texts:
In Bereishis 18:28, when Hashem says that He will not destroy Sedom if there are 45 righteous people there, the number is spelled out "forty and five." However, most times a number between twenty and one hundred is mentioned the ones digit is said first and then the tens, such as in Bereishis 5:15. Why the exception?

I would prefer an answer according to peshat, but an answer according to derash is better than no answer.


texts: Acquisition of meat/dairy status from contact with clean utensil

texts: According to kashrut laws, if there is a container of cold, pareve food (such as a bag of flour or a jar of peanut butter), does using a clean dairy or meat utensil to scoop out some amount of the product cause the remainder of the product in the container to become dairy or meat? Does the material of the utensil matter? Does it matter whether the utensil is a spoon or a knife?


texts: Many expressions in Hebrew take different forms when referring to women or groups. What is the correct way to say yasher koach/ײשר כּח to multiple people?


texts: Are there any alternative titles for Bnei Noach in Tanakh and Rabbinic literature?

texts: I am interested in knowing what the alternative titles/names for Bnei Noach have been in Rabbinic literature. For instance, were the non-Jews who attended Temple korban called Bnei Noach? My memory is hazy, and my experience is far from wide, but don't seem to recall the title "Bnei Noach" associated with them. Is this because they were not Bnei Noach?


texts: Would one be allowed to use an air purifier with an LED smell indicator sensor on Shabbat if bringing in odors near the purifier with outside food or other odorous things could or most surely would trigger an LED sensor to go off? The resulting activation of the LED lights would be undesired and the trigger would technically be an indirect delayed activation unlike walking directly in front of a motion LED sensor. The benefit of the purifier would be to control allergy symptoms whereas without it allergies would be worse. Also there is no way to disable the LED lights.


texts: I know in Judaism, we have a concept of "Tinok Shenishba" - does this not apply to a gentile? How will a ben noach at the end of time be punished for not keeping the 7 mitzvah bnei Noach if they are simply not aware of it?


texts: Bentshing Refuah Sheleimah for Trivial Illnesses

texts: Is there a minimum degree of illness (subjectively speaking) for which one can request a refuah sheleimah (a speedy recovery) while saying Shemona Esreh? Can one request it for one’s child, for example, if (s)he has a cold? Or one’s spouse, if (s)he has a headache?


texts: Why does the Megilla assume the listeners are hard of hearing?

texts:
The Megilla starts,
Narrator:

And it was in the days of Achasverosh

Audience:

Who?

Narrator:

Achasverosh

Why does the Megilla assume that the people listening are hard of hearing?

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


texts:
Can someone explain to me in simple language why my Jewish and English birthday are not on the same day this year. I will be 76 (4 time 19 ). My English is on Tuesday (today) and my Jewish one on Thursday. I was born at night before midnight.
https://outorah.org/p/5696/


texts: Did God give Moses on Mount Sinai all future rabbinical decisions?

texts:
Which of these two is the correct Jewish teaching:

(1) God gave the Written and Oral Law to Moses on Mount Sinai.  On this basis, rabbis past, present and future derive what Jews must do.  These halachot do not exist until the rabbis make them.

(2) God gave the Written and Oral Law to Moses on Mount Sinai.  It included all the decisions of rabbis past, present and future on what Jews must do.  These halachot were all given to Moses but forgotten, and the rabbis merely rediscovered them.

(How could the rabbis say "Ellu v'ellu divrei Elokim hayyim" when only one set is?)


texts: Jacob and the first born of the hated wife

texts:
In Ki Tetze we learn that If one has two wives and the firstborn is of the hated wife, he still gets the double portion.

On this commandment, the commentary in the Artscroll Chumash notes that the Or Hachayim says that in the case of Leah and Rachel, Leah was the "hated" wife so God let her have children first to endear her.

Why then, does the firstborn of the loved wife (Yosef) get the two portions if one is not supposed to favor the loved wife over the hated wife?


texts: Has anyone found any reliable sources for tefilin meditation?

texts:
I recently began putting on tefilin, and I had heard of meditations that one can do when putting on the tefilin. Does anyone know of any good meditative practices surrounding tefilin?

Or is their any writings anywhere that describes such meditations?


texts: Is an asexual person obligated in Pru Urvu?

texts:
Asexuality is a sexual orientation characterized by the lack of sexual attraction towards people in general. Asexuals may or may not be interested in romantic relationships, but are not physically drawn towards sexual activity. They may choose to live celibately, or to participate in sexual activity for practical considerations, so asexuality and celibacy are two very different things.

Is an asexual person obligated in the mitzvah of Pru Urvu despite not experiencing sexual attraction at all? On the one hand mitzvot are normally obligatory even when one does not want to perform them. On the other hand, perhaps the psychological damage that would be incurred by forcing this person to have children would exempt them. Furthermore, perhaps the commandment is contingent on the presence of sexual attraction in the first place, as suggested by an anonymous source here (the key claim is that "If a person’s psychological infrastructure was such that it didn’t attract him to women, he is not obliged to steel himself and live in a marital relationship in order to have children.").


texts: Help Finding the Radak's Introduction to His Commentary on Torah

texts:
Rabbi Eliyahu Munk wrote an English translation of various Biblical commentaries called Hachut Hameshulash: Commentaries on the Torah by Rabbeinu Chananel, Rashbam, Radak & Seforno-4 Vol. Set. ISBN-13: 978-9657108345. ISBN-10: 9657108349.

At the beginning R’ Munk he quotes part of the Radak’s introduction; I assume that R’ Munk means the Radak’s introduction to the commentary on the Chumash. I’m trying to find that introduction. I don’t see it in paper copies of the Mikra’os Gedolos, and when I go to HebrewBooks.Org, I don’t see it in the Radak’s commentary there either.

Can anyone tell me where to find the Hebrew original?


texts: How is it "well-known" that Esav hates Ya'akov?

texts:
Rash"i in Breishit 33:4 cites Sifrei, by stating:

  הֲלָכָה הִיא בְּיָדוּעַ שֶׁעֵשָׂו שׂוֹנֵא לְיַעֲקֹב

  It is a well-known halacha that Esav hates Ya'akov

How is this "well-known"? Based on what sources? If you look at the verse in Breishit, Esav kissed Jacob. Yes, I see Rashi's citation of Sifrei that implies that the kiss was sincere and it was only this time that he meant it. But, in a reading from the rest of the Torah, we don't find any situation were Esav attacked or was in any way hostile to Ya'akov or B'nai Yisra'el.

It seems that they were satisfied to be left alone. In parshat Chukat, we see that Moshe sent messengers requesting passage through their land, Edom, and they refused ans even set out against them "with a heavy force". However, this seems to be a defensive maneuver to discourage B'nai Yisra'el from passing through their land. I.e., they didn't actively bother B'nai Yisra'el in the desert or wage war against them.

So, how or why does R. Shimon bar Yochai say, "this is well-known"?


texts: Why is kedusha only said during the day?

texts:
The kedusha is said as part of the morning blessings of shema, and also in all the public recital of prayers. It's not said in the evening prayer, neither in the blessings before shema nor the prayer itself.

Is there any reason why it's only mentioned in the liturgy (shema, shemone esre) during the day and not at night? Could it be that the angels only say the prayer during the day? Or is it related to the practice not to learn written Torah at night? Or some other reason?

(The kedusha desidra is said sometimes at night, but for a different reason, and rumor has it that even then some specifically say the verses quietly.)


texts: Yachol merosh chodesh - why not the day of the fifteenth?

texts:
We say in the Haggadah, quoted from the Mechilta:

  יָכוֹל מֵראשׁ חֹדֶשׁ? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא. אִי בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יָכוֹל מִבְּעוֹד יוֹם? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר בַּעֲבוּר זֶה - בַּעֲבוּר זֶה לֹא אָמַרְתִּי, אֶלָּא בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁיֵּשׁ מַצָּה וּמָרוֹר מֻנָּחִים לְפָנֶיךָ.

  It could be from Rosh Chodesh [that one would have to discuss the Exodus. However] we learn [otherwise, since] it is stated, "on that day." If it is [written] "on that day," it could be from while it is still day [before the night of the fifteenth of Nissan. However] we learn [otherwise, since] it is stated, "for the sake of this."  I didn't say 'for the sake of this' except [that it be observed] when [this] matsa and maror are resting in front of you [meaning, on the night of the fifteenth].

From Sefaria.

Why does the Haggadah not pose the option of saying it on the fifteenth? Why is that any less logical than the fourteenth?


texts: What does it mean that Hashem plays with the Leviatan?

texts:
The Talmud in Avodah Zara 3b says that the last quarter of the day Hashem plays with the Leviathan. Is there any explanation of what that means? If so, where?

  הקב"ה יושב ועוסק בתורה....רביעיות יושב ומשחק עם לויתן שנאמר לויתן זה
  יצרת לשחק בו

  God sits and learns Torah (the first quarter of the day) ....the last
  quarter of the day, He sits and plays with the Leviathan, as the verse
  says (Tehillim 104:26): "This Leviathan, You created to play with."

( free translation )


texts:
This recent article speaks of commercially available bread made from ground crickets. To clarify, crickets are ground into flour and used in some combination with wheat flour.
Now, to the best of my understanding (source), such bread could potentially be kosher.

But what would be the blessing on this bread? I mean, would it qualify as bread? Or would it be Mezonos, or even Shehakol?

I am particularly interested to find out whether, potentially, considering its higher protein content, health benefits and environmental considerations, cricket bread could become the standard staple bread, or whether we would necessarily need strictly grain-based bread for all situations when we want Hamotzi (e.g. the requirement to eat bread on Shabbat)?


texts: What angels have vanished after fulfilling their tasks?

texts:
I've read in various threads here that once an angel has fulfilled his task he vanishes.

I'm very interested in stories where this happens. What are some examples of stories where angels have fulfilled a particular task and then vanished?

Also if there is a good online source where I can look up these stories and read the full versions that would be great.


texts: Yaakov Avinu didn't die and connection to not eating?

texts:
In Taanis 5b there is a story with two amoraim

רב נחמן ור' יצחק הוו יתבי בסעודתא א"ל רב נחמן לר' יצחק לימא מר מילתא א"ל הכי א"ר יוחנן אין מסיחין בסעודה שמא יקדים קנה לושט ויבא לידי סכנה

Where its says that one shouldn't talk whilst eating since it is dangerous.
The Gemara then continues:

בתר דסעוד א"ל הכי א"ר יוחנן יעקב אבינו לא מת א"ל וכי בכדי ספדו ספדנייא וחנטו חנטייא וקברו קברייא א"ל מקרא אני דורש שנאמר (ירמיהו ל, י) ואתה אל תירא עבדי יעקב נאם ה' ואל תחת ישראל כי הנני מושיעך מרחוק ואת זרעך מארץ שבים מקיש הוא לזרעו מה זרעו בחיים אף הוא בחיים

Why is this the first thing for Rav Yitzchak to say after eating that Yaakov Avinu didn't die?


texts: Is there any halachic reason why we do the seder in the order that we do? It seems that many of the components of the seder are halachically mandated, but is there any halachic mandate that we do them in a particular order, or is this just a custom that has arisen?


texts: How do we know that the civil Saturday is the correct Shabbat?

texts:
Disclaimer: I am not a religious Jew, this question is only out of curiosity.

