texts: Current applicability to not wearing leather shoes on Tish'a B'Av and Yom Kippur

texts:
I understand that the 5 forms of inuy ("affliction) that occur on Yom Kippur also applies to Tish'a B'Av. One of these is the prohibition to wear leather shoes.

I viewed this M.Y. answer which offers some explanation why wearing shoes is prohibited. I'm inferring that the original idea was to walk barefoot. This, indeed, would be a form of affliction.

However, currently, we substitute the leather shoes with sneakers. To me, and, I think, most people, find that sneakers are actually more comfortable than leather shoes. They are light weight, cooler, and many have "vents". So, if the sneakers are actually more comfortable, how would wearing them be a form of affliction? It sounds like it's accomplishing the opposite.


texts: What is the text used for making a siyum on Zohar?

texts: I have heard plenty of times that there are public completions of the Zohar, but I haven't been able to find a source of a text which would be used for the siyum. Is it a hadran?


texts: Gomel chasadim tovim - are there bad chasadim?

texts:
In the first b’racha of the amidah, Avos, we say "גומל חסדים טובים"... which is normally translated something like- “who does good deeds...” but literally, “Gomel chasadim” by itself means “does good deeds”, so the word “tovim” is extra!

Does anyone have an idea/ sources what the extra word is there for?


texts: Who is "the Desire of all Nations" in Haggai 2:7?

texts: Haggai 2:7 mentions "the Desire of all Nations", according to modern day Judaism, is this a reference to the Messiah or to God Himself?


texts: If we aren't obligated in 613, why ask for reward for 613?

texts:
This is based on some preconceived notions I have so if my premises are wrong, please let me know.

I am not bound to all 613 mitzvot. I get this from here, and through a look at the Rambam's list. Some simply don't and can't apply to me -- and this includes negatives (a woman shouldn't wear men's clothing) and positives (that a Kohein should put on the proper garments for the service).

I know that (from reading related questions) there is some reward for fulfilling mitzvot I am not obligated in, though less than for someone who is obligated in them, but as far as I understand, I do not get a reward for mitzvot that I can't fulfill (unless one counts "learning about them" as equivalent), or even ones that don't apply to me that I DO fulfill (if I wear the priestly garments and perform the service, I can't imagine that I get any reward for kiyum hamitzvah - in fact, I would assume that it would be problematic).

Why then do I ask that my performance of certain mitzvot should be considered as if I fulfilled all 613? I say things like

  כְּאִלּוּ קִיַּמְתִּיהָ בְּכָל פְּרָטֶיהָ וְדִקְדּוּקֶיהָ וְכַוָּנותֶיהָ וְתַרְיַ"ג מִצְות הַתְּלוּיִם בָּהּ.

The Artscroll translation is May it be your will that (insert commandment here) be as worthy "as if I had fulfilled it in all its details, implications and intentions as well as the six hundred and thirteen commandments that are dependent on it."

Why do I want to be considered as if I had fulfilled 613 mitzvot when some of them are not meant for me and, were I to fulfill them, I would not receive any reward (and it might even be a bad thing)?


texts: When there is no Levi, why do we call up the SAME Kohen "bimkom Levi" - "in place of a Levi."

texts:
The Torah.org halakha class says,

  If a kohen is present in the synagogue, he must be called to receive the first aliyah. After the Kohen, a Levi is called. If a Levi
  is not present, the same Kohen is called to the Torah again in his
  place, the gabbi reciting, bimkom Levi - "in place of a Levi."

Why do we use the same kohen and not call another kohen “bimkom Levi”?
Is it because of troubling the congregation or because it might cast slurs on the origin of the second kohen or …?


texts: Is there a heter for mentioning the names of the Greek gods?

texts:
At the end of Rambam Hilchot Avodah Zara 5 (halacha 14 by some counts, 10 by others), he says

   ואפילו להזכיר שם עבודה זרה שלא דרך שבועה--אסור, שנאמר "לא תזכירו". לא יאמר אדם לחברו, שמור לי בצד עבודה זרה פלונית וכיוצא בזה.  וכל עבודה זרה הכתובה בכתבי הקודש--מותר להזכיר שמה, כגון פעור ובל ונבו וגד וכיוצא בהן.

Basically, it's forbidden to mention the names of idols, even to say "near idol x", except for the ones mentioned in Tanach.

As far as i know, the Greek gods are not mentioned by name in Tanach (see Are any Greek or Roman gods mentioned by name in the Bible? on Christianity.SE, which mentions a couple from the NT but none from Tanach).

However, i know Orthodox Jews who indeed mention the names of Greek gods.

Is there a heter for this practice? Perhaps because they have entered Western culture (unlikely though, because idolatry was big in Eastern culture as well, and is clearly forbidden ;)). Perhaps because they have fallen out of favor for the most part? (Though see Does anyone still worship ancient greek [sic] gods like Apollo and Diana? on Yahoo Answers, which says that there are.)


texts: Why don't Jews think Jesus is the messiah?

texts: Christians say that Jesus is the Messiah spoken of in the Old Testament; Jews disagree. Why couldn't Jesus be the Messiah spoken of? Or could he possibly have been?


texts: Shiluach HaKan and a possibly Tahor bird

texts:
Shuchan Aruch Yoreh Deah 292:1 rules that the commandment of shiluach hakan applies only to birds which are tahor, a kosher species. The meforshim explain that the Torah say tzipor which only refers to kosher birds.

Most birds are, technically speaking, kosher (or of a kosher species/tahor). The Torah lists 22 some odd exceptions which are prohibited but insofar as we do not have a mesorah (tradition) identifying the 22 un-tahor birds we only eat birds which have an affirmative tradition that they ARE kosher/tahor.

If one chances upon a bird which does not have any of the simanim (indicators) which Chazal associate with a non-tahor bird but which we do not have an affirmative tradition that they are kosher, does one fulfill the mitzvah of shiluach haken?

In other words according to those who rule that one MUST send away the mother bird even if one doesn't need the eggs/chicks is one obligated to do so when one finds a potentially tahor mother bird?

Or according to the other authorities if I have a need for such eggs (other than to eat since they are forbidden because of their questionable status) am I obligated to send away the mother bird even though she may not be kosher?

Aren't these cases where we say safek d'Oraisa l'chumrah, conversely similar to our being strict not to eat them?


texts: Are there still those who obey the mitzvah of Ma'aser Behemah?

texts: If I am a farmer or keep animals, is it possible to obey the mitzvah of Ma'aser Behemah in today's times? Is is right to obey this mitzvah?


texts:
The Mishnah in Peah and in Davening in the morning for those who say Korbanot we list Mitzvot which have no shiur (limitations) it seems one important one is missing we say in the Haggadah
 "Kol Hamarbeh LIsapir Byitziyas MitzRayim Haray Zeh Mishoebach". Therein we have another mitzvah which has no limitation yet it is not Listed why is that?


texts: What is the status of a man who fathers a mamzer?

texts:
Please consider the following: A Jewish man who is not a mamzer engages in sexual relations with a Jewish woman who is not a mamzer but who is legally/Jewishly married to a different Jewish man. The married husband and wife do not engage in sexual relations and the woman exclusively has sex with the man who is not her husband. The woman and her lover conceive a child that is, with certainty, born a mamzer. What is the resultant halachic status of this "lover" who illicitly fathered this child with her? Does he, the father of the child born a mamzer, also become a mamzer? If not a mamzer, does he carry some other negative status that would affect subsequent Jewish children born to him?

In short:

Father --> Not a Mamzer
Mother --> Not a Mamzer, but married to someone else
Offspring of this forbidden union -- Mamzer

Does the fact that the father created a mamzer reflect on him in any way? If so, can that affect other (non-mamzer) children born to him?


texts: Is Esther's comment in Esther 7:4 a reference to one of the curses in Devarim 28:68?

texts:
In Esther 7:4, Esther says that had the Jews been sold for slaves and maidservants, she would have been silent.

Devarim 28:68 says that we would be shipped to Egypt, and we would try to sell ourselves as slaves and maidservants. but no one will buy us.

While I am aware that the verse in Devarim seems to point to selling ourselves in Egypt, I'm not sure that the curse of selling ourselves as slaves was specific to happening in Egypt. It could be anywhere if we didn't follow G-d's commands. History has proven this to be the case as we were slaves in other countries. (Most recently during the Hollocaust.)

I'm curious if what Esther was saying about being silent if we would have been sold as slaves was her way of referring to the verse in Devarim, i.e. that she saw this as a fulfillment of G-d's decree had that actually happened. Are there any commentaries that make this connection?


texts: Parshas Korach: What Was Korach Thinking?

texts:
The Medrash Tanchuma asks a question regarding the motives of Korach. "Korach was a clever man; what did he see that brought him to such foolishness? The medrash answers "His eyes misled him, for he saw a great chain of descendants emerging from him: Shmuel Hanavi, who was as important as Moshe and Aharon, as it says in Tehillim (99:6) 'Moshe and Aharon were among His priests and Shmuel was among those who invoke His name.'" Korach saw from the fact that Shmuel is mentioned in the same sentence as Moshe and Aharon, that Shmuel is just as important as them.

Korach's line of reasoning is very difficult to understand. He feels that he is justified in replacing Moshe and Aharon as leader because he saw that one of his descendants will be a very important person. How does his offspring prove that he is fitting to be a leader? If Shmuel himself was leading this rebellion, then the argument would make sense: Shmuel is just as important as Moshe and Aharon, so perhaps he could be fitting to lead in their place. But what does Shmuel's greatness say about Korach's own worthiness?

Furthermore, this thought process only proves the very opposite of Korach's entire goal! Inherent in his line of reasoning is the assumption that Moshe and Aharon are men of spiritual greatness. Korach deduces that since Shmuel is just as important as them, Korach himself deserves to lead. But yet, he claims that Moshe and Aharon are unwitting to be leaders but that they are fabricating the will of HaShem! How can they be great enough to prove his own greatness, yet not great enough to be the rightful leaders?

How can Korach make such an illogical and foolish argument?


texts: Did the Rosh (Rabbeinu Asher) describe the culture clash moving from medieval Germany to Spain?

texts: Rabbi Asher (the "Rosh") moved from medieval Germany to Spain. I know he describes some different halachic practices that were done in Spain (e.g. linen tzitzis); but does he describe the difference in culture? Did he manage the different foods? Language? Communication styles?


texts: Were redemption related Amida blessings composed for that time or the future?

texts:
The members of the anshei knesses hagedolah are said to have compiled the blessings of the Amida prayer (Megilah 17b). Why did they include the blessings that pertain to the redemption (rebuilding Yerushalayim, ingathering of the exiles, redeeming Israel, and others), if at the time they composed them the Second Temple was already built or being built?

Was the 'ingathering of the exiles' blessing a prayer for all the Babylonian Jews to return from exile, or was it a prophetically inspired prayer for the times of the Roman exile?

Also (and related to this question), why would the people who lived during the time of Second Temple need to say those blessings?


texts: Starting Maariv prayers before dawn and finishing after dawn

texts:
If one accidentally fell asleep, and woke up quite late and then started Maariv prayers, and managed to get through the Shema and part of the Amidah before dawn, but finished the Amidah after dawn (according to myzmanim.com).

Are there sources that deal with this situation?

