texts: Why do people make Shabbos early as a zchus for a sick person?

texts: Sometimes women will light candles and  accept the Shabbos a few minutes earlier than usual as a zchus for a sick person. How does accepting Shabbos early act as a zchus? How does it compare with davening for the choleh or saying Tehillim?


texts:
Say that someone borrows a key, and, while it is in his possession, gets a copy made of it.

Has he violated any halachos?
Does it make a difference how public/private the room is?
Does it matter if the key is even used for a room, as opposed to, say, an alarm, elevator, or locker?
Is he able to use the copy?


texts: What actually happened to Jacob's and Laban's sheeps and goats?

texts:
Genesis 30 (JPS):

  34 And Laban said: 'Behold, would it might be according to thy word.' 35 And he removed that day the he-goats that were streaked and spotted, and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white in it, and all the dark ones among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons. 36 And he set three days' journey betwixt himself and Jacob. And Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks. 37 And Jacob took him rods of fresh poplar, and of the almond and of the plane-tree; and peeled white streaks in them, making the white appear which was in the rods. 38 And he set the rods which he had peeled over against the flocks in the gutters in the watering-troughs where the flocks came to drink; and they conceived when they came to drink. 39 And the flocks conceived at the sight of the rods, and the flocks brought forth streaked, speckled, and spotted.

Jacob got all the black goats.
Laban hide all the black and spotted goats (verse 36)
So Jacob started off with pure white goats (or sheep?)
Jacob's technique turn the newborn goats spotted
Is the term for goats similar to sheep?

Let me try to understand

Do I get this right? Am I missing something?

Also what actually happened in the end anyway? All the goats become spotted (and hence belong to Jacob's) or Jacob's got stronger goats?

Looks like pure white goats is recessive and hence, normally 2 out of 4 goats born from carrier of black genes will be spotted.

My guess is it's not really miracle. What the goats see affect their sexual selection preference. That sexual selection affect which male impregnate the ewe and that affects the color of the child. That is why Jacob shows the branch only in front of strong males. I am just trying to get the detail right. It's amazing how Jacob could figure this out thousands of years ago before Richard Dawkins.

So the question is about the detail of the story:

In the deal, what kind of goats Jacob should get (spotted? pure?)
Did jacob put the branches in front of the male or female goats?
Did Jacob put the branch only in front of the strong goats or all goats?
What's the starting of condition?
Could an animal behaviorist verify the plausibility of the whole things.


texts: Source for Avraham's Conversation About Hoshana Rabba

texts:
Although many websites quote a Midrash saying Hashem told Avraham,

  "I will give your descendants a special day for forgiveness: Hoshana Rabbah. If they are not forgiven on Rosh Hashana then let them try Yom Kippur; if not, then Hoshana Rabbah,"

not a single site I found quoted the actual source.

Although this answer addresses the same question, the insightful post doesn't directly source the Midrash.

Where is this precise Midrash?


texts: I understand that one should not get unnecessary haircuts during the Omer. Does that apply to trimming/cutting pubic hair? Are there known exceptions for discomfort?


texts:
In the context of a discussion of the obligation of burying a corpse found on the way:

  And an exception is made for the met mitzvah. Should the kohen
  encounter an abandoned corpse, and no one else is available to bury
  it, he is commanded to ignore the prohibition against contact with the
  dead, and he must bury that corpse himself.

One commentary (don't have it handy sorry) linked it to performing mitzvot that are neglected (i.e., 'dead' to most Jews/people). There are Mitsvot that has no one to "support them" like a corpse that has no one to bury it.

I enjoyed this idea and wondered how to put it in practice.
Could someone tell me how to do so?


texts: What evidence is required to indicate mamzer status?

texts:
It seems to me that just about every possible shadow of doubt is used to prevent halachic rulings that would classify a person as a mamzer. From my understanding after having read this paragraph on Wikipedia, if there is any possible way to discredit evidence of mamzer status, it will be done.

However, this sort of evidentiality, where any sorts of loopholes to discredit evidence can be used, would be regarded as unjust if applied to other cases because it is a standard of evidence that is impossible to fulfill. It would seem that more effort is taken to prevent people from being classified as mamzerim than actually trying to find out if they are.

What standard of evidence is necessary to indicate mamzer status? If it is higher than the standard of evidence necessary for other halachic rulings, what justifies the discrepancy?


texts: Why is there no mitzvah for an individual to write his own mezuzah?

texts:
Ramba"m states that there is a mitzvah for every individual to write his own Torah. This mitzvah can be accomplished by writing one letter.

Why is there no mitvah for writing a mezuza. It seems that the Torah commands that we should write our own mezuza, as it says:

"You shall write them on the mezuzot of your houses and gates" (Devarim 6:9)

It seems that this is a commandment for every individual to write a mezuzah!


texts: In Melachim 2 Chapter 6. It says the Aramean troops stopped invading the land of Israel but right after

texts:
But right after that it says that Israel was laid siege by the king of Aram.
 what's the idea here?

Does it mean that those particular troops that were dealt with nicely by the king of Israel and Elisha.

  כב  וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא תַכֶּה הַאֲשֶׁר שָׁבִיתָ בְּחַרְבְּךָ
  וּבְקַשְׁתְּךָ אַתָּה מַכֶּה שִׂים לֶחֶם וָמַיִם לִפְנֵיהֶם וְיֹאכְלוּ
  וְיִשְׁתּוּ וְיֵלְכוּ אֶל אֲדֹנֵיהֶם:

  And he said, "You shall not slay. Do you slay those you have captured
  with your sword and with your bow? Set food and water for them and let
  them eat and drink and go to their masters.

  כג   וַיִּכְרֶה לָהֶם כֵּרָה גְדוֹלָה, וַיֹּאכְלוּ וַיִּשְׁתּוּ, וַיְשַׁלְּחֵם, וַיֵּלְכוּ אֶל-אֲדֹנֵיהֶם; וְלֹא-יָסְפוּ עוֹד גְּדוּדֵי
  אֲרָם, לָבוֹא בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל.

  23 And he prepared for them a lavish feast, and they ate and drank,
  and he sent them away and they went to their masters; and Aramean
  troops no longer continued to invade the land of Israel.

  כד וַיְהִי אַחֲרֵי כֵן וַיִּקְבֹּץ בֶּן הֲדַד מֶלֶךְ אֲרָם אֶת כָּל מַחֲנֵהוּ וַיַּעַל וַיָּצַר עַל שֹׁמְרוֹן:

  24 And it was after this, that Ben-Hadad the king of Aram, mustered all
  his camp; and he went up and besieged Samaria.


texts: PTIJ: Oscar the Grouch getting Tzara'at on his garbage can

texts:
If Oscar the Grouch gets Tzara'at on his garbage can, is that considered Tzara'at of clothing or Tzara'at of one's home?

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


texts: Prayer during non-Shabbat or morning minyan

texts:
This may be an odd question, but is it typically permitted or tolerated for a gentile to pray in a synagogue during "off" hours (I.e. not during Shabbat, morning minyan, or any yom tov)?

Do any Jews pray during these "off" times as well?


texts:
I recently opened a pair of parshiot (Beit Yosef, first half of the 20th century) and I'm trying to identify where they were written. I am certain that if they date to around the bar mitzvah of their original owner, they were written around Lemberg, northern Poland, or Bavaria (likely Fürth). If they are post-war, it is likely that the sofer lived in Boro Park, where the original owner eventually settled.

Are there any online references which would show examples of old tefillin parshiot consistent with the era and likely geographic origin of these tefillin ?


texts:
Is there a bracha (blessing) said for shechita (kosher slaughter)? If so, what is the bracha?

Is the blessing said before or after the animal is slaughtered?


texts: Connection Between Tochacha and Evaluating People (Arechin)

texts: Immediately after the long Tochacha of Bechukosai (Vayikra 26:14), the Torah continues with Arechin (Vayikra 27)- evalutating people's value in money to be consecrated for the Mishkan/Beis HaMikdash. What is the connection between the two?


texts: What does "to confuse the Satan" mean and why does it work?

texts:
There are several things we don't do in order "to confuse the Satan", like not blowing Shofar on Erev Rosh Hashana. How does it help? Does Satan not realize that Rosh Hashana
didn't pass yet? He doesn't see our calendars?


texts: Source for saying seven specific psalms in the cemetery

texts: What is the source as cited in the ArtScroll Tehillim for saying chapters 33, 16, 17, 82, 91, 104, and 130 of Tehillim in a bais hachayim (Jewish cemetery)? Why specifically these chapters and why in this specific order (as opposed to the order in which they appear in Tehillim)?


texts: Many people have small siddurs that they use for Mincha and Marriv which they keep in their wallets. I happen to keep my wallet in my back pocket. If I pick up a siddur like this, am I able to keep it in my wallet (which is in my back pocket)?


texts: How do we know that The Hebrew Bible of today is substantially the same as the original writings?

texts:
The Bible was written over a period of 1600 years, Torah was written 3500 years ago.

There are few claims that it could change over the period of time.

So how do we know that The Hebrew Bible of today is substantially the same as the original writings?


texts: Why list all Kosher Behaimos and their Simanim

texts: The Torah lists 10 Kosher Behaimos and then lists the Kosher simanim required (split hoofs, chews cud etc.) Why does it list both ? In Deuteronomy 14:4-5 it lists "these are the Behaimos that you may eat: ox,seh of sheep, seh of goats,hart, deer,yachmur,akko,dishon,te'o,and zemer. Rav Yitzxchok in Chullin 80A saysthat the Torah listed ALL the species that meet its criteria for permissibility. So the next pasuk that lists the simonim , only describes the simonim of these 10 animals.   My question is why list the animals and the simanim? one or the other would suffice?


texts:
If you are in the middle of a meal you have not yet finished, and you realized that you are running late to mincha, would praying mincha before saying birkat hamazot be considered a hefsek?

Can you continue the same meal after Minch but before the 72 minutes pass?

What should a person do in such a case?


texts: Washing hand on bread after praying (With a brocho?)

texts:
If I just prayed (I washed hands before prayer) Shachrit (same question by minha)
should I make a blessing when washing my hands for bread (if I am eating in the same place I prayed)?
or are we worried that my hands are clean from before Shachrit and I should wash without a blessing?

Sources please?
(I am not looking for a halachik decision but Sources)


texts: Translation of Hamantasch from Oznei Haman

texts: The Hebrew translation of the Yiddish word Hamantaschen is Oznei Haman - "Ears of Haman". Hamantaschen sounds more like "Pockets of Haman". Why the different words and meanings for the same Purim delicacy?


texts: Generally most people stand up to say and to respond to kaddish. Why do we do this? Is there anyone with a minhag to sit for either saying or responding to kaddish and the reason behind doing so?


texts: A word seems to be written in an unusual way in Psalm 60,2

texts: Why is there a medial mem rather than a final mem at the end of the word "aram" in Psalm 60:2? (Please see screenshot below.)


texts: Does one fulfill the mitzvah of tefillin if he wears it at night time?

texts:
I've seen a few questions on this site confirming that the mitzvah for wearing tefillin is during the entire day. Indeed, on Tish'a B'Av tefillin is not worn in the morning for Shacharit but for Mincha.

