texts: Which Brachas are said only once a year?

texts:
I am looking for a list of Berachos/blessings that are recited a maximum of once per year.

Which blessings (from prayer, Jewish rituals, or otherwise, by men or women) are recited only once per year?  Additionally, which ones can be recited up to once per year, but are not required to be made yearly?


texts: May an Aveil attend a wedding of a sibling or neighbor? May he eat there? How about a Sheva Brachos? Bar Mitzva? Bris? Is there a difference in the Sheloshim and the remainder of the year?


texts:
The "butterfly effect" is when very small changes produce very large effects.  In Judaism, the Talmud [Gittin 55b-56a; also Lamentations Rabbah 4:3] gives us an example: "The destruction of Jerusalem came through a Kamtza and a Bar Kamtza in this way."  A small backwater incident resulted in hundreds of thousands of dead Jews, large-scale destruction and the loss of the Second Temple.

What other examples of the butterfly effect do we know, in Judaism, according to the Sources?

I am not talking about answered prayers or Hashem saying "Let there be light".  Rather, I am talking about something like: if Joseph had agreed to become the secret lover of Potiphar's wife, he would not have gone to jail, would not have attracted Pharaoh's attention, would not have become viceroy, would not have brought his family to Egypt, and we would not have been enslaved.

Added Note:  You guys are right.  You can always say things like "If Lot had not slept with his daughter, we would not have had King David or the future Messiah."  We can speculate like so in our own lives.  I don't know how to phrase what I mean, except that I am talking about something VERY slight and subtle (like a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil causing a tornado in Texas.)

Let me ask at least this:  Does it say anywhere else, in the Sources, in very clear language, not implied, "If this little thing hadn't happened, this other big thing wouldn't have either"?


texts: Does the Gemara talk about interpersonal dynamics between step-siblings in blended families?

texts:
Obviously the model of get married at age 20, stay married for 70 years, then both spouses drop dead was not one in the Gemara; if nothing else, enough people died young that remarriages were common. Kesubos, for example, talks about whether a wife has to nurse the babies that her husband had from a previous marriage.

Similarly there's the story of a rabbi who keeps a skull in a special box, and his wife thinks it belongs to his deceased ex and he hasn't gotten over her!

But does the Gemara tell stories of the relations between siblings in a blended marriage?  (Bava Brady, so to speak?) None are coming to mind at the moment. Though I think in general the Gemara doesn't deal much how kids interact with each other.


texts:
If you look in the Tur Yoreh Deah Siman 168 (so too the Shulchan Aruch), you'll notice that there's nothing there.

Was it lost sometime in history? It looks like the Shulchan Aruch also didn't have anything there, so it should have been lost not long after publication (they lived around two hundred years apart).


texts: PTIJ: Tattooing a self-aware Sefer Torah

texts:
If a Sefer Torah became self-aware and conscious, would such a Sefer Torah be Halachically allowed to get ink tattooed into it when needed (such as correcting cracked letters)? Or would this constitute getting a tattoo?

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


texts:
People wrote on this site that there is no requirement for a man to pray with a minyan as a general rule. I took this to mean that one need not attend a minyan he knows meets regularly, instead praying alone. This surprised me: indeed, it contradicts what I've known all my life. I seek support for there being, or not being, any requirement that a man, in order to pray sh'mone esre, attend a minyan he knows meets regularly.

Now, the Shulchan Aruch's language, in introducing the idea of prayer with a minyan (OC 90:9), says only "Someone should try much to pray in the synagogue with the community". This sounds like something less than a requirement. However, he goes on (:16) to say a traveler "must" go out of his way to pray with a minyan. That sounds like a requirement. So I don't think one can prove anything from the Shulchan Aruch per se, and I seek only clearly stated views on the issue from later halachic authorities.


texts: ה' ימלך לעלם ועד to ימלוך ה' לעולם

texts: In Parshas Beshalach (and Emet Ve-Yatziv/Ve-Emunah) it says ה' ימלך לעלם ועד, but in Sefer Tehilim (and Kedushah) it says ימלוך ה' לעולם. Why the change in language?


texts:
In Bereishit 21, Avraham sends Hagar and Ishmael out with water. When the water ran out, she tosses him over to some bushes and removes herself so as not to see him dying. According to pasuk 16, she cries. [text from chabad.org]

  16.And she went and sat down from afar, at about the distance of two bowshots, for she said, "Let me not see the child's death." And she sat from afar, and she raised her voice and wept.   טז.וַתֵּלֶךְ וַתֵּשֶׁב לָהּ מִנֶּגֶד הַרְחֵק כִּמְטַחֲוֵי קֶשֶׁת כִּי אָמְרָה אַל אֶרְאֶה בְּמוֹת הַיָּלֶד וַתֵּשֶׁב מִנֶּגֶד וַתִּשָּׂא אֶת קֹלָהּ וַתֵּבְךְּ:

  17.And God heard the lad's voice, and an angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, "What is troubling you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the lad's voice in the place where he is.   יז.וַיִּשְׁמַע אֱלֹהִים אֶת קוֹל הַנַּעַר וַיִּקְרָא מַלְאַךְ אֱלֹהִים | אֶל הָגָר מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם וַיֹּאמֶר לָהּ מַה לָּךְ הָגָר אַל תִּירְאִי כִּי שָׁמַע אֱלֹהִים אֶל קוֹל הַנַּעַר בַּאֲשֶׁר הוּא שָׁם:

But the text never indicates that the boy cried! His mother did and yet the meforshim like Rashi point out that it was HIS prayers which were answered:

  From here [we learn] that the sick person’s prayer is more effective than the prayer of others on his behalf, and is the first to be accepted. — [from Gen. Rabbah 53:14]

Why would the text overtly ascribe the crying to Hagar and then have that crying ignored, because unmentioned crying is more powerful?


texts: Is B'rich Shmei said while the Torah sits in the Aron, or as it's held (by whom?)

texts:
Sing "vayhi binsoa" as the Aron is opened by -- let's call him Mr. Opener
Brich Shmei is said
Chazan is now holding Torah scroll and says Shema (or Gadlu).

I've seen different things happen for Brich Shmei:

Torah sits in Aron the entire time, chazan receives it afterwards from Opener.
Torah is taken out and held by Opener immediately, then handed off to chazan after Brich Shmei
Torah is taken out and immediately handed to chazan, who holds it for Brich Shmei.

Any practices I missed?  Are any of these documented as proper?

I suspect this has something to do with the source for Brich Shmei altogether.  Rabbi Artscroll says when we're taking out the Torah is an ideal time for beseeching Hashem (if I recall correctly), probably something kabbalistic.


texts: How must a woman dress in front of her husband during her days of niddah?

texts:
I have heard that during niddah a woman must follow the deoritah rules of tzinius but not necessarily the rabbinic ones. If this is the case then why, for example, is a tshirt fine when it goes above the elbows?

Is there a general principle with regards to how a woman should dress during niddah in the prescence of her husband?


texts: What is the source for bowing during 'zeh el zeh v'amar"?

texts: I have searched, and seen some type of questions related to this. However, I have seen no sources. I figured I would ask: does anyone know of any sources for bowing during 'zeh el zeh v'amar"?  Why do we do it?


texts: Source for a Talmudic story of three caskets

texts:
In the Merchant of Venice, suitors attempting to win Portia's hand must choose from 3 caskets (of gold, silver and lead). Those who chose wrong must leave immediately and never marry anyone. One who chooses correctly gets the girl. In the discussion of this subplot, Hermann Sinsheimer, in Shylock writes that it "travelled a long road which leads back at least as far as the Talmud" (page 88) but with no citation. The Encyclopædia of Religion and Ethics says the same on p. 569, "Stories similar to that of the three caskets in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice are distributed more widely. They are found in the Talmud as well as in Buddhist sources" but with no citation.
Does anyone know of a Talmudic anecdote which relates a similar story of choosing (aside from the medrash regarding baby Moshe and the coals vs. jewels, which is not nearly close enough).


texts: I’ve seen a lot of women (mostly Israeli) kiss their fingertips after covering their eyes for Shma. Is there a source for it or is that just another minhag that got picked up for no reason at all? I’ve asked around but either people don’t know what I’m talking about or they just say they do it because that’s how they were taught...


texts: Men davening in the women's section while they catch up

texts:
A seemingly knowledgeable guy who davens with me early each morning is sometimes found in the women's section (which is usually empty during that service).  He says that he learned that from a "little-known" halacha at Shulchan Aruch § 109, which he says requires that he daven separately from the congregation (either in the hallway or in the women's section) if the congregation has begun the Shemoneh Esrei before him.  Otherwise, he says, he has to wait for them.

I looked at the S.A. § 109 as included in the Mishna Brurah.  My Hebrew isn't that great, so maybe I missed something, but I couldn't find anything there that told me he had to separate himself from the congregation.  From what I read, it is more of a discussion about catching up methods and priorities.  Did I miss it, or did he actually get that from a gloss on the S.A.?


texts: Is there any opinion that permits davening Maariv before plag

texts:
I davened at a shul this morning that announced mincha at 5:30pm with maariv following immediately after. Plag mincha is around 6:45pm today. I pointed this out to the gabbai and he said that there is an opinion that says that you can daven maariv before plag, and that it is ok in this case because otherwise the attendees would not daven maariv at all. I didn't argue with him, though based on what I have learned, you can't daven maariv before plag (and thus if you do, birkot keryiat shema would be ברכות לבטלות, not to mention that tefillat amidah is also לא בזמנו and is at best a תפילת רשות).

Does anyone know of a legitimate source permitting this practice (davening maariv before plag, specifically for those would would otherwise not daven maariv at all)?


texts: "They encamped at Rissah" Bamidbar 33:21

texts:
The verse 21 of chapter 33 in Sefer Bamidbar tells us the Bnei Israel encamped at Rissah.
On this verse, the Baal Haturim comments: ויחנו ברסה: שנתרוססו שם
How does it mean and what is he referring to?


texts: May one be yotzai listening to havdala over the telephone?


texts:
If one has a tree in their property/yard, (or similarly a tree within a jointly owned courtyard) and it falls into a public area [due to heavy winds] and damages...

Is the owner of the tree liable in any way?


texts: Where is an online collection of Jewish adages?

texts:
Is there a free, online collection or compendium of Jewish aphorisms or adages?

If so, please provide a link.
By "aphorism or adage," I mean a single-sentence expression of a key life truth, value or kernel of wisdom.
I'm looking for a style similar to this. Except for aphorisms, not parables.


texts: Making a knife for brit Mila ( with a shinui or goy) on shabbat

texts: Can someone please remind me where the machloket is regarding wether making a knife for a brit Milah on shabbat is mutar or assur. Another thing, I know we pasken its assur however if someone was to make it using a shinui or even better asking a goy to do it would it be mutar even with the de'ah that we pasken with?


texts: What is the mitzvah of tzedakah dependent on?

texts:
We learn in the Rambam commentary on Avos (3:19) that it is preferable to give a little bit of tzedakah to many people than  a few large amounts to a few people.

