texts: I have noticed that almost all Mikvas are built into the ground (either as a basement or on the first floor). Why is that? I have heard that it could be an ease-of-use issue (one doesn't have to climb stairs), but if that was true, then there should be the same climb from a basement as the climb from the first floor?


texts: Was the Chasam Sofer known for having an interesting way of learning?

texts:
I have a lot of experience learning Gemara and find myself oft dealing with the views of the Achronim to understand the Pshat in Rishonim. Unfortunately, I have inside me a slight aversion to the great Chasam Sofer's style of learning and do not find that he goes according to the normal Pshat. This bothers me because he was a great Zaddik. To counter this feeling I am trying to find out if my feeling has any basis and if yes, where does it come from. So...

Does anyone concur with my feeling about the Chasam Sofer's learning?
If yes, can you link to a source where I can read more about it and what other Gedolim held of his style?
Although not strictly related to the question, was the Chasam Sofer accepted by all or were there any Gedolim who were against him?

I do not mean to belittle the holy Chasam Sofer, I am just interested in finding out more about him. Thanks!


texts: Are anniversaries celebrated in Adar I or Adar II?

texts:
For those who celebrate anniversaries, or for calculating the end of Shanah Rishonah, if a couple gets married in Adar of a non-leap-year, when is the anniversary celebrated in a leap year? Is it in the second Adar, like Bar and Bas Mitzvos? Or is it in the first Adar, like a yahrtzeit?

As per Rambam, Hilchos Milchamos 7:10 that Shanah Rishonah applies to the other exemptions from war as well (i.e. one who builds a house or plants a vineyard), my question can be extended to those cases as well.


texts: Gain and loss of a Jewish soul - the delineations

texts: If a human gains a Jewish soul at conversion, when does one lose it? Is it reasonable to say if one no longer places faith in Ad---i one loses it? Is a Jewish atheist much of a Jew, with respect to how the faith interprets it?


texts: Common practice is that a boy begins wearing Tefillin when he reaches Bar Mitzvah age, or perhaps a month (or three) prior. While there should be an obligation even earlier (under the rubric of Chinuch), we assume that young children will not be sufficiently careful to maintain the proper bodily cleanliness. What if someone has a son who is very mature, and who he is confident will observe the mitzvah carefully? Should there not be an obligation for that son to wear Tefillin (privately, to avoid machlokes and/or yohara)?


texts:
I am not sure whether the name "Tziyon" refers to all of the city of Yerushalayim or only the Temple Mount. For example, Psalms 137:1 (my translation):

  By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and also cried as we remembered
  Tziyon.

Is Tziyon here, and in general, referring to the city of Yerushalayim or just the Temple mount? Or both? Why did it get this name? What is its origin or meaning?


texts: Must one fulfill a promise to another? What if circumstances change the initial reasoning behind the proposal?

texts: If one states that they will do something to another person (e.g "I'll give you my favorite necklace"), and then that person no longer wants to fulfil the "promise" due to unforeseen circumstances, is that forbidden? What if the statement was only written and not verbally uttered?


texts:
I know this seems like a funny question, but it has always bothered me. What is the proper way to pronounce ראב"ד ? From a simple reading it would seem Ravaad makes the most sense ,but in the yeshiva world he is called the Ryevid (hard to convey the actual pronunciation; think Rye-bread, video). Any insights to this?

*another such idea is  Masheches Yoma and Yuma


texts:
How can someone be sure she'll stay the same way in Jewishness whilst working?

She won't have so many Torah classes anymore and will be more into the outside world.


texts:
In Bemidbar 13:27 Rash"I cites Midrash Rabba that says "there is no lie without an element of truth within it."

In reading what the spies said about the giants who lived in Cana'an, and that they appeared as grasshoppers in their own eyes and in theirs, I see an opinion, not a lie. Was it a lie to say that they could not conquer them, or is that just their own "honest" opinion? Otherwise, I'm not seeing what they lied about.


texts:
I know there's a lot of talk about whether Allied forces during World War II could have / should have taken military action directly against the Holocaust.  I'm not opening that can of worms here.

One of the options suggested was "they could have bombed the railroad tracks leading to Auschwitz"; another one is "they could have bombed the extermination camp itself."

For theory's sake: would halacha permit bombing the camp (and thus directly killing several thousand innocent people in it right now) so the Nazis couldn't use it to kill millions more?

One similar question is the halacha regarding shooting down a hijacked airplane.  After some very complicated discussion, Rabbi J David Bleich concludes that halacha would prohibit it, but:

I'm not sure everyone agrees (see comments there; I recall hearing about a teleconference shiur for rabbis given by ... I think Rabbi Dr Moshe Tendler ... several days after 9/11, concluding otherwise on this issue).
I've heard that some halachic ethics apply differently in times of war, not sure how that influences this.
Is the hijacked-plane case completely analogous to the extermination-camp case?


texts: Which Chachamim or great figures in our tradition got divorced? What is said about these marriages?

texts:
I have read that Abraham gave Hagar a divorce but the source was disreputable and I could not find a reputable one.

The context here is that I am learning Iyov and thinking about the misfortunes that some must bear. The talmud says "Anyone who divorces his first wife - even the Altar sheds tears." (Gittin 90a-b)".

edit: we can ask why Iyov is afflicted/punished by one means but not another. Here I am asking why Iyov was not afflicted/punished by divorce and who was. The first question posed -- who was -- is historic, but it sets up the second question posed (what does the tradition say regarding these marriages) that is certainly Judaic/theological.


texts: Can an oven be kashered without a torch soon after use?

texts: I have been told that an oven may be kashered without the use of a torch for Libum even if it has not had 24 hrs at rest! Is this possible and if so how?


texts: R' Elazar Hakalir's kerovah for Pesach and reason for אותו ואת בנו

texts:
Over Yom Tov I was looking at R' Elazar Hakalir's kerovah for the second day of Pesach, which is in the Daniel Goldschmidt machzor (available on Otzar Hachochmah, search for גולדשמידט) starting on page 108. The "mechayeh", which goes right before ברוך אתה ה' מחיה המתים, goes like this:

מה אילו פלאי נסיך
מתנוסס נס את מנסיך
נאור רחמיך על כל מעשיך
נפלאים יתר את עמוסיך
סוך מסך רעל ללודים מסכת
שיח נואקיך עת שם הסכית
עורים בעברתך חשכת
עברים באברתך סכת
פצת תנוך הטו ואל תחטאו
פסילי פורכים לעמם להטו
צאן לפסח משכו ושחטו
צדקו אותו ואת בנו ביום אחד בל תשחטו

ככתוב: וְשֹׁ֖ור אֹו־שֶׂ֑ה אֹתֹ֣ו וְאֶת־בְּנֹ֔ו לֹ֥א תִשְׁחֲט֖וּ בְּיֹ֥ום אֶחָֽד׃
ונאמר: יוֹדֵ֣עַ צַ֭דִּיק נֶ֣פֶשׁ בְּהֶמְתּ֑וֹ וְֽרַחֲמֵ֥י רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים אַכְזָרִֽי׃
ונאמר: ט֤וֹב יְהוָה֙ לְקוָֹ֔ו לְנֶ֖פֶשׁ תִּדְרְשֶֽׁנּוּ׃
ונאמר: טוֹב־יְהוָ֥ה לַכֹּ֑ל וְ֝רַחֲמָ֗יו עַל־כָּל־מַעֲשָֽׂיו׃
ונאמר: צִדְקָֽתְךָ֨ ׀ כְּֽהַרְרֵי־אֵ֗ל מִ֭שְׁפָּטֶךָ תְּהֹ֣ום רַבָּ֑ה אָ֤דָֽם־וּבְהֵמָ֖ה תֹושִׁ֣יעַ יְהוָֽה׃
ונאמר: כְּרַחֵ֣ם אָ֭ב עַל־בָּנִ֑ים רִחַ֥ם יְ֝הוָ֗ה עַל־יְרֵאָֽיו׃
ונאמר: הַטּ֤וּ אׇזְנְכֶם֙ וּלְכ֣וּ אֵלַ֔י שִׁמְע֖וּ וּתְחִ֣י נַפְשְׁכֶ֑ם וְאֶכְרְתָ֤ה לָכֶם֙ בְּרִ֣ית עֹולָ֔ם חַֽסְדֵ֥י דָוִ֖ד הַנֶּאֱמָנִֽים׃
ונאמר: יְהוָ֛ה מָסַ֥ךְ בְּקִרְבָּ֖הּ ר֣וּחַ עִוְעִ֑ים וְהִתְע֤וּ אֶת־מִצְרַ֨יִם֙ בְּכָֽל־מַעֲשֵׂ֔הוּ כְּהִתָּעֹ֥ות שִׁכֹּ֖ור בְּקִיאֹֽו׃
ונאמר: נָ֘תַ֤תָּה לִּירֵאֶ֣יךָ נֵּ֭ס לְהִתְנֹוסֵ֑ס מִ֝פְּנֵ֗י קֹ֣שֶׁט סֶֽלָה׃
ונאמר: וְנָגַ֧ף יְהוָ֛ה אֶת־מִצְרַ֖יִם נָגֹ֣ף וְרָפֹ֑וא וְשָׁ֨בוּ֙ עַד־יְהוָ֔ה וְנֶעְתַּ֥ר לָהֶ֖ם וּרְפָאָֽם׃
ונאמר: מַה־גָּדְל֣וּ מַעֲשֶׂ֣יךָ יְהוָ֑ה מְ֝אֹ֗ד עָמְק֥וּ מַחְשְׁבֹתֶֽיךָ׃

מחשבותיך לרחמנו
מפעלותיך לרוממנו
מעורר רדומינו
מרעיף מרוממנו

(Most machzorim from the last 500 years skip the pesukim in this and similar piyutim.  The Goldschmidt machzorim put them back in.)
The piyut itself highlights Hashem's mercy on us and punishment against the Egyptians.  The pesukim add a new dimension and connect this more directly to the pasuk that forbids slaughtering a mother and child animal on the same day (which is the second pasuk of that day's leining, because this is the second piyut in the sequence).  The idea seems to be that just like Hashem has mercy on animals and forbids slaughtering them on the same day, He also had mercy on us and redeemed us from Egypt, and (second to last pasuk) He also had mercy on the Egyptians and eventually let them recover.
This sounds exactly like the kind of thing you're not allowed to say in davening:

הָאוֹמֵר עַל קַן צִפּוֹר יַגִּיעוּ רַחֲמֶיךָ, וְעַל טוֹב יִזָּכֵר שְׁמֶךָ, מוֹדִים מוֹדִים, מְשַׁתְּקִין אוֹתוֹ.
If someone says [in davening] "Your mercy extends to a bird's nest" ... we make him be quiet.
(Berachos 5:3 and Megillah 4:9)

So what's going on in this piyut?  Am I understanding it wrong?  Is oso ve'es beno different than shiluach hakein for some reason (the Rambam holds that it's not)?  Does R' Elazar Hakalir disagree with the mishnah (as the Rambam does in hashkafah, though not necessarily in halacha; this is easiest to say according to the earliest estimates of when he lived)?


