texts: Why Eliyah Lament destruction of high places Altar?

texts:
From here

https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/13967/where-in-the-bible-does-it-say-that-sacrifice-can-only-be-done-on-the-temple/46871#46871

(Kings 1:19:10)

  וַיֹּאמֶר֩ קַנֹּ֨א קִנֵּ֜אתִי לַה' ׀ אֱלֹקי צְבָקוֹת כִּֽי־עָזְב֤וּ בְרִֽיתְךָ֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֶת-מִזְבְּחֹתֶ֣יך הָרָ֔סוּ וְאֶת־נְבִיאֶ֖יךָ הָרְג֣וּ בֶחָ֑רֶב וָֽאִוָּתֵ֤ר אֲנִי֙ לְבַדִּ֔י וַיְבַקְשׁ֥וּ אֶת־נַפְשִׁ֖י לְקַחְתָּֽהּ׃

  And he said: ‘I have been very jealous for the L-RD, the G-d of hosts;
  for the children of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, thrown down
  Thine altars, and slain Thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I
  only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.’

  And again...

  וַיֹּאמֶר֩ קַנֹּ֨א קִנֵּ֜אתִי לַה' ׀ אֱלֹקי צְבָא֗וֹת כִּֽי־עָזְב֤וּ בְרִֽיתְךָ֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֶת-מִזְבְּחֹתֶ֣יך הָרָ֔סוּ וְאֶת־נְבִיאֶ֖יךָ הָרְג֣וּ בֶחָ֑רֶב וָאִוָּתֵ֤ר אֲנִי֙ לְבַדִּ֔י וַיְבַקְשׁ֥וּ אֶת־נַפְשִׁ֖י לְקַחְתָּֽהּ׃

  And he said: ‘I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, thrown down Thine altars, and slain Thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.’

Elijah himself built an altar.

  "Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the
  people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that
  was broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the
  number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the
  LORD had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.” Then with the
  stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD; and he made a trench
  around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed" (I Kings
  18:30-32 NKJV).

It seems that is it okay to sacrifice at high places seems to be some sort of jewish schism at that time.

Some says, okay. I mean it's for Hashem anyway.

Another says, don't, I want people from far away to go all the way to Jerusalem and make sacrifices there so that the priests in Jerusalem are happy.

Is this so?

If having to sacrifice in, and only in Jerusalem, is such a big issue, why Elijah, which seems like one of the kosher prophet laments that some people mass murder priests of high places altar?


texts: Is it permissible to use a Hotel's Drinking Glasses?

texts: Is one allowed to use the glass cups provided by a hotel (usually in the bathroom) for drinking? Or is there a Kashrus problem?


texts: What's the best way to dip maror into charoset if you're using horseradish?

texts: Every seder I've ever been to has used ground horseradish (like this) for maror, and "dipping" it in the charoset ends up being implemented as putting both maror and charoset on a piece of matzah and eating that.  In reviewing the haggadah today, though, it struck me that this takes away from the symbol of the Hillel sandwich that follows, where we combine maror and matzah quite intentionally.  So I'm looking for a better way to achieve "dipping".  What do most people do?  Combine them on a plate (no dipping but no matzah)?  Use unground horseradish root (so you have something solid that you can actually dip)?  Something else?


texts:
Source 1: Targum Yerushalmi Bereishit 48:22 which says that Yosef coat was originally Adam's.
Source 2: Bereishit 37:3 Says Yaakov made Joseph's coat

How can this be resolved?

Source 1:
כב וַאֲנָא הָא יְהָבִית לָךְ חוּלַק חַד יַתִּיר עַל אֲחָךְ לְבוּשֵׁיהּ דְאָדָם קַדְמָאָה נְסִיב יָתֵיהּ אַבְרָהָם אָבוּי דְאַבָּא מִן יְדוֹי דְנִמְרוֹד רַשִׁיעָא וִיהַב יָתֵיהּ לְיִצְחָק אַבָּא וְיִצְחָק אַבָּא יְהַב יָתֵיהּ לְעֵשָו וַאֲנָא נְסָבִית יָתֵיהּ מִן יְדוֹי דְעֵשָו אָחִי לָא בְּחַרְבִּי וְלָא בְּקַשְׁתִּי אֱלָהֵין בִּזְכוּתִי וּבְעוֹבָדֵי טַבְיָא׃

Source 2:
וְיִשְׂרָאֵל אָהַב אֶת יוֹסֵף מִכָּל בָּנָיו כִּי בֶן זְקֻנִים הוּא לוֹ וְעָשָׂה לוֹ כְּתֹנֶת פַּסִּים׃


texts: May a wife pay the interest on a husband's loan? What if she's not Jewish?

texts:
Reuven does some work for Shimon who has 3 wives (explained later). The bank refuses to cash the check so Reuven goes back to Shimon for alternate payment. Shimon insists on paying extra on account of the delay. Reuven refuses the extra on the grounds that that is Ribbis. Shimon's wife ______ takes some of her own money and offers it to Reuven.

Wife 1: Dinah - she has no income and Shimon provides for her. Whatever she acquires becomes Shimon's. Shimon has already given her some money for discretionary spending.

Wife 2: Asenath - she has her own income and Shimon doesn't provide for her. Whatever she acquires is her's.

Wife 3: Rahab - she is not Jewish and there are no unexpected automatic halachic ownership changes.

Which, if any, of the wives may pay Reuven the extra? If none of the wives can pay, is there a person that can?

I would think that Dinah couldn't because her money is Shimon's money.

Asenath couldn't because even though she has her own money, they are still married and <\incoherent thoughts>

Rahab might have the same impediment as Asenath, but there also might be a mitigating factor that since she isn't Jewish they aren't married and she is considered a stranger and any tit for tat is incidental. <\more incoherent thoughts>


texts: Halachic basis for opposing erection of a giant statute of Jesus in Israel

texts: According to JewishIsrael.com an Arab Christian group plans to build a giant statute of Jesus on Har Kedumin (Mt. Precipice) near Nazareth on Jewish National Fund land.  The Minister of Tourism, Uzi Landau, supports the construction project as a big draw for Christian tourists. What halachic issues does this raise?  How are those issues affected by the fact that Christianity's beliefs are considered idolatry for Jews but not necessarily for non-Jews?


texts: kallah not doing work during sheva brachos

texts:
We know that a chasson is not permitted to do work during his Sheva Brachos. Two reasons: Either because he must spend the time bringing joy to his wife or because he is compared to a king and a king doesn't work (See Evan HaEzer Siman 64.)

I once heard there is a discussion in the poskim if a kallah is not allowed to work. Although seemingly according to the 2 reasons stated above this wouldn't apply to a kallah still I'm curious to know if the poskim discuss this in any way and give reasoning for either side. In particular I've heard there is a Maharsham about this.


texts: If someone accepted shabbos early (tosafot  shabbat), and remembered he didn't put on tefillin that day, may he put on Tefilin in order not to miss a day of performing that mitzva, or is he already bound by the prohibition of putting on Tefilin on Shabbos?


texts: Is there a scientific basis for the claim that the 3rd day from the circumcision is the most painful and dangerous?

texts:
Is there a scientific basis for the claim that the third day from the day of a circumcision is the most painful and dangerous?

In Mishana (shabbath 19,3)

  מרחיצין את הקטן בין לפני המילה ובין לאחר המילה ומזלפין עליו ביד
  אבל לא בכלי ר' אליעזר בן עזריה אומר מרחיצין את הקטן ביום השלישי שחל
  להיות בשבת שנא' (בראשית לד) ויהי ביום השלישי בהיותם כואבים ספק
  ואנדרוגינוס אין מחללין עליו את השבת ורבי יהודה מתיר באנדרוגינוס.

It seems that Rabi Eliezer Ben Azaria allows to do מלאכה in Shabbath based on his understanding that this is the most dangerous day for the baby. Isn't it?

Rambam* allows to wash the baby with warm water in the 1st and 3rd day only (*according to the most of the interpreters, Meiri, Magid Mishne, Ritva, Ran, Bet Yosef, Bakh, and others. See more in Tora Shlema, Bereshith p.1327 which states Eben Ezra and others about the similar opinion)

  מלו את הקטן בשבת ואחר כך נשפכו החמין או נתפזרו הסממנין עושין לו הכל
  בשבת מפני שסכנה היא לו, מקום שדרכן להרחיץ את הקטן מרחיצין אותו בשבת
  ביום המילה בין לפני המילה בין לאחר המילה או בשלישי של מילה שחל להיות
  בשבת, בין רחיצת כל גופו, בין רחיצת מילה, בין בחמין שהוחמו מערב שבת בין
  בחמין שהוחמו בשבת מפני שסכנה היא לו.

Anyway, my question is if this opinion has a scientific basis.


texts: Is it proper to daven for someone who has "no hope"?

texts: If someone has a sickness that by current medical knowledge is terminal and has no chance of being cured, is it proper to daven for that person to get better? Might this be considered a tefilas shav or davening for a miracle?


texts:
In Esther 4:16, Esther instructs Mordechai:

  צ֣וּמוּ עָ֠לַי וְאַל־תֹּאכְל֨וּ וְאַל־תִּשְׁתּ֜וּ שְׁלֹ֤שֶׁת יָמִים֙ לַ֣יְלָה וָי֔וֹם גַּם־אֲנִ֥י וְנַעֲרֹתַ֖י אָצ֣וּם כֵּ֑ן

  Fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night and day; also I and my handmaidens will fast thusly.

I understand why Mordechai and the Jews should fast; they were the ones in danger, so they therefore had to fast. The same logic would apply to Esther. But why did her handmaidens fast?

We first meet these handmaidens in 2:9 (I assume that the handmaidens Heigai gave her were the same ones she kept as queen):

  וְאֵת֙ שֶׁ֣בַע הַנְּעָר֔וֹת הָרְאֻי֥וֹת לָֽתֶת־לָ֖הּ מִבֵּ֣ית הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ

  And seven handmaidens who were fitting to be given to her from the King's palace

The Gemara in Megillah 13a discusses why she was given seven (and answers what "fitting to be given to her" means):

  ואת שבע הנערות וגו' אמר רבא שהיתה מונה בהן ימי שבת

  "And the seven handmaidens, etc." Rava said: she would count with them the days of the week (and would therefore always know when Shabbos was).

For this purpose, there is no need for the handmaidens to be Jewish specifically; further, had Esther specifically requested Jewish handmaidens, she would have given away her nationality, which she specifically kept secret; in 2:10, discussing when Esther was still at the harem, the Megillah notes:

  לֹא־הִגִּ֣ידָה אֶסְתֵּ֔ר אֶת־עַמָּ֖הּ וְאֶת־מֽוֹלַדְתָּ֑הּ כִּ֧י מָרְדֳּכַ֛י צִוָּ֥ה עָלֶ֖יהָ אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־תַגִּֽיד

  Esther did not tell her nationality nor her birthplace, for Mordechai had commanded her not to tell.