I've only found one that refers to being in a state of oneis but it doesn't clarify how to handle that situation.


texts: Is anyone aware of a good Dictionary/Lexicon style book to help expand a person's Hebrew/Yeshivish vocabulary?

texts:
I was curious if a good book existed which broke down common phrases or words related to religious practice and observance. Say a dictionary but it defines common phrases in observance.

Example:

Mi sheberach - a public prayer or blessing for an individual or group, most often recited in synagogue when the Torah is being read.

Basically a book broken down in this sort of format.


texts:
In Genesis 9:3 Noah is told he can eat every moving thing that lives, but I have always had a problem with the translation of moving thing meaning every live animal.  The word translated as moving thing is remes.  Not one other time in the Tanach (that I can find) is remes used to describe all the living animals.  A few examples:

Genesis 1:24 - And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kind, cattle and creeping things (remes) and the beasts of the earth according to their kind," and it was so.

Genesis 1:25 & 26 says the same thing in essence

Genesis 6:7 - And the Lord said, "I will blot out man, whom I created, from upon the face of the earth, from man to cattle to creeping thing (remes), to the fowl of the heavens, for I regret that I made them."

Genesis 6:20 - Of the fowl after its kind and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing (remes) upon the ground after its kind; two of each shall come to you to preserve alive.

All throughout the Noah story remes is only used as a reference to creeping things, while other words are used to describe other animals.  The same goes for 1 Kings, Psalms, Ezekiel, etc.

So my question is, why in Genesis 9:3 is remes translated as all moving things when no where else is this even implied, much less explicit?  Did HaShem actually tell Noah he could eat all moving things that live?


texts: Why does shabbat start at different times at different places?

texts: Crossing a time zone does not conjure up a time warp, so how can it be Friday in one place, and Shabbat in another?  It just doesn't seem possible.


texts:
Who knows one hundred seventy?
Please cite/link your sources, if possible. At some point at least twenty-four hours from now, I will:

Upvote all interesting answers.

Accept the best answer.

Go on to the next number.


texts:
I am a non-Jew and am I interested in studying the Talmud, but don't know how to begin.

To start with, I have tried looking for an affordable Talmud or even part of it that I can buy just to start but it seems that all I can find are Talmud collections often costing hundreds.

How do I get started? Is there a version I can buy that is broken up into books I can buy seperately or even an App?

My first language is English so any translations would have to be in English.

My purpose in reading the Talmud is simply for personal study. I'd like to learn about Judaism in a general sense (beyond having knowledge of the Tanakh)  and there seems no better way to extend my education of Abrahamic traditions.


texts: Changing name of 10 Hadvarim to 10 Hadibrot

texts:
Inspired by this discussion.

When did the Decalogue (עשרת הדברים) begin being called the Aseres Hadibros (no Biblical source for those words) as opposed to the Aseres Hadevarim (Shemos 34:28, Devarim 4:13 and 10:4), and why?  Please provide sources as part of your answers if you can.

Funny how I have to use the Aseres Hadibros tag... :)


texts: Mashiach arriving upon the observance of Shabbat

texts:
Does anyone have a source for the suggestion that:

  If all Israel respected the Sabbath if only one single day, the Messiah would come immediately, for it is written: “Today if you were to listen to his voice”?


texts:
When is one allowed to eat a fruit from Eretz Yisroel without giving trumah?

When I was in Israel we picked pomegranates directly off the trees and eat them. I was told this was okay because it had something to do with being under the tree.

My question is two-fold,

Firstly, what is the source for this?

Secondly, does this mean literally under the tree or is it just a figure of speech?


texts: Why does the Torah sometimes refer to Shabbat as a masculine noun and other times as a feminine noun?

texts:
There are times when the Torah refers to Shabat in feminine as in Shmot (Ex.) 31:13 "...But you shall observe my Shabbats, for SHE is a sign". Other times the masculine voice is used as in Shmot (Ex.) 35:2 "...Anyone that does work on it" (Heb. _ "Bo", which is masculine).
Why does the Torah refer to Shabbat in both forms?


texts:
What is the basis for a kohen who is the shatz to do Birkat Kohanim even if there is more than one kohen present like is done in at least a few Israeli Ashkenazi communities? The Shulchan Aruch states in siman 128, sief 20:

אם ש''צ כהן, אם יש שם כהנים אחרים, (עב) כ''ג] לא ישא (עג) את כפיו
If the shatz is a kohen and there are other kohanim he does not do Birkat Kohanim.

Seemingly this means that if the kohen is the shatz and there are other kohanim present he should not do Birkat Kohanim, yet in some communities the kohen shatz does go up and perform Birkat Kohanim. I checked the commentaries and could not find any answers so maybe other people have heard an answer for why some communities allow a kohen who is shatz do Birkat Kohanim when there are other kohanim present.


texts:
I've seen canvas sukkot that have kiddush printed on the walls.  Can you use the text to say kiddush?

Generally we can't benefit from the sukkah walls.  For decorations, you can make a stipulation that they should be permitted (and this would probably take effect implicitly for a decoration with the text of kiddush, since that's the whole point of hanging it up), but this doesn't work for the walls (Rama 638:1).

And, while you might have argued that reading off of it is not using it, the Gemara (Shabbos 22b) directly compares Chanuka candles to the sukkah, and the main forbidden benefit from the Chanuka candles is to use their light.

Obviously the manufacturers believe it's allowed, but why?


texts: What are all the different koshers for/about?

texts:
I found out recently that what I had been thinking of as a "food copyright symbol", (U), is actually a statement of kosherness. Now that I know what this is, I'm starting to see different symbols like (K) and K inside a star, that I'm assuming are also kosherness marks.

Why are there different koshers (if that's what these are)?


texts: Who said the "sukkot" were really "clouds of glory"?

texts:
The Torah says: “I made the children of Israel dwell in booths”. [Lev. 23:42-43]
The Talmud says: Rabbi Eliezer said that these booths were clouds of glory, but Rabbi Akiva said that these booths were actual booths. [Sukkah 11b]
But the Sifra [Emor 17:11] and the Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael [12:35] say: Rabbi Eliezer says that they were actual booths, but Rabbi Akiva says that they were clouds of glory.
Who said what?  Is this resolved anywhere?  If the matter is uncertain, one would expect the later source to say: "Rabbi Akiva, and some say Rabbi Eliezer..." as they do on many other occasions.


texts:
In Mishpatim (22:24) the pasuk uses the term "אִם" when describing the mitzvah of lending to the poor.

  אִם-כֶּסֶף תַּלְוֶה אֶת-עַמִּי, אֶת-הֶעָנִי עִמָּךְ--לֹא-תִהְיֶה לוֹ,
  כְּנֹשֶׁה; לֹא-תְשִׂימוּן עָלָיו, נֶשֶׁךְ
  (Mechon-Mamre).

Rashi then quotes the Mechilta saying this is one of only 3 places where "אִם" denotes something which isn't optional. At least according to the Mechilta, why does Hashem choose to use this seemingly "optional" lashon by lending?


texts: The purpose of the detailed counting of Benei Yisrael in the Torah

texts:
We know that all letter in the Torah has a purpose. A lot of laws are learned from a little thing in the Torah, etc.

What is the purpose of all the details in the counting of Benei Yisrael in Parashat Bemidbar?

For example, why the number of Yehuda tribe is repeated in (2,4)?

The idea of the importance of counting, showing the חשיבות of every Yehudi, is known. But why all the details, especially when repeated?
Kind of יפה מנינם של אבות מתורתם של בנים ?... Sure there is something else...


texts:
What are the "thirteen covenants made upon" circumcision?

My question came from,
"Rabbi Ishmael says:  Great is circumcision, since thirteen covenants were made upon it." https://www.sefaria.org/Nedarim.31b.8?lang=he&with=all&lang2=he


texts: Hataras nedarim judges have to be observant jews?

texts: The halacha says that the "judges" for hataras nedarim need to be 3 Jewish males above the age of 13.  However, do they also have to be observant Jews?


texts: Many people say a Posuk at the end of Shemona Esrei that begins and ends with the same letters as their name. What does someone do if he can not find a Posuk that begins and ends with his name?


texts: What was Isaac's original intention of enslaving Yaakov to Esav?

texts:
If we accept the plain narrative of the text, that:

Isaac did mistake Yaakov for Esav (he was sure he blesses Esav)
He uttered blessing he prepared and intended to bless (God didn't switch blessings, or didn't put new words in Isaac's mouth)

... הֱוֵה גְבִיר לְאַחֶיךָ וְיִשְׁתַּחֲוּוּ לְךָ בְּנֵי אִמֶּךָ ... - Be master over your brothers, And let your mother’s sons bow to you...” Genesis.27.29

What kind of world order did Isaac envision? What kind of relations between Israel and Esav did he picture in his mind? What was his divine intention of superseding Esov over Yaakov?


texts:
Prophecy ended at around the same time blessings were introduced into Judaism, during the time of Anshei Knesses Hagdola. There were exceptions of course like Birchas Hamazon and Birchas Hatorah, but even when fulfilling a mitzvah in the Torah, a blessing was generally not said.

My question is concerning the nature of a prophet fulfilling the direct command from Hashem. Would that action get a bracha? Such as Yechezkel writing on the sticks and bringing them together, as found in chapter 37 of his book. Or Hoshea marrying a zona as in chapter 1 of his. Or perhaps only actions for the general population get brachos.

Of course, as mentioned, these two time periods did not overlap much, if at all. But if they did, did those prophets make brachos?

Besides my curiosity, there might be a practical application for this. Moshiach will come. He will be a prophet and he will fulfill Hashem's commandments. There is no reason to assume the institution of blessings will be abolished. So will he be making blessings on his fulfillments of Hashem's prophetic commands?


texts: Explain dispute about damaged rows on Bava Kamma 6b?

texts:
I was learning Bava Kamma 6b and am having trouble understanding the machlokes between R' Yismael and R' Akiva.

One problem I'm having is at the part of the sugya with Rav Idi bar Avin, he said that R' Yishmael is talking about a case where the animal ate a "row amongst the rows", there are heavy-fruit rows and weak rows nearby (because if there was only one type we'd probably assume that the eaten row was of that type) and we don't know which type of row was eaten, so because of a doubt, the damager has to pay as if he damaged a full row.

But the Gemara right afterwards says that this is a case of "one extracting money from his friend, and the burden of proof is on him" --
when someone (the damaged party) wants to take away money from the damager, he has to prove that it was the best row eaten, and if not then he's only entitled to the weakest row. What did the previous part assume, to say that he pays for a full row?  It doesn't explain what the actual argument is. What would R' Akiva hold if it was a "row between the rows", he would hold the opposite that he pays the value of a weak one? But R' Akiva only obligates him for the actual value, so would he agree with R' Yishmael that he pays for a full one? But then what would the argument be at that point?

And also the previous section in fact did take into account that "one who takes money from his friend has to pay", since it (a.k.a., Rashi) said that the row is amongst big and small rows, the simple reason for Rashi saying that is probably because if it was only among weak ones, for sure the damaged one has to prove himself that it was a big row before demanding it, so what changed in between the 2 sections of the Gemara?


texts: How is repeating what Bnei Yisrael did somehow a "correction"?

texts:
According to this answer, it seems as though staying up late is somehow a correction for Bnei Yisrael sleeping late. I've heard it explained that they thought nevua would only come while they are asleep, and thus sleeping through that morning would allow them to receive the Torah.