I understand that observant Jews observe Shabbat from Friday night to Saturday. And from this question and this it seems that it is important that this happens on the correct and accurate time of week.

My question is, how do you know that the Saturday that everyone is using is correct (as in, exactly 7*x days after God's rest day)? Is there any record on who began declaring that Monday is Monday, etc. until it is used by today's civil calendar? And how can we know that the sequence is never broken? (for example, the sequence of calendar time of year was broken when there is a switch from the Julian calendar to Gregorian calendar)


texts: Are there other Chasidim who omit "Tzur Yisroel" besides Chabad?

texts:
This is a follow-up to this question I asked earlier on this site.

All Nusach Sfard siddurim I have ever seen, with exception to the Chabad siddur, include the line of Tzur Yisroel, in accordance with the traditional Ashkenazi nusach, before the Tefillah of Shacharis.

Are there any other Chasidim who omit Tzur Yisroel just like the Chabad nusach?

Note: Sephardim do not say Tzur Yisroel either, but my question is not about them. This is because the line is unique to Ashkenazi nusachos (so I assume).


texts:
We say a special Beracha Achronah on the seven species that Eretz Yisroel is praised in the Possuk Eretz Zeis Shemen etc.
My question is, since Eretz Yisroel is also praised with milk (albeit in other Pesukkim) as the Possuk says Eretz Zovas Cholov Udevash, why is there no special Beracha Achronah for milk?


texts: I am looking for a comprehensive list of Chasidic sefarim which deal with every one of the Moadim, in terms of Machshava/Hashkafa. One I know of so far which meets this criteria is Pri Tzaddik by Rav Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin, which deals exhaustively with every one of the holidays in the year, down to each Rosh Chodesh and minor holidays (such as Tu B'Shvat), from a Torah/Chasidic/Kabbalah perspective. I have also found the Sfas Emes, by the Gerrer Rebbe Yehuda Aryeh Leib Alter, to write extensively on the Moadim, although he doesn't include Rosh Chodesh or minor holidays.  I focus my question on Chasidic sefarim because I have found them most likely to discuss these areas with the breadth I am looking for, but I am open to hearing of non-Chasidic sefarim which treat the Moadim similarly. Are there any other sefarim which take the cycle of the year so seriously in a Machshava fashion?


texts:
We Pasken that a Kesem (blood stain that is presumed to be uterine blood) that is found on a colored garment is not Tamei. Rashi on Niddah 61b says that Chazal never forbade Kesamim on colored garments because it is hard to recognize the color and tell whether it is a Tamei shade if the garment is colored.

  להקל על כתמיהן - שאין הכתם ניכר בו כמראה דם גמור:

Based on this would a Kesem found on  a tattoo be Tahor as well?


texts: Punishment for sins one cannot now be expected to avoid

texts:
I recall a high-school rebbe (teacher) of mine quoting a great rabbi as having said that, if someone religious becomes irreligious, then God will punish him for every time he does not wash his hands before eating bread.

I recently read the first chapter of The Thinking Jewish Teenager's Guide to Life. It's devoted to the idea that everyone always has a spiritual level, and that any seeming challenge not at that level is not considered a challenge for him — it is either something he will certainly do right or something he will certainly do wrong, even if merely out of habit — so he gets no reward or punishment for it.

I don't see that these two views can be reconciled. Most likely someone who loses his religion will not be at a level such that washing his hands before eating bread will be his challenge.

Are these two opposing views held by different philosophical rabbis or schools? What rabbis or schools? Or can they be reconciled? How?


texts: Siddur with lots of white space for notes

texts:
I'm interested in making extensive notes on a siddur - for my own use, inspired partially by this recommendation. Are there any editions of the Siddur out there that include a great deal of white space, either explicitly for personal notes or just convenient for that?

I realize that the white space in many regular siddurim may be sufficient, but I'd like to have enough space without crowding into a small space or interfering with the actual text.


texts: How do we give meaning to the phrase "all Israel"?

texts:
The Sources frequently tell us that if "all Israel" did this or that, wonderful things would happen. For example, if all Israel observed just one Shabbat properly, the Messiah would come. [Ta’anit Y 1:10; Ex. R. 25:12]

The problem is this: We don't always know who is Jewish and who isn't. It is likely that the vast majority of halachic Jews today have no idea they are Jewish. A single Jewish woman who was forced to convert out a thousand years ago could have thousands of matrilineal descendents today, all halachically Jewish, all ignorant of the fact.

So, given this reality, how do we give meaning to the phrase "all Israel"?


texts: At what age is a Ben Noach responsible to perform his "mitzvot"?

texts:
Jews are responsible for mitzvah performance at age 12 - girls and 13 for boys. (There is, as I understand, Rabbinical discussion regarding some specific mitzvot that they may be responsible when they reach ben da'at - "an age of understanding" - unclear if that's a specific age.)

But when does a Gentile become responsible for performing the 7 Noachide mitzvot?


texts: If the minyan doesn't have enough time allotted for Selichot to finish everything listed in the Selichot book for today, so you need to cut some parts out, what are the rules of priority for what should be cut out first, last, or never?


texts: נגעים of houses - is the house מקבל טומאה from the נגע, or are the נגע and the house together one object of טומאה

texts:
Is the house מקבל טומאה from the נגע, or are the נגע and the house together one 'item/חפצא' of טומאה?
Same question essentially by נגעי אדם and נגעי בגדים as well.
See Kisvei HaGrach siman 65. Please let me know if you have any other mareh mekomos on this or any other insight into this question, or any possible nafka minas.


texts:
Would Halacha deem it appropriate to name a child with a weird name that would be embarrassing later on, and is not a classic Jewish name (would this fall under the category of calling one by a nickname they do not want to be called by)?  For example, would it be appropriate to name a child "Shoteh"?

If there is a problem, does this apply to naming a child a more classic Jewish name  (e.g. after a recently passed relative), that will likely cause them to be made fun of later on.  For example, would it be permissible to name a child "Yenta" in a community where this is not commonly used as a name, and it is likely that others will make fun of the child later in life?


texts: Sources of the story about drinking milk to fulfill the four cups at the seder

texts:
A man could not afford the wine for the four cups of the seder, and asked the Rav whether he could use milk. The Rav offered to pay for wine, and gave him much more money than wine would require. The wife of the Rav overheard the transaction and later asked the Rav why he had provided so much money. The Rav replied that because the petitioner had suggested milk, it is obvious that he cannot afford meat either.

What's the source of this story? Did it actually occur?


texts: Is mustard harmful to bees or the honey making process?

texts:
The Mishna in Bava Basra (2:10) says: (all translations from Sefaria)

מַרְחִיקִין אֶת הַמִּשְׁרָה מִן הַיָּרָק, וְאֶת הַכְּרֵשִׁין מִן הַבְּצָלִים, וְאֶת הַחַרְדָּל מִן הַדְּבוֹרִים. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי מַתִּיר בַּחַרְדָּל:
A pool for soaking flax must be distanced from vegetables, and leeks
from onions, and mustard plant from bees. Rabbi Yose permits mustard
plant.

The gemara (Bava Basra 25b) explains:

תנא רבי יוסי מתיר בחרדל שיכול לומר לו עד שאתה אומר לי הרחק חרדלך מן דבוריי הרחק דבורך מן חרדליי שבאות ואוכלות לגלוגי חרדליי:
A Sage taught
that Rabbi Yosei permits one not to do so in the case of mustard
because he can say to the beekeeper: Before you tell me: Distance your
mustard from my bees, I can tell you: Distance your bees from my
mustard, as they come and eat my mustard plants.

As far as I can find on the Internet, there is no indication that mustard is actually harmful at all to honey making. As a matter of fact, this website says that it actually makes perfectly fine honey (search for the word "mustard" on the website). It is on the Wikipedia article List of pollen sources, and is for sale on Amazon.
Is this some factual difference from back then, that the mustard was worse for honey? Or is this another example of Chazal possibly being mistaken? Or a case of נשתנה הטבע (the reality has changed)?


texts: Why does almost every pasuk in Megillat Ruth start with a vav?

texts: Every single pasuk except 8 in megillat Ruth starts with the letter vav. Is there any reason for this or is it just a quirk of how it was written? If there is a reason, what about the 8 pesukim which do not start with a vav?


texts: Why was Shlomo more worthy to build the Beis Hamikdash than David?

texts: We see throughout the Navi that David does not want people killed on his behalf (Saul, Ish Boshet...) yet he does not get to build the Temple and the most common reason that David is told no by Hashem is that he has blood on his hands.  Shlomo also has the same type of blood on his hands and he also tells others to kill people on his behalf.  How do we understand this explanation of David not being allowed to build the Temple?


texts:
I have heard many  Lubavitchers (generally from the older generation) speak about the importance of the Tehillim "Ohel Yosef Yitzchok" (OYY), the Tehillim printed by Kehot, the central Lubavitch publishing house. But not just any Tehillim printed by them under that name, but specifically the old, original print.

Kehot seemed to understand this "significance", because although they gave the Siddur Tehilas Hashem (TH) a makeover, changing the typeface and such, they didn't do so to the Tehillim OYY for many years. So even the recent clearer-printed Siddur THs have the old print Tehillim OYY in the back.

Kehot has only just recently released a clear print version of their Tehillim, which you can see here. Before that this was the staple; that's the one also that was printed in the back of their Hebrew siddurim, even the new clear print versions.

Below is a sample page of the old print Tehillim OYY. What was/is the "significance" of saying Tehillim from the old print OYY? I also remember reading comments which didn't have nice things to say about the new clear print version of the Tehillim on several Chabad sites. Why the old print?


texts: Is the half hour that you are supposed to make sure the candles are lit Shaa Zemanios or exactly thirty minutes?


texts:
I believe the script which is called "Rashi script" was invented to avoid using the normal Hebrew alphabet for things which weren't strictly Torah. Is this true?

If so - why are only TWO letters totally different ( Aleph and Shin ) while all the others are easily recognisable.


texts: What is the origin of the dash/hypen in the Torah?

texts:
The Torah as it is published in books (that I have seen) is written with hyphens. E.g. Lech-lecha (i.e. the dash between the two words).

What are their origin? Given with the letters of the Torah? Any references on this topic very much appreciated.

EDIT: I originally thought that they were also in the Sefer Torah, but now I mean just in the way it is printed commonly in books. But I add this observation, sometimes one printed version will include three-dashes where another uses only one (e.g. Breisheit-2-3 between the publishing houses of A. BELUM and MOSAD HARAV KUK). But they are still choosing the same words to include dashes between. This makes me think that the number of dashes represents an editorial choice to do with justifying the alignment within a column.


texts: Do any Geonim or Rishonim adopt/incorporate teachings from Philo?

texts: Do any early commentators from the geonim or rishonim periods cite any teachings from Philo Judeas by name?


texts: Why are the words "mezuzos" written differently in the Torah (Rashi)?

texts:
There are two paragraphs in the Torah where the word mezuzos appears.  The first, in Vaeschanan (6:9), is written with a kubutz (no vav)- מְזֻזוֹת .  The second, in Eikev (11:20), it is written with a shuruk- מְזוּזוֹת.

