texts: What's the connection between Tu B'Shevat and (Bukser) carob?

texts: Tu B'Shevat many people eat many different types of fruit. Growing up and continuing until today there seems to be a Minhag to specifically eat (bukser) carob. Is there some sort of special connection between carob and Tu B'Shevat?


texts: Is a gentile permitted to learn the original Hebrew of the Torah?

texts:
I've been reading the Divine Code by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and came across this in Part I 5:2 note. 91

  "...(1) It is also prohibited for a Jew to teach Torah to gentiles in the canonised Hebrew or Aramaic text. (next page)..(2) We can add that after the Torah was translated into Greek as the Septuagint, it is permitted to learn Torah in one's own language from a proper translation..."

If it is prohibited for a Jew to teach to a gentile Torah in Hebrew or Aramaic then is it prohibited for a gentile to learn either language?
  The source given for (1) is Talmud - Hagigah 13a

  "... And Rabbi Ami said further: The words of the Torah may not be transmitted to a gentile..."
  https://www.sefaria.org/Chagigah.13a.6?lang=bi&with=Shaar%20HaEmunah%20Ve%27Yesod%20HaChassidut&lang2=en

Does "The words of the Torah" mean the precise Hebrew letters and their order?

One of the sources given for (2) is Sanhedrin 59a which references Deuteronomy 33:4.
Does that imply that the holy language was an inheritance to the congregation of Jacob along with the Torah? And so is it considered Theft or Adultery to learn Biblical Hebrew? Is reading in Biblical Hebrew considered a level of learning Torah that is prohibited to gentiles?

Thank you for reading my question.


texts: Why was there no ark in the second temple?

texts: Since the exact dimensions of the ark - Aron - are mentioned in the Torah (Shmos 25:10 and on), why didn't they make one to replace the missing one in the 2nd Temple?


texts: Does the Torah mean that there really was a "talking snake," or was it just a symbol of the Yetzer Hara (Satan/adversary)?


texts: May I allow a customs official to dismantle my tefillin for security purposes?

texts:
My friend told me that there have been a few ocasions when a customs official in a foreign country requested to open my friends tefillin because he had never seen anything like this before and suspected that my friend might be hiding drugs in the "black box". My friend refused and was asked harsh questions until, eventually the customs official relented and released him with a harsh warning.

Customs officials are usually non-Jews, and we can assume that while they will find a way to open the box, they won't put it back together. Can someone nonetheless allow customs to open the boxes and even unroll the parchment and do what they want with it, or is there some point when one should protest at the beginning? What if you're concerned that the official may inadvertently damage your tefillin in the process?


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

Upvote all interesting answers.

Accept the best answer.

Go on to the next number.


texts: Why isn't the bracha of "אשר נתן לנו תורת אמת" included in the daily Birkas HaTorah?

texts:
For Birchos HaTorah in the morning we recite (at least acc to Minhag Ashkenaz):

1)  "לַעֲסוק בְּדִבְרֵי תורָה" followed by  "וְהַעֲרֶב נָא"

2)  "נותֵן הַתּורָה"

Question:

Why don't we also make the bracha of "אשר נתן לנו תורת אמת" in the morning?

(ie - if we make the bracha that's said before one gets an aliyah "נותֵן הַתּורָה" why not also the bracha that's said after one gets an aliyah "אשר נתן לנו תורת אמת")


texts:
In Psalm 46:2, it is said that "G-d is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

How is this compatible with Psalm 10:1 which reads "Why standest Thou afar off, O LORD? Why hidest Thou Thyself in times of trouble?"

Additionally, what does David mean when he said he was forsaken in Psalm 22:2-3?


texts: Is Purim mentioned in later writings by Ezrah and his B"D?

texts:
I'm trying to understand how the earlier generations saw Purim. Ezrah and his B"D wrote a series of books, such as Ezrah, Divrei Hayamim and more.

Is the Purim story or Meggilat Ester mentioned in them?


texts:
Is there truth to the saying I heard in orthodox houses, namely that if the parents support the children (even after 13/12) everything belongs to them?

What is the source of this (truth or falsehood)?


texts: Sources that Parah Adumah shows love between Bnei Yisrael and Hashem

texts:
I'm looking for sources that Parah Adumah shows love between Bnei Yisrael and Hashem.
(I know that there are recent sources that say this. I'm looking for earlier sources, preferably Rishonim or earlier. The best I have so far is Tosfos in Avoda Zarah 35a

תוס עבודה זרה לה. ד"ה מאי שנא האי קרא דשייליה - ואומר מורי הר"ר אלחנן שזהו מה שיסד הקליר בפרשת פרה אדומה אין להרהר על מה נחקקה שכולם נתנו בנשיקה.

but it's not a great source because it seems from Tosfos that the point is silence, not love.)


texts: Why are childrens' tombstones smaller than those of adults?


texts: Do the forty-eight qualities with which Torah is acquired correspond to the days of the counting of the omer?

texts:
Pirkei Avot 6:6 includes a list of forty-eight (48) qualities with which Torah is acquired:

  Study, listening, verbalizing, comprehension of the heart, awe, fear, humility, joy, purity, serving the sages, etc.

Do each of these correspond to a day within the 49 days of the counting of the omer? If so, is it exactly in the same order as they appear in Pirkei Avot (e.g. study refers to day 1, listening refers to day 2, etc.)?


texts: Can an electric steamer with a timer be used to cook raw food on Shabbat?

texts:
Can one use an electric steamer with a timer to cook a meal for Shabbat lunch?

If one puts raw food on the device and sets a timer before Shabbat for it to be activated on Saturday and start the cooking process so that it can be fully cooked for lunchtime is it permissible?

If not, is there any way one can have a hot plate for lunch?


texts: Is it assur (forbidden) to drive a non-hybrid vehicle if you can afford a hybrid vehicle?


texts: If "not in Heaven" how could Nac"h be the source of Halacha?

texts:
As the Gemmorah states (Temura 16a), the idea of "Not in Heaven" traces back to Moses' death and Yehoshua was the first asked to use it and he refused, referring to that verse.

Nevertheless, from that time on, many prophecies and writings that served for the Sages as the source of our Halochos were written down.

That seems to contradict. Please help to resolve.


texts: To what extent must we try to convince non-Jews to follow the 7 mitzvot?

texts:
It is common to see Jews referring non-Jews who are interested in Judaism but not prepared to commit to following halakha to Noahidism or simply to follow the 7 laws; however, it seems to me to be quite rare to see Jews actively proselytizing for Noahidism.

Are Jews supposed to encourage non-Jews to follow the 7 laws, or do we just hope that they'll do it? If we are supposed to encourage it, why is it so rare to see active engagement today?


texts: What stops a modern Jew from practising stoning? why don’t observant Jews keep the laws of death penalties as prescribed in the Torah?


texts: Is one permitted to talk during the communal Torah reading?


texts: Why is 1 Elul / 1 Tishrei the New Year for livestock?

texts:
The first Mishna in Rosh Hashanah says that 1 Elul is the new year for livestock, i.e. I can only tithe one year's "crop" of livestock at a time, so 1 Elul delineates the herds. (Update: we follow the latter opinion, that it's a month later, 1 Tishrei.)

According to an IRS publication:

  Most ranchers schedule breeding to allow for late winter/early spring calving. ...  Summer born calves are in greater danger of death due to heat stress. Some ranchers also calve in the fall (September to October)

So you'd have calves born in September, October, February, March, April. It would then make sense to put the line at the end of the summer, as that's when fewest calves are born. (Just as the International Date Line is drawn mostly in the middle of the ocean.)

Okay that would be my explanation given one datum.

Was that trend also true in Mishnaic Israel?
Is there a similar trend for sheep and goats?
Is there a more-obvious explanation that I'm missing here?


texts: המלך המשפט on Yom Tov

texts:
According to this answer, if you accidentally start the weekday shemoneh esrei on Shabbos Cheshvan 7/December 5 or the first day of Pesach, you don't say ותן טל ומטר because the rest of the community isn't saying it yet/anymore.

Does the same apply to המלך המשפט?  If you said המלך הקדוש correctly but then continued with the weekday shemoneh esrei on Rosh Hashana, Shabbos that immediately follows it, or Yom Kippur, and you realize in the middle of השיבה שפטינו, how do you end the bracha?


texts: There are a number of English language works which to one degree or another discuss Talmudic terminology, i.e. the wider implication of certain phrases commonly used in the Gemara. Can anybody suggest traditional works from which these are derived, in particular those which might be hiding in some of the "supplemental" material at the end of various mesechtos?


texts: The answer I learned growing up was that "we don't want to embarrass the bread because we are first making kiddush" or some variation thereof. I later learned that is a zecher for the ma'n which fell with a coating on top and bottom. Where does that first answer come from? And, if it is a legitimate source, what does it really mean (ie bread doesn't have feelings!)?


texts:
In the Torah (Bamidbar 5:21) it says that when the guilty Sotah drinks the water, her "belly will swell and her thigh will fall."
Anyone have more details as to what this means? Does it mean her leg falls off her body, for example?


texts: Description of what Yaakov's sons plundered from Shechem

texts:
Gen. 34:28-29 describes how Yaakov's sons plundered the city of Shechem after wiping out its (adult male) inhabitants:

אֶת-צֹאנָם וְאֶת-בְּקָרָם וְאֶת-חֲמֹרֵיהֶם וְאֵת אֲשֶׁר בָּעִיר וְאֶת אֲשֶׁר בַּשָּׂדֶה לָקָחוּ. וְאֶת כָּל חֵילָם וְאֶת כָּל טַפָּם וְאֶת נְשֵׁיהֶם שָׁבוּ וַיָּבֹזּוּ וְאֵת כָּל-אֲשֶׁר בַּבָּיִת.
"Their sheep, their cattle and their donkeys, and whatever was in the city and whatever was in the field, they took. And all their wealth and all of their children and their women, they captured and plundered, and everything that was in the house."

My eight-year-old son, when he learned these pesukim recently, asked me:

Why are three different verbs used ("took," "captured," "plundered")? Granted that "captured" is appropriate for the people ("children and women"), but then what's the difference between the other two? (I suggested that perhaps "their wealth" at the beginning of the verse means inanimate possessions - money, jewelry, etc. - and then "plundered" would apply to those, as compared to animals which you'd "take" by making them follow you by voice or with a stick, and people whom you'd "capture" by shackling them. But I'm not sure of that.)

What does "and everything that was in the house" add? Whatever was in the house should logically be included in "whatever was in the city" of the previous verse.

Why is that clause added almost as an afterthought? We would expect the verse to be structured something like this: "And their wealth, their children and their women, and everything that was in the house, they captured and plundered."


texts: Who is Rabbi Shimeon who discusses with Rabbi Yochanan in Gemara

texts:
Gemara Kiddushin 66b:

אמר ליה רבי שמעון לרבי יוחנן כללא הוא דכל מקום שיש קידושין ואין עבירה הולד הולך אחר הזכר
Rabbi Shimeon said to Rabbi Yochanan, it is a general principle!?