Given all that: How is staying up late (and, consequently, sleeping a lot the next day) somehow correcting that mistake? If anything, it would cause us to repeat that mistake as many people end up sleeping most of Shavuot day due to it.


texts: Why does Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of Egypt?

texts:
Pharaoh hears that Joseph successfully interprets dreams.  He summons him, and Joseph tells him that his dream means 7 years of plenty followed by 7 years of famine.  So Pharaoh orders that food be stored for the next 7 years so some food will be available for the 7 years after that.

All this makes sense.  But then Pharaoh tells Joseph:

  Since God has made all this known to you, there is none so discerning and wise as you...   I put you in charge of all the land of Egypt. [Gen. 41:39, 41]

That's a huge leap!  First, Pharaoh does not believe in God(*).  But second, and most important, Joseph gave him no evidence at all of his managerial excellence.  And he puts this slave and foreign convict in charge of the country?  Why?

You can always say that Hashem inspired Pharaoh to act that way.  But has any commentator provided a more down-to-earth explanation?

(*) The Talmud makes that clear:  "As for Pharaoh, who himself blasphemed God, the Holy One, Blessed be He, Himself exacted retribution from him.... Pharaoh blasphemed God, as it is written that he said to Moses and Aaron: “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice?” (Exodus 5:2)" [Sanhedrin 94a-b]


texts: For those who do not rely on heter mechira (selling) for bal yera'eh bal yimatzeh (the prohibition to own leaven on Pesach) for chametz gamur (certain leaven), do they generally sell flour or get rid of it as well?


texts: Is being Jewish a race / ethnicity or a religion?

texts:
I am genuinely interested, whether Jewish people identify as an ethnicity / race, or as "religious people" (of any race, i.e. as "Christians": not tied to any particular race).

If a non-Jewish man becomes a believer in Judaism, will he then become a "Jew"?


texts: Learning non-jewish topics as a creative process during Shabbat

texts: Is 'learning' non-Jewish topics a prohibited creative process on Shabbat? If so, on what grounds is learning Tanakh exempted? I read that the study non-Jewish subjects is banned or frowned upon, and I wonder why the creative-process ban/frown on the study of non-Jewish topics doesn't apply to Tanakh.


texts: the aggadic concept of a finite number of words to speak

texts:
Is there any truth to the common claim that each person has a predetermined number of words that he can speak in his life? Source, please.

If so, then how does it work? In particular (with sources or arguments, please):

To whom does this apply? Jews? others?
Does each person have the same number (what number?) or words, or does each person have his own number?
Can the number change during the course of a person's life, e.g. based on his merits?
What happens when he runs out of words? Does he go mute? die?
Does any language count? (Agglutinative languages' speakers may live long, depending on the answer to the immediately previous subquestion.)
Do words of tora study and prayer count?
Does writing words count as saying them? Does signing them?


texts: Someone told me that people avoid wearing tefillin all day because of the fear that one might denigrate the tefillin by passing gas with the tefillin on. If someone feels that he is capable of keeping a clean body throughout the day (not passing gas) or removing the tefillin before passing gas would it be OK for him to wear tefillin all day long?


texts: Why can you buy dry fruit from an Am Ha'aretz?

texts:
Explanation of the following Mishnah is according to the Bartenura, Rambam, Kehati, and Tiferes Yisrael.

The Mishnah in Demai (2:3) discusses the requirements of a Chaveir (one careful regarding tumah and taharah). It says that he may not sell to an Am Ha'aretz either dry or wet produce, as he will come to make them impure, and one may not cause Eretz Yisrael produce to become impure.

Fine. So far, so good.

The next requirement is that he does not buy wet produce from them, as they would have become tamei in his reshus. Since tumah only rests on things that have become wet (Vayikra 11:38), the prohibition is only on things which were wet. Dry produce is entirely permissible.

Why are we not concerned that maybe it became wet in his property and subsequently dried? Whether the impurity touched it when it was wet or after it became wet it should still be considered tamei (see Rashi to above passuk). Why should dry produce be any better than wet produce?


texts: If Sarah's anger was only toward Ishmael, then could Sarah have halakhically asked Abraham to only expel Ishmael?

texts:
If Sarah's anger was only toward Ishmael, then could Sarah have halakhically asked (or within her rights, from whichever source, to ask) Abraham to only expel Ishmael and not Hagar, seeing Hagar is owned by Sarah?

(Yes, I understand this entire event took place before Halakha or Torah came into existence. I will therefore accept answers, as if though Halakha were applicable.)

וַתֹּ֨אמֶר֙ לְאַבְרָהָ֔ם גָּרֵ֛שׁ הָֽאָמָ֥ה הַזֹּ֖את וְאֶת־בְּנָ֑הּ כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יִירַשׁ֙ בֶּן־הָֽאָמָ֣ה הַזֹּ֔את עִם־בְּנִ֖י עִם־יִצְחָֽק:

I am also trying to find out if Sarah was also being kind to Ishmael by allowing  Ishmael's mother to go with him, as Ishmael would be totally helpless at that age; at the same time, was it also, in part, an act of kindness to Hagar that Sarah is setting her free, if the understanding that Hagar is a slave of Sarah is correct?


texts:
What is saying חַס וְשָׁלוֹם (chas v'shalom) supposed to accomplish? Does it do so, or is it just a waste of breath?

Based on the answers given to my previous question about this phrase, it seems likely to me that it serves as a prayer that bad things not occur. But I'm here seeking any source that indicates as much or that indicates any other reason to say it or what it accomplishes.

Relatedly — and this may be wholly answered by the answers to the first part — what is חַס וְשָׁלוֹם to be said regarding? I've seen or heard it said about

things that one hopes will not happen ("if his cancer is to come back, chas v'shalom"),
things that would have been bad had they happened (but they didn't: "if I had been sleeping, I would never have smelled the gas, chas v'shalom"), and
things that can't possibly happen ("if God didn't exist, chas v'shalom").


texts: Who is counted in an "outdoor minyan" defined? How should the minyan be run?

texts:
An outdoor minyan is one possible attempt to deal with a public health instruction aimed at preventing spreading infections, such as keeping 6 feet from another person and avoiding indoor gatherings.

What are the halachic considerations, guidelines, and limitations pertaining to an outdoor minyan?
Can anyone within earshot be considered part of the minyan, if they so desire?
How much must be heard to be considered "within earshot"?
Is a roof or an eruv useful in defining a minyan?
During the Torah service, how far apart are the gabbai and Torah reader allowed to be, halachically?
In the Ashkenazic custom, is there a valid way to tie a Torah while maintaining 6 feet of separation?

Remember: This is a theoretical question. Any actual outdoor minyan should be sure to conform to all local governmental, medical and rabbinic guidelines. Check with your local authorities for details.


texts:
Who is this Rabbi?

This is a still taken from the beginning of a documentary on Haredi jews in Jerusalem: The Anti-zionist Jews of Jerusalem

I am curious to learn who this Rabbi is, why he is dressed this way and what kind of festivity we are witnessing here?


texts: sources that neatness brings brocho/mazal

texts:
I heard in a daf yomi shiur on the end of Moed Katan (27a ‘Couch of Fortune’) that Jews kept an extra neat bed for brocho/mazal.
One of the reasons that he gave was that in general neatness brings brocho/mazal (malach of brocho/mazal).

Were can I find sources for this?

And it seems that even now Jews have a custom to keep a neat home.


texts:
A "miut hamatzui" is a phrased used to express a case where because of a small concern that something exists, or might happened, or does happen that the halacha is affected by this. An example is if there is a certain type of "treifah" by a kosher animal that is found in a small amount therefore this must be checked after that animal is shechted.

However what is the amount of a "miut hamatzui"? What are the different opinions in this?

(I don't feel my explanation of a "miut hamaztui" is adequate enough however it's difficult for me to express in English. Perhaps someone can edit it.)


texts: Exodus 24 was a "mass conversion"; why were "the strangers" STILL referred to as "strangers" in the story of craving meat?

texts: I have been told that before the Torah was given, the Children of Israel weren't yet "Jews" in the religious sense. Only at the "naaseh venishma" moment dod they convert. The erev rav (mixed multitudes) were present for this. Why then are they still referred to as strangers during the incident of the quail? The question follows the opinion that the erev rav were not descendants of Jacob.


texts: Criteria for Evaluating a lemudei kodesh Curriculum?

texts:
How do teachers of lemudei kodesh (Judaic studies) and rebbeim decide on what to teach their students?

There are two criteria for secular studies regarding whether a particular subject should studied or taught in a given curriculum:

Theoretical consideration:
The subject should be a body of fundamental knowledge which is a prerequisite for the understanding of other subjects.
Practical consideration:
The subject should have a practical significance in the sense that its understanding would be useful in taking efficient decisions in some of the practical problems.

Obviously Torah study is different, but in particular how does Judaism (or longstanding Jewish practice) indicate that we should decide what is more important to teach and what is less important to teach in the world of Torah education?


texts: Why are you allowed to use a tap on Shabbos?

texts:
This might be a stupid question, but I would still like an answer...
When we use a tap, aren't we shlepping water from the resevoir (a carmelis) into our homes (a reshus hayachid)? It would seem to be a proper maaseh and not grama. If the answer is that the pipes are a makom petur, that shouldn't make a difference, since the water doesn't rest in the middle. Even if the water would rest, it would still be subject to the Machlokes brought in SA 346:1. Perhaps the answer is that water is always considered to rest on the way, and we go like the lenient opinion?
Any help is greatly appreciated.


texts: Forgot Yaaleh V'Yavo by Mincha on Erev Shabbos

texts: Rosh Chodesh is on Friday only, and someone forgot to say Ya'aleh V'Yavo in the Mincha Amida. It is now already after nightfall, and he remembers that he omitted it. Must he repeat the Ma'ariv Amidah to make up for his invalid Mincha prayer?


texts:
The gemara in Menachos 34b learns the number of parshiyos in tefillin in various ways. One is

ר"ע אומר אינו צריך טט בכתפי שתים פת באפריקי שתים
Rabbi Akiva says: ... four compartments can be derived from "totafot" itself: "tot"
in Katfi means two, "pat" in Afriki also means two [and therefore totafot can be
understood as a compound word meaning four.]

