texts: Source for the work on the mishkan being completed on Kislev 25

texts:
In the Pesikta Rabbati, we find a midrash that claims that the work on the mishkan was completed on the 25th of Kislev, even though it wasn't erected until Nisan.

אמר רבי חנינא בעשרים וחמשה בכסליו נגמרה מלאכת המשכן
Rabbi Hanina says: on the 25th of Kislev, the work on the mishkan was completed

While the midrash gives prooftexts for several other assertions it makes, it doesn't attempt to source the date for the completion of work on the mishkan. Is there another text that sources this assertion, or anyone later who suggests a reason for the Pesikta Rabbati's assertion?


texts: Had it not been for the sin of Adam and Chava, I've read sources that say we would have been able to eat from the Tree of Life, which would means that humanity would never die. What would keep the Earth from being over-populated?


texts: Hatoras Nedarim for wife taking her husband's Minhagim

texts:
According to Minchas Yaakov 112:2 and Darchei Teshuva 112:94, one who is always careful with Pas Yisrael and now wants to start eating Pas Paltar would have to be Matir Neder. Suppose a girl who was always careful to eat Pas Yisrael is now marrying a guy who eats Pas Paltar, would she still have to be Matir Neder or, since she is changing her status by marriage, is it not necessary?

This question is applicable by any case where the wife maintains a Chumra which the husband does not. The above is an example.


texts: Why offer the Nations mitzvos from the Torah that are already in the Noahide Laws?

texts: When Hashem went around offering the Torah to the other nations each asked what is written therein to each nation He told them of the commandment representing their weak point or vice, hence they rejected it. The question remains if you look at the things Hashem brought up they are all included in the Seven Commandments which Non Jews are responsible to keep even without the Torah. The question is why did Hashem choose to pick something they were already commanded in and why if they were commanded in these things anyway did they not accept?


texts: Participating in a Minyan with 10th Katan (underage)

texts:
When given an Aliyah in a shul that uses a katan as the tenth "man" of the minyan, which is contrary to the opinion of the vast majority of gedolei haposkim (SA 55:4), what should one do? Simply refuse? Maybe walk out to save them from blessings in vain?

Is one permitted to refuse to attend a minyan where they occasionally use a katan, as one does not wish to jeopardize his tefilla b'tzibbur?


texts: Why did they cancel the kohein races over an isolated incident?

texts:
Mishna Yoma 2:1-2:

ב,א  בראשונה, כל מי שהוא רוצה לתרום את המזבח, תורם; בזמן שהן מרובין, רצין ועולים בכבש, וכל הקודם את חברו לתוך ארבע אמות זכה.  ואם היו שניהם שווין, הממונה אומר להן הצביעו:  מה הן מוציאין, אחת או שתיים; אין מוציאין גודל במקדש.
ב,ב  מעשה שהיו שניים שווים רצים ועולים בכבש, ודחף אחד מהן את חברו, ונפל ונשברה רגלו; וכשראו בית דין שהן באין לידי סכנה, התקינו שלא יהו תורמין את המזבח אלא בפיס.  ארבעה פייסות היו שם.  זה הוא הפיס הראשון.

(Read with vowels and translation.)
Basically, for the trumat hadeshen, one of the priestly activities, the kohanim used to run up the mizbei'ach, and whoever won the race by 4 amot got to do it. (In case of a tie, they do a raffle among everyone.) One time, someone was pushed, fell, and broke his leg. The Sages said that we won't do that anymore because it's too dangerous; they would just raffle it off.
But my question is, why did they decide it's too dangerous over one incident? They had clearly been doing this race successfully for a long time. Once, someone broke a leg, so now they can't race??
(As for why the race is better than a raffle, it ensures that the person who merits to do it really wants to. They have to train to earn it, and not just be lucky.)


texts: Why are Jews avoiding giving the name Jethro to their sons?

texts: How come the name "Jethro" is not given to Jews?  Wasn't he a good guy in the end?


texts: I have always been under the impression that the mosque on the Har HaBayis is on the location of the Kosdesh HaKodoshim. Is that accurate?


texts: On the gender of the implied "פַּעַם שֵׁנִי" in Esther 2:14

texts:
Ester 2:14 speaks of each candidate for the title of queen consort:

בָּעֶרֶב הִיא בָאָה וּבַבֹּקֶר הִיא שָׁבָה אֶל בֵּית הַנָּשִׁים שֵׁנִי
In the evening she would arrive and in the morning she would return to the harem second

The "שֵׁנִי/second" is unclear. Rashi says the phrase means "to the second harem". Ibn Ezra and Minchas Shay, on the other hand, say it means "to the harem a second time" — but they parse the phrase differently from one another:

According to ibn Ezra, "שֵׁנִי" means "פַּעַם שֵׁנִי/a second time". Even though "פַּעַם" is usually a feminine noun and "שֵׁנִי" a masculine adjective, so they don't go together, here "פַּעַם" is masculine.
According to Minchas Shay,  "שֵׁנִי" means "פַּעַם שֵׁנִי/a second time". Even though "פַּעַם" is usually a feminine noun and "שֵׁנִי" a masculine adjective, so they don't go together, here "שֵׁנִי" is feminine.

Is that a general rule? That is, when the genders of a noun and its adjective don't match, does ibn Ezra reinterpret the noun (where possible) and Minchas Shay (or whomever he's quoting) reinterpret the adjective (where possible)?

If so, why? What's the reason for that underlying rule?
If not, why does each interpret this verse according to that rule?


texts: Can a Non-Jew attain the highest levels of connectedness to G-d?

texts: Can a Non-Jew who performs the Noahide laws attain the highest levels of connectedness to G-d as a Jew who performs mitzvot?


texts: Is there a Statute of Limitations in Jewish Law?

texts:
From Wikipedia:

  A statute of limitations is an enactment in a common law legal system that sets the maximum time after an event that legal proceedings based on that event may be initiated. In civil law systems, similar provisions are typically part of the civil code or criminal code and are often known collectively as periods of prescription.

So is there such a concept in Jewish Law? Will Beis Din ever tell a claimant that s/he waited too long to begin legal proceedings?

Or can the fact that a claimant waited too long (and didn't bother pursuing justice) ever be used as proof to the claimant's detriment?


texts:
After shirat hayam the people grow concerned about water and God instructs Moshe in how to satisfy their needs.  Then Shemot 15:26 says:

וַיֹּאמֶר אִם שָׁמוֹעַ תִּשְׁמַע לְקוֹל | יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ וְהַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינָיו תַּעֲשֶׂה וְהַאֲזַנְתָּ לְמִצְו‍ֹתָיו וְשָׁמַרְתָּ כָּל חֻקָּיו כָּל הַמַּחֲלָה אֲשֶׁר שַׂמְתִּי בְמִצְרַיִם לֹא אָשִׂים עָלֶיךָ כִּי אֲנִי יְהֹוָה רֹפְאֶךָ:
And He said, If you hearken to the voice of the Lord, your God, and you do what is proper in His eyes, and you listen closely to His commandments and observe all His statutes, all the sicknesses that I have visited upon Egypt I will not visit upon you, for I, the Lord, heal you

Note that the capitalization of "He" is from the translation.  This morning in our study group we saw that some translations capitalized it, some left it ambiguous, and one wrote "[God]" (with brackets).
This pasuk struck most of us as odd because it begins with third-person references that sound like Moshe is speaking, and then switches to first person without any sort of break (like an intervening vayomer to signal a new utterance).  Clearly it's God talking at the end.
If God is speaking, as most translations seem to interpret, then why does He use third person ("his eyes", "his commandments", "his statutes")?  The "the Lord your God" construct doesn't bother me; it feels like we've seen that elsewhere coming from God.  But God referring to "his statutes" as opposed to "my statutes", etc, seems unusual.
If Moshe is speaking, why does he not indicate when he starts quoting God (as I assume he would be from "all the sicknesses that I visited...")?
We didn't find anything that explains this in Rashi or the chumashim we had available.


texts:
What is the specific order of Masechetas that are generally learned in Lubavitcher Yeshivas?