When does one fulfil the mitzvah of tzedakah; when one gives it each time or when one separates a large sum from his pay? Basically: are you considered to have fulfilled the mitzvah each time you give, which would complement the view of the Rambam?


texts: What is the meaning of the acronym מה"ט?

texts:
FOr example in
מגדל עוז שבת י״ב:ב׳
ומה״ט נמי ניחא סוגיין דפ׳ מילה גמרא
ט"ז על אורח חיים תצח
האי ביום שני אין לו ביאור דאפילו ביום טוב ראשון שרי מה"ט ותו מאי מעליותא דהביאום מערב דהיינו בי"ט ראשון והנה דברים אלו נתייחסו בר"י בשם א"ח בשם הרשב"א


texts: reason for rav yehuda holding can't rip stitch of tunic

texts: why in maccos when it is talking about hilchos shobbas and ripping the stitch on the neck hole of a tunic and opening a barrel stopper does rav yehuda hold that you can't rip the thread of the tunic but we know you can open a barrel stopper? what's the difference halachically


texts: Which Divrei Minus are forbidden to read/hear today?

texts:
The Talmud in (Avodah Zara 16b–17a) brings that Rabbi Eliezer was upset that he had been accused by the Romans. His student, Rabbi Akiva suggested that perhaps he had heard a teaching of the minim and got pleasure from the teaching Rabbi Eliezer confirmed this.

According to this, what would constitute "teachings of the minim" which is forbidden to read or hear or watch, etc. today?


texts: Does the Talmud discuss "Solomon's Pools"

texts:
I recall visiting Solomon's Pools, located a bit south of Bethlehem, years ago, before it became "Area A". Wikipedia says:

  The water system based on Solomon's Pools has provided water to
  Jerusalem, on and off, for two millennia, all until 1967. The Low
  Level Aqueduct was the longest serving of the Jerusalem-bound ones. It
  started at the lower pool and once it reached Jerusalem, it crossed
  the Tyropoeon Valley over a bridge to find its way onto the Temple
  Mount platform, where it ended inside the great cisterns hidden
  underneath its surface.

Considering that this pool was an important water source for the Second Temple, I'm curious if the Talmud has made any reference to it and has any description of it that supplements what the Wikipedia article states. If so, provide source links, please.


texts:
Genesis 34 tells about Shechem's rape of Dinah and the events that follow.  34:5 says that Yaakov heard ( שָׁמַע) about this (and didn't act immediately).

He didn't hear it from Dinah because she didn't come home (her brothers go to rescue her later).  Shechem and Chamor came to negotiate a wedding, but the text implies that came after Yaakov heard.  How did Yaakov hear?  Did Dinah have a hand-maid who was with her and came back, and the text just doesn't mention that?  Were the townspeople gossiping and word reached him that way?  Did Chamor tell him and the text isn't strictly in order?

Rashi is silent on this verse, as is S'forno (at least in the English translation I have access to), and I didn't find anything in the chumashim I have ready access to nor via Google.


texts: Is it lawful,for the Noahide Laws, the thesis of Gentiles Christians according to whom Jesus has a divine nature but he is subordinate to God?

texts:
I am not a christian but I am an Italian noahide, therefore I do not believe in the divinity and messianicity of Jesus the Nazarene.

I clarify that my question, being relevant to the application of the Noahide Laws, does not concern Christians of Jewish ethnicity, who are obviously subjected to the Halachot  established for all the Israelites.

Almost all   Christians adhere to the so-called trinitarian creed, according to which God is one but at the same time is "composed" of three "persons" ( Father, Son and  Holy Spirit). This conception , for a significant and probably majority part of the Jewish tradition,is of an idolatrous nature.

However, there is a small minority of Christians who, on the basis of significant passages from the New Testament, reject the concept of trinity, denying that the Holy Spirit has an autonomous existence, and developing a particular conception of Jesus the Nazarene.

They indeed support a "high" christology,  but  affirm that Jesus is not  God ,and this on the basis of the following reasons:

Jesus shares only a part of the substance of God, since the Nazarene is not the incarnation of HaShem but only of His "Logos";
Jesus was "generated" by God, therefore he cannot be coeternal to the Creator;
Last and most important consideration, Jesus is subordinated and subjected to the will of HaShem, as explicitly attested by not a few passages of the books of the New Testament.

As I said earlier, I'm noahide and not christian,but I would like to know if the position of these "anti-trinitarian" Gentiles Christians can be compatible with  the Noahide Laws as regards the prohibition of idolatry.


texts:
The following is the Jewish Virtual Library definition for "Derash". How does it relate to homiletics which is the study of creating and delivering sermons? Is it trying to say that Derash became the exegetic method for creating sermons? I’m confused as to how the two terms are related.

  DERASH (or Derush) (Heb. דְּרָשׁ or דְּרוּשׁ from דָּרַשׁ, "to interpret"), a method of exposition of scriptural verses. In the Midrash the distinction between derash and the alternative method called *peshat is not clearly defined and in parallel passages the terms are sometimes interchangeable (cf. Gen. R. 10:7 with Tanh., Ḥukkat 1). Only in the Middle Ages, probably under the influence of Rashi's Bible commentary, did derash come to be used for homiletical exposition in contrast to peshat, the literal interpretation. Derashah (Heb. דְּרָשָׁה) is the equivalent of the word "sermon" today. Originally it was confined to a sermon on a theme which was based on a homiletical interpretation of Scripture.


texts: If someone didn't wear a tallit during morning prayers, when they put it on in the afternoon let's say, do they make a bracha? Based on my searches online the info has been rather conflicting or just plain inexistent.


texts:
This (below) audio lecture has 2 rabbis say that halahikly a man need to marry by 24 years old

Is this true?
What might be there source?

http://www.endthemadness.org/audio/TND_Endthemadness.mp3
From
http://www.endthemadness.org/audio/audio.html

Related Parents mix in to marriage until 24 years old


texts: Why doesn't the Holy Bible contain only the original First five books of the Bible and nothing else? As I understand the Bible to state that nothing shall be removed and nothing was to be added.


texts: What to do if the minhag of my ancestors changed

texts:
Does anyone know what to do if the minhag of one's ancestors was changed within such a timeframe that the old minhagim should still be remembered?

My great-grandfather "converted" from a Galizianer chassid to a Jekke sometime during his childhood, resulting in my family following mainly jekkisch customs. Would it be advisable to adopt Galizianer minhagim in deference to my yichus?


texts:
Someone who is adopted to a Christian family, but has some indication of a Jewish ancestry - such as a mezuzah, and who is interested in studying and practicing Judaism, what would it take to establish that they are Jewish?

I was wondering if that person can be supervised for few months and able to obtain a document that proves they are Jewish.

I will be appreciated if you have solutions for me to investigate about such a situation, many thanks.


texts: Consequences of not following the mitzvoths

texts:
My question is, “ If a person who has right belief in the oneness of Hashem,  and he believes that the Torah is word of G-d, and all the prophets are true and he believes in the Divine judgment and final reward and punishments and he believes in the olam haba and he believes in the all the angels and predestination and all the books and he believes in the shewa mitzvets of Noach, and he condemn the avodo zarah, but he do not keep any other mitzovets , then “ what is the benefits of his genuine belief and what are the consequences of not following the mitzovets”.?.
“Is there any benefits of his genuine belief?.”  “Will he have any portion in olam haba?.”.


texts: What criteria distinguishes yeast dough to be an item to say "Hamotzi" vs. "Mezonot"?

texts:
I am trying to get some understanding of when to make "hamotzi" vs. "mezonot" on baked products.

The dough consists of the these ingredients - 5 lbs. flour, 4 eggs, 4 tbs. salt, 4 tbs. sugar, 4 tbs. oil, 3 packets yeast.

My assumptions:

If I don't add anything else, and bake this into challah, it's bread - hamotzi.
If I roll out the dough and add poppy seed filling and bake it - it's cake - mezonot.
If I shape it into small twisted pretzels, it's mezonot
If I flatten the dough, put tomato sauce and cheese on it and make pizza - if I have one slice it's mezonot; if I have two or more, it's hamotzi.

I'm not sure what criteria go into making the distinction. Is it adding filling or sweet ingredients to the dough? Is it the quantity eaten? Some combination of these? Any other criteria?


texts: A grammatical question about Shabbes davening

texts:
I recently noticed that in my siddur (Siddur Vilna), in the fourth berakha of the Shabbes davening (או"א רצה במנוחתינו...), there's a pronominal suffix near the conclusion that changes depending on whether it is Maariv, Shacharis/Mussaf or Mincha.

On Maariv, one says וינוחו בה (the feminine singular ending), on Shacharis/Mussaf one says וינוחו בו (the masculine singular ending), and on Mincha one says וינוחו בם (the masculine plural ending).

I have checked, and have found this difference also in my Chabad siddur, Torah Or, as well as other siddurim that (like Siddur Vilna) also testifying to the minhagim of the Gra. Siddur Vilna sources it in a sefer called Olas Shabbes, and notes that this custom (while it is not universal) is also mentioned in the Eliyahu Zuta on the Levush, and by the Magen Avraham.

My question is a grammatical one.

If we use the feminine singular ending (such as some do on Maariv), the referent is Shabbes - understood as a feminine word.

If we use the masculine singular ending (such as some do on Shacharis/Mussaf), the referent is Shabbes - understood as a masculine word (see here and here).

If we use the masculine plural ending... what is the referent? Shabbes and something else?


texts: PTIJ: Which Dr. Seuss books should one obtain?

texts:
The Torah warns us that we should not accumulate too many Dr. Seuss books, as it states in Deuteronomy 17:16

רַק, לֹא-יַרְבֶּה-לּוֹ סוּסִים
One should not amass Seusses

Being that one should only get a minimal amount of Dr. Seuss books, I was wondering which ones are recommended to get. Also, which ones should be avoided?
Please bring sources from Scripture or Rabbinic writings.

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


texts: Is there sufficient evidence to support the theory that ancient Israel practiced monolatry?

texts:
I just came across this Wikipedia article on monolatrism that says some people believe ancient Israel practiced monolatry.

  The highest claim to be made for Moses is that he was, rather than a monotheist, a monolatrist. ... The attribution of fully developed monotheism to Moses is certainly going beyond the evidence.

Is this a well accepted theory? If so, when did monotheism take over?


texts: Is there any obligation for a Jew to save a gentile's life?

texts: Does "al taamod al dam rei'echa" refer to only Jews? Does anyone interpret it as meaning a gentile (who is not an idoloter)?


texts: Why must the child ask these four questions?

texts:
The Torah, as explained in the Hagaddah, gives examples of four children. Each asks a question in his own way, and receives an appropriate answer.

However, the Mishnah in Pesachim 116a teaches:

  They pour him the second cup, and here the child asks (and if the child doesn't know how, his father teaches him): Why is this night different from all other nights? For on all other nights...

This clearly indicates that the child must ask these questions. This is also brought down in Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 473:7.

