texts:
I was recently at a lecture given by Professor Xu Xin of Nanjing University in China. The topic of the lecture was "The Jewish Diaspora in Modern China". Professor Xin covered the brief but nonetheless important role of some Jewish communities in China, and how they fit in with some of broader Jewish and Chinese history.

During the questions portion of the lecture someone asked Professor Xin why the Japanese, allies of the Nazis tolerated Jewish emigration from Europe to China during WW2 if the Japanese knew of the Nazi's plans with the Jews? Professor Xin offered an anecdote about how the Japanese, who were not fully understanding of the Nazi animosity towards Jews, gathered some prominent Jews that were in the area and asked them why the Nazis hated them so much. The Jews told the japanese "it's because we are Asian". That got a laugh from the crowd, since Professor Xin had framed the lecture earlier by mentioning that Israel could geographically be considered part of Asia.

(I am not sure if the humor comes across well in writing so I will explain it:) The joke was that the Jews understood that the Japanese, the ones asking them the question, were Asian. So by linking the Jews to Asia they would be suggesting that perhaps the Nazis might have it out for the Japanese as well, and as a result the Japanese would not be so keen on helping the Nazis.

My question is: is there a reliable primary or secondary source for this anecdote?

P.S. Could someone please help me give this question appropriate tags


texts: The boy in Zarephath died when Elijahu came. Why did not people die around Moshe?

texts:
My question is based on the premise that a difference in spiritual levels/righteousness between individuals can cause people to die, get sick, or receive some other form of punishment as evidenced by the incident with the prophet Elijahu in Zarephath (Melachim I - 17,18:18).

When Elijahu came to the woman's house in Zarephath, her son became sick and died. Rashi explains that before Elijahu came her deeds had been compared to the rest of the inhabitants of the city. With the prophet's arrival, the Heavenly Tribunal now compared her deeds to the prophet's. This difference in righteousness caused her son to die. At least, that's my understanding of Rashi's commentary on that verse.

Based on that premise, it should follow that the same should have occured to the people who were around Moshe as he was an even greater prophet than Elijahu?


texts: Reconciling Young Earth Creationism With Racial Diversity

texts:
I'm wondering whether the Young Earth Creationism can be reconciled with the racial diversity found on the globe. How, can a young Earth accomedate, in a manner consistent with science, Noah's descendants going from being whatever race they were, (presumably of middle eastern appearance) and becoming of Chinese, Japanese Vietnamese & similar. Can environmental factors really account for such changes in such a short span of time? Would people of disparate races really return to the original race just from returning to its environment?
Does this Creationist belief claim that all humans descend from the land of Israel?


texts: Tying and untying knots on Shabbos & Yom Tov

texts:
Someone tied a garbage bag with a double knot (due to distraction by talking) on Yom Tov. He then quickly opened the top knot as if to "undo" the melacha.
A) Did he transgress "tying"?
B) Did he transgress "untying"?
C) Assuming the answer to A) is yes, did he rectify it by untying it?


texts:
According to Judaism illicit relations are forbidden. I always thought that the way one can control his lustful desires is by marrying.

In the Garden of Peace, Rabbi Shalom Arush says that a man cannot be a giver if he has lust towards his wife. That is, he should nullify all his lust towards his wife and only focus on giving to her.

Is this opinion unique to the Breslov way of thought or are there other opinions that support this idea?


texts: Do you have to believe that someone is Jewish?

texts: If you are told by another person, that Mr. 'X' is Jewish do you have to believe it, even if nothing Mr. 'X' does shows any indication that he is Jewish? Do you have to treat Mr. 'X' as a Jew? Would it matter if Mr. 'X' himself said he is Jewish?


texts: Why did the Bavli form of weekly Torah reading become the standard?

texts:
My understanding of the Torah reading cycle - In Israel, they originally had a triennial cycle, and in Bavel, they had an annual cycle.

At some point, the Bavli (annual) cycle became the standard. (The triennial cycle that is used, currently, in many Conservative and Reform synagogues is not the same as the original triennial cycle.) At what point and why was that change made?


texts: Do contemporary non-Ashkenazim give challah to a kohen in chutz la’aretz?

texts:
Rambam Hilchot Bikkurim 5:8 and 5:10 and Shulchan Aruch Yoreh De’ah 322:4-5 rule that in chutz la’aretz one can either:

separate two challot, burn one and give the other to be eaten by any kohen
separate one challah and give it to be eaten by a kohen who is not impure under the rubric of tumah yotzeit migufo.

Rema (ad loc.) notes a custom to separate only one challah and burn it. Contemporary ashkenazi practice seems to follow this custom.

What do contemporary sefardim / mizrachim / teimanim do with challah in chutz la’aretz? Do they in fact give challah to a kohen (in either of the two fashions described above)?


texts: How do we reconcile the order of creating animals betweeen Genesis and science?

texts:
https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/6932/does-the-torah-encoded-age-of-the-universe-match-science#comment53788_6932

  The Genesis 1 creation account conflicts with the order of events that are known to science. In Genesis, the earth is created before
  light and stars, birds and whales before reptiles and insects, and
  flowering plants before any animals. The order of events known from
  science is just the opposite

This question is about the cosmic events (stars, planets, etc).  The current question is about the animals.

I checked the bible again

  20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let
  birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21 So God
  created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with
  which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their
  kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that
  it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase
  in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase
  on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the
  fifth day.

  24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to
  their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground,
  and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25
  God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock
  according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the
  ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

  26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness,
  so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the
  sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the
  creatures that move along the ground.”

So according to bible, birds are created before land animals (like reptiles). Science says that reptiles are are around before birds. Birds evolve out of reptiles.

How do we reconcile this?

I could match that ground animals mean mammals but that's pretty much stretching it. I could think that fish indeed show up first, and they are keep evolving even after the animals are being created. However, birds are descendants of ground reptiles.

So science says the sequence seems to be

fishes
reptiles (including ground reptiles)
birds
mammals

while Genesis says the sequence is

fishes and birds (day 5)
ground reptiles and mammals

Hmm... almost a match but not quite.


texts: Whom does Hashem love more: Gentiles who love Jewish people and Israel or Jews who are against Jewish people and Israel?


texts:
The Gemara says in Taanis 11a:

  דתניא ר' אלעזר הקפר ברבי אומר מה תלמוד לומר {במדבר ו-יא} וכפר עליו
  מאשר חטא על הנפש וכי באיזה נפש חטא זה אלא שציער עצמו מן היין והלא
  דברים קל וחומר ומה זה שלא ציער עצמו אלא מן היין נקרא חוטא המצער עצמו
  מכל דבר ודבר על אחת כמה וכמה

Rav Elazar Hakafar says a Nazir is called a sinner for he pained himself by abstaining from wine.

If a Nazir is called a sinner to the extent that he may bring a Korban, why is it allowed to become a Nazir? Where else do we find that the Torah sanctions becoming a sinner?


texts: Minhag of saying Tehillim 128 at the chuppah

texts:
I attended my friend's daughter's wedding last night. Just after saying Im Eshkachech and just prior to breaking the glass, the couple and all standing next to the chuppa recited Tehillim (Psalms) 128.

I know that my friend is Yekke. I assume that this may be a Yekke minhag, but, I don't know if this is unique to them or are others following this minhag, as well. What is the reason for this specific Psalm?


texts: Why do we only cover the head during Tachnun if there is a Aron Hakodesh

texts:
It says in Aruch Hashulchan1 That we tried all positions, Sitting by Krias Shema, Standing by Amidah, and Fall on one's face during Tachanun.

So then we say ואנחנו לא נדע...מה נעשה "We do not know (what other position to do)... what should we do."

So my question is, if this is one of the reasons why you "fall down on your face" during Tachnun is because we try to do all positions.

So why does it depend on if there is a Sefer Torah or not? You should always do it, in order to try all positions.

1 (in O.C. 131, 9)

(see Why do we stand when we do toward the end of Tachanun?)


texts: Do Jews today consider the King James translation of the Tanakh to be acceptably accurate?

texts:
It is my understanding that Jewish tradition holds considerable reverence for accurate translations of its scripture.  Do Jews today consider the King James translation known as the Old Testament to be acceptably accurate?  (I understand the issues of not having a perfect match from this question.  That's a detail I believe is unimportant for my question.)

If not, what equivalent English translation would best reflect the original writings?

(I recognize that this question might be too opinion-based and apologize if that is considered the case.)


texts: People with defects and their role in serving

texts:
Parashat Emor teaches (Vayikra/Leviticus 21:17) something about
a kohen with a 'מום' (blemish, defect, deformity, disability, handicap) isn't allowed to serve in the Holy Temple.

But without the Temple is such a person allowed to become a chazan, rabbi or other role within a Beit Knesset/Synagogue?


texts: Saying the right thing then saying the wrong thing toch kedai dibur

texts: Someone counts the correct day of Sefiras HaOmer but then thinks he made a mistake, so he immediately "corrects" himself and counts the wrong day. Does his second (incorrect) counting, which was made toch kedai dibur of the first, undo his first correct count so that in order to fulfill the mitzvah he would have to count again? In other words, can toch kedai dibur be "mvatel" something that was said correctly and thereby prevent a mitzvah fulfillment that depends on a specific statement being said?


texts: Why is there Pesach Sheini - The Second Passover?

texts: What is the primary/basic reason why one has a second chance to bring the Korban Pesach (Passover Sacrifice) on Pesach Sheni (a month after Passover)? Other mitzvos, such as hearing the shofar or other special korbanos (sacrifices) do not have a similar way of making up for the missed opportunity.


texts:
Elul and Yom Kippur are flying by fast. I am looking for something uplifting.

Books on teshuva are usually quite depressing; too much talk about gehinom.
Not that it's not good, just that it doesn't work so well for me.


texts: Is there any halachik problem with eating fish and milk together? (A classic example is a bagel with lox and cream cheese)


texts: When Sofrim write Sifrei Torah, do they think of the Ba'alei Kri'ah (readers)?

texts:
I have read from many different Sifrei Torah as a Ba'al Kri'ah during the past approx. 30 years. Each Torah is unique, as B"H, it should be. Every sofer has a slightly different writing style, even when there are strict rules for writing each letter, each word, and the spacing of each word.

I have been considering writing a book that focuses on the interaction between the writer and the reader of Sifrei Torah. I'd like to get an overview, preferably from those that are or have been Sofrim, if a Sofer thinks about those that will eventually read his work?

Is he diligent in making the letters clearer, larger, darker? Does he carefully space the letters do that it is easy to read? I noticed some sofrim love to stretch out some letters. Some do it often; others rarely do this. (I will probably post a separate question on this custom.) Some make wide columns; others narrower.

