texts: How far do we take the principle of “so that the daughters of Israel not be promiscuous toward immorality”?

texts:
The Gemara (Sanhedrin 75a) discusses a case of a man who became so lovesick for a woman that he fell deathly ill. The Chachamim said it would be better to let him die than to be intimate with her, and even to see her (unclothed), and even to speak with her through a wall.

The Gemara asks: why is it that we take the prohibition of immorality even on pain of death to such a degree that even to speak with her through a wall is prohibited? One answer presented (that of R’ Acha b. R’ Ika) is that even though she was single, they forbade this “so that the daughters of Israel not be promiscuous toward immorality.”

How far do we take this principle? Let’s say that a man is lying on the floor, and he has no pulse. May a woman do CPR, since that involves pushing on his chest and breathing into his airways? Similarly, is the Heimlich Maneuver prohibited, since that involves giving him a nice, big squeeze around the abdomen?

For the sake of this question, assume that all people involved are Jewish, and that there is nobody else around, and that by the time help can get there it will be too late. Further, I ask specifically according to this answer of the Gemara, so answering that Posek X doesn’t hold of this opinion isn’t a valid answer.


texts:
In all of my experience at Friday night meals, Aishes Chayil is always sung to the same tune. In the US and Israel, in Yeshivos and hotels, I've only heard one tune used.

What's the origin of this tune? Any information about it would be helpful.


texts: How were the “seven good men of the city” appointed?

texts: How were the “seven good men of the city” שבעה טובי העיר appointed? Was there an election and if so who could be candidates?


texts: May Jews create sculpture, and under what restrictions?

texts:
I do not know if a realistic or abstract freestanding or hanging sculpture of any
creature as art (for a museum or store) is permitted me to create or
for Jews to view, or whether it would be confused for an idol.  What
are the restrictions on Jews to create sculpture?


texts:
Someone told me that 'Happy Hanukka' is not a kosher greeting since it is following the laws of the non-Jews... (and there is no mitzvah to have a meal on Hanukka as on Purim (some say because many Jews died in the war).

What is the history of the greeting 'Happy Hanukka'?
When was it first used?
Is there a proof that it is a kosher greeting/wish?

(The question is not regarding the English word but the idea of happiness in the context of the holiday.)


texts: When did Hashem tell the world enough? In this song by Yaakov Shwekey the lyrics say "He who told his world enough, Can surely tell our problems-Enough! There will be happiness free of troubles-My father-just say ENOUGH!!". Under the lyrics the source is Midrash Tanchumah.


texts:
I have seen several different categorical terms to describe Jewish people, but I'm unclear of the distinctions.

Most notably, are there differences in theory and practice between Chasidic and Lubavitch Jews?

I'm not concerned with Conservative or Reform Judaism. But there are other terms I'm interested in: halachic Jew, Orthodox Jew not otherwise specified, and Chabad.

Can someone explain the differences?


texts:
Why do we wear a tallit at kol nidre?

And if one arrives late to kol nidre and night has fallen already, should he put one on?


texts:
I remember seeing an early authoritative source (Rishonim, maybe a Tosfos?) that noted which numbers are always (technically not always) used by the Rabbis to indicate exaggeration in stories (60, 300, etc.), but I don't remember where I saw it. So I pose the question:

What is the earliest source you can find that identifies certain numbers as being used by Chazal as hyperbole (not just in a situation or two, but systematically), and which numbers are they?


texts: Why do we need Cities of Refuge when Moshiach comes if at that time there will be no more death?


texts: Can the principle of ikar and tafel apply to wearing special clothing for shabbat?

texts:
If the majority of the clothes worn on Shabbat are special and set aside to be worn only on Shabbat and yom tovim can one mix in a minority of clothing usually worn during the week?

For example one has a special suit, tie, shoes and coat for Shabbat can he add to the outfit a winter hat worn during the week along with a warm sweater also worn during the week?

Can one do this le'hathilla or is it preferable for all the clothes to be specially designated for Shabbat/Yom Yov?

--

Rabbi Eli Mansour addresses the question of wearing weekday shoes:

  The Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909), in his work
  Rab Pe’alim, addresses the question of whether one must have a special
  pair of shoes designated for wearing on Shabbat. He proves from a
  number of sources that one is not required to have a special pair of
  shoes for Shabbat, though certainly one should polish his shoes and
  make sure they look presentable for Shabbat. The Kaf Ha’haim writes
  that one who can afford to purchase a special pair of shoes for
  Shabbat should preferably do so, though this is not required according
  to the strict Halacha.

But I wonder if shoes are the exception.


texts: Is a miniature Torah scroll considered a real Sefer Torah

texts:
My son received a miniature Torah scroll as a reward in Hebrew school.  The letters are not printed clearly and I cannot really read it well, but I would like to know if it should be accorded the respect usually given to a Sefer Torah.  For what its worth, the writing is too smudged for me to find an instance of Hashem's name written on it.  I'd like to hope they would use an abbreviation.

For instance:

I put it on display in our china cabinet, is it now an Aron?

If I say Tachanun in that room, should I put my head down?

If it gets ripped, should it be buried or put into a genizah?

Or possibly, is it not a Sefer and can just be considered a decoration like a Mizrach?

If you think this is too specific (ask your LOR), please rephrase the question.  I am not sure how to ask this in the abstract.


texts:
What does Halacha and Halachic Authorities have to say about the permissibility of a Jew practicing Yoga? Is it Avodah Zarah?

If it is problematic, are there methods of doing it where it would be permissible?

If it is permitted, are there restrictions? For example, what about going to a Yoga class? What about having a Yoga instructor who does follow the meditations and beliefs?

Are there some Yoga styles that are less problematic than others?

Here is an answer that differentiates between the meditations of Yoga (problematic) and the exercise aspect (not a problem).

On the other hand, this answer says that any Jew aware of the "philosophy" on which Yoga is based should be wary of getting involved in the exercises, even when they appear to be isolated..

Authoritative sources would be great.


texts:
Is it permissible to use a lock pick on shabbos?
 Obviously an electronic one would be prohibited.

what are the possible prohibitions?


texts:
People say the Jewish nation is married to the Torah. Where does it say that? I've heard its a Midrash, a Zohar, and a Gemara in Sanhedrin, but I haven't managed to find them.

(I know we refer to the day of Matan Torah as Yom Chasnuso but that's our marriage to Hashem, not to the Torah.)


texts: Why are rules of proper behavior not in the written Torah?

texts:
Pirkei Avot 1:1:

  Moshe received the Torah from Sinai...

Bartenura on Pirkei Avot 1:1:1:

  ... the author began with this tractate Moses received the Torah from
  Sinai, to say to you that the principles and the ethics that this
  tractate did not fabricate the sages of the Mishna counter to them,
  but rather this is what was said at Sinai.

I have bolded "said" as this implies that principles and ethics were delivered orally.

There is another rule (I'd appreciate if someone can edit the source:) דרד ארץ קדמה לתורה - Behavior (morals / ethics) preceded the Torah. IIRC, there are some that explains this to mean that the Torah was built on the foundation of Derech Eretz.

So if Derech Eretz was considered to be so important as to form the foundation of the Torah itself, why wasn't they written vs. being told orally? Something written tends to be less misinterpreted than something said, as there is a single original uniform source to refer as proof.


texts: Modesty for Men - Bodybuilding and Judaism

texts:
I have two practical questions concerning Modesty (Tzniut) for men and what Halacha says about it which concerns bodybuilding:

Can a man take half-naked pictures of himself (with only shorts or pans on like all bodybuilders do)? If yes, can he post those pictures?
What can be Judaism's view on bodybuilding, in general? I suppose it may be negative comparing it to idolatry (obsession with one's body) and cultures of Romans and Greeks.


texts:
Is being a vegan completely okay according to halacha?

Even if a vegan is not eating anything traif (non-kosher), perhaps it's not truly correct because you are not following the commandments to domesticate animals and eat meat.


texts: Would using gelatin as a fining agent for clarifying beer render the beer not kosher?

texts:
As per the answer in this question Is Guinness Beer no longer kosher?

that isinglass which is not intended to stay in the beer does not pose a kashrus concern then according to this logic would any fining agent be permitted to be used to clarify beer including gelatin?

Does the person adding the fining agent being Jewish or not have any impact on the use of fining agents?


texts: Why does the Reform Siddur cut out most of Krias Shema?

texts:
I noticed recently that for Krias Shema, Reform Jews only say the  first paragraph (V'ahavta) and the last couple verses of the third paragraph
(for an example: scroll down to page 18).

I know the Reform movement changed a lot of davening liturgy, but any idea why they specifically changed the text for Krias Shema?


texts:
I heard that king David had 18 wives.
Approximately how many wives did king Shaul have?


texts:
Is the studying of Aleph Bet (the hebrew alphabet) considered talmud torah? By studying Aleph Bet, I mean learning how to read and pronounce the letters/words (not the kabbalistic meaning behind the letters).
For example:

Can one learn/teach aleph bet before birchas hatorah?
Can one learn/teach aleph bet in the bathroom, or another place where talmud torah is forbidden?
Is learning aleph bet a mitzvah of Talmud Torah?

I have heard many unsubstantiated stories (mainly Chassidic) insinuating that they are. I am looking for sources either way.


texts: What happened to the utensils from the Second Bais Hamikdash?

texts: After the second temple was destroyed what happened to the keilim? When was the last time they were recordedly seen and where do historians or other academics believe they are today?


texts: What do our sources say about what happens the second you die. I’m pretty sure I heard somewhere that one’s soul comes out of their body and they float around the room. Are there any fascinating things that happen to one’s soul the moment they die or minutes after? Please cite sources.


texts: Is it forbidden for the Jews to Establish a Nation of Israel?

texts:
I keep on reading about a lot of Orthodox Jewish Rabbis opposed to the building of the nation of Israel as they deem it to be blasphemous and heresy in violation of God's commandment to the Jews.

I found some quotes from them:

  Prague (Czechoslovakian Rabbi and pivotal medieval Jewish leader,
  1525-1609) writes that a Jew should rather give up his life than
  attempt to end exile by conquering the Holy Land. (Netzach Yisroel,
  24)

  Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (German Jewish leader 1808 - 1888),
  "During the reign of Hadrian when the uprising led by Bar Kochba
  proved a disastrous error, it became essential that the Jewish people
  be reminded for all times of an important essential fact, namely that
  [the people of] Israel must never again attempt to restore its
  national independence by its own power; it was to entrust its future
  as a nation solely to Divine Providence:" (Hirsch Siddur, 1965:
  p.703)

  Again Rabbi Hirsch writes, "We mourn over that which brought about
  that destruction [of the Temple] we take to heart the harshness we
  have encountered in our years of wandering as the chastisement of a
  father, imposed on us for our improvement, and we mourn the lack of
  observance of Torah which that ruin has brought about. . . This
  destruction obliges us to allow our longing for the far away land to
  express itself only in mourning, in wishing and hoping; and only
  through the honest fulfillment of all Jewish duties to await the
  realization of this hope. But it forbids us to strive for the
  reunion or possession of the land by any but spiritual means." (Horeb,
  1981: p.461)

  Our Sages say G-d imposed three vows when he sent Israel into the
  wilderness:

  (1) that the children of Israel shall never seek to reestablish their
  nation by themselves;

  (2) that they never be disloyal to the nations which have given them
  shelter;

  (3) that these nations shall not oppress them excessively

  (Kesubos 111a)

Are there any biblical evidences from Tanach or those who believe in Oral Torah for such views?


texts:
Rashi on Shemot 5:4 says:

  GO YE UNTO YOUR BURDENS — Go to your work which you have to do at home; but it cannot signify “go to your labours as slaves”, for he was speaking to Moses and Aaron who were of the tribe of Levi, and the work of Egyptian slavery had not been imposed on the tribe of Levi. You may know that this was so, because Moses and Aaron went and came just as they pleased (Exodus Rabbah 5:16).