Why don't we follow the procedure indicated in the Hagaddah, where a child asks a question he thinks of? Why do we require each child to ask the same four specific questions?


texts: How did the “custom” of not duchaning on Yom Tov that falls on Shabbos arise

texts: Some synagogues do not have birkas kohanim (duchaning) on Yom Tov that falls on Shabbos. How did this idea arise?


texts:
If one has ma'aser money, should he give it to poor people, his shul or use it to support Torah institutions?

Are there any halachos of where one should give his ma'aser money?


texts: It's a generic brand. I don't have access to the box and can't find any way to check…


texts: Ahavat haGer – Geirei Tzedek or Toshvim?

texts:
I've heard at various times that the Mitzvah of Ahavat haGer (loving the stranger, cf. Devarim 10:19) refers to either (non-Jewish) resident aliens or converts. Is there any discussion about which of these (if not both) the mitzvah actually refers to?

Related: What happened to the mitzvah to love the stranger?


texts: How did R' Yaakov Risher arrive at the exact number of responsa that he published?

texts:
Volume 1 and 3 of Shvus Yaakov have 182 responsa in each, corresponding to the numerical value of the author's name, Yaakov. Volume 2 has 188 responsa. After responsum 182 of volume 2, the author notes that, since in 5 places Yaakov is written with the vov, he added 6 responsa that were written during publication of the volume to make it 188 (in the volume up on Hebrewbooks, they do not have the last 6 in volume 2, but in the copy in our beis medrash, it does).

My question is, did the author just happen to have exactly that many responsa that he felt were worthy of publishing, did he add some that he felt weren't worthy of publishing in order to complete the gematria, or did he leave out some that were worthy of publishing in order to maintain the significant number?


texts: Why does ArtScroll place Birkot Hatorah towards the end of Birkot Hashachar?

texts:
The ArtScroll siddur introduces Birkot Hatorah with the following sentence:

  It is forbidden to study or recite Torah passages before reciting the following blessings.

However, if one follows the order of prayers in the siddur, he has already said Torah passages before these blessings! After all, it's printed after Hanachat Tefillin and Ma Tovu, both of which contain psukim.

Why does ArtScroll use this order?


texts:
Is there spiritual meaning behind Kosher?

What do the Rabbis, Torah, Talmud and so on say about this question?

(I know many say that we don't know. This is a question for those who have a spiritual answer)


texts: Why do we not say Avinu Malkeinu on shabbat?

texts: Just what the title says.  I've heard that it's because we don't supplicate Hashem on shabbat, but this seems a little simplistic.  What are the issues here?


texts:
There are many different editions of siddurim with many commonalities but also many differences, see here for discussion on MY. Also different communities use different siddurim to match their traditions and philosophical positions, What Siddur Do Open Orthodox People Use?. But this question about the differences in the prayers in Ashkenasi and Sefardi siddurim inspired this question.

Were a person to find themselves in the position of compiling/editing a new siddur, what are the halachically allowed changes that they can make?

What I am looking for beyond the questions I have found so far is a forward looking answer. That is, not an answer that tells a nice story after the fact to accomodate what happened but rather a forward looking a summary of what would be halachically permissible.


texts: Must one face Yerushlaim (or the Hechal) when reciting Kaddish,the way one should for Amida? This seems to be generally practiced; does it have a source in the Shulchan Aruch or achronim or is it a misconception?


texts: Being Motzi someone with Tefilas Haderech

texts:
I was always under the impression that one person can say Tefilas Haderech and the others can answer Amein and you are Motzi them.

Today I was travelling and the fellow said Tefilas Haderech and when he finished he said he did not have me in mind, since he has heard that Tefilas Haderech is a Tefila one has to say it alone and can not be Motzi others. He did not know the source, and I was wondering who is the source of this ruling and what are the dissenting opinions?


texts: Sources on the Halachic status of creating three parent child

texts:
See here for the background. The basic idea is that the DNA is taken from the mother and father, but rather than traditional IVF, the nucleus is implanted in a donor egg. So there is no male donor involved, the only a male is the husband. (The purpose is to prevent transmission of genetic diseases transmitted in the mitochondria from the mother by replacing the mitochondria from the mother with that of the donor. Mitochondria is DNA provided exclusively from the mother outside the nucleus). So:

1) What would be the Halachic permissibly of doing this?

2) Would the egg donor female affect the Jewishness of the child?

Of course this isn't a question that will have been discussed until very recently if at all, but I thought it would be an interesting question to see what relevant sources might inform the discussion.

So the question is really, what sources would provide insight into the above questions?


texts: What bracha should be made when smelling soap?

texts:
I'm assuming that when one showers / bathes and uses a bar of soap but isn't concentrating on the smell, he would not need to make a bracha. (There is a similar  M.Y. question about needing to make a bracha when entering a coffee shop.)

However, if one intentionally smells a bar of soap to enjoy its fragrance, what bracha should he make? Body soap has a combination of some natural products - sometimes aloe (a "fruit" plant - normally would have the bracha for smelling fruits); could be honey, might be oatmeal, wheat germ, and mostly it has chemical fragrances (is there any bracha ever made on synthetic fragrances?)

In short, what bracha should you make on bar soap?


texts:
Shulchan Aruch O.C. 53:4-5 discusses some qualifications for an ideal shaliach tzibbur as well as other "non-ideal" qualifications. It seems that one necessity is that the congregation prefers him and is satisfied with him.

WHat happens if the shaliach tzibbur has been in that shul for many years, and there is a group of "old timers" who regularly attend the shul (every Shabbat and Yom Tov when this Shaliach tzibbur leads the service and want to keep him. The shul board members, who have the power to vote on their staff consists primarily of people that don't attend shul regularly - perhaps once every few months - want to get rid of him.

Can the board members make this decision to fire him because according to them, he is not "preferable"? Or does the halacha follow the minority of people who regularly attend and listen to him more often? Essentially, my question focuses on whether the definition of "preferable" as mentioned in Shulchan ARuch include a definition of thiose who actually benefit from his voice by attending shul more regularly.


texts: Does wine bottle cut into a drinking glass need to be toveled?

texts:
I've been cutting wine bottles into drinking glasses as gifts for friends and am wondering if they need to be taken to the mikveh as they now could be considered "new" containers.

Does a wine bottle cut into a drinking glass need to be toveled?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/rhq3khvvxc0q5of/20131226_205447.jpg


texts: If a condition to bury someone's body wasn't upheld, is one allowed to exhume the body?

texts:
A follow up to this recent question "(Why) May a Beit Din refuse to bury a body in order to coerce a man into giving a divorce?" where a Jewish burial society was instructed to not bury the body of a mother whose son is a get-refuser, in order to apply pressure on the man to give the get.

The answer given there (which was accepted) provided a source that this was permitted, and in this particular case it was reported that the man accepted the deal of:
 "ONLY if he agreed to grant his wife a get, his mother would be buried."

Unfortunately it is now being reported that this man is reneging on his promise to give a get.

Since the condition for burying his mother wasn't upheld- and as a means of continuing to apply pressure- would it be permissible to exhume the mother's body and punish this man by not re-burying her until he grants a get?
(my gut tells me no, but sources that rule one way or the other would be much better)


texts:
As someone who feels like her understanding of the Tanakh has been too skewed by Christian interpretations, I'm interested in finding a book that provides either the main text (in English) with excessive annotations, by verse or section, or with the same, but without the text on both:

Common religious interpretations of passages, or references to common sources of commentary (so that I know where to read further)
Notes about certain long-running themes (e.g. I remember reading an annotation somewhere saying that there was a recurring theme in early portions of Genesis on  boundaries between God and man)
Notes on sources of text (which I suppose might take on a more secular perspective, if you will).

Whether or not such annotation needs to come with the actual text of the Tanakh doesn't matter too much to me -- after all, there are plenty of decent English translations floating around on the internet (e.g. on the Mechon Mamre site).

Would anyone have any suggestions as to where I could look for this? I've noticed that The Jewish Study Bible seems promising -- the amount of annotation made me really happy, but I'd like to see if there are any other texts worth considering.


texts:
Occasionally when learning gemara one comes across an incredibly long and daunting Tosfot like s.v. Parah on Bava Kama 76a or an "iceberg"[1] such as s.v. Mah on Yoma 82a-b. (These are just examples.)

So, what is the longest Tosfot in Shas?

[1] You can't see the majority of an iceberg, as it's underwater.

Edit: if people post serious suggestions in the comments here, I can analyze word counts for individual tosfots. But please make it your best guess after considering the suggestions already made. And please link to the daf on hebrewbooks.


texts:
Who knows three hundred nineteen?
?תשעה עשר ושלוש מאות - מי יודע
In the spirit of the song "Echad - mi yodeya", please post interesting and significant Jewish facts about the number 319.
Please don't try to just sail through with lazy gematria.
Check out mi-yodeya-series for the previous three hundred eighteen entries in this ongoing series.
Please include sources for your information wherever possible, as with all other answers on this site.


texts: Are there specific laws or stringencies regarding a "Chabad mikve"

texts:
I have been informed of an ongoing fundraising effort for a "Chabad mikve". Are there specific halachic stringencies (chumrot) regarding such a mikve according to Chabad? Would Chabad women not be able to use a regular kosher mikve?

A Chabad shaliach explicitly told me "there is no Chabad mikve for women in that city" but didn't answer when I asked about the halachic rationale for such a mikve.

Does anyone know?


texts: If we lost smicha, isn't our mesora broken?

texts:
We assume, and indeed our religion is predicated largely, on the fact that we have an unbroken chain of transmission from Moshe at Har Sinai. Originally, and until the times of the Gemara (as most assume), we had an unbroken chain of smicha, from Moshe, to Yehoshua, and on so that anyone who had smicha was as if he was trusted by Moshe himself. With the previous generation's approval, we know that the mesora we have is correct and true.

But we lost true smicha after the times of the Gemara? So wouldn't that mean that our mesora then is broken? How do we know that what we have now continues to be true and real?


texts: When is a Person Obligated to Lead the Davening?

texts:
On various occasions I have heard somebody in shul declare that they have a chiyyuv to daven - an obligation, that is, to serve as sheliach hatzibbur: to represent the congregation in their leading of tefillah. To be honest, I've never actually understood what constitutes this chiyyuv, and have guessed (though am probably wrong) that it relates to an obligation to say the amidah twice.

Is there really such a thing as a "chiyyuv to daven"? When does a person possess this obligation, and how much of the davening does it require them to lead? I have only ever heard people say this during shacharit, but does it apply to mincha (and to maariv) as well? Can it be limited to mussaf, on a day when mussaf is read?

Secondly, what happens if there is more than one person in shul with this chiyyuv? Is there a scale of obligations, with some chiyyuvim trumping others, or are all obligations equal?


texts: birkat kohanim at mincha on yom hakippurim

texts: Since the halacha is that we don't do birkat kohanim at mincha of yom hakippurim, why is the ashkenazi practice that the chazzan recites the elokeinu passage?


texts: Can Mishloach Manot count as Matanot Laevyonim and vice versa?

texts:
If I donate ready to eat food to a soup kitchen, or, even more directly, if I see 2 homeless men on the street on Purim and hand them each a sandwich and a drink, can that fulfill my obligation to give Mishloach Manot of food to another person AND a gift to the poor?

