Text-based study enhances Torah study skills
Developed specifically for online, in-depth learning
Taught by scholars with a personal interest in the subject
Engaging topics made relevant to real life issues
About the Course
Most people never intentionally commit fraud, but almost everyone has rationalized something questionable.
We sign, share, copy, borrow, and agree far more than we realize, often assuming it's fine because it's common or convenient.
In this four-part course, we examine real-life disputes and ethical gray zones through core Torah sources, exploring how actual cases were navigated and what honesty demands in practice. You'll learn what counts as theft, how to navigate ownership and permission in everyday situations, and how ordinary choices test integrity more than the dramatic dilemmas ever will.
This four-week series begins 8 Tammuz - June 23, 2026.
June 23, 2026
Bank robbery is obviously wrong. But borrowed Wi-Fi and shared passwords? That’s where integrity gets tested. This class builds the Torah's framework for honest measures and truthful dealings, examining how minor choices can create a slippery slope from taking to denying to outright lying. You’ll explore whether misleading someone counts as dishonesty even when no lie is spoken, and what those quiet, unseen choices reveal about your integrity.
|
|
June 30, 2026
The internet made copying effortless, not innocent. This class examines what it means to use photos, music, books, and content that someone else created, especially when it’s publicly accessible. We explore boundaries, intent of the creator, user agreements, and how halacha understands ownership beyond physical objects. A major case study, Slavita versus Vilna, shows how serious this question became in the world of Torah publishing. You'll grapple with whether access equals permission, and what you actually owe when you benefit from someone else's work.
|
|
July 7, 2026
When do civil law and Torah law intersect? This class explores everyday examples like traffic laws, parking, and littering, and then shifts to real disputes where the stakes are higher. Using a landmark approach from Rav Moshe Feinstein on landlord-tenant norms, we examine how contracts, local custom, and government policy shape Torah obligations, and where Torah law ultimately draws the final boundary.
|
|
July 14, 2026
Most conflict is not about bad people. It’s about vague agreements and selective memory. This class steps into the Beit Din, the court of Jewish law, to examine what happens when expectations stay in someone's head instead of on paper. From ketubahs and gets, to leases, loans, and contractor jobs, we explore how the Torah approaches commitments between two parties. When is a handshake enough? Does “we had an understanding” hold up? And what makes an agreement binding when the stakes are real?
|
-
Level: Intermediate -
Length/Effort:45 Min/ Per Week
-
Category: Jewish Law
-
Institution: Chabad.org
Meet the Instructor
Rabbi Dayan Mordechai Zev Hecht is a multi-generational rabbinic leader rooted in the Queens Jewish community, shaped by both Ashkenazic and Sephardic traditions under the guidance of his father, Rabbi S.B. Hecht. For over two decades, he has served as the tenured rabbi of Anshe Sholom Chabad, guiding hundreds of families.
An ordained dayan, he specializes in marriage and divorce law, business ethics, and Beis Din proceedings, serving as a counselor, mediator, and arbitrator with a focus on clarity, fairness, and peaceful resolution.
Rabbi Hecht is also the founder of a humanitarian aid initiative and the author of four Jewish self-help books. He contributes regularly through his columns Torah Matters, Drishas Sholom, and Dear Rabbi Hecht, and serves as a USAFR chaplain veteran. Known for his warmth and practical wisdom, he continues to guide individuals and families in Jewish law, relationships, and ethical living.