It's Friday morning in 16th century Krakow and an orphaned Jewish girl is about to get married. (Yup. That was common custom, ceremonies on Friday, party over Shabbat dinner.) Everything is set, the bride is ready and even veiled, but a financial dispute is delaying everything...
Good news! The parties have come to terms, handshakes have been given, everyone is ready to celebrate and the wedding can go forward. But... its already well after sundown. Shabbat!
What should the Rabbi do? Break convention (and seemingly the law) and perform the ceremony on Shabbat? Or send the bride home in shame and reschedule everything?
***
Tensions are rising in one of 13th century Spain's Jewish communities. Two of the city's wealthiest Jews have secured themselves royal tax exemptions and now they wish to apply it everywhere.
The community is taxing its members so they can pay for protection from the inevitable Easter riots? "We're exempt!" say the two rich men. All Jews must chip in for the bribe to mitigate the infamous "Jewish badge" policy? "We're still exempt!" the two insist.
And then came the straw that broke the camel's back. The Jewish community invests heavily to protect the rights of Jewish moneylenders - directly benefiting these very two tight-pocketed men - yet they again claim to be exempt from any and all taxation.
The frustrated trustees turned to Spain's foremost Rabbi for a determination: Are these two men indeed free from Jewish communal taxes, including those directly benefiting them, because of a royal exemption?
What should the Rabbi say? The Talmud doesn't seem to have any mention of such a topic. Can he issue a ruling on the basis of his personal opinion or what "feels right?"
***
Its 1944 in Auschwitz. Literal hell on earth. The Nazis have ordered the kapos to round up all the minors in the camp. They're all now locked in a cellblock and everyone knows what is about to happen.
But there's an out! For the right sum, the kapos will smuggle a child out - and then simply nab another to maintain the number. A father turns to a Rabbi in anguish: My son is in there! Can I ransom him knowing that someone else will die instead?
How can the Rabbi answer such a question? And why is the father even asking? In such an impossible situation, shouldn't he just do the best he can?
***
You've just tasted the close-up human stories from our own history we explore in our newest course - and the dilemmas they present.
This incredible course, "Captivating Cases in Rabbinic Responsa," offers a riveting combination: Hands-on real life scenarios from our ancestors, from across the globe over nearly a thousand years, and the rich academic joy of discovering workable solutions drawn from bona fide Jewish tradition and law.
It's all about Rabbinic Responsa. This incredible and mostly unknown genre of Judaic writings is effectively a record of questions Jews asked - along with the relevant context and details, and the answers they were given - including with the classic Jewish sources and Talmudic style reasoning.
"Captivating Cases" culls 30 of the most compelling and intriguing incidents from the over 6,000 extant collections of such "responsa" - and presents them in a most engaging fashion over six sessions.
This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to explore "up-close" how our people actually lived, with scenarios and details simply unavailable elsewhere. Add the element of using Jewish teachings to resolve the dilemmas and you have the full package of the timeless Jewish experience: The challenges, the triumphs, the pain and the joys - all guided by brilliant (and impressively loyal) application of Torah ethos to any every situation.
The series is made up of six great sessions with three convenient class options:
Option 1: Six Sunday mornings, 10:00 AM to 11:30 PM, starting January 18, 2026 at Chabad of Northbrook
Option 2: Six Tuesday evenings, 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM, starting January 20, 2026 at Chabad of Northbrook
Option 3: Six Thursdays at noon, 12:00 AM to 1:30 PM, starting January 22, 2026 at 555 Skokie Blvd Northbrook.