Why weren't the Levi'im enslaved like the other tribes? Is it that they were already serving as a kind of priestly tribe though this title was moved from the b'chorot to the tribe of Levi only later on in the Torah and it's a case of אין מוקדם ומאוחר בתורה? If so,
a. What duties exactly did they have at the time (with there being no Mishkan)?
b. Why should Pharaoh even care that their tribe had a different status among Bnei Yisrael, enough to respect it and not enslave them?

If it's not a case of אין מוקדם ומאוחר, is there a different explanation?


texts: Chamisha Asar Ushlosh Meyot - mi yodeya?

texts:
Who knows three hundred fifteen?
?חמישה עשר ושלוש מאות - מי יודע
In the spirit of the song "Echad - mi yodeya", please post interesting and significant Jewish facts about the number 315.
Is there a lazy gematria answer to this one? Perhaps, but it's still not ideal.
Check out mi-yodeya-series for the previous three hundred fourteen entries in this ongoing series.
Please include sources for your information wherever possible, as with all other answers on this site.


texts: Based on Mishlei 11:30 - Was the עֵ֤ץ הַֽחַיִּים֙ Ets HaChayim in Bereishit 2:9 a Tsadiq?

texts:
In Proverbs 11:30, we read an interesting statement regarding a Tsadiq's fruit being the Tree of Life.
Proverbs | Mishlei 11:30 states :
פְּֽרִי־צַ֖דִּיק עֵ֣ץ חַיִּ֑ים The fruit of a righteous man is the tree of life
Genesis | Bereishit 2:9 states :
וַיַּצְמַ֞ח יְהֹוָ֤ה אֱלֹהִים֙ מִן־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה כָּל־עֵ֛ץ נֶחְמָ֥ד לְמַרְאֶ֖ה וְט֣וֹב לְמַֽאֲכָ֑ל וְעֵ֤ץ הַֽחַיִּים֙ בְּת֣וֹךְ הַגָּ֔ן וְעֵ֕ץ הַדַּ֖עַת ט֥וֹב וָרָֽע And YHVH Elohim caused to sprout from the ground every tree pleasant to see and good to eat, and the [Tree of The-Life] in the midst of the garden, and the Tree of The-Knowledge of good and evil.

Based on Mishlei 11:30 - Was the עֵ֤ץ הַֽחַיִּים֙ Ets HaChayim in Bereishit 2:9 a Tsadiq (from whom Adam was to learn wisdom)?


texts: Aruch Hashulchan on municipality water for a mikvah

texts:
According to this article, Aruch Hashulchan allowed municipality water to be used for a mikvah. Below is the direct quote from the article. Where can this Aruch Hashulchan be found?

In the late 19th century, Rabbi Yehiel Michel Epstein (1829-1908), author of Arukh Hashulhan, declared unequivocally that water supplied from a system of pipes that channel water from a river to houses throughout a city can be used for a mikveh, provided that either the tube that feeds into the mikveh is affixed to the ground, or that the final three handbredths of that tube where it pours into the cistern is made out of a material that is not succeptible to tumah, such as wood.


texts: Are Conservative, Reform and those "off the derech" part of 'amcha'?

texts: There are several commandments that contain the phrase "b'amecha" (or a variation thereof). The gemarah darshans "b'oseh ma'aseh amcha" that those commandments only apply to a Jew who is acting in a way that is in keeping with the Jewish nation. Would Conservative, Reform and formerly-Orthodox ("off the derech") Jews be considered "oseh ma'aseh amcha" and if not are they therefore precluded from all of those commandments eg. one may speak lashon hara about them etc?


texts:
As far as I have been able to ascertain, there were only two individuals explicitly referred to as a "daughter of God" or had God refer to them as "My daughter":

Batya/Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, who adopted Moses (Vayikra Rabba 1:3)
Osnat, the wife of Joseph (the Hellenistic text Joseph and Asenath 11).

In addition, the Torah itself was personalized and considered to be God's daughter in Vayikra Rabba 20.

Is anyone aware of anyone else so mentioned in Jewish literature, from earlier than the period of the Rishonim?

And is it significant that both of the women cited above were Egyptian? (I'm aware that there is an opinion that Osnat was a granddaughter of Yaakov [Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer 35, 37])


texts:
What is the mainline Jewish view of "work"?
(1) Work is an just an option for those who have enough money to live on.  The Torah may say "Six days shall you labor and do all your work", but none of the Sources or commentators interpret this as a commandment to work for six days.  (It's just a preamble for the commandment of Shabbat.)  Work is, however, encouraged.  The Mishna says simply: "Love work -- Ehav et hamlakhah." [Pirkei Avot 1:10]
(2) Work is a religious obligation.  The Rambam says [Mishneh Torah, Laws of Torah Study 3:10-11]:

Anyone... who makes up his mind to study Torah and not work, but live on charity, profanes the name of God, disgraces the Torah, obscures the light of religion, causes harm to himself, and deprives himself of life in the World to Come; for it is forbidden to derive temporal advantage from the words of the Torah [such as being supported by them] … The end of such a person will be that he will rob his fellow man.
[On the other hand,] anyone who supports himself by the work of his hands possesses a great virtue … He will attain all the glory and happiness of both this world and the World to Come, as [the psalmist] wrote: "When you eat the fruit of the labor of your hands, you shall be happy and it shall be well with you." [Psalms 128:2]

(3) Work is punishment for not being observant enough.  The Mechilta [at Ki Tisa] says:

One verse says "In six days work shall be done" [passive voice] [Ex. 31:15, Ex. 35:2, Lev. 23:3] and another says, "Six days shall you work and do all your work" [active voice] [Ex. 20:9, Ex. 34:21, Deut. 5:13] .  How can both be true?
It means that when [Israel] does not do the will of God, they will do their work themselves, and when Israel is doing the will of God, their work will be done by others, as it is written:
And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and tend your vineyards.  But you shall be named the Priests of the Lord.  Men shall call you the Ministers of our God; you shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their riches you shall glory. [Isaiah 61:5]

(4) Work is a necessary evil.  Derived from combining (1) and (3).
Question:  Is working for a living an option, an obligation, punishment, or an evil?  (It can't be all of them.)


texts: In the Al Cheit prayer, do we say bagalui or b'galui?

texts:
In the Al Cheit prayer, is it

Al cheit shechatanu l'fanecha bagalui uvasater

or is it

Al cheit shechatanu l'fanecha b'galui uvasater

I get about the same number of hits whichever of the two I type into Google.


texts:
Why do we say Shalom Alaichem to one person if Alaichem is plural?

Is it saying you and all of the Jews? Is that why it's plural?


texts: Why do some count the Omer before Aleinu and some after?


texts: Who invented the meditation that is often printed before such things as counting the 'Omer, inviting the Ushpizin, and other Mitzvoth or Mitzvah-related activities, and what is the basis for it?


texts:
In my Artscroll chumash, on Bereishit 31:53, there is an asterisk next to the two uses of "elohei" which refer to the "god" of Nachor and of "their fathers."

It looks like this

אֱלֹהֵ֨י אַבְרָהָ֜ם *וֵֽאלֹהֵ֤י נָחוֹר֙ יִשְׁפְּט֣וּ בֵינֵ֔ינוּ *אֱלֹהֵ֖י אֲבִיהֶ֑ם וַיִּשָּׁבַ֣ע יַעֲקֹ֔ב בְּפַ֖חַד אָבִ֥יו יִצְחָֽק׃

On the side of the page there is this

חול*

But I'm not sure why that is there. If this is commentary on the fact that the "elohei" reference is not holy (that is, it is a reference to a secular, non-divine object) then why is it written in the text and not in a commentary? The side of the page is usually for notes about reading/pronunciation or large or small letters, not for points of meaning.

--------------Irony Edit------------

I don't see any markings in an actual Tikkun


texts: Must I take maaser from my income nowadays?

texts: I heard that we don't have to give maaser from our income nowadays because we are outside of Israel and without the Beit Hamikdash. Is this true?


texts:
Someone mentioned that the Gemara in Mo'ed Katan (16b) says:
צדיק גוזר והקב"ה מקים, the tzaddik decrees it and HaKadosh Baruch Hu fulfills it.

I looked in Mo'ed Katan and could not find צדיק גוזר והקב"ה מקים.

Does anyone a Gemara that states these exact words?


texts: Variations in Spelling Names, especially on Matzevot

texts:
With all my reading of inscriptions on matzevot, especially in Slovakia, I come across issues I cannot resolve.

Take the name of Yehuda (יהודה). Anyone with some knowledge of the Torah and shevatim knows how it should be spelled.  That it also has within it shem H-shem is readily discernible.  So I wonder why I have seen it written variously as יהודא, with an aleph at the end, or Yuda (יודא, יודה).  Were they being so cautious as to not inscribe shem H-shem?  If this is a Yiddish form of the name, why use this form rather than the real Hebrew spelling?

Would they even have written it in one of these ways on a ketuba or get?

Any suggestions for this practice?

Thanks in advance.

To all who responded, thanks for all your observations.

I'd like to add, that I may still have a puzzle though:  I might expect that if they had some additional wording in Aramaic on a matzeva, that then they might have been consistent with Yehuda with an aleph.  It will take some time to review those instances.

In the thousands of Ashkenazi matzevot I have looked at so far, it was very rare indeed to find an inscription in Yiddish.  So maybe as some have indicated it is just a minhag (custom) and I just won't worry about it too much.


texts:
The Gemara (Bab. Ber. 24b*) quotes R' Yehudah as saying that anyone who leaves Bavel to go to Israel violates an Isur 'Aseh (a violation of the parameters of a positive commandment), because the Navi says (Jer. 27:22), "They shall be brought to Babylon and there they shall [remain] until the day I redeem them."

Four(-ish) part question:

Why does the Navi have the power to enact a Biblical(-style?) law?
According to R' Yehudah, why was this still in effect in the times of the Talmud?  After all, the Babylonian exile had ended and the Second Temple had been built by that time (and used for several hundred years, desecrated, re-dedicated, used for about 200 years more, and then destroyed again).  Although R' Abba (and most Jews) lived in Bavel, this was the period of the Roman exile, which has lasted to today.

a. Did the Isur 'Aseh apply for all generations?

b. Does the Isur 'Aseh apply specifically because they went back to Bavel?

c. (If b.) Does the Isur 'Aseh apply only in Bavel?
(Closely related to 2a) According to R' Yehudah, would this apply even today?  (Same sub-questions - does it apply only to Jews living in Iraq, or to everyone, and why?)
What about leaving Bavel to go somewhere else?