So if even at that stage, Esther was careful not to reveal her nationality, she wouldn't have requested specifically Jewish handmaidens - that would have raised too many eyebrows.

What is the other option, then? Heigai just happened to give her seven Jewish handmaidens? If he's picking them randomly, it's much more likely that few, if not none, of them would be Jewish; if he's not picking them randomly, well, why not? What advantage is there, from Heigai's perspective, of giving Esther specifically Jewish handmaidens?

Based on this logic, then, it would seem that Esther's handmaidens, or at least most of them, weren't Jewish. Therefore, the logic behind the Jews' fasting would not apply to them. So why would Esther insist on her handmaidens' fasting?


texts: What Hebrew must I know in order to read the Minchas Shai?

texts:
I am interested in understanding the Tenach better, as well as rules related to leining.

I have resources for learning biblical Hebrew. Vocabulary lists, and charts showing verb conjugations.

If I get to the stage where I can understand Tenach ok, i.e. to the point where I know sufficient biblical Hebrew for that, would I be ok reading the Minchas Shai?

I'm guessing the Minchas Shai isn't available in English

I know a few words like Chaser Ktiv which I guess the Minchas Shai might use..

Looking at it now, it looks tough

http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=302&pgnum=1

Like it's written in Rashi script even

I am aware of two books on Mishnaic Hebrew, (one by Segal, one by Fernandez).

Though I guess the rabbinical Hebrew it uses is a later Hebrew.

I hardly know any modern Hebrew as I've been focussing on biblical.

What type of Hebrew does it use and how could I prepare myself to read it?


texts: Probabilities vs תמים ? Weather forecast etc

texts:
There is an issur to ask astrologers (Pess. 113; Shul.Ar. YD 179,1). And Rashi says (Dev. 13, 18) התהלך עמו בתמימות ותצפה לו ולא תחקור אחר העתידות
So, is then a problem to

...compute probabilities?
Learn their mathematical theory? (without the goal of using them... for example, among other units to pass a degree)
And even, to check the weather predictions?...

A few thoughts:

Maybe there is a difference with astrology, because probabilites do not "predict" the future, but just give the "weight" of an event. Even a "zero" probability can happen (for example, taking a random point of the real line, every single point has a zero probability but at end there is a result).
Maybe probability is more like a סימן , like בית תינוק ואשה , that is permitted (Chulin 95b)?
Do we use רוב (Chulin 11a) to "predict" that a child "will be" fertile in the future, or do we say that "now" he is not a סריס ?
The Targum on Kohelet 11, 4

  שומר רוח לא יזרע ורועה בעבים לא יקצור

indeed seems to compare meteorology and asrology?...


texts: How far do orthodox Jews go to avoid symbols that are superficially from other religions?

texts:
According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plus_and_minus_signs the use of ﬩ (Hebrew letter alternative plus sign) is common in primary schools in Israel instead of + found in most other countries. It speculates that this is because the regular plus sign somewhat resembles the Christian cross. The plus sign "+" evolved from the Latin "et", so it is not derived from a cross, but from the letter "t".

I was wondering if French speaking orthodox Jews would avoid the words "crois" and "croit" for "believe" as they are homophones of "croix" for "cross"? "crois" and "croit" are conjugations of the verb "croire" which goes back to the Latin "credo", so they aren't related to "cross" either. However, I can see the possibility of a devout Jew taking offence at a word that sounds like "cross" but means "believe".

Does this sort of thing happen and if so, how common is it?


texts:
Who knows one hundred ninety-nine?
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:
When I have taught Talmud classes to some beginners, I try to give them an overview of the tractate prior to starting it. Usually, I locate the relevant laws / verses in the Torah. I think it's tough to delve into Masechet Sotah if someone has no clue as to what a Sotah is. (I'm not saying it can't be done; it's just a bit more difficult, I believe.)

Are there any "prerequisite" tractates- I.e. does it help to learn some other tractate first? E.g., does it help to learn Nedarim prior to learning Nazir / Arla before shevi'it, Shabbat before Eiruvin etc.?

Note that I am interested in even those tractates that have no Gemara. Although, if there is a difference with 2 tractates in terms of whether you study just mishnah vs. its gemarah, please indicate that.


texts: Would anyone be able to suggest a Torah in audio book format?

texts:
This may or may not be an unsual request.

I was interested in finding an audiobook format of the Torah. Basically just the Torah (from beginning to end) being read by a narrator. Would anyone be able to point me in the direction of something like this?

Edit:

It can be in a single file or broken down into parts. I'm extremely fluid in whatever you provide.

My Hebrew still isn't perfect so if you happen to know of english translations, that would be preferred.


texts: Why repeat the formula for how much flour?

texts:
In the course of Parshat Pinchas (the relevant section is Bamidbar 28-29), where the sacrifices for each day are discussed, it frequently says that for a bull, the mincha is 3 tenths of an ephah, for a goat, 2 tenths, and for a sheep 1 tenth.  For example, it says this in Bamidbar 28:12-13 about Rosh Chodesh and again in verses 20-21 about Pesach, and in verses 28-29 about Shavuot.  This pattern continues into the next chapter with Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Sukkot.

Why list this every time?  Why not give the formula once at the beginning and rely on that, as it does in the case of Sukkot and Shmini Atzeret?  Or, since for any particular holiday it just said how many sheep, goats & lambs, say "and 12 tenths of ephah of flour" or whatnot, as it does in the case of the daily tamid and Shabbat?  Does the fact that both the tamid & Shabbat's musaf consist of only a single species account for this difference?


texts: Why are most mitzvas impossible to keep?

texts:
Nowadays, one can only keep so many Mitzvos (271). That is less than half of the commandments of the Torah. I don't know if there is any statistic regarding how many Psukim discuss currently relevant laws in contrast to previously relevant laws (for example, how many Psukim discuss Tzaraas, Korbanos, and Tuma vs. Tzitzis, Tfillin, and Dinim).

Moreover, many laws became inapplicable towards the end of the first Beis Hamikdash. That means that there are many laws that were only applicable for less than 800 years.

Hashem knew that the Jews will spend most of our history in exile. Why is so much of the Torah written about things that will be actualized rarely, while many laws that are relevant for all time (for example, Tfillin, Mzuza) are learned from diyukim in scattered verses?


texts: Is there a Targum Onkelos available online with Te'amim?


texts: If we speak of Rashi tefillin and Rabbeinu Tam tefillin, what kind of tefillin did people put on before Rashi's time?


texts:
Some rabbis have invented their own methods for tying tzitzit, depending on their interpretation of the halachah. For instance, Maimonides had his own method for tying tzitzit that he passed onto the Yemenites, and the Ben Ish Chai and the Arizal also had their own methods. You can see each method here: Rambam - Ben Ish Chai - Arizal

But my question is this: did these rabbis tie their own tzitzit in the methods they had come up with, or did they still follow the common practice of their ancestors (like maybe Rambam and Ben Ish Chai wore Sephardi tzitzit and the Arizal had his tied Ashkenazi)?


texts: Mizmor l'David (Psalms 23) at Shalosh Suedos

texts: There is a common minhag (custom) to sing Mizmor l'David at Seudah Shlishis, the third Sabbath meal. It is common to sing this song three times in a row and I was asked this Shabbos by a friend why this is so. None of my obvious points of references mentioned the reason, does anyone have a source and/or explanation (preferably "and")?


texts: Looking for source for history of Temple sacrifices?

texts:
Not sure the title has a clear meaning to the good people here -- if it can be edited to read better with respect to this site, please do so!

I am reading the Christian Bible and seeing many references to the morning and evening sacrifices, and to the feasts where worshippers would bring sacrifices to the Temple. I know there are periods when the Temple was destroyed and later rebuilt, and historical periods of foreign occupation.

I have books which tell me "Jewish customs were this snd that" -- and they all seem to be written by non-Jews for non-Jews. I'm not saying those authors are incorrect. But I'm wondering if there is a book or web-based resource from a Jewish source that can help a non-Jew understand more about the sacrifices.

Some specific questions are:
-- how the times of the morning and evening sacrifices changed (if at all) with sunrise and sunset varying through the seasons?
-- how the influx of worshippers during the feast times affected the offerings and sacrifices? (how did they handle all those offerings?? and how did the daily and Sabbath offerings not get lost in the midst of that?)
-- during the times of foreign occupation (I'm thinking generally 200 BCE to 70 CE) where the Jews were allowed to worship in relative peace, did the daily, Sabbath, and feast sacrifices continue as of old? or were there changes required by the occupation?

Thank you.
Ed


texts: Longest to Shortest tractates of Yerushalmi by daf

texts: A follow on from this question: I simply would like a listing of longest to shortest (or vice versa!) tractates in Yerushalmi by daf, ideally listing the number of daf/tractate.


texts: PTIJ: Is it permitted to serve mixed drinks at fundraisers?

texts:
Tehillim 107:40 endorses the practice of plying potential donors with alcohol when it says

שֹׁפֵךְ בּוּז, עַל-נְדִיבִים

but we see from this question that mixed drinks are forbidden under any circumstance and we can only serve straight liquor.
I was wondering if a heter exists to use cocktails specifically in the case of parting rich people from their tzedaka money in light of the Mishna (Avos 4:15) which says

הוה זנב לאריות

since lions are always used as a symbol of power and wealth.

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


texts: Does one need to get rid of whole dagan (e.g. wheat or barley) kernels before Pesach (such as might be found in packages of birdseed)?  Could there be any concern of a biblical/rabbinic prohibition?


texts: Is there an English translation of the book Reshit Chochmah By Rabbi Eliyahu DaVidas?


texts: What is meant by the term "midina"/"provinces" as in the 127 ruled by Ahasuerus?

texts:
Esther 1:1 says:

  Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus -- he was the Ahasuerus who reigned from Hodu to Cush, one hundred twenty-seven provinces.

For historical context, the period of the Persian Empire that forms the historical backdrop for the story of Purim and Megilat Esther, known as the Achaemenid Empire, took place from 550 to 330 BCE (Darius 1, who ruled from 522 to 486 BCE, allowed the reconstruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.) (link). According to the 5th century BCE Greek historian Herodotus, the Achaemenid Empire was divided into 20 districts or provinces called satrapies ruled by Medo-Persian satraps based on the various kings and governors of the conquered lands, and that different provinces would have different taxes imposed on them (link, list of provinces as per Herodotus, map).

Now, 20 provinces and 127 provinces are very different. Could "127" be referring to cities (with a few cities per province, not sure how it might be counted that way)? Or perhaps 127 refers to the more distinct cultures within the provinces (e.g. at the time, Phoenicians, Jews, and people living in Cyprus were ruled as a single province, although I don't know if even this approach would quite reach 127)? Might it been like one of the 20 provinces could have been considered to have a number of smaller counties (just a guess, don't know of any historical support)? Is it possible that the text could have meant something like "7 regions, 20 provinces, and 100 sub-provinces" (the Hebrew is phrased "seven and twenty and one hundred provinces" which seems to traditionally just be taken as an archaic way of writing 127)?