Rashi to 6:9) writes that lack of vav hints that we only place the mezuza on one of the doorposts.

Some chumashim with Rashi that I have looked at have Rashi with a different text- מְזוּזת (maor mikraos gedolos) or מְזֻזת (artscroll)  - implying that the grammatically singular writing hints that we only place the mezuza on one of the doorposts.

Others (newer version of the "shul chumash" and this older version of mikraos gedolos) have our text (מְזֻזוֹת) implying that the distinction is made between 1 vav and 2.

Does anyone talk about this Rashi or about the vav difference?


texts: Kiddushin 8b: Making kiddushin vs fulfilling a mitzvah

texts:
Kiddushin 8b asks if a man says "Mikudeshes li" to a woman and gives her a loaf and she says "Give it to a poor person" she is not engaged - even if the poor person is supported by her - because she could say that he has a chiyuv to give to the poor.
But, just above that they say that if he tries to be engaged with a loaf and she says give it to a dog that is chasing her she may or may not be engaged (On the one hand, she benefits because she is saved; on the other hand she can say that he has a chiyuv to save her)
On the case of the chasing dog, the Gemora concludes תיקו but on the case of the poor person it concludes she is not engaged.
Why is the dog-case unresolved and the poor person case is not?


texts:
Recently I was zoche to visit Eretz Yisroel, and my family went on the Temple Institute (Mechon Hamikdash) tour, very interesting. They showed their beautiful menorah, which they said had been made according to halachic specifications and could be actually used when the Beis Hamikdash is rebuilt, בב"א. I was very surprised when they said it weighed half a ton - as I know that the menorah must weigh a kikar (talent) of pure gold. Not clear how much that is, but something around 50 or 100 pounds (see Wikipedia, and Rashi's calculations at the beginning of Parshas Pikudei). Not even close.
So I went to their website, and they have an extensive description of the issues involved https://templeinstitute.org/history-holy-temple-menorah/. Kol hakavod for their clarity and transparency. What they said astonished me. Short version: It is hard or impossible to make a strong enough structure of pure gold, especially such a small amount as a kikar. Instead, we made a bronze menorah weighing half a ton. Then we took a single sheet of gold (mikshah) - a millimeter thick (!) - weighing a kikar, and wrapped it over the bronze support structure. That gold is the golden menorah; ignore the bronze underneath.
a) This seems like a cool trick, but I didn't see anyone mentioning this pshat in the Torah. It does not sound like the simple understanding of what Moshe Rabbeinu did (the Midrash mentions that he found it difficult to know how to make the menorah!)
b) The Rambam says (Beis Habechirah 3(4)) that when other metals are used for the menorah, it may be made hollow (חלולה). When made with gold, on the other hand, it sounds like "mikshah" excludes its being hollow; it must be made solid. I saw that the Likutei Halachos on Menachos 28b brings the example of the menorah made by the Chashmonaim when they reconquered: an iron structure coated with tin. You would not be allowed to do that with gold, and that is exactly what they did.
Comments?


texts: What does a marriage proposal look like?

texts: Most of us are familiar with the (American? Secular?) image of a proposal. The man kneels and says "will you marry me?" and so on. But what does an Orthodox proposal look like? I'm interested in any minhagim people have to share: yeshivish, chassidish, sephardi, etc.


texts: What is the new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, spoken of by Jeremiah?(Jeremiah 31:31-34)

texts:
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah; not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; forasmuch as they broke My covenant, although I was a lord over them, saith the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the LORD, I will put My law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people; and they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying: ‘Know the LORD’; for they shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.

—Jeremiah 31:31-34 (JPS).

What is the new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, spoken of by Jeremiah?


texts: If I make a shehakol bracha and then discover that the correct bracha for the food I am eating is, say, mezonot, should I now make a new mezonot bracha on the remainder of the food? Or does the initial shehakol cover it?


texts: Is this chart of the mesorah of Torah available in English?

texts: Does anyone know if this chart of the mesora of Torah is available in English? or if there is anything like it in English?


texts:
This extra Vav seems to be the adopted Nusach of choice for all Ashkenazim (Edot Mizrach and Aram Sova do not; their beracha begins differently). I can only imagine there are earlier girsaot without the Vav. When did this version come into being, and what does it mean or add to the text? Is this beracha somehow connected to the previous one?

The beracha of ולמלשינים has the extra Vav as well, but I don't believe these to be of the same type, since ולמלשינים has been through significant censorship, so the version we have is necessarily a truncated form. (Note the Edot Mizrach version of למינים ולמלשינים.)


texts: I can not find any Torah writings from the Baba Sali. Does anybody know where I can find his Torah?


texts: Can women participate in learning for a group siyum?

texts: When somebody is organizing learning for a coordinated siyum (e.g. for a yahrzeit), I'm never sure whether as a woman I can sign up to help (assuming I can meet the expected level of learning).  Are these for men only, or both men and women?  Does it depend on something?  If so, on what?


texts: Is a Jew allowed to participate on Christianity.SE?

texts:
I was browsing meta.Christianity.SE recently when I noticed a question with a rather obvious (and good) answer that had not been posted. I was about to go ahead and answer it when I realized there might be a serious problem: by helping them out, we are in fact promoting that religion (or at minimum helping them promote their religion).

So is that indeed a problem?

Is it still a problem if that answer would put their religion in a bad light?


texts: When someone places a flyer on your car windshield without your permission, is s/he Masig G'vul?

texts: On several occasions, a Jewish boy has placed a flyer about some neighborhood business or tzedaka foundation on my car windshield. Since I don't want the flyer there, is s/he "Masig G'vul" (losely translated as "overtaking the border or one's property"?


texts: Where are the 24 places that Kohanim are called Leviim?

texts:
In numerous places the gemara quotes Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Levi as saying there are 24 places that Kohanim are called Leviim, but the gemara only ever quotes the pasuk in Yechezkel 44 15. See for instance Yevamos 86b

דאמר ר' יהושע ב"ל בעשרים וארבעה מקומות נקראו כהנים לוים וזה אחד מהם (יחזקאל מד, טו) והכהנים הלוים בני צדוק

The gemara goes out of its way to say this pasuk is only one of the twenty four places, but never mentions another.
This same quote appears in Chulin 24b, Bechoros 4a, and Tamid 27a.
To make things more confusing, in Shar Hagilgulim chapter 35, we are told no other Navi besides Yechezkel ever called the Kohanim by the name Leviim.

ודע, כי לעתיד לבא, כל שרש קין יהיו כהנים. ושרש הבל שהיו עד עתה כהנים, אז יהיו לוים. באופן, כי כל מה שהיה עד עתה בחי' לוים מצד הגבורה, דוגמת קרח לוי, שהיה משרש קין, כלם יקחו אז את הכהונה, שהיא חלק הבכורה, כנודע מתרגום פסוק ראובן בכורי אתה. וז"ס פסוק והכהנים הלוים בני צדוק. והנה לא נמצא בשום נביא, שיזכיר הכהנים בשם לוים, אלא ביחזקאל, לפי שהוא היה משרש קין הבכור, כמבואר אצלינו. ולכן נבא נבואה זו, כי לעתיד לבא אותם שהיו עד עתה כהנים, יהיו אז לויים. וכן מי שהיו לויים, יהיו אז כהנים בני צדוק. וכל שרש הבל שעתה הם כהנים, יהיו אז לויים:,

Are there other places, 23 in fact, where Kohanim are called Leviim? Is Shar Hagilgulim arguing on the gemara?


texts: Were Maftir Honors in 19th Century different from today?

texts:
I received a travel-diary for a man who was born in Huncovce (also known as Hunsdorf, once a famous yeshiva town, second only to Pressburg), Slovakia.  He was born in 1851, presumably had some Torah training, but left in 1866 and made it to the USA.  He wound up in San Francisco, CA.  Yet, amazingly, in 1888, he made his way back to Huncovce, to visit family -- no mean feat!

He takes great pains to say he was honored with Maftir both there and the neighboring town of Kesmarok, and how much he donated, i.e., "paid" for this Maftir.  Another published book (in German), by Rabbi Dr. Armin SCHNITZER, called Judische Kultur Bilder, printed in 1904, Vienna, has a paragraph that seems to indicate that getting a Maftir honor was something that became a sort of weekly-gossip-interest, perhaps to indicate who gave such-and-such amount of money.

With this long introduction, I'm assuming this man was no longer religious, since his diary indicates he was eating on trains, ships, towns, and traveling on Shabbat -- at least to get to his destination.  He arrives in his hometown and with family goes to shul.  Suddenly, he's given Maftir.

Here are my questions:

Was the expectation that he would also read the Haftorah?  It doesn't seem from his diary that he would have prepared for that.
Or, at that period time, was Maftir, just another Aliyah, without having to read anything?
If that were true, when did the honor to read Maftir actually imply reading the Haftorah as well?


texts: Should I make a bracha on spice infused nasal spray?

texts:
My otolaryngologist (a.k.a. - ENT) uses a mint infused nasal spray to lubricate my nose. I once asked him to show me the spray bottle and the ingredients includes peppermint. Similarly, one of my regular nasal sprays I use home contains rosewater as one of its ingredients.

If I enjpy the smell of the mint or rose water while I'm using the spray, do I need to make a bracha (borei minei bsamim)? The primary purpose is not for smelling the spice in there; the smelling is secondary to my use of the spray.


texts:
There is a concept of Edim Zomemim (Wikipedia has it translated as "Collusive Witnesses") (עדים זוממים).

Basically, if two witnesses testify about someone, and then two other witnesses come and say something along the lines of "you cannot be true, because you weren't there," we believe the latter pair, and punish the former.

My question is why do we believe the second over the first? What makes them any more believable? Maybe they're also lying.

[I understand that this is what the Torah says we do. I'm just looking for a logical explanation]


texts: What is the last day to shake the lulav in Diaspora?

texts: Do we shake the lulav on shemini atzeret or simhat torah for folks living in diaspora?


texts: Facing the wrong direction during Amidah

texts: What should I do if I accidentally faced the wrong direction during the Amidah? Should I repeat it? How important is facing the Kotel in the Amidah according to Halacha?


texts: Why 1/6th - שתות in the Mishna is in Aramaic?

texts:
It appears suspicious to me, that an Aramaic word Shtut is used everywhere in the Hebrew text of the Mishnah, like in:

"שׁוּם הַדַּיָּנִין שֶׁפִּחֲתוּ שְׁתוּת אוֹ הוֹסִיפוּ שְׁתוּת..." (Ksubos 11)
"הָאוֹנָאָה, אַרְבָּעָה כֶסֶף מֵעֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה כֶסֶף לַסֶּלַע, שְׁתוּת לַמִּקָּח." (B"M 4)

We can see that the Torah uses Hebrew words for other similar fractions: רביעית, חמישית, עשירית etc. The word שישית is perfectly Hebrew and appears in Yehezkel:

"וּמַיִם בִּמְשׂוּרָה תִשְׁתֶּה שִׁשִּׁית הַהִין מֵעֵת עַד עֵת תִּשְׁתֶּה." or
""וּמִנְחָה תַעֲשֶׂה עָלָיו בַּבֹּקֶר בַּבֹּקֶר שִׁשִּׁית הָאֵיפָה וְשֶׁמֶן שְׁלִישִׁית הַהִין לָרֹס אֶת הַסֹּלֶת מִנְחָה לַה' חֻקּוֹת עוֹלָם תָּמִיד.""