However, while I haven't seen anyone wearing tefillin at night, if one did, would he fulfil the requirement of wearing tefillin for that day? If not, what is the source / support that tefillin can be worn only during daylight hours, and when does the permissible time end?


texts: Da' Mah LeHashiv vs. teaching Torah to non-Jews

texts:
Is the paradigm of Da' Mah LeHashiv limited to heretical Jews, and that of the restriction on teaching Torah to non-Jews limited only to non-Jews (excluding heretical Jews), such that there is never an instance in which one might need to use advanced Jewish texts to defend Judaism against a heretical non-Jew, or might be prohibited from citing similarly advanced passages that require background to understand correctly when engaged in defending Judaism agaist heretical Jews?

Example 1. A non-Jew approaches his Jewish colleague at work to engage in casual conversation lamenting the decline in society's "Judaeo-Christian values" with specific examples being contrary to Jewish law that is unenforceable without a Sanhedrin. May the Jew correct the non-Jew and explain the complexities of Jewish law and the limitations of enforcement?

Example 2. A secular Jew approaches an Orthodox colleague and laments the "Radical Christian" theology that believes in "hocus pocus", saying that, even though he's not religious, he can respect his Orthodox colleague's lifestyle because, "at least Orthodox Judaism doesn't believe in resurrection or a physical/literal afterlife." May the Orthodox colleague engage the secular Jew in a discussion of Perek Helek and the divergence of opinions between Rambam and Ramban, et al?


texts: Interrupting in the middle of Shmona esrei

texts: Am I allowed to interrupt in the middle of Shmona esrei in order to pick up a Siddur (or any other holy book) that has fallen to the floor? Same question, if I have to make some steps in order to pick up a Siddur?


texts: Why is Shmoneh Esreh referred to as 18 blessings when there are actually 19?

texts:
Originally Shmoneh Esreh only had 18 blessings, thus the name "Shemoneh Esreh."  However, subsequently a 19th blessing was added of Velamalshinim regarding the heretics. If there are 19 blessings now, why do we not refer to it as Tisha Esreh (19 Berachot)?  Why did we retain the original name of Shemoneh Esreh?

This was a question asked to me by my daughter.

I wonder if it was simply a sociological phenomena and that is why is stuck or if there was an actual idea that was being conveyed by keeping the name. As if to say it is only a temporary blessing or something along those lines.


texts: Provenance of Testament of Rabbi Eliezer

texts:
There is a work known as Tsavaat Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol, which is purported to be have been authored by the Tanna R. Eliezer. According to R. Menahem Lunzano cited here, the work was actually authored by the 11th century Ashkenazi R. Eliezer ben Yitshak.

Personally, given for example the numerous statements that seem to be based on the Zohar which was not published until the end of the 13th century, I wondered if it was of even later authorship. I see that this is the opinion of Gershom Scholem and Yeshaya Tishbi, cited here.

What does later research indicate regarding the provenance of this work?

For example, when did Scholem think it was written, if not in the 11th century.


texts: What halachos are different on the day of Tisha B'Av in a year where the fast is pushed to Sunday?

texts:
For example, can one learn Torah on the fast, since it's really 10 Av?
Are any of the usual ways of mourning omitted? Are we more lenient in general in this year's case?


texts:
Who knows nineteen?
Please cite/link your sources, if possible. After about one business day, I will:

Upvote all interesting answers.

Accept the best answer.

Go on to the next number.


texts: What are the abreviations on tefillin cases?

texts:
I have seen two common abbreviations written on tefillin cases (I'm referring to the, most commonly red, cases that you put the tefillin into when you have completed wearing them):

תובב"א and פעיה"ק

What do these abbreviations mean?


texts: Why are rabbonim referred to by the names of their seforim?

texts: Many rabbonim who published important seforim are coloquially referred to by the names of one of the seforim. Why is this? When did it start?


texts: i've been looking for a valid oven to use to bake a soft laffa style Matzah. This is not easy as you can't make those things in a typical western oven, and to buy an oven for that purpose is quite costly or takes up a lot of space. Well i stumbled upon the following oven from the Nosach Teiman website but i can't figure out the Hebrew (i can only read Biblical Hebrew well). Can someone tell me what this advertisement says, whether this oven is electrical or gas lit, and if it has any details on its permissibility of matzah baking (i see the word matzah but don't know the context of its usage.


texts: Who payed for the money that Joseph returned to his brothers?

texts: It is known that at the first time Joseph ask to return the money that his brother paid for the grains to their bags. Joseph was a leader of the Egypt nation. The money he got for the grains belongs to the Egyptians. He practically gave them the grains for free on the expense of the Egyptians. Did he have the right to do it?


texts:
A common practice in some segments of today's Jewish world is for brides and grooms to attend "Chattan/kallah classes" where the attendees receive instruction and advice on relationship dynamics and intimacy (see here for more info.).  It has become so popular that one who does not attend such classes prior to marriage is looked upon with a raised eyebrow and, depending on the individual's circles, met with objection.

I am curious if a study has been done tracing the inception of this practice or if any readers can shed light on it.

I am not asking for reasons why it began (exposure -or, lack of- to "the way of the world"; social influences etc.). I'm only interested in early documented sources or anything indicating its inception. As for the implications of such a study, that too is beyond this question.

(My research: this practice isn't older than a few decades.)


texts: Looking for Rabbi Avigdor Miller's reason for identifying his tape as E-1 instead of 1001

texts: Rabbi Avigdor Miller used to begin his famous Thursday night shiur by announcing which number shiur it was. For example, he would say something to the effect of, "Tonight is number 950 in our series." But for some reason, on the Thursday night after shiur 1000, instead of just continuing with 1001 he said something like, "Tonight is shiur E-1, which means Extension 1 - a new series." I'm under the impression that Rabbi Miller was a very though out person and I was wondering if anyone knows why he chose to start using the E-1, E-2, E-3 pattern instead of continuing with 1001,1002,1003 etc?


texts: I've heard many times that the obligation of saying birchas hatorah is most likely from the Torah (as opposed to mi-dirabanan). How could we not know? If it's from the Torah, then it's from the Torah!


texts: In a civil election, does Judaism teach that one should vote for Jewish candidates over non-Jews? What if the voter supports the other candidate's positions on every other issue much more?


texts:
A discussion came up with some guests over shabbos. One asked if one could use an overhead projector on Shabbos if it was turned on from before, i.e. could one put a new plastic sheet on it or not? In theory, it should be the same with old school slides.
Any ideas?


texts: Is there any halahic problem davening in the presence of a dog that assists a blind person?

texts: The Shulchan Aruch mentions that one should not daven in the presence of a dog. Is there an exception or leniency made if a blind person accompanied by his dog walks into the shul minyan to daven? (the blind person, that is. Although, perhaps, the dog may be davening, as well.)


texts: Rashi's unusual phrasing of the four sons

texts:
At the end of Parashat Bo (Exodus 13:14), Rashi enumerates the Four Sons of the Passover Seder:

  דברה תורה כנגד ארבעה בנים, רשע ושאינו יודע לשאול והשואל דרך סתומה והשואל דרך חכמה

  The Torah spoke regarding four sons:
  the wicked one (Exod. 12:26), the one
  who does not understand to ask (Exod.
  13:8), the one who asks [a] general
  [question], and the one who asks in a wise manner. — [from Yerushalmi, Pes. 10:4]

(Emphases mine. References inserted by chabad.org.)

We (like the Yerushalmi Rashi apparently draws from) refer to the wise son simply as "wise son." Why does Rashi refer to him as "the one who asks in a wise manner"?


texts: Can a congregant who has been asked to open the Ark, walk in front of the Ark to get to the other side of the 'bimah'?

texts: Can a congregant who opened the Aron Hakodesh walk in front of the open ark and walk to the other side of the platform where the Aron is situated?


texts: Can Salt used to kasher meat have additives [such as anti-caking agents]?

texts: Can Salt being used to kasher meat have additives [such as anti-caking agents]? I see that some "kosher salt" companies have this added (e.g. Morton), can they still be used to Kasher meat or chicken?


texts: Scrutinising the legitimacy/cause of a charity collector

texts:
In many synagogues that I frequent charity collectors come round collecting money for themselves, families or other causes. They often have a certificate declaring the legitimacy of their cause (although people don't necessarily recognise the names of the Rabbis/institutions that sign the approbation).

Some people give more freely which is perhaps a middat chassidut; or perhaps people are uncomfortable questioning the status of such a person and give minimally in any case. However, some feel it is necessary to scrutinise the collectors' certificates, reading if indeed their cause is something that they would like to support or whether it is a reliable certificate (in date, etc.). This could be embarrassing for the collector, that someone is 'evaluating whether they are worthy' to receive charity.

To what extent is one allowed to scrutinise a collector's legitimacy and cause before giving them money? Is there ever an assumption/clause that defines them as legitimate without the need for in depth investigation?

An extreme example being: After someone had enquired of a collector, in a synagogue I attended, it became apparent that the collector was collecting in order to fix his roof...


texts: כְלִי גֶבֶר Versus שִׂמְלַת אִשָּׁה

texts: Why does the Torah switch the word for men from כְלִי to שִׂמְלַת  for women?


texts: Rule of "Borei Pri Ha'etz" on seeds - comparing apples and pomegranates

texts:
I am curious regarding the rule of the the bracha "borei pri ha'etz" regarding what the Talmud considers the actual "fruit" that one makes the bracha for.

In comparing apples to pomegranates, here's the question:

The edible fruit is the white fleshy inside. I assume, therefore, if you eat apple seeds, you would say shehakol as the seeds are not considered "edible".

With pomegranates, there is a hard pith, and the seeds, themselves are what people eat. Are the seeds, therefore, considered the "fruit" with regard to the bracha? Many stores sell boxes of just the seeds outside of the pomegranate, itself. Would you say "ha'etz" on just eating these seeds?

If yes, then why wouldn't you say "ha'etz" when eating apple seeds?

Or, is the entire bracha rule based on what it is common for people to eat in your area. I.e. - if people commonly ate apple seeds, you would need to say "ha'etz" also?


texts: PTIJ: Inviting Moshiach to your son's Bris

texts:
Based on the reasons behind not inviting people to a Bris (Why do we avoid inviting people to a b'rit milah specifically, and not other celebrations too?) why don't we just invite Moshiach Ben Dovid to a Bris, thereby forcing him to attend, and then requesting he reveal himself and end Golus already?

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


texts:
I am curious if there is any documented opinion piece by any universally recognized Haredi gadol (universally recognized as being Haredi or right wing), about modern orthodoxy as an ideology. Also is there a clear and documented divide between different sects in regards to their views.

I am not asking for anyone's personal opinions about Modern Orthodox, rather if anyone knows of anything clear, and universal. (and no, I am not discussing "Open Orthodoxy")


texts: What do the words מְנָת כּוֹסִי mean in the hymn “Adon Olam”

texts:
In Adon Olam some translate the words מְנָת כּוֹסִי in the antepenultimate stanza as “the portion of my cup”. (Wikipedia translates as “Filling my cup” but I do not see that meaning in מְנָת.)

For reference, the stanza is:

  וְהוּא נִסִּי וּמָנוֹס לִי
  מְנָת כּוֹסִי בְּיוֹם אֶקְרָא

This is probably a parable for something other than the literal translation.

