texts: Source Merit of the person who does the burying of spouse

texts:
I can’t recall where I saw it, but I somewhat remember is that there is some merit if the husband buries the wife or vice versa.
Does anyone know the source for it?


texts: Does Judaism recognize contemporary prophets?

texts:
Some new religions like Bahai believe in relatively recent prophets.

Some Christian sects, like Mormonism, often seen as heretics by the rest, believe in continuing revelations. So prophets are still coming according to them.

Most Christians believe that prophets ended some time after Jesus. The Catholic Church believes that public revelations already ended but private prophecy is still ongoing.

Some Christians believe that they are prophets (for example, Benny Hinn).

Okay, what about Judaism?

Are there still prophets in Judaism? Can't find this anywhere. I've heard some say that Malachi was the last prophet or something.


texts:
At what time should one light the candles on (the first night of) yom tov?

On yom tov it is permitted to light a fire from a pre-existing flame (unlike shabbat) so it seems like one could light yom tov candles after yom tov has already started.

Is there a preference to nevertheless light before yom tov begins, like on shabbat? Or maybe it's better to light closer to when the meal starts (especially if a woman wants to say shecheyanu in conjunction with both the candles and kiddush)?

Is there a latest time to light? Do the candles have to be lit before the meal starts?


texts: Drinking from a drinking fountain throughout the day

texts: This question deals with someone who has a cup of a drink and carries it around all day long, possibly refilling it, etc. I am wondering, for someone who drinks from a drinking fountain every time he walks by it, should he make a new bracha each time he drinks? Does it matter how much time goes by between episodes? What other considerations are there?


texts: When a ger finishes their conversion, must they tovel (immerse in a mikvah) their dishes?  Does it matter if they had toveled them previously?


texts:
What would be the halachic problems the people have with women's tefillah groups/"minyanim", where a number of women all get together to daven together. They do everything that men would do, except they do it sans men.

Women can daven, even if they are not obligated, and they can technically read from the Torah as well. Is it only that they cannot make the bracha on the Torah, and leaving that out would remove all technical issues with the whole thing? Or is there something else as well?


texts: May one say Yehi Ratzon prayers at any time?

texts:
Take the Yehi Ratzon recited before Hamapil (at least, in my nusach ashkenaz). May one recite it in the mornings, with the rest of his tefillos during Shemoneh Esrei, for instance? Or must it be said at night, in its place in the Siddur?

If your answer is that specifically by this example it can't be moved, although that could contribute to a good answer, it wouldn't be a full answer, as I'm asking about Yehi Ratzon prayers in general, not that one in particular.


texts: Will I lose out by not having grandchildren named after me?

texts: Someone has a very strange Jewish name and he doesn't want to trouble his children to feel pressured to name their children after him when he passes away. He also feels bad that a grandchild should get stuck with his name. Can he tell his children that he doesn't want any of them to name grandchildren after him? Would he lose out in any way  (in the next world) ? Please provide authentic Jewish sources with your answer.


texts: It is a rabbinical mitzvah to make eruv tavshilin, it even comes with a blessing. If so, why don't we make a shehecheyanu on it?


texts:
Grinder biohacking involves implanting DIY cybernetics or chemicals into one’s own body which ostensibly give one superhuman abilities. For example, some companies sell implantable NFC/RFID chips to enable one to, I dunno, unlock a door, or use it as a bus pass or credit card. Some people biohacked their eyes to give themselves night vision. This site has some other, uh, interesting examples.

As you might imagine, these kind of implants and chemicals pose a danger to those implanting them, as a grinder is intentionally wounding himself in order to implant these things, opening himself up to infection or worse.

For the purposes of this question, medical devices like pacemakers and cochlear implants are to be ignored. The difference is that medical devices are implanted by a trained medical professional for a medical need, while these devices lack at least the need and often lack the medical professional as well.

It’s my understanding that there is a dispute regarding plastic surgery when it’s not alleviating some form of pain, wherein Rav Moshe Feinstein and the Chelkas Yaakov held that it’s permissible, while Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach and the Tzitz Eliezer held that it’s forbidden.

Would the same dispute apply here?

Perhaps those who are lenient by plastic surgery would be stringent here. Did they give a blanket permission to wound oneself for a constructive purpose? Or is there something unique to plastic surgery which doesn’t apply to grinding (maybe different levels of constructiveness)?
Perhaps those who are stringent by plastic surgery would be lenient here. Did they give a blanket prohibition against wounding oneself except for absolute necessities? Or, since there is a perceived practical benefit in this case, this would be more lenient than plastic surgery, which is merely cosmetic?

Obviously if there is a chance of death it would be strictly prohibited. Assume for the purposes of this question that it’s done in a way such that the chance of death is minimal.

As noted above, grinder biohacking is not sanctioned by the medical community and can cause serious health issues. Please talk with your doctor in addition to your rabbi before trying this at home.


texts: How to explain the start of Parsha Pinchas to bar/bat mitzva kids

texts:
How do you go about dealing with the adult nature of the beginning of the Parsha Pinchas to kids aged 12 or 13?

Any on-line material you suggest, suitable for kids this young, on that part of the parsha?


texts: Is it okay for a man to straighten his hair?

texts: Is a man allowed to use a flat iron to straighten his hair if the person doesn't like having curly hair?


texts: Where to find online/digital Torah Reading Resources for All Traditions?

texts:
The wife and i are interested in the various musical traditions of Biblical cantillation (aka trope, aka te'amim). However, finding reliable recordings of decent quality are always hit and miss. Does anyone know of online resources for learning to chant Torah?

Specifically, looking for resources for all the various traditions, whether Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Temani / Yemenite, or Mizrahi.


texts:
So I would just like some insight on the reason for the commandments in the matter of whether they are for inheriting the world to come/heaven, or for they are for fixing this world. I have heard that they are for fixing this world and making the world a better place, but many christians assert that they are for inheriting heaven (as well with their belief in the idol).
So if any of you have sources in anything that can help lead to the conclusion of either would be greatly appreciated.


texts: Validity and legitimacy of a non-Kosher High Priest

texts:
IIRC, in the second half of the Second Temple, starting with the Hasmonean revolt, many High Priests were either illegitimate (breaking Zadok's lineage), self-proclaimed, Sadducees, or appointed by ruling gentiles.
What is the legitimacy of such an appointment, are his acts, especially Yom Kippur works, valid Halachicly, and are there any implications for laymen coming to the Temple?


texts: Publicizing that you were rescued and how you achieved this - origins

texts:
Where I live - in Jerusalem - it's not uncommon to see signs like this:

I said Perek Shira for 40 days and was saved. I promised to publicize this.

Sometimes it's about other good deeds, usually it's about Perek Shira. (See here for the origins of Perek Shira.)

Essentially, the person says (to himself and Hashem) "I will say Perek Shira for 40 days so that in the merit of doing so I will get engaged/cured/whatever is bothering  me and if my prayers are answered I will publicize this".

Where does this concept come from of promising to publically publicize one's redemption - and how it was done -  if one is redeemed after doing something?

Any ideas, hints, stories and even sources are welcome.

(I think the concept of publicising a redemption per se can be easily sourced.)


texts: What to we learn from וַיִּשַּׁק יַעֲקֹב לְרָחֵל?

texts:
The following is an (uncited) premise in learning torah that creates this question.  Every word of the torah is measured (there are no extra words) and therefore important.

In parshas Yeyeitzei (בראשית כט יא) it says וַיִּשַּׁק יַעֲקֹב לְרָחֵל.  What are we supposed to be learning from that? The statement raises a lot of questions (especially nowadays) and I couldn't find anything specific we learn from it. So why include it, (seemingly) the phrase could have been easily skipped.

All the meforshim seem to explain about the nature of the kiss and how it fits into the narrative are almost (for a lack of better phrase) justifications of the kiss. I couldn't find anywhere where it affects the narrative or gives a lesson, so why include it? The kiss just seems to raise questions .

Question: What lesson is contained in the words וַיִּשַּׁק יַעֲקֹב לְרָחֵל? What does it either add to the narrative or teach us?


texts: What is the bracha on raw sugar snap peas?

texts:
Snap peas are frequently stir fried. However, I have seen people eating it raw and whole or as part of a salad.

The halacha is that if in your location a vegetable is normally cooked, but you eat it raw, you would say shehakol rather than adamah.

I'm not sure how that rule might apply to snap peas eaten in the U.S.


texts:
What is the certifying agency that uses a kosher symbol comprised of a Star-of-David containing another odd-looking symbol within it?:

It is carried by, e.g., Byrne Dairy milks (of New York State).


texts: Does an unnecessary brocho pesucha on Hallel necessitate a brocho siyuma?

texts: We had an interesting question arise in our Shul this past Yom Yerushalayim. Our shul has a minhag of saying Hallel without a brocho in Shacharis. At one of the minyanim, the chazzan said a brocho at the beginning of Hallel ("likro es ha'hallel"), out of habit. The question is, does the fact that he said a brocho at the beginning of hallel necessitate the recitation of the final brocho ("melech me'hulal ba'tishbachos") at the end? I don't have any reason to assume either way—I'm not even sure that the two brochos are related—but I'm still curious. Note: the fact that some hold a brocho should be said on Hallel on Yom Yerushalayim should be excluded from this analysis.


texts: Is there any fully digital (i.e. searchable) edition of the סליחות? Is it publicly available online?


texts: Is using a book with letters stamped on the sides melacha (erasing) if the book wasn't closed in the first place?

texts:
A comment on this question points to the following from OU:

  Likewise, when words are stamped on the edge of a book (as is the case with most library books), these letters are separated when the book is opened, and this should not be done unless the book is urgently needed.

(The page has a reference to a note but I couldn't find the note.)

This made me wonder if you are erasing if the letters were not fully formed at the beginning of Shabbat, i.e. the book was already lying open.  When you turn each page you're changing the state of the letters stamped on the sides, but they weren't whole to begin with so is there a problem of writing or erasing?  If one really wants to read that library book or use a stamped reference book on Shabbat, does opening the book before Shabbat (in a way that it won't close on its own) let him do so?


texts: How to approach teaching Jewish ethics morality for a 12 year old?

texts:
How to describe and teach Jewish ethics/morality to 12 year old?

Seeking topic lists, curricula, books, etc. on the topic of Jewish ethics/morality appropriate for a 12 year old.  These might be case studies or more general principles.


texts: In megilas esther the months of the year are called out by name. For example the 12th month is called adar. Is there anywhere else in tanach that months are referred to by name?


texts: Would a mouthpiece attachment that does the "work" invalidate the ritual use of the Shofar?

texts:
I recently came across someone who owns a shofar which has a mouthpiece attachment that circumvents the need to vibrate your lips.
A typical shofar requires a bit of skill and practice in that you need to vibrate your lips to create the sound. This shofar was created with a type of metallic mouthpiece which creates the vibration for the sound. You simply blow air straight in (like a whistle) rather than having to pucker your lips and create vibration.
Does such a change invalidate its use for religious purposes or is this actually valid but just an uncommon alteration?


texts: Why am I always the last person to finish davening Al Cheit?

texts:
On Yom Kippur, I daven as fast as I possibly can--reading everything in my native language, and with far more speed than kavana--because I know I will have this problem. And yet I still have the problem, every year, without fail:

In the shul of 150-250 people, I am always the dead last person to finish Al Cheit. And I don't finish "almost" on time. I am usually still standing for a good two or three extra minutes after everyone else has been seated.

