texts: What is an example of a "Tavshil Shel Baser"

texts:
In Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah Siman 89 Sif 3 we find the following rule. According to the Machaber if one ate a "tavshil shel baser", then, in order to eat cheese afterwards, one must only wash their hands (no waiting time is required). However, the Rema argues and says that eating a tavshil shel baser is like eating regular baser (meat) and one must wait before eating cheese (whatever amount of time you would normally eat after eating baser before eating cheese).

My question is: What is a "tavshil shel baser"? What would be a "classic" example? Are there any sources or poskim that gave actual examples of what a tavshil shel baser is?

(I have always thought (as an example) for it to be the potatoes, beans, or eggs cooked in a cholent that has meat in it. However someone suggested to me that that case would have a stricter rule than discussed in the Shulchan Aruch here, since perhaps these foods have on or inside of them "residue" or "shuman" (fats) from the meat and would be then considered to be like the baser itself. However, this doesn't seem to be the case from the language of the Rema that further explains that if there was no meat in the pot that this "tavshil" was cooked in then would be muter to eat cheese afterwards without waiting (see the mafarshim that have difficult with this since seemingly this din is pashut because of nat bar nat).)


texts: leaving something out of a meal zecher lachurban

texts: As described in משנה ברורה ס׳ תקס ס״ק ה–ו–ז, we omit something from any big meal (not on Shabas or yom tov), noticeably, as a זכר לחרבן. Has anyone seen this done, and, if so, what was omitted? I'm looking for ideas on what to omit. (This will presumably be dependent on the type of meal and the format of the meal, so that an informal brunch in someone's house (assuming this halacha applies to it) will need to have something different omitted than a typical wedding. Anything seen at any type of meal will be great.)


texts: Preferred approach when behind in Shnayim Mikra

texts:
If someone is behind in shnayim mikra, is it better for them to skip to the current parsha or to continue from where they have gotten up to?

What if they estimate that they will be more likely to cover everything if they do it one way and not the other?


texts:
If someone R'L is sick at some point in their life and a name such as Refael is added should that name be included as well if one is naming their child after that person?

Additional Question: Instead of asking this as a new question I would like to add it to this question. I would ask it the other way. I have heard that when a name was added to someone who was sick then people named after this person only take the name that was added and not the entire name together. Is there any makor for this?


texts: Taking Tylenol on a Taanith: Defining "ill"

texts:
With regard to hilkhoth shabbath, a choleh she'ein bo sakana (one with a non-life-threatening illness) is allowed to engage in therapeutic activites, such as taking medication. This is not the case with regard to a meichush (minor discomfort) because of a Rabbinic prohibition of performing therapies on Shabbath (refuah; see Shemirath Shabbath KeHilchatha 34:1,3 cited by http://www.halachipedia.com/index.php?title=Medicine_on_Shabbat). A generally accepted criterion to distinguish between these two classes of affliction is whether one would lie down because of the illness (see Mishnah Berurah 328:121 and Rabbi Dovid Ribiat's "The 39 Melachos" vol. 2 p. 492).

Separately, we find that by fasts other than Yom Kippur, a choleh she'ein bo sakana is not obligated to fast (see Shulchan Arukh 554:4). By analogy, shouldn't this mean that anyone who would lie down because of how he feels should not be obligated to fast (and, at the very least, should be allowed to take, e.g., caffeine pills or Tylenol to reduce or preempt, e.g., a caffeine-withdrawal headache)? If not, what is the reason to distinguish between these two areas?


texts: What is/are the earliest origins of the customs to stand during various passages of the daily service before the Amidah (e.g. Baruch She'amar, Shirat Yam, Yishtabach)?


texts: What is a covenant and what are its implications?

texts: When two parties make a bris-covenant what does that actually mean? Is it a form of oath? Legal arrangement? Is it binding only as an oral agreement? Are there any official procedures involved in creating a bris-covenant?


texts: What are the most auspicious times of the Jewish year for contributing money?

texts: What dates/months/seasons (or holidays) are considered most auspicious and/or customary for giving monetary gifts, such as tzedakah? I am aware from my own experience that Purim and erev Yom Kippur seem to be such times...maybe Chanukah, too. Are there any others?


texts: When we are told not to go in the ways of the Amorites (Shabbat 67a, Yerushalmi Shabbat 6:9), However the practices enumerated there do not seem to be specific to the Amorite people. Were there other practices that were specific to them? If not, why were they singled out for association with superstition?


texts: women (wife) have a bigger influence regarding shalom bais

texts:
the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe writes

  ועלי' להשתדל לסבב סיבובים שיהי' שלום בית, אשר הוא דבר המסור ע"פ תורה לאשה יותר מלאיש
  that according to Torah making peace in the house is more on the wife than on the husband

the Lubavitcher Rebbe writes

  שלום בית ... וברובא דרובא בענינים דשלום בית תלוי יותר בהאשה מאשר בהאיש...
  that most of the time it depends more on the wife than on the husband

the Rambam writes (first about the woman and then the men)

  This is the custom of holy and pure Jewish women and men in their marriages. And these ways will make their marriage pleasant and praiseworthy.

what might be the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe's source?


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

Upvote all interesting answers.

Accept the best answer.

Go on to the next number.


texts: According to the Sephardic tradition that egg matzah can be permissible on Passover (see e.g. http://etzion.org.il/vbm/english/archive/moadim70/02-70moed.htm), is there any reason why they would not eat most regular cookie recipes which usually can easily be finished within 18 minutes and don't generally require water (assuming it could be manufactured in a special Pesach/matzah bakery with kosher-for-Pesach flour)?


texts:
On grains, wine and fruits we say a short paragraph, Al Hamichya.

On Shechakol we say Borey Nefashot.

But for bread we say a whole prayer, 5 minutes worth--even though meals lacking bread can be equally satisfying.

Why is the beracha acharona for bread the longest?


texts: We know that Moshe was given to Yocheved to nurse in Mitzrayim. My question is, why did Pharoah's daughter keep him as hers rather than letting Yocheved raise him completely as a "Jew"?!


texts: Why did Chava give Adam the fruit to eat?

texts: For what reason did Chava give Adam fruit from the tree of knowledge to eat?


texts: Should one wear tefillin for tashlumin for Shacharis?

texts:
Let's say Aharon missed Shacharis. He needs to pray Shemoneh Esrei twice by mincha time to make it up, which is called "tashlumin" (תשלומין). (OC 108:1)

Now, Aharon can put on tefilin at any point in the day (though he won't do so at night).

Is there any reason to put them on specifically when he davens (prays) his tashlumin (the second prayer)? After all, that prayer is a stand-in for Shacharis.

I'm looking for an answer that says "this sefer says" or the equivalent; I'm also capable of saying "hey, can't hurt, right?"


texts: Did Yehoshua violate a Torah prohibition?

texts:
Devarim 4:2 states:

לֹ֣א תֹסִ֗פוּ עַל־הַדָּבָר֙ אֲשֶׁ֤ר אָנֹכִי֙ מְצַוֶּ֣ה אֶתְכֶ֔ם וְלֹ֥א תִגְרְע֖וּ מִמֶּ֑נּוּ

Yet according to one Talmudic opinion (Bava Batra 15a), Yehoshua added the verses regarding Moshe's death.
Is this not a violation of the verse above? Or does the verse only apply to adding and subtracting mitzvot?


texts: Why do we abbreviate the Jewish year to the hundreds column?

texts:
The current Jewish year is 5774 however it is popularly abbreviated as 774 - תשע״ד.
I would like to know why this abbreviation was adopted. I realize that to write out the number 5,000 would require several letters; but then why stop at the hundreds column, why not just '74 - ע״ד instead?


texts:
It is known that the Sefer Halakhoth Gedholoth codifies that since only the descendants of Aharon HaKohen were strictly commanded regarding netilath yadhayim with a keli, it is therefore enough for a yisrael to simply immerse their hands/fingers in a vessel containing water without the need to pour it over the hands.

I have also read that in a sha^ath ha-dohaq one may use a faucet to wash before prayer.

Are there any other sources from Geonim or Rishonim that permit washing for prayer without the use of a keli? Are there sources that discuss the difference in obligations for washing as they apply to a kohen or a yisrael?


texts: How does a blind person make havdalah if he has to benefit from the light?

texts:
Per this answer, the one making havdalah must benefit from the light.  How does a blind person make havdalah, assuming there is not another Jew present to do it for him?  Does he omit the blessing over the fire, or does he make the blessing and light the candle even though he can't see it?

This question addresses the blind lighting Chanukah candles, but with Chanukah there is another reason to light (to publicize the miracle), which doesn't apply to havdalah.


texts:
For context, my fiance is a reform convert in the UK. I fully support their conversion but, as I lack any real spirituality, do not feel I could sincerely convert myself (despite knowing that my lack of spirituality would not prevent a reform beit din from accepting my conversion). My fiance doesn't eat pork, but otherwise is fairly lax on kashrut (a position common to many reform Jews here)

We recently celebrated my fiance's first Pesach since converting (during which they observed kashrut more stringently than normal, but, sharing a house with three gentiles, didn't burn all chametz in the house or worry about kitniyot) and had a lot of matzah left over, some KLP (which we used for the seder itself), some not. My fiance actively dislikes eating matzah, whereas I don't mind it. Because of this, and thinking that it's unlikely to last until next year, I've been gradually eating my way through it, breaking it into sections to use like crackers

As a gentile, I am obviously not bound by kashrut (beyond general Noahide prohibitions), but would there be any issue with me combining matzah with treif (i.e. eating salami and cheese on the same fragment)? Does it depend on whether the matzah is KLP and so baked (presumably) with the intent of being used for the mitzvah of matzah in mind?


texts:
I remember a long time ago hearing that the Rav (Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik (1903–1993)) held that women should pray three times a day.

Can anyone verify this, and what is the reason/source for this?


texts: When/where did the practice of "recycling" names begin?

texts:
Perhaps this had never bothered anyone in the past, but for someone like myself who delves into genealogy, the fact that there are family naming patterns is a great boon. Of course, we can go only so far back. But in any case, suddenly this question has come to bother me!

Reading the weekly parshiot in the Torah, I never seemed to be concerned before over the fact that everyone had a unique name! There was never another Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, etc., so everyone was unique and there was no ambiguity in referring to anyone.

So at what point did people start to "recycle" names and why? Was it to memorialize a loved one or another honored person or rabbi?


texts:
Shemot 3:14 speaks about one of the name of Hashem called Eh-yeh Asher Eh-yeh.

How does this name go along with the redemtion from egypt? Why specifically this name is used?


texts:
The Talmud in Nedarim 51a cites in the name of Bar Kappara a (playful? - see previous and subsequent passages for context) derashic interpretation of the word "toevah" (literally translated "abomination"):

הכי אמר רחמנא: "תועבה" - תועה אתה בה
This is what the Merciful One is saying: "to’eva" - you are straying in it.