texts: Guide for complete daily prayer/blessings

texts: I was raised secular/Christian (secular Jewish mom) and am reconnecting to my Judaism. I just moved to a place with no significant Jewish community or rabbis for a few hours.  (Luckily I lived in a big city and has an opportunity to learn a lot of Hebrew and about Jewish thought generally before I moved.) I'd really like some kind of concise guide, or even just a list, of the blessings/prayers and other activities involved in an observant Jewish life on a normal weekday so I can start incorporating them into my routine. As in, what do I do from the moment I wake up and say modeh ani til I go to bed (or at least through the morning)? Unfortunately the siddurim I have sort of presume your knowledge and I can't find a very complete guide online. Does anyone have any ideas?


texts: Which specific Zchus did Miriam have for the well,Moshe for the מן Mann, and Ahron for the Ananie Hakovod (clouds of glory)?


texts: What are the implications of "deserving death"?

texts:
The Sources frequently say that certain people "deserve death".  Examples in the Talmud:

He who transgresses the rulings of the Sages deserve death. [Berakhot 4b]
He who emits semen in vain deserves death. [Niddah 13a]
A Sage with a fat stain on his clothes deserves death. [Shabbat 114a]
He who does not study [the Torah] deserves death.  [Pirkei Avot 1:13]
A gentile who observes Shabbat deserves death. [Sanhedrin 58b]

I know this is just an expression of disapproval and that the death in question would have to come from heaven.  (Execution is only for specific infractions listed in the Torah with extremely rare exceptions.)
But are there penalties for being declared as "deserving death"?  Flogging, fines, shunning?  Is a process of teshuvah (repentence) required, or should one just stop doing what's wrong without further ado?


texts: What is the time of "evening" according to Jewish time?

texts:
Suppose there is a sentence like this :
"At evening of the first day of the week"
What does it mean ?
A. is it the "beginning" of the first day of the week?
(morning of the first day of the week has not arrive yet)
B. Or is it the "almost end" of the first day of the week?
(morning of the first day of the week has past).
Thank you.

This question come based on the sentence in John 20:19:

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were
together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders

In the Bible of my language, the word "evening" is translated to "night".
Also in my country there is what it called an "Evening Prayer" ---> "Maghrib Prayer" which starts around the Twelfth hour, right after the sunset.
In English world, there is a commentary for that verse which also mentioned it as "night", as read in this link.
So, if it's "night" (evening = right after the sunset) - I thought that first day of the week has not the morning yet.
But some said that "evening" in the verse is not "night" but around the Ninth hour which to me the Ninth hour is something more like "afternoon" than "evening". So here, that first day of the week already has the morning some hours ago, and within three or four hours more it will be the second day of the week.


texts: I recently studied Masechet Berachot in school. And I learnt that one shouldn't pray in ruins. But isn't the Kotel the ruins of the Beit HaMikdash?


texts: Why no bracha if you count the omer during the day?

texts:
What is the logic behind not saying a bracha on counting the omer during the day?

The omer was not brought at night, presumably.


texts: What happens to the soul when dozing for a minute or ten?

texts: Tradition tells us the soul leaves the body when sleeping. Is the same true when drowsing in a chair, which is usually not a deep sleep and you are still aware of background noise?


texts: If a doctor tells a person that he is certain to die shortly (e.g., within one hour), what should that person do during his remaining minutes?


texts: Tish'a Ve'esrim Ushlosh Meyot - mi yodeya?

texts:
Who knows three hundred twenty nine?
?תשעה ועשרים ושלוש מאות - מי יודע
The traditional Passover song "Echad - mi yodeya" implies a possible presupposition that there is a Jewish significance to be found for each natural number. Accordingly, there is an ongoing series on Mi Yodeya that is attempting to unearth significant Judaism facts about each number, in sequence.
What significant Judaism facts are there about the number 329? The more significant within Judaism and the more intrinsically dependent on the value 329, the stronger the answer. Please include sources for your information wherever possible, as with all other answers on this site.
When Mr T heard about lazy gematria, he said, "I pity the fool who uses it in an answer."


texts: How does one write a Kosher Sefer Torah in Greek?

texts:
Following question of "why-is-a-greek-torah-scroll-kosher", the Mishna in Meggila 1.8 reads:

אֵין בֵּין סְפָרִים לִתְפִלִּין וּמְזוּזוֹת אֶלָּא שֶׁהַסְּפָרִים נִכְתָּבִין בְּכָל לָשׁוֹן... רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר, אַף בַּסְּפָרִים לֹא הִתִּירוּ שֶׁיִּכָּתְבוּ אֶלָּא יְוָנִית:
There is no difference between BOOKS [of the Tanakh] and tefillin and mezuzahs except that BOOKS may be written in any language ... Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel says that scrolls [of the Tanakh] were permitted to be written only in Greek.

How is a Kosher Torah scroll written in Greek - is there an accepted unified Nosach or does anyone translate as he sees fit? Does one use the Greek Alphabet or Ashurit? Do all the rules of writing a Hebrew-language Sefer Torah (Rambam ibid 7) apply to it also (lines, spacing, big and small letters, omitted and extra letters?

I don't ask if there's masora as in the related question. Since the Mishna states it is possible I'd like to know how possible it WAS done.


texts: Rav Yosef Karo's Kesef Mishneh: is there online an English translation?

texts: Do you know of online an  English translation of  Rav Yosef Karo's Kesef Mishneh? Unless I'm mistaken, it is a fundamental work to better understand the Mishneh Torah.


texts:
As per this statement, "If there's minyan of ten people and one person is praying a lengthy silent Shemona Esheh, it's preferable to wait for him, however, if there are needs such as if the minyan will separate or if it's a bother to congregation to wait, they may begin Chazarat HaShatz even though one is still saying Shemona Esreh" a minyan still seems to be a cohesive and singular unit even if everyone is not saying the same thing.

In my siddur, the Vidui said each morning has a section which, it says, is only said with a minyan, and a section which one could sing as an individual.

If I am davening with a minyan, but that minyan does not have the tradition of saying vidui every day, am I davening in a minyan (so I can say it) or as a yachid, since the rest of the minyan didn't say it (so I can't)?

And if I am in a minyan that DOES say it, but I have fallen behind because I daven Shmoneh Esreh slower, when I get around to it and the minyan is already elsewhere, am I still "part of a minyan that says it" or am I not part of the minyan so I should not say it?


texts: Where in the torah does it state that humans have, and are entitled to in perpetuity, free will?


texts:
I've been researching the simanim (signs) for kasher chagav (locusts/grasshoppers) and have found some information but I need some details.

The Yemenites often describe the sign as a ח on the chest of the locust. Is this a coloration sign, or a physical/indentation sign? Some pictures would be very helpful.

Some North African communities mention the wings having either a ח or ב, but again a picture would be more helpful.

Another sign I've heard mentioned is the legs need to raise higher than the body. But this sign applies to most grasshoppers and locusts regardless of species or area.


texts: Is visiting Antarctica permitted for a Jew?

texts: Antarctica can have very short days or very short nights. As discussed elsewhere on this site, finding the right time to pray can be difficult. Is it permissible to visit places like this?


texts: References to intimacy between God and the Jewish people

texts:
There's a Baal HaTurim on Exodus 19:4:

  ואביא אתכם אלי מה אשה נקנית בכסף ובשטר ובביאה אף ישראל כן. ... בביאה זהו שנא' ואפרוש כנפי עליך וגו' ואבא בברית אתך לכן אמר הושע ג''פ וארשתיך לי: ואביא בגימ' בביאה

I found this quite surprising, as while there are many references to God and Israel being married, I don't recall seeing intimacy referenced before. That's in line with how Chazal generally avoid ascribing such intensely physical things to God, even as an anthropomorphism (e.g. God smells our offerings, but does not taste them).

The Artscroll Baal HaTurim does not say this is based on any prior source. Is there any place in which intimacy with the Jewish People is described in Tanach or Chazal?


texts: How are we kings' children and why does it matter?

texts:
The mishna, Shabas 14:4 (daf 111 amud 1), cites R. Shim'on as stating that "all Jews are children of kings" (and therefore can use a certain oil on their skin on Shabas).

In what sense is it the case that all Jews are children of kings? Certainly we're not literally all children of kings. Doubtless most or all of us (except for the ten lost tribes) are descendants of kings, but not via patrilineal descent; but, then, most non-Jews are doubtless descendants of kings, too. Or if it means we're like children of kings, in what sense are we so? How are we like descendants of kings? Does it mean merely that we're important, or honorable, or something, or what does it mean?
Once that's clarified — once we know what "children of kings" means — why does being children of kings effect the halacha that we can use oil on Shabas? (And other halachos, too; see e.g. Rashi to Shabas 59:2.) Why should children of kings (again, as defined in the answer to #1 above) have special halachos?


texts: Is there an English collection of judgements of the prophet David?

texts: Is there an English collection of judgements of the prophet David PBUH? I heard he had wonderful judgements and I am interested to study them. Are they available today?


texts: Can a person with a disability that causes them to be incontinent put on tefillin? If so, when?

texts:
If someone has a disability wherein they suffer from incontinence from time to time are they able to put on tefillin or not? Is there any consideration for psychological or emotional damage that may result from their inability to so?

NOTE: I am only intending URINARY incontinence here, nothing else. Thank you.

Please kindly cite your sources.


texts:
Someone intends to bentsh on a kos, and a new wine is brought to the table at that time.

For a person who generally recites HaTov v'HaMetiv, could they do so on the kos shel bracha, or does Birkas HaMazon reset the wine count? If so, when exactly would they say it--before hagafen?


texts: By what authority, and roughly when, did Judaism concede that adoption of Noachide laws was an acceptable alternative to conversion?

texts:
I.  Introduction.

According to:

B. Shabbat 145b-146a.  "Rabbi Yoḥanan then explained to them: Why are gentiles ethically contaminated? It is because they did not stand on Mount Sinai. As when the snake came upon Eve, i.e., when it seduced her to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, it infected her with moral contamination, and this contamination remained in all human beings. When the Jewish people stood at Mount Sinai, their contamination ceased, whereas gentiles did not stand at Mount Sinai, and their contamination never ceased. Rav Aḥa, the son of Rava, said to Rav Ashi: What about converts? How do you explain the cessation of their moral contamination? Rav Ashi said to him: Even though they themselves were not at Mount Sinai, their guardian angels were present, as it is written: “It is not with you alone that I make this covenant and this oath, but with he that stands here with us today before the Lord our God, and with he that is not here with us today” (Deuteronomy 29:13–14), and this includes converts."
B. Yevamot 103b.  "The Gemara answers: He implants filth in her and contaminates her, as her body accepts his semen. As Rabbi Yoḥanan also said, based on his understanding that the serpent seduced Eve into having sexual relations with him: When the serpent came upon Eve, he infected her with moral contamination, and this contamination remained in all human beings. When the Jewish people stood at Mount Sinai their contamination ceased, whereas with regard to gentiles, who did not stand at Mount Sinai, their contamination never ceased."
B. Avodah Zarah 22b.  "...as Rabbi Yoḥanan says: At the time when the snake came upon Eve, at the time of the sin of her eating from the Tree of Knowledge, it infected her with moral contamination, and this contamination lingers in all human beings. The Gemara asks: If that is so, a Jew should also be suspected of engaging in bestiality. The Gemara answers: With regard to the Jewish people, who stood at Mount Sinai and received the Torah, their contamination ended, whereas in the case of gentiles, who did not stand at Mount Sinai and receive the Torah, their contamination has not ended."