It's embarrassing, but I am willing to deal with that aspect. The main thing is that I don't understand why this happens. (I don't know for sure if it happens with other davening, because I don't daven in shul a lot. When I do, I still finish last, but I guess it is either less conspicuous or less of a problem than Yom Kippur.)

So, why does this happen to me with Al Cheit?

Does the English take longer?
Does everyone else have it memorized?
Does everyone else skip? (I assume the chazzan doesn't skip...)

Related: Keeping up with fast davening


texts:
The Rambam explains the basic requirements of doing teshuva and seeking forgiveness from another person: acknowledging the transgression, making amends, and seeking forgiveness (presumably publicly per Yoma 87a).  If a person wrongs us and does these things, we're to forgive him.  (He also has to not do it again, but that's for God to judge later, not for us.)

There is, nonetheless, a "release clause" in the Yom Kippur liturgy, where we forgive even people who haven't done this so that no one should be punished on our account.  This answer on another question points out that this explicitly excludes people who owe financial damages and people who transgressed knowing we'd have to forgive them.  I can't say why exactly, but I've always understood this passage as being about fellow Jews -- a Jew who has wronged me non-financially, and didn't do it knowing I'd have to forgive him -- I forgive even if he didn't do teshuva, because we're all imperfect and if we're favorable to others maybe God will be favorable to us.  I am not sufficiently fluent to be able to tell if the passage quoted there actually says "anybody at all" or means just klal Yisrael.

So my understanding is: if a Jew does teshuva we forgive, and if a Jew doesn't do teshuva but these other conditions are met, we forgive anyway.

A non-Jew, by definition, is not participating in this mutual "release clause" on Yom Kippur, nor is he bound by the laws of teshuva.  So, two questions here:

According to Judaism, what, if anything, is a gentile required to do if he wrongs a Jew?  (We have laws about Noachides, so halacha might have something to say here.)
If a gentile has wronged us and not done anything about it, is he included in our blanket forgiveness or not?  Does "anyone" mean anyone, or just Jews?  If I make no specific exclusions, have I passively forgiven a gentile who's wronged me or is he not part of the scope in the first place?1

In both cases, does it matter if the gentile is a Noachide, an idolater, neither, or of unknown status?

1 I don't know if it's actually kosher to make exclusions -- to say "except Ploni" -- but it happens sometimes.


texts: What should I do if my synagogue faces away from Jerusalem?

texts:
Due to an major oversight in its design the synagogue in my home town (London) is built with the Aron facing north west instead of east. A while ago I asked someone about this and they said that it was more important to face the Aron rather than Jerusalem but, of course, have Jerusalem in mind. Are there sources for this?

Also, another place I daven at has the aron facing north (again due to poor design). It has become the tradition of this place to daven facing east, with the aron on everyone's left hand side during shmoneh esrei. This means that those davening to the right of the aron have their backs towards the Aron. To complicate things further. The toilets are due east (and lead directly from the hall where davening occurs), which means that people pray towards the toilets rather than the Aron. Although clearly not an ideal situation, what is the ideal in this scenario? (The new Rav has seemingly adopted previous customs, and placing the aron next to the toilets is not an option).


texts:
What does it mean to have arup payos?
What specific style or length is this?
Who would have the minhag to keep their payos in such a fashion that is called "arup"?


texts: Why is there an Aramaic line after "Hashem yimloch l'olam va'ed" in Az Yashir?

texts:
Directly after the phrase "Hashem yimloch l'olam va'ed" * in the paragraph of Az Yashir in the siddur, the phrase is translated into Aramaic: "Hashem malchutei ka'eim l'alam ul'almei alma".

Why is this so?

My personal speculation would that be that the line is left over from when the majority of the Jewish world spoke Aramaic, in order that the person praying would understand what they were saying. I'm not sure about this, though.

* To understand why the phrase "Hashem yimloch l'olam va'ed" is repeated twice, see here.


texts:
What are the rules for cooking in a non-kosher kitchen with kosher utensils (pots, cutlery, etc).

Can a microwave be used  if its contents are double-wrapped?
Can the burners on a non-kosher oven be used?
Can  dishes be washed in a non-kosher sink?


texts: What do sources say about purchasing smoothies at places with no kosher certification? Would this be allowed?


texts:
There are many different Tanachs on the market and while the differences are very minute, they are there. I am under the impression that while it used to be that the Koren Tanach was considered the most accurate, being that they did not use the Keter it is no longer considered the most accurate. My question is does anyone know the difference between the Tanach's that are based on the Keter

The Chorev of R' Mordechai Breur
Keter Yerushalayim of Hebrew University
Machon Simanim (published by Feldheim
?


texts: How does the Motza Temple fit into our tradition?

texts:
This place is about a mile away from my home and I frequently ran in that area for years and saw the archeological site, until they announced that they've found a Jewish Temple running in parallel to the First Temple.
The WIKI page says:

The temple dates back to the Kingdom of Judah of the 9th century BCE, and appears to have operated alongside the First Temple in nearby Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the center of the Kingdom of Judah and, according to the Hebrew Bible, the seat of kings David and Solomon. Many historical finds have been discovered in the area of Tel Motza, dating from different periods, and archaeologists have sought to identify it as the Biblical settlement of Mozah mentioned in the Book of Joshua (Joshua 18:26).

How do those findings fit into our tradition? Is something similar mentioned in our books?
Here's the official site: Tel Motza excavations


texts: Any recommendations to help learn a Tosfot in Bava Batra?

texts: Which Sefer/Sforim can one use to help when learning a Tosfos in Bava Basra as there is nothing online for this Masechta?


texts: A while ago I was pointed to a Kaarite rebuttal of the New testament from a few centuries ago. I found it online with an interactive chapter by chapter format. Now I can't remember the name or find it by searches. Is anyone familiar with this piece and what is it called?


texts: Looking for a good book on Rebbe Akiva ben Joseph's life

texts:
I was reading about Rebbe Akiva ben Joseph and became intrigued by his life and his ideas.

I'd like to read a book about him that covers his life and details his contributions to ethics, etc.

Would appreciate any references.

Notes:

I'm a secular humanist and I'm looking for a text that does justice to Rebbe Akiva from a secular point of view -- I'm still interested in Jewish tradition's narrative of the supernatural or metaphysical aspects of the Rebbe's life -- but I'd also like to understand his contributions in the wider Human context
I'm not Jewish -- am an Atheist -- of one the other Monotheistic faith's heritage.


texts: Why didn't Abraham tell Isaac and Sarah about God's commandment to sacrifice Isaac?

texts:
Why didn't Abraham share with Isaac and Sarah the fact that God had commanded him to sacrifice Isaac?
The commentators say that Isaac knew of the plan in advance, but, his faith being as total as his father's, he had no hesitation about submitting (see, e.g., Kli Yakar and Rabbenu Bahya on Gen. 22:7-8; and Sefer HaYashar Midrash on Genesis, Vayera 18,20,21).  Even Ishmael and Eliezer knew of the plan (Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 31:5).
As for Sarah, she and Abraham were a team in their great devotion to God and together converted a lot of people to monotheism ("the souls that they made in Haran" in Gen. 12:5).
Further, God never told Abraham not to reveal the plan to anybody.
So why didn't he talk it over with his wife and son?  Did he suspect their faith wasn't as strong as his and would refuse to go along?  Anything about that in the Sources?


texts: How is batel beshishim verified practically?

texts:
I understand the general rule that if there is a mixture of meat and milk and the meat is < 1/60 of the milk it is a dairy product, or if the milk is < 1/60 of the meat it is a meat product.

If one watched the quantity of milk or meat go in, and it is a small amount compared to the volume of the other, one could most likely conclude batel beshishim. How does one determine this if he has no idea how much went in, but was informed by someone else or suspects that it may have occurred?

Someone told me that one should taste the product and if he detects a meat taste in what appears to be a dairy product, then it is not batel beshishim. The problem with this is that everyone's taste is different. What happens if two people taste the same item and you have conflicting opinions? How do you determine what to do?


texts: What are the issues with a woman mashgiach?

texts: I hear that many people won't allow a woman to be a mashgiach. Why is this?


texts: Can one make a bracha 'al biur chometz' if they are only searching their car?

texts:
Suppose one is on the road on the night of the 14th of Nissan and the only place they will be checking is their car. They have already cleaned their house, and where they are going will also be clean. Can they make a bracha on cleaning their car?

I think this question would depend on whether or not a car can be considered a house (as the bracha is made on checking your house, not on just an appliance such as a refridgerator), since you can technically live in it.


texts: Do any of the rishonim/acharonim/etc speak about how one should go about properly chazzaring the gemarah that he learns on a daily basis?


texts: What's the procedure for seeking a psak?

texts: I need a psak on a complicated (to me) halachic issue. I'm not currently affiliated with a shul, so I have no daily contact with rabbanim, and I've never needed a psak before. How does one do this? Should I just go to a local shul and ask for an appointment with the rav? Should I research who specializes in specific areas of halacha? What's the protocol?


texts: Does giving left-over Masholakh manot fulfill the mitzvah?

texts:
A person I know brings to work left-over masholakh manot for his coworkers. Often the food items have already been opened and partially eaten. Although I am sure that the guy is sincere in bringing the food as masholakh manot, but at the same time I know that an underlying reason is because he does not want to waste food. Assuming his intent was to fulfill the mitzvah, does he actually do so in the above scenario? Just to clarify, the guy will NEVER bring to work masholakh manot that he purchased for his coworkers.

EDIT: Does masholakh manot have to be purchased by the giver, or can the giver pass along food items given to them, a/k/a, "regifting".


texts: What is the beracha on goji berries? I tried looking at websites online but I could not find it anywhere online.


texts: Why was the term "Ben Amram" considered derogatory?

texts: In a few places, Rash"i quotes a midrash, usually associated with how Datan and Aviram addressed Moshe. They referred to him as "ben Amram' (Son of Amram). Rash"i implies that this term was considered derrogatory or disrespectful. I would think that since Amram had a pretty high and respected status in the community, and he was the proud father of 3 notable children that it would be honorable to be known as the son of Amram. Is Rash"i implying something else?


texts: Does Eternal Gehinnom (i.e. Eternal Judgment leading to Eternal Punishment) negate the concept of Reincarnation?

texts: Where is there a rabbinic discussion of whether eternal Gehinnom (i.e. eternal judgment leading to eternal punishment) negates the concept of Reincarnation? (Because the concept of reincarnation, if true, sounds like one is able to escape such eternal consequence, if there is one.)


texts: One of the nice aspects of the Steinsaltz Gemaras is that he provides little historical background pieces to figures and objects referenced in the text, as well as linguistic analysis of certain non-Hebrew/Aramaic words.  I was wondering how his work is received by academics and if he's considered to be reliable in terms of the history/archaeology/linguistics side of his Shas.


texts:
From what I have seen by attending services as well as viewing various Siddurim, it seems that on weekdays, the Song of the Day is said at the end of Shacharit (Nusach Ashkenaz after Aleinu; Nusach Sefard before it.)

However, on Shabbat and Yom Tov, I have seen it placed in one of 3 places for both Nusach Ashkenaz and Sefard:

Beginning of service just before start of Psukei Dezimra
Just after Chazzan's Shacharit Amida repetition
End of Musaf service either before or after Shir Hakvod or Aleinu (Shir Hakavod is also "portable".)

Why is there this flexibility on Shabbat / Yom Tov but not during the weekday?

