Howard (Chaim) Jachter is an American

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

rabbi, Dayan (rabbinical court judge), educator, and author. He sits on the Beth Din of

Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Get'' (Jewish divorce) administrator. Noted as an expert on the laws of

Jewish divorce A , ghet, or ''gett'' (; , plural ) is a document in Jewish religious law which effectuates a divorce between a Jewish couple. The term is also used to refer to the divorce itself. The ''get'' is a 12-line document written in Aramaic. The re ...

, he also chairs the

Agunah An aguna or agunah (, plural: , ''ʿaḡunoṯ'') is a Jewish woman who is stuck in her marriage as determined by traditional halakha (Jewish law). The classic case is a man who has left on a journey and has not returned or has gone into battle ...

Prevention and Resolution Committee of the

Rabbinical Council of America The Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) is one of the world's largest organizations of Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox rabbis; it is affiliated with The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, more commonly known as the Orthodox Union (OU). ...

. Rabbi Jachter is also the consulting rabbi for over 70 Eruvs across the United States. He serves as the Rabbi of Sha'arei Orah, the Sephardic Congregation of

Teaneck Teaneck () is a township in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. The town is know for their pancake throwing contest held every September. As of the 2020 United States cen ...

, and is a faculty member at the

Torah Academy of Bergen County Torah Academy of Bergen County (commonly referred to as TABC) is a four-year yeshiva high school located in Teaneck, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The school utilizes a split-schedule day offering both Jewish studies and college p ...

(TABC). Author of twenty books and over one thousand online and journal articles, he writes and lectures extensively on contemporary topics in

Jewish law ''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is based on biblical commandments ('' mit ...

and

thought In their most common sense, the terms thought and thinking refer to cognitive processes that can happen independently of sensory stimulation. Their most paradigmatic forms are judging, reasoning, concept formation, problem solving, and de ...

. He has five children.

Early life and education

Howard (Chaim) Jachter was born to Ben and Shirley Jachter and grew up in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York. For elementary and middle school, he attended Yeshiva Rambam, and

Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy The Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy (MTA), also known as Yeshiva University High School for Boys (YUHSB), is a Modern Orthodox Jewish day school and yeshiva of Yeshiva University. It is located in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan ...

for high school. Afterward, young Howard went to

Yeshivat Har Etzion Yeshivat Har Etzion (YHE; ), commonly known in English as "Gush" and in Hebrew as "Yeshivat HaGush", is a Hesder yeshiva located in Alon Shvut, an Israeli settlement in the West Bank. It is considered one of the leading institutions of advanced T ...

where he learned directly from Rav Aharon Lichtenstein for 2 years. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a Private university, private Modern Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.

and his

rabbinical ordination ''Semikhah'' () is the traditional term for rabbiinic ordination in Judaism. The original ''semikhah'' was the formal Oral Torah#Rabbinic thought, "transmission of authority" from Moses through the generations. This form of ''semikhah'' cease ...

from

Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS ) is the rabbinical seminary of Yeshiva University (YU). It is located along Amsterdam Avenue in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Named after Yitzchak Elchanan S ...

. There he learned under and was Shamash to Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik near the end of his life.

Career

In the early 1990s Jachter served as an associate rabbi in Congregation Beth Judah, Brooklyn, while studying for his rabbinical ordination. In 1993 he joined the rabbinical court of

Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Dayan and '' Get'' (Jewish divorce) administrator. He is also certified as a G''et'' administrator by the

Chief Rabbinate of Israel The Chief Rabbinate of Israel (, ''Ha-Rabbanut Ha-Rashit Li-Yisra'el'') is recognized by law as the supreme rabbinic authority for Judaism in Israel. It was established in 1921 under the British Mandate, and today operates on the basis of the ...

and given a letter of certification from Rav Ovadia Yosef. By 2008, Jachter estimated he had overseen more than 2,000 Jewish divorces. He chairs the

Prevention and Resolution Committee of the

. In 2015 Jachter testified in a

U.S. district court The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one feder ...