II.  Questions.

By what authority, and roughly when, did Judaism concede that a non-Jew's adoption of Noachide laws was an acceptable alternative to full conversion to Judaism?
By what authority, and roughly when, did Judaism decide that the moral contamination inherited by non-Jews was abated by their acceptance of the Noachide laws?
By what authority, and roughly when, was it decided that the moral contamination inherited by non-Jews no longer exists at all?


texts:
Snuggie is a popular brand of sleeved blanket. A sleeved blanket is a four-cornered blanket with sleeves, similar to a backwards bathrobe. It can be made of anything blankets are made of.

The answer to this question explains why a blanket does not normally need tzitzis. But the presence of sleeves raises some questions.

Is the presence of sleeves enough to constitute wearing it in the manner of clothing (derech levisha)?
Does the arrangement of the four corners not being on all four sides of the body still render it exempt even when sleeves are present?

(In a practical situation, CYLOR of course.)


texts: What will happen to donated organs at techiyas hameisim?

texts: If someone who will be reborn in techiyas hameisim donates their kidney, for example, to someone else who will be reborn in techiyas hameisim, who gets the kidney- the donor or the recipient? Or do they both miraculously get a kidney?


texts:
I understand there is a machlokes whether the mitzvah of tefilin is 2 separate mitzvos or rather one mitzvah with 2 parts. Thus, in terms of blessings, some Ashkenazim make 2 but say ‘Baruch shem kvod malchuso’ - בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד - at the end of the second in case it is actually an unnecessary blessing.

Can/should a person answer amen to the second blessing on tefilin, if it extraneous does this pose a problem?


texts:
Shemot 16:29 teaches that 'Shvu ish tachtav’ (every person must sit beneath his place) and al yetze ish mimekomo beyom hashabat (not to go out of his place on Shabbat).

But what to do if you're not living in Eretz Israël and the synagogue is at a large distance. Assembling each Shabbat is a command, but staying in your place also, what to do in such circumstances?

And secondly how to deal with mitzvot (like with a boy that has to get circumcised on a Shabbat because it has to be the eighth day after his birth) that contradict or trouble doing other mitzvot (like the commandments of the Shabbat). Is there a principle for these kind of situations?


texts: Other sources of light to bless Shabbat over

texts: In places were candles are unsafe or prohibited from use, could light emitting diodes with batteries substitute?  Closing the circuit would be regarded as work. But so is lighting a candle for any other purpose but the blessing.  Could an analogy of kindling a candle be applied to activating the substitute to honor shabbat only?


texts: Do the Sources include any halacha on insurance companies?

texts: Is there any evidence that they had insurance companies, with policies and premiums, in biblical or Talmudic times? If so, what halachic constraints were placed on these practices?


texts:
The Rambam says that one of the categories of a 'min' is someone "who says there is no God and the world has no leader"

Does it have to be him actually saying it, or is just believing that sufficient? If the latter, is there a minimum time period of such belief that will qualify him as a min?

For example, if one has temporary doubts about G-d's existence [so belief, followed by brief moments of doubt/non belief, followed by belief again], what is his status?


texts: What tribe did someone belong to if they didn't have a Jewish father?

texts: I'm asking about the cases of 1) converts with no Jewish lineage, or 2) children born to Jewish mothers and Gentile fathers. How is tribal identification for such a person and his descendants determined? Please make sure answers cover both situations.


texts:
In most Seddurim, at certain points during davening (Ashrei, Shema, etc.), it says to touch and kiss the tefilin.
The Shulchan Aruch (28:1) says

  חייב אדם למשמש בתפילין בכל שעה שלא יסיח דעתו מהם
  A person should regularly touch his tefillin so that he should not become distracted from them

Is there any source for kissing the tefilin, or is it just "well-known" as this question says? (The Shulchan Aruch above doesn't say anything about kissing them.)
(This is not a question of whether or not it is preferable to kiss them in general, because the Shulchan Aruch finishes off the Siman saying scholars kiss their tefilin when putting them on and taking them off, rather, it is a question specifically at the times mentioned in the siddur, as mentioned here)

If there is a solid proof to kissing the tefilin, nowadays, when most shuls require a mask in order to attend, is it preferable to try to kiss the tefilin, e.g. stepping away to lower your mask? Would it count to touch the tefilin and put your hand to your mask? Or does it make more sense to only touch the tefilin.


texts: Why do we leyn before mincha but after shacharis?

texts:
When reading Torah in the morning, we daven shemoneh esrei of shacharit and then afterwards read the Torah.

When reading Torah in the afternoon (Shabbos/fast days), we read Torah first and then daven shemoneh esrei afterwards.

Why the difference in ordering?


texts: Can self-winding wristwatches be used on Shabbos?


texts: Should you preach if you don't practice?

texts:
Commenting on various types of speech, the Rambam writes:

Concerning [words that are] commanded or beloved, if a person could speak them all his life, it would be good. Nevertheless, there are two conditions: First, his actions must match his words... and second, he must be brief. [Rambam on Pirkei Avot 1:17]

He makes it sound like if you don't practice what you preach and you are long-winded, you'd better be quiet.  Does he mean that and what is his source?  Sounds to me like making the best the enemy of the good.


texts: Is one obligated to filter his internet?

texts:
Is there any halachic basis for requiring one to filter his internet?
Does this fall under the category of "Ikah Darka Achrena Rasha Hu"?
If a man is obligated to install a filter, does a woman have the same obligation?


texts: Why is the birth of twins a Chidush for Rivka?

texts:
Background:
In Parshat Toldot, Rivka conceives and is troubled by the discomfort.
She goes to ask Hashem and it is explained to her that 2 nations are struggling within her, so she already knows that she is birth multiples.
But in pasuk 24, the text reads, " וְהִנֵּה תוֹמִם בְּבִטְנָהּ" "and behold, there were twins in her womb" (text and translation God via Chabad, bold, mine).

Question:
If she knew that there was more than one child, why was it a surprise that 2 were born?
The Rashbam says that the use of "hineh" is reserved for a "chidush" -- something that was not known before, and he gives 2 examples.
How was this a surprise?

The Sforno says that before they were born, it was known that there were 2 babies.
Was she expecting one baby to kill the other in the womb?

My first thought was that the prophecy regarding 2 nations was metaphorical -- that a single child would struggle with his nature so the birth of two separate babies was unexpected.
But if that were the case, why would pasuk 22 state, "וַיִּתְרֹצֲצוּ הַבָּנִים בְּקִרְבָּהּ" and say explicitly that there was more than one child in there (and why would the Sforno endorse the idea that this was known)?
Is it that the pasuk tells us but she doesn't know?
If so, why tell us at all if the text is going to use the language of "behold"?


texts: What are some major differences between the G'RA and the Ba'al Shem Tov?

texts: What are some major differences between the G'RA and the Ba'al Shem Tov, in terms of hashkafa, learning style, and other differences? Any sources would be great.


texts:
How does a husband make a neder on his wife?
From shulchan aruch, even ezer:

115.10 (not to talk to someone (maybe only men?))
אם השביע אשתו שלא תדבר עם פלוני ועברה ודברה עמו עוברת על דת היא והפסידה כתובתה אם התרו בה תחלה אם תעברו על שבועתיך תפסידי כתובתיך:
76.9 (from relations)
המדיר את אשתו מתשמיש המטה בין שהדירה סתם או ז׳ ימים או יותר יקיים ז׳ ימים ואח״כ יוציא ויתן כתובתה אפי׳ הוא מלח שעונתו לששה חדשים:
74.1
הדירה שלא תתקשט ותלאו בתשמיש שאמר קונם הנאת תשמישך עלי אם תתקשטי תתקשט מיד ותאסר בתשמיש ויקיים ז׳ ימים ואז יוציא ויתן כתובה וי״א שאם הדירה שלא תתקשט בעניות שנה אחת יקיים יותר מכן יתיר נדרו או יוציא ויתן כתובה ובעשירות ל׳ יום יקיים יותר מכן יתיר את נדרו או יוציא ויתן כתובה:

It seems to me that he can. How does he do it (what does it say)?
What are the rules (what is he allowed to forbid his wife or force his wife to do with a neder/shvua for it to be binding)?


texts:
Who knows eighty?
Please cite/link your sources, if possible. At some point in the next few days, I will:

Upvote all interesting answers.

Accept the best answer.

Go on to the next number.


texts: Why is a chet with a patach pronounced differently?

texts: Why is a chet with a patach at the end of a word pronounced "ACH" and not "CHA"? Example: מָשִׁיחַ


texts: If one sits down to eat mezonos and drink coffee and the person truly does not want to eat the mezonos for a period of time (just to sip the coffee), is it permissible to make the bracha shehakol first (on the coffee) and mezonos later (on the pastry). Would it make sense to cover the pastry like we cover challah on Shabbos for kiddush?


texts: I'm very interested in Judaism, and I would like to learn more about it. So I started to read this site and it is like a wall. Where can I find a gentle introduction to all this and the terms used. I'm specially interested in customs and how the Bible is read by observent followers. I hope I don't offend anybody with my question.


texts:
Do Chasidim not wear ties as a rule?
If so, is this by design or an accident of history?
If by design, where can I find said intended reason in print?


texts: Where does the Theology of Messiah ben Joseph versus Messiah ben David come from? If we are supposed to have only one Messiah, where did the idea of these two Messias come from?


texts: are the Arizal and the Maharshal related and how exactly are they?

texts: Iv"e looked at diffrent articles to see whether it mentions they are related and most people say they are but iv"e never seen how exactly they are.


texts: Ezekiel 37:27-28 My Mishkan v.s. My Mikdash

texts:
Ezekiel 37:27-28 reads something like:
My dwelling-place also shall be over them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And the nations shall know that I am the LORD that sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for ever.

And although the Sefaria website reads it as:

  My Presence shall rest over them; I will be their God and they shall
  be My people. And when My Sanctuary abides among them forever, the
  nations shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel.

I wondered why the shift is being made from Mishkan, to Mikdash.
I noticed again in Bamidbar 19:13 and 20 these words also shift from one to another; there are probably many more examples, but I wondered what the reason was to use the one or the other, when they seem to refer to the same thing; G-ds Sanctuary.


texts:
In Yoreh Deah siman 121 when talking about hecksher kelim, the Rema says:

  הַגָּה: יֵשׁ מְקוֹמוֹת שֶׁנָּהֲגוּ הֶתֵּר לָשׂוּם יַיִן בְּכֵלִים שֶׁנִּסְרֵיהֶם מְדֻבָּקִים בְּחֵלֶב, מִשּׁוּם שֶׁטֶּבַע הַיַּיִן לִבְרֹחַ מִן הַחֵלֶב, וְהַחֵלֶב נִקְרָשׁ וְעוֹמֵד בְּעַצְמוֹ וְאֵינוֹ נוֹגֵעַ כְּלָל בַּיַּיִן.