Do any commentators explain the seemingly extra word "אתה" - "you" (as opposed to just having interpreted: תועה בה -
he is straying in it)?  (Could it be that, contextually, Bar Kappara is just playfully mocking Rabbi Yehuda HaNassi's apparent inability to successfully answer his question, and the drasha has nothing actually to do with the verse?)


texts: What are the halachot of Chanukat Habayit?

texts:
What are the laws and customs appertaining to chanukat habayit?
At what point, if at all, should you make a shehechiyanu; upon closing? Moving in?
Should you make a chanukat habayit on a home that is not your main dwelling? What about a property purchased solely as an investment?
Do you make a chanukat habayit if you purchase an apartment?


texts:
The last line of Tehillim 98 says "ישפט תבל בצדק ועמים במאה שערים" - "He will judge the world with righteousness and people in Mea Shearim."
Why will Hashem only judge the people in Mea Shearim?

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


texts: Where can i see touch and feel before i order : Talmud bavli Oz Vehadar Safa Brura

texts:
I live in Jerusalem (Israel).
I am to buy a complet set of Talmud bavli Oz Vehadar Safa Brura.
But before i would like to see one for real.

Does any one knows where in Jerusalem i can see touch and feel (pages, color, dimensions, leather, weight etc...) : a bookstore, a kollel, a shule.

TIA


texts: Has anyone derived meaning from candle flame?

texts:
Since Hanukkah, I have been attracted to the 'character' displayed by the flame of a candle. Even on Shabbat I have witnessed differences between two candles in how they burn (starting from any difficulties just in lighting).

I am looking for any sources that focus on insights regarding candles and flames.


texts: Is one allowed to take a haircut on a fast day like Tzom Gedaliah and or  Asarah B'Teves?


texts: What example is there in the Torah about (lichatchila i.e a priori according to halacha) marrying a wife that is years older than you?


texts: Does the colouring of animals depend on what the mother sees before conception?

texts:
What is the meaning of the strategies (hishtadlus) that Yaakov made with the conception of the animals starting at 30 (37)?

Is it or was it a natural thing that the colouring of animals depends on what their mother recently saw? If not, what is the implication?


texts: Looking for the origin of custom to decorate the Aron Hakodesh with 10 Commandments

texts:
Many synagogues have the custom to decorate the Peroches (curtain covering the Ark) with imagery of the 10 Commandments or Luchos in some form.
When did this custom originate?
Is there any source for this in halachic/kabbalistic writings?


texts: What's the definition of "not now" for priority-of-b'racha purposes?

texts:
Orach Chayim 211 is about what food to recite a blessing over (that is, and eat) first when one wishes to eat two foods. It's clear that (except according to the Rambam cited in 211:2) one does not always eat first the food he wishes to eat first. (Mishna B'rura :13 rules that we don't follow that holding of the Rambam's.)

However, the Rama :5 adds an important caveat to the general rule:

  And all we've said, that one [food] precedes another, is specifically when he wishes to eat from both of them…. However, if he doesn't wish to eat from both of them, he recites the blessing over [and eats] only the one he wants to eat, even though the other is also placed before him.

It seems obvious (and I believe, though I don't have them handy, that this is clarified in latter-day hilchos b'rachos books) that the Rama's exception applies not only to someone who wants to eat only one food altogether, but also to someone who wants to eat only one food now. That is, if dessert and my main course are both on the table, I need not eat dessert first, even if it should in theory have priority.

These two details are opposing forces in the halacha. On the one hand, one cannot decide what to eat first: halacha dictates what to eat first. On the other, the halacha is overridden by his lack of desire to eat something immediately: in a sense, he can decide what to eat first.

What's the demarcation? To what extent does the Rama's exception hold, and when do we say "that's not enough of a not-wanting-to-eat-it-now to override the general halacha"?


texts:
About a year ago, I started to keep halacha.

It was weird at first not driving or using my computer on Saturdays, and my diet changed a lot too, but ultimately I didn't mind, and now I'm pretty much used to it.

I only started keeping halacha for one reason:  to torment my father.

My father HATES religious Jews.  He blames them for all of the problems in Israel.  He thinks they are parasites, who take and take but never give.

After my father crushed my dreams, and refused to pay for my university in England, I wanted to take revenge on him.

When he heard I was wearing tefilin and going to the bet keneset every morning, he was screaming angry.  My mother tells me that he cries at night, wondering what he did wrong as a parent, to make me turn out so bad.

My problem is, last Saturday at bet keneset I heard about the isur of nekama.

Do I have to stop keeping halacha now?  The only reason I did it was for nekama.  Every time that I keep shabat or wear tefilin, I am also doing the isur of nekama!

What is the halacha of balancing keeping halacha against nekama?


texts: May a Jewish bus company Pre- sell tickets for a trip to Meron at a discounted price?

texts:
May a Jewish bus company offer to sell tickets for a trip to Meron on Lag Baomer before Lag Baomer at a cheaper price than they sell the tickets for on Lag Baomer itself?

Is this a problem of ribbis because the pre-payment is considered a loan (from the buyer to the bus company until the actual trip) and the discount would be a bounus and would be ribbis?


texts: What happened to the rest of the Jews who lived in Yehuda?

texts:
When Sancheiriv conquered the kingdom of Israel and exiled them, did he also conquer the rest of the kingdom of Yehuda or did he try going to Yerushalaim first (and never made it to the rest of Yehuda as his army was killed by the angel).

If he stopped in Yerushalayim, when did he get to exile Egyptians (and place others in their place, as the Gemara mentions)?


texts: Which Animals Have Only One Kosher Sign?

texts: Vayikra 11:4-7 mentions four animals that either chew their cud or have split hooves, but do not posses both kosher signs and are therefore not kosher.  At the present time, is this a complete list or only partial?  If it is only partial, where can I find a complete list?


texts: Why is the word for silver in Torah the same word for money?

texts: Is there a reason why the Hebrew word for silver is the same word for money in Hebrew?


texts: Inconsiderate gentile neighbor listening to loud music on Shabbat

texts:
Suppose an inconsiderate gentile neighbor were listening to music at a fairly high volume on Shabbat, to the point that you could hear it on your own property. Would one be permitted to:

A) directly ask the neighbor to turn the music down (or would this be a forbidden form of requesting melacha for one's own benefit?)

Or

B) enjoy a song which one happened to like when it came on (assuming the gentile is listening for his own pleasure and there is no input whatsoever from the Jewish neighbor regarding the whether music will be played at all, let alone the playlist)?


texts: Why doesn't the Babylonian Talmud contain Land-of-Israel-related tractates?

texts:
The BT lack all tractates in Seder Zraim except Brochos, see Mishna Tractates. Those tractates deal with Land-of-Israel-related Mitzvos.
Some address this fact to the lack of practice, but the same can be said of all Temple-works-related (all of Seder Kodshim) tractates that were discussed and recorded as if Rabbis longed to restore those works.
Why didn't Babylonian Rabbis study and record Land-of-Israel-related tractates as if they didn't crave to return to the Promised Land?


texts: Rules for counting the Omer with a bracha if one cannot say arvit on a flight through Greenland

texts:
In the summer on flights from the US to Europe and Israel (when flying north through Greenland), there are situations where one cannot say arvit (the evening's prayer) because it never becomes night outside. One goes straight from evening to morning and the sun never sets.

In such a situation what are the rules regarding counting the Omer with a bracha (blessing) in the morning?

Can one count with a bracha because it is the first opportunity one has to do so and since one didn't forget?
Or should one not say the bracha because one lost the opportunity to do so even if through no fault of his own?

Are there sources addressing the issue directly?


texts: Source that one doesn't challenge someone ready to humiliate himself to ask for tzedakah

texts:
I seem to remember reading that one doesn't challenge someone ready to humiliate himself to ask for tzedakah, but I can't find the source.

The closest I am getting is the Rambam (MT Matnot Aniyim 7:6)

  When a poor person whose identity is unknown says: "I am hungry,
  provide me with food," we do not investigate whether he is a deceiver.
  Instead, we provide him with sustenance immediately.

but that only applies to food since there is urgency.

and 7:7

  It is forbidden to turn away a poor person who asks [for charity]
  empty-handed.

Does the idea that one doesn't challenge someone if he is ready to humiliate himself by begging exist as a formal halacha? What is its source?


texts: Adding aliyah breaks at the beginning of the parsha

texts:
Last year I was the baal korei at an aufruf.  The shul's policy was to allow two extra aliyos for a simcha, for a total of 9 + maftir.

The bride's grandfather z"l, a Kohen and Holocaust survivor in his nineties, was the first oleh.  Because he had trouble standing, I suggested to the gabbai that we add the two extra aliyah breaks at the beginning of the parsha so that he could go sit down sooner.  The gabbai responded that no, you're only allowed to add aliyah breaks at the end of the parsha.

I've never heard anything like this.  Was he correct?  Is there a source for what he said?

There was plenty of room in rishon to add aliyah breaks.  The parsha also wasn't Mas'ei or Ki Tisa, where there are specific reasons to have a long rishon.

The grandfather passed away this week.  This question is dedicated lezeicher nishmaso.


texts: To what extent, if any, does the practice of bathing in hot water before Shabbos override the prohibition of bathing during the Nine Days?  I ask specifically regarding Ashkenazi practice (I guess for Sefardim this is a non-issue), and for one who is generally strict about bathing before Shabbos.


texts: Why is a utensil required when washing one's hands after bathroom use?

texts:
I am under the impression that one is required to wash one's hands with a utensil (typically, the same type of cup used to wash before bread) after using the bathroom.

Firstly, what is the source of this custom?
Secondly, why must a utensil be used when washing one's hands after using the bathroom?
Lastly, is it permissible to wash one's hands without a utensil (after using the bathroom)?


texts: Are there jewish holidays that are like sabbaths?

texts:
A friend of mine told me that today was a High Sabbath. However, this does not appear to be a recognized term.

As far as I know, a High Sabbath is like Shabbat (with all the precepts and restrictions placed on that day), but it does not necessarily take place on that day.

Unfortunately, this is all I know, so I was wondering if there is indeed a holiday/observance of any sort that is along these lines.

As an alternative route to achieving the answer: What, if any, religious observances are taking place today (April 19th 2017)?


texts: Until when were the red heifer ashes still in use?

texts:
Parah 7:6 describes how the Sanhedrin was ruling on practical matters related to creating mei ḥatat even after the destruction of the second Temple, and it follows that mei ḥatat was still being created and used for purification at this time.

Is this the latest reference of creation/use of mei ḥatat? If not, what is the latest such reference? Is there any reference speaking about the cessation of such use?


texts: Aquiring chometz as an agent of a non Jew

texts:
Danger: Complicated hypothetical question

In my office there are some hefker chometz sandwiches on chol hamoed pesach and on a nearby intersection there is frequently a non jewish beggar (Beggar A).

