.
This course isn’t about abstract law. It’s about leadership under pressure, faith in complexity, and what it means to live with integrity when the stakes are real.
If you’ve ever wondered: How Judaism adapts without losing its soul.
How halacha responds to the modern world.
Or how timeless wisdom guides impossible decisions.
This course is for you.
It combines law, sociology, history, and real life.
Bonus for lawyers; it comes with CLE credits.
To learn more or to register: www.chabadneworleans.com/jli.
Let me know if you would like to take the first class free of charge, on Wednesday, Jan 21 at 7 pm.
The course is being offered by Rabbi Ceitlin at Chabad Metairie on Tuesdays. www.jewishlouisiana.com/jli.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin