texts:
According to some opinions (see Shulchan Aruch OC 146:2 and 685:7; and others), one is obligated to hear parashat Zachor read among a minyan, but one can (and must) read it without a minyan if there is no minyan. (I am not interested in discussing the nature of this obligation, or whether the minyan is obligatory or preferable.)

I am interested in the question of gathering a minyan in order to have a second reading of Zachor (for those who may have missed the first one). Assume that at least 10 men have gathered (who have not already heard Zachor), and there is thus reason to take out the Torah and read it (see for example Mishnah Berurah 685:17).

Although I have seen the gathering of at least 10 men for such a reading, I have never observed other minyan-related activities (such as brachot or kaddish). Perhaps "reading in a minyan" mentioned in the halachic codes is simply code for "reading in the usual ritual spot"?

So, reading Zachor for/in the presence of such a crowd: (a) Is there any fulfillment of the minyan requirement/preference mentioned above, or is this simply a collection of individuals hearing Zachor? (b) If yes for (a), is there a requirement to say a bracha before and after on the reading, or kaddish after? (c) If yes for (a) (and no for (b)), is there anything needed to establish the minyan, or is the presence (and presumed attention) of the minyan sufficient?

Some of my thoughts not already mentioned: for (a), perhaps there is no room for "public ritual readings" that come with the other practices outside the established times; but perhaps "reading in a minyan" is simply among 10. For (b), we normally say brachot on public Torah readings, but this is outside the established time. We normally allow our morning Torah brachot to cover non-ritual Torah learning. Anecdotally, I've never seen a second reading done with a bracha. But perhaps since this is a reading of something required, we would say the brachot regardless. I saw in Minchat Yitzhak 9:68, that R. Weiss was asked about saying brachot at readings specifically for women, and he said not to because they may not be obligated, implying that for men one would say brachot. The answers to this related question might imply that brachot should (or must) be said amongst a minyan, but that may only be talking about delayed "full Torah readings", not just reading "one aliyah-worth". For (c), I recall something (somewhere) about the public recitation of Bar'chu or Kaddish at the beginning of public prayer establishing a minyan, so here too something might be required.


texts: What is the original meaning of the Hebrew word שְׁכִינָה?

texts:
While שְׁכִינָה doesn't occur in the תנ״ך, the verb of its root שָׁכַן does, as well as שֵׁ֫כֶן … n.m. dwelling [physical structure]; שָׁכֵן … adj. inhabitant, neighbor; מִשְׁכָּן … dwelling-place, ‘tabernacle’.  שְׁכִינָה is ususally associated with כְּבוֹד־יְהוָה֙.  The one instance in the תנ״ך that כְּבוֹד־יְהוָה֙ is the subject of a verb form of שָׁכַן is Exodus 24:16 (וַיִּשְׁכֹּ֤ן כְּבוֹד־יְהוָה֙) in the context of Moses receiving the Law at Sinai.  שָׁכַן is indirectly associated with כְּבוֹד־יְהוָה֙ in Exodus 40:35
(שָׁכַ֥ן עָלָ֖יו הֶעָנָ֑ן וּכְב֣וֹד יְהוָ֔ה מָלֵ֖א אֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּֽן) context of the Tabernacle, with parallel clauses.  In 1 Kings 8:11–12 כְּבוֹד־יְהוָה֙ and שָׁכֵן are in adjacent verses, but apparently have no close association (context of the Temple in Jerusalem).
Thus, the original meaning of שְׁכִינָה appears to relate to Moses and the Law.  While שְׁכִינָה has been interpreted as associated with כְּבוֹד־יְהוָה֙ elsewhere in the תנ״ך, the Glory of the LORD  כְּבוֹד־יְהוָה֙ is usually with verbs meaning filled or appeared.
Given the context, שְׁכִינָה appears to be feminine because it is an abstract noun meaning dwelling.  In other words the meaning is not a concrete object such as a dwelling place or person dwelling.  It is characteristic of an action of the כְּבוֹד־יְהוָה֙.

Abstract nouns [non-concrete things] are [often] morphologically feminine.  Van der Merwe, C., Naudé, J., Kroeze, J., Van der Merwe, C., Naudé, J., & Kroeze, J. (1999). A Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar (electronic ed., p. 179). Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press.

I would like to get responses from those better at Hebrew, especially the Hebrew use of this word.


texts: Why only beginning with the fourth plague is the exemption of the Jews mentioned?

texts:
In Moshe's warning to Pharaoh (in Hashem's name) of the fourth plague, arov, he adds (Ex. 8:18-19):

וְהִפְלֵיתִי בַיּוֹם הַהוּא אֶת-אֶרֶץ גֹּשֶׁן אֲשֶׁר עַמִּי עֹמֵד עָלֶיהָ לְבִלְתִּי הֱיוֹת-שָׁם עָרֹב... וְשַׂמְתִּי פְדֻת בֵּין עַמִּי וּבֵין עַמֶּךָ
"I will distinguish at that time the land of Goshen, where My people are located, that there shall not be arov there... I will make a separation between My people and yours."

Similar statements are made concerning the plagues of pestilence (9:4) and the death of the firstborn (11:7). About the hail and the darkness, Moshe doesn't say anything to this effect, but the narrative records that the Jews weren't affected (9:26, 10:23). Nothing is said explicitly regarding any of the other plagues.
Why is this? According to the Midrash (Shemos Rabbah 9:10) that, for example, the plague of blood didn't affect the Jews either, why is this "distinction" spelled out only beginning with arov? Conversely, are there any sources that suggest that some of the plagues indeed did affect the Jews, and that they were exempted only from the ones where it's specified otherwise?


texts: Why did Avraham respond to Avimelech but not Pharaoh?

texts:
There are two instances recorded in the Torah where Avraham and Sarah have to leave their home and go to a dangerous region. Both times Avraham tells people that Sarah is his sister, and both times Sarah is captured by the leading government. Upon realizing that she's a married women, the leader rebukes Avraham for keeping their relationship a secret.

Pharaoh's rebuke (Genesis 12:19):

  לָמָ֤ה אָמַ֙רְתָּ֙ אֲחֹ֣תִי הִ֔וא וָאֶקַּ֥ח אֹתָ֛הּ לִ֖י לְאִשָּׁ֑ה וְעַתָּ֕ה הִנֵּ֥ה אִשְׁתְּךָ֖ קַ֥ח וָלֵֽךְ׃

  Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her as my wife? Now, here is your wife; take her and begone!”

Avraham doesn't respond to Pharaoh. The very next verse just says (Genesis 12:20):

  וַיְצַ֥ו עָלָ֛יו פַּרְעֹ֖ה אֲנָשִׁ֑ים וַֽיְשַׁלְּח֥וּ אֹת֛וֹ וְאֶת־אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ וְאֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר־לֽוֹ׃

  And Pharaoh put men in charge of him, and they sent him off with his wife and all that he possessed.

Avimelech's rebuke (Genesis 20:9-10):

  וַיִּקְרָ֨א אֲבִימֶ֜לֶךְ לְאַבְרָהָ֗ם וַיֹּ֨אמֶר ל֜וֹ מֶֽה־עָשִׂ֤יתָ לָּ֙נוּ֙ וּמֶֽה־חָטָ֣אתִי לָ֔ךְ כִּֽי־הֵבֵ֧אתָ עָלַ֛י וְעַל־מַמְלַכְתִּ֖י חֲטָאָ֣ה גְדֹלָ֑ה מַעֲשִׂים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹא־יֵֽעָשׂ֔וּ עָשִׂ֖יתָ עִמָּדִֽי׃

  Then Abimelech summoned Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? What wrong have I done that you should bring so great a guilt upon me and my kingdom? You have done to me things that ought not to be done.

  וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֲבִימֶ֖לֶךְ אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֑ם מָ֣ה רָאִ֔יתָ כִּ֥י עָשִׂ֖יתָ אֶת־הַדָּבָ֥ר הַזֶּֽה׃

  What, then,” Abimelech demanded of Abraham, “was your purpose in doing this thing?”

Yet, we see Avraham responds with Avimelech (Genesis 20:11):

  וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אַבְרָהָ֔ם כִּ֣י אָמַ֗רְתִּי רַ֚ק אֵין־יִרְאַ֣ת אֱלֹהִ֔ים בַּמָּק֖וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה וַהֲרָג֖וּנִי עַל־דְּבַ֥ר אִשְׁתִּֽי׃

  “I thought,” said Abraham, “surely there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.

Why doesn't Avraham respond to Pharaoh? Even if he hypothetically did, why is his response only recorded with Avimelech?

I do notice that Avimelech twice says ויאמר to Avraham, almost implying his insistence for an answer...


texts: Can non-Jews utilize the princple of bittul berov?

texts:
The concept of bittul berov means that in certain cases, if some non-kosher food gets mixed up in as much kosher food of the same type such that nobody knows which piece is the non-kosher part, the non-kosher bit becomes nullified, making everything acceptable to be eaten.  Does this rule apply to non-Jews as well?  This could come up in a situation where some food is known to be ever min ha chai, but would be nullified in a greater amount of food that is known to be acceptable for b'nei Noach to eat.

Inspired by this comment


texts:
Why did Hashem reject Cain's Minchah but accepted Abel's?

My question is based on Genesis 4:3-5:

  וַיְהִי מִקֵּץ יָמִים וַיָּבֵא קַיִן מִפְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה מִנְחָה לַה'׃
  וְהֶבֶל הֵבִיא גַם־הוּא מִבְּכֹרוֹת צֹאנוֹ וּמֵחֶלְבֵהֶן וַיִּשַׁע ה' אֶל־הֶבֶל וְאֶל־מִנְחָתוֹ׃
  וְאֶל־קַיִן וְאֶל־מִנְחָתוֹ לֹא שָׁעָה וַיִּחַר לְקַיִן מְאֹד וַיִּפְּלוּ פָּנָיו׃

This passage states that Cain presented his non-meat-based Minchah, וַיָּבֵא קַיִן מִפְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה, מִנְחָה--לַיהוָה.
whereas Abel presented his meat-based Minchah, to Hashem:
וְהֶבֶל הֵבִיא גַם-הוּא מִבְּכֹרוֹת צֹאנוֹ, וּמֵחֶלְבֵהֶן; וַיִּשַׁע יְהוָה, אֶל-הֶבֶל וְאֶל-מִנְחָתוֹ.

Based on our present-day knowledge that a Minchah is definitely not meat-based but grain-based, one would think Hashem would respect Cain's Minchah instead. However, our passage says otherwise: וְאֶל-קַיִן וְאֶל-מִנְחָתוֹ, לֹא שָׁעָה; וַיִּחַר לְקַיִן מְאֹד, וַיִּפְּלוּ פָּנָיו.

What do the rabbis say?


texts: What is the origin of learning Talmud daf yomi?

texts: These days, it is the practice of many to learn a folio of the Vilna printing of the Talmud each day.  Where did this custom come from?  When?


texts:
Sometimes a sick person changes his Hebrew name or adds to it.

Is there a problem (halachically or otherwise) with changing one's Hebrew name, for someone who is not sick? For example, he prefers a different name for whatever reason.

