texts: What is the source for Beis Din's obligation to enforce mitzvos

texts:
The Gemarra in Kesubos 86a and Chullin 132b teaches the following:

  במצות עשה כגון שאומרין לו עשה סוכה ואינו עושה לולב ואינו עושה מכין אותו עד שתצא נפשו

  With regard to positive mitzvot, for example, if the court says to someone: Perform the mitzva of the sukka, and he does not do so, or: Perform the mitzva of the palm branch, and he does not do so, the court strikes him an unlimited number of times, even until his soul departs, in order to force him to perform the mitzva.

The Gemarra doesn't bring a source for this idea. What is it? I've seen many sources in Rishonim that take it for granted that בית דין כופין על המצוות, but didn't see any of them explain where this idea comes from. There's a concept that Beis Din (and potentially everyone) has an obligation to remove prohibited activities from people, but this seems different.

I saw the Avnei Miluim (42:1) suggests its from the sugya in Bava Basra 48a that a coerced sale is effective. I'm not sure if this is his insight, or others preceded him with it, or if there are any other explanations offered


texts:
If someone was given the name of a sick person to daven for them, and when they get to refa'enu (blessing for healing) they can only remember the person's name but not their mother's name, how should they proceed?

Let's say that they know the person's surname, their mother's English name, and have a vague memory that the mother's Hebrew name was Shprintza something-or-other.

Should they:

just say the part they remember?
say the mother's English name?
say the surname?
say the part of the mother's name which they remember?
do their best to guess the mother's full name?
some combination of the above?
something else entirely?

Sources please.


texts: Trying to convert having a Child with a goy woman and implications

texts:
A man who wants to convert
who alread have a Child without a marriage (out marriage son).
What are the implications of this situation?
If he converts, will his child kept being considered his child? or Will be as he never had a Child?
And the status of the child? Will he be an orphan ?
Will beit din allow such conversion? Will It be considered moraly correct?
Are there examples on tanach or Holly books or referencies as examples of this situation ? Please inform me


texts: Minhag of married women shaving during marriage

texts:
The custom for married women to shave their heads is, evidently, a fairly widespread custom that exists at least amongst (certain) Hasidim. I have heard a variety of supposed, non-authoritative explanations for this practice, but, hitherto, I have been unable to find an explicit, written source. It would be greatly appreciated if some light were shed on this subject matter, particularly the following questions:

What is the source/origin of this minhag? What is the underlying reasoning behind it? Is it primarily halakhic? Kabbalistic? Cultural? Historically speaking, how old is it?
Sociologically speaking, who abides by this custom? For instance, some (e.g. Satmar) clearly do adhere to this practice whilst others (e.g. Sepharadim) clearly do not. My understanding had been that this was an exclusively hasidic minhag. Is this truly so? Are there non-Hasidim/Misnagdim who hold this way? If so, who? Conversely, are there Hasidim who don't practice this? If so, who, and why?


texts: Why do we need to know that Bigsan and Seresh are Tarsians?

texts:
The Gemara in Megillah 13b says that Bigsan and Seresh were two Tarsians:

  אמר רבי יוחנן בגתן ותרש שני טרסיים הוו והיו מספרין בלשון טורסי

  R' Yochanan said: Bigsan and Seresh were two Tarsians, and they were speaking in the Tarsian tongue.

Why is it important that Bigsan and Seresh are specifically Tarsians as opposed to speaking any unspecified foreign language?

Related: What country is Tarsia / טרסי?


texts:
Within the Torah we find many places where God commands us 'to walk His way(s).' What does 'to walk' mean? And what is His way?

some examples of walking:

It is written: walk in that which is engraved  (vayikra 26:3)
It is said: to walk in Torah (Tehillim 119:1, Nechemyah 10:30)
It is written: to to walk in them (chukot v'mishpatim, vayikra 18:4)
To walk in the mitzvot (1 malachim 6:12)
To walk as our fathers did (shoftim 2:22)
To walk after God (2 malachim 23:3)
To walk before His presence (1 malachim  8:25)

examples of way:
way of His mitzvot (tehillim 119:32)
derech of his chukot (tehillim 119:33)
derech mishpat (devarim 32:4)

The way is tamim (tehillim 18:30), Torah is tamim (tehillim 19:7), we should walk tamim like Avraham (bereshit 17:1 & tehillim 86:11).

I can't literally walk as HaShem does, so what is it He's asking for?
Is way a methapor or synonym for His Word(s) which of course we know as Torah and exist of mitzvot, chukot and mishpatim and other spoken ways (life rules, goals, settings, characteristics, teachings) of HaShem? What do the rabbis teach us?


texts: Is there a minhag amongst some to wear a kittel on Rosh HaShanah?

texts:
The universal Ashkenazi minhag is to wear the kittel on Yom Kippur.

I have heard of some who wear the kittel also on Rosh HaShanah. Is this a true minhag? I suspect it might be a Jeckishe (German) minhag, but I'm not so sure.


texts: PTIJ: Hansel & Gretel burning their house down for Biur Chametz

texts:
Are Hansel and Gretel, who live in a gingerbread house, forced to sell their house for Pesach each year (due to owning Chametz)? Are they always going to hotels for Pesach? Does this mean that by Purim, they aren't living at home, due to the Mitzvah of Bedikas Chametz being restricted to one's house/place of residence within 30 days of Pesach?
If they forget one year to book tickets to move away, do they burn their house down to be Mekayem Biur Chametz?

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


texts:
I'm looking for a good daf shiur in far rockaway / 5T say anywhere around from 6:30 to 8 AM.

What I want in a Shiur is a clear and concise maagid, FYI.


texts: Should the Christian cross be seen as an idol?

texts:
As Christianity is Avodah Zarah, is a Christian cross which people kiss, pay respect to, and face toward when praying, considered to be an idol?

Here is a brief excerpt from a scholarly Christian source which sheds more light into their form of worship and how the cross is used:

  Now, it was clear from the beginning that Christian prayer was not
  simply directed to God alone, but through Jesus Christ to the heavenly
  Father. This is precisely where the cross comes into play as a focal
  point. Thus, in the early church, not only heaven, but the cross, as
  well, was depicted in the apse, or at least placed at a high location
  in the apse. Everyone was supposed to be looking at the cross when
  they prayed. The best example of this arrangement is in the apse of
  the church of Sant’Apollinare in Classe near Ravenna, Italy, which
  dates back to the sixth century


texts: Why don't we detail the wine-libations during Mussaf?

texts:
During mussaf, after the verses of the appropriate offering are recited, we add:

ומנחתם ונסכיהם כמדובר, שלושה עשרונים לפר ושני עשרונים לאיל ועשרון לכבש ויין כנסכו
And the flour offerings and wine libations as said, 3/10 [of an efah] per bull, 2/10 per ram, and 1/10 per sheep and wine according to its libation [trans. mine]

Why do we specify the amount of flour brought, but not the amount of wine?


texts: Are R' Menashe Klein's volumes of responsa pronounced "Mishna Halachos" or "Mishaneh Halachos"? Can someone provide the grammatical explanation please?


texts: What bracha for a mixture of apple and grape juice?

texts:
If one is drinking a mixture of apple and grape juice, what bracha does one recite -- shehakol or hagafen?  If it matters, I am interested in all three of the following situations:

Mostly apple juice with some grape
Mostly grape juice with some apple
A 50/50 split


texts: Differences between RaMbaM and RaMbaN's mitzvah count

texts:
I know both the Rambam and Ramban listed all of the 613 mitzvos, and that they differ in some (I think like 16ish?)
What are the ones upon which they differ? If possible please include why they differ in specific instances.


texts: Looking for the source of a saying on "redemption being like a candle in the daylight"

texts: I'm looking for the source for the saying that goes something like: "celebrating the first redemption in the yemos hamoshiach will be like lighting a candle in the daylight".


texts: Calculation methods for intermediate time of chanukah lighting

texts:
We know that there are those who light chanukah candles at sunset and other at tzeis but there are some poskim lighting between at an intermediate time, for example :

Rav Moshe Feinstein, Rav Elyashiv => 10 minutes after sunset
Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky, Chazon Ish => 20 minutes after sunset
Rav Aaron Kotler => 15 minutes before tzeis

I read that for the 10 minutes of Rav Moshe Feinstein it is based on the following reasoning :

tzeis = 50 minutes after sunset = Rabbenu Tam 72 minutes adjusted downwards for NY = 4 mil
so 3/4 mil = 10 minutes
so geonim tzeis is 10 minutes past sunset

Thereby lighting 10 minutes after shkia we are yotzei both opinions : we light just after sunset & we light at (geonim) tzeis.

For Chazon Ish reasoning here what I've found :
The Chazon Ish zt'l lit the Chanukah lights on weekdays twenty minutes after sunset. On Motzei Shabbos, however, he lit them only after ma'ariv (which he davened approximately three quarters of an hour after sunset) and making havdoloh. [The report in Tohoras Habayis (part 2, p. 273) that the Chazon Ish lit Chanukah lights twenty minutes after sunset even on Motzei Shabbos--from which the author deduces that melochos may be done this soon after sunset when there is a pressing necessity--is erroneous].

The source of the minhag of the Chazon Ish of when to light Chanukah lights on weekdays is found in the Bei'ur HaGra in Yoreh Dei'ah, Hilchos Milah chap. 266:17, who explicitly mentions Chanukah lights!

The Chazon Ish based his reasoning on the fact that there must be some darkness for Chanukah lighting, since "what good is a candle during the day?" In central Eretz Yisroel we light 20-21 minutes after sunset (depending when Chanukah falls according to the solar calendar). The sun is at that time 4.8 degrees below the horizon.

Using the sun's position below the horizon as our criterion, these are the times to light Chanukah lights in selected cities worldwide according to the Chazon Ish: Zurich 27-28 minutes after sunset; Vienna 28-29 minutes; Sydney 22 minutes; Strasbourg 28 minutes; Stockholm 43-44 minutes; Rome 24-25 minutes; Paris 28-29 minutes; New York 23-24 minutes; Gateshead 35 minutes; Melbourne 23-24 minutes; Manchester 33 minutes; Los Angeles 21-22 minutes; London 31 minutes; Johannesburg 20 minutes; Cleveland 24 minutes; Chicago 24-25 minutes; Buenos Aires 22-23 minutes; Amsterdam 32 minutes.

The custom in Yerushalayim, based on the traditions of the talmidei Hagra, is to light at sunset.

See Birur Halocho Teliso'oh, Orach Chaim 772

Do you have any idea for the other rabbonim calculations ?


texts:
What are the halachos of saying nivel peh in a language which one does not speak/understand? (Or which one speaks/understands to various degrees?)

Might this depend at all on the language (Jewish languages, loshon kodesh)?