The Mishna Berurah (694:2) writes " ורשאי ליתן מאכל או מעות" but he doesn't make it clear (to me) whether that would be counted as both obligations (or only one or the other). He also seems to say that if I give food that is from my se'udah, that counts (but for which?) and the Sha'arei Teshuva speaks of giving either 3 eggs' worth of bread or the money to buy 3 eggs' worth of food

  שאם נותן מעות צריך שיתן שיעור שיקנה ג' ביצים אוכל ואם נותן אוכלים צריך שיתן לו שיעור ג' ביצים מפת

Can 2 obligations be fulfilled through the single action here?


texts: Tying 7 Huliot with Techelet MiDin Safek

texts:
The Tur writes (Orah Haim 11) that since in his days they didn't have Techelet they didn't have to be Makpid on the Huliot (the Rambam doesn't agree). Therefor the Posekim hold (Rosh, Tur, SH"A etc.) that we don't do 7-13 Huliot because it only is for Techelet. However, in the time when Techelet exists then you should tie the Sisiot with Huliot.

A few questions regarding this:

1) What does the Techelet have to do with whether we tie the Sisiot with Huliot or not?

2) If we wear Techelet MiDin Safek Deorayta (like we do nowadays) must we tie with Huliot or can we keep our old tradition (i.e. 7-8-11-13)? It seems Rav Mois Navon answered this on Tekhelet.com but he didn't say why we should be able to. It seems that we actually should have to switch over to the old Minhag of the Rambam (or Rav Herschel Shachter and the like) to tie with real Huliot.


texts:
When did the Minhag of Sephardim using an upright standing Torah case begin? From the gemara in Megila 32a it's pretty clear that in the times of Chazal this was not the prevalent custom.

So to clarify, I am not asking why they do this or if this was done in Chazal's times, but when it began.


texts: Challah Loaves on Shabbat have a minimum size?

texts:
In this article regarding the Shabbat Challah loaves, The Shmirat Shabbat KeHilchata (vol. II 55:5) is quoted as saying:

  The loaves must each be at least the size of an olive

Normally, the size of the food being eaten does not matter when making a preceding blessing (see here, for example). The only requirement is that, in order to make an after-blessing, one must eat the required amount within a set time-period (see here, for example)

I don't have access to the Shmirat Shabbat KeHilchata, and I'm looking for sources and an explanation why the loaves used on Shabbat have a minimum size requirement.


texts: If I inadvertantly forget to wash and said the bracha hamotzi, and have just broken the bread, but not eaten yet, what should I do next?


texts:
Is there a copy/paste enabled siddur with full vocalisation and metegim?

None of the ones I know of (namely the Da'at.ac.il siddur) has either (in the named case, they often leave out cholamim).


texts: What is the relation between transgressions punished with karet and those punished with death?

texts:
K'ritot 2a says there are 36 transgressions for which the punishment is karet and provides a list (including idol-worship, various sexual transgressions, eating chametz on Pesach, desecrating Shabbat, and a bunch more).  At least some of these would be punished by a beit din with death (if you had witnesses, warning, etc); the torah provides an example with the Shabbat wood-gatherer.  Is that true of everything on this list?  For example, could someone in principle be sentenced to death for eating chametz on Pesach?

Noticably absent from the list in the mishna is murder.  The torah provides for that with the cities of refuge and the possibility of death at the hand of heaven, which seems to be different from karet because it's not on this list.  Are there any other death-penalty transgressions that are not punishable by karet?

My question is: with the exception of murder, are karet offenses and capital offenses the same list?


texts: Is there any opinion that holds one may play or touch a pet on Shabbos (even though animals are normally muktzeh on Shabbos.) Specifically one that is meant for this purpose (to play with.) I heard recently that the Maharach Or Zaruah mentions such a thing. Is there any such opinion found?


texts: What are the relevance of the first three posukim of the Haftorah for parshas Tazria to the Torah reading?

texts:
The Haftorah for parshas Tazria - Kings Ⅱ 4:42-5:19 - talks about how Na’aman, who was supra-naturally afflicted with a skin blemish, went to Elisha the prophet and was cured, and this corresponds to parshas Tazria which discusses similar afflictions of the body and clothing.

But the Haftorah starts three verses earlier with the story of how a gift of food was sent to to Elisha and how he was miraculously able to feed his many students from this small amount of food. What relevance does this have to the parsha?

It would not have been so remarkable if these three verses were at the beginning of the section which talks about Na’aman, but when we look in the Tanach we see that these three verses are in a separate paragraph, so why was there any need to include them in the Haftorah?


texts: If a Cohen or Levi adopts a non-Jew, upon their conversion are they a Cohen or Levi as well or are they a Yisroel?


texts: When one buys a car, does he have to buy the car with the most safety features?

texts:
Deuteronomy 4:15 (snip):

וְנִשְׁמַרְתֶּ֥ם מְאֹ֖ד לְנַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶ֑ם

"Watch your lives very much"

The commentary Ha'emek Davar, among others says that this verse teaches us that we are obligated to watch our bodies and prevent it from danger.

Let's say someone is car shopping. He has a certain budget. Halachically, in keeping with this law, if one car has more safety features such as more air bags, better NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Association) ratings, and is, overall, considered a safer car than another, is one obligated to spend more money to get the safer car?

What if it is the same money (approximately) but the safer car doesn't have the comfort or features that you want? Must you still buy the safer one to fulfill this mitzvah?

I am using the car buying as an example, but, no doubt this could apply to any purchase situation of any product. What extent must one go out of his way when purchasing something to fulfill this mitzvah?


texts: Have poskim written about partnership minyanim?

texts:
Are there any contemporary responsa regarding partnership minyanim, such as Shira Hadasha and Darkei Noam?

Various rabbis have written against it (e.g., R. Student, R. Rothstein, R. Firmer) and it seems even fewer have written supporting it (e.g., R. Sperber). Some of these opinions have been discussed previously on this site.

However, I have not heard of responsa/declarations/essays by poskim on the subject. The only posek that I'm aware of who has written (against) such a congregation, is R. Yehudah Henkin. If others exist, who wrote them, what is the halacha that they write, and what it is their explanation for it?

For clarity's sake, I'll refer to Shalom's answer on the definition of a posek. Basically, I'm asking about recognized halachic authorities, who probably have yadin yadin, and have written practical responsa for today's times.


texts: May a child who has reached the age of chinnuch eat meat during the nine days? Is there a difference if it is Friday evening dinner assuming the child eats before Shabbat begins?


texts: Explain order of the phrase המאחרין לצאת מן השבת וממהרין לבא in the song כל מקדש שביעי from Fri. night Zemirot

texts:
In the Friday night Zemirah staring with the words כל מקדש שביעי , the 3rd paragraph has the phrase:

  המאחרין לצאת מן השבת וממהרין לבא - "Those who delay to leave the Shabbat and hurry to enter it

The order seems backwards. We sing this song Friday night at the start of Shabbat. Why are we first mentioning leaving Shabbat and then those who start it. Wouldn't a more appropriate phrase be:

  הממהרין לבא לשבת ומאחרין לצאת - "Those who hurry to enter Shabbat and delay leaving it"?


texts: What ancient prayer contains the term "Osem" (אֹסֶם)?

texts:
This site claims that Osem (אֹסֶם) is a term taken from an ancient Jewish prayer. What prayer would that be?

Anectodote: I had assumed it was a Hebrew transcription of the English word awesome due to the company's slogan It's Good. It's Osem.


texts: Where is the source of this Midrash/Agadita in the Ein Yaakov

texts:
I saw in the הקדמת הכותב of the Ein Yaakov the following midrash/agadita cited:

  בן זומה אומר מצינו פסוק כולל יותר והוא שמע ישראל וגו׳ בן ננס אומר
   מצינו פסוק כולל יותר והוא ואהבת לרעך כמוך שמעון בן פזי אומר מצינו פסוק כולל
  יותר והוא את הכבש אחד תעשה בבקר וגו׳ עמד ר׳ פלוני על רגליו ואמר הלכה כבן
   פזי דכתיב ככל אשר אני מראה אותך את תבנית המשכן וגו׳

  Ben Zoma says we find the most important verse is  (Deut. 6:4) "Hear, Oh Israel etc", Ben Nanas says we find the most important verse is (Lev. 19:18) "And you shall love your fellow like yourself," Shimon Ben Pazi says we find the most important verse is (Ex. 29:39) "One lamb you shall sacrifice in the morning and the second lamb in the late afternoon"; Rabbi Ploni stood up and said "The Halacha is like (Shimon) Ben Pazi for it says (Ex. 25:9) "Exactly like that which I had shown you regarding the image of the Mishkan etc."

Does anyone know where the source of this Midrash is? I looked in other editions of the Ein Yaakov and have not seen it sourced anywhere


texts: Is a non-Jew who was Sandek in non-Orthodox brit allowed to be sandek again after conversion?

texts:
A few articles like here speak of a custom amongst non-religious groups allowing non-Jews, women, and otherwise to be sandek despite halacha or minhag. It happens whether unfortunate or not. But if 'birds of a feather flock together',and the non-Jew becomes a ger, would anything prohibit one from the honor again under Orthodox auspice?

Also, the question extends to a reform/conservative conversion where one is sandek and then converts up to Orthodox?


texts: What is the exact meaning of the phrase "יישר כחך", and what is the gramatically-correct way to pronounce it?


texts: Why do we pray for our prayer to be accepted?

texts:
The sixteenth blessing of the Shmoneh Esrei says, שמע קולנו...וקבל ברחמים וברצון את תפילתנו: "Hear our voice...and accept our prayer with compassion and favor."

It seems redundant and circular to ask Hashem to answer our prayers. If he was not going to answer our prayers, why would he answer this one?

What does this blessing accomplish?


texts: Hanging mezuza for someone else - bracha?

texts: If a visitor in someone else's home puts up a mezuza there, and the homeowner will not be home to hang it/make a bracha, does the visitor make the bracha when affixing it?  Does it matter whether or not the visitor was appointed a shaliach?


texts: At what point is a child considered living

texts: Does life begin at conception, or does Judaism take a different view? At what point does life begin?


texts: What does it cost to write one's own Sefer Torah - and how long would it take?

texts:
I'm wondering if anybody else has experience writing their own Sefer Torah, how long it took them and how much it cost.

It took me about 9 years and about $3,500 to write mine.


texts:
The Wikipedia article on The Talmud says:

  and Pope Pius IV commanded, in 1565, that the Talmud be deprived of its very name. The convention of referring to the work as "Shas" (shishah sidre Mishnah) instead of "Talmud" dates from this time. (Hastings, James. Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics Part 23, p 186)

I also remember seeing text in the Talmud itself, where the word Talmud had been changed to Gemara (I can't remember exactly where).