I am especially interested in halachic problems with this.


texts: The practice of (not) printing pictures of women in magazines and newspapers under religious auspices

texts:
I was reading a My Encounter the other week (not available online) which had an interview with the editor of The Moshiach Times. In it he described how the practice of other religious magazines at the time (1980's) was to not include pictures of women (or girls) of any kind on the cover. The interview goes on to describe how the Lubavitcher Rebbe (who reviewed every issue before publication) insisted on including a picture of a girl on every cover, even if the theme of the cover (like a boy's room) didn't really fit.

I later found (with pictures of the relevant covers, including a before and after of the boy's room) a similar description of the story here of the covers here towards the end of the article, with a different (perhaps complimentary) description of the nature of the objection that had nothing to do with the content of other magazines.

I also notice that magazines like Mishpacha and Ami never include pictures of women, even in the section written by and targeted to women - never a picture of the author or any female subject of the story. In terms of illustrations, Mishpacha will only include an illustration of a girl in its kid's cartoon series, whereas Ami will include illustrations of adult women.

The Nshei Chabad Newsletter seems to have no issue, not only with illustrations, but also with pictures of girls and women, although I have no idea what drives that decision.

In a couple of related observations, I know of a camp in flatbush that would not show Young Avraham because it contained animations of women, and I saw a DVD which re-enacted "The cow that wouldn't work on Shabbos" where there was a scene of a Shabbos meal where the wife of the home was conspicuously absent.

What are the opinions of Poskim (contemporary or otherwise) regarding the propriety of publishing such pictures, and their reasons?

Note: As should hopefully be obvious, this question is only about modest pictures of women or girls. It is assuming that immodest pictures would be a problem.


texts:
Chazal (berachos 54a and 62b) tell us that one cannot come in to the Temple with a walking stick or shoes. The gemara (ibid) explains that wearing shoes is a sign of disrespect for the holiness of the place. However in Song of Songs (7:2) it seems to indicate otherwise.

The first half of verse 7:2 states:

  How fair are your feet in sandals, O daughter of nobles!

Rashi explains that the nations are praising the Jews for being olah l'regel while wearing sandals:

  How fair are your feet: in the festive pilgrimages, O daughter of princes!

How do we resolve these two ways of viewing wearing shoes?

Furthermore, the gemara does not explain the problem with the walking stick. Would it stem from a similar lack of respect, or is there another reason it is prohibited?


texts: Why didn't Par'oh have Moshe killed from the outset?

texts:
Bat Par'oh found a three-month-old Hebrew baby in/around the Nile (Shemot 1:5-10) and had him fed and raised by Yokheved until approximately age 2 (Shemot Rabbah 1:26). Bat Par'oh then raised this baby presumably with her father's knowledge.
So his daughter comes home with a random two-year-old boy who presumably looks highly un-Egyptian (after Par'oh's astrologers already told him they were uncertain if the Hebrews' redeemer was Egyptian or Hebrew according to RaSh"I on Shemot 1:22). Given the psychotic behavior the Torah attributes to Par'oh, did it not occur to him to ask where his daughter brought this boy from?
In short, did Par'oh know Moshe was a Hebrew while Bat Par'oh was raising Moshe? If so, why didn't Par'oh put two and two together and have him killed? If not, how do the commentators deal with why not?


texts: When I was a Christian, leaders and missionaries were always talking about how Judaism uses the number three to represent God: the waving over the Shabbat candles three times, waiting for three stars in the sky on Shabbat, using a three wicked candle for Havdala, etc. They say it is because God is a trinity and that Judaism has just not "caught on" to the symbols God has given them to reveal his trinitarian nature. I never accepted this explanation from Christians, but then I also have no idea or explanation for why the number three is prevalent in the Jewish ceremonies. What are the reasons that "counting to three" is used so often in Jewish rituals?


texts:
As a non-Jew, how can I prepare for the coming of the Messiah and
what are the necessary steps that one must take in order to be ready for redemption?

I look forward to your answers!


texts: I remember hearing about a question and answer sefer that is written for Chabad Shulchim. It deals with various unique questions and answers that many shluchim will encounter during their shlichus. Does anyone happen to know what the name of sefer is and if there is a link for it?


texts: Where does evil come from if God is good?

texts:
In Deuteronomy 4:35 "Hashem, He is G-d, there is nothing else beside Him". This makes sense since He is the first cause of everything, thus He includes everything.

Now, assuming God is absolutely good, then where does evil come from?

If it comes from Him, then does this mean He also contains evil?
by evil, I mean things like cruelty, hatred, things which are the opposite of His attributes described in the torah. I assume these have some sort of tangible existence.


texts: Beginning fast of Tisha B'av during Shabbat

texts:
When Tisha B'av begins after Shabbat, as it does this year, we begin fasting after sundown before Shabbat is over.

On the one hand, we postponed the full fast day of Tish'a B'av to Sunday, because you shouldn't fast on Shabbat. Yet, we're fasting while it is still Shabbat. Is this not a contradiction? Does beginning the fast during Shabbat not violate the concept of oneg Shabbat? Why is the fast allowed to begin before Shabbat is over?


texts: Why isn't there a specific number given for the amount of horses and gold/silver that a king is allowed to own?

texts:
The Rambam in Hilchos Melachim 3:2 writes how a king can't have more than 18 wives:

לֹא יַרְבֶּה לוֹ נָשִׁים. מִפִּי הַשְּׁמוּעָה לָמְדוּ שֶׁהוּא לוֹקֵחַ עַד שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה נָשִׁים בֵּין הַנָּשִׁים וּפִלַּגְשִׁים הַכּל שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה
"He must not have too many women" (Deut. 17:17). By Tradition we have learned that he may have up to eighteen women including wives and concubines.

However in the subsequent 2 halachot the Rambam writes how a king may not own more horses or gold/silver than he may need.

Hilchos Melachim 3:3 - horses
Hilchos Melachim 3:4 - gold/silver

Unlike the number of wives a king may have, why isn't a specific number given for the amount of horses and gold/silver that a king may own?


texts:
Beitza 2:10:

עֲגָלָה שֶׁל קָטָן טְמֵאָה מִדְרָס וְנִטֶּלֶת בְּשַׁבָּת, וְאֵינָהּ נִגְרֶרֶת אֶלָּא עַל גַּבֵּי כֵלִים. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, כָּל הַכֵּלִים אֵין נִגְרָרִין חוּץ מִן הָעֲגָלָה, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהִיא כוֹבֶשֶׁת:
A child’s cart is susceptible to the impurity of midras, and it may be handled on Shabbat, and it is dragged along only on matting. Rabbi Judah says: no vessels may be dragged along [the ground] except a wagon because it [only] presses [the earth] down.

Kehati explains what a “child’s cart” is:

עגלה של קטן- העשויה לו כדי שילמד ללכת, והקטן נשען עליה והיא מתגלגלת לפניו.
A child’s cart- that is made to teach him to walk, and the child leans on it and it rolls before him.

So our mishna is talking about a very young child- one that can’t even walk unaided.
Kehati also explains how the cart would become tamei:

טמאה מדרס- אם הקטן היה זב, הריהו מטמא את העגלה טומאת מדרס...
susceptible to the impurity of midras- if the child was a zav, he makes the cart tamei midras...

How can a young kid be a zav? Isn’t that medically impossible?


texts: What to do if you made hamotze on something requiring mezonot?

texts: If you accidentally made a hamotze on a food item only requiring mezonot, do you say al hamichya or birkat hamazon for the beracha acharona?


texts:
What bracha should one make on a chicken pot pie?

Choices that could make sense:

Shehakol: Because chicken is the  main thing or if one is uncertain.

Mezonot:  Because it is a pie crust made using wheat flour.

Shehahol and Mezonot: Because both items are of equal importance (I believe this is the standard opinion for spaghetti and meatballs).

Just to complicate matters, chicken pot pies often have "Ha-Adamah" root vegetables like carrots or potatoes or green vegetables like peas.  Since they are of secondary importance, I do not know if it would affect anything or not.


texts:
Knowing the codified Mishna is nice but since a lot of halacha is influenced by a Rabbi pulling a Barisa out of nowhere and changing the flow of the Gemara, they are obviously very important.

Is there a collection of all these Barisas?


texts: In Judaism, is marriage a requirement per Genesis 1:22, 2:18 and 2:24?

texts:
[Genesis 1:22 JPS] And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters of the seas, and let the fowl multiply upon the earth."

[Genesis 2:18 JPS] And the Lord God said, "It is not good that man is alone; I shall make him a helpmate opposite him."

[Genesis 2:24 JPS] Therefore, a man shall leave his father and his mother, and cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.


texts: Is Exodus 20:4 a command about icons or idols?

texts: When The Lord says, "Do not make for yourself an image," does he mean an image for the purpose of worship, that is an idol, or any image whatsoever, such as the depiction of a narrative or a representation of a creature or person for remembrance? How do modern observant Jews observe this command?


texts: Bringing a virtual Torah in the bathroom?

texts: Knowing the issur of bringing a Sefer into a tamei place, can I bring a virtual Sefer into the bathroom? (I.e a phone with a davening app on it) would it matter if the app was open or closed? If the phone was on or off? Would a screen protector change the Halacha? Sources please!


texts: I haven't studied Hebrew in 50 years and cannot read it anymore. I wonder if anyone has any suggestions on how I can get the pronunciation of Rabbi Nachman's phrase "Ribono Shel Olam" both in the way he would have pronounced it and the standard (biblical?) Hebrew pronunciation? I think the written Hebrew is ריבונו של עולם.


texts: How should an aguna go about seeking a Gett?

texts:
If a woman is civilly divorced from her husband and needs her get, what resources are available to her?

I am completely out of my depth here. I would really appreciate this spelled out to me in plain English to assist my friend.


texts: Why is the hard limit for the size of a beis din 71 members?

texts:
When a beis din is undecided (e.g. when adjudicating monetary cases or Dinei Nefashos), judges can be added until the beis din reaches a maximum size of 71.

Why is a beis din's maximum size 71? Why what does the number 71 symbolize?

Source for the halacha (link):

  רמב"ם הלכות סנהדרין פרק ח

  אחד אומר זכאי ואחד אומר חייב ואחד אומר איני יודע... היו מחצה למחצה
  ואחד אומר איני יודע הרי אלו מוסיפין שנים אחרים, וכן אם נסתפק הדבר
  מוסיפין והולכין עד שבעים ואחד, הגיעו לשבעים ואחד ואמרו שלשים וחמשה
  חייב ושלשים וחמשה זכאי ואחד אומר איני יודע נושאים ונותנים עמו עד
  שיחזור לדברי הצד האחד.

  Halacha 2

  The following laws apply when there is a difference of
  opinion within a court of three judges with regard to a monetary
  issue… If one says that his claim should be vindicated and one says he
  is liable… and the third judge says: "I do not know," we add another
  two judges. Thus five judges debate the matter…
  If, in this situation
  as well, the opinions are evenly balanced and one says: "I don't
  know," or in any situation that there is a doubt, we continue to add
  two more judges until we reach 71 judges. If, after reaching 71, the
  issue is still unresolved, i.e., 35 hold him liable, and 35 wish to
  vindicate his claim and one says: "I don't know," they debate the
  matter until the judge who has not made up his mind sides with one of
  the opinions…


texts: In doubt of whether to say Tachnun or not

texts:
If there is a doubt in a particular minyan whether tachnun should be said or not, what should be done?

For example: There is supposed to be a bris in the shul however the kehillah is not sure if it's taking place that day or not (for those that have the minhag to not say tachnun when a bris is taking place in the shul, even when the Father might not be there.)

