texts: Is there anything wrong with hitbodedut?

texts:
According to the teachings of Breslov Chassidus, it is recommended to spend some time alone in a quiet place engaged in personal prayer and self-introspection (hitbodedut).

Are there any opinions that are against this practice? Are there any possible issues when engaging in hitbodedut?

One thing that comes to mind is Bitul Torah, taking away from time that could be spent learning, but the same can be said about prayer in general. (The usual answer given is that the longer your prayer is, the longer is your life.)


texts:
When I was starting to become observant, at the end of shacharis one day, someone asked me "are you finished with tehillim?". I told them I don't know what that is. They told me "if we knew what was happening in heaven while we are saying tehillim, we would be saying them all day non stop".

So, a few years later, I still would like to know what the power of tehillim is. What corrective action are we taking by saying them?


texts: How "with" the congregation do you have to be in order to say the 13 Divine Attributes (middos)?

texts:
According to the view that the 13 Divine Attributes ("Hashem, Hashem, Keil Rachum...") are considered a davar shebikedushah and therefore require a minyan for their recital, an individual doesn't recite them if he's praying alone (unless he says them as if reading from the Torah, i.e., with cantillation).

What happens if one is indeed praying as part of a minyan, but is a little behind? (And is there any difference in this regard between the various prayers in which the Attributes are recited - tachanun, selichos, etc.)?


texts:
i've read conflicting things about baking ones own Matzah. So apparently it can only be baked in a "professional oven that can be heated to over 600 degrees," which doesn't make sense to me since before Ashkenazim started mass production of selling Matzoth, people had to bake it for themselves in their personal ovens. Also i read that one has to use "shmurah matzah" that was guarded from the field it was ripened, and i went to 3 different Jewish markets and bakeries to attempt to buy "shmurah flower" and of course they looked at me like i was insane. Does one need to use Shmurah matzah as defined is this strictest sense? Or can one use normal flour?

So when one wants to bake their own Matzah, what are the halakhoth? Are there differences of opinion between Sephardim and Ashkenazim? i grew up eating soft matzah and want to bake some for myself, but since my family wasn't very religious growing up i don't know if they followed any kind of halachah so i wanted to ask first.


texts: What are the alternate signs for a kosher fish?

texts:
In addition to the signs for a kosher fish mentioned in the Torah, The Tur (Y.D. 83) brings alternate kosher signs for fish that are not accepted by all Poskim. Namely, the head of a kosher fish is not sharp and the fish has a spine.

Can someone explain what these signs are? What is considered a sharp head? What is meant by a spine (I'm assuming it doesn't mean the skeleton)? Pictures would be awesome as well.

If it helps, here's the wikipedia article on Fish Anatomy


texts: Do I sit Shiva after my parents if I am converted to Judaism?

texts: If the parents of a ger pass away, must the convert sit shiva for them? If so, is it preferable to sit shiva in the mourner's hometown or the parent's hometown?


texts: Why are Moshe, Aharon, David and Shlomo mentioned in the prayer for the sick?

texts:
Based on Nusach Ashkenaz, it seems that when there is a prayer beginning with the words מי שברך , that only the 3 fathers (Avraham, Yitzhak and Ya'akov) are mentioned. Two examples:

Mi Sheberach for someone called to the Torah
Mi Sheberach after the second "Yekum Purkan"

However, when reciting Mi Sheberach for the ill, in addition to the forefathers, Moses, Aaron, David and Solomon are added.

Why are these 4 added, in particular?
How are these 4 "related" to the ill or help the ill recover?


texts: are there certain criteria for the utensil we use for washing hands?

texts:
i remember hearing that there cannot be a spout but must be an equally rounded edge.
is this true? if yes please provide source. THANK you!


texts: Giving gifts to non-Jews at Christmastime

texts: Is it okay at Christmastime to give a gift to a boss or for kids to give gifts to teachers if they are not Jewish?


texts:
The bracha Shehechiyanu is supposed to be said only once during Chanukah, namely upon the first lighting (which is usually the 1st night unless someone was unable to light on the 1st night.)

The candles are lit in shul also, and a bracha is said in shul. However, a person does not fulfill his obligation via the lighting in shul, and he must relight when he arrives home.

Being that the person who lit in shul has already said Shehechiyanu in shul, does this not count at all, since the actual mitzvah is to light at home, does this mean that he can and should say Shehechiyanu when he arrives home - meaning he would say it twice in the same night?


texts:
Isaac Moses wrote:

  Over the years, Gershon Gold has demonstrated great research skills, often coming up with on-point sources for interesting Halachic questions very quickly. He has also been an exemplar of tzeniut, concentrating on writing great questions and answers and keeping his personal life to himself.

I'm unsure why keeping one's personal life to oneself might be important.

Is it bad for one to let bits of one's personal life become known online?

For example, in this Mi Yodeya post, I disclose that I have ADHD; this makes my answer more believable. In other online posts, I might share a personal anecdote or two; this can add flavor and interest to a post which might otherwise be academic and boring.


texts:
In the Artscroll machzor (ashkenaz), in the Chazarat Hashatz for shacharit of Rosh Hashana, the piyut with the refrain "Hashem Melech, Hashem malach, Hashem yimloch le'olam va'ed" has a strange translation.

The second and third uses of the m-l-ch root are cited as verbs (reigned and will reign) but the first Melech, is translated as reigns. However, the word "Melech" as far as I can find, is always used as a noun ("king") and the present tense verb would be "molech" (as used in the first pasuk of megillat Esther).

In fact, the Artscroll Tanach has, as the translation of the phrase in the source pasuk (Tehillim 10:16) "Hashem is king" (as it does when citing that pasuk in Mashechet Rosh Hashana).

It could be said that there is no effective difference between "reigns" and "is king" (though I could make a contrary argument -- often the one who reigns is not king, and a king does not always actively reign) and that the Artscroll is trying to establish parallelism but I'm just curious: Is there any textual precedent to its use as a verb, or, lacking that, is there something deeper in the word "melech" that properly allows it to be translated as "reigns"?

[strangely, one of the machzorim available through Sefaria was all three as nouns (is king, was king, will be king)]


texts:
When a woman (or, if need be, a man) lights candles for Shabbat, she covers her eyes before making the bracha to "pretend" that the candles aren't lit yet because we generally say the bracha before fulfilling the mitzvah, but once the bracha has been made, shabbat would start and she would be unable to light the candles. [Rm"a [quoting the Maharil] in Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 263:5].

Are there any other mitzvot that we fulfill using some measure of pretense? I'm not talking about having a tnai in mind, or doing something incorrectly or incompletely until the bracha is made (like holding an etrog upside down), but about having to pretend that something is different from what it is.


texts:
A funeral of my distant relative was held at Ofra cemetery (in Israel) which is close to the local cowsheds (probably on purpose). The smell was hardly bearable but I needed to say Kaddish (Yatom), as I was the closest male relative.

Is one allowed to say Kaddish and Amen in such a smelly place?


texts:
Who knows three hundred seventeen?
?שבעה עשר ושלוש מאות - מי יודע
In the spirit of the song "Echad - mi yodeya", please post interesting and significant Jewish facts about the number 317.
Check out mi-yodeya-series for the previous three hundred sixteen entries in this ongoing series.
Please include sources for your information wherever possible, as with all other answers on this site.


texts: Are the laws exclusive to the land of Israel, also relevant in terms of what they teach us everywhere?

texts:
There are many laws enumerated in the written and oral Torah. One of their categorizations is those which are obligatory inside the land of Israel and those which are obligatory both in the land of Israel and outside.
The second grouping is what constitutes the Shulchan Aruch.
But non-obligatory doesn’t necessarily mean irrelevant. There are many agricultural laws only obligatory in the land, for example.
But is what they oblige us to do inside the land of Israel, also relevant in terms of what they teach us everywhere?
In the overall sense of good conservatorship, do those laws indicate to us proper behavior in all places, even though they are not obligatory?


texts:
R' Saul Berman was a scholar in residence at Harvard Hillel this past Shabbat Zachor (28 Feb 2015). During se'udah shelishit, in response to a query which dealt with his talk after shacharit, he said that about 20 years ago, R' Herschel Schachter had made a remark about the likelihood of having female dayanim within the foreseeable future.

What did R' Schachter mean by this? From what I'm aware of, a woman cannot serve on a bit din. If so, how could he say that within the foreseeable future, we would see female dayanim?


texts: Do jews find it blasphemy to be judged by religious laws of the pagan country they live in

texts:
Does being judged by non judaic religious law in a non judaic , pagan country considered to fall into the category of Shituff (Associating partners with God) . As jews belive that only God has the power to frame Laws and accepting or participating in the law system of pagan religious laws is like associating partners to God in lawmaking?

Update:

My question is faithfully answered but still i am not convinced that it does not fall in Shituff. Since i guess idol worship is just concrete version of Shituff as it can be manifested in many ways and not just Idol worship

e.g following laws setup by a Hindu pseudo god sounds more Shituff blasphemous then actually worshiping the Hindu pseudo god.


texts:
Is it permissible to learn dikduk of Biblical Hebrew on tish’ah b’av or is it considered learning Torah?

If a grammar or book one is using to learn dikduk quotes pesukim or phrases from תנ״ך to show examples of the grammar rules being discussed is that considered learning Torah and asur on tish’ah b’av?  Since the examples are being used to support the points of grammar and not for the sake of learning Torah per se would this be permissible and not be considered Torah study?


texts:
What is the definition of "shituki"?
This term may be found in Rambam, Mamrim 5:9.

I apologize that I was not able to be more specific in adding contextual 'tags'.


texts: Does Yeshayahu 43:10b / 43:13a imply HaShem was created?

texts:
I cannot read Hebrew and am struggling a great deal to understand Yeshayahu 43:10/43:13. In my English versions, these verse-parts seem very much to suggest that HaShem was Himself ‘formed’ at some point in time. My NIV, for example, has ‘Before Me no god was formed, nor will there be one after Me’ / ‘... From ancient days I am He’.

Am I being stupid here? Why does Hashem appears to be saying here that there was a ‘before’ and ‘after’ in relation to Him? Needless to say, the implications of my reading are disastrous: Only the Most High / Uncreated One can worshipped / honoured and obeyed as G-d!

I am guessing that this is just another case of inexact translation, hence my question. Still: my faith is falling to bits because of this problem - please help!


texts: Different things falling through the air

texts:
Rava has a question: What is the halacha regarding something which you throw through a house, that goes in one window and out the other? Do we say that something that passes through the house's airspace is considered to have landed inside, or not?

This question is first posed on Bava Metzia 12a. While the Gemara there attempted to settle the issue based on the Mishnah there, on 11b, ultimately it rejected that proof, as the Mishnah discusses something which is rolling, which may be different than something which is flying.