What is next year's Mesechta?


texts: Leading poskim in the Charedi community today

texts:
Who are the leading poskim in the Israeli Ashkenazi Charedi community today? As far as I am aware R. Nissim Karelitz is no longer active, so I would like to know who has taken his place and that of Rav Elyashiv zt"l and R. Shmuel Wosner zt"l.

I am not asking who commenters believe should be considered the greatest poskim - I would like to know who regularly answers the most serious and complex shailos, such as yuchsin/mamzeirus and new medical questions and technological issues affecting hilchos shabbos - using verifiable evidence, such as printed teshuvos to shailos referred to them by other rabbonim, or their halachic opinions cited as primary views in mainstream Israeli Charedi publications.


texts:
The Torah says:

You shall dwell in booths for seven days... so that your generations might know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths. [Lev. 23:42-43]

The stated reason seems strange.  It almost sounds like circular reasoning.  Indeed, the
Talmud, Midrashim and later commentaries say that the booths really refer to the clouds of glory God used to guide and shelter the people in the desert [Sifra, Emor 17:11; Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 12:35; Sukkah 11b].
These clouds are first mentioned in Exodus 13:21–22.
This also makes sense if we assume that God wanted future Jews to remember what He did for them during the Exodus from Egypt on all three pilgrimage festivals: On Pessah; the liberation from slavery in Egypt; on Shavuot, the giving of the Torah; and on Sukkot, the protection and sustenance during the trek in the desert.
Also, this is the only reference in the Torah to the Israelites actually dwelling in booths.  Other references just mention the holiday and the four species.
Given all of the above, why do we celebrate Sukkot by building booths and dwelling in them?


texts:
In parshas Shlach Moshe changes Yehoshua's name.

Does this mean his name really changed? IE was he called up to the torah as Yehoshua? Were his kids "ben Yehoshua"?
Are there any other examples in tanach of a person (human) changing someone else's name (not giving them a nickname) permanently?

Related: יהושע too soon


texts: We have seen that even today, despite modern water closets, we should avoid saying the blessing Asher Yatzar in the bathroom after relieving ourselves. We have also seen that we may have some flexibility with the timing. Still, ideally when should be say the blessing? Right after leaving the bathroom while walking to the faucet? When pouring the water on our hands? After having poured water on our hands? How does it affect the timing if a sink is only available in the bathroom?


texts: Are Jews Inherently Politically Liberal?

texts:
I have been attending a series of lectures given by various Jewish rabbis as a prerequisite for the purpose of conversion. The last rabbi's lecture stated plainly that "real" Jews are socialist liberals, and the more politically liberal you are the more "Jewish" you are.The same lecturer said that the founders of the nation of Israel after WWII suffered from "PTSD" and that Bibi Netenyahu "makes me sick" and is "not very Jewish".

As someone who supports Israel, but does not support abortion, homosexual marriage or Marxist socialism, should I rethink my conversion since it seems only political liberals are "real Jews"?
Any thoughts?


texts: What is the logic behind the unequal divisions of Tehillim into days of the month; the sections are of very varying lengths i.e. the "longest days" are twice the length of the "shortest days?"


texts:
I have been told by some friends of Scottish ancestry that a proper kilt is not sewn closed in the form in which it is worn, rather it is a single long piece of fabric which is held in place with a belt. Taking this into account, as well as the fact that its smaller dimension is larger than one amah, it would seem to require tzitzit.

My question here is two-fold:

Would a kilt require tzitzit to be worn?
According to the opinion of the Rambam, what colour would the strings be, considering the tartan pattern?


texts: Stairs to Ascend to Menorah but not Altar

texts:
In Shemot 20:23, Hashem commands us not to ascend to the mizbe'ach (sacrificial altar) with stairs for reasons of modesty. However, we learn in Tamid (3, 9)  that the Menorah had stairs before it in order for the Kohanim to reach the lights. If stairs are prohibited because of modesty, then it would seem that they would be more of an issue with the Menorah which is much closer to the Kodesh Hakodashim than the mizbe'ach.
How do we resolve this discrepancy?
(On a related note, why aren't stairs prohibited outright?)


texts: Talmid Chacham Standing for Talmid Chacham

texts:
The Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De'ah 244:1) discusses standing up out of respect for a talmid chacham-

  מצות עשה לקום מפני כל חכם אפי' אינו זקן אלא יניק וחכים ואפי' אינו רבו

Must a talmid chacham stand up for another talmid chacham?


texts: If one met a very nice Jewish girl and would like to marry her but was told she can't marry a non-Jew, and decided that one wants to convert to stay with her, would that be acceptable? And whole heartedly accepted the commandments with intention to believe on the same level as her.


texts: PTIJ: What is the inyan of the Konami code in Uncle Moishy's song?

texts:
The Konami code, represented as ↑↑↓↓← → ← →BA is clearly referenced in Uncle Moishy's famous song Hashem is Here Hashem is There which asserts that Hashem is "located" in the following places

Up, up, down, down,
Right, left, and all around!

I would like to understand the inyan of this remez

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


texts: Does the Midrash show any examples of adjectives attached to Rabbi when addressing a Rabbi?

texts:
Are there any historic examples, such as in the Midrash, that show someone addressing a Rabbi with an adjective such as
רַבִּי הַטּוֹב?


texts: Is it customary to bring gifts to an upsherin?

texts:
Do people generally bring gifts to an upsherin of a friend's son?

If so, what sort of gifts are appropriate?


texts:
From the plain reading of the story of Adam, Chava and the snake, it appears that the snake only communicated with Chava, not Adam.

Do any commentaries notice this and give a reason as to why this is the case?


texts: Purpose of Gilgulei Sheleg (rolling in snow)

texts:
what is the earliest source of the practice of gilgulei sheleg (rolling in snow)?

also, what is the purpose of this and why specifically snow instead of cold water or whatever .


texts: What does a tahara accomplish for a dead person?

texts: What does a tahara, the process of washing and dressing a dead person, accomplish spiritually for the meis?


texts: Paskening from Talmud vs. Shulchan Arukh

texts: Sometimes poskim will pasken from the Talmud (gemara) instead of the Shulchan Arukh. However, I thought that we pasken from the Shulchan Arukh and not from the Talmud. What is the proper way for deciding the halacha?


texts:
In order to avoid the prohibited, we must first know what it is.

What is the halachic definition of Kishuf ("magic")?

While I am mainly interested in sources, Svaras (reasonings) and thoughts are welcome too.

Here is my own current theory as an example:

  Kishuf is a non-kabbalistic cause-and-effect that consistently works while the majority of that generation's scientists would claim it should not work.


texts: Jewish life during the times of the Black Death

texts:
I'm looking for any sources (if possible maybe even first-hand written accounts) of how Jews who lived in Western Europe at that time handled this particular period.

Anything goes, matter of fact description of cases by Jewish doctors (in the manner of Albert Camus' novel 'The Plague') or religious reconciliations by Rabbis. I want to learn a bit more about that.

(Granted, the current lockdown somewhat kindled my interest in those topics)


texts: "Borei me'orei ha'eish" on havdalah candle holder

texts: If one has a havdalah candle holder with the words "borei me'orei ha'eish" written on it in Hebrew, would it be proper or improper to use it as a havdalah candle holder, considering wax from the dripping candle covers the letters and also wine gets on it.  Thanks.


texts: Ben David and ben Yoseph not describing the herritage

texts:
Is it possible that the titles ‘ben David’ and ‘ben Yoseph’ do not refer to blood kinship or origin, but serve as a reference to the fact that someone possesses certain qualities, traits, abilities or characteristics such as the one to which one is named? Maybe they should be taken as descriptions rather as real names?
Let me clarify this a little bit.