I posit that the nivel peh be deliberate, assuming no responsibility on the part of one who accidentally says nivel peh in a foreign tongue.


texts: How is a Gentile's membership in a Table of Nations Gentile nation determined?

texts:
In Genesis 10 (The Table of Nations), the Gentile nations that came from the descendants of Noah are enumerated "after their generations, in their nations". How is a Gentile's membership in a Gentile nation reckoned from the perspective of Judaism? For example, is a Gentile's national identity based on maternal lineage? Paternal lineage? Is it based on percentage of admixture (e.g. a Gentile that has three grandparents belonging to Dodanim and one belonging to Caphtorim would be considered a Dodanimite). Are Gentiles allowed to choose which of their ancestors to derive membership from (e.g. if a Gentile has a strong attachment to their father's mother's mother's mother's father, who was of Lud, then he can declare himself a member of Lud's nation too)? Are the rules of membership decided upon by the authorities of each individual nation considered binding on Judaism (e.g. the modern community of descendants of Magog has the prerogative to include or exclude Gentiles from their family as they see fit, and Jews are obligated to honor such internal family determinations)?

As an aside, I have not been able to find very much information on how to locate or identify modern day officials or leaders of these nations.

I am primarily interested in the theory of how this is, can be, has been done in times past, or could be done if only we still had (or could find) the right records rather than looking for a practical procedure to use to classify any specific modern-day Gentiles. For example, in the time of Abraham, Gentiles presumably had much better access (compared with today) to reliable geneologies linking them back to Noah, so there might have even been cases where someone's membership in a nation was formally documented, assessed, or tracked for some purpose.


texts:
Why was there a covenant cut with the benei Yisra'el at Sinai, then at Chorev, and yet again at Mo'av?

At Sinai (Exo. 19:1 - 24:8)
At Chorev (Deut. 5:2)
At Mo'av (Deut. 29:1)


texts: Do the various sects of Judaism reflect differing national or cultural backgrounds?

texts:
There is a question about the religious significance of the existence of various sects, but I was wondering whether the sects tend to reflect differing national or cultural backgrounds. Within Christianity, for instance, it is commonly observed that the Protestant Reformation spread largely among people who spoke Germanic languages, whereas the Catholic Church retained influence among speakers of Romance languages—so presumably something about the language or culture favored one sect or another.

Are there any such tendencies among present-day Jewish sects? For example, would you expect Jews (or descendants of Jews) who had historically spent time in a particular country to belong to a particular sect today? (I am an American, so I am sort of familiar with Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Judaism; I'm really not sure whether those differences are significant worldwide.)


texts: Can a kohen, or someone who will not have the opportunity to visit a grave for that matter, ask someone who will be visiting a grave to put stones there for him?


texts: Where can I find the original sources for the pidyon haben ceremony?  I don't mean the verses in Torah that gives us the halakha, rather something on the rituals of the ceremony itself (much like Ketubot contains the text of and some context around the sheva brachot).


texts:
Were Yaakov and Esav monozygotic ("identical") twins, or dizygotic ("fraternal") twins?

(Inspired by Sabbahillel's answer to Why is the birth of twins a Chidush for Rivka?)


texts: What Bracha is Chulent, and since we are on the category of Brachos what Bracha are falafel Balls?


texts: Is there a sin associated with driving a Jew away from observance?

texts:
I was curious if the topic has ever come up. You typically hear the argument that a Jew's observance is between them and Hashem. If they don't observe, that's obviously a personal choice and thus they carry the responsibility of that.

I was curious if there were circumstances where another Jew could be implicated in such a situation. Say a Jew says or does something which alienates a fellow Jew to the point of nonobservance. Do they carry the burden of this on their soul to some degree?

Some examples:

A Jew makes a Baal Teshuva feel unwelcome and they end up not fully reintegrating back into the community of observance as a result.
A Jew applies a Torah idea in a wrong or bad way which results in a fellow Jew getting the wrong idea and losing their belief or faith.
A Jew gives someone the false idea that observance is something they can just walk away from. "Maybe this whole Judaism thing isn't for you."

These are just some examples but you get the idea.

I was curious if the spiritual ramifications of such individuals had ever been discussed.


texts: Why do pigul, nosar, and tame incur kares?

texts:
As described in e.g. Rambam hilchos Pisule Hamukdashin chapter 18, there are bunch of things that render a korban invalid, and someone who eats from it gets whipped. However, there are three types of invalid korban that someone who eats gets kares: a korban that was prepared with intent to eat it beyond the specified time, a korban when eaten beyond the specified time, and a korban eaten by someone tame. (Others, that don't incur kares, are a korban that's tame, a korban prepared with intent to eat it in the wrong place, and an animal with a physical blemish.)

Why do those invalidations, specifically, incur kares, when other invalidations don't? I'm seeking a taame-hamitzvos reason, not a how-do-we-know (what's-the-d'rasha) reason.


texts: Where did the idea of a shul kiddush come from

texts:
In many communities I have been in around the world after mussaf on shabbat there is often a 'kiddush'. This consists of the Rav of the shul (or some other designee) who makes kiddush and food is served. Often the kiddush is sponsored or provided by someone who is celebrating a simcha.

What is the origin of this practice?


texts: Wishing someone Mazel Tov may turn out to be problematic

texts:
I am a member of a Chabad-Lubavitch shul with its wonderfully diverse community here in Southeast Asia though I am not a Chasid. I may have caused some discomfort to our much loved Rabbi & Rebbetzin to whom I wished mazel tov on the birth of their daughter's first-born son. The Rebbetzin told me in a soft and polite way that wishing someone mazel tov in this kind of situation was not part of their tradition (Chasidic?). I was concerned that I had made a gaffe. This happened during a Friday-night kiddush at the shul, the mother and newborn still hospitalized, awaiting their hospital discharge.

Why is this so?


texts: Would Emoji halachically be considered a language?

texts:
While admittedly close to Purim, this is NOT a Purim Torah.

Pretty much all of us know about emojis, as they're virtually everywhere nowadays. Emojis are increasingly being used as proof in court- an Israeli couple was recently found liable for backing out of an apartment lease based off their emoji usage .

In light of this, was wondering how emoji would be viewed through the eyes of Halacha. For example:

Writing on Shabbos - Writing 2 letters is against the Torah (Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Shabbos 11:9 ), if someone wrote 2 emojis would it be considered violating the melachah of writing? ✍♂
Cursing one's parents - this is explicitly prohibited (Leviticus 20:9) if someone were to chalilah v'chas send their parent a middle finger emoji would they be in violation of this commandment?
Pledging to give Tzedakah- The Shulchan Aruch (YD 258:13) states that if one pledges to give Tzedakah they cannot retract it. Ex: Reuven texts me "Hey can you pledge $18 for me to run the half-marathon?" and I reply with "" ... would that be considered Halachically binding?
(I'm sure there are more examples, please share if you think of any!)

Thoughts?

Edit: Saw this article that quotes Rabbi Shlomo Aviner who says that the "praying hands" emoji is "avak avoda zara" (ie the 'whiff' of idol worship) and that G-d fearing Jews not use it. R' Aviner believes the "source [of said emoji] is the ancient idols of the Far East and of Christianity"


texts:
The Tere ta’ame (also known as a Merekha kefula) trope is rare, occurring only 5 times in the Torah: Genesis 27:25, Exodus 5:15, Leviticus 10:1, Numbers 14:3 and 32:42

Any sources for a recording of the Tere ta’ame trope?

Added Yes, I was referring to the Merekha kefula trope in Bamidbar 14:3. Thank you for the information and answers.


texts: Is Shaving allowed in honor of Shabbat this Tisha B'Av

texts: This year Tisha B'Av falls on Shabbat.  Is shaving allowed in honor of Shabbat?


texts:
I have a silver ring with the words "Gam Ki Elech Lo Ira Ra Ki Ata Imadi" engraved into it. It is the same font as words in a torah.
The words are meant to be written as a play on words from psalm 23 and are now referring to a spouse. Two of the words have letter that connect to an adjacent word (some suggested that may invalidate them as halchik "words" in order to avoid any issues).

Is it ok to wear this ring in the bathroom? Or handle impure items while wearing it?


texts: Location of halachos of "a chosson and kallah"

texts: Where are the halachos found in shulchan aruch regarding the practical halachos that a chosson is taught before he gets married: how a chosson and kallah have תשמיש המטה on the first night (and other nights) they are married.


texts: What is meant by "congregational honor" regarding disallowing women reading the Torah publically?

texts:
The Talmud Bavli (Megillah 23a) says that while, if a woman read from the Torah it counts towards the required 7 aliyot, the chachamim disallowed it because of kavod hatzibbur - the respect for the congregation.

What is this kavod hatzibbur? Is it a concern of men seeing women during prayers, or that mean will be distracted by viewing a woman on the men's side? We already use a mechitza for that concern. Also, that concern seems to be more of an "individual" concern, not a tzibbur concern.

I've read that public Torah reading is an obligation only for the tzibbur. I.e., when there is a tzibbur - i.e. a minyan - the Torah must be read publicly. So, it seems that having a woman read the Torah is considered disrespectful in some way to the congregation meaning the group unit. What exactly is disrespectful, here? What's the concern?


texts: In Shemoneh Esrei- why "God of Avraham, God of Yitzchak, & God of Yaakov" instead of "God of Avraham, Yitzchak, & Yaakov?"

texts:
In the first bracha of Shemoneh Esrei, why do we say:

אֱלקֵּי אַבְרָהָם. אֱלקֵּי יִצְחָק. וֵאלקֵּי יַעֲקב
God of Avraham, God of Yitzchak, and God of Yaakov;

instead of just saying:

אֱלקֵּי אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק יַעֲקב
God of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov;

What's the significance of having "אֱלקֵּי" in front of each of the Avos?


texts: Source for Groom's Immersion in Ritualarium (mikveh)

texts:
What are the earliest sources referencing the custom of groom to immersing himself in a mikveh before his wedding?

This custom is referenced in Kitzur Yalkut Yosef (nisu'in v'shidduchin: 3:11):

  יש חתנים שנוהגים לטבול במקוה ביום החתונה, והוא מנהג טוב והגון. אך אין בזה חיוב, שבזמן הזה אין חיוב על פי ההלכה על האנשים לטבול כלל.


texts: Is it ok to celebrate New Years Eve? Which (orthodox, not modox or non-orthodox) rabbinical authority was against it and which one was in favor of it (if such opinions exist).


texts: Are adopted children obligated to search for their biological parents so they can honor them?  The Talmud implies that an adopted son is not obligated to honor his adopted parents: "Rabbi Aha ben Yaakov raised his daughter's son, Rabbi Yaakov. When he grew up, [the grandfather] said to him: “Give me some water to drink”. He replied: “I am not your son.”" [Sotah 49a]  But the Midrash says: "He who brings up children is called the father, not he who gives birth." [Ex. R. 46:5]  So who should adopted children honor, per halacha?


texts: Are raisins considered one of the seven species for the purposes of prioritising brachot?

texts: When prioritising brachot (for example before eating a fruit and nut mix) are raisins still considered one of the seven species, being made from grapes?


texts: Why was a bat kol able to settle the dispute between Battei Hillel and Shammai?

texts:
Eiruvin 13b recounts an argument between Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai. The argument grew very heated until a bat kol intervened and stated the famous line elu v'elu divrei elohim chayim ("These and also those are the words of the living God"). But then the bat kol concluded v'hahalacha k'veit Hillel ("And the halacha is according to Beit Hillel").

