texts: What's the leading medical explanation for the "woman whose husbands keep dying" ("katlanit") phenomenon?

texts:
The Gemara says that if a woman gets married, then her husband dies; then marries another guy and is widowed from him; then once more; we then assume something about her is causing her husbands to die (three makes a pattern). The woman is considered a קטלנית, katlanit ("killer woman"), and should not marry again.

The Gemara then has two possible explanations to what's going on here:

Whatever is going on with this woman is metaphysical ("karma", "mazal", whatever), in which case this halacha would apply even if the first husband died of lightning strike, the second of shark attack, and the third of ... well, pick your favorite absurdity.
There's something medical/biochemical that this woman causes in her husbands. If so, the halacha would only apply if all three died of natural causes.

My understanding is the Gemara is saying "don't try to over-diagnose; even if you don't understand the mechanism, if it's consistently dangerous, stay away!"

Nonetheless, out of curiosity, are there any known medical conditions that could explain the phenomenon?


texts: What is the Halacha on collateral damage in a time of war?

texts:
Hypothetically, if the IDF was a “halachically run” military force; what would be the Halacha against killing innocents?

For example, there is a famous case of the ל"ה troops during the Israeli war of independence. Where they came across an innocent Arab farmer, their orders were to kill anyone but they decided not to because he was innocent knowing that he might tell on them to the local Arab legion. Long story short the Arab farmer told and all 35 died. Is there any Halacha related to killing innocents in a time of war, more so if it was a Jewish/“halachic” army?


texts: Which seforim did you use when learning for Rabbinic Semicha

texts:
Which sforim and topics are commonly learned by students who are studying to receive Rabbinic ordination?

ie: Yoreh De'ah Melicha - Tur V'Shulchan Aruch

Different groups within Orthodox Judaism require different levels of in depth study in Halacha. The question will show readers a broad spectrum of what kind of learning goes into different Semicha programs.


texts:
We circumcise stillborn babies for many reasons (see e.g., here). Would the same apply for one who it was unhealthy for him to receive a brit milah?
For example, let's say person A's two brothers both died receiving a brit milah. We assume that he too will die from the brit milah and do not give him a brit milah. When he dies, should we give him a brit milah just like we would give the stillborn a brit milah?


texts: Convert, Orphan, Widow possible immunity

texts:
In Devarim 24:17

  לֹא תַטֶּה מִשְׁפַּט גֵּר יָתוֹם וְלֹא תַחֲבֹל בֶּגֶד אַלְמָנָה.

  You shall not subvert the rights of the stranger or the fatherless; you shall not take a widow’s garment in pawn.

And an article by OU which quotes Mishne Torah Deios 6:10:

  Here’s how to treat orphans and widows: We must speak to them gently and treat them with honor. We may not cause them pain with work or hurt their feelings with sharp words. We must show more concern for their finances than for our own. Any person who angers them, hurts their feelings, oppresses them, or causes them a financial loss violates this prohibition. This is all the more so if one should happen to strike them or curse them.

If an employee was one these and they are under performing in their work and the employer has given him or her ample opportunity to improve or possibly there was a gross misconduct at work are the employees protected by the biblical verse? Or can the employer be able to let them go thinking that he has not transgressed the Torah.

This is purely halachic discussion not Halacha l’maseh.


texts: Why would I want matzah made from flour that was ground in a hand-mill?

texts:
I saw an advertisement for a matzah-baking group. Part of the advertisement claimed, in big, ostentatious letters, that the flour was "רחים של יד" -- presumably because they wanted you know that the flour was milled by hand.

Why should I care? Is there any reason I should prefer hand-ground flour for my matzah, rather than flour that was ground by a water-mill or by a machine?


texts:
Rachel's final action before leaving this world was to give her son the name Ben Oni (Bereishis 35:18)

  וַיְהִי בְּצֵאת נַפְשָׁהּ כִּי מֵתָה וַתִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ בֶּן־אוֹנִי
  וְאָבִיו קָרָא־לוֹ בִנְיָמִין׃

  But as she breathed her last—for she was dying—she named him Ben-oni;
  but his father called him Benjamin.

Why did Yaakov change his name to Binyamin after Rachel literally gave her life for Ben Oni? (If it wasn't a good name, then why would one of our imahos name him that?)


texts: Rules about Handles on the Vessel for Netilas Yadayim

texts: I am wondering about the vessel used in hand washing, I see the ones with two handles online and in shul etc is it ok to use 'any' vessel to wash the hands or does it have to be one with two handles? For example, may I use a large cup or pitcher to wash hands or is there a particular purpose to the two handled vessel?


texts: Is one supposed to eat the zero'ah (shank bone) from the Seder plate?

texts:
I'd appreciate some clarity on this issue as I have heard and seen conflicting answers on this - in viewing various questions on this site as well as instructions in a haggadah. Here's some of what I have seen:
The shank bone symbolizes the Pesach sacrifice. Since there is no Beit Hamikdash, we can't offer the Pesach lamb. So there seems to be two customs regarding avoiding demonstrating that we are eating the Pesach lamb:

Many people have the custom not to eat roasted meat on Seder night so as not to think one is eating the Pesach offering outside the Beit HaMikdash

When we say "Pesach zu" in the Maggid section, we don't point to the bone on the seder plate, whereas we point / lift the matzah and maror.
Thus, following these precedents, I would assume that one should not eat the bone.

However:

I have read that one must eat the bone since food prepared for that day of Pesach must be eaten that day and not the next day. Otherwise, this becomes a problem of preparing from one day to the next.
So, should you eat it as part of the Seder meal, or should you wait until the morning, or what? And why would waiting matter, anyway?

If the bone was prepared before Yom Tov, why would there be any problem of hachanah surely we could use it for both nights without having to eat it?
In short, what's the "final word" on this?


texts:
Some people have the custom to recite the 13 Ikkarim, The Thirteen Principles of Faith, every day. A condensed version of them appears as the "Ani Ma'amin"s usually printed in a standard siddur after shacharis.
Someone told me their teacher said that there's no need to say them on Shabbos, as observing Shabbos is a fulfillment of the 13 Ikkarim. I think they said the teacher was using this to justify why it doesn't appear in the siddur after shacharis prayers1.
Is there any basis to this statement? It doesn't make sense to me. Perhaps it fulfills some of them, but I don't see what Shabbos specifically has to do with Praying exclusively to Hashem, or Moshiach, or Techiyas HaMeisim, etc.

1 Although, neither do a lot of things...as it would be repetitious. A person can simply flip back to weekday shacharis and say all the extra things they want. Perhaps they were referring to the Artscroll Shabbos Siddurim, which don't have it. Although, they also don't have the Six Remembrances, and this explanation definitely doesn't address that omission...


texts: Why is a woman tamei 7 days for a son but 14 for a daughter?

texts:
Vayikra 12 says that after giving birth a woman is tamei for 7 days for a son (12:2) and 14 days for a daughter (12:5).  I am aware of the g'mara on Niddah 31b that says that everybody rejoices for a male (so she regrets her negative reaction to the pain of childbirth sooner) but for a girl people are disappointed so it takes her longer.  I find the g'mara's explanation unsatisfying for two reasons:

It's not like we don't need daughters too; aside from other considerations, a man needs both a son and a daughter to fulfill p'ru ur'vu.  Wouldn't they celebrate the daughter that allowed him to fulfill that obligation?
This doesn't match what I've observed of new parents. Admittedly there are probably different attitudes in the 20th and 21st centuries than there were at the time of the mishna, but the women I know who've given birth are deeply affected by having given birth and whether it's a son or a daughter doesn't seem to enter into it.  Was it really so different then?

Are there other interpretations of this difference that I might find easier to relate to?


texts: When was the first Shemita year? I want to compare with our years from 1800 til now.


texts: Making a tanoim/vort for a zivug sheini (2nd marriage)

texts:
I have heard from many that there is a minhag (custom) not to make what many call a "tanoim" or a "vort" (the celebration when a couple gets engaged) for 2 people that were once divorced. They base it on a Medresh in Bereshis Rabba that since the first luchos (tablets) were given in a loud way and they were broken therefore the 2nd luchos were given quietly. A comparison I suppose is drawn from there that there shouldn't be a "big event" or a publicized "tanoim/vort" by a zivug sheini. Although this comparison is made and mentioned by many (many poskim I called to ask) others told me it's not brought in any earlier seforim and is a relatively new minhag that is lacking a proper makor. Does anyone know where it come from that this medresh become the sort of "source" for not making a "big event" by a the tanoim or vort of a zivug sheini? I understand this is why we don't make a "big deal" by the wedding as well.

(Note: Like I mentioned I asked many Rabbonim about this, many told me simply the minhag is to not make an noted the medresh as a "source". However it happened to be that the 2 "biggest" Rabbonim that I asked who are both dayanim that deal a lot with Evan HaEzer shailos, and especially one who is involved in Shalom Bayis, being m'seder Kedushin, etc (i.e. has a "hand" in these inyunim) both told me there is officially no reason not to make something "normal". It become simply something that people do however has no strong source.)


texts: Hebrew letters Hey-Yud-Dalet after a name

texts: I'd seen some stuff written about a man, with the Hebrew הי"ד (Hey-Yud-quotes-Dalet) after his name.  What does that mean?


texts: What are some suggestions for keeping the Tefiliin Retzuos (straps) black? How can I prevent the Retzuos from needing to be painted and/or replaced?


texts: chupah (tallit gadol) above bimah on Shavuot

texts: I was wondering as I hear it for the first time that one of my friend told me that they made a chupah(hung tallit gadol) above bimah on Shavuot.he told me its a custom that we do every year, but we never do it in our community. Can someone please tell me where this custom came and who apply it askenazi/shefardi or others? Or in short is there any signifance relayed to savuot should every community apply it?


texts: What is the difference between קדד, כרע, and שׁחה?

texts: The DCH and BDB lexicons list these words as all meaning the same thing - "to bow down." Is there some finer nuance between these words?


texts: Shabbat songs that rhyme only with Hashem's real name

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Pronouncing Hashem's name in a song

Many songs we sing and the Shabbat table we use the word Hashem instead of Hashem's real name even when the song was written in rhyme or the tune clearly calls for the word Ado-ni as the clear word that rhymes. For example Tzur Mishelo.
Where does this custom come from and why?


texts: Is this permitted: There is a dispute if one can open bottles on Shabbas (just an example), there are shittos (opinions) who allow it, while others forbid it (don't want to get into that now). If I am one who believes it is assur (prohibited), and my friend believes that it is allowed, can I ask him to open up a bottle for me on Shabbas, or is this assur for me? If he does it himself it would seem mutar, but is he allowed to do this if I ask him to?


texts: What are the chief sources for requiring Jews to litigate in a beis din rather than in a civil court?

texts: If I were to try to disuade a Jew from suing another Jew in court, without first going to a beis din, what Biblical and rabbinic sources should I cite as proof?


texts: What is One Allowed to Learn on Tisha B'Av?

texts:
One is not allowed to learn Torah on Tisha B'Av, as it gladdens a person (SA 554:1-2). However, certain texts, relating to mourning and the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash, are permissible (Mishnah Berurah ad. loc.).