The question later appears on 102a, where Rava seemed to pasken one way, when in fact he (as we saw above) remained doubtful about it. The Gemara answers that the case is different, as in 102a, the case was about something flying through the air and landing in someone's domain, while Rava asked about a case where it flew in the air and did not land in anyone's domain.

So, in summary, Rava's question remains unresolved.

It should be noted that the Gemara in Zevachim (25b) records a discussion between R' Asi and R' Yochanan regarding blood from a slaughtered karban-to-be which was falling into its bucket, but the bottom of the bucket fell off before the blood landed inside: do we say that the blood is considered to have landed already or not? Ultimately, the Gemara concludes, according to any of three versions of this question, that it is considered to have landed, but obviously this is parallel to the Gemara in BM 102a, rather than Rava's question from 12a.

The problem is that there's a Mishnah in Shabbos (96a) which records a dispute between R' Akiva and the Chachamim regarding one who throws from a private domain to another private domain through a public domain: R' Akiva holds he's chayiv, while the Chachamim say he's patur. The Gemara explains (97a) that they argue when it was thrown within 10 tefachim of the ground, so R' Akiva holds he's chayiv because throwing is like it's landed, while the Chachamim hold he's patur because throwing is not like it's landed. (If it was thrown above 10 tefachim, it's in a makom petur, and so it doesn't even matter one way or the other - it will be patur anyway.) This discussion is also brought down on 4a-b.

If this is the same as if it goes from a reshus harabim to a reshus harabim through a reshus hayachid, Rava should have resolved his question from here. Even if it's not, this should be the same as the case on BM 102a and Zevachim 25b, which resolved their questions from other sources, indicating in those Gemaras that the Gemara's conclusion follows everyone. Whichever case is more comparable, why does the Gemara not quote this Mishnah as a proof?

So why doesn't Rava resolve his question from this Mishnah, that his two sides to his question are exactly the dispute between R' Akiva and the Chachamim?


texts: What is the source in the Halachic literature outside of the Mishnah Berurah who says it is a requirement to place a washing cup by your bed instead of going to the sink to wash your hands upon awakening in the morning?


texts: Why did nobody succeed the Lubavitcher Rebbe?

texts: The late Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson zt"l had no successor as the rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch.  Why is this?  Was it simply because he had no children? If so, why was nobody else appointed to be the rebbe?


texts:
Can the child of two converts marry a Cohen? How does the situation differ if only the mother, or only the father, is a convert?

(I have read that "ideally" the child of two converts should not marry a Cohen, but what exactly does this mean?)

If such a marriage takes place, will the children retain Cohen status?


texts:
How much invalid material invalidates schach? (tefachim + inches preferred, but not required)

Would it make a difference if this material was in the middle of the roof, or on the side (=next to the wall)?

  Related question: How much of a gap in schach is acceptable?


texts: What happens if the accused sotah did commit adultery, but not with the man she was warned about?

texts:
Sotah 5:1 says:

  Just as the water checks her [the woman], so does the water check him [the man]

The rest of the discussion there is about how the physical consequences that happen to her also happen to the man she committed adultery with.  This makes sense, but made me wonder what happens in a different case:

Suppose the husband warned his wife not to be secluded with Reuven.  She is then secluded with him (and there are witnesses), but they didn't do anything ilicit.  This would mean that she is required to drink (barring other circumstances that prevent her), and she won't be punished.  However, what if she had meanwhile committed adultery with Shimon?

If the consequences of drinking the sotah-water fell only on her, I might think that her having committed adultery, even if it wasn't with the man she was warned about, could lead to punishment.  But maybe she and Reuven are a package deal; she didn't have relations with Reuven, and since her husband didn't warn her about Shimon, they get away with it even though she knows adultery is a transgression.  Is that correct?  Or does Shimon mysteriously develop abdominal difficulties soon after this happens?  Or do we understand that God will punish both the woman and Shimon in some other way but not through the sotah-water?


texts: Why was Shimshon's fourth response to Delilah worse than the third?

texts:
When Delilah asked Shimshon where his miraculous strength came from, he gave four responses:

tie me up with seven moist ropes
no, they have to be NEW, THICK ropes
put seven of my hairs into a loom
cut off my hair

She did each one, as he was sleeping.  After the fourth one, he had violated his nezirus, and was punished by losing his strength.

My question is as follows:

Jumping up with your hair tied into a loom definitely has the consequence of those hairs being torn out of your head.  According to Rashi Shabbos 50b, the halachos of psik reisha apply to Nazir as well as to Shabbos*.  Therefore, jumping up with the loom should have been an active violation of his nezirus.

On the other hand, the fourth time, he didn't actively do anything - Delilah was the one who cut his hair while he was sleeping, and if he had been awake he probably would have objected.  It's not obvious to me that this is forbidden on a Torah level, and the relevant derabbanans most likely hadn't been introduced yet.

For all these reasons, the third time should have been a worse violation of his nezirus.

It didn't actually turn out that way, because Hashem made a miracle and his hairs had supernatural strength.  But He could have made the same miracle when Delilah cut his hair and just made her fail.  Why did Hashem miraculously prevent Shimshon from actively violating his nezirus but not from passively violating it?

* Tosfos disagrees with Rashi about the particulars of the case in that Gemara and says that the problem there is davar hamiskavein rather than psik reisha (some discussion here), but it's not clear that he disagrees with the application of psik reisha to a Nazir in other cases - such as trying to lift up a loom by the strength of 7 hairs.


texts: Is free will something that the Torah has to tell me I have? Is it a chiddush?

texts:
The most oft quoted proof from the Torah that humans have free will is a pasuk in Devarim 30:19.

  הַעִדֹתִי בָכֶם הַיּוֹם, אֶת-הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת-הָאָרֶץ--הַחַיִּים
  וְהַמָּוֶת נָתַתִּי לְפָנֶיךָ, הַבְּרָכָה וְהַקְּלָלָה; וּבָחַרְתָּ,
  בַּחַיִּים--לְמַעַן תִּחְיֶה, אַתָּה וְזַרְעֶךָ

  I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have
  set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse; therefore
  choose life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed.

Firstly, I would like to know if this is a chiddush? In other words, without the Torah telling me that I have free will, would I not be able to reach that conclusion on my own?

Secondly, and this seems related to me, can a person tell when they have exercised their free will? (Not everything a person does or seems to choose is in fact a free-will choice. Ramchal in Derech Hashem)


texts: Is "Yarden" a Hebrew name that was used?

texts:
Is the name "Yarden" ("Jordan" in English) a name that was ever used as a (Hebrew) name by Orthodox Jews? Is there any evidence of this?

The reason this is being asked is for 2 reasons. Someone died who had never had an "official" Hebrew name. (He wasn't religious.) His name was Jordan and the question now has arisen as to what name to put on the tombstone (matzaveh). As well, because his death was sudden and tragic, the family would like to donate an Aron Kodesh in his merit. (Some of the family is religious.) However there is some debate as to whether the name should be written anywhere on the curtain to the Aron Kodesh or in the shul itself as it's not a "Hebrew" name. What will be done in practice will be decided by a Rov; however, it's important to know what history there might be surrounding this name, as knowing the name is important for religious purposes.


texts:
We know that throughout recent history, Jews were conscripted into non-Jewish armies.  Are Jews allowed to join those armies or at the very least are they allowed to fight in those armies battles - given the chance that the opposing army also has Jews in it?

Ex: In WWI Russia and Germany both had Jews in their armies. Should the Jews on both sides refuse to fight lest they kill the Jews on the other side?

What if the punishment for not fighting is (1) jail time (2) getting brutally beat up (3) personal death (4) community will be pogrummed?

Do you know any מראה מקומות on this topic?


texts: May a Jew be an impostor on "To Tell the Truth"?

texts:
There's a general prohibition for a Jew to lie, except for specific situations such as Darchei Shalom ("to promote peace".)

"To Tell the Truth" is an old / revived U.S. television game show where 3 contestants appear before a panel. All 3 contestants attempt to claim that they are a specific person. Only one of the three is the actual person and the other two are impostors. (I.e., they lie and try to mislead the panel into thinking that they are the real person.)

Since the rules of the game are known in advance, and the panel expects that two of the people will lie, would a Jew be allowed to be one of the impostors on this show? Or, is this still considered a prohibition of lying?


texts: What is considered Kabbalas Lashon Hara?

texts:
If one listens and feels uncomfortable to protest, is that accepting lashon hara?
Must one verbally accept it?
Is it accepting if one merely accepts it in their heart but verbally says they do not accept?


texts: Does a kosher pot become non-kosher after you kasher utensils in it?

texts: I'm kashering a number of non-kosher, metal utensil with a kosher pot. If heat is a mechanism through which things can become non-kosher, does kashering my utensils in the pot (via Hagalah) make my pot non-kosher? If not, why doesn't the treyf-ness transfer?


texts: Pronunciation for אלוהים הוא אלוהים שלי

texts: I got this from translating 'G-d is my G-d' on Google Translate. However I don't know how to pronounce the Hebrew. Can somebody give me the pronunciation on this and is there a Hebrew name that means the same thing.


texts: Does Devarim 23:18 prohibit pre-marital relations

texts:
I was having a discussion with a friend, some weeks back, about adultery in Torah. The discussion hinged on the Christian understanding being incorrect (that is to say, that both the man and woman are chayav for adultery). My friend pointed to the language in Devarim 23:18 to disprove both to prove that the peshat is like the Christian understanding (he's quite a fromm Jew) and that pre-marital relations are not specifically assur.

Does this passuk actually serve as a proof that pre-marital relations are assur ?

Ki Seitzei 23:18

  לֹא־תִֽהְיֶ֥ה קְדֵשָׁ֖ה מִבְּנ֣וֹת יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְלֹא־יִֽהְיֶ֥ה קָדֵ֖שׁ
  מִבְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל:


texts: How does a son call up his father for an Aliyah?

texts:
Suppose a son is the Gabbai in a Shul and needs to call up his father for an aliyah (or his brother who is the son of his father). Does the son say his father's name? Does he say something else instead?

Please don't answer that someone else should call him up... After all, imagine a case where a father is davening with his 9 sons. Or, where 10 brothers are davening together.


texts: Why are the commandments for Rosh Chodesh and Passover in the same paragraph?

texts:
The reading for Parashat Hachodesh consists of a single paragraph in the Torah, Exodus 12:1-20, whose main topic is God's commandments related to the Passover offering and holiday observance that would be coming two weeks later, when He would take the Jews out of Egypt. First, however, there is one verse (12:2) that give the commandments to observe Rosh Chodesh upon observing the new moon and to count Nisan as the first Jewish month. These two topics are part of the same speech from God to Moshe and Aharon, without any strong indication, such as a new "And God said," that there's a change of topic.

Why are these commandments mixed together in the same stream of prophecy and in the same paragraph in the Torah?


texts: How did the High Priest get to the position between the two staves of the ark on Yom Kippur?

texts:
On Yom Kippur, in the first Temple, the High Priest placed the fire pan between the two staves of the Aron as it says in the Mishnah Yoma 5 (1) .