*Sorry, I'm behind on my Daf-Yomi Challenge questions!^

^(Others should feel free to participate!)

BTW, this should not get into Hashkafic considerations or political discussions with regard to positions held by Natorei Karta and/or other groups, although this may be the basis for their position. This question is purely exploring the Halachic reasoning of R' Yehudah as recorded in the Gemara.


texts: "Where's the court's power to assess?" Who cares?

texts: The mishna, K'subos 11:5, quotes Raban Shim'on ben Gamliel as saying that a court's property assessment is effective even when found to be far off the mark. The reason he gives is "otherwise, where's the court's power?". I fail to understand this. Why are we interested in boosting the power of the court in this regard? I can understand we want the court's decisions to have teeth, but that's in regard to decisions of guilt, innocence, liability, lack of liability, etc. If the court is not believed in such decisions, people will adjudge cases privately and anarchy will reign. But if the court is not believed in assessments, people will assess property privately and… so what? We don't mind people's assessing property privately, do we? Why do we need to enact a safeguard for the court's power?


texts: List of Seforim that are mentioned in the Pischei Teshuva

texts:
In his hakdamah, the Pischei Teshuva lists off 192  seforim that he used in his sefer.
Did anybody ever publish a comprehensive collection of all the seforim that are used in the Pischei Teshuva, either in the order of the Shulchan Aruch or all the relevant teshuvos from that particular sefer (e.g. you will have all the Shu''t Maharshal that he brings down in one place)?


texts: can the bride's family force Sheva Brachot

texts:
the shuchan aruch says:
Even HaEzer 64.4

  אִם הֶחָתָן אֵינוֹ רוֹצֶה לַעֲשׂוֹת סְעֻדָּה, וּקְרוֹבֵי הַכַּלָּה רוֹצִים שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה סְעֻדָּה, כּוֹפִין אוֹתוֹ שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה סְעֻדָּה לְפִי כְּבוֹדוֹ וּלְפִי כְּבוֹדָהּ
  If the bridegroom doesn't want to make a feast, but the bride's relatives do want him to make a feast, we compel the bridegroom to make a feast according to his honor and her honor.

is this regarding one meal (if yes then when must it be? (can it be a few days after the wedding?)) or all the Sheva Brachot?
can the bride's family force them (because of the above law) to have Sheva Brachot everyday?


texts:
Interestingly, in English and other languages, we treat "Adam" as the private name, not as a noun, but in the Torah it is a noun, for example (Ber 2.25):

  וַיִּהְיוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם עֲרוּמִּים הָאָדָם וְאִשְׁתּוֹ וְלֹא יִתְבֹּשָׁשׁוּ׃

The two of them were naked, the man and his wife, yet they felt no shame.

So, did Adam have a private name at all?

Interestingly we saw the same difference in calling his wife's names: in the beginning, she was called "wife" as the Posuk says "ייקרא אישה" but later he calls he the name Chavah - "וַיִּקְרָא הָאָדָם שֵׁם אִשְׁתּוֹ חַוָּה" - specifically "שם". But Adam wasn't given a name.


texts:
Are there any sources from chazal explaining the significance of the Dead Sea in Israel.

(what is it doing here and why)

The Dead Sea is a very unusual phenomena worldwide. it also happens to be the lowest point on earth.


texts: From the Torah itself how do we know that various names of God points to the same God?

texts:
Jews believe that God, while having many names, is actually one.

So the idea is that El Elyon, Elohim, El Shadai, YHWH, Adonai, El, are just names mostly referring to the same being.

Is there any verses in the Torah that makes it clear, that all those are just names of the same God, instead of names of different gods?

Shema comes close to this, but one could argue that the Shema speaks of a new god. Then there are things like YHWH telling Moshe that he used to be known by a different name and now want to be known as YHWH.

These verses are intriguing but leave me with questions. I'm looking for a verse (or several verses) that gives a really strong proof.


texts: Where is the term "Jewish philosophy" first attested?

texts:
Jewish philosophy has become such a commonplace term that a great many versions of Wikipedia include entries on this subject.
Where is the term Jewish philosophy first attested? Surely this term appeared in a classical language (such as Greek, Arabic, Hebrew or Latin) long before it was used in the numerous German, French and English textbooks on the subject?


texts:
At one point in time Avraham asks his servant Eliezer to go out and search a wife for his son.

In Bereshit 24:7 Avraham tells him that HaShem will send His messenger (malach) before him.. Eliezer then tells Laban that Avraham told him that HaShem would send His messenger with him and prosper his way (verse 40).

In the rest of the story there is no mention of this messenger. How did Avraham knew of such a messenger, and what did this messenger actually do?


texts: Is it Halachically permissible to daven Shemonah Esrei while wearing a Bluetooth device on my ear? Or would that be forbidden due to a lack of respect to Hakodosh Boruch Hu?


texts: Is honey extracted from a dead bee kosher?

texts: Bees themselves are not kosher, but their honey is. The honey is taken from the hive. If I found a bunch of dead bees and I cut them open and extracted the honey from the body, can I eat this?


texts:
In the standard Ashkenazi version of the siddur, we have in the birkat hachodesh: שֶׁתְּחַדֵּשׁ עָלֵינוּ אֶת הַחדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לְטובָה וְלִבְרָכָה. וְתִתֶּן לָנוּ...חַיִּים שֶׁאֵין בָּהֶם בּוּשָׁה וּכְלִמָּה...

I remember reading that there is a variant version which reads (something like):
חַיִּים שֶׁיש בָּהֶם בּוּשָׁה וּכְלִמָּה

Does anyone know where the latter version can be found and/or the history of it?


texts:
Many people use the phrasing "may the Neshama have an Aliyah" at a shiva, shloshim, or yahrtzeit celebration. Which aliyah is better to give to the deceased?  Shlishi, Shishi, or Maftir?
Also, when calling up the deceased for the Aliyah, does one change the formula to include an indication that they have passed?

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


texts: What does the Bible say about a father walking his daughter down the aisle at her wedding?

texts:
I believe a father's walking his daughter down the aisle at her wedding came about as a Jewish tradition. If so, why is this done and what does it symbolize?

Is it a biblical tradition?  What is the father's biblical role in the wedding specifically?

Does the father's role change if this is the daughter's second marriage, after a divorce in her first marriage?


texts: How is it possible that you would only be able to do Matanos L'Evyonim with food? (you have money)


texts: In 2 Esdras 14:46, what are the "last seventy" scrolls and do they still exist?

texts:
In 2 Esdras 14:37-48, the story is told of Ezra's restoration of the Tanakh

  37 I took the five men, as he had commanded me, and we went out into the field and remained there. 38 So it happened to me on the next day that a voice called me: “Ezra, open your mouth and drink what I give you to drink.” 39 So I opened my mouth, and a full cup was set before me. It was full of something like water, but its color was like fire. 40 I took it and drank, and when I had drunk it my heart poured forth understanding, and wisdom increased in my heart, for my spirit retained memory. 41 My mouth was opened and wasn’t shut anymore. 42 The Most High, moreover, gave understanding to the five men, and they wrote in turns what was dictated, in characters that they didn’t know, and they sat for forty days. They wrote by day, 43 but by night they ate bread; however, I spoke by day and wasn’t silent by night. 44 Ninety-four scrolls were written in the forty days. 45 Then when the forty days were completed, the Most High said to me, “Make public the ones you wrote first so that the worthy and unworthy may read them. 46 But keep the last seventy so that you may transmit them to the wise among your people. 47 In these are the fountains of understanding, the source of wisdom, and the river of knowledge.” 48 And so I did.

Most scholars agree that the first twenty-four scrolls refer to the twenty-four books in the Jewish canon of the Tanakh.

However, Wikipedia states that the "last seventy" scrolls could refer to refer to the Septuagint, most of the apocrypha, or the lost books that are described in the Bible.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2_Esdras#4_Ezra

I am wondering if any of the Jewish users here can help in explaining this mysterious passage and what it most likely refers to.


texts:
I was recently a guest at the home of Reb Yid for Leil Shabbos. He sang a song as follows שלום אליכם מלכי השריס מלכיליון... Sholom Aleichem Malchei HaShoreis Malcheiyelyon...
Who are these assistant kings? (Malchei Hashoreis)

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


texts:
This answer to a different question states that the only other language a sefer torah can be written in and be kosher is Greek. (Rambam, Hilchot Sefer Torah 1:19 says that this Greek no longer exists as a language.)

Was a sefer torah ever actually written in Greek?

I am not referring to the Septuagint translation, which was never intended to be a kosher sefer torah.


texts: Were there any sages who supported the Zealots during the siege of Jerusalem?

texts: In Gittin 56a-b, we read how the sages warned the Zealots (a.k.a. the Biryonim) to not wage war with the Romans who were holding Jerusalem under siege, but that the Biryonim set fire to the store houses, making war inevitable.  Thereafter, Yochanan ben Zakkai faked his death and negotiated with Vespasian, the Roman General and future Caesar, to spare the city of Yavneh and to spare the line of Nesiim -- the family of Rabban Gamliel.  Were the sages united in opposing the Biryonim's tactics?  Or were there some well-known rabbanim who were known to have fought and died with the destruction of Jerusalem?


texts: Difference in starting order of Psukei Dezimra

texts:
The order of the beginning of Puskei Dezimra (weekday Shacharit for purposes of this question, although the structure for Shabbat / Yom Tov is similar with additional Tehillim) differs between Nusach Ashkenaz and Nusach Sefard

Nusach Ashkenaz:

Mizmor Shir Chanukat Habayit (Psalm 30)
Baruch She'amar
Hodu
Mizmor Letodah (Psalm 100)

Nusach Sefard:

Hodu
Mizmor Shir Chanukat Habayit (Psalm 30)
Baruch She'amar
Mizmor Letodah (Psalm 100)

Why the difference in the order?


texts: Is glazed porcelain considered earthenware or glass for building menorahs?

texts: This is a more specific question related to the one of "what can a menorah be made of?"  Glazed porcelain has a layer of essentially what becomes glass after the glaze is fired.  Bare porcelain would of course be earthenware.   So, which category does glazed porcelain fall under?


texts: Disparity between male and female pronunciation of Cholam

texts: In many Yeshivish communities in the US, the male segment of the population vocalizes the cholam as "oi," while their female counterparts vocalize it as a long "o". How did this come about? Does the same phenomenon exist in countries other than the US? And is there any historical precedent for this kind of disparity?


texts: Is it considered Pikuach Nefesh if you break Shomer Negiah to give someone emotional comfort?

texts: I've asked myself this before, but I'm not sure. Say that you see someone depressed, severely depressed and they just need a hug. If they're the same gender, that's all fine and dandy. However, if you're not the same gender then you're obviously doing negiah. Now, I understand there's some wiggle room with rabbinic mitzvot (however, Rambam and other halachic commentators claim that negiah is actually a biblical commandment). Could such a touch (even if sexual desire is derived from it) be excused or is it still an avera?


texts: Did the Israelites erase their tracks from Egypt to Eretz Yisrael?

texts: I remember reading that Moses gave one tribe of Israel the task of erasing every trace of the Israelites' journey from Egypt to the Promised Land.  Is this accurate, what is the source, and what would be accomplished by such an exercise?


texts:
Is it proper for a man to hold open a door for a woman?  (Does it matter if it's his wife, or any other woman?)