The bat kol seems to settle the dispute; however, we learned in the story of the Oven of Akhnai (Bava Metzia 59b) that we don't listen to a bat kol to settle halachic disputes because the Torah is lo bashamayim hi ("The Torah is not in heaven").

So why was the bat kol able to settle this dispute?


texts: Is a new blessing required when taking off and putting back on your tallit?

texts: You remove your tallit while services are ongoing (say, to go to the bathroom).  When you put it back on, do you have to say the blessing on the tallit again?


texts: Is the existence of Ashkenazi and Sephardi traditions a violation of "Lo Titgodedu"?

texts:
Devarim 14:1:

  בָּנִים אַתֶּם לה' אֱלֹקיכֶם לֹא תִתְגֹּדְדוּ וְלֹא־תָשִׂימוּ קָרְחָה בֵּין עֵינֵיכֶם לָמֵת׃

  You are children to Hashem your G-d. You shall not cut yourselves, nor make a bald spot between your eyes for the dead.

Reish Lakhish gives an interesting interpretation of the above verse to R' Yochanan in Yevamot 13b.

  .אמר ליה ר"ל לר' יוחנן, איקרי כאן: (דברים י"ד) לא תתגודדו, לא תעשו אגודות אגודות

  Said to him Reish Lakhish to R' Yochanan, I read here: (Devarim 14:1) "You shall not cut yourselves" as "do not make many sects."

The Gemara continues on and describes Reish Lakhish's reason for deriving this interpretation. Here is a link to the Daf for anyone who is interested.

My question is such: if we are prohibited to make numerous sects and factions by the Torah, why are there many halachic differences between Ashkenazim, Sephardim, and other regional sects? What about Chasidim, for that matter?

Does halacha accept Reish Lakhish's interpretation of this passuk?


texts:
What are the customs in the process of making meat edible by removing the blood through roasting?

Specifically after the roasting do I need to wash the meat to eat it (not to cook it afterwards)?

What is the Sefardi custom?

What is the Ashkenazi custom?

If yes what can I do to have a dry Barbecue taste?


texts: Can non-bread combine with bread towards making one satisfied for bentching?

texts:
According to the halachic sources one may bentch once a kezayis of bread has been eaten within 3,4 or 9 minutes.

Source:

  Time Limit (min) – How much time does one have to consume the kazayis
  amount: The consensus among most poskim is that the time of “Kdei
  Achilat Pras” is 4 minutes, but there are minority opinions that range
  from 2-9 minutes, and in some circumstances it would be advisable to
  be cautious for these minority opinions.

Say one is having a soup with a slice of bread the size of a kezayis. Unless he eats very quickly, it would be hard to eat the whole kezayis within the time limitations above. Does this mean that if one ate the meal with the soup but took longer to finish the kezayis of bread then he doesn't need to bentch? Or perhaps you can count the additional non-bread food towards the "satisfaction" criteria that requires one to bentch (veachalta vesavata uverachta).


texts: How did someone know which portion of 'manna' was his?

texts:
The gemara (Yoma 75a) writes that the more righteous someone was, the closer to them the manna would fall.

Given that there were two million people encamped in close proximity, how did someone know which portion was supposed to be his?


texts: What counts as an "Eiver min Hachai" to be forbidden?

texts:
The texts (Mas. Chullin, Mishna Ohalot etc) discuss an eiver min hachai and eiver is translated as "limb" but I am looking for some parameters for what counts as a limb.

The example of EM"haCh that I have seen online is Rocky Mountain (or Prairie) Oysters, which are bull testicles. Would an animal's skin count as a limb if it is taken (or somehow shed)? What about other organs, surgically removed or lost while the animal is alive?

Is there a technical meaning to (and use of) eiver that would establish what body parts are included or not?

I know that the Rambam and the Shulchan Aruch use two words, eiver and basar which might mean that eiver has a particular (and limited) application which requires the additional noun to include other elements, but this still provides no real set of limitations so any guidance or sources would be appreciated.


texts: Is there an aversion to having Gentiles in the synagoge and why?

texts: I've noticed that in some communities being a non-Jew in the synagogue seems to be discouraged.  In response to a request to visit I've heard responses as direct as "we don't have a conversion program and can't assist you in your journey", to the more polite "any JEW is welcome to come to our synagogue".  I fully understand protecting the community and wanting to keep the creepers out but at the same time it's a mainstream belief of Judaism that benai Noach have a place in the world to come, therefore Gentiles have no need to convert.  One, if I have no need to convert then why am I not welcomed as I am, aka not-a-Jew?  Two, if I'm not welcomed, where the heck am I supposed to go?


texts: How did Moshe know that Nadav and Avihu were greater than either himself or Aharon?

texts:
In Vayikra 10:3 after the two sons of Aharon, Nadav and Avihu, were killed, Moshe said to Aharon “This is what the Hashem said, saying: I will be sanctified through those near to Me, and before all the people I will be glorified”.

And Rashi comments that Moshe said to Aharon, “Aharon, my brother! I knew that this House was to be sanctified through the beloved ones of the Omnipresent, but I thought it would be either through me or through you. Now I see that they (Nadav and Avihu) were greater than I or you!”.

How did Moshe know this?


texts: Shibbolet shu'al (a grain of the 5 grains of israel) is commonly translated as oats but according to some opinions that is not the case. What do the other opinions believe it is and wherein lies the contradiction?


texts: Can a person convert if they are living with non-Jewish relative/s?

texts: Can someone living with a non-Jewish friend/house mate convert to Judaism? Obviously, there is a concern over issues such as Shabbat and Kashrut - however if the non-Jewish person complies or makes compromises would the Beth Din allow the person to convert? The flatmate is vegetarian so that's one less thing to worry about. We will however have separate dishes - my sets for meat, dairy and pareve, and theirs.


texts: Prohibition of Meat and Wine on the 9th of Av

texts:
Is there a specific prohibition against the consumption of meat and wine of the 9th of Av besides for the general obligation to fast?

This question makes a difference in the case of someone who is forced to break his / her fast. May said individual consume meant / wine?

I saw a story that the Brisker Rav needed to eat on the 9th of Av that fell out on Sunday. He used that opportunity to make havdalah with wine on motzaei Shabbos (the beginning of the fast). Apparently, he held that there is no prohibition to consume meant and wine onthe 9th of Av itself. What do others hold?


texts: If a deaf person is not counted towards a minyan because they cannot hear, does the same rule apply for one who doesn't speak/understand Hebrew?

texts:
My understanding is Halacha states a deaf or mute person doesn't count towards a minyan as they do not have the ability to fully participate. The deaf person cannot hear what is being said and the mute person cannot vocalize as part of the minyan.
My question is this:
If the above statement is true because the deaf person cannot understand what is being said, is it not reasonable to assume the same rule would apply to a Jew with no Hebrew background? Meaning they are standing in a room and from their perspective, everyone is speaking gibberish. Isn't that situation somewhat equivalent to the Jew who is deaf? Both are somewhat separated from the group in this regard, are they not?


texts: Sephardim saying Al Mizvas Tefillin beracha?

texts:
Is there any sephardim that say the "Al Mitzvas Tefillin" beracha for the Tefillin shel Rosh? Are they allowed to say a beracha for it?

I am asking because in this video, which demonstrates how to put on tefillin the Sephardi and ashkenazi way, and when they show you the sephardi way it says the beracha "Al Mitzvas Tefillin" and "Baruch Shem Kevod..." when the sephardi put on the Shel Rosh.


texts: “hagEfen” or “hagAfen”? what is the reason behind the enunciation difference?

texts: Why do some say “hagEfen”, while others say “hagAfen”? Any difference?


texts: Was Samson permitted to commit suicide and if so why?

texts:
In Judges 16:30 Samson commits suicide.

  Samson cried, “Let me die with the Philistines!
  See Metzudat David there

Seemingly his supernatural strength had returned, perhaps only temporarily. But, rather than use this strength to escape and live to fight another day he chose to commit suicide. I am unaware of any source which says that Samson committed a sin (and have seen it said that he in fact performed a kiddush Hashem). I would like to know if Samson was in fact permitted to commit suicide and if so why?


texts:
It's a little bit of a difficult question to ask, but i will try to explain it:

Yarmulkah seems to come from the Aramaic phrase Yarei Malka (Yirah Melech); fear of the King.

I know the verses of the Talmud like Shabbat 156b and others talking about fear on our heads.

The Kipah on the other hand seems to be connected to Kaf which refers to handpalm but its etymology shows a connection with something bend or bend over in submission.

I also found a possible connection with Choepah:
כפה & כפף

The ArtScroll Edition translates Isaiah 9:14 as 'canopy', It reminded me somehow of Chupah, Chupah within Torah is חפה from the root חפף 'which means 'to cover'.

(This is what I found: The word “Chuppah” is based on the root word “chafah,” which means to “cover” or “hide” and is similar to the word “chafaf,” meaning to “protect).

At last i found that Kaf has a gematria of 20 which is 2 times Yod (from Yad meaning hand), which as a word is also 20.
When looking at the Kaf it looked like a Kipah on it's side. And it's like the hands(or handpalm) of HaShem is on our head when wearing a Kipah.

Question:
If our head-covering is a sign of submission and of awe to our King, than i can see a connection, but there is one link missing for me:

How are the hands of HaShem related with the fear of heaven (Yirah Shamayim or Yirah HaShem)?


texts: This is not a Purim joke.  Translations of the Book of Esther say the king sentenced people to be "hanged".  But modern translations (including Sefaria) say they were "impaled".  They translate "ha-etz" as "the stake", not "the tree".  Now, historians believe impalement is far more likely than hanging because that is what the Persians did.  So which is it?  And if "impaled", did earlier translators err or were simply trying not to be indelicate?


texts:
First let's get the case:

Reuven lends $100 to Shimon to be paid back in a year. There is no record of the amount of the loan.

And then, one month later, one of the following happen:

Shimon approaches Reuven, and offers him the $100 he owes. Reuven, however, refuses and claims that the original amount was actually $50.
Shimon approaches Reuven, and offers him the $50 he thinks he owes. Reuven, however, refuses and claims that the original amount was actually $100.
Shimon approaches Reuven, and offers tells him, "I know I owe you money, but I don't remember if it was $50 or $100." Reuven agrees that he also cannot recall, but he does remember it was either $50 or $100.

Reuven and Shimon are good friends, and honest people. They also realize that they both are not really sure of how much was owed, and recognize that they each may be mistaken. So Reuven and Shimon both agree that Shimon should pay back $75 as a compromise.

So, is this allowed, or is it a case of ribbis? And if it's allowed, why is it not ribbis?


texts: Why doesn’t mes mitzvah push aside shabbos?

texts:
If mes mitzvah is doche avoda and avoda is doche shabbos. Shouldn’t mes mitzvah be doche shabbos? Simple logic

If A is greater than B and B is greater than C

Logic dictates that A is greater than C.

Which means mes mitzvah should be doche shabbos


texts:
Are Jews permitted to martyr themselves? For example, if it is a question of converting or being killed, is the Jew permitted to sacrifice himself rather than convert?

Separately: which would be considered preferable in this situation, dying or claiming to worship an idol? Assume the "conversion" would be dishonest and the idol worship insincere.