I assume that it's not The Tana Rabbi Shimeon. It is plausible that it is Rabbi Shimeon Ben Lakish. But I never did seen that the Talmud calls Rabbi Shimeon Ben Lakish just Rabbi Shimeon. Is there sources discussing who is this Rabbi Shimeon?
Despite that Rabbi Yochanan cites ofen Rabbi Shimeon Ben Yochai, I think that Rabbi Shimeon not asked to Rabbi Yochanan questions on Mishnayot.


texts: Assuming one is saying selichoth during the time of tallith and tefillin (e.g. ~6AM in the greater New York metropolitan area), should one put them on first or wait till after selichoth? Does it make a difference if the congregation one is praying with waits till after selichoth, assuming they are not necessarily doing so based on an actual halachic ruling, but rather due to having changed from an earlier time of recital (prior to zman tefillin) to the later one, without adjusting their tefillin-wearing practice?  Would it be considered michzi keyuhara (pretentious)?


texts: Explanation of Kli Yakar on why the Jews were only commanded to attack Midian and not Moav

texts:
In Bamidbar 25:16-18, Hashem commands Moshe to take revenge on Midian for having caused the Jews to sin at Shittim, discussed at the beginning of the chapter. Yet v. 1 seems to indicate that the Jews sinned with Moav as well:

  וישב ישראל בשטים ויחל העם לזנות אל בנות מואב

  And Yisrael dwelled in Shittim, and the people debased themselves to commit harlotry with the daughters of Moav.

So, if Moav was involved with the incident at Shittim as well, why was the command to attack directed only at Midian?

The Kli Yakar (to v. 17) translates ויחל not as "they debased," as I did above, but "they began." Thus, the war was not with Moav, because the Jews started up with Moav and not the other way around. Midian, on the other hand, started up with the Jews, and therefore the Jews were able to retaliate.

He cites and explains a Sifrei (Ki Seitzei 117), also in line with translating it as "they began," insinuating that "they began" with Moav but concluded with Amon. The same way that Lot's elder daughter was more explicit in her illicit relations by naming her son Moav, "from father," while his younger daughter hid the act behind the name Ben-Ami, "son of my nation," so, too, Moav's involvement in Shittim was explicit but Amon's was hidden. We see this in Devarim 23:4-5, where the prohibition to marry Moavi and Amoni converts is explained as being because they did not give you bread and water and because they hired Bilam. Why didn't they give bread and water? In order to lure them to the shops set up in Shittim for food, which lead to the sin.

The question remains: Moav did start up with the Bnei Yisrael - they hired Bilam to curse the Jews, and the whole Shittim incident was Bilam's idea when cursing the Jews failed (Rashi to v.1). Further, based on the Sifrei he quotes, Moav withheld food from the Jews in order that they sin at Shittim. So how can he say that Bnei Yisrael started up with Moav, when in fact Moav started up with Bnei Yisrael?


texts:
Are coupons for items which are chometz, chometz themselves? Do they have a status of chometz, or can they be dealt with on Pesach?

For example: Can one acquire coupons for grain cereals on Pesach (of course, intending to purchase those items after Pesach)?


texts:
Peyote is a hallucinogenic plant that contains no harmful side effects or addictive properties and is legal for religious ceremonial use. May one consume it?

related: Is one allowed to smoke Marijuana? - note in light of point #3 in the first answer let's assume that the consumer's parents are dead.


texts:
At the very end of Orach Chaim 128:45, the Rema says:

  אסור להשתמש בכהן אפי' בזמן הזה דהוי כמועל בהקדש אם לא מחל על כך

  It is forbidden to be serviced by a Kohen even in our current
  time...unless the Kohen forgives it [willingly forfeits this honor].

The Mishna Berura (s.k. 175) there notes that if the kohen has some benefit, such as being paid, or serving an important person, there is less reason to be concerned, and the kohen is more likely to forgive this diminishment in his status.  But for מלאכה בזויה (disgraceful work), one certainly shouldn't have the kohen do it.

I recall being told that if a group of yeshiva boys must clean the kitchen after Shabbat, they shouldn't task the kohen among them with taking the trash to the dumpster, as it is disgraceful work.
May a wife ask her kohen husband to do all the things one might normally ask a husband to do if he were a non-Kohen?

So can a wife ask her kohen husband to take out the trash? Change a stinky diaper?
Perhaps you'll say the husband is mochel on his honor.  Teenage sons may well not be.  So can the mother ask her teenage sons to do housework (clean their rooms, take out trash, etc), or more properly, if they reply that as kohanim it is beneath their dignity to do so, are they technically correct?  While we might claim the mother is an important person relative to them, if they claim they have no particular pleasure in serving her, is she precluded from putting them to work in this way?  How does the mitzva of kibbud av v'em enter into this?


texts: Does G-d control all things all the time?

texts:
I want to share some thoughts:
I believe HaShem can do whatever he wants to, and He can do it whenever He wants to. The entire existence is a creation of G-ds consciousness; everything that can be found in this entire universe has no independent existence outside of HaShem 'willing' it to exist. He is the Creator the Source, Sustainer and Supervisor of all creation.

Scripture shows He can use or steer or control everything which He created. But does this mean that HaShem does always controls everything, or just that HaShem can (in order to fulfill His plan/wil)?

Does every drop of rain falls exactly on the place and at the time which
G-d chose it to, does every tree produce as much as G-d wants it to, and does every animal which falls and dies because of specific wounds die of those because HaShem had wanted it to happen exactly like this? Is everything that happens in this world happening because HaShem controls it to happen?

I know of - and believe in - the concept of free will, but like humans do animals, nature and such have their own way of freedom? Or does HaShem indeed controls everything, always and all the time (around us)?


texts: Obfuscation of Mei Raglayim in translation

texts:
I have noticed that many siddurim and machzorim render the term מי רגלים (in the recitation of the k'tores recipe) as "mei raglayim" rather than translating it to its actual definition, urine.

Siddurim I have personally seen this in:

Gamaliel Ben Pedahzur Siddur (London, 1750s)
Alexander Siddur (London, 1750s)
Siddur Tehillat Hashem (Brooklyn, 1977 and 2002)

Is there any rationale for doing this, when those who understand the Hebrew will immediately know what it means?


texts: Why do we say Barchu during davening when we don’t do so during Zimun?

texts:
The Shulchan Aruch paskens (OC 192:1):

  ואם הם ארבעה יכול לומר ברכו שאכלנו משלו אבל יותר טוב לומר נברך שלא להוציא עצמו מן הכלל

  If they [who are eating together] are four, [the leader] may say, “Bless [Barchu] He from Whom we ate,” but it’s better for him to say “Let us bless [Nevarech],” so as not to exclude himself from the group.

Yet the Shulchan Aruch also rules (OC 57:1) to say Barchu during davening, without any qualifications that it’s better to say Nevareich:

  אומר שליח ציבור ברכו את ה׳ המבורך ועונים אחריו ברוך ה׳ המבורך לעולם ועד וחוזר שליח ציבור ואומר ברוך ה׳ המבורך לעולם ועד

  The Chazzan says, “Bless Hashem Who gives blessing,” and they answer after him, “Blessed is Hashem Who gives blessing, forever and ever,” and the Chazzan returns and says, “Blessed is Hashem Who gives blessing forever and ever.”

Why in the case of Zimun is there a concern that the leader will be excluding himself by not saying Barchu and not Nevarech, yet by davening there is no concern for the Chazzan to say it?


texts:
Why is The reasoning that Sefardim do eat on Rosh Chodesh and Ashkinazim do not?

Sefardim

Is It Permissible To Have Left Over Meat From Shabbat During The 9 Days

Ashkenazim

EATING MEAT AND DRINKING WINE DURING THE NINE DAYS

The Nine Days - Laundry, etc.


texts:
If you have a siddur or chumash on your phone and you drop it, do you kiss it if...

the siddur is not open
the siddur is open, but shem hashem is not showing
the siddur is open and shem Hashem is showing


texts: Is there a minimum time period during which brachot like those said on thunder and lightning shouldn't be repeated? If so, what is it?


texts: The Siddur we use for Yom Tov is known as a Machzor. What does it mean and where did this originate?


texts: Are there any living mainstream orthodox Rabbonim today that permit abortion for Tay Sachs etc

texts:
Are there any orthodox rabbis alive today that allow one to abort a fetus that has been diagnosed with a life threatening illness such as Tay Sachs?

I have read the related posts that discuss the For and Againsts for abortions, this question is specifically asking about the rulings of rabbis alive today.

Are there any known Rabbonim today who will permit the abortion based on the Tzitz Eliezer 13:102 and 14:101 etc.


texts: Is there a halakhic/kashrut reason why some foods are labeled OU and some OU Pareve?

texts:
Some pareve products with OU certification simply have 'OU' printed on the label. Others have 'OU Pareve' printed. Is this difference significant? Does it represent some kashrut issue? Or is this based on the company's preference?

(Note that I'm not referring to 'OU-P' labels, which are for Passover, not pareve.)


texts:
In Bamidbar (11:11-15) Moshe tells Hashem how the difficult it is to carry the people and questioning where he would procure meat for he entire nation. Hashem's response was to gather the elders so they would receive part of His spirit, then the fatal fowl flew into the camp.

How did the elders help with Moshe's desire for help supporting the people? (I expected them to shoulder a similar responsibility to Yisro's suggestion to have a series of lower courts to ease Moshe's immediate responsibilities, but here they're just appointed after Moshe is unsure of providing meat without seemingly much of a support.)


texts: Deep commentaries on the 2 stories of Rabbi Akiva laughing

texts:
The Talmud at the end of the tractate Makkos (24a-b) relates 2 stories about Rabbi Akiva laughing in the face of suffering. I was able to find nice commentaries explaining the simple ideas behind the stories (Maharsha, haRif and Ein Yaakov), and Aruch LaNer who brings a fantastic allegorical explanation.
I am looking for more sources with deeper commentaries on the text, either allegorical (drush) or kabbalistic in nature. I looked in the Chida but he writes in his sefer Marit haAyin on the Talmud that he extensively wrote on these stories elsewhere and I don't know where. Others where I would customarily look are either very brief without in-depth coverage (Benayahu/Ben Yehoyada) or silent (Chasam Sofer).
Could you please give me some references? A very related theme would also be tying this to the beginning or the contents of the tractate, in the style of Aruch LaNer, for example.
Thank you very much.


texts:
In this printing of the Iggeres Hagra (1937) it is written entirely in Yiddish. As is known, he wrote it originally in Yiddish and it was later translated into the Hebrew we have.

Is it correct to assume that the Yiddish is exactly how the Gra wrote it in his own tongue (besides maybe a couple words of discrepancy here and there) or was it rewritten in Yiddish and is therefore not how he wrote it at first?


texts: Is declaring that you don’t want to do a sin “for now”, a chillul hashem?

texts:
If someone proposes doing a sinful act (e.g Avoda zara) and you respond by saying that you are not interested “for now”, is that considered a chillul hashem, as you may want to sin in the future?