The American-manners, don't-dare-be-or-look-like-a-misogynist part of me says "always, of course; don't make a chilul Hashem."  But I believe there's a quote from Chazal frowning on the practice (I think related to Judges 13:11)?  I vaguely recall this has been discussed someplace?  Anyone?


texts:
Is it permitted to make a snowman? Or is it considered constructing a graven image?

Prompted by this:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/saudi-arabia-issues-fatwa---4967400


texts: Does anyone recommend brisker-style seforim specific to Horayos or Eduyos? Additionally, are there and modern research style discussions on judicial error in Horayos available?


texts:
Motzei Shabbos when making Havdala one realizes he has no cloves, cinnamon sticks or any other spice to make the Beracha (blessing on fragerences) Borei Minei Besamim. Can the person take a cinnamon bun or Danish and make the Beracha of Borei Minei Besamim on them?

Sources please.


texts: What does it mean to be contaminated until the evening after immersion?

texts: If someone is a baal keri [they had a seminal emission], and they clean themselves, they remain contaminated until evening (Lev 15:16). What does that entail? Does being contaminated until evening mean they can't go to work without the fear of contaminating others?


texts: In the Bible it says [Gen 3:8]: "And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day". It seems God has carnal body (thus he could walk). In Judaism compared with Christianity and Islam, they often think God is not in a visible form. So my question is 'is it real that God has a body in Judaism'?


texts: PTIJ: How can I tell if my cat is Jewish?

texts:
I suspect that my cat might be Jewish, but I'm not sure. I do have several reasons for my suspicion. He seems to love my sforim and will consistently sit on top of them when they are left out. If I try to read a sefer, he will often jump into my lap and sit between me and the page, so he can see it. He clearly prefers my kosher fish to his food which lacks hashgacha. Every Shabbos, he naps in the afternoon. He has even shown fascination with my tzitzis. Finally, he has never asked me for a cheeseburger.
I would love to determine once and for all if he is a Jew. How can I tell?
This question is Purim Torah and is not intended to be taken completely seriously. See the Purim Torah policy.


texts: The Declaration (Viduy) said when bringing the BIKKURIM includes saying  “An Aramian wanted to destroy my father, and he went down to Egypt”  Yaakov had many things Happen to him why choose the episodes with Lavan and going down to  Egypt (Mitzrayim) versus his battles with his brother Eisav?


texts:
We learned that:
If no cup is available for washing one's hands, one can immerse them into a river or into snow, if there's enough snow on the ground to fill a Mikve. (About 500 litres/130 gallons of water.)

This applies to washing three times after arising as well as washing before eating bread.

Source Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 2:6, 40:7

Somebody wanted to know if one could tovel dishes in snow. Any sources for an answer?


texts:
Sheimos HaTzaddikim is a very unique prayer within Breslov which is pretty much reciting the names of many righteous people, from characters within the Tanach to fairly modern figures.
I could not find an informative page for those who haven't heard of the prayer, but I did find the text of the whole thing on ויקיטקסט, which you can see here.
The Breslov Siddur says the following:

The very names of the tzaddikim possess a profound mystical significance. Rebbe Nachman's teachings on this subject prompted Reb Noson to compile the Sheimos HaTzaddikim (Names of the Tzaddikim), which includes all the tzaddikim in the Bible and in rabbinic literature.

There are many, many, figures in this compilation of which I am not familiar with. Is there a book or somewhere online in which I could look up the name of a tzaddik and read a short biography?
Such an encyclopedia would be useful even for those not reciting Sheimos HaTzaddikim, as sometimes you might read about a Tanna, Rishon, etc. you don't know who is.


texts: What if you miss the time of the sprinkling?

texts:
In parshat chukat it says that if you become tamei due to a dead body, you become pure again by being sprinkled with red-heifer ash-water on the third and seventh day of your impurity, but if you don't then you remain impure...
12 the same shall purify himself therewith on the third day and on the seventh day, and he shall be clean; but if he purify not himself the third day and the seventh day, he shall not be clean.
יג  כָּל-הַנֹּגֵעַ בְּמֵת בְּנֶפֶשׁ הָאָדָם אֲשֶׁר-יָמוּת וְלֹא יִתְחַטָּא, אֶת-מִשְׁכַּן יְהוָה טִמֵּא--וְנִכְרְתָה הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַהִוא, מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל:  כִּי מֵי נִדָּה לֹא-זֹרַק עָלָיו, טָמֵא יִהְיֶה--עוֹד, טֻמְאָתוֹ בוֹ.    13 Whosoever toucheth the dead, even the body of any man that is dead, and purifieth not himself--he hath defiled the tabernacle of the LORD--that soul shall be cut off from Israel; because the water of sprinkling was not dashed against him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him.

So what happens if you miss days 3 and 7 of the sprinkling (either intentionally or on purpose). Are you tamei forever?


texts: Magid Mesharim: How is it that the angel knew Aramaic?

texts: There is a book called "magid mesharim" written by Maran Bet Yosef in Aramaic through the exact words of an angel. My issue with this is that we learned from some Gemaras (Shabbat 12b is one) that angels don't know Aramaic. How did the angel know Aramaic?


texts: Story identification: Rabbeinu Tam argues with Moshe Rabbeinu

texts:
In this answer, a strange and rather fascinating story is quoted from the Seder Hadoros:

  Seder Hadoros (year 4930) brings the story of an argument between
  Rabeynu Tam and other Rishonim regarding how one should tie the knot
  of the Tefillin. Eventually, Moshe Rabeynu himself is called down from
  heaven and asked his opinion. He testifies that he personally saw the
  back of Hashem's Tefillin shel Rosh, but Rabeynu Tam is not persuaded.
  In the words of the Seder Hadoros: "Rabeynu Tam got up like a lion and
  said Moshe Rabeynu you are mistaken!".

Does anyone have a source for this story, and/or any record of discussion regarding the veracity and validity of this story?


texts: The halachic transfer of property between parties (chaloth kinyan) conventionally involves a physical exchange of a tangible object (maaseh kinyan).  For example, the rabbi of the synagogue I used to attend prior to the apocalypse, when acting as an agent for selling chametz, used to always have the seller sign a tangible contract authorizing his agency. In addition, the agency itself was apparently effected by a kinyan chalipin involving the seller acquiring the pen from the rabbi.  Considering the current crisis, is there a  universally accepted way for all parties involved to effect a halachic sale remotely, avoiding any need for direct physical contact between the parties?


texts:
The Wikipedia page (from Jewish encyclopedia) for Rabbi Meir Shiff states:

  A mnemonic index to the Bible and the Talmud by him is also extant.

Where can I find such an index?


texts: Why is "An'im Zemirot" called "Shir Hakavod"?

texts:
In most Siddurim (Nusach Ashkenaz and Sefard) the hymn that starts with the words "An'im Zemirot" is denoted in the Siddur as "Shir Hakavod" - sometimes translated in English in the Siddur (such as Birnbaum) as "Hymn of Glory".

I surmise that because the words in the hymn contain many metaphoric praises of G-d, it got this name, but, I'm uncertain if that's the reason. How, when, and why did it get this name? Is this called something else (other than "Anim Zemirot") by any other group ?


texts:
I was reading Torah recently and someone came up and asked me how I pronounced Yissachar. I didn't realize there were multiple ways of reading the name. He told me there was a dispute and so he wanted to know how my tradition pronounced it. I told him I never received any specifics about it.

I then googled and found this article: http://hirhurim.blogspot.co.il/2008/05/yisachar-or-yisaschar.html

however this article seems to be traditional rather than tradition based. And by that I mean that it seems like scholars are reading back into a discrepancy rather than having a solid tradition passed down. Since I know Yemenites did an excellent job passing down tradition, I want to know if they also have multiple ways of pronouncing the name during a Torah reading.


texts: Is numerology an acceptable Jewish practice?

texts:
Is numerology an acceptable Jewish practice, and if so how does one differentiate between it and non-Jewish forms?

According to Wikipedia

  Numerology is any belief in the divine or mystical relationship
  between a number and one or more coinciding events. It is also the
  study of the numerical value of the letters in words, names, and
  ideas. It is often associated with the paranormal, alongside astrology
  and similar divinatory arts.

The second sentence sounds like Gematria. However, does Judaism accept any connection between numbers and events or the description in the last sentence?

Is it Jewish to ask someone their birthday and assign characteristics to them using that information? I'm going to assume this type of practice is not condoned.


texts:
The Artscroll siddurim (that I've seen, I haven't done a full survey of the siddurim and machzorim) translate the last line of Yetziv Pitgam as a reference to Yonatan ben Uziel.

The Artscroll chumash, on the other hand, translates it differently, as a reference to Hashem, Who gave (יהו-נתן) the Torah to Moshe (גבר ענותן).

Since Yetziv Pitgam is an introduction to the targum on the haftara, it's pretty clear that the first interpretation is the simple understanding.  What is the earliest source for the Artscroll chumash's more creative reading?  Is there any evidence that the paytan intended the double meaning?


texts: What is the best translation of the Tanakh with commentary?

texts: I am looking for a good translation of the Tanakh with commentary.


texts:
This answer asserts that R' Auerbach held that not using electricity on Shabbat is a minhag. However, assuming that this ruling dates to the 1930s (which is what I have heard in the past), everyday usage of electricity went back only about 50 years.

Based on this information, how could R' Auerbach assert that not using electricity on Shabbat is a minhag, considering its [electricity's] relative novelty?


texts: David had the Holy Spirit. Can any jew have it too?

texts:
"Cast me not away from Your presence; and take not Your holy spirit from me."
    Psalms 51:11
    "(51:13) <<

According to this  post, our Creator gives us a Yechidah at the time of conception, which (I guess) is not the same holy spirit that David is referring to in his psalm?


texts: Is there any permissible way to put cooked dry food into an oven on Shabbat?

texts:
I know that this seems like a very generalized question. But, perhaps, someone can help me understand something.

I've viewed a number of online sites regarding whether one is allowed to rewarm dry / solid completely cooked food into an oven on Shabbat morning after it has been in the fridge. I checked OU, CRC, BVK articles on this topic. There is not one that seems to allow doing this. They all state that one can use a "warming drawer" if it is lined with foil and the nobs are covered.

Yet, I know a number of religious "black hat" Orthodox families that have been reheating cold food in ovens for years.