So my question is, what type of "province" exactly does "one hundred twenty-seven provinces" refer to?


texts: What are we supposed to do about losing an hour of Purim this year?

texts:
With the help of the One Who Makes Times Change, we have merited to discuss, in previous years, various aspects of Jewish Law and Custom related to the changing of clocks for Daylight Saving Time:).

This year (5777/2017), those of us who live in the US^.^ face a special conundrum: we will be moving the clocks forward on Purim itself! If I understand this correctly, that means that we're going to lose an hour of Purim, which seems to directly contradict the rule "When Adar enters, Joy increases".

What modifications to the practices of Daylight Saving Time and/or Purim practices are recommended for resolving this conundrum?

:) And these are they:
- Is Daylight Saving Time a Mitzvah DeOraitha or Takkanah DeRabanan?
- Daylight Saving Time - forward or backward?
- Announcing the clock change in English?
- Seeking texts of all prayers associated with the clock change

^.^ OK, Most of the US.

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


texts: If someone is halachically dead and then resuscitated, does his wife need a get to be divorced (is she already a widow)?

texts: If someone is considered halichically dead (apparently this is somewhat of a dispute), and then he is "brought back" through modern day medical techniques, does his wife need a get to be divorced, or was she already a widow?


texts: If a baby is born "bein hashmashot" how do we count the days till the 8th for the bris? For example, if it's bein hashmashot Sunday evening, will the bris be the following Sunday or following Monday because you could say that since it's after shkiya that it's the following day?


texts: Are there specific behaviors that make someone a rasha?

texts:
What halachically constitutes a rasha- Wicked person?
Are there parameters with which to determine someone's status in this area?


texts: Can a Jewish Woman marry a Non Jewish Man?

texts:
I heard a Jewish woman can marry a non-Jewish man because Jewishness is through the mother and not the father.

Are there any sources saying it's allowed?


texts:
I accidentally read the Megillah tonight for my shul since last year, I could have sworn, that we read the Megillah right after the fast. Yet, the Rav of the Shul returned from a business trip after the reading and told us that we erred since Purim cannot be celebrated on Fridays, it is נדחה (pushed off) until Sunday.
The question is: Should we repeat the Megillah tomorrow (Friday day) as well? I am compelled to read tomorrow, since the reason for reading during the day and night is because the Jews screamed out when they were in need by day and night (Rashi) - I do not want onlookers to think that they only screamed out during the night.
What do you think?

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


texts: Why a married woman is exempt from honoring her parents?

texts:
Although the wife should listen to the husband and make her best to please him, it is not a Mitzvah at all, and there are no DeOraytah obligations on the wife toward her husband (Rambam Ishut 22-24). The husband has no halachic control over his wife, besides a list of certain Melachot but those are DeRabanan monetary obligation, and she's free to exempt herself from all of them by claiming "איני ניזונת ואיני עושה". (I hope this point is agreed on לכו"ע).
.
Also raising kids is not a Mitzvah at all (for women at least), and she can not get away by "being engaged in another Mitzvah".
The Mitzvah of honoring parents is one of the MOST stringent DeOraytahs.
THe Gemmorah in Kiddushin (30b) brings Safra (Vayikra 19,3) explaining the Ptur of married women from this Mitzvah by simply mentioning that "רשות אחרים עליה".:

  ""איש"-- אין לי אלא איש. אשה מנין? תלמוד לומר "תיראו"-- הרי כאן שנים. אם כן למה נאמר "איש"? אלא שהאיש סיפוקו בידו והאשה אין ספוקה בידה מפני שיש רשות אחרים עליה.

This opinion is indisputable and not discussed by the Gemmorah.

I am stumped, what רשות does the husband have over his wife, to exempt her from such an important Mitzvah as honoring and respecting her parents?

A bonus question: why "אחרים" and not "בעל" and who are the "others"?


texts: Is it o.k. to watch "American Idol" during the Omer and the Three Weeks?

texts: Many Poskim who permit listening of music year-round prohibit it during the Omer and the Three Weeks. Is it ok to watch American Idol during these periods of time, according to the opinions who permit it during the rest of the year?


texts: Why was Sarah asked to bake cakes, not bread?

texts: Rashi says she baked cakes not bread because she was in Niddah. How does this make any sense? We bake bread whenever.


texts: On Shabbat, can one pour out oil from the top of peanut butter?

texts:
After peanut butter sits in a jar for a while, the oil separates and floats to the top. Is one permitted to pour out this oil on Shabbat? I'm concerned this might be borer, because this could be considered taking out the bad from the good. Here are some factors that might be relevant:

There might be a minority of people who would consider the oil "good" (e.g. useful for dipping bread in).
I personally consider the oil "bad" and would discard it.
If one eats pure olive oil, there are varying opinions on whether one should say a bracha at all. In other words, there's a question whether oil on its own is edible.


texts: Where in the Talmud is there a discussion of which books to canonize and who redacted the books of Navi?

texts: I believe those two discussions were in the same daf. anyone can help?


texts: What are the best resources online for learning the Zohar?

texts: I ask about online since I travel often so something I can read on my computer would greatly accelerate my learning. I won't complain about recommendations for physical books though! I also want to be careful since there are some texts that appear to be based on Judaism but in fact are not. It's ok if the texts are advanced--I should be ready to handle them.


texts: A Fleishig-Milchig Mixture that's Pareve

texts:
I had heard that a dish that's 59 parts pareve to 1 part milchig to 1 part fleishig is pareve, as the fleishig portion is batel by a 1:60 ratio, as is the milchig portion.

My question is twofold. First, is this halachah accurate? I find it odd that one can use batel b'shishim to make a mixture pareve, though I suppose it's no less odd than using it to turn fleishigs into milchigs. Second, im timtzeh lomar that it is indeed a correct halachah, what is the source for it?


texts: Why is the term "Know" used between Adam and Chava?

texts:
Why does the Torah refer to the process of Adam having children with Chava as "knowing" her? (Bereishis 4:1)

  וְהָאָדָם יָדַע אֶת־חַוָּה אִשְׁתּוֹ וַתַּהַר וַתֵּלֶד אֶת־קַיִן
  וַתֹּאמֶר קָנִיתִי אִישׁ אֶת־יְהוָה׃

  Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain,
  saying, “I have gained a male child with the help of the LORD.”


texts: Why do we light Chanukah candles in the shul?

texts:
Talmud Shabbat (I think it's around p. 21a) says that the mitzvah of lighting candles is in one's home. I did not see any mention, there, of a requirement to light in the shul.

So, a few questions:

When did lighting in the shul begin and why was this done?
Is lighting candles in the shul an obligation, a minhag or a non-obligatory mitzvah (i.e., you're not required but you perform a mitzvah if you do.)
In my shul, at night time, the say the blessings. OK, I understand that idea if one is obligated to light in the shul. If there is no obligation, then why make the blessings?
The candles are lit for Shacharit, too, but there is no blessing. What's the purpose of lighting it for Shacharit?
They don't light it before davening mincha, in my shul. I guess that's because they will light it after Ma'ariv. In being consistent with the reason that they light it for Shacharit, why not use this same reasoning, blow it out, say the blessings, then relight it for Ma'ariv with an extra candle for that night?


texts: Not Bentching on a Kos when wine is already on the table

texts:
According to this answer R' Moshe Feinstein Paskened that, since for many years the practice of Bentching on a Kos (reciting grace after meals over a cup of wine, as formally constructed in the Talmud) was abandoned because wine was scarce and expensive, nowadays we do not need to Bentch on a Kos, even when wine is readily available.

What if there is actually wine on the table, the bottle is open, and the host asked moments before it was decided that everyone would Bentch, "Does anyone want some more wine?" (In other words, one need not be shy in taking some, as the host wants the open bottle to be used and not wasted.) Is the Halachah actually that we no longer require it at all, or simply that if it's going to be a burden at all, even if it's just to go to the kitchen to get a bottle, it's not necessary to go to that trouble?  Hence, if it is right in front of you, open, and there is leftover wine that's probably going to be wasted if it isn't consumed, do you have a responsibility to take advantage of it and Bentch on a Kos, or if nobody is really in a mood to drink the wine do we say that then it still isn't necessary?


texts: What would you really, actually like to receive (give?) for Mishloach Manot on Purim?

texts: Let's put it this way: what would you actually like to receive in your Mishloach Manot on Purim?  (I'm trying to figure out what to put in there would actually be most appreciated?)  I feel like everyone sends cake, cookies, and/or candy -- it winds up being a lot of extra junk food, and all the starchy items have to disappear in a month anyhow because of Passover.  Cheese?  Grape juice?  Fruits?  Home-baked vs. factory items?


texts:
As we begin the weeks of Shovavim (the upcoming 6 parshiyos, Shemos through Mishpatim), many of us will notice signs going up all around us for improvement in keeping the Halachos of Niddah ("Taharas Hamishpacha"), and classes available weekly.  My question is what is the earliest source linking these two together (i.e. a source that says one should study these topics during these weeks).  Feel free to provide any and all sources.

This question is different than Why is the period of Shovavim connected to tikkun habris?, as I am asking for:

the earliest source
specifically discussing learning about this rather than Teshuva or other Tikkunim
specifics relating to Taharas Hamishpacha, not just Tikun Habris in general


texts: When you say the hadran after finishing a mesechta are you making a promise to do so? Should you omit the hadran if you have no plans of ever returning to study that gemara again?


texts: Is Bircat Shehechiyanu a bircat shevach (a blessing of praise)? If it is, why sometimes do we make the beracha before the event (or in some cases an action representing an event, such as putting up a mezuza), unlike all other berachot shevach, which we make afterwards?


texts: Tashmish Ha-Mitah B'yom (Marital Relations by day.)

texts:
It says in Shulchan Aruch Siman 240 Sif 11 that it's prohibited to have marital relations by day unless the house is dark ("Bayis Afel".) The Rema adds that a Talmid Chacham that covers himself with his talis (or seemingly a sheet or some sort of cover) is also permitted to have marital relations by day. The Mishneh Brurah in Sif-Katan 45 explains that since a Talmid Chacham is modest in his ways he won't come to look (at his wife in the light.) Therefore it's permitted to have relations if he covers himself well. However the the M"B ends off that this is only to be done in a case of tzrich gadol or if his yatzer is misgaver over him.

What does it say about this inyun in other seforim or poskim? Are people more makil then the Mishneh Brurah now a days or even less? Obviously it's hard to take a survey in this however perhaps what we see from other seforim or poskim (or any "shmu'os") would be a good way to tell.