As well as a side note to this question, on a day when tachnun is not said (Rosh Chodesh, Tu B'Av, Channukah, etc.) may someone say tachnun if they want to anyway or is it "ossur" (forbidden) for one to say tachnun on a day when it shouldn't be said.


texts:
There is a concept that in matters of doubt that pertain to derabanans we pasken lekula. I have seen this applied to doubts in realia as well as halachik doubts (eg machlokes). Nevertheless, it is quite obvious that we do not say this as a blanket statement at all: halacha, at least from after the Gemara's times, does not automatically follow the most meikil rishon, etc.
This is not a modern approach--the Shulchan Aruch/Rema, for example, will often pasken like opinions that are not the most meikil ones. They will often bring multiple opinions down as well, which again implies that we aren't supposed to simply go with the meikil approach.
So: are there any sources that explain how/when to apply safek derabanan lekulah?


texts: What are some good modern Brisker/Chakira based analysis sefarim by masechta?

texts:
I'm a big fan of the Brisker/Chakira approach to gemara b'iyun and looking for a sefer that I can use to learn either alone or with a chavrusa.

I'm looking for something in Hebrew, and (a) by masechta, and (b) something more modern than the Briskers themselves.


texts: What is the source for the requirement to cover one's arm when falling during tachanun? Also, what should one do if he has short sleeves?


texts: Where do we learn that students are like offspring?

texts: Is there a quote in the Talmud that says something like "anyone who teaches a child Torah is like he is his parent?"


texts: In the brocha of we ask Hashem to "grant good reward to those who sincerely trust in Your name".  Is this really necessary?  Do we not have a promise that Hashem rewards for even the smallest mitzva?  Do we have any reason to doubt that the tzadikim, chassidim, etc. need our tefilla to earn their reward?


texts: Difference between the RamBam and Talmud Kiddushin 82a in list of jobs that posul a King/High Priest?

texts:
The Talmud in Kiddushin 82a lists a bunch of professions that invalidate one from serving as a King or High Priest. The RamBam codifies this in Hilchot Melachim 1:6, but his list does not match the Talmud's.

Does anyone have any insight as to why there is a difference between the two lists, or why the RamBam seems to omit several of the jobs (e.g. cleaner, peddler, etc.)?


texts: Is the king of Israel called 'God' at Psalm 45:7, as Aquila seems to read it?

texts:
Psalm 45 is a wedding song for the marriage of a king of Israel.  At verse 7 the lyric says:

כִּסְאֲךָ אֱלֹהִים, עוֹלָם וָעֶד

The Jewish Greek translation which came to be called the Septuagint renders this verse this way: 'Your throne, God, is forever and ever.' So also Aquila, Theodotion, and Symmachus--second century Jewish translators.
According to this translation, the king who is addressed in the preceding verses is addressed as 'God' here. Abraham Cohen in The Soncino Books of the Bible states that 'this appears to be the obvious translation but does not suit the context.'
Saadya Gaon, Ibn Ezra, and Rashi depart from this reading, but each of them translate this passage differently. 'God will establish your throne' (Gaon).  'Your throne is the throne of God' (Ibn Ezra). Rashi, who reads this psalm allegorically, understands אֱלֹהִים as a vocative like the Septuagint, but he takes it as an address to the Torah scholar, and he renders אֱלֹהִים as 'judge' (as he and Onkelos do at Exodus 7:1 and elsewhere): 'Your throne, O judge.'
Prior to Rashi, the Targum also understands אֱלֹהִים as a vocative, but to insure that it might not be understood as an address to the king of Israel in the sense of 'God', it reads כּוּרְסֵי יְקָרָךְ יְיָ קַיָים לְעָלְמֵי עַלְמִין ('The throne of your glory, Yeya, lasts forever and ever'). See also the Alshich.
Are there any translators or commentators who translate אֱלֹהִים in Psalm 45:7a as a vocative addressed to the king in the sense of 'God' as do Aquila and Theodotion?


texts: Defining Chatsot Hayom for Mincha Gedola

texts:
B"H

I know this question has been asked but this is a variation that was not answered. Earliest time for Minchah according to the "pshat" is approximately 6.5 halachik hours (customs vary) after netz and this is referred to as l'humrah.

What is the definition of l'humrah (halachikally, I know the translation).
Why is the earliest time not exactly chatsot hayom.
Are there any poskim who permit from chatsot hayom m'litchilah.

Thank you.


texts: Does clay used as a foundation count as clay or as the ground?

texts:
The mishnah in Keilim 6:1 describes a stove made in two ways: a pot resting on three metal* pegs that are either (1) attached at the ground via clay, or (2) stuck into the ground. In the first case, the clay gives the stove the status of a "clay stove", which is susceptible to tumah, whereas in the second case, there is no susceptibility to tumah.

העושה שלושה פטפוטין בארץ, וחיברן בטיט להיות שופת עליהן את הקדירה: טמאה. קבע שלושה מסמרין בארץ להיות שופת עליהן את הקדירה: אף על פי שעשה בראשן מקום שתהא הקדירה יושבת, טהורה.
If he put three props into the ground and joined them [to the ground] with clay so that a pot could be set on them, [the structure] is susceptible to impurity. If he set three nails in the ground so that a pot could be set on them, even though a place was made on the top for the pot to rest, [the structure] is not susceptible to impurity. (translation from Sefaria)

Imagine a case where you create a clay foundation, strengthening the ground with clay (and leaving the clay flush with the ground). What would be the rule when pegs are stuck into such a clay foundation? Would it be considered as attached to the ground (and hence not susceptible to tumah) or as attached via clay to the ground (and hence susceptible)?

See also this question.
* I know that some commentaries read the initial sentence as referring to clay props, but I'm asking according to those who don't (or according to everyone, if the material doesn't matter). See also the tosefta Keilim BK 5:1 which seems to support a read of metal props.


texts: Why was the letter "Hai" added to Avraham's name?

texts: Avarham Avinu was originally Avram - and Hashem added the letter Hai to his name and changed it to Avraham. Why from all letters was the letter Hai added?


texts: Abstaining from meat and wine until shabbas Nachamu

texts: I remember seeing somewhere that there was a minhag not to eat meat or drink wine until shabbas nachamu. Where can I find this minhag mentioned?


texts: Can I do stuff before I take the three steps back after Shemonah Esrei?

texts: If I finish davening Shemonah Esrei and I'm about to take three steps back and do the bowing procedure, can I first do something like pick up my cell phone and put it in my pocket or close a sefer or anything else that doesn't involve  talking or moving  before I take the steps backwards?


texts:
I was learning הלכות שַׁטְגָּן with my חברותא and he pointed out in the ספר בשר חמורים that "וכלל הוא שאין שטגן בדבר הסמוי מן העין". What other general rules exist in הלכות שטגן?

Biographical note: The בשר חמורים was written by ר׳ יששכר אייזל אלמוני שליט״א, son of the באר היטב.

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


texts: How did the Seder Plate look according Jacob ben Asher?

texts: Interested in the question of how the Seder Plate looked like in Jacob ben Asher. More precisely, even the question of how he arranged the matzo. I know that Rema and the Vilna Gaon placed the matzo on the plate, not under it. Also interesting is the opinion of such sages as Rosh and Rashi.


texts: Hearing Megillat Esther in a mixed minyan

texts: If the only available minyan to hear Megillat Esther is a mixed minyan with no mechitza, can one attend the minyan or is it better to not hear megilla at all? Would it matter if the baal megilla was a male or female? Or if the person hearing the megilla is male or female?


texts: Would popping pimples be considered "etching" the flesh in the sense that it can sometimes leave scarring?

texts:
I was curious if there was a decision which relates to pimples specifically.

Pimple popping and skin care have become a major topic on many parts of the internet. You typically see people using needle-like devices to puncture and drain the flesh of things which would either naturally heal on their own or don't pose a direct threat to one's health or wellbeing.

I was curious if there was a Rabbinical opinion on the topic as I can certainly see how certain types of pimple pops or removals could result in the scarification of one's skin.

An example being someone who routinely digs into their own skin out of habit to the point where they scar their skin permanently.


texts: What do traditional sources say regarding the date of authorship of Midrash Tehillim?


texts: Is there any contemporary posek who says you can deviate from the wording in the shmona esrei?

texts: I am reading Kavvana: Directing the Heart in Jewish Prayer by Rabbi Dr. Avi (Seth) Kadish. There he makes the argument that the Anshei Kneset Hagedolah never established the exacting wording for the amida. A summary of much of this discussion can be found here. He seems to argue for the ability of anyone to adjust the wording of their amida. I would like to know if there is any contemporary (last 50 years) orthodox posek who supports this idea and paskens that a person can change the wording of his silent shemona esrei (as long as it doesn't violate the topic of the bracha)and still fulfill his obligation?


texts:
There seems to be this teaching (gemarah) in the Talmud (Yoma 39) on Vayikra/Leviticus 11:43 regards the phrase ונטמתם. Because this is written without the expected alef it could be read as v’nitamtem instead of v’nitmeitem.

Oke so here’s my question, different sources I found point to a Rabbi Yismael and translate his explanation of the word as ‘dull, stupid’. Yet others refer to Rabbi Bachye
and translate the word as ‘blocked’.

I’m looking for the source where I can find Rabbi Bachye his statement. And I’m looking for the root of this word which could mean dull, stupid and/or blocked.

P.s.
Putting it into a translator like doitinhebrew.com gets the following outcome: ‘And you were dead’, could anyone explain me if there is a connection to death somehow?


texts: I was wondering if a convert (someone who was not born a Jew) may, by the rules of the state of Israel, migrate to Israel (make aliyah, as defined by the State of Israel)?


texts:
Is there a discussion in the Talmud or Halacha about "בְּתוּלִים" or "בְּתוּלֵי בִתִּי" (Parashat Ki Teitzei / פרשת כי־תצא)?

Questions I have in regards to this passage, namely Devarim 22:17, which another post did not deal with:

וְהִנֵּה-הוּא שָׂם עֲלִילֹת דְּבָרִים לֵאמֹר, לֹא-מָצָאתִי לְבִתְּךָ בְּתוּלִים, וְאֵלֶּה, בְּתוּלֵי בִתִּי; וּפָרְשׂוּ, הַשִּׂמְלָה, לִפְנֵי, זִקְנֵי הָעִיר.

1.) If the term "בְּתוּלִים" or "בְּתוּלֵי בִתִּי" were not taken literally, where is there a discussion of such in the Talmud or Halacha?

