texts: Is the Maharshal's list of differences between Talmud Bavli and Talmud Yerushalmi complete?

texts: I found here a book written by the Maharshal citing where pasukim are found in the Yerushalmi. In the end of this book, he cites a number of differences in halacha between the Bavli and the Yerushalmi. Is this complete? And if not, where can I find a complete list?


texts: When blogging/emailing/etc., do I use "God" or "G-d"?

texts: Is there a religious problem with typing out the name: "G-o-d"?


texts:
The Torah (Genesis 32:4) says that Jacob sends "malachim" to Esau. Rashi there interprets "malachim" (commonly referring to messengers, or angels) as "real malachim" ("מלאכים ממש"). I've also heard from various Rabbis that this means that Jacob actually sent angels to Esau!

To the best of my understanding, the term "malachim" literally means "messengers", and is a term that is borrowed to refer to angels, who are "heavenly messengers".

Is it possible that when Rashi writes "real malachim", he is actually trying to say "real messengers", since "malachim" literally means messengers?


texts: Why are wedding invitation abbreviated b'rachos different for males and females?

texts:
Many wedding invitations written in Hebrew that I've seen have the abbreviations נ"י - after the groom's name - and תחי' - after the bride's name. (Example) Sometimes they are slight alterations on those themes. (Example?)

How/why did this standard arise?
Why are there different abbreviated good wishes for males and females in this context?
Does the difference extend to other contexts?

The bold one is the main question, but I think it likely that a good answer to it will also answer the other two.


texts: If David Commited Adultery, How Could He Remain With Bathsheba?

texts:
Samuel II Chapter 11 tells of David committing adultery with Bathsheba. Whether or not she was actually considered to be married is a matter of debate, as sourced here.

According to those who say that David did sin, how could he remain married to Bathsheba? Sotah 26b mentions a prohibition of the adulteress to both husband and paramour! Inductively, one would assume that as the royal line came from this union through Solomon, it was permissible, at least technically... right?

Please source you answers.


texts: In Masheches Sanhedrin 10b the gemara mentions an opinion from פלימו(Plimo) regarding kiddush hachodesh. Is there any more info on this person ?


texts: How were the Rabbis allowed to trick Karkamit?

texts:
According to Akavya ben Mehallel, Eduyot 5:6 states that a freed maidservant was made to drink fake sotah water (this is how most commentators interpret the phrase). I assume, though I have not seen any commentaries which would support or disagree, that they put this woman through the rest of the Sotah process, including making her take an oath.

My question is: How were the Rabbis allowed to do this? If she was someone who met all the criteria for the sotah trial (accused by her husband with witnesses, etc.), then were they not obligated to actually perform the ritual ?

Furthermore, part of the ritual is making her take an oath. If the ritual was not really being performed, did they make her take an oath in vain? Were they liable for damages such as embarrassment that are done as part of the ritual? Would this be considered genayvat da'at and, if so, why was this done at all?


texts: Did the Ramban say that mitzvos d'Rabbanan are only obligatory in the Land of Israel?

texts: I've heard (maybe seen also?) that the Ramban (Rav Moshe ben Nachman, Nachmanides) said that Rabbincal Commands are only obligatory while in the Land of Israel. Is this true? (If so) Where is it recorded? Has it ever been treated by other rishonim/poskim?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Grandpa and Grandson together again

Where in davening is a grandfather and his grandson mentioned without the father? Iv'e searched most of the weekday davening and found nothing. Any ideas?


texts: Is this a mistake in a Torah scroll or intended decoration?

texts: In the following pictures, is the superscript addition a correction or intended decoration?  Are corrections like this kosher?


texts: What is the source for the saying "כבד את השם בגרונך"?

texts: What is the source for the saying "כבד את השם בגרונך" in the Gemara?


texts: Shaving on Rosh Chodesh when it is Erev Shabbos

texts: Is one who has the minhag of Reb Yehuda Hachassid to not shave or take a haircut on rosh chodesh (as outlined in his will) allowed to shave and or take haircuts when Rosh Chodesh comes out on Erev Shabbos?


texts: Sefardic and Ashkenazic main halacha book for Even Haezer, Yoreh Deah and Choshen Mishpat?

texts: Besides the Mishna Berurah (Orach Chaim) for ashkenazim and the Kaf Hahaim (Orah Chaim and parts of Yoreh Deah) for Sefardim, what is used to complete the scope of Shulchan Aruch ?


texts: Where can I find indexes to the classic Torah works?

texts: I want indexes (indices) to the classic Torah works, so that I can quickly find the pages that hold the information I need. Where can I find such indexes?


texts: This question asks about using an ice cream scoop on Shabbath, and an internet forum linked in the question has a discussion about the permissibility of decorative plating of food generally. According to one commenter, one is not even allowed to place cookies on a tray in an attractive manner. What is the source for this prohibition (and is it a correct interpretation of the source)?


texts:
Certain issurim (forbidden things) can become batel (halachically nullified) if they were unintentionally mixed in heter (permitted things). In order for this to happen, the heter must outnumber the issur . Depending on what the issur is, the necessary measurement may be 1/60 (taste), 1/100 (terumah) 1/200 (kilayei hakerem and orla) or just a simple rov (majority).

However some things "never" become batel; they are assur even b'mashehu, that is, even in the smallest amount. The classic example of this is chametz (leaven) on Pesach, which is assur even in the minutest proportions.

However, I have been told by a Rov that even mashehu has a shiur (measurement) in which it becomes batel. The example I heard was that the Kinneret's water does not all become assur just because someone dumped chametz there on Pesach. (Yes, I'm aware that some are machmir on this, but let's leave that out, shall we?)

What is this shiur? Is it just a vague "whole lot" kind of feeling? Has any Rov quantified it, or said that it cannot be thus quantified?

Related: tap water on Pesach (Specifically Shalom's answer)


texts: Shva na and shva nach on almost the same word in מגילת אסתר?

texts:
Esther 2:3 ends with the word תמרקיהן. Esther 2:9 contains the word תמרוקיה.

The question is about the sh'va under the mem. My source, via Kinnor software, says that this sh'va is na in the first case but nach in the second case.

Since the vowel under the taf is patach in both cases, I would have said that the sh'va was nach in both cases; otherwise the word starts with an open unaccented syllable with a small vowel. But nobody should listen to me since I don't know the first thing about it.

A difference in the words is that the first is mil'ra, with secondary accent (though unmarked) on the second syllable, while the second is mil'el with secondary accent (also unmarked) on the first syllable. Presumably this difference of accent has something to do with it, though the rules I know for sh'va na still say both would be nach.

Can someone please explain what's going on?


texts:
Most rabbis do not allow conversion for ulterior motives (e.g to marry a Jew), because it is not for the sake of God.

Let us look at the words of the prototypal convert in the Tanach.  What did she say?

  And Ruth said, Do not entreat me to leave you, or to keep from following you; for wherever you go, I will go; and where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God;  Where you die, will I die, and there will I be buried; the Lord do so to me, and more also, if even death parts me from you. (Ruth 1:16-17)

Does she talk about her love of God, of Israel, of Judaism, of monotheism, or such?  No.  She talks only about her love of Naomi.  So why was she accepted and held up as an example?


texts: Can a wedding lasting into the 3 weeks have music playing?

texts: Here are things that are forbidden during the 3 weeks. If an Ashkenazi got married the evening of the 3 weeks before Shkiyah (which is similar to another question on this site), can the music continue playing after Shkiya for the duration of the wedding? Do we say that since the music started when permissible, one can finish or once Shkiya comes & brings the Issur of playing music with it, the music must cease?


texts: Why the custom to switch around negative-sounding numbers, such as שד?

texts:
Often in sefarim we find that if the number of the siman spells out something negative, such as siman 304 which has a letter value of שד, we switch it around so it no longer reads as a "bad" word. Here's an example in the Tur. Here's another and another and another.

When and where did this custom originate? Did the original Tur have this configuration, or was it modified by later printers? Can it be found in earlier books?

Furthermore, does it really serve a purpose? How would it matter if a siman reads רעה?


texts: Why celebrate Lag Ba'Omer on the 33rd according to the MaHaRIL?

texts:
There are several different opinions about when the students of Rabbi Akiva died, and which days we mourn for them.

Sefer HaToda'ah quotes the Maharil, who says that the students of Rabbi Akiva died throughout the 49 days of the Omer, but did not die on days during the "Holiday Days" of the Omer. These days are:

The 7 days of Pesach
3 Days of Rosh Chodesh
7 Shabbatot

If you add them up, there are 17 days. If you take away 17 days from 49, you're left with 32 days during which the students died. That's why, according to the Maharil, we celebrate Lag Ba'Omer on the 33rd day, to commemorate that the students only died for 32 days, even if they may have died on Lag Ba'Omer itself.

However, there seems to be a problem with this calculation. One of the days of Shabbat would have also been one of the days of Pesach. If so, the students would have died on 33 of the days, not 32. If so, according to the Maharil, shouldn't we celebrate on the 34th day of the Omer, not the 33rd?

On further thought, I think I have more insight into the Maharil. The Talmud (Yevamot 62B) says that the students of R' Akiva died between Pesach and Shavuot. It does not say that they died during Sefirat Ha'Omer (although, according to the Maharil, this is what practically happened, since no one died the whole of Pesach). This is why the Maharil counts all 7 days of Pesach as days when no one died, even though it was part of the time of their dying.

This strengthens the question I have above, since one of the 7 days of Pesach must be Shabbat.


texts:
Right before the final aliyah today (Parshat Pekudei) the gabbai asked everyone to stand up. He does this before the final aliyah of each of the books of the Torah. While I have seen discussions about standing during leining in general, or standing for the 10 hadibrot, I can't find any source or (more importantly) reason for one to stand specifically for the last aliyah of the sefer.

as per comments: apparently in some places, the people are asked to stand (via a klopp or something else) just for the last pasuk. Asking before the aliyah would avoid an interruption at that point.

Why is this aliyah (or this pasuk) different from other aliyot in that people are asked to stand?


texts: How many Kosher animals were in Noach's Ark?

texts: How many animals total of each Kosher species were in the teivah during the flood?


texts: Second-Person Plural Imperative in ברכת קדושת השם of Rosh HashShanah and Yom Kippur

texts:
In the expanded 3rd blessing of the Amidah used on the yamim nora'im, there is a sentence (in Nusah Sefard):

לדור ודור המליכו לאל כי הוא לבדו מרום וקדוש

This is phrased in the second-person plural imperative, addressing some plural group and commanding them to do something. How does this make sense in a silent prayer spoken to God?


texts:
I had a very odd dream last night.  It was a lucid dream, meaning I realized it was a dream.  There are supposedly ways to induce this, but in my case it was an accident.  I have no idea why it happened.

I decided in the dream that I wanted to learn.

Then I wasn't sure if I could.  First of all, I had slept (obviously) and would have needed to wash my hands before learning.  Even if I washed my hands in the dream, that wouldn't help since I couldn't wash my real hands without waking up.  Second, I didn't know if I would have had to say Birchot Hatorah in the dream, since sleeping interrupts them.