The Shulchan Aruch speaks about a case where the entire house is dark and one is not relying on the heter of using a talis. Seemingly in that case there is more of a reason to be makil (even without a "tzrich gadol" -- great need. I later saw that in the Bar Hativ Siman 21 this is what he says from the Magen Avraham based on the Gemorah in Kasubos Daf 65.) It's interesting also that the Rema speaks about being matir for a Talmid Chacham (only the reason makes sense since he is anyway more modest in his ways) why is it that the Talmid Chacham has such a "yatzer" to have relations by day.


texts: Is a Jew considered "lesser" in the eyes of Hashem for having doubts about specific ideas within the Torah?

texts:
Say that we have a Jew. A very pious and loving man who honors the laws and attends Shul and does his best to honor Hashem.

The problem. He hears his Rabbis talk about things like the Mashiach and the Messianic age and he begins to have doubts about certain things.

The idea that the dead will rise from the grave.
The idea that animals which were predatory would now live peacefully with their prey. (an aspect of the Messianic age)
The idea that a world filled with atheists would suddenly honor a deity they had just recently rejected. (an aspect of the Messianic age)
Religions like Christianity and Islam and others would suddenly throw aside their old idols and honor the one true being Hashem. (an aspect of the Messianic age)

Is this man lesser in the eyes of Hashem for having doubts? Is he lesser in the eyes of God because even though he honors all of the day to day laws of Hashem, he has doubts about this topic?

Would a Jew who believes completely in all 13 Principles of Jewish faith be more pious in the eyes of Hashem than a Jew who does everything right while having doubts?

How does this work Halachically?


texts: Were Jews enslaved by Egypt or instead corvee labor?

texts:
Richard A. Gabriel has a military interpretation of the Exodus.

A key part of his analysis is that

  Avadeem is not the word for slave, it is the word for “worker” or even servant.

If this is true, this may confirm, to him, his theory that Exodus Jews were also the "habiru", buffer mercenaries of Egypt who became unmanageable & fearsome and were "set to labor" as corvee.

Essentially, he states that a transition from mercenary to outright slave is unlikely because there would undoubtedly be opposition, hastening the Exodus outcome.  If they were simply nudged to a state of corvee labor, where ownership isn't explicit and right are partially instead of totally revoked, they would be less likely to revolt and risk a life in the wilderness away from civilization.

If they were born slaves for many generations, they would be unlikely to be able to fight their way out as he claims.  To support this he offers an interpreted Exodus 12:35 as evidence for fighting:

  35 Now the sons of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, for they had requested from the Egyptians articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; 36 and the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have their request. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.

That militarily speaking, this could not be done except by forceful coercion.

How precisely is "avadeem" defined based upon its usage in the Torah only?  What are all of its usages in the Torah only?


texts: If one does a Bedikah of a school building on the night of the 14th does one say a Bracha?


texts:
Zevachim 118b-119a is discussing the heter bamos during the period when the Mishkan was in Nov and Giv'on, for 57 years. It mentions a fact that I found astonishing (I suppose many others knew it already!): during that entire period, the Aron Hakodesh was not in the Mishkan at all. It was returned by the Plishtim and stayed in Kiryas Yaarim. It was moved to Ir David when David became king over Israel, and remained there until Shlomo Hamelech built the Beis Hamikdash, when it was finally returned to its place.
קיט• רד"ה כיון דארון לא הוה ־ דכל ימי נוב וגבעון היה הארון בקרית יערים כ' שנה ובעיר דוד עד שנבנה הבית
Its absence has certain halachic ramifications; see the gemara.
They just left it there, never returned it to the Mishkan. Why?


texts: What was the value of the Rishonim's philosophical inquiries about God and the world?

texts:
Many Rishonim used the philosophy of their time or previous times to 'prove' God's existence and/or learn about the nature of the world.

1- Why did they do this? (Is there a mitzvah to use philosophy to inquire into the nature of God and the world vis-a-vis what the Torah has to say on these topics?)

2- Did any Rishon feel that philosophical inquiry could produce something that the Torah does not?

3- Did any Rishon fundamentally base their knowledge of God or Torah idea's on the conclusions drawn from their philosophical inquiries?

4- Did any Rishon indicate or explicitly state that their philosophical inquiries took precedence over a straightforward understanding of the Torah (such that the Torah would have to fit whatever the conclusions of their inquiries were)?

(I understand that some of these questions are interrelated, but I split them up anyway because I feel it makes the question/s easier to think about.)


texts: How does a door hit against a lintel (משקוף)?

texts:
Rashi in several places (Gen. 41:6; Ex. 12:7, 21:25; Lev. 26:36) writes that משקוף ("lintel") is related to the Aramaic root שקף ("beat"), "because the door beats against it."

How so? Doesn't the lintel lie above the door, as in modern doorframes? (If I'm understanding correctly Rashi's description in Pesachim 94b, ד"ה אי נמי, the door's upper pivot fits into a hole in the lintel - implying that they are stacked vertically.) It wouldn't seem, then, that the door "beats against" the lintel any more than against any other part of the frame.

(Or perhaps indeed משקוף means a combination lintel-doorstop of some kind - say a piece shaped like a ר in cross-section, which would be used to prevent a pivoted door from swinging in one direction. In that case, are there indeed any known examples of such construction from Biblical times?)


texts: What is the earliest time to daven maariv during the week?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  When is the earliest time you can daven ma'ariv during the week?

On Shabbos one could accept Shabbos early and thereby daven Maariv early. During the week, when there is no mitzva of Tosfos Shabbos, how early can one daven Maariv?


texts: (When) should skipped parts of davening be made up?

texts: If someone skips parts of shacharit in order to say shemoneh esrei with the congregation, (when) should the skipped paragraphs be made up?


texts: Can a person sell their portion in heaven?

texts: Can a person sell their portion in olam haba (heaven)? Is the sale valid and binding?


texts: Birkat Kohanim for a Kohen who was very far from Judaism and decided to be a good Jew

texts: Can a Kohen baal Teshuva who was previously not religious and married to a Christian woman perform birkas kohanim? How to deal with the fact that pursuing his truth research he was previously in Christian group before finding the genuine Jewish practice and faith?


texts: Extent of financial consideration before having children

texts:
Are there financial considerations that a couple must take before having a child or children i.e. should one have children 'at any cost' or is this not a consideration.

If yes, would these financial considerations then change if you had fulfilled your obligation of "פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ" (to the extent of whichever halachic opinion you follow)?


texts:
In light of recent terrible acts committed that involved guns. What is the Torah perspective on gun control. Are there any Torah sources which discuss gun control from a halachic/hashkafic point of view. Is there such a value at all?

What I mean by gun control I mean to say the arguments given to curtail their proliferation or doubts regarding the right to own a gun as an inalienable right. Is there anything for such curtailing or against such curtailing in Halacha or Hashkafa?

Given the nature of the question and the slim chance that Halachic books talk explicitly about gun control, answers may be personal opinioned but must be based off traditional Torah sources.


texts: Measuring Techum to include the city's Eruv

texts:
(Note: the halachot of measuring Techum in practice are very complex, and an expert should be consulted.)
In general terms, the start of a Techum measurement is the dwelling which is designated as the center. If this dwelling is inside a courtyard, measurement instead starts from the courtyard edges.
Since an Eruv established for the purpose of allowing carrying inside the community on Shabbat is effectively a courtyard around all of the houses, does this mean that the measurement of the Techum should start from the edges of the Eruv?


texts: Resources to understand commentary in my tikkun korim

texts:
In the Feldheim Tikkun Korim, there is some commentary by Sha'arei Mesorah, Ma'aneh Lashon, and Shita Mekubetzet.

From what I can deduce, they are specifically about technicalities of leyning, a mesorah beyond the trope.  Something like "Say these words [high|loudly]" or "Say these words closer together."

I would love to delve into that when preparing leyning, but it's so technical (and often so abbreviated) that it's beyond me.  Where can I find a good resource to understand the technical words and abbreviations used when talking about layning?  I'd ideally like one for English readers, but Hebrew is fine.


texts: Parent/child relationship : how does adoption compare to geirus?

texts:
Take a father and daughter who both underwent geirus. Now take a Jewish man who adopted a baby girl of unknown (Jewish) parents. In both situations, the father raises the child since birth. Are the halachic aspects of those relationships identical ?

Ideally precise sources will be provided.

Documentation found in other, related posts :
http://www.jlaw.com/Articles/maternity1.html
https://www.shaalvim.org/yeshiva/torah/view.asp?id=661


texts: Regarding Amalek, Was King Sha'ul weak or blind?

texts:
I'm a bit puzzled regarding King Sha'uls (Saul) conversation with Shmu'el (Samuel) upon his return from the war against Amalek. We know that Sha'ul didn't fulfill G-d's commandment to destroy everything from Amalek, and instead he took flocks and spared King Agag.

Citing Shmuel (Samuel I) 15:19-21: (English cited from mechon mamre (JPS)

  19 Wherefore then didst thou not hearken to the voice of the LORD, but
  didst fly upon the spoil, and didst that which was evil in the sight
  of the LORD?'

  20 And Saul said unto Samuel: 'Yea, I have hearkened to the voice of
  the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have
  brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the
  Amalekites.

  21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the
  devoted things, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.'

It appears that there are a few problems happening in Sha'ul's answer. First, it seems he is convinced that he really didn't do anything wrong, because he starts by saying that he DID listen to G-d's command. He also says, "I have destroyed the Amalekites." No, not really, because he kept the king alive! That's not destroying ALL the Amelikites.. Is it not obvious in Sha'ul's own words that he is contradicting himself? And, was Sha'ul so clueless as to argue with Shmu'el, a prophet, who is relaying G-d's word, and who even explained to him before the battle, what to do?

Additionally, he seems to blame the taking of the sheep on the people, as it was the people's fault!

I'm a bit puzzled as to what Sha'ul was thinking. Did he think he really did nothing wrong at all, or was he so weak at the least minute that the people pressured him into taking the best of the sheep and cattle to offer sacrifices that this action alone blinded Sha'ul into thinking that this was the right thing to do? Essentially, what factors caused Sha'ul to forget what Shmu'el and G-d commanded him to do? Was it more his own personal blindness to the problem or being pressured by the people?


texts: Why would Roosevelt have taken off his hat at a Jewish wedding?

texts:
Believe it or not, this question is not Purim Torah. I read the following, strange passage in Colonel Roosevelt by Edmund Morris (Modern Library, 2011 page 147-8) where Teddy Roosevelt is quoted as saying:

  I found I was expected to walk with the Queen on my arm and my hat in the other hand -- a piece of etiquette which reminded me of nothing with which I was previously acquainted except for a Jewish wedding on the east side of New York.