Speculation: It's either the day itself or the fact that we say Musaph that creates the ambiguity.


texts: Why does רש״י say (שבת דף לז ע״א) stoves were moveable and put on the ground?

texts:
The Bavli, Shabas 37 amud 1, wonders about the permissibility of placing a pot of food adjacent to a stove-oven (rather than atop or in it).

  איבעיא להו מהו לסמוך בה תוכה וגבה אסור אבל לסמוך בה שפיר דמי או דילמא לא שנא

Rashi explains the question:

  מהו לסמוך. קדרה אצל דופן הכירה בלא גרופה שהכירה מטלטלת היא ומושיבים אותה על גבי קרקע׃

  …For a stove-oven is moveable, and they would seat it on the ground.

Huh? Why is Rashi telling us, here, that a stove-oven is moveable and that they would seat it on the ground? What does this have to do with the question of abutting a pot to the stove-oven? (Note that this is not the first time a stove-oven is mentioned, so Rashi is not describing it just for our general understanding of how it was used.)


texts:
The Luz bone has been identified as the bone Techias Hameisim will be performed from, see for instance in Bereishis Rabba 28 3 the discussion between Rabi Yehoshua ben Chananya and Hadrian. It is described there as indestructible.

The identity of the bone is described by Rashi as being at the end of the spine seemingly a reference to the Coccyx, what we call the tailbone, and so stated on wiki here.

(I am going to ignore for the sake of this question the Kabbalistic idea that the Luz bone is at the top of the neck, from which the practice of rubbing the havdala wine upon it stems, as seen here)

Here is my question. Has anyone ever identified the Luz bone as the Sacrum?
This is the triangular bone at the bottom of the spine to which the Coccyx is attached.

As seen in that wiki page, the name Sacrum has it's roots tracing back to Galen, a famous Greek physician in the Roman empire. From Wiki:

  The origin of Galen's term is unclear. Supposedly the sacrum was the part of an animal offered in sacrifice (since the sacrum is the seat of the organs of procreation). Others attribute the adjective ἱερόν to the ancient belief that this specific bone would be indestructible.

I guess you see where I'm going with this. As Rabbi Hirsch pointed out concerning the human spine turning into a snake myth that Chazzal quoted from Pliny in order to teach a lesson of bowing during Modim, we can easily say they took a famous doctor's words and used it to instill faith about Techias Hameisim.*

My question again is did anyone identify this Sacrum as the Luz bone?

*I am aware that Galen would have been nine years old when Hadrian died.This does not bother me. Firstly, this bone myth may not have been his invention. Perhaps he was merely quoting some other known idea. Secondly, it's agadata so don't worry so much about these details.


texts: forgiving people on the first night of Pesach

texts:
According to the Ezras Torah Luach, we only say the bracha of המפיל and the Shema itself for Kriat Shema al Hamita, skipping the rest, because Pesach is leil shimurim, when we don't need extra prayers for protection.

What about the first paragraph (at least in Nusach Artscroll), which involves forgiving anyone who accidentally harmed us?  Why should this be less important on Pesach than any other day?


texts:
Someone told me that mincha is an עת רצון because מידת הרחמים is strongest at that point.

Is there a source for this?


texts: How could Rebbe Nachman (seemingly) go against the Shulchan Aruch?

texts:
Shulchan Aruch, Orach HaChaim, Siman 90, Seif 5

  לֹא יִתְפַּלֵּל בְּמָקוֹם פָּרוּץ כְּמוֹ בְּשָׂדֶה, מִפְּנֵי
  שֶׁכְּשֶׁהוּא בִּמְקוֹם צְנִיעוּת חָלָה עָלָיו אֵימַת מֶלֶךְ, וְלִבּוֹ
  נִשְׁבָּר.

  One should not pray in an open place, such as a field, for when
  someone is in an enclosed place, the fear of the King falls upon him
  and his heart breaks [in prayer].

Rabbi Nachman of Breslov in many places talks of the immense value of "hisbodedus" (solitary personal prayer) in the fields at night. I know Rabbi Nachman's teachings are still very controversial, but I am confused here and consider myself a follower and believer of most of his teachings and have indeed seen myself grow through this practice of hisbodedus.

So how can it be that Rabbi Nachman seems to contradict the Shulchan Aruch? I'm sure this question is raised to Breslover Chassidim quite often frequently. You can't just say that Rabbi Nachman wasn't aware of his halacha - perhaps the Shulchan Aruch is referring to the three communal prayers only? Someone help here!


texts: Jewish considerations regarding moving to Mars

texts:
My question is independent of particular halachic issues that a Jew would face on Mars. It is not even about the legality of the decision to move to Mars in light of the knowledge that many obstacles to observance may be insurmountable there. (See here and perhaps here. I would add that there are many, more obvious issues that aren't listed in the links--such as sakone, p'ru urevu/onah [at least one of these would have to be fulfilled on Mars, and both seem to be nearly impossible], bikur cholim, hachnosas kallah, sukkah, hachnosas or'chim, Shabbos/holiday/yahrzeit candles, and even possibly netilat yadayim, tzedakah/maaser/tevel, shofar, tefillin, getting rid of chometz, muktzeh, zecher l'churban, and who knows what others.)

It is more about whether anything in our sources addresses a hypothetical requirement to live on Earth. Although space travel may not have been explicitly foreseen nor prohibited, it does seem to me that very much of the Jewish worldview is based on the fact of living on Earth, and that hashkafically, there could be some problem. I keep coming back to the question of what will happen to those on Mars when Moshiach comes, for example. Are they still under Moshiach's aegis; will their lives change? Presumably, yes. But then, doesn't Moshiach's aegis have limits? It seems like a stretch to imagine that his coming will affect conditions on ULAS J0015+01, for example.

The one textual reference I can find for my question is this verse in Psalms (115:16): "השמים שמים לה' והארץ נתן לבני אדם"--"the Heavens belong to Hashem, but the earth He has given to man."

Can anyone bring any other Jewish sources, either for or against accepting a one-way ticket to Mars? (The connection need not be overt.)

Releated: What defines "on this earth" from a halachic standpoint?


texts: What does it mean that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart?

texts: Typically God does not interfere with a person's free choice. {provide source}  If this is so, what is the idea of Hardening Pharaoh's heart? Was that a removal of Pharaoh's free choice?


texts: Ad delo yada and being asleep how does it work?

texts: As we know a person sleeping is פטור מן המצוות exempt from mitzvos. So how can it be – as the Rema states famously – that while you are asleep you fulfill עד דלא ידע  (having drunk until he doesn't know; his wording is "umetoch sheyashen eino yodeya bein arur haman lebaruch mordechai", "and from the fact that he sleeps, he doesn't know"). How, according to this Rema, can a sleeper who has no knowledge actively fulfill the requirement?


texts:
Do nine sober men and one drunk man constitute a minyan? While I know that one should not be davening if they are drunk (tipsy as well?) but does that negate the fact that there are ten (or more) men in the room with regard to having a minyan?

On a related note, should a person who is drunk/tipsy be saying amen, and if they do does it count?


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

Upvote all interesting and relevant answers.

Accept the what I think is the "best" answer.

Go on to the next number.

This one should require a little less digging, I think.


texts: This is my first Yom Kippur as a married woman--I usually remove ALL of my jewelry, but I'm not sure about my wedding band (which conforms to halakha). Should I wear the wedding band but remove the ring my husband gave me as a gift, and which has stones in it? Or should I remove both?


texts:
The Gemara in Brachot 13a teaches us that we should only refer to Avraham as Avraham and not as Avram.

  תני בר קפרא כל הקורא לאברהם אברם עובר בעשה שנאמר (בראשית יז) והיה שמך
  אברהם רבי אליעזר אומר עובר בלאו שנאמר (בראשית יז) ולא יקרא עוד [את]
  שמך אברם

  Bar Kappara taught: Whoever calls Abraham Abram transgresses a
  positive precept, since it says, Thy name shall be Abraham. R. Eliezer
  says: He transgresses a negative command, since it says, Neither shall
  thy name any more be called Abram.

Does this also apply when the context in which we refer to Avraham is before Avraham was renamed?

For example would we say:

  When Avram was born....

or

  When Avraham was born....


texts:
Are bells muktzeh?

Does the presence of bells on a toy make it muktzeh?

Here are two types of bells in question:


texts: Why include details of the Oral Law in the Written Torah?

texts:
Some Mitzvot are written in the Torah very briefly or even hinted to, like "כבד את אביך", "לא תבשל גדי", "וקשרתם לאות על ידך" and many more. For example, the Torah gives no details on how the כיבוד אב should be performed - we learn it all from the Oral tradition.
Some Mitzvot include miles and miles of details in the TOrah itself, like Chometz on Pesach or returning a lost property (Dvorim 22):

"לא תראה את שור אחיך או את שיו נדחים והתעלמת מהם השב תשיבם לאחיך: ואם לא קרוב אחיך אליך ולא ידעתו ואספתו אל תוך ביתך והיה עמך עד דרש אחיך אתו והשבתו לו: וכן תעשה לחמרו וכן תעשה לשמלתו וכן תעשה לכל אבדת אחיך אשר תאבד ממנו ומצאתה לא תוכל להתעלם"

That's how the Mishna puts it in its own words (Chagigah 1 tnx Joel!):

"הֶתֵּר נְדָרִים פּוֹרְחִין בָּאֲוִיר, וְאֵין לָהֶם עַל מַה שֶּׁיִּסְמֹכוּ. הִלְכוֹת שַׁבָּת, חֲגִיגוֹת וְהַמְּעִילוֹת, הֲרֵי הֵם כַּהֲרָרִים הַתְּלוּיִין בְּשַׂעֲרָה, שֶׁהֵן מִקְרָא מֻעָט וַהֲלָכוֹת מְרֻבּוֹת. הַדִּינִין וְהָעֲבוֹדוֹת, הַטָּהֳרוֹת וְהַטֻּמְאוֹת וַעֲרָיוֹת, יֵשׁ לָהֶן עַל מַה שֶּׁיִּסְמֹכוּ. הֵן הֵן גּוּפֵי תּוֹרָה:"
Dissolving vows fly in the air, there is no basis for it. Laws concerning Shabbat and festival-offering and stealing from holy-designated things, these are like mountains hung from a hair: they have few verses and many laws. Judgment and service and purity and impurity and improper sexual relations, they have plenty to be based on. They themselves are the body of Torah.

Why is it so? Why are some details called the Written Torah and the others the Oral Law?
(please answer in general, not for those specific Mitzvos, like "if the Torah wasn't saying X we wouldn't know".)

Please note that my question deals specifically with the fine balance between the written and the oral law - where the written Torah stops and the oral law begins, unlike this question that deals only with the details of the stories in the Torah.


texts: In a bulk food store, must I ask to see the original label every time I return and buy my favorite food?

texts:
I know that where I live, some foods don't need kosher certification.  But most do.

Say I go to a reliable bulk food store, ask to see the original bucket that a certain food came in, see a reliable hechsher, and buy the food.