(I'm asking because I have heard from many sources that a Jew may not commit suicide and is adjured to protect life where possible.)


texts:
Shulchan Aruch Harav Orach Chaim 473:48 says we don’t need to stand during hallel

  לְפִי שֶׁכָּל מַעֲשֵׂי לַיְלָה זֶה הוּא דֶּרֶךְ חֵרוּת, לְפִיכָךְ אֵין מַטְרִיחִין אוֹתוֹ לַעֲמֹד.

How come, according to SA”H, in expressing our freedom we don’t need to stand during the Seder Hallel in order not impose on others, yet by heseibah which is also an expression of freedom and a halachic requirement we DO impose on others in requiring them to lean (of course those who are halachikly required to do so)?  Leaning while eating (especially if you hold of the opinion that it be done throughout the meal) might even be more of a tircha than standing for hallel.  It may not be the most comfortable or convenient way of eating.


texts:
Why do we bow for oseh shalom in shmoneh esre and kaddish? There are two parts to this:

What is the relationship between bowing in general and oseh shalom?
What does each direction in which we bow have to do with the corresponding phrase?


texts:
I have heard (I honestly cannot remember where...) that to be a rabbi a man must be married. Is there any truth to this?

I am more interested in knowing if this was true in the first century C.E. than if it is true today.

I have no reason to believe that there was a change in the standard,but two thousand years is a long time to not image that things might have changed.

Part of the context of this question is that it is written that Jesus was called "Rabbi", yet Christian canon holds that Jesus was never married (a claim of which I am skeptical).


texts: I was wondering if the word for torah is used anywhere in the Psalms. If so, can you please tell me where exactly?


texts: Kohelet citation - better peace and poor then rich and without peace

texts: I remember that there is some citation in Kohelet meaning "better peace and poor then rich and without peace", but cannot recall the exact source... Does someone remember?


texts: Tzitzit at night but not about the clothing

texts:
There are a variety of questions about wearing tzitzit at night (and many websites discussing the laws) But they seem to focus on the source, "ur'eetem" as relating to the clothes that you might wear to sleep.
Is there a source that discusses either 3rd shift workers who would not be going to sleep (and very likely, are in lit offices in which they can see things) or places in which it is not always dark at night? In the former case, the question is about the individual and the question of sleeping, and the second, more on the geography invalidating the concern about seeing things outside.


texts: PTIJ: In what way was King David a maskil?

texts:
Chapter 43 of Tehillim records a psalm of "Dovid the maskil"

לדוד משכיל אשרי נשוי פשע כסוי חטאה

I never knew that Dovid Hamelech, of all people, was associated with the enlightenment!
What kinds of things did Dovid Hamelech do that made him a maskil?

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


texts: When you ask a rabbi to perform a life-cycle ceremony, he will frequently ask for proof that you are Jewish (birth certificates, ketubot, certificates from other rabbis, etc.)  But do you ever have to prove you are a kohen?  What would constitute proof?  Is your word enough?


texts: How to have an easier time with Yom Tov?

texts:
NOTE: None of the following applies to Yom Kippur.

I am a chozeret b'teshuva who has found most of the mitzvot to be positive challenges: within my reach, if only over time.

However, one absolutely mainstream thing that I cannot, cannot, cannot do is keep Yom Tov.

My main problem is with observing the Laws of Yom Tov on random weekdays, sometimes for two (-three) days at a time, in addition to my commitment each Shabbos.

It drains me, it runs me down, it plunges me into depressions that last for months after Yom Tov. (The fall Yom Tov marathon is especially bleak, and Pesach is awful for its own reasons.)

I never get used to it, as with Shabbos, kashrus, etc., because it doesn't happen frequently enough. It's always a new, immensely painful drama.

My rov does not seem willing to write a new chapter of the Shulchan Aruch for me. Every Yom Tov, I try my own modifications of the law to see what could work. The only thing that has allowed me to get through Yom Tov unscathed is to keep only the Biblical prohibitions; that is, to avoid doing avodas, but not melachos. (For example, I might turn on my light switch and take a nice hot bath, but I don't do my weekday "laborious" job.)  Yom Tov is genuinely enjoyable that way (as one might imagine). However, this involves so much secrecy and scurrying around that it feels dishonest and not exactly like a sustainable connection to religious Jewish life.

What do people actually do?
Does everyone actually cheat?
I can't imagine this is easy for everyone. Why don't I hear other complainers?


texts: Ribono shel olam in Birchas Kohanim on 2nd day Yom Tov

texts: The Biur Halacha in O.C. 130 says that on the 2nd day Yom Tov one should skip the first line (quoted here Who says the Ribbono shel Olam in Birkas Kohanim?) . Is this commonly done and why do machzorim not mention it?


texts: Said Chatzi Kadish in error - can it be corrected?

texts:
If the Chazan at some point in Davening says the wrong Kaddish and then at a later point realizes his error, can anything be done to rectify his error?

For example: this morning - which was Rosh Chodesh Elul - I Davened in a Shul where the Chazan after Hallel instead of saying Kadish Shalaim said Chatzi Kaddish in error, and no one corrected him. In middle of Kriyas haTorah he realized his error. Would the Chazan be able to do anything at that point to rectify his error?


texts:
In Leviticus 20:14, it states that a man who has relations with a woman and also with her mother is a despicable lech, whose punishment is to be burned to death. This is one of two transgressions which are to be punished by burning to death, the other one is Leviticus 21:9, where the victim is a priest's daughter who chooses to prostitute herself.

Are these laws obsolete? Do any Jews think they should be revived? I ask this because I find it difficult to think of Leviticus law as divinely inspired because of barbarous passages such as this. All of Leviticus 27, for example.

I am aware that Judaism no longer takes these things seriously, nor does it follow these laws, but I have never seen anyone condemn these practices. Does anyone?


texts: Yaacov's refusal to use Yitzhak's wealth

texts:
This is a question my son asked I couldn't answer.

Yitzhok was extremely wealthy.
When sending out Eliezer to bring Rivka, Abraham wrote him an inheritance bill for Yitzhok.
When Yaakov "ran away" he took some money that was stolen by Elipaz (acc. to Midrash)
When he finally got to Lavan, Yaacov could easily send messengers back to his father to provide him with all the money he needed to buy Rachel and Leah and whatever he needed to live happily and learn Torah worry-free. However, he never contacted his father (not documented anyway).
The Halocho says we always should minimize our tests (Nisayon) and get out of problematic situations (staying with Lavan, worries with marriages) as fast as possible, and pay all the money needed.

So why didn't he do it?


texts: Right after borochu in shacharit there is a bracha “yotzer or uvoreh choshech, oseh shalom uvoreh et ha kol”.  Should this bracha be said out loud by the shaliach tzibur?  Regardless of whether it should or should not, if it is said out loud should amen be answered at the end?


texts: Why does the good inclination come in 13 years late?

texts:
To paraphrase Avos D'Rebbi Nassan 16:2:

  The evil inclination grows when a person is born, while the good inclination enters at Bar/Bas Mitzvah. As a minor, if he desecrates Shabbos, his inclination doesn't protest. If he murders, his inclination doesn't protest. If he commits arayos, his inclination doesn't protest. At 13, his good inclination is born and begins weaning him off of these sins, telling him, "don't do that - you're liable to death."

Why, indeed, does the good inclination come at 13, and not at birth? Would the decision between good and bad not be more of an even match if he had the inclinations both ways from birth?

The reason I quote ADRN specifically is because of the way it poses the good inclination, not unlike a nagging little brother. It almost makes a person want to sin. Granted, that's the point - to listen to it anyway - but does it have to be so hard? Could HaShem not have made it a fair fight and accomplished the same thing? As it stands, without Hashem's help, the Yetzer Hara would kill us (Kiddushin 30b). Why wouldn't He help us in this manner?


texts:
Translations often translate this verse as 'When Avram was ninety-nine years old'; while more literally it reads: 'And Avram was son of nine year and ninety years.'

Why is he called a son (Ben) of this age?
Is there another meaning behind the numbers 9 and 90 ?


texts:
How does the principle of “ikkar” and “tofel” work with the after-blessing?

Let us say that I make the blessing “borei minei mezonos” on my breakfast cereal eaten with milk. After I have eaten the cereal with the milk, my body benefits from the cereal and the milk in the same way as if I had eaten them one at a time.

If I  had eaten them one at a time, I would have been liable to say two after-blessings.

Why is it different if I ate the two together?

related - What if the tafel comes to hand first?


texts: Responding to kaddish in pesukei dezimro

texts:
If I am saying pesukei dezimro, I can only make some responses to kaddish (Tefillo Kehilchoso, 10 (50)).

OC 51 (4) [8] and Biur Halocho d.h. tzorich refer to this but do not specify the permitted responses.

Please can I have an earlier source than Tefillo Kehilchoso?


texts: PTIJ: For whom should I vote? (US Presidential Elections 2016)

texts:
There is a commandment to vote for a president, as it says (Devarim 17:15):

שׂוֹם תָּשִׂים עָלֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר
Place upon yourselves a king who shall be chosen [by voting]

And we see here that the US President has enough power to warrant the blessing over seeing a king.
With that in mind, who should i vote for? Please provide Biblical and Talmudic sources that "specifically mention"* one of the current candidates as someone either worth voting for or who should be avoided.**
* This mention must be Purim Torah -- based on a pun or misunderstanding of the verse. I specifically do not want any real modern-day rabbis saying who to vote for in this election. The candidate can be identified either by name or by a defining characteristic.
** It shouldn't just be any "mention" of the candidate's name, but rather specifically something related to voting or a position of power.

This question is Purim Torah and is not intended to be taken completely seriously. See the Purim Torah policy.
Please leave your personal politics out of this.
Note that we are not telling you who to vote for in this question. For some real Torah-based opinions on what to take into account when voting, see the following questions:

Voting for Jews in elections
Voting on "Who's good for the Jews?"
Voting for a person that will not uphold Torah values


texts: How many levels of strictness of positive obligations are there?

texts:
When learning Halachic books from the Talmud through Rambam and Shu"A to Mishnah Berurah, one meets different levels of positive commandments that reflect different levels of obligation/strictness/importance/effort, such as

Mitzvah DeOraytah / Mitzvah DeRabannan / Positive deed / Accepted tradition etc.

Many different words are used, for example "וכך נהגים", "עושה אדם ...", "ויש לו ...", "מצווה עליו...", "חייב אדם...", "הורו רבותינו...", "התפשט המנהג / הדבר...", and more.

Theoretically, we could give each Mitzvah a score of "severity", for example, the obligation of reading Shemah precedes the obligations of its Berachot or Psukey Dezimrah in strictness. The Mishnah Avot (2,1) says "והוי זהיר במצוה קלה כבחמורה, שאין אתה יודע מתן שכרן של מצוות", so there are at least two sorts of Mitzvot - קלות and חמורות.

Roughly how many levels of strictness of "all good deeds" are there?


texts: Ripping garments when hearing Hashem's name?

texts:
I've heard in a kabbalah shiur on web yeshiva, if someone says Hashem's name as it's written, either b'shogeg or b'meizid, the person or people that heard must rip their garments as they do when a close relative dies. Where is the source for this, and how is it done?