I have listed just a few examples. In general, I am curious if Sofrim consider any of these factors as being important to the Ba'alei Kri'ah or not.


texts:
Is there an Issur of playing cards? I'm not asking about gambling, or Shabbos, I'm specifically asking if it is Assur to play a game of cards with playing cards that we have today. Are there specific Poskim who permit or forbid it?

This is not like this other question because I'm not asking about gambling.


texts: Asei Doche Lo Sasei vs. Mitzvah Habaah Beaveirah

texts:
These are two concepts in Judaism:

עשה דוחה לא תעשה - that if there is a Mitzvah Asei in the Torah, and a Mitzvas Lo Sasei, we say that the Asei overrides the Lo Sasei, and one should do it.

For example: Attaching woolen Tzitzis to a Linen garment.

מצווה הבאה בעבירה - that if there's a Mitzvah and one does it "through" an Averiah, we say that it's not a Mitzvah, and one should not do it.

For example: Eating stolen Matzah on Pesach.

These two ideas seem similar. What makes us decide where to apply the 1st idea vs. the 2nd? What's the underlying difference?


texts: Custom to refrain from eating meat at the Pesach Seder?

texts: I recently heard from two separate people about a custom not to eat any meat at the Seder (i.e. only fish and chicken are eaten). This was surprising to me, as the minhag mentioned in the Mishnah, Gemara and poskim refers specifically to roasted meat. Does anyone have information about this?


texts: Why did the Torah need to be given if the Avos knew and kept it?

texts:
It is a common theme in aggadic literature that

The Avos were incredible tzadikim
They more-or-less kept the entire Torah, including some derabannans

If the mitzvos were already known and kept, and the full text was not necessary for them to have perfection in their middos, why was Revelation necessary?

(I would guess that a potential answer is that their descendants forgot it, but that also seems strange. See also here.)


texts: You set a table before me in the presence of my adversaries; You anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows.?

texts:
Tehillim - Psalms - Chapter 23

5 .You set a table before me in the presence of my adversaries; You anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Could someone explain The meaning of this verse?

I will controle my adversaries?
I'm above them?
They have no power over me?

How are we to understand this verse?


texts:
It says in Shemot 17:12:

"But Moses’ hands grew heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur, one on each side, supported his hands; thus his hands remained steady until the sun set."

Yet at the end of the Torah, in Devarim 34:7 it says:

"Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died; his eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated."

In one place it says that his arms grew heavy, but in another place it says that in all his 120 years, he didn't lose his vigor/strength. Don't these two contradict each other? Is there an answer?


texts:
It seems somewhat widespread that Jews that are scared of dogs think that saying ולכל בני ישראל לא יחרץ כלב לשונו will either protect them or scare the dog away or something like that.
Does this have any source in authentic Judaism or is it just made up by a primary school teacher 20 years ago?


texts: Can you kasher earthenware or porcelain utensils?

texts:
I read in the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch of the Yalkut Yosef that if one cooked dairy in a earthenware meat vessel, and if the vessel is valuable, then one can perform hagalah on the vessel three times after waiting 24 hours and the vessel is permitted.

ילקוט יוסף קצוש"ע יורה דעה סימן צח - קצת מהלכות תערובות
יט. כלי חרס או פורצליין של בשר שבישל בהם חלב, ונאסרו, ויש שם הפסד מרובה, יש להגעילם ג' פעמים, לאחר שישהה אותם מעת לעת, (כ"ד שעות), ויחזרו להיתרם. [הליכות עולם חלק ז' עמוד ע].

1) What is the logic underlying the ruling? I had always assumed one cannot fix a treif earthenware vessel.
2) Does this ruling apply to Ashkenazim? Or are there similar rulings from Ashkenazic authorities?


texts: Is one allowed to have his child take a non-kosher oral vaccine if the law requires it to attend school?

texts:
Many state laws require that toddlers be vaccinated prior to attending elementary school.

Years ago, the Sabin Polio oral vaccine was used. I'm uncertain if oral vaccines are used, now. Let's say that an oral vaccine for some illness has non-kosher ingredients. There is no other form of the same vaccine (i.e. no dermal form.) Let's also assume that not taking the vaccine is not life-threatening, but, state or local law requires a child to take this vaccine otherwise he cannot attend yeshiva, or any school.

Would this circumstance allow a child to take this vaccine?


texts: Are there any examples in the Tanach where somebody is being cynical?


texts: What are the limits of what we should try to learn?

texts:
In the Mishnah, Ben Zoma famously said:

אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם, הַלּוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם -- Who is wise? He who learns from every man. [Avot 4:1]

What does it mean?
(1) That every individual who enters your life, in person or from afar, has something useful to teach you.
(2) That you should go out of your way to seek out people, especially people who are very different from you, because they know some wisdom you don't know.
Most people would say (1).  But is (2) to be rejected out of hand?  Should you try to learn, say, about other religions, other cultures, in case their different point of view might add positively to yours?  The danger is that they may lead you astray, and you may not know enough to take the good and reject the bad.
In the Talmud, God refuses to quote the opinions of Rabbi Meir because Rabbi Meir learned from Acher, the heretic.  Then a rabbi told God there is nothing wrong with taking the good and rejecting the bad, as Meir did.  God accepts that teaching and starts quoting Rabbi Meir. [Ḥagigah 15b] (One of the many times God is "taught" and accepts the teaching saying, "לִמַּדְתַּנִי – Lamadtani! You have taught Me!" [see, e.g., Numbers Rabbah 19:33].)
Rabbi Meir knew how to recognize the good from the bad, but you and I may not.  So is my (2) out of the question?  But that situation would occur also in my (1).  So what is the resolution?  How far should one go in trying to "learn from every person"?


texts:
Rav Aharon Kotler z"tl apparently would often say a Chazal during Yomim Noraim about Hashem having gratitude for us doing teshuva on Yom Kippur. Just like a king having a grand meal which he is afraid no one will attend, Hashem has gratitude that we utilize the special day of Yom Kippur.

Where is this Chazal?


texts: If I'll tell you I'll have to kill you, maybe even then not

texts: Can one tell Lashon Hara to someone about to die? It won't spread any further. Do poskim discuss this?


texts: Understanding "conflict" between Genesis creation and "continuous" creation

texts:
There's a passage in the daily Shacharit tefilla in the 1st of the pre-Shema blessing that says:

המחדש בטובו בכל יום תמיד מעשה בראשית

My translation and inference from this phrase is that God continuously renews his works of creating the world each day, namely a renewal of מעשה בראשית - the initial creation as described in Genesis.

This seems to contradict what I recall from Art Scroll's explanation (I don't recall whom he cited, offhand) that when the Torah uses the term  כי טוב it means that is what "perfect" and complete and that it required no further improvement.

Furthermore, the Torah says that on the seventh day, God completed everything and that He "rested" on the seventh day from all the work that He created.

So, if creation was complete and everything was perfect, does the phrase we say in Shacharit contradict this concept of completion. What is meant by "renewing" or "recreating" things and why does this need to be done, especially if the Torah says that everything was "complete" and "perfect"?


texts: Can a Jew name a child after a (deceased) non-Jew (non-relative)?  Is there any prohibition against it?


texts: May one count the Omer if he has texted someone which night it is?

texts: We are careful to say "Yesterday was 8" etc to ensure that we do not inadvertently count the Omer before we say the bracha. However, what if one texted "Tonight is 9" to someone? Does this count as "counting"?


texts: Torah Commentary of R. Nissim of Marseilles

texts: Is the commentary of  R. Nissim of Marseilles on the Torah available for free online?


texts: Is it permissible to cheat at board games?

texts:
Board games have absolutely no value - there is nothing won and nothing lost.

In such a situation is it permissible according to halakhah to cheat?

I am asking, not to find a reason to be deceitful with the permission of the Torah, but to see if this is one of those things (perhaps like saying "Oh my God") that we are raised to think is a sin but isn't really.

Thanks.


texts: The “Shir Hamaalos” etc before Maariv: is it said before nightfall?

texts:
The German nusach contains the following explanation of the “Shir Hamaalos” etc said before Maariv.

  When ערבית is recited after nightfall, it is preceded by the following
  פסוקים, which speak of praying at night. They were added to מנהג אשכנז
  by the Ari z”l, who in fact was only reviving a practice from the
  Geonic era to say a מזמור leading into ערבית. After this מזמור, the
  congregation says קדיש before ברכו. If, however, ערבית follows מנחה
  without a break, there is no need to say קדיש in addition to the קדיש
  תתקבל following מנחה. At one time, these פסוקים, and this קדיש, were
  recited only by small groups called חברת מעריב בזמנו

In my experience, minyanim davenning Nusach Sefard say the “Shir Hamaalos” etc before maariv even when maariv is davenned before nightfall.

Is this discussed somewhere?


texts: Handing over a murderer to the Goel Hadam?

texts:
וְשָׁלְחוּ זִקְנֵי עִירוֹ וְלָקְחוּ אֹתוֹ מִשָּׁם וְנָתְנוּ אֹתוֹ בְּיַד גֹּאֵל הַדָּם וָמֵת.
The elders of his city must take him [the intentional murderer] and hand him over to the blood avenger, and he shall die.
-Devarim 19:12

This is in the parsha of the unintentional murderer, where after specifying that a person guilty of culpable homicide is allowed to live in a city of refuge (or a Levite city), the Torah then deals with someone who intentionally killed another.  Here the verse states that he is handed over to the blood avenger.
Is this literally so?  My understanding is that if there are witnesses and a warning (עדים והתראה), then a murderer is sentenced to death, and the witnesses themselves are to be the executioners.  Where exactly in halacha is a "blood avenger" given the right to execute a killer?  Or is this one of the places where the Oral Torah overrides the simple understanding of the Written Torah?


texts: How Melchizedek/Shem was a Cohen if he wasn't firstborn?

texts:
I was surprised by the popularity of my previous question about Kain and Abel, but msh210 mentioned that that wasn't so special and indeed, we find another example in the open text of the Torah that a non-firstborn not only brought sacrifices but served as a priest (Ber 14:18) - Malchitzedek, aka Shem Ben Noach:

וּמַלְכִּי־צֶדֶק מֶלֶךְ שָׁלֵם הוֹצִיא לֶחֶם וָיָיִן וְהוּא כֹהֵן לְאֵל עֶלְיוֹן׃
And King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was a priest of God Most High.