  The outer curtain was looped on the south side and the inner curtain
  on the north side. He walked along between them until he reached the
  north side. When he reached the north side he turned around to the
  south and went on along the curtain, to his left, until he reached the
  Ark. When he reached the Ark he put the coal-pan between the two
  poles.

The two staves touched the Peroches as it says here

  הבדים היו מדויקים באורך קודש הקודשים, ונראו מבחוץ כמין שתי בליטות על
  הפרוכת

  The staves were exactly the length of the Holy of Holies and appeared
  from the outside like two protrusions on the Peroches.

My question is: how did the High Priest reach the position between the staves  in the first Temple?
Did he step over them or under them or …


texts: Why are agricultural requests based on holiday timing?

texts:
There are a few changes to the amida which reflect the changes in the seasons -- we add (or change to) mashiv haru'ach umorid hagashem (or geshem) at Shmini Atzeret (and back at Pesach) and switch TO v'tein bracha on Pesach.

These changes indicate an awareness in our tefillot of the need for certain changes in nature, and the v'tein bracha is a request: we don't want rain when it would be inappropriate. This is based on our farming needs.

However, Pesach ranges in our calendar from year to year (March 25th to approximately April 24) while the needs of the soil and the sowing and reaping cycle stay the same. In a "late" year, we would be praying for rain for almost a month more than we might need it (or in an early year, for a month less).

Why would our date for changing from v'tein tal umatar livracha be based in a lunar based holiday which moves back and forth through two solar months instead of on a solar date which reflects the yearly agricultural cycle more precisely?


texts:
I once saw a sign in a synagogue which announced a change in their custom. Originally, everyone would sing Kel Adon on Shabbat shacharit together. Now, each stanza is quietly recited by the congregation, and then sung by the chazzan (I think with the congregation humming along).

The sign said that the change was in accordance with "R' Soloveitchik and the poskim".

What is their reasoning? Why did they oppose everyone singing together?


texts: Commentaries not noting clear issues in the Torah

texts:
Stemming from this question about the seeming discrepancy between the number of people and the number of first-borns as counted in the beginning of Numbers:

I noticed this problem in my first reading of the text. Why don't the commentaries take note of it? Even if they didn't have an answer, why didn't they at least mention that there was a problem?

(Just to be clear- "the commentaries" means every commentary on the bar ilan responsa site. I would have expected at least one of them to have mentioned this)

I'm assuming this is not an anomaly, so if you know of any other issues that are ignore by all of the classic commentaries, please post them. Also, if you can, please provide a more general explanation as to why so many mefarshim would ignore an issue in addition to a specific answer for this case.


texts: minhag means law? when in shulchan aruch

texts:
When the Ramo writes and "so is the custom (vchain nohagin)" do we understand that to mean that this is his ruling regarding the law or that he is not giving his opinion about the law but is just saying we have a minhag to be strict (or lenient)?

From
Yora Daiya 265.2,
it seams that minhag means law.


texts: Does Reform Judaism recognize children of Jewish father as Jews?

texts: Does Reform Judaism recognize children of Jewish father as Jews (under conditions that father is Jewish both from mothers and fathers side). If so, that person does not have to go through conversion in order to marry Jewish girl?


texts: I was raised Luthern. My last name is apparently Jewish

texts: I am looking for answers. I have discovered my last name is considered a Jewish name. Glasser. I was raised Lutheran,as are all of my family. Is it possible to become Jewish even though I believe in Jesus and the New Testament


texts: Beis Din observing a female convert's immersion in the Mikvah

texts:
The practice today is that the Beis Din overseeing the conversion of a woman will observe her head going below water for the required Tevilah.

Given the potential modesty issue - I know that they put a covering around the Mikva so that they don't see anything immodest, but I have heard that such coverings don't always work 100%, as they can shift, etc. - why can't they rely on the Mikvah attendant to observe the actual immersion?


texts: I remember seeing a Tosafos in Ksubos a while back which states that when a man gets married, he should go to his in-laws for the chag that follows his wedding. Does anyone know exactly where I can find it?


texts:
I have often been given the parenting advice, in addition to everything else done to care for and teach a child, to pray for the successful raising of the child to be righteous. As Tehillim is often regarded as the universal text of Jewish prayer, are there any specific chapters which have been identified as being particularly relevant or designated for praying for successful child-rearing?

I am interested in both chapters identified due to their meaning, or due to any "deeper" reasons.


texts: Are chemically leavened crackers kosher for Passover?

texts:
I’ve been invited to a home Seder this month, and would like to bring something. Someone suggested I bring some unleavened crackers. I was raised Jewish, but never kept kosher, or even observed the holidays very much.

I was taught that the reason unleavened bread is eaten at Passover is that when the Hebrews were fleeing Egypt they had no time to let their bread rise. Eating only unleavened bread is in remembrance of that. But chemically leavened crackers don’t have any rise time, so...

I know there are plenty of recipes out there for artisanal crackers with no leavening, but I was hoping to try something a little different.

So that is my question: are chemically leavened crackers (or breads, for that matter) kosher for Passover?


texts:
What opinions say that one should say Tikkun Chatzos? What opinions say you shouldn't?

What are the reasons behind these opinions?


texts: Did Abraham and Sarah say a blessing on hearing a good news about their future heir?

texts:
IIRC, one says a Brachah of "Hatov veha-Meitiv" on hearing good news (source needed).
When the angels came to inform Abraham and Sara of giving birth to Isaac in exactly one year, did they say a blessing?


texts:
In Bereishit Rabbah 26:5 we read  רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחָאי מְקַלֵּל לְכָל מַאן דְּקָרֵא לְהוֹן בְּנֵי אֱלָהַיָּא -- that R. Shim'on Bar Yochai cursed anyone who interpreted Bereishit 6:2 as referring to angels, as opposed to referring to humans.

Are there other cases where a particular opinion is cursed? What would motivate RSbY to curse a particular opinion -- is this a more troubling or problematic opinion than any other variant interpretation? Is it reflective of a more prevalent understanding that had to be eradicated?


texts: What is the halachic source that allows the king of Israel to acquire a pilegesh through yichud alone?

texts:
In Mishneh Torah-The Laws of Kings 4:4 Rambam says:

(The king of Israel)  may take wives and pilagshim from the entire territory of Eretz Yisrael. The term 'wives' implies women who were married with a ketubah and kiddushin; pilagshim, women who were not given a ketubah and kiddushin. With the act of yichud alone, the king acquires her and relations with her are permitted him.

What is the legal source (Talmudic or otherwise) used by Rambam to claim that the king of Israel can acquire a pilegesh with yichud alone?


texts: why was R. Eliezer ben Hyrcanus excommunicated?

texts:
Bava Metzia 59b says that at the end of the episode of the Oven of Akhnai, Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus was excommunicated. (Apparently there's a makhloket about whether this was nidui or cherem.)

The question is, why was he excommunicated? It couldn't have been just for expressing his opinion, since the Mishnah is full of dissenting minority opinions. Was there something special about the nature of this dispute that warranted this sentence?


texts: What is the meaning of the prophecy in Ezekiel 26?

texts:
Shalom!

I am debating the issue of whether or not the Tanakh contains errors with a friend, who insists that Ezekiel 26 contains a false prophecy with regards to siege of Tyre by Nebuchadnezzar.
Specifically, it says:

  11 With the hoofs of his horses shall he tread down all thy streets; he shall slay thy people with the sword, and the pillars of thy strength shall go down to the ground.

  12 And they shall make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey of thy merchandise; and they shall break down thy walls, and destroy the houses of thy delight; and thy stones and thy timber and thy dust shall they lay in the midst of the waters.

For more background, see this article about the history of Tyre

I have checked my favorite commentary (ArtScroll Commentary by Eisemann) and the issue is not addressed, although there were helpful notes regarding the breaks in the passage.

There are several proposed solutions:

Ezekiel was simply wrong (especially about Nebuchadnezzar plundering the riches of Tyre).  He tries to correct this in chapter 29.
Ezekiel was referring to both Nebuchadnezzar and Alexander the Great (as suggested by some Christian apologists).  This is because the pronoun in verse 12 switches from "he", referring to Nebuchadnezzar, to "they" referring to the nations in verse 3.  This seems unlikely because verses 7- 14 form a unit within the text.  I am not a scholar in this regard but am open to the possibility of the Hebrew grammar allowing for this.
This verse was fulfilled with the siege of Nebuchadnezzar because the related passage in ch. 29 mentions only the plunder not equaling the effort.  The old city of Tyre on the mainland was indeed destroyed in the siege, although verse 8 could refer to this with the phrase "daughters in the field".  It also seems unlikely that Tyre, which is referred to as being on an island in the sea multiple times, is not in view here. However, this Christian website suggests that it might be the case.

Which one of these would be the most appropriate response in light of the accusation that the account is erroneous? (i.e. that Nebuchadnezzar did not conquer the island portion of Tyre and destroy it in the manner described?)

Per the historical and archaeological records mentioned in the first article, the mainland portion of the city was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, although the island portion was not.  The verses above suggest that the island part of Tyre would be utterly destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar.  This did not happen until the time of Alexander the Great, well after Nebuchadnezzar's death.  How can we reconcile this apparent discrepency with what what we know to be true from reliable historians like Josephus?

Thank you for any help!


texts: The gemarah (Horiyot 10b, Nazir 23b) states that Yael sinned for the sake of God in sleeping with Sisra. I would like to know what consequence, if any, there was for this sin. Was her husband obligated to divorce her? If she was not-Jewish (related question) was she liable for the death penalty for committing adultery, in violation of the 7 Noahide laws?


texts: Devarim 29:19 - Does erasing a person's name mean death?

texts:
I'm trying to understand ומחה ה את שמו - (G-d) will erase his name in Devarim 29:19. Does this mean that G-d will kill the person?
Usually, the phrase "wipe out from under the sky" means death. However, in this verse, it says he will wipe out the person's name. Does this also mean by death or does it mean by making him an unknown, ruining his reputation, etc.?
If the above does mean death? Then what would the next verse that says that he will "separate him for bad from among the tribes"? Does this mean that he is punished even after death? In what way?


texts: Should repentance and Yom Kippur save someone from capital punishment?

texts:
In Yoma 86a we find the following Tannaic statement

  If one commits a transgression that warrants karet or a sin punishable by death from the earthly court and then repents, repentance and Yom Kippur suspend his punishment, and suffering absolves and completes the atonement

So if someone is found guilty of a capital offense by a beis din, but prior to that he has already repented and a [at least one] Yom Kippur has passed.

