texts: Looking to hire someone to search Seforim (online or not) for specific Torah thoughts

texts:
I have several Torah thoughts that may potentially be novel, and I am searching to see what other commentators have written on these subjects and whether some or all of these thoughts were introduced previously by other commentators.

Websites such as www.Otzar.org and www.Hebrewbooks.org are very helpful to do searches within Seforim, given their huge databases and the ability to do "keyword searches". However, since I am not the most proficient when it comes to both the ordinary non-technical delving into Seforim, and am neither a very savvy user of "online search" tools, I was hoping I could find someone whom I could retain and pay to do some extensive searching of several hours.

In other words, I would provide all the relevant details on the Chiddushim/P'shatim regarding which we are searching, and hopefully a Talmid Chochom who is also technically-proficient could then research using these aforementioned databases, or better yet, he may also have access to other proprietary and exclusive databases, etc.

Does anyone know whom I could contact or where I could go to obtain such help?


texts:
First ingredient listed is rice, second is wheat.

Can I assume there is enough wheat to make a kezayis if I eat a serving or two, or since the rice is listed first, do I just make borei nefashos?


texts: How can there be machlokes in gezairah shavos?

texts: The Gemara says (Nidah 19b, among other places), אין אדם דן גזירה שווה מעצמו - a person can't make up gezaira shavos, they have to have been learned from one's teacher. If so, how can there ever be a dispute regarding them?


texts: Can one post a negative comment on a site such as Google or Yelp?

texts:
This answer states Chafetz Chaim's 7 rules regarding to'elet for Lashon Hara.

When a service provider posts his business on a ratings site such as a doctor's site like Zocdoc, or one of the travel sites like Expedia, or a store / restaurant site like Google or Yelp, that owner expects to receive reviews - both positive and negative. He hopes that overall, the number of positives will far outweigh the negatives, but, of course, there is no knowing this. He also is able to defend himself by posting his own comment to respond to any problems. Additionally, sometimes, even the negative comments may be useful to the service provider so that he can know about problems and improve the service.

Can we, therefore, assume that when one posts his business on one of these online sites, and knows that people will comment, as that feature is built into one of these sites, does this mean that he knows in advance that some of these comments might be harmful to him, but is taking that risk? And, if he's taking that risk, does that mean that any negative comments that might harm him may be permitted and therefore not considered lashon hara since, in a sense, he allowed such comments? Would that stipulation, therefore, allow someone to post negative comments without worrying that it is lashon hara, or that all comments would be considered to'elet?

Note: For this question, I assume that the provider / owner is Jewish.


texts: "Masekhtot Banayikh": The Origins of an Expression

texts:
I recently found out that four of the masekhtot in the Bavli conclude with the same drosh by R' Elazar, and that those four masekhtot are known by a special name as a result. The drosh concerns the fact that Torah scholars bring peace to the word, and hinges on the pronunciation of the word בניך. The key part of the drosh is Isaiah 54:13 - particularly the phrase, ורב שלום בניך ("great shall be the peace of your children"). The four masekhtot are Berakhot, Yevamot, Nazir and Keritot.

Although these four masekhtot are not the only masekhtot in which this drosh appears (it also appears in Tamid 32b), they are the only ones that conclude with this drosh, and were singled out by the Lubavitcher Rebbe in a hadran that was delivered in 1980 and published in Torat Menachem: Hadranim al-haRambam veShas (1992).

The Rebbe referred to them as מסכתות בני״ך (Masekhtot Banayikh), the acronym standing for "Berakhot, Nazir, Yevamot, Keritot", and alluding to the word on which the drosh itself hinges. I was impressed with this term, and don't recall ever seeing it before; it strikes me as a beautiful way to group these four masekhtot together, only I don't know where it originated!

Looking online, I have only found sources that reference the Lubavitcher Rebbe's hadran of 1980, and the hadran itself doesn't credit anybody with the abbreviation. Either that means that the Lubavitcher Rebbe invented it, or it means that it was so widely known that accreditation was unnecessary (and impossible). The Rebbe's hadran is based closely on a Maharsha on Yevamot 121b (the drosh is brought on 122b, but the Maharsha's remarks are on the previous daf), but the Maharsha himself doesn't use the expression.

So: does anybody know of a source prior to the Lubavitcher Rebbe for this beautiful expression ("Masekhtot Banayikh") - or, alternatively, is there anybody who already knew that the Lubavitcher Rebbe invented it?


texts: How to display the Torah when doing hagbah

texts:
I have seen several methods of how to show the open Torah to the congregation when doing (Ashkenazi) hagbah.  The simplest is to lift the Torah, turn in a full 360 degree circle, and then sit down.  I have seen others do a half turn to the right, turn back to face the front, then do a half turn to the left, and turn back to face the front.  I'm sure I've seen other methods as well, but those are the two I've seen most often.

Is there any source for either of the two mentioned methods?  Does Halacha have an opinion about how this should be done?  Are there reasons to specifically do it one way and not the other?


texts: What was HaRaMBa"M's position on "yissurim shel ahavah"?

texts:
In the Talmud Bavli (Berakhot 5A-B), HaZa"L discuss yissurim shel ahavah (i.e. afflictions of love).
In his translation of R' Bahya's "Hovot HaLevavot" (introduction to Sha`ar HaBitahon), R' Yoseph Qafih includes a footnote calling the reader to contrast R' Bahya's position (s.v. והששי שבעל הכימיה) with that of HaRaMBa"M in his "Moreh Nevukhim" (3:24). In his footnotes to MN 3:24, R' Qafih guides the reader as well to MN 3:17 and R' Qafih's footnotes there.
In these sections (3:17, 3:24) it appears at first glance that HaRaMBa"M rejects outright the concept of yissurim shel ahavah ("ואין לשון בתורה לעניין זה").
Not being well-versed in Moreh Nevukhim (and knowing that HaRaMBa"M deliberately contradicts himself in it), can someone help me understand if that is indeed his position (i.e. that he rejects the concept altogether)?
Furthermore, if HaRaMBa"M indeed rejects the concept, how would he have responded to RaSh"I on Berakhot 5B (Original, English) regarding the death of ten of R' Yohanan's sons:

ביר: ... וגברא רבא כר״י לא באו לו יסורין שאינן של אהבה
Bir: ... And one as great as R' Yohanan did not experience afflictions other than those of love.

Would HaRaMBa"M have responded that R' Yohanan deserved for his ten sons to die?


texts:
I'm somewhat confused on when Baruch Hu Uvaruch Shemo (ברוך הוא וברוך שמו) should be said after Hashem's name in a B'racha (I'm taking for granted that it is only said in the context of a bracha, but correct me if I'm wrong), and when it shouldn't.

There appear to be certain times where everyone in the synagogue says it:

The B'rachos that are said in the morning
The Chazzan's recitation of Shemoneh Esrei

On the other hand, there appear to be sometimes where no one says it:

When being yotzei a Bracha

But then there are some "grey areas" where it appears that only some of the congregants do say it, and some remain silent:

Friday night, by the B'racha mein Sheva
Hashem's name in Birchas Kohanim

[there are probably lots more examples; these just happen to be the ones that prompted my question]

In short: I'm looking for a rule: when is it said, and when isn't it?


texts:
In kabala/chassidus Klipa translated as a shell, (i think it is used as a name of the source of evil)

That is the etymology of the word?
Why is the word shell used?
It is somthing in it? (what?) or is it that it is empty inside?
Is it a protection? Of what? From what?

Sources on subject please

Related From which side does Klipa come?


texts: Do bath products need to be certified kosher?

texts: Do bath products like soap and bubble bath need to be kosher? I am particularly asking about Mr. Bubbles bath foam and Lush soaps and Lush bath bombs.


texts:
I know we generally accord respect to our dead, which includes not mangling their bodies. On the other hand, obviously saving lives is more important than, well, almost anything, including respect for the dead. What are the prevalent halachic views on postmortem organ donation? Does its permissibility perhaps depend on what organ is being donated? (I can imagine that donation of a heart is likely to save a life; an eye, not so much.) Does it depend on whether the likely recipient is Jewish (and hence, perhaps, on whether the donor is in Israel)? What other factors go into the p'sakim (halachic rulings)?

(Just to clarify, this question is not about the brain-death debate. This question assumes a fully dead donor.)


texts:
The Rama in his Darkei Moshe writes that we pasken like Tosfos that today mayim achronim is not necessary.

However, The Mechaber 181:10 writes that there is an opinion who holds we don't do mayim achronim, but the Rama does not say anything on this se'if, why doesn't the Rama say V'haci Noheg like in the Darkei Moshe?


texts:
The Gemara says that Jewish people have already been assured that Elijah will come neither on a Friday nor on the eve of a Festival, due to the exertion.

If that's the case, can Elijah come on Shabbos or Yom Tov day?


texts: Educational videos for Books of Nevi'im and Ketuvim?

texts:
I seem to recall viewing animated and narrated videos of stories from the Early Prophets, Nevi'im, a few decades ago.

Can anyone recommend any educational and reliably truthful animated and/or well-produced video series of stories in Nach, which are fitting for children and young adults?

In the quest for successful education techniques in the realm of Jewish education, I believe that finding such a video series would be directly relevant to Judaism and our collective continued understanding.


texts:
I am in an interfaith marriage, and I have a small business making and selling kippot.  I have a client who has asked me to make a matching tallit for an upcoming special event.  My understanding is that a tallit is a more significant religious item.  I believe a tallis is different, because you say a blessing(ish?) when you tie the tzitzit. Also a kippah is a head covering and not inherently special.

I am certainly, technically able to make one, but I am uncertain as to whether my doing so would be problematic, as I am not Jewish.  According to halacha can a gentile make one with tzitzit?  If not, can a gentile make one without tzitzit and have a Jew attach them?


texts: Rabbinic prohibitions among Noachide laws

texts: Are there Rabbinic prohibitions on non-Jews in the context of the 7 Noachide laws? e.g., would they have gezeirot like yichud or negia in order to prevent ariyot?


texts: There is an idea mentioned by the Rambam, but not in the Mishneh Torah as I recall, that it is permissible to teach Wrtitten Torah to Christians because they accept it as Divine and don't study it in a strictly academic/detached way. Where does he, and does he in fact, rule this way? How would this apply to teaching Oral Torah to someone such as a b'nei Noach who accepts it?


texts: At the end of Birkas Hamazon, why do we say 'vezaro mevakesh lachem' and not 'lechem'? Thanks!


texts: Is it necessary for the 12 tribes to be settled in Israel in order to keep shmita?

texts:
Some commentators say that it is necessary for 12 tribes to be settled in Israel in order to keep shmita (rambam) but the fact is that two of the tribes had given up their shares in Israel to live on the other side of the Jordan river. The fact is that there never really were 12 tribes in biblical Israel and shmita was kept.

Another argument would be that there is a high likelyhood that those living in Israel have some ancestry from the 12 tribes.