What is this animal fat based glue that people are smearing inside wine jugs, and why were they doing it?


texts: Why does the last citation in the Shofaros section of Rosh Hashahnnah Musaph not mention the shofar?

texts:
Talmud Rosh Hashannah 32b delves into a discussion on the Mishnah's instruction that each of the 3 sections in the middle part of Musaph Rosh Hashannah contain at least 3 verses from the Torah, 3 from the Prophets, and 3 from Writings followed by a concluding verse from the Torah (according to the opinion of Rav Yossi, whom we follow).

In the Shofarot section, the first 3 Torah verses mention the word shofar somewhere within the citation. The last concluding Torah verse, mentions the chatzotzrot (trumpets) and not the shofar. How is this verse, then, considered a "valid" verse if there is no mention of the theme of shofarot and is not consistent with the other verses?

Note: It is also true that the last Torah verse in Malchuyot also does not mention the word melech (king). However, there is a debate about this verse on this Talmud page. The opinion of R. Yossi is that the verse we use is considered Malchut. The Talmud does not discuss the apparent conflict with the verse in shofarot. Also, note that we follow the custom of Rav Yossi that states that we should end with a Torah verse.

Thanks to msh210 for pointing out that there are actually 11 verses in total (and, for some reason, Psalm 150, appears to be a 4th verse from Ketuvim, which is an anomaly). I had to edit my question, as a result to account for the count confusion.


texts: Questions regarding hand shmurah matzoh checking process

texts:
Recently, I watched a youtube video showing how hand shmurah matzot are baked. I think it was from the pupah tzelem factory.

The narrator showed an explained that after the matzot exit the oven and are stacked, each is individually inspected for folded over pieces and chametz "bubbles" (I'm not sure I followed what this meant; perhaps someone can explain).

Some questions I have about this:

I understood that folded over matzot and bubbles rended the matzah chametz? That correct? Why? What's the concern?
Do they dispose of the entire matzah or just the bad part and keep the rest for shevarim (broken matzah pieces - I was surprised how popular these are. Costs almost as much as the shleimim - whole ones! Why???)
If the disposable part is chametz, how can they now keep the "chametz" next to the non-chametz matzot?

If it's chametz, do they include this as part of their chametz selling?
Do they resell these "chametz" pieces to the public after Pesach?


texts: Per the Artscroll Siddur after an earthquake we make a Bracha "Oseh Maaseh Breishis". Up to how long after the earthquake can you make this Bracha? (sources please)


texts: Kabbalah/Certification in Shechita in US?

texts: Who can someone go to to get Kaballah in Shechita in America?


texts: Is the rule of "Nasog Achor" specific to the Bible?

texts:
In Torah reading, there is a rule of "Nasog Achor". The rule is as follows:

Usually, Hebrew words get the accent (and trope note) on the last syllable. However, if the word following it has its accent on the first syllable then the accent on the previous word moves backwards one syllable.

Example from Shmot 20:20:

From Mechon Mamre's Mikra Im Ta'amim page:

  לֹ֥א תַֽעֲשׂ֖וּן אִתִּ֑י אֱלֹ֤הֵי כֶ֨סֶף֙ וֵֽאלֹהֵ֣י זָהָ֔ב לֹ֥א תַֽעֲשׂ֖וּ לָכֶֽם׃

In brief, The 1st אלהי is pronounced "e LO hei" because the next word KHE- sef is accented on the 1st syllable. The 2nd אלהי is pronounced "e lo HEI" because the next word za HAV has its accent on the 2nd syllable.

My question - Is this a rule that emanates from the nature of the Hebrew language dikduk itself, such that Normal Hebrew conversation would require using this rule, or is it only because the rule applies to trope (i.e. - since the trope note is on a certain syllable, that one is accented) and the rule is used only when reading verses in Tana"ch? Would Nasig achor be used during prayers as well?


texts: Who translated the original version of the Torah into each of the 70 languages?

texts:
In Devarim 27:8, the Torah says to "write all the words of the Torah explained well" (- "Ba'aer Hetev".

Rash"i, citing Sotah 35b, says that this was translated into 70 languages. Sifsei Chachamim elborates that this was done so that the nations of the world could make copies. Also, see Why translate Torah to 70 languages

When Joshua and the Jews crossed the Jordan River and camped in Gilgal, they wrote the Torah on stones, as Moshe had commanded them in Devarim.

Related questions:

Did they translate the Torah at that time?
Was it done by one person or several people? Who knew all 70 languages?
How did they get all 70 language translations of the whole Torah on 12 stones?


texts: So according to this article, scientists have created cheese by inserting DNA blueprints into a yeast. Essentially, the milk proteins are being created outside of any animal, through genetic engineering. The big question is, is it kosher? Would it be parve or dairy? If such a product was kosher, then supermarket cheese might be more approachable for many Jews.


texts: Doesn't the wide use of Sheitels among Orthodox Jewish women prove that hair no longer retains the erotic status that it once had?

texts:
In reading scores of halakhic material on the subject of kisui rosh le-nashim throughout the ages, I have found that there are essentially two views as to the nature of the obligation for a woman to cover her hair in public - that it is an actual law (לאו) of the Torah and that it is minhagh (מנהג) of Jewish women. While it seems that these two views were once mutually exclusive (i.e. one side permitting the uncovering of a woman's hair in public and one side prohibiting it), today they seem to have merged into a view that although due to hergel (הרגל) in seeing womens' hair it has lost it's status as `erwah (ערוה) they are nevertheless required to cover it (cf. Arokh HaShulhan 75:7 & Igroth Mosheh, Orah Hayim 1:42).

During the discussions of permitting some (in this case more than a tefah but less than all) hair or all hair to be left uncovered in public, the point is usually stressed that even if someone did hold that it was a subjective obligation, they are stuck in a bind since the local custom is determined by the practice of religious women and not irreligious or non-Jewish women. And, so the argument goes, since the overwhelming majority of religious Jewish women cover their hair, the obligation - even for those who may hold that it is determined by custom - is still binding today.

However, the way in which the overwhelming majority of Jewish women today cover their hair - either all or part of the time - is by using a sheitel/wig. So, especially since the sheitels today are so realistic, worn long around the shoulders, and are even at times made of the woman's own hair (!), doesn't that communicate that the religious Jewish world is essentially fine with women's hair showing? Doesn't that invalidate the need for covering at all?

I have been told that the actual isur is seeing the actual hair and not hair in general, but this seems illogical and with this logic we could say (halilah wa-has) that nude pictures of women are okay to look at since it is not actual `erwah, etc. Which, of course, is blatantly ridiculous to any religious Jew.

So doesn't the wide use of Sheitels among Orthodox Jewish women prove that hair no longer retains the erotic status that it once had and that the halakhic obligation for women to cover their hair in public has been nullified?


texts: Do the brachas of Al Haeitz and Al Hagafen generally have the same halachos as Al Hamichya

texts: For example, should one sit for them like they do for AL Hamichya. and etc ...


texts: Which beis din can declare items Hefker?

texts:
There is a rule that Hefker Beis Din Hefker, that a court can declare items ownerless.

What are the requirements for a Beis Din to declare items ownerless?
Are there any courts nowadays with such powers, and if not, when was the last time there was such a court?
If there are no such courts, does that mean that we can't institute Takanos which will result in a loss of money to one party? For example, as many follow those opinions that there is no such thing as copyright, is it impossible to make a cherem against copying other's music illegaly (not as a chumra, but as a takana)? If one can, why has no one implemented a takana similar to the law here of retroactively mafkiya kiddushin and biya where there is a problem of aguna (let's say where the husband disappeared). This was (to the best of my knowledge) never implemented even when the Vaad Arba Artzos was around and even in the time of the Rishonim. Does this mean that there were no Beis Dins with the power to take money out even then?


texts:
Is this a correct border for what God promised Abraham in the 1st covenant?

According to Wikipedia:

"This map representing biblical King David's Kingdom at the time of his death is probably close to a halachaic Greater Israel."1

According to Genesis 15:18 the second image is correct.

https://pastorbillholdridge.wordpress.com/tag/abraham-covenant/

Genesis 15:18 – On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abraham, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land— from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates."

Therefore, the promised land extends from the Nile all the way to Iraq.

1. Map created by Rusty Russell for Bible History Online; used here per the CC-BY 2.0 license.


texts:
I was asked the following question recently and, incapable of doing it justice on my own, am seeking a cogent printed answer to give the questioner.

If God wishes to express an unequivocal directive to a person or people, why does He not simply tell them and cut out the middle-man of navi? Is the answer to this question also the explanation of the midrash that the nation was unable to withstand the first two dibros, which came directly from God to them?


texts: Should Jepthah have sacrificed his daughter?

texts:
Jepthah made a vow that whatever came out of his house first would be sacrificed to the LORD. (This is actually pretty strange; what other object in his house can get out by itself?)

Nevertheless, the vow was made and Jepthah's daughter was toast, literally.

Should he have done that? While not doing your vow is a sin, killing your own daughter seems to be an even more serious issue.


texts: How old was the oldest man entering the Land of Israel (other than Yehoshua and Calev) according to both Torah and Tradition?

texts:
We know (Bemidbar 32:11) that the decree to die in the wilderness applied to all men twenty years old or older (other than Yehoshua or Calev):

  אִם־יִרְא֨וּ הָאֲנָשִׁ֜ים הָעֹלִ֣ים מִמִּצְרַ֗יִם מִבֶּ֨ן עֶשְׂרִ֤ים שָׁנָה֙ וָמַ֔עְלָה אֵ֚ת הָאֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִשְׁבַּ֛עְתִּי לְאַבְרָהָ֥ם לְיִצְחָ֖ק וּֽלְיַעֲקֹ֑ב כִּ֥י לֹא־מִלְא֖וּ אַחֲרָֽי׃

But what is the cut off for turning twenty to be included/excluded from the decree?

Does it apply to those who were under twenty on the day before leaving mitzrayim and turned twenty before the 9th of Av (or 10th?) of the second year when the decree was given (approximately 16 months later)? Or only those who turned 20 before the actual Exodus?

What is the age of the theoretical oldest man that could have entered the Land of Israel (other than Yehoshua and Calev):

According to the pshat in the Torah that all men over >= 20 years old were to die in the wilderness?
According to sources in chazal that state that others were exempt from the decree?


texts: What is the correct bracha for those Israeli aloe drinks?

texts:
I'm talking about the delicious drinks like PurAloe that contain liquid and numerous chewable bubbles of pulp. You really have to and do chew the bubbles. So is it possible that one should follow the usual rules for soup and make a separate bracha (HaAdama?) on the solids? That it would be difficult to separate the parts seems to me only a reason to avoid the drink, not to make a less-than-ideal bracha on it.

I don't know if bubble tea is ever kosher--maybe in Israel--but I'd also wonder about the bracha on that.


texts: Why don't we have a "shulchan aruch of forbidden beliefs"?

texts: When discussing which beliefs are heretical to orthodox Judaism the phrase "there is no shulchan aruch on deos-beliefs" comes up often. I would like to know why this is the case. Why can there not be a single set of canonized, agreed upon beliefs which if you don't hold, l'halacha you are a kofer/apikorus/min?


texts:
Maseches Chullin 27b that fish do not need shechita but they do need asifa (gathering). Does that mean that it is assur to eat a fish underwater (it's dead -to exclude bal tishaktzu problem) without taking it out of water?

