no need, the married ones already make too many!

Having met Rabbi Burstein I would share three thoughts: 1)For any specific questions or specific cases why don't you contact the Puah Institute? They are the sweetest people and will stretch the Halacha to utmost of their understanding to help couples. 2)Regarding R' Burstein. Yes his opinions are on the conservative side of halacha. He is also extremely sensitive to people and understands the pain of the people he tries to help. He deals with dozens of cases, sometimes dozens in a day. The sense that I got when I met with him was that he is doing his best to help people while maintaing a halachic consensus. 3)I think they are trying to have everyone in the religious world agree with their rulings. It means that the rulings are conservative but it also means that down the line you don't have Yossi not marrying Ruchama because she was born through a Halachicly questionable procedure and is interpretation of the halacha is that she's not Jewish. /YS

That's a good point Avi, thank you for bringing that up I was refering spefically to the Christian doctrine that the "New Testament" is a New Covenant that, according to both Councils of Nicea, replaces the Torah, and the modern day Fundamentalist Christian belief that the "New Testament" is an addition to the Torah. Both deny the Oral Torah, Midrash and Rabbinic commentaries, claim that the "New Testament" is the primary Word of G-D, and that only Christian translations and interpretations are valid. They reject Judaism, all Jewish thought, ideas, and 3300 years of passed down knowledge. They susbsitute it with pagan and idolatrous traditions passed down from pagan Rome through the Catholic Church and incorporating every pagan nation and religion they absorbed, to every Eastern Orthodox Church and every Reformation Church. They claim their interpretations are guided by the "Holy Spirit" yet they led to 2000 years of anti-Semitism, blood libels, pogroms, and the Holocaust. Their misinterpretations of Tanakh are so outlandish that a child could see through it, which is probably why all European churches forbade people from reading the Tanakh for 1500 years, many churches still discourage it, and why so many are converting to Islam. The nature of Torah requires that Halachic questions will arise and decisions, whether for an individual case, a community, or all Am Yisrael, will have to made. The Torah gives guidelines as to the qualities these people should have, and the level of knowledge and understanding of the Torah that they need to have achieved before they can be entrusted to make such decisions. The more consequential the decision, the greater the requirements on the people entrusted to make them. When there was a 70 member Sanhedrin, each man meeting these requirements, there were less chances of errors. As with all people there will always be mistakes, but the idea here was to minimize the probabilty. You are right that some present traditions as Halacha and that's wrong. Some feel the need to preserve the "wide fence" or cultural norms and that's their choice as long as they present them as such. In my few short years of learning Religious Judiasm I've chosen to reject these particular types of customs. A great many of the rulings were based on the time and place they were made and need to be examined in a historic light, especially with changes in knowledge, technology, and practices that we have access to today. While I don't claim to know well the topics you mentioned, I do know most Christian views on the Torah, indeed, all of Tanakh. While I was born Jewish I spent the better part of 40 years in Fundamentalist Christian teachings. Looked at it objectively, these customs still don't amount to "adding to the Torah". And they certainly don't come anywhere near the concept of the "New Testament" being either a replacement for or an additional part of the Torah with the authority to supercede the Torah in essence, practice, and understanding.

his commandments. Since Rabbi Yeshua obeyed the written commandments of the Torah and Tanakh perfectly, the changes to the Jewish religion that the churches enacted constituted what Rabbi Yeshua warned was "another Jesus" that would be taught. The Messiah of most of the churches is not Yeshua, but "another Yeshua". The Shabbat was changed and the Father-High Priest decribed in Zechariah in the Fourth Rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem was changed to a pagan trinity doctrine. The High Priest is the Messiah. The ELS Torah codes at www.biblecodedigest.com say the name of the Messiah is Yeshua which means salvation. Joshua is the English equivalent not Jesus, a name that means blotted out. The ELS Torah codes give another name for the Messiah as the Comforter: Menachem Mendel. Yeshua and Menachem Mendel are the Messiah which is the Ruach, not a third person. The Ruach and the Messiah are the same. Jews were persecuted by "another Jesus" people who went to hell, not by the Saturday Shabbat Christians or Messianics who did not depart from the Sabbath Rest. The Torah says it is by the Shabbat that true believers will be known. How sad for so many Sunday sabbath keepers to be breaking the Commandments of God to follow a commandment of men. Rabbi Yeshua said, "Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men" in Mark 7:7. REMEMBER the Sabbath Day to keep it holy, the Commandment that is doctrine says. Many are called but few are chosen (by God). Most people in churches are not true believers or they would be Jews in their hearts instead of persecuting Jews.