I once heard Rav David Cohen shlit"a speak, and he noted that the whole gemara there likes to divide the parshiyos of tefillin into two groups - see for example the ברייתות there of which parshiyos are used, and the machlokes Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam on it, whether the second group of two is in order or switched. Also גר"ז או"ח סי' כ"ז: the reason that tefillin must be precisely centered on the head is so that these two batim should be on his left, and those two on his right.
Rav David said [the rest is my memory or reconstruction]: It makes sense. The first two parshiyos קדש and והיה כי יביאך are in Shemos Parshas Bo as Israel entered the desert, and have to do with Israel leaving Mitzrayim, discussed in those sections a lot. The last two שמע and והיה אם שמוע are way off in Devarim in Parshiyos Va'Eschanan and Eikev, just before Israel leaves the desert and enters Eretz Yisrael.
Therefore, the first two are represented by כתפי, Coptic, the language of Egypt. The last two are represented by אפריקי. [See the Yalkut at the end of Parshas Bo, that the Canaanites who fled before Israel were rewarded with another good land - אפריקי. And similarly Sanhedrin 91a.]
It was a wonderful idea. But I wanted to ask, Does anyone know of a reference that identifies כתפי with Coptic (consonants switched)?


texts: How can the Rambam say that Kiddushin is a Mitzvah, against the Gemara?

texts:
The Rambam in Hilchos Ishus 1:1 makes the following statement:

  כֵּיוָן שֶׁנִּתְּנָה תּוֹרָה נִצְטַוּוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁאִם יִרְצֶה הָאִישׁ לִשָּׂא אִשָּׁה יִקְנֶה אוֹתָהּ תְּחִלָּה בִּפְנֵי עֵדִים וְאַחַר כָּךְ תִּהְיֶה לוֹ לְאִשָּׁה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים כב יג) "כִּי יִקַּח אִישׁ אִשָּׁה וּבָא אֵלֶיהָ":

  Once the Torah was given, the Jews were commanded that if a man wants to marry a woman, he should take her first before witnesses, and afterwards she should be to him as a wife, as it says, “When a man takes a woman and comes upon her” (Devarim 22:13).

The Rambam clearly states that Kiddushin is a mitzvah (he should take her before marrying her - in the Hebrew text, the marriage is referred to as לשא, a form of נשואין, Nisuin, the second stage of marriage; therefore, this must refer to the first stage of marriage, Kiddushin).

Now read the Gemara in Moed Kattan 18b. Shmuel said that Kiddushin is permissible on Chol HaMoed, and the Gemara proposed that the fact that the earlier mishnah (Moed Kattan 8b) only forbade Nisuin, it must be that Kiddushin is permissible. The Gemara refutes this proof:

  לא מיבעיא לארס דלא קעביד מצוה אלא אפילו לישא נמי דקא עביד מצוה אסור

  [The Mishnah means to say:] It goes without saying that Eirusin [i.e. Kiddushin], by which he is not doing a Mitzvah, [should be forbidden,] but even Nisuin also, by which he does a Mitzvah, is forbidden.

Um...

How can the Rambam learn that Kiddushin is a Mitzvah, when the Gemara explicitly states that Kiddushin is not a Mitzvah?!


texts: Why no vowels for the sounds of the shofar?

texts: In three different machzorim (a Rinat Yisrael, an Artscroll and a Koren -- the ones I had access to over the holiday) the listings of the sounds of the shofar are printed without any vowels. Sefaria does the same thing. Is there a particular source/reason why one should not list them with vowels, or is it an old printer's whim that became standardized because no one thought to ask why? The only suggestion I got was that, if you look in the all-Hebrew Artscroll siddur, the short instructions before certain prayers are similarly without vowels, so the sounds, not read by the individual, are similar "directions." However, the Kabbalistic names of Hashem are also printed without vowels so I don't know if the lack is to turn the words into instructions, or something forbidden to be pronounced.


texts: (How) was Tu B'Av observed as a matchmaking/singles-meeting event through history?

texts:
I know the Talmud describes how the fifteenth day of the month of Av (Tu b'Av) was a day of ... I'd say "matchmaking", but I think "marriage-minded-singles-meeting" is more like it:

  אמר רבן שמעון בן גמליאל לא היו ימים טובים לישראל כחמשה עשר באב וכיוה"כ שבהן בנות ירושלים יוצאות ... וחולות בכרמים ומה היו אומרות בחור שא נא עיניך וראה מה אתה בורר לך אל תתן עיניך בנוי תן עיניך במשפחה (משלי לא) שקר החן והבל היופי אשה יראת ה' היא תתהלל ...
  תנא מי שאין לו אשה נפנה לשם

(Taanis 31a, and related final mishna)

And I know that today, there's no shortage of institutions hosting singles events, shabbatons, etc. around Tu B'Av.

But what about the 1800 years between then and now?  Do we have sources (rabbinic or general historic) as to how Tu B'Av was observed for marriage-minded singles in different times, places, and cultures?


texts:
We are told by the Gemoro Sanhedrin 72A (brought by Rashi on Devorim 21:18) that the Ben Sorer is killed because the Torah foresees that he will eventually kill somebody. However the Rambam rules (Mamrim 7:8) that the parents can absolve the child's death penalty if they desire.
What gives them the right to do sacrifice the life of the future murder victim!?
I've seen an answer in the name of the Sochatchover Gaon (haven't found it inside yet) that if there are caring parents then the Torah knows that the wayward child will correct his ways. I'm looking for a different answer.
Thanks


texts: Does the murex, which was found recently, contain the actual techelet? If there's a safek whether it really is or isn't ,is there any harm in wearing it? Like, would it posel the tzitzis?


texts: Do Jewish hermeneutics include an analogue for repudiating the "argument ad hominem"?

texts:
I'm wondering whether traditional sources have a name or an approach to dealing with what is known more generally as an "argument ad hominem".  That is, are there sources in which some variation of the following happens:

Rabbi A makes a claim (either halachic or aggadic)
Rabbi B rejects Rabbi A's claim not on its substantive merits but because Rabbi A is a disreputable source
Rabbi B is rebuked by Rabbi C for engaging in an ad hominem argument rather than addressing the substance of Rabbi A's argument.

Any instances of this kind of exchange?


texts: Identifying word sequence by initial letters

texts:
I learned from Rav ABY that the Attributes of the month of Av are

Ruling permutation of the letters of the Tetragrammaton HAVAYAH : KEH (really the 8th letter) VAV YOD KEH (ditto), contained in the initial Hebrew letters of Haskeis Ushmo'a Yisrael Hayom... "...take heed and listen, O Israel, this day..." (Deut 27:9).

Given 3 or 4 arbitrary Hebrew letters, how do I find a mapping to a sequence of consecutive words in the Torah (Chumash, 5 books of Moshe) analogous to the example above? Is there a method or a dictionary ?


texts: Who wrote the "Seder Vehilchos Korban pesach rishon beketzarah"

texts:
In Pesachim 57b (right before the 5th chapter) there is a page containing a summery of laws pertaining to the Korban Pesach.

Who wrote it?


texts: Counting Sheloshim for a chol hamoed death

texts: How long is the shloshim observed for a death which occurs during chol hamoed Pesach? Does one observe a full thirty days started from the funeral or is it shortened because of the chag?


texts: Did Bach ever respond to Taz's criticisms?

texts:
There are numerous places in the Taz where R' David HaLevi Segal criticizes the opinions and writings of the R' Joel Sirkis (Bach) - who just so happened to be his father-in-law. See for example the last Taz in Ta'arovos.

Is there any record of the Bach responding to the Taz's criticisms? Either in his works, or works of others?


texts:
Chazal in a few places (Pesachim 56a and Bereishis Rabbah 98:3 for example) say that Yaakov asked his twelve sons if any of them had turned rotten, or had a lapse in faith. They responded שמע ישראל השם אלקינו השם אחד, Hear O Israel, Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One!

Rashi in Pesachim clarifies they were referring to their father when they said Israel.

According to Kiddushin 32b, ruled by Rambam in Hilchos Mamrim 6:3, it is forbidden to refer to one's father by name. How were they able to do so in this instance? (I'm assuming they kept halacha).

Maybe one could argue there was no problem calling Yaakov by Israel, but I'd like an explanation or proof/source why.


texts: Is Moshiach going to be a person or an era?

texts: Does Judiasm require one to believe that there will be an actual person who will be the Messiah or is belief in a Messianic period  (brought about by God) enough for one to believe in?


texts: Was the Mishna Brurah meant to be learned straight?

texts:
Disclaimer - I do not intend to dispute common practices in Klal Yisroel, nor do I intend to criticize the incredible work of an incredible Talmid Chacham.

The current practice in a considerable number of communities is to learn Halacha by going through the Mishna Brurah. I have always wondered if that was the intention of the Chofetz Chaim when he wrote it, and there are some things that I have noticed that make me wonder. For example, there are times where he refers to what he wrote a few lines earlier in the same seif, which logically the reader would have seen going straight through. Another thing I have noticed is that the MB does not always give a clear cut psak (see MB 311:3 compared to Be'er Hetev and Aruch Hashulchan there).

Was the MB meant to be learned straight through and to be used for psak Halacha, or is it some time of explanation to help a person navigate the Shulchan Aruch?


texts: What was the attitude of Rabbonim regarding Purim Torah?

texts:
Purim Torah seems to be a two sided concept. On one hand, many people do it for many years (for example, Maseches Purim was published in 1871).

On the other hand, it seems to be a Bizayon HaTorah (disgracing Torah) as one is making fun of Torah and its svaros (logic).

Did any famous Rabbonim talk about it?


texts: Why didn't Yitzhak bless Eisav the same way he blessed Yaakov?

texts: Why couldn't Yitzhak make the same blessing twice?


texts: Does God Compensate Animals For Their Pain During Shechita?

texts:
Rav Sa'adia Gaon states the following regarding ritual slaughter of animals:

  I will make this matter understandable and say: the Creator has
  decreed that every animal will die, and has given every human an
  allotted time of life, and He has made allotted times of life for the
  animals until the time of their slaughter, setting up slaughter in
  place of [natural] death. If there were in the [act of] slaughter a
  greater pain than the pain of [natural] death, [God] knows this; and
  therefore it is proper that He compensate the animal for the amount of
  pain that was greater than in [natural] death. We say this is so when
  the case of additional [suffering] is known from the intellect and not
  from prophecy.

Source: From Judah Hadassi to Elijah Bashyatchi, Brill, p. 203.

I had never heard this idea before. Most people talk about how it's simply the animal's purpose to be slaughtered and eaten by us. This opinion of Saadia's is almost a reverse of that, like God has to make up for the fact that we slaughter animals.

Do any other Rabbis agree with or disagree with him on this idea?


texts:
Rav Moshe holds that tuna needs a masgiach timidi for it to be consumed,every fish needs to be checked for the simanim.However, by milk he brings a savarah that the government is sufficient and a mashgiach timidi is not needed and one can technically drink such milk.

what is the difference by fish why can't we say the same savarah like milk,I believe Rav Ahron Kotler used such a savarah.


texts:
In response to another question, I was told that the Talmud was considered canonical by Orthodox Jews.  I have heard it called authoritative, but never canonical before.  The cursory sources I checked did not include the Talmud as a part of the canon, though they clearly recognized it as authoritative as well.

So, is the Talmud part of the canon?


texts: What was Moshe's status after Aharon became Kohein Gadol?

texts:
According to the commentary in my Stone Chumash (p. 474) on Sh'mot, 29, from the 23rd of Adar, when the Yemei Miluim began, Moshe performed the sacrificial service and "had the status of a Kohen Gadol." On the first of Nissan, Aharon and his sons took over.
What was Moshe's status after that? Was he reduced to being a regular Kohen, or a Levi, or something else like a She'avar?
According to the talmudic discussion summarized here (yes, when discussing a Kohein Gadol who was temporarily disqualified, different from the case in Sh'mot),

Even though one may have only served as the kohen gadol for a day or two, he retains his exalted status as akohen gadol. While in terms of the Temple duties the original kohen gadol gets his job back, the backup kohen gadol would continue to wear the special garments worn by a high priest and be subject to the special laws pertaining to the kohen gadol, such as the prohibition to attend the funeral of a close relative or to marry a widow--once a kohen gadol, always a kohen gadol.
Rav Yossi disagrees and rules that the backup kohen gadol is "unfit both for the role of the kohen gadol and for that of a kohen hedeyot, a regular kohen". The Gemara explains that to have two high priests share the responsibility would be a source of constant friction, and to have one who served as a high priest relegated to serving as a regular kohen would be demeaning--violating the principle of  "we go up in holiness, and we do not go down". It would be somewhat akin to the President of the United States becoming a congressman.
The Gemara follows with the ruling of Rabba bar bar Channa in the name of Rav Yochanan that the halacha follows the view of Rav Yossi, i.e., that the second kohen gadol is forced to retire.

