Today we have great freedom in choosing a car, where and how to drive, and who to drive with. There are cars with internet, G-d forbid, and cars with bars. But there is more to driving than just what kind of car you drive. There is how you drive. This is discussed in a growing body of work called Toras Mechonit. The Nahag Yehudi, leading driving sage and founder of the Institute for Vehicle Study, Jerusalem, has led the field in this challenging and multifaceted area of halacha. His seventeen volume Encyclopedia Mechonit B’Halacha, is lauded for is concise style and wit. It will soon be translated into English, G-d willing. – From Merkava Eliezer: Laws & Customs of Driving
Today most people have great freedom in choosing a shidduch (mate). While it was once forbidden to meet more than once before the wedding, today, rachmna latzlan, weeks and months of meetings can occur. Statistically, because there are more women than men, there are more women who are single than men. However, due to their nature, most of those men are not worth marrying. Nonetheless, being married is better than being single, according to most poskim. —From the Introduction to the Haimish L’Chaim: Laws & Customs of Shidduchim
Now that Pikuch Nefesh has been thrust into the limelight, basking on the pages of Jewish weekly papers, gracing the posters in shtiblach, email blasted into millions of homes, made the rallying cry of an entire sub-culture, become the calling card of zillions of direct mail requests from very choshuv and important rabbonim, it is time that someone out there in the yiddenverse compiled all the laws and customs in one place, to serve the greater good, to ensure continuity of tradition, and confuse people who thought they understood the issues, but ultimately, to make the world a safer and better place to raise kids. —From Introduction to Shomer Petayim: Laws & Customs of Pikuach Nefesh
Fascinating post!! thanks 🙂
I have read them, I was even there when they were created! And I still laugh remembering key footnotes. Most importantly it is good Purim Torah to get us out of our denominational funk. These have been enjoyed by Jews spanning the spectrum from knicker-sporting chassidim and ba’al teshuva bocherim, to tattooed club-loving Jews.