What about texts that describe what happened in the Beis HaMikdash - Seder Kadshim, Masechtos Shekalim and Chagigah, etc. (or at least the on-topic parts)? Is the list provided in the Mishnah Berurah an extensive list, or is it just a list of examples of that which one may learn?


texts: After the cohen is called up for the aliya, I often hear the congregation say something. I think it ends with hayom, but I can't quite catch it. What are they saying? Response in hebrew script preferred. Also, why?


texts: Do we care or do we not care about beauty?

texts: Rashi Breishis 23:1 says that when Sarah was 20 she was beautiful as when she was 7. Mishlei 31:30 says שקר החן והבל היפי אשה יראת ה' היא תתהלל. Why is Rashi saying that Sarah was beautiful if it is vain?


texts: Seeking a source for a claim about Rabbi Akiva

texts:
I saw in a modern book  as follows:

דהנה איתא בגמ׳ דר׳ עקיבא היה לו מעלה יתירה ממשרע״ה אשר לו היתה הבנה גם בסודות הניגונים והטעמים, מכיון שמת במיתה משונה לכן זכה לזה המדריגה שמשה רבינו לא זכה לזה.
the g'mara says that Rabbi Akiva had a level higher than Moshe rabenu, in that he had an understanding also of the secrets of the tunes and [cantillation(?)] notes: since he died with [torture] he merited this level that Moshe did not.

Does anyone know where this g'mara is? M'nachos 29 amud 2 discusses some understanding that Rabbi Akiva had that Moshe did not, but doesn't* indicate that it had to do with tunes and notes, nor does it* indicate that he merited this level because he'd wind up being tortured to death. Perhaps some commentary there indicates one or both of those points? Or is there another g'mara that does so? Or some other (non-g'mara) source?

* as far as I see


texts:
I know that the mishna says that maaser sheini* can only be redeemed on coins and not something else. (See this answer.) However, this was written around 2000 years ago, and the way money works has changed drastically since then.

[Update: As @DoubleAA pointed out in a comment, the concept is actually from Devarim 14:25, where it says "וְנָתַתָּה בַּכָּסֶף". However, because the mishna (Maaser Sheini 2:6) talks about redeeming onto copper, albeit b'dieved, we see that the pasuk is lav davka silver, but referring to money. Silver coins are still preferred though.]

Back then, a coin had intrinsic value. They were made of precious metals. They were also the only real form of currency (no dollar bills, checks, bitcoins; trade was also used, but it wasn't a currency).
Nowadays, most coins do not have intrinsic value. What makes a quarter worth 25 cents? The US government says so. Really, it's just a small copper circle with a coating.

Now, let's say you have a wheat field in Israel. For the sake of argument, i'll say it grows wheat valued at 1000 shekels per year. (I have absolutely no idea how much a field grows.) Maaser sheini is around 9%**, or 90 shekels. Granted, with the current situation of the highest coin denomination being 10NIS, it's not that much trouble to bring 112.5NIS (90 + 22.5 -- the chomesh [fifth] added when redeeming maaser sheini) in coins (11 * 10NIS + 2NIS + .5NIS = 14 coins). But what if you have 10 of these fields? Are you expected to take along over 1000NIS in coins? It would be a lot more practical to redeem it onto paper money.

So is the mishna's ruling (and all who copied it) obsolete in light of current situations?

*Ma'aser Sheini -- the second tithe taken from fruit/grain/etc. that must be taken to Yerushalayim or redeemed on coins, which are then used to buy food in Yerushalayim.

**around 9% --  approximately 2% for trumah gedolah (98% left); then 9.8% of the total for maaser rishon (88.2% left); then 8.82% for maaser sheini. You're left with ~79% of what you bring in.


texts:
When one lends someone money they many not charge them interest. When one lends someone an item the item returned has to be identical or else it may be Ribbis.

Suppose you have a carpool with a friend or neighbor and one lives further away from the school thus one has to drive extra over the other. Would that be Ribbis?


texts: Regarding chametz, what is considered "not fit to be eaten by a dog"?

texts:
Regarding whether something needs to be considered chametz or not, there is a general rule of ראוי לאכילת כלב  - i.e. - if a dog wouldn't eat it, then it's not considered food and therefore it is not chametz.

How old is this standard? I'm assuming that dog's diets have changed in many ways over time. Moreso, different breeds of dogs eat different foods. I assume that therefore this halachic definition has changed, as well. So, if we have something doubtful, how do we know what the standard is now for this halacha? Do we just find someone's pet dog and give to the dog to see if it will be eaten? (My neighbor's dog only eats hot dogs (go figure!) Obviously, that doesn't mean that rye bread is not chametz because the dog won't eat it.)


texts: Why did Hashem start the Torah with a story?


texts:
A number of reasons are given for sending away the mother bird before taking her eggs/young.  The Rambam says it is for the mercy on the mother bird.  The Ramban says it is to perfect our own mercy.

Contemporary halachos seem to ignore the spirit of this mitzva.  From Star-K:

  Once the mother bird has flown away,
  one must take the eggs or
  chicks.  Even if the mother bird is
  watching, one still fulfills the
  mitzvah.  To perform a halachic
  acquisition, they should be lifted to
  a height of three tefachim (about 12
  inches).   Upon completion of the
  mitzvah, one may put back the eggs or
  chicks and need not keep them.

  After one takes the eggs or chicks,
  they may be declared hefker by the one
  who acquired them and then returned to
  the nest.  After the mother bird
  returns, another person may fulfill
  the mitzvah. In this way, the same
  nest may be used over and over
  again.

The structure of sending the mother bird away without needing the eggs (and returning it to send the mother away again) seems antithetical to both reasons stated above.  A footnote to the latter paragraph drives this contradiction home:

  If the eggs cool down too many times,
  they may no longer be viable
  (University of Arkansas Division of
  Agriculture).  The mitzvah is not
  fulfilled on non-viable eggs.

Does the halacha go by a different reasoning?  Do we ignore any reasons when performing the mitzva (as in Brachos 5:3)?  Is the Star-K promoting structure over spirit?


texts: Why say amen to b'rich shmei before taking out the Torah on Shabbat?

texts: Usually we do not say amen to our own bracha. So why do we sing amen before taking out the Torah on Shabbat? (Bei ana rachetz... Amen)  The amen is even printed in the siddur (Art Scroll).


texts: nekudos make the sound of 2 other nekudos?

texts:
I  am learning how to sing the torah (lain) (which is a Jewish thing to do).
It seems that all the music (notes) is in the vowels and not in the consonants/letters (consonants by themselves can not be song) the shva (אְ) is sometimes a/the (consonant letter over it) and sometimes a vowel (can be song).

So I  tried singing all of the vowels in Hebrew
they all make a single clear sound (אָ אַ אֶ אְ אִ אֻ\אוּ)
except the the choilam (אוֹ\אֹ),  I was unable to sing it, it was coming out as a komats (אָ),
and the tsairae (אֵ)  was coming out as a segol (אֶ).

What sounds do the choilam (אוֹ\אֹ) and the tsairae (אֵ) make?
(are they diphthongs of a komats (אָ)/segol (אֶ) and a hirik (אִ)?
(if yes, do we sing it as the komats (אָ)/segol (אֶ) and in the end make a short hirik sound? (or we split the singing in half, half on the komats/segol and half on the hilik?))
or is it a vowel plus (+) a consonant, of a komats (אָ)/segol (אֶ) and a yud (י) (so then only the komats (אָ)/segol (אֶ) is sung).

Are there any Jewish sources on this?

Please correct me if i am wrong

P.S.
a quote from the cover of this book

  אין הברה בלי נקוד ואין קול בלי טעם


texts: Can I respond "hello" to someone who greets me in the middle of davening if it will ruin my Kavanah by not responding?

texts: Example: I'm in the middle of saying פסוקי דזמרה and one of my dad's friends comes up to me and says "hello...". Do I have to ignore him or may I respond "hi".


texts: Under what circumstances is a false virgin put to death?

texts: Deut 22:13–21 says that if a man marries a virgin, is intimate with her, and then claims that she is not a virgin, and there is no evidence that she is a virgin, that she is stoned. That seems to be essentially taking the man's word that he didn't do anything, and anyway on the surface that seems extreme. So what are the exact conditions for this to happen?


texts: Can one eat on Sunday if he hasn't heard Havdalah yet? If not, what happens if he already ate: should he say Havdalah?


texts: Use of the singular word 'Mitzvah' in Devarim 7:11

texts:
The last verse in Parshas Vaeschanan (Devarim 7:11) says:

  וְשָֽׁמַרְתָּ֨ אֶת־הַמִּצְוָ֜ה וְאֶת־הַֽחֻקִּ֣ים
  וְאֶת־הַמִּשְׁפָּטִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר אָֽנֹכִ֧י מְצַוְּךָ֛ הַיּ֖וֹם
  לַֽעֲשׂתָֽם:

  You shall therefore, observe the commandments, the
  statutes, and the ordinances, which I command you this day to do.

The Passuk, while exhorting us to follow the Torah, uses 3 different words to refer to various precepts in the Torah: Mitzvah, Chukim, and Mishpatim. The first of that list, Mitzvah, is written in the singular, while the other two are plural. It seemingly makes more sense for it to be plural (since the context of the Passuk seems to be referring to keeping all the Mitzvos), so why does the Torah use the singular version of 'Mitzvah' when the plural 'Mitzvos' would seem to make more sense?

I'm aware that a lot of places (including the quote I have above) still seem to translate 'Mitzvah' in the plural ('commandments'), but that seems to be due to making an inexact translation. The word 'Mitzvah' is clearly singular, so while a contextual, inexact translation could be written as plural, the literal definition is quite plainly singular.

Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, published by JPS (found on Sefaria) gives a very creative translation of this Passuk which definitely does not fit with the simple definition, but if anyone could find the source for why they translate it in that manner, I guess that could be an answer:

  וְשָׁמַרְתָּ֨ אֶת־הַמִּצְוָ֜ה וְאֶת־הַֽחֻקִּ֣ים וְאֶת־הַמִּשְׁפָּטִ֗ים
  אֲשֶׁ֨ר אָנֹכִ֧י מְצַוְּךָ֛ הַיּ֖וֹם לַעֲשׂוֹתָֽם׃ (פ)

  Therefore,
  observe faithfully the Instruction—the laws and the rules—with which I
  charge you today.


texts:
I know it says in Shulchan Aruch that, in a case where both spouses are getting married for the second time, all sheva brachos are recited under the chuppah and then after the meal on the first day only. However I've heard that a second marriage has "3 days of simcha (joy)". During this three-day period, I've heard, the bracha of "asher bara" (the last of the sheva brachos) may be said. Is this true? What is the source for this? Must there be panim chadoshos (people present who are new to the celebration) in such a case, as there must be for sheva brachos for seven days after a first marriage? What about if it's Shabbos, when we normally don't need panim chadoshos for sheva brachos for a first marriage: is the same true for saying "asher bara" for a second marriage?

