Q&A: Several Halakhic Questions
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Several Halakhic Questions
Question
1. Is it permissible to invest in index funds such as the S&P 500 when it is not known which companies the money will be invested in?
2. Is it permissible to create online advertisements with pictures/videos of women (and is there a difference on this issue between an Israeli audience and an American audience)?
3. Is it permissible to read secular books/watch the news on the fast of Tisha B’Av when it is clear that these are the only things I am able to do, and refraining from them would lead to great difficulty and idleness?
Answer
1. In my opinion, yes.
2. Modestly dressed women.
3. I think there is room to be lenient.
Discussion on Answer
Why are you assuming there is a line? There is common sense, and it depends on the circumstances.
2. Every time this topic comes up, I have a hard time finding a definition for “modesty.” It seems very individual and dependent on culture and habit. If you listen to the halakhic mainstream, “modest” means it’s hard to tell the difference between male and female (sorry for the wild exaggeration; I hope the point came across… https://www.yeshiva.org.il/midrash/1830). And if you try to go by feeling—which feels more right—it becomes a completely subjective matter. That is, it’s obvious to everyone that a certain kind of clothing is not modest, and it’s obvious to everyone that another kind of clothing is modest. But the gray area is larger than the extremes.
Practically speaking, how do I know where to draw the line?