OU Press announces the publication of Nishmat Ha-Bayit: Contemporary Questions on Women’s Reproductive Health, published jointly with Nishmat-the Jeanie Schottenstein Center in Jerusalem, and Maggid Books. This volume, now available in English, consists of questions addressed by Yoatzot Halacha, and is edited by Rabbi Yehuda Henkin and Rabbanit Chana Henkin.
Nishmat Ha-Bayit reflects two decades’ experience of Nishmat’s Yoatzot Halacha in fielding over 350,000 questions from women across the globe. Each of the book’s chapters provides a halachic discussion of the issue under discussion, beginning with the classic sources and through contemporary halachic authorities.
This collaborative work consists of chapters on subjects related to pregnancy, birth, pregnancy loss, nursing and contraception, written by Yoatzot Halacha and reviewed by Rabbi Yehuda Henkin, of blessed memory, and Rabbi Yaakov Warhaftig. In addition, the book contains five medical appendices by Dr. Deena Zimmerman, herself a yoetzet halacha as well as a medical doctor. Uniquely, this work reflects the halachic knowledge, guidance, and emotional support provided by Yoatzot Halacha.
In Rabbi Menachem Genack’s letter of approbation to the volume, he writes that the work is “clear and erudite and… provides an excellent guide to these complex halachot.” This book is a must-read for congregational rabbis, bridal instructors, and all those interested in gaining an in-depth understanding of these important issues of Jewish law.
Requests for review copies and inquiries should be sent to oupress@ou.org.
OU Press, the publishing division of the Orthodox Union, publishes quality works of Jewish law and thought, including such works as The Anatomy of Jewish Law: A Fresh Dissection of the Relationship Between Medicine, Medical History, and Rabbinic Literature, by Rabbi Dr. Edward Reichman; Bridging Traditions Demystifying Differences Between Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews, by Rabbi Haim Jachter; and The Concise Code of Jewish Law: A Guide to the Observance of Shabbat, by Rabbi Gersion Appel.