What was wrong with the word Talmud, that it had to be censored?


texts:
The pasuk says (Devarim 25:18):
תמחה את זכר עמלק- wipe the memory of Amalek.
Does this mean to wipe all of their memories, or only enough to make them ‘non- Amaleki’?
Also, how do we wipe their memories-hypnosis seems pretty close to the prohibition of magic, so are there alternatives?

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


texts: How did the messengers to Moshe and Aharon manage to get to them through the hail?

texts:
During the plague of hailstones, Paroh calls Moshe and Aharon. Shmos 9 (27).

  וַיִּשְׁלַ֣ח פַּרְעֹ֗ה וַיִּקְרָא֙ לְמֹשֶׁ֣ה וּֽלְאַהֲרֹ֔ן וַיֹּ֥אמֶר
  אֲלֵהֶ֖ם חָטָ֣אתִי הַפָּ֑עַם ה׳ הַצַּדִּ֔יק וַאֲנִ֥י וְעַמִּ֖י
  הָרְשָׁעִֽים׃

  Thereupon Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron and said to them, “I stand
  guilty this time. The L-RD is in the right, and I and my people are in
  the wrong.

He asks them 9 (28)

  הַעְתִּ֙ירוּ֙ אֶל־ה׳ וְרַ֕ב מִֽהְיֹ֛ת קֹלֹ֥ת אֱלֹהִ֖ים וּבָרָ֑ד
  וַאֲשַׁלְּחָ֣ה אֶתְכֶ֔ם וְלֹ֥א תֹסִפ֖וּן לַעֲמֹֽד׃

  Plead with the LORD that there may be an end of G-d’s thunder and of
  hail. I will let you go; you need stay no longer.”

We see that when he sent for them, the plague was still ongoing and continued until Moshe davenned 9 (33)

  וַיֵּצֵ֨א מֹשֶׁ֜ה מֵעִ֤ם פַּרְעֹה֙ אֶת־הָעִ֔יר וַיִּפְרֹ֥שׂ כַּפָּ֖יו
  אֶל־ה׳ וַֽיַּחְדְּל֤וּ הַקֹּלוֹת֙ וְהַבָּרָ֔ד וּמָטָ֖ר לֹא־נִתַּ֥ךְ
  אָֽרְצָה׃

  Leaving Pharaoh, Moses went outside the city and spread out his hands
  to the LORD: the thunder and the hail ceased, and no rain came pouring
  down upon the earth.

How were the messengers to Moshe and Aharon able to get to them through the hail?


texts:
What is the halacha on saying Kaddish for a friend?  It is my understanding that this is not typically done but that there is some precedent for it to occur.

Thank you for your replies.


texts: What is a friendly alternative to the word "brother" that can be used by a Muslim to address a devoted Jewish man

texts:
My boss and I are Muslims, one day some brave Jewish man walked into our shop and asked if we can do business together. I say brave as he is a conservative religion-wise you can tell from the way he dresses and his hair ie rabbi-like in spite of the fact that our area is strictly Arabs Muslims populated.

Since then we do business every week, he comes to deliver the goods himself.

What is a word that I can use to address him without offending him? something like "brother". Keep in mind that as a Muslim I am not allowed to use this word with non-Muslims.

My boss calls him rabbi and he calls my boss Imam. However one day he said he does not like being called rabbi.


texts: Chamisha Vachamishim Umatayim - mi yodeya?

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

Upvote all interesting and relevant answers.

Accept the "best" answer.

Move on to the next number.


texts: Baby boy born bein hashmashot when you don't know what day it is

texts:
Extreme hypothetical here...

We know (MT Hilchot Mila 1:9) that mila on the (definite) 8th day is doche Shabbat. If the baby is born bein hashmashot, when we're not sure what day it is, it cannot be done on Shabbat. (1:12)

We know (SA OC 344:1) that someone who is lost in the middle of nowhere and doesn't know what day it is has special Shabbat rules. They are not allowed to do melacha on any day (except for acts required for survival), but observe every seventh day from the time they realized they don't know as Shabbat, with the special liturgy.

Now, let's mix these two cases together.

A mohel and his wife are lost in the desert rainforest. He conveniently has all his supplies with him. However, they don't know what day it is. Let's say one day (around noon) (not the day they're observing as Shabbat) his wife gives birth to a baby boy. It's obvious that in this case they should do the mila on the 8th day.

But the birth wasn't at noon. It was in the evening, during bein hashmashot. Now what? We're not sure when the 8th day is, and we're also not sure when Shabbat is. Is safek-8th-day doche safek-Shabbat?

Let's say the above case was on their "Tuesday". What if it happened on their "Friday", so the baby was born just as their "Shabbat" came in?


texts: Machine Made and Hand Made Tefillin Batim

texts:
Nowadays a person can buy tefillin batim (the leather boxes that house the parshiyos) that were made by a machine or made completely by hand.

What is the difference exactly and what is the advantage of having "hand made" batim? Is it the fact that it's hand made and therefore one can assure it's more perfect (it's not like a "factor/assembly line" made product that could have flaws?) Or is it part of the "l'shmo" that it has to be made for the sake of the mitzvah and a machine can't do that?

What exactly is the hiddur/chumrah if any? (Please provide relevant sources.)


texts:
In Bereshis 4:8 we read:
וַיֹּאמֶר קַיִן, אֶל-הֶבֶל אָחִיו; וַיְהִי בִּהְיוֹתָם בַּשָּׂדֶה, וַיָּקָם קַיִן אֶל-הֶבֶל אָחִיו וַיַּהַרְגֵהוּ

And Cain spoke unto Abel his brother. And it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

Why did Kayin do this? I recall learning that they argued over a who was able to marry a second twin sister. I'm not sure what the source of this is but it seems to me a rather empty reason for murder.


texts: Can a Ben-Noach practice another religion?

texts: Could a Ben-Noach actively practice a religion other than Judaism as long as it isn't considered avoda zara? Suppose, for example, he was born Muslim. Could he continue to actively follow Islam and still be considered to be following the Noachide laws?


texts: Where did the Jews live at the time of Joshua before their portion was conquered?

texts: We know that Joshua divided up the Land of Israel before it was actually completely conquered. So where did the Jews live while their apportioned heritage was held by the Canaanite nations?


texts:
On the one hand zechus avos has an affect in this world. On the other hand schar mitzvah be'hay almah leika (the reward of a mitzvah is not given in this world.)

How do these two idea's work? They seem to contradict each other.


texts: We see in Vayikra, chapter 11, lists of kosher animals (land, water, and flying), but I don't see any mention of vegetables? Why did the Torah leave out vegetables when it speaks of kashrut?


texts: What is the Jewish position on aggressive acts of war?

texts:
I am reading the "The Jewish State" by Theodor Herzl, he proposes the creation of a Jewish State through mostly financial means.  I don't recall a war in recent (hundreds of years) where the Jewish people were the aggressors.  Google points me to a couple of conflicts long ago which are arguably defensive rather than aggressive.

There are three existing questions that address participation in defensive, and/or integration as a soldier into wars of home countries.  I don't find anything about aggressive acts being initiated with a Jewish religious rationale.

What is the Jewish view on creating an army to defend ourselves against armies?
Pirates and Torah
Responding to an army draft before 20

Is there a religious reason that prevents Jews from aggressive acts of war?

To Clarify:
Aggressive as opposed to defensive. Where defensive acts are as defined 1. "the act of defending someone or something from attack" 2. "something that is used to protect yourself, your country, etc."


texts: What to think about during each shofar sound

texts:
There are all kinds of meanings traditionally associated with the shofar blowing, as well as with each of its individual sounds. During the Rosh Hashana service, we have many sets of repetitions of the different sounds, associated with different parts of the service. It seems that it ought to therefore be possible to assign specific things to think about to each individual shofar call, based on which sound it is and where it is in the service and in its set of calls. That way, a person could be sure to cover all of the different meanings of the sounds and properly complement that awareness with awareness of the adjacent service.

Has anyone ever written a list of such assignments, so that I could look at it at each part of the service and have a good idea of what to think about right then? If not, are there general principles listed anywhere that we could use to generate such a list?


texts:
Can i continue my hamotzi seuda in a place I didn't have in mind when I washed/started eating? If so, do I need to have a kzayis of bread in that place, or just a kzayis of anything in the meal?
Thanks


texts: May one order food from Amazon Prime after Pesach?

texts: May one order chametz from a publically-traded company (Amazon) which may have had food pass through any number of distributers on the way? The service in question is Amazon Prime Pantry.


texts: Halachic differences in the Yom Kippur avodah between piyutim

texts:
There are various piyutim said by different communities to describe the avodah on Yom Kippur.  Are there halachic differences between any of these piyutim?  For example, do they pasken like different tannaim or amoraim in Yoma?

For the purpose of the actual avodah, the halacha will have to be decided by the Sanhedrin.  This question might be relevant if a community is somehow stuck with only the "wrong" machzor and don't have enough copies of the full text of the piyut according to their tradition.  They might want to say another traidtion's piyut, but change relevant lines in it to reflect their psak.


texts: Does anyone permit Shehiya to a gas oven/stove without a blech?

texts:
Anyone who has made a fire in their fireplace, especially Erev Shabbos for Leil Shabbos, can appreciate the issue of shema yechate b'gechalim as the fuel dies down (and their supper was not yet cooked).  One can also appreciate that our fuel, gas, is not at all similar to a gacheles, as it doesn't die down (it could theoretically run out and you would need to add more, but that isn't the gezeira).

Has anyone historically made this distinction?  Who were the big Poskim that nailed down the comparison to wood/coal stoves?


texts: Our I, Our Self leading us to separation and idolatry

texts:
Looking at the words:
"Anochi HaShem Eloheichem -  אָנֹכִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ " (Shemot 20:2 & 20:5, Devarim 5:6 & 5:9)" I noticed that on the one hand HaShem emphasizes that we should serve Him while on the other hand using the exact same words HaShem emphasizes that one cannot serve others ( כִּי אָנֹכִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֵל קַנָּא). This reminded me of two great teachings:

And G-d said to Moshe: “Hew for yourself (Psal Lecha) two tablets of stone",  (Exodus 34:1). And "Do not make for yourself a hewn image (lecha pesel)", Exodus 20:4.

I can't remember the source but I once heard that: the key to understand the difference if on where we place the word 'lecha (yourself)'. Because in the first occassion, in the oreder of the sentence, the carving comes first, and 'yourself' is secondary. While in the commandment against idolatry, on the other hand, 'yourself' comes first, and the carving is secondary. The difference is that in one occassion we make our ego secondary to our service. While in the second occassion we place our ego first and let us create our own image on how to live.

Likewise there is this drash on Devarim 5:5 where the words: “I (Anochi) stand between HaShem and between you...” are taken to mean that our (Anochiyus) I-ness, ego, self-centeredness, is the screen that separates between human and the Divine. It is 'anochi' – egotism – that separates us from G-d.

So first of all I'm looking for the sources of these ideas, secondly I would like to know if there are any good commentaries which dig more into these ideas (and specifically connect these concepts with idolatry)?