Wouldn't the above statement imply his punishment should be suspended - and he should not be executed? (And if you say "but suffering completes the atonement", suffering is not the same as actual death/execution).


texts: Rashi on Rosh Hashana 22 omud 2 says that the baytusim wanted the 1st day of sefirah and Shavuos to fall on Sunday because of the possuk which says ממחרת השבת which they interpret literally, that the omer should be brought after shabbos as opposed to after Sunday. What's this got to do with what day Shavuos falls on?


texts:
In שמות ב:ו it says, "והנה נער בכה" - "and behold a lad was crying". The basic interpretation is that this refers to the crying baby Moshe who sounded older than he was (Rashi)
     However the Medrash יל''ש ח''א רמז קסו says this lad is referring to Aharon, who was nearby overlooking alongside their sister Miriam. The Ba'al Haturim agrees and says  נער בכה =זה אהרן הכהן (Same numerical value)

My question is according to the Midrash and other Rishonim who understand it this way, why does the Torah in שמות ב:ד state "his sister [Miriam] stationed herself at a distance" but omit "his brother" (Aharon)?  Any suggestions?


texts:
When Elisha revives the son of the Shunamite woman, he first instructs his servant to place his staff on the boy's mouth. The next posuk says "...and there was no sound nor any attention; and [Gehazi] returned toward him and told him saying, "The lad has not awakened..."

Did Elisha think placing the staff on the boy's face would revive him?
What did Elisha think would happen?
Was placing the staff some sort of diagnostic test?

A possible clue:
Gehazi has time to go to the boy's house and return to Elisha before Elisha gets there. Did Elisha begin travelling before he received the report or did he only leave when he received the report? I was thinking that perhaps Elisha knew the staff wouldn't do anything but he had it placed to either a) Make some kind of placebo to calm down the parents or b) "claim" the patient so voodoo faith healers wouldn't attempt to perform quack medicine before Elisha could spiritually heal the boy.


texts:
When putting the Torah scroll back in its cabinet, we — at least most Ashk'nazim — say (among other things) "עֵץ חַיִּים הִיא לַמַּחֲזִיקִים בָּהּ וְתֹמְכֶיהָ מְאֻשָּׁר. דְּרָכֶיהָ דַרְכֵי נֹעַם וְכָל נְתִיבוֹתֶיהָ שָׁלוֹם.", which is Mishle, chapter 3, verses 18 and 17, in that order.

Similarly, when we — at least many Ashk'nazim — lift the Torah scroll after reading from it, we say (among other things) "עֵץ חַיִּים הִיא לַמַּחֲזִיקִים בָּהּ וְתֹמְכֶיהָ מְאֻשָּׁר. דְּרָכֶיהָ דַרְכֵי נֹעַם וְכָל נְתִיבוֹתֶיהָ שָׁלוֹם. אֹרֶךְ יָמִים בִּימִינָהּ בִּשְׂמֹאולָהּ עֹשֶׁר וְכָבוֹד.", which is Mishle, chapter 3, verses 18, 17, and 16, in that order.

Why do we reverse the order of the verses from the way they are in Mishle?


texts: Who is the author of הלכות הר"ר יהודה זצ"ל quoted by the Raavad cited by the Shibbolei Haleket (Tfillah 5)?


texts:
I've recently tried to fuse my background in programming with my Gemara learning, resulting in what I now call computational gemara. You can read more about the idea here. An older article I wrote with a less nice formalization methodology can be found here.

My goal is to use a theory for formalizing the flow of the Gemara's logic in set-notation and to use theory to build a software system for interacting with the logic of the Gemara in a very immersive way. I envision this software being a novel educational tool and something that would really help me and other students better understand the complex, nuanced logic of the Gemara.

To be clear, this idea is not to project Gemara onto mathematics. It is to develop a system which will lead to a novel tool for learning Gemara. That is all. I'm not trying to imply the anachronistic notion the Rabbis used mathematics to think. I'm just trying to fuse my programming with my Gemara learning to see if anything worthwhile comes out.

What I am looking for:

Do you know if using mathematics to dissect a sugya has been tried before?

Moderators pretend this doesn't exist because it's not part of the question
If you would be interested in discussing this with me, please let me know in the comments. I'm only 16 and haven't embarked on a project of this magnitude and seek advice from the more experienced. This site is the best forum for making these connections.


texts: Is there an obligation to Count the Omer without a Bracha?

texts:
If I forgot to count at night and during the day, I cannot continue to count with a bracha. This was formulated in my Dirshu Daf HaYomi B'Halacha email as follows:

  The Mechaber writes that one who neglected to count at night may count in the morning without a beracha. The Mishnah Berurah adds that he may then continue counting the rest of the nights with a beracha. Someone who neglected to count one full day cannot continue to count with a beracha.

Is there an obligation to continue counting without a bracha? Is the mitzvah of "Usefartem Lachem," "And you shall count for yourselves" (Vayikra 23:18) still in effect even though one can no longer say the bracha, or is counting optional or even not at all efficacious in any sense?


texts: If a woman's period lasts longer than 7 days naturally, do the days after day 7 count as the monthly Niddah, or a separate uncleanness?

texts:
I'm sorry that question title is so long winded! To explain, the Torah says the woman is in the state of niddah for 7 days once she starts her period. The custom today is to add another 7 days before the woman can become clean in the Mikveh. The Torah also says if the period lasts beyond the normal length of her period, then throughout the time she is having an unclean discharge she will be as if she's in niddah.  However, what if the woman's period is naturally longer than 7 days?

If one's period has lasted for 8 days since her body got on a regular cycle. It is not an extra day, it isn't abnormal bleeding. She just typically still notices blood- just a little bit, but it's still blood- 8 days after her cycle starts.

If a woman's normal period is longer than 7 days, do the days after day 7 count as the monthly niddah, or extra uncleanness? And just to be clear, how does the woman count the 7 days after her period if the period normally goes longer than 7 days?

Thank you! :) I'm new at this, so I apologize if this is a dumb question. Just trying to learn!


texts: What's the story with using the clothing/shoes of a person who died? Does Jewish custom forbid such a thing?


texts:
Is it permissible to sacrifice one's own life to save another?
There are many noble examples that come to mind, such as donating your heart to save a child or throwing yourself on a grenade. Is this considered shvichat damim, and thus in the category of sheiv v'al ta'aseh?


texts: Does the prohibition of Loshon Hara apply when the target is an online name or identity, where the person behind it is anonymous, such as an anonymous user on this forum ?


texts: How does Halacha view someone who converts to Islam?

texts: What is the halachic status of the person who converts to Islam, does he remain a Jew in spite of conversion? I am specifically asking the Muslim case since they don't deny the Torah and believe it to be in the six mandatory articles of Islam, nor are Muslims Avodah Zara like majority Christianity which is clearly Avodah Zarah due to diefication of Jesus. Hence is there a special status for them?


texts: Heter for Inviting Non-Jew to Hot Meal on Yom Tov

texts: It is generally considered that a non-Jew cannot be invited to a hot meal on Yom-Tov because it is a melacha to heat up food for them (from what I've heard, even if it is as part of a group including Jews and there is plenty of food).  Is anyone aware of any heterim for this? (eg. for inviting people in the process of conversion)


texts:
What does the idiom: מצא חן בעיני (to find favor/grace in one’s eyes) express, what does it really mean and when is it used in the Tenach?

I noticed it’s almost always connected to a request of some kind.

In modern days it seems to mean something like finding ‘likeability’ in the eyes of someone; i.e. ‘if you like’. So is this expression used to gain someone’s approval or support?

Hopefully someone could help me difine the meaning of this phrase.


texts: Hatoras Nedarim - mentioning specific examples

texts: If one is aware of specific examples of vows or a 'minhag tov' that one undertook, then one should articulate this to at least one member of the 'judges'. Is this informing essential or does the hatoras nedarim still effectively annul these even though you decided not to articulate them to anyone?


texts: What gives someone the ability to Pasken? At what point do we say that he is knowledgeable enough to decide questions on a topic? Does this have to do with "Semicha"? Does it have to do with being a Rabbi?


texts: Are tefillin considered milchig or fleishig?

texts:
Exodus 13:9:

וְהָיָה֩ לְךָ֨ לְא֜וֹת עַל־יָדְךָ֗ וּלְזִכָּרוֹן֙ בֵּ֣ין עֵינֶ֔יךָ
לְמַ֗עַן תִּהְיֶ֛ה תּוֹרַ֥ת יְהוָ֖ה בְּפִ֑יךָ כִּ֚י בְּיָ֣ד חֲזָקָ֔ה
הוֹצִֽאֲךָ֥ יְהֹוָ֖ה מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃
And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thy hand, and for a memorial
between thine eyes, that the Torah of the LORD may be in thy
mouth; for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of
Egypt.

The above says that by wearing tefillin, I am putting Torah in my mouth. Hmmm .. .usually, after I put on tefillin in the morning, I have a bagel with a shmeer or coffee with milk. I've been assuming all these years that tefillin was milchig.
But, perhaps, I've been wrong. Maybe tefillin are fleishig, and I should be waiting 6 hours to have my usual breakfast?
So what is tefillin - milchig or fleishig?

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


texts: Source of the "remove his teeth" gematria

texts: In the Hagadah (page 8 of here), there is a line by the wicked son that says you should "remove his teeth" (hakeih et shinav). A common explanation is that the gematria of "rasha" (reish shin ein: 570) minus "his teeth"(shin nun yud vav: 366) equals "tzadik"(tzadi daled yud kuf: 204). What is the earliest use of this gematria to explain that line?


texts: Non-Mevushal wine was poured by someone who shouldn't have poured it. Now what?

texts:
If non-Mevushal wine was poured by someone who should not have poured it, what should one do? Does it make a difference if:

the wine was poured, but not for you (ie., you just have to contend with the remaining wine in the bottle)?
there is no other wine available (or no other non-Mevushal, un-poured wine) and it is needed for a mitzvah (קידוש, ד' כוסות, ברית מילה, ז' ברכות)?
the pourer will almost certainly be offended if you don't partake? (Setting aside social reasons not to pressure someone to drink; let's suppose there had been a conversation moments prior about how excited one is to try the wine because of its uniqueness, or something like that.)


texts: When to say Tefillas Haderech on an airplane?

texts: When is the proper time to recite Tefillas Haderech when travelling in an airplane?


texts:
Common Nusach Ashkenaz is to recite the first Selichot at "midnight" and all the other Selichot prior to Shacharit.

Why is there this timing difference? Why not have all the Selichot at midnight or all before Shacharit?


texts: If one vowed to fast for a set period of time, would he continue at sunset after Shabbat?

texts:
So say someone had vowed to personally fast for a certain amount of time, and a portion of this time overlapped with Shabbat. Now it is known that we are forbidden from fasting during Shabbat, except of course on Yom Kippur.
So during this time, would one break his fast on the Friday night as he does every other night he fasts, then proceed to eat and drink the following Saturday. Then in order to fulfill his vow in complete succession, continue his fast at sunset until the sunset of the following Sunday?
Thank you for any help and advice regarding this matter.


texts: Parents teaching children or children teaching parents?

texts:
Regarding והגדת לבנך, and you shall tell to your children (Shemos 13:8), on Pesach night:

1) What is the mitzvah of והגדת לבנך and how does one fulfill it according to halacha?