Shouldnt shmita be kept deoraita by all in Israel?


texts:
why is the Talmud is written in such a confusing manner. Every other discipline in the world is taught in such a way as to make it as easy as possible to understand. If you learn mathematics for example, they first teach you addition then subtraction. Once you master that, you go on to multiplication, division, algebra, geometry, etc.

There is a clear order, building up from simple to complex and it's written in such a way as to be as easy as possible to understand. On the other hand, the talmud is written in a seemingly chaotic fashion. The very first mishna says:

"when do we read the shema?.. When the Kohanim enter to eat their teruma..."

Who? What? What Kohanim? What shema?! First tell me about the source of the mitzva of shema. Where does it come from. What is it? Instead the mishna jumps right in with a confusing mix of information. furthermore the talmud is constantly going off on tangents many of which are totally unrelated to the current tractate.

why is it written like this?

for example, If I want to teach physics in a clear way, I'd start with newton's laws of motion and then after a semester when this is fully clear I'd move up to waves and other more complicated stuff, then maybe optics or electromagnetism then thermodynamics,etc then quantum theory. (and even within newton's laws, I would start from basic and move up to complex). I would not  start with newton's laws then throw in  some electro-magnetism stuff and a little quantum mechanics all at once as this would totaly confuse every one. One must start with ONE most fundamental subject and explain it fully then move on to another subject which builds on that.


texts: What's a musar vaad and why is it called that?

texts:
I'm familiar with the term "ועד" (vaad) as meaning something like "congress" or "council" or "board": a legislative or similar body like the Vaad Arba Aratzos, the Vaad Harabonim of Queens, or the Vaad Hakashruth of Kansas City.

However, I've sometimes heard "musar vaad" used to refer to a class in musar.

What exactly is a musar vaad? (If it's just a musar class, then how, if at all, does it differ from a musar shiur or chabura or schmuess?)
Why is it called "vaad"? What, if anything, does a musar vaad have to do with the sort of vaad I'm familiar with?


texts: If a person saying havdalah began the last bracha (benediction) without mentioning sheim umalchus (God's name and dominion) i.e. he said ברוך אתה השם המבדיל בין קודש לחול וכו׳, skipping אלוקינו מלך העולם, can that bracha be considered samuch lichaverta, connected to the previous, so as to be able to say the start doesn't matter after the fact, and people listening fulfilled the obligation of havdalah?


texts:
Is anyone familiar with the practice of not drinking water after eating fish?  I know that something has to be used to clean your mouth before eating meat, but somehow I got the idea in my head that one should not drink water after eating fish because its disrespectful to the fish.  I am new to my community and I quickly realized that none of them follow this practice, furthermore, none of them have heard of such a practice.  I know I did not invent this in my own head, and I would love to figure out where it came from.  Please, post if you know.

This one came through my blog.


texts: Kiddushin 'Al Tnai and the effect of Nissuin

texts:
I just read a comment online asking, in a particular 'Agunah situation, why there was not an agreement before the wedding to allow a rabbinical court to a annul the marriage.

Is this a legitimate practice?  I've heard of the Rabbinical Council of America's prenuptial agreement, but I thought it imposed sanctions on the husband if he refused to give a Get.  I have not heard of there being an agreement to annul the marriage.  Wouldn't that be a form of Kiddushin 'Al Tenai (conditional betrothal)?  Is that acceptable to today's Batei Din?  What effect does Nissuin have on the Tenai of the Kiddushin?

(Cf. here for a Shi'ur on the subject of Nissuin, Tenai, and changing status.)


texts: Wife not wearing wedding ring after marrriage

texts:
May a Jewish Orthodox wife stop wearing her wedding ring after marriage?
Can she specify that she will not wear it untill she has children?


texts: Unintentionally break the commandment of prohibiting idolatry

texts:
I noticed that Rashi (based on Sifrei 111:1) understand the sin described in Bamidbar 15 to be about idolatry, while the (O)JPS translation reads (verse 22): "And when ye shall err, and not observe all these commandments". The NJPS reads: "If you unwittingly fail to observe any of the commandments", while other commentators read: "if you  sin unintentionally/inadvertently".

But if this is about idolatry, then how can one sin (do idolatry) unwittingly, unintentionally, inadvertenly?


texts: Are you allowed to sit on the floor and study Torah such as Gamara etc? I've heard different opinions. Sources please


texts:
The Mishnah is supposedly THE codex of the Jewish Law. I'm trying to understand the purpose of the questions in the Mishnah. It appears to be gratuitous as it adds no information.
Compare the original Mishnah (Berachot 1:1):

"מֵאֵימָתַי קוֹרִין אֶת שְׁמַע בְּעַרְבִית? מִשָּׁעָה שֶׁהַכֹּהֲנִים נִכְנָסִים לֶאֱכֹל בִּתְרוּמָתָן, ..."
"From when may one recite Shema in the evening? From the time when the Kohanim go in to eat their Terumah ..."

Vs a "normalized" version:

"קוֹרִין אֶת שְׁמַע בְּעַרְבִית מִשָּׁעָה שֶׁהַכֹּהֲנִים נִכְנָסִים לֶאֱכֹל בִּתְרוּמָתָן..."
"One may recite Shema in the evening from the time when the Kohanim go in to eat their Terumah..."

The use of questions throughout the Mishnah seems inconsistent, e.g. not every Mishnah starts with a question.
I've heard a couple of speculations, like: "so it can be remembered better", or "they wrote exactly what the Rabbi said" but for a legal document that defines the principles of Judaism it sounds "unprofessional" (to me at least).
Is there a [non circumstantial] reason for this phenomenon?


texts: Is there any corobating evidence besides the Bible of the stories of Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego?

texts:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadrach,_Meshach,_and_Abednego

(AKA Chananya, Mishael, and Azarya)

The story is that these 3 people did not bow to a golden image. Then they got thrown into a fire. A miracle happened and they survived. The king is so impressed that he declared all people to respect Jewish God. Given that Babylon is a great kingdom, this must have been a very significant event.

That seems to be a very public miracle. Are there any historical record to corroborate this?


texts: Are gentiles forbidden from consuming blood?

texts:
The seven noachide laws prohibit eating the limb of a live animal and spilling the blood of another human being. My impression was that kashrut dietary restrictions, i.e. consuming non-kosher animals, mixing meat and dairy, et al were given only to the Jewish people and therefore are not incumbent upon the rest of humanity. Is the consumption of blood an exception? All perspectives on this question are of interest to me, but I am especially curious about sources that prohibit.

Edit: The speaker in this video (check 1:10:40) suggests that Ibn Ezra mentions this. I was wondering the extent of differing opinions on this topic  or if anyone was aware of the source.


texts:
This font is commonly used in seforim published by Kehot Publication Society. I've seen it used in other places as well, but I've been unable to identify it. I really don't think it's a custom font....
So I'm hoping that someone can identify the font for the words "Likutei Torah". Thanks!


texts: Is it considered 'bikur cholim' to call someone who's sick?

texts: When someone calls a friend who is sick to see how he's doing and to wish him a refuah shleima, is that technically a fulfillment of mitzvahs bikur cholim?


texts: Why are you allowed to cook on yom tov but not on shabbas? I understand that there are certain rules about cooking, but why can't we do that on shabbas?


texts: Although I have often heard that the world would revert to nothingness if there wasn't someone learning Torah at any given moment, I haven't seen this written yet - what is the source of this concept?


texts: Is there a principle as “so that the sons of Israel not be promiscuous toward immorality”?

texts:
The Gemara (Sanhedrin 75a) discusses a case of a man who became so lovesick for a woman that he fell deathly ill. The Chachamim said it would be better to let him die than to be intimate with her, and even to see her (unclothed), and even to speak with her through a wall.
The Gemara asks: why is it that we take the prohibition of immorality even on pain of death to such a degree that even to speak with her through a wall is prohibited? One answer presented (that of R’ Acha b. R’ Ika) is that even though she was single, they forbade this “so that the daughters of Israel not be promiscuous toward immorality.”
What would be the Halacha in the opposite case, according to this answer of the Gemara? If it were a woman who was sick, would a man be able to speak with her through a wall? The same way that we say “so that the daughters of Israel not be promiscuous,” would we say “so that the sons of Israel not be promiscuous”? Would it make a difference if the woman was single or married if she’s the one who is sick?
Once again, I’m asking according to this answer of the Gemara. Answering that “Posek X doesn’t hold of this opinion and therefore it doesn’t matter” is not a valid answer, since I’m asking on the Gemara, not on (hopefully not) practical Halacha.


texts: I am very confused about the prohibition of shaving.  The Shulchan Aruch uses the term "L'histaper" which means cutting hair.  There is no term "giluach", or shaving, used by either the Shulchan Aruch or Mishnah Berura for being prohibited during sefirah.  Why then is shaving prohibited during sefirah?


texts:
This seriously puzzles me. The Oral Law in the form of the Mishnah (and the following Gemmorah), which is the six Sdarim, is well known, and the Gemmorah itself testifies (Shabbos 31a) its division is of divine origin.
However, when Rambam wrote his Mishne Torah, he chose a completely different Seder of 14 tractates. Next came HaTurim and made it into four, with his own subdivisions.

So does it mean the Oral Law does not have a fixed divine structure as the written Torah?


texts: Where is the source that the cup we dip our finger in during the seder is known as the kos shel paraniut?

texts: Where is the source that the cup we dip our finger into during the seder and extract several drops of wine is known as the kos shel paraniut (cup of punishment)?  I recall this concept being referred to many years ago in yeshiva but have never come across it again.  I just wanted to know if it is kabbalistic or halachic and what it really signifies or symbolizes. Thanks


texts: Someone sent me a pdf file of tikkun l'choleh. Does anyone know where I can purchase this sefer?


texts: Make a Mikdash but we are making a Mishkan?

texts:
The Posuk says (Shemot 25:8):

  וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם
  And let them make Me a sanctuary ('Mikdash'), that I may dwell among them.

I have two questions: first, this was the instructions for the Mishkan not the Beit HaMikdash; second, what's בְּתוֹכָם "among them"? Why the plural? Plain translation would indicate we are speaking of the Mishkan.


texts:
Shalom,
My wife and I are currently undergoing a local Reform/Conservative approved class and conversion. We have previously been through an Orthodox conversion class for nearly a year but were ultimately rejected because we could not move into an Eruv of an Ultra-Orthodox shul and participate there daily. I say this because where i live there is only ultra liberal Reform Jews and Ultra-Orthodox communities, no one i have found is what most people would say are more Modern Orthodox. The Rabbis after 6 months of communication flat out said we are not welcome in their community at their classes or in their shul. So we are taking the Reform/Conservative route because it is literally our only option. I have tried talking with neighboring Rabbinical councils and they say only one Rabbi can convert us and that is the one that told us not to come into their community.
We are not only currently Torah observant for over a year, but also have Jewish ancestry from Schoen Metz and Meier along the rhineland. Although i am very upset at what i have come across so far, i know i am in an ultra liberal part of the country. Can someone more connected to traditional Judaism help guide us in education for conversion because the classes we are taking now treat Torah very lightly and frankly it upsets me.
Thank you.
Shalom


texts: Is it appropriate to sing Aishet Chayel for a childless woman?

texts:
I have seen a tradition that has husbands using Proverbs 31 ("Aishet Chayel") to bless their wives, with children rising up and going to the mother and kissing her. This text even has reference to "her children" rising up to bless her.