So are there any commentaries which link our ego/I-ness/self-awereness/self-centeredness with idolatry?

P.s. I also noticed both in the Aseret HaDevarim as in Vayikra 19:4 the prohibition regards idols is not to make them for 'ourself' (i.e. yourself and yourselves). Why did the Torah stresses it that way? Why not only state don't make... why the addition of the words 'for yourself'? Is there a deeper meaning/understanding in these words?


texts: One of the Maimonides' 13 principals is the belief in resurrection of the dead but what is the qualifier for this? Does this only include Jews? Does it only apply to  the righteous? Will Noachides rise again? Could evil Jews or evil gentiles that performed t'shuvah before death rise again? Sources?


texts:
A response to "matza significance" referenced the 3 Patriarchs and included:

"Yitzchak of Gevurah (stern discipline)....  Yitzchak's harshness needs to be broken to allow people leeway in their approach to G-d."

From what/where are the descriptions of Yitzchak being 'stern,' 'harsh,' and 'needing leeway'?


texts: Rashi on Nach in English and with Nekudos

texts: Where can I find/buy Sifrei Nach with Rashi translated into English and (even better) the Rashi with nekudos?


texts:
I have noticed that some people are visibly happy when, for whatever reason, tachanun is omitted.  I have noticed other people become religiously indignant at those who are rejoicing.

Who is right?

(On the one hand, it seems wrong to rejoice for being exempt from a prayer, but on the other hand, the exemption was created for a reason - perhaps we can be happy about not saying it if we aren't supposed to be saying it?)


texts: Shnayim Vachamishim Ushlosh Meyot - mi yodeya?

texts:
Who knows three hundred fifty-two?
שנים וחמישים ושלוש מאות - מי יודע?
The traditional Passover song "Echad - mi yodeya" implies a possible presupposition that there is a Jewish significance to be found for each natural number. Accordingly, there is an ongoing series on Mi Yodeya that is attempting to unearth significant Judaism facts about each number, in sequence.
What significant Judaism facts are there about the number 352? The more significant within Judaism and the more intrinsically dependent on the value 352, the stronger the answer. Please include sources for your information wherever possible, as with all other answers on this site.
Let us not revert to lazy gematria answers.


texts: Order of blessing children on Erev Shabbos

texts: When blessing children on erev Shabbos, is there a correct or preferred order (oldest to youngest, boys first or girls), or may parents decide however they like? If there is not a correct order, can it vary from week to week or should it be consistent?


texts: What does Avot 6:6 mean when it invokes redemption?

texts:
The last element of the list of forty-eight habits of Torah-acquisitive people in Avot 6:6 is, unlike the previous forty-seven, presented with a statement about its particular positive consequences:

והאומר דבר בשם אומרו, הא למדת כל האומר דבר בשם אומרו מביא גאלה לעולם, שנאמר (אסתר ב), ותאמר אסתר למלך בשם מרדכי.
... citing the source, for it is taught that one who cites a source brings redemption to the world, as it says (Esther 2:22): "Esther told the king in Mordekhai’s name."

I am a big fan of this prescription; it makes sense to me as a fundamental of intellectual honesty in all realms, including that of Torah. As such, I certainly like the idea that practicing and promoting it brings redemption. However, I don't really know what that means.
What did the Sages mean when they taught that proper citation brings redemption to the world?

Did they mean that, in an esoteric sense, proper citation hastens the Messianic Redemption (like the notion of "adding bricks to the Temple")? If so, why this linkage, in particular?

Did they mean that, like in the cited story in Esther, proper citation leads to lives being saved? If so, how does that work?

Did they mean "redemption" in some other way? If so, what, and how does proper citation lead to it?

Were they just making a hyperbolic, Biblical flourish to end the list of habits? If so, why this flourish on this element?

Answers based on sources or on your own reasoning are welcome, but I'm particularly interested in answers that make a convincing case that the explanation they present is what the Sages actually meant.


texts: Am I allowed to wear my Pebble Watch on Shabbat?

texts: The Pebble is a smart watch that connects to a smart-phone via Bluetooth and can deliver messages to your wrist. Am I allowed to wear it on Shabbat if I disconnect it from my phone? Think of it, then, as a smart phone disconnected from service, so your phone stays on the home page with no activity besides the time changing (hence I won't press any buttons).


texts: Why isn't a divorced woman mentioned in the first mishna of Maseches Kesuvos?

texts:
Maseches Kesuvos 2a begins with:

בתולה נשאת ליום הרביעי ואלמנה ליום החמישי
A virgin is married on Wednesday and a widow on Thursday.

The ensuing dafim tell us the reasons why these days were specifically singled out (ex: in case husband has a *ta'anas b'sulim, shakdu, the day that fish were created etc)
Why isn't a divorced woman (or even yevamah) mentioned in this Mishnah as well?


texts: Why didn't Moshe tell B'nai Yisra'el about what to do with the mahn on the 6th day of the week?

texts:
Shemot 16:22 -23 On the 6th day of the week, the people gather mann, and notice that there is a double portion. The elders ask Moshe what is happening. In verse 23, Moshe explains that this is what G-d commanded regarding the gathering of mann on the 6th day of the week (i.e. take a double portion, and reserve some of it for Shabbat, the next day.)

Rash"i on verse 22, explains that Moshe didn't initially tell B'nai Yisra'el the rules regarding the mahn collection for Shabbat, until the elders came and specifically asked him.

My question - why not? Was Moshe trying to hide something? Was he careless? Did he have an "elder moment"?


texts: Where are resources about counting Omer Year round?

texts:
My rabbi mentioned there's a custom to count the omer year round. The idea is to travel through all the sefirot for 7 sets of 50 days.
I'm looking for shiurim, texts, etc. that teach on this practice.
I'm also interested in material or apps that help facilitate the count past the official date.
Bonus would be groups or websites that actually do this practice.


texts: Can a Frum Jew go on a sponsored mixed trip if he can not afford to go to Eretz Yisroel?

texts:
Is a frum Charedi Jew allowed to go on a Birthright trip to Eretz Yisroel? Are there any gedolim that say it's asur?

I would assume that the following things would be an issue:

Tznius
Mixed seating and activities
Mixed davening
Not a "pro-frum" movement


texts: How can I distinguish p'shat from interpretation in torah translations if I'm not fluent in Hebrew?

texts:
This question is prompted by a specific case, but I'm asking a general question.  This question is not, specifically, about the Aramean.

The specific case, for illustration:

I've seen two different translations for D'varim 26:5, and they are reflected in different haggadot.  (A haggadah difference at my seder this year led to this question.)

JPS translates אֲרַמִּי אֹבֵד אָבִי as "A wandering Aramean was my father".  This is the translation shown at Sefaria.org.  On the other hand, my (print) Sapirstein Chumash with Rashi, and the Chabad site, translate it "An Aramean [sought to] destroy my forefather", presumably because Rashi interprets it thus (meaning Lavan).  Answers to this question cite a variety of interpretations, and one suggests that the Rashi interpretation is more midrashic.

"An Aramean sought to destroy my father" is a pretty big deviation from "a wandering Aramean was my father".  I'm used to Tanakh translations sticking a little closer to the words that are actually there -- not necessarily literal, of course, as there's no such thing as a completely literal translation, but this is the sort of thing where I'd expect a translation closer to p'shat accompanied by commentary (or a footnote if the edition isn't doing fuller commentary).  This, in turn, makes me wonder what else might vary.

My biblical Hebrew is, eh, spotty.  I rely on translations for fuller understanding.  How can I tell when a translation is holding closer to the p'shat and when it's varying more?  I'm interested in both p'shat and interpretation/midrashim; I just want to know when I'm looking at which.  How should I do that?  Are there any "markers" one can look for?  Do certain translators tend to do more or less of this and I should choose a translation with that in mind?  Or do they all do it some of the time and I should routinely check multiple translations?

This question is about translations in general.  If you have interpretations of the example passage, I suggest you offer them on this question about that passage.


texts:
The Gemara (Shabbos 103a) gives a list of letters that should be written very carefully to avoid being mixed up with other letters:

  "וכתבתם שתהא כתיבה תמה שלא יכתוב אלפין עיינין עיינין אלפין ביתין כפין כפין ביתין גמין צדין צדין גמין דלתין רישין רישין דלתין היהין חיתין חיתין היהין ווין יודין יודין ווין זיינין נונין נונין זיינין טיתין פיפין פיפין טיתין כפופין פשוטין פשוטין כפופין מימין סמכין סמכין מימין סתומין פתוחין פתוחין סתומין פרשה פתוחה לא יעשנה סתומה סתומה לא יעשנה פתוחה"

While some of these letter pairs look alike (or in some cases according to Rashi, sound the same), others are extremely confusing.  So my question is, how do Pei and Tes look like each other?  (This could be asked about Gimmel and Tzadi as well, feel free to comment on that pair if you with.)

(Note: I heard a Chiddush in the name of Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky,but I want to hear what others suggest first, as well as to see if others have heard this Chiddush before.)


texts: Crackers - Why wouldn't that require an Hamotzi?

texts:
As we know there are 3 different guidelines that would make a baked good a 'Pas Habah B'kusnin'. the third guideline is, if the bread is hard and dry, for example; pretzels.

With this Shit"a, the companies have produced all sorts of crackers which for decades we make on them a Mezones, assuming that this falls into the category of hard and dry.

Now, years ago (not too many), people were not so scared of washing and bentching, and the main form of a meal was to wash for bread. Being so, it made a lot of sense that crackers should be Mezones since the primary form of eating crackers would be for a snack only. However today things have changes and more people have gotten the Bentchaphobia (a medical term describing fear of bentching...), so crackers has become at least as common of a meal than bread. How many of us actually wash at work for lunch? we rather eat a whole bunch of whole wheat crackers with tuna or cheese.

I don't think that a meal can be considered, only if eating a 5 course meal. Anything that you eat B'kvius, to satisfy yourself, should be considered a meal.

We see that the Ashkenazi'm recite Hamotzi on Matzah all year round, and the simple reason is because we eat it in place of bread. Now, if we eat the same Matzah just in bite size portions then the Bracha changes?! And if so, then why if I made bite size bread, no one would even think of making a Mezonos?

The way I understood this Shit"a in Shulchan Aruch is, that the fact that it's so hard and crispy makes it inappropriate for a meal, but rather eaten as a snack. this is really the underlying reason for all other Shit"as for Pas Habah Bkusnin, the fact that no one will smear tuna onto a chocolate danish is a great explanation to the reasoning behind Pas Habah Bkusnin (chocolate danishes are Mezones due to its sweet ingredients, or the chocolate filling baked together with it), I think this should be the guideline for the other Shit"as as well.

When answering this question please have in mind that the question is asked with today's life style specifically in mind.


texts: What is the nuance expressed by Bilam in B'midbar 23:12?

texts:
When explaing G-d's command to Balak, in B'midbar 22:38, Bilam says "what G-d places in my mouth is what I shall speak."