What is the meaning of the words simply and in the meaning of the parable?


texts: Why do you make a Bracha on seeing a monkey?

texts: Why do you make the Bracha Mishaneh Habriyos on seeing a monkey?


texts: When would you have a Seudas Bris by the Friday night Seuda?

texts: How is it possible that you would you have a Seudas Bris by the Friday night Seuda?


texts: I am looking for an English translation of the Hesronot Hashas.  Anyone aware of an honest and complete translation of this document?  Also what does Hesronot Hashas mean?


texts: Is davening a "late" mincha in contradiction with counting an "early" sefira?

texts:
According to what Halichipedia states:

  According to most poskim, it is correct to wait until Tzet Hakochavim
  in order to count sefirat haomer; however, one fulfills his obligation
  by counting after sunset. [9]
  If one is praying in a minyan that finishes maariv after sunset and one wants to count after Tzet Hakochavim, he should count then without
  a Bracha and mentally stipulate, "if I don't remember to count with a
  bracha then this counting should fulfill my obligation, however, if I
  remember later then I have intent not to fulfill my obligation with
  this counting." If one in fact remembers, he should count after Tzet
  Hakochavim with a Bracha. [10]

This past Sunday, my shul got a minyan for mincha after sunset, so they davenend mincha during twi-light. They then, davened Ma'ariv, and said Sefirat Ha'omer before Tzeit Hakochavim (stars come out.)

Just prior to the counting, a fellow congregant says to me, "I would count with the minyan, normally, even without making this condition (as mentioned in #7). However, the mere fact that they davened mincha late (after sunset) is a contradiction to the notion that they can do sefira early, before nightfall. They can't do both!"

I've never heard of this stipulation. Is the co-congregant correct? Is there any halacha or opinion agreeing with his claim?


texts: Are there any name combinations that may not be used?

texts: Are there any combinations of names that may not be given? There are many names which aren't commonly paired together but is there any reason not to or just common practice and preference?


texts: In Bereshis 2:15 Adam is placed in Gan Eden to work and guard it. Guard it from what or whom?


texts: In the Talmud, I think it is in berachos, there is mentioned a group of extremely pious people. Does anyone know the name of this group?


texts: What are the practicalities of getting a Get nowadays?

texts:
In a situation where both spouses live in the USA and want to dissolve a Jewish marriage with a Get, what are the practical steps and considerations.  For example:

Is there a need to appear before the beit din?  If so, it would seem to make sense to find a beit din locally to avoid travel expenses.

Is there a set price, or does it vary by beit din?  What might the cost be and is there a way to keep the cost down?

What documents will a beit din ask for?

How long will the process take, from beginning to end, assuming no unusual circumstances.

How does one locate a beit din to use for a Get?

What other practicalities come to mind?


texts:
It is my understanding that when one is in the year of mourning following the death of certain relatives, he is not allowed to lead ["daven from the amud"] certain prayers (such as those on Shabbos, Yom Tov, Rosh Chodesh and Chol Hamoed).

If so, what would happen if all 10 people gathered to daven are in fact mourners? Would any of them be able to lead the prayers? What would they do?

(of course, correct me if my initial assumption is incorrect)


texts: Source Recommendation on Meaning of It All

texts: I am reading through this book that represents all the different Jewish opinions on what our purpose is in this world. Each one brings a certain set of actions that God wants us to do. However, they don't explain what the end goal of these actions are/ why does God need us to do these actions. Any recommendations on Jewish sources on the topic?


texts:
Bavli, P'sachim 112:1:

ת״ר לא ישתה אדם מים לא מן הנהרות ולא מן האגמים בלילה ואם שתה דמו בראשו מפני הסכנה מאי סכנה סכנת שברירי ואי צחי מאי תקנתיה אי איכא איניש בהדיה לימא ליה פלניא בר פלנתא צחינא מיא ואי לא לימא איהו לנפשיה פלניא אמרה לי אימי איזדהר משברירי שברירי ברירי רירי ירי רי צחינא מיא בכסי חיורי
Our rabbis taught: One shall drink water neither from rivers nor from ponds in the night — and if he drank [from them at night], his blood is on his own head — because of the danger. What danger? ―the danger of Shavriri. So if he's thirsty, what's his remedy? If there's someone with him, let him tell him "P'loni son of P'lonis, I thirst for water"; and if not, let him tell himself "P'loni, my mother told me 'beware of Shavriri'. Shavriri vriri riri iri ri. I thirst for water in a clear cup."

(It seems from Rashbam on the page that Shavriri is a type of blindness. I seem to recall hearing, though, that it is the name of a supernatural creature that causes a type of blindness (which is why I capitalized the word).)
What does saying "שברירי ברירי רירי ירי רי" ("Shavriri vriri riri iri ri") accomplish? How does it do so?


texts: Rav Heinemann mentioned during a shiur that there is no shalom zachar on Pesach if shabbos is the night of the seder. Although practically having one would be very difficult, why is this night halachically different from all other shabbos nights that we don't have a shalom zachar?


texts: What is the source for the Baal Shem Tov’s application of Psalm 122 (1) to a marriage?

texts:
I seem to remember a Dvar Torah from the Baal Shem Tov that reinterprets the first verse of Psalm 122

  I rejoiced when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord."

into a dialogue between the bride and the groom in which she says,

I was glad when you said to me, let us build a Jewish house

I would like to find the source.


texts: (Why) May a Beit Din refuse to bury a body in order to coerce a man into giving a divorce?

texts:
I read recently of a case where a Rabbi (I assume as head of a Beit Din) instructed a Jewish burial society not to bury the body of a woman who is the mother of a man who refuses to give his wife a get (bill of divorce). This was done in order to apply pressure on the man to give his wife a get.

There is a halachic obligation to bury the dead according to most authorities that means as soon as possible, See Nitei Gavriel 75:24.

I would like to know what the halachic argument is for not burying someone in order to force another person to give a get.


texts: Sequel to the Sefer " Laws of Daily Living "

texts:
There is a well known Sefer on Halacha called Laws of Daily Living by Rav Simcha Bunim Cohen , noted Posek and author. There is only one volume and the last topic is the laws of פסוקי דזמרה.

Any suggestions on an easy-to-read English Halacha Sefer that would act as sort of a sequel to his Sefer (i.e., a Sefer that starts off with the laws of Birchos Krias Shema ?)


texts: Why is Aaron's account of the Golden Calf incident different from the narrative account?

texts:
Before Moses asks Aaron what he did, the narrative account of the Golden Calf's creation is that Aaron asked for gold, received the gold, "and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made it a molten calf".

When Moses questions Aaron, he says of the gold, "and I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf."

What is going on here?


texts: Internet shopping after browsing in a store

texts: This question is acutely relevant today.  You are shopping for something.  Your plan is to go to a lot of brick-and-mortar stores, see the item, feel it, ask the salespersons lots of questions, then go home and order it on the Internet at a discount and save the tax.  I know the halacha is that "you don't ask for the price of an item if you have no intention of buying". But here you are not just asking for the price. You might buy it in the store. The store should be aware of the competition (including on the Internet), can offer servicing in the price, etc.  You just don't know. But the fact is that, most of the time, you end up buying it on the Internet.  Is this ethical?  If not, how is that different from plain shopping, with the Internet being just one of the venues for sellers?


texts: Can witchcraft/sorcery affect not only "physical" things, but also one's emotions/thoughts?

texts:
There are examples of the Torah of witchcraft being performed to change physical realities (e.g Serpent with Paroh's sorcerers, blood in the river, Bilaam flying, etc.), can sorcery/witchcraft also change someone's emotions or thoughts?

Note: this question is going according to the commentators that accept kishuf etc. as being real.

Edit:
I was thinking about it a bit, and it's a bit of a stretch, but when Rabbi Shimon and the שד conspired to possess the Roman Emperor's daughter might qualify here, considering the sorcery discussion in Sanhedrin 67a.


texts: What’s the difference between בכי and דמעה? Also, are there additional terms for tears in לשון הקודש

texts: Is there a difference between בכי and דמעה and if yes, what is it?


texts: siyum masechet when learning chapters in arbitrary order

texts: Is it possible to make a siyum masechet when learning the chapters in an arbitrary order? For example if i learn the last chapter before the first?


texts: Halacha tells us that there are certain activities that are forbidden to do before one davens the morning prayer. Would exercise be one of those activities ?


texts: Why is there a paragraph break in the middle of the list of travels?

texts:
In (Bamidbar Ch. 33) the Torah lists all the stops the Israelites made in the desert.  Between verses 39 and 40, there is a parsha-break, represented by the ס in the linked text, which is the Torah's equivalent of a paragraph break.

Why is there a break in the middle of the list, and why specifically in the spot where it is (between the death of Aharon and the King of Arad hearing about something).


texts:
The sages removed the inclination for idol worship (gemarah in Yoma) and subsequently prophecy ceased. It is postulated that the two are interconnected. Meaning that in order to maintain free will if the desire for idol worship is removed, the prophetic ability must be shuttered as well.

If this is the case will prophecy return in the messianic age? Maimonides seems to indicate that there will be no change between our age the the age of the messiah. Does this mean no prophecy? Would those who seek a return of prophecy (notably Rabbi Abraham Issac Kook) be in a sense advocating for a return of the inclination of idol worship as well? If so by what right do they seek to overturn a decision of the Sanhedrin?

If there is no prophecy during the messianic age does that mean that those prophets who return during the resurrection of the dead will no longer receive prophecy?


texts:
Bereshit 1:5 says:

  וַיִּקְרָ֨א אֱלֹהִ֤ים ׀ לָאוֹר֙ י֔וֹם וְלַחֹ֖שֶׁךְ קָ֣רָא לָ֑יְלָה וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם אֶחָֽד׃ (פ
  And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

The Haamek Davar commentary explains this pasuk as follows:

  And to the darkness, He called night: The Sages, of blessed memory, explained in the beginning of Tractate Pesachim, that the Holy One, blessed be He, called to darkness and appointed it over the night. [By this,] our Rabbis taught us that we should not say that darkness is only the absence of light, like when - in the middle of the day - we close the windows, it becomes dark. For, if so, it would not be a creation. But in truth, darkness is a creation, on its own as well, as it is written (Isaiah 45:7), "and created the darkness." And it is great distortion to say that darkness is only the absence of light. But rather, God makes both of them, just as He concerns Himself over holiness and impurity.

This explanation states that darkness is a creation on it's own rather than just the absence of light, and it even quotes Isaiah as direct evidence. However, the creation of light is explicitly narrated in Bereshit 1:3 :

  וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֖ים יְהִ֣י א֑וֹר וַֽיְהִי־אֽוֹר׃

and it's separation from darkness is recounted in Bereshit 1:4 :

  וַיַּ֧רְא אֱלֹהִ֛ים אֶת־הָא֖וֹר כִּי־ט֑וֹב וַיַּבְדֵּ֣ל אֱלֹהִ֔ים
  בֵּ֥ין הָא֖וֹר וּבֵ֥ין הַחֹֽשֶׁךְ׃

But darkness (as well as the deep/תְה֑וֹם) is named on Bereshit 1:2 without a narration of its creation earlier:

  וְהָאָ֗רֶץ הָיְתָ֥ה תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ וְחֹ֖שֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י תְה֑וֹם וְר֣וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֔ים מְרַחֶ֖פֶת עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הַמָּֽיִם׃

I understand that the account of Creation of Bereshit contains really deep meanings and may not be as literal as I may be taking it according to the sages' interpretations. However, I believe it is a valid question to ask: When did G-d create darkness?