case involving an attack on a Jewish man who had refused to give his wife a ''get''. He is a strong proponent of civil

prenuptial agreement A prenuptial agreement, antenuptial agreement, or premarital agreement (commonly referred to as a prenup), is a written contract entered into by a couple before marriage or a civil union that enables them to select and control many of the legal ...

s, which avoid the issues created if the husband refuses to give a '' Get''. Jachter requires every couple he marries to sign the

RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...

prenuptial agreement. He and his wife, Malca, signed the RCA prenuptial agreement before their own wedding. Jachter is the Rabbi of Sha'arei Orah, the Sephardic Congregation of

. He is also a community

Eruv An ''eruv'' (; , , also transliterated as ''eiruv'' or ''erub'', plural: ''eruvin'' or ''eruvim'') is a ritual ''halakhic'' enclosure made for the purpose of allowing activities which are normally Activities prohibited on Shabbat, prohibited ...

designer who has advised dozens of American Jewish communities in the construction and maintenance of their

s. Jachter joined the faculty of the

, a

Yeshiva A yeshiva (; ; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are studied in parallel. The stu ...

high school, in 1995. In tandem with his teaching duties, he serves as faculty advisor for the school's weekly Torah publication, ''Kol Torah'', to which he also contributes articles on

Halakha ''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also Romanization of Hebrew, transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Judaism, Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Torah, Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is ...

topics. These articles formed the basis for his books ''Gray Matter'', ''Gray Matter 2'', ''Gray Matter 3'', ''Gray Matter 4'', ''Gray Matter 5,'' and ''Reason to Believe: Rational Explanations of Orthodox Jewish Faith''. Jachter also established and serves as director of the TABC alumni foundation. Jachter has also written his first two books on Tanakh between 2018 and 2019,
Depths of Yonah
'' written with his son, Binyamin, and
From David to Destruction
'' These books discuss questions and lessons to be learned from the books of

Jonah Jonah the son of Amittai or Jonas ( , ) is a Jewish prophet from Gath-hepher in the Northern Kingdom of Israel around the 8th century BCE according to the Hebrew Bible. He is the central figure of the Book of Jonah, one of the minor proph ...

and

Kings Kings or King's may refer to: *Kings: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations. *One of several works known as the "Book of Kings": **The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts **The ''Shahnameh'', an 11th-century epic Persia ...

, respectively. In 2020, Jachter wrote a book on the

Halakhot ''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is based on biblical commandments (''mitzv ...

in
Walking the Line: Hilchot Eruvin from the Sources from the Streets
which made it to #2 for all Jewish Books listed on Amazon. Another 2 books by Jachter were published in 2021. The first
The Halachic Haircutting Handbook: A Breakthrough Exposure of an Obscure Mitzvah
was once again coauthored with his son, Binyamin. The Jachters, in this book, go through all of the sources, from the Biblical and Talmudic texts to modern technology and patents. The second was the next installment of Jachter's books on Tanakh
Opportunity in Exile: An In-Depth Exploration of Sefer Daniel
focused on understanding the texts and lessons from the

Book of Daniel The Book of Daniel is a 2nd-century BC biblical apocalypse with a 6th-century BC setting. It is ostensibly a narrative detailing the experiences and Prophecy, prophetic visions of Daniel, a Jewish Babylonian captivity, exile in Babylon ...