Why שתות is borrowed from Aramaic and שישית is not used instead?


texts: Ashkenazi siddurs are different from Sephardic siddurs, do Beta Israel Siddurs even exist?


texts: Pretty woman - is it a test or a Mitzvah

texts:
The sources talk a lot about the procedure of "אשת יפת תואר" (like Rambam Melachim 8,2 and on).

So for the soldiers, is the Pretty Woman allowed but "bad" (like "Patur but Ossur", see Rashi's consequences to Ben Sorer Umoreh) or is it a Mitvzah to follow the procedure as it's only allowed for the most pious Tzaddikim?


texts: Should one be sure to have a bread meal on Rosh Chodesh?

texts:
Is there a source for the idea of specially having a bread meal on Rosh Chodesh so that one can say the special insertion for Rosh Chodesh in the grace after meals?

related: Rosh Chodesh at home


texts: Did The Snake In The Garden Of Eden Have Free Will?

texts:
I heard that all of creation recognizes Hashem and is obedient to Hashem, and that humans are the only creation from Hashem that have free will.

So why is it that the snake in the garden of Eden was able to tempt Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge?


texts: Where do Jews believe The Quran came from?

texts:
The "prophet" Muhammad stated that the angel Gabriel visited him with revelation and he put great importance upon Gabriel.

So my question is, where do Jews
believe Muhammad's revelation came
from and what Jews believe about Muhammad's claim about his revelations from Gabriel? Do they believe that he lied and made it up, or do they believe it was a demon rather than Gabriel who visited Muhammad?

The question is seeking answers based on doctrinal and official views of any Jewish branches.


texts: How can I stop spacing out during davening?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How do you improve your Kavvanah [concentration]?

Any suggestions for improving concentration or advice on how to avoid daydreaming during tefilah?


texts: Does guarding the eyes apply equally in all cases?

texts:
When the imperative to guard your eyes is brought about the first thing I think of is a man that is careful with what he sees with regards to immodest women.

However, there are other case when this might apply:

Women staring at immodestly dressed men.
Men staring at immodestly dressed men.
Women staring at immodestly dressed women.

Does the commandment to guard your eyes apply the most in the case of men staring at women or is it equal in all of the cases mentioned above?

The practical difference is that if the cases with the women staring at X cases are more lenient then a woman would be able to go to an all-female gym where not everyone is careful about their modesty. Same with an all male gym.

The term "immodestly" here is to be taken loosely and can include the case where the subject is actually modest but still provokes sexual thoughts.


texts:
I heard an explanation about pigs that they were not included in Noah's ark. They were in fact from worms. One ate the other and kept growing.

Is there any authentic source for this?


texts: What are some good mnemonics for remembering Talmud and Mishna? The Talmud refers to it as making simanim for what you learn.


texts:
Mishlei 22 (26, 27) says

  אַל־תְּהִ֥י בְתֹֽקְעֵי־כָ֑ף בַּ֝עֹרְבִ֗ים מַשָּׁאֽוֹת׃

  אִם־אֵֽין־לְךָ֥ לְשַׁלֵּ֑ם לָ֥מָּה יִקַּ֥ח מִ֝שְׁכָּבְךָ֗
  מִתַּחְתֶּֽיךָ׃

  Do not be one of those who give their hand, Who stand surety for
  debts,

  Lest your bed be taken from under you When you have no money to pay.

Malbim explains

  אל תהי בתוקעי כף, הוא הערב קבלן, ומוסיף אף לא תהיה בעורבים משאות שלא
  בדרך קבלנות:

that one should not be any sort of  Guarantor.

Most Gemachim (free loan funds) require a  Guarantor and would find it more difficult to function without one. Does Mishlei not see the good in being a Guarantor for a Gemach loan?


texts: Rav Moshe Feinstein and showers in the nine days

texts:
Someone who I would consider reliable enough to be worth checking told me that Rav Moshe Feinstein would send a message to summer camps to ensure that the campers were showering during the 9 days because of health issues.

Is there any known corroboration for that? Either something he wrote, or any other recollection of such guidance from him?


texts:
The mishna in Avot (1:6) tells us:

  יהושוע בן פרחיה וניתאי הארבלי קיבלו מהם.  יהושוע בן פרחיה אומר, עשה לך רב, וקנה לך חבר; והוי דן את כל האדם לכף זכות

When living in different areas I have gone about this in different ways. Having moved to Israel I have struggled finding a personal Rav. Relying on Rabbeim that I had in my previous country of residence is not an option since many minhagim are different, as are the specific laws of the land, and (in particular) very current issues relating to kashrut.

I know many that rely on their Rabbeim from their time in yeshiva; I don't feel that I those connections are the correct ones for me.

I am looking for advice or experience that could help a person in this process.


texts: Qafih edition of Chovos Halvevavos Online

texts: Is R. Yosef Qafih's translation of the Chovos Halevavos available for free online (preferably as copyable text)?


texts: Are we supposed to say "go..." when parting from the dead?

texts:
The g'mara on B'rachot 64a quotes R. Avin Halevi as saying that when we depart from a person we should say "go to peace" (like Yitro to Moshe), not "go in peace" (like David to Avshalom), but that when we depart from the dead we say "go in peace" (based on Psalm 84).  A note in my Soncino translation says that this departure from the dead refers to leaving the funeral procession.

I've never learned that I'm supposed to say anything to the meit (dead person) at this point.  I'm not part of my local chevra kadisha, so I don't know if any non-psalm speech is involved, but I had thought not.  (And anyway, that would be earlier than the note suggests.)

Are we supposed to, essentially, verbally say goodbye to the meit at the end of the funeral procession?  If not, did we ever?  If not, what is this g'mara referring to?


texts:
In a zimmun, the leader asks permission from the others (BiReshut...)

What is the procedure for refusing this permission? Must I outrank him in some way, or does anyone have the privilege of refusing permission?


texts:
In Yesodei HaTorah 2:7, The Rambam lists the 10 types of malachim (angels) in order of power.
Many people have told me that this halacha proves that the Rambam knew Kabalah, since this knowledge is nowhere found in Chazal and the Zohar has the same order.

Are there any Talmudic sources where the Rambam could have learned this from?
Do any of his predecessors talk about this order?


texts:
One man owns two of the only very expensive stamps in the world. Let us say each stamp was worth a million dollars. A second man comes along and destroys stamp one. The catch is that now according to the new value the one stamp is worth more than two million, meaning the owner had a zero net loss and even had a net gain.

Is the person who destroyed stamp one responsible to pay? If so, how much? Or does the owner of the stamps have to pay him for the extra value his stamp now has?

(sources please)


texts: Excluding a case in קנין but קנין remains valid

texts:
I heard of an idea that when it comes to קנינים (Acquisitions)if the קנין cannot be done in every instance, the קנין does can not apply at all.

Example: (Forgetting רש"י or other commentaries) In קידושין ג ע״ב the Gemara concludes a statement (which started on ג ע״א) that חליפין cannot be done in קידושין due to it being able to be done with less then a פרוטה (amount of money or bronze). I know רש"י as well as others give there understanding. But for this example I heard that it couldn't be done because since חליפין can be done with less then a פרוטה and קידושין can't,.

So therefore since there is a case where חליפין wouldn't work, the whole process of חליפין is disqualified.

Is this a known idea throughout ש״ס?
And are there any examples of places were we disqualify one case but the קנין can still be used in a different way. (Example: Disqualify less then a פרוטה, but more then a פרוטה would work.)

PS. I'm aware this is a technical question, so please feel free to ask for more detail or explanation.


texts: Is it a mainstream view that Satan is an angel testing us for Hashem so that He can reward us in Olam Haba?

texts:
An American Rabbi claims that Satan is an angel and he is not evil.
That Satan is testing us and that is good, so that Hashem can give us a good reward in Olam Haba. Is this a majority view in Judaism?


texts: Would halachic units be shrunk if a person was (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids-style)?

texts:
In the classic move Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and its sequels, people get shrunk down to 1/264th of their normal size. So, a person is around 1/4 of an inch tall.

If such a thing were even possible, would there be any changes in size requirements for him?

Some examples:

A Chanukiah has to be higher than 3 tefachim (~11.5in) from the ground. A normal 3 tfachim at that scale would be 46 times bigger than him!
The minimum amount of bread that needs to be eaten to bentch is 1 kezayit (~30g), or around the amount of one cookie. In the movie, one cookie is way more than enough to feed 4 kids.
The minimum amount to be liable for transferring on Shabbat is whatever is useful to people. E.g. Human food, the size of a dried fig etc. (see rest of list in mishna shabbos ch. 8). Those shiurim are humongous for him!

Would any of these (or other) shiurim (measurements) be scaled down to match the shrunk person?


texts:
Rosh Hashana 17b quotes a Baraita

  [...] If one repents in the meantime, between Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur, he is forgiven; if he does not repent in the meantime, then even if he later brings as offerings all the rams of Nebaioth in the world, which are of the best quality, they do not forgive him in the Heavenly court. This implies that once one’s sentence has been decreed, even repentance cannot alter it.

(The Gemara then clarifies that this is referring to an individual, not a community)

However, isn't it commonly accepted that teshuva for a sin is effective anytime* - whether before Yom Kippur, or after it, or even many years after its commission?

*(even if aseres ymei teshuva are the most opportune time for it)


texts: If עבודה זרה is so strict, why can it be בטל by 1/60 in דבר שלא במינו? (see :עבודה זרה ע"ג)


texts: Looking for a book on the historic development of halakhah

texts:
Would anyone be able to recommend a good intermediate level book-length treatment of the development of halakhah from the second temple period down to the present day, ideally in English?

I am interested in coming to a better understanding of the role of the different rishonim and acheronim in the development of halakha. Most introductions to the topic that I have read seem to touch on only Talmud, Mishneh Torah and Shulkan Aruch and then go no further, whereas I would like to learn more and in reasonable depth about the scholars whose names I keep encountering e.g. Rif, Rosh, Shakh and Chazon Ish, to name a few.


texts: What is the correct response to "Chazaq u'Baruch!"?

texts:
When a person gets an aliyah or other synagogue privilege the congregants of an Ashkenazic synagogue generally thanks him by saying "Shokyach!" or "Yasherkoach!" to which he responds "Baruch Tehiye!".

What is the correct response to the Sephardi version of this phrase, "Chazaq u'Baruch"?


texts:
9 Posukim in Kriyas Hatorah
Which Laining has only 9 posukim?


texts: Source that tzaar baalei chayyim only applies to kosher animals?

texts: I remember learning that tzaar baalei chayyim only applies to kosher animals and being very surprised and disappointed, but I don't remember the source at all. Does anyone know where this idea comes from, and who holds by it?


texts: What's up with the Chafetz Chaim yeshiva guys?

texts: I know they learn a lot slower, dress a little flashier, and learn more mussar than in most mainstream yeshivos, but can someone specify exactly what is the philosophy of the Chafetz Chaim yeshiva system?


texts: what is love --- Rebbe of Kotzk: "You don't love fish." King Solomon: "Whoever loves silver"

texts:
Where can I find the source of the following story about the Rebbe of Kotzk?