I asked a Rav in the dream.  I don't remember what he said, and at that point I woke up.  I realized then that asking him was a completely useless thing to do, since he only existed in my imagination and couldn't have known anything that I didn't know.  Plus if I wasn't allowed to learn, I also wasn't allowed to ask him.

Would I have been allowed to learn in the dream?  More generally, are there any other halachot that are specifically relevant inside a lucid dream?  (They can't apply in a regular dream, since if you don't know it's a dream you can't know to apply them.)


texts: Are hefseks in between aliyot in krias hatorah made by the Rabbi issur?

texts:
In a lot of Chabad shuls I noticed the Rabbi usually gives a small drasha in between aliyot explaining what's coming up next or even have games for kids asking them for example to find how many alephs are in the coming aliyot.

Is this permitted ?

Rav Moshe Feinstein כא is pretty clear its issur.
Any opinion that permits this ???
Thankyou


texts: Should a doctor use a promising-but-unproven medicine, or handle it via a clinical trial?

texts:
Suppose a patient has a life-threatening disease. The doctor can treat with a drug that sounds promising, but more data are needed before it's solidly proven to work. Alternatively, the doctor can use this opportunity as part of a clinical trial -- which could mean it takes longer, or maybe a different drug (or even placebo) is given ... but that will eventually establish firmer data for others.
How does halacha balance those?
(And would we distinguish between the current pandemic, in which arguably we'd assume thousands are choleh befanenu and society would be greatly improved by firmly-informed better treatments, vs. something like cancer?)


texts:
I have been doing some reading and I see some pages which say that horse racing is frowned upon by halacha (but without sources) as running afoul of tza'ar ba'alei chayim (a comment here, and here, and a statement here).

Other sources look at the gambling aspect of it, or the lack of usefulness of watching it and some discuss rulings against actually holding races.

I am wondering if there is any additional concern regarding owning a race horse - if I don't bet on the race or attend it, can I benefit from the event? And additionally, if the event is on Shabbos, can I benefit from it? Note, I own no animals so this is a theoretical exercise for me regarding the application of halacha.


texts:
Is one allowed to read secular lecture/ knowledge (i.e. technology, science or history etc.) for pleasure reading?

Does the Torah or halacha explicitly tell us what one should distance himself from reading?


texts: Source for exemption of hekdesh by nizkei adam

texts:
What is the source of the פטור (exemption) of הקדש by נזקי אדם (damage to property done by a person)?

Tosfos on Bava Kama 7a (continued from 6b sv שור רעהו; on 7a, beginning of narrow lines) teaches that the פטור of all מזיקים when they damage הקדש is from a מה הצד between אדם, קרן, and שור פסולי המוקדשים by בור. Now I know that קרן is פטור from "שור רעהו ולא שור של הקדש" (bottom of 6b) and שור פסולי המוקדשים comes from "והמת יהיה לו" (later on, 10a (before the 2 dots)); but where does נזקי אדם come from?

Note: This question is not a question according to Rashi, because he holds that all מזיקים are פטורים by הקדש because of the פסוק of רעהו -- Rashi on 9b sv נכסים שאין בהם מעילה.


texts: I'd like to write a couple birchos habayis and get them illuminated as gifts. Does anyone know of a good existing text? I'm looking for something five or six lines long, preferably not the usual one beginning בזה השער לא יבא צער.


texts:
The gemarah (Bava Metziah 32b, based on Shemot 32:5) explains that a person is not allowed to give an animal undo pain, this is know as צער בעל חי.
I would like to know if a person is allowed to give an animal drugs for recreational purposes? For example catnip or pot brownies for a dog. On the one hand I am not aware of any halacha this would violate (see this summary of the halachot of caring for pets) and there is evidence that animals do things to intentionally get high on their own. On the other hand it is possible that the animal will injure itself after taking the drugs (I am unsure if grama would be applicable in this type of case) thereby causing (indirectly) pain to the animal, it is also possible that the drugs cause the animal pain and we are not aware of it. Furthermore, it is possible that the drugs could have an adverse long term effect on the animals brain, especially if the animal gets high multiple times.


texts: Why do we put the belt (gartel) of the Sefer Torah on the top third?

texts: I have observed in the Shuls I Daven in that the one who does Gelila often puts the belt (gartel) on the top third of the Sefer Torah. Is there a reason or source for this? Why not in the middle?


texts: Can a Beit Midrash demand payment for carrying a smartphone?

texts:
I went to a certain Beis Midrash and saw a sign saying that anyone who enters with a smartphone has to donate money to the Beis Midrash as a penalty.

Is someone entering with such a phone really required to pay? What if the person only notices the sign when leaving? Does this fall under “al daas baal habayis? (complying to host's rules)”


texts: What is a Get Zikui and in what cases has it been used?

texts: The Safed Rabbinical Court recently gave a woman a "get zikui" to permit her to receive a divorce from her husband who has been in a coma for seven years.  See this article.  The article describes it as "rare."  What exactly is a get zikui and are there any recorded instances of it being used recently?


texts: Isaiah 53 How does Israel's suffering atone for the sins of the nations?

texts:
Isaiah 53:4
Indeed, he bore our illnesses, and our pains-he carried them, yet we accounted him as plagued, smitten by God and oppressed.
דאָכֵן חֳלָיֵנוּ הוּא נָשָׂא וּמַכְאֹבֵינוּ סְבָלָם וַאֲנַחְנוּ חֲשַׁבְנֻהוּ נָגוּעַ מֻכֵּה אֱלֹהִים וּמְעֻנֶּה:

Rashi comments:

  Indeed, he bore our illnesses: Heb. אָכֵן, an expression of ‘but’ in
  all places. But now we see that this came to him not because of his
  low state, but that he was chastised with pains so that all the
  nations be atoned for with Israel’s suffering. The illness that should
  rightfully have come upon us, he bore.

Is there indication in Scripture, prior to this passage in Isaiah 53, that suggests the suffering of one can atone for the sin of another?  What leads Rashi to this understanding/interpretation?  How can the suffering of one atone for the sins of another?


texts: According to Kabbalah is it okay to have a pet dove?

texts:
I want to buy a dove but my parents say that they heard that according to Kabbalah you cannot own a bird as a pet.
I want to know what Kabbalah says about this.


texts:
I've heard Rabbi Yaron Reuben saying women who do not wear kisui rosh (putting the dispute of wigs as an exception), are like a woman who sinned before her husband.  The Rabbi said that the kohen used to first warn about the consequences of drinking the 'Sotah Water' and if she does not acknowledge, the kohen would then pull off the kisui rosh of the woman.

Can I please have a source for this?  And also,  what is the severity of leaving the hair of a married jewish women without a covering?


texts: (Why) Does Mishlei 25:23 say that "the north wind begets rain"?

texts:
A relative of mine who works in the aviation and meteorology industry is grappling with the pasuk in Mishlei 25:23, which reads:

"As the north wind begets rain, so a backbiting tongue [begets] an angry countenance."

Rashi explains that "the north wind is accustomed to beget rain and a backbiting tongue is accustomed to [beget] an angry countenance."

The difficulty that aforementioned relative is having is that as far as he was taught [with regards to meteorology], the north wind in Israel is a dry wind (i.e., it does not bring rain).

Is the information he received faulty? That is to say, is the North wind in Israel actually a wet wind?

Or is the common translation faulty? (A local rabbi I asked said that the Hebrew doesn't actually say the north wind brings rain, but rather "drives" it away.)

If not, why does Mishlei say what it says?


texts: There's an amora (or at least one) in the Bavli named שימי. I think I've always heard this pronounced with an initial letter sin. However, I saw recently that the Koren-Steinsaltz edition has a initial shin. What support is there for either?


texts: Do good christians go to heaven when they die (Gan Eden)?

texts:
Will Christians have a share in the world to come if they truly did not know that Judaism was true, and were brought up with Jesus their whole lives? And can that same concept be applied to atheist as well, who also did not know all the evidence to prove Judaism?

That is to say, does G-d not judge a Christian or atheist for what he or she didn't know?

And if so, for how long?


texts: Davening in shul vs. davening in an avel's home

texts:
Two scenarios:

1 - A person has a choice of either being the 10th person for a minyan at either a shul or a mourner's home. Where should he go? Assume that one of these 2 places count on him to form the minyan. Without him, they won't get anyone else.

2 - A mourner cannot get a minyan at his home unless the minyan (consisting of exactly 10 people) from shul would all come to his home. Should these 10 people daven in the shul, or should they all form a minyan in the mourner's home?

These people cannot daven at both places because, I believe, there is a rule that at least 6 people should not have previously davened in order to be able to repeat the Amidah. (Source: Kitzur S.A.  סימן כ - דין חזרת תפלת השליח צבור)  אֵין אוֹמְרִים תְּפִלַּת שְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה בְּקוֹל, אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן יֵשׁ לְכָל הַפָּחוֹת שִׁשָּׁה אֲנָשִׁים, שֶׁהֵם רֹב מִנְיָן שֶׁהִתְפַּלְּלוּ עַתָּה.

The main concern - Does davening in a shul have the highest priority? If so, why?


texts: According to the Tanya, is one never permitted to be sad at all?

texts:
In Iggeret Hakodesh chapter 11, the Baal Hatanya says :

  In truth, however, “No evil descends from above,” and everything is good,
  though it is not apprehended [as such] because of its immense and abundant goodness. [...] Accordingly, “Strength and gladness are in His place,” because He is but good all the time. Therefore, first of all, man ought to be happy and joyous at every time and hour, and truly live by his faith in G‑d, Who animates him and acts kindly towards him at every moment. But he who is grieved and laments demonstrates that he is undergoing some hardship and suffering, and lacks some goodness; he is (heaven forfend) like a heretic, who denies G‑d’s omnipresence.

Several questions :

This seems to be a very high level to achieve, since ignoring one's suffering and still being joyous in the middle of it usually require an enormous and almost superhuman level of exertion of will and self subjugation. If this is only an ideal level one should strive towards - meaning that the overwhelming majority of people will not reach it - why is there such a harsh rebuke of those people being compared to heretics?
What about the Torah sanctioned or even halachically mandated instances of when one should be sad and grieve/lament (for example mourning a relative, or lamenting the destruction of the Temple)? The reasoning (that all seemingly bad events and calamities only seem that way, but are actually good) would apply even to these instances. And, in fact, the quote above seems to require being happy and joyous at all times whatsoever, and to never have feelings of sadness.


texts: Learning resources for 'Guide for the Perplexed' by Rabbi Moshe Maimonides

texts: I'm looking for some English resources on learning the 'Guide for the Perplexed' by Rabbi Moshe Maimonides. Unfortunately most resources are very heavy and not for bedtime reading. Im looking for an english translation or english commentary. Can anyone suggest something good?


texts: Mitzvah of eating sheep for Parshat Yitro

texts:
Many communities have a custom to consume sheep for the Shabbat of Parshat Yitro. Why is this done?