1a) May I act as the beggar's agent (without his knowledge but for his benefit) acquire the sandwiches and bring them to the beggar?

1b) Is the pleasure of effectively giving tzedaka considered hanaah?

Once I take the sandwiches and get down the the intersection, Beggar A is not there, but Beggar B is.

2a) I want to be able to give to either beggar so may I acquire the sandwiches for Beggar A on condition that he is there but acquire them for Beggar B on condition that Beggar A is not there?

2b) In case a beggar that I had not considered is there, may I acquire on behalf of whichever begger is at the intersection that day without having a specific person in mind?

(Assume there will always be someone there.)


texts: I once heard that a Rabbi cursed the Kennedy family because a member of that family who was involved with US immigration turned away a boat of Jewish immigrants. I would like to know the source of that story and whether a theurgical curse was performed.


texts: What is appropriate covering for non-Jewish men at a Jewish funeral?

texts:
I am going to the funeral of a close friend's sister; the family is Jewish. In the funeral notice it states: "Gentlemen please wear head covering".

My question is: what is an appropriate covering for non-Jewish gentlemen or men?


texts:
Tzar Balay Chaim for Fish
Is there Tzar Balay Chaim for Fish?


texts: I have heard many differing Minhagim as to the time-frame for naming a newborn girl. There are those that name at the first possible opportunity and some that wait till the second Shabbos. Many others name sometime in between these extremes. My father's Minhag was to name a girl not earlier than 3 days after she was born. What are the reasons and sources behind the various differing Minhagim?


texts: Is a homosexual male obligated to try everything to change his orientation?

texts:
Given that homosexual relations is a biblical sin, I would like to know if a Jewish male homosexual has an obligation to try to change his sexual orientation (as opposed to just not acting on his homosexual impulses)?

I am aware that there is considerable controversy over organizations like JONAH (related), my question is not whether or not to use a specific organization or technique, but rather if there is an obligation to use any and all possible means to change.


texts: Tahara procedure for a body with an infectious disease

texts:
I've heard that one vector for the spread of Ebola is ceremonial contact that family members have with the body of their deceased relative. That led me to think about how Judaism deals with this issue. The tahara (purification) process has volunteers, who aren't medical professionals, working with the body.

Now, I'm certain that the principle of pikuach nefesh would preclude any tahara activities that would endanger the lives of the volunteers involved. I'm wondering how this is implemented in practice and whether it's addressed explicitly in the literature.

Do people participating in a tahara take special precautions if the deceased had an infectious disease?
Are there situations in which a tahara is simply not performed for this reason?
Are these concerns dealt with in the Halachic literature?


texts: Does this prove that the children of converts are not Israelites?

texts:
I was under the impression that even though a woman who had a real (halachic) conversion was not an Israelite, her children would be full fledged Israelites in every respect, indistinguishable in matters of Torah Law from those Israelites who are not descended from converts.
But the Mishna in Horayos 3:8 says that an Israelite takes precedence over a Natin (A Natin is a descendent of the Gibeonites who converted in previous generations).
Now I know that as we don't know who is a Natin in this generation, any Jew who is not a Kohen or a Levi is an Israelite.
But does the above mentioned Mishna prove that the children of converts are not Israelites?
Source: https://www.sefaria.org/English_Explanation_of_Mishnah_Horayot.3.8.2?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=bi


texts: Why is the Eastern Ashkenazi minhag in Chutz Laaretz to only do Birkat Kohanim at Mussaf of Yom Tov and not at shacharit or neila on Yom Kuppur? Presumably if it is a time that we feel is worthy of having the simcha required to do Birkat Kohanim that would apply to the entire day.


texts: Which sins are specifically punished with drought?

texts:
The province of South Africa in which I live, the Western Cape, is in severe drought. Many shuls across the country are praying for rain, and a few days ago the Chief Rabbi of South Africa declared a public half-day fast.

Both the Tochachah at the the end of Seifer Vayikra and the 2nd paragraph of Shema talk about lack of rain as a general punishment for sinning in general.

I want to know if there are any specific sins which Hashem punishes with drought. If there are, then it should be those specifc sins which we should be focusing on doing teshuva for.


texts: Maggidim (angelic mentors) in Jewish history. How new is it?

texts: Did the phenomenon of "maggidim" (celestial/angelic mentors) who come to teach a person kabbalistic mysteries and other revelations, but begin with those who studied Lurianic kaballah in the 1500's - 1600's or was it always a part of Jewish history after prophecy ended? We have written records of many kabbalists in the 1500's - 1600's and on,being visited by maggidim such as Rav Yosef Karo of Maggid Meisharim fame and the lesser known Rav Shimshon Pesach of Ostropol as well as many others. Was that the beginning of this phenomenon?


texts: Who (if anybody) requires a minyan for Hallel?

texts:
The weekday minyan I go to only says Hallel if there is a minyan present.  (I'm talking about for Rosh Chodesh, Chanukah, and chol hamoed; I don't know if their practice differs for chagim but I don't think so.)  Today I learned in a comment here that others hold differently:

  http://yeshiva.co/ask/?id=3233 says “One May say Hallel alone and at home if necessary.” The site quoted above has a comment “What about Hallel? .. I am fond of a Sefaradi sidur (Bnei Tzion) where it says that Hallel (113-118) is said only with minian ...” http://halachahbyemail.blogspot.co.uk/2009/11/… says “In truth, the requirement is not for a minyan, per se; even having three people present, so that one leads "Hodu" and the others respond, may suffice. (Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 422:2; Mishneh Berurah 422:18)”. –  Avrohom Yitzchok

So now I'm wondering -- are there other credible opinions that do require a minyan (and my minyan may be following one of them), could there be some other custom at play here, or is this likely to be an error?  The minyan is not of Sephardic background.  (Past questions of the form "why do we do..." have been met with "that's what we've always done" with nobody seeming to know why.)


texts: Good qualities of deceased now available for others to practise. Is there a source?

texts:
I have heard several times at Hespedim (funeral orations) that the good qualities of the person who passed away are now available to be picked up by those of us still alive.
In the sense that the dead person cannot practise these qualities anymore, this is obvious. My question is whether there is a source for the statement.


texts:
A good deal of ink has been spilled in the past century regarding the permissibility and appropriateness of American Jews celebrating Thanksgiving.

For the most part, Ashkenazim are split, with some big name 20th Century rabbis giving it the OK, and in some cases celebrating it themselves, while some still tend to just pretend it doesn't exist (although not with the same negativity generally directed at certain other non-Jewish holidays).

What about Sepharadim?  I know that the Spanish-Portuguese Jewish community in the U.S. has a strong tradition to observe and celebrate Thanksgiving, dating back to the founding of the nation.  But what about everyone else?  Is there affirmation that Thanksgiving is a worthy holiday to observe?  Is there opposition to it?  Is there a more neutral response?  Is there some mixture of the above like there is among Ashkenazim?


texts:
I was looking into buying a more efficient water heater, and was dismayed to discover the significant halachic issues surrounding tankless water heaters (https://www.star-k.org/articles/kashrus-kurrents/681/insights-from-the-institute-winter-2008/). Upon further research, I discovered that there are hybrid systems that use a normal storage tank but a tankless heater for rapid replenishment (http://www.rinnai.us/hybrid-tank-tankless-water-heater/how-it-works). Does this mitigate the halachic problems of tankless heaters on yom tov?

Additionally, shabbos 146a declares hatmanah as assur, using the example of a pipe of cold water inside hot springs (which would nominally have been permitted) as the source of the decree. What about the inverse case - where hot water pipes are circulated through a cold water tank?


texts: We cover the challas by the shabbos meals for a number of reasons. One however is because the mann was covered (with dew) on top and on the bottom (See Tosfos Pesachim 100b) and the challas that we are eating are a rememberance of the mann. For this reason then seemingly we should cover the challas also by the third seudah. Are there people that do cover the challas then? If there isn't a minhag like this, why not?


texts: Do Jews Believe Dinosaurs Lived in the Same Time Period as Humans?

texts:
According to the book of Genesis, animals and humans were created on the 6th day.  I am wondering what Jews think of dinosaurs.

When tested for dating (radioactive decay), their bones appear to be millions of years old,  a time period that does not exist according to a literal interpretation of the Torah.

I am aware of certain Jewish/science authors that use Einstein's theory of relativity to argue that the first 7 days of Genesis were "relative" and that they could actually be much longer than the 24 hour days we have today.

But for Jews who are not scientists, what is the general belief about dinosaurs?


texts: Pre-1948 Haredi view on political Zionism and how it developed

texts:
Are there any readings discussing  the Haredi (Hasidic, orthodox non-Mizrachi) stance on political Zionism prior to the establishment of the State of Israel?

Did it change with the establishment of the state? If so, in what way?

Any recommended readings on the topic?


texts: Is there a source for Pidyon Haben seuda equivalent to 84 fasts?

texts:
In this answer, @Motel quotes an oft-quoted idea that partaking of a seudas Pidyon Haben is equivalent to fasting for 84 days. This is fabled to be alluded to in the words 'פדיום' (Bamidbar 3:49), which can be split to פ"ד יום.
Is there any source for this concept?


texts:
In Bereishit 27:29, Isaac's Blessing of Jacob contains:

"You shall be a master over your brothers, and your mother's sons shall bow down to you."

Are there any explanations in the literature explaining why the plural was used, or perhaps stories of other brothers not in Tanach? 1st D. Hayamim 1:34 only lists Esau and Israel. Bereishit 25:21-22 makes it look unlikely that Rebekah had more, but perhaps she did?


texts: Why don't some people answer Boruch Hu Uvoruch Shemo in Chazzan's repetition of Shemona Esrei?

texts: The custom is when someone is being Yotzei in a Mitzva from someone else (such as hearing the Shofar or reading of the Megilla), the person listening does not answer 'Boruch Hu Uvoruch Shemo' to the one making the Brocha. I assume the reason is that this would constitute a Hefsek - interruption between the Brocha & the Mitzva the Brocha is going on. However, I have noticed people who refrain from saying 'Boruch Hu Uvoruch Shemo' during the Chazzan's repetition of Shemona Esrei. What would be the reason for this? The Congregation already Davened their own Shemona Esrei so they aren't trying to be Yotzei with the Shliach Tzibur?


texts: In case of diphallia, how is brit-milah affected?

texts:
Diphallia is a rare medical condition in which a male infant is born with two penises.

Does brit-milah requires both penises to be circumcised? Is there any reference in the litterature about such an event?


texts: If sleeping suffices for "ad d'lo yada", why drink?

texts:
The Shulchan Aruch (OC 695:2) writes:

  One must become drunk on Purim until he doesn't know the difference between "arur Haman" and "baruch Mord'chay".