At a Shabbat dinner, a chassid once told the Rebbe of Kotzk, "I love fish." The Rebbe responded, "You don't love fish. If you loved the fish, you would not have killed it and cooked it on a fire."

How does this fit with Kohelet - Chapter 5

9. Whoever loves silver will not be sated with silver, and he who loves a multitude without increase-this too is vanity. - ?


texts:
Consider the following scenario.
A person left his home in Eretz Yisrael to go to Chutz L'Aretz for Pesach. He remembered before the zman issur in Chutz L'Aretz that there was a piece of challah (from being mafrish challah) that they forgot to get rid of. They are unable to get to the challa and unable to get a shliach to burn or throw it away now.

May the person "sell" this to a gentile? Is there any problem of selling challah to a gentile? Perhaps since it either must go to a Cohen or be burnt that one shouldn't give it over to a gentile.
(please provide sources.)

I realize in this particular scenario there would perhaps be other solutions (I decided not to focus on them in this question in order not to have to much written here in the question that is not directly related.) I made this up in order to ask specifically the question of selling it to a gentile.
Perhaps when more answers come about I'll re-post the question and give the opportunity for others to post answers with possible solutions for this situation.)


texts: Was the sacrifice invalidated because of Eli's sons?

texts:
The sons of Eli treated the sacrifice with contempt and took it before it was cooked/burned.  This obviously was a sin against G_d but was the sacrifice invalidated to the one offering it?  If Joseph Blow came to offer a lamb to atone for a specific sin or purpose was that effort made null and void because the priest did not offer it correctly, or at all?

  1 Samuel 2:15-16
  Yea, before the fat was made to smoke, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed: 'Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw.' And if the man said unto him: 'Let the fat be made to smoke first of all, and then take as much as thy soul desireth'; then he would say: 'Nay, but thou shalt give it me now; and if not, I will take it by force.'<


texts: Are shabbat candlesticks on a tray muktzeh?

texts: If candlesticks are on a tray can they be moved off the table on Shabbat?


texts: I have seen many statements in the talmud such as 'Rav Gidel said that Rav said...". I would like to know where I can find some biographical details of the life of Rav Gidel. Are there published works or online resources which have a biography of Rav Gidel?


texts: What type of nuts may not be eaten during Elul?

texts: Many have a custom not to eat nuts during elul, because אגוז is gematria חטא (sin). So what exactly is considered nuts? Almonds, Cashews, Pistachios, Macadamian, Hazelnuts, Pecans? How about Peanuts (or doughnuts)? How to classify?


texts: May a person who has sensitive hearing wear ear plugs during Kri'at Megilah?

texts:
There is a requirement to hear each word of the Megilah. What if someone has very sensitive hearing such that the loud noise of the graggers etc. after hearing Haman causes ringing in his ears and possible hearing deterioration. May this person wear ear plugs during the reading if there is a possibility that he may miss hearing some words while the plugs are in?

For purposes of this question, lets assume that it is too cumbersome to put in the plugs each time the graggers go and take them out when reading the Megillah continues.


texts: PTIJ: Who should pay for Uber rides: the child or the parent?

texts:
There's a big machlokes in shas about ridesharing. Namely, who pays for it: the mother (parent) or the child?
Yevamos 78a

"עובר ירך אמו"  vs   "עובר לאו ירך אמו"
"Uber should be charged to the parent" vs "Uber should  NOT be charged to the parent"

Thoughts on how we might pasken?
Would the halacha be similar  or different for Lyft?

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


texts:
Given the fact that both Mehadrin and Non-Mehadrin exist, what are foods that can be safely eaten in non-mehadrin places? I.e. they would not be problemaic.

(also, assuming Shemittah is not a problem)

Edit: Sorry for not being clear. I meant assuming the worst possible situation (i.e. the stuff that are absolutely kosher with minimal hechsher). Or to put it another way: stuff that don't have any "questionable" problems - only "universal" problems.

Obviously stuff that never need a hechsher (e.g. water) would be included in this category. But I'd prefer those stuff that are normally non-kosher without any Hechsher, but by having just a minimal standard of Hechsher, everyone would eat it.

If such things do not exist, then that would be a valid (although, disappointing) answer too.


texts: Statement about Cholov Yisroel following general expectations

texts:
In this article in Kosher Today speaking about the potential for the FDA to allow non-Kosher milk to be labeled as plain milk quotes an unnamed Kashrus Organization official as saying that milk as of now can still be regarded as under the Heter of Rav Moshe Feinstein. The article says:

  Other kashrus officials reached by KosherToday also expressed the hope that the FDA would narrow the definition of milk to cows and goats, but did not see any immediate problem with the kosher status of dairy products. One official said simply: “Ask any American where milk comes from and they will tell you from a cow.”

Now, I recognize that this is a media article and thus could just as likely get what the relevant official said wrong, but is there any Halachic basis for the idea that because the non-Jewish population expects their milk to be from a cow it can be presumed to actually be from a cow?


texts: I once heard Rabbi Shmuel Niman, Mashgiach Ruchani of the Chafeitz Chaim Yeshiva, say that he had "recently learned" that it is improper to give a child parts of the names of two relatives.  For example, if you had a grandmother Rachel Leah and another named Esther Malka, Rabbi Niman would say you can't name a baby Rachel Esther to honor both?  Has anyone else heard this?  Would you know the source?


texts: Why we learn Bavli instead of Yerushalmi

texts: If I were to learn Talmud Bavli Brachos or Talmud Yerushalmi Brachos, which one should I start with and why? Seemingly, I should start with Yerushalmi first because it came before the Bavli, but on the other hand (supposedly) we don't involve ourselves to much in the Yersushalmi at all as a whole. The question looking for an answer from an established reliable source.


texts:
In Megillah 2a, Rashi writes:

  שמצינו בכמה מקומות בשם ר"א בר' יוסי סתימתאי

Regardless of the context there, as it's not needed for this question, Oz Vehadar brings from Dikdukei Sofrim (I don't have a copy so I assume they quote it correctly):

  בכת"י ובדפו"ר איתר בכמה מקומות בתלמוד, ובדפוסים המאוחרים שינו מפני הצענזור בש"ס (כמו שעשו כן בכל הש"ס), ומזה נשתבש אח"כ לתיבת "בשם"י

It basically writes that the word "בשם" in Rashi is a typo, as it used to be "בש"ס", which was after the censors changed the word "Talmud" throughout Shas to...Shas.

I'm wondering why the censors would change the word Talmud? What's offensive about it? It had bad connotations? Bonus question is was this censorship only found in the Talmud or in other seforim as well.


texts: Chantation or singing Baruch Adonai L'Olam

texts: Within the prayer Baruch Adonai L'Olam (Maariv) there is this part reading   ברוך יי ביום ברוך יי בלילה ברוך יי בשכבנו ברוך יי בקומנו  what I would like to know it there is some melody to sing or chant this? (Or for the whole prayer).


texts: Mori V'Rabi HaRav Schachter gave a speech at YU last week and in it said that there is a Gemarah that says that people who are learning Torah and are keeping Mitzvos also need Chizzuk. Where is this Gemarah?


texts: If one must eat on yom kipper, does he make any day-specific additions during benching?


texts: Do places where the Mishkan stood retain Keddushah?

texts:
The Mishkan wandered through tens of camps in the desert and a couple of places in Israel for 480 years, and Holy Services were held in each place.

Are those places sanctified in any way nowadays? Do any limitations apply to those places?

For example, Mishkan Shiloh in Israel.


texts: Does the Beta Israel community have Kohens? Are Kahens equivalent? If so, are they descended from Aaron?


texts: Does the Tanach give guidelines to Identify who is a Jew and who is not?


texts: Resolving a dispute where the customer denies that the product is theirs

texts:
If someone left something at the dry-cleaners', for example, and later returned to pick it up, but it seems to not be the same item that they left, what does halacha say about resolving it?

Both the customer and businessman insist they are in the right - the customer that the item is not theirs, and the businessman that it is the customer's original item.


texts:
Deuteronomy 23:19:

  לֹא תָבִיא אֶתְנַן זוֹנָה וּמְחִיר כֶּלֶב בֵּית יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לְכָל נֶדֶר כִּי תוֹעֲבַת יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ גַּם שְׁנֵיהֶם

Why does the Torah have a problem with using the money from the sale of a dog, while apparently not any other non Kosher animals? What is it about dogs that the Torah has an issue with?


texts: How do we know that Elisha baal kenafayim had a clean body?

texts: The gemarah says that to wear tefillin a person needs to have a clean body like Elisha baal kenafayim (shabbat 49a). How does the gemara know that Elisha had a clean body?


texts:
I am only asking this question to educate myself, not because I am anti-semitic or for any other hidden agenda. I do not want to turn this forum into an ugly place. I realize this question is controversial, I will not be angry if it is closed by moderators. It would seem to me that this is a forum for believers which I am not and so my question is perhaps out of place. However any comments would be helpful including references to other material.

Further the term 'racist' has an emotionally negative connotation. I am not trying to cast judgment. I am trying to better understand Judaism. For the sake of this question I 'racism' should not be considered a dirty concept.

It has always seemed to me that the fundamental tenets of the Jewish religion and of the state of Israel shared much with other doctrines of racial preference.

There would seem to be within Judaism a belief that Jews should help out other Jews with a heightened sense of urgency (vis a vis a non-Jew). Because Jews consider being Jewish is considered to be an ethnic identity this would imply that a good Jew is a 'racist' Jew. (Again I do not cast judgment, I only seek understanding).

--begin edit--

(One of the moderators asked that I expand upon the above section.)

It is hard for me to denote a specific example without it being an event from my own life, which is of course not a large enough sample set and so I feel is not a fair representation. You could say the above is a sense I get from working with, living amongst and speaking with persons who are 'actively Jewish.' Amongst those I know who are not 'actively Jewish' there is much less attention paid to the identity of others and and commentary or benefit associated with that identity.

I will provide a specific example reluctantly as I feel it casts judgment. I have had two bosses who identified as Jews, one actively Jewish (attended synagogue and gave to AIPAC substantially) and another not actively Jewish (non-kosher, did not celebrate holidays, but identified as being a 'Jew'). The actively Jewish boss had mostly Jews in positions of power in the firm (myself excepted although I am often mistaken for being Jewish and may have been so at the time of hire). The other boss had a mix of people, and in fact I believe none were Jewish except for himself. The actively Jewish person viewed interactions with others as being very colored by his own Jewish identity or the Jewish or non-Jewish identity of the other party. The inactively Jewish person did not.

I hope this is helpful. I very much appreciate your taking my question seriously. It is a very sincere question and I very much desire to gain wisdom.

--end edit--

This is my guess:

One central tenet of Judaism is that of Jewish identity. To protect this concept of Jewish identity certain racist practices and rules have evolved over the years to maintain and protect the religion from the diluting powers of assimilation and intermarriage. In addition, because of the collapse of the temple Jews were spread out around the world and therefore were often strangers in other countries. Like any group in such a situation there was a need to 'stick together' as members of the 'native' communities were often hostile.

