Yehuda Henkin
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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 (Brooklyn: Lambda Publishers).
His other works include
- A Biblical commentary, Hibah Yeteirah (Brooklyn: Lambda Publishers).
- Equality Lost: Essays in Torah Commentary, Halacha and Jewish Thought (Urim Publications, 1999)
- New Interpretations on the Parsha (Publisher unknown, 2001)
- Responsa on Contemporary Jewish Women’s Issues (Publisher unknown, 2003)
- Understaning Tzniut: Modern Controversies in the Jewish Community (Urim Publications, 2008)
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.
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[edit] 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 and Megilah cannot be done by radio, and that therefore Kol Isha does not apply over the radio. (Bnei Banim 2:211 and 3:127) R. Yehudah Henkin was unsure whether this applies to hearing a woman’s voice on television (ibid.).
He allows and advocates women studying Talmud (Bnei Banim 3:12).
He permits dancing on the Sabbath. (1:12)
He permits a man to shake a woman's hand where the woman extends her hand first, and vice versa.[1]
[edit] Deferring to the Arukh HaShulkan
He cites his grandfather R. Yosef Eliyahu Henkin as considering the Aruch HaShulchan as more definitive than the Mishnah Berurah. (2, p31)
- 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
[edit] Partnership Minyan
He has written the major objection to the concept of a partnership minyan, 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:
- 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 judgement, this is an accurate statement now and for the foreseeable future, and I see no point in arguing about it. [2]
[edit] References
- ^ [1]. See Negiah, section entitled "Shaking hands in Halacha."
- ^ Yehuda Herzl Henkin, “Qeri’at ha-Torah by Women: Where We Stand Today.” Edah 1:2, 2001 (pdf)