2a) Why do yeshivos give out divrei torah to children to say at the Seider, if the mitzvah of Pesach night is והגדת לבנך?

2b) Are there any poskim that oppose yeshivos giving out divrei torah to children to say at the Seider? If there are, who are they?


texts:
King Mesha of Moab fought against the kings of Yisrael, Yehuda and Edom (2 Melachim chapter 3). The navi Elisha prophecies, under oath, that the Jews will be successful. However at the end of the chapter Mesha sacrifices his son (or perhaps the son of the king of Edom) which somehow causes a reversal of fortune with Mesha and Moav remaining undefeated.

This story is puzzling. What has Mesha achieved in killing his son? He was not commanded to do so by God, in fact it violates one of the 7 noachide laws. This is equally true if he killed the son of the Edomite king. Why then would God turn things in his favor as a result of this act? Furthermore the navi already said there would be victory. We have a principle that a positive prophecy will not be revoked.

How do we understand these turn of events?


texts: How do you halachically preserve a body if the ground is frozen?

texts: Typically, traditional Jewish burial law calls for a speedy burial in the ground, with no embalming or other unnatural preservation of the body. But what about if the ground is too frozen? Nowadays, cemeteries have technology that allows them to dig through frozen ground, or thaw it with heat lamps. But this technology is relatively new. I'm curious if anyone knows of Jewish burial law that relates to preserving/keeping bodies until the body is able to be buried.


texts: The Great War in Contemporary Acharonic Thought

texts:
I've recently acquired a book (rather a large pamphlet) about the Great War (1914-18) entitled "The War and the Bible" by HG. Enelow (then head of the Reform Temple Emanu-el in NYC). However, this fails to deliver a wider theological profile, bearing –as it does– the stamp of one of the least traditional Jewish communities of its day.

However, as the Great War (an area of my own personal interest) affected much of world Jewry (from the communities of Germany, Poland, Russia, France, Italy, and the UK on one hand to the Maghribi and Mizrachi communities of North Africa and the Middle East on the other) it seemed more than plausible for rabbanim and chachamim to have discussed its hashkafic and halachic significance in its day.

What are the opinions of contemporary* acharonim on the Great War?

*Contempary is here used to refer to contemporaneousness to the events, rather than the current day.


texts:
A very popular book in the "yeshivishe" world is the Sefer Chavatzeles Hasharon by Rabbi Mordechai Carlebach.
It has many shiurim on the Parsha, with a lot of lomdus.
I am wondering if anyone knows anything about the author, as this sefer is very fascinating.
I could not find anything about him online.
Thank you so much in advance!


texts: Things not related to shabbat being muktzeh

texts: This category of muktzeh objects seems very nebulous to me. Does it really include everything that is not directly related to shabbat?


texts: I am looking for the best and most practical suggestion as to what a man can do to curb his yetzer hara (evil inclination) for sexual desire. Please provide sources for why your answer should be effective, and be specific as to why you think your answer is most practical.


texts: Should we eat Persian food, Indian food or Ethiopian food for Purim Se'udah?

texts:
The beginning of the Megillah mentions that Ahashverush ruled from Hodu - India until Kush - Ethiopia. But, the palace was in Persia.
So to best honor Purim what type of cuisine would be most appropriate - Persian, Indian or Ethopian, or some combo.
Please cite sources for your answer, not just your opinion because you like certain foods best or they're cheaper, or similar answers.
This question is Purim Torah and is not intended to be taken completely seriously. See the Purim Torah policy.


texts: Making a bracha for someone else, can then use for one's self?

texts:
Consider the following 2 situations:

Reuvan is unable to make kiddush and has asked Shimon (who already made kiddush for himself) to make kiddush for him (Reuvan).
Shimon, however, says he can't drink the wine. Reuvan therefore is hearing Kiddush from Shimon then drink the wine. After this is done, Shimon decides that he does want to have some wine as well. May Shimon drink without a bracha and rely on the bracha he had originally made for Reuvan in order to be motzei him in Kiddush (assuming he hasn't interrupted with speaking, etc.)? The question is, since he had only Reuvan and not himself in mind, would the bracha help for his own drinking?

Similarly the same question could be asked in regards to other brachos (that are made on a mitzvah.) For example putting on tallis or tefillin, hanging a mezuzah, etc. (all assuming there is no hefsek in the middle, etc.). If Reuvan couldn't make the bracha himself but Shimon could and did in fact make the bracha on the mitzvah but had in mind that it should only be done for Reuvan, can he then do the mitzvah and rely on that bracha?


texts: Do those who keep Cholov Yisroel eat products marked "K-DE"?

texts: Some hechshers have the designation "DE" for "Dairy Equipment." Do those who keep Cholov Yisroel eat food with this designation? (I am mostly talking about the minority who consider [American] cholov stam to be treyf. I am guessing there would be no problem with this for others, particularly those who eat K-DE after a meat meal without waiting.)


texts:
There is a custom of the Gra to replace the regular shir shel yom on holidays and various other special days with a psalm specific to that day. (This custom is followed by many Nusach Ashkenaz synagogues in Israel, particularly in Jerusalem.)

Here is a list of the relevant days and the psalms recited.

What was the Gra's source for this list?

Some can be found in the gemara (e.g. the various psalms for Chol HaMoed Sukkot are listed in a beraita quoted in Sukkah 55a, and Rosh Hashanah's Psalm 81 is discussed in Rosh Hashanah 30b). Some are found in Masechet Sofrim chapter 18 (e.g. Psalm 30 for Chanukah).

But some are not found in Masechet Sofrim (e.g. Psalm 32 for Yom Kippur), and some are contradicted by Masechet Sofrim (e.g. Shavuot - Gra says Psalm 19 and Masechet Sofrim says Psalm 29).

So what is the Gra's source for these choices, especially where they contradict Masechet Sofrim?


texts:
I know that halacha has limits on wearing items of the wrong gender (beged ish or beged ishah, depending on whose clothes we're talking about).  Does this extend to people's online projections, i.e. their gravatars?  For example, was wearing this item that Stack Exchange gifted me with beged ish?

If so, does it apply only if the gravatar looks like a person, or does it also apply to animals and monsters?

What about if the gravatar has no obvious gender?

Does it matter if the gravatar, while ungendered, is already wearing things that belong to one gender?

Does it only matter if the gravatar was created 13 (or 12) years ago or longer?

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


texts: Seminal emission at night but woke up before sunrise. What are the rules?

texts: If one has a seminal emission at night and wakes up before sunrise to shower change clothes etc. does it make it so that he is tahor? Or must he wait a full day  until sundown in order to do this?


texts: Why is a bereaved person not even allowed to make a short blessing over his food?

texts:
The condition of the “onen” (a bereaved person whose close relative who has not yet been buried) and the laws are described here.

There it says:

  Because of the need to make and conclude the funeral arrangements, the
  onen is released from the obligations of prayer, and many other
  specific positive observances, such as reciting the motzi over bread
  or the grace after meals. He, therefore, cannot be included in a
  minyan. While he is exempt from performing the positive commandments,
  he remains part of society and must obey all the negative commands.
   The onen should not perform commandments from which he is
  exempted. This would indicate a lack of concern for the deceased, and
  the Rabbis insisted that there is no virtue in this action.

So when presented with, say, a drink, he cannot say the requisite blessing. Saying the blessing would take at maximum 10 seconds. Any decision about the  funeral arrangements could surely wait 10 secs. Would such a short interruption really “indicate a lack of concern for the deceased”?

Why is it then that a bereaved person cannot even make a short blessing over his food?

Related: Practical Halachas after death of a close relative


texts: Does a meat thermometer need to undergo tevillas keilim before use, since it does not really do anything to prepare the food itself?


texts:
The Kuzari begins by disproving Aristotelianism, Christianity, and Islam, after which it proves Judaism.

The Kuzari's disproof of Christianity is essentially as follows. Seeing is believing; if you can prove to me that G-d appeared as a fetus in a virgin and went on to found Christianity, that would be one thing. But you've only made broad claims: you have not - cannot - prove to me that Christianity is true, and therefore I must continue my search for the truth elsewhere.

This proof suffers from the obvious problem that a lack of proof for is not a proof against. Do any other Jewish works offer a proof that Christianity must not be the truth, regardless of whether you accept that Judaism is?

This question discusses specifically proofs for Judaism. As this is a disproof for Christianity from a Jewish perspective, I don't see how it could be a duplicate. I am not sure, however, whether this would be considered comparative religion.


texts: May a person take a caffeine tablet during their fast? The tablet would be placed under the tongue and dissolved without drinking any water so no food or water would be ingested.


texts: Is there an analogy between the concept of "sefirot" and that of Hindu "devataas"?

texts:
I am an Italian noahide.

I recently discovered that relevant rabbinic authorities have changed the traditional orientation of the Jewish position  towards the Hindu faith, considered in the past to be idolatrous.

This is the declaration that closed the second Hindu-Jewish Summit held in 2008 in Jerusalem, which was also attended by the leaders of the Central Rabbinate of Israel:

“It is recognized that One Supreme Being in His formless and manifest aspects has been worshipped by Hindus over millennia. The Hindus relate to only the One Supreme Being when they pray to a particular manifestation. This does not mean that Hindus worship ‘idols’. They worship “devataas”, who are manifestations of the One Supreme Being”.

In this declaration the "devataas" (Hindu deities: in their Pantheon they amount to even 33 million) are qualified as "manifestations of the One Supreme Being".

I wonder if the rabbis have deepened this new Jewish conception of Hinduism, and in particular if an analogy can be drawn between these "devataas" and the "sefirot" of kabbalistic teaching.

Here are some very useful links to find out more about these Hindu-Jewish summits:

http://www.millenniumpeacesummit.org/Hindu-Jewish_Summit_Information.pdf

https://mfa.gov.il/mfa/pressroom/2007/pages/hindu-jewish%20summit%20held%20in%20new%20delhi%207-feb-2007.aspx

https://www.yogaindailylife.org/news/first-jewish-hindu-leadership-summit


texts: Kissing when one person is meaty and the other is milky

texts: I know that someone cannot eat milk immediately after meat and vice versa. Is it ok for two people to kiss if one person has just had meat and the other has just had milk? Do they, perhaps, need to wash their mouths beforehand?


texts:
The international food company Pampa sells a tin of herring fillets in oil, but I do not recognize this symbol on the back and cannot find information on the Internet of whether this is actually a hechsher.