A separate question, what other significance is there for the 3 days of simcha for a second marriage?


texts: What are the name verses for a name starting with a tes ט and ending with a hey ה and not the verse from tehilim ( the one in the Artscroll siddur)?


texts: Is it permitted for a patient with a terminal illness to accept a dangerous experimental surgery? (Every case is different and requires CYLOR, but I'm just curious about the two sides of the argument - especially if Rav Moshe writes on the topic)


texts: What are the parameters concerning the use of the menorah lights

texts: In the song Haneiros Halallu we say that the Chanuka candles are holy and we don't have permission to use them only to view them. I'd like to understand what that means. Do they attain this status irrespective of who lights them? Meaning if someone who is not obligated to light chanuka candles does so (such as a minor or a blind person) do they have the same status? Do they retain this status if they are seen outside of their halachic time, such as very late at night.


texts: What is the amount of time a suspected woman needs to be secluded to be considered a Sotah?

texts:
The Gemara lists a series of opinions (9 by my count) in Sotah 4a as to how long the amount of secluded time must be for a forewarned woman to be considered a potential Sotah.

Do we know which Tanna we pasken like and practically speaking, what amount of time this would be considered nowadays?


texts:
In Christian philosophy, many ancient philosophers such as Aquinas and Augustine speak about the "good of marriage." Marriage is "good", they argue, because it leads to offspring, chastity and permanence. See here for a lengthy article on the topic.

What is the "good of marriage" in Jewish thought?

Perhaps according to the Rosh, who doesn't view kiddushin as a Mitzvah, marriage has no inherent "good." The "good," rather, is external, since kiddushin is just one way to lead to the goal of having children. But, according to Rambam, who views kiddushin as an independent Mitzvah, what "good" does he believe exists in it?


texts: "Bizchus Avrohom ovinu". Why is it said as a response to “bircas kohanim”?

texts: Why do some answer the bircas kohanim pesukim with “kein yehi rotzon bizchus Avrohom ovinu” etc. How does the “bizchus” phrase help?


texts: Greek Ruins -- Previous Sites for Pagan Worship

texts: I know that Maimonides states not to enter places of idol worship. That being the case, is it permissible to visit Greek ruins that where once used for a pagan religion?


texts: In how many of the 613 mitzvot are women obligated?

texts: Women are exempt from some of the 613 mitzvot.  How many of the 613 mitzvot apply to women? Is there a list (or lists)? Online? (To clarify: Ignore other factors, such as geographic location; include mitzvot that apply to men as well.)


texts: Can a Jew who dies on Mars be buried there?

texts:
Recently, the news has been talking about sending people on a 1-way trip to Mars.

AFAIK, no Jews have applied or are scheduled to make the trip. B"H, because I see all sorts of interesting halachic problems that may arise.

One of them - if a Jew dies on Mars, may they be buried there? Mars does have soil, after all. Or is there a specific requirement that Jews be buried only in Earth soil?

(For purposes of this question, assume that NASA or someone else can arrange a ship to get the body and bring it back. Granted, there may be other issues regarding how to preserve the body, etc. until the spaceship arrives and the return flight. Separate issue.)


texts: Eating before shachris when up all night

texts: This question has been asked (and answered) on this forum before, but my question is when is the cutoff after which it is considered eating before shachris (as opposed to eating AFTER maariv).  Specifically, if my work requires me to be up all night (which it has), I would wake up around 10 pm, do maariv, eat "breakfast", report to work, and around 3 am or 4 am, have "lunch".  Is this permissible?


texts: Can one use the wooden planks placed on top of a grave for his succah?

texts:
I had heard from a rabbi that items used for part of a Jewish grave receive some type of "holiness" and may not be used for other purposes. E.g. - one can't take dirt already used to cover the coffin and use it for his garden.

If this is true, what about the planks that are used on top of the grave pit to temporarily rest the coffin upon before lowering it in the grave? It doesn't seem to be part of the grave itself, but it was used as part of the burial service. Does it have any holiness status, or can one use it for any purpose whatsoever? Or, can one use it only for other "holy" purposes such as support for the succah?


texts: 'עם' & 'את' based words in the story of Lot and Avram

texts:
I don't know the exact sources but I remembered some commentaries from the Malbim and Vilna Gaon which point out a difference between 'את'-based words and 'עם'-based words (both translated to mean 'with') in the stories of Lot and Avram and the story of Bilaam.

Gen 12:4 uses the word ito
Gen 13:1 imo
Gen 13:5 et
Gen 13:14 m'imo

Could someone explain me the motives for using the et or im version of 'with' in these specific verses according to these or other commentaries?


texts: Why G-d had to confuse people's languages in the land of Shinar?

texts:
Why G-d had to confuse people's languages in the land of Shinar and scatter them across the Earth with diverse languages? What moral does Genesis 11:5–8 coveny to mankind execept the fact that "in order to initate a huge project and achieve its result, there should be no communication gap". And if this was good then why God scattered them?

It seems that Genesis 11:5–8 is revealing as if God was helpless and was left with only one option i.e. confusing people's tongue and not letting them understand each other.
Had there been just one language, may it be Hebrew or Arabic or any other language mankind used to speak then mankind would have been living peacefully and prosperously.
Why would it be not acceptable to God?

Please explain with clarity. Thanks


texts: Why are crocodiles more deadly than all wild beasts?

texts:
Concerning Tzphardea, Rabbi Hirsch 7 27 writes צפרדע can not mean crocodiles, otherwise there would have been no Egyptians left in the land. It is clear that they were only annoying creatures, not dangerous ones. Tradition has it that they were frogs.

How can he claim 'otherwise there would have been no Egyptians left in the land', they survived Arov, the mixed wild beasts? Is there any reason to assume they could survive Arov but not Tzphardea?


texts:
I'm trying to brush up on my Hebrew. As an American Jew, it is still important to me to be able to recite my prayers from the siddur in their original Hebrew.

How do I pronounce "yod" when there is a dot inside of it? Here's how it appeared in my most recent Hebrew lesson: ׁׁׁׁשִיֵּץ


texts: What is the etymological definition of הגיס?

texts:
What is the etymology and definition of הגיס?

(Reference Rashi in Chulin 108A ד״ה טיפת חלב שנפלה על החתיכה and ד״ה ניער את הקדרה)


texts: Getting "used to" making a change in davening

texts:
When we change to saying "mashiv haru'ach" one is required to recite the shmoneh esrei again if he is unsure if he made the insertion. This site points out that one becomes habituated after 30 days (or 90 repetitions). This site makes the halacha explicit:

  The Mishna Berura (ad loc.) explains that one says.... Rav lehoshia Mashiv Haruach U’morid Hageshem, 90 times. He quotes the Chasam Sofer (Responsa Vol. I 9:20) as well, who opines that one repeats it 101 times, but only if one has said it less than 90 times would he repeat the Shemoneh Esreh.

Therefore, the practice is for someone to go home and repeat the phrase until he passes the threshold of repetitions so he no longer has to repeat the davening.

While we only make this change for 10 days, we replace "ha'E-l hakadosh" with "hamelech hakadosh" and require one who does not say the proper version to repeat the davening.

Can one go home and say "hamelech hakadosh" 90 (or 101) times on Rosh Hashana so that if he is unsure during the aseret yemei tshuva whether or not he made the switch, he can assume he did?


texts:
The mishna in Masechet Shabbat says:

  A man may take a hammer to split nuts, a chopper to cut [a round of] pressed figs, a saw for sawing cheese, a spade to scoop dried figs, a winnowing shovel and a pitchfork to place [food] upon it for a child, a reed or a whorl to stick [food], a small needle to remove a thorn, and a sack [needle] to open a door therewith.

We are allowed to use tools on food which are not designed for food on Shabbat, like a saw to grate cheese

The topic of the mishna is Muktse.

But an additional problem may be of Tevilat Kelim if the tools are manufactured by gentiles.

Do commentaries or poskim infer from this mishna that tevila is not necessary for incidental use? The saw will remain a saw to work with wood. Two defects:

1 time (as a new cup which you want to use 1 time before its tevila)
not essential (the contact with food will be for one time only and there is no reason to make tevila after this unic use).


texts: You're on a date in a park in the evening, what should you avoid to ensure the proper yichud rules are addressed?

texts:
Yichud prohibits seclusion between a man and woman who are unrelated (roughly).

If a couple is on a shidduch and a park is the venue, what exactly makes the park problematic?

If the park has at least another single person is that enough?

I am looking for the exact criteria that would make the park permissible vs forbidden.


texts: Why did it take 7 years to divide the land?

texts: In Arachin daf 13 it says that it took 7 years for the Jews to conquer the land of Israel and 7 years to divide it (in the days of Yehoshua). From what I understand they divided the land through a lottery system. So, what exactly took 7 years? If the land was already conquered couldn't they just get their assigned portion and go live there? What did they do over that 7 year period?


texts:
Harav HaGaon Adams in his Kuntres LiMasa'os HaGer Ba'Olam states that the answer to "life, the universe, and every thing" is 42, but neglects to clarify what the actual question is, since in his day the question was so well known it didn't require explication.
What, exactly, is Chazal's question of life, the universe, and everything to which the answer is 42?

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


texts:
Wikipedia writes:

  The most times in succession the [Zakef] group occurs is four.

It cites A compendious grammar of the Hebrew language by G. F. R. Weidemann, page 48, which says:

  Zaqef gadol or zaqef katon may be continuously repeated as many as four times.

I'm fairly certain this is not an a priori rule but just an a posteriori observation. Nevertheless, where does this phenomenon occur in Tanakh? Are there any examples of five (or more) groups in one clause?

(I found yesterday that Ruth 2:11 contains a sequence of three, and a friend found Genesis 3:1 as well. Still nothing with four Zakef-groups, though.)


texts: Why must a cohen divorce his wife if she was forced to have relations with another?

texts:
Deut. 22:29. The rapist must marry his victim if she is unwed. If I understand this commandment correctly, the woman is allowed to refuse said marriage. Furthermore, Jewish law does not forbid another Jew from marrying a woman who's been raped (excluding Cohens).

Therefore, it's possible for a rape victim to find another husband (other than her rapist), although it would have been exceedingly difficult considering most men would have shunned such a union during biblical times. Given that men were also the primary providers back then, forcing the rapist to take on the responsibility of marriage (if the woman agreed) can be viewed as helping her.

With that said, even though a Cohen can't marry a divorcee or a raped woman, I still don't understand why he must divorce his wife if she was raped. Is this halacha found in the Torah or Talmud? Even if it's rarely enforced, I still find it morally reprehensible.