2.) If "הַשִּׂמְלָה" was taken literally, which Jewish groups did this or do this?


texts: How do we know what the truth about Israel really is?

texts:
I went to a class about the various different Orthodox Jewish stances on the State of Israel. In the class, the Rabbi gave 5 different such stances.This ranged from #1 being religiously anti-State of Israel to #5 being religiously pro-State of Israel.
The Rabbi presented each one with what seemed to be the same enthusiasm. He cited proofs from different Gedolim from throughout Jewish history. Tannoim, Amoroim, Geonim, Rishonim and Acharonim who support each stance. One thing that each of these different stances have in common is that they all say that they are correct and that the truth is hard to find. They also say that if you don't believe in their opinions, you will be punished. #5 said that if you are anti-Zionist, you wont come back with Moshiach. #1 said that if you are Zionist, you are contributing to a terrible holocaust that Hashem will punish us for having the State of Israel. How do I know who to believe if, a) I want to come back with Moshiach and b) I don't want to contribute to a terrible holocaust?


texts: Is there a medrash that says that foxes and fish lived together?

texts:
In Brachos 61b there is the famous parable of a fox trying to get the fish do go on the land.
As part of the trick, the fox says:

וְנָדוּר אֲנִי וְאַתֶּם, כְּשֵׁם שֶׁדָּרוּ אֲבוֹתַי עִם אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם
and we will reside together just as my ancestors resided with your ancestors

Is there any medrash that says that foxes and fish did live together at one point?


texts: Did the Rashbam write a commentary on the rest of Shas?

texts:
Rashi's commentary on the Gemara is incomplete on some tractates. The commentary of his grandson, the Rashbam, is printed in its place in Bava Batra and Pesachim.
Did the Rashbam only write a commentary on those parts of Shas that Rashi had not completed? Or did he write on more tractates, but only those that Rashi hadn't written on were printed? If so, is the rest of his commentary still extant?
Wikepedia doesn't know about it, but that doesn't count as a source.


texts: PTIJ: What are my options if a server rejects a POST or PUT request?

texts:
I'm aware that if a server rejects a GET request, such as in the case of a 414 error for the URI being too long, I can force it to fulfill the GET request by having the server beaten, as the Talmud in Yevamos 106a states:

גט מעושה כשר ... הא כיצד טכופין אותו עד שיאמר רוצה אני
a forced GET is valid ... How so? We beat it until it says "I'm willing!"

However, I'm not aware of any such halacha regarding a POST or PUT request. What halachic recourse do I have when a server rejects a POST or PUT request?

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


texts:
Please explain what is going on with the letter aleph in certain places in Tanakh (e.g. the second to last word of Devarim 3:12, the first word of Tehilim 34:10) where the aleph contributes neither a consonant nor a vowel sound.  In these instances, the word is pronounced as though the aleph were not there at all.

My Feldheim Simanim Tanakh colors these alephs in gray and quotes the "Mesora Rabta" as saying that there are 48 words that contain an unpronounced aleph.  I would be interested to learn more about this phenomenon.  Why are these silent alephs present at all?  Are there any other Hebrew letters that can be completely silent in this way?

(I'm not familiar with the work "Mesora Rabta", so a pointer to that would also be helpful.)


texts: Shabbat: Electric Apartment Door in Doorman Building

texts:
Let us say a person lives in an apartment building where the apartment doors (door to the apartment itself) are fitted with electronic locks.  The building has a 24-hour "concierge" doorman (non-Jewish).

What sort of interaction could a Jew have with the doorman at any time in order to allow themselves to enter their apartment on Shabbos?

(Assume the lock cannot be changed, assume stairwells exist so elevator is not also issue. For the purposes of this question, assume you cannot get a roommate to help you.)


texts: What are the traditional Jewish opinions about the importance of learning and speaking Hebrew with proper grammar (dikduk)?


texts: Can one carry a GPS operated timed device across a time zone on Shabbat?

texts:
I read somewhere, that if you set a timer before Shabbat, you are not allowed to adjust the timer or clock on Shabbat to reset the time that something goes on.

So, let's say that you live in Eastville in Eastern time zone. You visit your friend who lives < 2,000 amot from you in Centville in Central Time zone (1 hour behind), on Shabbat. There is an eruv between the two cities.

You have a battery operated watch with an alarm that has a built-in GPS clock so the GPS automatically changes the both the clock time as well as the alarm setting based on where you are.

Shabbat starts at 6 P.M. Eastern time, (5 P.M. central time.) You set the alarm to go on at 7 P.M. - 2 hours from now. You begin walking to your friend at 6:15, and cross the time zone at 6:30, when the GPS resets the clock time to 5:30 and also recalculates the time for the alarm at 6 P.M. (otherwise, you'd have to wait an extra hour.)

Are you allowed to carry this type of watch to your friend on Shabbat? Granted that the time adjustments are automatically done, but is there a problem of your causing this auto change to occur?

I used the alarm watch as an example. The answer can apply to any similar device.


texts: Does anyone know the German custom for the letter pey in Sta"m sofer? I know that the shape in Litvisch Bet Yosef is influenced by the Mekubalim of Tzfat (The Ari in particular) who said that the letter bet should appear within the pey. As the Germans were quite averse to most anything kabbalistic, would this apply to a sefer written by someone who follows German minhagim?


texts: Why did HaShem "need" the punishment to be a day for a year by the Meraglim?

texts:
Rashi to Bamidbar 13:25 writes that since the punishment for the spies' false report was to be one year of wandering for each day in Eretz Yisrael, HaShem allowed them to finish miraculously in just 40 days so that they would only be in the desert for 40 years and not longer.

HaShem can do whatever He wants. Why must the punishment have been a year for a day such that He was "forced" to do the above miracle? Why didn't he allow them to finish in, say, 80 days, and the punishment would have been a year for every two days?


texts: Does the writing on a mezuzah have to be totally straight?

texts:
I saw a mezuzah parchment where it seems that the while the letters where all in a line, in the sense that they did not collide with the rows above or below them, but within the row, the letters were not necessarily right next to each other. I.e., some letters were slightly higher or lower than the letter next to them.

Would this still make the mezuzah kosher?

I'll see if I can get a pic of it that I can upload.


texts: In Parashat Vayetzeh, Yaakov goes to Lavan's house, but prior to his arrival he meets up with Rachel. Shockingly, the Pasuk says that he kissed her and cried (29:11). How exactly are we to understand this episode? Do we not say that the Avot kept the whole Torah before it was given, and can we not assume that the righteous Yaakov would not do something so immodest as to kiss a girl he isn't married to yet - in public?


texts: If one is noder hana'ah from something which sometimes is obligatory and sometimes is not, is the neder binding?

texts:
Let's say I make a neder not to benefit from the five grains - wheat, barley, rye, oat(?), and spelt. These are the only grains which can be used for Matzah on Pesach (Pesachim 35b). Assuming that a neder cannot override a mitzvah d'Oraisa (that is, according to the Ramban cited there), is my neder binding?

On the one hand, I can get away with that for most of the year without violating any absolute obligations, so maybe the one week a year on which it's mandatory is batel b'rov.
On the other hand, maybe a neder needs to be able to never be against a mitzvah, and this would be against that rule.
On the third hand, maybe it would be valid whenever it can be valid, and not whenever it isn't. Therefore, it would be valid during the year, but not on Pesach.


texts:
Gemara Yevamot 55b (Soncino's Translation)

  what, however, can be said, according to him who maintains [that for such an act one is] guilty? - The exclusion is rather that of intercourse with a dead woman. Since it might have been assumed that, as [a wife], even after her death, is described as his kin, one should be guilty for [intercourse with] her [as for that] with a married woman, hence we were taught [that one is exonerated].

So there is a Hava Amina, before the teaching of a redundant verse, that a man who sleeps with a married woman, after her death, is Chayav as if she was alive. Sheer is obviously not a sign that she is still married to him. Following this logic if he has intercourse with his dead mother is it an incest? Obviously not.

In Gemara, each Hava Amina needs to be understood because it contains a rational argument. I don't understand how such a case can be viewed as an adultery. Can someone help me to understand better the Hava Amina?


texts: Age of Avram (Avraham) when he left for Kena'an out of the Ur Kasdim?

texts:
Nechemyah 9:7-8 teaches that it was HaShem who brought (or called?) Avram forth out of the Ur Kasdim.
Bereshit 11:31 teaches that Terach took his whole household in which included Avram and they went forth from Ur Kasdim to go into Eretz Kena’an; and they came unto Charan (Haran), and dwelt there.
Later in Bereshit 12 we read that Avram had to leave this land of Charan, away from there which he came from, away from his father's household to the land HaShem will show him, which according to verse 5-6 is the land Kena'an.
I always thought the calling of Avram began at Bereshit 12:1 'Lech Lecha', but after reading this verse could it be possible HaShem called Avraham's whole household (from Terach) at first?
And second if Avram left for Kena'an a second time at the age of 75 then how old was he when his father Terach took them out of the Ur Kasdim?


texts:
Does Judaism require burial of the dead? What Biblical passages mandate that?

Can grave sites be reused after some time (e.g. 200 years) ? I am asking this because the practice of burying the dead in dedicated 25 sq ft of space, with the growing world population, yet ever more scarce arable land, seems like a wasteful practice, to say the least.


texts: The 500 men killed in Shushan, and the 500 Jews who killed Amaleki

texts: Is there a source to connect (mystically, or otherwise) those enemies of the Jews (presumably Amaleki) killed in Megillas Esther 9:12 with the 500 men from the tribe of Shimon who killed out the remainder of the Amaleki in Divrei Hayamim I 4:42-43?


texts: What is the significance of this twirly pe?

texts:
The picture below shows two examples of the letter pe.  They are both written on the same piece of vellum, in Genesis 23.  One pe is written normally, whereas one has a twirl.  What's the significance of the twirl?

This is the only place occurrence of the twirly pe on this sheet of vellum.  I have some sections of other scrolls, however, where the twirly pe is used extensively.  Maybe half the pes are given this flourish, while the other half are written normally.


texts: PTIJ: Superman can carry the Batmobile on Shabbat?

texts:
On Shabbat, Superman saw the Batmobile was stuck in a narrow alley (more than 3-handbreaths wide) between the Daily Planet and Wayne Enterprises. In order to carry the Batmobile out of the alley, could Superman  make a "beam" of light with his laser vision establishing a "Closed Lane"?
[https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/935238/jewish/Shabbat-Chapter-Seventeen.htm]

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


texts: Did women get married before age three and have relations?

texts:
I'm almost certainly misreading something here. However:

I was reading Insights to the Daf for Yevamos 34, and in response to a question that implies a Misnha on 33b contradicts a Gemara that says that a woman cannot get pregnant the first time she has relations (which at least today is not the case, but regardless), Tosfos HaRosh seems to say that the case of the Misnhah is where the girl was married before age 3 and had relations then, and therefore the Misnhah still considers the first intercourse after age 3 to be the first time, yet then she is capable of getting pregnant.

  The TOSFOS HA'ROSH answers that according to the Girsa of Tosfos (see previous Insight) the answer is obvious. Tosfos explains that the Mishnah refers to a case in which the women became married before they were three years old. Any act of relations performed prior to that age did not constitute relations and the girls are not considered Be'ulos (since their Besulim return until the age of three). Consequently, the act of relations with their husbands after they reach the age of three is considered "Bi'ah Rishonah." (See also RASHASH.)

Now, I don't totally follow what he's saying, since the Misnhah in question says that minors cannot get pregnant, so it implies that the women getting married must be adults for them to get pregnant. Does it mean that they got married before age 3, had relations, got divorced, and this is their second marrage when they're adults?