As you can see near the bottom of the pictures, there is a crown with the letters "PL". This fish is listed elsewhere on the package as a product of Poland. I would seem reasonable that this would then be the hechsher of local Polish rabbi, certifying this fish for consumption, but I cannot kind this "Crown PL" on any lists of international kosher symbols.  It may mean something else entirely.  Does anyone know anything about this symbol?


texts: Beginning a comprehensive study of Moreh N'vuchim

texts:
A friend of mine would like to begin learning Moreh N'vuchim seriously and is unsure of exactly where/with what to start.

What is the best version out there of the book itself?
Are there any worthwhile translations (i.e. that would offer additional value to someone conversant in lashon hakodesh and the standard other sources)?
Is there a better strategy than starting at the beginning?

If so, where to begin?
Where to go from there?


texts:
What is Tikkun Leil Shevii? According to a flyer at my local Moroccan shul, it takes place the last night of Passover after the meal. I've never heard of it before.

What is done during this session?

What is its significance?


texts:
In the Haggadah you will find the following exegesis of part of Deuteronomy 26:8:

  וּבִזְרֹעַ נְטוּיָה. זוֹ הַחֶרֶב, כְּמָה שֶּׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְחַרְבּוֹ שְׁלוּפָה בְּיָדוֹ, נְטוּיָה עַל-יְרוּשָלָיִם..
  "And with an outstretched forearm" - this [refers to] the sword, as it is stated (I Chronicles 21:16); "And his sword was drawn in his hand, leaning over Jerusalem:

What is the sword that is referred to? The only references to swords I can see in Exodus are 5:3, 5:21 and 18:4 and all of those are threats of sword-use against the Jews. How did God use a sword with his outstretched arm to help redeem the Jewish slaves (recall we are expounding the phrase "[God took us out] with an outstretched arm")?
Why are we referencing such a seemingly unrelated part of Tanakh? The story of the plague following King David's census seems completely unrelated to the Exodus. Is there a thematic connection?

I note the phrase "חרבו שלופה בידו drawn sword in his hand" shows up exactly two other places in Tanakh (Numbers 22:23 and Joshua 5:13) also seemingly unrelated to the Exodus.


texts: Are these statements about the Babylonian Talmud true?

texts:
Recently, I came across a website with a Q&A about whether there was any record of Jesus' miracles in non-Christian historical documents. The site claimed certain passages in the Babylonian Talmud show evidence of miraculous works. Here is the quote from the site:

  The first comes from the Babylonian Talmud 43a.    Babylonian Talmud
  (late first or second century AD) Sanhedrin 43a-b: “On the
  eve of the Passover they hanged Yeshu and the herald went before him
  for forty days saying [Yeshu] is going forth to be stoned in that he
  hate practiced sorcery and beguiled and led astray Israel."   Here Jesus
  is accused of sorcery, in obvious parallel with the charge leveled in
  Matthew 12:22-23.  The writer of the Talmud does not agree that Jesus
  worked bona fide miracles, but he reports that he did things which, to
  the enemies of Jesus, could only be written off as sorcery.    Also, in
  Babylonian Sanhedrin 107b  it is claimed that Jesus practiced magic. In
  tHul2:22-23  it is reported that healings were done in the name of
  Jesus.

I am unable to read the Babylonian Talmud for myself, not to mention being grossly unqualified to interpret it (I am not Jewish, full disclosure). But I am very curious as to whether these statements are true, and what the Babylonian Talmud really says in the referenced sections.


texts: Who was the son of Rabi Meir's father-in-law?

texts:
The gemara in Chulin 6b mentions Rabi Yehoshua ben Zeruz, the son of the father-in-law of Rabi Meir as having given testimony about a certain practice of Rabi Meir.

The way the relationship is described I'm left wondering if
 A) Zeruz is the son of the father-in-law,
 or
B) Yehoshua is the son of the Father-in-law making Zeruz the father-in-law.

We know from maseches Avoda Zara 18a that Chanina ben Tradyon was Brurya's father and Rabi Meir's father-in-law.

So according to option A, Zeruz's father would be Chanina been Tradyon, which makes me wonder why we wouldn't say his name?

And according to option B, we find Rabi Meir, remarried to an unknown woman, and his otherwise unknown father-in-law mentioned by name. Which is problematic in light of the fact that we should have just called Yehoshua his brother-in-law. The only reason to call him the son of Zeruz would be if Zeruz was famous, which he is not.

Anyone have any insights?


texts: Amailut (trying hard/ toiling) to learn Torah

texts: What's the source for amailut (trying hard/ toiling) to learn Torah? Is there any benefit to try learning Torah on your own without help, when you can learn Torah through asking others and looking things up (which is a much faster route)?


texts: May a non-Kohein purchase or eat tongue?

texts: A footnote in this question states that the tongue is one of the parts of the animal which is given to Kohanim. This led me to wonder if a non-Kohein may purchase or eat tongue? I have seen tongue for sale at kosher butchers before.


texts: Was Joseph considered a Tzaddik as he went down to Egypt?

texts:
Rashi on 37 (25)  cites the Medrash about what the camels were carrying:

  and their camels were carrying, etc.: Why did Scripture publicize
  their burden? To let you know the reward of the righteous, for it is
  customary for Arabs to carry only naphtha and tar, whose odor is foul,
  but for this one (Joseph) it was arranged [that they should be
  carrying] spices, so that he should not be afflicted by a foul odor.
  [Mechilta Beshallach, treatise 2, section 5]

How is it that Joseph was considered a Tzaddik at this moment? Isn’t his righteousness discovered only in the later encounter with Mrs Potifar? See here where the Zohar is quoted to say,

  "Rabbi Shimon says, prior to the occurrence of that test to Yosef,
  [he] was not called a tzaddik. Because he kept from damaging the
  covenant of the foundation (Yesod) he was called a tzaddik."


texts:
In Hilchos Shabbos there is a rule called bishul achar afia (the opinion of the R'eim, cited in Tur O.C. 318 and Shulchan Aruch 318:5  and brought as the minhag by the Rema) which means, basically, that heating through an air medium and a liquid medium are two different types of heating, and applying one to a food item even after the other has been applied may constitute a violation of Shabbos through cooking.

Is there such a rule in bishul akum?  If a Gentile takes baked bread and deep-fries it, does it become prohibited as having been cooked by the Gentile?

Does the fact that it is edible as a result of the first type of heating before the second type of heating was applied to it make it considered "edible raw"?  I.e. before it was ever baked, it wasn't edible, but before it was boiled/fried, it was edible as a result of the baking.  So do we look at the food as it is immediately before cooking it, or as a type of food which isn't eaten raw?


texts: What is the proper procedure for the evening Shema when one is also ready to recite Shema al HaMita?

texts:
If a person has already davened maariv before the time for shema and needs to say it now at night, and also needs to say Kriat Shema al HaMita before retiring, what is the proper way he/she should say the evening Shema if they want to fullfill his/her obligation? There are two ways I could think of, however, if there are mekorot that mention other ways then even better.
The two options I had in mind were:
A. Say the entire Shema in full and then say Shema al HaMita
B. Say Kriat Shema al HaMita and where you say the first paragraph of Shema, instead insert the full 3 paragraphs
Are either of these methods the correct procedure?


texts: Why did the angel overturning Sodom visit Abraham?

texts:
Someone in my synagogue asked today as follows:

Rashi notes (Vayera 18:2, q.v.) that three angels visited Avraham's tent: one was assigned to inform Sara [of her impending pregnancy], one to overturn S'dom, and one to heal Avraham [after his circumcision] and save Lot from S'dom. He further notes (18:33) that the one assigned to inform Sara was not needed afterward, so did not go with the other two angels to S'dom.

Why, then, did the one assigned to overturn S'dom, who (seemingly) was not needed at Avraham's tent, go there?


texts: Was it only the tamid whose head was near the altar, and face toward the hechal?

texts:
The korban tamid was slaughtered north of the altar (mizbeach). Its body was oriented lengthwise so that its head was toward the altar, and rotated so that its face was directed toward the hechal. A bit of ASCIIUnicode art:

 |    hechal   |
 '-------------'
   __
altar| ǒdd
  '--'

Why? Well, there are two reasons (at least) given for its head's being toward the altar:

The m'faresh says: The pasuk says about the tamid "slaughter it near the altar", so we get its head as close as possible.
The Rav says: In case it defecates while there, it does so away from the altar.

And then there are two reasons (at least) given for its face's being toward the hechal:

The m'faresh says: The pasuk says about the tamid "slaughter it before Hashem", so we have its neck, where it's slaughtered, face the hechal.
The Tif'eres Yisrael says: The pasuk says about the tamid "slaughter it before Hashem", so we have it face the hechal.

My question is about other korbanos, specifically kodshe kadashim.

The pasuk I keep referring to is Vayikra 1:11, which concerns every korban ola, not just the tamid. Moreover, the location of an ola's slaughter — that it's north of the altar as dictated by that pasuk — is extended via d'rasha to the location of all kodshe kadashim, that they, too, are slaughtered north of the altar. Conceivably, then, the rules about orientation of the body and the face may also be extended to all kodshe kadashim. The defecation-away-from-the-altar reason would also seem to apply to any korban slaughtered north of the altar (i.e., kodshe kadashim). On the other hand, in my limited knowledge I know of no source that extends these two rules (which way the animal should be situated and which way it should face) to any korban other than the tamid.

So: Do we know whether the rule about which way the animal should be situated or the rule about which way it should face was applied in practice, or is applied according to any shitos (opinions), more generally than to the tamid?


texts: Why do we wash our hands right-left-right-left-right-left in the morning, instead of like how we do when we are going to eat bread?

texts:
According to the Shulchan Aruch, we wash our hands right-left-right-left-right-left (with a cli). We wash our hands in the morning for three reasons: B'ria Chadasha (a new creation, because it's like we are reborn when we wake up); Ruach Ra'a (the 'bad spirits', or germs because way back when they didn't understand them (this is why we have to pour three times, to remove this)), and Niki'ut (cleanliness).

But why do we have to wash our hands b'seirugin (right-left-right etc.)?


texts:
Who knows three hundred eighteen?
?שמונה עשר ושלוש מאות - מי יודע
In the spirit of the song "Echad - mi yodeya", please post interesting and significant Jewish facts about the number 318.
Lazy gematria may be worthy of discission, but perhaps not of a full-fledged answer.
Check out mi-yodeya-series for the previous three hundred seventeen entries in this ongoing series.
Please include sources for your information wherever possible, as with all other answers on this site.


texts: Why did the R' Akiva marry the wife of Tyrannus Rufus?

texts:
The gemara in Avodah zara 20a brings a Baraisa that says,

ואף רבי עקיבא ראה אשת טורנוסרופוס הרשע רק שחק ובכה רק שהיתה באה מטיפה
סרוחה שחק
דעתידה דמגיירא ונסיב לה בכה דהאי שופרא בלי עפרא

We know that Tyrannus Rufus was an evil Roman leader (Tannis 29a) and possibly executed R' Akiva himself (see Kohelet Rabba 3:17). Why did R' Akiva marry the wife of this "רשע" and Anti-semite? Is there any evidence that R' Akiva actually acted on this vision/prophecy and married her, and if yes, did he marry her while Rachel was still alive, or after she died?


texts:
I was informed today that one does not say the above today as hallel was said.