I suspect darkness (and the deep) may've been in some way part of the creation of the heavens and the earth in Bereshit 1:1, but this is just a thought.

Edit:

The answers I've received are wonderful and really well researched, however I will not be choosing one as the correct answer for the following reason: Menachem's answer explains the perspective of the Ohr HaChaim and the Talmud, which states that darkness was created in the first day, with a solid reasoning. While Mevaqesh's answer argues that darkness is in fact just the absence of light (and not a creation), and he justifies this point by quoting many different rabbinical authorities from different backgrounds and centuries who all agree with this interpretation.

I don't feel I'm entitled to choose which answer is the most correct based on my subjective opinion and I encourage the readers to check both of this great answers to get an understanding of both conflicting yet fascinating interpretations.


texts: Will we observe the laws of Orlah when moshiach comes?

texts:
B"H
I've been thinking on the subject of Orlah in the times of the Garden of Aydin, that if it was expected that Adam shouldn't have sinned, and if the Torah existed before creation (meaning it was expected that it should anyways be done even if Adam didn't sin), and if all of the trees etc. grew to full maturity right away (see Rashi beginning of bereishis) how would there ever have been a possibility of observing Orlah, assuming Adam wouldn't have sinned and we would have gotten the Torah then etc.?
A practical application of this is when moshiach comes, when it says that the trees will once again grow the same time they are planted to a mature state (as well as pregnant woman giving birth right away, harah viyoyledes yawchdawv, I think it's on Shabbos around daf 22 or so), will we still wait 3 years to eat of the fruit?
And similarly what about the laws of kilayim and other produce which only apply once the plants grow a third of the way (see rambam Sefer zeraim)?
Blessings and success


texts:
I was learning the Maharal on Avos and he strongly denounces the commonly-practised Yeshiva system in use in the Ashkenazic world. Specifically, he complains about starting to learn gemara-rashi-tosafos at a  young age. He says he has seen many great Bachurim who could have been very great-- end up ignoramuses through this system.

The present system for Chumash covers maybe one parsha a year. Even that is at a surface level.  Very little Nach is studied. A long time is spent on a few pages of gemara. Even in Bekiyus we finish only one masechta in a year without doing Rashi.

This method seems to reduce the possibility of students learning seforim on their own.

Do the sources or contemporary Rabbonim offer methods of study that develop the possibility of their students being able to study independently?


texts: Rashi Shemos 14:4 seems to contradict later experience in the Midbar

texts:
Rashi says in Parshas Beshalach Shemos 14:4, sv ויעשו כן:

  [This is stated] to tell their praise, that they obeyed Moshe and did
  not say, “How will we draw near to our enemies [by returning in the
  direction of Egypt]? We have to escape.” Instead they said, “All we
  have are the words of moshe the son of Amram.” [I.e., we have no other
  plan to follow, only the words of the son of Amram.]

If it's true that they only listen to the words of [Moshe] the son of Amram, then why later on do they do the chate hagel (the sin of the golden calf) or any of the other sins the jews did in the desert?


texts: When Y'hoshua 15:21–62 lists the cities of Y'huda, it does so by area/topography. M'tzudas David to 15:37 says that "everywhere it counts some separately and others separately", it does so by area or topography. I assume he's referring (at least) to 18:21–28, where the list of Binyamin's cities is divided into two but not explicitly according to any rule. Is my assumption right? If not (and even if so), is there any (further) explanation for the division in chapter 18? (Sources, please, if possible.)


texts: Rav Scheinberg and Tzitzis (series of questions)

texts:
I have heard that Rav Scheinberg wore many garments with ציציות on them at a time. . .

Is this true?
If so, why did he do it?
If not, why do other people do it?
How many ברכות do they make when putting them on?
If the answer is >1, at what point in the putting on process is the 2nd ברכה made?


texts:
Much is written about the relationship of Shamor and Zachor in relation to Shabbat but Shamor and Zachor are also used for Pesach (at least the first day) - Shmot 13:3

Moses said to the people, "Remember this day, when you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, for with a mighty hand, the Lord took you out of here, and [therefore] no leaven shall be eaten.
וַיֹּאמֶר משֶׁה אֶל הָעָם זָכוֹר אֶת הַיּוֹם
הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר יְצָאתֶם מִמִּצְרַיִם מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים כִּי בְּחֹזֶק יָד הוֹצִיא יְהֹוָה אֶתְכֶם מִזֶּה וְלֹא יֵאָכֵל חָמֵץ

and 23:15

You shall observe the festival of unleavened bread; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread as I have commanded you, at the appointed time of the month of springtime, for then you left Egypt, and they shall not appear before Me empty handed.
.אֶת חַג הַמַּצּוֹת תִּשְׁמֹר שִׁבְעַת יָמִים תֹּאכַל מַצּוֹת כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִךָ לְמוֹעֵד
חֹדֶשׁ הָאָבִיב כִּי בוֹ יָצָאתָ מִמִּצְרָיִם וְלֹא יֵרָאוּ פָנַי רֵיקָם:

While in terms of Pesach, the word "kadosh" is missing, I was wondering if there was something special about Pesach that it deserves the same doubled language as Shabbat (or if, lacking "l'kadsho" removes any special status to the use of the 2 words). Or is the special status of the two words because they were both said bdibbur echad?
Does the use of both terms, Shamor and Zachor, bring any new understanding to how we observe Pesach as compared both to Shabbat and other holidays about which both words aren't used?


texts: Burning hair without realizing it's meat?

texts:
The Tur writes (113) says that if a non-Jew cooked meat without intending to cook, the meat's kosher and there's no issue of bishul akum.

An example that he gives is if a non-Jew singes the hair off a animal head and in the process fries the animal's ears, the ears are kosher.

However, the Tur finishes off saying that if the non-Jew lights an oven to dry vessels, but also knows that there's meat in the oven, the meat is forbidden as he might have had it in mind when lighting the fire.

How does this work with his example? He clearly saw the animal ears when removing the animal hair?


texts: What is the halacha regarding Adar yahrtzeits?

texts:
IIRC, During a Judaic leap year, my father, a"h observed 2 Yahrtzeits for his father who died during Adar of a non-leap year. He lit the yahrtzeit candle and said Kaddish twice - once for the date in Adar 1 and again on the same date in Adar 2.

I'm not sure what the halacha or common minhag is.

The phrasing of Talmud Megilla 1:4 implies that Adar 1 and Adar 2 are identical except regarding Megillah reading and giving of alms to the poor.

To me, this implies that every yahrtzeit observed in Adar, regardless of whether the person died in a leap year or non-leap year, would be observed twice.

Is this what is done? Does the Mishnah imply that yahrtzeit observance should be included twice?


texts: Forced/unlikely answers are usually true

texts:
I heard in a shiur that the Chasam Sofer says something like רוב דחוקים אמת, most unlikely answers to a kasha are true. It's not clear to me if this means it is the correct answer or simply there many answers and these "bad" ones are included (similar to אלו ואלא)

Where does he write this?
Does anyone else express this idea?
Does anyone explicitly argue on this idea?


texts: Fake Techelet: invalidating the entire Tzitzit?

texts: Let's say I use the pretty much disproven Techelet (Radzyner) : is my Tzitzit completely Pasul? I think according to the Arizal it isn't. Does anyone disagree?


texts:
Another question on this website deals with the issue of kohanim in Auschwitz. To be "strict", a kohen today could simply avoid going to death camps altogether. Elsewhere, however, is not so easy. Are there published teshuvot that address the problems for kohanim of going walking through forests and fields in Poland, Ukraine, Belarus and the Baltic states? Sadly, many of these locations are the sites of mass graves, a great deal of which are unmarked and most of which contain the remains of dead Jews.

I am not a kohen and I am not asking for a psak. I just want to know if there are published teshuvot that speak of this issue, and what kohanim residing in these places do in order to avoid it. My guess is that in most places it's a safek sfeika (safek that the site is a mass grave, plus the additional safek that the people murdered there were Jewish), but in some places those sfeikot collapse into reasonable certainty.

So, for example, while a kohen might not be able to visit Babi Yar, Ponary, Serniki and other such places, does that mean that they also cannot wander through the woods and fields in their environs?


texts: Why some biblical holidays don't occur on certain days of the week?

texts:
I looked on the Hebcal website to see when the Erev Pesach will occur in the future (and also looked at the past), but found out that it's never a thursdag or sunday, did the Erev Pesach ever was or will be on those days according to todays calendars?

The same applies for other chagim that don't occur on specific days.
Could someone explain me why?


texts: Why do we add ותערב and why only in Musaf?

texts:
On Yom Tov (usually during the repetition of the Amida in Musaf) the Kohanim ascend to bless the people. In preparation, the congregation (and Kohanim and the chazzan) say a paragraph after R'tzei which reads (with some slight variation IIRC)

  ותערב לפניך עתירתנו כעולה וכקרבן.
  אנא רחום ברחמיך הרבים השב שכינתך לציון עירך וסדר העבודה לירושלים.

This translates to (according to the Artscroll Sukkot Machzor)

  May our entreaty be pleasing unto You as an elevation-offering and as a sacrifice. Please, O Merciful One, in your abounding mercy return Your Shechina to Zion, You city, and the order of the Temple service to Jerusalem.

Then we continue with V'techezena. In terms of content it speaks of restoring the sacrificial service and the allowance that prayer replaces sacrifice as mentioned in the R'tzei in all of our prayers.

Because this introduces duchening, I would assume that the "entreaty" referred to is the priestly blessing and that, like prayer itself taking the place of sacrifice, we would like this prayer (or maybe, some other entreaty in the Amida which we make) to be as pleasing as a sacrifice.

I'm not sure why we need this intro to duchening in general but also wonder why then we don't need it when we duchen in the shacharit service of Simchat Torah [as per the Kitzur, 138:8 סעיף ח
ביום שמחת תורה נוהגין בהרבה מקומות שהכהנים נושאים כפיהם בתפלת שחרית ולא במוסף משום דבמוסף יש חשש שכרות, ואין אומרים ותערב בתפלת שחרית copied from here.]

What does the paragraph mean or accomplish that it is called for before duchening and why is that need absent in Shacharit?


texts:
Does anyone know of a list of all Mishnayot to which there is no Gemara in Talmud Bavli? I.e., those Mishnayot that are not quoted at the head of a section of their own Gemara.

Apologies if this question has been asked in the past - I have looked and I could not find it.


texts:
Is there a separate mitzvah aside from counting the days to count the weeks of sfirah as well?

