She’eilos U’Teshuvos Mi’maamakim

The 6th of Cheshvan, 5702 (October 27, 1941), was but two days prior to the liquidation of the Kovno ghetto. One of the respected members of the community approached Rav Oshry with a heart-rending shaila. He was certain that he and the member of his family would be killed, and the Nazis would likely make him watch as they murdered his family. He would certainly suffer a painful death as well. Would it be permitted for him to take his own life to avoid this physical and emotional suffering? read more

On the 12th of Tishrei, 5702 (October 3, 1941), a rumor spread that the Nazis were planning to round up and murder widowed women, whose husbands had already been killed by the Germans. These women sought to marry quickly in order to avoid this threat. However, there was no Mikveh in the Kovno ghetto, and the question arose as to whether being Mesader Kiddushin for these couples would be considered Lifnei Iver, placing a stumbling block that would result in transgression. read more

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The Jews in the Kovno Ghetto did not have the means to acquire conventional candles or oil for Shabbos candles and Havdala. Could they fulfill the Mitzva of Neros Shabbos and Borei Me’orei Ha’aish on Motzei Shabbos through incandescent electric bulbs? Download Reference material (pdf) read more

Rav Oshry presents a heart-wrenching question posed by R’ Moshe ben R’ Aryeh, who davened in Rav Oshry’s Bais Medrash. While on a work detail, he looked for potatoes and vegetables growing in the fields to give some nourishment to the starving Jews working with him. The Germans caught and beat him mercilessly, causing him to lose his hearing and speech faculties. He maintained his cognitive abilities. Could he be counted in a Minyan? Could he receive an Aliya to the Torah? read more

A student of Rav Oshry by the name of Yaakov, was given the opportunity to work in the kitchen where food was prepared for the Jews. This would allow Yaakov to avoid the excruciating work that Jews were subject to, and would also give him greater access to food, which would increase his chances of survival. Would he be able to work in the kitchen even though he would be forced to cook on Shabbos? And, if he was allowed to cook the food on Shabbos, was he allowed to eat it? read more

A young Jewish woman who survived the Holocaust was haunted by the horrors that she had experienced. Was she allowed to erase the numbers that the Nazis had tattooed onto her arm, in order to put these terrifying events behind her? Reference Material (pdf) read more

Elul 1941. The Germans, intent on rapidly building a major military airbase outside of Kovno, increase the demand on Jewish slave labor. The Jews are forced to work, including on Shabbos. The workday ends at 7:30pm, and there is no time for davening or Krias HaTorah. The question is posed to Rav Oshry: can the workers layn the Parshas Hashavua when they return to the ghetto at 7:30? Reference Material (pdf) read more

Rav Oshry was given the task of running a bathhouse that was a lifesaver for the Jews in the Kovno Ghetto, who were suffering ailments and sickness brought on by the terrible hygiene in the ghetto. He made sure that the bathhouse remained closed on Shabbos and Yom Tov. Community leaders expressed concern that if the Nazis found out, Rav Oshry would be killed. Was Rav Oshry permitted to endanger himself in order to prevent Jews from desecrating Shabbos? Reference Material (pdf) read more

As word spread that the Nazis were planning to conduct a mass murder of children, parents frantically sought ways to save their children. Could they give the children to a priest or church, knowing that they would be inculcated with Christian beliefs? Could they entrust the children with non-Jewish acquaintances who avowed that they would return the children to their families after the war Reference Material (pdf) read more

The Jews in the Kovno Ghetto constructed a Bais Medrash for Tefilla and Torah, and they made a secret room adjacent to it for those hiding from the Nazis. The question arose: if they could hear the Tefillos from that secret room but could not see the Bais Medrash, was it considered Tefilla Bi’tzibbur? Reference Material (pdf) read more

A man saved a boy from the mass murder of 1200 children by the Nazis. He adopted the child, protected him, and cared for him. Tragically, the child’s parents were murdered during the Holocaust. The adoptive father asked Rav Oshry: when the boy is called up for an Aliya to the Torah, can his own name be used when referencing the boy’s father? Reference Material (pdf) read more

Following the war, Rav Oshry travelled throughout Lithuania and witnessed the heart-rending obliteration of Batei Knesses, Batei Medrash, and Yeshivos. The question arose: Is it necessary to bury the remnants of an Aron Kodesh? What about the other parts of the Bais Knesses, Bais Medrash, or Yeshiva? Reference Material (pdf) read more