In B'midbar 23:12, his phrasing is, "... Whatever G-d places in my mouth is what I will watch to speak." (in Heb. אותו אשמור לדבר) (My own English translation.)

The phrasing in the 2nd verse appears "extra". What does Bilam mean by "watching to speak?" Why not just phrase it similarly to the 1st phrasing? Once G-d has placed words in his mouth, doesn't that imply that he is already speaking and under G-d's control and no longer under his own control, anyway? How can he "watch" what he says at that point?


texts: Source of a story about Rav Salanter and limited time to learn Torah

texts:
Is there an authentic source for the below story?

The story is told of a man who asked Rabbi Yisroel Salanter a question. "Rebbi, I have only 15 minutes a day to learn Torah. What should I study?" Replies Rabbi Salanter, "Learn Mussar !" "Why, mussar?" asked the man. "Because," responded Rabbi Salanter, "if you start learning mussar, you'll realize that you have more than 15 minutes a day to learn!"


texts: How do מושב יקרו and שכינת עזו work in the Oleinu prayer?

texts:
I would like to understand in the Oleinu prayer
what is meant by

(1) מושב יקרו Artscroll translates as “the seat of His homage” and

(2) שכינת עזו
Artscroll translates as “His powerful presence”

In the musaf kedusha it says
כבודו מלא עולם
“His glory fills the world”

So why do “the seat of His homage” & “His powerful presence” have to be localised to “in the heavens above” and “in the loftiest heights” respectively while His glory fills the world.


texts:
What are the differences between the two Talmuds? or are there differences? Why did the two Talmuds develop separately or did they? Why do we Poskin like the Bavli or do we? Is it true that the difference between Sefardim and Ashkenazim is on the Basis of this original argument and what is the source for saying so?

Basically, I am asking for the historical developments of the Talmuds and their current day implications?


texts: Is it Halachically wrong to avoid the rabbi's sermon?

texts:
At some point in our history, the rabbi's Derashah, or sermon, went from being taboo to being so integral to the service that some Shuls have ushers to keep the doors closed at that time so that no one may enter or leave.

I'll refrain from asking about the provenance of this transition or the appropriateness of affording more respect to the sermon than (in many places) even Shemoneh 'Esreh. What I'm really interested in is, now that this has taken on such an important status, does that mean that there is some Halachic weight to the sermon, such that (aside from general Kavod for the sensibilities of those around us) one would actually be required to stay in the Shul for the sermon, one may not talk during the sermon, and/or one may not engage in other Torah learning during the sermon?


texts: Can a Brit Milah double as a Seudah for Purim?

texts: Can a Brit Milah, on the morning of Purim, cover you for the Seudah or does it need to be distinct?


texts: What is the reason for "stretched" letters in the Torah?

texts:
I noticed that in many Sifrei Torah, Sofrim prefer to "stretch" certain letters. It seems that these letters are stretched to end a line if there wouldn't be enough space to start a new word. That's not always the case, though; sometimes these letters appear in the middle of a row. Some sofrim use this technique often, while others don't use this at all.

Is there a reason for stretching the letter other than what I just mentioned? Is it some "artistic" form? Are there limits to either which letters are allowed to be stretched and how much stretching is allowed?

Note: I am not asking about large (rabbati) or small (ze'ira) letters. This has been addressed in a few other questions. I am talking about the horizontal size.


texts: Revisit of the trolley problem: High victim imbalance

texts:
I would like to revisit the trolley problem. A trolley on a track is out of control and headed to a place where the crash will kill 4 people. You can flip a switch and put it on a different track where the crash will kill only one person.  Should you flip the switch?
It appears to be the consensus of poskim that you should not.  It is not up to you to decide who lives and who dies, even in a one-life-versus-many situation.
I am not convinced this is the absolute rule and the final word. What if the trolley carries nuclear weapons and is headed for the heart of New York City, and you can redirect it to a place where far, far fewer people will die in the crash?  (We are not talking war or terrorism here, only accidents.) Is this discussed anywhere?  Judaism does not teach us to apply rules blindly.


texts: Source for "no Yetzer Harah when a Torah Scroll is opened/read"?

texts:
Following my question on "separation of men and women on Hakhel",

in this Drashah (thanks Lee) R' Uri Sherki (Mercaz Harav) explains the lack of separation of men and women on Hakhel by the fact that " there's no Yetzer Harah when a Torah Scroll is opened/read" (starting at 36:00).

What could be the source of this claim?


texts:
After bedikas chometz on the 14th of Nissan by night and again on the 14th of Nissan by day we are "m'vatel" (nullify) all of the chometz in our reshus (property.)

Can a person say already any time before the 14th of Nissan that on the 14th of Nissan all of his chometz should be buttel. We don't see this "eitzah" (solution) spoken about in the poskim and seems clear that we do it on the 14th. However why is one not able to be m'vatel the chometz already from before the time by making this declaration?


texts: Is the blood of a non-Kosher animal forbidden because of וכל דם לא תאכלו

texts:
Inspired by a recent chat discussion related to this question.
Does the prohibition of וכל דם לא תאכלו - not eating blood - apply to non-Kosher animals? The Rambam writes:

ודבר מפורש בתורה שאינו חייב אלא על דם בהמה חיה ועוף בלבד, בין טמאים בין טהורים
It is explicitly in the Torah that the prohibition is on animal and bird blood only, whether Kosher or non-Kosher

On the other hand he continues:

ודם חגבים ודגים טמאים, אסור--משום שהוא תמצית גופן, כחלב בהמה טמאה
The blood of locust and fish which aren't Kosher is forbidden - because it is part of their body, like fat of a non-Kosher animal

So the blood of non-kosher animals and birds would be forbidden based on the species prohibition, even without the blood prohibition. Is their blood actually a prohibition separate from their species prohibition?
The answer for the Rambam is likely* yes, but I would be interested in the range of opinion in other Rishonim as well.
* Because I have seen more difficult readings of other Rambam's that would push the language further than reading otherwise into this particular one, but there would have to be an otherwise compelling reason to do so.


texts: Can someone give a rundown of the halachos of conducting one's self in the bathroom ( including how much one can remove his clothing ? )


texts: First edition of Mesillas Yesharim available online?

texts:
The first edition of the Mesillas Yesharim was printed in Amsterdam in 1740. I have seen the cover page online but I would like to see the entire book online. Is it available anywhere?

I have checked Hebrewbooks and I did a general search on Google but had no luck.


texts: Where does it say that one must wear two layers on their head(one of the reasons for the black hat)?

texts: I know that  a reason for wearing a black hat is because one must wear two layers covering their head (Mishna Brurah 91:5) but am wondering if that Din is based in Kabbalah?


texts: During the Second Temple period, did the High Priest wear an additional crown on their headdress?

texts:
The High Priest's headdress was to be made of fine linen on which a gold plate was attached:

  36 You shall make a frontlet of pure gold and engrave on it the seal inscription: "Holy to the LORD." 37 Suspend it on a cord of blue, so that it may remain on the headdress; it shall remain on the front of the headdress. 38 It shall be on Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may take away any sin arising from the holy things that the Israelites consecrate, from any of their sacred donations; it shall be on his forehead at all times, to win acceptance for them before the LORD. 39 You shall make the fringed tunic of fine linen. You shall make the headdress of fine linen. You shall make the sash of embroidered work. (Exodus 28) [NJPS]

In Antiquities of the Jews, Josephus describes the garments and headdress of the High Priest. He gives a very detailed description of a crown worn above the inscribed gold plate:

  172 His head-dress was the same as that described earlier and made like that of all the other priests, but above it was another, embroidered in blue and round it a golden crown, in three rows, from which arose a cup of gold like the herb we call Saccharus, but which is called Hyoscyamus by Greeks who are skilled in the cutting of roots. 173 In case anyone has seen this herb but has not learned its name or is unaware of its nature, or, though knowing the name does not know the herb when he sees it, I shall now describe it. 174 This herb is often more than three hands-width tall, but its root is like that of a turnip, to which it may fairly be compared, but its leaves are like those of mint. From its branches it sends out a calyx joined to the branch, surrounded with a jacket which it naturally sheds when it begins to turn into fruit. The calyx is as large as the bone of the little finger, but its opening is like a cup. I will describe it further, for those who are unfamiliar with it. 175 Imagine a sphere cut in half, round at the bottom, but with another segment growing up from that base and gradually narrowing and then gracefully widening again at the top, such as in the indented navel of a pomegranate. 176 The plant is surmounted by a top that makes it hemispherical as though carefully turned on a lathe, with notches above it, as I said, like a pomegranate, prickly and ending in a sharp point. 177 The fruit is protected within the coat of the calyx, and is like the seed of the herb Sideritis and sends out a flower which can resemble a poppy. 178 Of this the crown was made, from the back of the head to the temples on either side, but this Ephielis, as the calyx may be called, did not cover the forehead, which was covered with a golden plate, inscribed with the name of God in sacred characters. Such is the adornment of the high priest. (Antiquities of the Jews, Book 3, Chapter 7, §6)

Wearing a "second" crown is how Joshua would have been dressed:

  Take silver and gold and make crowns. Place [one] on the head of the of High Priest Joshua son of Jehozadak...The crowns shall remain in the Temple of the LORD as a memorial to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen son of Zephaniah. (Zechariah 6:11, 15)

During the Second Temple period, did the High Priest continue to wear the crown which was made for Joshua?


texts:
Apparently the Ramchal wrote several plays.

What are they about?
Where can I find full text (I found Migdal Oz here - preferably translated?
Have Gedolei Yisroel discussed how to approach these works? i.e. should they be treated as Torah or simply as plays?


texts: Why, in double parshiyos, are the aliyos not simply combined in pairs?

texts:
Consider for example the double parshah Vayakhel-Pekudei. The aliyos from the two individual parshiyos are combined as follows: 2, 3, 1, 2, 1, 2, 3. (Meaning: the first two aliyos are combined into one, then the next three are combined into the next aliyah, etc.)

Why not just combine each pair of aliyos from the separate parshiyos into one? (As far as I know, the only pair in which this is done consistently is Acharei Mos-Kedoshim.)


texts: My hands are cold in synagogue. May I put them in my pockets? May I wear gloves?

texts:
If my hands are cold when praying in synagogue:

1) may I put them in my pockets? Is it just disrespectful, as I was brought up to think, or are there more important issues?

2) may I wear gloves? (Any difference in whether the fingers are cut out or not?)


texts: Halachic base of big loss (hefsed merube)

texts:
We see in the halacha many times that when we have a dispute if something is permitted or not and we pasken that it is not permitted, the halacha changes when there is a big loss.

I understand it intuitively, but is there a halachic definition of hefsed merube?

What is the source of it?

When do we apply it?

One example is in Jore Dea siman 69.
There the Rema holds that if someone salted raw meat without washing it before, the meat is not kosher. When there is a hefsed merube you may wash it and salt it again.


texts: During and after the Holocaust, there were many situations, which although horrible, required שאלות ותשובות from many of the rabbis at the time on certain questions in הלכה pertaining to the Holocaust. Were there any ספרים written at the time of the Spanish Inquisition pertaining to halachic questions or about them from that time period?


texts:
What is the exact reason that electrical stunning before shechita is forbidden?