If a woman has no children is it appropriate for her husband to use this traditional Aishet Chayel blessing on Shabbat?


texts: Why believe angels' showing Aaron dead after being fooled about Moses?

texts:
When Moses didn't come down from Sinai, the Jews requested a replacement leader, explaining (Exodus 32:1) that

  this Moses man who lifted us out of the land of Egypt — we don't know what has become of him.

Rashi, as often, considers "this" to refer to something present and visible:

  The satan showed them something like the form of Moses, that they were carrying him in the air of the spread-out sky.

Of course, Moses wasn't actually dead.

Fast-forward some forty years to Aaron's death. He died and was left on a mountain, while the Jews were nearby, not on the mountain. Numbers 20:29:

  The entire people saw that Aaron had died.

Rashi wonders how they saw what happened atop a mountain:

  When they saw Moses and Eleazar descending — but Aaron did not descend — they asked, "Where is Aaron?" and he told them, "He is dead". They told him, "Is it possible that the angel of death can have dominion over the one who stood before the angel and stopped the plague?". Immediately, Moses begged for mercy and the service angels showed him, placed in a bed, to them. They saw and believed.

Why did they believe? That sort of evidence had been proven untrustworthy.

Source: This question (worded differently) was included, with no answer offered, in the weekly Torah Bits publication by the St. Louis Kollel, volume 20, issue 40, June 28 (Chukas), 2014.


texts: Why must one give up his life to avoid idolatry, according to Rashi?

texts:
The Gemara (Sanhedrin 74a) derives that one must give up his life to avoid idolatry from the passuk in Va'Eschanan (Devarim 6:5):

  ואהבת את ה׳ אלקיך ... בכל נפשך

  You should love HaShem your G-d ... with all your soul

One is enjoined to love HaShem - i.e. not to replace Him with another (Rashi) - to the point of giving up one's soul.

According to the way Rashi seems to understand the Gemara, the derasha seems flawed, though: if one serves under duress, he's not "replacing" HaShem. He still loves Him; he's just doing what he can to live. His allegiance is still to the True G-d. Should V'chai Bahem not still apply in this case?


texts:
Follow-up to Can I make a bracha on smelling roses that may be orla?

As per SA YD 294:1, orla only applies to trees which were planted for eating.

Can one smell the blossoms of a tree planted for fruit within the tree’s first three years? Can one make a Bracha on this smell?


texts: Are there any teshuvot regarding the potato, when it was first introduced to Europe?

texts:
According to https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_potato , the potato was introduced to Europe in the late 1500s.

Are there any halachic discussions by the rabbis at the time regarding the potato? E.g. with regards to Pesach.


texts: If an infant only survives for one day Rachmana litzlan, do the parents have to sit shiva or say kaddish?


texts: Are you allowed to use a plunger to unclog a toilet on shabbos?


texts:
There is a prohibition of counting Jews (see here) for a number of reasons:

  1) Out of love for His people, G‑d counted us at important junctures of our history. The completion of the Tabernacle was one of these occasions (Rashi on Numbers 1:1.). 2) To ensure that the Jews had sufficient numbers to merit the dwelling of the Divine presence upon them (Kli Yakar ibid). 3) To ascertain how many warriors the Jews would have in their upcoming battles to conquer Canaan.

Does the prohibition hold when there are non-Jews is a group?

Is counting two Jews the minimum number for this aveirah? If so then if you count "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8" for a 'Jew, Jew, non-Jew, Jew, Jew, non-Jew, Jew, Jew' have you done, a) no aveirah at all because its a mixed group, b) three separate aveirot for each pair of Jews you count, or c) one aveirah of counting Jews together, or d) none of the above!


texts:
In ch. 8 of Rambam's Shmonah Prakim (Rambam's introduction to Pirkei Avot), he discusses free will. After maintaining that even the Egyptians had free will, despite Hashem telling Avraham that his descendants will be held in captivity and forced into slavery by a foreign nation, he explains that in the case of Hashem hardening the heart of Pharaoh, this was because Pharaoh had crossed the line of doing bad things out of his own free will and his punishment was to lose the ability to do tshuvah.
Then Rambam proceeds to bring evidence that Pharaoh did evil of his own free will:

"...as Scripture plainly states, (Exodus 1:9-10) "And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel is more numerous and mightier than we, come let us deal wisely with it". This they did through the dictates of their own free will and the evil passions of their hearts, without any external constraint forcing them thereto."

But this verse refers to the Pharaoh that first enslaved Yisrael, not the Pharaoh whom Hashem hardened his heart during the plagues! The first Pharaoh died. Why did the Rambam bring evidence from a different Pharaoh?


texts: What tune is supposed to be used for Esther 2:17?

texts:
tikkun korim simanim has verse 2:17 in Megillat Esther marked as to be done with a tune (see the picture above). What tune are they referring to?

Other verses that are marked that way:

The second half of 4:14
second half of 5:4
part of 5:8
first half of 6:1
many more


texts:
Vayikro 19 (27) says:

  You shall not round off the corner of your head, and you shall not
  destroy the edge of your beard.

Rashi comments,

  “You shall not round off the corner of your head: This refers to
  someone who [cuts his hair in such a way that he] makes [the hair on]
  his temples even with that behind his ear and on his forehead [i.e.,
  the front hairline], thereby causing [the hairline] surrounding his
  head to become a circle, since the main hairline behind the ears is at
  a much higher level than [the hair on] his temples. — [Mak. 20B]”

Consider the words “ thereby causing [the hairline] surrounding his head to become a circle.” Someone who has peyos but tucks them behind the ears might also be thought to have a circular hairline. Are there any sources that prohibit tucking the peyos behind the ears?

related: Keeping Payos Behind Ear


texts: What is the purpose of the doubled lines at the end of hallel?

texts: I recall the Gemara discussing which ones to double, but I'm wondering what the purpose of this is. (Sources please)


texts: Why are tractates in Shas apparently out of order?

texts:
The Sdarim of the Shas are (in general) by subject. That is, in each Order, there are discussions on a general topic and its ramifications.

But in each one of them (I think) there is a tractate that seems to be out of order (although there are a few exceptions). For instance, Zeraim deals primarily with agricultural laws, but one tractate (Berachot) concerns the rules for prayers and blessings. Nashim deals with the laws related to marriage and women, but Nazir is also there. Nezikin deals largely with Jewish criminal and civil law and the Jewish court system, but, again, there is Avot with no apparent connection in there. Is there any take on that?

PS: I'm not advocating an Order that would fit better, but an explanation for why they are in these places.


texts: Are bushes acceptable for elevations that require a maakeh, a fence?

texts: If evergreen bushes span the entire length of a side of a porch, at about waist-height for someone on the porch, do the bushes remove the need for a railing? The difference being that a railing can be relied on to prevent a fall while bushes may prevent a fall.


texts: Why did הַר הַזֵּיתִים become a place of burial

texts: I am wondering if there was any particular reason that הַר הַזֵּיתִים was chosen to become a place of burial. Is there?


texts: In a spiritual sense which is greater - or if you prefer, has more kedusha - angels or Jews and why? Please explain and cite explicit sources, not inferences.


texts: Crossing at a sensor-controlled traffic light on Shabbat

texts: May one cross at a sensor-controlled traffic light on Shabbat / Yom Tov. I.e. - the light turns green only when it senses there is a pedestrian? Would it matter if it would be dangerous to cross anywhere else on that street other than where the light is?


texts:
What do the words ("SheTishreh" & "Milfanecha") mean? Do they have a source in Tanach?

I found them in Avraham Fried's song "Matzliach".

Yehi ratzon milfanecha
Shetishreh shechinah
bema’asey yedeichem


texts: Women answering "amen" to a bracha over a man's mitzvah

texts: Can/should a woman answer "amen" to a bracha a man makes over a mitzvah specific to men? For example, tzitzis, tefillin, etc.


texts:
I would say most, if not all yeshivas of today learn in general (and specifically the study of Gemara -- and unfortunately ONLY Gemara with little mussar, little halacha and probably no Tanach) in the way that R' Chaim of Volozhin prescribed. That most would call "iyun" or his type of "iyun". Many Yeshivas followed in this way: Slobodka, Mir, Ponevezh, Kelm, Telz, etc. Until today the similar style of limud continues in all Yeshivas (probably both litvish and chassidish.)
However to me this is quite troubling, what gave him the authority then to change the way people should learn? More importantly what gives the chachamim of our generation to continue learning in a way that goes against the gemara in Avodah Zara Daf 19 that a person should learn a lot first, then do more "iyun" later. Going against Rambam in Hilchos Talmud Torah, perhaps the Shulchan Aruch and nosei Kelim itself and for sure the Shulchan Aruch HaRav in Hilchos Talmud Torah (which is built upon what the Tur, Rambam, Chazal and others said.) Which is to learn in a way of "bekius", until one knows everything well, then later in life to learn "iyun". He even prescribes how each type of person should learn (i.e. one who can understand well, one who doesn't understand so well, etc.) Although perhaps the Litvish community wouldn't give so much thought to this I'll note as well that The Arizal, Sha-ar Ha-Mitzvot Va-etchanan, page 79 right column, writes that iyun should be only be learned an hour or two a day (and that this itself was only for the "keen minded", but those who have "dull" brains should not even devote that time to iyun.)
Perhaps my biggest question on how this started was the fact that R' Chaim of Volozhin was a talmid of the Gra who himself writes in Mishlei Chapter 6 Verse 8 (starts at the bottom of the page that I linked to) that a person should spend the first part of his life learning a lot (bekius) and then later in life spend time more with "iyun". How could he go against his own Rebbe?
How can the generations ignore what Chazal and the great Chachamim that came before us prescribed. Not to much that the iyun often or never brings someone to halacha l'maseh (practical Jewish Law) which is perhaps the most important thing.
My question is a big one, however if we'll say that this whole way of learning started with R' Chaim then I have a kasha on him, how could he go against his Rebbe, the Gra.


texts: What is the most common way of indicating qere/kethib in the biblical text?

texts: What is the most common way used in Biblical Scripture to indicate Qere and Kethib? Especially for non-Hebrew languages.


texts: Sephardic Wedding Custom: Avram Siz Reading

texts:
What are the verses one reads to fulfill the Sephardic custom of Avram Siz?

Avram Siz (or Avraham Zaqein) is the Sephardic custom of reading a passage in Genesis the Shabbat following a wedding.


texts: Aveira Lishma: Is it permissible to make a decision that contradicts Halacha because it is for the greater good?

texts:
The gemara in brachos 10a says that Chizkiyahu made the decision not to have children as he saw that his kids would be negative influences on the Jewish people. Then, Yeshayahu tells him that is not for Chizkiyahu to worry about God's secrets; he must simply do that which he is commanded.