Again I think I'm probably just tired and misreading something. But if I'm not, is Tosfos HaRosh really saying that the Misnhah is saying that girls under three years of age used to get married and have sex (be it in the time of the Mishnah or in the time of Tosfos HaRosh)? Or is it just a hypothetical thing?


texts: I have read and heard in certain places that among certain Orthodox groups, if one converts with Chabad-Lubavitch that their conversion will not be valid, if someone were to convert with Chabad and then decide later to join the Breslov movement, or Satmar. Would that person have to undergo conversion once more? I want to convert to Judaism and am currently at a Chabad shule but I have been becoming more interested in the Breslov movement, and there is no Breslov shule in my country, would I have to undergo conversion once more to be accepted fully in other Orthodox groups if I had converted with Chabad already?


texts: Please see Devarim 7:7. How can Moshe say the Jews were the fewest?  There were 601730 men between 20 and 60.  That’s quite a large population.  For the Jews to be smaller than all the other nations there would need to have been over 21 million people in Israel and over 9 million people among Moav, Ammon and Edom.


texts:
Christian scholars have been writing about war for centuries. The "just war theory" is perhaps the greatest contribution that Christians have made to the moral study of war.
This got me wondering. Is there a Jewish way of war? War has obviously taken place within the Jewish tradition. Is there a decidedly Jewish way of war? I mean this in terms of moral restraints on battle, when wars are justified, etc etc


texts: Can one use Grape Juice for Ad dlo Yoda on Purim?


texts: Machzor with the Chayei Adam's version of the Seder HaAvodah

texts:
The Chayei Adam (in Nishmas Adam) lists several edits he made in his Machzor for Yom Kippur in the Seder HaAvodah (Amitz Ko'ach) to better correspond with the description of the Avodah brought down in the Gemarah in Maseches Yoma.

Is there a printed Machzor that actually incorporates these edits in the body of the Piyut (as opposed to just mentioning it in the footnotes)?


texts: There are various instances in tanach of someone donning sackcloth. I would like to know whether any commentators have compiled an outline as to when and why someone would don sackcloth (is it only for mourning? Do women wear it as well?). I have never seen anyone wear this type of clothing today, is there a reason we no longer do so?


texts: Which edition of Midrash Tanchuma is this?

texts:
There are a couple editions of Midrash Tanchuma floating around.

The following is based on the Buber edition from Vilna:

http://www.daat.ac.il/daat/vl/tohen.asp?id=280

But, can anyone discern what edition the following is based on?

http://www.tsel.org/torah/tanhuma/index.html

Thanks.


texts: Do not separate yourself from the community: what exactly is the community?

texts:
Hillel teaches in Pirke Avot (2:4): do not separate yourself from the community.  I'm not a historian, but I have the impression that at the time he was writing, towns tended to have one (Jewish) community.  The shul you go to and the shul across the street that you wouldn't set foot in seems like a newer idea.

I'm a 21st-century city-dweller.  There are at least a dozen shuls within a mile of my house, to say nothing of the chavurot and other groups that I don't know about.  What exactly is the community that I must not separate myself from?

Am I separating myself from the community if I:

Move from one synagogue to another, within the same "flavor" of Judaism?  (e.g. I move from one Modern Orthodox shul to another.)
Move from one synagogue to another, moving to a different "flavor"?  (e.g. I'm Modern Orthodox and conclude that what really speaks to me is Lubavich.)
Cease affiliating but join or form a chavurah?
Remain affiliated but stop going?  (I think I know the answer to this one, but just checking.)

In all of these cases I've separated myself from a community, but in three of the four I've then joined another (not necessarily of the same size).  According to Hillel, am I behaving inappropriately?

Disclaimer: this is a thought experiment.  I have no intentions of leaving my current synagogue (and by the way, it's neither Modern Orthodox nor Lubavich).


texts:
The ancient Essenes are known as being an highly Ascetic sect, with many Mystical and Monastical practices.

In fact, Rav Aryeh Kaplan seems to imply that much of our Kabala actually originated from the Essenes, who supposedly inherited them from the Nevi'im, and from Pythagorean teachings (which the Greeks themselves admit they got from the Ancient Egyptians, Hebrews, and Phoenicians).

But in the Artscroll commentary on the Amidah, they are labeled by Artscroll as heretics, with no explanation. So were the Essenes heretics, or just some highly Ascetic groups of people?


texts: A Shul renting out their Parking lot to a church?

texts:
Rent Or as a donation to the Shul
Any Sources either way?
Thank You
Eli


texts: Is the Aramaic Section of Daniel Second-Century BCE Aramaic?

texts: Daniel 2:4 to the end of Daniel 7 is written in Aramaic.  Does the type of Aramaic used there support the view of the higher critics who assert that the book was composed in the second century BCE near the time of the persecution of Antiochus Epiphanes, and not in the sixth century BCE according to the traditional view?  The classic commentators do not address this issue which has arisen in modern times, and the few modern Jewish commentaries on Daniel, if they do address it, are not available in English on the Internet.


texts: A common tradition that I have observed is for a kallah to have a "Shabbos Kallah" on the shabbos before her wedding. What exactly is a shabbos kallah and why do people have them?


texts: I have seen some people use only the stalk and others use the whole leaf of the romaine lettuce for cazeres that they use by the Seder, both for the "plate" and for eating. What is the reason for the different customs?


texts: The silence of the Rabbis -- Should they have defended Bar Kamtza?

texts:
In Gittin 55b-56a, we read that a fellow named Bar Kamtza was humiliated by a host of a party in public view of all, including the rabbis.  Bar Kamtza received an invitation to the party by mistake, but did not know of the mistake, and assumed that the host was ending an old feud.  Bar Kamtza suggested numerous compromises to avoid humiliation, but his host accepted none, and threw him out on his ear.

Bar Kamtza then said to himself:  “Since the Rabbis were sitting there and did not stop him, this shows that they agreed with him. I will go and inform against them to the government.”  He then plotted to put the rabbis into a situation where they would have to choose between violating halacha and upsetting the Romans.  They chose the latter course, and this, the Gemara says, led to the siege of Jerusalem and its eventual destruction by the Romans.

Question:  How do the commentators view the apparent silence of the rabbis during Bar Kamtza's humiliation?  Did they actually witness the event?  If they did, did they have a duty to intervene and stop the host?  Do any commentators take the rabbis to task for their silence?  Sorry to ask multiple questions, but I think they are all related and relevant to us today.


texts: I know (from experience) that in nusach Ari, any morning that tachanun is omitted, psalms 20 ("Yaancha") and 86 ("hate Hashem ozn'cha") are omitted also, and the chest is not banged when saying the blessing "S'lach lanu". What about when tachanun is omitted for non-calendrical reasons (e.g., in a shiva home or when a sandek is present)? Does nusach Ari include psalm 20? psalm 86? the banging of the chest?


texts: How did the mesorah for techeles get lost?

texts: It seems odd that something like the tradition for techeles could have been lost. It seems unlikely that Jews just stopped using techeles at some point and then immediately forgot. Are there no records of how the dye was made?


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

Please cite / link your sources, if possible.

All interesting answers will be up voted.

*Best answer will be accepted.


texts:
I have read a few times about people reciting the shema before dying.

what is the reason for this and does it have any basis in halacha.


texts:
Are Jews racist against non-Jews?
Are Jews racist against non-Jews?


texts: May one change a dying battery on a defibrilator on Shabbat?

texts:
A shul keeps a defibrilator in a closet. While passing the closet on Shabbat, someone hears the machine beeping. He opens the closet, and sees a warning light saying "low battery".

The shul has many elderly people attending services Shabbat morning, and they have had frequent situations where they have needed to use the defibrillator on Shabbat. As this machine can save a person's life, the machine must be readily operative in an emergency.

May a person change the battery on the defib on Shabbat so that it will be available for a possible emergency that may or may not occur on Shabbat?

My question is not limited to a defib. It's just an example. It can be generalized to knowing of one may do melacha on any equipment so that it will be ready for a possible emergency? E.g. on Shabbat, can one change a dead battery on an ambulance?


texts: Echad Ushloshim Ushlosh Meyot - mi yodeya?

texts:
Who knows three hundred thirty one?
אחד ושלושים ושלוש מאות - מי יודע?
The traditional Passover song "Echad - mi yodeya" implies a possible presupposition that there is a Jewish significance to be found for each natural number. Accordingly, there is an ongoing series on Mi Yodeya that is attempting to unearth significant Judaism facts about each number, in sequence.
What significant Judaism facts are there about the number 331? The more significant within Judaism and the more intrinsically dependent on the value 331, the stronger the answer. Please include sources for your information wherever possible, as with all other answers on this site.
I'm asking these questions, not to get lazy gematria answers, but to provide a haven for those who know numbers in Judaism, and to fire the imagination of those who want to learn more.


texts:
Does using a voice-activated device constitute a melacha?

For example, Siri on an iphone
or, a even a voice-activated light-switch.

Does it make a difference if the computer doesn't take direct commands but instead understands what you want when you say "it's dark in here" (like a shabbat-goy)?


texts: Sin offering after woman giving birth vs not responsible for words uttered in pain

texts:
This question lists rationales for the sin offering a woman must bring after giving birth, among them for the words she may have uttered. How is this reconciled with a person not to blame for words uttered in pain, as cited in Goldberg (1996) Mourning in Halacha.

  Even if a sick person, due to his pain and suffering, blasphemes, God forbid, it is proper for the visitor to overlook it and not even to admonish the sick person about it, for a person is not to blame for words uttered in pain.


texts:
According to the rabbinical tradition, there are 8 threads in each side of the Tzitzit.
How many threads in the 'Tzitzit' of Karaites?


texts: If we repeat amida to help those who cannot otherwise pray, what of maariv?

texts:
As discussed in answers to this related question, we repeat the amida of shacharis and mincha to aid those who do not have a siddur, have not memorized the brachot, or who cannot read, but we don't do so at maariv because maariv is a tefillas reshus ("optional" prayer).

However, the needy davener just described seems to present a need for saying the amida out loud.  There must be subtle gradations to bracha levatala.  We pray the maariv amida despite it being reshus, but we do not do so out loud to help those who cannot daven on their own. What should the needy davener do? Not pray?  Why do we not say the amida out loud for such people?


texts:
An 11 year old girl made a neder that if she finds a certain object that she had lost then she'll give to tzedeka 20 agarot (which is today around 5 cents) every week (for the rest of her life.)

Does the neder take affect? Could her Father be "mafir" her neder?

(As a side note I had a doubt also over here if a neder can take affect on something less than a prutah however it seems to be that 5 cents is more than a prutah so that woudln't be part of the question -- a prutah is around 2 cents. I'm mentioning this just in case someone might point out this fact and that I don't think it applies over here.)


texts: Are marital relations on Friday nights a "double mitzvah"?

texts: An uncle of mine once told me that a rabbi told him that having marital relations on Friday nights is a "double mitzvah," presumably because one would be fulfilling both the obligation to have pleasure (oneg shabbat) and the obligation to be fruitful and multiply (piryah verivryah = procreation).  Where is the source for considering this a double mitzvah, doing two mitzvot b'vat achat?


texts: Why from the three Avos, Avraham and Yaakov had their name changed, and not Yitzchok?


texts: Why did the Dor Hamabul earn a painless death?

texts:
There are, apparently, 903 levels of death, and the term vayigva is one of them. According to some, it refers to the simple act of expiration -- the creation of a corpse. Others, like the Rashi referred to (but not cited) here, say it is a term for the death of a righteous person, though this introduces some difficulties.
The Ibn Ezra writes (on Bereishit 25:8)

מלת ויגוע צאת הרוח מהגוף רגע אחד בלי עינוי ועיכוב. הלא תראה ויאסוף רגליו אל המטה (ברא' מט, ג), ומיד גוע. והנה כל גויעה מיתה, ואין כל מיתה גויעה. על כן כתוב במבול ויגוע (ברא' ז, כא)

(translation mine)

On the word "vayigva": the exiting of breath from the body in a single moment with no suffering or delay. Compare with "and he brought up his legs on the bed" (49:3) and immediately expired. Behold all expiration is death (mitah) but not every death is [immediate] expiration. Therefore it is written [during the narrative] of the flood "vayigva" (7:21).