In Pirke Avot is says “don’t be sure of yourself until the day of your death”, which as far as I know implies that one should never be sure if the Yetzer hara will over take him. Could that be a possible excuse?


texts:
There are two situations in which a talit is held aloft in a possibly tent-like manner that make me wonder whether they present any danger of transgressing the prohibition of "Building" on Shabbat and Yom Tov:

During Birkat Kohanim, many men cover their faces with their talit, and some gather their children under the same talit. When there are multiple people under the talit, it can begin to resemble a tent over them, supported by their heads at the vertices.
For the special aliyot at the end of the Torah reading service on Simchat Torah, people tend to hold a talit up in the air, parallel to the floor like a chuppa, over the head of the honoree.

Do either of these situations have the potential to create a transgression of "Building"? If so, are there steps that should be taken to avoid transgression?


texts: Is a Gentile allowed to store his/her chometz in your fridge during Pesach?

texts:
A woman has a Gentile helper live with her. She brings her own food during the year and stores it in the woman's fridge.

The fridge is cleaned for Pesach. The Gentile buys her own food and it is clearly marked as well as stored in a specific area of the fridge, so that the woman will know that this food belongs to the Gentile. Is she halachically allowed to store her chametz in the woman's fridge?

I assume that this is fine, as how is this different from going to the supermarket where they place chametz and non-chametz items in the same fridge? The chametz does not belong to the house owner, and as it is clearly marked, there is no chance that the woman will eat or use it?


texts:
What are the major ancient literature on Judaic mysticism and spiritual development? By ancient I mean B.C.E.

I also would appreciate if you can also provide links to online English translations if it is possible.


texts: How do Ethiopian Jews see the Book of Jubilees?

texts: Is the Book of Jubilees considered to be on par with Chumash by the Beta-Israel?


texts:
The Tur (Orach Chayim 580), quoting the Bahag (Laws of the Ninth of Av), gives a list of days on which to fast. This list is copied or mentioned by some other rishonim (as quoted in the footnote to the Bahag: Eshkol part 2 p. 9, Shibolei Haleket 278, Tanya 62, Seder Rav Amram 34a, part 2 74a (?), Machzor Vitri 271, Kol Bo 63).

Some sources (e.g. Magen Avraham) say the list comes from Megilat Ta'anit, but this appears to be incorrect. Although they are written in the style of Megilat Ta'anit, all the dates are in Hebrew, not Aramaic as Megilat Ta'anit is, and the response of the ge'onim (quoted in the Shibolei Haleket and Tanya) also implies that Megilat Ta'anit is separate from it. And the death of Tanna'im is also mentioned in the list, making the second century the earliest possible date, at least for its final form.

The response from the ge'onim that shows that they didn't know who decreed these fasts. The Beit Yosef says about them that he never saw anyone observing any of the fasts, and expresses surprise that some of them are on Rosh Chodesh.

My question is: Apart from the question to the ge'onim, is there any sign that these fasts were actually observed at some earlier point (not necessarily the entire list, but excluding 17 Tamuz, 9 Av, 3 Tishrei, 10 Tevet)? Are any of the days mentioned as having been a day on which someone fasted in any of the sources, especially before the time of the ge'onim?

I ask because Josephus (Antiquities 14.4.3) mentions a fixed fast in the third month (apparently in Sivan). Some (William Whiston in the footnote there, and this book I found through searching) suggest dates from this list as the fast he mentions. However, if the dates never appears until the ge'onim, it seems unlikely he was referring to them.


texts: What is the "kedusha of the individual"?

texts:
In a 13th century manuscript of a machzor according to Minhag Ashkenaz (Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Hébreu 644), on the pages for the kedusha on Shabbat for shacharit and mussaf, there is an additional "kedusha" alongside the chazan's kedusha. It's indicated as "קדושה ראשונה של יחיד" in Shacharit (here) and as "קדושה של שבת {שאו?}  יחיד" in Mussaf (here).

The texts seem to be intended for a regular Shabbat, and the chazan's kedusha that appears alongside includes no piyyutim. The "individual kedushas" themselves are alphabetic and interweave the kedusha text with other phrases. For example, the Shacharit text starts:

  אין כאל מעריצים במוראות בשערים זרויים [!] לארבע הפאות ואומ[ר] ק[דוש] ק[דוש] ק[דוש] יי צבאות. גאה על גאים נשגב לבדו דגליו מעירים כי אין בלעדו, מלא כל הארץ כבודו...

Does anyone know what this is, what its purpose is (intended for during the chazan's repitition, like modim derabannan, or during the silent shmoneh esreh), and where I could read more about it?


texts: Does closing a browser with His name count as a sin?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Hashems name on device
  Is it permissible to erase the name of G-d from an E-reader?
  What are the practical limits of shaimos in the common era?

Forgive me if I get some of the conventions wrong in this question; I'm a non-Jew.  After listening to the "This American Life" podcast, specifically
episode #332.  I was struck by the story of young Shalom and how his
rabbi would not permit him to write his name on papers.  My understanding of the situation is that it is a sin to destroy the name of God unless it
is done in an approved way.

Given that the internet contains many places where the name of God is referenced, is the act of closing the browser a sin since it is technically removing
that word from the screen?  I'm assuming that since the information still exists somewhere (on the remote side server) that the information hasn't technically
been destroyed.  However, at some point the pages will be revised, the wording will change, and perhaps the name of God will be removed in those future pages.

Is this a huge grey area in the realm of shemos or am I not looking at this from the right angle?


texts: Does Isaiah 66 say that the non-Jews can keep Shabbos?

texts: Given the context of Isaiah, I always seen the expression כל בשר as a reference to am yisroel, given the expressions of לא רחמה and לא עמי in Hosea 1-2. I've always understood it as all Israel in its entirety would end up praising Hashem in unison, והיה מדי חדש בחדשו ומדי שבת בשבתו  יבוא כל בשר להשתחות לפני, meaning "all flesh [of Israel] shall end up worshipping Me [alone]". Am I wrong?


texts: Why did the animals need to be destroyed in the mabul if they do not have bechira?

texts: We learn that the people were killed because of their aveiros. But animals don't have bechira so why did they deserve to be killed as well?


texts:
While the forefathers were very cautious in choosing their spouses from Avraham's family, the Torah says nothing about Bilhah and Zilpah's ancestry.

What nation/family there were from and why the Torah does not see the importance of telling us about that?


texts: How to reconcile a wife's cooking with the Zohar's definition of husband and wife?

texts:
According to the Zohar the man is the "giver" and the woman is the "receiver" within the context of a marriage. With that being the case how can one understand the traditional role of a wife to cook for her husband (judaism.stackexchange.com/a/65285/3006).

Should the man be doing the cooking as well? In "Garden of Peace", Rabbi Shalom Arush goes on to say that whenever a man becomes a receiver he develops a feminine trait and become repulsive to his wife. Does this mean that the husband should do all the cooking?


texts: Change drinking glasses between fish and meat?

texts:
The Rema writes (YD 88:2) that two guests eating at the same table, one eating cheese and the other meat, should be careful not to drink from the same cup, because the food gets stuck to the cup.

According to those who hold that one should not mix fish and meat whatsoever, would the same also apply to one person eating fish and meat in the same meal, that he would have to clean his glass between them or use a separate one for meat?


texts:
I have a new pergola that is at a slant from the house and the floor has an incline. The result of is a gap above the walls between the frame and the schach. How much a gap is permitted between the top of the wall and the actual schach in cm's?

Many Thanks

YC


texts: Books of the Ben ish chai on a husbands responsibilities to his wife

texts:
In hukai hanoshim chaper 9 he writes that he will in a different book bring the husbands responsibilities to his wife.
Did he do it?
If yes in what book/s?

see bottom paragraph


texts: Did Aleppo Jews observe Purim on the 14th (regular) or 15th (Shushan Purim)?

texts: Did the Jews of Aleppo, Syria observe Purim on the 14th or 15th of Adar? Was it believed to be old enough for the latter?


texts: Is there a website that allows you to find what Daf was studied on the a particular date as part of the Daf Yomi cycle?


texts: Maimonides' Responsum on Pre-Sinaic Mitzva Observance

texts:
The Maimonides Reader (p. 478) quotes Maimonides' responsum to Hasdai Ha-Levi where he states that our forefathers didn't keep the mitzvos at all.

Where else can this responsum be found? (particularly in the Kovetz t'shovos haRambam v'igrosav, the Blau responsa, or the P'er Hador responsa).


texts: Do any religious-zionist figures (or anyone else for that matter) advocate the commemoration of 5 Iyar but reject the adoption by the religious community of the name "Yom HaAtzma'ut" - "Independence Day" as a secular concept foreign to Judaism and based on the atheist and humanist values of self-determination on the part of the secular Zionists?


texts:
I have many times seen what appeared to be disrespectful pushing and shoving to get to kiss the Sefer Torah or the rebbe's hand. When inquiring about it, I was told that it shows devotion to the Torah (or the rebbe), and that it does not constitute transgression of otherwise quite obvious mitzvos (both positive and negative commandments).
What does Hashem want more, propriety or devotion? Where do we draw the line?

Inspired by this comment.


texts:
On Tishah B'Av, through Chatzos (Mincha) we sit on the floor (SA OC 559:3), like mourners (MB 559:10). If one can't sit on the floor, he may sit on a cushion or a chair close to the floor (ibid. 11).

Is this a rule about the height of the chair, that it must be close to the floor, or must it simply be uncomfortable, and so even a taller chair that's uncomfortable would be permissible.


texts:
My 13-year-old son wants to start learning Chabad Sichos. I'm looking for advice.

How do we decide which sichos to learn?
Do Lubavitchers generally learn the sicha of the current parsha, but arbitrarily pick a year?
We don't speak any Yiddish, so I would presumably pick one printed in Hebrew; are some easier than others?
Do the Sichos In English printings parallel the all-Hebrew printings so that we could easily co-ordinate two volumes?


texts: Pesukim in Chumash where Rashi adds in extra words or switches order

texts:
I have been trying to remember examples in chumash where Rashi uses dikduk rules to significantly change the order of words or add words to a passuk so that it has another meaning.

What are some examples of these passukim or the scenarios where this happens?


texts: Is it possible to lodge an appeal for a soul that has gone to Gehenom?

texts:
Unsong is a work of online serial fiction by Scott Alexander which is based heavily on Judaism. (I highly recommend it to Jews and Gentiles alike.). As I discussed in my earlier question here, the Talmudic story of Rabbi Elisha ben Abuyah, aka Acher, plays a prominent role.  Now the last chapter of Unsong presents a fictionalized account of the aftermath of  Acher's death.