Can anyone help me understand this halacha? I will not accept an answer that attributes the rape to anything the woman did (e.g. going to the wrong part of town).


texts: Did the Erev rav had a role in the complaints of Bamidbar 14?

texts:
The עֵרֶב רַב is often connected to the הָאסַפְסֻף and often described by our sages as a group among the Israelites which caused and initiated a lot of the complaints made by the people.

Did this group also lifted up their voice in the verses of Bamidbar 14?;
And if so did have some part in this complaint did they also died as a consequence thereof during the forty years in the wilderness?


texts: Being a jokester in Judiasm. Negative or positive?

texts: What is Judiasm's stance on joking, or in a broader sense being a jokester or lighthearted person? Is it seen as being a negative trait, or is being funny sometimes warranted in certain cases? If I am not mistaken in Gemara Avodah Zarah 46a the sages grant license and even consider it commendable to make fun of idolatry. I feel like excessive joking could be considered of a lack of Yiras shamayim though, and considered an serious aveira/bad mida.


texts: Applying Pesachim 49a's prohibition of marrying the daughter of an "am ha'aretz"

texts:
Inspired by a previous question that I asked, I viewed Talmud Bavli Pesachim 49a which says that a person should sell everything he owns in order to marry the daughter of a Talmid Chacham and by no means marry a daughter of an am ha'aretz. the reason is that if he should die, his children will end up being amei ha'aretz.

Questions:

The daughter of an am ha'aretz may not necessarily be an am ha'aretz, herself. Certainly, today, we see numerous ba'alat teshuva as well as "FTP"'s ("Frumer than Parents" - this seems to be a common shidduch resume abbreviation, BTW) as well as other reasons. I would imagine that during the time of the Gemarah, there were also such daughters. It seems that the Gemarah focused attention on the parents regardless of the daughter's status. Why is that? Were they concerned that the parents would be a heavy influence?
Has anyone written a teshuva, etc. that would allow a man to marry a learned girl, today? If so, how do they interpret this ruling and why would it not apply, today?
As an extension, what if the girl is also an am ha'aretz but is becoming learned?


texts: I would like to buy a Torah scroll in order to host Shabbat services in my home. What should I know and how much should I expect to spend?

texts: It's something that's not immediate because I don't have the space nor the money but I'd like to one day. What would the process be like and how much should I expect to spend?


texts: Who are the ווינדין whom the Maharil says are the Mitzrim?

texts:
The Maharil, brought in likutei Maharil #95 quotes his rebbi Mahara'sh as saying the nation called ווינדין are the Mitzrim (Egyptians).

  אמר מהר׳ש שקבלה בידו מאותו אומה שקורין ווינדין הם המצרים, והיינו שנאמר
  ממלכה שפלה, כי אין להם לא שר ולא פריץ רק כולם כפריים.

  Mahara"sh said that he has a tradition that the nation that is called
  "ווינדין" are the מצרים (Egyptians), as the verse states (יחזקאל כט,
  יד) "a down-fallen kingdom," because they do not have any rulers; they
  are all village dwellers.

Who are the ווינדין that he is refering to?


texts: Is a Minyan allowed to count a man that does not keep Shabbos?

texts:
If someone has never kept shabbos, works on shabbos or owns a business that is open on shabbos, can he be counted towards a minyan?

Is there any leniency if the minyan is short by one, and they get anyone from outside to answer Amen for Kaddish?


texts:
The 248 positive commandments are compared to the 248 bones (Zohar 1:170b). Chazal provide a list of these 248 bones (Oholos 1:8).

The 365 negative commandments are compared to the 365 sinews (Zohar ibid.). Is there a similar list among ma'amarei Chazal that lists these 365 sinews?


texts: Why name Yitzchak after something that is perhaps negative?

texts:
The episode in Bereishit 18:12-25 of Sarah laughing at the news of having a child in a year is often seen as a negative thing.

  יב וַתִּצְחַק שָׂרָה, בְּקִרְבָּהּ לֵאמֹר:  אַחֲרֵי בְלֹתִי הָיְתָה-לִּי עֶדְנָה, וַאדֹנִי זָקֵן.  יג וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה, אֶל-אַבְרָהָם:  לָמָּה זֶּה צָחֲקָה שָׂרָה לֵאמֹר, הַאַף אֻמְנָם אֵלֵד--וַאֲנִי זָקַנְתִּי.  יד הֲיִפָּלֵא מֵיְהוָה, דָּבָר; לַמּוֹעֵד אָשׁוּב אֵלֶיךָ, כָּעֵת חַיָּה--וּלְשָׂרָה בֵן.  טו וַתְּכַחֵשׁ שָׂרָה לֵאמֹר לֹא צָחַקְתִּי, כִּי יָרֵאָה; וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא, כִּי צָחָקְתְּ.

Why would their son then be named as a reminder of the (perhaps) negative actions of Sarah?


texts: Were the there only 55 שמיטה years between the Exodus and the First Temple?

texts:
The sefer Sifsei Cohen (not to be confused with the commentary on the Shulchan Aruch) on VaYetzeh, Beraishis 28:13 writes the following:

  ואמר הארץ אשר אתה שוכב עליה לך אתננה...עוד אתננה אתן נה פי׳ אחר נ״ה
  שמיטות אחר יציאת מצרים נבנה בית המקדש

He writes that the First Temple was built 55 shmittas after the Exodus. How does this work out?

Now, according to מלכים א, ו:א, the First Temple was began 480 years after the Exodus. It was completed seven years later.

Now 55 x 7 = 385, which is much less than 480. Perhaps he doesn't mean to count all the seven year periods, but only the actual Shmitta years observed. Now, the Shmitta cycle only began 14 years after Israel's entry into the Land. That was 54 years after the Exodus. 480 - 54 = 426 years of Shmitta observance before the First Temple. That number is still much larger than 385. Even if we were to add the seven יובל years in 55 shmittas, would only bring us to 392 which is still far less than 426.

Can anyone figure out what the ש"ך is talking about?


texts:
At the end of Shemona Esrei we say the following in Nusach Sefard:

  עשה למען שמך, עשה למען ימינך, עשה למען תורתך, עשה למען קדושתך.

In Nusach Ashkenaz we say Kedushasecha before Torasecha.

Translation is Do for the sake of your (God's) name, Do for the sake of your right hand, Do for the sake of the Torah, Do for the sake of your holiness.

I am trying to understand what the deeper meaning of "עשה למען ימינך" "Do for the sake of your right hand" is.

To Do for the sake of your (God's) name, Do for the sake of the Torah, Do for the sake of your holiness, seems all clear cut, however Do for the sake of your right hand needs an explanation?

Has anyone seen an explanation of these words?


texts: How does one do Hagalah above 12,000 feet?

texts:
How does one do Hagalah above 12,000 feet, where water's boiling point falls below 190°F? Under normal circumstances, the water will not be Rochsim, and therefore unsuitable for Hagalah.

Using a pressure cooker would be impractical, as it cannot be opened to put an item in. (Besides, the water would not reach an actual boil – safely. Furthermore, at higher altitudes, even a standard pressure cooker cannot keep water's boiling point above 190°F.) Leaving the item on a platform while the water heats, later to be shaken down, would present a problem of steam in an enclosed space.

Would one have to forgo Hagalah altogether, and default to Libun Kal?


texts:
I understand that according to Masechet Brachot and the normative halacha, in certain cases, one who unintentionally missed saying a prayer service may "make up" that service by reciting the Shmoneh Esrei twice in the next service (Tashlumin). I know that there are many laws about exactly what to say and in which cases this opportunity exists, and whether this applies to the recitation of the Shma, and I know that even in the gemara, there is a discussion of whether this entire concept is actually efficacious or whether missed opportunities are missed.

But what I don't get is why this would ever be an option at all.

If we miss an obligation to perform a mitzvah, why would one think that we can "make good" by doing the mitzvah twice later? It isn't the case for lighting candles (though I know some women increase the number of candles they light permanently if they miss lighting on a Shabbat), and I can't think of another mitzvah where it IS the case. If I forget to bentch, I can't bentch twice after my next meal. If I forget to give matanot le'evyonim on one Purim, I can't give twice the next year. If I don't put on tefillin today, to I put them on twice tomorrow?

Why should there be a chance to make tashlumin, and why would it only be for Shmoneh Esrei? Is it just because "the gemara says so" or is there an underlying rule or logical principle involved?

Note -- I see this as related to, but not a duplicate of What does it mean to make up for prayers unavoidably missed - Tashlumin? because I see that question as based in the understanding of "Tashlumin" as "making up" whereas I see it as "completing an obligation" so I am less concerned with the object to whom one "makes up" and more with the notion that we can "complete" a mitzvah at some other time by doing it twice in any situation.


texts: What is a majority that forces the Sanhedrin to bring an offering?

texts:
The Mishna states that a majority who followed an erroneous decision is needed to force the Beit Din to bring an offering. Is this an absolute majority?

The majority of people cannot carry out many sins. For instance, if less than 50% of the people were at the Temple during the time of an erroneous ruling about Kodshim, it is absolutely impossible for a majority to eat Kodshim while Tamei (I'm assuming no one is sacrificing outside the Temple). Even if everyone is at the Temple, most people should be Tahor, which also makes a majority impossible.

Is the Beit Din's offering is like the Ben Sorer u'Moreh (never happened and never will), in which case it is strange that no one says that? Or is the definition of majority more lenient?


texts: May One Shave On Thursday Night - When Lag Baomer Falls Out On Sunday

texts:
Because Lag Baomer falls out on Sunday, we are allowed to shave/haircut on Friday - Lekavod Shabbos (Rema-Orach Chayim 493:2)

However, is one allowed to shave/haircut tonight (i.e. Thursday night), which is halachically erev shabbos?


texts: Why is dreaming of getting married considered a disturbance?

texts: I know that this is a pretty mystical question, but is anyone able to provide an explanation as to why the Shulchan Aruch (OH 288:5) says that seeing oneself get married in a dream is considered bad enough that they should have a taanis chalom, whereas dreaming of dying is considered a positive?


texts: What is a woman's obligation when it comes to T'fillah?

texts: In Orthodox practice it is commonly thought that women are not obligated in T'fillah (parts of it anyway) due to its time-bound nature.  However, what is a woman's obligation?  Which prayers must she say and when must she say them? A list of some sort from a reputable source would be greatly appreciated.


texts: Source (Ashkenazi) for kissing Tefillin at Bracha of Yotzer Or?

texts: The Ashkenazi ArtScroll Siddur says to kiss your Shel Yad at “Yotzer Or” and Shel Rosh at “Borei Choshech”. What’s the source for this?


texts: Did the ancient Rabbanim believe that the spirits of the dead walked the Earth?

texts:
In the Midrashim I noticed that Rabbanim keep mentioning events in which the Rabbi would be walking along and come across a man doing some task and it would turn out to be the spirit of a dead man who did not make it into Paradise.

Did the ancient Rabbanim believe that the spirit of the dead still walked the earth or did they believe that after death one immediately went to either paradise or punishment?