The Jer. Targum says: "וּמַלְכִּי צֶדֶק מַלְכָּא דִירוּשְׁלֶם הוּא שֵׁם רַבָּא הֲוָה כָּהִין עִילָאָה:"  - "Melchizedek, the King of Jerusalem, he's Shem, was High Priest".
As my previous question explained, before the tribe of Levi was designated for the High Service, the firstborns were assigned that role. However, once again, Shem wasn't Noach's firstborn, as per Rashi in Ber. 10:21, but Yefet was. So even if we assume that Abel was able to bring sacrifices because they were personal, Malchitzedek actually serves as a priest (unclearly what exactly though).
I admit that I don't fully understand the idea of serving G-d before the Matan Torah and Mishkan, etc, but I think the question is legitimate.
How those two facts can be reconciled?


texts:
Although this question certainly needs to be discussed with a personal Rav I would like to hear how others approach the matter.

My wife and I come from very different backgrounds and Pesach often accentuates our difference in approach to cleaning the house for Pesach. I am very much a man of compromise but I see that my wife gets over stressed and burdened by the extra restrictions that she places on herself at this time of year - in particular with regards to clearing the house for chametz.

There are many things that are done (which we of course do together) which are far beyond the letter of the law (at times not necessary) and causes (I feel) preparations for a glorious week of chag to be dampened in spirit because of this.

Having said this, her enthusiasm for getting things right are good, however, I fear this stems from 'paranoia' rather than getting into the spirit of the chag. I, of course want to enhance our 'Jewish' experiences and wouldn't want to retract from her avodah in this way. I don't feel that things should be overburdensome but I do understand that it is hard to change the ways in which we were brought up.

If anyone has advice that would be much appreciated.


texts: 2 Weeks ago was Parshas Chayei Sarah, and in the beginning for the first Alia (portion) it spoke about how Abraham buried Sarah.And then for the next 6 Alia's it speaks about Yitzchok and the whole story etc. So if so little of the Parsha speaks about Sarah so then why is the parsha dedicated to her, last Parshas (lech lecha) it mostly spoke about her, so maybe that parsha it could have said Chaya Sarah.


texts:
In the Gemara in Berochos daf 61 it says that one may not walk behind ones wife.
So how is it that Abba Ḥilkiyya in Tananis daf 23 went after his wife into the house, even if he didn't want to check the Rabbanan, surely he could of changed the order: The Rabbanan, Him then his wife last?


texts: Was the noise from the Temple really that loud?

texts:
Mishnah Tamid 3:8 lists a bunch of things in the Temple that could be heard all the way in Yericho.

Some of the things: the gate opening, the Levi'im singing, the Kohein Gadol on Yom Kippur, smelling the k'toret.

Now, could these really reach all the way from Yerushalayim to Yericho? Were they just really loud, was it a miracle, or perhaps the Mishnah is exaggerating.

The distance is apparently around 15 miles (25 km).


texts: Magazine not delivered - what are they responsible for?

texts: If someone has a subscription to a Jewish weekly or magazine or newspaper (for example: Mishpacha, Binah, Ami, Jewish Press, Yated, Hamodia, etc.) and they are supposed to deliver on a specific day of the week. For some reason it was not delivered (not a situation beyond their control) what is the magazine or papers responsibility? My question is that usually a subscription is cheaper than the store price. Can they just tell you we will extend your subscription for a week and pick it up in the store this week, or should they really reimburse you your extra cost and time of purchase?


texts: In Parshas Mikeitz (Beraishis 41), Pharaoh receives an interpretation for this two dreams from necromancers. Rashi (41:8) says that they told Pharaoh that “You will beget seven daughters, and you will bury seven daughters.” According to Rashi, Pharaoh was displeased with this interpretation. Was Pharaoh's displeasure a miracle from Hashem, or is there a logical way of understanding Pharaoh's displeasure with that interpretation?


texts: What would you tell someone who tells you that they sincerely want to have emunah but is having a hard time believing in things such as Torah miSinai, the special "chosen" status of the Children of Israel, belief in Hashem, as well as other fundamental principles of our religion?


texts: Why does Hashem sometimes wait until the very last minute?

texts: I have noticed in my own life and in that of others, that very often during a time of tzarah, Hashem waits until the very very last moment to send a Yeshua. Are there any sources that discuss the reasons why He does so?


texts: Wearing Tefilin at the earliest Maariv possible

texts: Are there any halachic sources describing a case of someone who laid tefilin before before plag and daven Mincha with, does he have to remove them after plag (when it is still day time) before starting Maariv? or can he keep wearing them during Maariv?


texts:
This answer indicates that today Cohanim with disabilities may duchen.

I am asking here if a deaf person may do so, not because he is disabled, but because he cannot hear the prompt by the Shat"z. Can he rely on either something giving him a hand signal of when to respond or watching his neighbor's lips move? Or does a Cohen's response absolutely require hearing the Shatz's prompts?


texts: Why doesn't the Torah mention the Beis Hamikdash?

texts: Only the Mishkan is mentioned, which was temporary.


texts: Preparing the Beitzah for the Seder Plate

texts: What is the appropriate way to prepare the Beitzah for the Seder Plate?


texts: Who accepted new great sanhedrin judges?

texts: If for any reason, a judge of the 72 great sanhedrin left the great sanhedrin, who would be the one to appoint a new one?


texts: Are women required to keep the Fast of Esther?

texts:
I had learned that women are only required to fast on Yom Kippur and Tisha B'Av.* But sometimes, women are obligated in mitzvos that they wouldn't ordinarily be expected (such as the time-bound mitzvos of Purim) because of the mitzvah's historical connection with women. Is the Fast of Esther an example of such a thing? What is the extent of women's obligation to fast on this day?

*Edited to note: This really isn't correct.


texts: Under what circumstances can Ashkenazim rely on Sephardic poskim?

texts:
Is there any reason an Ashkenazi Jew should not hold by the psak of a Sephardi rov--or vice versa--for decisions relating to general matters (not ostensibly to do with particular minhagim)?

If so, under what circumstances are there exceptions?

Is there a way to know which of the rov's piskei are Sephard-specific, and which (if any) may be used by Ashkenazim?


texts:
By the phrase "king messiah," I am referring to the individual who is expected to come and restore the kingdom of David. (For example, the exact individual that Rambam writes about in this portion of the Mishneh Torah.)

Again, will the king messiah be a prophet? If so, please cite the scripture in the Tanakh and/ or the halakha.


texts:
When one feels the need to stimulate oneself by snorting a line of cocaine, would one say the bracha of besamim (spices)?

Thank you in advance, this is not halacha l'maaseh.


texts: How can one serve G-d with Simcha when one is painfully aware of flaws, sins, and other bad habits?

texts:
How does one serve G-d with simcha when one is aware of flaws, sins, and other bad habits that should cause one to also have bitterness.

Not asking about depression and other negative emotions, rather, how can one have Simcha - but also have bitterness over wrong doing?


texts: Why only ask about תרומה and שחיטה? (in גטין ב׃ תוד״ה עד)

texts:
The Bavli, Gitin 2 amud 2, says that one person is believed when he testifies about isurin (prohibitions), and it immediately limits that to the case that the person is not testifying against an existing status quo (chazaka).

Rashi's commentary indicates how we know that one person is believed:

  for the Torah believed everyone about t'ruma-tithing [i.e. that he had tithed], slaughtering [i.e. that he had slaughtered properly], and removal of [forbidden parts of the meat, i.e. that he had indeed removed them].

Tosafos jump on this:

  He should not have mentioned t'ruma-tithing and slaughtering, because someone is believed about those even though there is an existing status quo of forbiddenness, because he can [or could] fix them [and get rid of the status quo].

What about removing the forbidden parts of the meat, thereby fixing the overall meat they're in? He could do that, too. Why don't Tosafos object to Rashi's example?


texts:
If someone cans using Ball brand glass canning jars (and new lids are used every time, so nothing to worry about with those), In the normal canning process, the jars are boiled to sterilize them prior to the addition of food.  Is this sufficient to kasher the jars so that we do not have to worry if the jar previously contained dairy or meat?

Whatever one puts in the jars is effectively cooked in the jars as one has to bring it to a high heat for a sustained period of time.


texts:
I'm starting from the assumption that one is not allowed to catch a bus on shabbes, but would like to know why. Excluding issues pertaining to the purchase of tickets or the use of passes, potentially tangential problems such as carrying tickets or money where there is no eruv, and the avoidable problem of pushing the button to indicate where you wish to get off, what are the problems with riding on the bus?

Is it simply a case of mar'is ayin? Is it because my added weight (however infinitesimally) increases the payload of the vehicle and causes it to burn more petrol? Or are there other reasons as well?

For the sake of an argument, I am assuming that the driver is not Jewish, and that neither are (at least some of) the other passengers.


texts: The honey in "land of milk and honey" is date honey (I believe), and yet most people use bee honey on Rosh Hashana. Does it matter what kind of honey you use at all?


texts: Recommendation for beginner's Aramaic language book

texts:
When I first learned Gemarah in yeshiva, I was given a list of common vocab. words and phrases and I had to memorize the Aramaic and Hebrew. This sufficed to help me understand most of the common Gemarah language.

I am looking, now, more for a "basic" book in Aramaic that focuses more on the structure and grammar of the language and, perhaps, its comparison to Hebrew. I.e. - I am not looking for Jastrow or some book that cross refs. Talmudic terms. That's "incidentally" useful for me. I am looking for something that focuses more on the general structure of Aramit to help me understand how the word structure / grammar fits into the Gemarra by citing a few examples.

Can someone recommend a good book that has this approach and explain some of its highlights. I'm not seeking a list, here. I just want to get a sense of what's available that will do the job.


texts:
There was a letter written by Rav Yechezkel Landau to the followers of Reb Yonason Eibeshitz after the whole debacle between their leader and Reb Yaakov Emden. I have seen a few English versions of this letter, but I wanted to see the original text.

Where can I read this letter online?

What piqued my interest was from the language used, it seems Rav Landau implicated guilt on the part of Rav Eibeshitz leveled against him by Rav Emden of being a secret Sabatian. In spite of this, he told Rav Eibeshitz' followers not to leave him, as he is a holy learned man.

I would like to see the original myself to see if this is in fact what was written.


texts: What did people say in Shemoneh Esrei and Kiddush of Shavuos when it didn't fall out on the 6th of Sivan?

texts:
During Shemoneh Esrei and Kiddush of Shavuos, we describe the Yom Tov as "this day of the holiday of Shavuos, the time of giving our Torah" (יום חג השבועות הזה זמן מתן תורתינו).

Before we had a fixed calendar, it was theoretically possible for any month to have either 29 or 30 days (unlike our current calendar wherein only Cheshvan and Kislev have variable lengths). If both Nissan and Iyar were to have 30 days, Shavuos (which is fixed at 50 days after the first day of Pesach, rather than being on a specific day on the calendar, as per Vayikra 23:16-21) would fall out on the 5th of Sivan. According to no opinion in the Gemara (Shabbos 86b) did the giving of the Torah occur on the 5th of Sivan.