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


texts: What things are done differently for an adult circumcision?

texts:
I have never attended an adult circumcision, and I don't know anyone, personally, who was circumcised as an adult. I'm curious if there are any notable differences between an adult and child circumcision. Examples:

I've never seen local anesthetics used for a child. Perhaps, babies are more tolerant of the pain than adults. Do they use any anesthetic for adults?
I assume that there is no sandak at an adult brit? The sandak usually holds the baby on his lap. I don't think a sandak could hold an adult on his lap.
In what position is the adult? Lying on a "mat"? Sitting?
Is recovery time longer for an adult than for a child? Are there any physical dangers / problems that may occur afterwards for an adult that are different than those that may occur for a baby? (E.g. different or higher degree of infections, etc.)
In the prayer after the child's brit, there's a phrase that says (loose translation):

  This little one shall grow. In the manner that he entered the brit, so
  shall he enter Torah, Chuppah and good deeds.

I assume the we eliminate the 1st sentence. And, if he's married we would eliminate the mentioning of "Chuppah". Correct? Any substitutions, other changes?

Please include any other differences that I have not mentioned, above.


texts: Can I trust a non-kosher home's coffee pot?

texts: I thought I heard that its ok to use a coffee pot in a non-kosher home, but I could be mistaken. Does anyone know?


texts:
Who knows two hundred eighty-nine?
?תשעה ושמונים ומאתים - מי יודע
In the spirit of the song "Echad - mi
yodeya", please post
interesting and significant Jewish facts about the number 289.
There's probably a specific rip-off gematria available.
Check out mi-yodeya-series for the previous two hundred
eighty-eight entries in this ongoing series.
Please include sources for your information wherever possible, as with
all other answers on this site.


texts: Why Moses broke the chain of command in the spies story?

texts:
Previously, G-d appoints Aharon as Moses' vice. There are the 12 Nessiim, excelled in [probably] Torah and piety. Yitroh makes Moses elect multiple judges. In the previous Parasha G-d chooses the 70 elders not mentioning Yehoshua (not clear what his role was). In short, lots of high-rank decision makers.

In this Parasha (also Deut 1, 23) [undefined] people come to Moses and offer (not demand!) sending spies. G-d reacts somewhat unclear, but Moses does not consult anybody and sends the spies by himself.

The weirdest thing happens on their return. Customary, when the president sends a spy, there's a chain of reporting - the president, the commetee, the government, the Senate (I'm not familiar with the US gov. structure, feel free to edit). Considering the sensitivity of the [military] intelligence they gathered (acc. to Ramba"n it was all about military tactics).

However, when the spies return they talked straight to [Moses AND] the nation without going through the whole chain. I presume that talking to Moses or the 70 elders alone would change the results drastically, especially assuming that Moses already knew their attitudes.

What was Moses thinking: 1. not consulting the [significant] others before sending the spies out, and 2. allowing the spies to talk straight to the people without going through the formal chain and stopping the catastrophe altogether?


texts: R. Akiva's opinion regarding tzara'at that expands and contracts (Nega'im 4:7-8)

texts:
Nega'im 4:7:

  .כָּנְסָה וּפָשְׂתָה, פָּשְׂתָה וְכָנְסָה, רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא מְטַמֵּא

  If it contracted and [then] expanded , or expanded and [then] contracted, Rabbi Akiva calls it impure.

Nega'im 4:8

  בַּהֶרֶת כַּגְּרִיס וּפָשְׂתָה כַחֲצִי גְרִיס, וְהָלַךְ מִן הָאוֹם כַּחֲצִי גְרִיס, רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר, תֵּרָאֶה בַתְּחִלָּה.

  A Baheret like [the size of] a bean that expands [the size of another] half a bean but the original [Nega area] is diminished by half a bean, Rabbi Akiva says: It should be seen as if it was the first [time].

This seems like a contradiction.

Isn't Mishnah 8 also discussing a case of expanding and contracting (although granted in a different direction)? Why here does R. Akiva rule that the nega' is seen as if it is new? Doesn't this contradict his ruling in the previous mishnah that in such a case the nega' is definitively ruled impure?

What rule is R. Akiva proposing in Mishnah 7, and why does it not apply to the case in Mishnah 8?


texts: How would Yaakov's plan to divide into two camps have worked?

texts: Yaakov divides his family into two camps stating that if Eisav attacks one the other will flee and be saved. However his whole family seems to be be there when Eisav arrives, furthermore Yaakov himself states (and it seems to be a metzius) that families with belongings travel far slower than Eisav and his warriors. As such how would sending one camp away have worked in practice and why didn't he actually send the camp away at all?


texts: Where is the source that the spiritual realms are mirrored or reversed?

texts: I heard this from a ma'amar back in yeshiva, but I cannot remember the source. In Ezekiel's vision of the merkavah, the supernal "chariot," the face of the lion is to the right while the face of the ox is to the left. Obviously, the lion should be on the left and the tame ox on the side of chesed. It's explained in Tanya, igeret hakodesh 20, that the spiritual worlds are like an inverted seal. So too, the merkavah is also reversed, but I can't recall the source.


texts:
The name of living Torah scholar mentioned or quoted in another's book is often followed by an abbreviation of blessing such as שליט"א or נר"ו. The name of a past scholar, no longer living, is followed by a different set of abbreviations like ז"ל and זי"ע.

Is it appropriate when reprinting such a book between whose first publication and current printing some of those quoted have passed away to update the abbreviations, or is it more proper to retain the original as it was written?

Does it make a difference if it was one's own work or someone else's?

Does the scale or medium of publication matter (e.g. book vs. newspaper vs. private email correspondence vs. other)?


texts: Searching for a story with the Rav's comment about the scientist

texts:
I am trying to find a story I read once concerning Rav Soleveitchik. Please forgive me if I am remembering it incorrectly.

The basic story was a  comparison between two Jewish scientists, one involved in the theoretical science of evolution, and one involved in the more hard science of radiation dating. The one who was dealing with (discovering?) the age of the universe was religious, while the other was not. The irreligious one, when asked about why he chose to become irreligious, would tell the story of how as a child during birchas kohanim he opened his left eye and didn't  lose sight in that eye. Then he opened his right eye. When he didn't lose sight in that eye as well, he decided the entire religion was a sham.

Someone asked Rav Soleveitchic how it was possible that the one scientist who was dealing with hard facts was able to see the truth in religion, whereas the one dealing with mere theories could not. To which the Rav quipped unfortunately the latter went blind as a child.

IIRC the person who wrote this story was not sure of it's veracity. I am looking to either track it down, or disprove it, if that is even possible.


texts: Sefiras HaOmer - if you know that you will miss a day

texts: Suppose someone knows that he will miss a day during Sefira (having surgery). Is it proper for him to count with a Bracha up until the day he will miss?


texts: How many stars did Rashi think there were?

texts:
According to the Chabad translation, Rashi on Deut. 1:10 implies that there are more than 600,000 stars:

  The Lord, your God, has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as the stars of the heavens in abundance. (Deut 1:10)

  And, behold, you are today as the stars of the heavens: But were they [the Israelites] on that day as [many as] the stars of the heavens? Were they not only six hundred thousand?

(Rashi's question is resolved by saying that they are as eternal as the stars, but it still raises the question.)

Of course today we know this to be true (in fact, current estimates are on the order of hundreds of sextillions of stars in the observable universe), but Rashi said this before the advent of the telescope, during a time when there were perhaps a couple thousand stars cataloged.

Are there any indications elsewhere of how many stars Rashi thought there were, or perhaps if other Torah sources said something similar to Rashi? (Is it even a proper understanding of the Rashi? I'm going off an English translation.) Perhaps there were philosophers or astronomers at the time who said there must be many more stars than could be individually counted, I don't know.


texts: What's "כי אתא פלוני אמר פלוני"?

texts:
The phrase "כי אתא [name] אמר [name], [statement]" appears many times in the Bavli. For example,

Rosh Hashana 35:1: כי אתא רבין אמר רבי יעקב בר אידי אמר רבי שמעון חסידא לא פטר רבן גמליאל אלא עם שבשדות
Shabas 52:1: כי אתא רב דימי אמר ר׳ חנינא מולאות של בית רבי יוצאות באפסריהן בשבת
Avoda Zara 73:1: כי אתא רב דימי א״ר יוחנן המערה יין נסך מחבית לבור אפילו כל היום כולו ראשון ראשון בטל

I've always understand that it means — in the last quotation, for example — "when R. Dimi came [from Israel], he said that R. Yochanan said 'one who pours…'". But that seems to be missing an "אמר": it should logically be "כי אתא רב דימי א״ר יוחנן אמר המערה…" or perhaps "כי אתא רב דימי אמר א״ר יוחנן המערה…" or even "כי אתא אמר רב דימי א״ר יוחנן המערה…". So what is the meaning of the phrase, and how does that meaning fit the words?


texts:
Way back in 1998, on MBD's "English Collection," he published a song titled "Daddy Dear" depicting a dialogue between a son and his father regarding a cup Hashem supposedly has in Shamayim into which He cries when the Bnei Yisrael are hurt. When the cup is full, we will be redeemed. The song ends with a plea from the father-son duo that the cup should finally be filled and our tzaros completed.

Is there a Midrash or Gemara behind this song? Is there any basis to it other than a mashal the songwriter came up with to explain why we haven't been redeemed yet - that our metaphorical cup of tzaros hasn't runneth over?


texts: Mishloach Manot - Does the emissary have to be Jewish?

texts:
I have a very good friend that lives far away from me and I'd very much like to send Mishloach Manot to him.

Is there any rule/halacha/minhag that states that the emissary/third-party (shaliach) of my gift must be Jewish? It is my only option in order to have the gift delivered to my friend.

My plan is to buy everything, pack/assemble properly myself and have a professional courier (non-Jewish) handle the delivery (pick directly from my hands and deliver to my friend's hands). There's no wine so being not mevushal is not a concern.

Would using a non-Jewish emissary be acceptable and help me fulfill the mitzvah or is there something wrong about it?

I'm sorry if this is a repeat but I searched 5-6 similar questions before asking and none addressed my concern in particular.

Can a shaliach assemble your mishloach manot for you?

Can a shaliach buy food to give as mishloach manot?


texts: Does anyone discuss the similarities between these?

texts:
I noticed that the משנה ברורה and בראשית both talk about רוח ,מים, clothing, and 'ה seeing all in the beginning. The משנה ברורה seems to be alluding to the חומש here.

The first thing after the famous יתגבר כארי is the laws of washing one's hands (מים/water) because of רוח רעה (bad spirit).

Then the משנה ברורה talks about dressing modestly, which is reminiscent of the conversation that Adam had with G-d after eating from the tree of knowledge. The משנה ברורה says:

  ״אל יאמר הנני בחדרי חדרים מי רואני כי הקב״ה מלא כל הארץ כבודו״

Paraphrased into English:

  A person shouldn't say "I'm indoors, who can see me?" because G-d's glory fills the whole world.

