texts: In Psalm 105:39 why is the cloud said to "cover" rather than "precede" the people?

texts:
In both Exodus and Nehemiah 9:12 the cloud seems to be a pillar in front of the people but Psalm 105:39 seems to indicate that the cloud traveled above them. Were there two clouds or am I misunderstanding the image?:

  JPS Tanakh 1917 Psalm 105:39 He spread a cloud for a screen; And fire
  to give light in the night.

I find the idea of a cloud overhead very reasonable but the picture elsewhere seems to be pretty clear that it was a pillar of cloud in front of them:

  JPS Tanakh 1917 Exodus 13:21 And the LORD went before them by day
  in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; that they might go by day and by
  night:

The account in Numbers 9 seems a bit ambiguous to me:

  15And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered
  the tabernacle, even the tent of the testimony; and at even there was
  upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until morning.
  16So it was alway: the cloud covered it, and the appearance of fire by
  night. 17And whenever the cloud was taken up from over the Tent, then
  after that the children of Israel journeyed; and in the place where
  the cloud abode, there the children of Israel encamped. 18At the
  commandment of the LORD the children of Israel journeyed, and at the
  commandment of the LORD they encamped: as long as the cloud abode upon
  the tabernacle they remained encamped. 19And when the cloud tarried
  upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the
  charge of the LORD, and journeyed not. 20And sometimes the cloud was a
  few days upon the tabernacle; according to the commandment of the LORD
  they remained encamped, and according to the commandment of the LORD
  they journeyed. 21And sometimes the cloud was from evening until
  morning; and when the cloud was taken up in the morning, they
  journeyed; or if it continued by day and by night, when the cloud was
  taken up, they journeyed. 22Whether it were two days, or a month, or a
  year, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, abiding thereon, the
  children of Israel remained encamped, and journeyed not; but when it
  was taken up, they journeyed. 23At the commandment of the LORD they
  encamped, and at the commandment of the LORD they journeyed; they kept
  the charge of the LORD, at the commandment of the LORD by the hand of
  Moses. THE HOLY SCRIPTURES ACCORDING TO THE MASORETIC TEXT A NEW
  TRANSLATION Jewish Publication Society 1917

I'm having a hard time getting a consistent picture in my mind of what was going on.


texts: Using a robot "puppet" for matters requiring purity

texts:
Based upon an exchange in this question, we require complete purity in the drawing of water for the purposes of mei chatas. The setup described in Maseches Parah was essentially a ritualistic clean room to avoid impurities, and the process of gathering the water was a bit of a Rube Goldberg to make sure there was no possibility of any tumas tehom.

The discussion in Parah 3:2 suggests that we not go "too overboard" with how we go about the process, but it also suggests that direct ko'ach gavra is not a requirement in the drawing of the water. If the movements of a robot are controlled by an operator one ostensibly solves the issues of kavanah through the mechanism of grama - since the operator's intent is what is causing the action, the lack of intent on the part of the tool has no bearing on the status of the water.

Assuming there was a need to perform the drawing of water for mei chatas again, would it be possible to do so using a properly constructed robot as a "puppet" rather than the clean-room setup mentioned in the mishna? One would still need to ensure that the tool doesn't become tamei, so what other parts of the process (riding on doors on the backs of animals) might still apply?


texts: Did the Vilna Gaon study Torah on Christmas?

texts: I'm looking for some information  (sourced) about the Vilna Gaon and Nittelnacht. Did the Vilna Gaon avoid the study of Torah on the night of Nittel (Christmas) as was done by some European communities or was that minhag not followed by the Gaon?


texts: Tircha D'Tzibbur vs. Kavod Hatorah - which wins?

texts:
It's hard for me to properly phrase the question, but here's the "ma'aseh shehaya" (scenario):

It was Shabbat Rosh Hodesh, parshat Balak, I believe. They took out 2 Sifrei Torah. I waited for the Torah carriers to approach the Bimah. Before putting down a Torah on the table, I lifted the Torah cover and noticed that one Torah was rolled to Pinchas, but the other seemed to be near the beginning - what looked like Breishit. I.e. - someone took the wrong Torah out of the ark.

Wanting to minimize Tircah D'Tzibbur, I requested that the one designated for Maftir, which was at Pinchas, be placed on the table, and I rolled it to parshat Balak. Before Chatzi Kaddish, the 2nd Torah was placed next to the first. Now, it's time for hagbah.

Again, attempting to minimize tircha d'tzibbur, I wanted to reuse the 1st Torah and roll that back to Pinchas, rather than roll the one from Breishit to Pinchas.

So, I uncovered the 2nd Torah (the one at Breishit) and asked the person to do Hagbah on that one. Note, that I never used that 2nd Torah to read from it.

My question - Was this "trick" halachically permissible? The 2nd Torah was "opened" and "used" solely for Hagbah, but I never read from it.  Essentially, there was a choice between tircha d'tzibbur vs. not "embarassing the Torah". I figured that tircha d'tzibbur was more important, which is why I did this. But, as I also wanted to make SOME use of the Torah, at least I used it for Hagbah. Was this OK, or did I specifically have to read from the 2nd Torah?


texts: How is it that no one spots Potiphar's wife's lie?

texts:
There appears to be something strange about Potiphar telling people in her home that she called out in a loud voice.

Genesis 39:14:

  וַתִּקְרָ֞א לְאַנְשֵׁ֣י בֵיתָ֗הּ וַתֹּ֤אמֶר לָהֶם֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר רְא֗וּ
  הֵ֥בִיא לָ֛נוּ אִ֥ישׁ עִבְרִ֖י לְצַ֣חֶק בָּ֑נוּ בָּ֤א אֵלַי֙
  לִשְׁכַּ֣ב עִמִּ֔י וָאֶקְרָ֖א בְּק֥וֹל גָּדֽוֹל׃

  She called unto the men of her house, and spoke uto them, saying:
  ‘See, he brought in a Hebrew man to us to mock us; he came in to me to
  lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice.

Rashbam on Genesis 39:14:1:

  ואקרא בקול גדול - לפי שאתם רחוקים ממני, שאילו לא הרימותי קולי היה שוכב
  עמי בעל כורחי.

(Sefaria's English translation)

ואקרא בקול גדול, because you were so far away from me. If I had not raised my voice so greatly he would have raped me.

However, a few verses earlier, it says:

Genesis 39:11:

  וַיְהִי֙ כְּהַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה וַיָּבֹ֥א הַבַּ֖יְתָה לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת
  מְלַאכְתּ֑וֹ וְאֵ֨ין אִ֜ישׁ מֵאַנְשֵׁ֥י הַבַּ֛יִת שָׁ֖ם בַּבָּֽיִת׃

  And it came to pass on a certain day, when he went into the house to
  do his work, and there was none of the men of the house there within.

Rashi on Genesis 39:11:1 (excerpt):

ויהי כהיום הזה.

My synopsis / translation:

"It was a day of sport (merriment) - their holiday where all of them went to the house of idol worship."

So, it doesn't seem as if there were men immediately outside that would have been able to hear her screaming. And, I assume that (in her fib) if she said she called in a loud voice, she was calling for help, not just a loud voice to Yosef alone. I.e., she meant someone else to hear it.

So, Potiphar's wife (as well as her husband, whom she repeats this lie to), knows that there was no one in the house to hear her screaming. Did they not pick up on the idea that she had to be lying?

Note: I'm discounting any other hatred they may have had towards the "Hebrew man" that eventually jailed Yosef. I'm merely focusing on the question if any commentary discusses if anyone - the men from the household or her husband knew that she had to have been lying, and, if anyone, perhaps, reacted to her lying.


texts: No obligation of counting birthdays and knowing one's age?

texts:
Age is a very important part of Jewish Halakha, with many dates being critical for one's responsibility, including Misos Beis Din (capital punishment). E.g. 3 year old girl can be betrothed and a male adulterer be killed for having relations with her (she is exempt as an Oneis till 12); 12 year old girl and 13 year old boy are liable for capital transgressions such as Shabbos, Avodah Zara.

I could not, however, find any obligation on a father or a mother or oneself or a Beis Din to keep track of someone's age. If so, how one is supposed officially to know his/her age?
Birthdays in Judaism discusses celebrating, but not the necessity of knowing one's age.

Some say pubic hair are a sign, but this is only an approximation.
Imagine two witnesses testify on someone transgressing Shabbos, but who's testifying on his age?


texts: Does a Mitzvas Asei doche a lav by Yibum in the case of Mamzeirus?

texts:
Hypothetical case:
2 half brothers with a common father. One brother is kosher and the other brother is a mamzer. The mamzer marries a mamzerres and they have no offspring. The mamzer dies and the mamzerres is now "zakuk leyibbum" bound by her brother in law and cannot marry any one else until he does yibbum or chalitza.

Does the kosher brother in law have to do chalitza as he is prohibited to marry a mamzeres?

Or maybe she can do yibbum as the asei (positive mitzva), "Yevama yavo aleha" overrides the lo taaseh (negative mitzva) of "lo yavo mamzer bikhal hashem" ?

The question would likewise apply if the kosher brother dies childless leaving his kosher wife to be zakuk (bound) to his brother who is a mamzer.

The other cases where this question would be applicable Would be in cases of Petzua daka (a man with crushed reproductive organ), Kerus shofcho (a man with a cut off reproductive organ), Almono Lecohen Gadol (women that had been betrothed and become a widow, to do yibbum to a high priest), Gerusha lecohen Hediot (divorcee to any Priest),


texts: If parents have committed atrocious sins against their children such as incest, physical abuse, drugging, etc. is it considered an unforgiveable sin?


texts: a person should not move away from where his parents live (source)

texts:
the pele yoets (Exile) says that our rabbis said that it is a mitzva to live by parents

  our Sages also said, “It is incumbent upon a man
  to live in the city of his fathers”;
  it is as difficult for a man to wander from his home as it is for a bird to stray from its nest;
  and it is nearly impossible for a man to uproot from his homestead

what are the sources of this (where do the rabbis say this)?

the only source i found was of the middle line mishlai 27.8

  כְּצִפּוֹר נוֹדֶדֶת מִן קִנָּהּ כֵּן אִישׁ נוֹדֵד מִמְּקוֹמוֹ:

what are the sources for the rest of his sayings?

the Hebrew of the pele yoets

  אמרו רבותינו זכרונם לברכה: מצוה על האדם שידור במקום אבותיו,
   וכצפור נודדת מן קנה כן איש נודד ממקומו
   ואי אפשר לאדם לעקר דירתו ממכון שבתו


texts: Rema more meikel than mechaber in bb"ch?

texts: Is Rema more lenient than mechaber anywhere in the laws of milk and meat? Usually, it seems, he is stricter.


texts: Strictly speaking hilchos tznius for a man

texts: Strictly speaking when going to play basketball, what must a man wear in regards to covering his body, I am asking because as I had learned a man has to cover from his breastbone to and including his upper thigh I remember rabbi showing this to me inside and I want to to find the source or find out if I am mistaken,  this would mean that a man can wear a muscle T and shorts to basketball if this is correct or not correct please let me know


texts: אין כערכך ואין זולתיך - a mistaken addition?

texts:
In Shabbos Morning Davening, we read:

  אין כערכך ואין זולתך אפס בלתך ומי דומה לך. אין כערכך ה' אלוקינו בעולם הזה ואין זולתך מלכנו לחיי העולם הבא. אפס בלתך גואלנו לימות המשיח ואין דומה לך מושיענו לתחיית המתים.

