Was R. Moshe Feinstein a posek with a predisposition to dispensing lenient halakhic rulings? Moshe Kurtz argues that by looking at a sampling of his landmark Shabbat responsa we may be left with a very different impression of how R. Feinstein approached the world of contemporary halakha.

In this week’s Unpacking the Iggerot, Moshe Kurtz explores R. Moshe Feinstein’s opinions on male-female interactions by surveying his responsa on shidduchim, platonic relationships, co-education and more. It all begins with an eyebrow-raising question: Can someone steal a shidduch?

From life-threatening scenarios to light-hearted Purim revelry, pinning down the precise parameters of the Biblical injunction against cross-dressing can be a tricky one. And whether it be in the American workplace or the Israeli frontiers, Moshe Kurtz has catalogued R. Moshe Feinstein’s array of rulings that have formed our understanding of this enigmatic halakha.

R. Feinstein issued a surprising series of lenient rulings vis-a-vis the question of smoking. Moshe Kurtz, in this week’s edition of Unpacking the Iggerot, asks: What would he say today? The answer is not as clear as some might think.