Although the term ‘ben (בן)’ means ‘son’ or ‘son of’ in Hebrew,  it’s also used sometimes almost as a Hebrew idiom for “one characterized by or connected with”, to indicate that someone possesses a certain ability, trait, quality, characteristic etc. or belongs to a certain group. בן-חיל, or בן-עולה, בןמשק, בני הנביאים to name some from the Tenach or בן-ברית, בן-בית.

We also know of the phenomenon that when a person has certain particularly dominant character traits that, in time, one’s name can become a title for such traits. Think of Einstein when someone is really smart or acts smart, think of Samsonite to emphasize the strength of a particular material. This is somewhat similar to the title with which Haman is described: Agagi, despite the fact that it is hard to say that Haman was a biological descendant of Agag/Amalek, but rather that his wicked characteristics and actions were reminiscent of those of Amalek. We even see people named after animals, kind of as a shem to’ar, to describe certain characteristics to them. The Tenach compares Leah with a cow for example, while comparing Rachel to a sheep.

If we take Mashiach ben David for example it could mean that Mashiach is comparable to David in his kingship. Which does not exclude that Messiah should be a literal son of David, since every king after David had to come from his bloodline.

So to sum things up:
Why do the titles ‘ben David’ and ‘ben Yoseph’ have to imply that they are from the bloodline of Yehudah and Ephraim, why can’t these be seen as descriptions?


texts: If a Jewish woman is married to a Jewish man, and she has been sentenced to death or declared a resident of a Rebellious City, but not yet been executed, is she considered technically "dead" to the extent that her marriage is terminated, and she is permitted to marry another man?


texts: They all seem to deal with some part of a process of  reconciliation but could someone explain the difference between Teshuvah (תשובה) Charatah (חרטה) and L'hiNachem (להינחם) ?


texts: What is the Jewish view on creating an army to defend ourselves against armies?

texts:
Jews over the last few thousand years have been persecuted mercilessly! Leaving out making a state for ourselves, is it the wrong haskafah to prepare ourselves with the fighting skills necessary to fight back? We generally see that communities called Fast days and Teshuvah, can we learn from there that it is not the correct Hishtadlus to learn self defence and that when pogroms start we should not bring our own axes too?

Can you help me with some sources please?

Please note that I'm not asking about the legitimacy of Zionism.


texts: Which sefiros does each seder matzah correspond to according to the Ari?

texts:
The Ari says regarding the Pesach seder, (I'm not sure of the exact source though),

"Arrange the Plate on the table by taking three matzahs and placing them one on the other: First the Israelite [the lowest matzah], on it the Levite [the second matzah], and on it the Kohen [the third matzah]. These are the three intellectual faculties, chochma, bina, da'as."

Can anyone say with certainty, which matza corresponds to which sefira?

I read about this here:
http://www.chabad.org/kabbalah/article_cdo/aid/2546858/jewish/The-Seder-Plate-A-Microcosm-of-Your-Psyche.htm


texts: Grammatical determination of Zochreinu (as in זָכְרֵנוּ לְחַיִּים)

texts: Can someone please help me determine the form of the word זָכְרֵנוּ as it appears in the Amida in the Ten Days of Repentance. Looking at the translation I was guessing it to be the imperative plural in present tense of זכר, but I can not find this conjugation in verb tables and Gesenius did not help me neither so far. Please help =)


texts: Why compare zimmun to the tumah of broken/repaired vessels?

texts:
In Bavli Brachot 50a-b, Rava compares a rule for a zimmun to a rule for broken/repaired metal utensils.
In particular, he says that in the case of three people, each coming from a separate group, each group which could make a zimmun: the three forming a new group may make a zimmun if and only if their original groups didn't include them in a zimmun.
Rava learns this halakha from the mishna Keilim 18:9, where a metal bed, half of which was stolen or lost, or it was divided by multiple inheritors, is declared insusceptible to tumah; if the bed is subsequently put back together, it is susceptible to tumah from that point on (and doesn't re-acquire any previous tumah).

דאמר רב הונא שלשה שבאו משלש חבורות אינן רשאין ליחלק אמר רב חסדא והוא שבאו משלש חבורות של שלשה בני אדם אמר רבא ולא אמרן אלא דלא אקדימו הנך ואזמון עלייהו בדוכתייהו אבל אזמון עלייהו בדוכתייהו פרח זימון מינייהו אמר רבא מנא אמינא לה דתנן מטה שנגנבה חציה או שאבדה חציה או שחלקוה אחין או שותפין טהורה החזירוה מקבלת טומאה מכאן ולהבא מכאן ולהבא אין למפרע לא אלמא כיון דפלגוה פרח לה טומאה מינה הכא נמי כיון דאזמון עלייהו פרח זימון מינייהו:
Rav Huna said: Three individuals who came from three different groups and sat together to continue their meals also form a zimmun and are not permitted to divide. Rav Ḥisda said: And that is only the halakha in a case where the three individuals came from three groups of three people each. Rava said: We only said this halakha in a case where those members of the previous groups did not include them in the zimmun in their original place, but in a case where they included them in the zimmun in their original place, their obligation to participate in a zimmun has left them. Rava said: From where do I derive to say this halakha? As we learned in a mishna: A ritually impure bed, half of which was stolen or half of which was lost, or it was divided by brothers after they inherited it from their father, or was divided by partners, it is ritually pure. However, if they restored it and reattached the parts, it is susceptible to ritual impurity from here on. Rava infers: From here on, yes, retroactively, no. Apparently, once they divided it, the ritual impurity left it. Here, too, once they included them in the zimmun, their obligation left them and they do not reassume their previous obligation. [translation from Sefaria, with some explanations cut out]

Does Rava really learn this halakha from the mishna, or is it just a comparison (as a memory aide)? Why does Rava pick this particular mishna (as his source)? As the (cut-out) explanation on Sefaria says about the metal bed: "This is true with regard to any ritually impure utensil that was broken or divided; it is no longer a utensil and is therefore ritually pure." Indeed, the idea of tumah returning upon building something out of broken pieces only applies to metal utensils, so wouldn't a comparison to a non-metal utensil be more effective? Is there a deeper connection that I'm missing?


texts: Why do women and girls not immerse before prayer?

texts:
According to Lubavitcher Rebbe, daily ritual immersion is a commendable practice, as a praying Jew is likened to the kohen who would always immerse before his avoda. Why do the women of those communities where men immerse daily not do so if they plan to pray?

Girls often have prayers at school on a scheduled daily basis (as opposed to married women). Does wanting to prevent self-justified extra-marital relations really have priority over this commendable practice?


texts:
If a person believes Islam is he righteous gentile and Noahide?
or Are all muslims automatically Noahides because they believe in strict monotheism?

Is there authoritative ruling about this issue?

This question was raised on here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udYM4FuYdiA

very good answer by  Rabbi Tovia Singer but I would like to confirm it with some sources please! He said that Islam has unique status in Judaism and I dont think it is related to another question.


texts: Can one take out trash cans to the street on Yom Tov?

texts:
I know that trash is generally accepted as muktze, though can be moved due to 'graf shel rei'.
Is one allowed to take the trash cans out to the street on Shabbos and Yom Tov to the street for pickup?


texts: Music of Yemenite Jews: Baladi vs Shammi

texts: I know there are differences of prayer and practice between Baladi and Shammi for Yemenites. But is the music the same? Are the melodies of the te'amim the same?


texts: Is there a kabbalistic preference for the author of a sefer to create a title alluding from a posuk alluding to his name? If so, why?


texts: Does a mohel say Tachanun during mincha if he did a brit in the morning?

texts:
In a shul where a mohel is present for a brit, he (nor others in the minyan) say Tachanun. Usually, a brit is done after Shacharit.