The generation of the flood certainly was not righteous -- they were deserving of destruction! Though it might have been a physical truth that they died "quickly" (as posited here) why would it be thought that they merited dying instantaneously and without suffering? Why would the Ibn Ezra write "על כן" 'therefore' when explaining the use of the term in the context of the flood?
In fact, the use of the word vayigva in reference to Yaakov (in the pasuk cited by the Ibn Ezra) in place of "and he died" leads to the medrash that Yaakov actually never died because the soul of the righteous man lives forever! Is this the reward for the generation of the flood?
Can anyone help me understand why the root word is the term applied to the generation of the flood (Ber. 6-17, 7-21)?


texts: Do Jews accept the Bible as being valid?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Do Jewish people have a collection of books which are the equivelant of the Christian Old Testament?

The Bible has an "Old testament" and a "New Testament". Do Jews use the "Old Testament" of the Bible or do they have a separate book? Is the Bible considered a valid book to the Jews?


texts: If kings were supposed to be from Shevet Yehuda, why was Shaul from Binyamin anointed?


texts: In Yona 4:4 why does God need to explain/justify what he did to Yona?


texts: Is giving money to relatives considered a tzedakah?

texts: Can giving money to my parents and relatives be considered as tzedakah?


texts: Of the tunes used for Y-h (Kah) Ribon Olam (even if used originally for another song), which is the first, and when was it composed and where? I know that the piyyut itself was composed in the 16th century but I haven't found anything regarding the melodies themselves.


texts: What do the different terms for "judges" indicate?

texts:
In a few places in the chumash, the word "elohim" is translated as "judges". Rashi does this on Bereishit 6:2 and many meforshim do this on the uses in Shemot (such as in 22:7 and 8) saying that the word means either "judges" or "court".

On 21:6, Rashi again explains the word as "beit din" and the Ibn Ezra expands on this saying that the judges establish Hashem's law on earth [note that the Abarbenel sees the word as referring to a place, not the people at the place: see here, second page]. The Ramban on 21:6 says that the word refers to the beit din because it hints to Hashem's presence with the judges when the settle a dispute ("לרמוז כי האלהים יהיה עמהם בדבר המשפט"). This PowerPoint (slides 4-5) brings up the explanations.

This is fine except that in many cases, judges are NOT called elohim! Parshat Shoftim includes discussions of judges and they are simply called shoftim. A single judge is called a shofet (as in Devarim 17:9 "וּבָאתָ, אֶל-הַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם, וְאֶל-הַשֹּׁפֵט").

Why wouldn't the judges in these cases be called elohim also? Are there different types of judges, and only some of them represent Hashem, or have His presence among them when they judge? Is a judge an elohim only in certain types of cases?


texts: Is it allowed to make paintings of living creatures?

texts:
Among the Ten Commandments is:

  Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any manner of likeness, of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth (Exodus 20:3, JPS)

According to history, paintings have also been converted to Idolatry for worship after some passage of time.

I have seen paintings in Jewish places. Are such paintings allowed?


texts: Mormons claim to be from the tribes of Israel (revealed via a "Patriarchal Blessing"), is this offensive to the Jewish community?

texts:
It has come to my attention that members of the the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), or more commonly known as Mormons, receive what is called a patriarchal blessing.

This "Patriarchal Blessing" is unique in that it is only given once in a person's lifetime and it divulges information about their pre-existing life, their strong talents, the challenges that they will face throughout their lifetime on Earth, what their individual purposes/roles in life are, stating which tribe of Israel they belong to by lineage, and special blessings that are to come, which are contingent on their obedience and living life in accordance to their commandments. You can read more about Patriarch Blessings from their own website here: https://www.lds.org/topics/patriarchal-blessings?lang=eng.

But I'll cite directly from the website concerning what the Patriarchal Blessings says in regards to the lineage aspect of the blessing. :

  Declaration of Lineage: A patriarchal blessing includes a declaration
  of lineage, stating that the person is of the house of Israel—a
  descendant of Abraham, belonging to a specific tribe of Jacob. Many
  Latter-day Saints are of the tribe of Ephraim, the tribe given the
  primary responsibility to lead the latter-day work of the Lord.
  Because each of us has many bloodlines running in us, two members of
  the same family may be declared as being of different tribes in
  Israel.It does not matter if a person's lineage in the house of Israel
  is through bloodlines or by adoption. Church members are counted as a
  descendant of Abraham and an heir to all the promises and blessings
  contained in the Abrahamic covenant (see Abrahamic Covenant).

Does it offend the Jewish community that Mormons claim that they are direct heirs of the House of Israel, and have full access to the Abrahamic covenant? Or do we, for the most part, shrug it off and say "to each their own. They can believe what they wanna believe"?

I'm not sure whether to feel like the are encroaching on my identity or to just smile and be flattered that they want to be from the House of Israel too?

Have any rabbis made any official statements regarding their reactions of the Mormon's claim to the House of Israel?


texts:
According to those that say the Avos kept the Torah beforehand (here), how was Yaakov allowed to marry two sisters?

(Yes, I'm aware that there are many answers)


texts: Does a trailer or a car require a mezuzah?

texts:
I understand that a mezuzah is required only on the doorways permanent dwelling places.

How is the term "permanent" defined? Is it defined by the physical location of the structure or by how the person uses the structure, and defining it as his "home"?

For example, if a person is a salesperson who constantly travels to different places, yet he sleeps in his car or trailer. Would that be considered a permanent dwelling place even though the place is physically being moved? Is there a minimum time limit to stay in one place to be considered "permanent"?


texts: When a tzaddik dies, does he leave his positive traits in this world?

texts:
I heard it said once that, when a righteous person (tzaddik) passes away, they somehow leave their positive character traits in this world to be used by others.

Does anyone know the source for this concept? Does such a source exist?


texts: How did chaza"l derive the first two commandments if they are both combined in a single parsha (paragraph)?

texts:
Generally, each of the Ten Commandments is written in its own paragraph in the Torah, except for the 1st two. Shmot (Ex.) 20:2 is the 1st commandmnet - "I am G-d" and the 2nd commandment is from Shmot (Ex.) 20:3-6). These two commandments are written in a single paragraph.

Additionally, there is a special form of Torah trope known as "ta'am elyon" which is customarily used when reading the 10 commandments in shul. This format treats all the verses that comprise one commandment as if it were a single verse, rather than the way it is "divided" as separate verses. (Yes, I am aware that the concept of psukim - verses is only possible by knowing the trope. In viewing the written Torah scroll, one would not know this.)

So, my question is that based on both the written format as well as the trope usage - whether ta'am elyon or tachton, how did chaza"l derive two separate commandments from this single paragraph?


texts: Special Grace After Meals in a House of Mourning

texts: The Shulchan Aruch in Yoreh De'ah 379 outlines a special version of Bentching to be recited in a House of Mourning. I have been in several houses of mourning and have never seen this done. Has anyone else seen it done? Why is it not widely practiced?


texts: The Tur's word counts for Shemoneh Esreh

texts:
I have often seen the Tur cited as giving exact word counts for each blessing of the Shemoneh Esreh.  The arguments I have seen for being careful to adhere to the word counts include that this would presumably be as it was brought by the Anshei Knesses Hagedola as well as the word counts having Kabbalistic significance, while the argument for relying instead on a given nusach that differs from these numbers is the very valid matter of established custom.

I'm having trouble finding the exact counts for each blessing - I don't have a physical copy of the Tur and can only find sections on hebrewbooks.org.  Is it referenced in the Shulchan Aruch?  If so, which siman?  Is it brought anywhere else?

Perhaps the sources deal with this, but how does this accomodate differences between Spring and Winter, or Sim Shalom/Shalom Rav?


texts: What's the origin of having more than one name?

texts:
I suppose this is more of a history question: as in when did Jewish people start naming their children with more than one name? But I would also be interested in knowing the circumstances behind it?

Why did it happen? What were the reasons behind it?


texts:
On Wikipedia, there is a list of haftarot.

For Ashkenazim, the list gives four customs: Ashkenazi, Polish, Frankfurt, and Chabad. Considering that Polish and Frankfurt sum up the major non-chassidic opinions, what is the opinion which is referred to only as "Ashkenazi"?


texts: Why in the olden days was there such a long break between Kiddushin & Nisuin?

texts:
In the times of the Gemara, a person would do the Kiddushin and then a year later would do the Nisuin (see Mishnah on Kesuvos 57a). Today we do Erusin and Nissuin at once under the Chupah.

Why did they do it like this, why didn't they do it one after the other as we do nowadays?
What prompted the change?


texts:
In Anim Zemerot we praise God saying "Nafshi Chemda Betzal Yadecha (my soul pines for the onion of your hand). Why does God have an onion?
This question is Purim Torah and is not intended to be taken completely seriously. See the Purim Torah policy.


texts: Why does the congregation recite something different during the repetition of the hoda'ah -- but nowhere else?

texts: During the repetition of the amidah, during the hoda'ah (modim) the congregation recites a different text while the shaliach tzibbur recites the text we all did during the silent amidah.  (1) Why do we recite a different (related) text instead of listening to the sha"tz, and (2) why only here?


texts: Answering Amen , Barachu and the like outside of a Minyan

texts: If one is neither in the room of a Minyan nor part of it  , but can hear it and see it , may he answer Amen, Barachu and the like


texts:
In a recent case the Israeli Rabbinical Court has revoked someone's conversion to Judaism on the grounds that they were deceptive. This decision was

  "...Based on the fact that she completely changed her lifestyle shortly after her conversion, with no remnants of observing the religious commandments (mitzvot) she agreed to uphold".

However, another Rabbi in the article disputes being able to revoke a conversion:

  According to Chuck Davidson, a modern Orthodox rabbi and social activist on what he calls “the conversion crisis in Israel,” it is very clear in rabbinic literature that there is almost no instance in which a conversion can be revoked.

  “From the Middle Ages onwards, the greatest of the rabbis wrote explicitly that even if immediately after the conversion the convert goes off to worship idols, the person is still considered Jewish,” said Davidson, who has published extensively on this subject.

What are the sources for both opinions?

What would/do other Battei Din do?


texts:
According to Rashi's commentary based on Genesis Rabbah 74:4 was that Rachel died because of Jacob's curse. The Torah text says whomever "You find" as in whomever Laban finds the idols that person will die. But the idols were never found on Rachel by him and the Torah explicitly mentions how she even fooled her father into not finding them.

עִם אֲשֶׁר תִּמְצָא אֶת אֱלֹהֶיךָ לֹא יִחְיֶה

http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/8226/jewish/Chapter-31.htm#showrashi=true
The Torah could have mentioned "whomever it is found" and it would have been self evident it was from the curse but the exact wording is תִּמְצָא = you will find. Of course Rachel did die by the curse as that is what chazal says so it must indeed be true. I'm just trying to probe further the logic behind why this is so. What is chazal's reasoning as to why based off the aforementioned?


texts: Can a kohen enter the Taj Mahal? When visiting India is a kohen allowed to enter even certain parts of the Taj Mahal? The tombs themselves are of non-Jews, of course, and they are buried beneath the earth.


texts: How would traditional Judaism categorize the general time location of the prophets?

texts:
Assuming the following four categories, is this how traditional Judaism would group the prophets?