If Moshe had the status then what happened to him? Were there any practical implications to the resultant status?


texts:
What is one's halachic obligation based on Rambam Hilchos Matanos Anayim 10:3, "do not turn away…", when one receives tzedakkah flyers in the mail for many different types of causes?

In addition, what is one's obligation when someone is collecting on behalf of someone else?


texts:
The Kaf Hachaim (8:9) writes

  אותם בני אדם שמניחין הטלית כשהוא מקופל ומשלשלים סביב צוארם על כתפיהם
  בענין שקצה האחד כשהוא מקופל עם ב' ציציות יורד לפניו בצד ימין וקצה השני
  עם שני ציציות יורד לפניו משמאל אין יוצאין בכה"ג ידי מצות ציצית וגוערים
  בהם דכה"ג לכ"ע לא עיטוף הוא - those people who put their tallis folded around their necks over their shoulders so that both the front/back tzitzis sit in front of them do not fulfill their mitzva of tzitzis and you should tell them that according to everyone this is not considered wrapping oneself in a tallis.

Are there any sources who consider wearing the tallis in such a scarf-like fashion to fulfill the mitzva? (If there are none, what's the best way to help a stranger understand this in shul without offending him?)


texts: What is the etymology of the name Jesse?

texts:
I can find multiple possible etymologies for the name Jesse/יִשַׁי Yishai:

"King"
"Wealth/Abundance"
"G-d's gift"
"G-d Exists" [From יש Yesh ("there is"), and יה Yah (the shortened name of יהוה YHWH, the L-rd).] (see below)
"My Husband" [*From איש 'Ish ("man").] (see below)

Which, if any of these, is correct? Is there any consensus upon the origin of the name? Also, if 4. "G-d Exists" is/could be correct, then would יש יהוה be a grammatical correct phrase?
Notes:

"G-d Exists"

Quote: The word יש yesh, marks existence and can often simply translated as "there is" or "there are". On rare occasions it occurs as a noun, where it demonstrates existence opposed to nothingness.
Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names explains the name Jesse solely through the word יש but seems to derail a bit in the explanation. The word (יש) can't be literally translated in English because it expresses the existence of the word or phrase that follows it.
In Proverbs 8:21 the word occurs so that the literal translation would be something like: the grain houses are full of whatever it is that grain houses get filled with. The latter part is commonly translated with wealth or abundance, but this is implied by the context and not by the word יש.] End Quote.
(They also have a related article on the name Jesiah/Isshiah ישיה, which Wikipedia suggests comes from Yishshayah meaning "Man of Jah")

"My Husband"

Quote: In 1 Chronicles 2:13, Jesse is called by the similar name אישי, Ishi, meaning My Husband (see Genesis 29:32, Hosea 2:16) and it may be that both the names Ishi and Jesse are formed from the word איש ('ish) meaning man.]


texts:
Is there a sefer, a website, or an app with all the concepts in Shas?
Halachic Concepts such as - "Women are exempt from time-bound commandments".


texts: Why are future generations still paying for the sin of the Golden Calf?

texts:
Parshas Ki Tisa recounts the episode of the golden calf, and the immediate punishment that was meted out for the sin. In addition to this, Rashi on Shemos 32:34 (quoting Sanhedrin 102a )  writes:

וְאֵין פֻּרְעָנוּת בָּאָה עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁאֵין בָּהּ קְצָת מִפִּרְעוֹן עֲוֹן הָעֵגֶל
no punishment ever comes upon Israel in which there is not part payment for the sin of the golden calf

But how can this be? Isn't this a contradiction of Devarim 24:16, which states:

לֹֽא־יוּמְת֤וּ אָבוֹת֙ עַל־בָּנִ֔ים וּבָנִ֖ים לֹא־יוּמְת֣וּ עַל־אָב֑וֹת אִ֥יש בְּחֶטְא֖וֹ יוּמָֽתוּ׃
Parents shall not be put to death for children, nor children be put to death for parents: a person shall be put to death only for his own crime.

Even though that pasuk says "death," I remember learning that it's not just referring to death, but for punishments in general.
How can we who live in 2019 and who never sinned at the golden calf still be punished for it?


texts:
There is a story in the Talmud that one Kohen noticed a discoloration of the tiles on the floor and figured it was where the place where the Ark was buried. He went to notify his fellow Kohanim and before he could do that he died.

Does anyone know where that Gemorah is?


texts: The Gemara teaches the concept that שומר מצוה לא ידע דבר רע. I have a question on that concept

texts: If a person who is observing a mitzvah will not be harmed, how is it possible that Hevel was murdered as a result of the Korban he offered?


texts:
The Gemara (BM 87b) relates that at the time that Avraham made a feast for Yitzchak'a birth, the nations mocked him and Sarah, saying that they adopted him, or that he was Avimelech's son with Sarah. HaShem made Yitzchak look just like Avraham so everyone could see he was the father, and Sarah nursed all of their guest's children to show that she was physically capable of being his mother.

In those times, everyone worshipped idolatry except for Avraham and his family and followers. After all, Avraham was called the Ivri because he was on one side and the world was on the other (Pesikta Rabasi 33:1). So how was Sarah able to do this, when the Mishnah (AZ 26a) says that one may not nurse an idolatress's baby? Avraham and Sarah observed the Torah before it was given (see, for instance, BM ibid., Bereishis Rabbah 84:4, et. al.). Granted that the Gemara there discusses that one may do so in cases of Eivah, what Eivah would there be in our case if she refused? The heter is Eivah, not Leitzanus.


texts: Why is sleeping with shoes on a taste of death?

texts: The gemarah in Yoma 78b teaches that sleeping with shoes is a taste of death. This is also codified in halacha. I would like to understand why this is the case. What is it about sleeping with shoes that relates to death?


texts: Why not send a substitute for Benyamin (sources)?

texts: Why did the brothers, or Yaakov, not send a substitute for Benyamin when Pharaoh demanded that the family produce him?  Surely there were young men about his age who were quite familiar with the family whom the family would expect to do a credible job impersonating Benyamin.  Do the sources discuss this?


texts: At what point is someone considered תורתו אומנתו?

texts:
There is a Halachic category called תורתו אומנתו, which means that Torah is your profession.
At what point is someone considered to be at this level?
Is it a qualitative or quantitative count?
How many hours a day would it be?


texts:
I know in theory, people on the road don't need to eat in a sukkah; at the same time, you're not supposed to go put yourself in that situation on purpose.  ("Let's go take a chol hamoed trip -- oops we're travelling, no need for sukkah.")

I heard in yeshiva that if you keep schach in your car (let's assume a mat), you could open the front and rear doors on one side (leaving the other doors closed), put schach up between the open doors, and sit (low to the ground, I assume) in that small space.  (See awful ASCII art, if that helps.)  The doors are two walls (assuming they're lavud to the ground and tall enough), the third wall is the other side of the car (dofen akuma.)

Has anyone ever heard of this or tried it?  Which dimensions on a car are needed?  (Where can I see those dimensions listed?)  Any other thoughts?

   _____
__|    |
       |
 x     |
__     |
  |____|


texts: Different kinds of Moshav Leitzim clowns

texts:
On Avoda Zara 18b, there's a list of multiple Moshav Leitzim examples:

תנו רבנן ההולך לאיצטדינין ולכרקום וראה שם את הנחשים ואת החברין בוקיון
ומוקיון ומוליון ולוליון בלורין סלגורין הרי זה מושב לצים

I'm interested in interpreting the different kinds of clowns here: בוקיון, מוקיון, מוליון, לוליון, בלורין, סלגורין. What type of clowning did each of them do?


texts: What was the name of Yiftach's (Jephthah's) daughter?

texts: Do we have any sources for the name of Yiftach/Jephthah's daughter in Shoftim?


texts: Biographical details of Rabbi Baruch Ben Haim z"l

texts:
I am a big fan of Rabbi Baruch Ben Haim's teachings, and would like to know more about who he is, where he was born, where he studied and who was his teachers?

Did he have a mechudash way of psak?

{On a side note, I also wanted to know why Hacham Baruch Ben Haim was considered to be a Syrian Rav if he was actually born in Iraq?}


texts: Waiting six hours when chicken became meat

texts:
Poultry was once not considered fleishig.

If someone had eaten chicken immediately before the rabbis decreed that poultry was fleishig, would he have had to wait his customary number of hours before drinking milk?

I think there is some confusion. A rephrase of the question:

Reuben eats chicken and plans to eat milk during the same meal. After he has a bite of chicken but before he drinks the milk, the Rabbis decree that chicken is to be considered as meat. Since the chicken was not meat when he ate it, may Reuben drink the milk or does the decree affect the past eating?


texts:
I saw a couple of essays yesterday arguing that some teachings in Avot may have been directed specifically against the Greek philosopher Epicurus* and his teachings. I was wondering whether any of the Rishonim reference Epicurus and/or his teachings?

*Some say Epicurus is where the term Apikoros comes from.


texts:
As a follow up to this M.Y. question, it seems that the first time in Tanac"h that the land is named ארץ ישראל occurs in Samuel. The Torah calls the land Cana'an or just describes its features as in "the land that I promised to your fathers" or "a land flowing with milk and honey".

Who first named the land "Israel"? (I am not referring to the country / nation that we currently have, in its current form. There are different reasons, in a sense, as to how it got its name. Please note the tag I used, as there is a similar one that I intentionally did not use.)


texts: Why are there two different forms of the mitzvah brachot ("l-" and "al")?

texts:
Some mitzvah brachot are of the form ...vitzivanu "l'X" ("to X", infinitive verb), and others are of the form "al X" ("upon X", gerundive verb).  I particularly noticed this during Sukkot with two similar ones in proximity; it's "likro et hahallel" but "al mikra megillah" (which led me in a roundabout way to ask this question).  Why the difference?

I first thought that it might be the difference between something we do actively (we all say hallel) and something we experience more passively (most of us don't personally read the megillah; someone does on our behalf), but that doesn't work -- "al netilat (yadayim, lulav)" and "al achilat (matzah, maror)" are counter-examples.  The difference also doesn't seem to be d'oraita versus d'rabbanan; both forms show up in both categories.

Is there significance, or in each case did the rabbis just choose between two equally-appropriate formulations and it doesn't mean anything more than that?


texts:
When Rus went out into the field to pick up the Shikcha (dropped or forgotten crops which must be left for the poor), Boaz sees her great piety and tells his servants to drop more on purpose so that she can get more food.

This seems to be a problem as normally you are not required to separate Masseros (tithes) from Shikcha, but if one drops wheat on purpose, he will cause her and her family to eat un-tithed foods as the food will be obligated in masseros but she won't know it.


texts: מוחין דגדלות and מוחין דקטנות — explained?

texts:
I’m looking for sources on good authority, explaining well the concept of מוחין דגדלות and מוחין דקטנות.