Now, weeks or years later, I want to buy more of the same food.  Does Halacha require me to ask to see the current label again every time I buy more?


texts: The term "sons of G-d" בני האלהים is found 5 times in the Hebrew Bible, once in Genesis (6:2), three times in Job (1:6, 2:1 and 38:7) and one time in Psalms (29:1). What does it mean? Does it have the same meaning in both instances? What is it referring to? What are the different beliefs held about what this means? The Septuagint translates this both times as "sons of G-d". It's first used in Genesis 6 when the "sons of G-d" came and had relations with women. Then it's used again in the book of Job when all of the "sons of G-d" cheered at the creation of the earth in Genesis (Obviously means Angels here, correct? -or?). It's the same word used in both instances, and translated the same in the Septuagint in both instances. I just wanna learn.


texts: I was curious to know, what seforim do yeshiva bochurim learn in yeshiva? (i.e. Kovetz Mefarshim, Shita MiKubetzes and Chiddushei HaRan etc.)


texts: How to increase the demand for kosher food?

texts:
I live in the Hartford Connecticut area and while the population of people who practice the Jewish faith is increasing, the ability to find Kosher food is on the decline. Even the local Kosher grocery store sells made in Italy pepperoni pizza.

How can we increase the demand for Kosher food amongst those who believe in Judiasm?


texts: Do you need to eat a kezayis of the ikar to make a bracha acharona necessitated by the ikar?

texts:
Say you're eating a mixture of something requiring a mezonot blessing mixed with something requiring a shechakol blessing. By the rules of ikar and tafel you would just say a mezonot on the entire mixture - granted all the rules of ikar and tafel are in effect.

With this being the case, do you need to eat a kezayis of the ikar part in order to justify reciting an al hamichya or is it enough to eat a kezayis of the entire mixture (with some parts being non-mezonot) in order to say the al hamichya?


texts:
There seems to be a ubiquitous minhag for women to wave their arms around when they light candles, let's say for shabbos. I don't mean covering their eyes with their hands I mean waving around in the air beforehand. Here's a video in case you aren't familiar.

What is the source or reason for this minhag? How old is it? I'm hoping for textual sources.

Note: I read in Rabbi Reisman's book Pathways of the Prophets that he looked into it and couldn't find any source or reason for it. I'm hoping the community here will have more success.


texts: Are there books or training exercises that scribes use to strengthen their skills?

texts:
I'm not a scribe and I have no plans on becoming a scribe. This would not be used for religious practice or religious needs. I just happen to enjoy the practice of Hebrew calligraphy and I'm interested in strengthening my abilities around that.
I was just curious if there were books or materials scribes in training use to strengthen their abilities and practice the art. Do materials such as these exist? Both books and online materials are welcome.


texts: Why is Mordechai called Ben Kish and not Ben Sha'ul?

texts:
Several commentaries ask the question on Esther 2:5 as to why the passuk says Ben Kish when Shim'i was Kish's fifth-great grandson (Targum Sheini). Some explain it's because Mordechai shared traits of Kish's (Yalkut 1053). Others say it's because Kish was Shim'i's maternal grandfather and therefore could be called his son (Maharsha Megillah 13b).

The Megillas Sesarim explains that he's called ben Shim'i because it was in Mordechai's zechus that Shim'i wasn't killed, and he is called ben Kish because Mordechai rectified the sin of Sha'ul, which resulted in Haman's birth. According to this explanation, why is Mordechai called ben Kish and not ben Sha'ul, Kish's son?


texts: Shliah Tzibbur's Repetition of Lines of Kedushah

texts: In kedushah, in hazarat ha-shatz, when the congregation has finished saying 'Kadosh kadosh kadosh...' and it's time for the shliah tzibbur to repeat the line out loud, it seems like the practice is for him to begin one word in. I.e., he must have said the first 'kadosh' silently already. Why is this?


texts: What Have Modern Posqim said about Nuclear Weapons?

texts: I'm looking to find teshuvot from modern posqim that discuss the permissability of possessing and using nuclear weapons.


texts: Has anyone since Rashbi been considered so regularly involved in Torah study so as to be exempt from prayer?

texts:
In SA OC Siman 106 Sif 2, the Machaber says that someone that for whom "Toraso Umanaso" ("his torah is his occupation", ie a person that is constantly engaged in Torah study) like Rebbe Shimon Bar Yachai and his friends, would stop learning in order to say Krias Shema but not tefillah. The Machaber then says however we ("anu") stop learning both to say Krias Shema and tefillah. The M"B there in Sif-Katan 6 writes that R' Shimon and his friends were learning Torah all the time and would not stop to do work; however we who stop learning to do work certainly should stop learning for tefillah.

My question is: from the time of R' Shimon through the Shulchan Aruch and till today, was there anyone that we know of that was still on this level like R' Shimon that really wouldn't stop learning to daven?

Surely there were great Rishonim and Achronim that certainly we would say about them that they were learning constantly and perhaps did fit into such a category of "Toraso Umanaso". Even in our generation we find great people (like R' Eliyashuv ZT"L) about whom many say that he simply never stop learning for anything (except of course to be makayim mitzvas, daven, etc.) I think if someone would say he wasn't on this level, it could be that he would be chastised for saying such a thing. Perhaps though because of the humble nature of these Gedolim (in our generation and in previous ones) they simply wouldn't want to accept such a title on them and patur. And certainly not to practice in that way lest "normal" people come to learn from it the wrong thing. Perhaps this itself is the answer.

But again my question is if this was ever applicable to anyone after R' Shimon (whether before the Shulchan Aruch or after) and if there was someone in this category who davened anyway, why weren't they accustomed to skipping prayers, like this SA says?


texts: Divorce Agreements and Get Meusa (divorce given under duress)

texts:
Today it happens (and my impression is that it is rather common) for a divorcing couple to write a civil divorce agreement with all the conditions of their divorce, and this agreement will contain a clause compelling the husband to actually give the divorce after the agreement is approved by the court. Not giving the divorce after this would carry some pretty severe civil penalties, even if no penalty is specified in the agreement.
Now, if someone has compelled themselves to give a divorce, they should be released from that commitment before writing the get lest it possibly be considered a get given under duress, Even HaEzer 134:4.

אם נשבע הבעל ליתן גט צריך שיתירו לו קודם שלא יהא דומה לאונס אך ערבות יתן אם ירצה שאין זה דומה לאונס: הגה וה"ה אם קבל קנין לגרש (פסקי מהרא"י סימן קע"ג) אבל אם קבל עליו קנסות אם לא יגרש לא מקרי אונס מאחר דתלה גיטו בדבר אחר ויכול ליתן הקנסות ולא לגרש (ב"י בשם תשובה וכן הוא במהרי"ק שם בפסקים) (ויש מחמירין אפי' בכה"ג שם בתשובת הרשב"א) וטוב לחוש לכתחילה ולפטרו מן הקנס אבל אם כבר גירש מפני זה ואפי' גירש מכח שבועה שעשה מעצמו לגרש הגט כשר. הואיל ומתחלה לא אנסוהו על כך (תשובת הריטב"א)
If the husband takes an oath to give a bill of divorce, they need to make him renounce it beforehand, in order that it not look like he is being compelled. But if it was just a pledge he made, he can give it if he wants, because this is not similar to being compelled. Rem''a: and this is the ruling if he receives an acquisition to divorce. But if he accepts fines if he does not divorce, this is not called compulsion, since his bill of divorce was dependent on another thing and he will be able to give the fine and not divorce. And there are those that are stringent even in a case like that. And it's better to worry a priori and exempt him from the fine. But if he already divorced(her) because of this, and even did so from the strength of the oath he made to divorce, the bill of divorce is kosher, since, from the outset, they did not compel him by this.

Now I understand the practical reasons why this is done, but I do not see how these considerations deal with this halacha. Please don't give answers which just explain the legal and social reality.
Are divorces given subsequent to such agreements being accepted by a court only kosher bidieved? Is there any psak given in modern times which addresses this?


texts: Do any commentaries suggest that the Tower of Babel was the Great Pyramid of Giza?

texts:
According to the Torah (Genesis 11) the tower of Babel was located in Shinar, which scholars place in southern Mesopotamia, and was built at around ~ 1765 BC (here).
The Great Pyramid of Giza was built between 2580 – 2560 BC and is not located in Babylonia or Mesopotamia. However, it stood as the largest man-made structure for ~3800 years. The Torah describes the attempt to build the Tower of Babel up to the heavens (Genesis 11:4 "וּמִגְדָּל וְרֹאשׁוֹ בַשָּׁמַיִם"). Although the Great Pyramid is understood to be a Pharaoh's tomb, the sheer height is unparalleled in comparison with all other ancient ziggurats/pyramids/structures in the general Middle-Eastern area.
Do any Jewish commentaries consider the Tower of Babel to be the Great Pyramid of Giza?
(related question: "Is the Tower of Babel discussed in other Jewish texts?")


texts: Saying sim shalom in maariv shmoneh esrei

texts:
If one said sim shalom in the maariv shmoneh esrei instead of shalom rav what should he do?

What happens in the reverse case if one said shalom rav at shaachris, does he fulfill his shmoneh esrei?


texts: If your donation is matched, do you get reward for the match as well?

texts:
If an organization has a philanthropist that agreed to match every dollar donated.

If you give $100, and he matches your $100. Do you get reward for $200 or $100?

Had you not given your $100, neither would he...(unless some else donated $100)


texts: Why were rainbows made 'beautiful' as a reminder of sin?

texts:
The purpose of the rainbow after the flood was a sign that the world will not be destroyed by a flood ever again (Bereishit 9:11):

  " וַהֲקִמֹתִי אֶת-בְּרִיתִי אִתְּכֶם, וְלֹא-יִכָּרֵת כָּל-בָּשָׂר עוֹד
  מִמֵּי הַמַּבּוּל; וְלֹא-יִהְיֶה עוֹד מַבּוּל, לְשַׁחֵת הָאָרֶץ"

The rainbow serves us as a reminder that a sinful world was destroyed, just as we are 'sinners' now. Why then is the rainbow beautiful to look at? Shouldn't a 'reminder of sinful ways and subsequent destruction' be represented in a different way? e.g. perhaps the 'zocher habrit' blessing should be said on an actual flood, or torrential rain to remind us of the sin of the generation of the flood?

See here for brief outline of concepts in this question.


texts:
Is the Buddha statue (or Hindu statues) a problem at Kosher Indian restaurants?

(This is different than the cat question since the cat is only a good-luck superstition and these are actual idols)


texts: How is "Between the Evenings" Interpreted in the Aramaic Targums?

texts:
Shemot 12:6, (Exodus) - והיה לכם למשמרת עד ארבעה עשר יום לחדש הזה ושחטו אתו כל קהל עדת־ישראל בין הערבים [Between the Evenings]׃

Could someone help provide references from the Targums, (Jonathan, Onkelos, Neofiti, Septuagint, etc), and help translate how this phrase is interpreted in them?


texts: Contradiction in Rambam's laws of Talmud Torah and Shevet Levy (end of Shmitah)

texts:
Rambam Talmud Tora 3,5 writes (my bold):

  "5 מי שנשאו ליבו לקיים מצוה זו כראוי לה, ולהיות מוכתר בכתרה של תורה - לא יסיח דעתו לדברים אחרים, ולא ישים על ליבו שיקנה תורה עם העושר והכבוד כאחד...

  "7 כל המשים על ליבו שיעסוק בתורה ולא יעשה מלאכה, ויתפרנס מן הצדקה--הרי זה חילל את השם, וביזה את התורה, וכיבה מאור הדת, וגרם רעה לעצמו, ונטל חייו מן העולם הבא:  לפי שאסור ליהנות בדברי תורה, בעולם הזה."