What was said during davening and Kiddush of Shavuos those years? Did they still say "the time of giving our Torah," since it's the same time of year? Did they say something else ("the time of preparing for giving our Torah" maybe)? Did they say nothing at all?


texts:
Suppose you were to cook much more food than you ended up needing on a given shabbat. Would it constitue chillul shabbat (or be disrespecting shabbat in any way) to either:

A) eat the leftovers on Sunday thus not cooking for a second consecutive day?

Or

B) freeze the leftovers after Havdalah and reheat as the next week's Shabbat meal?


texts: Yichud with Jewish man that is "married"/together with a non-Jewish woman?

texts: Is it mutar to be in the same house with a "mixed" couple [i.e. a Jewish man that is "married"/in a monogamous relationship of some sort with a gentile woman (since marriage between a Jew and a heathen is not valid anyway)], or is this a violation of yichud? As far as I know it is mutar for a  Jewish man to be in yichud with a non-jewish couple, since she is afraid of her husband, but it is not allowed for a Jewish woman in the same situation, since the wife is not makpid on her husband.


texts: Why can't you give a bracha to yourself?

texts: I didn't find anywhere people giving brachas to oneself. We find in Tanach people giving brachas to others. It seems one can't give a bracha to oneself. Why not?


texts: Why for repetition of Shomne Esray you need only 6 that prayed but 9 that will answer?

texts:
I was asked the following question:

For the repetition of the Shemone Esray, you need only 6 to finish praying to begin the repetition.

However, there must be 9 people answering Amen to the blessings. Why?

What can I answer him?


texts: I am reading the memoirs of a rabbi, who spent roughly 10 years in the United states in the '50s and the '60s. He claims that after the Kennedy assassination the atmosphere was so strained that he was attacked on the streets of New York, and mobsters threatened to kill him for being a Jew. At a certain point he visited one of his friends, who belonged to a well known Chasidic group, and he was shocked to see that this friend put a hundred-dollar bill into his pocket before Shabbat. The friend replied that the previous week 3 Jews had been killed by robbers, who were infuriated by the fact that Jews didn't carry valuables on the Shabbat, and rather killed their victims. So their rabbi decided that the members should carry a banknote to save their lives in case of a robbery. I have no reasons to doubt the words of this rabbi, but do we know any written decisions from the era, which discuss the halakhic perspective of the problem? Since there's no deterministic relationship between carrying money and not getting killed, what are the requirements of issuing such a ruling? Do you know any similar cases?


texts: wording of the invitation to birkas hamazon

texts: I know some Ashk'nazim say rabosay n'varech, some rabosay mir velen bentschen, and some hertzi rabosay mir velen bentschen. (Any other forms?) Is there any particular reason given for one or another?


texts: Who composed the Chad Gadya song at the end of the Hagada?


texts: What choice of Kohen did a person bringing a korban have?

texts:
I recently asked a question about a Kohen's responsibility for negligent disqualification of a Korban. The first answer I saw indicated that a Kohen is liable only for intentional disqualification (this may not be the correct answer, but let's assume for the purposes of argument that it is).

Let's say everyone knows a Kohen is negligent and keeps making mistakes. Can people refuse to give that Kohen their Korban and ask for a different one?


texts: Why is the location of Mount Sinai not traditionally known?

texts:
Why don’t we know the exact location of Mount Sinai, after all if millions of people were there, surely they would have handed down the tradition of the location just like Kivrey Avos or Har Hamoriyah (Bais Hamikdash).

For example, in Pirkei Avos 6,2 Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said, “Every day a Heavenly voice goes out from Mount Horeb proclaiming and saying, ‘Woe to humanity for disdaining the Torah!”


texts:
I saw this question somewhere else said as a joke but, seriously, does a hookah require tevilah (immersion)? After all, why wouldn't smoking be like ingesting food, as on some level you are ingesting the tobacco and sometimes it is even flavored?

(Please do not do the anti-smoking rants: we covered that extensively here.)


texts:
There are many stores out there (e.g. Coffee shops) that have a hechsher, but are Chalav Stam. To get around this issue, some of these stores offer the option to request Chalav Yisroel milk for those who need it.

For visualization purposes: the store carries a Chalav Yisroel milk bottle. When a customer requests it, the storekeeper will substitute the standard milk with the milk from the Chalav Yisroel bottle.

My question, though, is whether this actually helps the Chalav Stam/Akum issue? After all, if the milk bottle is sitting in the store throughout the day, do we not suspect that the storekeeper (who's presumably a gentile) may mix the milk? Shouldn't this "Chalav Yisroel" milk once again become Chalav Stam/Akum milk?

Clarification: My question is due to my understanding that milk in particular requires an extra level of supervision. For example, in order to make milk Chalav Yisroel, it is required to have a Jew supervise the actual milking process. This is very much unlike other products where concepts such as נכנס ויוצא (perhaps best translated as "spot checking") do work.

So: the hechsher I referred to in this case is merely serving the purpose of providing a basic level of Kosher supervision - and confirming that the milk in question does indeed qualify for the "Chalav Stam" leniency. The milk in question, on the other hand was at one point Chalav Yisroel (according to the label), but is now sitting in the store - open and unsupervised. Does this change its status?

[If it helps: it's also possible to construct this case without any hechsher at all: simply pick your favorite unflavored coffee scenario that's permissible anywhere and add a Chalav Yisroel milk bottle. Was just trying to boil the case down a bit...]


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

Upvote all interesting answers.

Accept the best answer.

Go on to the next number.


texts:
What is the number one or the most recommended Talmud/Gemara passage for a child to begin studying?

I understand that the number one or the most recommended Torah passage for a child to begin studying is:
“The Torah that Moshe commanded us is the heritage of the congregation of Yaakov.” [Deut. 33:4]


texts: Is it idolatry to use the english word "God" to refer to Hashem?

texts:
Shabbos 67b says "Gad" (גד) was the name of an Amorite idol, and we shouldn't use it. Shouldn't this apply to the name "God" as well?

eg. "God forbid"


texts: When would a convert affix the Mezuzah in the diaspora?

texts:
The Halacha is (as stated in the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch  סימן יא - הלכות מזוזה) that when renting a house in the diaspora one is exempt from Mezuza for the first 30 days. For the first 30 days a rental is not considered a permanent residence.

  כא: הַשּׂוֹכֵר בַּיִת בְּחוּצָה לָאָרֶץ, פָּטוּר מִמְּזוּזָה שְׁלֹשִׁים יוֹם, דְּלָא הֲוֵי דִירַת קֶבַע.

If a Ger (a convert) remains in the house they rented before the conversion, do they have to wait 30 days before affixing the Mezuza?

Do we apply the Ger is like a newborn rule, and it's as if they just moved in?
Or do we look at reality and say that they've lived here for a long time and they have the status of permanency?

Inspired by my answer to this question - which explains why a Mezuza cannot be affixed earlier than needed.

(In Israel one is obligated to affix the mezuza as soon as one moves in.)


texts: Is it acceptable to use software which incidentally blocks ads?

texts:
A question on this site on whether ad-blocking software is permissible suggests that the answer is that it probably, but not definitely, is acceptable.

I don't use ad-blocking software myself, but I do use two programs developed for security reasons (NoScript and RequestPolicy) which have the incidental effect of blocking most ads. How would you reason about the acceptability of such software?


texts:
Esther 10:2 says:

הֲלוֹא-הֵם כְּתוּבִים, עַל-סֵפֶר דִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים, לְמַלְכֵי מָדַי
Behold, they are written in the book of chronicles of the kings of the media.

Who were the kings (=editors) of the newspapers in Shushan? What were the names of their newspapers? What positions did they lean towards on various political issues?

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


texts: As a kid I learned that Moshe wasn't allowed to hit the water because it saved him when he was a child and he had to show hakaras hatov (similar answer for why he couldn't hit the sand that saved him by hiding the body of the mitzri he killed). But the water didn't save him, the little basket, the Egyptian lady who yanked him out or even the sister who watched him might have saved him, the water didn't do anything. If someone was in a car accident an survived unharmed they would say the seat belt saved them, not the road. How can we make sense of this ma'amar chazal?


texts: Earliest use of the word "gematria" to mean the value of words

texts:
What's the earliest use of the word "gematria" followed by the use of it to mean the value of the word? I'm aware that in Pirkei Avot the word itself is used, but that is not used in conjunction with the actual numbering system (and thus it is possible that it means something else in that context). There are also places in the Gemara that use the value system, but in those places it does not use the word "gematria" but rather "sifra" (lit. "the value"). When is the first time the two are used together?

Related (but not the same): What is the earliest source that mentions Gematria?


texts: luchos in aron when Pelishtim captured it

texts:
I want to know if the luchos were inside the Aron when the Pelishtim captured it.
Rashi notes in Sefer Shmuel Aleph Chapter 4 that Shaul grabbed the luchos from Golias on the battlefield and fled with them.
Were the Pelishtim able to get hold of the luchos or was the Aron empty while it was in the land of the Pelishtim?


texts: An 'istenis' (delicate) with regards to the mikvah does not want to go, unless absolutely necessary. Is going to the mikvah on Yom Kippur despite this more important, or is he exempt?  Is going to the mikvah on Yom Kippur halacha or minhag?


texts: Realistic expectations at bar mitzvah age

texts:
Being a high school teacher I am interested in better understanding what is realistically expected of boys of the age of bar mitzvah in this day and age.

Is, for instance, the non attendance to minyanim 3 times a day considered a travesty or is it accepted that because of (e.g.) maturity, safety and bedtime they would not attend.

Do chazal speak of leniencies for young boys (13+) in other mitzvot because of other considerations such as those mentioned above?

Perhaps this has to do with the distinction of the difference in punishments at 13 and subsequently at 20 and the level of responsibility and achieveability at the respective ages (related question).


texts: What are the parameters of kavod ha'brios?

texts:
When I was younger I was told that in extenuating circumstances one can rip toilet paper on shabbos (preferably not on the perforations) due to kavod ha'brios. This concept is applied in other places such as the way we hang a corpse who has been killed by beis din. What are the halachik parameters for this concept and how far does it extend? For instance if the bathroom were dark could one turn on a light or light a candle (malacha m'deoraisa) because of kavod ha'brios? Can a person be m'vater on their kavod ha'brios (some extreme practices such as rolling in the snow naked come to mind)?

If you have the sources for the above cited halachos please post


texts: If the yetzer tov enters the body at bar mitzvah, how do we have well-behaved minors?

texts: There's a notion that the yetzer tov enters the body at the age of bar mitzvah. If this is so how do we see children that behave properly and act kindly towards others?


texts:
This answer notes that the Chayei Adam knew of (and approved of) French Jews who would wear tzitziot on their waistcoats. However, this section of the Wikipedia article shows that the waistcoats worn in the Chayei Adam's days were significantly different in their form than our modern ones.