Does it make a difference whether Hallel was said with a Bracha or not?


texts:
As we dress the Torah in my congregation and many congregations I've been to, we sing (from the siddur's liturgy on putting away the Torah):
Mishlei 3:18,3:17

עֵץ חַיִּים הִיא לַמַּחֲזִיקִים בָּהּ, וְתוֹמְכֶיהָ מְאֻשָּׁר
דְּרָכֶיהָ דַרְכֵי נוֹעַם, וְכָל נְתִיבוֹתֶיהָ שָׁלוֹם

But then we add (Mishlei 3:16, Yishayahu 42:21)

אֹרֶךְ יָמִים בִּימִינָהּ, בִּשְׂמֹאולָהּ עֹשֶׁר וְכָבוֹד
יְהוָה חָפֵץ, לְמַעַן צִדְקוֹ; יַגְדִּיל תּוֹרָה, וְיַאְדִּיר

and return to the siddur (Aichah 5:21):

חַשִׁבֵנוּ ה' אֵלֶי וְנָשׁוּבָה חַדֵּשׁ יָמֵינוּ כְּקֶדֶם

What minhag is it to insert the verses from Mishlei and Yeshayahu and why do we do it?
Or, conversely, what minhag omits those verses and why do no siddurs make mention of them?
(NOTE: I may have the order wrong.  Hashiveinu may come before Orech Yamim).
This is the tune I'm familiar with, though it only goes up to נְתִיבוֹתֶיהָ שָׁלוֹם. Neither of these tunes are remotely the tune that my shuls use, but both include Etz Chayyim Hi the two additional verses which implies to me that it's more than just a solitary composer's decision.


texts:
I remember seeing a Web 1.0ish website with a great chart with ALL of the relationships described in Mesechet Yevamot. This website also had a click through tour of diagrams of the Beit Hamikdash. I believe that it is someone's personal web site (i.e. it has some of their research on it too.) Does anyone know which website I'm remembering? I am going to start Yevamot soon, and it would be a great help.
Thanks in advance.


texts: Why do we say the normal Mishnayos after Birkas HaTorah on Tisha BeAv?

texts:
After Birkas HaTorah in the morning, we say a Pasuk (VaYedaber ... YeVarechecha ... VaAni Avarachem), a Mishna (Eilu Dvarim SheEin LaHem Shiyur ... VeTalmud Torah) and some Gemara (Eilu Devarim SheAdam Ochel ... VeTalmud Torah Keneged Kulam).

We say those verses to fulfill our obligation to learn Torah after Birkas HaTorah.

On the morning of Tisha BeAv we only learn the "sad" parts of Torah. Why don't we replace these phrases with more "appropriate" verses (kind of like how we replace Mishnayos before Kaddish)?


texts:
What is the attitude of Chazal toward drinking alcohol? It seems to be have been common practice to drink at night (see Shabbos 10a), was this frowned upon? If so, was it only frowned upon in excess?
Please source from Chazal, Rishonim, and Acharonim.


texts: Why don't we remember the Churban in Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh musaf?

texts:
The requirement to remember the churban is incumbent upon Jews every day (top of page 2) and is especially important at times of joy. Aside from the practices of leaving a wall unfinished/unpainted, or leaving food aside, or not listening to music, there are liturgical changes which reflect an awareness.

Though it might not be the primary reason, I would think that including a mention of the exile in Megillat Esther (and all the moreso, using the tune of Eicha when reading it) would be a reminder during a joyful holiday. Breaking a plate and/or glass as a reminder during the simcha of a wedding is also a reminder. Saying "al naharot bavel" reminds us on weekdays. And on Yom Tov and rosh chodesh shechal b'shabbat we say a line in musaf which explicitly recalls that our sins brought forth the destruction of the temple which prevents our offering korbanot, so even on those joyous days, we recall the churban.

But on Shabbat, and on a rosh chodesh which falls on a weekday, that sentiment is missing from Musaf. In both cases, we do use the future tense and indicate a hope that we will offer korbanot in the future, but the text lacks the specific statement which would recall the churban.

I understand that one could say that the other food/furnishing practices still exist on those days, but those remembrances would also be active on Yom Tov, so why is there a need to recall the churban explicitly in the davening on those days?

Bottom line, why does the text for Musaf on Shabbat and on R"C (two days of simcha) not have the zecher of the churban while the zecher is there on Yom Tov and Shabbat-R"C?


texts: Should separating pull apart Challah rolls be considered a forbidden act of completion?

texts:
I have heard many people state that using Challah* rolls that are baked in one unit to be pulled apart might be a problem for making Leḥem** Mishneh on Shabbath. In fact, there are rolls that are sold in my local supermarket that have a sticker on the outside of the bag that says something to the effect of, "Ask your rabbi about Lechem*** Mishneh."

I've heard some people state that, in fact, it is not a problem from that perspective, since the rolls are meant to be used separately.

My question, though, is that if the latter opinion is correct, wouldn't that make it an even bigger problem, namely completing the creation of some product, or does this not apply to food?

CYLOR, of course.


texts: Why is Shacharit the longest of the 3 daily prayers?

texts:
Considering that people are rushing to work (It's not just a current concern; This was a concern alluded in the Gemarah in several places, which became part of the concept of torach tzibbur), why was Shacharit made the longest of the 3 daily prayers?

O.C., among other sources mentions the importance of kavana during prayers. Proper kavana usually means extra time to concentrate on the meaning of the words and make them more meaningful. In actuality, many Shacharit minyanim are rushed so that people can get to their trains, buses, etc. and arrive at work on time. One could, perhaps, argue that if Shacharit were shorter, it may not need to be as rushed. Or, perhaps, Ma'ariv should have been made the longest prayer when people are not rushing to work.

Note: - I've mention my reasoning as to why I think it shouldn't be. However, your answer need not focus on this reason. There was prob. some impetus to making Shacharit the longest of the 3, regardless.


texts: Why does Yalkut Yosef recommend women not do "tashlich"?

texts:
I read in Yalkut Yossef that women don't need to go to Tashlikh and the Rav Y. Yossef shlit"a concludes with "Shev Veal Tasse Adif" (trans. it's better to do nothing).

Does anyone know the reason ? I read that in the Kitsur but the Rav doesn't develop.

Thanks


texts: What is the case of "ishus"? (Gittin 83a)

texts:
The gemara discusses various ways to disprove the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer, that גירושי חוץ/גירושין על מנת (either a divorce that does not work for one person, or a divorce that's made on condition that the lady won't marry a specific person or persons) works, on Gitin 83a.

One of these is from Rabbi Yosi Haglili:

  נענה ר' יוסי הגלילי ואמר היכן מצינו אסור לזה ומותר לזה האסור אסור לכל
  והמותר מותר לכל ולא והרי תרומה וקדשים שאסורה לזה ומותרת לזה באיסור אשה
  קא אמרינן והרי עריות באישות קאמרינן הרי אשת איש היינו פירכא

  R. Jose the Galilean argued as follows: Where do we find that the same
  thing should be forbidden to one and permitted to another? What is
  forbidden is forbidden to all and what is permitted is permitted to
  all’. Is that so? What of terumah and holy meats which are forbidden
  to one class and permitted to another? — We are speaking of sexual
  prohibitions. But what of forbidden degrees of consanguinity? — We
  speak of marriage. But there is the case of a married woman? — This is
  the flaw in the argument.

(Soncino translation)

Following the (very quick) arguments of this gemara tell us that עריות were held up as the example of something that is אסור לזה ומותר לזה, something that is forbidden to one and permitted to another (I can't marry my sister, but others can), so we came back and said no, we're talking about prohibitions that are caused by marriage (see Rashi).

What is a case of אישות that is האסור אסור לכל?
Obviously, we can't use אשת איש, as that is the final question that's brought against Rabbi Yosi Haglili; but what case of a marriage-created prohibition is there that the prohibition is equal to all? Take אשת אביו, a father's wife, for example. She's prohibited to the son of her husband, but is still permitted to everyone else on the termination of her first marriage. I couldn't find a case of an איסור אישות that is האסור אסור לכל.
Is there one?


texts:
Can non jews give death penalty for something other then the 7 laws of noah?
Source and clarification (in what cases) please


texts:
Searching for the root for Kipah (כפה) I found the word Kaphaph (כפף) from the root Kaph or
Kaf כף.

Kaf (as a word) means (hand)palm, while yod refers to yad (the hand).

Kaf (as a letter כ) has a numerical value of 20, that is 2 times yod(י) or 2 hands, while יי also refers to HaShem.

***It looked like the Kipah could refer to HaShem's (hand)palm(s) above our heads.

Now I was wondering if there are some other sources that refer to HaShem as having his hands/palms above our heads?

A second question is if there's any relation with Yirat Shamayim/Elohiem; The Fear of G-d. Like in a Yarmulke which refers to this fear.*

Hopefully someone will be able to answer my questions.


texts: What is the source for those who say parts of Hineni quietly?

texts:
In many yeshivot and shuls with a yeshivish crowd, the chazzan for mussaf on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur does not say the full Hineni out loud. Instead, he says all the parts talking about himself quietly and most of the parts talking about the congregation out loud.
According to all the Rabbis and chazzanim I have asked, the reason is that it can seem haughty to publicly proclaim "look how unworthy I am, but I'm going to do it anyway." (It brings to mind the classic joke about two students in Novardok yelling at a third because "who does he think he is to be a gor nisht!?")
However, none of them could point me to any source where this practice appears in writing or any information about who started it and when.
Does anyone know of a source for this practice?


texts:
For a noahide, do sexual  thoights without actions or arousal constitute sins?

I’m confused about this as it is not clear whether the sexual sins are just forbidden relations or also include more than that.


texts: Shmuel Yosef Agnon's Nobel Prize Speech Audio?

texts: Does anyone know where I can find a recording of Shmuel Yosef Agnon's speech for winning the Nobel Prize?


texts: The text of the fourth question at the seder

texts:
I just read through 40 or so Haggadot and, while I have a provisional (common sense) answer, no one seems to address this, so I appreciate any "real" sourced answers.

The fourth question (current day, Ashkenazic minhag, as opposed to the Sephardic order and the no longer used question about roasted meat) asks

שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָנוּ אוֹכְלִין בֵּין יוֹשְׁבִין וּבֵין מְסֻבִּין, - הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה כֻּלָּנוּ מְסֻבִּין!

(text from here)

My rough translation/understanding is

That on all (other) nights WE eat "between" (meaning using either position) sitting and reclining; on this night "we all" recline.