I cannot for the life of me figure out what practice he is talking about. Those of use who don't cover our heads all the time anyway put our hats on for things like weddings, not off. Any ideas?


texts: In "The Book of Kashruth" by Rabbi Seymour Freedman, he writes on p. 117 that "On Chanukah..it is customary to eat potato pancakes called latkes....These are eaten to commemorate the dedication of the women in the towns, hamlets, and cities of Judea who shared in the battle for freedom in their own special way by providing the Maccabee guerilla fighters with batches of potato pancakes as their staple food....The methods of warfare employed by the Maccabees in many ways set the pattern of guerilla warfare employed by future freedom-fighters.  The Maccabees lived in the forests and the mountain caves, which gave them excellent concealment, but made food very scarce for them.  The women of Judea, therefore, hit on the idea of giving them the kind of food which could be quickly prepared, readily carried, and did not spoil easily, in addition to being satisfying.  The potato pancake or latke was the solution to the Maccabee food problem.  It has been enjoyed by generations of Jews ever since."  Do any traditional sources mention the Maccabees eating potato latkes as a reason for our current custom of doing so on Chanukah?  And if not, did Rabbi Freedman simply conjure this out of thin air, completely ignorant of the fact that potatoes are a New World crop and thus would not be available in Eretz Yisrael for almost 2000 years after the Maccabees lived?


texts: May I recite Tehillim while jogging or performing other kinds of physical exercise?


texts: What was the first siddur to contain an aleph-bet chart?

texts:
Many siddurim (prayerbooks) published today contain a chart of the Hebrew alphabet towards the beginning (see e.g. page 11 of this pdf).

What was the first siddur published to contain an alphabet chart?


texts: Are the Beta Israel texts Mota Musa, and Mota Aron the midrashim  Petirat Moshe and Petirat Aharon, a retelling of the same content, or some other texts?


texts: Charging interest or surplussage on real loans to a fellow Jew is forbidden but may one do so with in-game play money or with in-game commodities?


texts: Where can one learn the grammatical functions of the te'amim

texts: I can chant the melodies of the te'amim but I'm having a hard time learning their grammatical functions and structure. Many websites that talk about the te'amim are quick to jump into the ideas of "generals/kings" and "conjunctives/disjunctives" without really explaining what they mean, or move through the information too quickly. Is anyone here familiar with any easy to follow English resources on this topic, or can they answer here in English regarding the grammatical functions?


texts: Mishna, Brakhot 2a: When the kohanim enter...where?

texts:
Mishna, Brakhot 2a

מאימתי קורין את שמע בערבין משעה שהכהנים נכנסים לאכול בתרומתן

What is the author implying as the direct object of the verb נכנסים? In other words, from the hour that the kohanim enter...where?


texts: Do any sources say that using shiny Teffilin paint for the Teffilin Batim is a problem? Do any sources say That the paint on the batim must be Compeltely smooth, or can there be tiny spots as in the picture?  Thank you so much!


texts: What books a person pursuing a orthodox conversion normally must read during the entire process. I want to convert in bnei brak


texts: Why can't Hashem chase the people out of Canaan quickly?

texts: Exodus 23:29 says that Hashem promised not to drive out the indigenous peoples of Canaan too quickly lest the wild animals become too plentiful. This is repeated in Deuteronomy 7:22.  However the previous verse states that Hashem will send hornets to wage the battles for them. I assume Hashem has equal control over hornets and all other animals. So why not chase the people out quickly and keep the animals from overrunning the land?


texts:
I cannot find two famous saying attributed to Rebbi Nachman of Breslov.

The whole world is a very narrow bridge...
It is a great mitzvah to be happy constantly

Instead I have found

A man must traverse a very narrow bridge... (I forget the exact location, I believe in likuteh morahan tinyana 8)
A brief sicha extolling the value of relating to the shoresh of simcha (likuteh moharan tinyana 34)

Are these famous saying merely misquotes? Do they have other sources either in the works of Rebbi Nachman (or his students) or elsewhere?


texts:
Can a ceramic pot which I used for cooking milk, very rarely and a long time ago, be turned into a parve pot to boil water only?

The pot is actually granitware, constructed of low-carbon steel with glass coating. I would like to use it to boil water for tea, mostly. May I use this water to add to chicken soup?


texts: Is it ok to steal to prevent avodah zarah

texts:
There is a law in the Gemara and brought in the Rambam and Shulchan Aruch. From Rambam end of Chapter 1 of Mishneh Torah Hilchos Rotzeach:

14
Whenever a person can save another person's life, but he fails to do so, he transgresses a negative commandment, as Leviticus 19:16 states: "Do not stand  idly by while your brother's blood is at stake."
Similarly, this commandment applies when a person sees a colleague drowning at sea or being attacked by robbers or a wild animal, and he can save him himself  or can hire others to save him. Similarly, it applies when he hears gentiles or  mosrim conspiring to harm a colleague or planning a snare for him, and he does  not inform him and notify him of the danger.
And it applies when a person knows of a gentile or a man of force who has a complaint against a colleague, and he can appease the aggressor on behalf of his colleague, but he fails to do so. And similarly, in all analogous instances, a person who fails to act transgresses the commandment: "Do not stand idly by while your brother's blood is at stake."
יד
כָּל הַיָּכוֹל לְהַצִּיל וְלֹא הִצִּיל עוֹבֵר עַל (ויקרא יט טז) "לֹא תַעֲמֹד עַל דַּם רֵעֶךָ". וְכֵן הָרוֹאֶה אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ טוֹבֵעַ בַּיָּם. אוֹ לִסְטִים בָּאִים עָלָיו. אוֹ חַיָּה רָעָה בָּאָה עָלָיו. וְיָכוֹל לְהַצִּילוֹ הוּא בְּעַצְמוֹ. אוֹ שֶׁיִּשְׂכֹּר אֲחֵרִים לְהַצִּילוֹ וְלֹא הִצִּיל. אוֹ שֶׁשָּׁמַע עוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים אוֹ מוֹסְרִים מְחַשְּׁבִים עָלָיו רָעָה אוֹ טוֹמְנִין לוֹ פַּח וְלֹא גִּלָּה אֹזֶן חֲבֵרוֹ וְהוֹדִיעוֹ. אוֹ שֶׁיָּדַע בְּעַכּוּ''ם אוֹ בְּאוֹנֵס שֶׁהוּא בָּא עַל חֲבֵרוֹ וְיָכוֹל לְפַיְּסוֹ בִּגְלַל חֲבֵרוֹ לְהָסִיר מַה שֶּׁבְּלִבּוֹ וְלֹא פִּיְּסוֹ. וְכָל כַּיּוֹצֵא בִּדְבָרִים אֵלּוּ. הָעוֹשֶׂה אוֹתָם עוֹבֵר עַל לֹא תַעֲמֹד עַל דַּם רֵעֶךָ:

When a person sees a rodef pursuing a colleague to kill him, or a woman forbidden as an ervah to rape her, and he has the potential to save the victim and yet fails to do so, he has negated the observance of the positive commandment: "You must cut off her hand," and has transgressed two negative commandments: "You may not show pity," and "Do not stand idly by while your brother's blood is at stake."
That one has to go to any measures to save the life of another Jew. In some places this means even stealing the property of the other Jew, based on this rambam that anything except the big 3 can be done to save a life if a jew
Question is if this applies to the spiritual life if the Jew as well, meaning of a jew has idols can we steal then and break thek to prevent the Jew from chas veshalom owning idols?
If any mitzvah, including stealing, but minus the big 3, are overruled to save a Jewish life, then would idolatry, which is not overruled even to save a life, as it is one of the big 3, certainly be overruled by the lesser mitzvos, including stealing? Is this not a Kal vachomer?


texts: Which spouse should get up, according to G-d's advice/plan?

texts:
In Proverbs 19:21 we have

עֲצַת ה' הִיא תָקוּם

I understand this to be on the topic of division of labor between a man and his wife, in particular which one should wake up early in the morning to do chores. But the exact message depends on how it is read. Either

עֲצַת ה' הִיא - תָקוּם
The advice of G-d is - get up! [Masculine]

so it is the husband, or

עֲצַת ה' - הִיא תָקוּם
The advice of G-d - she will get up.

so it is the wife.
Which one is correct?

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


texts: How should parents divide wedding expenses with their child's future in-laws

texts:
Today there are many different practices that have been "adopted" (not formally though) among the various Jewish communities on how the parents of an engaged couple divide up the expenses of the wedding - and potentially the couple's expenses as they start out.

In some circles, the larger financial burden falls on the parents on the girl. Often the boy's parents pay for a specific set of expenses (i.e. FLOP, Flowers, Liquor, Orchestra, Pictures). In other circles, the parents always split it 50/50.

Do the sages ever discuss what the proper approach to this important time is? Do we know how the sages and great Rabbis of more modern times dealt in these matters?


texts: What is the true definition of the word Kadosh in Hebrew?

texts:
This question may be simple but I was curious if we have a true definition for it.

People talk about living in a (Kadosh) or holy way. The word gets used a lot but I don't necessarily think I've heard anybody really describe the underlying meaning or definition behind it.

I was curious if we have a true and clear definition for what makes something Kadosh (holy)


texts: Miracles warranting public Torah reading or omission of Tachanun

texts:
Miracles happened and will happen to Israel. For example, on Purim and Chanukkah the Tachanun is omitted and/or Hallel is recited and/or the Torah is publicly read. Today, on Jerusalem Day or recently on Yom HaAtzmaut, many, mainly Zionist Jews deviate from the normal weekday prayer, and add parts they consider to be a proper expression of their joy.

Strictly from a halakhic point of view, what has to happen that warrants a public Torah reading or the omission of the Tachanun?


texts: Was the Hasidic gartel influenced by Zoroastrianism?

texts: In this lecture Dr. Secunda postulates a connection between the Zoroastrian Kushti belt and the external belt some (mainly Hasidic) Jews wear during prayer called a gartel. The possible reason for this postulation is that, unlike the basic halachic requirement the reason to divide between the heart and the genitals, the gartel is worn to divide between the upper more spiritual portion of the body and the lower part which is seen as connected to mundane (sexual) desires. This is the same reason the kushti is worn. I would like to know if there is any other information supporting or opposing this possible connection in Jewish academic or religious (responsa) literature.


texts: Does an Ashkenazi lady say a bracha on netilat lulav on the first day of Sukkot if the lulav is borrowed?

texts:
An Ashkenazi woman wants to shake the 4 species on the first day of Sukkot. Her husband doesn't have a lulav. She goes to a friend who has a lulav, and without his knowledge (and active transfer of ownership of the lulav) she takes it to perform the mitzvah. Since she does not co-own the lulav, and there is a requirement that lulav has to belong to the person shaking it on the first day of Sukkot, does she say a bracha on shaking the lulav?

By 'lulav' I refer to all 4 species.


texts: Alright you Yemenites or Mizrahim out there! Matzah Recipe?

texts: Looking for information on how Yemenites or other Mizrahim bake Matzah. How much flour to water, how hot does the oven get? Does it have to go to the oven within 18 minutes, or does that only matter if the flour has been left unattended and unbeaten? Do you add salt or not? Did you temper the wheat for the flour with water before milling?


texts:
In Parshat Ki Teitzei there's the mitzvah that Bnei Ammon cannot marry into the Jewish people. Same is true for Bnei Moav. The verse says it's because they didn't greet the Jews with bread and water.

Rashi (23:9) says that we learn from here that causing others to sin is worse than killing them, since you kill them in this world and in the next world. This is because Bnei Moav hired Bilaam and the Benot Midian to seduce the Jews.