The Rama (ad loc.) adds:

  But some say that he need not get so drunk: rather, he should drink more than his custom and sleep; because he's sleeping, he doesn't know the difference between "arur Haman" and "baruch Mord'chay".

  One who does much or little — so long as he directs his heart to heaven!

On the Rama's words "and sleep; because he's sleeping, etc.", Mishna B'rura comments:

  That's what's seemly to do.

(All translations are my own.) If one follows this ruling, that sleep is a way — the appropriate way! — to fulfill the "not know the difference" rule, why does one need to drink at all? Is it simply to increase the likelihood he'll fall asleep? If so, can a tired person just lie down without drinking?

EDIT to clarify my question, since I am dissatisfied with the answers thus far given:

There is certainly an idea of drinking wine on Purim to commemorate the miracles that took place through the medium of drinking wine. There is, on the other hand, an idea of la yada, of not knowing the difference between "arur Haman" and "baruch Mord'chay". The Rama explicitly severs the strong connection between these implied by the g'mara's statement "must get drunk on Purim until he doesn't know...": the Rama says that one need not get so drunk as to satisfy "la yada"! (This seems to directly contradict the g'mara.) It is sufficient, he writes, to drink a bit and fall asleep and, by sleeping, satisfy "la yada". There's thus a domino effect, according to the Rama: one drinks sufficiently to sleep, and sleeps sufficiently to "la yada". Yet drunkenness (which is what the g'mara speaks of) needn't lead to "la yada": in fact, one needn't get drunk at all! So the g'mara's requirement "to get drunk until he doesn't know..." is gone. Rama doesn't hold of it. Why, then, does he require drinking to lead to sleep? If the "to get drunk until he doesn't know..." is gone, why isn't it sufficient to simply "doesn't know" (e.g., by sleeping without drinking) (and drink as a separate thing, perhaps after sleeping, to commemorate the miracles)?


texts:
Abgefeimt, trying to find a good example, would be like a person who legally engages in something that really sort of underhanded and fraudulent. How does Jewish Law look upon the concept of Abgefeimt?

Say for example, Rogers, the phone company here told me that if I bought a 3 year plan, that on top of getting a "free phone" with that plan, that at the end of the 3 years, I would get another "free phone".

What they meant by free phone, is that I would have the opportunity to buy another 3 year contract which gives me a "Free phone".

Another example would be the same company disabling my service because I did not pay my bill, but still charging me for the disabled service. (I yelled at them at the ridiculousness of that policy, charging me for something I can't and am not using)


texts: Are observant Jews of today more pious than observant Jews of the Sanhedrin period?

texts:
Allow me to explain the logic of the question:

During the time of the Sanhedrin, a Jew could be put to death for not following the law. While it was certainly enforced for things like murder, it could also be enforced for things like breaking Shabbat and idol worship. It was rare and it didn't happen often but it was still a reality that every Jew lived with.

Modern Jews have no such threat of harm to their lives. If a Jew decides tomorrow that they will not observe mitzvot any longer, they simply live life as a secular person. Other than being ostracized socially, there isn't a threat of harm against them.

Can it be argued that a Jew who is observant at a time where they face no consequence for non-observance is actually more pious than a Jew who observes out of fear of the consequences?

We are taught that the main reason we were given free will was because Hashem did not want to be worshipped by mindless drones. Hashem wanted to have us come to him freely and through our own conscious choice. Wouldn't the threat of consequences through the Sanhedrin (or any other Jewish authority) arguably cheapen the idea of true free worship?


texts: Should a torah scholar be cruel to his family?

texts:
Eiruvin(21b-22a): His locks are curled (Shir HaShirm 5:11). Mar Ukva says that teaches us that we are to make many interpretations on every point of the letters of the Torah. black as a raven – With whom do you find this ability? ... Rava said this ability is only found in someone who makes himself cruel in relation to his children and wife – as a raven. Someone such as Rav Adda bar Masnah who once when leaving to study Torah in the beis medrash was stopped by his wife. She asked him how she would be able to feed his children? He responded by saying, Are there no more edible herbs that can be found for free in the marsh?

Is this practice to be taken literally? If not, how is this passage to be interpreted?


texts: There is a side note on the side of Yerushalmi Terumos 7:2 “עיין במגלת ספר לאוין רנ׳׳ח מש׳׳כ בזה באורך”. I cannot find this sefer anywhere. It appears to be an explanation of the סמ׳׳ג, but I haven't found it. Does anyone know what it is and where I can get it?


texts: I figure that this is a fairly straightforward question: does anyone make braces (American: suspenders) which serve the same purpose as a Shabbat belt ?


texts: What is the extent of the prohibition for Jews to cook meat and milk together?

texts:
If it is so wrong to cook meat and milk together, then what about cooking meat with milk-based products like yoghurt, cream, cheese, butter, etc?

I am not familiar with Judaism.


texts:
The Shulhan Aruch (Y"D 282) tells us that one should stack certain books in a certain order (e.g. Humash on top of a Sefer Navi). What is the Din of a Siddur for this purpose?

My friend told me he asked a very famous Posek who said that a Sidur has the same status of e.g. a Sefer Musar. Today I was told that my Rosh Yeshiva holds that it has the status of Sefer Tehilim.

What do the sources have to say?

CYLOR

(I'm asking only according to the opinion that applies the stacking rules of the Gemara/Shulchan Aruch to printed and bound books.)


texts: Why is וְאַתָּה followed twice by a future and once by a command?

texts:
At the beginning of T'tzave, Exodus 27:20–28:3, we have three divine commands to Moses beginning with "וְאַתָּה / v'ata / and thou".
Verse 20:

וְאַתָּה תְּצַוֶּה אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִקְחוּ אֵלֶיךָ שֶׁמֶן זַיִת זָךְ כָּתִית לַמָּאוֹר… / And you shall command the Israelites, and they shall take for you pure olive oil pressed for light…

Verse 1:

וְאַתָּה הַקְרֵב אֵלֶיךָ אֶת אַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ וְאֶת בָּנָיו אִתּוֹ… / And you bring to yourself your brother Aaron and his sons…

Verse 3:

וְאַתָּה תְּדַבֵּר אֶל כָּל חַכְמֵי לֵב… / And you shall speak to all wise of heart…

Why the difference in grammatical mood (or aspect? or tense? whatever it is …) — specifically, why do verses 20 and 3 have "and you [future-tense verb]" and verse 1 have "and you [command form of the verb]"?


texts: Does extra virgin organic coconut oil have to have a hechsher?

texts: I am specifically referring to Coconut Oil. I know that my question is similar to this one: Is Extra virgin olive oil kosher by default? but My question is also about non-olive oils. Due to the huge olive oil industry there is a large profit to be made in manufacturing fraudulent products which is part of the analysis as to whether or not to permit (extra virgin) olive oil without a hechsher. In addition the product I have says: Free of: Milk, eggs, peanuts, shellfish, fish, soy, gluten, titanium dioxide. The specific product I am referring to can be seen here: http://www.vitacost.com/vitacost-extra-virgin-certified-organic-coconut-oil-54-fl-oz-10


texts:
Wikipedia  states that King David, Ruth's descendant, was born and died on Shavuos. The source they brought was a Yerushalmi in Chagigah (2:3). I looked in the Yerushalmi and found nothing.

Does anyone know any other source that has this information


texts: Why do people frequently change tunes toward the end of Lecha Dodi?

texts: Frequently, perhaps even most of the time, I've noticed that the chazan (prayer leader) for Kabalat Shabbat switches tunes for the last four verses of Lecha Dodi. Is there any reason for this, or are people just doing it because other people do it?


texts:
I am not asking how I will know who Moshiach is.  My question is how will he know to do those things which will let me know who he is.  And specifically, will he know long before his revelation that he is Moshiach (i.e. is it possible some guy is walking around for 20 years knowing that he is Moshiach but can't tell anyone yet) or will he suddenly get a nevuah to go do all those things Moshiach does so well?

As always, please source your answers.

(No, I'm not wondering if I may be Moshiach and just don't know it - I am definitively not of the Davidic line.  But maybe you?)


texts:
For many years I have been bothered by the following.

There was a large Jewish population living in Babylonia during the time that the events of Chanukah played out. Yet, I have never seen any mention of the Jews living in Bavel coming to the assistance of the Jews in EY during their struggle with the Syrian-Greeks. Why is this? Surely at least some of the news of what was transpiring in EY must have reached the Jews in Bavel.  Why didn't they either come to help or at least send assistance?

Perhaps I am simply ignorant of history, and there are sources that tell of such assistance. If so, then please enlighten me.


texts: Source for medrash that Klal Yisroel counted the omer when they came out of Mitzraim

texts:
The sefer Tur Bareket (OC 489, also brought here) quotes a medrash that Moshe Rabbeinu told Klal Yisroel to count 50 days towards matan torah.
Do any of our readers know the exact source in the medrash of his quotation?


texts: Are expert witnesses allowed in Jewish law?

texts:
The Mishna says:

If one takes payment to ... give evidence, his evidence is void. (Bekhorot 4:6)

So if you are paid to testify, your testimony is invalid.  Does this apply to paid "expert witnesses", who come to court and say things like "I am a doctor and I say the defendant doctor showed gross negligence in how he handled his patient." ?


texts: Brachos l'vatala and repeating (all or part of) the Amidah

texts:
If saying a superfluous Amidah results in brachos l'vatala, as suggested here ("However if one is davening after 1/2 hour after Chatzos he isn’t Yotzei and his Brachos are L’vatalah. See  Biur Halacha Siman 89 Dibur Hamaschil V’Achar"), then what of a situation in which one must repeat all or part of the Amidah because of an omission? For what reason are those repeated brachas not l'vatala? (Must it be "because the rabbis said they weren't?")

Also, what about a tefilla nedava? Why are the brachas in that tefila not considered l'vatala?


texts: Where to download Tanach text in digital format

texts:
I want to download Tanach, or at least Chumash, in a word  type format. I want to be able copy and paste etc...
Any help would be much appreciated.
Yasher Kokachem.


texts: How can someone die between rosh hashana and yom kippur

texts:
God judges us on the first day of the year and it is only sealed on the 10th day of the year what will happen that upcoming year.
 so how can people die in between those two days?


texts: Must the entire decoration be within 4 t'fachim of the schach?

texts:
Inspired by Can too many decorations render a sukkah invalid?

If there is a big decoration hanging from the schach, is it OK as long as the top (part, or most of the decoration) is within 4 tefachim, or must the entire thing be within the 4? For example, the 2-foot-tall inflatable Chile pepper we like to hang. :)

Also, what about a paper chain? Certainly part of it is within 4, but if it is sufficiently long enough, it could dip down too low in the middle. (Trust me. :P) Is this a problem?


texts: Dialogue Between Jews and Romans in Jewish Tradition

texts: I always wonder what people refer to when they quote things spoken between the Jews and the Romans. Does ancient Jewish doctrine include instances of dialogue between the Jews and the Romans?


texts: Why do some siddurim switch the order of the angels?

texts:
I've noticed that in some siddurim in the prayer "El Adon" the last line has the order of the angels switched; that is, they say:

"seraphim, chayot, v'ophanei hakodesh"

instead of

"seraphim, ophanim, v'chayot hakodesh",

and yet all siddurim by Shema say "ophanim v'chayot hakodesh". So my question is what is the origin of this phrase (both by Birchot Kriat Shema and "El Adon") and why do some siddurim (e.g., Chabad) have the order of the melachim "flipped"?