Which is mentioned (but not limited to with regards to this question) in Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan’s book on page 8.


texts: Is Studying String Theory Permitted According To The Rambam?

texts: Would the Rambam be fine with String Theory, being that String Theory involves what happened before the world was created (the big bang) and beyond our universe?


texts: When did kosher bakeries, restaurants, etc. start requiring supervision?

texts:
If my neighbor Shmerel keeps kosher and otherwise appears to be observant to the best of my knowledge, then I'd be allowed to eat in his house (assuming I'm invited), eid echad ne'eman b'issurin, his "testimony" is sufficient.

Now what happens if it's not his house, but his foodservice business?

My impression (correct me otherwise?) is that when there were bakers and innkeepers (my impression is that people didn't eat out in restaurants, but would stop at inns when travelling) in the Talmud, their kashrut was self-certified.

Today, it's strongly normative for a bakery, ice cream shop, or the like to have external certification, even if owned and run by a kosher-observant Jew.

How long has that been the practice? Do we know anything else about its history?

I'm specifically not asking about matza factories or kosher slaughter, which have a long tradition of being under the town rabbi's supervision. For instance, Shulchan Aruch (Safed and Cracow, c. 1550) opens the laws of kosher slaughter with "who can perform shechitah"; by the time we reach Chochmat Adam (Vilna, c. 1800), his Chapter One begins: "the knives of a town's kosher slaughterers are the property of the town rabbi and under his control."


texts:
Is watching a live feed contrary to halacha because of the injunction of אבר מן החי? Would the biggest concern be one of More eat ayin?
Alternately, if one does not eat via the eyes, could a live stream be used as mikvah?

This question is Purim Torah and is not intended to be taken completely seriously. See the Purim Torah policy.


texts: Why is every commandment and action in regards to the 10 plagues repeated?

texts: When we read about the 10 plagues everything is repeated twice: once when Hashem commands Moshe and a second time when Moshe executes the plague. The Torah could simply write "and he did so" after each ויאמר ה׳ אל משה (and Hashem said to Moshe) occurrence. Why repeat?


texts: Looking for a Niddah Calendar calculator

texts:
I am looking for a program that calculates the different significant dates for hilchos Niddah based on the information you give it.

My criteria are as follows:

Must be free
Must be PC compatible (i.e. for Windows; not a smartphone app)
Must have options to customize whether or not to take into account different opinions and stringencies
Must have letters of approbation from at least one recognized Rabbi (I realize this term is vague, but it will at least set a certain minimum standard)
Must not require programming knowledge in order to be able to use it and customize it

I am aware of several programs, but none of them meet all, or even most, of my criteria.


texts: Do Any Commentators Say Bananas were the 'forbidden fruit'?

texts:
In an effort to have more kavanah when saying a bracha I began to learn about fruits and vegetables common in my diet. I stumbled across an amazing book called: Banana - The Fate of the Fruit that changed the world by Dan Koeppel. Practically his first order of business - chronologically - is addressing the idea that the banana considered (as he put it 'by biblical scholars') to be the forbidden fruit and not the apple.

His points range from the suggestive genital shape to the nutritional aspects the fruit provides. Considering other aspects of the book, I became open to the idea that - indeed- the banana could arguably be the forbidden fruit.

Are there any commentators that believe the same?


texts:
The first two aliyot of Ki Tisa are very long.  This is to ensure that a Levi has the aliyah about the golden calf, since his ancestors didn't participate.

Yesterday I was in a shul with no kohen.  They didn't do anything special, they just gave a Levi the first aliyah and someone else the second.  This defeats the purpose of the long aliyot.

I thought it would have made more sense to combine the first two aliyot into one super long one, and add another division later.   This way a Levi would have the part about the eigel.

Has anyone ever seen this done or a source that recommends it?


texts: How physically close do people need to be for a minyan to count?

texts:
The current health situation has resulted in restrictions on large group prayers. Minyans have been included in such restrictions.

Though this is the case, certain groups have been shown praying together while respecting the recommended safe social distance between one another. It is basically a regular minyan but everyone is six feet apart to lower disease risk.

This compromise raised a question in me. Is there a Halachally defined minimum distance for a minyan to count? What I mean is, at a certain point (logically) there needs to be a line which defines when a group are still considered a group vs individuals all spread apart. Six feet apart and you are still in a minyan. What about 7 though? Or 8 or 9 or so on?

At a certain point, there would need to be a line where the minyan no longer counts.

It couldn't be intention alone or a minyan over live stream would count. The Rabbis have given no indication this is the case so I'm curious if a minimum distance is defined?


texts: What is so special about being part of the 613 mitzvos?

texts: There are arguments in the Rishonim about what the 613 mitzvos are. But even if you hold something's not part of the 613, it's still a mitzva, so what's so special if it is part of the 613?


texts:
I just recently learned about this site when I saw Judaism was one of the stack overflow topics. I have been Jewish all my life and two years ago I started programming.

I was wondering if there would be any problems with programming, because when you write computer code you are essentially mimicking Gods creation of the world. You code(say) something and it appears much like how God said "let there be light" and there was light.


texts: What should be said after "sh'mei d'kudsha, brich hu" in Kaddish?

texts: I have noticed in Chabad synagogues and sefarim, in the Kaddish after "sh'mei d'kudsha brich hu," "amen" is said by the congregation. In every other source I've seen and every other synagogue I've been to, "brich hu" is repeated by the congregation. Which is proper for someone who is not nusach Chabad, and why does Chabad do it their way?


texts: Is there an Issur of Tzar Baalei Chaim on humans?


texts: Defining residence for purpose of candle lighting

texts:
Do you light Shabbat or Channuka candles in the place where you sleep/dwell or in the place where you will be spending the evening? Does it make a difference if you are going to be sleeping out of your home? Does it make a difference where you will be eating?

This previous question is related, but takes for granted that you should light where you're sleeping. I'd like to verify whether that's correct.


texts: Are there any drinks which a person would make the blessing of HaAdamah?

texts: Are there any drinks which upon consumption a person would make the blessing of boreh pri HaAdamah?


texts: Why does the Torah say כחטאת כאשם and not האשם כחטאת in Vayikro 7 (7)

texts:
Vayikro 7 (7) has the expression כַּחַטָּאת כָּאָשָׁם to mean that the אשם is like the  חַטָּאת.

The wording האשם כחטאת would seem to express this too and is used by Ramban on Braishis 15 (9).

Is there a special reason (an interpretation) why the basis of the comparison (the chatos) is mentioned before the thing to be compared (the oshom) or is this a normal idiom?


texts:
I was reading an article today regarding the Cicadas which appear once every 17 years.

Is there any Sefarim that discuss this phenomenon?

Also if they were created at the time the world was created, 5773 years ago - then we are off a bit, as 17 x 339 = 5763 and 17 x 340 = 5780. So how does this figure in all the way back to the creation of the world?


texts: Why did not Moshe tell Hashem that he would not accept the leadership out of respect for Aharon?

texts:
Shemos 4 (10) - The possuk says that Moshe turns down the leadership position because of his speech impediment. Rashi says:

  “All this [reluctance] was because he [Moses] did not want to accept a
  position higher than his brother Aaron, who was his senior and was a
  prophet...”

This means that Moshe's real reason for not accepting the leadership was out of respect to Aharon.  If so, why did not Moshe tell this reason to Hashem?

related: Why does Moshe tell Hashem that he is 'heavy of mouth and heavy of tongue' - twice?


texts: Standing at the Bima at Kabalas Shabbos and Yekum Purkan

texts: In some Shul's that I have prayed I have noticed that during Kabalos Shabbos and Yekum Purkan the Chazzan stands at the Bima instead of the Amud. What is the reason for those Shul's that do it this way?


texts: Measuring the universe in G-d's cubits (Eruvin 21a)

texts:
In the following passage (Eruvin 21a in William Davidson edition) the sages try to determine the size of the Torah scroll that Zachariah saw in his prophecy:

  In order to determine the measure of God’s cubit, the Gemara cites a verse that describes the size of the span between God’s thumb and little finger (in a manner of speaking). And it is written: “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure” (Isaiah 40:12). If the entire world measures one square span, which is a quarter of one square cubit, we find according to this calculation that the entire world is one part in three thousand and two hundred of the Torah.

What does it mean G-d's cubit, G-d's span (זרת) and how the universe is measured?


texts:
I recently heard and was extremely moved by the idea that the kitlen worn on Pesach, Yom Kippur, and under the chuppah are intended to resemble tachrichim -- and are, in some cases, the actual garments in which the man will be buried.

It makes some basic and deep sense to me that one wears one's soon-to-be burial garments for such shattering times as Yom Kippur and the chuppah--one's personal Yom Kippur, and the moment at which one's life doubles in meaning. Nothing, it seems, could make the call to seriousness of these occasions more real, and more desperately urgent.*

I was wondering which communities used or still use the actual contemplated burial garment as beged for the chuppah, etc.

We should live to see the days of Moshiach.

*
(As for Pesach, @SimchasTorah pointed me to this prepossessingly charming and nimble exploration--possibly from our own @EliezerEisenberg--of the kitl's dual symbolism and its expression in minhag. Still, I can't say I fully see why Pesach rises to the level of the others. Any comments would be welcome.)


texts:
Is it permissible to marry a non-religious Jewish women?

How it is possible or how is it not-possible?


texts: What is the first recorded instance of a siyum made for completion of learning torah, historically?


texts: Why is it that we make Shehechiyanu both nights of Sukkos at candle lighting and Kiddush due to Sefeika DeYoma yet we only make Shehechiyanu on the Lulav on the first day?


texts: Why has the Mishnah Berurah become the Authoritative Halachik Work instead of the Aruch haShulchan?

texts: Hirhurim just had a post about this topic, where he discussed some reasons that people should follow the aruch haShulchan. Yet in many circles, people just follow the Mishna Berura and rarely even study the aruch  haShulchan for halacha. How did this develop and is it justified based on halachik principles?


texts: Does one get punished for not keeping positve mitzvos?

texts: Does one get punished for not keeping positive mitzvos? Or is it the case that you just do not get the reward for keeping them and punishments are for transgressing negative mitzvos?


texts: Can the Jewish people have a king while in exile?

texts: Assuming a time where appointing a Jewish king is possible, if a proper Jewish king was anointed would he continue to retain the status of king if the Jewish people were exiled from the land of Israel?


texts:
What is the point of praying?

It is for sure not because Hashem needs/wants it. (Hashem is not lacking in any way he is infinite, and thus does not need our tefillos or our mitzvos)

And it seems that the point of davening is more saying the words then thinking the words -- the proof of that is because davening is not accepted if you only think (and not say) the words and there meaning.

But on the other hand it is accepted if you only say the words and not think the meaning of the words.

So even though I agree that thinking the meaning of the words are important but we see from this that saying the words is more important and the main point of davening appears to be just saying the words.

So what is the point of just saying words?


texts:
Is Moshiach Going to last forever?

When Moshiach comes are we going to have it for eternity?