  [O]ne day Acher died, and the people said that it was not good, because he had never repented, and Rabbi Meir laughed and said that surely had had repented in his heart and was in Paradise. And then flames started coming out of Acher’s grave, and the people were like, we’re not rabbis, and we’re no experts in omens, but that doesn’t seem, to us, like the sort of thing that happens when you’re in Paradise. And Rabbi Meir said very well, but that God would relent and redeem him later. And the people said that, again, we’re no experts and you’re the one with the rabbinical degree, but a voice had very clearly rung forth from the holy places saying that wouldn’t happen. And Rabbi Meir said that very well, maybe He wouldn’t, but if God wouldn’t redeem Acher, then he, Rabbi Meir, would redeem Acher.  And the people said, what, that doesn’t even make sense, is redemption not reserved for God alone? And Rabbi Meir said that wasn’t exactly true. That what we do during our lives echoes forward into history, and that good deeds that seemed tiny when they happened might grow and grow until they consumed the entire world, and if the recording angels had discounted them when they first reviewed the case, an appeal might be lodged. And that one day, when he was studying Torah under Rabbi Elisha ben Abuyah, Rabbi Meir had gotten something from him, some tiny spark of goodness, and that was what had inspired him to be good himself throughout his life. And so he would train his disciples to be good, and they would train their disciples to be good, until the world was safe and free, and all of it would be because of this one man, Acher, a wicked wicked man who would not repent, and God would be forced to credit those deeds to Acher’s name, and he would rise into Paradise, unrepentant still.  And the people asked, huh, how does that even work? and Rabbi Meir said that this was all playing out on hidden levels, that the point was to redeem the sparks of divinity that had gotten caught among the klipot of the world, and that each of our actions changes and redirects the flow of subtle currents upon which the sparks are borne. And even though Acher had died without repenting, even though everything he did seemed to the material eye to be evil and without merit, behind the scenes the sparks had been pushed into new configurations, whole fiery rivers of sparks, flowing through Rabbi Meir and through all the other people he had touched in his life, and that when all those rivers met and reached the sea, we would get Moschiach, the savior, and the whole world would be reconciled to God. Say not, he told the people, that anything has worked only evil, that any life has been in vain. Say rather that while the visible world festers and decays, somewhere beyond our understanding the groundwork is being laid for Moschiach, and the final victory.

Now as can be seen from this answer, this whole dialogue between Rabbi Meir and the people isn't present in the Talmud, it's just a literary creation.  Still, I'm interested in whether the content of what Rabbi Meir says here is based on Jewish beliefs, specifically the part in bold.

My question is, is it true that it's possible to lodge an appeal for a soul that has gone to Gehenom, if the recording angels who made the decision to send the soul there failed to take into account tiny good deeds which later led to enormous good in the world?  Or is this whole concept just artistic license?


texts: What is the difference in Sha"s types; Oz V'hadar, Zecher Chanoch, N'harda'ah(נהרדעא)?

texts:
I am looking to purchase a true Chossen Shas, and I see various editions or publications.
I am familiar with the classic Vilna Shaas, but I see many sets in either Oz V'hadar עוז והדר, Zecher Chanoch זכר חנוך, and also N'harda'ah נהרדעא.
The more I search, the more contrasting and varied information I find.
Can anyone shed some light?
Thank you!


texts: Why does Hashem answer and not answer prayers?

texts:
Why does Hashem answer some prayers and not others?

I understand that there might be varieties of how Hashem answers or doesn't answer prayers.

I'm not asking for personal opinions, I want to learn what the rabbis have taught in regards to this issue.


texts: Are you punished for hurting a person that is easy to hurt?

texts:
If you do action A to mike he doesn't give it a second thought.
If you do the same action A to Joe he gets deeply hurt.

If you didn't intend to hurt Joe, but he nevertheless got hurt through your actions, are you held responsible and therefore punished?


texts:
Many midrashim speaks on the greatness of the money spent by King achasverous in holding the 180 days party.

Is there any midrash that speaks on how much exactly did Achasverous spent on the party?


texts: "They answered Hashem is one." Where was that?

texts:
In the song  Yom Shabbaton it says:

  וּפָתְחוּ וְעָנוּ יְיָ אֶחָד

Translated as: They opened and answered G-d is one

The song implies that at some point we answered Hashem is one and the song would seem to imply this was at Har Sinai based on the previous word of the song נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמַע אָמְרוּ כְּאֶחָד is there any record of such an issuance from the people of Israel?


texts: How did the plagues symbolize God's rule?

texts: I once heard that the ten plagues were supposed to reveal how God rules over everything. Does anyone have a source that explains this in detail: how each plagues revealed one aspect of this?


texts: Is a Bei'ur the same thing as a Peirush?

texts: What characteristics define Biur and Peirush? Are they different from one another?  Are they related somehow? If so, in which aspects? Please, explain. Sources are welcome.


texts: I know that different rabbis have issued different rulings on whether it is permissible to light electric candles and recite the appropriate blessings. But do some rabbis permit it in some cases but not in others (Shabbat, Yom Tov, Hanukkah, Havdalah, yahrzeit, etc.)?  What is their rationale?


texts:
According to the Sefaradic Nusach, why do we sometimes see "Ashrei yoshevei" preceded by "Yehi ẖasdeikha"(1) and other times not?

(1)יְהִי חַסְדְּךָ יְהֹוָה עָלֵינוּ. כַּאֲשֶׁר יִחַלְנוּ לָךְ:


texts: What is the origin of owning the book Raziel Hamalach as a segula for protection against harm?


texts:
We know that in the process of the creation of Man, his body was shaped from the earth but his soul (נשמה) was blown by G-d.

Animals, IIRC, appeared from the earth and from the water already with their souls (נפש).

Where did the animal souls come from - from G-d or from the Earth?


texts:
The Torah Temimah to Bereishis 32 #9, in order to answer a different question, cites the "Aggados", that the Beis Hamikdash was built in the portion of Binyomin because he was the only one of the sons of Yaakov not to bow to Eisav (he wasn't born yet). I'm trying to find a source for this idea, but I can't. None of the Midrashim in VeZos HaBeracha (which the TT directs us to) I saw say this.

I remember seeing last year that the Gra says it's a gemarra, but I couldn't find any.

Contrast this with the reasons the Chizkuni cites.

  ולפי שכל השבטים היו שותפים במכירתו של יוסף, ובנימין לא היה שותף עמהם וכל השבטים נולדו חוצה לארץ ובנימין נולד בארץ ישראל זכה הוא להיות השכינה שורה בחלקו.


texts: What will the haftarah reading for Shabbat HaChodesh 5781 be?

texts: What will the various haftarah readings for Shabbat HaChodesh 5781 be according to different minhagim? What are the respective rationales behind them? Presumably it's not possible to enumerate each minhag and its rationale, but what are the broad strokes?


texts:
Is there any situation whereby a Pinchas-style execution would be justified nowadays?

I am particularly interested in whether a 'zealous act' against a public sexually problematic sin is possible in theory nowadays. If so how would one judge alone during this moment (as did Pinchas). How would one know how and when to act?

(Major disclaimer: this question is not meant to be provocative and NO ONE should take the law into their own hands!)


texts: The male name "Feivel" transposed for girl

texts: My deceased father's Hebrew name was Feivel. I am now pregnant with a girl, but would like to name her after him. Can anyone please share any female equivalent Hebrew names to Feivel?


texts: Why aren't the walls also made of Schach?

texts:
The Gemmorah learns the obligation of Succah from the Clouds of Glory that surrounded the Jewish people on Exodus (and later).
It also learns (at least one opinion) that the Schach must resemble a Cloud that "stems from the soil and is not impure" (Succah 11b).
IIRC there were a total of 7 clouds - one in every direction and one in front of the camp.

Bearing that resemblance, I'd expect the whole Succah to be made of Schach including the floor, likening the Clouds of Glory. Considering the minimal size of 80x80x80cm that would not be so difficult. As we all know that's not a requirement.

Why not?


texts:
After Yochanan served as the Kohen Gadol for 80 years, he "left the fold" (Berachos 29a)

  ולא והא תנן אל תאמין בעצמך עד יום מותך שהרי יוחנן כ"ג שמש בכהונה גדולה שמנים שנה ולבסוף נעשה צדוקי

  The Gemara asks: And does he not become wicked? Didn’t we learn in a
  mishna: Do not be sure of yourself until the day you die, as Yoḥanan
  the High Priest served in the High Priesthood for eighty years and
  ultimately became a Sadducee. Even one who is outstanding in his
  righteousness can become a heretic.

What caused him to leave Judaism?


texts: Since many authorities permit wiping the hands if one does not have water to wash with (when washing for bread), is one forbidden to wipe their hands on Tisha b'Av?


texts: Authenticity of Rosh's commentary to Torah

texts:
What do different sources state regarding the authenticity of the commentary to the Torah attributed to Rosh?

I remember seeing people claiming that it is missatributed. If I recall, the suggested argument is utilized: "Rosh's son, the Tur, never mentions that the Rosh wrote a Torah commentary".

Note: I am only looking for sources which provide empirical evidence. One example of what I am not looking for is: "the commentary is quoted by R._____ who was so holy, so it must have been authored by Rosh."

One example of the sort of argument I am looking for could be a confirmation of the argument I mentioned above: "Indeed, Rosh's son never quotes the Torah commentary attributed to his father in his own Torah commentary, although he frequently cites his father's Halachic rulings in his own Halachic rulings."


texts: Who sells Yosef? Who brings him to Egypt?

texts:
Who sold Yosef to the Yishmaelim, is it the brothers or the Midyanim?

And who sold him to Potifar in Egypt? The Yishmaelim or the Midyanim?

(Medanim also appear in the text, but that might be the Midyanim.)

Do these texts show that the Torah is indeed a composite document from multiple sources?

Bereishit 37:27-28:

  כז  לְכוּ וְנִמְכְּרֶנּוּ לַיִּשְׁמְעֵאלִים, וְיָדֵנוּ אַל-תְּהִי-בוֹ,
  כִּי-אָחִינוּ בְשָׂרֵנוּ, הוּא; וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ, אֶחָיו.    27 Come, and
  let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him;
  for he is our brother, our flesh.' And his brethren hearkened unto
  him. כח  וַיַּעַבְרוּ אֲנָשִׁים מִדְיָנִים סֹחֲרִים, וַיִּמְשְׁכוּ
  וַיַּעֲלוּ אֶת-יוֹסֵף מִן-הַבּוֹר, וַיִּמְכְּרוּ אֶת-יוֹסֵף
  לַיִּשְׁמְעֵאלִים, בְּעֶשְׂרִים כָּסֶף; וַיָּבִיאוּ אֶת-יוֹסֵף,
  מִצְרָיְמָה.  28 And there passed by Midianites, merchantmen; and they
  drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the
  Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they brought Joseph into
  Egypt.

From: http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0137.htm

Bereishit 37:36:

  לו  וְהַמְּדָנִים--מָכְרוּ אֹתוֹ, אֶל-מִצְרָיִם:  לְפוֹטִיפַר סְרִיס
  פַּרְעֹה, שַׂר הַטַּבָּחִים.  {פ} 36 And the Midianites sold him into
  Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, the captain of the
  guard. {P}

From: http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0137.htm

Bereishit 39:1:

  א  וְיוֹסֵף, הוּרַד מִצְרָיְמָה; וַיִּקְנֵהוּ פּוֹטִיפַר סְרִיס
  פַּרְעֹה שַׂר הַטַּבָּחִים, אִישׁ מִצְרִי, מִיַּד הַיִּשְׁמְעֵאלִים,
  אֲשֶׁר הוֹרִדֻהוּ שָׁמָּה.    1 And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and
  Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, the captain of the guard, an
  Egyptian, bought him of the hand of the Ishmaelites, that had brought
  him down thither.

From: http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0139.htm


texts:
The Torah commands us, ‘Venishmartem meod lenafshotechem' ['You shall take care exceedingly of your lives' — Deut. 4:15).