I am trying to understand the exact meaning of "kulanu" "we all" in the explanatory second part of the question.

Is the child saying that "we all" means that we do ALL of our eating in a reclining position? Like the question on dipping, he cannot know what will be required throughout the meal in the future -- he should be asking only on what he has seen. However, he has seen one instance of dipping and sees the other ingredients for dipping and can infer that there will be another dipping (this is the answer I read in a Haggadah). But the child has not seen much eating (for Karpas we specifically eat less than the shiur so that doesn't seem like a substantial thing to infer from), only drinking so he can't infer that we will lean for ALL the eating.

And, if he did infer that, he would be wrong. We don't recline when eating maror!

Is the child saying that "we all" means that everyone reclines? The language conspicuously changes from "anu" (we) to "kulanu" (we all) so it might follow that this is about including all the people at the seder. This would make sense because he, the child, would have just reclined even in the presence of his father so that would seem unusual. But a student does NOT recline in the presence of his Rebbi so we don't "all" recline.

It is easy (and common sense) to assume that the child would not know this intricacy of halacha, but the child already has shown that he knows laws of maror and dipping before they happen so it seems wrong to assume that he didn't learn the laws of heseiba  as well.

To what does the "kulanu" refer and why is it presented as an absolute when it doesn't seem to be?

Any insight would be appreciated.


texts: According to most rishonim (and the simplest read of the extant Talmudic texts) the tekhelet string is dyed in its entirety. However, the Rambam maintains that only half the string is dyed such that, when tied, only one of the eight hanging fringes are blue. If one dyed only half the string but tied the knot such that some of the blue was on the white side past the knot, would that be valid according to both views? Similarly, is the tekhelet of most rishonim valid b'dieved according to the Rambam and vice versa?


texts: Why are women not allowed to read from the Torah in conservative Judaism?

texts:
I'm not Jewish myself, but my wife is and per my understanding of Jewish tradition, this means our children are as well. My wife's preference is for either Reconstructionist or Reform denomination because as I understand it, Conservative and Orthodox denominations do not permit women to read from the Torah.

Why is this not permitted in Conservative/Orthodox Judaism?


texts: Did the Rambam write the Moreh Nevuchim for a target audience? Was it only for "perplexed" people or did he write it for everyone, or perhaps an individual?


texts: Are there still descendants of Aaron serving as priests in Jerusalem?


texts:
Can one bow before a king? Can one bow to a statue of a king?

For example, if one is visiting North Korea, may one bow to the statues as shown in this picture? Note that they are not fully prostrating themselves.


texts: What's the path to becoming a Jewish Orthodox Posek (like R' Yechiel Michel Epstein, a.k.a the Aruch Hashulchan). What Sefarim does one have to learn? What learning method is the most effective?


texts: Is the timing of Mitzvot more intentional or more extentional?

texts:
This question is inspired by:

Halakhic International Date Line issues

I was reading the answers, or actually the source quotations, and realized that the answer to the questions about circumnavigation during Omer, Shabbat on the North Pole etc. should really be based on a more fundamental issue:

Take any Mitzvah of the form: "Do X at time Y every Z time units."

Is it more important that all Jews do this simultaneously, or in a consistently-synchronized manner? Or is it generally the case that you should make some Drash into the timing? Or maybe it's more of a symbolic/spiritual aspect of the exact timing?

For example, "Rest for the entire day every 7 days." (Yes I know that's not a very exact definition.) If the second option is true, maybe a Jewish community on another planet might make it every 6 days because the day is longer, and the intention is more that people rest and that the community allot Qodesh time appropriately. If the first option is true, then why even have a dateline, and not just have Shabbat start whenever it starts around Jerusalem? And if the third options is true, maybe you do need sophisticated ritual arrangements for flying over the north pole...

PS - I'm actually an Atheist of Jewish descent so please excuse my lack of religious perspective.


texts:
My friends and I were learning about the way that the Jews camped in the wilderness, and someone heard about a book called Degel Machane Efrayim.
Does anyone know who wrote it and where I can find it?


texts: In several places, parsha vayigash refers to Benjamin as a youth (na-ar).  But he must have been close to 30 years old since Joseph was at that time already in Egypt for about 20 years.  Why is Benjamin referred to as a youth?


texts: Shabbat 9 Av: Marital relations vs Torah study

texts:
Shulchan Aruch Yoreh De'ah 400:2 rules that a mourner observes the private mourning practices of shiv'ah on shabbat. This includes not engaging in marital relations, not washing in warm water and not studying (most parts of) Torah.

Rema to Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 554:19 notes a custom to refrain from marital relations on 9 Av which falls on shabbat. Mishnah Berurah 554:39 explains that this custom holds that private mourning practices apply on Shabbat 9 Av, and thus washing hands in warm water would also be forbidden.

However, with regards to Torah study on this shabbat, Mishnah Berurah 553:9 prohibits only after midday.

Why does Mishnah Berurah allow Torah study before midday on Shabbat 9 Av, but forbids marital relations and washing?

A hint towards one possible answer:

Magen Avraham 553:7 provides a justification for such a practice by positing that Shabbat 9 Av has the status of erev tish'ah b'av, but that marital relations are prohibited due to stringency.

In order to use this Magen Avraham to explain Mishnah Berurah's position, one would need to explain why marital relations and washing would be more deserving of stringency than Torah study.


texts: What type of olive oil was used for the shemen hamishcha (Anointing oil)?

texts: I have looked through the relevant gemoros in Menachos and Krisos as well as the Rambam in H' Klei Hamikdosh but I can't find a source for what quality of olive oil was used for the shemen hamishchah.  Was it "kasis" or not? Was it okay to bring any of the nine levels mentioned in Menachos (86a-b)?  Thanks.


texts:
this question presupposes that celebrating secular New Year's eve in the first place is OK. I looked here: " Is it ok to celebrate New Years Eve? " and the answers seemed not fully resolved, but my reading of them is that it is not forbidden.
Having said that, for many people New Year is associated with New Year tree (which is a spruce/pine tree). Is that part of New Year celebrations OK for a Jew?

One one hand, the origin of New Year tree is almost certainly/clearly that of a Christmas tree, which to me would definitely seem problematic at best.
On the other hand, for many people (for examples Jews raised in USSR, where Xtmas wasn't celebrated for close to 100 years), the tree is 100% firmly and surely only associated with secular New Year, without any connotation of Xmas.


texts: Shrinking a room with Tzaraas to less than 4x4 Amos

texts:
May one shrink a room and then manually scrape off questionable Tzaraas (not yet paskened by a Kohen) found there?
Suppose for example, a whole house or one of the rooms is 5x5 Amos, but has a retractable wall that can shrink it to 3x5 Amos. Being that a house less than 4x4 Amos is not subject to the laws of Tzaraas found (as well as a myriad of other Halachic requirements, like having a fence on the roof, Mezuzah, etc., as learned out from Sukkah 3a), can someone then remove the questionable white material and then expand their wall, thus completely avoiding a Kohen to render it as Tzaraas?
If indeed one may do such a thing, then what's there to stop someone from purchasing a small house in a walled city, expanding it within the first year, and then perpetually preventing the first owner from buying it back? Or if one creates an excuse not to go to war by simply moving the walls outward?
Here's a bird's eye view of a room being retracted:


texts: Is there anywhere that you can buy Kosher non Glatt meat?

texts: When you go shopping, it seems that they only offer Glatt Kosher. I would imagine non Glatt would be cheaper. Is there anywhere that someone who is not Makpid (It is an American post world war phenomenon to be Makpid) on Glatt that you can purchase fresh meat with a reliable Hashgacha?


texts:
the Rambam (Teshuva 10:2) defines the ideal motivation of performing mitzvot as (lishma) one "who does the truth because it is the truth"

On the other hand, the Mesilat Yesharim defines the ideal motivation (in ch.19) as to bring nachat ruach (pleasure/gratification) to God.

Are these two saying the same thing in different words or are they two different views?

Update: I see also in the Rambam's commentary on Mishnayot end of Makot: "Among the fundamental principles of our faith in the torah is that when a person fulfills one of the 613 mitzvot properly and befittingly, and does not associate with it in any way whatsoever any intent of this world but instead does it for its own sake (lishma), out of love.."


texts:
So God tells Abraham that he will make Ishmael into a great nation.

Some nations, like China, are great without God having made a bilbical promise to anyone. When Abraham was promised that Ishmael was going to be great, was God promising to "pull strings" in Ishmael's favor to make him great? If so, what is the nature of the string pulling? Is the idea that God nudged Mohammed to create Islam and effect this great nation status compatible with Judaism?

Bereishit 17:20
"And regarding Ishmael, I have heard you; behold I have blessed him, and I will make him fruitful, and I will multiply him exceedingly; he will beget twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation."


texts:
It is stated in this weeks Parsha, Parshas Vayishlach 32:5:

  That he commanded them, saying, "This is what you should say to my
  master to Esau, 'this is what is what your servant Yaakov said, "I
  have stayed with Lavan, and I have lived there until now.

( free translation )

So my question is, why is Yaakov calling Esau "Master," if he never did it before?


texts: Tragically, I have an incurable disease and have little time left.  I have told a number of friends about this and said good-bye to them in an email.  In return, I have received a number of emails that were laudatory.  My question is am I permitted to collate them in some format and ask someone to read them during my funeral?


texts: How do we make studying Torah by adults a central part of our synagogue?


texts: Is a bat kohen who has relations with a pasul (not marries) then forbidden from t'rumah? I ask this because I'm having trouble understanding Noam Yerushalmi's explanation of Yerushalmi Yevamot 8:6 in which he explains that it makes sense to say that an androgynous kohen who is married by an androgynous Yisrael would be nifsal from the t'rumah, but that it doesn't make sense to say that the same is true if the androgynous kohen is nivelet by the androgynous Yisrael. I don't understand the difference between if she is married and if she is nivelet.


texts: In Levirate marriage, can the widow refuse marriage to the brother-in-law?

texts:
In Levirate marriage, the Torah text gives the option for the brother in law to refuse when it says: Devorim 25 (7)

  But if the man does not wish to take his brother's wife, the brother's
  wife shall go up to the gate, to the elders, and say, "My husband's
  brother has refused to perpetuate his brother's name in Israel he does
  not wish to perform the obligation of a husband's brother with me."

and then the chalitzah ceremony is needed.

Question 1: Does the widow (sister-in-law, yovomoh) have the right to refuse the deceased husband's brother (yovom)?

Question 2: If the yevomoh can refuse the yovom, is there chalitzah?

Question 3: If there is chalitzah, will the yevomoh:

  “approach him before the eyes of the elders and remove his shoe from
  his foot. And she shall spit before his face and answer [him] and say,
  "Thus shall be done to the man who will not build up his brother's
  household!"

(Devorim 25(9))?


texts: In what way was Abraham's religion different from Noah's, Shem's or Eber's? Weren't they all monotheists?