Similarly, when Adam ate from the tree of knowledge, he realized that he wasn't properly clothed, and G-d asked him who told him that he was naked.

There are other interesting parallels here, and I wonder if anyone has written or discussed this before. (Another illusion, to שמות/Exodus might be between the ordering of shoes and Jacob/יעקב switching his hands when blessing his grandchildren.)

Do any sources discuss these similarities or why their significance might be?

Edit: I didn't realize that the top of the page in the משנה ברורה is actually the שולחן ערוך. Same story, different ספר.


texts: What halachot are affected by color blindness?

texts:
What halachot are affected if a person is colorblind? One probable example I can think of relates to the laws of niddah and checking emissions. Another less likely example would be the the halachic time defined by when a person can distinguish between leek-green and turquoise (though I doubt that this is really affected if a person is colorblind).

Note: There are various different types of color blindness, as described on Wikipedia. I am interested in how all of these affect halacha.


texts: Is there a consensus on whether the serpent in the Garden of Eden was Satan or not? Is it possible that the application of the word serpent is an adjective?


texts:
**Looking for answers as to what happened in Jewish history on this date. It can include both positive and negative occurrences. It can also include birthdays or Yarzheits of well known personalities that happened on this date.

Please cite / link your sources, if possible.

All interesting answers will be up voted.

Best answer will be accepted.**


texts:
The expression Teda, תדע, is often found in Gemara, we can translate it as "you have to know". It is a weak argument, not as a proof from a Mishna or a proof ab absurdo or a logical argument. But it is a kind of argument. I don't understand the utility of the word in its second occurrence of the following Gemara, the Amora can say what he thinks simply without the word Teda:
Yevamot 92.1

ורב נחמן אמר הוראה היא א"ר נחמן תדע דהוראה היא דבכל התורה כולה עד אחד לא מהימן והכא מהימן מ"ט לאו משום דהוראה היא אמר רבא תדע דטעות הוא דאילו הורו ב'ד בחלב ובדם להיתירא והדר חזו טעמא לאיסורא כי הדרי ואמרי להיתירא לא משגחינן להו ואילו היכא דאתא עד אחד שרינא אתו תרי אסרנא כי הדר אתא עד אחרינא שרינן לה מ"ט לאו משום דטעות הוא
Rav Nahman, however, stated: [Such an authorization] is [to be regarded as] a ruling. Said Rav Nahman: You can have proof that it [is to be regarded as] a ruling. For throughout the Torah a single witness is never believed while in this case he is believed. But why? Obviously because [such an authorization is regarded as] a ruling. Rava said: You can have proof that it is [to be regarded as a mere] error. For were Beth din to issue a ruling in a case of some forbidden fat or blood that it is permitted, and then find a [strong] reason for forbidding it, [their subsequent ruling], should they retract and rule again that it is permitted, would be completely disregarded; whereas here, it should one witness present himself, the woman would be permitted to marry again, and should two witnesses [afterwards] appear the woman would be forbidden to marry again, but should another witness subsequently appear the woman would again be permitted to marry. But why? Obviously because it [is regarded as a mere] error.

The translation above is from Soncino. He translates תדע by "you can have a proof". But apparently this is not an accurate translation, because Rav Nachman and Rava both don't give a proof from a Berayita or a Mishna. They disagree and say if we have a case A, the behavior of the Bet din will be X. I understand that there is a disagreement between Rav Nachman and Rava in the case described here. An Aguna was permitted by one witness. Further two witnesses contradict the words of the first witness. In a third step, a second single witness came and says that the husband died, but later, his testimony is not identical to the testimony of the first witness. According to Rav Nachman, I assume that this woman loosed this Chazaka Isha Dayika Uminseba, but according to Rava, she didn't lose it, and she can marry, thanks to the second single witness. For Rava there is an error of testimony, for Rav Nachman an error of ruling. I understand the Pshat from Rashi
Can someone explain the meaning of Teda of Rava when this statement is itself the topic of the discussion?
Below i give some examples of Teda I understand:
Berachot 53.2

א"ל ר' נהוראי השמים כן הוא תדע שהרי גוליירין יורדין ומתגרין [במלחמה] וגבורים יורדין ומנצחין

Pesachim 16.1

וסבר רבי אלעזר משקין אית להו טומאה בעולם והתניא רבי אלעזר אומר אין טומאה למשקין כל עיקר תדע שהרי העיד (יוסף) בן יועזר איש צרידה על איל קמצא דכן ועל משקין בית מטבחיא דכן

I understand that "Teda" needs to be a weak proof based in a probably but not necessarily link to an admitted truth, not as Ta Shma or Shma Mina, or Matnitin Hee, that are direct proofs.


texts: Why don't we just follow the shittah of Moshe Rabeinu?

texts:
My question can apply to virtually all mitzvos where there is a disagreement in the standard way to fulfill them.

If one reads the hakdama (introduction) to the Rambam's peirush mishnayos (commentary on the mishna) he explains the origin of machlokes (disagreement in halacha).

But if Moshe was the main Rebbe, why didn't everyone just follow Moshe?

For example, knowing what Teffilin Moshe wore should resolve the disagreement over what our Teffilin should be like.  Why didn't everyone just follow his shittah and pass that tradition down to us?

Edit:I found in the Ben Ish Chai Shana Alef parshas vayeira 21 that from Moshe Rabbeinu until the Geonim people wore two pairs(Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam)


texts:
In the musaf prayer on Rosh Hashana, we list the musaf offerings that they used to bring in the Temple in Jerusalem (and that we hope to bring again soon), special for Rosh Hashana. The text then lists other things brought, too:

…ושני שעירים לכפר ושני תמידים כהלכתם, מלבד עלת החדש ומנחתה ועלת התמיד ומנחתה…
…and two goats to atone and two daily-offerings according to their rule, besides the monthly wholly-offered offering and its meal, and the daily wholly-offered offering and its meal…

Why does it mention the daily offering (תמיד) twice?


texts:
I recently read on Matzav.com an article by Rabbi Dovid Heber discussing the 247 year cycle in the calendar. He mentioned that every 247 years the Hebrew calendar is exactly identical. Now in the article he mentions that every 247 years the Molad is almost identical. It is only a mere 905 chalakim (50 minutes and 16.67 seconds) earlier.

My question is at what point along the 247 year cycles, due to the constant slow change and creeping up in the Molad will the calendar be forced to change?


texts: Does someone not fasting still try their best?

texts:
If someone is exempt from fasting on a minor fast day, with the example that I have in mind being a nursing woman, is there any concept that they should still fast as much as possible, or do we say that once the fast is broken it is broken?

Does it make a difference if they have not broken their fast yet?  I.e. if someone woke up and has not yet eaten, is there any reason for them to push off breakfast so that they have gone longer without breaking their fast?


texts: Rinse with baking soda and water on Shabbos?

texts:
Are you allowed to mix a pinch of baking soda with water and rinse your mouth with it instead of using mouthwash?

Also there are two way to mix it: place some baking soda on your finger/hand and drop it in your mouth, followed by as sip of some water; the other way is to mix it in a cup with a spoon. Is there a halachic difference in regards how this "mixture" is created?

The possible melachos/gezeiros involved are: making medicine, kneading, changing the form of an object, and possibly adding the final touches.


texts: G-d is formless even if we have divine spark

texts:
If G-d is formless, how then did He take a piece of Himself and put it in Adom?

  And the L-rd G-d formed man of dust from the ground, and He breathed
  into his nostrils the soul of life, and man became a living soul.
  Genesis 2:7

Rashi

  and He breathed into his nostrils: He made him of earthly matter and of heavenly matter: the body of earthly matter the soul of
  heavenly matter. Because on the first day, heaven and earth were
  created. On the second day, He created the firmament for the heavenly
  beings; on the third day [He commanded], “and let the dry land
  appear,” for the earthly beings; on the fourth day, He created
  luminaries for the heavenly beings; on the fifth day, [He
  commanded],“Let the waters swarm,” for the earthly beings; on the
  sixth day, it became necessary to create for both the heavenly and the
  earthly beings, for if not, there would be jealousy in the Creation,
  for these would exceed those by the creation of one day. — [from Gen.
  Rabbah 12:8]

A lot of the time this is referred to as divine spark or we all share the image (intellectual) of G-d.


texts: Eliezer did not know that he should praise Hashem first and then pray?

texts:
Rav Simloi in the Gem Brochos 32a  says

  לעולם יסדר אדם שבחו של הקב"ה ואחר כך יתפלל  A person should always
  praise Hashem first and then pray.

We learn it from Moshe Rabeinu. Why did not Eliezer know this principle?

Eliezer Braishis 24 (11, 12) went to find a wife for Yitzchak and prayed to Hashem without any praise beforehand.

  11 And he made the camels kneel outside the city beside the well of
  water, at eventide, at the time the maidens go out to draw water.
  12 And he said, "O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, please cause to
  happen to me today, and perform loving kindness with my master,
  Abraham.


texts: Do the laws of Ribis apply to loans of virtual currency?

texts:
If a Jew lends a player in a multiplayer online game money, and he knows without a doubt that that player is Jewish, does the prohibition of ribis apply?  (After all, the only thing that changed was a couple of 1s and 0s on a server somewhere...)

For example, would it be permissable to charge a pre-arranged fee if the loan is not paid back on time, or even a percentage, in the setting of an online game?

It seems from this that the halacha is not related to virtual goods until they become real money.  If that's true, would it also apply to virtual money?  If not, would the fact that selling the virtual currency for real money is a violation of the game's terms and conditions change anything?


texts:
What's the Halacha on Kohanim that lie to marry converts or divorcees?

Are they permanently unable to regain their status if they divorced the forbidden relationship or are they able to regain status just like any other typical Kohanim-forbidden relationship?

The key being that in this situation, the Kohen lies about being a Kohen to get into a forbidden marriage. A local Rav orally stated that the Kohen would permanently be banned of his Kohen status in this unique scenario, but what is Halacha for this?


texts:
Today the world is high in technology; many medical fields are experiencing breakthroughs in artificial limbs and what not.

What are the legalities of these in Jewish law?

For example, a pace maker is legal to be operated on Saturday because it sustains life, but a mechanically operated artificial left hand does not. Is it still legal to use on Saturdays and why?


texts:
Several Acharonim (e.g. Pnei Yeshoshua to Brachos 15b) write that words of Torah must be enunciated during study.

Which Rishonim agree to this view. (I am asking specifically about those who hold that it is an integral component of the mitzva, not those who encourage it for side reasons such as its characteristic of facilitating memorization.)