Thanks


texts:
The Mishna says:

  He who maintains that the resurrection of the dead is not derived from the Torah, he who says that the Torah is not from Heaven, and an apikoros, have no share in the World to Come. [Sanhedrin 10:1]

and

  The following are the things for which a man enjoys the fruits in this world while the principal remains for him in the world to come: Honoring one’s father and mother; The performance of righteous deeds; And the making of peace between a person and his friend. [Peah 1:1]

What about someone who honors his parents but does not believe in the resurrection of the dead?  Is he eligible for the World to Come or not?  In other words:

(1) If you do one listed thing wrong, does that disqualify you from the World to Come, no matter what else you did?  Or

(2) If you do one listed thing right, does that qualify you for the World to Come, no matter what else you did?


texts: By Hagbahos HaTorah people point at the Torah with the pinky of their right hand. I have seen others point with the pinky of both hands. Someone told me this is brought down in the Me’am Lo’ez. Where does the Me’am Lo’ez mention this minhag?


texts: On what day exactly should one read the added phrases prayers?

texts:
When praying the Amidah at the second prayer of "Atá Gibor..." during summer one adds, "Morid hatal" between Pesach and Shemini Atseret; whereas in winter during Shemini Atseret and Pesach one adds, "Mashib haruach umorid hageshem" before continuing with,...Mechalkel chayim bechesed...".
On what day exactly should one start with, "Moshib haruach..."? On the day of Pesach or on the day after pesach?
And on what day exactly should one start with, "Morid hatal"? On the day of Shemini Atseret or the day after?


texts: Does "Ein Ye'ush" apply to everything or just spiritual related things?

texts:
I have recently heard about a concept called "Ein Ye'ush Baolam Clal" ("אין יאוש בעולם כלל") which translates as "There is never a time of despair".

I was wondering if this is referring to all things, or just things related to Torah and mitzvoth. And where is the source for it?


texts: In present day world, most of the democratic countries follow Secularism, i.e. separating state and religion. What is the opinion of Judaism on Secularism: Should a state following Halacha endorse Secularism? Should such a state keep religious matters separate from government?


texts: “Gold was created only so that it should be used for the Mishkan.” – Source?

texts:
“Gold was created only so that it should be used for the Mishkan.”
What is the source of this quotation?


texts: How many times do women say Kaddish in shul?

texts:
If only a woman in the shul is saying Kaddish, does she say it once or every time that the siddur says Kaddish yasom (the Kaddish for mourners)?

From this answer, I see that it is permitted for her to say kadish, according to R' Moshe.

But maybe it is only one kaddish and the obligation to say the rest of the kaddish yosom is not on the woman but on the congregation and there is no reason for her to say it.


texts: Are there any Torah sources which encourage or discourage using plates for kiddush cups or a kos shel beracha?


texts:
Is there an operative element to Mishloach Manot that requires a sending, i.e. a physical transfer from person to person? (related sources in these related questions )

If I must travel on Purim, I would want to leave bowls of food on my property. I would invite people to come and take.

Assuming that I can be sure that people will come and take and that they will take 2 foods, am I mekayem the mitzvah because the food switches into their reshut (though without a shali'ach or any work by me)?

Then, if I can be, how does the possibility that people either won't show up or won't take the proper amount fit in? Does that invalidate the entire possibility, or because it is a doubt, we look for leniency?


texts:
Yishai said in a comment elsewhere on this forum :

  It has been pointed out in Rishonim that some sins are so bad they
  can't get a punishment - because the punishment creates forgiveness,
  but when the sin is too great, forgiveness is not an option.

Which sins are these and who are the Rishonim that said this?
How could a sin be so great so as to be beyond punishment, when even the gravest sins are not [they are punished by capital punishment]?


texts: What game is the Rama in 338:5 (טשי"ך) referring to?

texts:
In the English Mishna Brurah they translate טשי"ך as chess. The Mishna Brurah brings the Marah Sasson who forbids it because there is no chachma. It is also mentioned in the Rama that it makes noise, and as far as I know chess does not involve noise? Also, the Aruch Hashulchan says the pieces hit each other, he also gives another name for the game (מייליסקע"ס, seems similar to kugalach) not sure if it translates as chess. The Magen Avraham gives yet another name for the game. So, which game does the Rama refer to?

A side point: The gemarah in Kesubas 61b names a game and Rashi calls it chess with the name אישקקי"ש. The common Hebrew name for chess today is שחמט.


texts: Help me locate a midrash I only vaguely remember

texts:
I have part of a midrash floating around in my head, and I was hoping someone would recognize it and point me towards a source.
Here's what I remember:

It spoke of two people that were sentenced to the same punishment. One did a severe transgression (perhaps treason), while the second committed a minor transgression.
The one who committed the minor transgression asked the court to publicize his sin, so that no one would think he committed the same major transgression the first person did.

Does this ring any bells?


texts: Resuscitation of Aged Nursing Home Patients

texts:
Recently, there was a story about an 87-year-old woman who suffered a heart attack in a nursing home. The nursing home called 911 and the dispatcher begged the nurse to do CPR on the patient until the paramedics arrived.  The nurse on duty refused as it was against the nursing home's policy.  This policy was roundly attacked by Orthodox rabbi and educator Rabbi Yair Hoffman who equates the denial of emergency medical treatment to murder.  Rabbi Hoffman's analysis, however, seems at odds with those of Rav Moshe Feinstein who, in his responsa at Iggros Moshe, Choshen Mishpat Pt. 2 No. 73:1, outlines various circumstances in which a terminally-ill patient could be denied medical treatment.  Comparing the two points of view seems to require that we need more information about the original patient, including, whether the patient gave the nursing home advanced instructions not to take drastic measures to save her life -- an instruction commonly known as a "DNR" (Do Not Resuscitate) order.

In making decisions about the care of our elderly or terminally-ill family members, especially for those who can't speak for themselves, what information do we need to know before (a) signing up with a nursing home/hospice facility, and (b) speaking to a rav about specific care issues?


texts: Why not say Shir Shel Yom in the evening?

texts:
I took a look at two questions:

One, which focused on WHY we say Shir Shel Yom included the claim of the Chashukei Chemed in the answer, that "אבל הוא הדבר אשר דברתי דמה שאנו אומרים שיר של יום אינו משום זכר למקדש כלל, רק להזכיר מעין יצירת היום" -- the Shir commemorates some aspect of creation. This point was used to justify not saying the Shir twice in a day (morning and afternoon) but only in the morning.

The other question asked about the timing of creation and includes the idea that according to some, the world was created (at least in thought) or was declared in the evening*.

Are there any opinions that combine these and opine that the Shir Shel Yom should commemorate the creation by being said in the late afternoon/evening and NOT in the morning?

*The Rashbam does almost seem to say that the morning's coming was the completion/declaration of the day, not the beginning, but that would put the Shir at the close, not the beginning of the day. "שהעריב יום ראשון ושיקע האור, ויהי בוקר, בוקרו של לילה, שעלה עמוד השחר, הרי הושלם יום א' " so the Shir should be said in the morning, but pointing to the day that has just passed?


texts: Are the uncertified packaged pre cut vegetable and fruit platters in a non-Jewish store kosher

texts: In the produce cooler section of stores (such as Costco), one can often find packages of shrink-wrapped cut up veggie and fruit platters. Would the fact that these are precut in the store require kosher certification or can they be considered kosher since they are only fruits and vegetables? Please include consideration of the utensils used for cutting the fruits and vegetables.


texts:
What can a person who is staying at a hotel which has only electronic sliding doors that open when one walks near them do to avoid any issue on shabbat?

Wait for someone else to enter and "piggyback"?
Tell the staff of the issue and have them open whenever they see the shabbat-observant customer without having to ask?

Are any of these viable/permissible solutions? Any other advice?


texts: There is apparently a practice among contemporary Jews of giving out blessings on one's birthday. Is there any source for this in the Jewish tradition?


texts:
What is required at the seder?  I know this has been answered before, but I wanted to tie it all together in a simple list.  Please tell me if I got something wrong.

Two basic commandments in Torah:
1) telling the Exodus story,
2) eating matzah

Five other commandments in Talmud (rabbinical):
3) eating maror (bitter herbs),
4) eating the afikoman (as a reminder of the Passover offering),
5) saying Hallel (psalms of praise),
6) drinking four cups of wine,
7) showing freedom and nobility (e.g.,sitting on a pillow, leaning on the left side during eating and drinking, and beginning the meal with a dip.)

Kiddush is also required, as for all holidays.
Must wash hands and say bracha before eating the matzah, then say birkat hamazon after it.

Not required are most favorites:
-Ha lachma
-Vehi sheamda
-The four sons
-Ma nishtana
-The plagues
-Dayyenu
-Bechol dor vador
-Hiding and finding the afikoman
-Cup of Elijah
-Songs at end (chad gadya, echad mi yodea, adir bimlucha, etc.)
-Adir hu
-Leshana habba-a birushalayim
-A full meal! (that is, eating more than the required matzah)


texts: Does being married by an Orthodox rabbi afford certain privileges in today's world?

texts: Does being married by an Orthodox rabbi — as compared to being married by a rabbi of another denomination — afford certain privileges in today's world? My question pertains to the marriage of two Jews (not converts). Examples: Aliyah, synagogue membership permitted, the enrollment of future children in Jewish school/camp.


texts:
What is the correct ניקוד (and concomitant translation) of the word שתכלה in the phrase

  עד שתכלה רגל מן השוק

?

Is it תִכְלֶה, which would be קל or תִכָּלֶה, which would be נפעל?

Does this difference also determine which of two similar שרשים is in effect?

(I linked to the Shulchan Aruch for ease of finding on the page even though it is quoting from a much earlier source.)


texts: What to daven when coming into minyan during Shema

texts: Where are you supposed to start at when you come into shachrit during shema on a regular week day?


texts: When did the spice box get it's classical shape?

texts:
All Havdala Bsamamim boxes I have ever seen are in the shape of a tower.

Why (and when) did it take on that classical shape (rather than just a silver box)?


texts:
If someone is having a hard time finding a shidduch, what can they do to help the process along?

