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Up Front

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the less you fear.

Halachah Hotline

A New York rabbi spends his days answering phone calls
and questions about Jewish law.

LYNNE MEREDITH COHN
Staff Writer

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Around yom tov, people call with
questions relating to the holiday.
When someone is preparing for mar-
riage, they call about that. But they
also call about birth, death, brit
milah (circumcision), Shabbat —
anything Jewish that they want to
learn or need to know.
"So we changed the name" to the
Halacha Frodine, Wolhendler says,
"since it would broaden it automati-
cally to a very wide area. We initially
did not intend to do that, [but] we
accepted that yolk, that challenge."
Sometimes, people call with ques-
tions they may be too embarrassed to

abbi Joshua Wolhendler
has been answering ques-
tions on Jewish law for
decades. Only in the past
few years, he's been answering them at
all hours of the day, via his national
Halacha Hotline.
Whether you want to know about
how to keep a microwave kosher or
what is off-limits sexually according
to Jewish law, just dial 1-718-963-
1236 and ask the rabbi.
Wolhendler answers the phone
most of the time, and when he can-
not, the calls are routed to a handful
of New York rabbis who volunteer
.
their time.
"Basically, I avail myself almost
full-time, even late in the
evenings," says Wolhendler, who
lives in Williamsburg, N.Y. "In
fact, more phone calls come in
during the evening hours than
during the daytime."
He is quick to comment
that his hotline should not
replace the authority of local
rabbis — "We're just trying to
accommodate people when the usual
rabbis are not available," he says.
Although Wolhendler is
Orthodox, the hotline is open to any
ask a rabbi they know; they appreci-
Jew. The hotline only provides infor-
ate the anonymity of the hotline.
mation; using the advice is up to the
And sometimes they call because
individual.
they want an immediate answer,
The author of several books on
Wolhendler says.
taharas hamishpachah (the laws of
There is no "most common ques-
family purity) and books on the laws
tion," he says. But there are some
pertaining to Jewish divorce,
that come up a lot.
Wolhendler is basically a community
"A lot of questions relate to Jewish
rabbi of whom people feel comfort-
marriage and divorce, pertaining to
able asking questions.
the get (marriage contract), whether a
A couple of years ago, Wolhendler
situation necessitates a get, ways to
opened a hotline for questions on
go, who to refer to," he says. They
family life and issues about lifecycle
also ask about "the laws of taharas
events, such as marriage, divorce and
hamishpachah — either a bride or
remarriage. Newspapers and maga-
bride-to-be, or newlyweds, and they
zines around the country picked up
want to have clarification or teaching
the story, and Jews from Los Angeles
on these laws.
to Long Island started to call.
"A lot of questions also relate to
Wolhendler says most were
kashrut, specifically to the modern
inspired by one sentence in the sto-
kitchen: microwave, lighting up an
ries: the phones were "manned by
electric stove on yom tov."
rabbinical authority."

•

"What I believe is once people
have learned that they can ask any
question, even a question that they
may feel embarrassed [about], [the
hotline] just gives them a resource,
convenience."
And what if Wolhendler doesn't
know an answer? Well, that usually
doesn't happen — not because he
knows everything, he cautions. Just
some times he'll need further infor-
mation to make an accurate assess-
ment.
Of course, some questions just
can't be answered over the phone.
"If someone was going to ask a
question about a particular eruv
(Shabbat and holiday boundary), for
example, it's not always clear-cut that
I would be able to answer them,"
he explains. "We may suggest at
4.0
times that a local rabbi go over and el
see it."
The rabbi wants to establish a
Halacha Hotline Web site, and he
is looking for a computer pro-
gramme'. "who would under-
stand the Jewish end and the
technical end of it," to voluntari-
ly build the site.
The rabbi stays in business
thanks to private contributions,
mostly from individuals who have
used the hotline.
"We do not solicit funds. It's not a
membership. Anyone can call up,"
Wolhendler says. Jewish law states
that "people should be able to ask
questions, whether [they are] embar-
rassed to ask a community rabbi,
they should have kosher resource to
•
discuss it. We are not asking for iden-
tity, funds."
But it is not cheap to operate.
"Being that the Halacha Hotline
actually has grown beyond leaps and
bounds, we have discussed getting a
1-900 number," Wolhendler says.
"We have not done that yet, because
the 900 number itself involves some
kind of an overhead. We don't intend 4 4
to use public money for that purpose "
... but it may be necessary in the
future that we should do something
of that sort."
Is that kosher? Hmmm ... you'll
•
have to call and ask the rabbi. El

•

•

10/17

1997

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