I clearly see a connection between 3 terms:

"נשא ליבו",
"כתר תורה" (לימוד תורה)
a clear prohibition (and even חילול ה') of living from charity

In Shmitah 13,11 he writes the famous:

  "ולא שבט לוי בלבד, אלא כל איש ואיש ... אשר נדבה רוחו אותו והבינו מדעו להיבדל לעמוד לפני ה' לשרתו ולעובדו לדעה את ה', ... הרי זה נתקדש קודש קודשים, ויהיה ה' חלקו ונחלתו לעולם ולעולמי עולמים; ויזכה לו בעולם הזה דבר המספיק לו, כמו שזיכה לכוהנים וללויים. "

In this passage I see three different things:

"נדבה רוחו"
"לעמוד לפני ה' לשרתו ולעובדו"
no need to work for living but to live from other's gifts as Kohanim and Leviim

I am suddenly very confused, as I held that those two things always go together, as all the Poskim tie them in one.

How those three contradictions can be explained?

(Maybe I didn't phrase it right, please help me out).


texts: What is mainstream Chabad's view on Elohists?

texts:
There is a small group of people who believe that the Lubvatcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson zt"l is in fact God.  For example, the front page of the website for a synagogue(?) in Mikwaukee reads, in part, "Yechi Eloheinu Moreinu V'Rabbeinu Melech HaMoshiach L'Olam Va'ed!"

Is there an official Chabad/Lubavitch position on the status of those people? Does mainstream Chabad consider them to be true Hasidim? Perhaps they are even considered to be non-Jews?  If there is no official position, is there a general consensus among the community?


texts: Why for a sorceress does the Torah say "shall not live" instead of "shall be put to death?"

texts:
In Exodus 22:17 the Torah tells us:

מְכַשֵּׁפָ֖ה לֹ֥א תְחַיֶּֽה׃
A sorceress you shall not let live.

We learn from Sanhedrin 67a that (man or woman) the punishment for sorcery  is death by stoning.
Most punishments in the Torah say "מ֥וֹת יוּמָֽת"- "shall be put to death" by an aveirah that carries the death penalty.
Why for a sorceress does the Torah phrase it as "לֹ֥א תְחַיֶּֽה" - "shall not live?"


texts: I understand the word Shemesh comes from Shamash which means to serve. Why is the sun called a servant? Why is it more of a servant than the moon, or the wind, or even grass?


texts: What level of obligation is of kriat shema al hamita?

texts: What is the level of obligation for krias shema al hamita (the recitation of Shema before going to bed)? Is it a mitzvah deoraisa, mitzvah derabanan, is it a minhag avoseinu byadeinu? Maybe it's something else?


texts: Does Genesis 2:4 say there was only one day of creation?

texts: Right after it says all the different parts of the world and sky being created on six separate days and rest on the seventh, it says, "These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, on the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven." And it goes on to say that there was nothing on the ground, then God formed water, then Man, then Eden, then plants, then animals, seemingly in that order all on one day. So I'm not sure I understand, in which order did these things actually form and on what day(s)? The best I can think of is that the potential for everything was made on the first week and then on the eighth day that's when they were actually made (and in a different order) but that doesn't feel right.


texts: Why are Ashre and Alenu considered communal prayers?

texts: Shulchan Aruch (OC 65) says to say "Sh'ma" with the congregation when they say it, and Mishna B'rura 9 there says the same is true of other things recited as a congregation such as "Ashre" and "Alenu". (Indeed, it is common practice that one recites "Alenu" when the congregation does even if he is not at that point in the service or is not praying at all.) In what sense are the latter two considered prayers that are recited communally (more so than most of the rest of the prayer service), that the Mishna B'rura mentions them as communally-recited prayers? That is, what makes them communal, whereas other prayers aren't necessarily so considered?


texts: Why is "affliction of the soul" interpreted differently in two places?

texts:
The Torah (Leviticus 23:32) says regarding Yom Hakippurim וְעִנִּיתֶם אֶת נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם "and you shall afflict your souls."
The Mishna (Yoma 8:1) gives the prohibitions of Yom Hakippurim as follows:

יום הכיפורים אסור באכילה ובשתיה וברחיצה ובסיכה ובנעילת הסנדל ובתשמיש המיטה.
Yom Hakippurim is forbidden in eating, drinking, washing, anointing, wearing shoes, and having relations.

The Torah (Numbers 30:14) also uses the same phrase, לְעַנֹּת נָפֶשׁ "to afflict the soul," about annulling vows, and the Mishna (Nedarim 11:1) interprets:

ואלו נדרים שהוא מפר דברים שיש בהם ענוי נפש, אם ארחץ ואם לא ארחץ, אם אתקשט ואם לא אתקשט.
These are the vows he can annul, things which have in them affliction of the soul: To bathe or not to bathe, to wear jewelry or not to wear jewelry.

Or according to Rabbi Yosi (Nedarim 11:2):

ואלו הם נדרי ענוי נפש, אמרה קונם פרות העולם עלי, הרי זה יכול להפר.
These are vows of affliction of the soul: If she said, "All the fruit in the world is forbidden to me," he can annul.

In both cases, the Torah uses the same words (עינוי נפש, "affliction of the soul"), and yet the Mishna interprets both of them independently and differently from each other.
Why is the same phrase interpreted differently in the context of Yom Hakippurim than in the context of vows?


texts: Why do all of them say that there were 5 times more plagues at the sea, instead of 1.5 times?

texts:
In the Haggadah it says: (text from WikiSource)

  רַבִּי יוֹסֵי הַגְּלִילִי אוֹמֵר: מִנַּיִן אַתָּה אוֹמֵר שֶׁלָּקוּ הַמִּצְרִים בְּמִצְרַיִם עֶשֶׂר מַכּוֹת וְעַל הַיָּם לָקוּ חֲמִשִּׁים מַכּוֹת? בְּמִצְרַיִם מָה הוּא אוֹמֵר? וַיֹּאמְרוּ הַחַרְטֻמִּים אֶל פַּרְעֹה: אֶצְבַּע אֱלֹהִים הִוא, וְעַל הַיָּם מָה הוּא אוֹמֵר? וַיַּרְא יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַיָד הַגְּדֹלָה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה יְיָ בְּמִצְרַיִם, וַיִּירְאוּ הָעָם אֶת יְיָ, וַיַּאֲמִינוּ בַּיְיָ וּבְמשֶׁה עַבְדוֹ. כַּמָּה לָקוּ בְאֶצְבַּע? עֶשֶׂר מַכּוֹת. אֱמוֹר מֵעַתָּה: בְּמִצְרַיִם לָקוּ עֶשֶׂר מַכּוֹת וְעַל הַיָּם לָקוּ חֲמִשִּׁים מַכּוֹת.

This opinion says that there were 10 plagues in Egypt (as we know), and 50 plagues at the sea, because in Egypt, the plagues are compared to a finger, and at the sea, "we saw Hashem's 'hand'". 10 plagues in a finger X 5 fingers in a hand = 50 plagues with a hand.

We then bring two other opinions that say each plague was actually four or five, but still keep the 1:5 ratio.

However, we're taking this "finger" source out of context! The pasuk is Shmot 8:15, and it's in the middle of the third plague. Hence, we see that a "finger" causes 3 plagues, in which case a "hand" would be 15 (3x5).

Why then do the rabbis in the Haggadah treat a finger as being worth all 10 plagues? Is there a source for this?


texts: Is there a halachic requirement that requires Mincha be said at the Chosson's tisch?

texts:
If I correctly recall, Gemarrah Brachot states that the Chatan is exempt from davening at the time of the chasseneh (or is this specifically for Ma'ariv)?

I have heard of several situations where the wedding was scheduled close to but just before twilight, so the ketubah was written for a specific date. At the last minute, the people at the chosson's tisch insisted on davening mincha. When mincha ended, it was already twilight and they had to wait until nightfall and rewrite the date on the ketubah to the next day. The delay caused inconvenience to all the other waiting guests and really infuriated the hosts who had to pay overtime to the caterer and the musicians. This doesn't sound right to me. Is there an absolute requirement that mincha must be done at the tisch, or couldn't people have assembled a minyan in another room without involving the chosson and their family?


texts: Can one ask a trained animal to do Sabbath work

texts: Is there a prohibition to use a trained animal to do Sabbath work such as turning on a light. (assuming the animal belongs to one's non-Jewish neighbor).


texts:
I know that most lubavitchers won't learn Daf Yomi.

Is there any Sicha (please bring sources) which says if one should or shouldn't learn it?


texts: Non-Jews pronouncing shemot kodashim defined by chumra?

texts:
I recently made a brachah on a mandarin. An acquaintance, who's not Jewish, responded enthusiastically to hearing the name of G-d that begins with "Ad...", and proceeded to wax poetic on it, mentioning it a few times.
He wasn't necessarily being irreverent, but he did mention the name a few times, something which I've learned is forbidden for a Jew to do casually - the most casual permitted context being, "while learning to pronounce it".
Does a non-Jew risk damaging their soul by pronouncing shemot kodashim that are only not pronounced in informal contexts by way of chumra, like a Jew does?
Or am I perhaps overestimating the severity of them doing so?
The best I could come up with, was to tell him to please just stick to only thinking the name, not pronouncing it and instead saying "HaShem" when referring in speech to any specific shem kodesh. But I didn't give a reason so it is unlikely to "stick".
(And yes, the suggestion to use "Aloshi" and "Adoshi" is helpful, but is one step beyond my question.)


texts: May one make up their own simanim for Rosh Hashanna?

texts:
On the night of Rosh Hashanna, there is a custom to eat various foods whose names sound like something associated with Rosh Hashanah. These names can be in one language, and they make a blessing in Hebrew using a Hebrew word that sounds like the word in the other language.

For example, I have heard that some people eat livers because the Yiddish word is leiberlach and this sounds like lev - meaning "heart". They make a blessing that G-d should give us a "good heart" (i.e. - we should be sensitive and not stubborn so we can do mitzvoth.)

Can one, therefore, make up their own signs based on this schema? For example, can one drink Schaefer beer on Rosh Hashannah, because the word "Schaeffer" sounds like "shofar"?


texts: How were there giants in the land of Israel when the Jewish people arrived? As far as I know, Og was the only giant that survived the flood. Were all these giants descendants of him? And did they only live in Israel?


texts: Source for blessing "Livnot Bayit Ne'eman B'Yisrael"

texts:
A classic blessing for a bride and groom is they should merit to build a לִבְנוֹת בַּיִת נֶאמָן בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל - a reliable house in Israel.

The only source I could find for this expression is the Mi Sheberach for a Groom in the Edot HaMizrach Siddurim.

What exactly is a  בַּיִת נֶאמָן בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל - a trustworthy house - and where does the expression come from?

In the Chumash we find Moshe being called a נֶאמָן in the end of בְּהַעֲלֹֽתְךָ it says לֹא־כֵן עַבְדִּי מֹשֶׁה בְּכָל־בֵּיתִי נֶאֱמָן הוּא - Not so with My servant Moses; he is trusted throughout My household.