I thank you in advance for helping me to better understand Jews and Judaism so that I can better appreciate one of the worlds oldest and richest cultures.


texts: Why is greeting someone before praying compared to building a private altar?

texts:
Berachos 14a:

  אָמַר רַב: כָּל הַנּוֹתֵן שָׁלוֹם לַחֲבֵירוֹ קוֹדֶם שֶׁיִּתְפַּלֵּל כְּאִילּוּ עֲשָׂאוֹ בָּמָה. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״חִדְלוּ לָכֶם מִן הָאָדָם אֲשֶׁר נְשָׁמָה בְּאַפּוֹ כִּי בַמֶּה נֶחְשָׁב הוּא״. אַל תִּקְרֵי, ״בַּמֶּה״ אֶלָּא ״בָּמָה״.

  Rav said, "Whoever greets his friend before praying, it's as if he made him a private altar, as it says, 'Cease from you man, in whose nostrils there is breath, for how little [בַמֶּה] is he considered' – don't read it as 'for how little [בַמֶּה],' but rather, 'a private altar [בָּמָה].'"

What is this comparison, exactly? The case of a private altar is one who offers a karban to Hashem outside the Beis HaMikdash – but it's still being offered to Hashem. Here, he's neglecting Hashem and instead giving importance to someone else; should the comparison not be to idolatry, rather than to a private altar?


texts: Secondary reason for shortened Shmoneh Esrei on Shabbos?

texts:
The main view for why we shorten the Shmoneh Esrei on Shabbos is that we do not want to focus on the mundane, but rather the holiness of the day.
However, I do remember hearing that the other reason for the shortened Shmoneh Esrei is that the Rabbis wanted people to make kiddush as soon as possible. Is this a valid (secondary) reason? If so, can it be found anywhere?


texts: What to do with stolen objects which are impossible to return?

texts: If an object was stolen in one's childhood or teenage years, without knowledge of the laws regarding stealing (or not caring), if this object is impossible to return, either because the person has died or it's somewhere you can't remember etc, what is done with the object? Is it thrown away? What is the method of doing teshuva for a situation like this?


texts:
Is it mentioned anywhere in all of the Mishna or the Talmud that Paul of Tarsus was a student of Rabban Gamaliel?

Acts 22:3 I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.


texts: Not finding your bashert is a punishment for doing zera levatala?

texts: Are there Kabbalistic or Talmudic sources saying that not finding your bashert is a punishment for doing zera levatala (wasteful seminal emission)? I heard a popular rabbi make this claim in a class and it's disturbed me ever since.


texts: Are there Traditional Jewish sources say that the story of Adam and Chava is a metaphor?

texts:
(Original: Are there any traditional Jewish sources that state that the story of Adam Harishon is a metaphor and/or that there were other intelligent human beings already on the earth prior to Adam’s creation/birth?)
EDITED:
I have two different but related questions:

Are there any traditional Jewish sources (by that I mean any writings by a Torah observant Jew from antiquity to present day) that that say that the story of Adam and Chava is a metaphor?

A related, but different question: are there any traditional Jewish sources that say that intelligent humans lived on earth prior to Adam’s creation?

In case you’re curious as to my MO, I’m an Orthodox, Yeshiva educated Jew. I have my own opinion on the matter, which isn’t really relevant.  I’ve been curious as to the literature on this for a while.


texts:
Fathers can, and have, named their sons Ismael. So why would they not be allowed to name their son Esau? The reason for Esau and Ismael being similar is because both names are generally identified with as siblings of patriarchs that cause trouble and are undesireable.

Typically, Esau is portrayed as unfavorable in rabbinic interpretation of Genesis. I am not sure, but I would think there would be a halachic issue with naming a child after someone evil (I could not imagine that any Jew would be allowed to name their child, say, Amalek). This question is two fold because it asks a preliminary question, "Is Esav 'evil' or 'bad' in the Jewish mindset and is this falsifiable?"


texts:
Is it permitted to use mouthwash on a public fast day? Would a sensitive mouth, due to medical reasons be a good reason to be lenient?

(I can see it being less problematic than brushing one's teeth, because there's no fresh water being used, only the chemical mix that is mouthwash; that's not something you'd drink.)


texts: Davening Maariv at Shekiya / or after Plag HaMincha - repeating Kriyas Shema

texts: If a person prays Maariv after Plag HaMincha prior to Shekiya is there any Halachic authority that holds he is Yotzei the Mitzva of Kriyas Shema and does not have to repeat it? What if he prays right after Shekiya before Tzais HaKochovim?


texts:
The end of parshas Balak is the sin at Shitim with the Bnos Moav, culminating in the sin of Zimri and Cozbi. Pinchas kills them both, stopping the plague. That would have been a good place to stop, but the last verse says (Numbers 25:9):

  וַיִּהְי֕וּ הַמֵּתִ֖ים בַּמַּגֵּפָ֑ה אַרְבָּעָ֥ה וְעֶשְׂרִ֖ים אָֽלֶף׃

  Those who died of the plague numbered twenty-four thousand.

That's a rather depressing note. The Rema in OC 138:1 says:

  . וִיכַוֵּן שֶׁיַּתְחִיל תָּמִיד לִקְרֹא בְּדָבָר טוֹב, וִיסַיֵּם בְּדָבָר טוֹב

  And one should aim to always begin to read on a good matter and to end on a good matter

Why does the parsha end in a way that doesn't fit this halacha? Better yet, stop before the whole story with Shittim. I must admit I haven't checked this Rema against every aliyah in the Torah, and for all I know there are other counter examples, but this one is pretty striking. Now I wonder if someone would argue that it's good the sinners died, but I think it's pretty bad that the sinning got to such a level that that many died.


texts:
What Bracha do you make on an acai bowl?

These bowls usually contain yogurt, berries, and granola.

Here is a link for reference: Acai Bowl


texts:
On Bereishis 27:27, Rashi makes the following comment:

כריח שדה אשר ברכו ה'. שֶׁנָּתַן בּוֹ רֵיחַ טוֹב וְזֶהוּ שְׂדֵה תַּפּוּחִים, כָּךְ דָּרְשׁוּ רַזִ"לִ:

The Artscroll Chumash Rashi set comments in a footnote (don't have the exact text in front of me) that this could be a reference to a Kabbalistic notion.
This got me thinking: Is there any information/indication about whether Rashi engaged in the study of Kabbalah?


texts: Why are Ashkenazi haftarahs longer than that of Sephardim?

texts: A look at Wikipedia confirms my suspicion that when Ashkenazim and Sephardim read the same haftarah, the Ashkenazim generally start earlier and/or finish later than that of Sephardim. Is there a specific reason why this is so?


texts: Can someone give me sources from Tanakh and Halakhah on why it is permissible for a Jewish [certified kosher] bakery to make images from Christianity and their winter holiday? And if it is permissible, can a observant Jew make those images in that bakery?


texts:
Someone ate a kizayit of food items that require a shehakol. He decided that he is done eating and said boreh nefashot.

What should he do if he decides to go for another piece? Should he say another shehakol, or can he rely on the first one?

Does a beracha acharona cancel out the beracha rishona?


texts: Does an open wound make one unfit to lay Tefillin?

texts: In order to be fit to wear Tefillin one must have a guf naki, a clean body (Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayyim 37:2) . Suppose one has an open wound or sore on one's skin and it is actively bleeding or oozing a bodily discharge. Would someone in such a state have an unclean body, as far as laying Tefillin is concerned?


texts: May one recite the Haftarah from a transliterated copy?

texts:
I know that public Torah reading needs to be read from a parchment. I saw some source stating that, ideally haftarah should also be read from parchment. However, I see numerous congregations allow reading it from a Chumash or designated haftarah book. These are in Hebrew.

Several months ago, a Bar Mitzvah boy in my shul recited the haftarah. He had trouble reading Hebrew, so someone gave him a transliterated version of his haftarah, and he read from it. Is this technique permissible? If not, why not?


texts: Can someone kindly explain the Malachi 3. 23 -24?

texts:
In Malachi 3:23 -24 it says

   23. Lo, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord,
  24. that he may turn the heart of the fathers back through the children, and the heart of the children back through their fathers-lest I come and smite the earth with utter destruction.

How will one know that it is Elijah? It says "I will send" , where is he being sent from, where will he appear, will he be known to all or just those that G-d has chosen?


texts: Shiv'a v’Arbaim u’Shelosh Me’os Mi Yodeya?

texts:
Who knows three hundred forty seven?
שבעה וארבעים ושלוש מאות - מי יודע?
The traditional Passover song "Echad - mi yodeya" implies a possible presupposition that there is a Jewish significance to be found for each natural number. Accordingly, there is an ongoing series on Mi Yodeya that is attempting to unearth significant Judaism facts about each number, in sequence.
What significant Judaism facts are there about the number 347? The more significant within Judaism and the more intrinsically dependent on the value 347, the stronger the answer. Please include sources for your information wherever possible, as with all other answers on this site.
No lazy Gematria please. But given that we’ve already had questions on 666 and 366, counting doesn’t seem to be this series’ strong suit anyway.


texts: Would borrowing a torah book (without permission) from a shul  be considered mitzvah haba b'averah if you use it to learn from ?


texts: I believe that there are specific restrictions placed on a ger (convert) being a legal decisor on a beit din. What are these restrictions and do those, ipso facto, preclude that individual from receiving smicha yadin yadin?


texts: Why did Aharon request that Hashem declare Miriam pure?

texts:
Rashi says that one of the meanings of Aharon's prayer regarding Miriam ("Let her not be like the dead, which comes out of his mother's womb with half his flesh consumed!"; Bamidbar 12:12) was that there is no way for her to be purified from her Tzara'as except through a miracle.

  Another interpretation: Let her not be like the dead-If You do not heal her through prayer, who will confine her? Who will cleanse her? I myself may not examine her, since I am related, and a relative many not examine plague marks [symptomatic of tzara’ath], and there is no other kohen in the world. This is the meaning of, “since he has come out of his mother’s womb.” [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:12, Tanchuma Tzav 13]

However, while Aharon cannot pronounce her pure, he would presumably unable to pronounce her impure (for the same reason - she's a relative). The law by a Metzora is that if a Kohen doesn't pronounce one a Metzora, he is Tahor.

So the same way Aharon (presumably) made her Tamei, he should make her Tahor?


texts:
When we wrap, there seems to be a prevalent custom to incorporate the shapes Dalet, Yod and Shin in the strap on the hand/arm (depending on one's custom (discussed in Sefer Ta'amei Haminhagim page 13 and diagrams pp. 621-626) (Minhagei Yeshurun P. 212). While I know that there are kabbalistic sources and other explanations for the seven wrappings around the arm, and that many of the laws are reputed to be unexplained as examples of halacha lemoshe misinai, I am wondering where the idea of spelling out God's name with the 3 letters comes from (and I don't have access to the Otzar Minhagei Yeshurun and the Ktzot hashulchan).

A quick look at printed alphabets  of ancient Hebrew show that the shape of the letters is not the same as we have now so wrapping straps to mimic current shapes would indicate that the minhagim are relatively recent. Where does this idea/practice originate?


texts: What does "prohibited l’chatchila" mean?

texts:
To me the phrase prohibited l’chatchila seems a bit confusing. Can someone explain what this means in plain and simple english?