The gemara in other places, one of them being Horayos 10b, talks about the concept of 'Aveira lishma'. The gemara says that when Yael did the aveira with Sisra, it was OK because it was done for the right reason. It seems to make a similar point about Tamar's acting like a prostitute in order to have children with Yehuda.

It seems to me that there is a contradiction here. Is it permissible to make a decision that contradicts Halacha because it is for the greater good (I.e. aveira lishma) or not (as implied by the Chizkiyahu story)?

(I note that the Tamar story was pre-Sinai and I can't work out if Yael was Jewish. This may be the answer; you can't make this decision as a fully fledged Jew. However, the gemara in Horayos sounds like it is a more general rule.)


texts: Description of the Yetzer HaRa in Parshat Bereshit

texts:
In Parshat Bereshit, the yetzer hara's relationship to man is described in very similar langauge to the woman's relationship to man.

Regarding the woman, it says (Gen. 3:16) וְאֶל-אִישֵׁךְ תְּשׁוּקָתֵךְ וְהוּא יִמְשָׁל-בָּךְ - Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.
Regarding the yetzer hara, it says (Gen. 4:7) וְאֵלֶיךָ תְּשׁוּקָתוֹ וְאַתָּה תִּמְשָׁל-בּוֹ. - It's desire will be toward you, but you can rule over it.

What's the connection?


texts: Do Lubavitch chassidim extend shacharit to 90 minutes?

texts:
In the end of Chapter 1 of Igeret HaKodesh (often published with the Tanya), the Baal haTanya writes that businessmen should not be invited to lead prayer on weekdays, but only those with the free time to extend shacharit to at least 90 minutes.  He suggests teachers and those supported by their parents have this ability.  He goes further and says he will send spies to see if this is being followed and push off with both hands those who could do this, but do not.

Is such a thing still done at Lubavitch minyanim where it is possible, such as in a yeshiva?  I have not seen it done in chabad shuls, presumably because those who need to go to work would not accept a 90 minute shacharit, whether they were leading or not.

If it is no longer done, was it a decision to do so, or has it merely fallen out of favor?


texts: Would anyone know of an English, practical sefer on the halachos of Birchos Krias Shema and the rest of tefila (i.e. Shmoneh Esrei , etc. ? )


texts:
The Hebrew calendar works on a 19-year cycle of leap years and a 247-year cycle of varying types of years. This is discussed more fully in Shvili d'Rakia, printed in all Mishnayos containing Tiferes Yisrael at the beginning of Moed Aleph, and you can locate a chart of this 247-year cycle in the Tur, between OC Simanim 428 and 429.

In theory, just the 19-year cycle keeps the Hebrew and English years in balance, such that Pesach and Sukkos don't drift too early (the Hebrew calendar is usually 10-12 days shorter than the English calendar, with the exception of leap years). Comparing any given year in the 247-year cycle with its corresponding year in the next or previous 247-year cycle will show that the moladim of those years differ from those of their corresponding years by less than an hour.

In light of all of this, one would expect that if Hebrew date X and English date Y were the same in any given year, 19 years later, or at least 247 years later, they would coincide once more. And indeed, most Jews would tell you that this is indeed the case (at least in my experience).

However, the test fails for Hebrew leap years. In most years except for a leap year (and some non-leap years), the above statement is accurate. But in leap years, every 19 years, the Hebrew date will toggle back and forth between one of two consecutive English dates. Sometimes it will stick to one of those two days for two years at a time, but it seems to alternate for the most part.

Can anyone explain this phenomenon? You can confirm it for yourself by going to http://www.hebcal.com/converter and plugging in any Hebrew date from last year (5776 was a leap year), then keep adding 19 to the Hebrew year and seeing what the corresponding Gregorian year becomes.


texts:
The gemara in Megila 6b refers to איטליא של יון זה כרך גדול של רומי, which translates literally as: Italy of Greece, this is the great city of Rome.

This seems odd insofar as I know, Italy never belonged to Greece.

Also problematic is referring to Italy as being part of Rome, the opposite is true.

Soncino however translates this as

  ‘Greek Italy’ is the great city of
  Rome

and brings an explanation in this note:

  (15) [home is so designated on account of the
  great influence of the Greek civilization on the
  Roman, v. Bacher, REJ, XXXIII, p. 190.]

While this addresses my first issue, it does not address my second issue. I also don't especially like this idea. I am looking for a different explanation of this line.

Please take into account that this phrase is stated by Ulla who lived into the fourth century, and would probably have a decent idea about Rome and it's history.


texts: where was the ark of the covenant during the time of the judges?

texts: After Joshua, during the time of the judges, where was the ark located? In Judges 18 it seems that the people did not have a central place of worship.


texts: New date at sunset: question on Sifse Chachamim

texts:
Avoda Zara 25 cites a difference of opinion as to how long the sun stood still for Y'hoshua: twelve hours, twenty-four, or thirty-six. According to those who say twelve or thirty-six, the sun finally set at a time (on watches, if you will, or hourglasses) that was twelve hours after the hourglasses indicated "sunset". And the next time the hourglasses indicated "sunset", it was astronomical morning, around sunrise or so. Likewise for every subsequent day, until now: any hourglass or watch that has been set in place since the time of Y'hoshua and not adjusted since would indicate "sunset" every morning. Yet we indicate the start of a new calendar date at sunset, not in the morning. Thus, dates start not when the sun "should" set but when it does: a new date does not start until the sun actually sets, even if (as in Y'hoshua's case) it "should" set earlier than that.

Now, Sifse Chachamim to Noach 8:22 says that, for the duration of the mabul (deluge), the sun and other orbs stood still, not moving in the sky: they remained, for the whole mabul, wherever they were at the start of the mabul, and there was no sunset. According to the paragraph above, then, the date should not have changed throughout the mabul. Yet the p'sukim (e.g., 8:4–5) clearly refer to the passage of dates. What's going on?

(This is a question on the Sifse Chachamim. The R'em, for example, has a wholly different explanation of what occurred during the mabul.)


texts:
I saw in a response to an article on Israelnn.com the following: "the Erev Rav, that conned us with their sincerity in converting and dragged along with us @ Y'ziat Mitzraim, and we have been suffering because of them since then. Our great sages have foretold that they will be in control of the land after we regain it (1948). But just before Moshiach's arrival, they will be in total control; it's all part of the redemption process. They are called the enemy within and will be our worst enemies. Not my words, but this is from our Torah and holy sages."

I remember reading something similar to this concept before as well.

Can anybody here provide a legitimate source for this idea (if one exists) and what that source actually says?

Does the term "Erev Rav" apply to any group of trouble-makers within the Jewish people during a particular generation?  (i.e. those that were involved in the Golden Calf 3500 years ago, and those that work to expel fellow Jews from their homes today, etc.)?

Either way, we are still required to love these Jews just the same as all others, so what is the point of identifying who is part of the Erev Rav and who is not?  Will knowing this information somehow help us hasten the Redemption?


texts:
Mr. and Mrs. Schwartz have a child below the age of chinuch named Yaakov. Mrs. Schwartz was up late Monday. She tells her husband that she's very tired and would like to know if he can watch Yaakov while she takes a half-hour nap in the afternoon. Mr. Schwartz agrees to watch Yaakov while she takes a nap.

Unbeknownst to Mr. Schwartz, he didn't realize that the time when his wife was going to take a nap, was at Mincha time. Mincha is about to start in five minutes. His wife is already asleep in and he doesn't want to cause Shalom Bayis problems.

Mr. Schwartz is a Jew that abides by halachah. He knows that the Birkei Yosef says “It’s prohibited [for a father] to sit his young child in front of him during tefillah [davening].” (Mishnah Berurah 96:4) Because during tefillah, “A person should remove all thoughts which disturb him.”  If a one’s child is running around or making noise during davening (especially shemonah esrei), not only can’t he daven properly, but neither can anyone else. [Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim, Hilchos Tefillos 98] On the other hand, he also knows that davening with a minyan is very important.

Should Mr. Schwartz bring his child to shul, if he knows that his child will be a disturbance to other people or daven at home? (i.e. b'yichidus - by himself)
Does בין אדם לחבירו take priority over בין אדם למקום? i.e. letting his wife sleep and taking his child to shul or not disturbing people who trying to converse with Hashem and davening at home.
Is there any halachic source that deals with this situation?


texts:
There's a popular song about G'dalya Gumber (spelling?), who is "seventeen feet tall" and who "ain't gonna work on Saturday", not even for "double, double, triple pay". Who wrote and who published this song, and when? (Any additional information about its provenance, such as who popularized it and how, is also most welcome.)

I've Googled a bit and gotten some conflicting information, so seek an authoritative source of information.


texts: Why, in Vayikra 21:10, does the verse state "...HaGadol MeEchav" instead of simply "HaGadol"?

texts:
In this weeks Parsha, Emor, I came across this pasuk:

  והכן הגדול מאחיו אשר יוצק על ראשו שמן המשחה ומלא את-ידו ללבוש את-הבגדים את-ראשו לא יפרע ובגדיו לא יפרם:
  (ויקרא כא:י)

  And he that is the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes.
  (Vayikra/Leviticus 21:10; translation source)

This caught my eye, because of the word "מאחיו" - why is this word here? Looking through a copy of the קונקורדנציה (concordance), it seems like this is not a common thing - that in most places it's simply הכהן הגדול.

Why include the word "מאחיו" here?


texts: Where in the Gemara does it say a woman never forgets her first

texts: Where in the gemara does it say a woman never forgets the first man she was ever with intimately? This is something I have recently heard. Is this referring to all women or just specific cases?


texts:
I know someone who converted to Judaism, yet throughout the whole process was telling me personally (so I can't tell the Rabbi) that she wasn't interested in keeping Torah AT ALL but was telling the Rabbis that she was. After the Geirus (conversion) she went back to behaving like a gentile.

Is she Jewish? Are her kids?
I can't ask the Rabbi in this case, as he will know who I am talking about. Whom can I go to for advice on what to do?


texts: Should Ashkenazim say 'מוריד הטל' in Israel?

texts:
The Rema (114:3) brings the Tur who says that Ashkenazim do not say 'מוריד הטל' in the amidah:

  "Us, the Ashkenazim, do not commemorate the 'טל' [i.e. say 'מוריד
  הטל'], not in the summer days nor in the rainy season..."

Is it considered 'minhag eretz Yisrael' to say מוריד הטל and should Ashkenazim forgo the psak of the Rema and say מוריד הטל in Israel?

(This question is inspired by a conversation I had with a fellow Jew who said that for Ashkenazim who don't say 'מוריד הטל' in Israel it is as if they have not said Amidah - I believe he was bringing the opinion of Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach)


texts: Menachot 65/66 why did the counting of the omer needed to start with a fixed time?

texts:
I was looking at all the arguments made (against the Boethians) in favor of counting the omer from 16th Nisan until Shavuot - Menachot 65/66.