Here are images of the waistcoats of the Chayei Adam's period:

And the modern era:

Please note that these garments would still need to be split most of the way up the back to have 4 corners, AFAIK.

Are our modern waistcoats chayav (or at least accepting of) tzitzit?


texts: Tzelophechad's daughters and temeim of Pesach Sheini

texts:
The two instances of למה יגרע; the Temeim and Tzelophechad's daughters are written, in one sense, as if a new halachah of yerushah and Pesach Sheini was created for them based on their circumstances.

However, we know that HKBH also looked into the Torah to create the world and that all of the halachos were already there when these situations happened. It also appears by the response כן... דברת that the situation did just happen to be a circumstance that allowed the already existing halachah to be revealed.

Were these rules created in the spot or just revealed? Are there different opinions on this?


texts: Does anyone know of any secret cholent ingredients to give it a knock out taste?


texts: Distinction between Bnei Noach and Goyim

texts: Can someone please explain to me the distinction between Bnei Noach and goyim especially with regard to their halachic obligations or lack thereof.


texts: In the area of Orach Chaim, when there is no established Lubavitch Minhag, i.e. in a case which is not in the Shulchan Aruch Harav (for whatever reason), and is not discussed by any other Lubavitch authorities, which Halacha Sefer (aruch hashulchan, mishna berura etc.) do Chabad-Chassidim tend to follow?


texts:
Is the category of Apikores- a heretic only limited to Jews or even non Jews?

The Sdei Chemed quotes many opinions that forbid quoting from heretics

Thus, is it permitted to quote a heretical gentile that preaches that Judaism is false? Or that there is no world to come. May I quote a wise saying from Muhammad that has nothing to do with theology per se', for since Muhammad denied the truth of the the Torah and its accuracy if he were a Jew he would be classified as an apikores.

(I know that the source for the word apikorus is really the name of a greek philosopher Epicurus)


texts:
I saw a few commentaries in two source sheets at Sefaria attributed to a book called "Ever Min HeChai." The commentaries were on Sefer Bereshit.

Anyone know who this is? An internet search did not yield anything except the mitzvah. Thanks and shanah tovah.


texts: Why is an oppressor's wife/children punished?

texts:
In parashas Mishpatim (Shemot 22:21-23) the pesukim read

כָּל־אַלְמָנָ֥ה וְיָת֖וֹם לֹ֥א תְעַנּֽוּן׃
אִם־עַנֵּ֥ה תְעַנֶּ֖ה אֹת֑וֹ כִּ֣י אִם־צָעֹ֤ק יִצְעַק֙ אֵלַ֔י שָׁמֹ֥עַ אֶשְׁמַ֖ע צַֽעֲקָתֽוֹ׃
וְחָרָ֣ה אַפִּ֔י וְהָֽרַגְתִּ֥י אֶתְכֶ֖ם בֶּחָ֑רֶב וְהָי֤וּ נְשֵׁיכֶם֙ אַלְמָנ֔וֹת וּבְנֵיכֶ֖ם יְתֹמִֽים׃
Don't oppress any widow or orphan.  If you will oppress him/her [you'll get yours- Rashi] for if they scream out to me, I will hear his/her scream.  And my anger will flare and I will kill you with the sword and your wives will be widows and your children orphans.

Various tanaic sources, also brought by Rashi, darshan the redundancy:  If Hashem kills him, of course his wife will be a widow and his children orphans!  Rather, this is a separate punishment that there will be no witness to the husband's death and the wives will always have a widow status and will be unable to marry and the children will be unable to inherit their father.
My question is- what did the wife/children do to deserve such a harsh punishment for themselves.  By a regular Heavenly death (without the drasha), we can debate whether there needs to be cause for "collateral damage", but this is a specific action against the family members.


texts: Do Shaving Restrictions Apply to Bearded Women?

texts: For example, if a woman were to have a beard, would she be permitted to shave it off with a razor or otherwise destroy it, or do these restrictions apply to both men and women?


texts: Is the wine spilled at the Seder "cursed"?

texts:
As I recall, my mother usually discards the wine that is spilled at the Seder during the listing of the plagues. But I think she does this because, well, just because it's spilled wine and it is not worth salvaging.

But my wife's family has a strong Minhag to make sure the wine is discarded, and either a separate plate or a napkin is used to ensure it doesn't get on the food plate. The reason I was given is that, after the spilling, the wine is associated with the plagues, and so it is "cursed" (either literally or equivalently, I'm unsure).

Is there a source for this idea?


texts: Does anyone know if it is possible to find the (hebrew) text of Sefer Nestor Hakomer, an old jewish apologetic book, available for free online?


texts: The Bracha on onions and garlic eaten raw is shehakol since its not the usual way to eat onions or garlic raw. Do we say that jalapeños are also shehakol when eaten raw according to the same logic?


texts: Why do different people have different levels of mitzvah obligation?

texts:
If the point of giving us mitzvot is to allow us to earn a reward in olam haba and to perfect creation (there's all of Jewish philosophy boiled down into 102 characters), why wouldn't all Jewish adults be equally obligated in all mitzvot?

I understand someone who is physically unable to perform certain mitzvot but outside of that it would seem to be unfair to someone to exempt them. I realize that in some circumstances they can still perform the mitzvah even if they are not obligated to do so, but the rule is one who is obligated and performs is greater than one who is not obligated and performs.

So then why not simply obligate all who (can) perform equally?


texts: What is the halacha if a Jew injures another Jew during battle training?

texts:
I am not aware of any information in the written or oral Torah which discusses what was involved in preparing Jewish army troops for battle, but I assume that soldiers would spar with each other and otherwise engage in physical combat to prepare themselves, similar to the battle preparations of other ancient cultures (e.g. Spartan Agoge). Assuming this is correct, what would the halacha be if one soldier injured another in practice combat? Would this follow the regular laws of damages? Would there be a dispensation because it is in the context of preparing for battle?

I assume similar issues have arisen in modern day Israel, I would accept an answer based on the halachic reasoning used in that context.


texts:
I am a Christian and our church has a group of women that make prayer shawls for those who are sick or hurting or who are just plain in need of some comfort. We collect these shawls all month long then our group prays over them then on Sunday, they are dedicated and these shawls are given away free to any one in need no questions asked! We are going to make and send prayer shawls to those who lost loved ones and any one else who wants one in Newtown Ct.

My question is: one of the family's that lost a child is Jewish and we wanted to send a shawl that is white and has a cross in the pattern and hand sew a gold color crocheted star of David across from the cross but we are not sure if this is proper. Could you please advise?


texts: What are the original twenty books of the Tanach

texts:
I was asked to identify the original 20 books of the Tanach as they appear in the Masoretic Text but everything I found listed 24 books.
I understand that the collective name for the original books of the Masoretic Text is TANACH, an acronym derived from the names of the three divisions of the Hebrew Bible: Torah (Instruction, or Law, also called the Pentateuch), Neviʾim (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings).
During my research I found this entry in The Encyclopaedia of World Faiths:

"...some of its books were not declared sacred by the Jewish sages until the first centuries of the Christian era. From that time, however, the Tanakh has consisted of twenty-four books comprising the sacred scriptures of Judaism...  The twenty-four books of the Tanakh are -
The Torah (in its original sense) - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.
The Neviʾim - Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, the Book of the Twelve Prophets.
The Ketuvim - Psalms, Proverbs, Job, The Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra and Nehemiah, Chronicles."

The entry in the Encyclopaedia of World Faiths does not say which books were not declared sacred until the first centurys of the Christian era.
My problem is time - my answer to this question is due by Monday 13 April and I simply don't know where to start looking.  I need reliable links/sources of information (preferably Jewish) to show what those 20 books were prior to the acceptance of the 24 books. Can you help me, please?


texts:
I read about not putting pictures of people on tombstones.

Is there any problem in posting pictures of the deceased(The dead corpse) after his death on social media?


texts: When did the custom of kissing the Mezuzah when entering & leaving a room become universal? What are the earliest sources that discuss kissing a Mezuzah?


texts:
The situation is that I am currently living in dorm rooms with a Jewish person who has decided to keep Shabbat. I am a Jew who does not keep Shabbat, but I respect my dorm mate and do not want to inadvertently cause him to break Shabbat. So, I think it might be helpful, during Shabbat, to ask him if he wants the lights turned off or on and help out accordingly.

Therefore, I'm wondering: Can a Jew who is keeping the Shabbat rules ask another Jew who is not keeping shabbat to turn on/off the lights?


texts: Did Tamar marry a third time, and if so whom?

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B'reishit 38:26 says:

וַיַּכֵּר יְהוּדָה וַיֹּאמֶר צָדְקָה מִמֶּנִּי כִּי עַל כֵּן לֹא נְתַתִּיהָ לְשֵׁלָה בְנִי וְלֹא יָסַף עוֹד לְדַעְתָּהּ:
Then Judah recognized [them], and he said, "She is right, [it is] from me, because I did not give her to my son Shelah." But he no longer continued to be intimate with her.

Rashi says on this verse:

But he no longer continued: Heb. וְלֹא-יָסַף. Some say: he did not continue [to know her] (Targum Onkelos), and others say: he did not cease (Sotah 10b). (A similar instance is found in connection with Eldad and Medad (Num. 11:25), [where the verse reads:] וְלֹא יָסָפוּ, they did not continue, which the Targum renders: וְלֹא פָסְקוּ, they did not cease).

If Yehudah did not cease, does this mean he married Tamar?  If he did not continue (which is the translation I've always seen until now), then did he finally give her his third son?  Or was that unnecessary now that children were produced?  If so, did she go off and marry someone else entirely, or did she remain unmarried?
(I checked Sotah 10b but didn't find any further enlightenment there.)


texts: I would like to know the genealogy of Naomi the mother in law of Rus. Specifically, who was her mother?


texts: When Chassidus came about, it was very controversial. The Vilna Gaon even put Chassidim in cherem. What were the reasons for the controversy? And why is there peace and mutual respect today between the Chassidim and Misnagdim?


texts: Haamek Davar's implication that God used childbearing terminology

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The Haamek Davar explains Genesis 17:16–19 as follows: In verse 16, God tells Abraham that He "will give [Abraham] a son from" Sarah. Because Sarah is no longer physically capable of childbearing, Abraham understands this blessing as meaning that there will be a boy whom Sarah adopts and then presents to Abraham as his. In verse 17, Abraham expresses this understanding, and in verse 18 he prays that the adopted child be Ishmael. In verse 19, God clarifies that "your wife Sarah will give birth to a son for you" and not just rear one. [Note that God never uses the word "born" or "birth" or the like until verse 19.]