I had recently been saying this, when it occurred to me that the first sentence seems to be a hybrid of the following 4 phrases, as bolded above.  I was wondering if someone has proposed that the first sentence, אין כערכך ואין זולתך אפס בלתך ומי דומה לך, was a shortened form of the following sentences, or if it may have been originally printed in a siddur as אין כערכך etc. ואין זולתך etc. אפס בלתך etc. ומי דומה לך etc., and the other verses were not present.

Do any siddur commentaries comment on this sentence in a similar fashion?


texts: When did Eisav find out that Yaakov was still alive?

texts:
The pasuk in Bereishis 29:11 says:

  וַיִּשַּׁ֥ק יַעֲקֹ֖ב לְרָחֵ֑ל וַיִּשָּׂ֥א אֶת־קֹל֖וֹ וַיֵּֽבְךְּ׃
  Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and broke into tears.

Rashi says on that pasuk:

  ...Another explanation is: he wept because he came with empty hands. He thought: Eliezer, my grandfather’s servant, had with him rings, bracelets and all good things, whilst I have nothing with me (Genesis Rabbah 70:12). This was because Eliphaz Esau’s son pursued Jacob by his father’s order to kill him, and overtook him. But because Eliphaz had been brought up on Isaac’s lap, (cp. Deuteronomy Rabbah 2:13) he withheld his hand. He said to him (Jacob), “But what shall I do as regards my father’s order?” Jacob replied, “Take all I have and you can say that I am dead for a poor man may be accounted as dead" (Nedarim 64b).

Assuming that Yaakov and Eliphaz's plan succeeded, Eisav would have been under the impression that Yaakov was dead. The Torah in Perek 32 speaks of Yaakov sending messengers to inform Eisav that he is moving to Canaan.

Did Eisav know that Yaakov was alive before the messengers were sent? If yes, when and how did Eisav find out that Yaakov was still alive?


texts: Why are gentiles forbidden from keeping Shabbat if Adam and Even are considered to have lit the first Havdalah candles?

texts:
Judaism forbids gentiles from keeping Shabbat. It's one of the activities which is unique to Jews and their relationship to Hashem.
To contrast this, we have the Noahide laws which were given to the whole of humanity at the time of Noah. This is the mainstream view of how a non-Jew can honor Hashem under non-Jewish circumstances.
Shabbat is not included in this.
My question is this:
The first Havdalah was lit by Adam and Eve. We actually recite the same words that Adam made at the moment he struck flint to create flame.

“Blessed are You, L‑rd our G‑d . . . who creates the lights of fire,”

If this activity was done at a time before the Torah was given and it involved the precursors to the whole of humanity, why did this get removed from humanity as a whole and not get incorporated into the Noahide laws?
Adam and Eve were not Jewish but they lit Havdalah candles. That implies this activity was a humanity-based activity rather than one unique to just Jews. So why do we forbid non-Jews from fully involving themselves in the Shabbat experience if Adam and Eve (who represent the parents to all of humanity) were doing this?


texts:
It says in the Pasuk (Shemos 14:31 Beshalach)

  וַיַּרְא יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַיָּד הַגְּדֹלָה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה יְהֹוָה בְּמִצְרַיִם וַיִּירְאוּ הָעָם אֶת יְהֹוָה וַיַּאֲמִינוּ בַּיהֹוָה וּבְמשֶׁה עַבְדּוֹ

  And Israel saw the great hand, which the Lord had used upon the Egyptians, and the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in Moses, His servant.

Why is it that Klal Yisrael first saw what HaShem did, feared, and then had faith? Normally once a person sees they don't need to have Emunah as well. They saw already!

According to the different levels on which one can understand the Torah (P'shat, Remez, Drush, and Sod) how can this question be answered? (Please don't limit or hold back any answers that fall into any of the understandings of the Torah.)


texts: Israeli making pizza on last day of Pesach in the Diaspora

texts:
A Jew who lives in the U.S. own a pizza store. He wants to be sure that he has plenty of fresh pizzas ready to sell as soon as Pesach is over. So, before Pesach, he sells his chametz to his Israeli brother. The Israeli brother sells his chametz, including the batch brought from his U.S. brother, via his rav in Israel. Now the Israeli brother flies to the U.S. for Pesach. Since the Israeli does not celebrate the 8th day of Pesach, and the chametz has been bought back by the Israeli rav, the Israeli goes to the pizza store and bakes pizzas on our 8th of Pesach. Is there any problem with this procedure? Can one buy the pizza after Pesach?

BTW - the gates to the pizza store are down so there is no problem of mares ayin if someone from the neighborhood passed by the store on the 8th day of Pesach and saw it open. There MAY be some questions when people come in after Pesach and wonder how so many pizzas were baked so quickly after the end of Yom Tov.

We can also assume that even if there is a requirment for the Israeli to "observe" the 8th day of Yom Tov, the fire was lit from a pre-existing flame, so there is no melacha involved. We can further assume that he was not preparing for after Yom Tov since the Israeli ate some of the pizza, himself.

Please focus your answers on the issue of the chametz problem only; not the melacha problem, as there is none involved. Food preparation is permitted on Yom Tov.


texts: Why did it take so long to conquer and divide the land?

texts:
We learn that Yehoshua took 7 years to conquer the land and another 7 to divide it. Why did both of these take so long?

Conquest (at least from the details of the description in the text) took at most a couple of months, especially with the Divine assistance. (There is a Midrash Tanchuma that says he intentionally prolonged the conquest and was punished by losing 10 years of his life, however, it cannot be that he prolonged it for 7 years instead of a couple months - that'd be too gross of an error - there must have been something else.)
Dividing land - what else had to be done besides the lottery, which I suspect hadn't lasted more than 1 day?

Thank you very much.


texts: Bringing wallet with benscher into bathroom

texts: If someone has one of the small "pocket benschers" that slide into his wallet, is it a problem for him to walk into the bathroom with his wallet in his pocket?


texts:
If you make a shehakol on water at a restaurant before the meat is served do you say another shehakol on the meat?

If you had the meat in mind?
If you didn't have the meat in mind?
Does the fact that the water is a liquid and the meat being a solid have any significance?

Do the laws of a guest saying one bracha on everything of the same type  that is served henceforth apply here?


texts:
I came across a post on Mi Yodea about the Torah approach to alcohol and a lot of it seems pretty negative. For example, Brachot 40a - 'grapes cause sorrow to the world', Yoma 76 - wine is called יין because it brings moaning (יללה), Bava Basra 90b - you're not allowed to export food/drink from Israel except wine because less wine means less levity, Ibn Ezra says there's nothing more destructive to service of Hashem than wine, etc...

The full answer, with many more sources, can be found here. Obviously there are positive sources as well, but with so many negative opinions, I would think this would be something prohibited.

Additionally, I know Igros Moshe's Teshuva that smoking marijuana is prohibited because of the damage it does to the human body and the cravings it gives you. Science has deemed alcohol even more damaging to the body, and it definitely induces similar cravings that R' Moshe discusses.

So why is alcohol not forbidden?


texts: What happens to the chelev (suet) after the butcher removes it from the animal?

texts:
Follow up to Are We not supposed to eat fat?:

Chelev is called "suet". It is used as cooking oil (non-kosher, obviously), tallow (sometimes used in candle-making), and fuel, among other uses.

Do kosher butchers use the chelev, themselves for any of these uses, or do they sell it to others, even non-Jews? What happens to the chelev?


texts: Would there be a problem with leaving my MP3 player on speaker for Shabbos so I can enjoy listening to some sweet Jewish tunes throughout the day?


texts: Why did Rabbi Akiva write down Torah She Baal Peh?

texts:
In the Rambam's introduction he writes:

  וחיברו חכמי משנה חיבורין אחרים, לפרש דברי התורה:  רבי הושעיה תלמידו
  של רבנו הקדוש, חיבר ביאור ספר בראשית.  ורבי ישמעאל פירש מאלה שמות עד
  סוף התורה, והוא הנקרא מכילתא; וכן רבי עקיבה חיבר מכילתא.  וחכמים אחרים
  אחריהם חיברו מדרשות.  והכול חובר קודם התלמוד הבבלי.

That Rabbi Akiva wrote a Mechilta. Presumably, the Rabbi Yishmoel is the one identified by the Rambam earlier as well since he doesn't clarify anyone else, even though he authors a work starting from Shemos and someone much later authors Bereishis.

Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Yishmoel are several generations before Rabbeinu HaKadosh. And although the Rambam allows that things were written for personal use before Rabbeinu HaKadosh, these works don't appear to be personal notes.


texts: Personal Taanis on next day — why not ealier then Mincha and not later then Shkia?

texts:
As I understand, except for Taanis Cholom, a person can not take on himself a Taanis earlier than Mincha Gdola and not later than Shkia on the day before.

What is the reason for that? Why can’t a person plan for more than half a day or decide to fast before Alot, then be halachacly permitted to eat and drink even if he fasts next day.

And why does halacha go so far as to say that if a person didn’t make an explicit decision to fast at the time of Mincha and nevertheless fasts on the next day, it doesn’t count as a fast day?


texts: Why Gid-Haneshe is counted as a Mitzvah if it wasn't commanded?

texts:
עַל־כֵּן לֹא־יֹאכְלוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת־גִּיד הַנָּשֶׁה אֲשֶׁר עַל־כַּף הַיָּרֵךְ עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה כִּי נָגַע בְּכַף־יֶרֶךְ יַעֲקֹב בְּגִיד הַנָּשֶׁה׃
That is why the children of Israel to this day do not eat the thigh muscle that is on the socket of the hip, since Jacob’s hip socket was wrenched at the thigh muscle. (Gen 32.33)

THe text of the Torah explicitly says it's a Minhag, sons of Israel don't eat the tendon only customary, in memory of Yaakov's fight, and not because of G-d's commandment.
Rambam in Melachim 9.1 summarizes it very weirdly IMHO, mixing Mitzvos and customs:

...בָּא אַבְרָהָם וְנִצְטַוָּה יֶתֶר עַל אֵלּוּ בְּמִילָה. וְהוּא הִתְפַּלֵּל שַׁחֲרִית. וַיִּצְחָק הִפְרִישׁ מַעֲשֵׂר וְהוֹסִיף תְּפִלָּה אַחֶרֶת לִפְנוֹת הַיּוֹם. וְיַעֲקֹב הוֹסִיף גִּיד הַנָּשֶׁה וְהִתְפַּלֵּל עַרְבִית.
... With Abraham, circumcision was also commanded and he prayed Shacharis (the Morning Prayer). Isaac separated out a tithe and added another prayer in the afternoon and, with Jacob, the prohibition against eating the sciatic nerve was added, as was the Maariv (Evening) Prayer.