Then I went looking at Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy 16.

In Deuteronomium 16:9 it says to begin to number from the time the sickle is first put to the standing crop. But no day, time or date is given.

So Leviticus 23 needs to help to determine when we need to start to count.

  It says we need to bring the omer of the first fruits of the harvest and wave it:
  ממחרת השבת
  And ביום we wave it we need to offer... and we shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor fresh ears, until היום הזה.
  And we shall count unto us from: ממחרת השבת. That is: מיום that we brought the sheaf of the waving; its duration: שבע שבתות תמימת תהיינה.

  עד ממחרת השבת השביעת we count חמשים יום.

The start and duration are clear, but how was it determined that the words ממחרת השבת had to be referring to the Pesach week?
Why did ‘the time the sickle was first put to the standing crop’ needed to be a fixed time? As a farmer, we normally look at our harvest to see when the time is right to put a sickle to it.
So why (please forgive me for my horrible Hebrew grammar) couldn’t it refer to the ממחרת השבת של הניף את העמר? - the morrow after the שבת, which is היום, one waves the omer. I.e. at the moment these actions take place you need to start to count. In such a case the court could determine each year when one had to harvest and when one needed to wave and start the count.


texts: Is there an idea of Beit Din unlawfully pardoning, as opposed to unlawfully killing?

texts:
A Jewish Court is allowed to kill a person if it considers the killing worthy even if it is unlawful by the existing Jewish Halacha. This is called עונשין שלא מן הדין (Meggilat Taanit 86, also Sanhedrin 46a and Rambam Sanhedrin 24,4):

  אמר רבי אליעזר בן יעקב שמעתי שב"ד מלקין והורגין שלא מן התורה. דבית לוי אמרו שמעתי שב"ד עונשין ממון ומכים שלא מן התורה. לא מפני שכתוב בתורה אלא משום שנאמר ובערת הרע מקרבך...
  שוב מעשה באחד שרכב על הסוס בשבת והביאוהו לב"ד וסקלוהו וכי חייב היה אלא שהיתה השעה צריכה לכך כדי שילמדו אחרים:

As we see a person was killed just because the court thought it was a good idea to teach others, not because of the magnitude of his own sin.

As a Baal Teshuva (a newcomer to Judaism) I would assume exactly the opposite - that the court would be allowed to unlawfully minimize or skip the punishment altogether if they see a need:

Because we value life so much (needless to source) and we're so Rachmanim sons of Rachmanim, etc.
Because it is a positive Mitzvah to mimic G-d in His positive traits (Rambam Deos 1,6) - so if He is Rachum and skips, deters or postpones punishment (see Rambam Hilchos Teshuvah that G-d forgives and pardons and ignores our misdeeds) we are commanded to do so.
After all, we do have various mechanisms of preferring teaching Zchus over Chova - swaying the judgment toward exempting from punishment (only applies to the death punishment).

So imagine a woman suffering domestic violence and abuse from her husband who also refuses to divorce her. She has no authority to complain to and the court plays powerless in helping her out. One day she decides to kill him in a cold blood in front of 2 Kosher witnesses that warn her and she confirms the warning. She's taken to the court and the court, while finding her clearly guilty, pardons her from being executed.

So in the Jewish criminal law (corporal or death punishment) is there a concept of מוחלין מן הדין - unlawfully pardoning a sinner (out of true considerations of course) and if not - why is that?


texts:
I personally have a Mongolian birthmark that consumes half my chest and right leg. I've heard of Mongolian birthmarks being indicators of someone being Jewish. But otherwise, it's just a mark.

Browsing online I saw this quote:

  If it's true about birthmarks being the spot where you were killed in
  your previous life then I feel bad for whoever Caesar reincarnated is

I messaged the guy and he claims it's a joke and theres no source. Doesn't even believe in reincarnation. Thinking about it all now, it makes sense going back to Cain and Abel.

So what does Judaism have to say about birthmarks? Is the quote above true to some extent?


texts: What is the real first month of the Jewish year?

texts:
The Torah passage explaining Rosh Hashana says:

"In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a rest-day, a day of remembrance, horn-blowing, and holy assembly. [...] The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement."

Obviously, the days being referred to are Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, respectively. But why do we call it Rosh Hashana--the head of the year--if it is really only the head of the seventh month? What is actually the first month of the Jewish year--Tishrei or Nisan?


texts: When does fasting Erev Rosh Hashanah officially begin and end?

texts:
May seem like a simple question considering erev means evening...

But does fasting erev Rosh Hashanah which is similar to Erev Yom Kippur katan (aka Erev Rosh Chodesh) officially begin at nightfall and extends till minchah ketana?


texts:
Was Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakkai a priest? And was he Nasi of a sanhedrin?

I ask, because I read here that he was nasi of the sanhedrin from the years 70-80  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanhedrin  and that "The Mishnah tractate Sanhedrin (IV:2) states that the Sanhedrin was to be recruited from the following sources: Priests (Kohanim), Levites (Levi'im), and ordinary Jews who were members of those families having a pure lineage such that their daughters were allowed to marry priests."

But I read here https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/johanan-ben-zakkai/  that "Although not of the Princely House, Yochanan was given the title usually reserved for the Nasi (the Prince), Rabban, ‘Our Master’, in contradistinction to the simple title ‘Rabbi’."

So I am wondering if he was Nasi or not, and if he was a kohen or levi, or not.


texts: Sowing your field with 2 different seeds "kilayim" does this apply to outside of Israel as well?

texts:
Today i ran into a relative that was doing this and mentioned the forbidden law of doing this, he then replied to me that outside of Israel it is allowed. Is this true?
And if so does all of judaism accept this?


texts:
Rashi to Miketz (Bereishit 42:13-14) says that the brothers told Yosef that they came to Egypt to look for their missing brother.

However, in Vayigash (Bereishit 44:20) Yehudah tells Yosef that they had told the viceroy that "his [Binyamin's] brother is dead."

How, then, could Rashi say that they had actually told Yosef that their brother was alive?


texts:
The Rambam's first Principle of Faith is that Hashem is the Cause of all other existence and His existence is independent of all other existence.  To me it seems the best source for this would have either been בראשית ברא אל-הים (Bereishis 1:1) or אין עוד מלבדו (Devarim 4:35)(which the Rambam cites at one point in the corresponding section of Yesodei HaTorah, 1:2).  However, as his source-text for the Principle, he quotes אנכי ה' אלה-ך.  Why does the Rambam quote this source?

(I have seen R' Shilat's suggestions to answer this question, and none of them are satisfying to me.  The Rambam's Ikkarim are not mitzvos, and so quoting the source of the mitzvah of knowing Hashem exists does not seem relevant.  I had issues with the other answers as well.  I am looking for another suggestion to answer.)

I understand the Ikkarim like R' Weinberg did, as explained here, and would like an answer which fits with that model.  However, an answer which assumes a different model is also acceptable.


texts: Moreh Nevuchim: To learn or not to learn?

texts:
I have come across many people who believe that it is inappropriate to learn Moreh Nevuchim especially at a younger inexperienced age. However, it seems that many important issues are discussed in the MN and it is quoted throughout many more popularly learned seforim.

What are the arguments for or against learning Rambam's Moreh Nevuchim?


texts:
The Haggadah tells us that Rebbi Yehuda came up with a mnemonic for remembering the Ten Plagues: Dtzach Adash B'Achav

Why was the mnemonic necessary? It doesn't seem to me to be that difficult to remember the plagues. Moreover, there are many other things for which there is no mnemonic (eg. 12 tribes). Is there a deeper meaning behind Rebbi Yehuda's mnemonic?


texts: Distinguishing kamatz and patach in tefillin blessing

texts:
About the blessing when donning the tefillin Orach Chayim 25:7 says:

יברך להניח בקמץ תחת הה"א ולא בפתח ובדגש:
He should bless lehaniach with kamatz under the hei and not with patach and dagesh.

In Beit Yoseif the Mechaber had already cited that the Maharil emphasised the properness of using the language as it is written in Yechezkeil 44:30:

וְרֵאשִׁית֩ כָּל־בִּכּ֨וּרֵי כֹ֜ל וְכָל־תְּר֣וּמַת כֹּ֗ל מִכֹּל֙ תְּרוּמ֣וֹתֵיכֶ֔ם לַכֹּֽהֲנִ֖ים יִֽהְיֶ֑ה וְרֵאשִׁ֤ית עֲרִסֽוֹתֵיכֶם֙ תִּתְּנ֣וּ לַכֹּהֵ֔ן לְהָנִ֥יחַ בְּרָכָ֖ה אֶל־בֵּיתֶֽךָ׃
And the first of all the first-fruits of every thing, and every heave-offering of every thing, of all your offerings, shall be for the priests; ye shall also give unto the priest the first of your dough, to cause a blessing to rest on thy house.

This is perfectly fine with respect to not geminating the n. Being an Ashkenazi, the Maharil obviously didn't have any problems with differentiating between kamatz and patach either. But what should Sefardim do, who don't distinguish the two vowels?
Coming from Bagdad, the Kaf haChayim understood the problem, and he proposed to lengthen the syllable, but in that case you may overcompensate and fail to put the primary stress on lehaniach. Did later authorities confirm his ruling? Or should Sefardi Jews make an effort to pronounce the two vowels in a different way?
Possibly related: Sefardi rishonim who differentiate between Patach and Kamatz


texts: What is better: checking vegetables yourself, or buying them pre-checked?

texts: Nowadays you can purchase pre checked fresh lettuce, and frozen checked veggies. What is more preferable - to check yourself or to purchase pre checked?


texts: In a non-Jewish youth hostel, is it problematic to stay in a mixed-gender dorm instead of a male-only one?

texts:
I'm male. Say I stay in a non-Jewish youth hostel dorm room which is mixed-gender instead of male-only. Might I encounter yichud problems? Might I encounter any other halachic problems? What's your advice on dealing with these challenges?

Sources, links, and personal experiences are all welcome.

Please don't reply here with advice about living with non-Jews. Instead, please put it in "Being a male houseguest in a non-frum or non-Jewish home".


texts: Is light in a fridge on Shabbat "melacha shein tzricha legufo"?

texts:
I remember learning that when I open a fridge door on Shabbat and the light turns on that would be under the category of melacha shein tzricha legufo?

Can anyone please provide a source?


texts:
The Midrash in Koheles Rabbah (7:4 in the Warsaw numbering) writes (translation follows Artscroll, chapter 7, page 31):

  נולד אדם הכל שמחין מת הכל בוכין. ואינו כן אלא נולד אדם ואין שמחין לו שאין יודעין באיזה פרק ומעשים יעמוד אם צדיק אם רשע אם טוב אם רע. ומת הם צריכין לשמוח שנפטר בשם טוב ויצא מן העולם בשלום.