However, I don't recall the Torah mentioning anything about Bnei Ammon causing the Jews to sin. What is Rashi (quoting Sifre) referring to?


texts:
I noticed twice there was a group of people who came to Moshe and said: "are we any worse / למה נגרע?" Or: "why should it be worse / למה יגרע?". Those who were tamei and the daughters of Tzelophchad.

Their claim was valid enough for Moshe to ask Hashem what the law should be, and Hashem introduced a new halacha for the masses.

Does anyone comment on this parallel statement?


texts: Why does the Torah seem to tolerate cheating esp. with Ya'akov and his sons?

texts:
I'm a bit puzzled that the concepts of cheating and deception seem to repeat themselves in almost every weekly parsha from Toldot through Vayechi.

Ya'akov apparently takes advantage of a tired Esav by having him sell the birthright so that he can eat some food. One could argue that a tired starving person isn't exactly thinking straight. Or, even if he knew what he was doing, he didn't expect that selling the birthright meant that he would forfeit the blessings from his father.

Then, Ya'akov deceives his own father to get the blessing and tells him that he is Esav, wears Esav's clothes to fool him, etc.

Yes, we see that Lavan deceived Ya'akov by having him marry Leah first instead of Rachel. But, Ya'akov takes revenge against Lavan with the way he dealt with the sheep. (Doesn't the Torah teach that one should not take revenge or bear a grudge?)

The brothers deceive Ya'akov by convincing him that Yosef is dead.

The brothers deceive Shchem and Chamor telling them that they will live with them providing that they will circumcise themselves and all males in the city. All knowing that they planned on killing everyone, there.

Yosef deceives his brothers by initially jailing them and accusing them of being spies.

Why does the Torah decide to resolve each of these incidents of deception and, apparently, does not depict any charge or wrong-doing for that? Couldn't each of these people have resolved their differences via negotiating or some other means? Or, if G-d is supposed to protect our forefathers, he could have performed a miracle or just altered events so that such deception would have been unnecessary.


texts: Why is Yitzchak spelled with a "sin" in Tehillim 105:9?

texts:
I just came across this strange variant spelling this morning. I've been in the habit of reciting Tikkun HaKlali recently and saw this in Artscroll's Tehillim this past Shabbat. Thinking it was a typo, I came across it today in a different Tehillim by Artscroll, the Interlinear Edition. The verse reads like so:

  אשר כרת את אברהם ושבועתו לישחק

  (asher carat et av'raham ush'vuato l'yis'chak)

Normally, of course, Yitzchak is spelled with a tzadde:

  יצחק

  (yitz'chak)

Can anyone point me to some commentary on why this is? Both  Tehillim which I have used say nothing about the variant spelling, which is interesting to say the least.


texts:
Who knows two hundred ninety-eight?
?שמונה ותשעים ומאתים - מי יודע
In the spirit of the song "Echad - mi yodeya", please post interesting and significant Jewish facts about the number 298.
I wash my hands of anything to do with lazy gematria on this one.
Check out mi-yodeya-series for the previous two hundred ninety-seven entries in this ongoing series.
Please include sources for your information wherever possible, as with all other answers on this site.


texts: Why is Sarah the only woman that has her years lived mentioned?

texts:
Breishit 23:1 mentions that Sarah was 127 years old when she died. Ohr Hachaim's commentary seems to glance upon some issues regarding why Sarah's age was mentioned, and he seems to focus on the fact that she suffered the biggest challenge because she didn't give birth until she was 90.

The commentary mentions Rachel who also didn't give birth until later in life. I saw no mention of Rivkah (though it may be there).

I agree that not giving birth is severe suffering, but there were many women in Tana"ch that had trouble with birth. Chana and the Shunamite woman (mentioned with Elisha) are two examples outside of the Torah. None of these women had their ages mentioned when they died. As a matter of fact, their deaths aren't even mentioned!

It seems that it was only because of the length of Sarah's birth suffering that she seems to be the only woman in Tana"ch to have her age mentioned at death? Why would that factor alone make Sarah noteworthy?

Sarah seems to be the sole exception to this rule as she seems to be the only woman having her age mentioned at death. Why is she the only exception?


texts:
Inspired by this question.

Some commentaries viewed maaseh bereishis to be the literal description of the creation, and some interpret it in an allegorical fashion. I recall hearing somewhere that several creations mentioned in there were allegories to body parts. Does anyone know where is the source(s) for this, given that this does not seems to be a new idea?


texts: Does "dina demalchusa dina" apply to laws no one keeps?

texts: Suppose there is a law which most people routinely ignore, and the government rarely if ever enforces it. Does the principle of dina demalchusa dina still require you to obey this law?


texts:
In this weeks parsha of Vayeira, I counted 6 references to the words דלת and פתח, all in the story of Lot and Sodom. I don't believe this is a coincidence, since its all about standing in the door, opening the door, closing the door, all of which is irrelevant information. It must be teaching something.

Genesis 19: 6-11
ו  וַיֵּצֵא אֲלֵהֶם לוֹט, הַפֶּתְחָה; וְהַדֶּלֶת, סָגַר אַחֲרָיו.
6 And Lot went out unto them to the door, and shut the door after him.
ט  וַיֹּאמְרוּ גֶּשׁ-הָלְאָה, וַיֹּאמְרוּ הָאֶחָד בָּא-לָגוּר
וַיִּשְׁפֹּט שָׁפוֹט--עַתָּה, נָרַע לְךָ מֵהֶם; וַיִּפְצְרוּ בָאִישׁ
בְּלוֹט מְאֹד, וַיִּגְּשׁוּ לִשְׁבֹּר הַדָּלֶת.   9 And they said:
'Stand back.' And they said: 'This one fellow came in to sojourn, and
he will needs play the judge; now will we deal worse with thee, than
with them.' And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and drew
near to break the door.
י  וַיִּשְׁלְחוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים אֶת-יָדָם, וַיָּבִיאוּ אֶת-לוֹט אֲלֵיהֶם
הַבָּיְתָה; וְאֶת-הַדֶּלֶת, סָגָרוּ.  10 But the men put forth their
hand, and brought Lot into the house to them, and the door they shut.
יא  וְאֶת-הָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר-פֶּתַח הַבַּיִת, הִכּוּ בַּסַּנְוֵרִים,
מִקָּטֹן, וְעַד-גָּדוֹל; וַיִּלְאוּ, לִמְצֹא הַפָּתַח.    11 And they
smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both
small and great; so that they wearied themselves to find the door.

An even bigger mystery is the corresponding haftarah in 2 Kings Chapter 4 made 5 references to the words דלת, פתח, (in reference to closing a door:) סגור.
What is the significance of this?


texts: Can we say the "Adir bamarom" prayer after the prayer which we say instead of "Birkat Kohanim"?

texts:
Extracted from here:

The prevailing custom in the Diaspora to relegate the Birkat Kohanim to the major holidays.
After Birkat Kohanim, the congregation silently recites the short Adir bamarom prayer.

When Birkat Kohanim is not performed, the chazzan recites the short prayer, in lieu of Birkat Kohanim, "Our G d and G d of our fathers, bless us with the threefold blessing written in the Torah by Moses Your servant, and pronounced by Aaron and his sons the Kohanim… [and the prayer concludes with the text of the Priestly Birkat Blessing]."

Is there a source for saying the Adir bamarom prayer after the in lieu prayer?


texts: If I borrow something may I do something which I believe improves that thing, without the owners consent? For example if I borrow a library book and find an error in one of the facts printed there can I write a correction in the margin?


texts: what happens to documents when name change

texts:
if someone changed a name, (got a Jewish name, added a name to his name...)

what happens to his/her document

for example kesubah, does he need a new kesuba, or the old one is good

how about if someones father changed his (the fathers) name,
what happens to his (the sons) documents (the sons name in them was written with his fathers old name)

sources please


texts: I accidentally broke my fast on Yom Kippur, now what?

texts:
What are you supposed to do if you inadvertently broke your fast on Yom Kippur?  Do you:

keep going;
extend it (if so, how long);
cancel it (if so, do you make it up a different day)?

Does it make a difference if the food or drink was actually swallowed before realizing the mistake?


texts: I've tried to quit nicotine cold turkey and find it difficult.  Are there any replacement therapies -- such as nicotine gum or lozenges -- that are kosher?  Aside from possible kashrut issues, are there any reasons under halacha not to use them?


texts: Seeking sources about the necessity for finding a מנין

texts: I am looking for sources about the necessity for finding a מנין.  More specifically, whether or not one has to always be in close range of a מנין, or if he can intentionally put himself in a position in which he cannot get to one.


texts:
Can it be considered avodah zarah if one prays while looking at themselves in the mirror? I mean, if you're looking at yourself, is it wrong for someone to think that you're praying to that person?  I'm not sure how great this logic is, because I know this doesn't apply to objects, or people when their backs are turned (eg. in the beit kenesset).

I'm not concerned about the possible distraction of seeing myself in the mirror (I'm not that, um, attractive).


texts:
I am interested to learn the halachos of Hilchos Milah in a more practical manner.

Are there any books that one can recommend? Hebrew or English works.


texts: Why 18 minutes (or other minhagim). Where did these numbers come from?


texts: Why King Solomon wasn't worthy of a share in Olam Haba?

texts:
In Sanhedrin 104, the members of the Great Assembly decided that Shlomo does not deserve a share in the World to Come.

[Sages enumerated a list of kings that do not deserve a share in Olam Habah] Rav Ashi says: The members of the Great Assembly enumerated them. Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: They sought to enumerate one more, King Solomon...
A Divine Voice emerged and said to the members of the Great Assembly: ... "Therefore, “he shall stand before kings; he shall stand not before obscure men,” and it is inappropriate to enumerate him among the wicked.

Why did the Sages consider King Solomon so wicked that he lost his share in the WTC?


texts:
Who knows one hundred eighty?
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:
Does Aesop's story about The Boy Who Cried Wolf actually originate from Miriam Bas Bilgah, the girl who cried wolf (Sukkah 56b)? Miriam accused the altar of being a "wolf", consuming Korbanos.

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


texts: Basis of Shulchan Aruch's ruling about tefilin on Chol HaMoed

texts:
A local Orthodox rabbi told me that while most of the decisions in the Shulchan Aruch were based on taking the majority of the Rambam, Rosh and Rif (all of whom he claimed supported laying tefilin on Chol HaMoed), the Shulchan Aruch ruled against laying tefilin on Chol HaMoed based on the ruling of the Zohar.

Where does the Shulchan Aruch say this? Why did he apparently deviate from his normal rule of psak?


texts: Where does the concept of "shirayim" come from?

texts: Please explain the concept of shirayim (literally, leftovers) wherein the followers of a chassidic Rebbe will receive portions of his food to it, these leftovers are considered holy or special in some way. Where does the concept of this ritual come from? Why is it only performed on shabbat and holidays? Is it specific to food (if so, why)? What are some of the first documented cases of shirayim being given out?


texts:
Had an unmarried Jewish woman ever owned a male slave, whom she acquired or asked to become her husband?