Someone (not a mohel) told me, recently, that when a mohel has doen a brit in the morning, he is exempt from saying Tachanun during mincha, regardless of which shul he attends (i.e., even if not doing a brit at mincha.) I haven't been able to locate a source to support this. Is this halacha or a minhag?


texts:
We know from Gen 37 that Yosef was 17 when he went out to meet his brothers and ended up on the way to Egypt, and we know from Gen 41:46 that he was 30 when Paro appointed him as second in commend.  We also know that this was two years after he, in prison, interpreted the dreams of the butler and baker.

So the earliest he could have gone to prison is 17 and the latest is 28.  17 seems unlikely, as he needed time to rise to power in Potiphar's house, but there's still a decade or so of uncertainty.

So how old was Yosef when Potiphar's wife accused him and he got sent to prison?  Rashi is silent on the question and none of the various chumashim in use at our torah-study group had anything.


texts: Whose opinion is followed by those who say כרעותיה in Kaddish without a dagesh in the כ?

texts:
My question on kaddish was well answered.
The answer said that the Vilna Gaon preferred the word כּרְעוּתֵהּ with the dagesh in the chaf, because that word is not connected to "ברא", but to the beginning of the kadish ("יתגדל ויתקדש... כרעותיה") - i.e. that He will be praised according to His will.
Now the Mishna Berura 56 (1) [2] says

אחר תיבות כרעותיה יפסיק קצת דתיבות אלו קאי אלמעלה על יתגדל
After
the words כּרְעוּתֵהּ one should pause because those words refer to the
יתגדל above.

The words in bold sound very much like the answer to my previous question.
Q1] Does the Mishna Berura pasken that we should pronounce the word כּרְעוּתֵהּ?
Q2] Most of the siddurim I have seen have  כרעותיה without the dagesh. If the answer to Q1 is yes, whose opinion do these siddurim follow?


texts: Were there prophets who could “see” the past?

texts:
According to Wikipedia, Judaism holds that there were 48 males prophets and 7 female prophetesses mentioned by name in Tenakh, counting ONLY the Jewish ones. (Judaism recognizes that there were many other Jewish prophets as well as prophets among all the nations, Balaam one of the most famous of them).

Chabad.org states that a “prophet is an individual who receives a message from G‑d to transmit to the people”. Sometimes, a prophet can foretell the future.

My question is, does the Torah (or other sources of Jewish tradition such as the Talmud) identify and discuss people who did—I suppose one way of putting it—-the exact OPPOSITE of prophecy? Namely, “see” the past (maybe even past lives) unveiling unknown events and knowledge in order to guide people in the present? I hesitate using the term “past live regression” as that is done by placing an individual under the state of hypnosis. I also hesitate using the term “psychic” which has negative connotations. Quite frankly, I have NO idea what call the phenomenon if it exists at all!

It seems to me that if there were prophets who could foresee the future, there had to be those who could see into the past as well, not only in the context of gilguls but past events that were known by few if any. Revealing secret meaning to a known event might also qualify.


texts: What is the genealogy of Judah ben Bava?

texts: Is Judah ben Bava, noted for continuing the tradition of ordination, the son of Bava ben Buta, the Rabbi who was spared by Herod?


texts:
On Aish.com, I saw the following:

הר הבית הוא שער השמים - The Temple Mount is the gateway to heaven. כל תפילה עולה דרך מקום זה - All prayers ascend from this spot.

Does anyone know where this line comes from?


texts: Kiddush levana – intensity of moonlight required in areas of light pollution

texts:
The answer to this question

came from Mishna Berura 426:3 which defines the light from the moon on which one can make the blessing as follows:

  ג) ונהנין מאורה - דהיינו בעת שזריחתה ניכרת ע"ג קרקע. אם נתכסה הלבנה
  בעבים אם העב דק וקלוש שנראית הלבנה ממנו ונהנה בה מברך ואם הענן עב אינו
  מברך

  3) to benefit from the light. That is that when the moon shines, the
  light should be noticeable on the ground. If the moon is covered with
  thin cloud so it can still be seen and noticed on the ground, one can
  make the blessing and if not one cannot  make the blessing.

When there is other light (e.g. street lights) also there, I might think that I would need a higher intensity of moonlight for it to be noticeable and hence to  make the blessing. Or one could say that the blessing is fixed on the brightness in the absence of other illumination.

Have our Poskim spoken about this subject?


texts: Why is the possibility of being able to eventually rule a nega' impure necessary in order to quarantine it initially?

texts:
Nega'im 9:3:

  שָׁאֲלוּ אֶת רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר, מִי שֶׁעָלְתָה לְתוֹךְ יָדוֹ בַּהֶרֶת כַּסֶּלַע וּמְקוֹמָהּ צָרֶבֶת שְׁחִין. אָמַר לָהֶם, יַסְגִּיר. אָמְרוּ לוֹ, לָמָּה, לְגַדֵּל שֵׂעָר לָבָן אֵינָהּ רְאוּיָה, וּלְפִשְׂיוֹן אֵינָהּ פּוֹשָׂה, וּלְמִחְיָה אֵינָהּ מִטַּמָּא.

  They asked R. Eliezer: "[What is the ruling concerning] one who had a bright spot the size of a sela form on the inside of his hand and it covered up the scar of a boil?" He replied: "He should be isolated." They said to him: "Why? Since it is neither capable of growing white hair nor can it effectively spread nor does quick flesh cause it to be unclean?"

Leaving aside R. Eliezer's subsequent answer and the ensuing discussion, I want to probe the premise of the original question.

It seems to assume that if one has a nega' with no possibility of declaring it to be definitively impure (hechlet) then there is no need to quarantine it (hesger) in the first place.

While I can understand the logic of this approach (in that the point of quarantining a nega' is to see whether it will develop in a way that it can be ruled definitively impure) how were the Rabbis involved in this discussion so sure of this premise?

I could also have understood that the Torah requires that a nega' which appears in a certain manner be quarantined, even if we know for sure that it could never develop into a definitively impure nega'. Why were the Rabbis sure that this is not an option?


texts:
The Gemara in Pesachim 117a brings a disagreement whether כס יה, in the last pasuk of Beshalach, is one word or two.  As far as I know all modern Sifrei Torah (Ashkenazi, Sefardi, Teimoni) have two words, but according to מאורות נתן, the Keter has כסיה as a single word.

What does כסיה mean?  Is it still "the Throne of Hashem" or does it mean something different?


texts: Are there any books on Seder Hishtalshelus?

texts:
I was wondering whether I could find a book which describes the stages of the seder hishtalshelus.

The Seder Hishtalshelus refers to the chain-like descent of spiritual worlds (Olam/Olamot) between God and Creation. It is part of Kabbalah.


texts: Is chimutz a wholly physical phenomenon?

texts:
The gemara seems to imply that chametz is not a concern with flour mixed with fruit juice. Indeed, amongst other effects, sugars (which are present in fruit juice) slow gluten development. However, the physical processes in bread-rising are complex and easily affected by many factors (ingredient proportions, temperature, etc.). In addition, physical processes such as bread-rising are generally immediate and continuous , which means a certain amount of rising is not considered halachik chimutz.

Ultimately, is the concept of chametz to be treated as a purely halachik construct independent of the physical phenomenon of yeast/gluten interaction, or do we need to factor in modern scientific knowledge of the myriad influences on a physical process? Even if certain ingredients affect the chimutz-process, should we be able to estimate and adjust time-limits accordingly based on what would typically be the proportion of rising that would have occurred in a typical (ancient) bread by the time limit of the Talmud? Do any halachik sources discuss this issue, e.g. with regard to chametz nuksheh/matza ashira?


texts:
In what reliable source can I look up the etymology of English (or other) words stretching all the way back to Semitic languages, especially Hebrew?

I often have suspicions that certain words might derive from specific Hebrew words (e.g. 'each' from 'איש') but it is very difficult to investigate, confirm or deny my baseless speculation.

(The Oxford English Dictionary has great etymology entries, but never goes further back than Greek as far as I can tell.)


texts: Historical account of Jewish worship via the graves of saints and Prophets

texts:
Are there any examples in the Jewish history  of Jewish people falling into worshiping the dead saints and prophets in their tombs ?