  When a person is born, everyone rejoices, and when he dies, everyone weeps. But it should not be so. Rather, when a person is born, people should not rejoice over him, for they do not know which challenging situations and actions he will have to stand up to, whether he will be a Tzadik or a Rasha, whether good or evil. But when he dies, then they should rejoice, for it is then that they can see that he has departed from the world with a good name and he has left the world in peace.

The Midrash illustrates with a parable: people rejoice over a ship leaving the harbor but not over one entering. It really should be the other way around - the one leaving could get hit by storms, winds, and hurricanes, while the one entering should be rejoiced upon for its successful arrival.

In practice, though, this isn’t the case. Although it’s certainly natural for one to rejoice over a newborn and for one to mourn over the loss of a close one, why do we not find any Halacha that dictates that we should do the opposite?

(It should be pointed out that one reason given for Lag BaOmer is celebrating R’ Shimon bar Yochai’s life - not mourning his death. See Aruch HaShulchan 493:7, and further here.)


texts: Are there any Rishonim buried in England and France

texts: Do we know of any of the burial places of Rishonim around France and England? I know Rabbi Yisrael Meir Gabbai has found some but are there any tools to source ancient Jewish cemeteries e.g. a map?


texts: A rabbi recently told me that rav ovadia yosef has a "Mishna Berura" style commentary on the shulchan aruch. (I presume he wasn't referring to his son's work Halacha Berura.) anyone know what this work is if it exists?


texts: Do I need to remove my wedding-band, which I wear every day, to wash for Hamotze or morning Negel vasser? What about other rings?


texts: Please advise me on how to avoid staying up too late at night

texts:
Despite following the sleep-hygiene advice I found on secular websites (e.g.: establish a proper sleeping schedule meaning don't stay awake too late, not using electronic devices which emit blue light, not accelerating yourself shortly before going to sleep in any way and so on): I still occasionally lay awake in bed at 3 a.m., surfing Mi Yodeya or other websites. If I'm not under a very strict and constant routine which exhausts me both physically and mentally, I have trouble having a normal 'before 12 a.m. sleep, before 10 a.m. wake' sleeping cycle. It's been always like that as far as I can remember.

Counting sheep, breathing exercises and stretching doesn't work too well and is not very reliable for me I'd say. Oddly enough I feel tired as heck during the day even if I sleep 8-10 hours after falling asleep at around 2 or 3 a.m. And still, the night comes and I can't fall asleep soundly.

Does maybe Rambam or other Jewish sources offer advice or 'body hacks' that somehow force your body to fall asleep -- or at the very least help tremendously in encouraging that process?


texts: Mamzer honoring his father - why wouldn't he?

texts:
The Shulhan 'Aruch (240:18) writes that a Mamzer has an obligation to honor his father.

Why might I think otherwise?


texts: Is there any real substantial evidence that Rav Yonasan Eibshitz was a Sabbatean? On what basis did Rav Yaakov Emden hound him?


texts: What is the difference between adonai and adoni?

texts: I'm sure I've missed something quite obvious here, but I've always been told that adonai is "my Lord", and so I always assumed that it was adon with 'my' stuck to it. But, that would be adoni, with a hireq yod pronominal suffix, like in Gen 23 where the Hittites and then Efron address Avraham.  Or, if it is 'adonai' as a type 2 pronominal suffix, it would be a pathach yod, and not the qamets yod we see in the text like in Gen 15:2 where Avram addresses God. What have I missed?


texts: Is the mitzva to write a Torah scroll for oneself derived from Deuteronomy 31:19?

texts:
This site cites (under Torah - 16) Deuteronomy 31:19 for the reason that there is a mitzva to write your own Torah scroll.

  That every person shall write a scroll of the Torah for himself.

Is that an accurate reference?

In a comment on a related question  Deuteronomy 31:19 Torah Leining
I saw that the verse was only about the Song of Moses. So I wondered if Deuteronomy 31:19 was the right source for this mitzva.


texts: High priest’s death pardoning criminals?

texts:
A Christian was telling me that in ancient Israel there was some rule about banishment and high priests, that Jesus is the ultimate high priest, that his death released everyone from sin.

What - if anything - supports this idea of high priests pardoning criminals on death, allowing them to return after a banishment?


texts:
The Shuchan Aruch rules (OC 10:1):

  טלית שאין לה ד' כנפות פטורה יש לה יותר מד' חייבת ועושה לה ארבע ציציות בארבע כנפיה המרוחקות זו מזו יותר:
  Clothing that doesn't have four corners is exempt [from Tzitzit]. If it has more than four it is obligated and he makes four fringes on the four corners which are furthest from each other.

And (ibid. :5):

  היו לה ג' כנפות ועשה בהם ג' ציציות ושוב עשה לה כנף ד' ועשה גם בו ציצית פסולה משום תעשה ולא מן העשוי:
  If it had three corners and he made three fringes, and then he made a fourth corner and made a fringe for it too, it is invalid because [one must make the fringes validly not have them become valid by an external action].

My question: Does the same problem apply to a five-cornered garment whose fringeless fifth corner was removed after making the other four fringes, if the fringes were not originally placed on the corners furthest from each other?


texts: Should the shaliah tzibur and congregation face the direction the Aron points if it isn't pointing toward Jerusalem?

texts:
If the rear of the Aron points in any direction other than toward Jerusalem, which way should the shaliah tzibur and congregation face

-when praying the Amidah?

-during the rest of tefillah?

Do the ramah and mehaber and/or sefaradi/ashkeazi poskim differ on this?


texts: Bar mitzvah boy joining a zimun on the night of his bar mitzvah, having started the meal during the day

texts:
(This question could probably be made better if someone answers What time does a bar mitzvah come into effect?, but for now i'll just use the earlier or later time, as applicable.)

Let's say a boy's Hebrew birthday is tonight, and he's turning 13 (bar mitzvah). This afternoon, before shkia (the boy is definitely 12), the family (2 adult men plus the bar mitzvah boy) sits down to have a meal with bread. The meal goes on until after tzeit, and so the boy is definitely 13. Can he join in the zimun? What about lead it?

This question is obviously only according to those that do not l'chatchila include a 12-year-old for a zimun.

FWIW, when we potentially had this case, we just pushed off supper until after tzeit to avoid the problem.


texts: How should one prioritize honoring parents in comparison with other laws?

texts: In prioritizing the law, how does a person honor his parents if his parents are law-breakers? For example, if a man's father is a murderer, would the man choose to dishonor his father by handing him over for punishment, or ignore the law regarding murder to honor his father? Does punishing the murderer take priority, or honoring the father? Which laws would take priority over honoring one's parent? For instance, would the prioritization change if the parent is an adulterer, or a thief, or an idolater?


texts: Are you yotzei through accented pronunciation?

texts:
The shatz in shul seems to have been taught a different pronunciation from what I learned. I learned that the word "קדוש" is pronounced ka-dosh and he said it as "kadoysh."

In fact, he inserted a yod after many vav (o) sounds (tish-ba-choys, shoychen). I understand that the people pronounce a tav/sav differently because there is a tradition that the two letters were pronounced differently in the old days and that distinction can be important.

What linguistic history necessitates the introduction of the Y sound? It sounded to me like the vestige of an Eastern European tradition borne from accent (which I have heard when people talk about "toiveling" and, only partially tongue in cheek, at 1:48 of this video), not the letters. But if that is so, isn't the shaliach tzibbur saying a different word?

If the davening text has the letters "כֹּה אָמַר ה'" and the shatz says "koy" he ends up saying "קוי" which refers to something else entirely. If his accent has him pronounce "elokeynu" as "elokiynee" he is creating a new word, not saying what the letters were explained to me as sounding like. I am not putting myself as the arbiter of pronunciation, but it seems like certain [affected] accented readings no longer reflect what the letters say.

Is someone still yotzei (or "yoytzei" I guess) saying the text of davening if he, (because of accent?) inserts other letters and ends up creating other words or non-words?

I see that there is some discussion online but no real solid answers (AFAICT).


texts:
6 I -- I have said, 'Gods ye are, And sons of the Most High -- all of you,
http://yltbible.com/psalms/82.htm

So how many gods are there? Who are "you" here? Are we all gods?

Here is the context. What was the jewish word for gods there?

1  -- A Psalm of Asaph. God hath stood in the company of God, In the midst God doth judge.

2 Till when do ye judge perversely? And the face of the wicked lift up? Selah.

3 Judge ye the weak and fatherless, The afflicted and the poor declare righteous.

4 Let the weak and needy escape, From the hand of the wicked deliver them.

5 They knew not, nor do they understand, In darkness they walk habitually, Moved are all the foundations of earth.

6 I -- I have said, 'Gods ye are, And sons of the Most High -- all of you,

7 But as man ye die, and as one of the heads ye fall,

8 Rise, O God, judge the earth, For Thou hast inheritance among all the nations!


texts: What is the reciprocal term for "sandak"?

texts: What is the reciprocal term for "sandak", if there is one? That is, if I am a baby's sandak, he is my _____?


texts:
If a couple is married before sunset/shkiya on Sunday, and have sheva berachos on the following shabbos, do they have sheva berachos at shabbos shalosh seudos if they start before sunset/shkiya yet finish afterwards?
...Assuming we make a sheva berachos on shabbos at the third meal, but CYLOR when practical.

Related


texts:
We know the medrash as to why the Torah was given on Har Sinai. My question is, how is the fact that Har Sinai had no reasons to give as to why the Torah should be given on it considered humility? Moshe Rabenu was zoche to have Hashem speak to him and tried to make it seem like happen stance, that is humility! Har Sinai had nothing special about himself, so how can we compare the two? Also, assuming Har Sinai did have something special and decided not to brag, by saying it has nothing and no reason for the Torah to be given on him, isn't that just feelings of nothingness and unworthiness?

Additionally, the other mountains were simply pointing out their G-d giving strengths, shouldn't we, as servants of Hashem find our strengths and use them to be an eved Hashem, isn't that what the mountains were truly doing? Trying to have the Torah given on them to fulfill their Tafked?


texts: Does halacha have the concept of "standing to appeal" a court decision?

texts:
A blog post published today by Shoshanna Keats Jaskoll in the Times of Israel discusses a case in which a local rabbinical court (beit din) in Tzfat, Israel granted a divorce to a woman on behalf of her comatose husband. An unrelated party appealed the decision, and the same local court rejected his appeal on the grounds that he had no standing. He then appealed again to the High Rabbinical Court, which agreed to take up the case and reversed the lower court's award of a divorce.
Ms. Jaskoll argues that the high court should never have heard the appeal from the unrelated party:

Asking the rabbinical court to reverse a decision is really only the province of the interested parties — for example, if the man were to come out of his coma, he might have a legitimate basis for filing an appeal. Or if the Tzfat court itself were to have stumbled upon new information — it might have the basis for reopening its own decision.
However, this appeal was filed by a disinterested party — someone with no connection to the comatose man, the divorced woman, or even the Tzfat Beit Din. Moreover, his petition was rejected immediately by the Tzfat Beit Din for exactly this reason — his lack of standing in the case.
(Indeed, there are areas in Halacha where a disinterested person can get involved. Most notably, the case of “rodef,” where Halacha goes so far as to permit one to kill another party for the sake of saving the life of a third party. Also — on the other end of the life-or-death spectrum — when one accepts a Shabbat gift on behalf of a third party. Both of these examples entail a clear benefit to the third party. There is no reason, however, to think that a disinterested person’s dislike of a court-mandated divorce should have any impact whatsoever.)
All logic and jurisprudence suggests the appeal should have been thrown out by the High Rabbinical Court.