Is the gathering davka that one must take it out of water (meaning the gathering is the shechita) or it is just stating the norm for catching fish and there is no "shechita" concept by fish?


texts: Clarification on the rule "זה נהנה וזה לא חסר"?

texts:
The source is in B"K 20.

What is meant by "זה נהנה" and what is meant by "זה לא חסר" -
is that only direct monetary damage, indirect damage, psychological/spiritual damage, temporal inconvenience etc?


texts: What is the reason for adding extra verses to Psalm 145 to form "Ashrei"

texts:
The prayer we know as Ashrei contains primarily Psalm 145 which is written using the Aleph-Bet acrostic (missing the letter Nun). Psalm 145 starts with the words "Psalm to David". IIRC, Talmud Brachot 4b calls this just "Tehilla L'David", which seems to indicate that the term Ashrei was not known or used in the Talmud, and this must have been a much later addition.

Two verses were added before Psalm 145, both beginning with the word Ashrei - one from Psalm 84 and another from Psalm 144.

Why were these verses added? In your answer, you can include history, but I am mainly interested in the reasoning for these additions. If there are other versions (additions) that appeared at some point, you are welcome to mention these.


texts: Source for not eating before doing a Mitzvah

texts:
In Halichos Shlomo on Purim, Chapter 19, the din is brought that one should not eat before giving Mishloach Manot. The footnote there says "just like by all Mitzvos that we don't eat beforehand".

Where does this concept come from? Where is it in the Poskim? Is this true by all Mitzvos?


texts:
In chapter 3 of the Path of the Just, the Ramchal says:

  He who wants to watch over himself must investigate two matters.
  The  first: that he contemplate what is the true good for man to choose and
  what is the true evil for him to flee from.

   The second: on the actions
  which he does, to determine if they are in the category of the good or
  the evil. This applies both to times when he is in the act of doing
  and when not in the act of doing.

  When in the act of doing: that he
  not do any act without first weighing it on the scales of this
  understanding.

  Not in the act of doing: that he bring up before himself the
  remembrance of his deeds in general and weigh them, likewise, in these
  scales to determine what they contain of evil in order to cast it away
  and what of good, in order to perpetuate it and strengthen himself in
  it. If he finds in them of the evil, he should then contemplate and
  investigate, reasoning out a strategy to employ in order to turn away
  from that evil and cleanse himself of it....

then later on says

  Our sages of blessed memory taught us explicitly the need for this
  accounting as they said: " 'therefore the rulers say, let us enter
  into an accounting' (Numbers 21:27). Therefore the rulers - of their
  [evil] inclinations said come and consider the accounting of the world
  - the loss incurred by doing a mitzva against the gain earned through it, and the gain obtained by doing a sin against the loss incurred..."

how is this an "explicit" instruction of what he said previously?

the former is about examining one's personal deeds whereas this is about weighing generally the reward/loss of a mitzva against a sin


texts: Is it a popular notion that a Jew should "have at least three children..."?

texts:
I have heard it said, "Every Jew must have at least three children (though more is preferable).  Two to replace the parents when they die, and at least one more to make up for those lost in the Shoah."

I thought only my parents said this until I read it in a novel recently.  I know that to "be fruitful and multiply" is an important value, but articulated like this specifically - is it a popular notion?  If so, amongst whom?  What is the origin?


texts: How should Rashi's comment about Noah's belief be parsed?

texts:
Rashi in his commentary to Genesis 7:7 writes:

אף נח מקטני אמנה היה מאמין ואינו מאמין שיבא המבול ולא נכנס לתיבה עד שדחקוהו המים

I see (at least) two ways to read this:

Noah believed in general (in God?) but did not believe the specific idea that a flood would come. (I.e. a comma after the first word מאמין.)

Noah believed-but-did-not-believe in the specific idea that a flood would come. (I.e. מאמין ואינו מאמין is one phrase meaning that he partially believed it, or he vacillated in his belief.)

Is there any evidence that one of these readings is (more) correct?
(I have seen some early Midrashic sources with the same idea, but they didn't use the specific wording of מאמין ואינו מאמין, so I don't know if any proof can be brought from them.)


texts: (In the choice of people that was made in the Gideon story), why were those who bowed down upon their knees to drink water rejected? Judges 7:5-6

texts:
Is there anything wrong with bowing down upon the knees to get anything (fulfill a need, even a basic need as drink water is)(given that you can do it by avoiding the "bowing down upon your knees" position)?

  So he brought down the people unto the water: and the Lord said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. Judges 7:5-6


texts:
What happened to Yisro after he went back to Midyan to convert his family?
שמות 18:27
Also, is he mentioned anywhere after in tanach?
(him, not his descendants)


texts: How could they stone with esrogim without a court case?

texts: The mishnah in Sukkah (48b) tells of a Tzadukki who, on Sukkot, performed a service in the temple incorrectly and all the people in the temple stoned him to death with their esrogim. I would like to know how they were halachically allowed to do so instead of taking him to court and having the normal proceedings of a halachic capital case.


texts:
B'H I'm getting married in a few months and my fiancée waits 3 hours between meat and milk and I wait 6.

In general, does a wife take on all the customs of her husband? In my example, would she have to take on the custom of waiting 6 hours too? Or can she maintain her custom and wait 3 hours between meat and milk?


texts:
I've been to a lot of Chabad shiurim and have been getting this message that Chesed is the most important thing to do. We are here to do chesed to one another..

but in the morning prayers i feel we say its talmud torah that is most important we say; that in this world we eat the fruits of study of torah, and in the next world, we benefit from performing deeds of kindness, (...) and the study of Torah is keneged culam.

Is it even possible to study Torah and to not have one's heart open more and more?

So hypothetically, if say I had only one hour a week of free time, should I study Torah or go do some charity work (or other forms of chesed)?


texts: How can we explain the growth of Israelite population in Egypt?

texts:
Jacob and his family went to Egypt numbering (approximately) 70 people.  After approximately 200 years, 600,000 men between the ages of 20-60 (if I'm not mistaken).  So probably 2 million total got out (this is an estimate I've heard).  The highest estimation(Rashi, I think) is that 20% got out from Egypt, so by that estimate there were 10 million Israelites in Egypt at the time of the Exodus.  And this was a generation after Pharaoh decreed that all the Israelite baby boys be killed.

My question: How is it possible that 70 people in 200 years multiplied to 10 million?


texts: Is altering human genetics wrong in Judaism?

texts:
So, our colonists of the oceanic planet Mayim (yes, that's its name), of whom every single one is a Jew, have encountered a problem: there is no more room on the buoyant-colony-thing that they live in, and they can't get back to Earth (the warp-gate broke).

Then the scientists have a great idea: their children shall become fish!

Seriously, gene modification so that everyone becomes parent to a blue fish mermaid/man, fins and everything. Mandatory for all. Is this morally wrong?

Important note: this is important for the to-be-born colonists' survival.

Another note: This isn't gene-splicing so much as going into the coding directly and messing around.


texts: is it permitted to swallow spit on a fast day?

texts: is it permitted to swallow spit on a fast day or must one spit? this would lead to worse dehydration and if the motivation isn't eating but ridding the saliva in one's mouth without becoming dehydrated is it permissible? I suspect it is in the same sense one can swallow blood in one's mouth and it isn't considered eating...


texts: What are the symbols in the margins of the Aleppo codex?

texts:
I'm doing some research on the history of safrut and am trying to gain some understanding of the Aleppo Codex, in particular.

I'm curious what all the symbols in the margin mean. See here for a sample. Is there some online resource that explains these and any other unique notations in the codex (I.e. other than trope or something else that I wouldn't see in a chumash that is unique to the Codex. Excuse my ignorance, here, as this is a new area for me.)


texts: How do we know that non-hechshered food is not kilayim or kilay hakerem?

texts:
"Kilayim" and "kilay hakerem" are two classes of prohibitions on eating from "mixed" fields (in which more than one type of crop is planted.) "Kilayim," as I understand it, specifically refers to the prohibition on wheat and barley grown together, whereas "Kilay Hakerem" refers to a prohibition on "eating from a vineyard with other seeds mixed into it."

According to the Mishna (Kidushin ch.1, #9), these laws are not actually restricted to the land of Israel, but must be observed worldwide, since they are halacha l'Moshe mi-Sinai.

So how do we know that fruit, vegetables, wheat, barley etc. that are sold commercially outside of Israel (without a hechsher) follow these laws? If not, why are we allowed to eat from them?


texts: Posul in Most of Eretz Yisroel Kosher within the walls of Yerushlayim

texts: How is it possible to Make a Sukkah the same way and the same conditions but outside Yerushalayim it is not Kosher inside the walls of Yerushalayim it is?


texts: Why don't we say al hanissim in al hamichya?

texts:
Al hanissim (על הניסים) is a short addition to shemoneh esrei and birkas hamazon on Chanukah and Purim; however, there is no corresponding bit that's added to al hamichya, unlike retzei (for Shabbos) and yaaleh veyavo (for yamim tovim and rosh chodesh).

Why is that?


texts: Can learning non-torah subjects count as talmud torah?

texts: If someone learns math in order to better understand a gemarah or studies self-help material as a form of mussar in order to be a better person do these types of learning qualify as talmud torah?


texts:
I heard about a recent simcha in our local community where the father named his son Tanya (of which he happens to study).

Is there any sources that support or speak against naming ones child after a sefer?


texts: Is a woman allowed to break her hymen by herself?

texts:
Many friends have told me about their personal horror stories and physical pain, when consummating their marriage, that caused them panic attacks.

Is it permitted for a woman to break her hymen by herself in order to minimize pain and/or shame upon consummating her marriage?


texts: What can a Gabbai do if no one wants to Daven from the Amud?

texts: As a Gabbai Sheni I have noticed that often the Gabbai has a difficult time getting someone to daven from the Amud. Some Shuls have paid Chazonim, yet others can not afford that. What can a Gabbai do in order to get people to be willing to Daven from the Amud?


texts: Is it worthwhile to pray for someone who is no longer trying to get a livelihood or be cured of an illness?


texts:
I have run across a seed called Job’s tears. Anybody know if this would be considered Kitniyot?

Some brands are certified kosher. Would this need a special hechsher for Pesach? A Rabbi from a prominent kashrut organization claimed it was. Yet, he cited no evidence.


texts:
There are several types of vestos (patterns in menstrual cycles) that a woman is able to aquire. One such vesses is the vesses hachodesh, which relies on the day of the (Jewish) month. So for instance, if a woman menstruates beginning on the fifth day of the month every month (or for at least three consecutive months), then she has what is known as a vesses hachodesh and must expect her period to begin on the fifth of every month, which entails remaining abstinent on that day and checking herself to confirm the onset of her period.

Now, this all works well with our fixed calendar, with which we know in advance which months contain 29 days and which contain 30. However, in the times when the Sanhedrin was (or will be) active, the months are established by their announcement. I think you know where I'm going with this...

If a woman has a vesses hachodesh which occurs on the first of every month, then she must act as if she will begin her period that day starting already at sunrise of that day. But the Sanhedrin quite often will not announce the new month until later during the day. Or they will not announce it at all, in which case the month begins the following day.