Are there any recommendations brought in the holy books that will make it easier?


texts: The Haggadah was written during the Talmudic period, so I would expect it to be written in Aramaic.  Especially since the entire purpose of the Haggadah is the telling over of the story of yetziat-Mitzrayim in order to fulfill the mitzvah of remembering the Exodus, I would expect that it would be written in the colloquial so that everybody could understand it. Instead, the Haggadah is written almost entirely in Hebrew (with the notable exception of the ha lachma anya paragraph, which is indeed in Aramaic). Why is this?


texts: How did Bilaam know that illicit relations was the way to trip up Klal Yisrael?

texts:
As recounted by Rashi to Numbers 25:1 and Sanhedrin 106a- after Bilaam's "cursing" of Klal Yisrael was unsuccessful, he advised Balak that the way to take down Klal Yisrael was to entice them with illicit relations, stating:

"אלהיהם של אלו שונא זימה"
"Their God despises licentiousness"

(refer to Why does God hate sexual immorality? for reasons why)
How was Bilaam aware of this information?


texts: Status of stones that fell out of the Kotel

texts:
On the day after Tisha B'Av 5778 a 400Kg (estimated) stone fell off the Kotel.

It was subsequently moved - for safekeeping - close to the Gate of the Moors, a.k.a. the Mughrabi Gate.

Meanwhile, the Rabbi of the Kotel, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, is figuring out its Halachic status.

I am wondering what the sides of the debate are. We already discussed Plants growing out of the Kotel and the accepted answer states that they should not be picked because [leaving them lying around] adds to the feeling of despair.

That would actually point to not moving the stone, but I assume it was moved for safety reasons, and to prevent tourists from picking off chips for souvenirs.

Now that it's been moved, would it have any Halachic special status?

It was part of the Western retaining wall of the Temple Mount, and not actually part of the Bet HaMikdash as such.
OTOH, we do treat the Kotel as if it has a special holiness, so maybe from a Minhag aspect, (if it's not a Din) it should have some special status.

But I can't find any specific related Halachot. Sources welcome!


texts:
In Brochos Perek 6, Mishna 6 the Mugmar is mentioned in the context of who makes the Brocha for it.  Commentaries explain that it is some sort of incense that was smelled after a meal.

It would seem that this custom has been lost to the ages.  Does anyone know if it is done anywhere today in the Jewish world?  Maybe some Sefardim still perform this custom?  And if it has indeed disappeared, does anyone know why?


texts: Pronunciation of הגפן when drinking alone

texts:
The blessing over wine, בורא פרי הגפן is pronounced differently between Ashkenazim and Sefardim. Ashkenazim say hagafen; Sfardim hagefen.

There seem to be a couple possibilities for why. According to the answer on the linked previously question, Ashkenazim changed the text to be more in line with Biblical Hebrew, where at the end of a sentence, an accented segol will switch to a kamatz (simplified), while Sfardim didn't. The other possibility, ascribed to Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, is that the amen after is part of the blessing, so הגפן isn't the last word. I infer from here that he thinks it really should be hagafen, but the amen changes it.

If a Sfardi, following Rabbi Yosef's opinion, is drinking alone, with no-one around to answer amen, how should he pronounce הגפן? The way he usually does, or change it hagafen?


texts: Adoption of the Groom or Bride by the parents-in-law?

texts:
Was it ever a Jewish custom for the Groom or Bride to be adopted by the parents-in-law, which explains (so I have heard it said), in part, why in Shir HaShirim, the Bride is referred to as Kalah-Achoti, My Sister-Bride? Is there any inkling of truth, partly or wholly, to this?

My question is directed to those who know the Talmud, Mishna, Halacha, etc...., who might know what ancient Jewish law or custom might say about this.


texts: Do traditional sources address how time “works”?

texts:
I’m sorry for such a convoluted question, but this has been bothering me for some time now. While the title isn’t quite accurate, I couldn’t think of a better way to phrase it - feel free to edit if you can.

In sci-fi literature, (backwards) time travel tends to take one of two forms: either (1) one’s actions were already taken into account in the timeline, leading to the trope of someone trying to prevent something from happening but causes it to happen in the end (think Doctor Who); or (2) one can actually alter the past, leading to a branching timeline (think Back to the Future).

Does Judaism address whether either of these are accurate? That is, assuming time travel is possible, can one go back in time and alter the past?

The flip side of the coin, which might open some other possibilities for answers: if I somehow receive a message from the future, can I take measures to prevent it from happening, or will it automatically happen regardless of what I do?

The main question ends here. The following are some of my thoughts on potential proofs one way or another from methods we know to be true of predicting the future.

While astrology, kishuf, necromancy, and urim v’tumim all do this to some effect or another, there is a fundamental issue with all of them that prevents them from being proofs - namely, a large portion of the message is left up to interpretation, and thus any inaccuracies might be chalked up to user error. Take the example of Paroh’s message of Ra’ah (Shemos 10:10) - while one could argue that the symbol was overturned, one could just as easily argue that it was never intended to refer to murder, and Paroh misread the stars.

Nevuah, also, isn’t a good proof: a negative prophecy can be overturned, but perhaps it was just to scare the people and never was intended to be fulfilled at all. A positive prophecy might never be overturned, but that could be just because Hashem doesn’t lie - not that it fundamentally can’t be overturned, but that He chooses not to overturn it.

While different, yedi’ah versus bechirah is very heavily related.


texts: R' Chanina B"T's strange behavior at his execution (Kalah 5, 4)

texts:
We all know the heroic story of R' Chanina Ben Tardion in its version in Avodah Zarah 18b as he was wrapped in Sefer Torah and burned alive.
Interestingly, Masechet Kalah 5, 4 (sorry couldn't find a decent translation) tells this story VERY differently, putting R"C in a questionable light:

רבי חנינא בן תרדיון פעם אחת ... אמר אוי לי שמא נתחייבתי מיתה לשמים.

Notice, that R"C originally suspected that he was sentenced to death by the Heavenly court.

עד שהיה יושב ותמיה בא קסטינר א״ל רבי גזרו עליך לכורכך ולשורפך בתורתך ולישראל עמך ועמד וכרכוהו בתורתו והקיפוהו חבילי זמורות.
והצית בו האור והיה אור מצטנן ומתרחק ממנו.
עמד קסטינר בבהלה א"ל רבי אתה הוא שגזרו לשורפך? א"ל הן.
א״ל ולמה האור מתכבה? א״ל נשבעתיו בשם קוני שלא יגע בי עד שאדע
אם גזרו עלי מן השמים המתן לי שעה אחת ואודיעך.

Apparently the fire could not touch R"C as he swore it to hold on untill he'll be sure of the reason to put him to death.

היה קסטינר יושב ותמיה אמר הללו שגוזרין מיתה וחיים לעצמן למה עול מלכות עליהן.
א"ל קום לך וכל מה שמלכות רוצה לעשות בי יעשה.

And the executioner let R"C go and let him bear the consequences! Now is the interesting part:

אמר לו ריקה, הסכימה עלי גזרה מן השמים ואם אין אתה הורגני הרבה הורגים יש למקום הרבה דובים ונמרים ואריות וזאבים והרבה נחשים ועקרבים שיפגעו בי אלא סוף שהמקום עתיד ליפרע דמי מידך.

And R"C said, "if you don't kill me, there are many animals that will BUT you will be held responsible."

וידע קסטינר שכך היא המדה מיד עמד ונפל על פניו וכיון אבד והשמיע קולו מן האש ואמר באשר תמותי אמות ושם אקבר באשר תחיה אחיה מיד יצתה בת קול ואמרה רבי חנינא בן תרדיון וקסטנירו מזומנין לחיי העולם הבא.

As you see, it says nothing about the negotiation on hastening the death or swearing to the executioner of letting him to the WTC.
As usual, I'm trying to put R"C's behavior into our Halachic perspective, raising some questions:

R"C was allowed, Wasn't R"C obligated to take the opportunity to go free when offered even if later G-d will find a different way to execute him?

If he could contain the fire, wasn't he obligated to delay his death by any means?

By breaking the swearing and letting the fire upon him, is it considered that he committed suicide?

If he was let to go free why he didn't remove the Torah scroll? (Frankly, we don't see that this passage mentions the Torah burned at all, so maybe he did remove, then it contradicts the whole point of the Gemmarah in AZ).

How come that the story is told so differently even factually?


texts: Was Cham influenced by the people destroyed in the mabul?

texts: In Parshat-Noach, was Cham influenced by the bad people G-d destroyed before the mabul (by his actions with his father)?


texts: If Hashem is All-Powerful, why can't he take on a physical form?

texts:
Hashem can do whatever He feels like doing. Nothing gets in his way.

This has led to the various questions on here regarding the omnipotence paradox - can Hashem put Himself in a situation in which He's unable to do something (i.e. create a rock He can't lift, create a prison He can't escape, destroy Himself, etc.)?

There are essentially two lines of thought, it seems, to answer these questions, as described in the above links: either Hashem cannot violate logic or is above it.

Where is this all leading? This discussion. The one in which everyone vehemently replied no to the question of "Can G-d ever take on a physical form." Sure, the question was based on a faulty interpretation of certain pesukim, but it's a valid question, nonetheless. And the answer is that He cannot take on a physical form.

Why? Didn't we just get through saying He can do whatever He wants? As @DoubleAA pointed out, it wouldn't necessarily be a problem according to those who say He can't override logic, but the question still stands for everyone else. Before you say that it's just that He chooses not to, that discussion makes clear it's not that He won't but that He can't. Why not?

(Yes, I'm aware that there are those who hold He can become physical; I'm asking specifically based on the opinions cited in the above discussion.)


texts: Why R' Akiva's "Love your neighbor" didn't make it to Bavli?

texts:
R'Akiva's famous statement appears in Safra, Bereyshis Rabbah, and (Yerushalmi Nedarim 30b):

"ואהבת לרעך כמוך" רבי עקיבה אומר זהו כלל גדול בתורה.
"Love your neighbor as yourself". R. Akiva said: "This is a great principle of the Torah."

But it seems that it didn't make it to Bavli. Isn't it? If yes, did anybody mentions a reason for omitting such a great principle?
(This is a follow up to this question)


texts: Does a halachically circumcised non-Jew need Hatafat Dam when converting?

texts:
Rambam, Hilchot Milah 1:7 says that a convert must be circumcised before his conversion is complete. If he was already circumcised when he was not Jewish, a Hatafat Dam Brit (taking a drop of blood) must be done.

What if the convert received a halachically valid circumcision when he was 8 days old, does he have to do Hatafat Dam when he converts? For example, his mother thought she was Jewish, and didn't find out until after her son was circumcised that she was in fact not Jewish. When the son was 8 days old he received a proper, halachic circumcision. Does that circumcision count for the conversion process?

