Does a wife's salary really belong to her? How much is a husband obligated to provide for his wife? And what happens when one spouse is a spender and the other is a saver?

In this fascinating episode of Asking For A Friend, Mena Reisner is joined by Dayan Yehoshua Posen to explore the financial rights and responsibilities of husbands and wives according to Halacha.

From salaries, spending and inheritance to property ownership, divorce settlements, Kesubos and wills, they tackle some of the most sensitive and misunderstood aspects of money in marriage.

Who owns money gifted by parents? What is a wife entitled to if a marriage ends? And how can she protect her financial future?

An eye-opening discussion that challenges common assumptions and sheds light on what Halacha really says about money and marriage.

This episode is kindly sponsored in honour of Meir Fine's birthday.

Have a question for our upcoming Q&A with Rabbi Zimmerman? Email podcast@federation.org.uk.

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Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction 01:25 – The Husband’s Financial Obligations According to Halacha 04:10 – Who Owns a Wife’s Earnings? 11:35 – When the Wife Is the Primary Breadwinner 15:55 – A Wife’s Financial Independence and Spending Money 22:35 – Necessities vs. Luxuries in Marriage 28:55 – When One Spouse Is a Spender and the Other a Saver 31:00 – Making Major Purchases Without Spousal Consent 32:10 – Charitable Donations and Spousal Consent 36:35 – Debt and Financial Liability Between Spouses 43:25 – Can a Husband Require His Wife to Work? 48:20 – Inheritance and a Wife’s Personal Assets 54:25 – Jewelry and Gifts After Divorce 60:30 – Joint Property Ownership Under Halacha 63:55 – A Wife’s Rights to Her Husband’s Business 66:50 – Divorce, Asset Division, and Financial Security 67:35 – Protecting a Wife’s Financial Future 72:15 – Prenuptial Agreements and Halacha 73:55 – Wills, Inheritance, and Second Marriages 75:15 – Final Thoughts: Financial Responsibilities and Shalom Bayis

Do segulos really work? Can they guarantee a yeshuah? And how do we distinguish a genuine segulah from superstition?

From red strings and chai rotel to 40-day practices, visiting kivrei tzaddikim and paying others to daven on our behalf, segulos have become a familiar part of Jewish life. But where do these practices come from, what is their basis in Torah and Halachah, and how are they actually supposed to work?

In this fascinating and thought-provoking episode, Dayan Hool explores the origins, legitimacy and misconceptions surrounding segulos, including some surprising distinctions between accepted Jewish practices and forbidden superstitions.

And perhaps the biggest question of all: Are segulos a meaningful part of Yiddishkeit, or have we become so focused on finding shortcuts to a yeshuah that we're missing the point?

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction: What are segulos?

01:55 Defining segulos and distinguishing them from superstition

05:24 How mitzvos can bring specific rewards

09:02 Longevity and consistency in mitzvos

13:02 Rosh Hashanah simanim and symbolic foods

20:08 Kabbalah, false mystics, and exaggerated promises

28:04 Distinguishing healing practices from superstition

34:17 Red threads and their sources

37:37 Tehillim for someone who is ill

42:43 Paying others to daven and the role of tzedakah

47:50 The significance of forty days and a Kotel story

52:34 Rabbi Meir Baal Haness and lost objects

55:40 Providing food and drink as a segula

58:58 Segulos surrounding fertility and childbirth

01:04:04 Sandek and bris-related customs

01:04:28 Why a segula does not guarantee results

01:08:42 Prioritizing mitzvos and practical responsibilities

01:14:43 Final advice: how to evaluate a segula

We see a hechsher on a product and rarely stop to think about what it actually took to put it there.

In this episode, Mena Reisner is joined by Rabbi Yisroel Moshe Guttentag, Director of Certification and FedTech at KF Kosher, to go behind the scenes of modern kashrus.

What does a mashgiach really look for when walking through a factory? How do you certify products being manufactured across multiple countries, using complex ingredients, shared machinery and global supply chains? And why can foods that appear completely straightforward turn out to be anything but?

Rabbi Guttentag takes us inside the world of industrial kashrus — from ingredients and production equipment to factory inspections, dedicated machinery and the surprising problems that can emerge along the way. He explains how the level of supervision is determined, what goes into certifying major international food manufacturers, and why understanding how our food is actually made is so important.

We also explore the crucial distinction between a product that is “Certified” and one that is simply “Approved” — and what consumers should understand when relying on either.

A fascinating look at the extraordinary amount of work happening behind the scenes of something we encounter every single day: kosher food.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction

02:07 – Today’s topic: What really happens behind a hechsher

03:52 – What does a kosher certification actually certify?

14:08 – Which foods really need a hechsher?

16:43 – Gummy sweets, gelatin and dedicated kosher equipment

25:52 – Steam systems and hidden cross-contamination

33:11 – International ingredients and cooperation between kosher agencies

44:29 – Wrigley’s chewing gum, gum base and factory codes

49:21 – Red Bull and multinational kosher certification

55:55 – Why canned tuna can require supervision

63:14 – Fruit juice, grape juice and shared pasteurizing equipment

71:26 – Certified vs. approved kosher products

77:09 – When approved kosher lists may be relied upon

81:24 – Ice pops and choosing certified products

85:10 – Closing thoughts on modern kashrus