And we find Hashem being called a נֶאמָן in the end of וָאֶתְחַנַּן  where it says  הַֽנֶּאֱמָ֔ן שֹׁמֵ֧ר הַבְּרִ֣ית וְהַחֶ֗סֶד לְאֹהֲבָ֛יו וּלְשֹׁמְרֵ֥י מִצְוֺתָ֖יו לְאֶ֥לֶף דּֽוֹר - there it measn he can be trusted.


texts: How long is the required suspension of marital intimacy after childbirth?

texts: How many days a must married couple refrain from intimacy after their baby is born?


texts: How do synagogues raise funds from people other than their own members?

texts:
My synagogue, like many (most?), gets only a portion of its annual income from member dues and investment income, with the rest coming from various fundraising activities.  Most of this fundraising targets our own members.  Some members have both the means and the inclination to contribute to endowments or other funds, which is great, but they can't do it all.

So what about external sources of donations?  I asked our board about grants (not knowing much about grant-writing myself, but having heard it's a thing) and was told that's not viable, but I haven't pressed for details yet.  (We did get a recent government grant to improve security, but this was described to me as exceptional.)  Some non-profits get corporate donations and we get some of that in the form of ads in tribute books, but that seems to be less common for religious institutions (and it's not clear to me what they get from it if they don't get their name on a building or some such).  We've sometimes had public events like food festivals that are designed to raise money, but they haven't raised a lot and they cost a lot of volunteer labor.  (Maybe we're not choosing the right ones.)

What do other synagogues do?  How do you raise external funds?  I'm interested in answers that address both short-term income that balances the annual budget and long-term income that helps build an endowment.

(Because I use my real name online and that makes it fairly easy to identify my congregation, let me note here that we are not in any immediate danger or anything like that.  This is about long-term planning so we don't get into trouble.)


texts: In my experience it is rare to see a Rosh Yeshiva or other prominent Rabbi declared to be senile and no longer working at full mental capacity. Recently such a proclamation was made about one Rosh Yeshiva however this was due to a legal situation. I think it is fair to assume that there are other Gedolim or older Roshei Yeshiva who are in a similar situation. I understand these things are not made public out of respect, but halachically I would guess that a person who no longer has all his faculties cannot be relied upon for psak. At what point can/should an assumption be made by the general public that a certain Rav is senile and can no longer be relied upon, even absent a medical diagnosis?


texts: Sefer "Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh" on "Mesillas Yeasharim"

texts: There is a Sefer called Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh by R' Itamar Shwartz on Mesillas Yesharim. It happens to be out of print , but would anyone know where I could find it?


texts:
Reading many questions relating to mine and the comments that were given, made me wonder.

When Elohim thought of creating the human being (Bereshit 1:26) He spoke (singular): “Let Us make… and after Our Tzelem and Our Demut” But verse 27 and 5:1 shows that Elohim made (singular) the human being after His Tzelem and His Demut. Why did Elohim refer to Us and Our, when in fact it was He and His?


texts: How should one dispose of cut finger nails?  Is it dangerous for a pregnant woman to walk on them?

texts: Is there an Inyan of pregnant women walking over cut nails ex: a nail salon? Also, can I just vacuum up the cut nails from the floor?


texts: Did Miriam Criticize Moshe for being Haughty?

texts:
Avos Derebbi Nassan 9:2 says that Miriam criticized Moshe for being haughty by divorcing his wife.

אבל הוא מפני שדעתו גסה עליו פירש הוא מאצל אשתו
But Moses, because he is so arrogant, separated from his wife.

This is actually pretty logical considering that the Passuk immediately afterwards says:

והאיש משה ענו [עניו] מאד מכל האדם אשר על־פני האדמה
Now Moses was a very humble man, more so than any other man on earth.

However, Avos Derebbi Nassan then proceeds to walk back the claim that she criticized Moshe for being haughty somewhat by saying that they didn't judge him as being certainly haughty, merely as being possibly haughty.

ולא היו דנין אותו בודאי אלא בספק ספק שדעתו גסה עליו ספק שאין דעתו גסה עליו.

While this is a logical reading of the Pesukim in the end of Beha'alosecha, it is quite a striking claim. Does anyone else concur with this interpretation?
Even better would be if anyone can find someone who says this without walking it back halfway.


texts: At Techiyas Hameisim what will happen to reincarnated souls?

texts:
At Techiyas Hameisim what will happen to all the bodies that had souls that came down again as gilgul (that the soul had already been in another body)?

Which body will arise by Techiyas Hameisim if the soul was used in other bodies as well?
And which wife will a man have if he remarried?


texts:
Esther is warned when she resists visiting Achashverosh that, if she demures, salvation would come from another source and וְאַ֥תְּ וּבֵית־אָבִ֖יךְ תֹּאבֵ֑דוּ "you and your father's house will perish."

But Esther's parents were dead and there is no mention of siblings (especially as her mother died in childbirth according to one version I heard).

Some meforshim tie this to the memory of Sha'ul; if his descendant (Esther) doesn't make up for his allowing Agag to live, she and her father's house will be lost through Sha'uls' sin -- from the Megillat Setarim via Sefaria:

  והטעם היות כי המן נצמח ע"י חטא שאול באגג אשר הניחו חי ומזה יצא המן והוצרך שתהי' הצלה ע"י אסתר שהיא מזרע שאול ולזה אמר מרדכי שבאם ההצלה יעמוד ליהודים ממקום אחר ממילא היא ובית אבה יאבדו בחטא שאול שלא יתכפר לו (אלשיך):

but that still doesn't explain what her father's house IS and who it includes and how it would be lost. If the meaning is that SHE will die and thus not have children, would we associate her child with her father's house and not her husband's family's "house"?


texts: Why make/buy a washing cup with only one handle?

texts:
The purpose of a washing cup is to purify the hands. There are two handles on most washing cups. This allows us to avoid transmitting impurity from the unwashed hand to the washed hand by way of the wet, washed/pure hand touching the unwashed hand.  With two handles, the pure hand can take the cup from the unwashed hand by using the handle that the unwashed hand is not holding, and then the washed hand can pour water on the unwashed/impure hand so both hands are pure.  It would seem that to achieve the same effect with one handle, one would have to put the cup down and then pick it up again with the other hand.  That seems cumbersome, at best.

Yet, I have seen one handled washing cups in some rather frum places.

Why would someone make or buy a one handled washing cup?  Is there good halachic or practical reason for a one handle washing cup?


texts: What is the ruling of adultery in Torah or Tanach

texts:
What is the punishment for adultery meted out in the Torah or Tanach? Is that punishment still being practiced in Israel?

And how are the charges of adultery proved before meting out punishment? Please give citations from the Torah on how the charges of adultery are proven in a court.


texts: Is there any rabbinical precedent, ancient or recent, to tell somebody that they are Jewish?

texts:
Is there any rabbinical precedent, ancient or recent, to tell somebody (for any reason) that they are Jewish (if such a person is unaware and does indeed have matrilineal Jewish descent)?

Scenarios I am thinking of, though not limited to such a scenario, is somebody (Jewish or not; related or not) who might be privy to adoptions, babies given up during the Shoah or the like,  etc....


texts: Jewish man serve on Beis Din for woman he's dating

texts: Shalom everyone, I'm just curious, if a Jewish man is dating a woman who is converting I assume it wouldn't be appropriate to serve on her beis din, but is it prohibited halachically?


texts:
I was thinking of making non-chametz bread during passover using wine, milk or other non water liquids, and the issue wether or not there might be water added, intentionally or accidentally to such processed liquids came up.
For example, Rambam says in הלכות חמץ ומצה פרק ה,ב:

חמשת מיני דגן אלו--אם לשן במי פירות בלבד, בלא שם מים בעולם--אינם באין לידי חימוץ; אלא אפילו הניחן כל היום עד שנתפח כל הבצק, הרי זה מותר באכילה:  שאין מי פירות מחמיצין, אלא מסריחין.  ומי פירות, הן כגון יין וחלב ודבש וזית ומי תפוחים ומי רימונים וכל כיוצא בהן משאר יינות ושמנים ומשקין--והוא, שלא יתערב בהן שם מים בעולם; ואם נתערב בהן מים כל שהוא, הרי אלו מחמיצין.
These five grains -- if they are kneaded in fruit juice only, with no water ever added -- they don't become hametz; even if one left them the whole days until they rose like dough, see it is permissible to eat: that fruit juice doesn't make something hametz, instead it [ makes it smelly? ].  And fruit juice, it is such as wine, milk, honey, olive, apple juice, pomegranate juice and all such wine's, oils and liquids -- and this, only if no water has ever mixed with them; and if any water whatsoever has mixed with them, see they become hametz.

So I was searching regarding milk production in Israel and ran across the following on the Tnuva website:

חלב תנובה אינו נמהל במים, ולכן לכאורה אין כל חשש לשרות מצה בחלב גם למחמירים בשרויה. אך כמו שלגבי יין נפסק בשו"ע או"ח סימן תס"ב שאי אפשר ליין בלי טיפת מים הנופלת בשעת הבציר, כך אי אפשר להבטיח שבחלב לא נכנסו מעט מים, שהרי צנרת החלב עוברת שטיפות יסודיות בין ייצור לייצור. אשר על כן, לגבי לישת קמח בחלב, הדבר תלוי לכאורה במחלוקת האחרונים לגבי ביטול מעט מים במי פירות מרובים, ולהלכה, יש להחמיר
Tnuva's milk is not diluted with water, and therefore in light of this there is no worry to soak matza in milk even for those who are stringent with soaking.  However, just as in regards to wine it is the opinion of the Shulchan Aruch that it is impossible to make wine without a drop of water falling in during the harvest, similarly it is impossible to guarantee that a little water didn't get into the milk, since the milk pipes are thoroughly washed between production batches.  Therefore, regarding kneading flour with milk, the issue depends as it seems on a dispute of the later sages regarding the negation of a little water in vast quantities of fruit juice, and the practice is to be stringent.

I'm curious if anyone can provide sources for the above mentioned dispute.
I understand that the Papouchado cookies are made in this manner and where permitted by Rav Ovadia Yosef, although I don't know if they are prepared in less than 18 minutes.


texts:
The concept of “Torah lo b’shomayim hi” is usually taken to mean that the halacha is not decided (by G-d) in Heaven, but rather by people here on Earth. However, since nothing happens outside of G-d’s Will, whatever halacha was actually decided by people is clearly the halacha that G-d desired to be established. So, in fact, it was “b’shomayim”, and therefore there’s no such concept as “Torah lo b’shomayim hi” that could be possible.

So what then is the import of the statement that halacha is decided by people down here on Earth? They are just enacting whatever G-d desired in the first place. You can’t say that they have free choice to decide otherwise, because free choice is given only in matters of deciding whether to observe [a certain law of] the Torah or not at a specific time (hakol byidei shamayim chutz meyirat shamayim) - while in this instance it is the establishment of what the law itself should be in the first place, and for all time.


texts:
I once came across someone who was avoiding the meat at a lunchtime simcha.  When I asked him why, he said it was because he had eaten "cereal with milk" at breakfast.  When I expressed confusion, since as far as I understood only "hard cheese" (whatever your interpretation of that) requires waiting before eating meat, he replied that he received his practice from Chabad.

Is this really a known Chabad practice?  If so, what is the source?  I am leaning toward him being misinformed (or perhaps misrepresenting the true reason he wasn't eating the meat).


texts: Who was the mother of Avraham's daughter?

texts: According to one opinion in the Gemarah (Bava Basra 16b, also 141a), when it says Avraham was blessed with everything (Bereishit 24:1) it means that he had a daughter. Who was her mother?


texts: Why does Rashi pair a Tzaddik with a Tzanuah and not a Tzadeikes?

texts:
The Gemara in Sotah 2a discusses that although a first marriage is predetermined, a second marriage is according to one’s status at the time (summary based on conclusion of Gemara there). Rashi there elaborates:

  מזווגין אשה לפי מעשיו - צנועה לצדיק ופרוצה לרשע:

  We pair for him a woman according to his actions - A modest woman for a righteous man and an immodest woman for a wicked man

Why does Rashi have to say this? Why can’t he say צדקת לצדיק ורשיעה לרשע - a righteous woman for a righteous man and a wicked woman for a wicked man?