However, the wording of the Haamek Davar is puzzling to me. In his commentary on verse 17, he writes that the adopted child

  will thereby be called "born to her", like "a son was born to Naomi" [Ruth 4:17]….

Why does Haamek Davar feel a need to explain how the son would be considered born to Sarah, as if this clarifies God's earlier statement that that would take place? God had never said a son would be born to Sarah, that we need to explain such wording as meaning adoption. I mean, the Haamek Davar's wording I just quoted sounds like an allegorical reading of a verse, except that there's no verse he could be explaining this way.

And then in verse 19 he does it again: When God clarifies that Sarah will give birth, Haamek Davar explains that it's

  not like you're thinking — rather, she'll give birth, in its usual meaning.

"In its usual meaning" sounds, again, like he's referring to some statement of God's, "give birth", that Abraham had misinterpreted as adoption and that God was now clarifying really does mean giving birth. But there's no such statement! What gives?


texts: What does one have to know to be called a Talmid Chochum?

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What does one have to know in order to be called a "Talmid Chochum"? Hypothetically speaking if one knew Tanach or Medresh Rabbah well or even all 4 parts of Shulchan Aruch relatively well, then is he a Talmid Chochum?

And if it's not about knowing, then what does one have to do in order to be called a Talmid Chochum? Do we say that there are different levels (so to speak) of what it means to be a Talmid Chochum?


texts: Would a non-kosher Earth animal born in space be kosher?

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Inspired by this question.

The question linked quotes Sanhedrin 59b in saying that if an animal came down from heaven (whether it had kosher signs or not) it would be kosher.

If I were, however, to make a pig farm on the moon, there is no descending from heaven. The source of this pig is very much known, in contradistinction to the case in the gemara where the 'animal of unknown origin' descends from heaven. I imagine that, since it is brought down from heaven, Hashem has 'sent' it and it is therefore okay to eat.

However, in this case the source of this food is certainly known - a non-kosher Earth pig. You may say that since it hasn't 'fallen from heaven to Earth' then this is not the case that the gemara deals with. However, doesn't the law of 'split hooves' and 'chewing the cud' apply to land animals i.e. on Earth. Could it be that even pigs born on a pig farm on the moon would be kosher because of this?


texts: Posuk (Breishis 24:1) said after the end of Hallel on Rosh Chodesh

texts:
Artscroll Hebrew Siddurim - and 1 2 among others have at the end of Hallel to say the following Posuk.

וְאַבְרָהָם זָקֵן בָּא בַּיָּמִים וַה' בֵּרַךְ אֶת-אַבְרָהָם בַּכֹּל

Artscroll says it is a Segula for Arichas Yomim. Artscroll does not bring a source.

What is the source for saying this Posuk at the end of Hallel? Why specifically on Rosh Chodesh?


texts: At Yoma 41a, there is a discussion regarding the appropriate offering for someone who causes the Temple to become Tamei (ritually impure)?  But what are we talking about becoming tamei?  The utinsels the metzora touched I can understand they would become tamei?  But can a metzorah (or other tamei person) convey tumah to the stone floors or walls of the Temple or to any utensils he doesn't touch?  How?  If he can, what needs to be purified, and what is the method?  Also, since the Holy-of-Holies and the altar are not under cover, could tumas mes (ritual impurity from a dead body) cause those areas to become tamei (if, for example, the Kohen Gadol dies while performing the avodah?


texts: How are those that interact with the Israeli government viewed from a halachic standpoint by anti-Zionist groups?

texts: How does Satmar, Neturei Karta, and other similar groups view Religious Zionists and Haredim that interact with the Israeli government, from a halachic standpoint (i.e. are they acceptable as witnesses, etc.)?


texts:
I'm attempting to prepare for Yom Kippur, and among the preparations is the issue of determining what, exactly, I should be focusing on during viduy this year. I'm curious whether there are any particular techniques espoused by either chazal, modern Roshei Yeshiva, or other notable Torah personalities regarding this topic. Currently, I'm simply attempting to compile a list of aveiros or la'avim that I find myself struggling with; if there are any better ways of going about this, I'm curious.

Note: I'm not sure whether this question is appropriate for this more halachic-oriented forum, so feel free to close it if necessary.


texts: Selling on Amazon.com or eBay.com on Shabbos or Yom Tov

texts: There are some Rabanim that do not allow you to sell via your own website on Shabbos / Yom Tov. If you sell books on Amazon.com or eBay.com where you do not collect the money nor fulfill the order on Shabbos / Yom Tov (as they process the credit card and first give you the money at a later date) would it still be Assur to leave your listings active on Shabbos / Yom Tov?


texts: What Blessing Does One Make on a Solar Eclipse?  I will be in Nevada next week and would like to make a blessing over the May 21 Solar Eclipse.  Thanks!


texts: Why do Chabad tallis katans have no fringe along the bottom?

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Every Chabad tallis katan I have seen does not have fringes along the bottom, but it seems popular to have them on other types of tallis katans, particularly other Chassidishe ones.

Here's a normal Ashkenazi tallis katan. See the fringes along the bottom? (Photo courtesy of Ben's Tallit Shop)

Or here's a rather large picture of a Chassidishe man wearing a tallis katan, where you can obviously see the fringes. (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

But when you see Chabad tallis katans, I've never seen one with fringes like this! I notice that most (if not all) Chabadniks wear their tallis katan under the shirt, and so there is no need for the decorative fringes, I guess.

But has anyone ever seen one with fringes along the bottom?


texts:
Although the Rema (648:7) says a grown pitom-less esrog is valid

  אם לא היה לו דד מעולם כשר וכן הם רוב האתרוגים שמביאים במדינות אלו

are there any Jewish sources which encourage purchasing a pitom-less esrog? (I heard it's supportive of shalom bayis)


texts: Why was the punishment for the sin of the spies so severe?

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Avot Derabbi Natan 9:2, commenting on Bamidbar 14:22, enumerates the 10 times that B'nai Israel tested G-d in the desert. The Mishnah states that G-d did not punish them until they spoke lashon hara about the land of Israel.

This implies that speaking lashon hara was even greater than the sin of the Golden Calf which was idol worship.

I mention that sin specifically because we see similar phrasing in Moses plea to G-d for forgiveness, such as mentioning that Egypt will think that G-d pre-planned to destroy his people in the desert. We also see a partial repetition of the 13 midot.

So G-d forgives the sin of the Golden Calf but not the sin of Lashon hara. Why was this sin unforgiveable?


texts: G-d willing to give Manna/Quail, but is angered the second time?

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Why is it that when the Israelites complain of not having sufficient food in Exodus 16:3 G-d is completely fine with fulfilling their desires.

3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”

In response G-d is totally willing to give them quail and manna in this verse.

Verse 13 states.

13 That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.

Now this is contrasted with Numbers 11 where G-d promises quail for an entire month, but once the rebellious Israelites receive this quail they are all killed.

Numbers 11:33

33 But while the meat was still between their teeth and before it could be consumed, the anger of the Lord burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague.

What exactly was the difference between these two events? Why does G-d initially promise a month supply of quail, but then smites them before they can even consume it?


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For what it is (if you haven't heard of it), see Card Counting (wikipedia)

Also assuming Gambling is not a problem in that scenario.

It's perfectly legal in the U.S. So would it be a problem in Jewish Law:

If the casino had no rule against it?
If the casino had a rule that one may not card count (if such a rule would be effective)?


texts: How can all the great rabbis' practices be accepted by Hashem?

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This may seem like a child's question, but it's one I never thought to ask as a child, so I never learned the answer.

Rabbinic traditions — even within continuous geographical lineages amongst ashkenazim, sefardim, mizrahim and the rest — are full of disagreements about all kinds of halakhic practices, all of which are represented by individual rabbis who presumably lived by their teachings and thus practiced differently from one another. Surely all Jews have their beliefs about which practices are “right” and which are “wrong”, but these differences are still a celebrated part of our greater tradition, and it’s not as though the rabbis with minority or overruled practices are rejected from the religion. So since the rabbis are all still rabbis, how could any of their particular practices be “wrong” in the eyes of Hashem?

I think this is a separate question from the halakhic questions of what contemporary Jews should or shouldn’t do — we’d tell them to consult their rabbis with those questions. But theologically speaking, how should we understand the holiness of the practices of the rabbis whose practices differed?

Edit to explain difference from this question: The question "how can eilu v'eilu be consistent with absolute truth?" seems more philosophical and less personal than what I'm asking, and thus I wasn't quite satisfied by the answers posted there. What I'm getting at is, how can we relate to all the diverse teachers and examples in our tradition without being worried or upset about them, given their different ways of practicing?


texts: Two Yahrtzeits One for Mother one for Father who comes First

texts: All other things being equal Halachically, if you have two people with Yahrtzeits one for a mother and one for a father, who has priority with regards to getting an Aliyah (and/or davening for the amud and/or saying kadish), and why?


texts: Who is the author of the prayer "Nishmat kol chai" which is said on Shabbat, Yom Tov, and during the great Hallel at the Seder?


texts: As a gentile, is okay to give a gift for Hanukkah to my friend's kids? I'm coming into this as a total newb so any suggestions are welcome.


texts: Rabbinic understandings of non-Divine origin of Onqelos

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Shavua' tov all,

A question from a friend that I thought I would post here regarding the origin of Onqelos. It seems fair to say that the classical rabbinic understanding is that the Aramaic translation of the Torah, known as Targum Onqelos, was given to Moses on Sinai. For example, BT Megillah 3b introduces the targum as having been "composed by Onqelos haGer" but then clarifies that what it means is that he restored the targum which was given at Sinai but had been forgotten. Rashi adopts this position explicitly in his comment on Qiddushin 49a, s.v. harei ze meharef.
On the other hand, of course, contemporary academic scholarship assumes that Onqelos, like other targumim, is a compilation of (anonymous) oral Aramaic renderings of Torah reading, beginning in the Second Temple period and evolving well into the rabbinic period.

So, the question: are there Orthodox* scholars who would agree with some version of the academic understanding of Onqelos' origin? In other words, do you know of any Orthodox scholars who deny the divinity of the targum? (For example, my friend reports that Aryeh Kaplan writes in the bibliography of The Living Torah that "the Septuagint is the oldest translation of the TaNaKh," implying that Onqelos is not from Sinai, but I haven't been able to check that).

Or is this topic as verboten as TaNaKh source criticism?