In light of of the ways many male rabbis behave toward women, the wrong question is being asked. Should rabbis be allowed to reproduce? This is more the issue. Considering all the mischief they seem to get into fairly regularly, I would have to say NO! None of the adults, I know, born out of wedlock are mamzerim. Iligitimacy is only caused by one's OWN behavior. However, more than a few rabbis have EARNED this label by acts of abuse and sexual harrassment of women. I wish I could name names but I am aware of the screening process for talkbacks. Trust me; they're out there!

bless or approve of wrong choices? All things work for the good for those who love God, who are the called according to His purpose. But those who love God will obey His commandments. It is not a commandment of God to have children out of wedlock. That is a commandment of men. Rivkah

I am not sure what would be worse: getting raped or having to marry your rapist- this story should tell you clearly how and what the ancient scriptures are worth in today's world- Women are being discriminated against, singled out, shamed, accused, the father decided what is good for the woman- the rabbi decides what is good for the women, tells them what to wear, when they can have sex and children and how many, where to walk, where to sit---- isn't it time we moved out of the caves?

the name of Adam's first wife who was made equal to him instead of being subject to him. It did not work out since Lillith rebelled even at being on the bottom during sex. So God made Eve from Adam's rib instead of the dust so that she would be a helpmate instead of an equal. Adam was given the headship because that works, whereas equality of the male and female with no one being subject to the other, does not work. You are welcome to move out of the caves if that is what you consider the cleft of the rock of the Lord's mountain of protection to be. The great Hebrew General Joshua who took over the headship of the nation after Moses said it best, "You must choose for yourself, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Rabbi Yeshua obeyed the written Torah and Tanakh perfectly and said those who love him would obey his commandments. You think that obedience to the Talmud and oral tradiditons of men is not important. You are right. But if that helps people to obey the Torah and Tanakh that ARE important, then that is the choice of individuals. The Lord expects the Torah and Tanakh to be obeyed and for there to be repentence when one falls short of the divine standard. Ask yourself, if you have a daughter. Would it please you more to have a daughter who had sex only after marriage and then only with her husband? Or would it please you more to have a daughter who did not consider the Lord's ownership of her body and had sex who lots of men before and after marriage? You see, there is God's way and there is the devil's way. You think a lot of the rules of the Rabbis are stupid, but if they help people to submit to God's authority, it can be helpful. Remember that the larger vessel (greater person) supports the smaller vessel (lesser person) since if the larger vessel were on top of the smaller one, the smaller one would be crushed and destroyed. Rabbi Yeshua said the person who is greatest among you is servant of all. Sounds more like a woman than a man, doesn't it?

of the rock in the Mountain of God, then I disagree with you. The great General Joshua who led Israel after the death of Moses, said, "You must choose for yourself. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Whether you serve the Lord by trying to obey the written commandments in the Torah and Tanakh or the oral commandments of men, it is a walk of faith. Rabbi Yeshua said those who love him would obey his commandments which were the commandments of God (written not oral), not the commandments of men (oral traditions). Women need a covering which is a protection that males are less needful of. The covering of a woman is reflected in her virtue that must or should be protected by the woman being under the headship of a father, husband, brother, uncle, Rabbi, or elderly virtuous woman. Women alone are prey. Ask the women in the US military in Iraq who have to sleep in cubicles of four with males. The women sleep with their backs to the wall and a weapon in hand to prevent rapes. But many are raped after a washcloth soaked in automotive ether is put over their face from behind so they have no memory of the attack. Same thing happens to female sailors on ships. What about rohypnol, the date rape drug, being put into a drink at a dinner or dance or concert? Does that happen to young men? If their kidney is going to be stolen, perhaps. But it happens to women quite often. So a woman alone without her headship person is prey. Did you know that a woman walking along or jogging alone along a road or sitting alone in a park, sets off an unconcious trigger in males to attack, like a wolf after a lamb? There are so many dangers for women and I wonder how you can possibly believe women do not need extra protection in the knowledge of safer attire, whereabouts, etc.