We can see that some (circumcision) are explicit commandments, while others (Teffilot) are just customs, they are not counted in the list of the 613 Mitzvos. He does count it as a Biblical prohibition (לא תעשה קפ״ג).
How did Gid-Haneshe become a Mitzvah?


texts: Why does the third perek of Eicha have a different melody? Is it just to match the triplet form of the words?


texts: Did the כלי המקדש (menorah, shulchan, etc) need to be made לשמה?

texts: When they were made did they need to be made leshem menoras hamikdash, leshem shulchan shel hamikdash, etc?


texts: In the past, I have davened at a Chabad on Simchat Torah. Their custom is to call up multiple individuals per aliyah rather than having multiple kriot. The only other places I have seen this was at the schuls of some of the less religious elements from my family, where they would call up typically a pair of spouses for an aliyah. What is the basis for the former practice, the latter being obviously outside the ken of Orthodox Judaism.


texts:
I'm making my father his favorite meal, and he's - I mean, I'm - super-religious, so it has to be super-kosher.
I want to make sure that every aspect is as kosher as you can get it, and I think I've got it all down except for one aspect.
To make the meal, I'm going to shoot a really nice deer with my trusty Winchester. Of course, since the bullets will be entering the body of the animal, I'm making them myself from scratch to ensure that they adhere to all of the kosher rules. Naturally, I'm not using any iron, since that could remind you of swords, and thus of death, which isn't nice.
For the gunpowder, I'm making sure that the charcoal comes from wood from trees that are beyond suspicion of orlah, and I'm sourcing the brimstone carefully from certified non-Sodom sources. Finally, the saltpeter, of course, can't come from bat guano, since bats aren't kosher, so I have to use the mineral kind, which comes from the ground.
But if saltpeter comes from the ground, then I need to make sure it's tithed properly before I use it in a kosher meal, right? I'm not sure if the miner I'm getting it from tithed it or not, so I need to do it myself to be safe. The problem is that I'm not sure what procedure I'm supposed to use, and what formula to recite, when tithing the saltpeter. Can you help?
How do you tithe from saltpeter?

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


texts: Was the Shamir worm used for the second Beis Hamikdash?

texts:
Shlomo Hamelech used a 'Shamir' worm to quarry and cut the stones for the first Beis Hamikdash. Did they still have this worm for the second Beis Hamikdash?

If not, how were the stones cut (as no metal implements were allowed to be used)?


texts:
Does kashrut apply to the chemical composition of a food or only to its origin?  Example: If you could manufacture a pork chop in the laboratory, and it had exactly the same chemical composition as a real pork chop, would it be kosher?
-One answer is yes: The Torah only says that pork as the flesh of pigs may not be eaten, but since pork manufactured chemically is not the flesh of pigs, it can be eaten.
-Another answer is no: The Torah may have prohibited pork for health reasons, in ways that we may not fully understand today, so you still may not eat anything that has the composition of pork, regardless of its source.
-What would be the halacha here?


texts: What can a pregnant woman do if she already stepped on nails?

texts:
A pregnant women is advised by the gemara (Nidda 17a) to avoid stepping on cut human nails out of fear of miscarriage. What can she do if she has already stepped on them? Is there a way to "fix" things to avoid a miscarriage (chalilah)?

Related


texts:
I was recently in Jerusalem for a period of time and while I was there, I would join a minyan at a nearby yeshiva for mincha every day. At the end of mincha, the person davening from the amud would conclude Aleinu by saying

  ככתוב בתורתך ה׳ ימלוך לעולם ועד

He would not say the second verse that is included in every siddur I have ever seen:

  ונאמר והיה ה׳ למלך על כל הארך ביום ההוא יהיה ה׳ אחד ושמו אחד

Kaddish would begin immediately after he finished (i.e. there was no time for someone to have said the verse quietly before beginning kaddish). The shaliach tzibur was different every day, but they always followed this pattern. The siddur they were using was סדור כלילת יופי - אשכנז which does include the skipped verse. Is this a recognized custom? If so, what is the reason for skipping that part of the text?


texts: Difference in meaning of Zeicher / Zecher

texts: In this question it discusses the background of saying both Zeicher & Zecher in Devarim 25:19, however I was wondering what is the difference in translation between Zeicher & Zecher?


texts: To be Matir Neder or not to be, that is the question

texts:
According to those Shitos (such as the Ran) brought in Is a neder about something compulsory valid? that one violates Lo Yachel Devaro if they break a Neder not to do something which is already Assur, what would be the Halacha in the following case:

Reuven makes a Neder not to eat pork.  However, a month later he realizes that he cannot stop himself from eating pork, no matter how hard he tries.  He then goes to a Beis Din to ask them to be "Matir Neder".  Assuming they find Halachic grounds to be Matir this Neder:

Is it appropriate for the Beis Din to be Matir Neder in order to save Reuven from the extra Aveira each time he eats pork?
Should the possibility (or, according to some, the inevitability) that their Heter will be considered by some as sanctioning the eating of pork be a reason to avoid being Matir it?


texts: Must readers be called to the Torah by name?

texts:
"I was in one place recently where they are very strict about calling people's names before they approach the Torah and another place where the people just came up one-by-one, having arranged beforehand who would read which aliya", said a friend to me recently.

Is there a mandate for calling people up by name, and if so, where is this requirement discussed?


texts: Inconsistent (?) use of B'rachamav in Kaddish

texts:
This question deals with the origin of the inclusion of "b'rachamav" in the Kaddish Derabonon/Yatom, and this site gives more history on it.

I noticed that the inclusion of the word "b'rachamav" doesn't seem to be consistent. In the Artscroll siddur I have handy, the word appears at the end of the Kaddish derabonon in pesukei dezimrah but not the Kaddish yatom which follows it, but in the kaddish yatom after aleinu for weekdays -- absent from the kaddish yatom after aleinu on Shabbat.

In my Siddur Tefillah Hashalem (Greenwald), the word is not in the kaddish yatom before baruch she'amar on weekdays but IS in the kaddish yatom before baruch she'amar on Shabbat (and in the kaddish yatom after aleinu on weekdays).

Are there rules about where the word is included based on the day of the week or the location of that kaddish in davening, or is this a matter of inconsistent editing?

[note -- I have found what I think is another example of inconsistent girsa'ot between 2 siddurim from the same publishing company but not within a single siddur]


texts: Are there any practices that accompany weddings (and the whole engagement/marriage  process) that one has to be careful to avoid because of the prohibition of following in the ways of the non-Jews  (chukos Ha'goyim)? For example: engagement ring, walking down the aisle, white wedding gown etc


texts: Could one make the argument that it is assur to read documents and other info made available through websites such as Wikileaks on the basis of it being assur to derive benefit from something that is stolen and/or based on the claim that reading such information would be a form a lifnei iver lo titen michshol (as by driving traffic to sources of such information you would be encouraging such thefts to take place)?


texts: Why did Avraham take gifts from Pharaoh, but not the King of Sodom?

texts:
In Bereshit 12:11-16, we see that Avraham was willing to receive gifts from Pharoah:

11 And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife: 'Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon.
12 And it will come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they will say: This is his wife; and they will kill me, but thee they will keep alive.
13 Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister; that it may be well with me for thy sake (They will give me gifts. - Rashi), and that my soul may live because of thee.'
14 And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.
15 And the princes of Pharaoh saw her, and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.
16 And he dealt well with Abram for her sake; and he had sheep, and oxen, and he-asses, and men-servants, and maid-servants, and she-asses, and camels.

Yet he refused gifts from the King of Sodom (Bereshit 14:21-24):

21 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram: 'Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.'
22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom: 'I have lifted up my hand unto the LORD, God Most High, Maker of heaven and earth,
23 that I will not take a thread nor a shoe-latchet nor aught that is thine, lest thou shouldest say: I have made Abram rich;
24 save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, let them take their portion.'

Rashi 14:23 explains why Avraham didn't want to take anything from the king of Sodom:

that you should not say, [I have made Abram rich]: The Holy One, blessed be He, promised to make me rich, as it is said (above 12:2): “and I will bless you, etc.”

Why wasn't he worried Pharaoh would say the same thing?


texts: According to orthodox rabbinical authorities, who wrote the Zohar Hadash?


texts: What's an appropriate greeting for Motzei Yom Kippur?

texts:
What's an appropriate way to greet people after Yom Kippur?

It seems to be a little late for g'mar chatima tovah, and many people associate shvua tov with Motzei Shabbat.


texts: What is the minimum requirement to be considered married?

texts:
What is the minimum requirement to be considered halachically married? I ask 'to be considered married' because I would like to know if there are also any opinions which suggest that people can be married without a marriage ceremony (although this is the prevalent custom!).

For instance, I have heard (cannot identify source) that non-Jews are considered married if they merely live together.

This issue is somewhat relevant to current debates in Israel that marriage has to be performed through certain institutions. Some secular jews in Israel (that I have met in discussion) don't want to marry under the rabbinate but still consider themselves married in a holistic sense in any case. So what is the minimal requirement for a jew to 'be considered married'?

There are, of course, many nafka minot to this if the definition of 'marriage' is more inclusive than just 'people who get married under the rabbinate'.

(Although this question is similar to this question, here I am asking for a more broad definition of acknowledgment of marriage status. Forgoing a ceremony of any sort, are there any de'ot that would consider someone married under a broader definition (albeit not l'chatchila) e.g. merely living together or 'marital' relations with kavana. Regardless of whether this couple keeps any mitzvot in any case, there are nafka minot e.g. kohanim wanting to marry someone who has been in this sort of a relationship. Also, since the gemara in kiddushin (1a) entertains the idea of 'kesef, shtar and(/or) biah', could this suggest that the system in place now (e.g. Rabbis, formal ceremony, eidim, etc.) is more of a formality (to cover all bases) and in reality a lot less is needed to be considered technically married, albeit not lechatchila)


texts: Men making Kiddush (Shabbos day) for women after eating at shul

texts:
Women and men are both equally chayiv in kiddush, at least on shabbos. Additionally there is a commonly known rule that a non obligated person (or obligated on a lower level) cannot fulfill a mitzvah on behalf of somone who is obligated. I’ve heard it said in the name of Rabbi Akiva Eger that men can make kiddush for women even after davening (and becoming only rabbinicly obligated) because in fact they're still obligated מדאורייתא because they intended not to "give up" their obligation.

But what about on Shabbos day, where they actually make kiddush in shul then go home? Then they aren't obligated anymore because they DID intend to get rid of their obligation and the women are still obligated rabbinically (it's day so it's not מדאורייתא).

So why the common Minhag for men is to eat kiddush at shul and still make kiddush for their family's at home?


texts:
"מְכַשֵּׁפָ֖ה לֹ֥א תְחַיֶּֽה׃"
  "You shall not tolerate a sorceress." (Exodus 22:17)

Is the commandment of not allowing sorcerers and the like to live specifically against Jewish sorcerers or also against gentiles? For example, could a ger toshav do witchcraft? If, theoretically, there was some sort of religious Jewish autonomy (like possibly Kuzar) outside of Israel, could a gentile living there do witchcraft?


texts: According to Reform Judaism, should rabbis be allowed to have non-Jewish spouses?

texts:
According to Reform doctrine, is it 1. permissible for rabbis to marry non-Jewish spouses, and 2. advisable for them to do so, considering that rabbis are generally seen as role-models of proper Jewish behavior?
In other words, can Reform rabbis have non-Jewish spouses, and if they can, should they?

Follow-up question: Should a synagogue or other religious institution hire a person for a rabbinical position who is married to a non-Jew?