*I am using the term 'Orthodox' here with some hesitation. I know there are self-identified Orthodox scholars who (attempt to) reconcile their religious beliefs with an acceptance of modern Biblical criticism, e.g. those involved with the TABS project. Qal wahomer I assume those people would be on board with a historical approach to Onqelos. Perhaps to state the question differently: are there rabbis/scholars who maintain a "Torah mi-Sinai" approach to Biblical text while accepting the academic view on the targumim?


texts: What’s the reason behind having to use specifically animal skin for klaf?

texts: What’s the reasoning behind the need to use animals per se as opposed to any other paperlike material for klaf (to write on)? Is there significance in the need to take the life of an animal for the mitzvot of mezuza/tefillin/sefer torah/etc?


texts: Breishit 24:65 - Yitchak is Eliezer's master?

texts:
In Breishit 24:65, Eliezer refers to Yitchak as "my master". Why is that? Isn't Avraham his master?

Perhaps, this is was considered parlance of that time. But, throughout his conversation with Betu'el, he refers to Avraham as his master and, while never mentioning the name Yitzchak, he refers to him as "the son of my master" (See verse 24 as an example.) So, why, here, does he refer to Yitzhak as "my master" instead of as "my master's son"?


texts: Dikduk Q: Rashi and Ibn Ezra on the Sar Hamashkim

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In the end of Parshas Vayeishev, the Pasuk says the Sar HaMashkim 'Lo zachar es yosef' and 'Vayishkacheihu'. Rashi explains that the dual terminology indicates that he forgot him on that day (the day he was freed) and after that as well.

Ibn Ezra says that 'Lo zachar' means that he didn't mention him, and 'vayishkacheihu' means he forgot him b'lev too.

The Avi Ezri (who explains the Ibn Ezra in many editions of mikra'os gedolos) explains that Ibn Ezra's issue is that the word 'es' can't be used with an intransitive verb. So he instead explains the word zachar as 'verbalize'.

So it seems that IE holds that 'remember' is intransitive, while 'mention' is transitive, and that 'es' indicates an object. I can hear why 'remember' is intransitive--after all, nothing is being done to Yosef. Rather, 'Yosef' is merely a description of the rememberance.

So I have 3 primary questions:

1-What would Rashi say in response?

2-I noticed in the shir shel yom of shabbos we say 'Uch'sil lo yavin es zos'--isn't this comparable to zachar (both are not really 'acting on' the supposed object)--yet it says 'es'?

3-If my understanding of why 'zachar' is intransitive, is 'mention' also intransitive?


texts: Why do Tefillin have filler material in the base of the batim?

texts:
Mikshah tefillin are tefillin battim which have no filler material in the titurah (base). Why is filler material even necessary?

The photo below illustrates the thickness with a piece of filler (roughly a third of the titurah).

Photos credit of R' Melech Michaels


texts: Does a mitzvah fulfilled before one is obligated "count"?

texts:
An answer on this question suggests that if a boy fathers a child before he is bar mitzvah (which is physically possible), then he fulfills p'ru ur'vu even though he wasn't yet commanded.  Is that a general principle?  I am particularly asking about the "once in your life" mitzvot, not the things you do regularly so there will be plenty more opportunities later.

Suppose a minor writes a sefer torah (by donating money he earned to help pay for one), and this is the only time in his life that he does so.  Or, suppose that minor fathers two children before bar mitzvah and no more.  Are these people yotzei?  Does an action performed before you were obligated filfill what you will later be obligated in?


texts: Can one "pickle" meat to make it kosher?

texts:
Most of the meat koshering processes that I have read say that one should salt the meat and put it on a board to let the blood drain out. Then, you rinse off the salt.

I'm wondering if the salting and rinsing need to be a separate process. Let's say you brine the meat by putting it in a strong salted liquid and the blood gets drawn out in the water. Is this acceptable? Can you also put other spices (e.g. allspice, peppers, etc.) while it is brining? The spices would remain in the water after you take out the meat.


texts: Sephardic Recordings/Melodies of Asheth Chayil

texts: Does anyone have any links or recordings of Asheth Chayil in the Sephardic/Mizrahi tradition? I'm sure there must be some out there, but i'm not having much luck finding any.


texts: Strange letters according to Sefer haTaggin

texts:
My chevrusoh mentioned last week that there is a sefer entitled Sefer haTaggin which discusses all of the strange letters found in Tana"ch.

Is there a collection of these letters and their forms (including the rolled פ, linked above) and where they are found in Tana"ch ? Ideally, such an answer would consist of a community wiki listed the sefer, perek, passuk, word(, and when applicable, which instance of the letter within the word) eg. Gen 1:1 the large ב in בראשית.


texts: Rule 195 of Ayelet Hashachar by the Malbim

texts: If one looks at the Malbim's Ayelet Hashachar, he gives 613 rules for interpreting the Torah. But if you look at it carefully, you'll notice that rule 195 is missing. What happened to this rule?


texts:
Often, I find that during conversation I am chewing the fat but I put my foot in my mouth, or end up eating crow. Eventually, I have to swallow my pride (or even eat my words).
Would I be fleishig in those cases, and not allowed, at the same time, to fish for compliments? Am I required to wait a particular time before I can make a cheesy joke, or milk the joke for laughs? What if I need to butter my boss up immediately and can't wait -- are there extenuating circumstances which would allow me to do so?

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


texts:
Here's a question from a discussion over Shabbat.

Boneh (building) is an a melachah of Shabbat, particularly any variant in which an ohel (tent) is erected. However, one of the common methods of atifat hatallit (wrapping the tallit) has the appearance of erecting an ohel.

As such, based on this (admittedly shaky) progression, is atifa considered to be boneh by any authorities?


texts: Is there a Modern day example of someone Sacrificing their Life to Sanctify HaShem's name?

texts:
Are there any recent (post holocaust) stories of a Jew who chose to sacrifice his life in order to be meKadesh HaShem? Are there any modern day Jewish martyrs (not including the many Jews who were tragically murdered by sick antisemites for simply being Jewish)?
If not, what would be a realistic & plausible example of someone actively dying al Kiddush HaShem (by realistic & plausible I don't mean a pagan threatening to murder a Jew unless he accepts the pagans gods)?


texts: What are the practical parameters of Mitzvah Haba'ah B'Aveirah?

texts:
There are a few questions which ask about whether the concern of a mitzvah which is (or whose practice is) contingent upon the existence of a sin applies in specific cases. But are there any clear cut and practical rules that can be used to apply to any other case?

How far apart in causal link or time does the mitzvah have to be from the aveirah to demand this concern or obviate it? How inevitable, or does the "level" of aveirah or mitzvah have any bearing [e.g. if the performance of a Torah level obligation comes from the breaking of a rabbinic rule, or a takana]?

Just as a "what brought this up" supplement -- I was watching a cooking show in which a Jewish woman cooked (tasted and served to another Jew) treif food to win a competition and get money to her tzedakah of choice.


texts: Is the general custom of Jewish women to not reveal to others when they are a niddah and when they go to the mikveh, a custom that developed in America or is it an older custom than that? It seems from the Talmud that in those days women wore different clothes when they were in niddus so it would have been a difficult thing to hide. When did this attitude of hiding niddus/mikveh begin?


texts: If your parent changes their name, does your name change too?

texts:
Imagine your parent changes his or her (Hebrew) name--either by converting to Judaism and getting a name, by taking on a second name, or simply changing his/her name for whatever reason. (Not sure that the latter is often done...)

In this case, does your Hebrew name also change? Do you need to go through the procedure for reifying a name change?

That is:

(1) If you were Ploiny ben Yitzchak and your father becomes Yitzchak Chaim, do you become Ploiny ben Yitzchak Chaim... at all? automatically? after officializing it?