If there is a mitzvah to count the weeks - if a person skipped a day and was thus unable to continue counting the days with a blessing, would he be able to count the weeks with a blessing?


texts: I received a letter that began with the date, my name, and then on it's own line "אחדשה"ט", then the content of the letter. Any clue as to what it stands for/means?


texts: What is the traditional Jewish name for this dish?

texts:
My wife's minhag (that she made up bli nedder) is to make chicken stuffed wontons for the family Purim Seuda.
This year she decided to dig deeper into the minhag she made up last Thursday and made the wontons in a triangular shape, to appear more Hamentashin-like.
Now we are left wondering what the traditional Jewish name for this is.
Wontashin? Or Wontontashin?
This question is Purim Torah and is not intended to be taken completely seriously. See the Purim Torah policy.


texts: I know Hashem looks down at us and watches everything we do. The question I am trying to ask is, what does he see right now? I don't think Hashem exists in time, as he is not in the past or the future. So right now, does he see Avraham doing what he did (like killing that lamb 2000 years ago), does he see me writing this question, or does he see everything at once?


texts: Is it permitted for children to eat Matzah on Erev Pesach? Does it matter whether they will be awake for the Seder or not?


texts: If you have a steak medium to rare, such that it's still pink in the middle, is it kosher? At what point is meat cooked enough?


texts: Why is the blessing prior to drinking coffee or tea "Shehakol" instead of "Ha'etz"?

texts:
Magen Avraham on Orach Chaim 202:22 (excerpt):

Magen Avraham 202:22:

  (ב"י רשב"א) ומיהו בפירות יבשים כגון תפוחים ואגסים וגדגדניו' ופלומי"ן
  ד"ה דמברך אמימיהן בפה"ע דהא אין דרכן אלא למשלקינהו לא למכלינהו
  בעינייהו וכן אני נוהג ועיקר (ב"ח) וצ"ע דמשמע דטע' הרשב"א משום דדרכן
  למשלקינהו מעיקרא נטעי להו אדעתא דהכי למשלקינהו ואם כן פירות דלא נטעי
  להו אדעת' דהכי אף על פי שיבשן אח"כ לא מהני וכ"כ הלבוש דדוק' פירות שרוב
  אכילתן ע"י בישול מברך בפה"ע (עסט"ו) וכן מ"כ בשם רש"ל:

My summary / translation:

Dried fruit such as apples, pears and plums that are poached in water you say "Borei Pri Ha'etz" on drinking their water (juice), and this is how I behave.

Explaining Rashb"a, he states that if the fruit was planted with the initial purpose that they be consumed via poaching / cooking, the bracha should be "Ha'etz"

Tea and coffee are not normally consumed as whole plants. Tea leaves and coffee beans are soaked in water, and it would seem that this was their purpose of being planted (that it would be consumed this way). Based on the above logic, their bracha should be "Ha'etz" when drinking a cup of tea or coffee. Yet the majority custom, AFAIK, is to say "Shehakol". Why?


texts: The wicked rewarded here seemingly aren't rewarded in full. Fair?

texts:
I'm reading volume 1 of Strive for Truth, Rabbi Aryeh Carmell's English-language adaptation of Michtav Meeliyahu, and one of the first essays cites Chazal as explaining that one reason good things happen to bad people is so that the bad people can be rewarded for their mitzvos in this world so that they do not instead get better reward in the afterlife.

He questions why this is fair: after all, they did mitzvos, so why should they not get their reward where it's good? He offers two answers to that question:

Their mitzvos were earthly, viz done for ulterior motives rather than to fulfill God's will, so they deserve earthly reward rather than postmortem closeness to God.
They would enjoy earthly reward but not closeness to God, as their postmortem desires will match their earthly ones, so He gives them reward they will enjoy.

That's good and well for explaining why the quality of wicked people's reward is diminished: according to the first answer, the quality of the reward matches the quality of the mitzva performance, and, according to the second, the reward is precisely what they would enjoy.

But then there's the quantity. A previous essay says clearly that the entirety of pleasures to be found on earth for all time cannot compare to even a little bit of reward in the afterlife, and that's why there's no reward for mitzvos in this world. If that's the case, then where is the bulk of these wicked people's reward? They're getting rewarded in this world, which, yes, is the quality of reward they deserve, but aren't they missing out on the quantity they deserve? How is that just?


texts:
The Posuk says:

וּלְמַעַן תְּסַפֵּר בְּאָזְנֵי בִנְךָ וּבֶן בִּנְךָ אֵת אֲשֶׁר הִתְעַלַּלְתִּי בְּמִצְרַיִם וְאֶת אֹתֹתַי אֲשֶׁר שַׂמְתִּי בָם וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי אֲנִי ה

If your are telling your children, why does the pasuk say "you will know"?

At first glance, it should say "and your children will know"?


texts:
I've noticed that some people, when reciting kaddish, pronounce the first words as "yisgadal v'yiskadash" with a patach under the dalet of both words, while others say "yisgadel v'yisgadesh" with a tzere. The siddurim that I own are in accordance with the former practice.

Is one version more correct than the other, and if so, which? And what is the origin of the incorrect version?


texts:
I have read that to explain the absence of the Girgashites in a list of the 7 nations, amora R. Samuel bar Nahman says the Girgashites left Israel and God rewarded them by giving them "Afrike"

"Afrike" sounds a bit like "Africa", a term the Romans used to describe the tops of Tunisia and Libya. The top tip of Tunisia is where Carthage was and is not that hard to see that CarTHage and GirGash look sort of similar.

Is there any Jewish source that more explicitly connects Carthage with the Girgashites? (I am aware that Josephus says Dido, founder of Carthage, was a descendant of Hiram but he could just be telling a made up story and I am also aware that Carthage is otherwise far more historically verifiable than the flight of the Girgashites )


texts:
On Shmita one is not allowed to work the land (in Israel).

Would it be permissible to set up on a timer (or a more sophisticated version) an irrigation system that waters the land and gives it the necessary nutrients for it to grow and be healthy for the whole year of Shmita, without having to touch or tend to the land?


texts: I do not have a sofer stam near me. How do you open up your tefillin's battim and insure the parshiyot inside are kosher? I suspect they are not kosher (at all), because they are a really cheap pair. I am working to replace them. I have even stopped reciting a bracha on them because I don't think they are valid.


texts: Why does Hashem allow Noah et al to eat *all* animals?

texts:
Reading the parsha today, I noticed for the first time that Bereishit 9:3-4 seems remarkable (JPS translations):

  .כָּל-רֶמֶשׂ אֲשֶׁר הוּא-חַי, לָכֶם יִהְיֶה לְאָכְלָה:  כְּיֶרֶק
  עֵשֶׂב, נָתַתִּי לָכֶם אֶת-כֹּל

  Every creature that lives shall be yours to eat; as with the green grasses, I give you all these.

  .אַךְ-בָּשָׂר, בְּנַפְשׁוֹ דָמוֹ לֹא תֹאכֵלוּ

  You must not, however,
  eat flesh with its life-blood in it.

Every living thing shall be for food for you, unless you eat its blood? I know the prohibition against eating the blood remains in the laws of Kashrut as we understand them today, but it’s surprising to think about Noah and his family eating animals that Hashem later prohibits His people from eating. Why is only this partial Kashrut included in Hashem’s covenant with Noah, instead of all the laws at once?

One thing that occurred to me: There are far fewer animals around for now, so perhaps Hashem is giving Noah and his family all the animals to eat for pragmatic reasons, until a sustainable number of animals are born. But then again, we see in Bereishit 7:2 that:

  מִכֹּל הַבְּהֵמָה הַטְּהוֹרָה, תִּקַּח-לְךָ שִׁבְעָה שִׁבְעָה—אִישׁ
  וְאִשְׁתּוֹ; וּמִן-הַבְּהֵמָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא טְהֹרָה הִוא, שְׁנַיִם—אִישׁ
  .וְאִשְׁתּוֹ

  Of every clean animal you shall take seven pairs, males and their mates, and of every animal that is not clean, two, a male and its
  mate;

So why, then, does Hashem command Noah to take more of the clean animals than the unclean animals, if not because clean animals are the ones fit to eat?

Shavuah tov and hodesh tov!


texts: Did Jews believe other gods really existed as well, or were they just fake gods?

texts:
Judging from the Tanakh, did ancient Jews also believe other gods like Baal actually existed? Or did the just believe they were fake gods, that people believe in but don't actually exist?
Looking at 1 Kings 18, where Elijah confronts the priests of Baal, priests that pray for a long time and get no response at all. Makes me believe the Tanakh portraits Baal as non-existent.


texts: sefer Yetzirah ox goring,or Golem damages

texts:
If an ox made from sefer Yetzirah gored a regular ox, or vice versa, or if a golem hit someone is there any Torah obligation to pay for damages that was inflicted?

I used the classic example of damaging(Torah's example) ,but my question extends to all types of damages by things created by sefer Yetzirah(animal,golem).Are these creations considered like regular beings or they are exempt because we can't determine ideas like muad or tam because they are something in their own class .


texts:
I have seen people seemingly careful to sit down when beginning the paragraph of prayers that starts "Ashre yosh've vesecha" (Ps. 84:5). One such person told me that he was, in fact, careful to do so, and that this was so he be counted among those mentioned as fortunate in the verse ("Fortunate are those who dwell/sit in Your house…").

(Incidentally, this seems odd to me, because the verse seems to be referring to those who dwell, not those who sit, in God's house, and also because it's referring to sitting/dwelling in general, not specifically while reciting the verse itself. In any event…)

Is there a source that encourages sitting for "Ashre" (the paragraph, or its start)? or even a source that mentions the custom (perhaps even to indicate its baselessness)? Any information on the custom's provenance?
If so, any indication on whether the custom applies equally every time "Ashre" is recited (before shacharis, before mincha, before s'lichos, at the end of shacharis, or, heck, any time the verse is recited by someone saying T'hilim)?


texts: Inappropriate kavanah during "asher yatzar"

texts: I don't know if other people have experienced this, but when reciting asher yatzar immediately after going to the bathroom, I find that if I meditate upon the meaning of the words I cannot help but recollect the process of using the toilet. Given that one cannot recite a blessing in the bathroom, it seems to me (perhaps erroneously?) that one also should not think about using the bathroom while reciting a blessing. Are there any problems with thinking about urinating or defecating  while reciting asher yatzar and, if so, are there any sources that discuss what an appropriate kavanah should be?


texts: Did Hashem command Aharon to strike the water to bring the plague of Blood?

texts:
Shemot 7:19 states:

  The Lord said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Take your staff and stretch forth your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers,
  over their canals, over their ponds, and over all their bodies of
  water, and they will become blood, and there will be blood throughout
  the entire land of Egypt, even in wood and in stone.' "

Yet, when bringing on the plague we see that not only did Aharon strech forth his hand, he also struck the water: Shemot 7:20:

  Moses and Aaron did so, as the Lord had commanded, and he raised the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile before the eyes of
  Pharaoh and before the eyes of his servants, and all the water that
  was in the Nile turned to blood.