Is there, indeed, a notion of "standing to appeal" in Halacha? Are courts restricted from reviewing other courts' past decisions (or, indeed, their own) unless someone appeals, and must such appeals come from someone who can demonstrate a material interest in the case?
Important notes:

It's quite possible that there are rules of procedure specific to the Israeli national rabbinical court system that apply here. I am not asking about those but about halacha that is independent of any particular institution.

Relatedly, I am not asking for analysis of this case in particular, or even about this area of law (divorce), but for evaluation of the general claim about halacha of court procedure made in this blog post.

I am only interested in answers that cite halachic sources.


texts:
In chapter 1 of the Mesilat Yesharim (Path of the Just), the author writes:

"When you look further into the matter, you will see that true perfection is only clinging to God".

What does "clinging to God" mean in this context?


texts: When did it become popular to have a ceremony for a boys Upsherin, his first haircut when he reaches the age of three?


texts: What's the best rewording of "midas harachamim aleinu hisgalgli" for those uncomfortable with it?

texts:
In the Selichot (fifth day of Aseret Yimei Teshuvah, HaPizmon shel Yud Gimel Middot HaRahamim) and in Ne'ila of Yom Kippur, there's the stanza that reads:

The concern is the few middle lines:

  מדת הרחמים עלינו התגלגלי

  ולפני קונך תחנתנו הפילי

  ובעד עמך רחמים שאלי

Which sounds like we're addressing G-d's mercy as separate from G-d, asking her to beseech G-d on our behalf.  For those uncomfortable with this concept theologically (or unwilling to give the liturgy some artistic license), what's the best rewording here?  The stanza ends with the Biblical   וכל ראש לחלי  so anything would either have to match that (ending in "lee"); paraphrase the verse differently; or break the rhyme.


texts: Led the prayers in error forgetting he had already prayed. Can he continue?

texts:
What do the sources have to say about the following situation? A person helps to make a minyan for  mincha at the earliest possible time on a long summer's day. He forgets that he did this and goes to synagogue for his regular mincha minyan. He is asked to lead the prayers and only after saying the quiet Amidah realises that he has already prayed.

Can he continue to repeat the Amidah on the grounds that this will be to fulfil the obligation of anyone in the community who does not know how to pray or should he stand down and get someone to replace him.

related: Said mincha twice: now what?


texts: Have recently-published allegations that Shlomo Carlebach was a sexual predator led to any bans of his music or conversions?

texts: Even before his death, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach was, at best, controversial.  Many people loved his music and some congregations organized "Carlebach minyans" that emphasized spirituality through music. But my rav, Rabbi Gedaliah Anemer, refused to allow any minyan to refer to Carlebach.  Another rav, Rabbi Rod Glowgower told  me 25 years ago, that he was reluctant to grant shul membership to a female convert of "Reb Shlomo." And Rav Moshe Feinstein reportedly wrote an opinion critical of him. Since his death, women have come out with explicit reports that Carlebach was a sexual predator.  See this and this.  In light of the public allegations, have there been any bans on his music or rabbinic acts such as conversions?


texts:
I've seen that the reason for a moch dachuk is to make sure there was no further blood flow from the time when the hefsek tahara bedika was done until nightfall.

But if there was blood flow, then it will show up on the next day's regular bedika. Yes, we won't know exactly when the flow started (i.e. before or after nightfall), but it won't matter anyway because the count will have to be restarted. So what's the point of the moch dachuk then?


texts: What's the Hebrew idiom for "what's his name" or "What's his face"

texts: I vaguely remember some phrase used in Torah discussions such as "moni palomy" or "moni plamoni" that means "John Doe" or "What's his name" or "John Q Public".  Seems like it was used in Ester, but I cannot find it.


texts:
I have recently come upon historical evidence of the mothers of baby boys serving as the sandek(et) during the brit milah.

From page 18 of The Orthodox Jewish Woman and Ritual: Options and Opportunities (Put out by the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance)

  A second major figure at a brit is the sandek, or baal habrit, the per-
  son who holds the baby while the mohel performs the circumcision.
  Usually this honor is given to a grandfather, great-grandfather, or impor-
  tant community figure. Can a woman act as sandeket? The first halachik
  objection to this custom was voiced by Rabbi Meir of Rotenburg in the
  thirteenth century. Before this time, a woman was able to act as a
  sandeket or baalat brit. Later Ashkenazi authorities disapprove of a
  woman acting as sandeket out of fear of intermingling of the sexes.
  Today, when women and men do interact at both secular and religious
  events there is room to be lenient with this objection. However, Rabbis
  may be more stringent with laws regarding intermingling of the sexes
  when the brit is set in a synagogue, and some mohalim may be uncom-
  fortable with the idea of a female sandeket.

  In the final analysis, the role
  of sandek is honorary and symbolic and does not affect the status of the
  child. Certain Orthodox Rabbis today do permit a woman to act as
  sandeket, and individual Rabbis should be consulted regarding syna-
  gogue policy. Clearly it would be very meaningful if a grandmother or
  another significant female figure could act as sandeket.

Does anyone have any knowledge of this practice and a mohel that would perform a brit milah with the mother holding the baby?  I know it is rare, but any help would be appreciated!


texts:
Is saying Asher Yatzar, the blessing after using the bathroom, something that one will get rewarded for? Will one get rewarded for each time he said Asher Yatzar?

Please cite sources.


texts: What are the practical limits of shaimos in the common era?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Hashems name on device

I've tried to always be careful in regard to shaimos, but I'm still having difficulty understanding how it maps out in the age of the computer.

Does a representation of a holy name when transmitted electronically count as shaimos? Is there a difference as to whether it's represented in a font or is "baked" as an  image? Can one delete a file from his computer which has a holy name in it? It would seem that this would be a big issue if true, because of the way modern browsers work in regards to the caching mechanism; images and text are stored locally on the computer for a given amount of time, then discarded to free space when needed.


texts: What does this Talmudic expression mean?

texts:
The גמרא in בבא קמא on דף סב עמוד א׳ discusses a case where someone ״דבטש בכספתא.״

What does that expression mean? What's the שורש of דבטש?


texts: Fruits and Vegetables Prepared With Treif Utensils

texts: Can I eat e.g. a watermelon cut with a treif (non-kosher) knife on a treif cutting board and stored in a treif container?


texts:
In Bereishit 17:13 we are commanded to circumcise all children born in our households and all servants bought for money, consequently Abraham performed it on Yishmael too. This is one reason why Muslim boys are circumcised even today.* Should a Muslim person ask it, can a mohel circumcise a person of Islamic faith? Can a Jewish person actively look for opportunities to do so by advertising for example?
* Although in Judaism it is debated, whether they can be considered descendants of Yishmael.


texts: List of halachot that relate to 'demons'

texts: Are there any practical halachot (not minhagim) that are a direct consequence for our concern for demons or 'evil spirits'?


texts:
when saying a blessing on fruits we say "borei pri haetz" who created the fruit of the tree.

by a human we say "Yotzer haAdam" and not borei haAdam". why the change?

the term Borei (creation) is generally used with respect to God only whereas Yotzer (forming) is used with respect to humans also.


texts: Why is the word "Kotveinu" not "Kotbeinu" with a dagesh?

texts:
כתבינו לחיים.
The tav has a (seemingly) short vowel to close the forst vowel, which sefardim pronounce as the short "kot".
There is no meteg before the sh'va of the tav.
Why is the bet written without a dagesh kal?

Note: This is unrelated to the discussion on how to pronounce a vet (some sefardim say "b" even without a dagesh). Even so, here it appears without a dagesh.


texts:
There are many problems with using electricity on Shabbat, and many ways to understand those problems. The issue of using a fridge is especially problematic (as explained in depth by Rav Nissan Kaplan in this shiur), but the issue I find most confusing is that of opening the door.

According to this excellent answer, there are several reasons as to why opening the fridge might be problematic, and as this question implies, the easiest solution is to remove the light fitting in advance.

My question pertains to the fact that removal of the light fitting only appears to enable one to open the door if we pasken like Rav Auerbach, who held that the problem is either one of minhag or of heating the filament. What happens if one were to pasken like the Chazon Ish, who held that the problem is one of boneh?

I don't understand how the fridge mechanism works, but I would think that the prohibition of boneh would still apply even if the light doesn't come on. If the bulb is broken or is not in its fitting, flicking a switch (in this case, opening a door) still causes the circuit to close.

If one were paskening according to the Chazon Ish, would he need remove the circuitry from his fridge every Friday?


texts: How many seforim are attributed to the Rebbe?

texts:
How many seforim are attributed to R' Menachem Mendel Schneerson, z"l? Like a total of all his talks writings etc.

Does he have the most published seforim out of all gedolim?


texts: Taking down a Mezuzah from a door that was sealed off

texts:
If someone sealed off a door in their home when doing construction, in a way that the door can no longer be used, can the mezuzah that is there now be taken down since the down since the door is no longer in use? .

(Although there is a different point over here in regards to what it says in the Tzvah of Rebbe Yehuda HaChossid we'll put that point aside -- perhaps they made a hole in the door, etc.)

This seems simple and I'm sure it can be taken down. However, I'm wondering if there is anyone that says not like this. Or in general any achronim/poskim/seforim that discuss this situation.


texts: is it ok to use the walls of the sukka as a hanger

texts:
Is it ok to have a nail in (sticking out of) the wall of the sukka from before sukkot and use it to hang a jacket during sukkot?

Will it make a difference if the nail is facing in or out?

A possible problem with this is found in Shulchan Aruch O"H 638.1:

  The wood of the sukkah is forbidden during the entire eight days of the festival. This applies both to the wood of the walls and to the wood of the roofing.


texts:
I know that for the sins of sexual immorality, murder and idolatry one is required to die rather than violate them. The gemara in Avodah Zara 54a seems to imply that in private one is allowed to worship an idol while under compulsion and live.

Would this also be the case regarding the other two in private?

Looking for halachic sources- thanks!


texts: Yehareg v'al ya'avor – what about retroactively?

texts:
Based on this question and this question.

If someone has possibly committed one of the Big Three sins, and the only way to get out of it retroactively is to commit suicide, is suicide allowed?  Is it required?