Also, does building Tomb and concrete structures over the graves of prophets and saints open a door to idol worship, Shituf, or Avodah Zarah? Have past or current Jewish people have fallen into this trap?

There is a pointer to this fact in many Muslim narratives like this one:

  "Beware of those who preceded you(Jews and Christians) and used to
  take the graves of their prophets and righteous men as places of
  worship, but you must not take graves as mosques; I forbid you to do
  that." [Sahih Muslim 1:1083]


texts:
The Talmud in Sotah 42 says four groups do not receive the Shechina (divine presence) in the next world. One of these is the group of "letzim" (jesters).

What is considered bad letzanut? I assume some form of joking is permitted and emotionally beneficial to humans. Where does one draw the line in this?


texts: PTIJ: Why does Esther complain about Haman's slender enemy?

texts:
King Achashverush asks Esther who is this person who wants to do harm? In Esther 7:6, she responds:

איש צר ואויב המן הרע הזה
A narrow man and an enemy of this evil Haman

Who is this narrow (thin) man that Esther is referring to? And, if he is an enemy of Haman, why would she complain about him? Shouldn't she allow this enemy to destroy Haman, or, perhaps, suggest that the King let the enemy do the job of taking care of Haman?
Note: I'm assuming that Esther doesn't know about the tree that Haman prepared for Mordechai, nor does she outright suggest that Haman be killed. There's nothing apparent about either one in the Megilla.

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


texts: Hebrew slaves and Yovel - how does it starts and ends?

texts:
The Gemmorah links the Hebrew slavery to the [idea of] Yovel (Gitin 65, Kidushin 69, Erchin 29, Rambam Avadim 1, 10):

  "אין אמה העבריה נוהגת ולא עבד עברי נוהג אלא בזמן שהיובל נוהג.
  בין עבד עברי שמוכר עצמו בין זה שמכרוהו בית דין. "

Yovel itself is the 50th year from the beginning of counting (Rambam Yovel 10,2):

  "ומאימתי התחילו למנות. מאחר ארבע עשרה שנה משנכנסו לארץ"

The first question - did slavery start on the first year of the Yovel, when they decided on keeping Yovlot, or after the last year when they actually performed the Mitzvah of Yovel and counted it once?

The Yovlot ended with the destruction of the first temple, which was on the 36th year of the cycle:

  "שבעה עשר יובלים מנו ישראל משנכנסו לארץ ועד שיצאו. ושנה שיצאו בה שחרב הבית בראשונה מוצאי שביעית היתה ושנת שש ושלשים ביובל היתה."

The second question - how exactly slavery ended relative to Yovlot? Was there a Rabbinical decree of cancelation of Yovlot? Once they left Israel on their way to Babylon?

The third question - what happened to the existing slaves - were they automatically freed or stayed forever?


texts:
How much beer/whisky would one have to consume to be chayav m’doaraisa?
Also why biblically is there a prohibition on liquid chometz if it’s in the form of a liquid and not leavened bread? We know by other areas of kashrut once you break it down or change the form then on a biblical level it’s no longer the same entity. We find this concept by rennet/gelatin. I’m not saying any of this is allowed as far as Halacha l’masseh.


texts: Anyone know of a kosher fruit flavored snack, similar to these? According to oukosher.org there exists a "Scooby-Doo! Fruit Flavored Snacks 10 Count Carton" that is OU Parve, but I cannot find it anywhere. I did not see any results on ok.org. We are looking for a fruit flavored snack that is tasty. Not of the 100% whole fruit variety. Thanks.


texts:
When one wants to make celim (vessels) Kosher by purging non-Kosher absorbed tastes from it, one method is hagaleh, which normally is done with water. The Rema says in SA OC Siman 452:5 that b'dieved (if the ideal cannot be met) it helps to make hagalas kelim in "shar mashkim" (other liquids; ie., not water).

However, the Rema writes that if someone had made hagaleh on a lot of celim and from the "rov plitas hakelim" (from the large amount of stuff being purged from the vessels) the remnant water that became like "tzir" (brine) shouldn't be used for hagaleh.

The Mishnah Brurah there (SK 27) writes that this rule applies even b'dieved, meaning that not only is it not the preferred way to do hagaleh, but it simply doesn't work. The reason is because at this point there is no more strength in the water (meaning the water that is now briny) to be maflit (take out) what is balu'ah (absorbed) inside of the cli.

However why shouldn't hagaleh in such water and tzir be like that of shar mashkim that b'dieved would help?


texts: Tzitzit: Do they hang straight down from the corner or do they hang from the side, past the corner?

texts: Wearing Tzitzit:  They are attached on a corner.  Do they proceed laterally to the edge and then down?  Or do they proceed directly down?  I am pretty sure they do not proceed to the corner (mathematically speaking).


texts: Did Shlomo Molcho actually declare himself a messiah?

texts:
I know this is widely claimed, but is there a historical source that can confirm that Shlomo Molcho considered himself a messiah (as opposed to merely predicting a keitz and generating a messianic fervor)?

This paper, for example, claims that he considered himself the Mashiach ben Ephraim, and this book writes that he claimed to be Eliyahu HaNavi. Is this speculation and inference, or did he actually identify himself as such in Chayat Hakaneh, Sefer HaMefoar, or elsewhere?

(Inspired by this question).


texts: Has Yakov set a pattern that when planning is possible, we should value more being buried with our parents rather than with our cherished spouse?

texts:
In Genesis 49: 30 - 33 (Sefaria)
30
בַּמְּעָרָ֞ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר בִּשְׂדֵ֧ה הַמַּכְפֵּלָ֛ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר עַל־פְּנֵי־מַמְרֵ֖א בְּאֶ֣רֶץ כְּנָ֑עַן אֲשֶׁר֩ קָנָ֨ה אַבְרָהָ֜ם אֶת־הַשָּׂדֶ֗ה מֵאֵ֛ת עֶפְרֹ֥ן הַחִתִּ֖י לַאֲחֻזַּת־קָֽבֶר׃
the cave which is in the field of Machpelah, facing Mamre, in the land of Canaan, the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite for a burial site—
31
שָׁ֣מָּה קָֽבְר֞וּ אֶת־אַבְרָהָ֗ם וְאֵת֙ שָׂרָ֣ה אִשְׁתּ֔וֹ שָׁ֚מָּה קָבְר֣וּ אֶת־יִצְחָ֔ק וְאֵ֖ת רִבְקָ֣ה אִשְׁתּ֑וֹ וְשָׁ֥מָּה קָבַ֖רְתִּי אֶת־לֵאָֽה׃
there Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried; there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried; and there I buried Leah—
32
מִקְנֵ֧ה הַשָּׂדֶ֛ה וְהַמְּעָרָ֥ה אֲשֶׁר־בּ֖וֹ מֵאֵ֥ת בְּנֵי־חֵֽת׃
the field and the cave in it, bought from the Hittites.”
33
וַיְכַ֤ל יַעֲקֹב֙ לְצַוֺּ֣ת אֶת־בָּנָ֔יו וַיֶּאֱסֹ֥ף רַגְלָ֖יו אֶל־הַמִּטָּ֑ה וַיִּגְוַ֖ע וַיֵּאָ֥סֶף אֶל־עַמָּֽיו׃
When Jacob finished his instructions to his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and, breathing his last, he was gathered to his people.
That 's what he requests Joseph after blessing all his sons on his death bed. He has not considered joining the burial place of RACHEL at Bethleem. Was it a consequence of a previous vow, or a pre-existing pattern ?  Had his passion for Rachel turned cold ? Or was he setting a pattern for the future ?


texts: Can someone wearing a cochlear implant fulfill the mitzvah of hearing the Shofar?

texts:
Someone who hears via use of a cochlear implant is considered a pike'ach and not a cheresh, halachically. See this MY question for details.