Was there ever any occurrence in the Tanach, Gemara, Mishna, Halacha, Aggadot, Midrashim, etc. of a single Jewish woman or a widowed Jewish woman who owned a male slave, whom she acquired or asked to become her husband?

In which circumstance could such a union be halachically permitted?

I ask this out of curiosity and for personal study. If I could have simply searched this for myself (like go to such and such search engine at such and such, where it is hooked up to all Jewish sources), then please teach me how and where I could have searched this. Thanks.


texts:
Shemot (Exodus) 16:35 says:

ובני ישראל אכלו את המן ארבעים שנה
The children of Israel ate Haman for 40 years

My questions:

Even though there is a commandment to destroy Amalek, and Haman was an Amelekite, there is also a prohibition of eating human flesh as humans aren't kosher. Was Haman an exception? Was he kosher, or if not, why were they allowed to eat Haman despite his not being kosher?
They ate Haman for 40 years. The Torah says that the population of males over 20 was around 600 thousand, and that remained fairly constant throughout the 40 years in the desert. If you factor the children and women, there area a lot more than that number. How large was Haman that he was able to be sufficient food for so many people for 40 years? How did he become so large?

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


texts:
Today, a very learned friend of mine and I were discussing the difficulty of the literal interpretation of Noah's ark. That is, we could not fathom how multiple samples of every animal on earth could have fit on a boat.

We got very creative in our interpretation, but we still were forced to admit that it would have to have been an open miracle for it to work.

We were also surprised to realize that neither of us could remember having ever heard of anything from חז״ל seeking to explain the phenomenon. We assume that they must have been aware of the vast number of animals in the world, even if they did not know to the extent we know today just how vast that number actually is, and they must have also known that such a large number would be impossible under normal circumstances to fit under one roof, however large, not even accounting for food and waste.

Are there any sources in חז״ל that attempt to address this difficulty?


texts: Since I may be naked in my bedroom, is it possible to have sifrei kodesh in it (according to the Talmud or the Rambam)?


texts: According to the opinions that playing cards is not stealing, would cheating in the game be considered stealing?

texts: While most halachic authorities consider gambling and card games to be stealing, according to the opinion(s) that permit it, would cheating in the game qualify as stealing? Since cheating is a possibility and perhaps both parties “despair” of that which is put in the middle, could that be a reason why it may not be stealing “after the fact” and not require returning the winnings?


texts:
I’m sure this was asked here multiple times, but I’m having trouble finding it. Can someone please explain to me:
1) how is Adam’s punishment of “eating bread from the sweat of your brow” a rectification of eating from the tree?
2) how is pain in childbirth a rectification for Chava’s part in this?


texts: Becoming a "stubborn and rebellious child" - a question on Tosafot Yom Tov

texts:
In the Mishna (Sanhedrin 8:2), one of the circumstances under which a child who consumed a certain amount of meat and wine does not become a "stubborn and rebellious child" (בן סורר ומורה) is when the food that he consumed is either tevel (food from which terumot have not been taken), maaser rishon from which terumat hamaaser has not been taken, unredeemed maaser sheni (outside Jerusalem) or unredeemed heqdesh. Tosafot Yom Tov comments that this section doesn't belong here, since one only becomes a "stubborn and rebellious child" if one consumes, specifically, meat and wine.

I don't understand this statement. Wine could potentially be any one of those items in the above list, while meat could potentially be unredeemed heqdesh. What is the Tosafot Yom Tov's problem with this passage?


texts: I hope this isn't an ignorant question, but I wonder if there is one place that all the b'rachot are written down, and if so, where is it? Are they all in the Mishnah?


texts: Does determining the proper action in scenario X count towards Talmud Torah?

texts:
Say you are about to perform some action. You then realize that there might be some halachic issues involved. You begin to enter a thought process about what is the halachically right thing to do.

Does entering this thought process count towards Talmud Torah, even if there is no speech involved?


texts: Responding "Amen" to fanciful blessings and wishes

texts:
This is related to this question, but I'm curious about a slightly different angle.

Suppose someone makes a fanciful blessing.  I'm not talking about, "May we be Zocheh to a Geulah Sheleimah BiMheirah," or "May the Neshamah have an 'Aliyah," because, despite the fact that these are outside the realm of our understanding, they are not outside the realm of possibility or what we believe must or can happen.

But what about, "May you know no more sorrow," or more fanciful ideas about a departed soul?  Certainly life is full of moments of gladness and sorrow.  If someone knows no sorrow in his life, then that likely means the person will predecease everyone that is related to him - that is not a blessing at all, and certainly the blessing is meant to imply that this person should live a life in which no circumstances of sadness should ever happen again.  That is not something that can be reconciled with reality.  I also recently saw something like, "May the Neshamah enjoy hearing the beautiful words read from the Torah written in their memory."

Should (or may) a person respond "Amen" to such a blessing/wish?  Does this even count as such?


texts: If a worker forgot a sheave in a field, thereby making it Shich'cha (one of the gifts which the owner of the field must leave to the poor), does he have to pay back the owner?


texts:
Is it permitted say any of the following to a Christian colleague:

1) Merry Christmas

2) Happy Xmas

3) Happy Holidays

I am specifically referring to initiating a greeting not responding to such a greeting as mentioned elsewhere December greeting responses  or when giving a gift.

Also would there be a difference between let's say seeing someone and wishing them "Merry .." or using the phrase  when thanking someone for a service (like saying it to a cashier) ?

Is writing it in a email different than saying it ?


texts:
What is a watch one can wear on shabbat?

There are the analogue quartz watches with just one crown to adjust the time that (as far as I'm aware) most people would wear on shabbat (especially an expensive one since it's more like jewellery.)

Then there are the digital watches with various trinkets such as alarms, calculators and universal television remotes.

You can also get watches that record audio and video, watches that are phones and more futuristic, computers in their own right.

My question is, what is the extent of watches that one can wear on shabbat?


texts: What are the halakhic considerations when it comes to patronizing a business whose workers are on strike?

texts:
Crossing a picket line and patronizing a business whose workers are on strike, against the will of the workers, is a controversial action with some people saying it should never be done. I read an article about a Conservative rabbi in New England who made a halakhic ruling that purchasing food for Passover from a particular grocery store whose employees are currently on strike is forbidden. Despite the fact that his ruling used some arguments that I consider logically dubious (e.g. equating a wage-worker with a non-Jewish slave), I think the question itself is interesting.

Do any halakhic sources, ancient or recent, discuss the permissiblity of crossing a picket line?


texts:
It says in Kesuvos 19b:

מר בר רב אשי אמר אמנה היו דברינו אין נאמנין מודעא היו דברינו נאמנין מ"ט האי ניתן ליכתב והאי לא ניתן ליכתב
Witnesses who said that this [contract was written on] trust aren't believed. This was a Modaah is believed. Why? One is permitted to be written and the other isn't.

The reason given is that a contract written on trust (signed before the money is given) is forbidden to be written since it will be a "stumbling block" in front of the "lender".
Why is a Modaah allowed to be written? I issue a Modaah the day before that my contract tomorrow will be false. Tomorrow, I come to him, sell him my field, and the next day come to court to take it back. He pulls out his Shtar, so I pull out my "Modaah". How is this potential situation allowed to happen?


texts: Tonight (or earlier tonight in Israel) the planets Jupiter and Saturn come so close that one might think that they are a single star. Is this occasion to say the beracha of עושה מעשה בראשית? It is not listed as one of the occasions to make the beracha, but is it similar to a shooting star or comet (O.C. 227), or to the phoneme of חמה בתקופתו, when the sun (or the zodiac) is in its "original location" when a beracha is made once in 28 years (O.C. 229)?


texts: Cursing Adam and Eve in addition to punishment?

texts:
When Adam was commanded not to eat from the tree of knowledge, G-d presented him with the punishment (Ber 2.17):

וּמֵעֵץ הַדַּעַת טוֹב וָרָע לֹא תֹאכַל מִמֶּנּוּ כִּי בְּיוֹם אֲכָלְךָ מִמֶּנּוּ מוֹת תָּמוּת׃
but as for the tree of knowledge of good and bad, you must not eat of it; for as soon as you eat of it, you shall die.

So "you shall die" was the punishment, as I understand. However, it looks that "things went emotional" (please edit) when G-d started to curse the serpent, Eve and Adam, things that were not detailed in the commandment:

וּלְאָדָם אָמַר כִּי־שָׁמַעְתָּ לְקוֹל אִשְׁתֶּךָ וַתֹּאכַל מִן־הָעֵץ אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִיךָ לֵאמֹר לֹא תֹאכַל מִמֶּנּוּ אֲרוּרָה הָאֲדָמָה בַּעֲבוּרֶךָ בְּעִצָּבוֹן תֹּאכֲלֶנָּה כֹּל יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ׃
To Adam He said, “Because you did as your wife said and ate of the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ Cursed be the ground because of you; By toil shall you eat of it All the days of your life:

So let's say I'm speeding, and a cop stops me. I'm liable to the full punishment outlined in the law, but not to additional curses, humiliation, hatred etc.
So it is either that the curses should have been elaborated in the commandment or G-d should have terminated Adam as promised.
Why G-d cursed Adam and Eve and the Serpent contrary to the wording of the punishment in the commandment?


texts:
Under what conditions does one say a beracha upon tasting food which one is cooking? For some foods there may be a point during cooking, before which, the food would be considered inedible e.g. pasta, rice, potatoes, aubergine, etc.

If there is a safek as to whether the food is cooked through, would it be considered a safek beracha and therefore we would be lenient not to say a beracha?

(I am only asking about those things which would be considered inedible prior to cooking).


texts:
What is the shortest interval during which we read publicly from each of the five Chumashim?

There is actually a practical issue involved here as well. The halachah is that if a community has a Sefer Torah which has mistakes in it, but the chumash that is to be read now is free of such mistakes, then they may use it if there is no other one available (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 143:4). So, supposing that a community indeed has only one Sefer Torah - when is it best for them to get it thoroughly checked, since they will need all five chumashim to be free of errors?


texts: Is Halacha a system of Civil Law or Common Law?

texts:
I often see halacha paskened differently between rabbis. Sometimes, a rabbi will cite a rabbinic opinion made by an aharon and other times a rabbi will cite the Talmud, Shulchan Aruch, or Mishneh Torah, or some other legal compilation, to come to a decision.

So my question is this: Methodologically speaking, is halacha decided through a civil law system, where law is decided through codified statues, or is it a common law system, where law is derived from halachic opinions decided from poskim? Is it both? Does halacha favor one process more than the other?


texts: Using water filter/purification system on Shabbos

texts:
(Being asked as a theoretical question. Obviously everyone should ask their LOR.)