An example of this would be if a man marries a woman on condition that she's alive in a week, and then she has an affair within that week.  Can she kill herself?  Is she required to kill herself?


texts:
It seems the popular opinion of Kashrus organizations is to require dipping the actual grill. See here by footnote 48 in the name of OU. http://www.kof-k.org/articles/040108090413W-3%20Tevilas%20Keilim.pdf

Are there any opinions that say the metal grill from a barbecue does not need tevila? I ask because I don't ever recall seeing anyone dipping grills; I wonder if they have anything to rely on.


texts: How can we have better Kavanah in Tefilla? Specifically Tachnuneem?

texts: How does one have better Kavanah in his Tachnuneem tefilla? Does he punch his chest harder? Maybe start bawling?


texts: Does a wine bottle stopper require tevillah?


texts:
In the copy of Echa I used this past 9 Av, the final p'sukim were followed by the notation "סימן יתק״ק". These stand for "ישעיה", "תרי עשר", "קהלת", and "קנות" (i.e. Echa). These are the four books of Tanach that have an unusual custom: when one reads their respective ends publicly, he repeats the second-to-last pasuk after the last is read. (We read the end of Y'sha'ya on Shabas rosh chodesh and the end of T're Asar on Shabas Hagadol.)

However, many sidurim in the S'faradi custom (for example, the currently popular "סידור עבודת השם השלם") include Shir Hashirim before Kabalas Shabas, and repeat the second-to-last pasuk after the last.

So I wonder: Do any communities/traditions have both the סימן יתק״ק and the custom to repeat the second-to-last pasuk of Shir Hashirim? (Knowing the provenance of each may help answer that.) If so, how do such communities reconcile the two?


texts: How does the Rambam understand the end of Shir Hashirim?

texts:
The Rambam in Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah, 6:9, states:

  Every mention of the name "Shelomoh" in the Song of Songs is sacred, except [8:12]: "You, Shelomoh, may have the thousand." (trans. by Chabad.org)

Looking at the passage in question, however, it is unclear how the Rambam would understand this:

  Shelomoh (sacred) had a vineyard in Ba'al Hamon; he gave the vineyards to the watchmen, a man/each would bring with its fruit a thousand silver. My vineyard, mine, before me; the thousand to you, Shelomoh (secular), and two hundreds to those who watch its fruit. (8:11-12, trans. mine)

If the first Shelomoh refers to God, why are we giving a thousand to the second Shelomoh (presumably King Solomon)? How does the Rambam understand this?


texts: Who was expelled from Avraham's house and married an Egyptian?

texts:
Vayera 21:9–21 speaks repeatedly of Hagar's son without once naming him. In no particular order, Rashi  (:17), pseudo-Yonasan (:11), the Rav miBartinura (:14), Ramban (:9), Chizkuni (:14), Toldos Yitzchak (R' Yitzchak Karo), and Ralbag (beur hamilos :17) mention in passing, as if it's obvious, that this was Yishmael, and, indeed, we know of no other son of Hagar's. I wonder, though,

whether any Jewish commentaries suggest that this was not Yishmael, and
whether there's indication from the text of the Chumash (besides our not knowing of any other son of Hagar's) that this was Yishmael.


texts: How should we respond to objectionable content in a public forum?

texts:
The blessing and curse of sites like StackExchange is that everything happens in public.  Sometimes someone will post something objectionable and it isn't possible to take the person aside for a private conversation the way it would be if we were all in the same physical place.  The strong presumption is that people don't mean to offend and there has been a miscommunication; I am not talking about the flame wars that sometimes break out in other internet communities.

What are the relevant halachot of rebuke and lashon hara?  What is the right way to respond to this kind of situation?

I am intentionally posting this on the main site, not meta, because it is a question of halacha that is applicable beyond this site.


texts: Why don't we say Al HaNisim on Pesach? Aren't the miracles performed at that time far more overwhelming (and explicit) than the miracles for which we do recite this?


texts: Not to sweep floor on day of traveling (source)

texts:
I just heard in the name of  Rabbi Moncowits in Montreal that on day of traveling it is forbidden to sweep the floor.

Because he once was in an accident and the Lubavicher Rebbe told him it was because one of the boys in the car had swept the floor on that day.

And then Rabbi Moncowits researched it and found a source for this.

What is the source?


texts: Which way does one turn first when saying the Oseh Shalom Bimromav?

texts:
Must one bow to the left first, then bow to the right...or can one bow to the right first, then to the left when saying the Oseh Shalom Bimromav?
Also, is there a difference regarding the direction one turns first between the Sefardim and the Ashkenazim? Yemenite?
Can someone provide source(s) for either question?


texts: List of all the people that could have been Moshiach

texts:
I've been doing some research on the topic of "who could have been Moshiach based on Chazal" an example of one such person is Chizkiyahu Hamelech as it says in Sanhedrin 94.

If anyone knows any names with a source, please post it here.

Thank You.


texts: Calling Hoshea 'Yehoshua' before his seeming renaming

texts: Why does the verse (Bamidbar 13:16) mention that Moshe gave Hoshea bin Nun the name Yehoshua, making it seem like this was the first time Hoshea was actually called like that, but instead we see in several places in Shemos (e.g. 17:14) he is already called Yehoshua?!


texts: Did the high-ranked angels merit to have their place or they had them already when they were created?

texts:
We read from Tanya (excuse me for not having the number of the verse) that:

כי מיכאל שר של מים וגבריאל שר של אש, ואין מכבין זה את זה

“Michael is the prince of water and Gabriel is the prince of fire, yet they do not extinguish one another.”

Though water seeks to quench fire and fire endeavors to vaporize water, and “Michael is the prince of water and Gabriel is the prince of fire,” nevertheless they do not extinguish one another.

כלומר

This means to say, not that Michael’s substance derives from the spiritual element of water and Gabriel’s substance derives from the spiritual element of fire, but that

שמיכאל שר של חסד

Michael is the prince of Chesed (“kindness”),

הנקרא בשם מים, היורדים ממקום גבוה למקום נמוך

which is called “water”, because it descends from a high place to a low place.

והוא בחינת ההשפעה והתפשטות החיות מעולמות עליונים לתחתונים

In spiritual terms this [descent] means: the bestowal and diffusion of the [Divine] life-force from the higher to the lower worlds.

ובחינת אש, שטבעה לעלות למעלה, היא בחינת הגבורה, והסתלקות השפעת החיות ממטה למעלה

Fire, whose nature is to soar aloft, represents spiritually the thrust of Gevurah (“severity”), and the upward withdrawal of the flow of life-force

Now when we notice that Michael and Gavriel has high ranks among the angels in Heaven so that they are even called "princes", did they do something to merit that ? Or the Almighty gave them this role the moment they were created ?


texts:
In the Torah it says clearly that the punishment for speaking Lashon Hara' is צרעת.
Why then do we not see this happening as an immediate or even delayed punishment nowadays?
And why does the Torah say it will happen if not to this day?


texts:
I heard some people singing a Purim song recently. At least, I think it was a Purim song: I couldn't make out all the words, but I'm pretty sure it mentioned Mordechai, Haman, and Esther. But at the end were these words:

וגם קורונה זכור לטוב

Why are we mentioning corona as something good?

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


texts: Does Kiddushin 81b imply that one opinion allows for suicide if that is the only way to keep from sinning?

texts:
The Gemoro in Kiddushin 81b brings down the following (shortened version of the) story:

  Rabbi Chiya Bar Ashi used to say 'May God save me from the Yetzer
  Hora'! When his wife overheard him she said he is anyway old already, why
  does he need to pray such? She dressed herself up as a prostitute and
  paraded in front of him. She told him she was a famous protistute who
  had just returned from overseas. He requested relations with her and
  she said 'first fetch me that pomegranate'. Meanwhile she dissappeard.
  When he came home he went and sat in the oven. When his wife asked him
  what he was doing he told her the story. She then told him not to
  worry because it was herself anyway, and he only believed her after
  she proved it with Simonim. However he fasted the rest of his life to
  repent on trying to do an aveirah.

Rashi says why did he sit himself in the oven? 'To kill himself'!

Can we deduce from here that Rabbi Chiya Bar Ashi held it is permitted to kill oneself to atone for a sin? If so, would it follow that he would hold it is permitted to kill oneself prior to sinning in order to avoid a sin if that is the only way?

Please note that all Halachic decisors from later generations to today agree that the Halacha is that it is forbidden to kill oneself, and no one should assume the law is otherwise based on this story. This question is to understand the implication of R' Chiya Bar Ashi's actions only!


texts: Where do we find that the Torah is compared to a sea (yam)?

texts: Just need this for something I’m writing.


texts: Would a Karaite be required to undergo conversion?

texts: If a Karaite who knows that his mother is Jewish (Karaite) wanted to join the Orthodox Jewish Community - would he be required to undergo a conversion?


texts: Does dipping in an above-ground pool, that sits atop of padding on top of the lawn, satisfy the requirements for a Men’s Mikveh?


texts:
Who knows two hundred seventy-four?
In the spirit of the song "Echad - mi yodeya", please post interesting and significant Jewish facts about the number 274.
Check out mi-yodeya-series for the previous two hundred seventy-three entries in this ongoing series.


texts: Do halachic authorities actually believe in eilu v'eilu?

texts:
This answer https://judaism.stackexchange.com/a/93714/13680 states the following viewpoint

  [...] HKB"H  does not care about the truth anymore, as long as they arrived at their conclusion sincerely and wholeheartedly. Therefore it is true to say that the Halakhah is not about the truth, it is all about engaging in Torah study - that's all that matters.

Yet we almost never see poskim say "Here is one possibility" or "This is just one of many true statements that can be made". Instead it's usually something like "This appears to be the correct way", or "This is the right interpretation [of the Torah]", or even "The other Rabbi/posek is incorrect/mistaken because of xyz, clearly this is the right approach". Sometimes this latter statement is even made in strong worded language, decrying the other opinion(s).

If halachic authorities subscribed to this Eilu v'eilu view - i.e. that it's not about finding the truth, but only about the process of sincere Torah study, and that all the outcomes of this process count as true - they wouldn't express themselves as if they were seeking some actual truth or "the Torah way" that existed 'out there' independently, or that was correct to the exclusion of others. And they certainly wouldn't become impassioned about the opinions of other authorities because they perceive them to be wrong. (There is no such thing as a 'wrong' opinion in this eilu v'eilu view, as long as it was arrived at sincerely)

So do halachic authorities in practice not believe in this form of eilu veilu?


texts: How did Haman think he could get away with murdering Mordechai?

texts:
Haman persuaded Ahashverosh to sign a decree enabling the genocide of the Jews in the Persian empire. This much is clear from the text. But in between Esther's parties, Haman constructs a gallows 50 cubits tall, at his own home, specifically to hang Mordechai.  I'm a little befuddled by how he could think he could get away with this.  True, he lurked in the king's courtyard that night, probably rehearsing his speech and/or waiting for the king to wake up, so he could request permission for Mordechai's hanging.  But wouldn't Ahashverosh find it a little bit odd that Haman had already built the gallows at his own home to hang Mordechai?

Under what kind of system of laws were the Persians operating that Haman could conceive of this as somehow legitimate - or legitimate enough to avoid some kind of inquiry by the king's court into what the heck he had planned and for how long?