I am looking specifically for views that can compellingly ascribed to Rishonim; not just Acharonim who can be found claiming that their views match those of Rishonim.


texts: Mentioning the number of the Sefira prior to saying it

texts: Tha Halacha (Orach Chaim 489) http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=14165&st=&pgnum=189 is that if for example on the Twenty eighth day of Sefira, you say "today is the Twenty eighth day" and you did not count yet - then you should count without a Bracha on that day. What is the Halacha if you would say "today is Chof Ches days in the Omer" can you still say a Bracha? Would there be a difference if you did the same on Lag B'Omer?


texts: Negative commandments that only apply to women?

texts: Are there any mitzvos lo sa'aseh that only apply to women?


texts: How does someone who needs a cane/walker/etc do the amidah -- standing and leaning, or sitting?

texts: According to this question, it is forbidden to lean on anything while praying the amidah, where leaning means the object bears some of your weight.  What does somebody who can stand but only with the aid of a cane, walker, or crutches do?  I have heard (no source) that somebody who can't stand at all prays while sitting; does the person who can't stand unaided sit, or stand and lean?


texts: Pirkei Avot cycle in Israel when Pesach starts on Shabbat

texts: In 5775, Pesach begins on Shabbat. While those outside Israel observe the 8th day of Pesach on Shabbat, in Israel, because there is no 8th day of Pesach, it will be a "regular" Shabbat. This means that they begin Pirkei Avot a week before those outside Israel. Does this mean that Israel will always be a week ahead of those outside Israel for the entire Pirkei Avot season? Would this same scenario occur when the 2nd day of Shavuot is on Shabbat?


texts: May a normally impotent Jewish man marry if he can use Viagra?

texts: This is a question regarding the marriageability of a Jewish man who knows he has ED.  Does the Law say he must still be naturally capable of sexual intercourse without chemical assistance in order to be allowed to marry, since that was the presumptive status long ago of his ability to have children?  Or, has that been relaxed in the modern age given recent innovations to restore his ability to have children?


texts: Complete list of verses corresponding to people's names?

texts:
There is a custom to say a verse corresponding to ones name at the end of the Amidah, as a Segulah not to forget his name on the day of Judgement. There are several sources for this practice, including a bracketed Rashi (Michah 6:9) (this is quite possibly a later addition), some editions of the Kitzur Shelah (Kitzur Shelah by R' Michel Epstein), and the Zohar. Read all about it here.

A verse that starts with the same letter as the beginning of your name, and ends with the same letter as your name ends is a verse that corresponds to your name.

I have seen many partial lists on verses corresponding to names, usually brought in various Siddurim (such as this one). However, these lists usually just have verses for popular names, and are not an exhaustive list.

I'm looking for complete listing of every verse in the Tanach, grouped by first and last letter, starting from "א-א", and ending at "ת-ת"

Does such a list exist?


texts: When was the war in which Haman sold himself to Mordechai?

texts:
There’s a famous Yalkut Shimoni (Nach 1056:18, referenced by Rashi in explaining Megillah 15a), which reads as follows:

  א"ר חסדא זה בא בפרוזבולי וזה בא בפרוזבוטי, פעם אחת נתן המלך ממון ושגרם בראשי גייסות לכבוש את המדינה, נטל המן ממון שלו ואכלו ולא נשתייר לו ממון, כשבא להוציא על בעלי מלחמה לא היה בידו כלום, אבל מרדכי חצי של ממון היה בידו, בא המן אצל מרדכי אמר לו לויני ממון זה שבידך אמר לו אין אני מלוך אלא אם כן תמכור נפשך לעבד לי, קבל על נפשו והלוהו, וכתב לו הרי המן עבדו של מרדכי, זבין נפשיה למרדכי בטולמא דנהמא

  Rav Chisda said: [Mordechai] came as a rich man, and [Haman] came as a poor man. Once, the king gave money, and when the heads of troops caused to conquer the country, Haman took his money, depleted it, and had nothing left. When he came to go out over the commanders of war, he didn’t have anything, but Mordechai had half of the money. Haman came to Mordechai and said to him, “Lend me this money that you have.” He said to him, “I will not lend to you unless you sell yourself as a slave to me.” He accepted it, and he lent him, and he wrote for him, “Behold, Haman is Mordechai’s slave; he sold himself to Mordechai for a loaf of bread.”

When did this story take place? Was the king in the story Achashveirosh, or a previous king?


texts: Every challah I've seen in my life is braided, regardless the country or customs. But what are the origins of preparing the challah in this way? The bread in the Beit HaMikdash wasn't like this as far as I know.


texts: Tashmishei kedusha question: Putting a shtender on the bima

texts: Since a Torah is read on a bima, it would seem that the bima acquires tashmishei kedusha (a level of holiness) due to it being a support for the Torah.  How then can we put a (small) shtender (What in the world is a shtender?) on the bima? The shtender only holds a siddur and so seems to have no level of holiness, certainly not a level like the bima.  How can an object of no or low holiness be placed on an object of a higher level of holiness.  What is the logic or rationale?


texts:
From the short negotiation between Adam and G-d it is clear that Adam is not asking for forgiveness.

So why didn't he ask for forgiveness?


texts: Why did Yaakov only mention sheep dying?

texts:
In Bereshis 33:13 it says

  יג  וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו, אֲדֹנִי יֹדֵעַ כִּי-הַיְלָדִים רַכִּים, וְהַצֹּאן וְהַבָּקָר, עָלוֹת עָלָי; וּדְפָקוּם יוֹם אֶחָד, וָמֵתוּ כָּל-הַצֹּאן.

Yaakov initially lists 3 causes for his inability to travel with Eisav.

Tender/weak children
nursing sheep
nursing cattle

but at the end of the pasuk he only mentions that if pushed to travel quickly only the sheep will die. Why does he omit any averse effects on the children and cattle?

Note: I am aware of the Ramban's answer, which basically states that there was no other accurate and convenient way to state things, I'm looking for any other answers


texts: Online commentary for 3 ENOCH -- a Hekalot & Merkevah, mystical, apocalyptic, pseudepigraphal, Jewish text (400CE)?

texts:
I've been interested in Hekalot & Merkevah literature as of late. I'm not a Kabbalist, but I do study scriptures of the Near East, particularly within the realms of Judaism. I stumbled across 3 Enoch, which is a late Jewish (c. 5th cent.) text that belongs to Jewish mystical, apocalyptic, and pseudepigraphal literature.

Where can I find online Jewish commentary of 3 Enoch, specifically 3 Enoch 16:1-3:

  R. Ishmael said: Metatron, the Angel, the Prince of the Presence, the
  Glory of all heaven, said to me;  (1) At first I was sitting upon a
  great Throne at the door of the Seventh Hall ; and I was judging the
  children of heaven, the household on high by authority of the Holy
  One, blessed be He. And I divided Greatness, Kingship, Dignity,
  Rulership, Honour and Praise, and Diadem and Crown of Glory unto all
  the princes of kingdoms, while I was presiding (lit. sitting) in the
  Celestial Court (Yeshiba), and the princes of kingdoms were standing
  before me, on my right and on my left by authority of the Holy One,
  blessed be He.  (2) But when Acher came to behold the vision of the
  Merkaba and fixed his eyes on me, he feared and trembled before me and
  his soul was affrighted even unto departing from him, because of fear,
  horror and dread of me, when he beheld me sitting upon a throne like a
  king with all the ministering angels standing by me as my servants and
  all the princes of kingdoms adorned with crowns surrounding me:  (3)
  in that moment he opened his mouth and said: "Indeed, there are two
  Divine Powers in heaven!"

I've noticed several parallels to the Bavli... but I would like to verify that in commentaries. But I am unable to locate any online source?


texts:
Psalm 14 and Psalm 53 are almost identical with little differences.

Why is the same psalm repeated?

Are these psalms composed by the same author?

(EDIT: I already asked this same question in  Christianity.SE and I'm asking here again because I believe that the users here have better knowledge on the subject and have different approaches to the issue)


texts: Chametz removal and public garbage pick up

texts:
This is an area that really confuses me...

I've heard from two rabbis that if you place your chametz in your trash can, but the trash doesn't get picked up before the deadline to own chametz on Erev Pesach, you own the chametz. Therefore, you must take your trash to a place where you know that the town will pick it up before the deadline.

What confuses me are:

1 - If someone nullifies the chametz and puts the can out on the street so that the can is in a public property, doesn't that action alone make the chametz public property? I say this because people walking in the street that see anything in a trash can and sometimes actually do take things out of the trash. They're not trespassing any private property.

2 - The town garbage pick up allows the trash men to go into a person's driveway to get the trash and drag it out on the street and put it into the truck on the day that they pick up the trash. This is also not considered trespassing onto private property. It's not a question of the owner giving permission to them to do that, it's a town rule stating that the trash men are authorized to do this automatically by the fact that the owner lives in the town and pays town taxes for the trash service. Given this ruling, wouldn't someone merely nullifying the chametz and placing it in the trash can in the driveway automatically make it ownerless, even if the trash is picked up during Pesach?

In short, with these conditions, is it really necessary for someone to seek a place that gets rid of the trash before the deadline?


texts: Can one make a mi'shebeirach for animals?

texts: Is it proper to conduct a mi'shebeirach prayer (which is a prayer normally said by a synagogue official, at a communal Torah reading, for the health and recovery of a sick person) for the health/recovery of a sick animal? I have never seen such a prayer conducted for an animal, but I'm unsure if this is because it is improper to do so or simply that no one where I pray has thought to do this for their pets (if they have ones).


texts: Source for the allowance of the throwing out hafrashas challah

texts: In the Sefer Practical Guide to Kashruth page 101 notes that the proper disposal of the hafrashas challah is to burn it (brought in the Shulchan Aruch and Maharil). It then notes that when burning is impractical one may wrap it in paper or place it in a paper bag and put it away for disposal. In footnote 32 it writes that this is the minhag in eretz yisrael based off the Chazon Ish. Does anyone know where the Chazon Ish writes that it is permmisble to dispose of the challah instead of burning it?


texts: Do we say a mitzvah bracha before reading Kohelet? What about other (non-Purim) megillot?

texts:
I had been under the impression that for all five of the megillot you say a bracha before the reading, and this is the practice I've observed.  When preparing for Shabbat chol hamoed Sukkot this year I went to look up the bracha and was surprised to not find it in an Artscroll siddur.  I checked a couple other siddurim without success, then consulted Isaac Klein's Guide to Jewish Practice , where I found a comment that we do not say a bracha for Sukkot.  (I didn't check to see what Klein said about the others, though I did check Shir Hashirim in Artscroll and didn't find it there either.)

Everybody agrees that reading the megillah at Purim is a mitzvah and has a bracha, but now I'm wondering about the other four cases.  Are we supposed to say the bracha for all of them?  If not, why not?


texts: Is Mashiach an incarnation of God according to any Jewish tradition?

texts:
Some Christians believe that the Messiah was not supposed to be just a man but rather an incarnation of God.

Do any Jews (not counting so-called messianic Jews who are really Christians) believe that Mashiach is an incarnation of God, or at least some higher creature (not just a great man)?


texts: Different customs regarding the blessing before lighting the menorah

texts:
There are varying customs as to the text of the bracha we recite before lighting the menorah.