In other words, do we say that the reason the already circumcised convert must get Hatafat Dam Brit is because the first circumcision wasn't a halachic one? (In which case the convert in question did receive a halachically valid circumcision)

Or do we say that the reason he must get Hatafat Dam Brit is because the previous circumcision wasn't done with the intention of converting? (and therefore it doesn't matter whether the previous circumcision was halachically valid or not, it was not done as part of the conversion process)

Note that I am not asking about Giur L'Chumrah. I am asking if the son is doing a complete conversion (e.g. after the mother found out she wasn't Jewish she elected not to convert. The son decided to convert later on in life, and goes through a complete conversion process)
Additional Note: Rambam, Hilchot Issurei Biah 13:1 says that the Jewish People also did the three steps of conversion before the Torah was given. The circumcision was done in Egypt, before the Jews ate the Korban Pesach. It could perhaps be argued that they did not know they were circumcising themselves as part of the conversion process. If so, perhaps a parallel could be made to our case, where the original circumcision was not done with the intent to convert, but it was still halachically valid for the conversion process. (Also, the tribe of Levi never stopped circumcising their children, so they definitely didn't have in mind the conversion process)

Someone just told me that this question was discussed in connection to the Ethiopian Jews, and is discussed in Ovadia Yosef's Yabia Omer and other places. I haven't looked any of them up yet.


texts: Muktza not being directly handled (i.e. in a backpack)?

texts: If say I'm walking in an area with an eiruv (that I hold of etc.), and it becomes Shabbos and I have a muktza object on me, if I put it in a backpack so that I'm not actually touching it, is it still considered muktza?


texts:
Is there a public domain floorplan of the Beis Hamikdash?

I'm looking for something like


texts:
This question asking why the menorah didn't have rings and staves for carrying reminded me that, unlike with the other mishkan objects, we're not given any dimensions for the menorah.  I've always imagined it as large enough to stand on the ground and provide overhead light.  (That image is probably reinforced by the arch of Titus, but I'd be cautious about inferring too much from that.)  But was it?

According to Rashi on Shemot 25:31, the menorah was cast from a talent of gold weighing 64 pounds (citing Tan. Beha’alothecha 3).  The size question also came up in our torah study recently, where none of the chumashim on hand provided illumination.  An engineer who was present told us that that amount of gold would yield something closer to a table lamp than a floor lamp.  This site says that a kilo (2.2 pounds) of gold is about the size of an iPhone 6.  30 of those doesn't seem enough to make a large, solid (not hollow) menorah.

I know that the group in Jerusalem who are building utensils for the third temple interpret it as a floor lamp, like what I imagined.  I don't know their sources.

How tall was the menorah?  Sources, please.


texts: Did you fulfill your obligation if you pronounced the Name of G-d differently from your custom?

texts:
Would you have fulfilled your obligation to recite a blessing if you pronounced the Name of G-d in a way that was against your custom? For example, if an Ashkenazi has the custom to say "Adonoy" and he instead says "Adonai" like (some) Sephardim, has he fulfilled his obligation?

Similarly, if he were singing a song, and he used "Adonai" instead of "Adonoy", would he be liable for using the Name in vain, G-d forbid?

This question is not limited to the two pronunciations I provided. The same question could be asked with Adoinoy, Adeinoy, Adhounoy, Adaunoy, Adhonai, etc.


texts: What is the source for making a bride happy at her wedding?

texts:
There's a line that has made its way into a number of songs:

  כל המשמח חתן וכלה זוכה בחמישה קולות
  Anyone who gladdens the groom and bride will merit five voices.

But the source Gemara (Brachos 6B) is more specific:

  וא"ר חלבו א"ר הונא: כל הנהנה מסעודת חתן ואינו משמחו עובר בחמישה קולות ...  ואם משמחו מה שכרו? אמר רבי יהושע בן לוי זוכה לתורה שנתנה בחמישה קולות

  [...] anyone who enjoys the feast of a groom and does not gladden him violates five voices [...] And if he does, what is his reward?[...] he merits the Torah, which is given with five voices.

So we only see that it's about the groom, not about the bride. Furthermore, the merit one receives is the Torah, not the five voices.

What is the source of its popular formulation?
If it is not a reputable halachic source, where do we see that one should gladden the bride?


texts:
AFAIK the psak on a bedikah cloth depends on the colour of the stain. Any shade of red indicates nidda, other colours, including brown, are okay.

Doesn't blood turn from red to brown when it dries? That would imply you have to see the cloth very soon after the bedikah is made to decide accurately.

Is this a practical consideration for bedikahs?


texts: What are good grammars to help me understand the language of Rabbinic Literature?

texts:
I have recently finished my grammar book on Biblical Hebrew, and I would like to get a grammar that would help me start to read rabbinic literature, specifically, the Talmud, and the commentaries of the Rishonim.

I have "An Introductory Grammar of Rabbinic Hebrew" by Miguel Perez Fernandez, but I do not know if this will suffice, since I know a good portion of the Talmud is in Aramaic. Also, I do not know how different the language of the Talmud is from the language of the Rishonim.

The only other book I know of on the subject is "A Grammar of Gemara and Onkelos: An Introduction to Aramaic." Is this a good book (also, what is the difference between the normal version and the expanded version, if you know)?

If not, what are books you would recommend?


texts:
The Mishnah (Shabbos 12:5) rules that writing in the sand is permitted:

כָּתַב בְּמַשְׁקִין, בְּמֵי פֵרוֹת, בַּאֲבַק דְּרָכִים, בַּאֲבַק הַסּוֹפְרִים, וּבְכָל דָּבָר שֶׁאֵינוֹ מִתְקַיֵּם, פָּטוּר
One who writes in liquid, fruit juice, the dust of the road, scribe’s powder, or anything which does not last, is exempt.

The Shulchan Aruch (O.C. 340:4) advises against what the Mishnah clearly permits, stating:

יש להזהר שלא לכתב באצבעו במשקין על השלחן או באפר
One should be careful that he does not write with his finger in liquid or ashes on a table.

Later we see that the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (written in the 19th Century by Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried) forbids this action completely:

אָסוּר לִכְתֹּב אוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת אֵיזֶה צִיּוּר אֲפִלּוּ בְּאֶצְבָּעוֹ עִם הַמַּשְׁקִין שֶׁעַל הַשֻּׁלְחָן אוֹ עַל הַהֶבֶל שֶׁעַל חַלּוֹן זְכוּכִית (שִׁמְשַׁת הַחַלּוֹן) וְכֵן בְּכָל דָּבָר, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינוֹ מִתְקַיִּם
It is forbidden to write or to draw in any form, even with your finger, with liquid on a table or on condensation on a glass window, or with anything, even if it does not last. (Kitzur S''A, 80:63)

Why does the Kitzur forbid this if the Mishnah does not? We see somewhat of a linear pattern here: first, the Mishnah permits this action. Next, the Shulchan Aruch does not forbid it, but advises against it. And finally, the Kitzur forbids it entirely.
Perhaps, from a D’Oraisa level, writing in things that do not last is permitted, but later the Rabbis forbade it to keep people from coming to violate the Melacha of Kotaiv.
I can see two potential problems with writing in sand on Shabbos, one being an issue with Kotaiv and the other being Choresh. (But maybe since the sand is dry it would not violate Choresh at all.)
What is going on here?


texts: How many Cohanim and Levi'im worked in the Temple daily?

texts: How many Cohanim and Levi'im worked in the Temple daily (excluding supporting professions, like preparing woods or oils) and how many of them stayed there for sleep?


texts: Why does Yisro appear to have higher standards for judges than Moshe does?

texts:
First Yisro says:

  וְאַתָּה תֶחֱזֶה מִכָּל הָעָם (1)אַנְשֵׁי חַיִל (2)יִרְאֵי אֱ־לֹהִים (3)אַנְשֵׁי אֱמֶת (4)שֹׂנְאֵי בָצַע וְשַׂמְתָּ עֲלֵהֶם

Then when He selected it says he got:

  וַיִּבְחַר מֹשֶׁה אַנְשֵׁי חַיִל מִכָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל

Why did Moshe lower qualifications from 4 to 1?


texts: Who is Azazel? It's the guy that got one of the two goats on a certain day. What do we know more about that being?

texts:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scapegoat

Is it a demon? Evil being?

  And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for Azazel."1

  Footnote [1] 16:8 The meaning of Azazel is uncertain. ESV

Who is this being that God wants to share some goats with the guy?


texts:
I heard some mention the Gemara in Gittin which says that Titus y"m went into the קודש הקדשים with a harlot. He slashed the curtains, opened a sefer torah and had relations with the harlot. The Jews knew that if the kohein gadol messed up on the avodah in the קודש הקדשים he died on the spot, yet Titus did not die, but emerged from the קודש הקדשים unscathed. The reason Titus did not die on the spot was because there was no kedushah (i.e. the Shechinah departed) from the Beis HaMikdosh. Once there is no Shechinah remaining in the Beis HaMikdosh it just a bunch of bricks.

Where in the Torah does it says that if the Kohein Gadol messed up on the avodah in the קודש הקדשים, he died on the spot?
Is there any commentator that talks about the Shechinah departing from the Beis HaMikdosh?


texts:
Is there such a thing as a machlokes in practical halacha within Chabad?  As far as I know (which isn't very far), Chabad has, or at least had until 2 decades ago, one central figure leading the movement.  Did all halachic decisions follow his decision?  Or are there differing practices within the movement?

If there are disputes, did this arise recently or has it always been that way?


texts: What is the interpretation of Genesis 19, 5-8?

texts:
5 They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.”

6 Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him 7 and said, “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing. 8 Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.”

What are the facts that happened before this event that led people to ask to Lot this? (If there are)
Why he give such a strong answer? Obviously because a messenger of G-d cannot be touched and he must protect him, but he does not even try to bargain or to persuade people not to touch the angels and he immediately offers them his daughters. Why? Maybe this facts are not strange since we are talking about Sodoma, but maybe further explanation will help me to understand better this passage. Thanks.


texts: Is anyone aware of a halachic opinion that permits, l'hatchilah, a mechitza of ten tefachim?  I'm familiar with talmudic sources and with the normative debate (shoulder height vs. higher) and the issue of sight vs. separation. I've also heard that Rav Soloveitchik permitted it under extenuating circumstances in at least one case.  But does anyone know of an opinion that says ten tefachim ought to be acecptable?


texts: How can something negative be a blessing?

texts:
Ya'akov calls out for his sons to come to him, in order to tell them what would happen in the acharit hayamim. From Bereshit 49 verse 28 we learn that Ya'akov gave the tribes a bracha (blessing).

But look at some of the 'blessings':

Bereshit 49:4: Unstable as water, have not thou the excellency; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it--he went up to my couch.
49:6-7 Let my soul not come into their council; unto their assembly let my glory not be united; for in their anger they slew men, and in their self-will they houghed oxen. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce, and their wrath, for it was cruel; I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.
49:14 Issachar is a large-boned ass, couching down between the sheep-folds.