On the other hand, the verse sates that "Moses and Aaron did so, as the Lord had commanded" - so does this mean that really Hashem commanded Aharon to strike the water,( even though it wasn't clearly mentioned in the command in the previous verse)?


texts: I heard that some rishonim of blessed memory said demons can have intercourse with humans. So could demons have kids with humans?


texts: Tosafoth were the sons-in-law, grandchildren, and students of Rashi (and their students), and "they" wrote a commentary on the Talmud that is often at odds with Rashi's earlier commentary.  Sometimes there are internal disagreements within a single commentary on the passage of Talmud being discussed.  Who is the redactor of the various opinions expressed in the commentary of Tosafoth?


texts: can a person with down syndrom be counted as a minyan

texts: I was sitting one day when someone called to to come and be the tenth person. I quickly ran to be the tenth and upon arrival I counted 11 people so I asked someone why they rushed me. And they said that the person over there has a type of mental illness (it's not down syndrome but it's some form of mental disability). So I wanted to know is this person really not halachicly allowed to help make a minyan?


texts:
Where can I get the sefer Ginas Egoz by Rav Herschel Schacter which discusses the topic of Techeiles amongst other things.

Also if anyone knows where to get his other seforim as well.


texts: Is the Samaritan Sabbath Year Concurrent with the Shmita?

texts:
Samaritan literature claim they observe a Sabbatical Year, and presumably a cycle of sevens in their calendar.  However it is difficult to find actual years that this was practiced. The only concrete example I can find is when, in 332 BC, they petitioned Alexander the Great that they be exempt from tribute, owing to it being their sabbath year. (Josephus Ant. 11.8.6, cf. 9.14.3).

As for modern times, I cannot find a record stating which year is a Sabbath and which isn't. The most recent Jewish Sabbath was 5775 AM (Sept 2014 - Sept 2015) but my question, is the Samaritan Sabbath Year concurrent with the Shmita?


texts: Looking for a word with a distinct meaning driven by mesorah

texts:
I am researching some words to see the agendas of translators. One way to understand what a translator knew or cared about is to look for words which have a generally accepted meaning, and an exception -- a case where Jews understand the word to mean something totally different regardless of its spelling or linguistic similarity to the mass of its uses, and se what the translator used. If the translator had access to meforshim or the talmud, he would then have to decide if he wanted to employ the normative translation or the religious interpretation. Not using the Jewish reading would not prove anything on its own, but could establish a pattern for that translator.

The starting example is the word qaran (ray/beam of light) in Shmot 34:30. In most cases, the root refers to horns, but Onkelos and others see the word as a very rare case of the word meaning an emanation of light. Someone outside of the religious world, looking just at the text and the construction of the word would not see that as a popular option.

Are there other words which mean something unexpected only by dint of religious interpretation? So far, I am looking at r-tz-ch (as kill vs. murder), sh-b-t (as week vs. a specific day), and g-r (when to use it as convert vs. anything else). I have discarded k-d-sh, k-p-r and ch-t-a.

Can anyone present a word which usually means X but through tradition, we accept that it means Y?


texts: What is the reason behind blowing the shofar from the side of one's mouth?

texts: I've been told that the custom is to blow the shofar from the sides of one mouth, rather than like blowing a trumpet.  What is the source for this custom and the reasoning behind it?


texts: responsibility for passing on a virus (medical)

texts:
Would one be obligated to pay any of the five types of damages paid upon wounding someone, if they were to infect that someone with a viral/bacterial disease, whether through:

Peshia (negligence)?
Shemira Reuya (appropriate precautions)?
Ones (duress)?


texts:
I have noticed that the Tosfos HaRosh very often parallels the Tosfos on the page. Sometimes he presents almost identical information in a slightly different way, but very often he seems to be saying the same thing.

What is the relationship between the Tosfos on the page and the Tosfos HaRosh? Was the Rosh a Tosafist? Did he see the Tosfos that we have on the page?


texts: Deut. 29:15 -- why not "you passed" or "we passed"?

texts:
In this week's parsha, Moshe says to Bnei Yisrael (Devarim 29:15):

  כִּי אַתֶּם יְדַעְתֶּם אֵת אֲשֶׁר יָשַׁבְנוּ בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם וְאֵת
  אֲשֶׁר עָבַרְנוּ בְּקֶרֶב הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר עֲבַרְתֶּם

  For you know how we dwelled in the land of Egypt, and how we passed
  among the nations through which you passed.

Why not keep it consistent? Say instead "how we passed through the nations through which we passed," or say "how you passed through the nations through which you passed."

Especially since the whole parsha up until that point, and until the next chapter, are all in the second person "you," why change that in this passuk at all to include the first person "we"?


texts: should one leave early not to be the minyan breaker?

texts:
There are 11 people at shacharis.

Reuven has to leave at 730
Shimon has to leave at 725.

Every day Reuven is known as the minyan breaker.

Is it better for Reuven to leave at 724 so Shimon is the minyan breaker?

The scenario I am thinking of is after repetition and Torah Reading. There might be a few kaddishes left.


texts: How do we utilize the Rambam as a halachic authority while simultaneously shun some of his beliefs?

texts:
At the outset of this question I would like to make it clear that I'm not taking sides on whether we should or should not believe the Rambam's (or others) statements. I am talking about contemporary Orthodox Judaism as whole. It seems to me that there are a number fairly extreme "issues" that general contemporary Orthodoxy has with the Rambam, which include but are not limited to his seeming disdain for all things metaphysical(i.e. segulot, amulets, magic etc.), but at the end of day a large portion of our current halachic reality is based on the Rambam's opinions. My question is how do we deal with this dissonance
? It gives the appearance of "picking and choosing" which is not the Jewish way as far as I know.


texts:
By v'zos hatorah (i.e hagbah) I have seen people point their pinky at the sefer torah.

Is this a minhag or did someone just make it up? Where did this minhag come from?
Does the Shulchan Aruch, Kitzur Shulchan Aruch or Mishnah Berurah talk about it?
What should an Ashkenazi, Sefardi, or Yeki do?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Kashrus of Paper Towels

Using paper towels such as bounty can be very useful when on a diet for draining the oil off of foods.

However, I heard rumors that bounty is made with non-kosher ingredients. Does this cause a problem when using it with food?


texts: Not making a wedding on the first 3 days of a month

texts: I've heard there is a custom (practiced in various kehillas, I heard Belz is one of them) to not make a wedding on the first 3 days of a month (meaning alef, beis, or gimmel of a particular month.) Does anyone know where this custom comes from? Which kehillas have this custom? Is it mentioned in poskim? What are the reasons for it (if any?)


texts: Is there an obligation to be buried in Jewish Cemetary?

texts:
The traditional practice is to be buried in a Jewish Cemetary exclusive to Jews. Such as Har Hamenuchos and Har Hazeisim.

Is it an obligation to be buried specifically in a Jewish Cemetary or could one choose to be buried in their back yard?

Assuming all other aspects of Jewish burial is adhered to is this permitted?


texts:
The book Eglei Tal was written by Rabbi Avrohom Bornsztain and deals with the 39 melachos of Shabbos.

I was wondering what about this particular book is unique? Why would a person learn this as opposed to the Mishna Berurah, Aruch HaShulchan or other such works that also deal with the 39 melachos? (I suppose another way to ask this question could be- what did the author contribute to the body of halachic work [other than his particular psak on any given subject?])

(I am assuming that there is something unique to this book other than the authors particular psak.)


texts:
Part of the bris ceremony is metzitza.
I was told that after a certain age (of the boy) it is not done (meaning an adult who gets a bris does not get metzitza).
Is this true?
What is the age?
Source please


texts: Morning blessings without Tefillin, Tallit, or Tzitzit

texts: If a person doesn't have Tallit, Tzitzit, or Tefillin, does a person say the morning blessings regarding them during Shacharit?


texts:
Breishit 12:5 says:

ויקח אברם את שרי אשתו

Avram took Siri, his wife
Siri is the voice used on iPads, iPhones and a number of other Apple devices. I assume that since Avram needed someone easy to travel with, he married an iPhone as opposed to one of these other "girls". I could be wrong about that, so correct me.
But I couldn't find anything in the Torah or the commentary that explains when Avram married his iPhone.

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


texts: A shoteh doesn't vow to donate — isn't this obvious?

texts:
The Mishna says (Arachin 1:1):

חרש שוטה וקטן נידרין ונערכין אבל לא נודרין ולא מעריכין מפני שאין בהם דעת
A deaf-mute, an imbecile, and a minor are the object of a vow and are valuated, but neither vow to donate the assessment of a person nor take a vow of valuation, because they lack the presumed mental competence to make a commitment.

That second part (bolding mine) is obvious from logical reasoning.
Maybe "לא נודרין ולא מעריכין" is necessary to complete the list: if I'm told they can be the objects of vows of valuation/assessment, I should also be told they can't be the subject.
But why say "מפני שאין בהם דעת"? The only reason anything is different about a shoteh is because he lacks da'at. For the deaf person and katan, I might think of other problems, but here it's clear da'at is the reason, since they are listed with the shoteh.
Why does the Mishna need to mention this explicitly?


texts:
One method to make tabouleh, is to soak bulgur wheat in water. The method is to pur an amount of bulgur into a bowl, cover it with water and have it soak in the fridge for about 30 mins. until the water is absorbed. This softens the bulgur. No squeezing is done.

If I recall correctly, there is a problem with soaking things on Shabbat, and I seem to recall some prohibition against soaking vegetables (or is it only pickling in brine?) on Shabbat. I also am pretty sure that there is a problem soaking your clothes (laundry? cleaning?) but I don't know if there is a problem soaking food in the manner prescribed.

Would there be a problem preparing tabouleh in this manner?


texts: What to do with kiddush cups that are too small?

texts: If one comes to own a kiddush cup that is well under a reviis, is there a way the cup can be used for a mitzvah and not be left in a closet forever? What can be done with a kiddush cup that is too small? Because it was intended for a mitzvah I'd rather use it for a mitzvah if there is such an option. The cup in question has a capacity of 50ml, which is less than 2 fl. oz. and certainly much less that the minimum shiur for kiddush according to all shitot I know.


texts: Why did they not bring all the korbanot they owed in the time of Ezra?

texts:
As discussed here the gemara seems to suggest that when the temple is rebuilt we will to bring all the chatat offerings that we owe. According to those that hold that to be the case, how do they explain that they did not do so when the second temple was built?

Presumably they too should have brought the chatats they owe, but we see from the psukim in Ezra ("עזרא פרק ו (יז) וְהַקְרִ֗בוּ לַחֲנֻכַּת֘ בֵּית־אֱלָהָ֣א דְנָה֒ תּוֹרִ֣ין מְאָ֔ה דִּכְרִ֣ין מָאתַ֔יִן אִמְּרִ֖ין אַרְבַּ֣ע מְאָ֑ה וּצְפִירֵ֨י עִזִּ֜ין לחטיא לְחַטָּאָ֤ה עַל־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ תְּרֵֽי־עֲשַׂ֔ר לְמִנְיָ֖ן שִׁבְטֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל ") that they only brought one per tribe (as what seems to be some sort of symbolic gesture--exactly the type of gesture the other question asks if it is possible).

The question is even stronger for the opinion mentioned in the linked question that we owe all the korbanot we have missed, even temidim and musafim--in Ezra they only brought 700 korbanot, but the number of korbanot brought per year is about 1218...


texts:
Why didn't Haman just kill Mordechai?

Assuming he was a high official, didn't he have the authority to kill someone that disrespected him?

In other words, since Mordechai violated the King's decree to bow down to Haman, why didn't he just kill him right away?