Am I missing some leniency or method here, or have they been ignorant and doing things wrong?


texts:
The Gemara states the following:

Abaye said: Jerusalem was destroyed only because people desecrated the Shabbos in it (Shabbos 119b)
Rabbi Abbahu said: Jerusalem was destroyed only because its citizens intentionally omitted recitation of Shema morning and evening (ibid. 119b)
Rav Hamnuna said: Jerusalem was destroyed only because schoolchildren there were interrupted from studying Torah (ibid. 119b)
Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Jerusalem was destroyed only because its small and the great citizens were equated. They did not properly value the prominent leaders of their generation (ibid. 119b)
Rav Amram, son of Rabbi Shimon bar Abba, said that Rabbi Shimon bar Abba said that Rabbi Ḥanina said: Jerusalem was destroyed only because the people did not rebuke one another (ibid. 119b)
Rabbi Yehuda said: Jerusalem was destroyed only because they disparaged the Torah scholars (ibid. 119b)
Rava said: Jerusalem was destroyed only because there were no more trustworthy people there (ibid. 119b)
Jerusalem was destroyed on account of Kamtza and bar Kamtza (Gittin 55b)
Rabbi Yoḥanan says: Jerusalem was destroyed only for the fact that they adjudicated cases on the basis of Torah law in the city... they established their rulings on the basis of Torah law and did not go beyond the letter of the law (Bava Metzia 30b).

Elsewhere, tractate Yuma 9b and Yerushalmi, Yuma 4b states the following:

Why was the Second Temple destroyed? It was destroyed due to the fact that there was שנאת חנם, wanton hatred, during that period...

Was Jerusalem's destruction triggered by the nine reasons that the Gemara lists above or did שנאת חנם, wanton hatred, seal the fate (i.e. cause Hashem) to destroy Jerusalem?


texts:
In parshas Ki Tavo there is much talk in the curse section about parents eating their own children, G-d forbid.  We understand this came into fruition in the time of the first Temple's destruction.  Question is: How is this possible for Jewish people?  Even in the worst of situations there are countless stories of the incredible selflessness, and Chasidus explains that this is because of  the G-dly Soul in every one of us.

I personally know someone who recalls that during the holocaust her mother would get a single crust of bread per day and would break it into prices for her children to eat while the mother would not eat any of it.  We are known for rising up against physical things especially in the most difficult of situations.  How do we understand the Torah setting this as a consequence?

Further Rashi comments, "because they will be besieging the city and there will be distress there - the oppression of hunger." So we are talking about something within the bounds of nature - not a Divinely inspired sense of selfishness coming on the people.


texts:
Being born in the galut, I'm not well acquainted with the laws of tithing. However, I'll need to spend some time in Israel, therefore I started to read about it. As OU's guide says, one should wrap and discard terumah gedolah and terumat maaser, many say that plastic should be used to wrap it.

As all my grandparents were Holocaust survivors, I have concerns about discarding food in general, but this plastic wrapping is quite a polluting practice. How was it done in the old days? For example, the separated challah was put in the fire of the oven, but we're using electric ones now. Are there any other, more environmentally friendly ways to fulfil this important mitzvah?


texts: Does there have to be a poor needy intended recipient at the time of the donation in order to be considered Tzedakah?

texts:
I was reading this excellent post about tzedakah and it seems that after a person is mafrish (designates monies as) tzedakah and the recipient disappears, he can give it to someone else. That made me think of the following question.

Can you donate Tzedakah with no-one in mind? Does there have to be a poor needy intended recipient at the time of the donation for it to be considered Tzedakah, or is there a theoretical pool of Tzedakah money where I can donate money to and then later decide who will get it?


texts: What Poskim rule that the Internet is totally ok to use (without a filter)? What Poskim rule that's it's never ok to use? What Poskim say that you can use it, but with a filter?


texts: Why was a wedding in Jerusalem conducted differently to in the UK?

texts:
At a recent wedding in Jerusalem, I noticed the following differences from the practice I have got used to in the UK. (I realise this question could be asked to justify UK custom in the face of the custom in Jerusalem; please allow it in this form).

My questions are (1) whether these differences are special only to Jerusalem or whether they exist elsewhere and (2) the sources of the differences and if any reasons are given for them.

Difference 1: cup is broken after the 'erusin' blessings and before the seven blessings of 'nisuim'. (In the UK after the seven blessings of 'nisuin'.)

Difference 2: Witnesses sign the kesuboh under the chupah after it has been read up to where they should sign. (In the UK before the chupah.)

Difference 3: The Chosson signs the kesuboh. (In the UK he does not sign.)


texts: If one accidentally reheats some soup on Shabbos, are they allowed to eat it?

texts: If someone left soup on a hotplate when it was off, forgetting that it was on a timer and would come back on later, can he eat it after the soup is reheated, because you can't do this on Shabbos?


texts:
There's a Yeshiva in Washington Heights named after (and supposedly run in the spirit of) R' S. R. Hirsch.

All I could find is a Donation page there.

What kind of learning goes on there (or in other Yekkish Kehillos)? Do they learn Gemara full time or is it more in the model of the Hildesheimer Rabbinical Seminary?


texts: Can a person start swimming in the three weeks?

texts: Someone told me that if a person did not swim prior to the three weeks, he may not start swimming during the three weeks? Is there a source for this? (sources)


texts: How long after a Bris of his son can the Father make the bracha?

texts:
I'll pose the following scenario in order to ask this question.

During the recent war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, a man was called up to duty. On one of the days that he was found in the South, his son was suppose to have his Bris. He was unable to make it to the actual Bris. He asked if he may listen to the Bris on the phone and when the time it happens make the bracha. I heard this shailo was actually asked by the Beis Horah of R' Wosner and the Rabbonim there said he may not make the bracha. However I heard that other poskim argued on this and said that since he knows that at that time the bris was happening, he could therefore make the bracha.

My question is as follows. In any case where the Father wasn't able to make the Bracha at the time of his son's bris (and he was the one who appointed the mohel to be the shliach to make the Bris), how long after the bris happens may he make the bracha? Must it be made right when the mitzvah is done? What about if he's not there; can he make the bracha when he hears about it happening (through the phone)? What about if he knew the Bris was supposed to be on a certain day and he didn't find out that it actually happened until a few days later; may the bracha be made then?


texts:
I understand that there's a concept of גר כקטן שנולד דמי (not sure I got the words 100% right) - that a convert (ger) to Judaism is halachically considered to have no family.

If that is the case, then would a non-Jew brother and sister who convert be able to marry each other? After all, shouldn't they be considered strangers by the above principle?

And if not, why?


texts: Why 1,000 generations of ungiven Torah, not X years?

texts:
The Mainz Anonymous reads, in part (in my own translation):

  He created the Torah 974 generations before the world was created, then twenty-six generations [passed] from the creation of the world until Moshe, the leader of the prophets, through whom the Torah was given.

(I'm quoting from the MA in light of this week's topic challenge. In fact, though, there are older sources for this idea, though I'm not sure where.)

Obviously, the midrash paraphrased here is not to be taken literally: specifically, without anyone's having children, there are no generations; and perhaps time did not even elapse (not being created) before the creation of the world. (On the other hand, perhaps it did.) In any event, my question is why the midrash uses generations instead of a more conventional unit of time (such as years).

An initial idea toward a possible answer: Note that Moshe had contemporaries, even Jewish ones, who were more or fewer than twenty-six male-line generations from the creation of the world. For example, Nachshon was twenty-eight generations. So "twenty-six generations" makes sense only if one refers specifically to Moshe, rather then generally to his time. Perhaps, then, generations are not being used as a unit of time at all but as a unit of succession or something like that.


texts:
Is it permissible to listen to Christian songs (for example: Pierpont's "Jingle Bells" Schubert's "Ave Maria" and secret garden's "You Raise Me Up"? )
Is it permissible to sing them?
Is it permissible to listen to instrumental versions of them?
Is it permissible to sing the melodies without the words?


texts:
Who knows one hundred seventy-three?
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 one take "mistaken" hefker property?

texts:
A person placed a posting online that said, "I just had a tag sale, and all left-overs are on my lawn free to anyone that wants to take it. Help yourself!"

Someone comes by, sees a large dresser on the lawn, and takes it to his home which is a few houses away. He places it on his lawn.

Several minutes later, the original dresser owner comes by the other person's home, and sees her dresser on the other person's lawn. She knocks on the door, and says, "What are you doing with my dresser? Didn't you see the sign posted on the front of the dresser saying "Do Not take this dresser. Help yourself to everything else"?

The other person says, "What sign? There was no sign!"

The original owner says, "I placed a paper sign on the front of the dresser. The wind must have blown it off. But, I want my dresser back!"

Does the other person have to return the dresser? Does placing a flimsy paper sign that the original owner should have known would easily be blown away by the wind indicate some form of negligence in protecting her property? Technically, the other person hasn't done anything wrong as there was no sign excluding the dresser, and the ad stated to take anything on the lawn.

Please feel free to edit the question title. I had trouble phrasing this. I also couldn't locate proper tags.


texts: Washing for bread before Kiddush. Convenient for sukkos?

texts:
There is a custom followed by Jews of German extraction to wash for Hamotzi before making Kiddush. See OC 271 (12) MB{61}. This is very convenient for those who have an outside sukka and don’t want the trouble of returning to the house to wash. Several questions:

1) Is it OK to adopt this minhag for Sukkos only?

2) The MB {62} refers to acharonim who do not favour the practice and the Piskei Teshuvos does not generally favour it. Are there contemporary poskim who support it?

3) I have heard that there are factors that make the minhag less supportable for Kiddush in the day rather than at night. What might these be?


texts: Esrog only passul when under magnifying glass

texts: What is the halacha if I checked an esrog and it is perfectly fine and then decide to get a closer look with a magnifying glass and see that this esrog has a pasul. Do we say its passul now since we see a problem even though the Torah doesnt require a magnifying glass,or do we say that the Torah does not require us to use a magnifying glass and a deficiency so small doesnt count unless it can be seen without assistance ?


texts: When to make the bracha when separating challah

texts:
When should one make a bracha when separating "challah" from a dough? I'm assuming like almost all mitzvas it's to be done "before" the mitzvah. One has the dough prepared in front of them, they make the bracha, then remove a small piece of the dough, say "this is challah, and set it aside.

However I saw a video that shows the Belzer Rebbetzin (wife of the current Belzer Rebbe) removing a small portion of the dough in front of her, placing it into a bag, covering the dough and then holding it above the covered dough, then with great enthusiasm makes the bracha (holding the small portion) and ends off with "this is challah". Is she able to make the bracha after already separating it because she didn't pronounce that it was challah yet? I'm assuming being the wife of the Belzer Rebbe and daughter of the previous Vitzhnitzer Rebbe of Bnei Brak that she would know how to properly take challah and when to make the bracha. Is this an okay way to do this mitzvah? Is there a more preferred way (as mentioned that the bracha be made before separating anything)?


texts:
Why don't we all do Kemach Yashan? It says in clearly says in the Torah, in Vayikra 23:14:

  You shall not eat bread or [flour made from] parched grain or fresh grain, until this very day, until you bring your God's
  sacrifice. [This is] an eternal statute throughout your generations in
  all your dwelling places."