I did some "research" on this topic, and found the following articles, which seem to just argue the sides without providing any real sources:

'Reform Magazine' article
'Jewish Ideas Daily' article
'Times of Israel' article


texts:
I remember hearing that a knife can be kashered (from being treif) by sticking it in the ground. But I also know you can use the traditional kashering methods - Hag'ala (completely submerging the utensil in boiling water) and Libun (kashering something via heating to a high temperature).

I have 2 questions:

1) What is the logic behind the method of sticking the knife in the ground?

2) When is each method applied?


texts: What does the following mean from בן יהוידע על עירובין כ״א: ? I understand the general gist but not the specifics

texts: "נָלִינָה בַכְּפָרִים", אַל תִּקְרִי: 'בַּכְּפָרִים', אֶלָּא 'בַּכּוֹפְרִים'. הא דנקטה בעכו"ם 'נָלִינָה' ובישראל 'נַשְׁכִּימָה' (שיר השירים ז, יג)? נראה לי בס"ד כי אמרו רבותינו ז"ל העכו"ם דן אותם הקב״ה בלילה שהוא זמן שליטת דין ואת ישראל דן ביום שהוא זמן שליטת רחמים


texts: Will A Non Jew who did not keep the Noachide Laws be Held Accountable?

texts:
Will A Non Jew who did not keep the Noachide Laws be Held Accountable on yom hadin?

After all, he can claim he didn't know anything about them.

Maybe there is a difference between a gentile in China where there are almost zero Jews and a gentile in New york.

The question can also be asked for a Jew who was brought up non religiously, although maybe there, there's more grounds for a claim


texts: What does "erase the memory of Amalek" (Deut. 25:19) mean? Does it not contradict the obligation (Deut. 25:17) to remember them every year?


texts: Is altering the tallit katan halachally ok?

texts: Can somebody please explain the halacha of altering a tallis katan? If the garment is too wide but the length is good, is it OK to have it taken in? This is not a substitute for my rabbi's advice, just additional information.


texts: Agudath Israel not in the Conference of Presidents

texts: Does anyone know why Agudath Israel of America is not a member of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations?


texts: What does the Harachaman to replace Al Hanisim accomplish

texts:
If you forget to say Al Hanisim in bentching on Chanuka or Purim, you can add the הרחמן later to make up for it (Rama 682:1).  You can also do the same thing in Shemoneh Esrei, provided that you similarly phrase it as a request (Mishna Berura 4).

Why is the makeup phrased as a request instead of thanks?  At least for Chanuka, the holiday is defined as days of הלל והודאה (Shabbos 21b), and Rashi connects הודאה directly to Al Hanisim.  Making up for it as a request seems to defeat the entire purpose.

Why can't you make it up phrased as thanks?  (Is it because of מודים מודים?  That's all I could think of, but I'd like to see someone say it explicitly.)  And, given that you can't for whatever reason, why make it up at all?


texts: Evidence that Yaakov did the right thing in fooling his father to get the brachos

texts:
I see a lot of questions on the topic, but maybe not one that is this specific. I'd like to know, when Yaakov Avinu (with Rivka his mother) went to fool Yitzchak and get the brachos, is there evidence from Chazal or Rishonim that he was doing exactly the right thing?
To explain the question a little more:
a) I am not ח"ו suggesting that Yaakov Avinu did a terrible thing, was a bad person at the time, anything like that. I am asking if this is a similar example to what Chazal say about Avraham Avinu when he said, במה אדע (or a couple of other possibilities in Nedarim 32a), and as a result our nation needed to go down into Mitzrayim for hundreds of years as a tikkun. Avraham Avinu was an incredible tzaddik beyond our understanding, and any mistake he made was something that would only be counted against a tzaddik on his level. Still, Chazal do say it there.
b) There is good reason to say something like that, as Chazal do mention a number of very negative consequences to fooling his father, in Midrashim: his being fooled later by Leah, his being fooled later by his sons about Yosef's death, his being punished for failing to do kibbud av v'eim for many years when he had to flee. These sound like מדה כנגד מדה and indeed that phrase is used on at least one of them. Are these the equivalent of the Chazal about Avraham Avinu?
However, some acharonim go out of their way to push these away, that they are not evidence of any wrong-doing, but simply consequences, some things Yaakov had to suffer through even though he had done exactly right.
c) Rivka told him to do it? Of course, he was a tzaddik, she was a tzadeikis, so that doesn't seem to do more than move the question over to her. But she seems to be acting out of nevuah (Bereishis 27:13 עלי קללתך - some explain that she knew he would succeed). I don't think we believe that a neviah can't do anything wrong, but - I would accept evidence that she heard from nevuah that he was supposed to do this, exactly this.
Same with Rashi on Bereishis 27:1, "Yitzchak's vision became dimmed, because... דבר אחר, כדי שיטול יעקב את הברכות - in order that Yaakov should take the berachos." But it might mean, certainly must include, "in order that Yaakov should be able to take the berachos".
d) For this suggestion to make any sense, I guess I'd need to offer an alternative: What else was he supposed to do? It would be a disaster for Esav to get the brachos, and (see Drashos Haran, can't remember where) it seems that Yitzchak indeed had the power to give them to him!
I would think that the alternative would need to be, like everywhere else in Sefer Bereishis: You are supposed to trust in Hashem and not use force to gain advantage over your brother. Yitzchak Avinu was a navi too - even blind and fooled by his son. Maybe you couldn't really fool him! See here: He needed to be fed mat'amim, or he couldn't bless the unworthy Esav. When Yaakov came in, he smelled Gan Eden. The blessing he actually gave Yaakov was directly based on what he sensed: 'ראה, ריח בני כריח השדה אשר ברכו ה... ("See, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that G-d blessed...") When Esav finally did come in, Yitzchak sensed gehinnom.
Maybe Jewish history would have been different if Esav had tried to get the blessings straight, and saw that Yitzchak just couldn't give them to him. Maybe Esav could have found his way home.
Anyhow - that's the question. Is this incorrect, and who says so?


texts: What forms of evidence do batei din accept to establish that someone is Jewish?

texts: I am interested in the question, what forms of evidence do contemporary Orthodox batei din accept to establish that someone is Jewish?  In particular, if you, your parents and grand-parents are non-Orthodox, what sort of evidence would be acceptable to prove you are Jewish to Orthodox standards?  As an example, I have recently learned that a non-Orthodox ketubah is sometimes (often?) not acceptable.


texts: How is there a Rshus Harabim according to R' Yehuda?

texts:
There is an argument how many walls does a Rshus Harabim need to have to make it a Rshus Hayachid (Deoraisa). R' Yehuda says that one needs two walls, while the Chachamim said one needs three.

The Gemara (there) says that a Sratya (a through street going through the city) and a Playta (a city square) are Rshus Harabim. However, according to R' Yehuda, all Sratyas and Platyas are surrounded by walls on two sides.

For example,

Notice the Sratya and Platya surrounded on two sides by "black" area.


texts: Is it obligatory / recommended / permitted / discouraged / forbidden to tie a red thread to a child's crib?

texts:
The comments to this question discuss tying to a red thread to a child's crib. Garvey80 claims that it is a minhag yisrael to do so, and is thus obligatory. User6591 claims that it may be forbidden, and cites Tosefta  Shabbat 7:1 which prohibits one from tying a red thread around one's finger due to darkhei emori (Amorite practices). (Personally, I have never heard of such a custom.)

Where is the practice of tying a red thread (specifically with reference to a child's crib) first mentioned? What is the reason given for doing so? Are there any sources that discuss how this practice interacts with the prohibition against following darkhei emori?


texts: Anyone not redeemed doesn't redeem: what about second-borns?

texts:
A father is required to redeem his firstborn son by paying some money to a kohen. A mother is not. The Bavli, Kidushin 29 amud 1, asks, "How do we know she's not commanded?" and answers:

  [In the Torah] is written "תפדה / you shall redeem", [which can be read] "תפדה / you shall be redeemed", [and we connect the two readings:] whoever is commanded to redeem himself [if no one else did] is commanded to redeem others, and whoever is not commanded to redeem himself is not commanded to redeem others.

My kid asked: That's patently false! A second-born is not commanded to redeem himself, but is still commanded to redeem his own son. [I might add that the same is true of the maternal grandson of a kohen, and of anyone born by cesarean section.] That doesn't seem to be a class of person less worthy of consideration than females. What does the Bavli mean here?


texts:
A trouser press “is an electrical appliance used to smooth the wrinkles from a pair of trousers (pants in Australia, Canada, South Africa and the United States)”. Picture is here http://store.makro.co.uk/images/PRODUCT/medium/365515.jpg.

The press works on the bottom two-thirds of the trouser legs. The trousers are held between an optionally heated surface and a wooden board. Heat is typically applied for 30 mins.

What halachic issues are involved in the use of a trouser press in the nine days?
Does it make any difference if the press is used every weekday of the year?
What are the issues if the trousers are put the in the press but the heat is not applied?


texts: reason for black lines on wool talis katan

texts: What is the reason why wool talis katanim have black lines on them? Why don't talis katanim of other materials have them also?


texts: Why did G-d punish the Egyptians with exactly 10 plagues, not less, not more?  What is the significance of 10?


texts: What rabbi recommended that American Jews skip Tachanun on Thanksgiving?

texts: A friend of mine told me about a Conservative rabbi from JTS who recommended that American Jews not say Tachanun on Thanksgiving. Who was this rabbi, and is there a link to the text of this opinion so we can understand his reasoning? Additionally, are there any Orthodox rabbis that hold by a similar opinion?


texts:
I found a great story online from which I would like to quote a part:

  The word satan in the Bible seems to mean merely “opponent”. For
  instance, the angel who obstructs Bilaam’s progress is described as a
  satan (Bamidbar 22:22), and the captains of the Philistines are afraid
  that if David fights by their side he will not be an ally but rather a
  satan, an opponent (Shmuel I 29:4).

  But many times we find it has a more specific meaning: an angel who is
  specially designated by God to act as a prosecuting attorney when He
  judges men (Zekharya 3:2, Iyov 1,2). Although God already knows all of
  our thoughts and actions, Divine judgment is described to us in
  Scripture as following equitable and transparent procedures, with
  advocates making claims and counterclaims, in order to educate us that
  this judgment it is not arbitrary but rather fair and balanced.

  In the Talmud, we find an additional dimension: Satan is sometimes
  presented not merely as an accuser, but also as a tempter, someone who
  confronts our righteousness with trials in order to test us.

  While we certainly try to avoid Satan and his judgment and adhere
  stead- fastly to the mitzvot, the Gemara also teaches us that we have
  to respect his mission which is after all a necessary part of the
  administration of justice in the world.

What I would like to know is: Does the word satan mean tempter (one who tempts) besides its possible meaning of adversary; prosecutor, accuser, or hinderer, and is there a common denominator between these kinds of translations?


texts:
Throughout Tanach and Talmud, there are numerous recorded uses and practitioners of magic1.

From Pharaoh's magicians to Shaul's necromancer, and magic cucumbers to were-donkeys, the references are numerous. These are not only brought as stories, but oftentimes as factors in halacha.

My question is, why don't we see magic practiced today? Does it still exist? Is it still theoretically do-able or has "nature changed"? If it's no longer possible, when did this change occur?