It seems anyone living in Israel is in grave danger due to the recent advances in missile technology and WMP by Arab enemies who are hell-bent on destroying Israel.

Given the clear life threatening danger of staying in Israel, does the above Torah commandment apply, whereby one should pack up and move out?

Some say that Israel relies on miracles so it's OK, but the Talmud in Shabbat 32a says clearly that one should never put himself in danger and rely on a miracle.

ADDITION here's a source for the current seriousness of the situation: "Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, recently said that Israel is “the most threatened nation on the planet.” He was referring to the threatening ring of missiles aimed at the Jewish state from regimes such as Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria, and Iran" http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/55711

another source http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/207485 (2016-2-3)


texts:
In the beginning of the amida prayer, God is ascribed these three titles: HaGadol HaGibor veHaNora. (the source is from the torah)

What does each one mean and how are they different?


texts: Are non-Jews held accountable for their deeds?

texts:
According to the "Path of the Just" by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato ch.3

  For one who is still held captive in the prison of his evil
  inclination - his eyes do not see this truth, and he is incapable of
  recognizing it. For the evil inclination literally blinds his eyes. He
  is like one walking in darkness, where there are stumbling blocks
  before him but his eyes do not see them.

  כי מי שהוא עדין חבוש במאסר יצרו, אין עיניו רואות האמת הזאת ואינו יכול
  להכירה, כי היצר מסמא את עיניו ממש, והנה הוא כהולך בחושך שיש לפניו
  מכשולות ואין עיניו רואות אותם.

and in (ch.5):

  For this we were commanded to fix times for torah study... In truth,
  the evil inclination is exceedingly powerful on a man. Without a man's
  knowledge, it goes and strengthens over him and comes to rule over
  him. Even if he employs all possible strategies in the world, but does
  not take the medication created for it, namely, the torah as I wrote,
  he will not know nor feel the intensification of his illness until he
  dies in sin and his soul will be lost...

  So too in our case, for no one recognizes the illness of the evil
  inclination and its powers except for the Creator who created it. And
  He Himself cautioned us that the only remedy for it is Torah. Who then
  will abandon it, take something else instead and expect to live?

  Certainly the darkness of the physical will advance and strengthen
  over him level after level, without his realizing it until he finds
  himself sunk in evil, so distantly far from the truth that even
  thoughts of seeking the truth will not enter his mind .

  על כן נצטוינו לקבוע עתים לתורה... כי הנה היצר הרע באמת חזק הוא באדם
  מאד, ומבלי ידיעתו של האדם הולך הוא ומתגבר בו ושולט עליו. ואם יעשה כל
  התחבולות שבעולם ולא יקח הרפואה שנבראה לו שהיא התורה, כמו שכתבתי, לא
  ידע ולא ירגיש בתגבורת חליו אלא כשימות בחטאו ותאבד נשמתו. .. ודאי שחושך
  החומריות ילך ויגבר עליו מדרגה אחר מדרגה והוא לא יבין עד שימצא שקוע
  ברעה ורחוק מן האמת הרחק גדול שאפילו הרהורי דברים לא יעלו על לבו לבקש
  האמת.

Now since non-Jews are not brought up with genuine torah study then should they be regarded as not accountable for their deeds? And if they are held accountable why is this so considering they are helpless against the blindness of the evil inclination without torah study.

note I am not asking whether they have any torah study that could help them restrain the evil inclination but rather that they will never get around to seeing the need for it due to not being raised in torah study and thus "the evil inclination goes and strengthens over them and comes to rule over them..until he finds himself sunk in evil..."


texts: How many candles should one light on Erev Shabbos and Yom Tov? And why that number?


texts: PTIJ: Who should I vote for? (21st Knesset Edition)

texts:
It is an obligation to participate in creating the Knesset, as the halacha says (SA OC 150:1):

כופים ... זה את זה לבנות ... הכנסת
[People] should force one another to build ... the Knesset.

Today the Knesset is "built" on our votes.
So we see that we must vote, the question now is who to vote for?
Please provide sources that "specifically mention"* a candidate or party running in the current Knesset elections as someone either worth voting for or who should not be voted for.**
* Sources can be Biblical, Talmudic, or Halachic, but the mention must be Purim Torah -- based on a pun or misunderstanding of the quote. I specifically do not want any real modern-day rabbis saying who to vote for in this election. The candidate/party can be identified either by name or by a defining characteristic.
** It shouldn't just be any "mention" of the candidate's name, but rather specifically something related to voting or a position of power, etc.
Obviously this is not the final stand on who to vote for, as always, consult your rabbi.

This question is Purim Torah and is not intended to be taken completely seriously. See the Purim Torah policy.
Please leave your personal politics out of this.
Note that we are not telling you who to vote for in this question. For some real Torah-based opinions on what to take into account when voting, see the following questions:

Voting for Jews in elections
Voting on "Who's good for the Jews?"
Voting for a person that will not uphold Torah values

(This question is a copy of my question from a few years ago about the US elections.)


texts:
Who knows forty-nine?
Please cite/link your sources, if possible. At some point in the next few days, I will:

Upvote all interesting answers.

Accept the best answer.

Go on to the next number.


texts: Why did Rashi deduce Keruvim faces look like human infants (כְּר֨וּב = כְּיֶּ֔לֶד)?

texts:
Rashi on Shemot 25:18
כרבים CHERUBIM — They had the form of a child’s face (Sukkah 5b) כרבים. דְּמוּת פַּרְצוּף תִּינוֹק לָהֶם

While no description of the Keruvim faces is given :
Shemot 25:18
"Make one Keruv at one end and the other Keruv at the other end; of one piece with the cover shall you make the Keruvim at its two ends." ( וַ֠עֲשֵׂה כְּר֨וּב אֶחָ֤ד מִקָּצָה֙ מִזֶּ֔ה וּכְרוּב־אֶחָ֥ד מִקָּצָ֖ה מִזֶּ֑ה מִן־הַכַּפֹּ֛רֶת תַּעֲשׂ֥וּ אֶת־הַכְּרֻבִ֖ים עַל־שְׁנֵ֥י קְצוֹתָֽיו )
Where does Rashi's deduction of Keruvim faces come from? If it decomposes כרוב into [כ-רב[יא, or "like a child", using the aramaic word for child, why would Keruv mean "like-[a] Child" to ancient Ivrim, in the context & culture of Shemot's original form? Does the Torah have other instances of ר֨וּב meaning Child? - For ancient Ivrim כְּיֶּ֔לֶד KeYeled would have meant Like-[a] Child (correct)?


texts: What was the Lubavitcher Rebbe's approach to rebuke?

texts: Did it differ from when he was giving to others and from when he was telling others to give it? There's always the stories of him being very loving and reaching out to every Jew and emphasizing ahavat Yisrael, etc.. and the general approach of Chabad seems to be not to push.


texts: Do kashrut agencies inspect pickling spices for insects before adding them to brined meat?

texts:
I noticed that pickled meats such as corned beef, pastrami and tongue are covered with seeds twigs and leaves. (Most of it seems to be allspice.)

Considering that kashrut agencies have been so concerned about inspecting all types of produce, I'm curious if the various spices that they use had been checked before adding them to the meat. If such spices do not need to be inspected before this process, or at all, please provide a source to explain this.


texts: Is the temple allowed to refuse hekdesh?

texts:
Suppose a landowner is a jerk and is sick of poor people harvesting the corner of his field. (The mitzva of Peya)

If he were to consecrate his crops/field to the Temple,  they would be hekdesh and the poor would not be able to take them.

Can the Temple refuse this consecration, forcing the landowner to allow the poor on his land?


texts: Washing hands after touching a gentile corpse

texts: Does one need to wash hands after touching a gentile corpse just as after a Jewish one?


texts: Can the Torah be read in shul if a minyan is present after the point in the service designated for Torah reading?

texts: There have been instances where we had 9 people in the shul, and we began to daven Mincha Shabbat afternoon. We finished our individual Shmoneh Esreh, when the 10th person appeared. Can we go back and read the Torah, or since we are past that point in the service, we cannot do so?


texts: Milk and Meat of Non-Kosher Animal Species

texts:
Is cooking milk with the meat of non-kosher animal species the same problem as cooking milk with the meat of kosher animal species?

In other words: can a Jew cook milk with a non-kosher animal species, such as a pig (and not eat it)? Can a Jew obtain benefit (הנאה) from such mixtures?


texts: Is one allowed to ask another to kasher his items that may get damaged when kashered?

texts:
There is a halacha which prohibits one to kasher items which may get damaged when kashered (as there is a concern that one may not kasher his item well).

Are you allowed to ask someone else to kasher it for you (and telling him that you don't care if the item breaks)? He won't have the emotional attachment to your item, especially if you will have to throw the item away anyways if the koshering doesn't work.


texts: Source for "Hamakom" said at shiva and variations

texts:
What is the source for the text of hamakom?

In Israel I noticed that they add some words that I never heard in the States (something like"vlo yosifo lidavek?od") , what is the source for them and why dont we say them in the states?


texts: What does being put in cheirem mean for you and your descendants?

texts:
A (not-so-observant) friend of mine recently told me that his great-grandfather was put into cheirem and, not being able to have children while in cheirem, his descendants (including my friend) are unable to marry halachically. I’d never heard of anything like that but, unable to find a comprehensive explanation on what exactly cheirem entails, I thought I’d ask a few related questions that come to mind:

Does the fact that a Jewish court put someone in cheirem mean that they are universally see as being in cheirem, separated from the entire Jewish people, or is it only that particular community that they are restricted from certain interactions with?

Can you really not have children in cheirem?

Is cheirem something that your descendants are stuck with forever, or does it only apply to the person it was placed on originally?


texts: Can the Israeli Rabbanut Semicha Exams be written in English?

texts:
Does anyone know whether the Israeli Rabbanut exams can be written in English or another language other than Hebrew?

I understand that quotations might have to be written in Hebrew but does the Rabbanut allow to write majority in English as one might be limited in his modern Hebrew vocabulary.


texts: Is it necessary to buy a burial plot while still alive?

texts: Must someone buy a burial plot while still alive? Moreover, is doing so a segula to stay alive or the opposite? The segula can be because he shows he believes in life after death and does not want to be cremated. One must say that people who are burned to death 'al kiddush hashem' recieve a new body, better than the old one. On the other hand there is a thing as 'al tiftach pe'. One shouldnt mention bad things because that can make them happen.


texts:
i realised some of shuls,including Orthodox and Chabad, will air flims on Tisha bAv, after the fast starts. They included films about topics like fighting got Eretz Yisrael.
What is the halacha about movies on 9 Av?


texts: Can you help me translate an inscription on an amulet for a friend?

texts:
Can anyone help translate the inscription in the image below?

This is from a necklace/amulet that a friend picked up in Jerusalem many years ago. She asked me to translate it since I took some Hebrew in college, but that was 20+ years ago. I suspect this Hebrew text, written by someone years ago in Jerusalem, is from the Torah.