The prophets of the northern kingdom (Israel):

Hosea
Amos
Jonah

The prophets of the southern kingdom (Judah):

Obadiah
Joel (Some 'modern scholars' date Joel in post-exile)
Isaiah (Some 'modern scholars' date parts in post-exile)
Micah
Nahum
Jeremiah
Zephaniah
Habakkuk

Prophets during Exile:

Ezekiel
Daniel

Post-exilic prophets:

Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi

I know Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, etc... may pre-date these categories, I'm not sure how they would be grouped.

NB: I am assuming this is not a controversial question, i.e. the answer is either "Yes", or "no, because blah". I am hoping asking what the "traditional" view is will eliminate the modern tendency for "scholars" to come up with endless debates on these types of things. Thanks.


texts:
When lighting Hanukkah candles in the synagogue, we say a beracha "asher kidshanu b'mitzvotav.." on a minhag. Unlike kiddush in shul, and early counting of the omer in shul, nobody would say that one actually fulfills his obligation to light by doing so in shul (unless the person in question sleeps in the shul that night).

Are there other examples of saying this beracha on fulfilling a minhag?


texts: If one has the custom to say viduy during kriat shema al hamitah, can he say this viduy following shabbat since motzeh shabbat is sort of a half holiday?


texts: Is there a list of things that have been put away until "l'atid lavo"?

texts: There are many mamarei chazal that discuss things that at one point existed and were hidden or saved for "l'atid lavo" (ex the ohr haganuz) does an extensive list of such things exist?


texts: Was divrei kabalah practiced before the nevi'im?

texts:
The Nevi'im sometimes got prophecies and wrote them down in Nevi'im or Kesuvim, and from those prophecies, we learn divrei kabalah. We learn things like oneg, mimtzo cheftzecha, and daber davar on Shabbos, from Yeshayahu; or we learn things like moshav leitzim from Tehilim; etc.

My question is this: Before those things were written in Tanach. were they practiced? For example, before Yeshayahu came, was there a requirement for oneg, just that it wasn't written down?

(Related)


texts: How Do You Conceal The Blue Stripes of the Small Tallis Under Your Shirt?

texts: A friend of mine got me tzizit (on a small wool tallis) to wear every day under my shirt. It has dark blue stripes that show straight through my shirt. I wore a vest to cover it up but I'm wondering what do folks normally do? Should I buy a different small tallis without the blue lines? Do you just wear a t-shirt over it? Most people wear white shirts so it will show through, those dark stripes. Thanks!


texts: Shemot describes the construction of the tabernacle. I have a question about the engineering

texts:
In the description of the construction of the tabernacle in Shemot (Exodus) 26 The JPS translation of Exodus 26:28, it says "and the middle bar in the midst of the boards, which shall pass through from end to end."

Is this bar horizontal, or is it slanted?  If it is slanted, then the structure is what a civil engineer would call a truss.  Trusses are very strong for their weight.  Since the tabernacle is designed to be portable, it seems like a reasonable thing for G-D to do, but the text doesn't say that it is sloped.


texts: What is the origin of the "reverse" hagbah?

texts:
I have seen in a few shuls people perform a "reverse" hagbah on Simchat Torah. The way this is done is that the person crosses his hands placing his right hand on the left etz chayim ("scroller") and the left hand on the right etz chayim while the Torah is on the table. Then. while lifting, he flips the hands around so that the writing is facing away from his body rather than towards it.

Why is this done, and what is the origin of this minhag? Is this actually allowed, halachically? Isn't there a halacha that the writing must face the lifter and / or when rolling the Torah closed, the writing must face the lifter?


texts: Why is it by some of the kri and ksivs in the megilla - like Memuchan and kiblu, we just say the Kri and other ones I've seen some actually say both the kri and the ksiv - the Baal Koreh reads be-amram, ki-amram (third chapter, fourth verse) or bifneihem, lifneihem (looking up chapter and verse).? What’s the source for all of these?


texts:
Is there a volume in English that explicates the relationship between each haftarah and its parsha?

Failing that, is there series of commentaries on the portions that routinely includes discussion of the haftarah?


texts:
Whits teh difference btween arur hAman and Baruch mosses?
--
This question is Purim Torah and is not intended to be taken completely seriously. See the Purim Torah policy


texts: Is it permissible to exclusively wear tephilin according to Rabenu Tam?

texts:
If one looks into the sources - as well as the give and take throughout the recorded history of the mahloqeth - it becomes clear that the majority of the world wore tephilin according to the shitta of Rabenu Tam exclusively until rather recent history. (cf. `Arokh HaShulhan, Hilkhoth Tephilin 34:1-9)

My question is: "Can one today wear RT tephilin and be yosse y'dhe hova (fulfill his obligation)? Why or why not?"


texts:
The Torah says, about the commandment on tefillin:

וּקְשַׁרְתָּ֥ם לְא֖וֹת עַל־יָדֶ֑ךָ וְהָי֥וּ לְטֹטָפֹ֖ת בֵּ֥ין עֵינֶֽיךָ׃ -- And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes. [Deuteronomy 6:8]

In the Talmud, Rabbi Akiva explains that the word טֹטָפֹ֖ת -- totafot is extracted from two other languages and means that the tefillin must have four compartments:

The word tat in the Kapti language means two, and the word pat in the Afriki language also means two, [so totafot is a compound word meaning “four”]. [Sanhedrin 4b, Menachot 34b]

Why would the Torah contain non-Hebrew words?  If some Hebrew words originate from other languages, then they are still considered Hebrew words.  Why would Rabbi Akiva remind us of their etymology?
I know "the Torah speaks the language of men", that the Book of Daniel was written in Aramaic, and that the Talmud includes many Greek words (“Sanhedrin” is a Greek word meaning “assembly”).  But this is the Torah -- it's supposed to be only in lashon hakodesh.  The only other place where the Torah uses a foreign word, it quickly translates it:

וַיִּקְרָא־ל֣וֹ לָבָ֔ן יְגַ֖ר שָׂהֲדוּתָ֑א וְיַֽעֲקֹ֔ב קָ֥רָא ל֖וֹ גַּלְעֵֽד -- Laban named it Yegar-sahadutha [Aramaic], but Jacob named it Gal-ed [Hebrew]. [Genesis 31:47]


texts: Does Jewish tradition hold the book of Jonah to be depicting historical events?

texts: I recently heard some scholars attempt to date Jonah as a later (and hence fictional) work.  Is it correct to assume that traditional Judaism considers Jonah to be a historical and accurate account of the real prophet described in the book of 2 Kings 14:25?


texts:
Many copies of Chumash list, after each parasha (weekly reading), the number of verses in that parasha. By and large, they omit it for parashas P'kude; why?

(And if the answer is that they copy the information from some version of the m'sora, which omits the information for P'kude, my question is transferred to that m'sora: why does it omit the information for P'kude?)


texts: What's more important in deciding halacha - precedent or the present?

texts:
Rashi, explaining the pasuk on inquiring of a judge (Devarim 17:9), says

  "and to the judge who will be in those days": Although this judge may not be [of the same stature] as other judges who preceded him, you must listen to him, for you have only the judge [who lives] in your time.

How does this fit together with the notion of basing rulings on precedent, which is central Judaism (e.g. Amoraim not able to argue with Tannaim, Acharonim with Rishonim, compilations of law like Shulchan Aruch setting halachic precedent, etc.)? From Rashi's explanation though, it seems that the actual standing and stature of a contemporary judge is not so important - even if he is lesser than the judges that preceded him and still disagrees with them, he should still be listened to (because he lives in the present).


texts:
A woman that made a Hefsek Tahara and counted for 6 days, but then didn’t count the 7th and didn't go to the Mikvah since she was not going to have sexual relations. Another 10 days passed.

Can she count the 7th day and go to the Mikvah?


texts: If a Jew violates a Rabbinically established "fence" on a law, is that the same as sinning against Hashem?

texts:
This question is in no way a challenge to Rabbinical authority. This question has more to do with the philosophy of sin and how Hashem holds us accountable for our actions.

If you commit an act which was not prohibited outright in the Torah but is an act which the Rabbis extended to protect us from sin, is that the same as outright sinning against Hashem?

The Rabbis extending a rule to protect us would be seen as a guard against sin, right?

So if the action is codified by the Rabbis as prohibited but it isn't considered a sin against Hashem, does Hashem hold that against you in the same way he holds a traditional sin against you? Or is the Rabbinical fence meant for the Jews to be accountable to one another?

Example:

Chicken was not historically considered equal to other forms of meat. There were debates at the time between Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Yose Ha-Galili which argued both sides of the issue.

They later formally expanded the rule with The Shulchan Aruch to outright prohibit the practice.

I'm speaking to examples like this. (maybe not exactly like this but the point falls into this theme)


texts: From what examples did R' Eliezer learn that Halacha can be decided by miracles?

texts:
In the famous argument between R' Yehoshua and R' Eliezer (Tanuro Shel Achnai, B"M 59b) R' Eliezer chose to prove his approach by performing miracles:

"Rabbi Eliezer answered all possible answers, but the Rabbis did not accept his explanations... R' Eliezer said to them: If the halakha is in accordance with my opinion, this carob tree will prove it. The carob tree was uprooted from its place one hundred cubits, and some say four hundred cubits."

Where did R' Eliezer learn that miracles prove Halachic opinions? Are there previous examples that this approach ever worked?


texts:
The status of prayer without Kavannah I think has been dealt with. My question is negative kavannah.

Examples of Negative Kavannah are:
"I don't want to pray but it wont look good ( or I'll get punished, or fill in another reason here) if I don't pray so I'll just read the words quickly and get it over with"
-or an even more extreme case "I disagree with these words that I am saying but I'll say it anyways because that's what in the siddur".

Are there sources that deal with these kinds of cases? Is this even considered prayer?


texts: How a prophet translates a vision into words?

texts:
According to Rambam (Yesodey Hatorah 7,2), a prophet sees a vision of prophecy, not receiving a clear verbal message:

  וכולן אין רואין מראה הנבואה ...
  ...אלא בחלום בחזיון לילה או ביום אחר שתפול עליהן תרדמה

  They receive prophetic visions only in a visionary dream or during the day after slumber has overtaken them...

How does a prophet translate it into words to pass the message to the masses? And if the vision IS G-dly, how the wording can be, as it is his own human interpretation? Is there only one way of possible putting/describing every prophecy?


texts: Is every Jew who is capable of doing so, required to learn "kol ha'torah kula"? If yes, what would that include?


texts: I just heard from somebody that there is a machlokes whether a ger tzedek can be a sofer or not. What are the sources (if any)? If it is, then would that make it impossible to earn money as one if you're a ger?


texts: Does any aspect of the sotah procedure still hold effect today? For example if a man tells his wife, in front of 2 witnesses, not to be secluded with another man, and she secludes with that man for the amount of time it would take to have relations, is she forbidden to her husband?


texts: What does Judaism say about the Original sin?

texts:
DISCLAIMER: I am not Jewish nor am I a follower of Judaism. I have read the Torah, prophets and writings with Rashi commentary,  also have read some of the Midrash, and read/watch some of today's Rabbis teachings. While I won't call myself Christian, because of all the lies taught in so-called churches today,  I do hold to the teachings in their Gospels. I ask that you please not judge me on this as I often look to Judaism to help me understand.