Also, if someone were to accidentally say Hashem's name as it is written, such as someone becoming religious and learning Hebrew, and the yud in the work sheet is right before a vuv, is this considered b'shogeg pronunciation? is it OK because it's meant to teach them only the letters?


texts: Where are the magic cucumbers discussed in the Talmud?

texts: Where are the magic cucumbers discussed in the Gemara by a Rabbi proud of his knowledge? Are magic cucumbers discussed elsewhere? Thanks.


texts: What is the interpretation of Zechariah Chapter 3?

texts:
In Zechariah 3, there's a vision of Joshua the High Priest.  Satan is accusing him, and then Satan is rebuked.  Joshua is then found to be standing before the altar in filthy garments, which are then removed and replaced with clean garments.  This is followed by the angel of the LORD talking about several other things, like the Branch, and an engraved stone with seven eyes, etc. What is the interpretation of this?

My apologies if this is too broad of a question.


texts: What was the reasoning of the Vilna Gaon as to why he holds differently than the view of Rashi and Tosafot on the proper way of tying Tekhelet?


texts: Why does the "Dorff teshuva" of the Conservative movement say that homosexual relations are a *rabbinic* prohibition?

texts:
In a teshuva issued by the Conservative Movement entitled Rituals and Documents of Marriage and Divorce for Same-Sex Couples by
Rabbis Elliot Dorff, Daniel Nevins and Avram Reisner, it is claimed in a few places that the prohibition on intimate homosexual relations are on a rabbinic level. A few quotes from the teshuva state:

We acknowledged in our responsum that same-sex intimate relationships are comprehensively banned by classical rabbinic law
 (emphasis theirs)

Also

We concluded that for observant gay and lesbian Jews who would otherwise be condemned to a life of celibacy or secrecy, their human dignity requires suspension of the rabbinic level prohibitions so that they may experience intimacy and create families recognized by the Jewish community.
 (emphasis theirs)

How do these rabbis arrive at the conclusion that homosexual relations are forbidden only on a rabbinic level? How do they explain the verse in Vayikra 18:22?

וְאֶת זָכָר לֹא תִשְׁכַּב מִשְׁכְּבֵי אִשָּׁה תּוֹעֵבָה הִוא:
Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind; it is abomination. (JPS)


texts: Excluding water from blessing after food

texts:
One common scenario is for someone to make a berakha on water at some point in the morning and to drink the water throughout the day. Suppose during the day, the person decides to have a snack whose berakha achrona is borei nefashot. While eating the snack, he continues to drink the water. After completing his snack, he wants to make a berakha achrona; however, he still wants to continue to drink water. Assume for the purpose of this question that throughout the entire process he is staying in one place (for example at his desk at work). Should he...

make a borei nefashot and have in mind not to include the water? Then perhaps he'd be able to continue drinking without a new berakha (and would make another borei nefashot after he was done?).
make a borei nefashot and then make a new shehakol before drinking more water?
delay his berakha achrona until he has completed drinking his water?
do something else?

Would the answer be different if--instead of a snack that requires borei nefashot--he had a meal with bread and would be making birkat hamazon?

This question is similar to this one; the difference is that in this case the person is staying in one place rather than going somewhere else.


texts: Hypothetical situation: A Sheva Brachos meal is set up for the new couple. However, only the Kallah is there (for example, the Chosson is sick and the meal is right next door, so the Kallah can pop in without leaving the Chosson too far behind). There are 10 adult males there. Would there be some variation of a Sheva Brachos said during Bentching?


texts: How did names of foreign gods find their way into the Torah and Hebrew language?

texts: After having found one explanation that the origin of the Hebrew word "Shachar" שחר which is used in the context of "Alos HaShachar" is the name of a foreign god. As well that "Shemesh" שמש which we call the Sun is also a word that seems to be used to refer to a foreign god. How can we understand how these words found their way into the Torah and Hebrew language (whether it be that they literally mean "dawn" and the "sun" and are used to refer to the gods or that these are the actual names of the gods.) Or is it that they are indeed originally Hebrew words that mean "dawn" and "sun" (respectively) and were "borrowed" by another langauge/religion and used to refer to a particular god of theirs.


texts: Is there a list of all of Abarbanel’s questions on the Torah?

texts: I was wondering if anyone has this by itself compiled as a tool for learning the Parsha. I want to go over each question and look at the mefarshim.


texts: What's the connection between שחר (morning/light) and שחור (black)?

texts: How do we understand the connection between שחר (morning/light) and שחור (black) which seem to be opposites of the spectrum? (The definition should also be able to fit into 'shaver' as Rashi in Beitza (35b) writes השחור - תער על שם שמשחיר את השער אלמא לשון השפלה הוא)


texts:
I heard someone mention that the Maharal Diskin say the following explanation on this posuk: וּבָאוּוּבָאוּ עָלֶיךָ כָּל־הַקְּלָלוֹת הָאֵלֶּה וּרְדָפוּךָ וְהִשִּׂיגוּךָ כָּל־הַקְּלָלוֹת הָאֵלֶּה וּרְדָפוּךָ וְהִשִּׂיגוּךָ עַד הִשָּֽׁמְדָךְ כִּי־לֹא שָׁמַעְתָּ בְּקוֹל הִשָּֽׁמְדָךְ כִּי־לֹא שָׁמַעְתָּ בְּקוֹל ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ לִשְׁמֹר לִשְׁמֹר מִצְוֹתָיו וְחֻקֹּתָיו אֲשֶׁר צִוָּֽךְ וְחֻקֹּתָיו אֲשֶׁר צִוָּֽךְ: וְהָיוּ וְהָיוּ בְךָ לְאוֹת וּלְמוֹפֵת וּֽבְזַֽרְעֲךָ עַד־עוֹלָֽם לְאוֹת וּלְמוֹפֵת וּֽבְזַֽרְעֲךָ עַד־עוֹלָֽם:

"All these curses will come upon you, until you are destroyed, because you will not have listened to the voice of Hashem, your G-d, to observe His commandments and His decrees that He commanded you. They will be in you as a sign and as a wonder and in your offspring, forever..."

Now at first glance that posuk seems like a terrible curse, “They will be in you as a sign and as a wonder and in your offspring, forever...” In effect, we are doomed, G-d forbid. However, the Maharal Diskin says that that’s not the way to read the posuk. The words ad olam is not going, G-d forbid, on the curses that would infer that these curses will be with us forever. But those words ad olam are referring to the previous posuk

In simple english, “Because you didn’t do mitzvos in a way that made a lasting impression on your children!”

Why is that? The Maharal Diskin says that this is the next posuk, “Because you did not serve Hashem, your G-d, with gladness and with goodness of heart..."

Does anyone know where Maharal Diskin's insight can be found?


texts:
It is a common practice for people to buy their Pesach eggs in advance of Pesach. I've seen different reasons for this, including:

The popular notion that some chametz might somehow get into the egg, and therefore the egg must be owned by a Jew in advance of Pesach when the chametz in the egg is nullified (batel b'shishim). A possible means for chametz getting absorbed into the egg is discussed and dismissed by R' Moshe Feinstein, although he recommends requiring people to clean the outside of their eggs before cooking (Igros Moshe OC vol. 3, § 61).
The concern of benefiting from an animal derivative whose creation is partially due to chametz that the animal may have eaten during Pesach, as chicken feed typically includes some of the five types of grain that can become chametz.
If an egg is stamped, the ink sometimes includes grain-derived ethanol. To quote the Star-K website: "Most authorities are of the opinion that alcoholic beverages such as whiskey, which is derived from wheat, barley or rye, are chometz gamur, and a person must not own these products on Pesach (Mishna Berurah Orach Chaim 442 Shaarei Teshuva ibid.
)." According to the London Beth Din, such eggs can be permitted on the grounds that any trace of ethanol in the ink evaporates immediately after stamping.

The second point above is discussed by acharonim, mostly with respect to milk. A major point of debate is whether zeh vazeh goreim (something whose existence results from both prohibited and permissible causes) is permissible when one of the causes is forbidden chametz on Pesach. For example, the Magen Avraham (OC 445:5) rules it is forbidden, while the Nishmas Adam (vols. 2-3, § 119:9) permits it (and in fact permits drinking such milk on several grounds1 and implies that zeh vazeh goreim exists even if an animal's diet is exclusively chametz2). In the case of eggs, commercial chicken feed generally consists of both grain and non-grain ingredients, so presumably there are two gormim present.

There is additional reason to be lenient with the milk of animals owned by non-Jews, as non-Jews are not subject to the prohibition against owning or benefiting from chametz on Pesach (see Beis Efrayim OC, end of responsum 35).

While there seem to be strong halachic similarities between eggs and milk, I found only limited explicit discussion among the acharonim regarding eggs purchased on Pesach.

My question:

Assume a Jew purchases eggs on Passover that were from a farm owned by non-Jews. Are there contemporary poskim that rule on whether a Jew may eat the eggs, and, if so, what do they say? Does it make a difference if it is sha'as had'chak (e.g. a person would have a very limited diet without those eggs, and his health may be affected by abstaining)? Does it make a difference whether the eggs are purchased during the first half of Pesach (or so), when they were most likely laid before the holiday?

1 One ground for leniency presented in the Nishmas Adam appears to be a novel ruling that milk from a kosher animal cannot technically become forbidden even via a single goreim due to the general g'zerias hakasuv permitting milk of kosher animals. If so, this reasoning might be extended to eggs based on the Behag (§ 67, see also § 63) and Tosafos (Chullin 64a, second s.v. she'im rikmah) who appear to say that a similar g'zeiras hakasuv exists for eggs.

2 He considers the animal itself to be one of the gormim. R' Moshe Feinstein (Igros Moshe OC vol. 1, § 147), in a complex p'sak that does not entirely rely on zeh vazeh goreim, permits drinking milk that was produced on Pesach even if the animal's diet consists solely of chametz. Rather than assume that the animal is a goreim, R' Moshe rules that even echad goreim is permissible in the case described.


texts: Eating on someone else's untoveled dishes

texts: One must tovel (immerse in a mikve) various kinds of dishes before first use, and may not eat from his own dishes until they are toveled. Is it likewise forbidden to eat from someone else's untoveled dishes?


texts: Is seeing the fire a requirement for havdala?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How seriously do we take the finger-inspection in Havdala?

Is it necessary to see the fire for havdala? In shul, people usually crowd around whoever is holding the candle and I can't see it. Do I still have to hear havdalah again after that? (I hear it anyway because the rest of my family has to hear it, I'm just wondering if I need to.)


texts: Does halakhah forbid Jews from eating pets that die naturally?

texts: Suppose you keep a goldfish in your house. One day, it dies. Assuming that it has died a natural death (that is, you didn't intentionally kill it), is it kosher to eat this goldfish?


texts:
I heard that there was an Amud in Sanhedrin that's almost entirely a Tosafos. I've heard stories about Gedolim on this Amud and I wanted to see the Amud for myself.

What is this Amud?


texts: Does the Mishna Berura rule on the way to tie Tekhelet and the number of Tekhelet strings to use?  If so, could you please provide a citation and quote/translation?  Thank you.


texts: Noahide Commandments - conscious or subconscious?

texts:
I've always understood The 7 Noahide Laws not as "Judaism Light" or "Judaism for Gentiles" but as moral realism grounded in ethical monotheism.