(2) If you were Ploiny ben Patrick and your father becomes Pinchas Reuven, do you become Ploiny ben Pinchas Reuven...at all? automatically? after officializing it?

~~~
BONUS: What if your mother changes her name? Does your name for prayer also change?


texts:
Some shuls have several minyanim back to back. If one arrives before the Torah reading of the 8:30 minyan and has finished davening before the Torah reading of the 9:30 minyan (to whose Kedusha one responded), is one obligated to stay for that Torah reading?

More simply, when there are several minyanim, may one participate out of order?  This may be related to Dealing with Other Minyanim, as well as the minhag Arizal to daven at one's own pace rather than skipping around to say parts with the tzibur.


texts:
Both as a responsible parent and as a Jew, I want to be consistent with my children.  As a parent, in order to teach them that the rules are the rules and give them a sense of predictability to rely on.  As a Jew, in order that they have respect for me and my rules and don't see their father, who is their model of relationship with Hashem, as being arbitrary.

However, at the same time, I want them to learn that there is such a thing as forgiveness and rectification.  I want them to know and see that they can fix what they have done wrong.

I understand that this is not a contradiction, and someone mature will understand that you are not supposed to break the rules, but if you do and you regret it you can make up for it.  However, my children (and I assume most normal children) assume that if they will always get a second chance, then there is no need to worry about the first chance.

Is there a way to be consistent and steadfast to the rules, but still teach a child that he can make up for his mistakes?  And if not, what takes precedence?


texts: Do pre-washed and packaged vegetables and greens fall under a miut she'eno hamatzui?

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Does anybody know if the tolaim level in triple-washed lettuce bags is a miut sh'eino hamatzoi. I am specifically asking regarding the popular company "Organic Girl" which is sold in every heimesh supermarket, and I know many frum people who use it without checking for bugs, including some who said they heard they don't have to be checked from very respected roshei yeshiva.
Thank You


texts: Are there any national brands of tuna that are Bishul Yisroel?

texts: Are there any national brands of tuna in the USA that are Bishul Yisroel?


texts: Can you pronounce Yehuda the way it is spelled?

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I heard because there is HaShem's name in Yehuda that I should pronounce it more like "youda".

does anyone know a source for this practice?


texts: Why did God create a finite world only once?

texts:
As I know, our world is finite in both in space and time.

But God is infinite. Is there any known reason why He created a single, finite world only once in the Eternity?


texts:
It is well-known that the age-old, widespread, and correct practice is to announce the molad on the Shabbat preceding Rosh Chodesh specifically in the holy language of Yiddish. In contrast to this, in many synagogues I've attended, on the Shabbat preceding a clock change, the date, time, import, and humorously supposed implications on Sunday morning minyan attendance of the clock change are routinely announced in the profane language of ***ish the vernacular, e.g. English. The former comes 11 - 12 times per year, while the latter comes only twice, so the latter is clearly holier. In addition, as the clock changes involve contractions and expansions of time itself, similar to the spatial distortions that radiated from the mishkan, they must be extremely holy.
What possible excuse could there be is the source for making this holy announcement in a profane language?

PS Your site keeps messing up my title. I want it to end with "?!?!" or at least "??" to express how much I don't get this, but it keeps erasing most of my punctuation!?!?

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


texts:
Middos 4:3 uses the term תאים to refer to the 38 chambers in the Beis HaMikdash.

I was surprised to see this usage, as the term לשכה appears 29 times in Mishnayos, plus another 12 in the plural, including four usages elsewhere in Middos itself. In contrast, the term תאים does not appear elsewhere in Shas. A similar pattern appears back in Biblical Hebrew: תאים appears eleven times in Tanach, while לשכה appears 41 times in Tanach. Notably, לשכה is the general term for chamber, used in both Tanach and Mishnayos to refer to the Beis HaMikdash as well as other structures, while תאים is used exclusively in conjunction with the Beis HaMikdash.

What, precisely, is the difference between these two terms? Why is one used so much more frequently; what determines when one word is more appropriate than the other?

h/t Joel K for pointing out the singular of תאים is תא, not תאה, which led me to nine other occurences of the word in Tanach (though still nowhere else in Shas, and still exclusively in conjunction with the Beis HaMikdash).


texts: Timing of saying "Adonai sefatai tiftach" at beginning of Amidah

texts: When does one say the 6 words starting with Adonai sefatai tiftach? Does one say it before taking three steps back, during taking the three steps back, after taking the three steps back but before walking forward, during walking forward, after walking forward?


texts:
There have long been 'legends' of various liberal figures in Judaism, including Yeshayahu Leibovitz (brother of Nechama Leibovitz) that would 'skip' Purim. On the 14th of Adar they would be sure to be in Jerusalem, while on the 15th of Adar they would be sure to be outside of Jerusalem, thereby avoiding the halachic requirement of fulfilling the mitzvah of Purim. The reason given is that Purim can be perceived as an 'immoral' holiday, celebrating the murder of tens of thousands members of the Persian empire at the hands of Jews (though possibly explainable as self-defense).

a) I've seen multiple sources referring to this story, some claiming it as fact, others claiming it as fiction. Does anyone have any clear cut sources on the matter?

b) Is there any reference in halachic literature to such a practice? Is it explicitly looked down upon? How about the more general idea of putting oneself in a position in order to be exempted from a mitzvah?


texts: What's the best thing to use for Marror?

texts: What's the best thing to use for Marror (bitter herbs) for Seder, taking into account Halacha, ease, availability, etc?


texts: What are the requirements of a men's mikva?

texts:
There are many requirements given for a women's mikvah (See Yoreh De'ah siman 201), yet I have not seen much information regarding a men's mikva (to tovel every day before prayers or for Erev Yom Kippur).

What are its minimum requirements?

Can one Tovel in a Keili (according to one Shitta in Gemara Brachos one can. Does Halacha/General practice follow that opinion)?
Can one Tovel when the filter is on?
Is one allowed to tovel in zochelin (moving waters)?
Is one allowed to tovel in snow?


texts:
My impression was religious Jewish women wear skirts and dresses - and not pants - because pants are a man's garment and there is a prohibition against cross-dressing. However, when skiing, everyone wears pants, and wearing a dress is obviously impractical and even dangerous.

My question is: Does Halachah allow Jewish women to wear baggy ski pants while skiing?


texts: How would anyone ever "worship idols out of love or fear"?

texts:
It says in the Gemara (Krisus 3a) that if one worships an idol without accepting it as a god, he isn't liable to even bring a chatas. This opinion seems to held according to everyone.

Yet, the Gemara says a few lines later that Abaye says that one is liable if one worships idols out of fear [i.e someone forced him to worship idols].

Presumably, even Abaye would agree that when one forces a person wot worship idols, he doesn't really believe in that idol. So why is he liable?

Moreover, there is a Halacha that one must give up his life rather than serve idols. How could such a case ever happen, as he could be serving the idol without "taking it upon himself as a god"?


texts: Does Seventh Generation fabric softener fray tzitzit?

texts:
Has anyone had experience cleaning tzitzit strings with Seventh Generation fabric softener? Does it damage them or is it safe?

When I clean my begadim, I let soap get on the strings, but since I have techeilet on my arba' kanfot, I'm very careful to keep away anything that might damage the tzitzit, due to their cost.


texts: In Gittin 45a was the Captive who ידע בלישנא דציפורי a soothsayer?

texts:
In Gittin 45a, we read about a Man who ידע בלישנא דציפורי knew the language of birds. - While in captivity with Rav Ilish, the bird translator speaks for a Raven and Dove. The Birds try to tell Rav Ilish to escape:
Gittin 45a
One day a certain man was sitting with him in captivity who knew the language of birds. A raven came and called to Rav Ilish. Rav Ilish said to the man: What is the raven saying? He said to him that it is saying: Ilish, escape; Ilish, escape. Rav Ilish said: It is a lying raven, and I do not rely on it. ( יומא חד הוה יתיב גביה ההוא גברא דהוה ידע בלישנא דציפורי אתא עורבא וקא קרי ליה אמר ליה מאי קאמר אמר ליה עיליש ברח עיליש ברח אמר עורבא שיקרא הוא ולא סמיכנא עליה )
Gittin 45a
In the meantime, a dove came and was calling out. Rav Ilish said to the man: What is it saying? He said to him that the dove said: Ilish, escape; Ilish, escape. Ilish said: The Congregation of Israel is compared to a dove; I conclude from the dove’s words that a miracle will happen for me, and I can attempt to escape. Rav Ilish said: Before I leave, I will go and I will see Rav Naḥman’s daughters. If they remained steadfast in their faith and are acting appropriately, then I will take them with me and I will return them to their home. ( אדהכי אתא יונה וקא קריא אמר ליה מאי קאמרה א"ל עיליש ברח עיליש ברח אמר כנסת ישראל כיונה מתילא ש"מ מתרחיש לי ניסא אמר איזיל אחזי בנתיה דרב נחמן אי קיימן בהימנותייהו אהדרינהו )

Was the Captive who ידע בלישנא דציפורי a soothsayer interpreting signs of the birds (raven & dove) as metaphors for escaping (flying away) ?


texts: Shaking a no-battery flashlight on Shabbos

texts: What is the problem with shaking one of the no battery/shaking flashlights which is on on shabbos?


texts: Is it a problem to mix red wine and white wine on Pesach because of the Problem of coloring on Yom Tov and is there a way to mix with out running into the problem of coloring?


texts: Is there an obligation to reattach a severed body part?

texts: If a part of a person's body is severed for whatever reason, is there an obligation on the person who lost it to reattach it?


texts: Why aren't sufganiot included in the latke-hamantasche debate?

texts:
As everybody knows, there is an ancient minhag of debating whether latkes or hamantaschen are better. But why does this debate not include sufganiot?  I believe that sufganiot should have been included for the following reasons:

It seems strange that the clearly inferior Chanukah food should be chosen to be the one that is compared to hamantaschen.

Sufganiot are generally more similar to hamantaschen than latkes are, which makes the debate more interesting as the debaters must consider subtle details.

To me, it seems that sufganiot should have been chosen instead of latkes or at least in addition to them.  So why was the minhag not established that way?

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


texts:
I have heard a story (referenced here for example) about R. Isaac of Dampierre making sure that each tractate of the talmud be memorized by one of his students.

What are the earliest sources for this story?


texts: Why do we quote the story of Rav Elazar Ben Azaryah in the Haggadah?

texts:
In the Haggadah, following the story of the five sages in Benei Berak, we quote the following Mishna (Brachos 1:5)

  אמר רבי אלעזר בן עזריה: הרי אני כבן שבעים שנה, ולא זכיתי שתיאמר יציאת
  מצרים בלילות, עד שדרשה בן זומא,
  שנאמר:יח "למען תזכר את יום צאתך מארץ מצרים כל ימי חייך" (דברים טז, ג).
  "ימי חייך" — הימים; "כל ימי חייך" — הלילות.
  וחכמים אומרים: "ימי חייך" — העולם הזה; "כל ימי חייך" — להביא לימות
  המשיח.

We then continue to "Baruch Hamakom", and the discussion of the four sons.

This Mishna seems to be wholly unrelated to the Haggadah, as well as to the passages before and after it, as a simple read of the Mishna shows that it is discussing the nightly obligation to mention the Exodus, not the once-a-year obligation of discussing it at length on the night of the Pesach seder.

What do commentaries to the Haggadah answer to this question?  (Sources please)


texts:
I had a very strange experience and I would like to know what halacha thinks.

I was in shul on Shabbos, and an adult with Down Syndrome ripped by opening the box of tissues. I was not going to say anything, but I guess he noticed my disapproval of what he had done. Now I remind you I said nothing. He looks at me with a straight face and says, "Don't worry; I am a Shoteh."  Now, I want you realize that he was intelligent enough to read my face and understand what I thought he did was wrong, yet I still want to know: Is he actually correct?


texts: Why didn't Yaakov bless Menashe and Efrayim with the tribes?

texts:
Yaakov told/commanded Yosef (not prophecized) that Yosef's two sons, Efrayim and Menashe, would become tribes on par with those of Yaakov's own sons (B'reshis 48:5):

וְעַתָּה שְׁנֵי־בָנֶיךָ הַנּוֹלָדִים לְךָ בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם עַד־בֹּאִי אֵלֶיךָ מִצְרַיְמָה לִי־הֵם אֶפְרַיִם וּמְנַשֶּׁה כִּרְאוּבֵן וְשִׁמְעוֹן יִהְיוּ־לִי׃
Now, your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, shall be mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine no less than Reuben and Simeon.

However, he didn't bless them among the tribes.
Why?


texts:
There is a famous quote of the Chasam Sofer, in which he applies the principle stated in Mishna 'Orlah 3:9 (החדש אסור מן התורה בכל מקום) to the question of innovation within Judaism. Rather than stating that "new [grain] is forbidden by the Torah in every place", ie: both within the land of Israel and outside of it, he instead uses the same quote to suggest that "innovation is forbidden by the Torah in every instance".

Can anybody please provide me with the exact reference for this teshuva of his?


texts:
In the New Testament (Christian Bible) there is a story where a woman caught in adultery was brought to Jesus and requested to judge according to the Law of Moses.

  John 8:1-11 (NKJV)

  Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the
  people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes
  and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they
  had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was
  caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded
  us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” This they said,
  testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him.
  But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as
  though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised
  Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him
  throw a stone at her first.” And again He stooped down and wrote on
  the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their
  conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the
  last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
  When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said
  to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one
  condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her,
  “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

According to Christian tradition, this story would take place around 30-32 CE. Since Israel was under Roman empire, the Roman way of capital punishment was crucifixion, but I don't think they would crucify adulterous women. I also read from internet sources that stoning is never practiced these days.

Was stoning still practiced in Jerusalem around 30-32 CE?
When was the last time in history that stoning was carried out by a Jewish court in accordance with Jewish law?
Do Jewish sources discuss whether the Roman government would interfere in Jewish capital punishments, such as stoning?