What should she do? Should she treat today (the maybe-Rosh-Chodesh-maybe-thirtieth-day) as her vesses, and if it turns out to be the thirtieth day of the waning month, treat the next day as her vesses as well? Or should she treat today as a normal day until the Sanhdrin declares it as Rosh Chodesh?

[In this case, I would prefer sources over well-reasoned unsourced answers.]


texts: Did Shuls in Europe display their countries' flags prior to the holocaust?

texts: Prior to the holocaust, did Shuls in Europe display their countries' respective flags? Do Shuls currently display their countries' flags? When did it start and why?


texts: Chazekes Kashrus - Permitted or Required to rely on it?

texts:
Is the concept of "chazekes kashrus" (presumption of being acceptable), particularly with respect to the kashrus of food, a reshus (permission) or a chiyuv (obligation)?

I.e. are we required to rely on someone with chazekes kashrus or are we allowed to?


texts: Hitting of the rock (Chukas): why twice?

texts: Why did Moshe hit the rock twice rather than once in Bamidbar 20:11?


texts: What parts of selichot can be said without a minyan?

texts: Suppose attending a minyan for selichot is impossible in the week before Rosh Hashannah. Which parts of selichot can be said without a minyan, and which parts must be omitted?


texts: What is the origin of "deah, binah, v'haskel"?

texts:
There are two nusachos with the fourth brocha in Shemoneh Esreh of which I am aware.  One, extant today in nusach Ashkenaz, certain nusach Sefard, and Teman Baladi, and present in very old siddurim, ends "deah, binah, v'haskel".  Why are these three words linked conceptually?

Strictly by way of comparison, other nusachos have "chochmah, binah, vadaas", which have a clear source in that they are three linked sefiros.


texts:
I once heard lashon hara (slander) from someone whom I generally admire, about someone towards whom I had less respect. I was naturally tempted to believe the statement, even though it is forbidden to believe lashon hara.

I'm looking for practical tips on how to avoid believing lashon hara told by someone whom I usually trust and respect.


texts: Would Jewish law prohibit or limit the types of pictures a wife could send to her husband in private? Assume that the means of sending the pictures would be secure and no one else would be able to see the pictures.


texts: R' Alexander bar R' Shlomo, "hevio likvurah"?

texts:
There is the following name in "Shemos HaTzaddikim":

  ר' אלכסנדר בר' שלמה, הביאו לקבורה

I don't understand what this means. To my understanding, הביאו לקבורה would be "he went to the grave", but that seems strange. What's the deal with this name?

I understand this may be closed as being about Jews and Judaism, but I was interested if I did translate correctly, then what is the story behind this?


texts: May a non-Jew ascend the Temple Mount today?

texts:
It is forbidden for a Jew who is impure to enter certain parts of the Temple Mount; many authorities prohibit entering it nowadays at all.

What about a non-Jew? Is someone who isn't Jewish permitted to ascend the Temple Mount nowadays?


texts: Where can I find Midrashim about Balaam the Gentile Prophet, who appears in this week's Torah Portion?


texts: How much can you wipe your muddy shoes on a doormat on Shabbos?

texts:
I intend to ask this question in light of all Shabbos prohibitions, including carrying (insofar as deliberately removing something may bear, retroactively I guess, on its חשיבות), as well as dosh, tochen, losh, melaben, tzoveia, memachek, makeh b'patish and anything else that could come in.
And of all types of mud: dry mud, wet mud, deeply embedded mud, crumbly mud, caked mud, and so on. (And of all types of doormats: wet; dry; is one with bristles a problem?)

What, in practice, should one do? Taking one's shoes off at the door is not a great option for Jewish life unless one has other shoes inside. Simply tracking the mud inside is not either.


texts: Why does a guest not have to contribute a perutah for other mitzvot?

texts: The halacha (Orah Hayyim 677) is that a guest must contribute a perutah towards the fulfillment of the mitzvah of lighting Chanuka candles. I would like to know why we don't find a similar idea by other mitzvot? For example we don't say that a guest at Sukkot needs to contribute a perutah so that he has partial ownership over the sukkah he is eating in.


texts:
Is there a source that says that at Matan torah the Bnei Yisrael would receive the written Torah but because they sinned with the golden calf they received the oral Torah as well?

Please feel free to edit if need be.


texts: If the Ark was found today how should it be handled Halachicly?

texts:
Imagine that the Aron Kodesh that contains the two sets of tablets given at Sinai, which was hidden away towards the end of the first temple period, was found today (in modern times).

What are the Halachic implications of handling it, like purity/impurity, Kohanim Meyuchasim, places it can be moved to etc?

What would be the proper procedure for removing it from where it was found, and where should it be stored?


texts: What are Hebrew manuscripts important to us for, today?

texts:
What's the importance of Jewish manuscripts for us, today? Apparently many of these are dispersed in libraries, monasteries, and of course the Vatican, and one wonders whether there's value in obtaining them anew.

What value would there be in reacquiring them for the Jewish people (e.g. and giving to, say, the Hebrew U library or the Israel Museum)? Is there anything to be learned from these texts? Are there any unique challenges in obtaining them? Do the Christians in possession of some of these texts still feel threatened by their contents, the way they used to be afraid? (I.e. Confiscation was a means of censorship.)


texts: The assessment (שומה) of the judges - how it's done?

texts:
There are a lot of Mishnayos and Gemoros discussing שומת דיינים. E.g. Kesubos 99b:

"מתני׳: שום הדיינין שפיחתו שתות או הוסיפו שתות מכרן בטל"
"The assessment of the judges of the value of a piece of property in order to sell it is as follows: Where they decreased the price by one-sixth of its market value or added one-sixth to its market value, their sale is void."

I've read a lot of Meforshim inc. Rambam (Hilchot Mechira) and could not find a clear description of the process of assessment, especially how it can lead to gross errors.
I'm looking for a Halachic summary of how it is done, what people are involved, what estimates are taken into account, who sets the nominal or market value etc.


texts: How does one calculate from pesach to the keriat yam suf?

texts:
Quote“We are all familiar with the historical reason for celebrating the ‘seventh day of Passover’ – for (according to the Midrash) the miracle of the splitting of the Red Sea took place seven days after Bnei Yisrael left Egypt... Yet, to our surprise, that reason never appears in the Chumash.”

What I would like to know is how one calculates from the erev Pesach till the keriat of Yam Suf, based upon storytelling or based upon the verses which we find in the Chumash.


texts: Fasting for a child bechor before Passover

texts: I've heard that some men fast on erev Pesach for their firstborn son until that son old enough to fast for himself.  Is that halakha? Where does this come from?


texts:
How did the progressive and orthodox denominations come about?
What is the orthodox view towards the existence of a progressive denomination?

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texts:
My grandfather used to use this book when he was alive to daven at the cemeteries of his relatives each year.
https://i.stack.imgur.com/RMNwb.jpg
(The first pages are different but the rest looks exactly the same)
https://ia902604.us.archive.org/0/items/nybc210910/nybc210910.pdf
My mother has been doing the same since that’s why he did.
Few questions:
Is there an English version?
I can’t seem to find the right English translation. I’d like to read the actual English translation and maybe also learn more about the book itself.
I guess Chabad uses this? I found some English from them but I’m not sure it’s the same. (We are not Chabad and I’m not sure if their version is different).
We are modern orthodox. Is this something people use when they visit family? Should my mother maybe say Tehillim instead?
She says certain portions of the book, for example there is a place for father or brother. What would be the right way to use this? What paragraphs do you start with for example?
Thanks.


texts: How do sefardim pronounce the tzerei follow by a yod?

texts:
The tzerei makes an "eh" sound according to most sefardim.

Does the same hold true when a yod follows the tzerei?

An example is elokehnu or elokeynu in "shema yisrael".

I am a interested to know this in order to read the Jewish prayers more properly.


texts: Halacha does not allow one to cut down a Fruit Bearing tree. Does this apply to a Grape Vine too?


texts:
If a non-toxic (but also non-food) wax crayon is known/suspected to contain both meat (e.g. stearic acid; see e.g. here) and milk (e.g. dairy-derived palmitic acid), may one use it or does it qualify as issurei hanaah (forbidden from benefit)?

Related:

Non-toxic crayon bliyoth
Putting crayons in an oven
Do non-toxic, biodegradable kitchen/dish cleaners pose a Kashruth problem?


texts: Can you recommend a rabbi or community leader willing to speak about the harm of loud simcha music?

texts:
I recently published an article in the Five Towns Jewish Times that addresses the damage that loud simcha music does to hearing.

I have approached a few rabbis in my neighborhood and asked them to distribute the article and speak about this issue to their congregants. So far, the reaction has been ambivalence. The approx. 7 people I have spoken to have all acknowledged that it is a problem. Some thanked me for addressing the issue, openly (nice to get a "thanks", at least from SOMEONE, I guess?) But, essentially, I am getting the usual "yeshivish" shoulder shrug and hand waving attitude that says, "That's nice, but the problem is so prevalent, that there's nothing I could do that would stop it or make any difference, because no one will listen to me, anyway."

I'm really furious about this type of attitude. I also refuse to accept that there is absolutely no one notable or with clout that is willing to lend support on this issue. If you are aware of anyone who is willing to speak about this issue, regardless of where he is located in the world, I would appreciate knowing who and how I can contact this person.

In advance, thanks for your help and understanding.


texts: When does the negative imply the positive and vice-versa?

texts:
There is a principle that is frequently applied in the Sources: Infer the positive from the negative and vice-versa.
The Midrash says:

The words of Torah are terse, the positive implying the negative and the negative, the positive. [Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:12]

[The Torah says:] וְלִמַּדְתֶּ֥ם אֹתָ֛ם אֶת־בְּנֵיכֶ֖ם לְמַ֨עַן יִרְבּ֤וּ יְמֵיכֶם֙ וִימֵ֣י בְנֵיכֶ֔ם -- And you shall teach [these words] to your children...  so that your days and the days of your children may increase. [Deut. 11:19-21] [This implies:] If not, your days will be shortened. For thus are words of Torah expounded: From the negative, you infer the positive; and from the positive, the negative. [Sifrei Devarim 46:1]

Rabbi Meir disagrees [Nedarim 11a, Sotah 17a].
What is the status of this principle?  For example, if you don't instruct your children, will your life be shortened or will it just not be longer?  Do you have a reference where this general principle is discussed in depth?


texts: wearing two hats at the same time-is that a probelem?

texts: I grew up hearing that if you put two hats or two yarmulkas at the same time that you could forget your learning- is there any source for this?


texts: What is the purpose of life on this earth

texts:
We know that hashem created the whole world only for the purpose of human's on earth. Everything else is there for his benefit to obtain his purpose.
So the question is, what real purpose does he have. And do all human beings have the same purpose. Let us be more specific. Women's purpose is mainly to help the man obtain his. Some men may also be in this category to help other men obtain theirs. But what is the 'top' purpose for a man to have. Is it to  learn Torah or is this only a way of reaching a higher 'real' one.


texts: Correct pronunciation of הנתונים בצרה ובשביה

texts:
In the Tefillah of "Acheinu", we discuss our brothers who are "נתונים בצרה ובשביה". I have heard these words vowelized with a Pasach under the Beis of both terms (Batzarah Uvashivya, which would mean "in the trouble and/or in the captivity").  However, it would seem to make more sense to vowelize it with a Sheva, which would than mean "in trouble and/or in captivity".  I definitely remember seeing some Siddurim with a Sheva under each Beis.