My question is:

Are monotheistic non-jews, who abide by the Noahide Laws as a result of moral intuition considered to have abided by the Noahide Laws although they haven't formally recognized "The God of Israel"?


texts:
There are so many hechsheirim (Kosher certifications) out there.

How is an individual supposed to find out which hechsheirim to rely on, and which not to?


texts:
When a person goes through smicha (in order to become a Rabbi) they learn (at least) the laws of kashrus. Depending on the program this can include more or less amounts of information (more or less amounts of commentaries). My question is: paskening requires more than actually holding the correct range of information in your head, it involves application of that information, very often to a situation where there are conflicting valid opinions. How does one go about learning how to do THAT?
And... has anyone seen any literature on this topic?


texts:
I'm looking for something online or an app, really anything that is on an electronic device, that can help with cheshbon hanefesh.

The ideal would be a program or app specifically set up for cheshbon hanefesh, but anything will do.


texts: Does kashrut depend on peah, leket, etc?

texts:
I understand that if a crop in the Land of Israel does not have the trumot and maaserot properly separated, then the produce is tevel and cannot be eaten (until it is done).

But that made me think of the mitzvot of peah, leket, shikchah, etc., since they also involve designating a portion of a crop for specific purposes. If those mitzvot are not observed, then couldn't we say that those designated portions are intermingled with the rest of the produce, making the whole thing off limits?

I suspect the answer is "no," but I am curious about why.


texts: What halachos of mourning apply to a grandchild for his grandparent's death?

texts: What halachos of mourning, if any, apply to a grandchild upon his or her grandparent's death? Do they tear keri'ah upon hearing of the grandparent's death? Do they sit shivah?


texts:
Sukkah 41b says a person shouldn't hold certain things while praying shemoneh esrei:

  א"ל מר בר אמימר לרב אשי אבא צלויי קא מצלי ביה מיתיבי לא יאחז אדם תפילין בידו וספר תורה בחיקו ויתפלל...ואמר שמואל סכין וקערה ככר ומעות הרי אלו כיוצא בהן התם לאו מצוה נינהו וטריד בהו הכא מצוה נינהו ולא טריד בהו

  Mar bar Ameimar said to Rav Ashi: My father would pray with the four species in his hand in an expression of his love for the mitzva. The Gemara raises an objection: A person should not hold phylacteries in his hand or a Torah scroll in his lap and pray while doing so...And Shmuel said: With regard to a knife, a bowl full of food, a loaf of bread, or money, these items are similar to those mentioned above. Why, then, is that not the case with regard to lulav? The Gemara answers: There, in the cases listed above, they are not related to performance of a mitzva, and he is preoccupied with them (which distracts his focus from his prayers). Here, in the case of the four species, they are related to performance of a mitzva, so he is not preoccupied with them (in a manner that will distract him from his prayers).

Rashi explains since he is concerned lest these items fall from his hand, he is distracted and he unable to concentrate on his prayers.

This is codified in the Rambam, Hilchos Tefillah 5:5 and Shulchan Aruch 96:1. The Mechaber in Seif 2 adds that you can hold a prayer book since it is for the sake of the prayers.

My question is I occasionally see people holding their babies or little kids during prayers and I'm wondering if it's appropriate. The Mishnah Berurah in Seif Kattan 4 adds

  וכתב בברכ"י דה"ה דאסור להושיב תינוק לפניו בשעת תפלה:

  The Birkei Yosef writes that it is also prohibited to place a baby in front of you during prayers.

Now I could see a loose baby being more distracting than holding a baby, but a person is still concentrating to avoid dropping it. If it is a problem, I was wondering if these baby backpacks I've seen would be better (I suppose it would depend if a backpack is allowed).

Now there is the related point that often if the parent doesn't hold the child they'll start crying, which would be the highest distraction. Maybe it's allowed just like elsewhere where the MB says it's permissible to make gestures to a crying baby if it will help, even if it's normally prohibited, since the cries are distracting.


texts: I have heard people say things like "don't wake him up that's gezel shainah". I would like to know if that phrase has any basis in halacha and if so what are the parameters? For example if I wake someone up for minyan is that a mitzvah haba bi'dei aveira?


texts:
Today (23 March 2020) Israel's Supreme Court rejected a petition to declare this year a leap year so Pessah can be postponed for a month, and the seders don't have to occur during a lockdown (hopefully!).

I don't know why the petitioners went to a secular court, but do the rabbis have the authority to declare a leap year under the circumstances?


texts:
In Samuel 2 8:4, it says: David captured 1700 Horsemen, but in Chronicles 18:4, it says that he captured 7000 horsemen.
How many did he actually capture, and what is the answer to this contradiction?


texts: what percentage of Reform Jews are halachically Jewish?

texts: Was there ever a study done on the percentage of Reform Jews who would be considered Jewish according to Halacha?


texts: What's the source/reason for allowing gay marriage for synagogue leaders?

texts:
I know that Judaism doesn't allow for marriage between two men. Apparently, there's an exception for those who lead the services in the synagogue. (In a number of very traditional synagogues, I've heard people refer to the "husband of the kore [=Torah reader]" and the "husband of the tokea [=shofar blower]".)
What is the source and/or reason for this exemption?

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


texts: מפני שיבה תקום - How standing up means honoring?

texts:
This question is not about the cultural norms, but about the Tanachic sources for that.

The Gemmorah in Kiddushin 32b discusses the subject of honoring the elders. It questions the definition of an elder but does not question the fact that תקום means respect, unlike in many other places where the Gemmorah asks "where [in the scriptures] do we learn that from".

I tried to gather the appearances of the word לקום in the Torah, but couldn't find one that clearly points to a sign of honoring, but the opposite, for example: Kayin - "ויהי בהיותם בשדה ויקם קין אל הבל אחיו ויהרגהו", Jacob said "ויאמר יעקב אל אביו אנכי עשו בכרך עשיתי כאשר דברת אלי קום נא שבה ואכלה", Moses said "ויהי בנסע הארן ויאמר משה קומה יהוה ויפצו איבי". Standing up is clearly not a sign of respect.

What can be the Biblical source for equaling קימה to כבוד and why did Torah use קימה for that Mitzvah?


texts: Which books on the halakha and minhagim of dating and marriage are generally considered the most reliable?


texts:
Are there specifications to build a mizbeah?  I understand that stones were used , are there other requirements?

Can one build a mizbeah in our days?


texts: Contradiction in the Taz between early Shavuos and early Shemini Atzeres

texts:
In his disagreement with the Maharshal's ruling not to start Shemini Atzeres early, the Taz's first objection is a long poetic rendition about why we shouldn't forbid something that isn't mentioned in the Gemara or earlier Poskim.

On Shavuos, not only does the Taz accept the Shelah's ruling not to make kiddush early, but he extends it to not davening maariv early.  As far as I know, the whole issue isn't mentioned by anyone earlier than the Shelah, and maariv isn't mentioned by anyone earlier than the Taz.

Why is the Taz inconsistent between these two very similar cases?

(I'm asking only about the Taz's objection to forbidding something that was not mentioned in earlier sources.  His further objections to the Maharshal are based on his opinion that can be summarized as "strong tosefes".  This is conceptually consistent with his strict ruling on Shavuos once you accept the Shelah's drasha of תמימות.  I don't think this point is essential to the question, but can elaborate if necessary.)


texts: Adonai Nissi and the hand upon the throne and their connection to what happened.

texts:
Exodus/Shemot 17:15 tells us Moshe built an altar and named it "יהוה נִסִּי" often translated as "The L-rd (is) my banner" or "The L-rd (is) my miracle" and maybe it could be also translated as "The L-rd (is) my refuge." But the text continues: וַיֹּאמֶר, כִּי-יָד עַל-כֵּס יָהּ, מִלְחָמָה לַיהוָה, בַּעֲמָלֵק--מִדֹּר, דֹּר

So first of all what does Adonai Nissi יהוה נִסִּי mean? (I'm not asking for a translation, but a way to understand the meaning behind this namegiving, to what does it refer).

Secondly I would like to know how this added explanation is connected with this namegiving.


texts: Can you fly from American Samoa on Friday evening to Upolu? (30 minute flight, 24 hour difference)

texts:
Firstly I'd like to point out if you Google "Samoa" and "Shabbat" you would find many articles from 2011 that were referring to a time where Samoa changed the day of Saturday, it happened only once and my question is not about that, but about something else, let me explain briefly:

Let's say you want to take a flight from Pago Pago International Airport (in American Samoa) at 5pm on Friday to Fagali'i Airport which is 30 minutes away by flight, but the time in Fagali'i Airport (Upolu) is 5pm SATURDAY ...

Let's say Shabbat starts at 5pm and you exhaust those "18 minutes" after 5pm (not talking Lechatchila but Bediavad) ... so the plane takes off at 5:10pm (ish) and then you land around 5:45pm in Upolu on Saturday (and Shabbat is out at 6:00pm but there are already 3 stars 15 minutes before then)...

Is this possibly somehow allowed?
Has anyone ever evaluated this case Halachically? I'm not talking about long flights from LA (Friday) to Australia (Saturday) - this is a 30-minute flight and the time difference between American Samoa and "New Zealand" Samoa is 24 hours!

What do you think about a case like this?

We assume the day of Shabbat follows the convention of the international date line, so can you skip on Shabbat in a very short time? Just half an hour takes you from Friday in one place to Saturday in another?!

What if you are a traveler doing the opposite, going on Motzahey Shabbat in "New Zealand" Samoa to American Samoa? Are you going back in time by 24 hours? Can you do that or that's not allowed?

Has anyone ever looked into the case of "jumping" between time zone from one place to another in a very short time? (Soon B"H we might have plans that will do the same between Israel and New York!)


texts: What is the source for non-literal understanding of V'Chai Bahem?

texts:
The concept of V'Chai Bahem - "do the mitzvos to live by them" (Vayikra 18:5) - is usually understood to refer to one's physical existence (i.e. the mitzvos should not be performed if they present a clear danger to your life.)
I remember hearing a somewhat non-literal explanation of V'Chai Bahem as referring to Derech Eretz, i.e. wholesome living. According to this explanation, a person should not perform mitzvos in an unhealthy OCD-like manner, rather the mitzvos should be done in a wholesome Derech Eretz manner. Does this interpretation of V'Chai Bahem have an authoritative source ?


texts:
Be'er Hagolah at the end of Yoreh Deah 334 says that one of the things that are considered Cherem D'Rabeinu Gersom is not to embarrass a Baal Teshuva regarding his previous lifestyle.

Yet when you look in Bava Metzia 58b the Gemara counts it as Onaas Devarim.

Why then was there a need for this Cherem?


texts: When and why did we get rid of polygamy?

texts: When did having a pilegesh become unacceptable and why?


texts:
There are 3 religions that says so. The obvious one is Christianity with that being it's central term. The second one is Hindu. Khrisna is said to be a God incarnate.

But in torah I often see stories about Abraham meeting some guys and recognize that the guy is G_d himself.