Here is an example of one of these stories:

  Rabbi Akiva once met on a journey a remarkably ugly man toiling along
  under a great load of wood. Rabbi Akiva said unto him, "I adjure thee
  to tell me whether thou art a man or a demon." "Rabbi," said he, "I
  was once a man, and it is now some time since I left the world. Day
  after day I have to carry a load like this, under which I am obliged
  to bow down, and submit three times a day to be burned," Then Rabbi
  Akiva asked him, "What was the reason of this punishment?" and the
  reply was, "I committed an immorality on the Day of Atonement." The
  Rabbi asked him if he knew of anything by which he might obtain for
  him a remission of his punishment.

{p. 254}


texts: I've become interested in sausage-making. However, I have had some understandable difficulty finding non-meat casings. Furthermore, I have been unable to find pareve casings with a hashgacha. Is anyone aware of someplace from whence I could order pareve sausage-casing?


texts: When did the Jews first observe laws of mourning over the death of Rabbi Akiva's students?  Did it commence the first year after the death of the students or was it instituted at a later period in time?


texts: Does any Jewish group follow Yerushalmi only?

texts: Does any Jewish group follow Yerushalmi over Bavli? Thank you.


texts:
Who knows one hundred sixty-seven?
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 Yosef interprets Pharoah's dream, is he also trying to fulfill his own dream?

texts:
Yosef's 2nd dream was that his brothers father and mother would eventually bow to him.

Yosef interprets Pharaoh's dream to mean that there would be 7 years of famine. What I find interesting is that after he interprets the dream he advises Pharaoh to appoint someone in charge of storing food for the eventual famine. Granted, he doesn't specifically say that HE should be the one in charge.

I'm curious if any commentary may have stated that by giving this advice Yosef was thinking that this was the method to have his initial dream fulfilled. Maybe, he thought that Pharaoh would appoint him the one in charge of distributing the food, and eventually, because of the famine stretching in to Cana'an, his family would have to come and bow to him.


texts: Having guests for a Friday mid-day or afternoon meal?

texts:
Are there any rules regarding having a guest on a Friday afternoon? Let's say you want to have a friend or family member over for a meal, and Friday is the only day that works, and evening (that is, Shabbat dinner) will not work.

Is it permitted to have a guest at this time (mid-day or afternoon on Friday)? Is it ever permitted to serve dishes that one will also serve for Shabbat? I assume it is forbidden to eat from dishes prepared for Shabbat before Shabbat (other than tasting), but perhaps it is permitted under some circumstances?


texts: Riddle: Which fast do people fast on different days?

texts: There is a fast that according to a clear Halacha in Mishna Berura - some people would fast on one day and others would have to fast on the following day. Which fast is this?


texts:
Is it permissible to write out HaShem's actual name (the "Tetragrammaton") in English (or any other, non-Semitic, language)?

Does it make a difference how you spell it, ie., whether you write it in all consonants that are cognates to the Hebrew consonants, or whether you write the four consonants with V vs. W or J vs. Y, or whether you use the very common vocalized spelling that most scholars believe is incorrect (like the name of the "Witness" Christian sect)?


texts:
I am familiar with two different programs which (as far as I understand) teach women to be halachaik authorities. Graduates of one program--Yeshivat Maharat in New York--are called Maharat. Graduates of the other program--Nishmat: The Jewish Center for the Advanced Torah Study for Women in Jerusalem--are called Yoatzot Halacha.

What is the difference between Maharat and Yoetzet Halacha? I seek differences in what they learn and in what their level of authority is.

As a follow up question: my impression is that the second program is (more or less) universally accepted among Orthodox (or at least Modern Orthodox) Jews, whereas the first program is far more controversial. Is this true? If so, why?


texts:
I am puzzled by this line in the Gemara, based on a baraita:

  Olive oil [restores forgotten Torah study]... Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Just as eating an olive causes one to forget seventy years’ worth of Torah study, olive oil restores seventy years’ worth of Torah study. [Horayot 13b]

Where is this coming from?  What is it based on?  What does it mean?  Was any halacha derived from it?

(I love olives!)


texts:
Many chassidussim use their own nuschaot, typically based on Nusach haAri or the so-called Nusach Sefard. For example, Sudilkover Chassidim use their own variant, as discussed in this blog post.

What is are some of the variants in tefillah used in Satmar (relative to a "standard" Nusach Sefard, if it exists)?


texts: Rigging live worms - Tzaar Baalei Chayim?

texts: Is there any halachic objection to rigging a live worm onto a hook when fishing?


texts: Interesting difference between רבנים and דיינים

texts:
רבנן דקיסרי ואמרי לה דייני דקיסרי אמרי ...
The Sages of Caesarea, and some say that it was the judges of Caesarea, said that ... (Succah 8b)

I'd assume that רבנים are דיינים and vice verse. But here, seemingly, there's a distinction.
What is the practical difference (נפקא מינא) here between רבנן and דיינים for the Sugiya?


texts: Why a Machloket ended so badly and unpeacefully?

texts:
Back to Tanuro Shel Akhnai (BM 59b). A short recap:

R' Eliezer and Chachamim are having a Machlokes over a minor matter in ritual impurity, clearly for the sake of Heaven.

R' Gamliel, the Nassi, instructs R' Yehoshua and Chachamim to stand up blindly against R"E (he accepts the responsibility for the incident a couple of lines below)

All Facts, including the Heavenly voice, point that R"E is right.

R"Y still decides to stand up against Heaven and to rule differently. R"E leaves the Beis Midrash.

Up until now, it seems like an everyday argument. But things get completely wrong from this point on:

Chachamim decide to curse R"E and to boycott him (and all his following Psakim, Rashi). They send R' Akiva to inform R"E of their decision

"His (R"E) eyes shed tears, and as a result the entire world was afflicted: One-third of its olives were afflicted, and one-third of its wheat, and one-third of its barley. And some say that even dough kneaded in a woman’s hands spoiled. The Sages taught: There was great anger on that day, as any place that Rabbi Eliezer fixed his gaze was burned."
"And even Rabban Gamliel, the Nasi of the Sanhedrin at Yavne, the head of the Sages who were responsible for the decision to ostracize Rabbi Eliezer, was coming on a boat at the time, and a large wave swelled over him and threatened to drown him."

R"E continued to hold grudges at R"G and the first opportunity he had, he ... did something and R"G, his brother-in-law died.

R"E continued to be totally boycotted for the rest of his life.

What started as a Machlokes Lashem Shamayim, ended pretty badly. It is absolutely clear to me that the Sages could behave differently, appeasing R"E, welcoming him back and ending the incident peacefully and drink Le-Hayim.
How can this be reconciled with the Gemmorah (Brochos 64) we say every day in the final part of the Tefilah:

אמר רבי אלעזר אמר רבי חנינא: תלמידי חכמים מרבים שלום בעולם שנאמר וכל בניך למודי ה׳ ורב שלום בניך
Rabbi Elazar said that Rabbi Ḥanina said: Torah scholars increase peace in the world

??


texts: What is meant by the 974 "worlds" that were "created and destroyed"?

texts:
Midrash Tehillim 90:13 says that God created and destroyed 974 worlds before this one. What exactly does that mean?

I've heard it used in defense of a modern understanding of evolution and cosmology but don't really get why God would create a universe and destroy it 600 times, then create a universe and destroy it a couple hundred more times with our solar system, and then create it and destroy it another couple hundred times with slight variations of animal life. And then do the one final creation of everything again. I don't grasp the logic behind that interpretation.

So what exactly does it mean to create and destroy 974 worlds?


texts: Why not use the Yamim Nora’im tune when reading the Torah at Yom Kippur mincha?

texts:
Many (all?) Ashkenazi communities have a different and distinctive tune used for keriat hatorah on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur morning (and in some communities also on Hoshana Rabbah and Simchat Torah).

However, I’ve observed that this tune is not used at mincha of Yom Kippur. Why not?


texts: Is Covering G-d's Name Considered Erasure?

texts:
I'm just learning to read Hebrew, and I discovered that the text I use for Kriat Sh'ma al Hamitah contains G-d's tetragrammaton, yud kei vav kei. I'm afraid of accidentally using the Ineffable Name. Any ideas? I was wondering if covering it with a sticker is permissible?(in a manner which the sticker can be removed without damage to the original text i.e. on a laminated card)

Thank you very much.


texts: Why did the tribe of Yehuda merit to have the king descending from it?

texts: What special merit did the tribe of Yehuda have to merit that all kings would descend from him?


texts: Wrapping the shel yad: no shin on the hand

texts: I follow chabad custom which, when it gets down to my hand, I believe involves only wrapping one finger of the hand in addition to the palm. I make the shin on my arm. But the Shema says bind it on your hand as a sign. So shouldn't there be a shin on my hand like in Ashkenazi custom?


texts: Where does the ohr hachaim say that one who fails to destroy avoda zara is also oveir on the lav of not serving it?

texts: The ohr hachaim is quoted as saying that one who fails to destroy avoda zara is also oveir on the lav of not serving it in "hatekufah hagedolah" (r' menachem mendel kasher) in perek 13 "(ד' ר"ש)" according to mekoros sheet i saw it quoted in. Where does he say this? I searched hatekufah hagedolah on hebrew books and wasn't able to find (in first two volumes at least - all they have, maybe there are more)


texts: Is there a requirement to fast if Ebola is reported in the city?

texts: I remember learning in mesechet Taanis that if there is a plague in the city with a certain number of people and there are people dying daily that the city should declare a fast. Is there any contemporary application of this? For example if there is, God forbid, a community where there are cases of Ebola reported and people are dying is there an obligation for that community to declare a fast?


texts: Can one separate Maaser at a distance from the Tevel to save another from eating Tevel?

texts:
I heard a class about the rabbinic prohibition against separating Maaser at a significant distance from the Tevel (שלא מן המוקף). The Rabbi mentioned that one is allowed to violate this prohibition* and separate Maaser at a distance only in order to save someone who is about to eat Tevel, which is a more stringent Torah-prohibition. What is the source for allowing one to violate this rabbinic prohibition in order to save another from the Torah prohibition of eating Tevel?

The obligation to take Maaser Min Hamukaf is Deorayita for Tevel Deorayita. Learned from a Drasha on the verse Bamidbar 18.26. See Tosfot Yevamot 93b and Rishonim there. But if someone makes it at distance, the Teruma is valid, as we see for more examples of incorrect procedures in Temura 5a.


texts: Is there any proof of the existence of the soul?

texts:
Judaism asserts that a human being is a composite of a body and a spiritual soul (see Talmud Sanhedrin 91b for example) which lives on after death.

Is there any way to prove the existence of the soul?

Either by deducing from observation or through some kind of logical proof.


texts: Using crockpot for a soap making project?

texts:
Preamble to my question:

I was told by someone at Star-K that since soap is not food, it really doesn't even need a hechsher. For example, he told me that even though Brillo pads are not kosher, it doesn't matter, even if Brillo uses a beef tallow as the soap stablizer. From the FAQ page of brillo.com:

  Q. Do Brillo Steel Wool Soap Pads contain animal products?
  A. Yes, the soap in Brillo Steel Wool Soap Pads is made from natural beef tallow.