  יד.וְלֶחֶם וְקָלִי וְכַרְמֶל לֹא תֹאכְלוּ עַד עֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה עַד
  הֲבִיאֲכֶם אֶת קָרְבַּן אֱלֹהֵיכֶם חֻקַּת עוֹלָם לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם בְּכֹל
  משְׁבֹתֵיכֶם

Is it a commandment Deorata to only eat Kemach Yashan (old grain), and avoid Chadash (new grain)?


texts: Must you celebrate Shushan Purim if you've already celebrated normal Purim?

texts: If you are in one part of Israel, and celebrate Purim on the normal 14th of Adar, but then end up being in Jerusalem in time to celebrate Shushan Purim, are you obligated to celebrate Shushan Purim even though you've already fulfilled normal Purim? If you're not able to celebrate for whatever reason (business, travel, something like that), would that be an issue?


texts:
Rashbam in B.B. 157b ד״ה מהדורא בתרא

מהדורא בתרא - כשחזר לימודו פעם שניה נמצא בתשובת רב האי ובפר"ח רב אשי חיה ששים שנה ובכל שנה מחזר לימודו בשני חדשי הכלה ניסן ותשרי ולכשהגיעו שלשים שנה סיים כל לימודו וכן עשה בשלשים שנים אחרונים ומהדורא קמא היינו שלשים שנים ראשונים ומהדורא בתרא הן שלשים שנים אחרונים:

He seemingly prefaces that Rav Ashi lived 60 years and מהדורא קמא refers to the first 30 years and מהדורא בתרא refers to the second 30.
Does he mean to say the first thirty years of his life and if so that mean it wasn’t really a full 30 years of review as he wrote. And if not how do these two 30 year time periods fit in with how he wrote that Rav Ashi lived 60 years?


texts: Shmona Vearbaim Veshalosh Meot Mi Yodea?

texts:
Who knows three hundred forty eight?
שמונה וארבעים ושלוש מאות - מי יודע?
The traditional Passover song "Echad - mi yodeya" implies a possible presupposition that there is a Jewish significance to be found for each natural number. Accordingly, there is an ongoing series on Mi Yodeya that is attempting to unearth significant Judaism facts about each number, in sequence.
What significant Judaism facts are there about the number 348? The more significant within Judaism and the more intrinsically dependent on the value 348, the stronger the answer. Please include sources for your information wherever possible, as with all other answers on this site.
NO GEMATRIAS!


texts: PTIJ: Where can I buy the Book of G-d's Wars?

texts:
Thanks to my friend, David, who suggested this one to me, yesterday.
Bemidbar 21:14 mentions a book called  'מלחמות ה - The Book of G-d's Wars.
I'd like to buy this book, but I can't seem to locate it on Amazon on eBay or any other bookstore. It's not in Costco (though, I think I'd have to buy a 3-pack of them, there), BJ's, Barnes & Nobles, or another book store. I haven't seen it in a library. Feldheim, Art Scroll and the other Jewish book stores / sites, don't seem to carry it, either.
Does anyone know where I can buy this book? Has it been translated into English or yeshivish by anyone? How much does it cost, typically?

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


texts: Should a half Jewish man be discouraged from marrying a Jewess?

texts:
Is there any source in encouraging a man who identifies as Jewish but isn't so Halachically, to marry a Jewish woman and raise a Jewish family?

For instance, a patrilineal Jew although he isn't Jewish, if he is a cultural Jew and wishes to continue his Jewish family's legacy should he still be disuaded from marrying a non-religious Jewish woman? Is there a religious duty or source to have Jewish children?

Note:
I ask because I am aware that a convert who is patrilineally Jewish has a slightly different status to a regular convert as he has the status of 'זרע ישראל' and is considered “מקרב אחיך" according the Aruch haShulchan in Choshen Mishpat 7:1.


texts: If one is offered  an Aliya, can he give the honor to someone else? By “offered” I mean the Gabbai issues the Aliyas prior to the Torah service in the form of, say, a card with number of the Aliya printed on it. The recipient could of course accept the honor or decline it. If he accepts, can he make a unilateral decision to give the honor to someone else?   Would the answer change if the Gabbai calls people to the bimah during the Torah reading?


texts: Which tefilot you say when your minhag differs from that of the shoul your praying in?

texts:
Here is the case: This past Sabbath, at an ashkanazi synagogue, a sephardi comes to pray.  This is the synagogue that he normally attends (there are about 20 within 1 sq mile).

He prays with the minyan even though its not his custom, he davens the ashkanazi shomeneh esrai, with the ashkanazi order of the tfilot...

When it comes time to get an alyah, or to say kaddish, he uses the sephardi versions (of both).

This is confusing to me.  Normally I would just ask him, but this time, I can't.

Why would he do this?  Why would he pick and choose which tfilot he prays with which minhag?


texts: Is The looking for a source or book itself a part of toiling in Torah?

texts:
There is a mitzvah to toil in Torah study. See Rashi Vayikra 26:3:

  אם בחקתי תלכו. יָכוֹל זֶה קִיּוּם הַמִּצְוֹת, כְּשֶׁהוּא אוֹמֵר וְאֶת מִצְוֹתַי
  תִּשְׁמְרוּ וַעֲשִיתֶם אֹתָם הֲרֵי קִיּוּם הַמִּצְוֹת אָמוּר, הָא מַה אֲנִי
  מְקַיֵּם אִם בְּחֻקֹּתַי תֵּלֵכוּ? שֶׁתִּהְיוּ עֲמֵלִים בַּתּוֹרָה (ספרא):

  אם בחקתי תלכו IF YE WALK IN MY ORDINANCES — One might think that this
  denotes the fulfilment of the commandments; but when Scripture states
  “and ye shall keep My commandments and do them”, it is plain that in
  this passage there is mentioned the “fulfilment of the commands”. How
  then must I explain אם בחקתי תלכו? As an admonition that you should
  study the Torah laboriously (Sifra, Bechukotai, Section 1 1-2

If one is studying and comes across a source quoted. And he has the choice to either google or look up the source on a computer program/look at an index, something that could take mere seconds, or he can find the actual physical source, tracking it down till he finds it - an endeavor that could take possibly hours. Which is better? Is this called יגיעה בתורה?


texts: If a husband or wife medically die but are resuscitated, is a new kiddushin required?

texts:
If a husband or wife is on an operating table and is pronounced clinically dead, but then a couple minutes later is miraculously resuscitated (example):

Would this couple require a new kiddushin?

NOTE: this question is only applicable to those that hold clinical death is considered death (see this article on "Brain Death" by R' Chaim Jachter)


texts: Did the Maccabees properly restore the temple?

texts:
In the fourth chapter of 1 Maccabees it outlines the steps the Maccabees took to restore the Beit HaMikdash including disassembling the defiled altar (verses 43-46) repairing the utensils, placing the show-bread and dedicating the altar.

I have no reason to assume those verses are in definite chronological order, to me they seem to just be an accounting of all the steps the Maccabees took to restore the temple. I could imagine many other scenarios for how they could have restored the temple; for instance they could have repaired the altar instead, or they could have put up the new altar, had a dedication ceremony and then fixed other things.

My question is, based either on the depiction in 1 Maccabees or any other contemporary source, did the Maccabees restore the Beit HaMikdash in the proper way and in the proper order?


texts:
As mentioned here the commentary attributed to Rashi on Avot may not have been authored by him.

This is stated by R. Yaakov Emden in the introduction to "Ets Avot".

Which other sources state that the commentary was not authored by him?


texts: According to the gemarah (Sanhedrin 21 I think) milk was considered the limb of a living being - eiver min ha'chai - until matan torah. If so, how could Avraham serve it to his guests if a ben Noach was forbidden to consume it? Is this not placing a stumbling block before a blind man?


texts:
The verse in Bereishis 49:19 states:

  גָּ֖ד גְּד֣וּד יְגוּדֶ֑נּוּ וְה֖וּא יָגֻ֥ד עָקֵֽב

Is is the Chabad Minhag to read this verse, followed by the reverse of it, as part of Krias Shema She'al HaMita.

What is the source for reading it backwards and what is the intended meaning?


texts: Why is the erech (Vayikra 27:1–8) of a woman less than that of a man? And why does erech depend on age? Sources, please.


texts: To what extent are non-Chasidim bound by kabbalah?

texts:
Chassidim seem to follow the views of kabbalah to a greater degree than non-Chassidim.

What status does kabbalah have in determing the practical halacha for non-Chassidim?


texts: Who coined "הן גאלתי אתכם אחרית כראשית"?

texts:
While trying to answer "1-5th-of-the-jews-will-make-it-past-the-messiah" I remembered the verse we say every morning but realized I didn't know its source.

I googled but except for Kedushas Levi that says it's a Posuk couldn't find anything.

Where's this Posuk or who coined that expression in our Siddurim?


texts: What is the timeline of the connection of the soul to the body after death?

texts:
Speaking to the Rabbi who runs the chevra kadisha in my neighborhood recently, regarding the pending cremation of the mother of a friend, he mentioned several interesting concepts with respect to the connection of the soul (it's not clear to me whether we are speaking of the nefesh, ruach, or neshama, or all three) to its lifeless body. I did not, at the time, find it pertinent to prod him for references.

I am hoping the distinguished members of mi yodea could source, and possibly expand on (any of) the following items:

Immediately after death, the soul is very preoccupied with the care of the body. It feels anguish until the body is properly laid to rest.
The "safest" place for  the body is the earth (from the perspective of assuaging the soul's sorrow).
The soul does not begin its "ascent" until the body is safeguarded. (Obviously, this has deep implications for all forms of un-buried bodies. How long does this interim period last?)
Is there a source (that is accessible to the novice) that deals with the timeline and experience of the soul immediately after death and beyond?


texts: If a person says in English the word g-ddamn (or G-d damn) does that transgress the sin of cursing God?


texts: Can a man fulfill his obligation by listening to a woman's Birchos HaShachar?

texts:
Can a man fulfill his obligation by listening to a woman's Birchos HaShachar (morning blessings)?  What about vice-versa?

I suppose my question breaks down into three parts:

Do women have a lesser obligation than men to say Birchos HaShachar?  (If so, I presume a man can't fulfill his obligation to listen along.)
If men and women have the same obligation, and if the woman says a bracha conjugated for feminine instead of masculine (which some do and some don't; let's assume for instance men vs women say שלא עשני נכרי/נכריה), does that pose a problem?
And for a really fun question (if the above two have been answered): the common practice is that men say "shelo asani isha", women say "she'asani kirtzono."  What happens when a person of the opposite gender listens to the bracha with intent to fulfill his/her  obligation?


texts: Can a Gentile eat chometz in your home during Pesach?

texts: Let's say Gentile construction workers come to your home on Hol Hamo'ed (emergency construction, such as a storm blew off a major part of your roof and if not immediately fixed, it would be dangerous to live in your home.) They bring their own chametz lunch. Can they eat it on your home? If so, what precautions, if any, do you need to do so that you don't end up with chametz in your home?


texts: In Psalm 81:6, why is Joseph's name spelled יהוסף? Seems to be the only place in the TaNaK that I currently know of that his name is spelled in this fashion.


texts: May one bill two clients for the same hour

texts: If Reuven is paying Levi an amount per hour to do a task and Reuven already began doing it but he needs to wait for a computer to process and it'll take an hour or two to complete. May Levi do work for Shimon and charge Shimon for the same hour(s) while he is waiting for task 1 to complete? In other words, may one get paid for the same time from two different clients as long as the end result isn't adversely affected?


texts: How many slices are required to make you responsible to wash on Pizza?


texts: Shabbat 22a says that the halacha is that we should place the chanukiyah outside, within a hand-breadth of the door, to the left.  In Israel I've seen people do this, placing the chanukiyah in a glass box (to protect from wind) just outside the door.  I have never seen this done in the US.  Why is that?  I understand if you live somewhere where you can't (like you don't have a front porch), but for those of us who live in houses with porches, where we could do this if we wanted to, why don't we (usually)?


texts: The sins mentioned in על חטא - why those?

texts:
This question about the "אשמנו" list is still left unanswered.