Ashkenazim generally end the blessing with the words:

  .לְהַדְלִיק נֵר שֶׁל חֲנֻכָּה

However, Hasidim (at least in the far eastern dynasties such as Lubavitch, Breslov, and Skver, I don't really know about the other dynasties) generally end the blessing differently, reciting

  .לְהַדְלִיק נֵר חֲנֻכָּה

instead of the aforementioned ending, I have heard that this was the custom of the Arizal.

I have several questions concerning the above:

What is the grammatical difference between the two versions? Both seem to (in my mind) translate out to "to kindle the Chanukah lights".
Where does the school of the Arizal write that it was his custom to recite להדליק נר חנכה, omitting the של from the traditional Ashkenazi rendering? What is the reason for this?
I would assume that if it was the Arizal's custom to end the blessing להדליק נר חנכה, Sephardim would also render the blessing that way, since they generally follow the Arizal for nusach. How do Sephardim conclude the blessing?
Scholars generally agree that the customs of the Yemenite Jewry seem to be most ancient. How to the Yemenites conclude the blessing?

Finally,

Is there a place in the Gemara or other early Rabbinic work (such as Rambam) which outlines the text for the blessing, and which text does it follow?

I apologize for the many questions but they seem to me all related; if this question is asking too many sub questions I'd be more than happy to split them up into separate questions.


texts: Why is the name of the first Hebrew letter also the word for 1000?

texts:
I find it interesting the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet is "Aleph", which shares the letters and is pronounced nearly identically to the word for one thousand - "Eleph".

Why might this be?

Where does the root A-L-F (אלף) really come from? What  meaning is ascribed to this in Judaism?


texts: Making Nedarim (vows) and Shevuot (oaths) while teaching or learning

texts:
Sometimes I wonder if when people are learning or quoting things they say things in the name of people, would that count as them making a Neder? For example the teacher says "Yaakov said: I will give Maaser. (keep in mind that's not even the actual quote from the Pasuk).  Does that mean the teacher made a Neder to give Maaser?

Sources and logic are both appreciated here...


texts: How and why is sin passed to one's children?

texts:
We see that the Torah is talking about sin and that it is passed on to the third and fourth generation. How and why? Genetics? How should I understand this?

Exoudus 34:7:

  keeping mercy unto the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and unto the fourth generation.


texts: What's on Kiddushin Rabbi obligatory check-up list?

texts:
IIRC, a Rabbi that makes Kiddushin takes a great responsibility (forgot the exact wording of the Gemmorah), at most he can be allowing Arayot, at least he can make the blessings said in vain.

As the two witnesses have no obligation of knowing the couple at all, and there's no obligation of asking the audience if they know anything incriminating or being an obstacle to the marriage, what facts does the Mesader Kiddushin Rabbi have to check Halachicly and to what extent, to ensure that no transgressions are made?

For example:

What are their real names - is it enough to trust what they say (obligatory for the Kettubah)?
Are they Jewish at all?
Are they Halahicly a man and a woman - is it enough to trust their looks?
Isn't the woman married?
Are they related?
Is he sexually handicapped - is it ever checked?
Is there a Cohen/divorced situation?

NB, In [the State of] Israel the chief Rabbinate is responsible for keeping tracks of all the Jewish population and their statuses, but what does the Halachah for the rest of the history/world say?


texts: Is it mutar to grab drinks with coworkers

texts: In Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah 114:1 it states that it is prohibited to drink certain (alcoholic) drinks together with a non-Jew due to the Issur of "Chasnus".  Would this issue apply in a case where a Jew wants to grab drinks (at a local bar?) with co-workers during a happy hour?  Would there be an additional Kulah/leniency if the point of such a meeting would be for team-building purposes?


texts: For many centuries, in Christian lands (Italy in particular), divorce was outlawed.  But Judaism allows divorce.  Does anyone know what the Jews did in these countries, if they wanted to divorce?  If you got only a religious divorce and married again, you could be accused of bigamy.  I searched for the historical record, but could not find it.


texts: Does the act of masturbation cause a change in one's spiritual/religious status vis-a-vis what he may and may not do?

texts: Obviously masturbation is a very serious sin. However, if someone has already transgressed that sin, does his status change vis-a-vis things like learning Torah or davening?  Does he need to go to a mikvah before engaging with things that are related to kedusha?


texts: Is the "pursuit of happiness" mentioned in the U.S. Declaration of Independence really a right "endowed by the Creator"?

texts:
Near the beginning of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, we have these words:

  that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

For purposes of this discussion, I will assume that the term "Creator" means "God" (Hashem, Aibishter, whatever term you prefer, but it's the same God we believe in.)

I think we all agree that life and liberty are correctly, unalienable rights that all humanity has. But can we truthfully say that the same would go for the pursuit of happiness? Does God want us to spend our time "pursuing happiness"? Isn't happiness a gift that God decides to randomly grant someone, regardless of "pursuit"? If so, how would that be an endowed right?


texts: What's the halachic advantage of double (or triple) wrapping food?

texts:
I've heard of both double and triple wrapping when it comes to shielding a food item in an oven with regards to Kashrus.

What exactly does double or triple wrapping accomplish that one wrapping can't? Why is there a need for more?


texts:
There were two special trees in Gan Eden.  In the case of the tree of knowledge of good and bad, we know that eating from it once produced a permanent effect.  Was this true for the tree of life too, or was that more like a "maintenance" tree that you had to keep eating from to live forever?

The reason I ask is that initially Adam and Chava were permitted to eat from that tree.  Once they ate from the other, they were prevented from doing so.  So either eating from the tree of life would also produce a permanent effect and it's just "luck" (as if there's any such thing in torah) that they didn't, or that tree works differently, like regular food where eating produces a temporary effect and eventually you need more.  (Or, I suppose, that it produces a permanent effect that is cancelled by eating from the other tree.)

I searched this site and reviewed Rashi on B'reishit and my go-to source for English-language midrash, Sefer Ha-Aggadah, all without luck.


texts: Do I have an obligation to give back extra change I receive? Would it matter if the store owner or person giving it to me was a Jew?


texts:
The Shulhan Aruch (Orah Haim 560:5) states

אסור לאדם שימלא פיו שחוק בעולם הזה.
It is forbidden to a person that he fill his mouth with laughter in this world.

I don't think I've ever met a person that doesn't laugh. Why don't most people follow this Halacha (i.e. what do they rely on)?


texts: Why does G-d provide meat together with the mahn?

texts:
In viewing the intial complaint, B'nai Yisra'el complained that there was no meat or bread in the desert. I was curious why they asked for meat, considering that they had so many animals and they could have slaughtered their own animals for meat.

Rash"i on Shemot 16:8 mentions this, also, and says that this was the reason why they had to trouble themselves to gather the quail at night, whereas the mahn (bread) was given to them more easily as it was already on the ground in the morning.

My question is a bit more "basic". Considering that they could have slaughtered the animals, why does G-d give them meat in the first place, when he could have said to Moshe, tell them to use their own animals?

Compare this, perhaps, to the incident mentioned in Beha'alotecha where they were punished for requesting meat.


texts: What is the origin of washing hands in the morning?

texts: According to the Tur (OC 4:1), the reason that we wash our hands in the morning is because of the "evil spirit" (רוח רעה) that had settled on them during the night. Is this custom referenced prior to the Tur? What is its origin? I'm guessing that it's not mentioned in the gemara, since the Bet Yosef doesn't bring a source.


texts: I'm looking something up in the Zohar on Bereishis (Genesis), but I can't translate the words. Does anyone know where I can find an English translation of the Zohar on Bereishis, that's online?


texts: Is there any particular standard recension/variation of the masoretic tradition that scribes use for torah scrolls in shul?

texts:
I don't know if i'm entirely correct in this, but I understand that there have in the past been variations in malai and chaser, throughout both the ashkenazi and sephardi world..

And then there was some kind of standardisation, whereby "the only difference" one might or will find between an ashkenazi and sephardi torah scroll, is the aleph vs heh in the dakah of petzua dakah, in Deut 23:2 Where sephardim are said to use aleph and ashkenazim are said to use heh     If that is indeed the case, then i'm interested in who made that decision, of what standard text to use, and that ashkenazi scrolls would have a heh and sephardi ones an aleph.
(I note, from links in a previous answer, what is the single letter difference between ashkenazi and sephardi torah scrolls that suggests that lubavitch might've switched to aleph, and that there's still a good argument, from josh waxman's article, that heh is the authentic form)

If somebody visited 10 sofrim, in London or 10 sofrim in New York,  what text of the Torah would they be copying from?    Is there likely to be a difference between ashkenazi sofrim and sephardi sophrim?

I understand that Aron Dotan has produced a work to try to come up with an accurate bible for synagogue use, but I don't know if Sofrim would be taking any notice of it?

A review of Dotan's BHL by L Tucker on amazon says
"
...the author's intent is to provide a text "...suitable for Jewish ritual use as well" as providing an accurate Bible. This "intent" colors the text somewhat as He was willing to be "occasionally obliged to deviate from it, ( the Leningrad Codex ), for the sake of customs and conventions that have become rooted since the time the manuscript was written."
"

I have read of OCR being used on Torah scrolls to ensure they're accurate, though, accurate to what text?

I understand it to be the case that the 1525 Bomberg rabbinic bible, and I suppose the 1517-1519 Bomberg bible that it was based on decisions made after seeing various manuscripts..   I heard once that the text we use is based on the bomberg rabbinic bible but I don't know if that's correct.


texts: Why "מַה שֶּׁשָּׁתִינוּ יִהְיֶה לִרְפוּאָה"?

texts:
Some Sephardim have this toward the end of the after-meal prayer:

  מַה שֶּׁאָכַלְנוּ יִהְיֶה לְשָׂבְעָה וּמַה שֶּׁשָּׁתִינוּ יִהְיֶה לִרְפוּאָה

In my own, loose translation:

  May what we ate be for satiety, what we drank be for health

Why are drinks connected with health? Surely what one eats is as relevant to health as what one drinks is. I could understand something like "May what we ate be for satiety, what we drank be for hydration", but that's not what's said.


texts: Did the Talmidim of Rebbi Akiva die by joining the rebellion with Bar Kochva?

texts: I have heard from an Israeli friend of mine that some maintain that the Talmidim of Rebbi Akiva zs'l didn't all die in a plague, but rather they were killed by Roman soldiers because they had participated in the Bar Kochva rebellion. And apparently the current view of their death by plague developed from censored works of the Medieval times. Is there an validity to this claim?


texts: In Megilas Esther 2:16 it mentions that Esther was taken in Teveis to Achasverosh's palace. Does anyone know on which day of the month this happened?


texts: מַלְאַךְ ה׳—“the angel of GOD” or “an angel”

texts: In various places the Torah refers to מַלְאַךְ ה׳; e.g., twice in Bereishis 22.  Mechon Mamre’s JPS translation renders this as “the angel of the LORD”, but is the definite article implicit in this form of the word מלאך, or should it be translated as “an angel of the LORD”?


texts:
Why can it be assumed that coffee from coffee shops is kosher? Why couldn't the equipment become unkosher through exposure to non kosher ingredients or when being cleaned?