With that preamble, my question is: could I, l'chat'chilah, use my crock pot for a soap making project with my kids.

I would take leftover bars of soap and melt them down using the slow heat of the crock pot and then set them in molds to make new bars of soap.

(I haven't done anything yet. I'm too afraid in case the answer is no. I don't want to treif anything up.)


texts: I remember seeing about 20 years ago a beautiful annotated commentary on Rambam's hilchos kiddush hachodesh, with extensive illustrations and calculations, explained according to both ancient and modern astronomy. But I have never been able to find it again. Can anyone help point me in the right direction?


texts: Why was R’ Elazar certain that anyone sleeping during the day with wine was either a craftsman, a scholar, a night worker, or a thief?

texts:
Bava Metzia 83b records that R’ Elazar son of R’ Shimon approached a Roman officer and asked him how he is successful at catching crafty criminals (citing a passuk to that effect). The guard asked him for advice, and this was R’ Elazar’s response:

  עול בארבע שעי לחנותא כי חזית איניש דקא שתי חמרא וקא נקיט כסא בידיה וקא מנמנם שאול עילויה אי צורבא מרבנן הוא וניים אקדומי קדים לגרסיה אי פועל הוא קדים קא עביד עבידתיה ואי עבידתיה בליליא רדודי רדיד ואי לא גנבא הוא ותפסיה

  Go at four hours in the day to the inn. If you see someone drinking wine, holding his cup, and dozing, ask about him. If he’s a Torah scholar, he’s dozing because he got up early to learn. If he’s a craftsman, he got up early to work. If he works at night, he thins out metals. If he’s none of them, he’s a thief, and you should grab him.

That’s an awfully incomplete list. Maybe he has a sleep disorder, like narcolepsy. (I see no reason to assume this is a new phenomenon that people have this.) How can he be so certain that people who aren’t craftsmen, scholars, or night workers must be thieves?


texts: What is the purpose of the law of prohibition of forbidden relations?

texts: These days I understand why the law exists, but why was it commanded from the beginning? It's still a little bit difficult to digest, but it's obvious that in Genesis siblings had to have relations to multiply. I also know that there's always an acception to the rule, but why did God command this from the beginning so? Couldn't it have been a law given much later on when it was possible?


texts: Who wrote the Aramaic translation for Psalms and when?

texts:
The Talmud in Migila specifies that no translation (Targum) for the Ktuvim was written since although Rabbi Yonatan Ben Uziel wanted to, he was told not to do so:

  עוד ביקש לגלות תרגום של כתובים יצתה בת קול ואמרה לו דייך מאי טעמא משום דאית
  ביה קץ משיח

So, when was the translation for Psalms written, and by whom? Is there any reason to believe that Aramaic translations were available prior to the destruction of the second temple?


texts: The usage of the words קהל and עדה (עדת)

texts:
The people of Israel are sometimes called collective קהל, sometimes עדה (עדת) and sometimes plain Israel, and although they probably point out to the exact same group of people they seem to be well chosen. What's the nuance between the usage of קהל and עדה ?

P.s. Besides refering to Israel, it's also used for example in Bamidbar 16:6 to describe the group of people of followers of Korach as an עדת, while another group of people in Ezra 10:1 is called קהל. And Bamidbar 20:2 seems to clearly distinguish between these two words.

So when do we refer to a group of people as an edah or edat, and when as a kahal?


texts: Whose head covering takes precedence: mine or my wife's?

texts:
Suppose there's a hypothetical scenario where there's only one head covering available (e.g. a baseball hat) — should I wear it or should my wife?

Whose head covering would take precedence and why?


texts: What parts of the service do you say when late to Shacharit?

texts:
According to the Shulchan Aruch (please cite Saeef and Siman so I can read further):

What should one do when he's late to Shachrit? What should he skip and what must he say?


texts: The phase between death and resurrection comparable to sleeping?

texts:
Tehillim 13:4 talks about the the sleep of death (אִישַׁן הַמָּוֶת),
Yeshayahu 26:19 reads something like my dead bodies shall arise--awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust (הָקִיצוּ), Daniel 12:2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to reproaches and everlasting abhorrence.

Sleeping is compared to death: In the Modeh Ani prayer we thank G-d for returning our soul to us after our sleep. Someone once told me the soul releases itself from the body in the dream state, leaving the body as if it were dead.

But is death also comparable to sleeping? Do we pass through a state of sleeping of some sort during the process of t’chiyat hameitim (the resurrection of the dead), when the bodies of the dead will be brought back to life and reunited with their souls. Is the phase between death and this resurrection comparable to a state of sleeping from which one 'awakes'?

Or to put it plain and simple:
What does it mean to sleep and awake when referring to death?
What's the difference and comparison between death and sleep if one claims the soul leaves the body.


texts: Many siddurim in my possession indicate one who davens minchah after sunset omits tachanun. What are the sources behind this ?


texts: Old fashioned telephone vs. Uber App on Shabbos

texts:
From Rabbi Moshe Heinemann:

  Riding to the Hospital
  A woman need not spend Shabbos/Yom Tov at a
  location close to the hospital or arrive at the hospital before labor
  starts to avoid riding on Shabbos/Yom Tov. The order of preference in
  arranging transportation for an expectant mother is as follows:

    A.   1st - Pre-arrange with a non-Jew.

    B.   2nd - Use a taxi service. (When phoning for a taxi, one should not reveal that a woman is in labor.
    Some taxi drivers hesitate to transport a woman in labor to the
    hospital. This is a suggestion, not a Halacha.)

    C.    3rd - Have a Jew
    drive the pregnant woman. The Jew should drive normally, e.g. using
    signals, brakes, lights, etc. The Jew should drive in the usual manner
    because if he chooses to perform fewer Melachos, he might cause an
    accident.

My question is, pertaining to B, would using the Uber app be preferable to calling on a regular old fashioned telephone and using a taxi service? Is using the app doing less or more Melacha?


texts: Rif, Rosh, and Rambam about the Techelet

texts:
The Petil Techelet company (I believe) makes three types of colored strings:

Raavad- 1 full string of blue
Tosafot- 2 full strings of blue
Rambam- 1/2 string of blue

Does the Rif or Rosh mention any method of coloring the strings?

The reason I'm asking this question is to be my own Shulhan Aruch and determine which coloring he would recommend.


texts: What should I be aware of when using the term "Jew"?

texts:
As a gentile who finds himself writing about Judaism in the ancient world, I've found myself reluctant to use the word "Jew".  I tend to use phrases like "Jewish people" and "Hebrew" when it makes sense.  Even writing this question makes me uneasy.
It turns out Google (of all organizations) explained this phenomena:

If you use Google to search for “Judaism,” “Jewish” or “Jewish people,” the results are informative and relevant. So why is a search for “Jew” different? One reason is that the word “Jew” is often used in an anti-Semitic context. Jewish organizations are more likely to use the word “Jewish” when talking about members of their faith. The word has become somewhat charged linguistically, as noted on websites devoted to Jewish topics such as these:

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/jonah081500.asp

Someone searching for information on Jewish people would be more likely to enter terms like “Judaism,” “Jewish people,” or “Jews” than the single word “Jew” In fact, prior to this incident, the word “Jew” only appeared about once in every 10 million search queries.

With that background, does the Jewish community generally encourage the rehabilitation of the word "Jew" by it being used in non-anti-Semitic contexts?  Are there cultural pitfalls to be warned about when using the word?


texts: Why do some synagogues offer kidush and others not?

texts:
Some (orthodox) synagogues in the United States offer kidush after Shabas-morning services every week; others do not.

Is this division roughly along 'type' of synagogue? For example, do most Young Israel synagogues offer weekly kidush, most Agudath Israel synagogues not, most hasidic ones yes, most 'yeshivish' ones not, or something? If so, what are some of the 'types' that do/don't offer weekly kidush?
Especially if the answer to the preceding bullet point is "no", what considerations go into the decision to offer or not offer weekly kidush?


texts: Where is the website which allows me to set up a daily learning schedule?

texts:
In the past I have used a website to set up a daily learning schedule for Nach although the program there will allow any daily learning schedule and review.

But I cannot find it again - not even by searching Mi Yodeya!
Please help.


texts: Are Jewish students allowed to study non-religious subjects on Shabbat?

texts: For example, could a Jewish university student learn mathematics (without a computer) on Shabbat?


texts: Why are these the examples of HaShem abrogating nature?

texts:
The Midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 14:1) presents several expositions of the following verses (Tehillim 60:9-10):

  To Me is Gilead and to Me is Menasheh. Ephraim is the stronghold of My head, and Yehudah is My lawgiver. Moav is My washbasin. On Edom will I cast My shoes. Acclaim Me, Peleshes.

In one exposition, the Midrash interprets each clause as a proof against Hashem's critics. If you don't want to read through my paraphrase of the Midrash, a summary appears just before my question after the horizontal line below.

If you don't believe that HaShem can revive the dead, "To Me is Gilead" - Eliyahu from Gilead already did so, and he can bear testimony that HaShem can do the same.

If you don't believe that HaShem accepts ba'alei teshuvah, "To Me is Menasheh" - that is, King Menasheh, whose teshuvah was accepted in spite of such severe sins.

If you don't believe that HaShem remembers barren women, "Ephraim is is the stronghold of My head" - go to Elkanah from Har Ephraim, whose wife Chanah was remembered.

If you don't believe that HaShem abrogates nature for the righteous, "Yehudah is My lawgiver" - Chananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were saved from fire, and Daniel from lions, all of whom were descendants of Yehudah.

If you don't believe HaShem can heal people, "Moav is My washbasin" - go to Na'aman, who was healed through water, or Moshe, who was saved through water. (The Midrash explains why each one is called "Moav.")

If you don't believe HaShem can save from the gallows, "Upon Edom do I cast my locks*" - not only was Mordechai saved from the gallows, but it was thrown back at Haman, an Edomi.

If you don't believe that HaShem can save a person without a sword or spear, "Regarding Peleshes do they shout triumphantly**" - David defeated Golias without such weapons.

*The word "na'al" literally means "shoe," but the Midrash homiletically interprets it as being related to the word for "closing," and thus translates it as something which "locks" air out of one's lungs - a gallows.

**The phrase is "alei Peleshes hisro'a'i." On a simple level, the object is the speaker of the verse, and the subject is Peleshes, but the Midrash interprets the subject as an unspecified group of people and the object as Peleshes, based on a passuk in Shmuel Aleph.

TL;DR, the Pesukim in Tehillim 60:9-10 are interpreted in this exposition as various proofs that HaShem can (a) revive the dead, (b) accept repentants, (c) allow barren women to give birth, (d) abrogate nature for the righteous, (e) heal people from disease, (f) save from the gallows - and, further, place that decree on the one who issued it, and (g) allow one to win a battle without ordinary weapons.