1: (When I say "magic", I refer to supernatural powers that stem from the forces of impurity in the world. Commonly referred to as "sorcery" or "'black' magic", it was used to do things that are naturally impossible, such as necromancy,  transforming objects into other objects, and "creating" things (as long as they're larger than a barley-corn). Frequently "sheidim" (demons) and their powers were employed in the use of magic. Not to be confused with illusions and illusionists.)


texts: Why does HaShem desire the tefillos of the righteous?

texts:
א"ר יצחק מפני מה היו אבותינו עקורים מפני שהקב"ה מתאוה לתפלתן של צדיקים

  Says R' Yitzchak: Why were our forefathers sterile? Because HaShem desires the prayers of the righteous.

  From Yevamos 64a

The picture this Gemara paints is a pretty bleak one. It almost sounds like HaShem has some insecurities and takes it out on the righteous. "I just love those tefillos. Hm, I'm not getting enough of them. Why don't I just slap these puny little humans around until they give me what I want?"

Obviously this cannot be the case. HaShem is not a cruel G-d, and He created this world only to bestow good on us. So what does this metaphor mean, that HaShem punishes the righteous so that they'll daven?

(This is not asking what it means that HaShem wants or needs our tefillos. I'm asking what it means that HaShem punishes so that they'll daven, which seems to be a cruel and unusual punishment for a crime left uncommitted.)


texts: Why do many shuls have both a shulchan and an amud?

texts:
Follow up to my question about shul orientation.

Why do many Ashkenazi shuls have both a shulchan (this is usually the larger Torah reader's table) as well as an amud (the smaller table used by the chazzan, usually located at the front of the shul)? Why don't they do both Torah reading and prayers at the shulchan? Is there a halacha or preference that prayers be done from the front of the shul? (The other question already explains that Torah reading should be done from the middle.)

I have seen a number of shuls that have just a shulchan. These tend to be Conservative shuls. But most Orthodox shuls I have seen have both.


texts: Is it compatible with the Torah to believe that HaShem is not omnipotent in an absolute sense?

texts:
I am an Italian Noahide.

HaShem is also defined in the Torah as "Elohim" who in this case expresses, as Ramban teaches, the concept of "Master of all the forces" and "the Power over all the powers". I wonder, however, if this sovereignty of God over every reality can be considered compatible with some limits regarding His omnipotence. I have seen for example that according to Ralbag it is absurd to think that HaShem could have created the universe ex nihilo, because this would be materially impossible even for the Creator: this master therefore does not seem to believe in an absolute omnipotence of HaShem. I am not referring here to the concept of divine self-limitation, which is the result of a precise will of the Great King, but precisely to the case of activities that God would not be able to carry out. It is a compatible concept with the Torah? I personally doubt that HaShem has the power to perform an act against Himself, such as creating a more powerful being than Him, or even deciding to end His existence (I speak by paradox obviously).


texts: If I buy a food-utensil from a gentile to give as a gift to a Jew, can I tovel it before giving it to him, or must he do it himself as the final intended owner? Is there a difference between glass and metal in this regard?


texts: Can I take out a sefer and not learn from it?

texts:
There is an issue with taking out a sefer Torah and not learning/reading from it, as it is disrespectful to the sefer.

Does such a concern exist by other sefarim?

I ask because I know that for some halachos, sefarim are compared to a sefer Torah, like the opinion of the Rosh that purchasing sefarim can be a fulfillment of the mitzvah to write a sefer Torah.


texts: Were there more than just 2 or 7 pairs of animals on Noach's ark?

texts:
Noach was told to take a pair (male & female) of all non-clean animals, and 7 pairs of clean animals into the ark. However, Breishit 6:21 says:

  And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and gather it to
  thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them

Considering that many animals are carnivores, does that mean that Noach took extra animals as food for the other animals? If so, should we assume that all that food was eaten or was there a possible food shortage or leftover live animals? Was Noach an expert in animal food consumption, assuming that each animal ate the same quantity (for that animal), daily?


texts:
The Torah specifies that Abraham profited well from deceiving Pharaoh and Avimelech by presenting Sarah as his sister:

וַיַּעַל אַבְרָם מִמִּצְרַיִם הוּא וְאִשְׁתּוֹ וְכָל־אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ וְלוֹט עִמּוֹ הַנֶּגְבָּה׃
וְאַבְרָם כָּבֵד מְאֹד בַּמִּקְנֶה בַּכֶּסֶף וּבַזָּהָב׃

From Egypt, Abram went up into the Negeb, with his wife and all that he possessed, together with Lot. Now Abram was very rich in cattle, silver, and gold.

And

וַיִּקַּח אֲבִימֶלֶךְ צֹאן וּבָקָר וַעֲבָדִים וּשְׁפָחֹת וַיִּתֵּן לְאַבְרָהָם וַיָּשֶׁב לוֹ אֵת שָׂרָה אִשְׁתּוֹ׃

Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male and female slaves, and gave them to Abraham; and he restored his wife Sarah to him.

Does the Torah mention other sources of Abraham's wealth?


texts:
What is Judaism's view on signs from God? Let's say, for instance, that I am planning to take a bus somewhere, but the bus came a minute or two early and I missed it. Can one take that as being a sign from God that I should not go?

And, of course, this applies to everything in a much bigger context than mentioned above. Like planning to take a certain job, or marry a certain person, or so on, and as you pursue it, things just continue to go wrong. Does one take all that difficulty as a sign from God that you shouldn't be pursuing it?

I am particularly interested if Rishonim discuss this...


texts: Is one allowed to read programming books on shabbos?

texts: If one is a software engineer by profession, is one allowed to read programming books granted one receives pleasure from doing so?


texts: Wild rice (AKA as crazy oats) contrary to its names is not in fact rice or oats. It is in fact a member of the same tribe as rice but is a different genus. According to Wikipedia they're nut directly related. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_rice. Since it ms not rice and did not exist in Europe is this kitnyot? Is there a minhag which added on wild rice as kitnyot? Or is this like quinoa (which many hold was not part of the original minhag and so is fine) ?


texts: What’s the mitzvah or deed you can do that could absolve you of a sin you did 70 years ago?

texts: If I’m not mistaken, I read about such a mitzvah in Mesechet Taanit, but then I couldn’t find it and now it’s annoying me. Though, I could have also simply seen it somewhere else. So does anyone know the answer?


texts:
I recently heard that the destruction of the 2nd Temple was not actually on Tisha B'av, the date of the destruction of the 1st Temple, but that it was pretty close, so the rabbis had it commemorated on the same day.
Is there any truth to this claim?


texts: Is there an algorithmic way to determine whether a munakh is a munakh legarmei?

texts:
In general, a munakh before psik munakh revii is a munakh legarmei. That’s the easy part.

But this question makes it clear that there are others. Specifically, they occasionally occur

Before mapakh
Before a kadma that precedes darga or azla
Before pazer

It’s clear that I can’t just search for, say, munakh psik mapakh, because when I do that, in addition to the three places mesorah says (according to that other question), I also get a false positive: Yehoshua 22:22.

Worse, if I search for munakh psik pazer, I get 66 results, only two of which (according to @Double AA) are legarmei.

So, is there any algorithmic way to determine which type of munakh something is? (Asking so I can make quantifiedcantillation.nl better.)


texts: Let’s say, one just did Netilat yadaim and then makes the bracha and says “Al Mitzvat Tzizit” accidentally, but then corrects himself and says “Al Netilat Yadaim”, does this count as a bracha made in vain? Or is it fine because he corrected himself?


texts: What is it about pigs that's so despised vs. other non-kosher animals?

texts: We all hear about pigs being so much more reviled than other forms of non-kosher.  This is true in general culture; I believe such a minhag was recorded with regards to using soap rendered from non-kosher animals; we find the Talmud occasionally referring to a pig euphemistically as "something else", rather than having to say the word.  What's so special (in a bad way) about pigs?


texts: Source for story about The Rabbi and the prostitute

texts:
I learned a great Gemara about a rabbi who visited a famous prostitute. But before he consummated the deal, his tallitot slapped him on the face, reminding him of his faith.

Where's the story? Any English versions available?


texts: Why can't we have challah in the oven with other food?

texts:
I am talking about halachic challah -- the portion taken for the offering. I was taught several times that these days, what to do with it is to burn it to a char in the oven. I also learned that this should be done separately from other foods (source: Halacha section of the Bais Yaakov Cookbook). This is actually a big challenge erev Shabbos, when one is short on time and has a lot of food to cook.

1) Is it true that mitzvah challah must be put in the oven alone?

2) If so, why?

I had thought that the reason for this was that the challah is treyf, but on second thought, that wouldn't make much sense (since we cover it completely anyway; plus, if there were in fact a problem of trefus, cooking it without other foods in the oven wouldn't help much for the kashrus of the kitchen--although there may be some nuance in that matter, possibly related to steam). But a rabbi at my seminary mentioned that it actually may be because we can't derive benefit from the challah, and if we kept it in the oven with other foods, it could be fuel for their cooking.

I understand how that could be true if challah were put in a fire with other foods being cooked above. But how could it possibly be true in an oven? If it couldn't, and that's not true, then what is the explanation for why the challah must be in the oven alone?


texts: Does anyone where I online I can find a book called תיקון היסוד which was written by the Ben Ish Chai?


texts: Chol HaMo'ed and wearing dignified clothing

texts:
It says in the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (104:2), "One who disgraces Chol Hamo'ed, even though he has to his credit Torah and good deeds, has no share in the World to Come." Disgracing Chol Hamoed implies not honoring it with... wearing better clothes. Therefore, every man is obligated to honor it... and to wear dignified clothing."

1) Why does one lose his share in the World to Come just because he disgraced Chol Hamo'ed?

2) What does wearing better clothes mean?


texts: Why does the gabbai bang on the lectern before davening starts?

texts:
In many shuls that I have attended, the gabbai or someone else bangs once or twice on a table or on a siddur just before davening begins.

As I don't see this done everywhere, I assume this is a minhag. But, I have no idea when or why this began. Does it have any purpose? What does this bang accomplish that just the chazzan saying the first few words of davening can't already accomplish?

(I am not asking about the bang that some do as a reminder of a special "insert" like Ya'aleh Veyavo. That's meant as a reminder, and I gather that since they can't talk at that point, the bang somehow reminds people what to do.)


texts: Why did Athaliah destroy all those of royal descent in 2 Kings 11:1?

texts:
Melachim II 11:1

"And Athaliah, Ahaziah's mother, saw that her son was dead, and she rose and destroyed all those of royal descent."

What was her reason for killing those of royal stock?


texts: Classical Rabbinic Literature in English or French

texts:
Do you know if these books exist in English or French?

Sifre

Sifra

Tosefta

Beraytot deRebbi Hoshayah and Bar Kappara

Barayta deRebbi Yishmoel

Mekhilta

Mekhilta deRebbi Akiva (aka "Mekhilta deRebbi Shimon bar Yohaï")
Midrashim of Tannaim :

Seder Olam Rabbah

Otyot DeRabbi Akiva

Barayta deMelekhet haMishkan.


texts: Does Jewish mysticism involve "feeling" G-d?

texts:
I have read an accusation from the Traditionalist Catholics that Modern Catholicism has changed under the influence of Judaism its understanding of the Holy Ghost. Modern day Catholicism together with Protestantism involves feeling the workings of Holy Ghost or even  attempts at experiencing its presence. I was surprised once to hear a Polish Jew speak on the radio in a similar manner, making use of the etymological relation between "Ruach" and "breath" to picture his vision of experiencing G-d.