My question focuses more on the actual workings of the implant. This web site says:

  A cochlear implant is very different from a hearing aid. Hearing aids
  amplify sounds so they may be detected by damaged ears. Cochlear
  implants bypass damaged portions of the ear and directly stimulate the
  auditory nerve. Signals generated by the implant are sent by way of
  the auditory nerve to the brain, which recognizes the signals as
  sound. Hearing through a cochlear implant is different from normal
  hearing and takes time to learn or relearn. However, it allows many
  people to recognize warning signals, understand other sounds in the
  environment, and understand speech in person or over the telephone.

There is a rule that one does not fulfill his obligation of hearing the shofar sound unless he is, in fact, hearing the original sound of the shofar and not an amplified sound or an echo.

I'm uncertain if the sound heard via implants would be considered an "original" sound or not, and if that would, thus. qualify a wearer to fulfill the mitzvah of hearing shofar.


texts: Why do we make a Bracha to Arabify the Arabs?

texts:
Every night we make a Bracha בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה, הַמַּעֲרִיב עֲרָבִים - which means to Arabify the Arabs.
Why do we care how Arabic are Arabs?

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


texts: PTIJ: How can I halachically kill a vampire?

texts:
Just to be safe, I've been reading up on how to vanquish a vampire. Never hurts to be too careful. From what I've read, it seems that many authorities agree that the simplest and surest way to kill a vampire is with a wooden stake through the heart.
The concern that I have is, our Sages teach us (Kiddushin 49b) that

דברים שבלב אינם דברים
things in the heart are not things

and therefore, seemingly as soon as the stake penetrates the vampires heart, it will cease to exist.
So how can I vanquish vampires if my stake will stop existing?

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


texts: Believing 'evil tongue' during elections

texts:
On Tuesday, there are municipal elecions here in Israel, and some of the candidates are accusing their competitors of corruption. I am not in a position to check these accusations — I am neither a detective nor a journalist, and additionally I have no time to do research on this.

My question is: Is one allowed / required to believe these accusations, when one decides whom to vote for?

On one hand, if a voter believes the accusations, and votes for the other candidate, the accusations might turn out to have been false, and thus the voter actually will have supported liars.

On the other hand, if the voter ignore the accusations and votes for the blamed candidate, the accusations might turn out to have been true, and thus the voter actually will have supported a corrupt official.

What should the voter do?


texts: Hard Boiled Eggs: does meat or dairy flavor penetrate shell?

texts:
I tried searching this but got a lot of results about cooking three eggs in one pot checking for blood spots at cetera.

Suppose that you hard boil some eggs in a pot that is normally used to cook meat. Or, you hard boil the eggs in a pot that is normally used to cook dairy.

Does the dairy or meat "flavor" penetrate the shell of the egg and a render the edible part dairy or meat?  Or does it remain parve?


texts: Saying Ulichaporas Pasha in Musaf of Rosh Chodesh

texts: During Musaf of Rosh Chodesh the words Ulichaporas Pasha is added on during a leap year. Why is this done? And what is the significance of it?


texts: Why does Sanhedrin 92b conclude that the bones in Yechezkel was Ephraim?

texts:
Why does Sanhedrin 92b conclude that the bones in Yechezkel was Ephraim, when verse Yechezkel 37:11 states it is all the house of Israel?

  11. Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are all the house of Israel.

Rashi:

  Our Rabbis said (Sanh. 92b) that they were of the tribe of Ephraim, who left Egypt before the end [of the exile],


texts: Did Jews in Arab countries ever rely on Islamic calls to prayer?

texts:
It just occurred to me that Jews in Arab/Islamic countries would most likely have heard the adhan call the populace to prayer five times a day.

Upon looking at an Islamic time-table and doing some research about their various schools and methods of calculation, I found that their scheduled times of prayer roughly equate (le-havdil) with our 'aloth ha-shaHar, neS ha-Hamah, HaSoth, minHah qeTanah, sheqi'ah, and `aravith (following Rabbenu Tam's shiTah of having Seth ha-kokhavim be at nautical twilight).

They roughly coincide as follows:

עלות השחר = fajr
נץ החמה = shuruuq ash-shams
חצות = duhur
מנחה קטנה = asr
שקיעה = maghreb
ערבית\צאת הכוכבים = ishaa

So are their any sources for religious Jews in Islamic countries relying the public calls to prayer for their own tefilloth?


texts: Why weren't the spies afflicted with tzara'at (leprosy)?

texts:
Refer to Avot D'Rebbi Natan ch. 9 (ver. א. In summary, he comments on
Numbers 14:22:

surely all those men that have seen My glory, and My signs, which I
wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to proof these
ten times, and have not hearkened to My voice;

Listing what the 10 trials were, Avot D'Rebbi Natan states that B'nai Israel was not punished for any of the previous 9 trials, but this 10th one, when the spies spoke lashon hara was the most severe, and for this they were punished.
We see, however, that in Numbers 12:10, when Miriam spoke lashon hara about Moses, she was afflicted with tzara'at. So, we learn that tzara'at is a common punishment for lashon hara.
Why weren't the spies afflicted with tzara'at instead of death?


texts: What is so special about wearing Egyptian clothing

texts:
Why was moses dressed up  as a mitsri when the daughters of yisro found him and according to some midrash he had left Egypt 50 or more years previously. Being Jewish it is unlikely he spoke like a mitsri. Since the Torah stresses this fact there must be some reason for it apart from him being an Egyptian prince and since he was running away from pharaoh after having a death sentence, he most likely lost that 'position'.
And why did the Jewish people on leaving Egypt specially want the 'smolos' the Egyptian clothes which rashi says they even preferred to the gold and silver. In Egypt they never wore them as it says they never changed their names speech or clothes. They most likely wore Egyptian linen even in Egypt only their fashion styles were different. So why change their 'fashion' on leaving Egypt.


texts: Does someone have a digitalized version of the Chabad's table of interruptions in Prayer?

texts:
Almost all Chabad sidurim has a table in the beginning with the places of the tefila and where you can or can't respond amen, baruch hu uvaruch shmo etc depending on where you are in the prayer. Very useful when you get late for the tefila!!!

But i don't have a chabad sidur at home. Does someone have a similar table online or digitalized? I could't find it something like that searching in google!


texts: Why have I never seen anyone “slicing the Shema”?

texts:
“Slicing the Shema”

A good summary is to be found here, on the Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash website.

In short, “….  ten men who prayed alone can subsequently fulfill their obligations of Kaddish, Barkhu, and Kedusha.  How so?  One is chosen to say Kaddish and Barkhu and the first blessing of Keriat Shema (until "Barukh ata Hashem yotzer ha-me'orot"), then he skips until Shemoneh Esrei, and begins Shemoneh Esrei aloud and says Kedusha.  Since only a small piece (or "slice") of Keriat Shema is said, this procedure is referred to as "slicing the Shema" ("porsin al Shema").

And “This law applies as well to one who arrives late to synagogue.  After saying Pesukei De-zimra, he may say Kaddish and Barkhu and then continue with his prayer.  When he reaches Shemoneh Esrei, he should recite aloud until after Kedusha, then continue quietly.”

Has anyone ever seen someone do it? I have never seen it despite it being a chapter in Shulchan Oruch. Is this (a) because the opportunity never presents itself, (b) because it is not practised nowdays (c) because people don’t know about it or (d) another reason?


texts: Why do Chabad wedding invitations show the wrong time?

texts: It has recently come to my attention that Chabad wedding invitations in the US are often bilingual Hebrew/English and the time given for the wedding on the Hebrew side is wrong (perhaps a copy of the Rebbe's invitation?). Can anyone shed any light on what this is and why it's done?


texts: Which prohibition does one commit when viewing pornography?

texts:
Excluding wasting one's seed (hotzas zera l'vatelah) and Bittul Torah (wasting one's time by not learning Torah), which Jewish commandment or law (Biblical or Rabbinic) is one breaking when viewing pornography?