(context: someone says "action X is prohibited l’chatchila")


texts: In the Torah - 3 people with the same name - One is Jewish - One is a Ger - One is a Non-Jew?


texts: I have a friend of mine, just before a big challenge. I would like to pray for her somehow. How to do that and what exact tehilims should i say?


texts: Does taking money from government programs change the Halachic status of the family structure?

texts: Does taking government subsidies such as Section 8 and Food Stamps in a situation where the government subsidy is specifically providing money for food per child (Food Stamps) or money for an extra room per child (Sec 8) affect in any way the status of the halachos that take into account "soimech al shulchan aviv" (chanukah lights, Eiruvi chatzeiros)? Does the fact that the government/tzibbur is paying for the child's food,rent and sometimes even tuition give the child the status of "eino soimech al shulchan aviv"?


texts: What exactly is the judgement of Rosh Hashanah?

texts:
In the Rosh Hashanah Musaf, it is implied that all human beings and countries are judged on this day whether they will have peace or war, life or death, and in the Unesaneh Tokef prayer, this is extended to many other forms of prosperity or suffering. It is also implied many places in the Gemara and Mishnah that the righteous are decreed for life and the wicked for death, for example:

אמר רבי כרוספדאי אמר רבי יוחנן: שלשה ספרים נפתחין בראש השנה, אחד של רשעים גמורין, ואחד של צדיקים גמורין, ואחד של בינוניים. צדיקים גמורין – נכתבין ונחתמין לאלתר לחיים, רשעים גמורין – נכתבין ונחתמין לאלתר למיתה, בינוניים - תלוויין ועומדין מראש השנה ועד יום הכפורים. זכו – נכתבין לחיים, לא זכו – נכתבין למיתה.
Three books are opened on Rosh Hashanah: one for the totally wicked, one for the totally righteous, and one for the intermediate. The totally righteous are inscribed and sealed immediately for life. The totally wicked are inscribed and sealed immediately for death. And the intermediate people are left dependent from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur. If they merit they will be inscribed for life. And if they do not merit, they will be inscribed for death". (Rosh Hashanah 16b)

How can this be so?

Weren't there many obviously wicked people or regimes that survived through more than one Rosh Hashanah (like the Egyptians who enslaved Yisrael, the Nazi regime, etc.)?
Furthermore, how could it be that prosperity is determined on Rosh Hashanah but the rain, grain produce, and fruits are judged on the three holidays (Rosh Hashanah 16a)?


texts: Paying a Rov as part of mechiras chametz

texts:
I remember hearing not so long ago, that there is a minhag to give the Rov who is doing the mechiras chametz for you some money, partially as a way of being makir tov (showing your gratitude) for all that they do, but more importantly, because it adds extra legitimacy to the sale and turns it into not just a ceremonial process, but rather through the payment, you actually turn him into a po'eil (a hired worker) who is making the effort for you to sell the chametz.
Does anyone know a source for this?


texts:
The famous Rambam(Hilchos Geirushin 2:20) where he writes that if a man is required to divorce his wife (which were enumerated in Hilchos Ishus) and he doesn't want to divorce her ,beis din can force him to give a get. The Rambam writes that this get works is because forcing doesn't work only in a case when it has no connection to Torah observances(sale of land,presents). However,in this case it is his yetzer Harah which is stopping him and really he wants to fulfill his obligation.

My question is that the Rambam writes that this person deep down wants to be part of Israel and wants to keep the mitzvos. Do we say this about a man who became an apikores or mumar which does not fall intof the category of letiavon (for pleasure purposes) or the Rambam meant only in a case where the person is a shomer shabbas?


texts: Should animals not be fed on Yom Kippur?

texts:
There is a line in The Book of Jonah that says:

  And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying: 'Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing; let them not feed, nor drink water;

Does this mean that we, literally, should not feed animals (including Livestock and Pets, even Service Animals) on Yom Kippur or are animals not considered people (and are exempt from fasting) despite this line in the The Book?


texts: When were the books and the text of the Torah settled?

texts:
I am right now reading "The Lies That Bind" (Kwame Anthony Appiah). On page 50 at the bottom of the 2nd paragraph he states:

"More than this, the idea of a final listing of the books of the Bible
... and the idea of a settled version of the text of each book was not
established in Judaism by the time of Christ".

I am startled by this, as I had thought that writing found in the dead sea scrolls had established that the Torah WAS fully established by the time of Christ.
Is Appiah correct here (meaning I am misinformed)? When were the books and the language of the Torah finalized?


texts: Why were these pasukim chosen for the upside down Nuns?

texts:
In Bamidbar 10:35-36 there are two upside down Nuns. The traditional explanation is that this serves as a break between different accounts of wicked behavior. Not wanting to list three such counts in a row the torah inserts these bracketed verses:

  וַיְהִי בִּנְסֹעַ הָאָרֹן, וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה:  קוּמָה ה', וְיָפֻצוּ אֹיְבֶיךָ, וְיָנֻסוּ מְשַׂנְאֶיךָ, מִפָּנֶיךָ.
  וּבְנֻחֹה, יֹאמַר:  שׁוּבָה ה', רִבְבוֹת אַלְפֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.

Why were these pesukim chosen to be the interrupting verses? And why 2?


texts:
What is Nittle Nacht?
What does the name mean?
What is its significance?
Which Halachic authorities speak about it, and what do they say?
What is the actual date for it?
How is it effected this year when it comes out on Shabbos?


texts:
There is a term in Yiddish is גילדני אדער - and the translation as hemorrhoids is given in Harkavy's Yiddish/English/Hebrew dictionary.

The term is mentioned numerous times in the Jewish legal literature with regards to the law of Niddah, the Jewish laws pertaining to a menstruate woman. The discussions revolves around blood that is found in the vaginal area that might be attributed to the aforesaid condition called the 'golden vein'.

Is there any reason that hemorrhoids would be described as golden?


texts:
It seems that two versions of Isaiah 8:11 exist.

One has  "כחזקת היד" -- this is the version in the Aleppo (shown above) and Leningrad codices:
    http://www.studylight.org/desk/?sr=1&old_q=Isaiah+8%3A11&search_form_type=general&q1=Isaiah+8%3A11&s=0&t1=iw_ale&ns=0

One has "בחזקת היד " -- this is the version in Mikraot G'dolot and all the commentators there (Yonatan, Rashi, Radak, Metzudot).

Does anyone have any light to shed on this?


texts: How do I make myself into someone who has strong emunah through tough times and become more religious ?

texts: I have been pretty religious my whole life but not 100%. I am 17 yr old boy and I go to shul on Shabbat for the last part of shacarit, the Torah reading and all of mussaf. My family is not very religious. We keep kosher but we aren't shomer shabbat. I went to yeshiva my whole life but left due to financial issues. I have been in public school for all of high school. I left yeshiva for high school and my brother left for public school since middle school. I overcame some rough times and I am happy that I am stronger Baruch Hashem but I am overcoming and having a hard time strengthening my emuna, so how do I?


texts:
The Zohar's interpretation of the words 'Bereshit bara Elohim', usually translated as 'In the beginning G-d created', seems not to understand the word Elohim to be the subject of the verb bara, but instead as the object of the verb. The act of 'bara' is done 'with Reshit'.

Hopefully I got it right, but the Zohar seems to understand that when HaShem sought to be revealed, He produced at first a single point which ascended to become thought, it was the beginning of creation, a process in which a spark sprang forth from the Ein Sof; this point of light is what the Zohar calls ‘Reshit’. From this beginning point things began to unfold through the different sefirot, or emanations of divine light. The Zohar adds that the word Elohim is composed of the two words: mi (who), and eleh (these).

Looking back at the words 'Bereshit bara Elohim' what does the Zohar tries to teach us interpreting these words to mean that 'with the Reshit', with this starting point this spark, He created Elohim. What does this mean? Does this mean HaShem created the concept of Elohim?

Afterwards we do read it's with the title of Elohim and with speech, that things begin to unfold.

Could someone please explain the basis that the Zohar presents to us here for understanding the first chapter of Bereshit?


texts: Are women allowed to write a commentary on a book of Tanakh in orthodox Judaism?

texts: Miryam was a prophetess, and Deborah was a judge.  Are women allowed to teach men or to write a commentary on a book of Tanakh according to halakhah?


texts: Rabbinical definition of "a clean and easy profession"

texts:
רַבִּי מֵאִיר אוֹמֵר: לְעוֹלָם יְלַמֵּד אָדָם אֶת בְּנוֹ אֻמָּנוּת נְקִיָּה וְקַלָּה,
Rabbi Meir says: one should always teach his son
a clean and easy profession. (Mishna Kiddushin 4,14).

The Gemmorah elaborates (82,b):

מאי היא אמר רב יהודה - מחטא דתלמיותא
Needlework for embroidery is a clean and easy trade.

I don't recall a Rabbi that was an embroidered, or maybe there's a hidden meaning into it.
What does it mean: "a clean and easy profession"? What is "clean" and what is "easy"?


texts: Is there a prayer that is said by others on behalf of someone who is about to undergo a dangerous (non-cosmetic) surgery? Is the מי שברך the most appropriate?


texts:
If a lefty teaches himself (before or after his bar mitzvah) to write with his right hand

What happens with teffilin?

What if he teaches himself to prefer his right hand for everything?

Sources please


texts:
I often run into aggadic passages in the Talmud, and would like to get a list of references beyond the standard 4 (Ein Yaakov, Maharsha, Benayahu/Ben Yehoyada and the Chiddushei Aggados of the Maharal).

Is there any other reference, which would interpret aggada, preferably not al-pi derech pshat?

Thank you very much.


texts:
I've always thought the answer was yes, but apparently, I recently heard a different opinion related to whether or not the marriage that the Kohen got into was a legitimate marriage.

Can someone elaborate on this?


texts: What are some non-allegorical commentaries on Song of Solomon?

texts: I'd like to find some good commentaries, preferably very old, on Song of Solomon that aren't focused on allegorical interpretations of it.  What are some top titles in this area?


texts: Do communal and individual prayers correspond to different sacrifices?

texts:
Prayer, in general, is compared to the sacrifices that were offered in the Temple, as alluded to in Hoshea 14:3.

But, halacha distinguishes between the prayers of an individual (תפלה ביחיד) and the prayers of the community (תפלה בצבור).

Do these different types of prayer relate to different types of sacrifices and if so, how?


texts:
Speaking to a Rabbi recently he told me the rules of Bishul Aqum have more to do with preventing intermarriage than risk of non kosher ingredients being added to food without a Jew's knowledge.

Let's say someone has a Jewish mother and non Jewish father and has half siblings through the father. These siblings are not Jewish, but if one was raised with these siblings and viewed them as family, do the rules of Bishul Aqum apply to these siblings and make it forbidden to eat food cooked by them since there seems to be no risk of intermarriage?


texts: Which version of "Barech alenu" to say on Shabas or yom tov?

texts:
We say the "tal" (dew) prayer at musaf on the first day of Pesach, inaugurating the season in which we no longer mention rain in the amida prayer. However, this is immediately relevant to only "mashiv haruach umorid hagashem" in the second benediction of the amida: the request for rain in the ninth benediction of the weekday amida is, well, only on weekdays, so its cessation is effective, practically, only after the first day(s) of Pesach, at the maariv prayer on the first day of chol hamoed.