I am surprised by the above statements which counter my prior understanding of Judaism. Does Judaism indeed involve practices of trying to get the literal union with G-d instead of just obeying the Law and trying to maintain a close relation as if between a father and a son? If so, how exactly would such an experience of "feeling G-d" look like and how does its notion vary among the different Jewish communities? How does Jewish mysticism vary in terms of practice and aims looking from the perspective of experiencing either ruach ha-kodesh or shekinah?


texts: What is the origin of the Yeke custom of washing hands before kiddush and is it done only by the person saying kiddush or everyone?

texts:
I have heard mention of a Yeke custom of washing hands before kiddush but no explanation of why or whether it is done only by the person leading kiddush or everyone.

Further to the question about origin, how widely (geographically) was this practiced in German Ashkenazi communities?

Further to the question about how it is done, are there any other important elements to the minhag that need to be known to do it correctly?

I'd also be interested in hearing from anyone following this minhag whether it is has ever caused confusion with guests and how this can be avoided. Although this might be considered off-topic?


texts: Why isn't it considered idol worship to give respect to the torah?

texts:
When the Sefer Torah is brought out of the ark, everyone stands up and kisses it.
On occasions such as simchat torah and hoshana rabbah people dance around the Torah.

To an outsider these actions can seem like plain idol worship.
Why is there no concern with idol worship when it comes to dealing with the Sefer Torah?


texts: While a woman is nidda and she and her husband are observing harchakot, is it permitted for them to tell each other, "I love you," or is that too suggestive of a statement for the nidda period?


texts: Are there any responses by Rishonim or Aharonim (even contemporaries) against those who criticize the Kabbala and the Zohar done by many people? Like this accusation. Some people claim the Zohar doesn't fit into the Torah. They claim it contradicts the Torah. They claim the Eser Sefirot are against the Torah because it Has WeHalila "split Kudsha Berich Hu into ten." Are there any Gedolim who discuss this topic?


texts: Is there any evidence that Rabbi Akiva's students fought alongside Bar Kochba?

texts:
Various sources say that "12,000 pairs" of Rabbi Akiva's students died between Pesach and Shavuos because they did not treat each other with respect.  See Genesis Rabba 61:3, Ecclesiastes Rabba 11, Yalkut Shimoni Kohelet section 989, for parallel sources. Also see Tana Dbei Eliyahu Zuta chapter 22.  This is cited in the Shulchan Aruch (OC 493:1) as the reason why we observe a mourning period between the two holidays.

But Rabbi Akiva was also known for his support for Bar Kochba, leading me to wonder whether -- not withstanding the statements otherwise in Midrashim (which sometimes aren't meant to be understood as the literal truth) -- Rabbi Akiva's students actually died fighting for Bar Kochba's unsuccessful revolt against the Romans.  Are there any sources that support this?  Is there any known sources that his students did fight for Bar Kochba?


texts:
וַיַּקְרֵב מֹשֶׁה אֶת מִשְׁפָּטָן לִפְנֵי יְהוָה.

I've seen the ן letter in Number 27:5 (above) is written enlarged (Nun Rabati (Great)).

Why is that?


texts:
Here is a story from the Talmud with relevance to current events:

  It once happened that Tuvia sinned and Zigud alone came and testified
  against him before Rav Papa. Whereupon, Rav Papa had the witness,
  Zigud, punished.  Zigud exclaimed: Tuvia sinned and you punish me, the
  witness!  Rav Papa said to him: It is written in the Torah: "A single
  witness shall not rise up against a man." [Deuteronomy 19:15]. When
  you testified against him alone, all you did was to bring him into
  disrepute. You knew you were the only witness and you knew I could not
  condemn him on the basis of a single witness, so I am having YOU
  punished. [Tractate Pesachim, 113b]

My question is: is it the judge's job to order more investigations, or simply to rule based on what is brought before him?


texts: Why did Da'as Zekeinim leave out the mitzvah to procreate?

texts:
Da'as Zekeinim (compilations of teachings from the Ba'alei Tosafos) to Genesis 1:1 ask a question on one of the first comments of Rashi:

  ועוד פרש"י א"ר יצחק לא היה צריך להתחיל התורה וכו', וקשה שהרי כבר נצטוו, על מילה וגיד הנשה

  Rashi explained further: "Rabbi Yitzchak says that the Torah should have started [with the first mitzvah, that of the Sanctification of the New Moon]". This is problematic, for [the Jews] were already commanded regarding circumcision and not eating from the sciatic nerve.

The Da'as Zekeinim are bothered with the implication that the first mitzvah in the Torah is the Sanctification of the New Moon, since there were already two other mitzvos previously commanded (see there for their answer).

What's very odd is they ignore the very first mitzvah that appears in the Torah, that of pru urvu/procreation (Genesis 1:28 according to the Chinuch, or Genesis 9:7 according to the Rambam). Why did they not mention this? Do they not hold it's a mitzvah1?

1 There's some discussion why Rav Saadiah Gaon left out the mitzvah of procreation in his listing of the 613 mitzvos:

  ממה שלא מנה רבינו ז"ל במנין העשין עשה דפו"ר שמנאוה כל מוני המצות. והיא מצוה ברורה ומפורשת ואיך יתכן להשמיטה.

Apparently all those that spell out the 613 mitzvos count pru urvu in the list. One suggestion is his listing of kiddushin is really referring to pru urvu, similar to the opinion of the Rosh (Kesubos 1:12).

I'm not sure if this would help explain the Da'as Zekeinim, that they really hold it's not a mitzvah, like the simple reading of Rav Saadiah Gaon, and not like the above suggestion.


texts: Matzah Shemurah on the 8th day of Pesaḥ (in the Diaspora)

texts: According to those who hold that there is a Kiyyum Mitzvath 'Aseh DeOraitha (a fulfillment of a positive Biblical commandment) every time one eats a KeZayith (olive size's worth) of Matzah on Pesaḥ, does this also apply on the 8th day in Ḥutz LaAretz (the Diaspora), which is a DeRabanan (rabbinic mandate)?


texts: Were Esav, Yishmael, and Nimrod Evildoers?

texts:
This question asserts that Ishmael was an evildoer (rasha).  However, based on a simple (p'shat) reading of the relevant texts (in Genesis), neither he nor Esau nor Nimrod appear to do anything "evil." # Why, then, do most assume that they were evildoers?

Follow-up: Why do the Midrashim vilify them?

Follow-up to the follow-up: Does it have anything to do with the association of Edom with Rome?

Third follow-up: Similar biblical characters, such as Yehuda and Shimon & Levi do things that seem pretty evil (sell their brother, kill an entire city), yet are considered "righteous."  How can this be?


texts:
Here's the (hypothetical, of course) scenario: Reuven borrows $20 from Shimon. The easiest way for Reuven to pay back the money would be to send it through one of those new-fangled fancy electronic methods (for example, PayPal). Shimon is willing to accept payment in that manner.

The problem is that PayPal takes a percentage of the transfer ( 2.9% from the sender if it's a "transfer to a friend, 2.9% from the receiver if it's a "business transaction").

So the question boils down to this: Who is responsible to pay the processing fee when paying back a loan via a third party? For the sake of the question, let's assume that we're dealing with a default case where nothing was agreed upon in advance (although if this touches upon issues of Ribbis, it may not matter whether the parties agreed to it or not).


texts: Do we read it as directing or breaking the ear?

texts:
Rashi to Shemos 31:17 states:

  וינפש: כתרגומו ונח, וכל לשון נופש והוא לשון נפש, שמשיב נפשו ונשימתו בהרגיעו מטורח מהמלאכה. ומי שכתוב בו (ישעיה מ כח) לא ייעף ולא יגע, וכל פעלו במאמר, הכתיב מנוחה לעצמו, לשבר האוזן מה שהיא יכולה לשמוע:
  and rested: Heb. וַיִּנָפַשׁ. As the Targum [Onkelos] renders: וְנָח, and rested. Now every expression of נוֹפֶשׁ, rest, is an expression of נֶפֶשׁ, soul, for one regains one’s soul and one’s breath when one rests from the toil of work. He about Whom it is written: “He neither tires nor wearies” (Isa. 40:28), and Whose every act is performed by speech [alone, without physical effort], dictated rest in reference to Himself [only] in order to make it understood to the [human] ear with words that it can understand.

The word לשבר can also mean to break, in fact I usually her the term לשבר האוזן used to mean to "break the ear" meaning so say something so outlandish to either prove a point or beg a question. What does the term לשבר האוזן really mean and are there (other) instances of its use by chazal?


texts: Redundancy in the commandment to multiply

texts:
וְאַתֶּם פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ שִׁרְצוּ בָאָרֶץ וּרְבוּ־בָהּ׃
  Be fertile, then, and increase; abound on the earth and increase on it.” (Ber 9)

Why the repetition of רבו - increase?


texts: PTIJ: Hadar walks in and we're super happy. Why?

texts:
A song that I often hear at this time of year (sometimes sung to this tune) contains the lyrics:

משנכנס הדר מרבין בשמחה
When Hadar walks in, we increase joy.

(This seems to be based on a variant text of the gemara in Ta'anit 29a.)
So, what is it about Hadar, King of Edom and husband of Mehetabel, that makes us so happy when he walks in?

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


texts: Issues with Wording, Honorifics, Symbols, Rashei Teivot  on Tombstones

texts:
In my work on translating tombstones (Ashkenazic - Slovakian or what was once Austro-Hungarian) towns, I occasionally come across phrases or honorifics that are difficult for me to understand.  I do have the book, Ozar Rashe Tevot by Shmuel Ashkenazi and Dov Jarden (in Hebrew) and that has been very helpful.

I may have to add to this question occasionally as I come across new ones.

I have seen people listed as Rosh Hakehila (ראש הקהילה), which is probably like our president of the shul today.  But what would his functions have been?

One that had me stumped for a while was amad al mishmeret hakodesh (עמד על משמרת הקודש). Fortunately, I was able to reach a sofer, Moshe Flumenbaum, who e-mailed me this:

The phrase "amad al mishmar hakodesh"
relates to a sofer as follows A sofer
is the person who makes sure that the
"kodesh" (Torahs, Tefillin, and
Mezuzahs) are kosher and maintained.

The man was indeed a sofer, so this then made sense.

How about Hanagid (הנגיד)?

Another Issue is when a person is noted as being a descendent of the author of such-and-such, rather than by actual name.  A useful website that has been partially useful is: http://www.jewishgen.org/rabbinic/, in which one may find the name corresponding to the sefer.  As you can imagine, not all sefarim can be included and not all mechabrim are listed either.

I would appreciate it if someone could tell me what these functions or honorifics were. Also, if you have more to add, we could all benefit from sharing.

Thanks


texts:
On Rosh Hashanah the judgment is written.

On Yom Kippur it is sealed.

But we really have until Hoshanah Rabbah to repent.  The Zohar [Tzav 31b] says that's when the judgment is delivered.

Who is delivering it and to whom?  (God to the angels so they can make it happen?)


texts: Does Judaism adjudicate cases involving mental anguish?

texts:
If a non-physical act, such as exposure to viewing something which the current medical field would deem traumatizing, is intentionally perpetrated by one person on another, are there any legal ramifications?