When someone chas v'shalom eats not kosher food it's easy to say exactly which issur they are committing. However, in this case, is it so clear cut? Can it easily be pointed to a negative commandment that the person is neglecting?

Note: I realize that viewing pornography is not in the "spirit" of the law. My question, though, pertains to the letter of the law.


texts: The Gemara in Avodah Zarah 3b says that in the days of Mashiach many non-Jews are going to want to convert to join the Jewish people but then when they see the war of Gog U'Magog they will regret joining and want to go back to their old ways. This clearly implies that Gog U'Magog will occur after the coming of Mashiach. Any sources for opinions on the timeline of these events?


texts: When is something that is consumed no longer impacted by the laws of kashrus?

texts: Things which are not food or food which becomes unfit for a dog to eat are not subject to the laws of kashrus but what determines when something fits under those categories? For example many supplements according to koshrus orgs are considered foods and will tell you that they need hashgacha. At what point does a chemical produced in a lab become so far removed from being food that it is not impacted by the laws of kashrus?


texts: History of using a feather quill for safrut

texts:
In the times of Chazal a reed (קנה) was used for writing (as is clear from Ta'anit 20b). When did the practice of writing with a feather begin? Also, since feathers did exist in those times, why did they not use them?

The Ashkenazic custom is to use a feather, and although Sephardic sofrim have been writing with reeds until recently, nowadays even most Sephardic sofrim use quills. (I have very close contact with many Sephardic sofrim and have found only one, a man in his 80s, who uses a reed.)


texts: Was Moses asking for problems by leaving the Israelites alone so soon after coming out of Egypt?

texts:
My understanding is the Moses went up the Mountain to get the 10 Commandments exactly 3 months after leaving Egypt, and a week or so later went up again for 40 (on g-ds command) days without out telling anyone how long he would be gone.
2 questions

Are my assertions above correct?  Is this not a recipe for disaster?
How could g-d (or Moses for that matter) not know that this was a
bad Idea? Is there any commentary on this? (I can’t find any)


texts: Why does revi'i of Vayeira seem to end four verses late?

texts:
Why does revi'i - the fourth reading - of Parashat Vayeira end with the first few verses of the story of the birth of Yitzchak (Gen. 21:1-4)?

Objections:

There's a natural break in narrative before these verses, between the Avimelech story and the Yitzchak story.
The narrative break is reflected in a paragraph break in the Torah text.
These four verses really fit well with the rest of the story in chamishi - the fifth reading. The Torah reading on the first day of Rosh Hashana, which comprises the Yitzchak birth story, starts with 21:1.
There doesn't seem to be any sour note at the end of the Avimelech story that could make us not want to end there.


texts: Looking for a particular idea from Reb Yonason Eibshitz

texts:
I recall reading a quote from Reb Yonason Eibshitz concerning a judge on a beis din of 23 faced with a strange situation. The defendant seems to the judge to be guilty of murder, but this judge is the last to cast his vote and all twenty two other judges said guilty. If this last judge says guilty, the defendant will go free. Reb Eibshitz therefore says he should say innocent so that what this judge believes is the correct judgment will be carried out. Does anyone know where I can find this?

Fwiw, the Or Hachaim in Mishpatim 23 2 says the exact opposite.
This information is of interest to me as it pertains slightly to Choshen Mishpat siman 12 where the poskim mention a judge who wants to recuse himself by falsly saying he doesn't know how to rule in the hope that the new judges they add will tip the scale to justice.


texts: Food on crock-pot done by when, when making shabbos early?

texts:
Normally, let's say I make shabbos at the usual time, shortly before sunset.  If I want to leave food in the crockpot, I want to make sure it's cooked by sunset.

Now what happens if I make Shabbos early?  Say sunset is 7, but I want to make Shabbos at 6?  Does the food need to be cooked by 6?  What if I put it on at 5:45, figuring it will be done by 7, then suddenly decide I'm ready to make Shabbos now -- does my crock-pot prevent me from doing so?


texts: Can one eat meat on Mot'za'ei 9 Av if it is a se'udah for Brit or Pidyon Haben?

texts: Many halachic opinions state that the prohibition of not eating meat during the 9 Days extends until the middle of the 10th of Av. Does this prohibition apply if you are making a se'udah for a Brit or Pidyon Haben (i.e. - the Brit or Pidyon was on 9 Av, but the se'udah was postponed.)


texts: Is there a comprehensive list on the web of all kosher products?


texts:
There is evidence that a Jew is permitted to create a Golem (though, as @ezra points out, there is evidence the other way as well in Sanhedrin 65b). Whether or not creating one is physically possible in modern times is unclear, and it is also unclear whether the Golem of Prague actually existed.

To the extent that a Golem can be created today, is it possible for a Gentile to do so? I'm aware that the likelihood of this happening is near zero, but I'm wondering whether this is due to fundamental laws of HaShem metaphysically restricting Golem production to Jews only, or whether it is because a Gentile is practically unlikely to have sufficient motivation, education, faith, endurance, perseverance, etc. to succeed in creating a Golem.


texts: Is there a source that says that anyone who embarrases or hurts someone verbally loses their mitzvos?

texts: Is there a source that says that anyone who embarrases or hurts someone verbally loses their mitzvos to the person they hurt, as well as taking the aveiros of the person they hurt? Always heard this, would like a source if this is true.


texts: Why is a person who refuses to forgive another considered a sinner?

texts:
The Rambam Hilchos Teshuvah 2:9 writes about what to do when asking for forgiveness from a person who won't grant it:

  אֲפִלּוּ לֹא הִקְנִיט אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ אֶלָּא בִּדְבָרִים צָרִיךְ לְפַיְּסוֹ וְלִפְגֹּעַ בּוֹ עַד שֶׁיִּמְחל לוֹ. לֹא רָצָה חֲבֵרוֹ לִמְחל לוֹ מֵבִיא לוֹ שׁוּרָה שֶׁל שְׁלֹשָׁה בְּנֵי אָדָם מֵרֵעָיו וּפוֹגְעִין בּוֹ וּמְבַקְּשִׁין מִמֶּנּוּ. לֹא נִתְרַצָּה לָהֶן מֵבִיא לוֹ שְׁנִיָּה וּשְׁלִישִׁית.לֹא רָצָה מְנִיחוֹ וְהוֹלֵךְ לוֹ וְזֶה שֶׁלֹּא מָחַל הוּא הַחוֹטֵא

  Even if a person only upset his friend by saying certain things, he must appease him and repeatedly approach him until his friend forgives him.

  a) If the wronged person doesn't want to forgive him, the person asking for forgiveness should bring a group of three  friends and approach him with them and request forgiveness.
  b) If the wronged person is not appeased, the person asking for forgiveness should repeat the process a second and third time.
  c) If the wronged person still does not grant forgiveness, the person asking to be forgiven need not pursue the matter any further and on the contrary, now the person who refuses to grant forgiveness is the one considered as the sinner.

Two questions:

1) Why is the aggrieved party obligated to forgive the person who offended him, so much so that if he doesn't accept the 3rd apology he himself called a sinner? Maybe he was incredibly hurt!

2) The Rambam says that after the 3rd apology:

  "the person asking to be forgiven need not pursue the matter any further"

Does this mean that even though his friend refuses to forgive him, Hashem forgives him anyway?


texts:
Of course watching things other than kosher things on a television is Asur, that's not my question. My question is that if one has a television in a room and watches it for things that all agree are forbidden (Perisut etc.) does he place a Mezuza there?

I've heard in the name of Harav Meir Mazuz that one shouldn't place a Mezuza there as it has the same legal status as a bathroom in this regard.