Further, doesn’t a righteous woman automatically assume a modest one, and the opposite for a wicked woman? If that’s the case, then there’s no reason for Rashi to indicate the modesty of a woman when indicating her level of righteousness already tells us that.


texts: Consulting a local orthodox rabbi if there isn't one?

texts: For questions where I'm supposed to consult my local orthodox rabbi, if there isn't one, what am I supposed to do? There is a LOR in the city where I live (a Chabad shliach) but he frequently declares himself incompetent to answer questions, since he's not a rav.


texts: What do Chazal mean when they say that when Moshiach comes there will be another note added to the octave making a total of 8 notes?

texts:
Related: What were Chazal referring to when they said there were 7 notes in a musical octave?

There is a well known Medrash (anyone help with the source?) [I think on the Posuk 'Lamnatzeich Al HaShminis - A Sing on the Eight Note Instrument'] that when Moshiach comes the octave will be made up of eight notes instead of seven!

Can anyone point to a source where I can find out if this a new note which is not yet possible to reach or if the scale will just be divided differently into 8 instead of into 7 but will  essentially remain the same octave?

Where can I learn more about this new note?


texts: Did Nehemia know the second temple wouldn't last?

texts:
Did Nehemia know that the second temple wouldn't last? What someone says suggests he did; it's based on the book of Nehemia or something, but I can't read Hebrew.

In general, did anyone know that second temple wouldn't last long before it would be destroyed?


texts: whoever leads s'lichos should lead the rest of the day's prayers: why s'lichos?

texts:
Rama 581:1 says whoever leads s'lichos should lead the rest of the day's prayers, and Magen Avraham, followed by others including Mishna B'rura, says this is due to "hamaschil b'mitzva om'rim lo g'mor", "whoever starts fulfilling a command, we tell him to finish", and includes shacharis, mincha, and maariv (although which maariv is unclear; see Machatzis Hashekel). (Incidentally, Aruch Hashulchan notes that this was not the custom in his area at his time. In any event:)

My question is, why s'lichos specifically? Why don't we say, for the same reason of "hamaschil b'mitzva...", that whoever leads shacharis any day should lead the rest of the day's prayers?

Update: I see that the L'vush gives a different reason. [Apparently, in his time and place, a set chazan would lead shacharis every day, and whoever led shacharis on a s'lichos day would fast.] Thus, he writes, have the s'lichos leader lead shacharis also, instead of the usual shacharis leader, [and, I gather, vary the s'lichos leaders from day to day,] in order that no one person need to fast every day.

However, this doesn't answer my question on the Magen Avraham and those who quote him, who don't give that reason.

(Note also that the L'vush's reason would seem not to apply nowadays, when the s'lichos leader does not AFAIK fast (and when we don't necessarily have the same leader daily, although many synagogues do de facto, as there is a mourner leading). But that's another issue.)


texts:
If a group of people are in mortal danger, all of the same gender (cf. Horayot 13a; some suggest that the Mishnah on Horayot is not discussing a case of rescuing from physical danger, cf. Tziz Eliezer vol. 18 §1) and age group, and are not all able to be rescued simultaneously, accordingly to the Halachah how is it determined who to rescue first?

An example of such a situation, and the decision that inspired this question, is the current situation of the young Thai soccer team who are submerged in a maze of caves filled with water with escalating water levels and decreasing oxygen supply. Media outlets reported that the governor of Chiang Rai ordered that the healthier players will be rescued first.

According to this essay, it would seem that R. Eliashiv would instruct that a lottery be drawn in such a situation. From a responsum of R. Feinstein (Iggros Moshe vol. 7, CM §73:2) it would seem that the individuals who have a higher chance of living should be rescued first. However, in our particular case, at least in our hypothetical, none of the members are terminally ill.

Related: partial reasoning of R. Feinstein's opinion on this case

Related: a broader question


texts: inscription on Chagall's "White Crucifixion"?

texts:
What does the inscription on Chagall's painting White Crucifixion say?

Isn't John 19:19 ("Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews") written ישוע הנצרי ומלך היהודים in Hebrew?


texts: Are there potential Ribbis issues with applying for PPP loans?

texts:
I guess this questions has two components to it:
(1) Are PPP loans different than other types of loans because of the way it's structured with the government guaranteeing the loans or something to that effect, and the fact that it's forgiveable.
(2) What are the general ribbis rules about borrowing from a bank that has Jewish shareholders or partner? One of big PPP processors, Paypal, uses a lender called Webbank, which is a subsidiary of Steel Partners, which is a public partnership run by a guy Warren Lichtenstein. Is that definitely problematic?


texts:
This shabbos, my LOR announced that the shul was done being kashered for Pesach, and so kiddush would be pesadich. To fulfill the need for mezonot, he had brought in egg matzah, saying that egg matzah is not considered matzah and therefore acceptable to eat by those who keep the minhag of not eating matzah from Rosh Chodesh Nisan until Pesach. Does everybody agree that egg matzah is acceptable for people who keep that minhag?

I would imagine that even among Ashkenazim who generally do not eat egg matzah at all on Pesach, many poskim might say that one should still not eat it leading up to Pesach.


texts:
Rashi (שמות לב:ז ד״ה ״לך רד), sourcing Brachot 32a, explains that HKB”H tells Moshe to descend from his greatness because H’ only gave Moshe greatness on account of bnei Yisrael.  In addition, Moshe was placed in נידוי by the בית דין של מעלה.

Further on in pasuk 10 chapter 32 H’ says ״...ואעשה אותך לגוי גדול״. But I thought Rashi said H’ only made Moshe great BECAUSE OF bnei Yisrael and punished Moshe by removing the greatness.  Yet the latter pasuk is says he need not worry about bnei Yisrael and that Moshe can continue serving H’ by allowing H’ to make him into a great nation and destroying bnei Yisrael.

The earlier pasuk said that H’ will only let Moshe be great on account of bnei Yisrael but later He says He is planning to make Moshe into a great nation regardless of it being on account of bnei Yisrael.

What is going on here with respect to Moshe’s greatness and H’ instructing him what to do with bnei Yisrael?


texts:
I've heard from some people that one can't "choose" to dream about Elyahu HaNavi and that whenever one dreams about him it's for sure the true Eliyahu HaNavi, meaning, it was the prophet himself showing up in the dream, with a message or something.

Now, if the above is true, then whatever Eliyahu says in the dream must necessarily be true, otherwise he would be spreading lies around, no?

So, is the above true? Is there a source for that?


texts:
Are there any other “mitzvot” besides counting S’fira that are cumulative?  In other words, if you forget a day of S’fira you can no longer count with a bracha.  Are there any other types of mitzvot that follow this pattern?  For example, if one doesn’t say Kiddush Friday night, you can still say Kiddush on Shabbat morning or the next week.  Same for benching.  If you don’t wash before a seuda you can still bench and of course not benching once does not preclude you from benching at the next meal.

This question follows the opinion that the entire of sefira is one long mitzvah, not that each day is its own discrete mitzvah. And this is not about a bracha giving me permission to do the next activity or the lack of an activity precluding my making a bracha (if I didn't eat, I don't bentch).


texts: Why do women wash before family purity bedika on Yom Kippur?

texts:
Rechitza--washing/bathing--is, it seems, Biblically prohibited on Yom Kippur. And yet I learned that a married woman who is due to make a bedikah--the twice-daily inspection for blood during niddah, which is most definitely Rabbinical--not only makes it (twice), but also washes herself before it as usual (twice), on Yom Kippur. According to my source, the washing procedure on Yom Kippur is the same as for Shabbos, except with cold water only (I think). I won't go into the details, but it is a lot of bathing for a day when we aren't even allowed to wash negel vasser normally.

I know that taharas hamishpacha is very important and that the community sells its last Torah scroll for a mikvah, etc. I am trying to understand how this is balanced against Yom Kippur.

On Yom Kippur the couple will not be touching each other in any case, so there is no immediate benefit to be gained from the information gained from bedikah.  I have also heard that, bedieved, one is allowed to skip all but the first bedikot of the 14, so if the ones due on Yom Kippur are "intermediate" it surprises me that we violate a prohibition of Yom Kippur to do them.  And even if we do them, I wonder about the washing (whose only purpose, as I understand it, is to increase the odds of a clean result in the bedikah).

What is the reason that bedikah is done on Yom Kippur?
If bedikah is required on this day, why do we do the usual washing, which would otherwise violate the restrictions of the day, instead of limiting it?


texts:
Is it offensive for a Christian to experience the Passover with a Jewish family?

I am a Christian and would like to be able to experience the Passover in a genuinely Jewish traditional family, but I do not what to offend or worse be a source of scandal for the family involved.

Are we permitted to celebrate the Jewish Passover in a truly Jewish setting without offending your sacred religion?  Would asking for an invitation to a seder put the family in a bad position?


texts:
Who knows two hundred forty-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: Apart from not murdering and not eating meat from a live animal, where are the Noachide laws derived from? Those aforementioned are mentioned in Genesis 9:6, but where (outside the laws of Moses) is it a given to follow the other laws?


texts: If the woman seduces the man, must he pay the penalty?

texts:
The Torah says if a man seduces a woman he must pay her 50 silver shekel and should marry her (Shemot 22,16):

וְכִי־יְפַתֶּה אִישׁ בְּתוּלָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא־אֹרָשָׂה וְשָׁכַב עִמָּהּ מָהֹר יִמְהָרֶנָּה לּוֹ לְאִשָּׁה׃
If a man seduces a virgin for whom the bride-price has not been paid, and lies with her, he must make her his wife by payment of a bride-price.

What if the woman seduces the man, must he pay the penalty?


texts: Eating by one who doesn't separate glass

texts: Some, mainly Ashkenazim, hold that glass dishes must be separated between milk and meat. Some, mainly Sefardim, do not. May the former eat on the latter's glass dishes?


texts:
There are myriad charities out there.

If a community has multiple Shuls, schools, Mikvaoth, food pantries, and גמ"חs, and new entities open up fulfilling the same role(s), and the new entities' existence challenges the viability of  other organizations, even if the new ones purport to target an underserved segment of the community, is there any problem in supporting the new entities?  Is there any problem in specifically not supporting the new entities?


texts:
O.C. (location will be edited later) says that prior to hagbah (Torah lifting), the magbihah should roll the Torah so that the seam separating two pieces of parchment will be in the center when he lifts.

Is there any halacha dictating the direction to locate the seam? Forwards, backwards or in the direction that will confuse the Ba'al Kri'ah the next time he has to read :-?


texts: Is there any basis for reserving the term "menorah" to the one in the Beis Hamikdash?

texts:
I was taught in kindergarten that "menorah" refers specifically to the menorah in the Beis Hamikdash, and the proper term for the thing used to hold Chanuka candles is "Chanukiyah".

But in all the sources, menorah just means a lamp (randomly chosen example), and the Chayei Adam that calls the one used for Chanuka מנורת חנוכה, as do several others on Bar Ilan.