I can't make out any more than the name Jerusalem.


texts:
The Rama in 460:4 writes that one should make thin matzos and the Mishna Brurah 16 writes it should be thin. Rav Nebontzol (in his notes on the Mishna Brurah) points out the Be'er Heitiv 8 which writes the custom is to make it an etzbah thick, yet Rav Nebontzol writes further that such is not our custom; he adds that Rav Shlomo Zalman Aurbach held the custom of the Ashkenazim is to make the matzah as thin as possible.

Which Ashkenazic Poskim allow the soft* type of matzah for Pesach? Even though it may fit the requirement of the Rama, does one need a special mesorah to eat the this soft type of matza?

I know many people who would not eat it on Pesach, and certainly not for the mitzvah.

*Definition of the soft matzah: it is around a half inch thick and is soft.


texts: Are women halachically obligated to fast on the minor fasts?

texts: A friend of mine has told me they are not halachically obligated and yet I can not see any mention of this in the Shulchan Aruch. Please show מקורות.


texts: Washing after Haircut and modern day blood letting

texts: What are the rules for Washing after Haircuts and or Shaving and or is there a requirement at all? Also after donating blood is there a requirment to Wash hands and or a blood test and is there a difference between them foe washing meaning are they both similar to Letting blood in Talmudical Times and hence require washing or not?


texts: Is there a book or online source that discusses the history of "U.S. / Canadian use" Siddurim?

texts:
I am fascinated when I view old and even current Siddurim used in shuls in U.S. It seems that as demographics changed, new Siddurim were designed to cater to this.

For example, the 1st English translated Siddur I used was Birnbaum. That seemed to be the popular Siddur in Modern Orthodox shuls. Conservative ones used Phillips, or something similar. Then, when Art Scroll Siddurim became popular, it pretty much knocked out Birnbaum. Now, in a sense, Koren is rivaling Art Scroll.

There must be something other than just rival marketing that drives these different Siddurim being created. I'm curious if anyone has compiled some history or something else that has analyzed why these Siddurim were created; which demographic group used them; what made them "new" or stand out from others - among other ideas.

While my main interest is in the Siddurim that have English translation and prefer Nusach Ashkenaz, I am certainly interested in Nusach Sefard and Hebrew only Siddurim. But, I am narrowing this down to U.S. / Canadian - focused Siddurim, not those that may have been designed in say, pre-WW2 Europe that were brought here, unless such Siddurim impacted a general group of Americans who already lived here, and not limited to just those immigrants.


texts:
What is the origin of reciting Tehillim as a form of prayer? More specifically, of reciting even passages of Tehillim which do not contain requests for the issue one is facing but rather of praise of God and the like.
Earliest sources would be appreciated.


texts: How do I say vidui in Selichos in a meaningful way?

texts:
We say vidui three times in selichos. Many words are uttered in a relatively short time. How can we do this in a meaningful way that is not "vidui peh"?

I have heard tell of one of the gedolei Torah that in the vidui of everyday Tachanun, he said only one word of the “oshamnu, bogadnu” prayer. Is that a derekh for non-gedolim?


texts:
What does א.ד.ג. stand for in Yiddish? It seems from context that it is the equivalent to etc. but I can't find what it stands for exactly.

For example, this this excerpt from a Hassidic story describing the Hassidim as having Yiddishe ways, and Jerusalemite dress with long caftans/kapputehs:

  אידישע צורות אנגעטען דעם ירושלמער לבוש, לאנגע קאפטענעס א.ד.ג


texts: Is the Nefesh HaChaim truly representitive of the Gra's position?

texts:
There's a popular understanding that the Gra asked R Chaim of Volozhin to write a sefer based on his teachings that would deal with many points that the sefer Tanya dealt with and this is the Nefesh HaChaim.

Is there a source to this story?
If not, is it a given that what R Chaim writes in his book is what the Gra himself held to be true?


texts: Great Leaders with Very Humble Beginnings

texts:
So from all my times learning i've basically come to the conclusion that nobody simple becomes great in a certain way, the protagonist, if you will, is pretty much born with the gift. or inhabits that potential.

I've learned this out from the Chumash, Tanakh etc
all of our forefathers, judges, prophets... etc or the ones that I've read about either started out rich, highly intelligent,or VERY mighty showing great potential etc.. so that they could have been anointed by a prophet for something great  etc..
I can think of one person that became very wise from another prophet and that was Elisha, when Elijah threw his cloak onto him. but even Elisha, it seems like he came from a wealthy background.. am i wrong?

So my question is as follow, has there ever been a prophet or somebody
1.  that started from absolutely nothing,
2. and showed no potential  or anything of that sort that became a great person from Jewish History?

And when I say started out from scratch i mean it, from the bottom of the barrel, literally, and became great either, in wisdom, wealth, lordship, or anything that we affiliate with greatness without being a bad person in obtaining what he/they/she obtained?

Looking forward in reading the answers.
Thank you.


texts: When I became frum (around 2 years ago) I started wearing tzitzit hanging out. My grandfather just told me that he remembers that when he was a kid, he tucked his tzitzit in. He remembers his father and grandfather (from Galitzia) doing the same. Should I switch my minhag? I prefer to wear them out, although if I am supposed to follow his minhag then I will switch.


texts: Does the proximity rule for hand washing water extend to b'racha precedence?

texts:
Assuming that one must wash one's hands before eating bread unless the water is very far away, and
assuming one is near water, and
assuming that the highest precedence b'racha is the b'racha for bread - hamotzi lechem min ha'aretz, and
assuming that one has bread as well as food demanding other b'rachos, and
assuming one has every intention and desire to eat the bread, and
assuming the water is sufficiently inconvenient at the moment of decision to make washing a slight annoyance,

is one required to eat the bread first, or is the slight annoyance enough to bump the other food up the precedence ladder, deferring the bread until later?

UPDATE: Now with sources!


texts: Can a female convert hold a position of communal authority over women?

texts:
"A convert may not hold a position of Jewish communal authority."
  (Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Melachim 1:4)

In light of the Rambam above and the answers here, which discuss the prohibition on appointing a woman or a convert to certain positions of power, would it be permissible to make an adult female convert a leader of non-convert women, for example as the rebbetzin of a community, a mikvah lady, or the menaheles of a women's yeshiva? (May not be the best examples, but I can't think of a perfect one now.) Why or why not? Preferably, please bring sources.

Hypothesis: Since a woman is able to take the positions of power in my and any other examples, it would seem that the examples do not fall under the prohibition on women and converts taking positions of authority. Therefore, I think--though I am definitely not sure--a convert ought to be able to take these positions, too. However, there may be evidence that the prohibition on women and on converts taking positions of authority are two separate concerns, and therefore must be treated individually -- in which case it is not at all clear that converts could take power over born-Jewish women.


texts: Are you allowed to wear shoes with leather decorations on yom kippur and tisha b'av?

texts: Leather shoes are not allowed to be worn on yom kippur or tisha b'av. What if both the sole and the upper materials are made out of synthetic or non-leather materials but some of the shoe's design is made out of leather on the sides? This is commonly found in running sneakers.


texts: What age were Leah and Rachel when they got married

texts:
Do we know what age  Leah and Rachel were when yakove married them?

If yes what is it? Source please.

Are there any midrashim on the subject?


texts: Who has a toiveling service in Los Angeles?

texts:
What does a single girl do if she has a whole set of dishes (service for 12) to toivel and no time to do it herself?
I contacted Dish Dunking Service but he was unreliable and did not call back this morning as he said he would.
There must be more than one person toiveling large quantities of new keylim at least as a side job in Los Angeles, right?


texts: Sometimes we wash with a cup, sometimes not; sometimes we wash twice, sometimes thrice; and not everyone agrees on method or pattern in all cases.  Who says which ways we are supposed to wash, in which situations, and why?


texts: Why are different kaddishes said by different people?

texts:
The "Mourners' Kaddish" and the "Rabbis' Kaddish" are said by mourners: either all instances are said by all mourners in the synagogue simultaneously, or each mourner gets a turn at one kaddish, or some other custom. but they are said by mourners, if present, regardless of who is leading the service.

"Half-Kaddish" and "Full-Kaddish", on the other hand, are said by only the prayer leader, irrespective of whether he is a mourner.

Why? What is it about the different kaddishes that causes this difference in who recites them?


texts: Why are Hebrew cardinal numbers switched to the other gender after the first two?

texts:
When counting in Hebrew, the first two cardinal numbers are in the correct gender, but all subsequent numbers seem to be in the opposite gender?
For example:
Feminine Numbers are: אַחַתֹ-שְתַּיִםֹ-שָלֹש-אַרְבַּע-חָמֵֹשֹ-שֵֹשֹ-שֶבַעֹ-שְמוֹנֶה-תֵֹּשַע-עֶשֶׂר
The above numbers after שְתַּיִםֹ (two) seem to be masculine.
Versus: Masculine Numbers: אֶחָדֹ-שְנַיִםֹ-שְלֹשָה-אַרְבָּעָה-חֲמִֹשָּהֹ-שִֹשָּהֹ-שִבְעָהֹ-שְמוֹנָה-תִֹּשְעָה-עֲשָׂרָה
The above numbers after שְנַיִםֹ (two) seem to be feminine.
Is there a possible esoteric reason behind this?


texts: Slaughtering with a non-kosher knife לכתחילה (Rashi, חולין דף ח ע״ב)

texts:
Rashi to Chulin 8 amud 2 takes the unusual step of mentioning the practical halacha that he derived from the g'mara. He says that, because the g'mara came to no conclusion about what to do with an animal slaughtered with a non-kosher (taken from a non-Jew) knife, one must deal with the carcass according to the stricter of the two opinions in the g'mara. He then adds that, because the g'mara had asked only what to do if someone already slaughtered with such a knife, one may not slaughter with such a knife.

How does this ruling fit with the passage on amud 1 on which Rav Nachman says one may slaughter with such a knife?


texts: Was the story of Adam and Eve meant as a parable for the dawn of civilization after human species evolved for millennia or is Adam and Eve to be literally read as the first humans to ever be created.


texts: PTIJ: Which came first, Mesechtas Beitza or Chullin?

texts:
Just as bad as the chicken/egg dilemma, I'd like to know which Gemara was composed first, Mesechtas Beitza/Beiah, or Chullin? Just because Beitza precedes Chullin by a ton of volumes doesn't mean Chullin wasn't finished first.
On the one hand, Beitza, which is part of Moed, precedes Chullin, which is part of Kodashim.
On the other hand, Chullin comes before Beitza in terms of its own volumes (Chullin is the third Mesechta of Kodashim, while Beitza is the eighth Masechta of Moed).

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


texts: קָמָץ vs. קָמַץ in Ashkenazi pronunciation

texts: All Ashkenazi readers/minhagim/etc. I've seen call this vowel קָמַץ, while there is considerable variation on whether the second syllables of the other vowel names (except for סֶגּוֹל, though there is some variation in spelling there; שְׁוָא, though it is sometimes spelled חוֹלָם ;שְׁבָא; and חֲטָף) receive a long or short vowel. While I've seen people transliterate komots/komotz, and even kumutz with the Yeshivish "uh" pronunciation, I wonder if any Ashkenazim actually write קָמָץ (and actually do say komots).


texts: Is there tefillah betzibbur during mixed heiche kedusha?

texts: In a minyan (quorum) that is doing heiche kedushe with the (inevitable?) scenario that some mispallelim (ones praying) are following the Rama and waiting till after the chazzan's kedusha to begin their silent amidah while some are following the Sefardi/Brisker minhag (custom) to daven (pray) the first 3 brachot (blessings) together with the chazzan, and assuming that there are not 10 of each group present, is anyone yotzei (fulfilling) tefillah betzibbur (praying with a quorum)?


texts: If a convert is already a descendant of Abraham, does he become Ben Avraham Avinu?

texts:
A convert is considered to be the child of Abraham when called up to the Torah - ben Avraham Avinu.