As an example to make things more concrete (NOTE I AM NOT ASKING ABOUT THIS SPECIFIC CASE) If an adult were to expose a young person to graphic images of torture, would the adult be halachically culpable in any way?


texts: Where online can I find mesilas yesharim, Seder havikuach

texts:
I understand that the first print of mesilas yesharim was, in the style of a conversation of a Chaham and a hosid, where can I find it online, in hebrew

I only found english  audio in the middle of this page


texts: Are there any instances of someone other than Eliyahu Hanavi who built a mizbeach after the beit hamikdash was built?

texts: Are there other good characters in the tanach that built a mizbeach after the beit hamikdash had been built?


texts:
Bereshit (Genesis) 2:7 reads: 'vayipach beapav nishmat chayim vayehi ha'adam lenefesh chayah'

Is my inner being a 'soul' or a 'spirit', or am I a 'soul' or am I a 'spirit'? Let me make myself clear:

Adam became a living soul, humans are living souls, but it seems that HaShem
didn't give us a soul, but that this is the outcome of something else: body+animating force= nefesh. So in that sense a human is a living being or living soul; It's an existence that is
alive.

The 'force' that plants 'an animating facet' in the body is the mechanism behind the implanting of life in the body; in this case the breathing (napach) of G-d.

The 'animating facet' seems to be called the nishmat chayim or in other scriptures such as Kohelet 12:7 the ruach, mostly translated as spirit.

I wanted to make sure that I got it right; is that what forms our inner being, what we call spirit? And the physical life or appearance as a living being (the life that runs through our veins) what we call soul?

Is my living body a nefesh with a ruach/neshamah? Please help me out


texts: May a Brit Milah be performed by a (non-Jewish) doctor?

texts: Some friends would feel more comfortable having their newborn circumcised with a regular doctor and in a hospital setting where the environment is more sterile, maybe better pain management options and are uncomfortable hiring a mohel. Is this permissible? If so, should they look for a Jewish doctor only?


texts: Which night of Chanuka should you give out Chanuka Gelt?

texts: Is there a specific night of Chanuka that is better to give out Chanuka Gelt?


texts:
I wasted my youth. I am 35 years old. I had a toxic relationship with my parents, especially my mother. My career never started, and I am still looking for a fresh start and finding it humiliating at my age.

What does the Torah says about wasting your youth? Is redemption possible?


texts: May a Chazzan decide on his own to do a Hechi Kedushah, or are there rules for when it is appropriate/mandated?


texts: Does fish need to be inspected for non kosher fish, flies and worms?

texts:
I'm not sure if commercial fish is inspected in any way. I know that most commercial fish is caught in nets, so I don't think that bait is used.

When individuals go fishing, they use worms, flies, or non-kosher fish as bait. After they catch the fish and reel it in, before using the fish, do they need to inspect it for the bait? I doubt that it has been digested that quickly.


texts:
In Middot 2:6 and 4:5, it says that רָאשֵׁי פִסְפָּסִין divided between different areas of the Beit haMikdash, specifically between the Ezrat Kohanim and Ezrat Yisrael, and between the areas above the Kodesh and Kodesh haKodashim in the upper story of the Heikhal.

This term is often translated something like "ends of beams" (as for example in the Artscroll and Sefaria editions of the Mishna), which is still vague. What are some different commentators' explanations of what רָאשֵׁי פִסְפָּסִין looked like?


texts: Do any commentators say that Adam was not literally the first human being?

texts: Bereshis seems to imply that Adam was literally the first human being (at least according to the normal translation). Do any commentators (preferably not modern ones) disagree with this?


texts:
Every morning we say

וְאֶת זַעֲקָתָם שָׁמַעְתָּ עַל יַם סוּף

That would seem to be wrong as we know Hashem told Moshe

וַיֹּאמֶר יְ־הֹוָ־ה אֶל מֹשֶׁה מַה תִּצְעַק אֵלָי דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִסָּעוּ:

The same applies in Aneinu by sleichos?


texts: Mesilat Yesharim - how much time per day for zehirut/watchfulness

texts:
The Mesilat Yesharim brings down zehirut (watchfulness) as one of the first steps to master.

Zehirut in essence means working on cleaning oneself up from all bad behavior through analyzing one's daily actions.

How much time per day is one supposed to devote to this practice, and how much detail should he look into his actions?

(If anyone also has tips/experience in how to work on this please comment. biggest problem i have with it is getting stuck in some area.)


texts:
Over and over again we read about the prohibition of idolatry in the Tenach.
In the first place G-d commands us not to make any physical image of Him, or anything that represents Him. On the other hand one isn't allowed to create an image on his own and give it form and then call it to be something godlike (divine)

Looking at these prohibitions (see for example Exodus 20:1-4, Deuteronomy 4:15-19, Deuteronomy 5:6-9 etc.) I noticed the emphasis on making such images physical. But what about the images in our thoughts/mind?

We all have an image about G-d (of whom He is and what He does or can do, i.e. His attributes or characteristics), but I don't assume one is allowed to have an image of G-d. Is there any verse in the Tenach which explicitly shows images of G-d in our heads (thoughts) are prohibited?

P.s. Another question I have regards this topic is that the presence of HaShem is often pictured in the Tenach as a cloud or to dwell in a cloud
(1 Kings 8:10-11, Exodus 19, 40:34-38 and other verses). I'm quite a visual thinker, so is it wrong to picture these kind of images in my head. Is it wrong in this case to imagine G-d to dwell in a cloud.

To sum things up: When does thinking about G-d or picturing G-d in the mind becomes idolatry?


texts: If my ox gores an androgynous, am i liable?

texts:
(Playing devil's advocate with this question.)

In Shmot 21:31, Rashi says:

  לפי שנאמר והמית איש או אשה, יכול אינו חיב אלא על הגדולים, תלמוד לומר או בן יגח וגו' , לחייב על הקטנים כגדולים:

The Torah has to specify that it's both male and female, adult and child, that you're liable for goring.

But what about an androgynous (person with both male and female parts)? If my ox gores them, am i liable?

The case of a tumtum seems clear that you'd be liable, because there the person is either definitely male or definitely female, we just aren't sure which.

And if the answer is an obvious yes, please provide sources. ;)


texts: Minhag of reciting Tikkun Chatzot during the daytime?

texts: I have heard, offhandedly, that there is supposedly a minhag to recite Tikkun Chatzot at/after midday during the 3 weeks. Would anyone happen to know the source for this? Is this recitation intended to replace the midnight recitation, or is it simply in addition to it? Is the text, structure, and/or surrounding customs qualitatively distinct, in any way, from that of the midnight recitation?


texts: How is it possible to have Kriyas HaTorah 5 days in a row without Hallel?


texts: When I'm at Shevah Brachos I've seen people pour from one cup to another or something to that effect. What is the exact procedure for mixing the cups of wine at Shevah Brachos? Is there a difference between Shabbos and Weekdays?


texts: Davening and putting on tefillin when leaving early

texts:
What are the guidelines for praying when one must leave early? For example, if one will be leaving at 6:45. נץ  is 6:52 and משיכר is 6:02.

What is the appropriate course of action? When can one Daven shachrit? How about putting on tefillin? Are tfilin necessary for davening shacharit, or can it be delayed until Mincha?


texts:
This question describes how tall the Migdal Bavel was. In the Book of Jubilees (v. 30), provided in the answer there, the Tower is described as:

ויבנו אותה שלוש וארבעים שנה. בנוהו לבניה שלמה מאתים ושלוש לבנים רחבו, וגובה הלבנה שליש האחת חמשת אלפים וארבע מאות ושלושים ושלוש באמה עלה גבהו, ושתי זרתות ושלוש עשרה פרסה.
And they built it: forty and three years [1645-1688 A.M.] were they building it; its breadth was 203 bricks, and the height (of a brick) was the third of one; its height amounted to 5433 cubits and 2 palms, and (the extent of one wall was) thirteen stades (and of the other thirty stades).
(translation from here)

What would the tower's width be in amos (or any other unit of distance that's easier to work with than "bricks")?
Given that the passage describes the bricks as "a third of one" without specifying a third of one what, it seems to indicate that the bricks are being compared to something else; while that comparison is being used in terms of height, perhaps it could help us solve for width as well.
It should also be noted that in Mishnaic times, at least, the standard brick was 3 tefachim long (Eruvin 1:5); a source indicating that earlier bricks were of the same (or different, for that matter) length could also help.


texts: Was Re'uven confessing along with the rest of his brothers regarding what happend to Joseph?

texts:
In Breishit 42:21, the verse begins:

"Each person said to his brother, we are all guilty..."

In verse 22, Re'uven chastises his brothers by telling them, "Didn't I tell you do not do sin with the child..."

Going back to the initial account of the story, in Breishit 37:20-22, the brothers propose to kill Joseph. Re'uven suggests, don't kill him, but throw him in this pit planning to eventually return to retrieve Joseph and return him to his father. Rash"i explains that there were snakes and scorpions in the pit. During the time of the suggestion, wouldn't Re'uven realize that putting Joseph in the pit was dangerous? Maybe not?

So, there might be a contradiction with the initial story and verse 42:21. Re'uven was not around when they sold Joseph. If he is confessing with his brothers, why is he doing that, if he wasn't responsible for the selling?

All the verse says is that they said "We are guilty for seeing our brother's suffering and we didn't listen" (It doesn't say what or to whom they didn't listen. I assume it means to Joseph's screaming for mercy.) So, if Reuven, in fact IS confessing his guilt with his brothers, then, in the next verse, when he chastises them, what purpose does that accomplish? His suggesting that they place Joseph in a pit might have also caused his death.

Another angle - If Re'uven knew, in advance, that he had to leave his brothers, why did he trust them that they would leave Joseph alone in the pit while he was gone? Even discounting the factor, we see that despite his intentions to retrieve Joseph from the pit, he doesn't do this, immediately, but he disappears from the scene.

Something to note in verse 21 - the brothers say, "Therefore all this trouble has come upon us." Even if Re'uevn is not part of that actual confession, the "trouble" the brothers are referring to is the claim of being spies, which includes Re'uven as well. So, they would be including Re'uven in the consequences, anyway.


texts:
Who knows two hundred eighty-one?
?אחד ושמונים ומאתים - מי יודע
In the spirit of the song "Echad - mi yodeya", please post interesting and significant Jewish facts about the number 281.
The lazy gematria on this one could be a splendid cure if you can't think of anything else.
Check out mi-yodeya-series for the previous two hundred eighty entries in this ongoing series.
Please include sources for your information wherever possible, as with all other answers on this site.


texts:
Is there any Haftarah that has all the te'amim/trope symbols? i will be transcribing melodies from a specific Hazzan who reads, and so i need to find every te'am that occurs so that way i can compile a list of all the melodies for the haftarah that this hazzan uses.

i'm not concerned with trope symbols that don't appear in any haftarot, as i'm trying to learn a system for haftarah chanting. If one could give either the least amount of verses required, or the least amount of haftarot required to cover all the symbols that would be greatly appreciated. i don't think there's much use in needed different combinations as the reader we have recordings for is very consistent.


texts: What is the source of the prohibition to listen to music in the omer?

texts:
Where is the earliest source of the prohibition to listen to music in the omer?
I have had a look in shulchan oruch orach chaim simon תצ״ג, but it does not say there the prohibition to listen to music.


texts: Is there a negative connotation around converting to Judaism?

texts: Is there any text in the Torah or Mishnah that sees a convert as some kind of "imitation" Jew or someone who isn't as good as a real-deal matrilineal Jew?


texts: Why is the third Shabbos meal called Shalosh Seudos - literally three meals - would it not be more appropiate to call it Seuda Shlishis?


texts: When and how did Aharon make the peace between people?

texts:
We just read that the people grieved after Aharon much longer than after Moses and the Midrash infers that Aharon was involved in bringing peace between people and especially couples.