Is there any basis for avoiding the term "menorah" when referring to the Chanuka menorah, or for that matter an electric lamp?


texts: Why was Sodom & Gomorrah considered to have sinned ( Khet) instead of (Avon or Pasha)?

texts: From Parashah Lech Lekha we see that Sodom people were mentioned as wicked and sinners against the Lord Gen 13-[13] & In parashat Vayera we are again told they were sinners. Gen 18 [20] If sin (Khet) is categorized as unintentional wrong doing. Can we say that the people were unaware since the two words(AVON &/or PASHA)are not used in the text? Or can we say that their guilt is contained in the word (Ra/wicked)?


texts:
Rashi on sheni in this weeks parsha has two consecutive comments that, taken together, seem rather strange.
In 32:5, he says:

He saw his sister’s son Hur, who had reproved them [the Israelites], and they assassinated him.

Then on the next passuk (32:6) he says:

Vayakumu litzachek - Here too, Hur was slain.

Once source, apparently, is Vayikra Rabbah, and the other is Midrash Tanchumah. Normally, Rashi clarifies when there is a dispute in the pshat, even if he brings both options. Rashi doesn't list these as conflicting sources, as he does in other places. It reads as though he interprets these two midrashim as working in concert, not conflict.
How was Hur killed on two separate, consecutive days?
Alternately, are there other places where he brings explicitly conflicting midrashim but doesn't address them as conflicting?


texts: I am curious as to the identity of the רציפי, an animal identified in perek shira. From what I understand the translation of bat is erroneous, and I'm wondering what the correct translation is.


texts: Why didn't Moshe abort the spies' mission? He had doubts!

texts: What was Moshe's mindset regarding sending the spies?  Specifically: He seemed to have his doubts because he blessed Yehoshua by adding the letter "Heh" to his name so Hashem should protect him.  Why didn't Moshe try to abort the whole plan and influence the "spies" not to go?


texts:
What does the Bible mean by "those that urinate against the wall" in I Samuel 25:22?

There are different translations for the phrase; what is the Hebrew, what does it really mean?


texts: Moshe was given his name by Pharaoh's daughter after she drew him from the water. However, Moshe was already three months old when this happened. Did he have a name before Pharaoh's daughter found him?


texts: What part of the arm is considered "below the wrist" in regards to Netilat Yadayim and is off limits to touch in order to avoid impure water?


texts: Ibn Ezra's Arabic-based explanation of the vav heading some clauses

texts:
Sh'mos 9:21:

וַאֲשֶׁר לֹא שָׂם לִבּוֹ אֶל דְּבַר יהוה וַיַּעֲזֹב אֶת עֲבָדָיו וְאֶת מִקְנֵהוּ בַּשָּׂדֶה

And 13:17:

וַיְהִי בְּשַׁלַּח פַּרְעֹה אֶת הָעָם וְלֹא נָחָם אֱלֹהִים דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ פְּלִשְׁתִּים כִּי קָרוֹב הוּא…

Ibn Ezra is struck by the somewhat unusual construction that adds a ו׳ at the start of the second clause in each pasuk: more natural would seem to be, for example:

וַיְהִי בְּשַׁלַּח פַּרְעֹה אֶת הָעָם לֹא נָחָם אֱלֹהִים דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ פְּלִשְׁתִּים כִּי קָרוֹב הוּא…

This is how he explains it (with my own translation):
His 'short' commentary to Sh'mos 9:21 reads:

ואשר לא שם לבו ויעזב את מקנהו: וטעם הוי״ו כפ״א רפה בלשון ישמעאל ורבים כמוהו וכן ויאמרו החרטומים אל פרעה
The meaning of the ו׳ [of "ויעזב"] is like that of a weak fa' in Arabic. There are many like it; for example, "ויאמרו החרטומים אל פרעה" [I guess Sh'mos 8:15].

And his 'long' commentary there (the one in "mikraos g'dolos" volumes) reads:

יש בלשון קדר טעם לוי״ו ויעזב רק אין יכולת בנו לתרגם הדבר בלשון אחרת וככה ביום השלישי וישא אברהם את עיניו
There is, in Arabic, a meaning of the ו׳ of "ויעזב", but we're unable to translate it into another language. Similarly, "ביום השלישי וישא אברהם את עיניו" [B'reshis 22:4].

Finally, his 'long' commentary to 13:17 reads:

וי״ו ולא נחם כפ״א רפה בלשון ישמעאל
The ו׳ of "ולא נחם" is like a weak fa' in Arabic.

Can someone explain this, please? What is this fa' function in Arabic, what meaning does it have, and what meaning does the ו׳ have in these phrases (according to ibn Ezra)?


texts: How big is the baalei tshuva movement resulting from the "Art Scroll Revolution"?

texts:
Since 1975, Art Scroll Publishing, and its non-profit arm The Mesorah Foundation, have produced Hebrew-English annotated translations of Tanach, the Mishna, the Babylonian Talmud, the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch. siddurim, machzorim, biographies and several tractates of the Jerusalem Talmud.  These books have opened tremendous opportunities for Jews not raised in a yeshiva environment to learn Talmud and halacha at a much higher level than ever before, and has been termed by some as "The Art Scroll Revolution." See, e.g. Jeremy Stolow, Orthodox by Design: Judaism, Print Politics, and the ArtScroll Revolution (2010).

Has anyone ever quantified, in any terms, the effect on the baalei t'shuva movement that Art Scroll has had?


texts: What prayer may be said upon the death of a beloved pet, specifically, a dog?

texts: Our beloved Yorkshire Terrier has died, due to complications of old age. What prayer(s) may be said, and, is there any one prayer, in particular, that stands out as the most commonly cited prayer upon the death of a pet dog?


texts:
Hypothetical case: I have been putting tefillin on every applicable morning for many years now. This morning, in shul, someone came up to me and said, "Your shel yad is placed completely incorrectly! You haven't been putting tefillin on properly at all." He then showed me sources and diagrams with arrows and descriptions on the back of each one and lo and behold, he is right! I was never formally taught and, though I copied others, I guess I copied wrong, thinking I was doing it right.

Do I get any schar for having had the intention to perform the mitzvah properly or is it as if I did nothing and I made a bracha levatalah each morning?


texts: The reason why potatoes isn't kitnius is because it wasn't out there when they made the kitniyut rule, but did they have corn on that time so it should be kitnius?


texts: Weren't 2.5 tribes afraid that their families would be attacked?

texts:
The deal with Moses was that while all the men go conquer the land, the kids and families and cattle stay abroad.

Weren't they afraid that their cities: families and cattle and property would be attacked by hostile nations, like Amalek, Moabites, and others they didn't exterminate?


texts: Why don't we distribute Ma'aser Rishon or Ma'aser 'Ani nowadays?

texts:
Produce grown in the Land of Israel has to have Teruma, two of three different kinds of Ma'aser, and Terumat Ma'aser removed, as described in this OU Kosher article. Of these five separations, three - Teruma, Ma'aser Sheini, and Terumat Ma'aser - can only be eaten in a state of purity which is unavailable today, so it makes sense to do what we can to minimize or redeem them.

The other two - Ma'aser Rishon and Ma'aser 'Ani - are meant to be given to Levites and poor people, respectively. However, according to Footnote 7 of the article linked above, the original owner of the food may keep it, because these separations have no inherent sanctity, these gifts only constitute monetary obligations to the potential recipients, and there's enough of a doubt about the obligation that they couldn't successfully demand their due in court ("hamotzi meichaveiro - 'alav hara'aya").

It seems to me that what this doubt establishes is that it's possible to evade having to give these gifts to their intended recipients. However, why is this (as I understand it is) standard practice? Isn't it avoiding a chance to do Mitzvot and also undermining the clear intent of these Mitzvot - to provide for Levites and poor people?

I understand that if I buy a Jaffa orange in the US, it's impractical and undesirable for me to try to bestow one of the segments on a local Levite or poor person. But wouldn't it make sense for food producers or even home gardeners in Israel who want to live in accordance with the Torah as much as possible to follow through with these Mitzvot as originally commanded and practiced? (Or do some actually do this?)


texts: Is shaking hands with opposite sex permitted at a business meeting?

texts:
I am sure many people face this awkwardness and confusion when facing a hand shake moment  by the opposite gender. Of course I am referring to business meetings.  I would like to know what the Halakha says and when can one be lenient.

Thanks


texts: Halachot when the groom has been previously married

texts: Are there any differences in halachot or minhagim in the wedding ceremony or sheva brachot when the groom has been previously married (and divorced), but the bride has not been?


texts: Why the change in language when warning about the plagues?

texts:
I noticed an interesting change in the language Moses uses when warning Pharoah about plagues:

Dam - Shemot 7:17 "Thus said G-d"
Tzefarde'ah - Shemot 7:26 "Thus said G-d"
Arov - Shemot 8:16 "Thus said G-d"
Dever - Shemot 9:1 "Thus said G-d, the G-d of the Hebrews"
Barad - Shemot 9:13 "Thus said G-d, the G-d of the Hebrews"
Arbeh - Shemot 10:3 "Thus said G-d, the G-d of the Hebrews"
Bechorot Shemot 11:4 "Thus said G-d"

Why the change of the phrasing? Is there something particular about those plagues that it says "G-d of the Hebrews"?

I'm aware that those plagues, the Torah mentions that it did not affect the Hebrews. Perhaps, this is why that phrase is mentioned. However, I don't think blood or frogs affected them, either.


texts: I recently read an article about Jewish matchmaking. I was not aware that such a thing still existed. Is this a universal Orthodox method? Is it enforced? Does a person have to accept the match made for them?


texts: Is a head-mounted lamp better than a candle for bedikas chometz?

texts: A LED or Xenon lamp attached to the head (link shows example) seems to be ideal for bedikas chometz and superior to a candle? Do contemporary poskim offer a view?


texts: What qualities should one seek in Sefer Torah parchment and ink?

texts:
As a "seasoned" Torah reader, I've become interested in some aspects of Safrut.

Our shul has existed for many decades, and we have accumulated many Sifrei Torah. We recently had a sofer evaluate which scrolls can be repaired. Of the approximately 20 scrolls, the sofer said that only 6 can be repaired. The others are too brittle and the ink fades quickly. Thus, the sofer evaluated that it would be too costly to repair them as the letters would fade or crack quickly.

Apparently, there are certain characteristics of the parchment and, perhaps, the ink used that allows some Sifrei Torah to last almost indefinitely, while others can't. Can someone explain to me:

What are some of the qualities in the parchment that would have a Torah last for many years without becoming brittle? What would the typical lifespan of such a Torah be?
Are there any similar factors / qualities in the ink used? Is any type of ink considered better quality than another?
When one purchases a new Torah, what can one do to preserve the Torah so that the letters are less subject to fading? I've heard that high humidity can damage the parchment. Anything else one should (not) do?


texts:
If one is giving more than one Mishloach Manos are they still הרי זו משובח if the extra ones do not have 2 minim?

As is written in Shulchan Aruch 695:4 וכל המרבה לשלוח לרעים משבח


texts: In Jeremiah 7:30 what is meant by "in the house upon which My name is called"?

texts:
Jeremiah 7:30 JPS For the sons of Judah have done what is evil in My eyes, says the Lord; they placed their abominations in the house upon which My name is called, to pollute it.

Is this an idiom? Does it mean that his name was physically on the structure? Or might this be understood (I don't know a lick of Hebrew) as "within which" or "toward which"?