My question is about the apparent inconsistency of the "על חטא שחטאנו" list - so many different categories of sins are listed in the ABC order (my division is approximate):

Direct and explicit sins DeOrayta:

וְעַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּגִלּוּי עֲרָיות:
וְעַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּהונָאַת רֵעַ:
וְעַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּזִלְזוּל הורִים וּמורִים:
וְעַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּחִלּוּל הַשֵּׁם:
עַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּכַפַּת שׁחַד:
וְעַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּמַאֲכָל וּבְמִשְׁתֶּה:
עַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּנֶשֶׁךְ וּבְמַרְבִּית:
עַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בִּשְׁבוּעַת שָׁוְא:
וְעַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בִּרְכִילוּת:

Derabanan bad Midos:

עַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּלָשׁון הָרָע:
וְעַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּלָצון:
וְעַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בִּנְטִיַּת גָּרון:
וְעַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּכַחַשׁ וּבְכָזָב:
וְעַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּשִׂנְאַת חִנָּם:
עַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּעֵינַיִם רָמות:
וְעַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּצָרוּת עָיִן:
עַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּקַלּוּת ראשׁ:

Speach related:

עַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּלָשׁון הָרָע:
וְעַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּבִטּוּי שְׂפָתָיִם:
עַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּדִבּוּר פֶּה:
עַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּוִדּוּי פֶּה: (maybe on Mitzvas Viduy?)
עַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּטִפְּשׁוּת פֶּה:
וְעַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּטֻמְאַת שְׂפָתָיִם:
עַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּשִׂיחַ שִׂפְתותֵינוּ:

Ways of sinning:

עַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּאנֶס וּבְרָצון:
עַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בִּבְלִי דָעַת:
עַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּגָלוּי וּבַסָּתֶר:
וְעַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּדַעַת וּבְמִרְמָה:
עַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּזָדון וּבִשְׁגָגָה:
וְעַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּיודְעִים וּבְלא יודְעִים:
עַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּמַשָּׂא וּבְמַתָּן:
וְעַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּעַזּוּת מֶצַח:

The rest I couldn't categorize:

וְעַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּאִמּוּץ הַלֵּב:
עַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּהַרְהור הַלֵּב:
וְעַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בִּוְעִידַת זְנוּת:
עַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּחזֶק יָד:
עַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּיֵצֶר הָרָע:
וְעַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּשִׂקּוּר עָיִן:
עַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בִּפְרִיקַת עול:
וְעַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בִּפְלִילוּת:
עַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בִּצְדִיַּת רֵעַ:
וְעַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּקַשְׁיוּת ערֶף:
עַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּרִיצַת רַגְלַיִם לְהָרַע:
עַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בִּתְשׂוּמֶת יָד:
וְעַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּתִמְהון לֵבָב:

I have a logical mindset and try to understand why the Sages chose those items specifically (besides fitting the ABC).

The list of sins Deoraytah is strange, why those and not other like Shabbat (שמירת שבת sounds more important than שיקור עין), Bitul Torah (ביטול תורה is one of the most stringent sins, instead of בבלי דעת).
There are 7 speech related "sins" and none of them is Deorayta vs only one במאכל ובמשתה and there are so many food Deoraytot.
Most of the sins (#5) are impossible to decipher in plain Hebrew (as a native speaker).

Do interpreters explain why those sins were chosen specifically for every letter?


texts:
Devarim 32:49-50

  עֲלֵה אֶל-הַר הָעֲבָרִים הַזֶּה הַר-נְבוֹ, אֲשֶׁר בְּאֶרֶץ מוֹאָב, אֲשֶׁר, עַל-פְּנֵי יְרֵחוֹ; וּרְאֵה אֶת-אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן, אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי נֹתֵן לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לַאֲחֻזָּה.  נ וּמֻת, בָּהָר אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה עֹלֶה שָׁמָּה, וְהֵאָסֵף, אֶל-עַמֶּיךָ:  כַּאֲשֶׁר-מֵת אַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ, בְּהֹר הָהָר, וַיֵּאָסֶף, אֶל-עַמָּיו.

Paraphrased translation:

  Moshe, go up the mountain and die there.

The word "die" is said in command form - Moshe is being commanded to die.

Is that under Moshe's jurisdiction?  Can he die at will?


texts: What happens when a potential convert can't have a circumcision?

texts: Suppose a man wants to convert to Judaism but cannot have a circumcision for bio-medical reasons (he has a foreskin, but has hemophilia or some other condition which would make the surgery fatal or life-threatening. Does this prevent him from converting, or may he complete the conversion process without being circumcised?


texts:
The Shita Mikubetzes in Neddarim, top of 2b reads like this:

מאי שנא גבי נדרים דתני כולהו. בכמה מקומות מקפיד התלמוד על כדומה לזה ושואל 'מאי שנא' כי הכא, ובכמה מקומות אינו שואל. לפי שדרך התלמוד להקשות כך במקום שיש ליתן טעם בדבר, אמנם במקום שאינו יודע טעם בדבר אינו מקשה.

Basically, what he is saying is that this specific type of question and  answer format in the gemara is reserved for where the gemara has an answer for us. Presumably,  asking this where "they didn't know an answer" (his words, not mine) would not help us in understanding anything any better.

Is there anyone who wrote something akin to this that he might be quoting? Or perhaps not quoting, but someone who's way of thinking we can line this up with?


texts: I remember a learning from a certain version of the Noam Elimelech and in the back of the sefer there were letters and other miscellaneous topics. One of the letters was the about the Noam Elimelech explaining how he davened nusach Ashkanaz for many years and then when he become older and felt more ready he switched to nusach Ari. I am having trouble locating that letter,since I dont know which version it was in,does anyone recall where it is?


texts: Seeking a particular book on Science vs. Halacha

texts:
About 15 years ago, I recall that there was a book put out by the Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists. It was titled something like "Challenge - Science against Halacha" or something similar. I remember that it had a yellow sleeve cover.

Does anyone know the name of that book and where I may be able to purchase this?


texts:
In the book "Sefer Yosef Breslevi", there's an essay by Yisrael Ben-Shem in which he raises multiple questions related to various appearances of people from the Tribe of Binyamin throughout Tanach. One of the questions he asks is about the phrase "שבטי בנימין" (the tribes of Binyamin) which appears twice in Tanach, once in Shoftim 20:12:

"וַיִּשְׁלְחוּ שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲנָשִׁים בְּכָל שִׁבְטֵי בִנְיָמִן לֵאמֹר מָה הָרָעָה הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר נִהְיְתָה בָּכֶם."

And once in Shmuel 1:9:21:

"וַיַּעַן שָׁאוּל וַיֹּאמֶר הֲלוֹא בֶן יְמִינִי אָנֹכִי מִקַּטַנֵּי שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וּמִשְׁפַּחְתִּי הַצְּעִרָה מִכָּל מִשְׁפְּחוֹת שִׁבְטֵי בִנְיָמִן וְלָמָּה דִּבַּרְתָּ אֵלַי כַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה."

He writes that only Binyamin is ever referred to as being made up of multiple tribes. The question is, of course, why? What does this mean?
He answers that indeed Binyamin was made up of two distinct ethnic groups which eventually merged: Tribe A: The descendants of Binyamin, natural Israelites; and Tribe B: A group called "Bnei Yamin" or "Bnei Yemini" which, besides being distinct phrases in Tanach, are also seemingly attested to having existed in a tablet discovered in the ancient city-state of Mari. According to him, this answer solves all of the other questions he raised, such as 'why did the people of Yavesh Gilad burn the bodies of Shaul and Yonatan if that wasn't Israelite custom?'
The classic commentators, from what I've seen, explain that the plural term refers to the families or clans (בתי אב/משפחות) of Binyamin - each family or clan within the tribe was also called a "tribe". Ben-Shem points out that this explanation would work, were this a one-time thing or if it was used to describe more than one tribe, but as it's used twice and both times referring to the same tribe - seems odd, to say the least.
Is there a more Orthodox/traditional answer to this problem?


texts: Why did Yaakov ”open the mouth to the Satan”?

texts:
In Parashat Vayigash (46:30), we read

וַיֹּ֧אמֶר יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל אֶל־יוֹסֵ֖ף אָמ֣וּתָה הַפָּ֑עַם אַחֲרֵי֙ רְאוֹתִ֣י אֶת־פָּנֶ֔יךָ כִּ֥י עוֹדְךָ֖ חָֽי׃
And Israel said unto Joseph: ‘Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, that thou art yet alive.’

His remark is strange, for it appears to contradict this dictum in Masechet Berachot (19a)

לעולם אל יפתח אדם פיו לשטן

Translation: “Never open the mouth to the Satan”

Why did Yaakov make such a remark?


texts:
Midrash Rabbah describes how the Jews in Egypt became wealthy through the plague of blood by selling their water to the Egyptians who were desperate. This may be a thought experiment as I haven't seen anywhere else address this matter, but my son asked me whether the Egyptians were able to pay for the water and then provide it to other Egyptians in turn.

This led to a spirited debate at the Shabbos table with all present split evenly with their thoughts on whether or not the Egyptian's purchase was exclusive (i.e. for himself only, or perhaps even for those he had in mind to purchase) or rather once he made the purchase/acquisition it remained water and he could share with anyone he liked.

If anyone has thoughts or better yet sources that deal with this question, I'd be much obliged!


texts: How should the phrase דיו לבא מין בדין להיות כנדון be pronounced?

texts:
The Talmudic rule of Dayo is used in Kal VaChomer (a fortiori) arguments to limit the 'Chomer' to the same measure as the 'kal'. For example, Mishnayot Bava Kama 2:5:

  שור המזיק ברשות הנזק כיצד, נגח... ברשות הרבים, משלם חצי נזק.
  ברשות הנזק, רבי טרפון אומר נזק שלם טז, וחכמים אומרים חצי נזק.
  אמר להם רבי טרפון, ומה במקום שהקל על השן ועל הרגל ברשות הרבים, שהוא פטור, החמיר עליהם ברשות הנזק לשלם נזק שלם.
  מקום שהחמיר על הקרן ברשות הרבים לשלם חצי נזק, אינו דין שנחמיר עליה ברשות הנזק לשלם נזק שלם.
  אמרו לו, דיו לבא מן הדין להיות כנדון.
  מה ברשות הרבים חצי נזק, אף ברשות הנזק חצי נזק.