As it says in Esther 3:2

ב וְכָל־עַבְדֵ֨י הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ אֲשֶׁר־בְּשַׁ֣עַר הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ כֹּֽרְעִ֤ים וּמִֽשְׁתַּֽחֲוִים֙ לְהָמָ֔ן כִּי־כֵ֖ן צִוָּה־ל֣וֹ הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ וּמָ֨רְדֳּכַ֔י לֹ֥א יִכְרַ֖ע וְלֹ֥א יִֽשְׁתַּֽחֲוֶֽה

2 And all the king's servants who were in the king's gate would kneel and prostrate themselves before Haman, for so had the king commanded concerning him, but Mordecai would neither kneel nor prostrate himself.


texts:
Are there any sources in Judaism that explain that when you put something down and you lose it straight after, shedim have taken it and misplaced it to mess with you?

Not sure if this is a good question but I lost something right after I put it down in front of me and this question came to mind.


texts: Why is the talmud concerned about judges being swayed by each other only for capital cases?

texts:
Sanhedrin 4:2 teaches that in a monetary case or one involving (im)purity, judges give their opinions starting with the most senior, while in a capital case they begin with the most junior.  In the g'mara R' Aha b. Papa says one should not speak 'al rab, against the chief of the judges.  Apparently, contradicting a judge senior to you who has already given his opinion is a problem.

I understand why we want to be extra-careful in capital cases, but if we are concerned about a senior judge swaying others in a capital case, shouldn't we also be concerned in a monetary case?  The Torah is very clear that judges must judge fairly -- always, not just for certain cases.  So why do they not always start with the juniormost judge and work up, instead of having two different orders depending on the type of case?  It doesn't seem like a hardship to do it this way; everybody is going to speak either way and it's just a matter of ordering.


texts: If I bought food in a store and it became unusable for any reason that is not noticeable and only applies to jews (e.g. food that was accidentally labeled as kosher but isn't) do I have to be concerned about returning/exchanging it in a store if a lot of other jews shop there?


texts:
As a hypothetical example suppose I have a non-orthodox relative, say an Aunt. I see this relative infrequently, say at family functions 3-4 times a year. Each time I see this relative I make overtures to my Aunt about becoming more religious. She has made it abundantly clear that she is not interested, will never be interested, and finds it slightly harassing that I continue to bring it up.

At what point, if any, can a person give up on trying to encourage a non-religious person to become more religious?


texts: "Penny Press" machines and erasing G-d's name

texts:
NOTE: while a bit similar to this question, they're not entirely the same. For example: this question is more of a "grama"/ indirect causation of erasing G-d's name (via pushing a button) vs. a person knowingly and actively erasing it

There are these "Penny Press" machines where one puts in a couple quarters and a penny, pushes a button, and the machine squashes the penny into a collectible design.

Here's what such a machine looks like:

My question

Since pennies have "In G-d We Trust" inscribed on them, would this be allowed as it could be considered "erasing G-d's name?"


texts: Why is there no makaf between “Ben” and “Yair”?

texts:
Second chapter, fifth passuk of Megillat Esther reads:

אִ֣ישׁ יְהוּדִ֔י הָיָ֖ה בְּשׁוּשַׁ֣ן הַבִּירָ֑ה וּשְׁמ֣וֹ מָרְדֳּכַ֗י בֶּ֣ן יָאִ֧יר בֶּן־שִׁמְעִ֛י בֶּן־קִ֖ישׁ אִ֥ישׁ יְמִינִֽי׃
In the fortress Shushan lived a Jew by the name of Mordecai, son of Jair son of Shimei son of Kish, a Benjaminite.

We see makafs (hyphens) by the two later mentioned predecessors but not between “ben” and “Yair”, why is it not present like the latter two?


texts: Covid 19. Who says גַּדְּלוּ לה' אִתִּי and יְהַלְלוּ אֶת שֵׁם ה?

texts:
During the Covid 19 situation, in our shul the Baal Koreh takes out the Sefer Torah out and the person who does Hagbah takes it back. (The idea is to minimise the number of times the sefer is handled.)
Under normal conditions in many shuls, the Chazzan takes the Sefer Torah in his hand from the person who opened the Ark and later from the person who did Hagbah. The Chazzan then says the appropriate prayers related to that ceremony (weekdays גַּדְּלוּ לה' אִתִּי וּנְרומְמָה שְׁמו יַחְדָּו: and later
יְהַלְלוּ אֶת שֵׁם ה'. כִּי נִשגָּב שְׁמו לְבַדּו: )
The question is whether there is any guidance in the sources as to whether during the present or similar situation, these prayers are said by the person holding the Sefer at that time or by the Chazzan?


texts: Is a woman considered a sotah if she cheated on her husband with another woman?

texts:
Would a woman that cheated on her husband with another woman qualify as a sotah?

יז: וְלָקַח הַכֹּהֵן מַיִם קְדֹשִׁים, בִּכְלִי-חָרֶשׂ; וּמִן-הֶעָפָר, אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה בְּקַרְקַע הַמִּשְׁכָּן, יִקַּח הַכֹּהֵן, וְנָתַן אֶל-הַמָּיִם

17: The kohen shall take holy water in an earthen vessel, and some earth from the Mishkan floor, the kohen shall take and put it into the water.

כז: וְהִשְׁקָהּ אֶת הַמַּיִם וְהָיְתָה אִם נִטְמְאָה וַתִּמְעֹל מַעַל בְּאִישָׁהּ וּבָאוּ בָהּ הַמַּיִם הַמְאָרְרִים לְמָרִים וְצָבְתָה בִטְנָהּ וְנָפְלָה יְרֵכָהּ…

22: He shall make her drink the water, and it shall be that, if she had been defiled and was unfaithful to her husband, the curse bearing waters shall enter her to become bitter, and her belly will swell, and her thigh will rupture.…


texts: Who was uncircumcised, and by whom at which time and why was this person sought to be killed?

texts:
What exactly is happening in the passage about the circumcision of Shemot 4:24-26?

First of all, who was met, sought to kill and let from - at which time in the story did this occur - and by whom?

And secondly what does Tziporah intended/meant when she said: 'Surely a bridegroom of blood art thou to me' and 'A bridegroom of blood in regard of the circumcision'.
Which circumcision did she mean? Because I couldn't find a verse which talks about such a punishment when one couldn't or didn't circumcise on the eight day after birth, and a large group wasn't circumcised in the wilderness untill Yehoshua did so at Gilgal.


texts: Different Smart/Sport Watches on Shabbat

texts:
I looked at some of the other smartwatch threads, and being that they were older, they don't cover the following two cases:

Hybrid Smartwatches
Sports watches

First the assumptions / definitions

I assume that you are in agreement that a regular, battery powered
watch, with an always on screen is okay to wear on shabbat
For this discussion - a "Hybrid Smartwatch" is a regular date/time watch, but has a sensor within it that tracks your steps - this sensor doesn't have a
display, and the information is only available to you, if you sync
your phone with the watch.
A sports watch (for purposes of this discussion) is a watch that has the following features: a) The screen is always on, b) it may have GPS and/or Heart rate measurement - but this only operates when you press a button to go into 'workout' mode, and c)It tracks steps, but doesn't display them on your screen

So now my questions:
- Can either of these watches be used on Shabbat? What modifications would need to be made? (or is the fact that they're tracking steps make them prohibited off the cuff)?

-In the case of the Hybrid Smartwatch, would it make a difference if you never sync your phone with it?


texts: Can someone in the process of conversion use the phone during shabbes?

texts: Until one reaches the mikveh, he/she is not a Jew just yet. Since they are obligated to break Shabbes in some way, can they use phones during the day? Should they refrain?


texts: Is there any halachic problem with singing or playing the song "haTikvah," considering that it was written by a secular Zionist and is the national anthem of the State of Israel?


texts:
When one steals knowledge (Gneivas Daas) and gets caught by witnesses, how does he pay back double?
PS.
Why is there no Gzeilas Daas?

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


texts:
Who knows one hundred ninety-three?
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: If I buy a pot/pan with intention to only use it a few times and then discard it (away on vacation and no intention of bringing it home) does it need to be toveled?


texts: Can a non Jew bake bread on Pesach for a Jew to use after Pesach?

texts:
In relation to If the last day of Passover is Friday, may I eat chametz on the Shabbat right after?, is there any problem if a non Jew bakes bread on Pesach (the Jew(s) did not ask him and can do without bread) to give or sell to a Jew after Pesach is over?

If a gentile can sell/give to a Jew bread he made on the last day of Pesach, can he give bread to a Jew on friday night motzei Pesach for the sake of Shabbos? (Note: this can only happen in Eretz Yisrael because of the fixed calendar.)


texts: Using a siddur to Daven from in a seforim store

texts:
There are many seforim stores that have a minyan for Mincha in the store. If someone were to use a siddur from the store in order to daven with that minyan in a way that there's no perceived damage on the siddur, and nowhere is there a written policy to not use the siddurim for Mincha purposes.

Can a siddur be used Lechatchila?
Can the owner compel him to buy it now?


texts: Continuing to eat somewhere else because of the das of bal habayis

texts: When someone starts a seudah they may have das (have in mind) to continue eating the seudah somewhere else; if they do, they sometimes can do so without saying a new beracha (see Rama, Orach Chayim 178:1). What about if the person themselves didn't have this in mind; however, the bal habayis, the one who is the "head" of the meal and providing the meal, had in mind that he (along with whoever else) would continue eating the meal somewhere else. Does "das bal habayis" help in such a case?


texts: Why would it be disrespectful to G-d to say Miryam died "al pi Hashem"?

texts:
The Torah states that both Moshe (Devarim 34:5) and Aharon (Bamidbar 33:38) died al pi Hashem, by G-d's mouth. Rashi quotes the Talmud (Bava Basra 17a) that this means they died by a neshikah meitah, a "Divine kiss".

When the Torah records the death of Miryam (Bamidbar 20:1) the term al pi Hashem is not used, rather it just plainly says she died. However, Rashi still insists she died from a neshikah meitah, even though the Torah doesn't explicitly say this. He claims that to say Miryam died by G-d's mouth would be disrespectful to the Most High.

I wonder why Rashi would say this would be disrespectful. The only thing I can think of is that Miryam is a woman, and perhaps suggesting G-d "kissed" a woman is disrespectful. However I'm not following that logic. G-d doesn't "kiss" anyone in the physical sense and what's worse about "kissing" a woman versus a man? In fact, in my Americanized mind the thought of kissing a man seems more disrespectful than kissing a woman. Could someone explain Rashi's comment here?


texts: Are separate stainless steel and aluminum dishes really required?

texts:
I can understand the need for separate cast iron dishes and raw pottery dishes for meat and dairy, but is stainless steel and aluminum really required according to halakha?

Pottery (klei heres) is definitely porous and absorbs, and Cast Iron is also very pourous - as well as "seasoned" with oils or fats. But if the worry is about ta`am (taste) or a mashehu of mamashuth becoming mixed in, then I do not see a problem as stainless steel should be treated like glass in this regard. Once it is washed it does not seem to be a problem.


texts:
I read a book which quoted the Medrash Tanchumah (Parshas Vayeira 18)
as stating the following:

"Teshuvah so powerful that it eradicates one’s sins so that no blemishes remain on his soul."

I looked it up the medrash and could not find this quote.