I am looking to find out

if one version is more authentic than the other
any sources that discuss this
any proofs or other thoughts that Mi Yodea readers have on this

(Note that in Tanach, we do find the word Batzara in a few places (e.g. Tehillim 81:8), although many of the Mefarshim (e.g. see Rashi and Ibn Ezra there) discuss specific Tzaros that the Passuk may be referring to.)

Thanks!


texts: Why may berachos be recited at a bris while the baby's erva is uncovered?

texts: We know that one is not permitted to make a bracha or say devarim shebikedusha in front of nakedness. Why then is it permitted for the mohel and father at a bris to make their berachos when the baby's erva is uncovered? Similarly, why may a bris be conducted in a shul, where there are sefarim (which are also not supposed to be in presence of erva)?


texts: When to make kiddush at a Seder with no wine?

texts:
What is one supposed to do on Seder night if he has no wine (nor chamar medinah if that’s relevant) at all?

On a regular Friday night one would make kiddush on bread under these circumstances (Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayyim 272:9) but on Seder night one is supposed to eat karpas and say the haggadah before eating matzah.

So what does one do? Make kiddush on matzah right at the start of the seder? Defer kiddush until after maggid? Some other solution?


texts: Does a Food Mashgiach have to Sacrifice his Life?

texts:
Suppose a Mashgiach of a food establishment is threatened to "keep quiet" about some of the questionable behaviors [for purposes of the question, consider both actual non-kosher, and possibly non-kosher practices] going on in the establishment he's responsible for. If he doesn't keep quiet, there is an implicit threat that he will be "dealt with" in a physical matter (either literally with his life, or simply being beaten...).

Is such a Mashgiach required to be מוסר נפש and report this information to the public anyway? Or is he allowed to keep quiet for fear of his life?


texts: I heard that Seder Olam Rabbah writes that both Rachel and Leah had already passed away by the time of twenty two years after Yaakov married them. We wanted to know if there are any sources when Bilha and Zilpah passed away. Thank you for your help


texts: On taking out the Torah, why do we say, udavar adoni myerushalym?

texts: On taking out the Torah we say, "and the word of Gcd will come forth from Jerusalem" (paraphrased).  What does that mean?  It does not say "the word came forth from Sinai".  Does it mean that the Jews will be a light unto the nations by teaching the law in Jerusalem?


texts: Database of Gematria, Notarikon, and Temurah Findings

texts:
I have been aware of Gematria, but now just learned of Notarikon and Temurah.
There is a cool twitter feed by the TilingBot on hyperbolic tessellations. It is essentially a database of all the types of hyperbolic tessellations found. In a similar way, I am wondering if there is a database of findings in Gematria, Notarikon, and Temurah, in regards to what patterns have been found, basically a big list of patterns. Does anything like this exist?
For example, certain sentences translated according to each Gematria method, (or every sentence translated with every method several ways). And how much analysis has been done, especially from a scientific standpoint on it, as Wikipedia says several scholars believe there is a significance to it.


texts:
Who knows one hundred thirty?
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: Where does the minhag of holding a pinky up to the Torah come from?

texts: Where does the minhag to hold a pinky up to the Torah during hagbah come from? And in the same vein (or perhaps not) where does the minhag to dip your pinky into your cup on Pesach to remove wine come from?


texts: Did Avraham Avinu really have a daughter named Bakol?

texts:
I heard that Avraham Avinu had a daughter named Bakol. But in the Biblical narrative, there is no mention of a daughter to Avraham, only a son, Yitzchak, whom we all know well.

Did Avraham really have a daughter named Bakol, if a daughter at all?


texts: What is the talmudic or midrashic term for "do not take the text literally?"

texts: I need a word that says the opposite of the term, כמשמעו.


texts: What type of theft does Lo Signov refer to?

texts: One of the Aseres Hadevarim (more commonly referred to as "Dibros") is "לא תגנוב".  I can think of different types of theft / Geneivah such as stealing money/possesions, Geneivas Daas, and kidnapping. Is there a particular type of Geneivah/theft that is specifically referred to here, or is it referring to any type of theft?


texts: Is it halachically ok to put up a printed copy of the Shema?

texts: Obviously printing out a copy of the Shema would not be acceptable for a mezuzah etc - but suppose I wanted to print out a copy of the shema in Hebrew (either a photocopy of a scroll or just a digital copy). Could I do that and put it on my desk at work, or on the wall in my living room in a frame? Is there any halacha to prohibit this?


texts: Does a Jewish woman who was married to a non-Jew and then divorced, need to cover her hair?

texts: Does a Jewish woman who was a non-practicing Jew that married a non-Jewish man and had children together, then divorced him and she became Torah observant.... need to cover her hair?


texts: Do we say "baruch shem kvod" in a whisper when not saying Shma?

texts:
As per this question, we whisper the statement Baruch Shem Kvod Malchuto L'olam Va'ed duirng shma (except on Yom Kippur). But what about when we say the phrase not as part of shma? Do we whisper it then?

When I put on my shel rosh, I say the phrase. Should I intentionally be lowering my voice at that moment or does the phrase only require special whispering when it is part of the shma?


texts:
When it comes to the daily prayers (eg. Shacharit), there are lots of various halachot of when, where, and how you should pray; what you can and can't wear, etc. However I have not seen any sources of the halachot of reciting Tehillim.

For instance, is it permitted to recite Tehillim without shoes? While laying in bed? Is there a specific time to recite Tehillim?


texts: Pregnant and not recommended to get a get

texts:
I recently heard of a case where a couple were planning on getting divorced: the wife was pregnant and they were given a psak (via the Beth Din) that the husband can not give her a get until the baby is weaned.

Does anyone have a source and/or reason for this ruling?


texts: Kissing the mezuzah before netilat yadayim in the morning

texts: Is it permissible to kiss the mezuzah in the morning before you wash your hands (netilat yadayim)?


texts: How can I pray for Jewish people as they approach death? I am a hospice chaplain

texts:
I am a chaplain in a hospice, serving those who are terminally ill.  As a chaplain, I do not promote my faith, rather, I help those walk in their faith as death approaches.  One of the sad issues I face is the spiritual neglect of the elderly.  Often their churches or synagogues forget about them when they are no longer able to attend.

That being said, how can I support a person of Jewish faith, without promoting my Christian faith, as they approach death?  Unfortunately, many pastors, priests, or rabbis don’t come to help these precious souls as they near death and I am the one with them in their final days.

Currently, I read the Psalms and offer the blessing from Numbers 6:22-27.
Please show me how and what to pray with these men and women as they approach death.


texts: Has a person fulfilled the obligation of lighting Chanukah candles if he uses a stolen menorah but owns the candles, match etc.?


texts: Allowed to use Torah-scroll proximity as cure?

texts:
The Rambam writes [On Idolatry, 2:11-12]:

A person bitten by a scorpion or serpent may whisper a charm over the wound even on the Sabbath, in order to settle his mind and to strengthen his heart. The thing is of no avail whatsoever, but, since he is in danger, he is permitted to do it, so he won't feel troubled.

But then he immediately adds:

Those who whisper upon a wound a charm, consisting of verses from the Torah, or who read such verses over a child to save it from fear, or who place beside an infant a Torah scroll or tefillin to make him sleep, are not only guilty of superstition, but are amongst those who deny the Torah. They treat the words of the Torah as mere bodily medicine, whereas they are spiritual medicine.

I remember the practice, back in Egypt, of placing lumps of sugar in the chamber containing the Torah scrolls, in the synagogue, then retrieving them a day later and putting them in a cup of tea given to a sick person -- all with rabbinic permission.  Does this practice fall under the Rambam's harsh condemnation, or under his earlier allowance for people's superstitions?


texts: Can kovush (marination) move taste through a vessel?

texts:
movement of taste through a vessel

For example kosher food in a new plastic bag in water, in a pot-which-absorbed-a-non-kosher-taste.

I know that when there is heat taste can move through a vessel (3 times נ''ט of issur), but can not go through 2 vessels if there is not liquid in between.

But when there is no heat can the (pogum, since kovush takes 24 hours) taste get from the bag into the food?

I know that it is forbidden to soak kosher food in water in a pot which absorbed a non-kosher taste for 24 hours

But is it permitted to do so if the food is in a bag (vessel).
(I assume it is permitted if it is a double bag)

Sources please?

Someone told me this can help from encyclopedia

1
2.
3.
4.
5


texts: Eruv Tavshilin for Shabbat on first day of Yom Tov

texts: Today I received a voicemail from the Chicago Center for Torah and Chesed reminding me to make an eruv tavshilin for this coming yom tov. The only problem is that this coming yom tov starts on Friday night. I was not aware that anybody makes an eruv for such a yom tov (nor can I think of a reason for doing so). So am I missing something or was the automated message sent in error?


texts: Yehoshua 8:30- יבנה= built or will build?

texts:
Yehoshua (8:30)

אָ֣ז יִבְנֶ֤ה יְהוֹשֻׁ֙עַ֙ מִזְבֵּ֔חַ לַֽיהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל בְּהַ֖ר עֵיבָֽל׃
At that time Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal,
(Sefaria translation)

Grammatically, יבנה should mean “(he) will build” (future). But according to the P’shat of the passuk (and the translation), it means “he built” (past)!
Do any meforshim say why it’s written in past tense, but understood in future tense?
Alternatively, is there a grammar rule that I don’t know about that makes this make sense?


texts: Significance of Parshas Noach, Chayei Sarah, Yisro, Korach, Balak, and Pinchas

texts:
This question was asked regarding Parshas Balak (Parasha named after Balak?), however, I'd like to see a source or reason that explains why the Torah chose these 6 individuals to name the Parsha/Sedra after:

Noach
Sarah (Chayei Sarah)
Yisro / Yitro
Korach
Balak
Pinchas

There have been answers given for these Parshios individually (such as suggesting that Yisro was an addition to the Torah, or Korach's narcissism).

There must be a correlation and connection between these 6 individuals, perhaps connected as well to the fact that Moshe Rabbeinu had his name taken out of Parshas Tetzaveh.


texts: When Tamar offered evidence, was she acting as a witness?

texts: In the trial of Tamar, she offers the items Judah left with her as security.  How were these objects offered into evidence?  Was Tamar acting as a witness?  Or were the objects and her possession of them just apparent without need for a witness to introduce them?  Or was some other legal principle at work.


texts: Did most Hasidic men wear the shtreimel and kapote in Eastern Europe?

texts:
I have heard that the  shtreimel and kapote  (and variations) were mostly worn only by the Rebbes, while most followers were too poor for a beaver-skin hat; most hassidim wore the ordinary clothes of their area (with tsitsis and head-covering).

Also, though most male Hassidim  were not clean-shaven, most of them didn't go for the full-on beard but rather less hairy variants.

Of course, the standard Haredi/Litvish getup today, with suit and hat, and sometimes clean-shaven or with a short beard, is fairly ordinary clothing for 1930's Warsaw, so I am not referring to that, but rather to the distinctive Hassidic look.