Does this still apply if the convert was born as a non-Jewish paternal descendant of Abraham? For example, if an Edomite or Ishmaelite converts, do their retain a halachic paternal lineage through Edom or Ishmael back to Abraham or are they reborn as direct children of Abraham?

In other words, does the principle of calling a ger as ben Avraham Avinu apply to all gerim universally, or only to gerim that were not already among Abraham's seed?

I do recognize that the majority, if not the vast majority, of converts were not born paternal descendants of Abraham, and that of those that are, very few have proof of their descent. I am asking about how things work in theory, or how they would work if everyone had accurate genealogies.


texts: Why no 2 days of yom Kippur out of israel

texts:
we have 2 days of yomtov for places out of Israel

But yom Kippur is one day

Why it is closer to the beginning of the month then rosh Chodesh

Similar
Why not two days of Rosh Hodesh, as we have two days of yontif?


texts: Why did latter Rabbis study Torah in solitude?

texts:
From the Talmudic discourse, it appears that there's a special merit of learning Torah in Beis Midrash especially in Chavrutah or with students.
However, I recognize an emerging pattern of the latter renowned Ashkenazi and Sefardic Rabbis that after teaching in a Yeshiva, preferred seclusion and studying Torah at home for decades.
Why is it?


texts: Why are abbreviations/omitted letters acceptable when naming the deity?

texts:
I am not Jewish, just curious.
I understand that, by the the third of the Ten Commandments, “You shall not take His name in vain.”
I also understand that followers of the Jewish religion should be cautious about this in case they inadvertently utter that name in vain.
However:
I sometimes see the following - "G-d" or similar written when naming the deity. There may be a prohibition against saying the actual name - but what about writing it?
We all know, and I am sure that G-d knows, what the missing letter is. Nobody is fooled by it. In effect, the hyphen is simply a different way of writing the letter "o" - it's just another symbol.
Why doesn't this break the prohibition?

P.S. How does one read out loud a passage that has the word "G-d" in it?


texts:
In Shemot Rabbah 13 Parshash Bo there's a story involving Abba Yosef. He responds to an invitation of scholarship by Avnimus with "...I can't come down because I'm a salaried worker."

I remember hearing a shiur (Rabbi Yosef Mizrahi - divineinformation.com) of another Rabbi who was working in the field and was approached by a student with a question. He, too, said he couldnt answer while working but could on break or afterward. (The story continues with his wife beautified coming to meet him.)

Who was this Rabbi? What's the source for this story? I haven't had much luck using MiYodeya using keywords.


texts: In regards to taking notes, highlighting, etc. - Is it permissible to write inside the Torah, Siddur and other holy books?

texts: I am studying for Jewish conversion and have many books that I am using. I write inside my commentaries and Jewish guidance books, but I am unsure as to whether or not I can do the same inside my Torah, Siddur and Shulhan Aruch. Please advise?


texts: Must a flambé be ignited by a Jew to remain kosher?

texts: Because of the halacha of Bishul Akum (or Bishul Yisrael, call it what you will), even if a food's ingredients are all kosher, it needs to have a Jew involved in the cooking process for it to be kosher.  There are many details here, and some forms of cooking are different than others.  But what about a flambé: if a non-Jew ignites it, does that make the food non-kosher?


texts:
There is a common custom to invite an important Biblical personage each night in the Sukkah (my custom is chronological - Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Yosef, Moshe, Aharon, David - but some customs arrange them in the order of the Sefiros, placing Yosef after Aharon instead).

The earliest source has already been discussed here. My question is the reason. Why do we invite these specific guests into the Sukkah? I guess based on the alternate minhag I cited above that there’s a connection with their respective Sefiros, but that just pushes off the question - what is the connection between the Sefiros and Sukkos?


texts: Why is the section of ארמי אובד אבי chosen as the main part of Maggid in the Seder?

texts:
Bab. Talmud Pesachim 116b says that during the Seder, one begins with shame / humility and ends with praise. Meaning, that during the Magid section of the Seder, we begin with the "mood" of our humble history as slaves in Egypt, and end with praising G-d for our Exodus and Redemption.

The Mishnah states that we use the section from Deuteronomy (I lost part of my web connection, so would appreciate of someone can edit in the location.) beginning with the words ארמי אובד אבי

Questions:

If the mitzvah on Pesach night is just to tell the story of the Exodus, why do we need any "theme" at all? What do the concepts of humility vs. praise have to do with telling the story of the Exodus?
If this theme is important or critical, aren't there other sections in the Torah that might accomplish the same job? (See next question, as an example)
The mitzvah is to tell the story of the Exodus. The section the Mishnah suggests seems like a round-about way to do this. ("Round-about in the method that we do it in the Haggadah. We recite verses then explain this by using proofs from other verses, the majority which are in Exodus. Why not just read those Exodus verses directly?) Why not read selected verses that talk about the 10 plagues (We do a bit of that in Maggid, anyway) from parshat Va'era and Bo, and perhaps some verses about the commandments of matzah and marror (like we recite in the Rabban Gamli'el part) and, maybe end with some verses surrounding the story of the Splitting of the Sea (more than the 1 or 2 verses that we recite related to Rav Akiva's sayings. etc.)?


texts:
This morning, a member of our synagogue raised an interesting question. Assume a congregation in Israel, which has to split the minyan in two in order to comply with precautionary measures due to the current coronavirus epidemic. There are two kohanim present. Should they go together, thus fulfilling literally the verse (Bemidbar 6:23):

דַּבֵּ֤ר אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹן֙ וְאֶל־בָּנָ֣יו לֵאמֹ֔ר כֹּ֥ה תְבָֽרְכ֖וּ אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אָמ֖וֹר לָהֶֽם׃
Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying: On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel; ye shall say unto them.

Or should they go to two different minyanim, so both groups would receive the priestly blessing?
Please note that based on this verse say Sotah 38a and Orach Chayim 138:10 that in case of a single kohein the prayer leader should not call kohanim aloud (to the contrary see Yerushalmi Berakhot 5:4 and Gittin 5:9).


texts: Is there an "implied" liability for damages caused after something was fixed?

texts:
You had a leak under your kitchen sink. You called someone to fix the broken pipe. The person fixes it and makes sure that the pipe no longer leaks.

You use the sink "normally" (i.e., you didn't "overload" it with grease or something that would clog the drain) and 2 days later the pipe bursts and floods your floor causing a lot of damage.

Is the repair person liable for the damage to your entire kitchen, just repairing the pipe again, or is he responsible for nothing at all, since he fixed the initial problem? In this case, assume that there is no specific written or verbal commitment that the work will last for any specific time. Is there something in halacha that implies a specific time that when someone fixes something it will last and work correctly?

Follow up based on comments:

The above is an example, not an actual happening. My question is asking for the halachic principles / theory in such cases, not a psak halacha for an actual case.

Al Berko's answer seems fine in terms of raising some of the halachic considerations. It would help to see sources.


texts: Those that refrain from Gebruks often eat Gebruks on Achron Shel Pesach. Would the people that refrain from Gebruks that live in Eretz Yisroel eat Gebruks on Sheviyi Shel Pesach?


texts: Why is the atara on a tallis always the same design?

texts: Maybe a frivolous question, but I am intrigued as to why the atara (the strip of cloth denoting where the tallis should rest on your shoulders) on every standard tallis (other than the fancy ones with metal trimmings, or the ones with the embroidered bracha) has the same floral design.  I know the stripes have some kabbalistic significance, but does the design on the atara have any significance?


texts:
I have tried, with difficulty, to find good Halachic information about kitniyot on Pesach for those who eat kitniyot (there's plenty of information for those who don't), specifically about whether it is possible to buy kitniyot on Pesach itself. In most years, I do buy before Pesach starts, but I have my mother visiting who has a very specific diet that requires much of her protein to come from beans and other legumes, and I realize now I do not have sufficient quantities in store.

I know there are opinions that require checking of rice 3x, for example, before Pesach, and others which do not require checking at all (but require removing foreign grains if these are found mixed in with the rice).  They base their decision on the superior processing of grains and legumes that exist nowadays, and the efforts of processors to segregate foods due to allergens.

On a related point, is part of the permissibility of kitniyot based on any traces of hametz being nullified as part of Biur Hametz on Erev Pesach?

Since there is a dietary need in place here, am I butting up simply against a minhagic prejudice (which doesn't actually apply to me, since I'm Sephardic) or is there a significant halachic concern in play? Is there wiggle room to allow me to provide for my mother's needs?


texts: Having a non-Jew do malacha for a katan on Yom Tov

texts:
On Shabbos a katan (child) gets the din of "choleh she'ein bo sacana" (a sick person who is not in risk of losing their life) in regards to their "needs" (see OC 276 and 328). And for a "choleh she'ein bo sacana" one is allowed to ask a non-Jew to do even a malacha d'oraisa (work that is forbidden by the Torah).

However we find in Hilchos Yom Tov OC 511 paragraph 2 that one may not ask a non-Jew to heat up water for them on Yom Tov for the purpose of giving a katan a bath (rechitza). How do we understand this in light of the fact that the we know the needs of a katan give them a status of a "choleh she'ein bo sacana" that we would then be allowed to ask a non-Jew to do a melacha d'oraisa?

Is this a contradiction? Is Yom Tov different? Is this case of "rechitza" on Yom Tov different? Why?


texts: Why mention Shabbat at Yom Tov havdalah?

texts: Shabbat and Yom Tov share the same text of havdalah (the main bracha), both in davening and with wine. It all makes sense for Motzei Shabbat, but why do we mention המבדיל בין יום השביעי לששת ימי המעשה (Who separates between the seventh day and the six days of creation) after Yom Tov?


texts: From where do we know that Yaakov has the spirit of prophecy when referred to as Yisroel?

texts: The Torah frequently shifts in references to Yaakov. I have heard that it refers to him as Yisroel when he is experiencing prophecy, and as Yaakov when his prophetic abilities are lacking, as they were when Yosef was thought to be dead.  Where does this idea come from (e.g. mesorah or textual) and what source is the best to reference for this?


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

Upvote all interesting answers.

Accept the best answer.

Go on to the next number.


texts: Can a jew buy pepperoni/sausage pizza for a non-jew

texts:
Can a Jew buy (for his own money) pepperoni/sausage pizza for his non-jewish employee as a treat/tip?
For example in honor of the jew's birthday

(meat an milk (that was heated together is forbidden for pleasure)


texts: Mixing left-to-right with right-to-left writing within the same text

texts:
Given that so many Ashkenazi and Sephardi Rabbis throughout the centuries have mixed Yiddish and Romance words with Hebrew script, I am somewhat inclined to expect, by way of analogy, that it was probably never [strongly] forbidden; however, given the proverbially rich diversity present within historical Jewish thought, I am not really or entirely sure, which is why I had to ask.