Does anyone know where I can find this quote?


texts: I saw an article of Rabbi Itzkowitz (?) on the web 6 years ago about whether one should face Jerusalem in the precise direction as on the compass, or the shortest direction by travel, as the planes fly.  Could you find this article for me?


texts: How did the Rambam write about kidney removal?

texts:
From this answer:

The Rambam (Bias Mikdash 6:7) states clearly that a Kohain whos Kidney was removed is NOT considered a Baal Mum.
אֵין פּוֹסֵל בָּאָדָם אֶלָּא מוּמִין שֶׁבְּגָלוּי. אֲבָל מוּמִין שֶׁבַּחֲלַל הַגּוּף כְּגוֹן שֶׁנִּטַּל כֻּלְיָתוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם אוֹ טְחוֹל שֶׁלּוֹ אוֹ שֶׁנִּקְּבוּ מֵעָיו אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁנַּעֲשָׂה טְרֵפָה עֲבוֹדָתוֹ כְּשֵׁרָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא כא יט) "שֶׁבֶר רָגֶל אוֹ שֶׁבֶר יָד" מָה אֵלּוּ בְּגָלוּי אַף כּל בְּגָלוּי:

But according to wikipedia,

The first successful nephrectomy [= kidney removal] was performed by the German surgeon Gustav Simon on August 2, 1869 in Heidelberg.

So how did the Rambam know it was possible?

(The Kesef Mishneh brings the Rambam's sources as the Mishna and Tosefta, but neither gives the kidney example.)


texts: Experience-based advice on using a Shabbat water heater controller?

texts:
http://www.sterlingwaterheaters.com/Index.html

According to this website once installed one may use hot water on Shabbat without violating Halacha.

They have Rabinnic endorsements from the following Rabbanim.

Karlsburger Bais Din - R. Chezkel Roth

Vaad Hakashrus Meged Yehudah

Congregtion Nitei Gavriel R. G. Zinner

Rabbi Abraham Blumenkrantz

Rabbi E. Fisher - Head of Gur Kolel, Brooklyn

Was wondering if anyone has any first-hand experience with them
and how they performed in terms of:

The time length which it has worked for them without any malfunction (if any).
Any Halachic concerns encountered while using the product(ie-The consistency in the water staying heated as advertised,is this more of an emergency type product than for common weekly use)
Any difficulties encountered while getting the product installed as well as maintaining the product.


texts: Are you allowed to refill a percolator or hot water urn on Yom Tov?


texts: I'm looking for the source in the Gemorah which says there was once a community that said Hallel on a day that wasn't Rosh Chodesh, and that even though it wasn't the correct minhag it was seen as something to keep. I think it might be in Maseches Taanis, or the Yerushalmi, but I can't find it.


texts:
Why does the Haggada say צֵא וּלְמַד מַה בִּקֵּשׁ לָבָן הָאֲרַמִּי לַעֲשׂוֹת לְיַעֲקֹב אָבִינוּ - Go out and see what Lavan tried to do" Why not just learn it or hear it rather than "go out and see"?

Note: If you will say seeing makes a bigger impact than hearing, why don't we say about everything in the Haggada, "Go out and see"?


texts: If giving tzedakah money to parents is a "disrespectful matter" (Talmud, Kiddushin 32a), is giving tzedakah to other relatives a bad idea as well?

texts:
My question is going to be a bit complicated so stay with me before you mark it as a duplicate. In my previous question Is giving money to parents considered a tzedaka?, I received answers that it's okay to give tzedakah money to parents if they are poor.

However, I recently found a contradicting opinion in Kiddushin 32a:

  The Gemara asks: If so, consider that which is taught with regard to this baraita. Rabbi Yehuda says: May a curse come upon one who feeds his father the poor man’s tithe. And if this halakha, that one may feed his father the poor man’s tithe, was said with regard to a surplus, what difference is there? Since the son has fulfilled his obligation and simply adds something so that his father will have more, why is this person cursed? The Gemara answers: Even so, it is a disrespectful matter for one to feed his father with money that has been designated as charity for the poor.

Therefore, according to this opinion, if one is capable of supporting his parents financially, one should not use tzedakah money for this. This statement raises a number of questions:

Is this true regarding other relatives as well?
How authoritative/binding is this opinion? Are there any authoritative comments on this opinion?
Does this opinion hold true in cases when one wants to give tzedakah money to his other relatives together with parents? Let's say one's parents and his other siblings are poor and live together in an old appartment which needs renovation. The son wants to donate his tzedakah money for the renovation. Should he use tzedakah money to help his poor family or must he use his other money and give tzedakah for other purposes (provided he is financially able to do so)? Remember, his poor parents are living in that appartment as well (with his other relatives) so some may argue that he is donating his tzedakah money to parents (indirectly though).


texts: I find it strange that Genesis/Bereshit 18:21 seems to imply that G-d has limited knowledge of what's going on in Sodom and Amorah, so I wondered if the word eda'ah (אֵדָעָה) could be translated as: to be aware, or recognize, or acknowledge. In such a case He's accepting the outcry and reacts to it; i.e. in such a case He knows what to do to set things straight.


texts: Halachic issues with buying an item for cheap when owner doesnt know true value

texts:
What are the halachic problems that arise when one buys an item at a discount but the owner is unaware of the true value? This can apply to a yard sale where one buys a coin that they know is worth thousands and the owner is selling it for pennies. Does one have to tell the owner of the true value?

Another such case which I have encountered is going to a book sale and there is a $1 table, but on that table there is a book that is worth $100. Is one halachicly obligated to inform the store owner?

Just to note why these cases may be different from other price mistakes is that it is known that there may be rare stuff at a yard/book sale.


texts: Ribbis to give back good onions for bad ones?

texts: If one borrowed 7 onions from a neighbor, and when getting home he realizes that 3 of them were bad (bad enough that they're not worth anything). Is he allowed to give back 7 good onions? Would that be ribbis? Would it make a difference if he's embarrassed to tell the lender that some of the onions were bad? If it is ribbis, What should he do?


texts:
Who knows two hundred one?
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: Why did Avraham name his son before the Bris (circumcision)?

texts:
Why does the Torah seem to imply that Avraham named his son before the bris?
First:

וַיִּקְרָא אַבְרָהָם אֶת שֶׁם בְּנוֹ הַנּוֹלַד לוֹ אֲשֶׁר יָלְדָה לּוֹ שָׂרָה יִצְחָק
And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.

(Gen. 21:3)
So he called his name Yitzchak, and then the next verse says:

וַיָּמָל אַבְרָהָם אֶת יִצְחָק בְּנוֹ בֶּן שְׁמֹנַת יָמִים כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה אֹתוֹ אֱ־לֹהִים
And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.

(21:4)
and then they did the Bris (circumcision).
Isn't our Minhag to do the Bris and then name the child undermined by this case?


texts: Why did Esther stay married to achashveirosh and have a child with him after the Jewish people were saved?


texts: Is there a minhag to smell besamim on shabbos?(for reasons other than the 100 brochos)


texts: Navi will be annulled when Moshiach comes?

texts: The Talmud Yerushalmi (Meggilah 1:5) says that the Neviim and the Kesubim will be annulled in the future. The Rambam (Hilchos Meggilah 2:18) that it is talking about the days of Moshiach. What does this mean since we know the Torah can not change from the Rambam's thirteen ikkarim (principles of faith)?


texts:
The words דעה and דעת both seem to come from the same root of לדעת, to know. Is there a difference in meaning between them?
The only indication I can think of is the נוסח אשכנז version of the ברכה of אתה חונן where we say

  אתה חונן לאדם דעת ומלמד לאנוש בינה. חננו מאתך דעה בינה והשכל.

It seems that דעה and דעת correspond, as we reflect our original praises of Hashem which talk about דעת and בינה in the request at the end which includes דעה and בינה.


texts:
Who knows two hundred?
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: In Eretz Yisroel Kosher In  Chutz Laretz  Posul

texts: How is it possible you make a Sukkah with the same conditions and outside Israel it is not Kosher and inside Israel it is?


texts: Originally, Yizkor was said on Yom Kippur and only later was it extended to Shelosh Regalim. Why was it not said on Rosh Hashanah which is Yom Hazikkoron? It would seem more appropriate to say it then rather than on Shelosh Regalim, as it is contrary to the spirit of 'veSomachta beChagecha'.


texts:
I previously asked about Planting grass during shmita, and discovered that it is forbidden. But what about astroturf (synthetic grass)? Would there be any problem with installing that during the shmita year?

Some potential problems i can think of:

Mar'it ayin -- people might think you planted real grass during shmita.
It seems that some digging and watering is necessary before "planting" it, which sounds like it might be a problem.

Do any poskim address this?


texts: Are women exempt from Tachanun and discouraged from saying it?

texts:
My brother heard from someone that she heard that women are exempt from saying Tachanun and therefore discouraged from saying it. Is this so? If so, why? Do you know sources for this?

UPDATE: I searched for tachanun women and discovered this article as the first search result, which says that women are exempt but doesn't say anything about their being discouraged. The sources cited (all [near-]contemporary, if I'm not mistaken) apparently offer "various reasons." I don't have those books, so I don't know what the reasons are. Perhaps someone here does.


texts: Is there a zero year in the ancient Jewish calendar?

texts:
I have recently been informed that the ancient Jewish calendar does not count the year at the beginning of a century: no zero year. So for example 1999- 2001 is one year not two.
This can be important when one tries to calculate specific dates in prophesy to determine accuracy. Are there any expert explanations that a member could share on this?


texts: What's the difference between a house imparting impurity from the inside and to one entering it? (Nega'im 13:4)

texts:
Nega'im 13:4:

  בַּיִת הַמֻּסְגָּר, מְטַמֵּא מִתּוֹכוֹ. וְהַמֻּחְלָט, מִתּוֹכוֹ וּמֵאֲחוֹרָיו. זֶה וָזֶה מְטַמְּאִין בְּבִיאָה:

  A house that has been isolated conveys uncleanness from its inside; And one that has been certified unclean, both from its inside and from its outside. Both convey uncleanness if one enters in.

I'm missing something here. Isn't a house imparting impurity from inside it doing so to one entering it?

What is the last line of this mishnah ("both convey uncleanness if one enters in") adding, that I wouldn't know from the first part?


texts: What stance do Jews take on the proposition that Jews killed Jesus Christ?

texts: I appreciate any elucidation on the matter.


texts: Can a דבר חריף transfer בליעות into a כלי without heat?

texts: An onion is cut into small pieces with a fleishig knife. Then the pieces of onion are chopped in a food processor that was recently used to proses dairy. The onion is obviously treif, but what is the status of the food processor?


texts:
In Judaism it is forbidden to masturbate (link).

This article brings two studies; one suggesting that masturbation can cause prostate cancer and another suggesting that it can help prevent it.

In the (hypothetical) case in the future where science has conclusively ruled that masturbation can help prevent cancer, would it then be halachically permitted to masturbate in order to prevent cancer?


texts: My wife was told by a friend that a certain legitimate kashrus organization says that frozen raspberries do not require supervision, and upon calling the organization, she was told that the process the berries go through before freezing removes all insects. Does anyone know what this process is and what the general opinion in the kashrus world is about such things?