Or did most Hassidic men  really  dress  in the beaver hat, robe (sometimes striped), knee-stockings, etc.?


texts:
Kitzur 2:6 address how one should be scrupulous in netilyat yadayim. He concludes with a scenario where one has no water. It's advised to say 'AL nikiyut yadayim' and then when water is found wash but don't say another bracha. However, this "dry" wash doesn't remove the ruach ra.

So what's the point of wiping hands with a cloth? I thought the whole point of netilyat yadayim was to remove the ruach ra - with or without a bracha.


texts:
According to this question and the answer
Ashkenazi shat”z?

Someone who pronounces an ע and an א the same can be shat”z, as long as everyone in the shul does so too. What if a couple of people pronounce them differently, but most pronounce the letters the same? Or what if half the shul pronounces the letters the same, and half differently? Would the Halacha be different, or would we go according to the rov?


texts: Can a Chazzan say the Mourner's Kaddish despite not being a mourner?

texts: If someone needs to say Kaddish for a parent but is intimidated to be the only one in shul saying it, is it permissible for the Chazzan to say the Mourner's Kaddish and the Rabbi's Kaddish at the same time, even if he is not in mourning?  This could be useful if the mourner would like to not be the only person heard.


texts: Why are the holes diagonal on a Chabad tallis katan?

texts:
So I understand the reasoning for having two holes on the tallis katan (so that the tzitzis will hang on one side of the corner and won't move around), but why do Chabad tallis katans have the holes at a diagonal? Other Chassidic tallis katans just have two horizontal holes.

Photo courtesy of Ben's Tallit Shop.


texts: Why are bagels a traditional Jewish food?

texts:
Inspired by this question
One of the stereotypical traditional Jewish foods is a bagel (with or without lox and "shmear"). Why/how did this food come to be associated with Jews?


texts: Did Achashverosh know about Haman's hatred for Mordechai?

texts:
On the one level, I might think he didn't since why would the king keep track of Haman's personal vendettas. However, when he tells Haman to go honor Mordechai, he tells him exactly where to find him - at the gate. This would imply that he keeps some sort of tabs on the gate. If this were true, he had to have known at the very least, that Mordechai has been refusing to bow to Haman.

Did he somehow miss this? Did he know and not care? Was he purposely getting in a jab at Haman making him do this to Mordechai knowing how much it would pain him inside? Was this a show of power over Haman to make sure he didn't let his head get too big?


texts:
The halacha as I understand it is that only the man can take the final decision on divorce. I hear there are workarounds, but conceptually - why is that so?

Why can't a woman decide by herself to divorce?

Someone asked in the office, I had no answer.


texts: What if there is no object for use in a mitzva?

texts:
There is a story I once heard about the Ben Ish Chai examining the only known etrog available in Iraq. Despite the great need for it, he declared the etrog passul for use and no one could fulfill the mitzva on Sukkot.

There are many physical mitzvot. Some of them form the main mitzvot of holidays, such as:

Arba Minim
Matzah
Menorah
Sukkah
Shofar

What does someone do if, for reasons beyond one's control, it is impossible to attain them? Is there any kind of substitutional prayer or other that acknowledges this lack? There must have been communities throughout history, and including today, that dealt with these issues.

I'm familiar with substitutions for less-essential issues (i.e., the Ben Ish Chai Nitzavim 3 recommending washing the hands 40 times if there is no mikva or shower before a chag).

A friend of mine recently told me how, because of the remoteness of his location, he could not attain an etrog. So, without saying a bracha, he used a lemon and shook the "lulav." He knew he wasn't fulfilling a mitzva, but he felt he should at least do something to remind him of that mitzva.

Does anyone know of any customs that address lacking such physical mitzvot?


texts:
Many hotels have coffee machines in the rooms.  They also usually provide the necessary ingredients, such as disposable filters and coffee grinds.

What are the potential problems with using such a coffee machine? If there are problems, is there anything that can be done to make it usable?


texts: When Rishonim's title includes "ibn", is it never his father's name?

texts:
While learning in Yeshiva, we focused also on clarifying our Mesorah. We are medakdek to know the Chachamim that are discussed in each sefer. One Sefer that helps us in clarifying who the Chachamim we are quoting are, is the Chida's Shem Hagedolim.

So is there a rule of thumb to follow, to automatically know that ibn isnot his father's name. It makes nafka minas for when someone quotes his father.
I started checking, and in my little research, I don't think I've found yet one famous Mechaber Sefer that the ibn Ploni was in line with his father's actual name.

Several examples:
Both Rabbenu Bachya's, R' Yosef ibn Migash, R' Yehuda ibn Tibbon, Ibn Ezra.

Thank you for your help


texts: Is one "obligated" to eat donuts/latkes on Hanukkah (as to not deviate from customs)?

texts: In general one should not deviate from accepted customs (i.e minhag yisroel zu halacha). Does that obligate one to eat donuts/latkes/dairy on Chanukkah if he would prefer not to?


texts: In the movie Yentl, a woman pretends to be a man in order to study talmudic law. Is it considered a sin to study the talmud as a woman?


texts:
I've seen discussion of the need to check matzah for kefulos--particular types of folds (Mishnah Berurah 461:35)--before Pesach. However, I'm having trouble finding a good guide to what a kefula in matzah actually looks like.

Could someone please provide a picture, or else a clear discussion, of which types of folds are kefulos and which are not? What would a kefula look like--in machine-made matzah? In handmade matzah?

Separately, is there any reason to suppose that certain hechshers nowadays might obviate the need for this checking?


texts: What are some examples of chazal making a midrash about the way a letter looks?

texts: So, for instance, one could say that the nekudot over the word "kissed" in the verse in which Esau kissed Jacob suggest that Esau tried to bite Jacob because the line of dots looks like bite marks. What are some examples like that which focus on the appearance of letters, words, or parts of words?


texts: Why did the Torah have to mention the thigh of Yakov?

texts: In Parshas Shemos 1:5, when describing the children of Yakov the Torah uses the phrase "yerech Yakov" to describe where they came from. Some Rishonim explain that the Torah is using using clean language, and using the phrase "the thigh of Yakov" instead of saying "the genitalia of Yakov." Why did the Torah have to even mention this idea of where on Yakov's body they came from?  What would be so bad with saying that they descended from Yakov or something like that?


texts: Explain the different positions of reciting the prayer for an ill person in weekday Amidah

texts:
I pray Nusach Ashkenaz. I noticed that various Siddurim place the personal prayer for ill people ("Yehi Ratzon") in one of two places during the weekday Amidah.

Art Scroll says to include it in the Bracha of "Refa'enu" (the 5th bracha of the middle section). Other Siddurim such as "Kol Bo", I believe, include it in "Shema Koleinu" (the last bracha of the middle section.)

I assume that the same differences occur in Nusach Sefard, Edot Hamizrach, and other nuscha'ot as well. I welcome answers that may have diferent reasons in different nuscha'ot.

What is the reason for the difference in these positions?


texts: Does halakha count primates as "almost human"?

texts:
I have read that the although the halakha requires koah gever (human strength/exertion) for pouring water over hands for n'ttilath yadhayim but it says explicitly in the Mishna that a qof (monkey) may also validly perform this function (m.Yadhayim 1:5).

Also, I have read that there was a creature called Adhne HaSadhe and that Rabi Yose expressed the view that this creature caused Tumath Ohel just like a human when dead (m.Kilayim 8:5). The Tiphereth Yisra'el on this Mishna states that the Adhne HaSadhe are gorillas.

My question is: "Are we meant to understand by the halakha that primates are considered 'human enough'? Are there other areas where they are considered partially human not mentioned above?"


texts:
Is there a minimum age at which a fruit tree may be chopped down?

Is it when it gets above the ground? Produces fruit?


texts: Why were the Tanayim and Amoraim so easily offended?

texts:
There are many places in the Gemara where Tanayim and Amoraim were offended (such as when one wouldn't come to the shiur of the other, when one wouldn't start class over to let him catch up, when one tried to remove his father from position of Nassi).

Doesn't it seem petty to fight over these things?


texts:
If a Kohen is prohibited from becoming Tamei, and people become Tamei upon dying, then wouldn't it be prohibited for a Kohen to die?

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


texts: What advice can be found in Torah sources for what to do in cases of an epidemic or pandemic? Or what does the Torah say to prevent sickness, even if it weren't epidemic?


texts: Who was Yehoshua Bin Nun's father? Obviously his name was "Nun". Who was he exactly? What do we know about him (and from what sources)?


texts: Practical suggestions for choosing between different nuschaot in the Torah

texts:
Unfortunately, it's not hard to find places in the Torah, and even more so in Nach, where we have a doubt about either the trop or the nekudot.  (Or, more rarely, letters, but those are generally the sofer's problem and not the baal korei's.)  The Tikkun Simanim often notes these on the side.

How should a baal korei, or anyone doing shnayim mikra or just learning, decide which version to use?  If you come from a long line of baalei kriah and have specific family traditions, that's great for you, but I suspect most non-Teimonim aren't in that position.

I'm specifically concerned because of this particular example, where the doubt causes a change in meaning.  If you don't use the correct halachic procedure for dealing with doubts, and you get it wrong, it's conceivable that you would not be yotzei.


texts: R. Bachaye's understanding of why Sukkos is split up in the Pesukim

texts:
(All quotes are from Parshas Emor, Vayikra 23.)

In pesukim 33-36, the Mitzvah of the karbanos on Sukkos in mentioned. In verses 37-38, the Torah records the concluding line of Eileh Moadei... which sounds like a conclusion to the parshah (which also started with Eileh Moadei in verses 2 and 4). Yet the pesukim continue in verses 39-44 with the mitzvos of Sukkah, Dalet Minim, and Chagigah. I wondered why there is this break.

Artscroll quotes Rabbeinu Bachaye who explains that the pesukim are separating the karbanos from the unique mitzvos of the chag. But if that's the case, why are Matzah (passuk 6), Shofar (incidentally mentioned in passuk 24), and afflicting oneself on Yom Kippur (pesukim 27, 29, 32) included earlier? They, too, should be pushed off. (Please don't tell me that it's because Sukkos is at the end and the others aren't. Either split off mitzvos not related to the karbanos or don't do so - its position shouldn't make a difference.)

So what exactly is Rabbeinu Bachaye's understanding of the pesukim, why Sukkos should be split apart more so than the other Yomim Tovim?


texts: Where can I buy the sefer Meor Einayim by Rabbi Azaria min Haadumim (dei Rossi)?

texts: Rabbi Azariah dei Rossi wrote a sefer called Meor Einayim. It was/is a controversial book which the Maharal famously argued against in his book Be'er Hagola. There is an English translation of Meor Eiynayim available here. I want to know if the full Hebrew version is available somewhere?


texts:
There's a famous tradition/legend that the Arizal, R Yosef karo and R Elazar azikri (the author of sefer Charedim) prayed in one shul, where R Yosef Karo served as the Rabbi and R Elazar azikri served as gabbai (if i remember correctly some include R shlomo alkabetz in this list).

I wasn't able to find a source for this anywhere. Does anyone know what's the earliest source for this tradition?