I was wondering what the Rabbis had to say about mixing left-to-right with right-to-left writing within the same page of text. Has this topic ever been addressed, if only superficially, by a relatively respectable or well-known authority?


texts: Why did Pharaoh let the Jews out if he thought they were leaving for 3 days in order to serve hashem when they were alreadys serving hashem there?

texts: It is my understanding that Pharaoh truly believed that he was allowing the Jews out (even towards the very end) for a 3 day journey and the reason behind this journey was to go to Sinai in order that the Jews could perform sacrifices to their God. In addition, Pharaoh's understanding was that these sacrifices couldn't be performed in Egypt because the animals being sacrificed (Lamb) were a "God" of the Egyptians and it was too dangerous for the Jews to sacrifice in Egypt. Given all this, we know, from midrashim that Pharaoh was informed of the events of Shabbos Hagadol where the Jews were tying lamb to their bedposts in preparation for a sacrifice, which should have raised some red flags to him since he hadn't given a go-ahead to the Jews to leave. What is even more concerning to me though is why did Pharaoh allow the Jews to leave at all given that on the night of maakot bechorot when Pharaoh approached Moshe's residence, presumably, he saw ample evidence of a sacrifice being performed right there in Egypt! The easy answer is that he just let them out and sent soldiers with the Jews, because he just wanted the plagues to end and he would worry about it later, but this seems a little simplistic and I wanted to see if the MY crowd would be able to add some insight.


texts: I have seen this in sefardi shuls but I am not sure as to what the reasoning behind it is. By kaddish, (yasom, to be exact) the entire congregation sits down. Usually by Ashkenazic shuls it is generally accepted that all will stand up for every kaddish? Why do the halachos by sefardim vary and why specifically by kaddish yasom?


texts:
Transferring (lifting and setting down) an object corresponds to one of the 39 melachot.

Which of the 39 does carrying correspond to?
By carrying,  I mean, for example, receiving an object from a person, walking in a public domain,  and having it taken from one with all of this taking place in a public domain.


texts: In the recent Operation Pillar of Defense against Gaza, many Palestinian civillians were killed by Israeli air-strikes (the Palestines claim the number is as high as 158, while according to the IDF the correct number is 57 [source]). Israel has stated that they do everything in their control to minimize casualties (utilizing precision strikes, issuing preemptive warnings to Palestinian residents and aborting strikes because of civilian presence) and in any war it is inevitable that there will be civilian loss. What does halacha say about this topic; it seems clear that we can and may defend ourselves but does halacha specifically address the issue of civilians getting killed in a military operation?


texts:
Are Starburst Fruit Chews kosher? This website below clearly has an OU on the right side. However, Gelatin appears on the ingredient list, and the oukosher.org website doesn't have any reference to Starburst, as far as I can tell.

https://www.marsfoodservices.com/products-brands/candy/starburst.aspx


texts: Reason for the order of cutting one's nails

texts:
Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 260:1 cites the Rema who states these rules when cutting one's nails:

The order for cutting the nails (numbered "digits") is:

Left Hand -  4,2,5,3,1
Right Hand - 2,4,1,3,5

Questions:

I understand the nails are not cut in order and the left hand is cut first, but why are they cut in the specific disorder listed?
Why is there a different order for the left and right hands?


texts:
Who knows five?
Please cite/link your sources, if possible. In about a day, I will:

Upvote all interesting answers.

Accept the best answer.

Go on to the next number.


texts:
Who knows forty-five?
Please cite/link your sources, if possible. At some point in the next few days, I will:

Upvote all interesting answers.

Accept the best answer.

Go on to the next number.


texts: Where and when did the numerical time units (hours) originate?

texts: The Torah states no numerical divisions for the day. The closest numeric we find is that there are 7 days in the week, and that the start of the "day" begins with "erev" (and there are debates on when that begins.) When and from where did the concept, in Judaism, of dividing the day into 12 "parts" called a "sha'ah" begin? We see such a concept in discussions of when to burn chametz and when to stop eating it (on erev Pesach), for example.


texts: Why does Rashi quote Vayikra 23:39 as the source for leap years?

texts: Why does Rashi quote Vayikra 23:39 as the source for Ibur Shana ("מכאן שנצטוו לעבר את השנים"), as opposed to Devarim 16:1 quoted by the Rambam in Hilchos Kiddush Hachodesh 1:1 ("והשנים שאנו מחשבין הם שני החמה שנאמר שמור את חדש האביב"). Rashi in Devarim also mentions Ibur Shana, but not with the same language. This is a follow up question of What is the biblical source for leap years?


texts: Where I can find an original Nusach Paras (Persian) Siddur?

texts: Where can I find a siddur with the original Persian (Parsi) Nusach (if such a siddur exists)?


texts: Is it allowed to change facing during the Amida, if one has find out that he\she is facing the wrong direction?


texts: How to keep the kitchen clean while observing Shabbos?

texts:
I know someone who has great difficulty observing Shabbos correctly, because she is very accustomed to using a sponge to clean dishes, and a sopping wet rag to clean kitchen surfaces (which are constantly getting very dirty due to serving several children food throughout the day). Leaving the sink full of dishes, or leaving kitchen surfaces dirty, are not acceptable to her because it is disgusting. Using a Shabbos scrubber with cold water doesn't wash dishes well enough for her (it doesn't get off fat or oil, for one thing). Just placing everything in the dishwasher is not a solution, because they need to be cleaned somewhat first for the dishwasher to be effective (requiring the sponge), and because many of her kitchen items can't go in the dishwasher.

My question is: How, as a practical matter, do people who are fully Shabbos-observant deal with cleaning kitchen surfaces or washing dishes on Shabbos without violating prohibitions such as squeezing and using the hot water faucet? Given the information above, how would you advise the person to transition to observing Shabbos while keeping the kitchen as clean as she likes?


texts:
In Tfilat ha-Derekh there are optional words "ותחזירנו לשלום". When do we add these? Sometimes it is written "if somebody means to return immediately say also..." and sometimes I've seen "at the same day" instead of immediately.

What of above is correct?


texts: Why is Avraham's monotheism not mentioned in the torah?

texts: One of the more famous achievements of Avraham was his discovery in a single God. However there is no mention of this accomplishment anywhere in the Torah. In fact there is no conclusive proof that he was a monotheist anywhere in the simple text of the Torah. Why is Avraham's discovery and belief in a single God not recorded in the Torah itself?


texts: Wash without saying a bracha and it's not pesach?

texts:
Inspired by this SMS Shut

  Bread without Water Q: I am stuck in a place without water. How can I
  eat bread? A: In extreme circumstances, one my wrap both hands with
  plastic bags, or gloves, in lieu of washing them with water. Q: Is it
  permissible to wrap the bread? A: No.

If someone washes their hands, and then puts on gloves (say it's really cold), do they say a bracha over the washing of their hands?

If a meal will only be eaten with a fork and knife, does one still wash and make a bracha on the washing?


texts: Source for calling the head table, Mizrah, like in "Rabbis sit at the Mizrah"

texts:
In Israel, when an important Orthodox event is held (convention, family celebration, etc), a head table is set at the front to accommodate the most honorable Rabbis. This is called "the Mizrah".

What is the source of calling the head table "Mizrah"?


texts: Yaaleh V'Yavo said in error when it is not Rosh Chodesh

texts: A fellow is praying the evening Maariv the night after Rosh Chodesh. In error he said Yaaleh V'Yavo. He realizes when he finished Shemona Esrei. Does he have to say over Shemona Esrei?


texts:
In the Tanakh Simanim, primarily Tehillim, (Feldheim) much of Ketuvim is written in a "shir format" where there are lots of line breaks and open spaces, not unlike Hazinu, Shirat HaYam or Shirat Devorah.

Is this the layout that these Ketuvim would appear if written on a klaf?
If the previous answer is yes, why don't other versions of Tanakh, like Artscroll, also format their Ketuvim like this, especially since they do in other parts of Tanakh?
Of all the Ketuvim, why is the one sefer with shir in the title, Shir HaShirim, not in this format?


texts: Where to get etrogim in the US after Sukkot

texts: NPR ran an article about the etrog market in the Jewish world. They mention that after chag, etrogim cost about $2 a pound (not to mention the ones which were passul to begin with). Does anyone know where to purchase etrogim in the US for human consumption?


texts: Is the war of Gog and Magog a spiritual war?

texts:
I read somewhere that, "That the war of Gog and Magog will be an internal, spiritual war, when everyone will have to battle to remain strong with his emunah, but it will not be a war fought with guns and weapons."

Is there any sefer that says this?


texts: Is there a source connecting the spices of the temple incense to the various sefirot?

texts: Does anyone know of a source or passage in Kabbalah or Hasidic literature that links the various spices for the Temple incense to the sefirot?


texts:
If someone was able to put themselves into a situation that they would be required to read the megillah twice (for example they went to Bnei Brak on the 14th of Adar then came to Jerusalem for the 15th of Adar) do they make a shechayanu when the megillah is read then on the 15th?

One could say that since the person already made one on the previous day's reading (whether it be only by night or by day as well) then they wouldn't have to make another one now. Or since every day is looked at as a separate "chiyuv" (requirement) then they would have to read the megillah now again with a shechayanu.


texts: Can you kill person A to protect yourself from B?

texts:
So it's really difficult to think of a practical example of this, but imagine there were some scenario in which, G-d forbid, you needed to kill a non-guilty party in self-defense. If one were in this scenario, what should one do, according to Jewish law?

On one hand, there are a whole slew of sources seeming to say that we don't give up our own life to save another's. On the other, there is the idea that one should give up his life rather than commit murder.

May you/should you/must you kill him? Please bring canonical sources.


texts: How could the people who just heard God's voice and seen open miracles, rebel?

texts:
The Jews who emerged from Egypt in the miracle at the Red Sea, and then who were given the Torah at Sinai, personally witnessed the presence of God -- or so I thought.

How can it be that the same people, shortly afterward, rebelled or openly complained against God multiple times, for example with the manna and with the Golden Calf?

It just doesn't make sense to me that you can witness absolute infinite power and then risk being obliterated by it by doing something said power said specifically not to do.


texts: You accidentally broke your fast. Now what?

texts:
What are you supposed to do if you inadvertently broke your fast*?  Do you:

keep going;
extend it (if so, how long);
cancel it (if so, do you make it up a different day)?

*This question is for day-fasts only.


texts: If Rabbi Google quotes Mi Yodeya, can i rely on his advice?

texts:
The Israeli Rabbinate is considering granting smicha (rabbinic ordination) to Google. Now, assuming he gets accepted, what if Rabbi Google's answer is to look at Mi Yodeya?
Mi Yodeya's policy states clearly:

Q: Does Mi Yodeya offer personal guidance in response to practical questions about Jewish law or attitudes, as a rabbi would?
A: It does not!
And we mean it!

So if Rabbi Google gives me a psak from Mi Yodeya, can i follow it?

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