To me, the common denominator is that HaShem can go against the usual nature of the world as He sees fit. Ordinarily, the dead stay dead, people must deal with the consequences of their actions, barren women don't give birth, fire burns and lions devour, the sickly die of disease, those decreed to die are killed, and the stronger of two combatants wins. The point of these Pesukim, it seems, is that HaShem can go against how the world normally runs as He sees fit.

If so, why do the Pesukim leave out other fundamentals, such as that HaShem punishes people for their actions (s'char v'onesh), that ordinarily a field only produces according to that which one plants, yet the righteous can get significantly more, as proven by Yitzchak Avinu (Bereishis 26)? Or that an enslaved, lowly, downtrodden people can rise to be the grandest of all, as proven by Moshe Rabbeinu when he redeemed the Jews from Mitzraim? Of all of the examples that the Midrash/passuk could have brought that HaShem abrogates nature as He sees fit, why did it pick on these seven?


texts:
Who knows one hundred seventy-four?
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: Seforim or Sources with Questions in Talmudic/Halachic learning without Answers

texts:
Does anyone know of particular seforim where there would be questions posed in talmudic, halachic or lomdish topics, but without answers?
I'm just wondering if there are seforim where there are chiddushim but which end up with questions, that the author hadn't as yet been able to answer. The yeshivah in my community (Yeshivah Gedolah of Lubavitch in Melbourne) publishes a booklet of chiddushim every few months where some of the heoros develop interesting questions in a sugya but the author hadn't as yet been able to figure out an answer, and he asks the readers to help him figure one out. It's enjoyable to read these and try to think of answers, so I was wondering if there are any places where there is a larger amount of this sort of thing. (Whether in Hebrew or in English.)


texts:
On Rosh Chodesh and on Pesach after the first yom tov, most communities recite Hallel b'dilug ("half" Hallel). In most siddurim that I'm used to, the skipped-over portions are Psalms 115:1–11 and Psalms 116:1–11.
I am looking for sources that discuss what to do if one intended to say Hallel b'dilug but instead did not skip (some of) the sections above. There are several places of realisation I've identified that may or may not make a difference as to the answer:

Somewhere in 115:1-11 — perhaps we skip ahead to 115:12?
Between 115:11 and 115:12 — perhaps we skip the rest of 115?
Somewhere in 115:12–18 — perhaps we complete what we started and skip as usual in 116, or perhaps we skip the rest of 115?
Between 115 and 116 — perhaps we have to go back and redo 115 with the proper skip, or just skip as usual in 116?
Somewhere in 116:1–11 — perhaps we skip ahead to 116:12?
Between 116:11 and 116:12 — perhaps we skip the rest of 116?
Somewhere in 116:12–19 — perhaps we skip the rest of 116, or we have to redo 116 with the proper skip, or redo from 115 with the proper skips?
After 116 — perhaps we should skip somewhere in 117—118, or perhaps we need to redo from 115 (or 116) properly?
At the end of Hallel — perhaps we need to redo from 115 (or 116), or the entire Hallel?

If any other realisation points (or possible next steps) are worth singling out, I would be interested to hear. An ideal answer would also determine whether it makes a difference whether we're discussing an individual vs. a community, or Hallel b'dilug with a bracha vs. without a bracha.


texts: What was in the Holy Incense of the ancient Hebrews of Exodus 30:34–38?

texts:
In Exodus 30:34–38, we read the following:

  34 And the Lord said to Moses: “Take sweet spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, and pure frankincense with these sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of each. 35 You shall make of these an incense, a compound according to the art of the perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. 36 And you shall beat some of it very fine, and put some of it before the Testimony in the tabernacle of meeting where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you. 37 But as for the incense which you shall make, you shall not make any for yourselves, according to its composition. It shall be to you holy for the Lord. 38 Whoever makes any like it, to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people.” - Exodus 30:34–38.

My question is quite simply. For a non speaking Hebrew person like myself what were the traditional ingredients of the Holy Incense as it was revealed to Moses by G_d, according to ancient Jewish tradition?

Also are there any ancient Jewish writers that wrote about adding other substances to this incense? If so what were they?


texts: How many people died before Pinchas killed Zimri?

texts: In the mass death at the end of Parashas Balak, how many people died before Pinchas killed Zimri?


texts: I would like to see an actual Vilna Shas

texts: I would like to see the pages of an actual Vilna Shas. I know there are many many reprints out there in bookstores, my bookshelf, and websites like http://www.e-daf.com, but that's not what I want. I want to see the pages of a book which was printed in Vilna and came off a 19th century printing press owned by the Romm brothers. Although I would love to see it in person, that's probably impossible so I'll settle for online scans. While images of a page here or there are nice, I'd really like to see a whole masechet or more including all the title pages, commentaries in the back, etc. Any leads?


texts: Why don't we wash mayim acharonim on non bread meals?

texts:
The mishna berurah says that the reason for mayim acharonim is that we are worried about Sodom Salt (even if today's salt is not Sodom Salt, some of it might still be mixed in). He also says that since it's very common to have salt at the meal we must therefore wash mayim acharonim.

If we have salt by most meals wouldn't this require us to wash mayim acharonim even when no bread was eaten (crackers and fish, soups, etc)?


texts:
Situation: you are licensed to carry a concealed pistol.  You live inside an eruv.  You choose to carry your pistol on shabbat.

What is the status of the Concealed Pistol License (CPL) ID card?  Can we say that the CPL ID is "supporting" the pistol, and therefore it is not muksah and can be carried also?  Or do we say that the CPL ID is not needed, because we can prove to the police that we are licensed after the fact?

Aside: I'm thinking of getting a scan of my CPL printed on to a t-shirt...


texts: Dealing with translation differences when reading in English

texts:
As I learn more Hebrew, I still daven and read things like Tehillim in English for the most part.

Many sources casually say that English is as good as Hebrew when you daven/read alone.

However, what freaks me out is the big, semantic differences one sometimes sees in different translations of the same thing.

For example, Psalm 9 (upon the death of Labben vs to brighten the youth).

Brushing into such things when I read from different books sometimes makes me wonder what I'm actually reading.

How is it not a problem?


texts:
Although there is certainly a wide range of 'customs' regarding this question, why do some Orthodox communities skip the wife's first name in invitations saying:
"Mr. and Mrs. [Husband First and Last Name] invite you to..."


texts: Is there a problem with women wearing red clothing?

texts: I've heard that red clothing is forbidden for women to wear because it's immodest.  Some recent psych research confirmed that men are more attracted to women in red.  So that means it's prohibited, right?


texts: Were there Bigdei Leviim (and if not why not?), what did the Leviim wear in the Mishkan?

texts:
Were there Bigdei Leviim (special clothing for the Leviim)? If not why did they not have any? They were in the public eye, as were the Kohanim, and all people in a royal court have a specific costume so why not them? A historical question I guess (Josephus might address it).

What did the Leviim wear in the Mishkan or the Beis Hamikdash when they where singing or carrying the Keilim or guarding and the like? Any source that adresses any of these questions would be appreciated.


texts: What are the pros and cons of learning online?

texts:
My work schedule and growing family (stressed wife) hasn't yet provided an opportunity to go learn in a yeshiva or adult learning at night. Getting more serious about learning two years ago, I was inspired to learn Torah at work instead of being tainted by the music I was listening to. A friend introduced me to R' Yossi Mizrahi of DivineInformation.com which led to TorahAnytime.com etc. Easily hundreds of hours listening to shiurim and have enjoyed every moment!

This learning has inspired me to seek out seforim to fill in leisure time during breaks, traveling, and Shabbat. So titles like Daily Dose, Mesillat Yesharim, Sfas Emes Perkei Avos and many others consume my bookshelf. A speck compared to many contributors on M.Y., I'm sure!

But everything must have its balance in life. Think it was R' M. M. Weiss who said, 'with all the tumah readily available today, Hashem had to balance it with Torah just as available online.' So at what point, if at all, does the majority of ones learning online hinder structure and productivity long term? For the laymen, do forums like M.Y. provided a 'sub' of sorts for the chavrusa experience found in yeshivot? I am one who strives to avoid Facebook ultimately for the tumah and illusion of 'relationship'. From a chavrusa standpoint for a layman, can M.Y. and like sites become a replacement for Facebook, resembling similar concerns?

My goal with this question is to develop a healthy perspective and conviction in Avodat Hashem. Please source and provide 'sufficient' translation if applicable. I am 'crawling' with my Hebrew, B'H! lol.


texts: Should you say a blessing on a tallit gadol when you are performing a task in a shul that requires one due to a custom?

texts:
Should you say a blessing on a tallit gadol when you are performing a task in a shul that requires it (e.g.: being hazzan for mincha or getting an aliyah during mincha) ?

Is there a difference if this is an ashekenazi bachur that doesn't usually wear a tallit gadol or a married man that has already put on the tallit gadol for shacharit?


texts: Sefer on Chazal, Geonim and Later Acharonim

texts:
I currently own the Artscroll books The Rishonim and The Early Acharonim by Rabbi Goldwurm. They have a few features on Rabbonim of the ages that I really appreciate:

Anecdotal information about each Rav
Works and kavanos behind their works
How this Rav relates to other Rabbonim

However, there were no published sefarim on any of:

Chazal
Geonim
Later Acharonim
Contemporary (i.e. last 20 years) Acharonim

Does anyone know of any sefarim (print/out-of-print, Hebrew/English) that fill in those gaps I'm looking for?


texts: The name Beila / Baila - any serious research?

texts:
Edit: I'm looking for information on the Jewish name "Beila", which is relevant to Judaism as name meanings, spellings, and etymologies pertain to both personal and communal religious observances.

Can anyone share any serious research- or at least a good solid theory- on the meaning of the name Beila-ביילא? There are a number of theories circulating the internet, none of which are very convincing- e.g.

Beila is a form of Bilhah-
Was Bilhah such a common given name in European Jewish communities that it would have inspired a common Yiddish form???

Beila means white-
This assumes an Eastern Yiddish/slavic influence, however the name is equally prominent in Western Yiddish lineages. And if Eastern influenced, the name would be more likely to be pronounced byela. Also the yiddish word for white is invariably weiss. I could go on.

Beila means beautiful-
This theory seems based on the similarity to Bella, but I'm not clear how that would have influenced Yiddish speaking communities.

Some have said it's an acronym for the words Baruch Hashem l'olam amen. Nice dvar torah for her sheva brachot but I'm not sure that's the origin.

Here are some of my own theories- they may be no less of a reach-

1-Beila came from the hebrew בעלה itself a variant of בַּעֲלַת בַּיִת- she's the boss, the "baalabusta", the lady of the house, etc. I'm sure there are other connotations...
Some yiddish speaking communities actually pronounce the Hebrew word בעלה as if it were written ביילא.
Anecdotally, this meaning fits the personality of all the Beila's I know - they are tough and in charge...