In most people's versions of the ninth benediction, only a few words change in the middle depending on the season: the beginning of the benediction is constant.

If someone mistakenly starts to say the weekday amida at mincha on a holiday or Shabas, he is supposed to complete whatever benediction he finds himself amid, and then switch over to the holiday amida.

Suppose, then, someone mistakenly starts to say the weekday amida at mincha on the first day of Pesach, and catches himself after starting the ninth benediction. he should, of course, continue it. Should he recite the wintertime request for rain in it, perhaps because no one has yet begun the summertime version of the blessing, or should he not, perhaps because the summer prayer season's already been inaugurated?

Similarly:

We begin the ninth benediction's request for rain on a particular date in the fall. (This date varies by location.) Suppose the date falls on Shabas, and someone makes that same mistake: he says the weekday amida and catches himself after beginning the ninth benediction. Should he continue with the winter version, since the date for the switch has arrived, or with the summer version, since the community hasn't yet switched?

A sourced answer would be ideal.


texts: Assume for the purposes of the question that all circumstances are the same as if the wine had been made/handled by non-Jews.  I don't want answers regarding whether it is Mevushal or whether Mevushal really helps or if it was opened or not opened, etc.  I am asking purely: Are the rules the same for non-religious Jews as they are for non-Jews with regard to making/handling wine?  If I cannot drink a bottle of wine because of the way/fact that it was made/handled by a non-Jew, am I prohibited from drinking that bottle if it was made/handled the same way by a non-religious Jew?


texts: Those that refrain from allowing a younger sibling to get married prior to an older sibling mention the verse from Lavan, "Lo Yaiose Kain BimiKomeinu Losais Hatziyira Lifnei HaBechira, In our locale we do not marry off the younger child prior to the older one". Are there any other sources for this Minhag? Is there an age that you say "at this point we stop waiting"? (sources please)


texts: Can I get a digital copy of the Journal of Halacha?

texts: I was reading a sefer which cited the Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society #35. Can I get a digital copy of this Journal?


texts:
This is somewhat related to a previous question I asked.

When praying with a minyan, one may skip portions of the liturgy in order to "sync up" with the rest of the group for Shema and Amidah. So reciting the order of liturgy < praying with the community.

Additionally, there are well regarded opinions that allow for praying solitary in order to pray the Amidah at netz (of course, there are caveats to when this is applicable). So praying with the community < praying at daybreak.

If a person is trying to pray ALONE at netz, but realizes that they won't reach it if they read all of the liturgy, are they permitted to skip portions of the service to reach Amidah at the appropriate time?


texts: Is there a prohibition against long hair for an Orthodox Jewish man? If there is, at what length? Past ears? Shoulder? At what point is it considered long hair?


texts: Shliach for bedikas chometz -- making another shliach

texts:
Reuvan went away before Pesach and made Shimon a shliach (emissary) to be bodek (check) his home on lyl yud-daled (the night before Pesach) for chametz. (See beginning of Siman 436 and Mishneh Brurah Sif-Katan 1.)

Can Shimon in turn make Levy a shliach to be bodek the home instead (without asking Reuvan or notifying him of this first)?

Are there any issues with this in halacha? What about the point that perhaps Reuvan wouldn't want anyone else going into his home, aside from the person he appointed? What other points might there be in this halacha in regards to a shliach making another shliach? As always bring sources.


texts:
Are there any examples of songs, poems, piyyutim or kinnot from the time of the first temple until the 1700's (c.e.) which were authored by women and were adopted by traditional/orthodox communities.

By adopted I mean either sung, or included in a standard edition bentcher or song/prayer books.


texts:
As the title says, What Other Terms, Besides "Korban," Mean Sacrifice in Some Form or Another?

I am trying to understand sacrifice better. In English, this one word has narrow and broader meanings, but one essential word. Thus, to start looking deeper into this question, I want to know:

are there any other words for sacrifice in Hebrew (explicitly connected with Judaism, Torah, Tanakh, Talmud, etc.)?


texts: Is there a comprehensive list of things in the Talmud that are "halachot limosheh misinai"- laws that were passed down from Moshe through the generations? An example of such is tefilin needing to be square and black.


texts: Keeping Two-day Shabbos in the Pacific Islands?

texts: What's this I see about people in the Pacific Islands keeping two days of Shabbos? If it is true: Who, how, since when, and why?


texts: Does G-d approve or merely permit human consumption of meat?

texts:
Many vegetarians and vegans argue that G-d gave humans permission to eat meat only because of a human failing in abstaining anyway.  My takeaway from that argument is that, in light of a more traditional approach I've heard, that after the Flood, all animals owed their very existence to humans and therefore humans were placed atop the food chain, and since humans could not overcome the temptation to remain herbivorous anyway, G-d granted us the right to eat meat.  I've also heard that in the days of the Messiah, we will no longer eat meat.

But is that really how are to view this permission?  I know a direct parallel cannot be drawn from the fact that G-d asks for animal sacrifice, because we are giving in that case, not taking, and the argument over leather also proves virtually nothing.  Further, it makes it even more difficult for us to budget for our own consumption if we have to sacrifice part of our flocks to G-d.

Yet we have certain statements with the force of Halachah behind them (whether we Pasken like them or not), that indicate that eating meat is spiritually desirable.  I found a reference to Ramban (online, though I cannot trace the source at the moment) indicating that Kosher meat is good for the soul - of course on the other hand, non-Jews are not restricted to such meat, so there's that.  But there is the famous statement that there is no joy without meat and wine, and furthermore a requirement (I'm using that term loosely, although some take it very seriously) to eat meat and fish on Shabbath.

Bottom line, is eating meat a good thing, or is it a concession but better not to if we don't have an overwhelming desire to eat meat?  Or is there a middle-ground, that since we have the concession it is something we need not worry about and are free to enjoy?

More food for thought (no pun intended): This answer indicates a necessity to eat meat to distinguish humans from animals (possibly even for the animals' sake as much as the humans').
(If anyone can help with general sourcing, it would be greatly appreciated.  I've heard R' Kook strongly encouraged vegetarianism (veganism?). If anyone can provide a source for that, I'd appreciate that as well.)


texts: Can one get a haircut on Friday during Sefira?

texts:
Getting a haircut and shaving are generally forbidden during Sefirah (the counting of the Omer). Shaving is permitted by some on Erev Shabbos, (Friday), for the honor of Shabbos. So are there any similar rulings for getting a haircut?

I also heard that if someone tells you, "You're hair looks disgusting!" then you can get a haircut regardless of the day of the week. Is this true?


texts: Are there any crafts permitted to do on Shabbat?

texts:
I was asked to do a children's recreation program at a local Jewish center.

What are suggestions for types of projects to do with a group of children that are allowed to do on Shabbat? Are there any types of crafts to do with the children that are within the limits of Shabbat?

Any ideas of appropriate activities would be greatly appreciated - we have 10-20 school aged children (5-12 years old)


texts: What happened to Lovon's idols that were taken by Rochel?

texts:
In a comment on this question Did anyone (especially Yaakov) ever find out about the idols? Ezra says:

  In Genesis 35:1-4, Jacob requests his household to hand over "foreign
  deities", and he buries them underneath a tree in Shechem. Perhaps the
  teraphim were discovered then, because shortly after this, Rachel dies
  (ibid. 35:17-20).

Other than this suggestion, do we know what happened to Lovon's idols that were taken by Rochel?


texts: Eisav's angel fought Yaakov. Why Eisav's angel and not Gavriel?

texts:
I saw this dvar torah in a forum.

"וַיֵּאָבֵק אִישׁ עִמּוֹ" (לב/כה) פירש רש"י ז"ל : "הוא שרו של עשיו"
שואלים: בפסוק הנאמר על יוסף "וַיִּמְצָאֵהוּ אִישׁ וְהִנֵּה תועֶה
בַּשָּׂדֶה" (לז/טו) אומר רש"י שם, איש זה "גבריאל".
ומדוע רש"י פירש אצל יעקב ויאבק "איש" עמו זה שרו של עשיו? ואילו ביוסף
פירש "איש" זה גבריאל?
אלא, התירוץ אצל יעקב לאחר המאבק שביקש ממנו ברכה, ענה המלאך: "שלחני"
כי עלה השחר, וצריך אני לומר שירה. איש כזה בודאי שרו של עשיו: שאינו
רוצה לחכות, ואינו רוצה לברך.
ואולם, אצל יוסף האיש שראה את יוסף תועה בשדה, הציע לו את מלוא עזרתו.
איש כזה בודאי "גבריאל" אעפ"י שהיה צריך לומר שירה, בכ"ז מצא זמן לעזור
ליוסף ודחה את שירתו, כדי לעזור למי שתועה בדרך.
(ר' לייב אב"ד באשב)

It suggests that the reason that the angel (described as a man אִישׁ) that fought with Yaacov was the heavenly prince of Eisav and the other angel that helped Yosef (also described as a man אִישׁ) was the angel Gavriel was because of their attitude to helping. The angel who went out of his way to help Yosef must have been  Gavriel. When Yaakov wanted a blessing from the angel, he replied that he had to go and sing to HKB”H and had no time. He must have been the angel of Eisav.
That's very fine, but it appears from the pesukim that the request for a blessing was after the angel asked  to go and sing to HKB”H.

32 (25) And Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until
the break of dawn.
End of Rashi there: Our Rabbis explained (Gen. Rabbah 77:3, 78:3) that
this was the prince (guardian angel) of Esau.
32 (27) And he (the angel) said, "Let me go, for dawn is breaking,"
but he (Jacob) said, "I will not let you go unless you have blessed
me."
Rashi on “for dawn is breaking”: And I must recite a song [of praise]
(Gen. Rabbah 78:1, Chullin 91a).

It is possible to justify the explanation of  ר' לייב if (one component of) the subject of the wrestling was the granting of a blessing. Is there any evidence for this or a better explanation?


texts:
I have two siddurim, both of which have an indication referring to the beginning of a bow, but neither of which reference when to end this bow. At present I just end it whenever the translated sentence ends.

Is there an exact ruling on when to finish this bow?


texts:
News recently reported about a company in California that produces "Milk free Milk".

The process -- which is all in a lab -- involves yeast and genetically modify them by adding DNA from a cow to produce the exact same liquid as cow milk (without lactose for those suffering lactose intolerance and other benefits).

This being said, will this be dairy? If yes, for those who don't drink Chalav Stam, would this be non-Kosher?


texts: Are the thirty six tzaddikim really hidden?

texts: There is a well-known legend that there are always 36 "hidden" righteous people in the world at any given time. The source given for this is the Gemara in Succah 45b, where indeed it mentions 36 tzaddikim. However, nowhere does the Gemara describe them as being hidden. What is the original source for the notion that their righteousness is a secret?


texts: I have a pet snake that has two types of lamps. One lamp is turned on in the mornings (day lamp) and then the other is turned on at night (night lamp). They both are needed to produce light and heat for the snake. How can I operate this on Shabbos!?!