If there are different opinions the please state them all.


texts: Who is R' Yisrael in Reishis Chochmah, Shaar Hamitzvos, and how much of שער המצוות is from him?

texts:
In The Sefer Raishis Chochmah (written by Rabbi Eliyahu de Vidas  - 16th century), There is a perek (chapter) called פרק המצוות - The Chapter of the Mitzvos.

After his introduction to the perek Hamitzvos, The RC writes:

  על המצוות ועשייתן ועיונם חלק הר"ר ישראל ז"ל עשרה שערים ע"ז הסדר.

  In regard to the mitzvos and their observance and their insights, R'
  Yisrael obm has divided [this into] 19 gates [chapters], in [the
  following] order:

He then goes on to discuss the 10 gates of the mitzvos.

1) Who is this הר"ר ישראל ז"ל R' Yisrael, whom he is citing?

2) Is just the division into these 10 Gates from R' Yisrael, and the following discussion about them is by the author of the Raishis Chocmah, Rabbi Eliyahu de Vidas himself, or is all the material which he writes in Shaar Hamitvos all from this R' Yisrael?


texts: What is/are the Halachic standard(s) of proof

texts:
This answer suggests a standard of "beyond a shadow of a doubt". That type of term is very popular from an English Law perspective, which has varying standards of "proof". Among them:

Probable cause (30-51% chance of the relevant fact)
Preponderance of evidence (51%, or more likely than not)
Clear and convincing (substantially more than 51% and a firm belief or conviction of the judge)
Beyond a reasonable doubt (one would be willing to rely and act upon it without hesitation in the most important of one's own affairs).

Beyond a shadow of a doubt is, of course, even higher than this, although not used in English law (and some of a philosophical bent would question if it is ever achievable).

In a Jewish context, I think the last four (Preponderance, clear and convincing, beyond a reasonable doubt and shadow of a doubt) are a reasonable description of the perception of G-d in the four worlds, however this question is about Choshen Mishpat.

What are the relevant standards of proof in Judaism and when to they apply?

One famous distinction between capital cases and others is if it requires seeing vs knowing (עדי ראיה ולא עדי ידעה), but that is a standards of evidence issue, not a standard of proof.

What standard(s) of proof is/are required in Halacha with regards to Beis Din cases? My impression (which is vague) is that clear and convincing would be a pretty close approximation, but I'm not sure.


texts: Does a Kohen have to seek the same critria for a peligesh as he would for a wife?

texts:
Does a Kohen have to seek the same halachic criteria for a peligesh as he would for a wife?

Case one:
He is not married (so he's not seeking polygamy). He's simply seeking a "lesser-married status" for the purpose of being with someone who is otherwise not permitted to him.

Case two: He is looking for a second wife. (If so, this raises a new and greater problem with the concept in general: would any child from a relationship with any married man and a peligesh be considered a mamzer?)


texts:
May a man look at and/or touch his reproductive organ while bathing? made me think of another related question.

It has been medically suggested that men do a regular self-check for testicular cancer.  Would it be Halachically appropriate to perform such a regular check, being that this involves examining the testicles carefully using one's hands (as well as looking at them)?

An answer to this question should be a thorough treatment of the subject, covering many of the Halachic bases (such as touching the scrotum in general, cases of fear, the factors that the statistics may play, etc.), or a source that directly discusses this issue.


texts: Niddah and Counting 7 Clean Days - What are its Origins?

texts:
The following comment is made in the wikipedia entry on Niddah:

  In the days of the Amoraim, because of possible confusion in
  determining when menstruation began and ended and hence whether blood
  was normal menstrual (niddah) or abnormal (zavah) blood, it became the
  accepted practice and practical halacha, that all women treat any
  emission as a continued abnormal flow (zavah gedolah—זבה גדולה) which
  requires counting seven abnormal-discharge-free days from the end of
  menstruation.

My question is exactly how did this become the accepted practice?  Was it an enactment of the Sanhedrin or a general practice that became universal on its own?  What was the extent of the original practice and what were the specific reasons behind it ( beyond the simple explanation given above )?

EDIT

I ran across the following from Rav Mordichai Eliyahu's book דרכי טהרה:

  בנות ישראל החמירו על עצמן שעל כל טיפת דם קטנה כחרדל יושבות הן ז' נקיים
  כמו זבה גדולה. וסיבות רבות לחומרה זאת, והחשובה בהן היא כדי שתהיה לכל
  הנשים ספירה אחידה, ולא תצטרך כל אחת ואחת לחשב לעצמה חשבונות מסובכים
  שלא כולן בקיאות בהם.  דין זה, אע"פ שהוא חומרה, נקבה בהלכה שאין עליה
  עוררין וכשהגמ' מדגימה "הלכה פסוקה", לגבי הנאמר במשנה "אין עומדין
  להתפלל אלא מתוך הלכה פסוקה", מביאה הגמ' הלכה זאת.

The above gives the following sources:

  רמב"ם ה' אסורי ביאה פי"א ה"ג וה"ד
  נדה סו. רמב"ם הל' אסורי ביאה פי"א ה"ד
  ב"י ס' קפ"ג
  ברכות לא ע"א

I found the following in Rambam's Mishne Torah, הלכות אסורי ביאה יא"ד

  ד  ועוד החמירו בנות ישראל על עצמן חומרה יתרה על זו, ונהגו כולם בכל
  מקום שיש ישראל:  שכל בת ישראל שתראה דם--אפילו לא ראת אלא טיפה כחרדל
  בלבד ופסק הדם--סופרת לה שבעת ימי נקיים, ואפילו ראת בעת נידתה.  בין
  שראת יום אחד, או שניים, או השבעה כולן, או יתר--משיפסוק הדם, סופרת שבעת
  ימי נקיים כזבה גדולה.  וטובלת בליל שמיני, אף על פי שהיא ספק זבה, או
  ביום שמיני אם היה שם דוחק, כמו שאמרנו--ואחר כך תהיה מותרת לבעלה.

My original question still stands.  How and why did this go from being a widespread personal chumra to being codified halacha?

This question is separate from the issue of the Rabbinic decree ( Gezirah ) during Talmudic times to treat all flows of blood as suspected Zav emissions ( ספק דם זיבות ).

הלכות אסורי ביאה יא"ג


texts: Any recommendation for educational Chanukah video?

texts:
I am looking for video clips about the Chanukah story that my kids - seven to ten years old - can watch. I thought there would be many, but it's not easy to find any good one. I prefer video in Hebrew, but English, French or German is also fine.

It would be great if you can share a link in the Internet or DVD that I can buy.

Happy Chanukah!


texts:
Hematogen is non-kosher ("blood"), right?

Hematogen is done (indirectly) from blood of an animal. Does it imply that it is non-kosher?


texts:
What's the Bracha Rishona on oatmeal/oat flakes with cold milk? Is it Pri Adama or Mezonot?
Do we need extra Sheakol on milk?


texts: Hashem's inconsistent responses about Sedom

texts:
In parshas Vayeira there is a whole back-and-forth between Hashem and Avraham. Each time Avraham pleaded to save everyone if a certain number of righteous individuals would be found. Each time Hashem conceded, and then Avraham would ask again but with a smaller number of righteous people necessary for salvation.

I noticed some inconsistencies with Hashem's responses, and was wondering if there were any explanations offered by the commentaries.

Genesis 18:26

  וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָ֔ה אִם־אֶמְצָ֥א בִסְדֹ֛ם חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים צַדִּיקִ֖ם בְּת֣וֹךְ הָעִ֑יר וְנָשָׂ֥אתִי לְכָל־הַמָּק֖וֹם בַּעֲבוּרָֽם׃

  And the LORD answered, “If I find within the city of Sodom fifty innocent ones, I will forgive the whole place for their sake.”

First, Hashem offers to forgive them, implying he won't destroy them. In verse 28, Hashem's response to Avraham is:

  וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ לֹ֣א אַשְׁחִ֔ית אִם־אֶמְצָ֣א שָׁ֔ם אַרְבָּעִ֖ים וַחֲמִשָּֽׁה׃

  ...And He answered, “I will not destroy if I find forty-five there.”

In verse 29, Hashem changes his response again:

  וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ לֹ֣א אֶֽעֱשֶׂ֔ה בַּעֲב֖וּר הָאַרְבָּעִֽים׃

  ...And He answered, “I will not do it, for the sake of the forty.”

Verse 30 is like 29:

  וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ לֹ֣א אֶֽעֱשֶׂ֔ה אִם־אֶמְצָ֥א שָׁ֖ם שְׁלֹשִֽׁים׃

  ...And He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

Then in verse 31, Hashem says like he did in verse 28:

  וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ לֹ֣א אַשְׁחִ֔ית בַּעֲב֖וּר הָֽעֶשְׂרִֽים׃

  ...And He answered, “I will not destroy, for the sake of the twenty.”

The final verse, 32, is like 31 and 28:

  וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ לֹ֣א אַשְׁחִ֔ית בַּעֲב֖וּר הָעֲשָׂרָֽה׃

  ...And He answered, “I will not destroy, for the sake of the ten.”


texts: Leniency to aggrieve a minor (one's child)?

texts: Causing certain types of harm to one's fellow (for example, stealing or battering) is prohibited. But do these laws apply if the victim is a minor? To what extent? What if the minor is one's own child--may one spank him?


texts: How can people dance around bonfires on Lag Lo'Omer - it's darchei emori?

texts: In Tosephto Shabbos 7:1, it says that one who dances by a bonfire is following in the ways of the Emorites. In light of this, how can so many supposedly frum Jews dance around bonfires on Lag Lo'Omer?


texts: How does one rectify money fraud done earlier in his life?

texts:
If someone was not observant and was involved in fraudulent business deals (selling free ebooks on ebay, or claiming used items are new). Later in life, if this person became an Observant Jew what steps can he take to rectify for these sins?

The victims of these deals are unknown.


texts:
In the Alte-Neu (Old-New) Synagogue in Prague, there are several inscriptions on the wall (see here) - for example this (this one is said to be an acronym of: אך טוב לישראל סלה):

Is it semantically correct to write it with U+059E HEBREW ACCENT GERSHAYIM marks, i.e.:

א֞ט֞ל֞יס֞

(might not be rendered correctly in all browsers, but it's a different issue)
Or is there a more correct way how to represent it?
(I should also note that these are not to represent numbers/years, which are in the same synagogue marked with dots above)


texts:
From the fact that Levi was in Bavel, Rav derived that R' Efes passed away.

He derived it like this:

After Rebbi passed away, R' Efes took over Rebbi's position. Rav Chanina was equal (or greater) than R' Efes in Torah learning (but not age, which is why Rav Chanina had R' Efes take over), so he learned outside. He needed someone to learn with, so he learned with Levi. When R' Efes passed away, R' Chanina took over his original position, so Levi (who was equal or greater than R' Chanina) had to go somewhere else to learn.

So we see from hear that Levi ≥ R' Chanina ≥ R' Efes.

However, the Gemara asks how did Rav know that R' Efes passed away? Maybe R' Chanina passed away. The Gemara answers that Levi would go to R' Efes' shiur. In other words R' Efes > Levi.

How does this work out?

(Shabbas 59b)


texts: Does one need a sukkah to eat bread/mezonot at work

texts:
If one goes to work on the days of Chol HaMoed Sukkot, is he deemed to be travelling and exempt from the sukkah?  If there is no sukkah that he can reach from work on his lunch break, may he eat bread or mezonot for lunch, or should he bring salads during those days?