Genesis 18 for example says
And Jehovah appeareth unto him among the oaks of Mamre, and he is sitting at the opening of the tent, about the heat of the day; 2 and he lifteth up his eyes and looketh, and lo, three men standing by him, and he seeth, and runneth to meet them from the opening of the tent, and boweth himself towards the earth, 3 And he saith, 'My Lord, if, I pray thee, I have found grace in thine eyes, do not, I pray thee, pass on from thy servant.

So here Jehovah (=God?) appear unto him among the oaks and sit. So who is this Jehovah that sit at the opening of the tent? I thought God never incarnate? How can he sit at the opening of the tent?

Also we have Jacob wrestle with G_d with G_d's performance not being very impressive. G_d can't escape Jacob's hold.

So do jews believe that G_d, once in a while, take humans' form?

I was writing an answer on main differences between christians and jewish torah. I thought jewish translation would definitely translate el/elohym as angels or divine beings in case of Jacob wrestling. I was surprised to find out that jewish translation is actually the same with christian translation. -   Genesis Chapter 32 בְּרֵאשִׁית

28 And he said unto him: 'What is thy name?' And he said: 'Jacob.'
כט  וַיֹּאמֶר, לֹא יַעֲקֹב יֵאָמֵר עוֹד שִׁמְךָ--כִּי, אִם-יִשְׂרָאֵל:  כִּי-שָׂרִיתָ עִם-אֱלֹהִים וְעִם-אֲנָשִׁים, וַתּוּכָל.  29 And he said: 'Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for thou hast striven with God and with men, and hast prevailed.'
ל  וַיִּשְׁאַל יַעֲקֹב, וַיֹּאמֶר הַגִּידָה-נָּא שְׁמֶךָ, וַיֹּאמֶר, לָמָּה זֶּה תִּשְׁאַל לִשְׁמִי; וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתוֹ, שָׁם.    30 And Jacob asked him, and said: 'Tell me, I pray thee, thy name.' And he said: 'Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name?' And he blessed him there.
לא  וַיִּקְרָא יַעֲקֹב שֵׁם הַמָּקוֹם, פְּנִיאֵל:  כִּי-רָאִיתִי אֱלֹהִים פָּנִים אֶל-פָּנִים, וַתִּנָּצֵל נַפְשִׁי.    31 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: 'for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.'

Hei, it's actual jewish translation. Genesis Chapter 32 בְּרֵאשִׁית. Compare to Genesis 32:28.

Many people argued that the word elohim does not necessarily means God. However, the jewish translation clearly translate that as God in this particular verse

  And he said: 'Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for
  thou hast striven with God and with men, and hast prevailed.' - Genesis Chapter 32 בְּרֵאשִׁית.


texts:
I need help translating what is written on a charm. Here is what is written in it, along with my understanding of what it means.

  לשמירה, הצלחה, זיווג הגון, שלום בית, זרע בר קיימא, שמירה למעוברת, ונגד
  עין הרע

  For protection, success, soulmate (decent partner/pairing), peace in
  the household, --- (I have no idea), protection while crossing (I
  assume it means traveling), and negation of the evil eye (ayin hora)

  סגולה זו צריכה 2 כיסויים. אנא הקפד לשמור על קדושתה בשמירתך עליה ה' יגן
  עליך אמן

  This charm must --- 2 sides (I can't get the proper understanding of
  it). Please assure to keep it's holiness. With your possession
  (keeping, is it possession or the keeping it sanctified?) of it, God
  will protect you, Amen.


texts: Why is a patach chet at the end of the word pronounced "sdrawkcab" (backwards)?

texts:
It seems that all Hebrew words that have a vowel under the letter are pronounced with the letter ("consonant") followed by the vowel. The only exception that I can think of is when a patach is underneath a chet at the end of a word such as in the word נֹח. The word is pronounced noach, not nocha.

The vowel sound is pronounced before the consonant. Why is this an exception?

(This question is applicable to Torah reading, so I'm not intending this as a loose question about the Hebrew language.)


texts: Is Nehemiah 8 describing a particular Jewish feast day?

texts:
From (the Book of) Nehemiah 8:2

  So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the
  Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all
  who were able to understand.

Which Nehemiah 8:10-12

  Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send
  some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord.
  Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."

  The Levites calmed all the people, saying, "Be still, for this is a
  holy day. Do not grieve."

  Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of
  food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the
  words that had been made known to them.

I'm curious if this is the telling of a particular feast day important in Judaism or if it was something more general.


texts: In story of Rebbe Akiva's students, found in yevamos 62b, how is it possible that they didn't show honour to one another

texts:
Rabbi Akiva, the tanna who has the famous quote " this is the greatest rule, love your fellow like you love yourself". If that is what he stands for how could it be that his students disregarded that rule.
Rabbi Akiva one of the greatest tannaim who work for these 24,000 student as stated in Kesubos, how is that a way to respond and act in front of someone who is great like Rabbi Akiva


texts: Is there anyplace on the internet where one could purchase a Jekkische kippah (or käppchen, in German)? I would be looking preferably for ones made out of non-synthetic fabric if possible.


texts: Why would the Belzer Rebbe usually shake hands with a towel wrapped around his hand?

texts:
Jewish Educational Media publishes a series of videos about the Lubavitcher Rebbe. The series is called Living Torah.

Disc 34, Program 135, contains an interview with Rabbi Chatzkel Besser,
[about whom more here]. In the interview Rabbi Besser tells the following story. (Where the story mentions "the Lubavitcher Rebbe," the reference is usually to Menachem Mendel, although the story took place when the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe Yoseif Yitzchok was living, and Menachem Mendel had not yet become the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe.)

  When the Belzer Rebbe came to Berlin to see an eye doctor, so the
  Lubavitcher Rebbe told Itzche Meir "You know what, I hear the Belzer
  Rebbe's here. I would like to see him." And, uh... so they went, they
  knew where he was staying, they went, the two of them went up and the
  [Belzer] Rebbe was standing with closed eyes because he couldn't, he
  had problems with his vision and the people were in line giving Shalom
  one after another and he had on his hand a towel and that's how he
  gave Shalom, with... through the towel. And one of... Itzche Meir gave
  Shalom; then the [Lubavitcher] Rebbe gave Shalom. When the Rebbe gave
  him Shalom he looked up, maybe opened his eyes, and he took off the
  towel and he gave him Shalom with the hand. Everybody there was
  astonished: he made an exception here. So they started to ask Itzche
  Meir "Who is this? Who... who is he?" So he said "He's the eidim
  [son-in-law] of [the sixth] Lubavitcher [Rebbe]."

My question is, what is this towel for? Was it related somehow to Tumah and Taharah? If this question is not too personal, what is it that everyone else was doing, that the Rebbes in the story were not doing, that explains that the one would shake the hand of the other directly? The fact that Menachem Mendel normally shook the hands of other people is no objection? And why a towel rather than a glove?


texts:
I’ve some trouble with translating and understanding Isaiah 52:14.
The words me’ish (מאיש) and mi’bnei adam (מבני אדם) to me seem to translate: from/out of man (like in Genesis 2:23 or Psalm 18:49) and from/out of sons of men (Psalm 12:2, 21:11, 45:3).
But the phrase כן-משחת מאיש מרהו and the phrase ותארו מבני אדם are often taken to mean ‘in comparison to’ instead of ‘out of’, although they probably mean the same thing in this case.
If the translation would be:
“Marred is its/his appearance from that of a man, and its/his features from that of people!"
What then does this mean with regards to Israel? Is it referring to Israel being damaged, ruined in some way?


texts: Why can't we distribute mitzvah obligations around the community?

texts:
How do we know from the Torah that it would not be sufficient just to have some people doing davening, others doing negel vasser, others doing tzitzit, others doing hachnosas kallah, others doing Torah learning? I don't know much about Hebrew grammar, but when it says, say, "They shall make themselves tzitzit (fringes) on the corners of their clothing throughout their generations, and give the tzitzit of each corner a thread of blue," why couldn't it mean just ten or twenty men per generation doing this?

I understand why prohibitions are universal, but why positive mitzvoth, too, for sure?

(I'm specifically looking for the concrete textual/traditional basis for our knowledge of this. I already understand that most positive mitzvot do in fact apply to every Jewish man.)


texts: If animals don't have freewill, why are dogs rewarded for not having barked at Jewish people during the Exodus from Egypt? (Exodus 11 and Exodus 22)


texts: Does nullification mean something no longer exists, or just that it has no Halachic significance?

texts:
[For the record, (I believe) I know the answer, but I saw someone post the question, as stated in the subject, on social media, and I am drawing it to its logical conclusion here.]

Say, for example, that someone makes a pot of Cholent on the stovetop, and, while the Cholent is at a low boil, some powdered milk, of less than 1/60 of the volume of the Cholent, is accidentally spilled into the Cholent and, because of the circumstances, it vanishes from sight almost immediately. A small amount of the Cholent is subsequently eaten, and the Cholent is refrigerated for later consumption.

Let's now say that the chef adds some water to the Cholent, but accidentally adds too much, making it now very watery, and in order to reheat the Cholent, the chef decides it is best to bring it up to a boil and leave it uncovered to allow some of the water to evaporate, thereby thickening it somewhat.

Somehow, another accidental powdered milk spill occurs, this time again with less than 1/60 the volume of the Cholent, but if combined with the first milk spill would now constitute more than 1/60 the volume of the Cholent.

Do we say that it's as if the first milk spill never happened - that first bit of milk ceases to exist in Halachic reality? Or do we say that the first milk spill had no significance to the Cholent at the time of the spill, but with some liquid being boiled off and reducing the overall volume, and some more milk being added to the mixture, do we say that now the first milk and the second milk combine to take up a significant amount of the total volume and make the Cholent not kosher?


texts: kashrus of mouthwash, toothpaste, lip balm

texts: What are the halachic and factual issues involved in, and various rabbis' holdings on, whether flavored mouthwash, flavored toothpaste, and flavored lip balm need to be kosher, or need a hechsher (kosher certification)? For example, one argument alluded to in an answer is "it's inedible so it's fine": what are the halachic parameters of "inedible", sources to say that such inedibility renders the product okay (or not) for use, and factual evidence that the product is indeed inedible (or not)? And likewise for other arguments/issues.


texts: Why should a kashrus certification agency change their standards?

texts:
Today I learned that the Oasis Mediterranean Foods company (located in Toledo, OH) has lost their hechsher on stuffed grape leaves.  Formerly the entire product line was certified by Star-K, so I called Star-K's kashrus hotline to inquire about the reasons for the change, and whether the rest of the product line was still kosher.

I spoke to the rabbi in charge of that region, and he informed me that Star-K had changed their policy with regards to bishul yisrael. Essentially the company had not changed anything in terms of how they prepare the food, but the certification agency became more machmir. (This was his own description of the change, by the way, not just my interpretation.)  He also confirmed that this change only applied to the grape leaves, not to their stuffed cabbage, hummus, fattoush, or other products, all of which are still certified.

I have a hard time understanding the logic behind this. If the grape leaves were kosher six weeks ago, and nothing has changed in the production system, and all the rest of their products are still kosher, what is the logic behind removing the hechsher on the grape leaves now?