2- Beila is a contraction of some kind, the bei- in yiddish (and german) is a prefix meaning at. Which explains the common yinglish confusion of "at" and "by" in common speech, as in "come pick me up, I'm by yeshiva." I don't know what the la would mean, but bei la could be some combination of words whose meaning became obscure with time.

3- Perhaps the "la" in Beila is just a diminutive, as in many common names, like Feigela, Moishele, and so on - which would make the original name something like Bei- or Beil- or even some other name that starts with bei but got shortened and then diminutized. This could fit with the "baalas habayis" theory I already mentioned, or it could be some completely different word. Maybe it shares an etymology with Bagel, which comes from an old Germanic word for ring. Many possibilities, most of them far fetched.

Anyone want to weigh in here?

**Edit: According to my grandmother, the name in Hungary is pronounced Bella and is a shortened form of Isabella.

This makes some sense, as Isabella is believed to be related to the Hebrew name Elisheva which could have undergone many dimunitions over the centures. Queen Isabella (of Poland/Hungary) was also a popular historical personage during the time that many Jews were settling in the region of modern day Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia - so it makes sense that the name could have come into popular usage as an easier alternative to Elisheva or Isabella.**


texts: Does a Talmudic dictionary have kedusha?

texts: May one place a Talmudic dictionary like the Otzar Rashei Teivos on top of other holy sefarim? I had always assumed that it has the status of a sefer, but others have expressed doubts on this issue.


texts:
DanF previously asked about piyutim and zemiros which follow the author's name. But if they don't follow the author's name, they follow the aleph-beis in some fashion or another (repeat letters, forwards, backwards, at-bash, etc.). Why is this? Why are there so few piyutim that are in an arbitrary order?

It is worth noting that according to Maharzu, Koheles Rabbah 1:33 says that although many paytanim attempted this pattern, they often were unable to come up with a stanza for all letters, while Shlomo HaMelech was always able to complete his piyutim - and have 5 extra, which Eitz Yosef understands as corresponding to the five final letters םןץף״ך. The Midrash based this off of Melachim Aleph 5:12. According to this reading of the Midrash, this practice of following the Aleph Beis is at least as old as Bayis Rishon, if not older.


texts: If one gives birth to a premature/preterm son, or if the childs weight is to low, for example, would it still be circumcised on the 8th day or are there exceptions to the command?


texts: If one eats pizza and is 100% certain he did not say the bracha for it, may he still say it? Explanation: Eating a piece of pizza, realizing you didn’t say the bracha, and saying the bracha before eating another piece of pizza.


texts: Should a child wash his hands before eating on Yom Kippur?

texts: I know that you're not allowed  to eat  or wash on Yom Kippur. But suppose a child (not obligated to fast) is going to eat bread - should he wash his hands before eating it?


texts:
I once saw this question in the magazine Kolmus:

  There's a tradition that Moshe wrote thirteen sifrei Torah on the day of his death.
  However, there are many opinions that Moshe died on Shabbos, so how could he have written on Shabbos?


texts: Does Judaism differentiate between a planet and a star?

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On the 4th day, G-d created Sun, Moon and the stars.

Besides the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn were known since ancient times (not mentioning the existence of the real stars).

Rambam (based on the Geeks) mentions that the planets reside on a different Firmament than the stars, but mentions no physical difference.

(As I realize even the idea that the Moon's shining comes from the Sun's light and it doesn't have the light of its own is not original in Judaism as the verse says "שני מאורות גדולים").

Does anybody in our sources mention the difference between a planet that does not have the light and a star?


texts: App featuring material written on Shabbos & lashon hora

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I'm building an Android app featuring Israeli news. It is largely based on feeds that automatically takes material written by news services and bloggers who are not shomer Shabbos (but no one is writing specifically for the app). The app does make a little money from ads, but I'm not selling anything per-se. The app has actually been live for quite a while - it's tough to tell, but at the moment most users are probably not Jewish.

Is it permissible to include such feeds as some material is inevitably written on Shabbos and inevitably some users will 'download' this material before shabbos ends? Note that the material will only reach the user's phone when the (not-necessarily-Jewish) user decides to load the app.

Additionally, are there any issues in providing such content with regards to any Lashon Hora contained within?


texts: Why does my bottle of Kosher grape juice say that it's 'for sacramental purposes only'?

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I recently noticed that the bottle of Kedem Kosher grape juice that I purchased has a notice on the label which reads 'FOR SACRAMENTAL PURPOSES ONLY'.

I assume this means that it's being sold to be used only for Kiddush, Havdalah or the Four Cups at the Seder.

Why is it in the company's interests to sell it in this way? Does it confer some legal, regulatory or tax advantage?

[Tangential bonus question: What happens if I want to drink it for other, non-sacramental purposes?]


texts: I have started learning Chok L'Yisroel and enjoying it thoroughly. I'm just wondering if there are any praises / segulas associated with it?


texts:
Over the Yomim Tovim I happened to skim through a copy of Rav Hirsh's sefer "Horeb". In one section he discussed a directive from Chazal to leave a city struck with plague. With Ebola having been contracted in the U.S. (Hashem yishmor) several questions arise:

Is this directive a halachic mandate or good advise (and what is it's source)?

When is an infection significant enough to trigger this directive?

What is the obligation of an non-quarantined individual who may conceivably be infected, and at risk of spreading it, with regard to this directive?

Does the advise of government health officials (i.e. CDC) "not to panic" or so forth have any effect in absolving one's responsibility to follow this directive?


texts: Is there a source for lighting a candle in memory of a person or a Tzadik? And if there is, what would be the reason to do so?


texts: Why was Rachel shepherding instead of Leah?

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In Bereshit 29 we learn that Rachel was shepherding her father's sheep. Do any commentaries explain why Rachel, the younger sister, was the shepherdess instead of Leah the older sister?

Related question


texts: Is it a sin to escape the death penalty?

texts: If someone is sentenced to death by a Jewish court and is being held prisoner until the sentence can be carried out, if he escapes, is that a sin for him?


texts: Why do we say God will be one when we also say He already is?

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Aleinu ends with the phrase "on that day God will be one and His name will be one".  While we could interpret this to mean that "on that day everybody else will agree with us on this", the plain meaning of the text is more direct.  Yet we affirm, multiple times a day, that God is already one.

Why was this text chosen for Aleinu instead of some other text that better expresses the intention?  And is the intention in fact that God will be seen as one by everybody, or is this text meant to convey something else?


texts: Yaakov mourning Yosef vs. Yaakov keeping the mitzvos

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Rashi (to Bereishis 32:5) says that Yaakov kept the Torah in Lavan's house. Ramban (to 26:5) says that he only kept it inside Eretz Yisrael. Gur Aryeh (to 32:4 and 46:10) says he kept the Aseh's but not the Lo Sa'aseh's. The Ridvaz (Shu"t Ridvaz 696), Maharsha (Yoma 28b "mitzvosai"), Ohr HaChaim (to Bereishis 49:3), Da'as Zekeinim (to 37:35), and Nefesh HaChaim (1:21) all say that Yaakov kept all the Mitzvos.

Why do I give this lengthy background? Because of the fact that Yaakov mourned over Yosef's apparent demise. If Yaakov kept all of the mitzvos, then he would have had to write a Sefer Torah, as commanded in Devarim 31:19. In that Sefer Torah he would have written the fact that Yosef was alive. So how can you tell me that he didn't know that Yosef was alive?

I should clarify that many hold that Yaakov didn't keep the entire Torah. This question obviously wouldn't even start according to them.


texts:
Who knows one hundred seven?
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: Why remove tallis before maariv on motzei Tisha B'av?

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There is a widespread practice not to wear tallis and tefillin for the morning prayer on Tisha B'Av, instead putting them on for the afternoon prayer. There is also a prohibition against wearing tefillin after sunset on any day. In congregations where mincha and maariv are prayed together, everybody removes their tefillin after mincha before sunset.

In my experience, everybody also removes their tallis before maariv of motzei Tisha B'av, despite the fact that there is clearly no prohibition to wear a tallis in the evening. The tallis gadol is worn for maariv on Yom Kippur and, in my experience, most people also leave it on after ne'ila and through maariv of motzei Yom Kippur. Furthermore, the general practice is not to remove the tallis katan in the evening on a daily basis.

So why is the common practice to remove the tallis gadol for maariv after Tisha B'av? My guess is that people do it for no particular reason other than because they're already removing their tefillin. Is there some other reason why the tallis should be removed?


texts: Doing business live with a non-Jew who is in a time zone where Shabbat already arrived

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Is it permitted for a Jew to communicate in real time, conducting business, with a non-Jew who is in a time zone where Shabbat has already arrived, assuming it's not yet Shabbat where the Jew is? Assume that this would entail both parties' performance of melachot during the communication, and requests from the Jew to the non-Jew to do further melachot immediately after the communication.

I know there's a general rule against asking a non-Jew to perform melachot on Shabbat, and another rule against benefiting from melachot he does for a Jew on Shabbat. But I don't know whether that refers to Shabbat in his time zone or in mine.


texts:
I remember hearing that there was a rabbi that used practical kabbalah with his disciples to fight SM' + LL', but I cannot remember his name.

Arizal has prohibited it, right?
I remember that he gave names of some rabbanim who used it and made idol worship with practical kaballah, in that list includes the name of the rabbi of this history.

He grouped i think 4 disciples, then he made some meditations, so Elyahu appeared to him and said it wouldn't be possible, because SM'+LI' were too strong, but the rabbi was to give his life for Hashem, so Elyahu gave him some instructions, than after he made the things Elyahu said, angels appeared to him to give more complex instructions, all of them saying that he wouldn't succed. In the end, he gave some spices to SM', so it was considered as avora zarah, just one disciple survived to tell the history.

I would like to remember the name of this rabbi, so i could read the history again


texts: What is the torah view on the dinosaurs?

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What is the Torah view on the dinosaurs? There's no mention of them in the Torah, only that the world was created in 6 days.

You'd think the existence of a former world of huge alien creatures would have some sort of mention in midrashim, etc. and some sort of purpose in G-d's plan. How do we view this from a torah pespective?


texts: Does a Jew need to obtain a get if his ex-wife is not Jewish?

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A Jewish man marries a non-Jewish woman in a Jewish ceremony, with a ketubah, under the supervision of a non-orthodox rabbi.

Later on, the couple obtains a civil divorce.

May the Jewish man now marry a Jewish woman without the need for a get, since his ex-wife was not Jewish? Or is a get required?


texts: Is a dinner party gift muktza? I've been invited to a Shabbos dinner and I would like to give the hostess a gift. I will be carrying the gift within an eiruv.


texts: Who can be subjugated for acting out of line?

texts:
Shuchan Aruch, Yore Dea 267:15:

  People who do not act in line — it's permissible to subjugate them by force and be served by them.

I see nothing in the commentaries on the page (in the standard edition) that indicates criteria for what's considered to be acting out of line. What is?


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

Upvote all interesting answers.

Accept the best answer.

Go on to the next number.