QUESTION: does Judaism have any beliefs about "original sin" and whether all people are born with it? I am interested in any information from the Talmud to Midrash or any other teachings that address this question.

NOTE: I am also asking this on the Christianity site here. So please don't migrate it


texts: Is there any connection between longer Tachanun and Torah reading?

texts:
It just so happens to be that we say a longer Tachanun on Mondays and Thursdays.  It also just so happens to be that we read the Torah publicly as part of the service on Mondays and Thursdays.  Is there any connection between the two?

Related: Tachanun on Monday and Thursday


texts: Why don't Korach and his followers ask if an all Techeiles Beged is Patur from Techeiles?

texts:
רש"י במדבר ט"ז:א' ד"ה דתן ואבירם. ... מֶה עָשָׂה? עָמַד וְכָנַס ר"נ רָאשֵׁי סַנְהֶדְרָאוֹת — ... וְהִלְבִּישָׁן טַלִּיתוֹת שֶׁכֻּלָּן תְּכֵלֶת, בָּאוּ וְעָמְדוּ לִפְנֵי מֹשֶׁה, אָמְרוּ לוֹ טַלִּית שֶׁכֻּלָּהּ שֶׁל תְּכֵלֶת חַיֶּבֶת בְּצִיצִית אוֹ פְטוּרָה? אָמַר לָהֶם חַיֶּבֶת, הִתְחִילוּ לִשְׂחׂק עָלָיו, אֶפְשָׁר טַלִּית שֶׁל מִן אַחֵר חוּט אֶחָד שֶׁל תְּכֵלֶת פּוֹטְרָהּ, זוּ שֶׁכֻּלָּהּ תְּכֵלֶת לֹא תִפְטוֹר אֶת עַצְמָהּ?! (תנחומא):
... What did he [Korach] do? He arose and assembled 250 men, fitted to be heads of the Sanhedrin... and he attired them in robes of pure purple wool. They then came and stood before Moses and said to him, “Is a garment that is entirely of purple subject to the law of Zizith or is it exempt”? He replied to them: “It is subject to that law”. Whereupon they began to jeer at him: “Is this possible? A robe of any different coloured material, one thread of purple attached to it exempts it, and this that is entirely of purple should it not exempt itself (i.e. ipso facto be exempt) from the law of “Zizith”? (Midrash Tanchuma, Korach 2).

Why are Korach and his followers asking whether it is Chayav in Tzitzis? There is no reason why it shouldn't be Chayav in Tzitzis (strings at the corner). All that they've proved is that it should be Patur from Techeiles. Why don't they ask him whether a Beged that is completely Techeles should be Chayav in having Techeiles strings?


texts: Is it halachically permissible for a Jew to own a casino?

texts:
For the purpose of my question, assume that the modern casinos have games which, on average, favor the house.  They don't win every spin of the roulette wheel, nor every throw of the dice, but the games are designed such that at the end of the day, the casino always comes out ahead.

This is several questions, really:

Consider my hypothetical friend Ploni. Ploni agrees with those
opinions that a Jew is never allowed to gamble. Learning that modern
casino games are designed so that the odds favor the house, and the
casino is always ahead at the end of the day, he thinks this is a
great business in which to invest, and he buys a casino. Does this
make him a gambler?
If  the answer to #1 is no, assuming that his customers are all
gentiles, is there any violation of halacha in facilitating the
gambling of his customers?
If the answer to #2 is no, then imagine a Jewish customers goes into
that casino and gambles. By allowing this, has the Jewish casino
owner committed an aveira?
On a tangentially related note: So far as I know, a Jew is permitted
to drive benefit from non kosher food like pork (thought not bassar
v' chalav). So could Ploni buy a pig abattoir, and start selling
pork products? If a Jew sinned by eating pork he bought from Ploni,
has Ploni committed an aveira?


texts: Throwing out food with "questionable" hechsher - bal tashchis?

texts:
If one receive cooked food from a person that perhaps used ingrediants from a hechsher that one normally wouldn't eat is it bal tashchis to throw out the food?

With packaged, store-bought food it would be easier to simply give it away to a neighbor or friend. However normally home-made food is harder to give away to others so, consider in this case that that option is not available.

If it is bal tashchis, then what should the person do? Simply let it sit in their fridge until it's no longer edible?


texts: Is mosquitos a good enough reason not to eat in the sukkah?

texts:
There's a principle that if you are pained from sitting in the sukkah you are exempt from eating in it. The typical applicaiton of this ruling is when it rains.

In my back yard we have a lot of mosquitos. In warm weather you can get around 5 nasty bites in just sitting there for 5 minutes. Is this enough of a reason to exempt you from eating in the sukkah?

Would this sukkah be posul (invalid) altogether because it was built in a place with a lot of mosquitos?


texts: In adultery, why is a wife is guilty, and a husband not?

texts: Why is a wife who engages in extramarital relations guilty of adultery, while a husband who does the same is not?


texts: Does a weak flame invalidate Hanuka candles?

texts:
[I was asked to post this question by a user who doesn't have access to MY]

According to the OU website

  The Beis Ha Levi rules that once the flame is dark and is going out,
  it is already as if it is totally doused and there is no more mitzvah
  even though there is still a flame there; the reason being that such a
  flame has no beauty and is not at all recognizable as being for the
  mitzvah. (What this is most probably referring to is when there is
  only a blue light coming out of the candle, without any yellow or
  orange).

Does this mean that, at least according to the Beis HaLevi, if the Chanukah candles must last for 30 minutes, but during the last minute of the 30 minutes the flame is weak like he describes, is the person not yotzei the mitzvah? Do any later authorities rule like this Beis HaLevi?


texts: What about Yetziat Mitzrayim should I remember?

texts:
One of the שש זכירות requires that I remember the Exodus from Egypt (זכירת יציאת מצרים). According to the linked Wiki document, in an effort to fulfill
 (לְמַעַן תִּזְכֹּר אֶת יוֹם צֵאתְךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם כֹּל יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ: (דברים ט"ז, I say the third perek of the Sh'ma (though many other things all seem to be marking that remembrance as well).

In one sense, I remember the specific date (as stated here) or the literal fact that I left/am leaving (sort of here). In another sense, I mark all the things that the exodus led up to (or to the echoes of the events) as discussed here, or the exodus as a foundation for the ability to do everything else in my life (here, sort of). But I am not clear, though, on what I am remembering in order to be mekayem this (Rabbinic) mitzvah/obligation.

Am I remembering an event, a change in status, God's general power or something else? In the preparatory prayer before donning my tefillin I say וְשֶׁנִּזְכֹּר נִסִּים וְנִפְלָאוֹת שֶׁעָשָׂה עִמָּנוּ בְּהוֹצִיאָנוּ מִמִּצְרָיִם that I am remembering the miracles and wonders done then. What should I be focusing on?


texts:
Rabbeinu Bechaya Shemos (7:27) quotes the Shemos Rabbah (10:2) saying the plague of tzfarde'ah reestablished the borders between Cush and Egypt

בני חם ובני מצרים היו חלוקים בתחומין הכושיים אומרים ע"כ תחומנו
והמצריים אומרים ע"כ תחומנו כיון שבאו הצפרדעים עשו שלום ביניהם הגבול
שלא היו צפרדעים בו היו יודעים שאינו של מצרים שנאמר את כל גבולך ולא של
אחרים - this area had remained disputed between them until that time.
Due to the plague of the frogs they made peace amongst themselves.
They came to the realisation that the area not invaded by the frogs
belonged to the territory of Cham. We derive this from the words of
Moses’ warning “your entire territory,” i.e. not anyone else’s
territory.

What is the lesson of this seemingly irrelevant, albeit related, consequence included in the Torah's explanation of the plague? (If anything, it would seem that making peace with a rival country would be a welcomed element of the plague)


texts: On Chanukah this year we will make a blessing on wine and then having latkas, etc.. I am looking for something mazonot to serve after the wine bracha which is not sweet. We are not making Hamotzi. Are corn chips mazonot? What other non sweet simple food would be mazonot?


texts: Chafez Chayim checked copies of (which) books?

texts:
I've heard that the Chafetz Chayim inspected each page of each printed copy of the Mishna B'rura to be sure that it was printed correctly (with no large ink splotches or the like).

Is there a reliable source for this fact?
Which printings of the Mishna B'rura — and other books, if any — did he do this to?


texts: Nechemia - was the mitzva of sukka forgotten?

texts:
In Nechemia ch.8:13-15

  And on the second day, the heads of the fathers' houses of all the
  people, the priests, and the Levites, gathered to Ezra the scholar,
  and to understand the words of the Torah; And they found written in
  the Torah that the Lord had commanded by the hand of Moses that the
  Children of Israel dwell in booths on the festival in the seventh
  month. And that they should announce and proclaim in all their cities
  and in Jerusalem, saying, "Go out to the mountain and bring olive
  leaves and leaves of oil trees, myrtle leaves, date palm leaves, and
  leaves of plaited trees, to make booths, as it is written... And the
  people went forth and brought [them] and made booths for themselves,
  each one on his roof and in their courts and in the courts of the
  House of God, and in the square of the Water Gate, and in the square
  of the Gate of Ephraim. And all the congregation of the returnees from
  the captivity made booths and dwelt in the booths, for they had not
  done so from the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day, and
  there was exceedingly great joy.

which implies the people forgot the mitzva of sukka. is this correct?


texts: Apartment buildings higher than the shul

texts:
Shabbat 11a states that a city in which houses (but not towers or castles/fortresses [unsure about the translation]) are built higher than the synagogue will eventually be destroyed.

  ואמר רבא בר מחסיא אמר רב חמא בר גוריא אמר רב כל עיר שגגותיה גבוהין מבית הכנסת לסוף חרבה שנאמר (עזרא ט, ט) לרומם את בית אלהינו ולהעמיד את חרבותיו וה"מ בבתים אבל בקשקושי ואברורי [רש"י -- בירניות ומגדלים] לית לן בה

How does this apply to apartment buildings? We might say that they are like houses -- after all, people live in them, and that would be a problem. On the other hand, perhaps they are like a castle, which is normally built large, which sounds to be permissible.


texts: Rabbi Yom Tov Schwarz (See: “EYES TO SEE: Recovering Ethical Torah Principles Lost in the Holocaust”) argues that the Jewish people (led by the Torah observant community) should designate a fast day in remembrance and mourning of the Holocaust and it should be on a day that doesn’t already have a fast associated with other events (e.g., 9th of Av, 10th of Tevet, etc).  Have any other Gedolim agreed with this and do any Torah observant communities fast on a day solely in remembrance and mourning of the Holocaust?


texts: Can a gentile light a Shabbat candle and do the prayers?

texts:
I am a gentile, however I am seriously considering to convert.

I would like to do some of the Shabbat traditions just to get a feel of the celebration (can you call it that?) like light the candle and say the prayer afterwards. I don't know yet whether I am "religious enough" to convert and am hoping for some guidance in the prayer.

Is it okay for me to do that even if I don't yet fully understand all aspects of it?
Thanks in advance.