More generally, what is the logic underlying any "policy change" or "standards change" by a kashrus certification agency?  If the underlying halacha hasn't changed, and the facts on the ground haven't changed, why should something be kosher one week and not kosher the next?


texts: Sources from Tanach for Praying in Minyan

texts:
I’ve got a question about people praying together.

Hence from were in the Tanach, from which verse(s) or context, did the idea or concept for group/communal/collective prayer developed from? Or is it only of rabbinic origin? I heard it is a public service replacing the public sacrifices that were made in the Temple in biblical times. Is this true and/or are there other reasons from a biblical perspective for such prayers, i.e. getting together and pray.
Is there a ‘need’ to pray together, what does the Tenach teach us, what’s the benefit in regards to singular prayer. Are such prayers more powerful/meaningful than an individual praying alone?


texts: Is a contract over Chat/IM/SMS "written" or "oral"?

texts:
Halakhically, is a business transaction conducted over Chat/IM/SMS a "written" or "oral" contract?

Chat is oral-style communication in a textual medium.  Does the fact that it's actually written over-ride the fact that most people use it in the same (or even more) informal way that they use voice?


texts: Is using a parent's hidden object stealing?

texts: Let’s say a mom has food hidden in her makeup kit in her bedroom and her son finds it and eats it.  I’ve heard somewhere that kids are allowed to use various things in the home of their parents. So, if the mom didn’t directly say “don’t eat this food”, would sources consider this stealing? Also would the son allowed to share the food with his friends, or would this be stealing?


texts: Are we allowed to work on a world language?

texts:
I am thinking on this because it seems God wants us to speak in many languages, to not understand each other. As I know, it is the punishment for the Tower of Babel.

Trying to make world languages (English, Chinese) or constructed languages (Esperanto) common, isn't it an attempt to avoid His punishment?

It seems English or maybe Chinese has a significant chance to elevate to a real world language even in this century.

God's major goal with the punishment - to make the humanity incapable to do global projects on areas which He won't allow for us - seems even now to be nullified because every major industrial / technology / scientific research projects contain enough English speakers to be able to use global resources and global cooperation. As we now can see, this process goes further and further with the decades.

Is it possible, that the punishment is (will be) lifted?


texts: Why was Jacob afraid from the fight with Esav

texts: It is well known the all Jacob's sons had incredible mental, spiritual and physical strength. Just to mention a few: Shimon and Levi killed all the men in Schem, Judah and the rest of the brothers could destroy all Egypt. In addition, it is said that Joseph can extinct Esav by his own (והיה בית יעקב אש ובית יוסף להבה ובית עשו לקש ודלקו בהם ואכלום ולא יהיה שריד Ovadia 1:18). So why Jacob was so afraid from a fight against Esav and his 400 people. He could easily destroy them with his sons?


texts: What parts of an animal, when eaten, would make one "fleishig"?

texts:
If someone eats chicken feathers or the rooster comb, or sheep's wool, would one be considered having eaten fleishig and have to wait until he could eat dairy? Similarly, can one mix these two items with dairy and eat the mix?

What part of the animal is considered in the restrictions of "basar vechalav" (meat and dairy) prohibition?


texts: Why do most of the shuls in Manhattan face the wrong direction?

texts:
As a first time visitor to Manhattan, I was very surprised to see that most shuls (with a few notable exceptions) are facing roughly south-south-west.  This is nowhere near the direction to face Jerusalem, whether you hold by a "flat-earth" Rhumb line (east) or a Great Circle line (north-east) - see here for explanation.

I'm intrigued to know what the historical reasons are for this, when by shifting the Aron Hakodesh 90 degrees to the left they could have come very close to the Rhumb line direction, at ESE?  And if it's because the buildings on the grid are typically elongated along the SSW-NNE axis, and it's better feng shui/practical layout to have the Aron on a narrow wall, then why choose to face SSW over NNE, when NNE is very close to the Great Circle direction, and is at least somewhat closer to the Rhumb line?


texts: Is it Halachically forbidden to go to Israel?

texts:
I was recently studying Berakhot 24b when I read the following statement:

  'כל העולה מבבל לא"י  עובר בעשה שנאמר (ירמיהו כז, כב) בבלה יובאו ושמה יהיו עד יום פקדי אותם נאם ה'

  Whoever goes up from Babylon to the land of Israel commits a transgression because of [the injunction] which is stated, "They shall be carried to Babylon, and there shall they be, until the day that I remember them, saith the Lord" ( Jer. xxvii. 22).

I know that there are small orthodox groups, like the Neturei Karta, who base their ideas of anti-zionism on this. They believe we can't go to Israel until the messianic redemption happens. But they're obviously a small minority.

How does modern orthodox judaism interpret this passage?


texts: Were condemned prisoners drugged prior to execution?

texts:
According to this unsubstantiated Wikipedia entry, criminals condemned to death by Beith Din were drugged and rendered senseless prior to being executed.

Is this factually correct (either Halachically or historically)?


texts: Hataf-patah instead of sh'va na‘ in Sephardic and Ashkenazic tikkunim

texts:
In my Yeshiva, we have Sephardic tikkunim called, ״איש מצליח,״ basically the Sephardic equivalent of סימנים. I own an Ashkenazi tikkun (not סימנים). In my tikkun, sometimes a hataf-patah will appear under letters other than אהח״ע, usually in a word from the root ברך, or in the case of double letters such as ויכננך and יסבבנהו. In Artscroll Ashkenazi siddurim, they always appear with a sh'va. In the Sephardic tikkun, they appear with a sh'va and at the bottom there's a footnote saying, for example, ״ויכננך [with a hataf-patah] למנהגנו, וכ״ה בקורן" ... according to our [the Sephardic] custom, and it's also like that in the Koren [Tanakh]. Sometimes it will leave out that last part because Koren has it with a sh'va and not a hataf-patah.

So my question is: When should I, an Ashkenazi, pronounce it with a hataf-patah, and when should I pronounce it with a sh'va na‘, keeping in mind that I don't bring my Askenazi tikkun to Yeshiva, that it's not the most accurate tikkun, and that my brother's Ashenazi tikkun and the Siddurim always say sh'va na‘?


texts: Sefer haKabbalah: How long did Jehoshaphat reign?

texts:
In the book of Melachim Alef 22:42 it says:

  Jehoshaphat was thirty and five years old when he began to reign; and
  he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem.

Seder Olam (see here) agrees with that:

  בשנת שלשים ושמנה שנה לאסא מלך יהודה (מלך) [וימלך] אחאב בן עמרי על
  ישראל [בשמרון] עשרים ושתים שנה (שם טז כט), בשנת ארבע לאחאב מלך יהושפט,
  בן ל"ה שנה היה במלכו, כ"ה שנה מלך בירושלם

But looking at Sefer haKabbalah it seems that it does have some 'inconsistences' (perhaps, due to typo?). Compare for instance, here it says 28 years and also here, but here it says 21 and here 95. Am I missing something? Which one is correct?
 And if is one of these, which differs from SO and the posuk above, what source and reasoning supports it?


texts:
Is there any software that can convert Rashi script to Hebrew script?  For the purpose of making studying easier.

Example:   When I run into Rashi script online, I would copy and paste it into this software to see it in Hebrew script.   Or I scan a book and use OCR on it, but then have this software change it into Hebrew script.

I am finding that Rashi script makes studying his writings overwhelmingly hard.


texts: Mistake first night of Pesach vs Dec 4 on Friday night

texts:
The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch writes in Siman 19 Halacha 9, that if one began his Shemoneh Esrei on the first night of Pesach and he accidentally began saying a weekday amidah and he came to the Bracha of barech aleinu, that he must complete it and he is to say “vsen Bracha” because the congregation is not saying “tal umatar” - if however December 4/5 fell on a Friday night and once again he said a weekday Shemoneh Esrei, KSA again says “vsen Bracha” because the congregation is not saying “tal umatar” as of yet.
Aren’t these 2 halachos in contradiction with each other, as if with Pesach he holds that the person changes early his recitation to "vsen Bracha," even though the congregation hasn’t changed yet, why not the same on Dec 4-5 that falls on a Friday night - why not change to vsen tal in a similar fashion?


texts:
At the end of the Noam Elimelech, R' Elimelech has "Hanhagos Ha'adam". In it, he writes that one should spend spend time every day learning sifrei mussar:

  ד. ויעסוק באימה וביראה באיזה ספרי מוסר בכל יום, בראשית חכמה ושל״ה וחובות הלבבות:

Did Rebbe Nachman encourage a daily study of sifrei mussar as well?


texts: If there is incliment weather on Yom Kippor may one wear leather shoes to the synogogue?

texts: In the event of inclement weather on Yom Kippur, may one wear leather shoes (which are the only inclement-weather-proof shoes available) to synagogue? I am asking about walking there in the morning, say, and then changing shoes to non-leather shoes once one has arrived at the synagogue.


texts:
We know that the phrase ולכפרת פשע is added to the Musaf Amidah of Rosh Chodesh during a leap year. However, in most minyanim I've davened in, the custom seems to be that one only adds it from Cheshvan through Adar II.

If we are adding this phrase to make 13 expressions, equivalent to the 13 months of a leap year, why do some communities only say it through Adar II, rather than for the rest of the year?


texts: Why does the Torah list animals with one sign?

texts:
The Torah says that an animal is only kosher if it has split hooves and also chews its cud. Then the Torah lists four animals that aren't kosher because they don't have split hooves and also chew their cud. Why does the Torah list those animals? We know they aren't kosher because they don't have split hooves and also chew their cud.

Leviticus 11 (JPS)

  1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them: 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: These are the living things which ye may eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. 3 Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is wholly cloven-footed, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that may ye eat. 4 Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that only chew the cud, or of them that only part the hoof: the camel, because he cheweth the cud but parteth not the hoof, he is unclean unto you. 5 And the rock-badger, because he cheweth the cud but parteth not the hoof, he is unclean unto you. 6 And the hare, because she cheweth the cud but parteth not the hoof, she is unclean unto you. 7 And the swine, because he parteth the hoof, and is cloven-footed, but cheweth not the cud, he is unclean unto you. 8 Of their flesh ye shall not eat, and their carcasses ye shall not touch; they are unclean unto you.

Deuteronomy 14 (JPS)

  6 And every beast that parteth the hoof, and hath the hoof wholly cloven in two, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that ye may eat. 7 Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that only chew the cud, or of them that only have the hoof cloven: the camel, and the hare, and the rock-badger, because they chew the cud but part not the hoof, they are unclean unto you; 8 and the swine, because he parteth the hoof but cheweth not the cud, he is unclean unto you; of their flesh ye shall not eat, and their carcasses ye shall not touch.


texts: Scrolls on door frames - what are they called and what should I do?

texts:
I've moved into a new flat (apartment).

It has these small scrolls in containers on door frames outside and inside the apartment.

I am not Jewish.

I do want to be respectful of other people's beliefs.

What are these scrolls called?  What should I do with them?  These particular versions seem to be really nicely crafted.


texts:
Should one say ata chonantanu if they have already heard havdala at home?

I don't know that there is a problem with it necessarily (it is not its own bracha, which is the point after all) but should it be said?