  How is the penalty assessed for an ox that damages while on the private domain of the damaged party? If the ox gores... in the public domain, he pays half damages. In the domain of the damaged party, Rabbi Tarfon says full damages, while The Sages say, half-damages. Rabbi Tarfon said to them [using a fortiori reasoning], in a case where we are lenient with respect to "tooth" and "leg" [damages caused by normal behavior] in the public domain, where he is completely exempt, we are strict regarding the private domain of the damaged party, [requiring the owner] to pay full damages. In a case where we are strict with "horn" damage in the public domain, [requiring the owner] to pay half-damages, isn't it logical [a fortiori] that we should be strict with him in the domain of the injured party to pay full damages? They [The Sages] said to him [Rabbi Tarfon], it is enough that a law derived from an a fortiori argument be established similar to the case from which the inference is drawn. Just as in the public domain the payment is half-damages, so too in the domain of the damaged party the payment is half-damage.

I have always heard it pronounced "Dayo Lavo Min HaDin", "It is enough for it to come from an a fortiori argument," but shouldn't the phrase really be "Dayo LaBa Min HaDin", "It is enough for something that comes from an a fortiori argument," for grammatical sense?


texts: Sheitels or no sheitels - where is the halacha?

texts: With very well respected Rabbis such as Rav Ovadia Yossef clearly stating that wigs (sheitels) are simply assur (forbidden) according to most poskim, while some other very well respected rabbis such as the Lubavitcher Rebbe encouraged wearing them. What are sources that each use to make their claim?


texts:
In Parshat Yithro we read that he [Yithro] offered sacrifices "before HaShem":

Sh'moth (Exodus) 18.12: "Then Moses' father in law, Jethro, sacrificed burnt offering[s] and [peace] offerings to God, and Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to dine with Moses' father in law before God."

Why?


texts: Why did it take so long to make new oil?

texts: The miracle of Chanukah that we commemorate was that the oil burned for 8 days, until they were able to replenish it. Why did it take 8 days to make new oil for the menorah? The normal process for making oil doesn't take that long. Furthermore the talmud (peah) discusses olive trees who's produce is so full that oil literally leaks out. Couldn't they have accessed usable oil more quickly?


texts:
כל דכפין ייתי ויכול, כל דצריך ייתי ויפסך
"All who are hungry come and eat".
Why don't we ask this in a more emphatic way? Instead of saying "I invite all who want to come..." we say something to the effect of "if you need and are so desperate then come" as if to say that if they had what to eat they are not wanted.
In contrast, we find during Sukkos, we invite the ushpizin and we say "azmin l'seudasi ushpizin ila'ah etc" "we invite to our meal..." here we are extending an explicit invitation. This is significantly different than the way we ask on seder night which seems very passive.
It would seem to be more appropriate that we would be enthusiastic on this night that we are free men and are rejoicing in our redemption and thus extend a formal invitation to all those in need.
How is this supposed to be understood?


texts:
What do angels do in heaven?
What is it that angels do in heaven?


texts: Egyptian enslavement of the Jews - Antisemitism?

texts:
Apologies in advance if this is too vague of a question, but I really wonder what other people think about this, especially since the story is coming up in a couple of weeks.

I was recently reading a book on the history of Antisemitism, and the first examples of antisemitism were from as early as 500BCE.

I was thinking that the first example would be the story of Shiabud Mitzrayim, or the Egyptians enslaving us. So my question is: When the Egyptians enslaved us, as told in the beginning of Sefer Shemos, was that an Antisemitic act or was it a reasonable political move (or something else entirely)?

In order to define this a little better, let's use the definition of Antisemitism as:

(actions resulting from) prejudice (preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience) against Jews. This definition is culled from various Internet definitions.

Thanks!

Edit: Kudos to sabbahillel for bringing Rav Hirsch's opinion, what about other Mefarshim?


texts: Source that "Yehi Khevod" should be said with special intensity

texts:
Some editions of the ArtScroll siddur have the following instruction before Yehi Khevod (in pesukei dezimra):

  The following prayer should be recited with special intensity.

What is the source for this?


texts: How can the Gemara entertain the possibility that mental health takes priority over a potential danger to life?

texts:
Bava Kamma 60b writes that one should remain indoors when a plague rages outside, quoting three pesukim to support this. While the first passuk establishes the base case, the second passuk establishes that this applies to even a daytime plague. What's puzzling to me is the rationale behind the necessity for the third passuk:

  וכי תימא ה"מ [היכא] דליכא אימה מגואי אבל היכא דאיכא אימה מגואי כי נפיק יתיב ביני אינשי בצוותא בעלמא טפי מעלי ת"ש מחוץ תשכל חרב ומחדרים אימה אע"ג דמחדרים אימה מחוץ תשכל חרב

  And if you would say that this matter applies only where there is no fear inside, but where there is fear inside, [one might think that] when he goes out and sits among people in general company it is better, come and hear: “Outside the sword will bereave, and in the chambers terror.” Although there is terror in the chambers, outside the sword will bereave, [so it is safer to remain indoors].

I find this hard to understand. The Gemara seems to be entertaining the possibility that it's preferable to go outside, where there is a risk to one's life, because of his mental health? We push practically everything aside for the sake of saving a life; why would we entertain the possibility that mental health takes precedence over one's physical wellbeing, to the extent that we need a passuk to refute the premise?


texts: Do Hareidim wear a kittel on Yamim Nora'im?

texts:
I have never observed Hareidi minhagim during the High Holidays. But, I know that during Shabbat and Yom Tov many wear a bekisheh - a long robe.

I'm curious if they were the bekisheh in lieu of the kittel, or vice versa? Or, if they wear both, does the kittel get worn over or under the bekisheh?


texts: The destruction of the Second Temple in the Mishnah?

texts: Is there any explicit mention of the destruction of the Second Temple within the Mishnah specifically? If so, examples of passages? If not, why wouldn't such a momentous occasion be discussed within the Mishnah?


texts:
I don't enjoy reporting this, but the fact is that each year when I go to the mikvah on Erev Yom Kippur, by about 2 -3 hours after the mikvah has opened, the water looks murky and disgusting. The mikvah rooms tend to look sloppy.

As I don't go to the mikvah other than Erev Rosh Hashanna and Erev Yom Kippur, I'm giving benefit of the doubt that this unhygienic appearance occurs only on these days. It shouldn't.

My bigger concern, though, is that these same mikva'ot are used by women, and they are open nightly. While the nightly volume is nowhere as busy as it is on Erev Yom Kippur, I am concerned about the general hygiene in mikva'ot for some of my friends and relatives. Some women have told me some "horror" stories about things that they've seen in the mikvah that really churn my stomach.

In a small town that has 1 or 2 mikva'ot, there's little choice of where women can go. But in a large city where there are numerous mikva'ot, I wonder if anyone has published a "rating" or evaluation of the health safety and appearance of mikva'ot. I would gather that the city or state health department inspects these places, also, no? If they do, I think they publish any findings.

As I told a M.Y.'er in a recent comment, if I were a different gender, perhaps, I would evaluate and publish my own rating in my own area, at least.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Second day of Shavous

I understand the basis for celebrating two days for all yamim tovim outside of the land of Israel, and for celebrating two days for Rosh haShana even within the land, but what is the basis for including Shavuot within that formulation? We commemorate two days for the first yontef of Pesach, on the possibility that that we live in a place beyond the timely reach of the bet din's emissaries (I live in Australia; it's guaranteed), but there are forty-nine days between that and Shavuot, which is more than enough time for people to know exactly which of those yamim tovim was the correct one. Since Shavuot is calculated on the basis of its being the fiftieth day after that first yontef, why the need to celebrate the fifty-first as well?


texts: Why does Rashi specifically tell us his interpretation method on 3:8?

texts:
In Bereishis 3:8, Rashi makes the following comment about his method of interpretation:

  וישמעו. יֵשׁ מִדְרְשֵׁי אַגָּדָה רַבִּים וּכְבָר סִדְּרוּם רַבּוֹתֵינוּ עַל מְכוֹנָם בִּבְ"רַ וּבִשְׁאָר מִדְרָשׁוֹת; וַאֲנִי לֹא בָאתִי אֶלָּא לִפְשׁוּטוֹ שֶׁל מִקְרָא וּלְאַגָּדָה הַמְיַשֶּׁבֶת דִּבְרֵי הַמִּקְרָא דָבָר דָּבוּר עַל אֳפַנָּיו:

  And they heard: There are many Aggadic midrashim, and our Sages already arranged them in their proper order in Genesis Rabbah and in
  other midrashim, but I have come only [to teach] the simple meaning of
  the Scripture and such Aggadah that clarifies the words of the verses,
  each word in its proper way.

Why does he specifically comment on this passuk? Why not say this at the beginning of his commentary? What prompts Rashi to say this here?


texts: What happens if one isn’t sure if ten Jews are watching?

texts:
The Gemara (Sanhedrin 74a-b) rules that if ten Jews are present when a non-Jew threatens a Jew to perform any sin - even to dress like a non-Jew - on pain of death, the Jew is obligated to give up his life.

What if he’s not sure whether there are ten Jews present? Do we say that one is stringent on a Torah law, and so he must give up his life? Or do we say that one is stringent when it comes to life-and-death and he may not give up his life? Perhaps we would apply principles such as “follow the majority” or “kol kavuah” to settle it (or further complicate it)?

I do not ask according to Tosfos (AZ 28a), who rule that in any case one who gives up his life, even if he’s not obligated to, is praiseworthy. I ask only according to the Rambam (Hil. Yesodei HaTorah 5:1) that one is not allowed to give up his life if he’s not obligated to do so, and one who does is considered to have committed suicide.


texts:
I was reading this:

  After the fact (if one ate between 8 Kezayitim and a definite meal), if one is not full make Al HaMichya and if one is full make Birkat HaMazon, yet, in such a case it’s preferable to hear Birkat HaMazon (from someone who’s obligated to make Birkat HaMazon) or to eat bread (making HaMotzei and Birkat HaMazon).

How full is "full"? If my hunger was slaked, but I could eat more, am I "full"?


texts: Is Tannu Rabbanan in the Gemara a Tannaic or Amoraic teaching?

texts: In the Gemara, the phrase תנו רבנן (Tanna Rabbanan) introduces various sorts of teachings. Are these teachings exclusively Tannaic or Amoraic in source?


texts: Was the Talmud available in written form, partially or fully, before the 7th century?

texts:
was the Talmud available in written form partially or fully before the 7th century?
or just was transmitted orally?


texts: I have seen two seprate restaurants that placed a knife ontop of the entrance door's lintel. I was wondering what is the reason for this,I suspect its some sort of segulah,but I am not sure. Does anyone know of such a segulah?