How are these blessings?
P.s. i took the story of Ya'akov as an example, but there are more of these blessings which seem to carry a negative load within them.


texts: Can you be buried with tzedokoh receipts?

texts:
When you pass away can you request to get buried with your tzedokoh receipts? Will the burial people allow it?

Is it worth it, I know everything gets recorded by God, but I've heard stories of people asking to be buried with things. Do you take the stuff with you when you go upstairs?


texts: In what sense will Moshiach be "covered"?

texts:
Rashi on Daniel 12:11 seems to represent a timeline for the approach of the Moshiach (though I admit, I don't really understand it): [translation via chabad.org]

  And from the time the daily sacrifice was removed: in order to place a silent abomination in its stead, are days of one thousand two hundred and ninety years since the daily sacrifice was removed until it will be restored in the days of our King Messiah, and this calculation coincides with the calculation of (8:14): “evening and morning, two thousand and three hundred” from the day of their exile to Egypt until the final redemption: Egyptian exile 210; From their Exodus until the First Temple 480; First Temple 410; Babylonian exile 70; Second Temple 420; Totaling 1590. The daily sacrifice was removed six years before the destruction, which equals 1584. Add 1290, and the total sum is 2874; like the numerical value of בֹּקֶר עֶרֶב [574] plus 2300 [2874].

In the next verse, Rashi comments,

  Fortunate is he who waits etc.: Forty five years are added to the above number, for our King Messiah is destined to be hidden after he is revealed and to be revealed again. So we find in Midrash Ruth, and so did Rabbi Eleazar HaKalir establish (in the concluding poem of the morning service of the portion dealing with the month of Nissan): “and he will be concealed from them six weeks of years.”

I haven't found a citation in the midrash to Ruth, nor have I looked up Yotzer Parshat Hachodesh, but I am trying to understand the idea that the Moshiach will be revealed and then hidden and revealed (for 45 years? For 42 years?). Can anyone point me to discussions of this?


texts: Who are the demons in Deuteronomy 32:17?

texts:
They sacrificed to demons that were no gods,
      to gods they had never known,
  to new gods that had come recently,
      whom your fathers had never dreaded. (Deuteronomy 32:17)

This 'demons that were no gods' is strange. I thought there are simply no other gods. That means, if some people believe in other gods, those other gods are just figments of their imagination. Those other gods are not demons or anything. They're nothing. That's it. That's the fundamental faith of Judeo-Christian and Islamic tradition.

I thought that one of the most fundamental aspects of monotheism is that the doctrine is atheistic when it comes to other gods.

Yet, it seems that G-d is complaining that Israelites are worshiping gods that are actually demons.

In fact, I thought Judaism doesn't believe in demons at all.

Yet here we have a bunch of beings:

demons that were no gods
gods they had never known
new gods that had come recently

2 and 3 could be gods in an atheistic sense. They are real in someone's head, and that's it. God calls them gods nevertheless, perhaps in an atheistic sense.

But what about the demons?

Explanation for #2 and #3 would be great, too.

If 2 and 3 means gods in an atheistic sense (that is, they're not really gods, but they are gods in the beliefs of the Israelites), this fits standard Judeo-Christian theology. There are simply no other gods. Those other gods exist only in the believers' minds.

The demons, however do not fit the pattern.

It seems that case 1 suggests that G-d knows that Israelites think that those beings are gods but they are actually demons. But that means, in an atheistic sense those beings are gods. The Israelites think they are gods. So why does G-d call them demons?

They should be just nonsense gods that exist only in believers' minds. G-d is apparently atheistic, so to speak, when it comes to other gods.

Another way to interpret this is to see that 1, 2, and 3 are describing real beings. So, 1 are demons that Israelites think are gods. Number 2 and 3 are gods that Israelites think are gods. G-D thinks the Israelites are stupid not for worshiping non-existent gods but for worshiping gods that they had never known and that had come recently

So we do have other gods, namely demons and those that "they had never known and that they had come to know recently."

Another explanation is that when people believe in other gods, those other gods are actually demons. That means demons exist.

That does not fit common theology. Common theology says when people believe in other gods those other gods are just figments of their imagination, not actually demonic beings.

In any case, I am very confused. What are those demons anyway?


texts: Why are people called up to the torah also by their nickname

texts: Aruch Hashulchan EH 129:116 says one should not be called up to the torah with either your own or your fathers nickname like Zalman of 'Shlomo Zalman'. A nickname is a name, which is nothing more than a 'copy' of the original like Salamon or a shortened version of it. So why today are even rabbis called up to the Torah by a name including their nickname? Like the example given of  Shlomo Zalman.


texts:
Disclaimer: I do not understand all of the concepts that this question relies on, nor do i know what they're called and how to look it up.

At home, we're always told to use a spoon and not a knife in things like chummus and mayonnaise, so that it doesn't become milchig/fleishig. My understanding is that there's something special about a knife that can transfer kashrut status.  (Maybe דוחקא דסכינא, Star-K's term.)

What about a knife without an actual blade? We have these spreaders that are basically knives without a blade. They're useful for cream cheese, butter, and the like. Since they are able to "cut" these soft things, and look like a knife, do the same halachot apply? (Of course, a spoon can also "cut" through soft spreads.)

Here's an example:

I suppose the question boils down to how sharp must a knife be to be able to change the status of things it touches.


texts: Why is a slave sold for six years? He's being sold for stealing. So he should be sold for the amount of time it takes to make enough to pay back the stolen amount.


texts: Are you culpable for things done under hypnosis?

texts: The other question regarding the halachos of hypnosis only discusses doing it/having it done to you. I would like to know if someone who is already hypnotized (either intentionally or not) is culpable for damages done while in the hypnotic state. Does this fall under adam muah l'olam or oneis? None of the above?


texts: It´s allowed to play with rubik cube in shabos? if not whay? what melache?


texts:
I am planning to start learning daf yomi Yerushalmi. I have never learned Yerushalmi before

Are there websites the provide the text and audio explanation of the daf akin to those that exist for Bavli?
What are some (top 5 at most) helpful things to keep in mind when learning Yerushalmi
What are some (top 5 at most) ways that learning the Yerushalmi differs from the Bavli?
Are there major mainstream rishonim who comment on the Yerushalmi? If so who?


texts:
There are disturbing ideas in the Feb 21, 2011 Time magazine cover article 2045: The Year Man Becomes Immortal. The article attributes to Raymond Kurzweil the prediction that within the next 25 years personal computers will possess the processing power and storage capacity to allow humans to "scan our consciousnesses into computers."

Does Judaism claim the brain as the seat of the soul? If so, and I'm able to download my brain into a computer, does that mean "I" (i.e. my soul) can outlive my body? Could this state of existence fulfill any of the ideas contained in the Messianic Age or The World To Come (a purely spiritual existence)? Can one then mix souls together by mixing together the bits of their brains? What is the Jewish definition of consciousness?


texts: Is it permissible to open soda cans on shabbos?

texts:
What is the halacha regarding opening soda cans on shabbos?

I have heard that according to the ones who hold that you can open it, if I would ask that person to open it for me, I would need him to drink some of it so that he is opening it really for himself.

I assume the problem according to the people who hold that you can't open a can is that you are making a kli (vessel) by opening the can. - but isn't it tzaruch ochel (for the purpose of eating)? Don't we say that for tzaruch ochel you can make a kli?

Why is a can different from a soda bottle?


texts: Doesn't Zeresh know Mordechai was Jewish?

texts:
In Esther 6:13 Zeresh says 'If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him.'

Wasn't it already well-known that Mordechai was Jewish?  Haman even told Zeresh that Mordechai is Jewish a chapter earlier (Esther 5:13).


texts: Weekdays atoning for Weekdays during the year

texts:
I have heard from a few speakers that during the week before Rosh Hashana (some versions say that it is the week of Aseres Yemei Teshuvah), each day of the week that one does Teshuvah and acts appropriately atones for that specific weekday's sins throughout the year.  For example, if on the last Tuesday of the year one acted appropriately and did teshuva, their repentance "fixes" all of the year's Tuesdays.

What is the earliest source for this?  (Feel free to provide later sources, as right now I don't have any.)


texts: Can one rely on rounded irrational numbers?

texts:
Chazal often talk about irrational numbers in their math discussions. For instance, Sukkah 7b-8a uses both √2=1.4 and π=3 in its discussion, and Eiruvin 76a-b uses the same numbers in an almost identical sugya. And the list goes on.

But can we actually rely on such sources? That is, halacha l'ma'aseh, can we assume that π=3 for the sake of halacha? For instance, in the aforementioned sugya in Sukkah, discussing a round sukkah. If I actually wanted to make a round sukkah, can I take a 7x7 tefach square, multiply the side by 1.4 to get the diagonal of length 9.8, then multiply by 3 to get the circumference length of 29.4, and that would be a kosher sukkah? Or do I have to get as close to 7π√2 as humanly possible?


texts: What Jewish denominations believes in an afterlife?

texts:
What Jewish denominations believe in an afterlife?

It appears there is a judgement of the world to come but that doesn't specify if there is an afterlife or not.  This question makes me think Judaism traditionally doesn't.  This question states Orthodox Jews do.


texts: During shmittah, some stores sell otzar beis din produce which is ok to eat. What is otzar beis din and why does it make the produce permissible to eat?


texts:
ב"ה
I've heard when cleaning for Pesach that chometz that is less than the size of a kezayis isn't significant enough to be considered chometz. I am talking only concerning chometz which one isn't eating on Pesach but may see. Is this a true idea?

This question comes up certainly with cleaning one's car because there is always small crumbs found in the car and it is physically impossible to get it out. So is chometz less than a kezayis a problem after one has nullified all one's chometz?


texts: In Bemidbar 2.14 , it says רעואל is the father of Eliasaph. Isn't the father of Eliasaph דעואל?

texts:
This is the only instance I know of that רעואל is known as the father of Eliasaph ,
דעואל is known as the father of Eliasaph in bemidbar 1.14, and 3 other places, the resh and the Dalet are very similar, is that the reason ?


texts: Is there a source for why many people (Ashkenazim) use a knife to pre-mark the challah where they will cut it before making the bracha on Shabbos?


texts: Inspired by this question which the author states is not a question of issur/heter. Assuming time travel is possible (to the future or past) is there any reason it should be assur?


texts: Why do Lubavitchers put on tefillin of Rabbeinu Tam from bar mitzva?

texts:
Based on this question, Shulchan Aruch (O"C 34:2-3) says that only people who are noted for their piety should put on Rabbeinu Tam tefillin. Why do Lubavitcher chasidim (and descendants of certain chasidic-rabbinic dynasties e.g. Nadvorna) start the practice with bar mitzvah boys?

A link to anything in Shulchan Aurch Harav or Sefer Haminhagim would be an ideal answer. I'd love to hear any thoughts on the subject from Mi Yodeya's resident Lubavitcher Chasidim, or Nadvorna descendants if we have any.