. In the first month of 2022, Jachter published yet another book
Bridging Traditions: Demystifying Differences Between Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews
published by the OU Press and printed by Koren Publishers, under their Maggid sub-brand. This has been the longest worked on project Jachter has put out yet. The writing of Bridging Traditions started over 5 years before publication with research starting well before writing. Bridging Traditions uses Jachter's unique position as a Sephardic pulpit Rabbi, who was tested by Rav Ovadiah Yosef, but is himself Ashkenaz and studied from great Ashkenazi leaders, such as Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik and Rav Aharon Lichtenstein, to truly make connections between the two Jewish traditions in a clear and understandable fashion. By May of 2022, Jachter continued his rapid-fire pace with his latest Tanakh book, ''From Chaos to Kingship: An In-Depth Exploration of Megillat Rut'', the subtitle of which is an accurate description of the topic at large and ''Power of Shabbos: Shabbat and Electricity in the 21st Century''. Soon after, in honor of his eldest son's marriage, the pair co-authored their third book together, ''The Aggadic Mindset: How Talmudic Tales Shape the Jewish Outlook'' in August 2022''.'' Most recently, in June 2023, Jachter began a series on

Chumash Chumash may refer to: *Chumash (Judaism), a Hebrew word for the Pentateuch, used in Judaism *Chumash people, a Native American people of southern California *Chumashan languages, Indigenous languages of California See also

* Pentateuch (dis ...

, entitled ''Torat Chaim Dov - Bringing Chumash to Life,'' beginning with ''Sefer Devarim''.

Articles and lectures

Jachter writes on a wide variety of contemporary topics in Jewish law, among them the use of

electricity on Shabbat Electricity on Shabbat refers to the various rules and Jewish legal opinions regarding the use of electrical devices by Jews who observe Shabbat. Various rabbinical authorities have adjudicated what is permitted and what is not (regarding elect ...

infertility In biology, infertility is the inability of a male and female organism to Sexual reproduction, reproduce. It is usually not the natural state of a healthy organism that has reached sexual maturity, so children who have not undergone puberty, whi ...

, and owning pets. His many columns and lectures on topics in

Aggadah Aggadah (, or ; ; 'tales', 'legend', 'lore') is the non-legalistic exegesis which appears in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism, particularly the Talmud and Midrash. In general, Aggadah is a compendium of rabbinic texts that incorporat ...

, and

Tanakh The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. ''

Mamzer In the Hebrew Bible and Jewish religious law, a ''mamzer'' (, , "estranged person"; plural ''mamzerim'') is a person who is born as the result of certain forbidden relationships or incest (as it is defined by the Bible), or the descendant of s ...

im'' (halakhically illegitimate children). ''Reason to Believe'' discusses both the

Modern Orthodox Modern may refer to: History *Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Philosophy ...

and

Haredi Haredi Judaism (, ) is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that is characterized by its strict interpretation of religious sources and its accepted (Jewish law) and traditions, in opposition to more accommodating values and practices. Its members are ...

viewpoints on conflicts between Torah and scientific knowledge.

Personal life

Jachter married Malca Tokayer in 1995. They have five children and reside in

Teaneck, New Jersey Teaneck () is a Township (New Jersey), township in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. The town is know for their pancake throwing contest held ...

Bibliography

* * * * * *Jachter, Rabbi Chaim; Jachter, Binyamin (2018). ''Depths of Yonah: Unleashing the Power of Your Yom Kippur''. *Jachter, Rabbi Chaim (2019). ''From David to Destruction: Mining Essential Lessons from Sefer Melachim''. *Jachter, Rabbi Chaim (2020). ''Walking the Line: Hilchot Eruvin from the Sources to the Streets''.

References

Sources

External links

"Giving a Get"
''

Jewish Standard The ''Jewish Standard'' is a newspaper based in Teaneck, New Jersey, USA, that primarily serves the Jewish community in Bergen County and Northeastern New Jersey. The ''Jewish Standard'' was founded in 1931, and is the oldest Jewish weekly in ...

'', February 11, 2016
Rabbi Jachter's Halachah Files on KolTorah.comRabbi Jachter's lectures on YUTorah.orgShaarei Orah, The Sephardic Congregation of Teaneck
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jachter, Howard Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American rabbis Agunot American male non-fiction writers American Orthodox rabbis Jewish American non-fiction writers Writers from Teaneck, New Jersey Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary semikhah recipients Religious leaders from Brooklyn Yeshiva University alumni Yeshivat Har Etzion alumni