On a related note, if one is actually exempt, is there still merit in avoiding mezonot and eating foods which do not require a sukkah?

I wouldn't have thought he was considered to be travelling, but in "Shacharis Tips of the Unemployed", Gil Student indicates that commuting to work counts as travelling for purposes of praying shacharit before netz hachama.  Just because one is deemed to be travelling for shacharit doesn't mean he is deemed to be travelling for sukkah, but it did raise the question.


texts: Why do some people wear their tzitzis out for people to see, and others don't?

texts: Why do some people wear their tzitzis strings out for people to see, and others don't?


texts: Leather and vegetarianism according to Rav Kook?

texts: According to Rav Kook, it is ideal to be a vegetarian. This is because he assumes G-d would not create a world in which creatures could not exist in harmony (see linked article) and therefore this would include killing animals.  How, according to Rav Abraham Isaac Kook in A Vision of Vegetarianism and Peace would the necessary leather and parchment for things like Tefilin or Torah scrolls be obtained?


texts:
In many Ashkenazy weddings, a document called tena'im is drafted and read at the Chatan's Tisch (Chattan's "table" - a separate rom or area where the groom, family members and friends gather prior to the badeken and chuppa.)

I see a copy of the text on this site, and much of it is similar to what I have seen on many tana'im documents including my wedding and that of many of my friends.

Who composed this text and when was it done?


texts: After Lcha dodi at what point exactly do the congregants and the Chazzan supposed to turn Back around?


texts: How do we determine "population statistics" for population-dependent Halachot?

texts:
There appear to be several halachot that are based on "a majority of Israel". For example:
Mishnah Berachot 54a:

הרואה מקום שנעשו בו נסים לישראל אומר ברוך שעשה נסים לאבותינו במקום הזה
IF ONE SEES A PLACE WHERE MIRACLES HAVE BEEN WROUGHT FOR ISRAEL, HE
SHOULD SAY, BLESSED BE HE WHO WROUGHT MIRACLES FOR OUR ANCESTORS IN
THIS PLACE (Soncino translation, capitals in original).

The Talmud there qualifies this:

אמרי אניסא דרבים כולי עלמא מיחייבי לברוכי אניסא דיחיד איהו חייב לברוכי
The answer [is that] for a miracle done to a large body it is the duty
of everyone to say a blessing, for a miracle done to an individual he
alone is required to say a blessing. (Soncino translation)

Rabbeinu Yonah there defines a ניסא דרבים as a miracle that was done for all or most of Israel:

כלומר שנעשה לכל ישראל או לרובן

So let's imagine that a major miracle occurred. How would we know if it meets the threshold of "most of Israel"? Are we expected to travel the entire world to figure out the Jewish population and then calculate whether the miracle occurred to > 50% of that number? Are we just supposed to assume that it was not "most of Israel" unless it is glaringly obvious (e.g. millions of Jews were together such that it is virtually impossible that this is not the majority)? Or is perhaps the threshold of "most of Israel" not exactly precise and it does not actually require a technical majority? Or perhaps it only refers to certain Jews (e.g. those living in the Land of Israel)?
Are there any sources that discuss the parameters of "most of Israel", or how we would go about determining if the threshold was reached?
Note that an answer need not address the specific case above. There are other situations where this could be relevant as well. For example, the Sefer Hachinuch writes by a bunch of mitzvot that they are applicable בזמן שרוב ישראל על אדמתן –  when the majority of Israel is in its land (e.g. Mitzvah # 95).


texts: I am looking for an online english translation of Derech Hashem (Way of God) by the Ramchal.


texts: For kiddush on yontif we use two challot. We did not collect manna on Shabbat because of carrying.  But carrying is allowed on yontif. Does that mean that manna did not fall on yontif?


texts: Why do rabbinical fasts which start on Erev Shabbos still end at tzeis hakochavim if we are forbidden from fasting on Shabbos?

texts: Why do rabbinical fasts(i.e. all fasts apart from Yom Kippur) which start on Erev Shabbos still end at tzeis hakochavim if we are forbidden from fasting on Shabbos?


texts: Is it mention anywhere in the Midrash or other Rabbinic literature that when moshiach comes people will no longer be able to have children

texts: Is it mention anywhere in the Midrash or the Mishna or the Talmud or the Gemara or other Rabbinic literature that when moshiach comes people will no longer be able to have children?


texts:
What is the total number of Pesukim in Tanach?

This question addresses the Torah, but I have yet to find an answer for Tanach (at least, in the Jewish tradition - the answer for Christians is easily Googlible.)


texts:
Shalom everybody,
We read lately Parashat Pinchas. The parsha deals with the story of B'not Tzelofchad (Barmidbar 27:1-11). Rashi on verse 27:3 quotes the Gemara Shabbat 96b in order to identify who Tzelofrad was and what he did wrong. Rashi says that according this Gemara, there is a machloket between Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Shimon. But if you go on Daf 96b of tractate Shabbat, the machloket is between Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Yehuda ben Beteirah.
How can we explain this discrepancy?
Regards,


texts: What right did Rivka have to use Eisav's coat against him?

texts:
The midrashim bring that Rivka dressed up Yaakov in Eisav's special coat (originally given to Adam) that he used to serve his father. [See Rashi on 27:15 for partial source.]

Since Rivka was basically a shomer chinam, what right did she have to use Eisav's coat against him?


texts: If I said the blessings over already lit candles, have I fulfilled my hannukah mitzvah?

texts:
On the first night of Hannukah, I got home from work after dinner, and my wife had lit the candles and said the blessings with the kids.

I said all three blessings over the already lit candles.  In doing so, did I fulfill my hannukah mitzvah for that night?

Would it have been better for me to blow out the candles and relight by saying the blessings?

Does it matter that I am a man? (I ask because lighting the shabbat candles is traditionally a woman's mitzvah)


texts: Who & When composed the prayer said prior to calling the Kohain to the Torah?

texts: In this question and answer Why are there different intro. prayers for calling the Kohen aliyah on Shabbat vs. weekday? there seems to be a question remaining as to when the prayers of ותגלה ותראה עלינו בזמן קרוב and ויעזור ויגן ויושיע which are said to call up the Kohain was composed. Who composed these prayers and in what time period were they composed?


texts: Is the story of Gan Eden Literally true?

texts: Could it be that the story of Gan Eden, Adam, Hava and the Snake is an allegory meant to teach us lessons but not a recording of an actual event?


texts:
There is a grammatical form in the chumash of the vav [hahipuch]1 which turns words written in the past form into future tense and future tense constructs into past. I noted this, I think, pointed out explicitly in the first pasuk of Va'etchanan, where the Avi Ezer supports the reading of the first word as "שתיבת ואתחנן הוא עתיד הנהפך לעבר" (unless there is another grammatical reason to account for the tense change besides the vav).

So I can understand that this construct exists, but I don't yet understand WHY it exists. If there is a way of creating the "right" form of the verb, why write it in the opposite way and then put a vav on to change the tense? If the Ibn Ezra says that it means "וכבר התחננתי" why wouldn't the text simply use the past tense (perfect or pluperfect) in the first place? Is there an opening for a commentary which would be foreclosed if the text simply wrote the appropriate tense?

In cases where the vav hahipuch is used, is there a deeper reason why the tense is written in one way and then inverted?


texts: Which rishon allows women to appear without hair covering in front of less than three men in her own home?

texts:
I remember reading of an opinion that allows married women not to cover their hair when they are in their own home in the presence of three men or less.

I cannot remember the source though and would really appreciate some help.

Thank you!


texts:
Who knows two hundred eighty?
?שמונים ומאתים - מי יודע
In the spirit of the song "Echad - mi yodeya", please post interesting and significant Jewish facts about the number 280.
I'm feeling bullish about people's ability to make something of the lazy gematria this time.
Check out mi-yodeya-series for the previous two hundred seventy-nine entries in this ongoing series.


texts: Which grandfathers was King David afraid of?

texts:
Tehillim 19:14 says:

גם מזדים, חשוך עבדך--    אל-ימשלו-בי אז איתם
Also from zeidis keep your servant away, let them not rule over me

Who were these grandfathers who wanted to rule over King David, and as King of Israel with an army at his disposal, why was he so afraid of a group of presumably old men?

This question is Purim Torah and is not intended to be taken completely seriously. See the Purim Torah policy.


texts: Can a person make beef jerky in his house if he is not frum. if he says his house is 100% kosher and all his utensils are kosher but he does not keep kosher outside of his home nor does he observe the shabbos. Can i allow him to make some of this food for me. Can i then eat this food once it is ready?


texts: Is it permissible to say “Birshut Baalat HaBayit Hazeh” when saying the Rabotai Nevarech invitation?

texts: Some people have a custom of adding “Birshut Baal Habayit hazeh” in the Zimun. Can the wife be included?


texts: Where is the source of the prohibition of listening to Kol Isha?

texts: It is well known that listening to a women sing is forbidden. Where is the source to the Prohibition?


texts: PTIJ: Any findings for how Tefillin work using black-box testing?

texts:
In the software field, Black-Box testing is performed when an engineer is examining a closed system without any knowledge of its inner workings.
That being the case, do we have any documentation of how Tefillin works, from our limited knowledge of what happens inside the Shel Yad and Shel Rosh?

This question is Purim Torah and is not intended to be taken completely seriously. See the Purim Torah policy.


texts:
The Gemara (the Bavli and Yerushalmi) are the fundamental texts that we possess of the Oral law. Why were they written in Aramaic?

At first glance, Ravina and R' Ashi probably knew that this will be the fundamental text for the rest of Jewish history. Why didn't they write it in Hebrew, considering that the Tanach and Mishnayos were already written in Hebrew.

In comparison, no major Halachic work came out in Yiddish or Ladino (except for the Me'am Loez) over the past hundreds of years of use.


texts: Shifting subjects and objects in Gen 12:15

texts:
There are three statements in Genesis 12:15:

וַיִּרְאוּ אֹתָהּ שָׂרֵי פַרְעֹה וַיְהַלְלוּ אֹתָהּ אֶל פַּרְעֹה וַתֻּקַּח הָאִשָּׁה בֵּית פַּרְעֹה
And Pharaoh's princes saw her, and they praised her to Pharaoh, and the woman was taken to the house of Pharaoh.

(emphases mine)
In the first two statements, the subject is Pharaoh's princes, and the object is "her." In the third statement, the verb is passive, and the object is now "the woman" instead of a pronoun.
Why these two shifts?


texts:
In Berakhot 58a, Rabbi Shila thanks G-d by saying:

״לְךָ ה׳ הַגְּדֻלָּה וְהַגְּבוּרָה וְגוֹ׳״

When he's asked by the authorities about what he said, he replies:

״בְּרִיךְ רַחֲמָנָא דְּיָהֵיב מַלְכוּתָא בְּאַרְעָא כְּעֵין מַלְכוּתָא דִרְקִיעָא, וִיהַב לְכוּ שׁוּלְטָנָא וְרָחֲמִי דִּינָא״

Why did Rabbi Shila respond with something completely different (or rather, something more refined) to what he actually said?


texts: Regarding the halachos of standing up for rabbeim, should you stand for any rabbi that passes by you or maybe only your rabbeim / Rebbi Muvhak?