When and how was Aharon implementing his peace-making strategy - did he reach out, or people come to his place, did he have a special Beis Midrash people could attend, and when did he have time if he was learning Torah with Moses when he didn't serve in the Mishkan?


texts:
Tosefta Sotah 2:6 notes the Halacha of the Korban of a Sotah who was made a sotah by Eidim Zommemin.
I am wondering what their punishment would be.
Seemingly, there should be lashes.
Is it possible to give them lashes, or is it limited to a few cases (See Mishnah Makkot, 1, 1)?


texts:
Although we don't pasken like this, the opinion of the Shulchan Aruch is that one who relieves himself and hasn't yet made a bracha Asher Yatzar, and subsequently relieves himself again, must say Asher Yatzar twice. The Shulchan Aruch seems to hold that there is no time limit.

Would the Shulchan Aruch require someone who becomes religious to make an approximation (lower bound, to get around ספק ברכות) of how many times in his adulthood he relieved himself, and make the equivalent Asher Yatzar?


texts:
What is the Italki minhag with regards to kitniot? As they have historically been at a crossroads between the Ashkenazi and Sephardi worlds,* it is often less cut-and-dry now, due to the loss of many minhagim.

*per some opinions, the Rheinland communities descend from Italian kehillot


texts: Why is forgetting it's Shabbos considered shogeg rather than misasek?

texts:
Pretty much just that.
(If a person is misasek when doing an aveira, he is not liable for anything. If, however, he is shogeg, then he often has to bring a korbon. ‘Misasek’ is not a lack of awareness about the halacha, but rather means when a person makes a mistake about the situational factors surrounding his act, those factors in fact causing the act to be one which is forbidden. Thus, as a result, the person does something forbidden without realising that it was forbidden. Shogeg means when someone forgets or does not know that the action he's doing is in fact forbidden - but he is fully aware of the situational factors; he knows exactly what he is doing, he just isn’t aware it’s wrong.)
When a person forgets it’s Shabbos, isn’t that a lack of situational awareness? We’re not talking about a case where the person knows its Saturday but forgot that on Saturday one cannot do any melocho – that would indeed be a lack of halachic awareness, but it is not (from memory) the standard case of ‘helem shabbos’. Rather, the standard case is that one forgot that the day was Shabbos – he thought it was a weekday. (Friday, Sunday, whatever.) So, this seems to me to be precisely a case of misasek! How can this be considered shogeg? I know at other times in the seventh perek of Shabbos and maybe elsewhere, the terms are used interchangably – but this is not semantics here; this is a question of halacha. How can one have to bring a korbon in this case? Why is this a seeming exception to the rule of misasek?


texts: Why is there no asher yatzar after marital relations?

texts:
No Blessing on marital relations? discusses a before blessing.

Why is there no after blessing for ejaculation?

Here are some reasons why ejaculation is different from sneezing

It occurs in the "nether regions", like the other asher yatzar activities
It involves substance moving from deep within the body to outside the body whereas the substance of a sneeze is not very deep within the body.


texts:
I've been following some of the discussion here: Is Jewish theology Panentheistic by definition?
and here: Hashem is here and there and everywhere?

And I have to admit I am more confused than ever!

To help me understand, I am wondering if Ya'akov's statement “G-d is truly in this place, but I did not know it” (Beresheet, 28:11–17) refers to the immanence of G-d as a presence in our world, not 'physically' as such, but somehow embedded within the structure of all things?


texts: What's the source for the line "Nebach an Apikoirus"?

texts:
I've heard that R' Chaim Brisker said that "Nebach An Apikorus is Oichet an Apikorus" (A "poor" heretic is still a heretic).

What's the source and what does it mean?

Does it mean that, for example, if there would be an argument about Ikkarei Emunah in the Sanhedrin between Rabbi A and Rabbi B and Rabbi A's side would be the majority, Rabbi B (and his followers) would be retroactively deemed Heretics and all their wine that they touched from the time the debate started until then would be not-kosher?


texts: Why did God make such a vast, expansive universe?

texts: The title pretty much says it all — but it certainly seems unnecessary and plays very well into the theories of people such as Richard Dawkins. How are we best to respond to this challenge of theirs?


texts: Does the order of lights in a menorah face the house or the street?

texts:
I have always been taught that lights in a chanukiah should be inserted from right to left.  So on the first four nights, only lights to the right of the shamash are lit (assuming a shamash in the center).  But the mitzvah of lights is persumei nissa - publicizing the miracle - so we are to light a chanukiah in the window.

Regarding the chanukiah(s) in the window, is this right-to-left order with respect to the lighters in the house or the viewers on the street?


texts: Learning to translate the Shulchan Aruch

texts: How can I get good at translating the Shulchan Aruch? Due to the fact that a lot of the words are more of a Rabbinic Hebrew rather then a Modern Hebrew, it's harder to translate without an English-Hebrew Dictionary. Can y'all give me some advice on how I can improve my Shulchan Aruch reading skills?


texts:
Are there any rabbinic sources which discuss whether one can blow out a "trick candle" on Shabbat?

I see issues related to m'chabeh but also possibly mavir, but because the intent is not to relight, the destructive nature of the former might not be present (though there might be a psik reishe for the latter because the destruction is temporary).


texts:
I often hear the argument that living a 'sheltered life' could be considered to be statistically justified i.e. the likelihood of your children 'veering from the correct' path is lower.

By 'sheltered' I mean restricting information/activities that could lead to a child denouncing his/her religion later on in life e.g. someone I know teaches in a girls' school; she is not allowed to mention the word 'pregnancy', the school sticks together (or blacks out) pages on biology/evolution, etc. These may be considered more on the fringe, but examples such as no internet/smartphones and restricted media access may be more prevalent examples.

Although a sheltered lifestyle may not offer the breadth that a parent would want, it could be considered a 'better guarantee' for children, at least for their earlier (or teen) years. Are there grounds for such an argument? Or is it worth the 'risk' of broadly educating children?

I do appreciate that each child should be educated according to his/her capacity and means, however, I am asking whether there are evidence based studies justifying living one way or the other. Or are such lifestyles too dependant on culture, tradition and upbringing to be considered a legitimate choice?

(Can I even venture to ask if there are any statistical studies on this topic?!)

In a nutshell, then: Are there any evidence-based studies pro- or anti-restricting information/activities that could lead to a child denouncing Judaism later on in life?


texts:
Whatever your tradition for waiting between meat and milk, let's say you forgot you were fleishig, and now realize that you have just eaten milk within your traditional waiting period. What are you supposed to do?

Do you continue to wait until the end of the initial waiting period?

Do you start over (I see this as unlikely, but had to ask)?

If one of the above, do you have to wash out the dairy taste from your mouth/brush your teeth, lest you continue to get Hanaah (enjoyment/benefit) from the potential mixture of meat and milk in your mouth?

Or does the waiting period come to an abrupt end, such that you can now eat as much milk as you want? (This would be especially convenient in some instances, such as if you've prepared a large dairy meal and realized after the first bite or two that you still have 'X' amount of time to wait until your traditional waiting period ends, after which you will be exceedingly hungry, and/or your meal will no longer be fresh.)

EDIT:

I'm also curious if you can go back to eating meat immediately (assuming you normally wait some period after milk before eating meat, or even if the milk product you ate requires you normally to wait the same length of time you wait after meat).


texts: I have two beautiful Mezuzot in my possession.  It seems obvious that I affix one on the doorpost of our new home's front entrance.  What would be the most appropriate room inside the home to affix the second Mezuzah?


texts: From where do we learn that women did not accept the report of the meragelim?

texts:
Rabbi Eliyahu Mansour in his derashah on Parashot Wayaq'hel/Pequdei (@ 19:15-19:56) mentioned that, during Het HaMeragelim, the righteous women of 'Am Yisra'el did not accept the meragelim's bad report of Eretz Yisra'el.

From where do we learn this? I am having difficulty finding a source in the Gemara/Midrash.


texts: What is the bracha when one eats the Torah?

texts:
I keep seeing all these questions which discuss "Purim Torah, Ingest" but they don't seem to address the rules of actually ingesting the Torah.
I don't know how to treat the Torah when I eat it. If it is parchment, am I fleishig? Is it shehakol, or because a scribe wrote it, "borei pri ha-adam"?
h/t William Shakespeare, on whose behalf I am asking.

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


texts: Can more than one person be in a mikvah at the same time?

texts:
Perhaps, this is an overly "trivial" question. But, at all the mikva'ot that I have attended, only one man was in the mikvah at a time. Perhaps, this is merely a space issue. But, is there any halacha that prevents more than one perosn being in the mikvah at the same time?

I can't say as to what happens in a women's mikvah, as I haven't been to one while women are there. I assume that the halacha is the same.


texts: Is there a reason or pattern as to when the Torah uses אֵת instead of אֶת?

texts:
I noticed a mix of the two forms of the Hebrew objective marker commonly pronounced  אֶת. in the Torah. (There is no English translation of this word. It is used only to notify that an object follows this word.) Usually the word אֶת is used with a segol, but there are some places where אֵת, with a tzere is used. An example follows:

Exodus 35:13-15 (The 3 verses are cited together, and a colon separates each of them):

אֶת־הַשֻּׁלְחָ֥ן וְאֶת־בַּדָּ֖יו וְאֶת־כָּל־כֵּלָ֑יו וְאֵ֖ת לֶ֥חֶם הַפָּנִֽים׃ וְאֶת־מְנֹרַ֧ת הַמָּא֛וֹר וְאֶת־כֵּלֶ֖יהָ וְאֶת־נֵרֹתֶ֑יהָ וְאֵ֖ת שֶׁ֥מֶן הַמָּאֽוֹר׃ וְאֶת־מִזְבַּ֤ח הַקְּטֹ֙רֶת֙ וְאֶת־בַּדָּ֔יו וְאֵת֙ שֶׁ֣מֶן הַמִּשְׁחָ֔ה וְאֵ֖ת קְטֹ֣רֶת הַסַּמִּ֑ים וְאֶת־מָסַ֥ךְ הַפֶּ֖תַח לְפֶ֥תַח הַמִּשְׁכָּֽן׃

Is there any reason for using אֵת, which is less common? Some thoughts that I have excluded:

End of verse only? No, b/c verse 15 has it in the middle of the verse.
Used only when the next word is a noun followed by another noun that has a definite article (in Hebrew, הַ) which acts as an adjective, as in אֵ֖ת לֶ֥חֶם הַפָּנִֽים׃ ? No, b/c The beginning of verse 14 starts וְאֶת־מְנֹרַ֧ת הַמָּא֛וֹר which has the similar construct, but uses the word אֶת

These are the only 2 patterns that I could think of. Are there any other possible reasons or is this just based on mesora and there is no reason at all?