There is a water filter (or purifier) that works in the following way:
The water flows into a part where there is some sort of "chemical" (in the shape of round white balls) that help to "clean the water". The water then pours from there out going through a normal sort of filtering part. If we look at the water is the "ochel" (food) and the white balls as the "pasules" (not good part) is there a problem of borer in the fact that the water (the "ochel" in this case) passes through this filter, "separating" it from the white balls (the "pasoles" in this case.) Perhaps this is "borer b'cli" (separating with a vessel) and would be prohibited on Shabbos.

I'm pointing this out because it's not a "normal case" of using a filter where the water simply passes through a sort of sifting part (which could be muter on Shabbos if a person would drink this water without having used the filter.) The water is getting mixed together with some sort of chemical then "separated" from that so in regards to the chemical we have a "mixture" of "ochel and pasoles".)


texts: Is dancing in camp permissible during the Three Weeks?

texts: Given that generally, listening to music is prohibited during the Three Weeks, may an adult camp counsellor dance with below bar / bat mitzvah campers, for the entertainment of the campers and to contribute to an energetic, joyful environment?


texts:
Is there a connection between Purim masks and the mask Moshe begins wearing at the end of Parshat Ki Tisa? (see Exodus 34:29-35)

It seems too much of a coincidence that it's read near Purim for there to be none.


texts: Are you allowed to make Tzitzis In the Bathroom?


texts: PTIJ: Why does G-d want to give us The Wizard of Oz?

texts:
The Psalmist (I think its #29) said:

ה' עוז לעמו יתן
G-d will give us Oz

What's the purpose to giving us The Wizard of Oz? I thought we are supposed to kill wizards, no? Is that the whole point of giving him to us - so we can kill him?
Even if this is meant to be an exception, The Wizard of Oz is useful only for granted three things - a heart, a brain, and courage. I thought that these things are granted by G-d, not from wizards. As a matter of fact, we pray for each of these every day, and we are asking G-d, himself to grant these to us. Should we praying to the Great Wizard instead?
This question is Purim Torah and is not intended to be taken completely seriously. See the Purim Torah policy.


texts:
Part of the standard liturgy reads as follows:

יום שבתון אין לשכוח
A Shabbaton may not be forgotten.

Most I’ve incurred have been filled with droning speeches and long meals. Is there a [hidden] reason why all this must remain etched in my memory?

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


texts: Audio or video lectures of Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan zt"l

texts: Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan zt"l, wrote many interesting articles and books in his life. However, does anyone know if there are an audio of video lectures of him?


texts: Magicians' Inability to Interpet Pharaoh's Dreams

texts:
The Posuk says (Genesis 41:3):

  וְהִנֵּה שֶׁבַע פָּרוֹת אֲחֵרוֹת עֹלוֹת אַחֲרֵיהֶן מִן הַיְאֹר רָעוֹת מַרְאֶה וְדַקּוֹת בָּשָׂר וַתַּעֲמֹדְנָה אֵצֶל הַפָּרוֹת עַל שְׂפַת הַיְאֹר

Translated as:

  And behold, seven other cows were coming up after them from the Nile, of ugly appearance and lean of flesh, and they stood beside the cows on the Nile bank.

The question: With all the hints to food and hunger — fat verses skinny cows, stalks of wheat, the Nile (the Egyptians' source of food) — how is it that all the magicians did not come up with a hunger-related reading of the dream?


texts: Source for the idea that "bris milah" is a "bris achvah"

texts: Where else do we find, like the sifsei chachomim writes (Bereshit 45:4), that bris milah is a bris achvah - a covenant of brotherhood?


texts: Is there a freely distributable English translation of Tanach available?

texts:
I am in the midst of creating a media project.  The content is 'religion'.  There is a publicly distributable set of 4 documents in XML format (programmer speak for a document that can easily be transformed into other document types - e.g. text, Word docs or HTML).  My project will be based around HTML.

The 4 documents include:

Jewish Scripture
Christian Scripture
The Quran
The Book of Mormon.

I would like to include an English translation of the Torah.

Is there a freely distributable electronic form of the Torah available in English?


texts: The Shulchan Aruch (155:2) writes that after the morning prayers, one should make a point to eat Pas Shacharis "Morning bread". Does anyone have a mekoros that discuss what makes up pas schacharis? is it whole grain? Or can it include even white bleached bread


texts:
Malachi 3:10 - Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that [there shall] not [be room] enough [to receive it].

Is this a spiritual blessing or more "natural"

If you give the tithes of what you make at work,then HaShem will bless your economy? (give it to the house of israel,synagogue and so on)


texts: What is the source for blowing the shofar during Hoshannot?

texts:
As a lad attending a shul in Washington Heights, NY, I noticed that the rav blew 10 blasts from the shofar after each hakafah on Hoshanna Rabba. Our shul davened Nusach Ashkenaz.

Since then, I have been to dozens of other shuls on Hoshanna Rabba, both Nusach Ashkenaz and Sfard. No other shul performed this minhag, so I sense that this may not be too common.

I am curious what the source and / or reason for this minhag is, and if there are any demographics on this. (Which group of people are likely to follow this minhag?)


texts: Does anyone know where I can find the actual text of the Gezeira of Rabbeinu Gershom?  It keeps popping up in my learning, but only as being referenced, I would like to read that actual text.


texts: Do nochrim have free choice in the 7 Laws?

texts:
There is a teaching that Jews have bechira chofshis, and only as regards their performance of mitzvot. (I don't have a source for the first claim offhand; please help. The source for the second claim may be the Pirkei Avot that everything is in the hands of Heaven except the fear of Heaven.)

Do the umos ha'olam have bechira chofshis as regards their performance of their mitzvot? Or is it a different story?


texts:
I understand that the translation of the Hebrew word מלאך means "messenger" and an angel is "G-d's messenger."

We see angels mentioned in various roles. Frequently, angels appear in dreams. Sometimes, they are assigned tasks such as the three angels that appeared before Avraham.

If G-d is present everywhere, and he is able to do everything, even doing many things simultaneously ("multitasking"), then, why does G-d need to send angels or messengers? Why doesn't G-d just do the job, himself?


texts: Do restaurants need a kosher certificate?

texts: There is a concept of "Eid echad ne'eman b'issurin" which means if a person testifies on something that is questionable we believe him. An example would be regarding kosher: if I go to a friend's house and he serves me chicken, and he tells me it's kosher, I'm allowed to take his word for it. So if a restaurant owner is an observant Jew, must he have a kosher certificate?


texts: Does the Jewish tradition command Jews to love Muslims, who believe in the same God as the Jews do, as opposed to Christians, who worship avodah zarah (A human being worshipped as an Idol)?


texts: How was Rosh Chodesh determined, if a New Moon Cannot be Seen?

texts:
1. Question / Issue :
If a New Moon cannot be seen, then it seems that the first visible confirmation of a New Moon is actually the Waxing Crescent Moon, which can only be observed after the New Moon - minimally - after 12.1 hours with a telescope, and 15.5 hours without. (See Astronomy.SE/How Soon Could a Waxing Crescent Moon Be Seen?).
According to Judaism 101, the Jewish Calendar:

Used to be calculated by observation
Calculated mathematically since 4th century

In view of this, is there any Rabbinical commentary that helps explain how the 1st of the Month / New Moon was determined during the Temple Period?

Was this pre-calculated - to "safeguard" Rosh Chodesh?
Or, was it determined "After-the-fact" and the calendar day was set to the first, retroactively?

I am hoping for references that can be cited, thank you.


texts: Can beis din declare Rosh Chodesh based on testimony from the following day?

texts:
The ideal way of deciding the day of Rosh Chodesh is for Beis Din to declare it after witnesses come and say they saw the new moon.  The new moon is only visible around sunset, so usually the witnesses have almost 24 hours to get there in time to testify.

Let's say witnesses see the new moon in Beijing on Sunday night, where (at least in the summer) sunset is around the same local time as in Yerushalayim, or 5 hours earlier in absolute time.  Using the plane that currently holds the record for fastest airspeed, they can fly to Tel Aviv in less than 2 hours and get to Yerushalayim in plenty of time to testify before sunset on Sunday.

Can Beis Din declare Rosh Chodesh on Sunday, even though when the witnesses saw the moon it was already Monday for them?


texts: Is it Yichud to learn/study torah with the opposite gender?

texts:
I am in my journey of baal teshuva, and as such am very excited to further my knowledge and study of Torah with members of my community.  I just recently met someone who is on this same journey as me, and we have connected in our love for learning.

From my experience, intense learning comes with it the development of a deep connection with your chavrusa.  Is there a Yichud issue with a male learning with a female, provided that it takes place in a publicly open space?


texts: Visualizing the Rebbe during marital relations

texts:
Rabbi Slifkin wrote in a recent post that:

  ... in some Chabad chosson/kallah classes, they  are taught that
  during climax, they should visualize the Rebbe.

Slifkin brings the writings of Rabbi Teberdovich (spelling?) as a source who writes:

  בשעת מעשה ראוי שלא לדבר אלא לחשוב אותיות התורה ולצייר דמות הרבי .

  "At the time of the act it is fitting not to speak but rather to think of the letters of the Torah and to form an image of the Rebbe"

Given the problem of visualising someone else during marital relations (mishna berura חלק ב' רמ:ט) how is this a practice deemed acceptable in chabad? If it is indeed acceptable (as the 'chabad rabbi' link suggests) is it accepted by chabad i.e. is it normative that chatan/kallah learn this in their classes?


texts: Is there a concept of giving a fatter sacrifice?

texts: Is there a concept of giving a fatter sacrifice as opposed to a smaller one? I believe the Torah says there are different levels of sacrifices depending on your wealth (e.g. a cow vs. a bird vs. flour, etc.), but is there a concept of giving a fatter one of the same animal? (E.g. a fat cow vs. a skinny cow.)


texts:
Human teeth are different from other parts of the body because they are given twice (the third we need to pay).

Does Judaism address the purpose of the creation of the milk teeth at infancy and their replacement later with permanent ones? What does it represent spiritually?


texts: From a Rabbinical perspective is the creation of a golem considered a sin against Hashem or form of Sorcery?

texts:
This topic is a little strange but I'm curious as to where the concept of Golems fit within the current consensus of Rabbinical interpretations of Witchcraft.

The Golem of Prague is a story surrounding the Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel. He was a Jewish mystic and scholar who lived in Prague and was claimed to have discovered a method for creating a Golem. The Golem in question was created for the purpose of defending the local Jewish community from ongoing antisemitic attacks.

My question is as follows:

Creating a being, regardless of the reasoning behind the creation of such a being, isn't that meddling in forces which aren't meant to be meddled in?

Hashem is the creator and Hashem the sustainer. Wouldn't it be considered a form of individual idolatry for a person to raise themselves up to the level of a creator? Specifically, by forming a life in a method which mirrors the creation of man (creating a Golem from earth)

Were such a thing to be accomplished, what would that make the creator? Would he commit an act against Hashem or would he simply figure out how to harness the powers of Hashem?