Excerpts from sources please if possible.


texts: How does the Temple Institute choose among disagreeing interpretations on Temple construction?

texts:
I was looking over R. Aryeh Kaplan's Chumash and I think he lists ... six different possible layouts of which tribe's name went on which stone in the breastplate (choshen).

Similarly -- is the mor in the incense an herb called myrrh in English, or is it an animal product? Different commentaries have different approaches.

So what does the Temple Institute (Machon HaMikdash) do when they plan on re-creating garments? What's their overall process of deciding like whom to pasken?

(I guess a broader question would be -- when Mashiach comes, will we be told from on high how to do it, or will the rabbis of the time just have to make their own judgment call?)


texts: Koshering the celim that milchig bread was baked in

texts:
In Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah Siman 97 it says that it's ossur to bake "milchig bread" -- lest you come to eat it with meat (although if it's made in a small amount or with a change in it's look from normal bread than it's muter.) Such bread if made in a way that's ossur, would be ossur to eat even by itself.

However what about the celim that the bread was baked in? Would those celim be "ossur" now just like the bread is?

We find in Yoreh Deah Siman 113 that the celim that a non-Jew cooked food in would need to be kashered. While there is a maklokes Rishonim about this and the Shulachan Aruch brings down 2 opinions it seems that the accepted psak l'maseh is that the celim need to be kashered. The reason being is that since Chazal were gozer that the food is ossur, then just like any other issur, the blias also become ossur (granted though there are Rishonim that argue and the Gra over there says that the reason of the issur of bishul akum wouldn't be shayach by blias.) However if we accept the machmirim by bishul akum that since the food become ossur, so to the blias, would the same be true by milchig bread? If not what's the proof or reasoning that the celim should be permitted?


texts: Do we need to wear smart clothes on Shabbat?

texts:
The first siman in the Mishna Berura (MB) chelek 3 is about how to maintain the honour of Shabbat:

דהיינו לקדשו ולכבדו בכסות נקיה ולענגו בעונג אכילה ושתיה
...To sanctify and honour [Shabbat] with clean clothes, and to take pleasure [in Shabbat] with [good] food and drink.

Within this siman, the Shulchan Aruch recommends the practice to launder ones clothes on Thursday in preparation for Shabbat.
Are there any sources that specifically mention/recommend wearing formal/smart clothes, other than just 'clean clothes' (as mentioned above)?
The enjoyment of food can be considered subjective (see here) despite the MB recommending (amongst other things) fish, meat and wine. In order to enhance oneg one can choose foods which they enjoy eating.
Can the same subjectivity be said by clothes on Shabbat? If you enjoy wearing sandals, jeans and t-shirt and despise wearing a suit/tie due to its lack of comfort (or where adverse weather conditions make it difficult), is this ideal? Or do the 'kiddush', 'kibbud' and 'oneg' mentioned in the MB have much more specific applications?


texts: When is the last day one says Kaddish in a leap year?

texts: My mother passed away on 24 Shevat 5776. There were 2 months of Adar in that year so when is the last day I say Kaddish?


texts: I am looking for a way to recognize members of the Beth Shammai and Beth Hillel when I learn the gemara and mishna. I need to know when the Beth Shammai ended (as well as the Beth Hillel) to find out if the amoraim quoted in the Gemara were members of one of these two schools or if they were members of no school.


texts: Mitzvos on which the only b'racha is birkas "Shehechiyanu"

texts:
I saw in the name of the Or Zaru'a and others that one does not make a b'racha before writing a sefer Torah even though it is a positive mitzva with an action associated because (among other reasons) one can be reasonably certain that he will not perform the mitzva exactly correctly since it is such a hard thing to do. However, one still says "Shehechiyanu" upon performance of this great mitzva. This led me to the question. . .

Performance of what other mitzvos warrants only the (time-based but not intrinsic) birkas "Shehechiyanu" but no birkas hamitzva?


texts: What b'rachot do you say (and when) if you drink intermittently all day?

texts:
I know people who drink water, tea, or coffee intermittently all day long, not just as part of a meal.  In that situation, when would you say what b'rachot?  Assume you made shehakol before the first cup of coffee; does it "expire" after a certain amount of time so you'd need another for the second cup?  Or does one suffice until you interrupt with a meal?

This site talks about time limits and minimum amounts for drinks that are sipped over time, like coffee, but it seems to be talking about an extended single sitting.  I'm talking about someone who gets to work in the morning, grabs a cup of coffee and takes it to his desk, refills it on his way to a meeting, refills it on his way back to his desk, and so on, all day.


texts: Making Kiddush/Havdala if I did not keep Shabbos

texts:
Lately I have stopped being fully Shomer Shabbos, spending Shabbos afternoons in the bedroom surfing the internet on my phone and texting non-Jewish friends.  My wife and children think I'm sleeping this whole time, and they knock on the door to "wake me up" and have me come down to make Havdala.  Is there any point in my making Havdala?  Would it better to have one of the older (above bar mitzva) boys make havdala if I haven't kept Shabbos?  It would not be totally odd since we let them make havdala sometimes.

What about Kiddush if I am not really sure whether I'm going to break Shabbos?

I know what I do on Shabbos is my own issue and not for this forum, but I'm worried about messing up my family's observance too, so I don't want them to know, hence I'd prefer to make Havdala for them as usual, if it makes sense.


texts: If you are eating a piece of cheesecake which consists of a thin crust and mostly cheese filling - what Bracha do you make on it?


texts:
Who knows three hundred and seven?
?שבעה ושלוש מאות - מי יודע
In the spirit of the song "Echad - mi yodeya", please post interesting and significant Jewish facts about the number 307.
Check out mi-yodeya-series for the previous three hundred and six entries in this ongoing series.
Please include sources for your information wherever possible, as with all other answers on this site.


texts: Tallis Katan that is closed vs. tallis katan that is open

texts: I have seen many people (especialy in chabad) where a tallis katan that has a closed, round neck. While I've seen others where an equally long tallis kattan however that has a slit down the middle and a sort of "open v-neck" style. I figured those that where a closed tallis katan are concerned for the "shiur" (or size) that is must be. However what argument are these 2 "styles" based on what exactly? If in each case the tallis katan is the same length, why is there opinion that holds that the neck must be closed, or on the other hand, may be open?


texts:
As codified in, e.g., Mishna B'rura 450:24, it's forbidden to put oneself in a situation that he desires the continued existence of chametz on Pesach because its nonexistence would cause him some loss.

Most Jews nowadays sell our chametz at a fair market value (or so) before Pesach and buy it back after Pesach. Thus, if it is lost on Pesach, we will get paid for it by its owner; so we don't desire its continued existence. However:

Suppose someone has (lo alenu!) a house fire or other loss, and his chametz is destroyed on Pesach. Will he really be paid for it by the gentile purchaser: is that what's done in practice? (Surely such a situation has come up.) And if not, then it seems he's desirous of the chametz's continued existence, since he'll incur loss if it's lost.
What about chametz with sentimental value? Can one sell that before Pesach? After all, he seems to desire its continued existence.

Do any pos'kim discuss these issues?


texts: How covered can the Moon be for Kiddush Levana

texts:
For Kiddush Levana how much do you have to see the moon? If a thin cloud is covering it can you still say it? Details please.

Thank You


texts: Does killing a pest make a person unclean?

texts: I know there were previous questions asking whether it is OK to kill a pest, say a fly, but the consequences are unclear. So I'm asking if killing a pest makes a person unclean.


texts: What type of name should an androgynous be given?

texts:
An androgynous that has both signs of a male and female, should they be given a female name, a male name, or a "neutral" name (like "simcha" or "yona".) Is there any makor for this?

(I realize this might not be a practical question since there is already a discussion about what to do if someone is born a androgynous and have a medical procedure to change the child one way or another.) However from a standpoint that that wouldn't have been done and that the person would live as they are.)


texts: May a non-Jew participate in certain shul "honors"?

texts:
Can a non-Jew participate in any of these shul honors?

opening / closing the ark
carrying the Torah to / from the bimah
hagbah (lifting the Torah) and / or gelilah (wrapping the Torah)
reciting / leading the singing of the ending prayer songs such as "Adon Olam" / "Yigdal"
gabbai (to distribute aliyot and other honors to other congregants and / or as one of those next to the Torah reader to correct possible mistakes)

The commonality in most of the above is that they do not involve the recital of congregational prayers. Adon Olam / Ygdal are at the end of the service, and from what I understand, supplements that are not considered the main part of Musaf.


texts: How did adam an eve sin before the existence of the evil inclination?

texts: If people only sin because the evil inclination compells them to sin, how then did adam and eve sin before the evil inclination was in existence?


texts: Depiction of the Menorah, the *Shulchan* and *Kadosh HaKadoshim* on ancient coins?

texts:
On some rare ancient coins of Matityah Antigonus, there are depictions of what seem to be the Menorah and the Shulchan (one obverse die even seems to show the Lechem HaPanim).
This coin has an inscription in Greek and [sometimes] Hebrew (מתתיה כהן גדול).

See: http://menorahcoinproject.org/atge.htm

Also, Bar-Kochba minted several Sela'im that have the Kadosh HaKadoshim on the obverse:

(The above coin has the obverse inscrption of "שמעון" and reverse legend of "ש[נת] ב לח[רת] ישראל" around a lulav and etrog)

How were Antigonus and Bar-Kochba able to mint coins with these images on them?
It says in Avodah Zarah 43a:

  A man may not make a . . . menorah like the design of the Menorah. He
  may, however, make one with five, six or eight [branches], but with
  seven he may not make it even though it might be of other metals. Rebi
  Yosi bar Yehudah says, "Also of wood he may not make it because that
  is how the Chashmonaim made it." They said to him, "Is that a proof?
  It consisted of metal staves overlaid with tin. When they became
  richer they made one of silver, and when they became even richer they
  made one of gold!

Does this not forbid creating images and designs of menorot?


texts: Can one make a Chanukas Habayis at any point in time?

texts:
The Radak (Shorashim, חנך) writes that "it is a minhag to have a meal and happiness at the first eating that they eat in the new house". The above is quoted as part of an answer to a question previously posted on MY regarding Chanukas Habayis.

My question is what happens if the first meal has already passed? Is there still an inyan of making a Chanukas Habayis at a later point in time or if one misses the first meal he is no longer fufilling the Minhag of making a Chanukas Habayis ?


texts:
Who invented the Yahrtzeit tablet (panel)?

At first glance, this could not have been common before 150 years ago, as there is no room to place candles where the electric lights go.

Who invented it, and is it mentioned anywhere in seforim?


texts:
Sometimes I find bags of dried tea leaves of various sorts in my local Turkish store. Do such teas need a hechsher (certification as kosher)? Is there any indicator I can use to tell if it's kosher or not?

Obviously this assumes there is no hechsher on the packaging.