For example the Canadian chain Tim Horton's makes coffee in pots and puts those pots in a non kosher dishwasher. To me that should make the coffee not kosher.

There's also the issue with stirring milk/sugar with a non kosher spoon.

Why do (a significant number) of kosher Jews assume all this is kosher?


texts:
Many years ago I came across a nice PDF that listed yontif dates for the coming years. It was an easy way to share a long-distance heads-up of when I’d be out of the office and “unplugged”, without the clutter of holidays like Chanukah when work is permitted.

Where would I find such a thing today?


texts: Did the Egyptians store food for the famine?

texts:
Yosef reveals to Pharoah that there will be 7 years of surplus grain  followed by 7 years of famine. Yosef gathers a huge quantity of grain from all over the land and stores it.

Didn't the Egyptians do proportionately likewise? Or was the entire future kept a secret from them, and they had no clue what would occur?

If they did store grain, what happened? Why did they have to rely on just Yosef?


texts:
I have a non-Jewish worker in my office who I have gotten to know very well over the years. Recently when I asked how he was doing he told me that his parents were very sick. When I told him that I would pray for them, he thanked me profusely.

We say that giving charity saves one from death. However, is there anything that he can do that will arouse/ merit רחמי שמים, so that his parents will have a speedy recovery?


texts: Considerations for electing the Nassi - theoretical vs practical?

texts:
In theory Rambam Hilchot Sanhedrin 1.3 teaches us:

הַגָּדוֹל בְּחָכְמָה שֶׁבְּכֻלָּן מוֹשִׁיבִין אוֹתוֹ רֹאשׁ עֲלֵיהֶן וְהוּא רֹאשׁ הַיְשִׁיבָה וְהוּא שֶׁקּוֹרִין אוֹתוֹ הַחֲכָמִים נָשִׂיא בְּכָל מָקוֹם וְהוּא הָעוֹמֵד תַּחַת משֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ.

The wisest sage among them all is appointed their presiding officer, who also serves as head of the academy. He is designated by the sages as Nasi (president), who occupies the position of our teacher Moses.

In practice, the Talmud teaches us Brochos 27b:

,מאן נוקים ליה? נוקמיה לרבי יהושע? בעל מעשה הוא
.נוקמיה לרבי עקיבא? דילמא עניש ליה דלית ליה זכות אבות
אלא נוקמיה לרבי אלעזר בן עזריה, דהוא חכם והוא עשיר והוא עשירי לעזרא הוא חכם דאי מקשי ליה מפרק ליה והוא עשיר דאי אית ליה לפלוחי לבי קיסר

Who shall we establish in R' Gamliel's place as Nassi? Shall we establish Rabbi Yehoshua in his place? The Sages rejected that option because Rabbi Yehoshua was a party to the incident for which Rabban Gamliel was deposed.
Shall we establish Rabbi Akiva in his place? The Sages rejected that option because Rabbi Akiva, who descended from a family of converts, would be vulnerable. Perhaps due to Rabban Gamliel’s resentment he would cause him to be divinely punished as he lacks the merit of his ancestors to protect him.

Rather, suggested the Sages, let us establish Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya in his place, his outstanding characteristics set him apart from the other candidates. He is wise, rich, and a tenth generation descendant of Ezra. The Gemara explains: He is wise, so if Rabban Gamliel raises a challenge in matters of Torah, he will answer it and not be embarrassed. And he is rich, so if the need arises to pay homage to Caesar’s court and serve as a representative of Israel to lobby and negotiate, he has sufficient wealth to cover the costs of the long journeys, taxes, and gifts, so he too is able to go and pay homage. And he is a tenth generation descendant of Ezra, so he has the merit of his ancestors, and Rabban Gamliel will be unable to cause him to be punished.

How the theoretical vision of Rambam can be reconciled with historical facts, the sages speaking for themselves?

In no way does this question imply the inferiority of either approach, and the sages' decisions are completely justified. The question is who strayed here from the path - did Rambam try to simplify the presentation, whereas in real life there are additional considerations, or did the sages see a need for Horaat Sha'ah to steer from the Halacha.


texts:
Who knows two hundred twenty-eight?
Please cite/link your sources, if possible. At some point at least twenty-four hours from now, I will:

Upvote all interesting answers.

Accept the best answer.

Go on to the next number.


texts: What are the earliest sources for the minhag in some communities that a chosson and kallah don't speak to each other during the week before the wedding?


texts:
The Shulchan Aruch 199:10 writes that a child can be included for a zimun of three or 10(only one minor is counted),the Rama does not allow a minor to join.

1) If there is one adult Sephardi and one adult Ashkenazi and a Sephardi minor who ate together can the Ashkenazi count the minor?

2)If there are 8 Sephardim and one Ashkenazi  and one sephardi minor,does majority rule against the Ashkenazi(diff from case one where its is one against one).


texts:
The משנה in בבא קמא (9:4, as explained by the רע״ב and קהתי) says that if I give wool to a dyer to dye red, and he dyes it black instead, then he must return the black wool to me, and I must pay him whichever of the following is least: the amount he paid to dye it black; the increase in value of the black wool over the undyed wool; the amount we originally made up that I'd pay him. (There's a dissenting view in the משנה, but we rule like the one I outlined.)

This seems to my lovely intellect as totally unreasonable: I, the owner of the wool, now must find a buyer for black wool! Who knows when I ever will? Especially if it's not wool but some rarer material with low demand, and especially if I must sell it before I can afford to buy more undyed material, and especially if I need the red material soon….

Do any commentaries, הלכה works, or other authorities deal with this issue? What do they say?


texts: Did Rabbis Moshe Feinstein and Shlomo Zalman Auerbach ever meet in person? How many times?

texts: Rav Moshe was in America, Rav Shlomo Zalman in Israel. Did they ever meet? Where and when? Do we have a photo of both of them together? (I know Rav Shlomo Zalman was asked to speak at Rav Moshe's funeral, but that wasn't my question ...)


texts: If someone received a coin or a dollar bill which had particular value as a gift item, would Maaser apply?

texts:
According to the opinion than Maaser does not apply to non monetary gifts, If someone received a coin or a dollar bill which had particular value as a gift item - for example a coin or bill given by a great tzaddik, or a rare coin or bill for a collector - would Maaser apply?

Notes:

1- This is NOT about whether Maaser of money in general is obligatory or not.

2- This is NOT about whether or not coins or bills of tzadikim have any extra value.


texts: When to do "missing" Nissan "Kel Maleh"?

texts:
During the month of Nissan, "Kel Maleh" - the prayer for the dead - is not recited.

When is it more appropriate for the gabbai to recite it for people who have yahrtzeits during Nissan? Should he recite them this Thursday, the last possible day before Nissan, or after Nissan is over (this year, the 4th of Iyar)?

If there are many of them to say (i.e. - each person gets his / her own "El Maleh". the shul's minhag is not to bunch multiple names together), should the gabbai split the list so as not to cause "tircha detzibur"?


texts: Do the actions of animals have moral value?

texts:
I vaguely remember reading in the Torah some laws regarding the proper restitution when one person's livestock injures or kills someone else's livestock, but as far as I can recall, it was more related to what we might call property damage, as opposed to the animal having done something morally wrong.

Does Jewish law and/or scripture suggest that the actions of animals have moral significance?  Can animals be evil/sinful or good/righteous?


texts: Why did the brothers go from Shechem to Dosan?

texts: In Bereshis 37:17 Yosef has traveled to Shechem where his brothers had gone to tend their sheep and he is told they went to Dosan. Rashi explains this homeletically, that they found legal pretext נִכְלֵי דָתוֹת, to kill Yosef. But the pasuk continues to say that Yosef found the brothers in Dosan. Do any commentators explain why they would have physically left Shechem and gone to Dosan (they could have made their machinations in Shechem equally well)?


texts: why no letter "ס" samech in viduy of yom Kippur?

texts:
The viduy of the על חטא lists sins from alef to taf, yet the letter samech ס is switched to a sin ש.
Why?

(Interestingly I noticed that in between sections of viduy we say סלח לנו מחל לנו כפר לנו, which is roshei teivos סמך. So the samech is there, but hidden.)


texts: Which US half-dollar coin should be used for Zecher Machatzis Hashekel?

texts:
It is customary on Taanis Esther to give a coin (or three coins each) valued at half the local currency's standard unit to tzedakah in commemoration of the mitzvah of Machatzis Hashekel (Rema 694:1).

In America, there are a number of different half-dollars.  Most common in circulation are silver half-dollars and copper-clad nickel half-dollars.  Ideally, should one give the silver half-dollar?


texts: A client of yours finally pays a bill — seven months late. Should you thank him?

texts:
You're a freelancer. A client of yours finally pays a bill — seven months late! — via email money transfer.

Should you send him a thank-you email? Or should you simply be silent?

And why?

(We acknowledge when someone's done something for us. We even acknowledge inanimate objects for their contributions: e.g. Moses didn't strike the land since it'd hid the Egyptian for him. But I don't know how far hakarat ha'tov goes. Does it extend to cases where someone's inconvenienced you, or when you may inadvertently be training him that wrong behavior is okay?)

Please cite sources if possible.

Dear readers: CYLOR.

P.S. If you do future work for this client, perhaps you should insist on full payment in advance.


texts: Would the President of the United States have to put mezuzot on the doors of the White House?

texts:
If a Jew were elected president of the United States, would he/she be required to put a mezuzah on all of the doors of the White House? I can think of many arguments for each side.

The house does not belong to the president. Nonetheless, we do require placing mezuzot on rented dwellings.
The White House may not be considered a dwelling due its public use. Still, there is a section of the White House called the "Executive Residence" which is where the president and first family live. Perhaps this section needs mezuzot and the rest of the White House does not. On the other hand, even the Executive Residence is still somewhat of a public space, with many rooms the first family likely never uses, rooms for hosting state events, rooms used by White House employees, etc. But perhaps these are akin to guest rooms/entertaining rooms in a normal house.
It seems somewhat strange to affix mezuzot to some doors in the White House and not others. After all, the halakha is that every room in a house must have a mezuzah. But since the rest of the house is a public space, perhaps this is more akin to an apartment building where the Jewish resident is only responsible for placing mezuzot on the space he/she occupies.

So to which doors (if any) would a Jewish president need to attach a mezuzah?


texts:
According to what I have read, there are problems with ingesting human blood. Questions like this indicate that mar'is ayin applies.

During metzitzah in a circumcision, the mohel takes some blood into his mouth but then spits it out. However, according to some scholarly sources, there was a practice in the middle ages of mixing that spitted out blood with wine and having the parents and/or the baby drink some.

Here is one quote (and I don't know his sources, but I will also quote a corroborating historian)

  After the mohel performs metzitzah, he traditionally spits the child's blood into a goblet of wine or sloshes the blood and wine in his mouth and expectorates into a cup. Then the mohel dips his finger and gives the child a taste. The boy's parents next take a sip, followed by the mohel. . . Today, most Jews sip only wine. But they once drank blood. . . Sipping the circumcision wine as wine rather than blood also dilutes the symbolic potency of the rite. The Torah , to repeat, firmly prohibits the consumption of blood, one of the premier laws incumbent on all of humanity and not just Jews. Yet paramount ritual remembrance of the covenant, with all its promise of progeny, requires participants to violate this decree by drinking a child's "life force."
  Eric Kline Silverman, From Abraham to America: A History of Jewish Circumcision, p. 138.

and

  In Germany in the high middle ages additional customs arose concerning the blood: the circumciser would spit the blood of metzitzah from his mouth into the cup of wine from which the baby would be given a few drops to drink
  Shaye J. D. Cohen, A Brief History of Jewish Circumcision Blood (from, The Covenant of Circumcision: New perspectives on an Ancient Jewish Rite, edited by Elizabeth Wyner Mark).

And there are a few others. Now, I haven't checked these texts to see if their scholarship is right. They might all be extrapolating from a single anecdote in a single medieval text. But if the claim is even remotely true, wouldn't it have presented a halachic concern? Is there any source for this practice or discussion of its halachic status? Are there any sources which debunk these claims?


texts:
I have read that the Pri Chadash writes somewhere that “one cannot attain presence of mind without the aid of coffee.”?

Does anyone know where this was written?


texts: Which side of the mechitza for a transgender individual?

texts: Although this question would understandably require CYLOR in each situation, if a man who had a procedure done to appear similar to a woman, where should such an individual sit in shul? Also, would the halacha be different if a woman had the procedure performed to appear like a man?


texts:
The Shulchan Aruch: Orach Chaim: Siman 89 says that the ideal time to pray Sh'moneh Esrei is at Hanetz hachamah.

If the only Minyan that is available will pray later in the morning, is it preferable to pray alone with Hanetz or later with the Minyan?


texts: PTIJ: Requirement for Achashveirosh costume to include a pillow under the shirt

texts:
It is a well-known Torah law that anyone dressing up as Achashveirosh for Purim must include a pillow under his/her shirt as part of the costume.

What is the earliest source for this law? Is there support for it in the Written Torah?

What are the parameters of this law? Is there a required pillow size? Placement? Anything else?

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


texts: Source for Rambam about God's emotions being for the ignorant?

texts:
I believe that the Rambam somewhere in Mishneh Torah (although it could possibly be the Guide) states that the Torah only says that God "gets angry" etc. in order so that the masses will be scared to sin and so forth, but that, in reality, God is never changing, and does not have any emotions. The idea being that the Torah only says these things for the ignorant. Any help finding this source? I've been looking for days and cannot find it...

(It is interesting, of course, what, exactly, the Rambam means by this, considering he also gives a metaphor of the fire, and God changing his interaction with us based on how we act, but that is another question altogether.)


texts:
At a siyum the person making the siyum typically says:

  הִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ ה' אלקי, כְּשֵׁם שֶׁעֲזַרֽתַּנִי לְסַיֵים
  מַסֶּכֶת [שם המסכת] כֵּן תּֽעַזְרֵנִי לְהַתְחִיל מַסֶּכְתּוֹת
  וּסֽפָרִים אַחֵרִים וּלְסַיֵימָם
  May it be your will, Lord, my G-d, that just as you helped me to finish Masechet [so-and-so] so shall you help me to begin other masechtot and books and finish them
  (Translation mine)

In a case where the siyum is made on all the masechtot (i.e. the person has completed all 6 orders of Mishna), is this text different in some way?

The question occured to me in relation to the 13th Siyum HaShas of Daf Yomi, but even a person who has learned all of Talmud Bavli might wish to go forward and learn those masechtot which have no Talmud Bavli on them.  But ostensibly having learned all of Mishna, nothing called a masechta remains to the person.  There are no "other masechtot" to study, though one can study these masechtot again.

Perhaps one can read the Hebrew text as "to begin masechtot & other books", which fits the Hebrew, though in fairness Artscroll translates that bit as I did.


texts: Why bow differently for Borachu and Amida?

texts: When bowing for three brachot in the Amida I've seen some people bend their knees. For Borachu I've seen those people do not bend the knees.  What is the logic or source underlying this difference in bowing?


texts: Number of Yamim Tovim that fall on Shabbos

texts: In a given year, a certain number of Yamim Tovim days fall on Shabbos, and a certain number not. What are the minimum and maximum count of Yamim Tovim days that can fall on Shabbos in a single year (Tishrei-Elul), in and out of Eretz Yisrael?


texts: Where does the tune for birkat hamazon come from?

texts:
It's hard to describe who's tune this is and I can only refer to it as the 'commonly used' or 'popular' tune for birkat hamazon. It seems like it is compiled of many unrelated tunes. At times there are melodies for a specific phrase and at other times there are melodies for paragraphs.
Was there an 'original tune' that has now developed and where was it from?
[I'm interested in this, because I dislike the melodies (!) and of course wish to implement universal changes at some very near future.]


texts: If you put up a mezuzah before 30 days, can you make a blessing?

texts:
I am referring above all to mezuzahs placed on rented spaces in the Diaspora before 30 days have elapsed. In the case of a rented space outside Eretz Yisroel, mezuzah does not become an obligation until 30 days have elapsed from when one moves in. Therefore, one customarily would not say a bracha if affixing the mezuzot before 30 days. (Source: https://judaism.stackexchange.com/a/132/1516.)

From that source: "If one wishes to affix the Mezuzah but delay recitation of the blessing until the thirtieth day, it should be touched before reciting the blessing. However, it is preferable to remove and reaffix the Mezuzah before reciting the blessing." Note that this does not indicate whether it would be /permissible/ to make a blessing if affixing before the 30 days. Furthermore, there are some sources ( http://dinonline.org/2011/05/30/mezuzah-before-thirty-days/ ) which suggest that mezuze is an obligation before 30 days if one plans to stay there longer. This would imply that a blessing could be made--although again they are not explicit.

What is the answer? Can one make a blessing when putting up a mezuzah before 30 days on a rental outside Eretz Yisroel? (Assume one will be living there long-term.)


texts: Is it permissible to put Soup Mandels in hot (Yad Soledes) soup on Shabbos, assuming the soup bowl was filled in a standard way - pot taken off of fire, soup ladle inserted into pot and soup removed and put into the bowl in which it is served.


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

Upvote all interesting answers.

Accept the best answer.

Go on to the next number.


texts: Clarification on Ben Ezra's cancellation of the idea of grammatical gender

texts:
To continue the topic of "genders in Hebrew" I stumbled upon Torah Temima's commentary on the Posuk "דרך ילכו בה" and his citation of Ben Ezra:

  "את הדרך ילכו בה.
  [מכאן דדרך לשון נקבה] כטמדלא כתיב ילכו בו ...
  והנה כלל זה בכלל מסכים עם הנחת הראב"ע דכל דבר שאין בו רוח חיים זכרהו ונקבהו, כלומר אפשר לכתבו בלשון זכר ובלשון נקבה, אך לפלא שכל המדקדקים לא זכרו כלל זה דהגמרא כי באופן כזה הולכין אחר הענין שעליו מוסב שורש זה כמבואר, והוא מסתבר מאד."

  [My translation] ... this is consistent with Ben Ezra's assumption that inanimate objects can be assigned any gender.

This is very new to me, I googled a bit and saw that many cite RaB"A with that rule (here for example).

As I understand, this assumption completely contradicts the Gemmorah's long discussion in Kiddushin (2,2) about the gender of דרך - If the assumption was true there was no discussion at all.

Can somebody clarify on this rule?


texts: Change from 2nd to 3rd Person in Yehi Ratzon

texts:
As part of putting on my tefillin in the morning, I say a prayer (found on page 13 of my Siddur Tefilla Hashalem, by A. Greenwald, which I can't find online) beginning with "L'shem Yichud". The text at the end reads as follow:
ויהי רצון מלפניך...שתהא חשובה מצות הנחת תפילין לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא...

(I added the bold).

The section of the prayer which begins in the second person ("may it be thy will") immediately goes into third person (referring to HKB"H and not simply "before you", lifanecha).

Why would this prayer make such a shift?

The parallel prayer in the siddur Rinat Yisrael (as seen here) has different language to stay in the second person but I don't know if my Greenwald siddur predates the 1970 publication of the Rinat. Which is the "original" version and why would the text ever switch persons?


texts: Is there "Glat Kosher" (HALAK) kashrut classification for Chicken

texts:
I always knew that "Glat Kosher" Kashrut classification relates only to beef, it's when the cow is cooked and eaten within 24 hours of it being butchered. Recently I was told several times that there is "Glat Kosher" in chicken as well.
Is that true?
What is the definition of "Glat Kosher" for chicken?
what is the base for it?


texts: Stealing something that could be considered offensive

texts: Recently a video has emerged of a man taking down a Palestinian flag in the neighbourhood of Meah Shearim, Jerusalem. There is no indication as to what happened to the flag after it was taken down. In any case, would one be allowed to steal an item that is deliberately provocative, potentially offensive and damaging to the achdut of Israel?


texts: Can one engrave on a utensil bought from a non jew to avoid the need for tevilla?

texts:
Yahu made the following comment in the discussion on "Electric Appliances and Mikva"

"Breaking does not mean that it can not work. As long as what you are doing affects the vessel in a 3 dimensional manner, e.g. adding on or engraving, then it is considered a vessel you made. It goes to follow that unscrewing a screw, taking it out, reinserting and tightening it would be enough. – Yahu Apr 22 '10 at 17:26 "

What is the source/s in the Poskim for this?


texts: What is the justification for not requiring "chalav Yisrael" cooking equipment for those who don't hold by R' Moshe's leniency?

texts:
As Shalom explained in his answer to a question about chalav Yisrael milk, R' Moshe Feinstein ruled that in countries where the local government regulations are sufficient to ensure that cow's milk is not tainted with the milk of non-kosher animals, any milk can be considered chalav Yisrael even if there was no Jew supervising the milking of the animals.

Not everybody accepts this leniency and those who do not are careful to only consume dairy products whose production was directly supervised by a Jew. Logically, those who do not accept the leniency would consider the dairy to be completely non-kosher (as Shalom said, "Today we speak of 'chalav ha-companies', or 'chalav stam', which means: 'milk whose status is viewed as chalav yisrael by some, and chalav akum by others'").

Yet I know that there are people who do not accept R' Moshe's leniency about chalav stam being kosher, though they are not careful to avoid dairy products served, prepared, or cooked on equipment that has been used for chalav stam. What is the justification for eating chalav stam-equipment foods if chalav stam is considered not kosher?

(I asked this question to someone I know who does this and he said he doesn't know how it's justified. He does it because he otherwise wouldn't be able to eat at his in-laws' house so his rav gave him permission).