CYLOR & sources please


texts: In my experience among all Ashkenaz shuls across America, it seems we skip Kabbalas Shabbos when shabbos falls out on Yom Tov. Where did this come from and why?


texts: Which blessings should I say before and after eating perogi with potato-and-cheese filling?

texts:
Wikipedia writes:

  Pierogi ... (... also spelled perogi, pierogy, perogy, pierógi, pyrohy, pirogi, pyrogie, or pyrogy in English or other Slavic languages ...) are dumplings of unleavened dough – first boiled, at which point they can be served with melted butter or various toppings, or then fried with onions – traditionally stuffed with potato filling, sauerkraut, ground meat, cheese, or fruit.

Say I buy some frozen pierogi (pierogies, pirogen, perogies) at the grocery store, and I boil them according to the package instructions.  These particular perogies are made of a pasta-like outer dough with a potato-and-cheese stuffing.  Which blessing (b'rachah, bracha, beracha, brocho, berocho, berochoh) should I say before eating them, and which afterwards?


texts:
Using the notes in my Siddurs to direct my prayers, I am trying to figure out exactly what to pray, what is required, what is not permissible, etc., when praying solo. There is not always the right answer for the question I have.

Is there any primer on praying alone that would answer the large variety of questions I might have about praying alone?


texts: For someone sharing an apartment with a non-Jew, do the common doors in the apartment need a mezuzah? Does the Jewish person's bedroom even need one if the apartment is shared with a non-Jew?


texts: Can we teach reading Hebrew without using the full names of the letters and vowels?

texts:
I've heard in Chabad and elsewhere that when teaching children to read Hebrew, one must call the letters and vowels only by their full traditional name. This is in my opinion very distracting for a child. In other words instead of saying B O BO, one goes through the whole alphabet saying komets alef O, komets beis BO, komets gimmel GO, etc.

Does anyone know any source for this?
Is adhering to this more important than actually teaching the child to read?  That is, if the child has difficulty with this method and may not learn to read, is it acceptable to switch to another?


texts: Is there laundry that is permissible to wash during the 9 days? Kids' clothes, undergarments, socks, etc.? I've heard yes, but I'm looking for a source. (This blog post cites the RaM"A but doesn't fully explain it.)


texts: I read in a book about Czechoslovakian Jewry that in Southern Germany there was a custom for women to wear a "Woman's Tallit" on Yom Kippur. A reference to it also appears in The Encyclopedia of Jewish Symbols on page 170. Does anyone here know what that garment is and who exactly had that tradition?


texts:
Does anyone know what it means if you dream about eating matzah? My Shabbat dream this afternoon was that my sister and I were eating matzah. We each took a piece.

Thank you.


texts:
Mishna B'rura 61:36 specifies that we should be careful to pronounce a sh'va na (mobile schwa) as na and a sh'va nach (quiescent schwa) as nach in "Sh'ma". Unfortunately, there's a class of sh'va I'm uncertain about: those that follow a word-initial "וּ" which (the "וּ") doesn't have a meseg (secondary stress marker). There are fourteen such in "Sh'ma". I understand that whether such a sh'va is na or nach is under dispute, but

who are the original disputants (or what traditions are the original 'disputants'),

and

who among later major (Judaism) authorities/communities holds of each side

and

why?


texts: Does the law not to say G-d's name without a head covering apply to woman?

texts:
Does the law not to say G-d's name without a head covering ( Relationship between wearing a kippa and reciting a blessing ) apply to woman?

Source?
If not, why not?


texts:
Does anyone know where to find the tzavvah of the Maharsham?

It has been refenced a bunch of times as being a proof that the Maharsham wore techeiles since he asked to be buried with techeiles in his will.


texts:
I was, recently, staying with a group of Sefardim on Shabbat. During the havdallah service, after saying the bracha on the wine, the leader bent over, looked at the cup of wine for a few seconds and laughed.

Note: - This related question explains the reason for laughing in order to confuse the Satan. I am asking, here, specifically, about the order of the procedure which includes staring for a few seconds at the cup of wine, prior to laughing.


texts: May a woman tie tzitzit to be worn by a man?

texts:
Would tzitzit be kosher if tied by a woman?  A woman may not wear tzitzit.
Would there be a halachic problem with a woman knotting the tzitzit on a garment to be worn by a man?  What are the relevant sources?


texts: Can Jews raise pets (cats, dogs, swine)?

texts: The Muslims do not have swine but they do have cats and dogs. Something to do with not touching haram animals.  I know that Jews also consider pigs unclean, as well as cats and dogs.  Is this uncleanness only about eating them or does it apply to owning them as well?  Can they keep cats, dogs, swine?


texts: Are women allowed to wear Tzitzis and make Berachah?

texts: Are women allowed to wear tzitzis, and if they do can they make a bracha?


texts: Are you allowed to get a haircut on Motzei Shabbos?

texts: Is there anything wrong with getting a haircut on Motzei Shabbos (Saturday night)?


texts: Does anyone explicitly say one may not believe in any type of evolution?

texts:
As seen in the answers to this Mi Yodea question, some Rabbis were fine with accepting at least some version of the theory of evolution. [A belief in God's involvement in the process seems to be a prerequisite.]

I am curious though, are there or were there any Rabbis who were vocally opposed to accepting any version this theory whatsoever?

(Written sources which can be checked inside are preferable.)


texts:
There's a well-known and widely repeated story that Rashi's father Reb Yitzchak deliberately threw a jewel into the sea, intending to make this appear accidental.
What's the origin of this story?


texts: Lechem Mishneh - Do both challot have to be touching?

texts: When holding the Lechem Mishneh together while making the bracha - Do both challot have to be touching ? What if one challah was wrapped in cellophane or in a bag (yet held next to the other challah during the bracha) - would that be ok ?


texts: Nozir who completes his vow: why different permissions in written Torah and Mishna.

texts:
A nozir is forbidden grape products, haircutting and to become tomei from a dead body.
After successful conclusion of his nezirus, he goes through a process ending with the waving of his korban as described in Bamidbor 6 (20)

  The kohen shall wave them as a waving before the Lord; it is
  consecrated to the kohen, along with the breast of the waving and the
  thigh of the uplifting. After this, the nazirite may drink wine.

The Torah mentions the release of only one of the prohibitions “ After this, the nazirite may drink wine.”

In the mishnah in Nozir 6 (9) the Tanna mentions the release of two prohibitions and says

  Afterward, the nazir is allowed to drink wine and become impure
  through contact with the dead.

The Torah only speaks about drinking wine; the mishnah includes  becoming impure through contact with the dead; neither mentions the permission to shave his head (after his hair has regrown). Why?


texts: Picking fruit vs slaughtering on yom tov

texts: We know the concept of ochel nefesh regarding yom tov. And we know that you can do melacha that is directly related to food, (like frying an egg). My question is, why is שחיטה permitted if there's many steps involved in the preparation of the meat, such as skinning, salting, and rinsing the animal. While picking fruit is edible right when you pick it off the tree. So why is picking fruit forbidden?


texts:
It says in SA YD Siman 87 Sif 6 that if one "smokes" together a meat and milk or if they "cook" it in the hot springs of Teveria then they are patur (however this is still ossur to do and of course eat.)

In the Sefer Chedrei De'ah (See here Sif 6) he writes that the process of smoking that one would be patur if done is only when the smoke is NOT yad soledes bo. However if it would be yad soledes he writes that this is "c'risichas aish gomer" (like a boiling fire.)

How is this understood? The point of the Shulchan Aruch to tell us that if you "smoke" meat and milk together that you are patur is to say that it's not "derech bishul" (the normal way of cooking.) But it would seem simple that the smoke must be yad soledes in order to do something to this mixture. If the smoke is cold (or at least not yad soledes) then one could say that this case would be perhaps muter completely or at least not ossur b'dieved.

Are there any additional sources that speak about this (that either go with the opinion of the Chedrei De'ah or argue)?


texts: What is the source for Rambam's thirteen principles?

texts:
What is the Rambam source for the thirteen principles, brought in his interpretation of the Mishna Sanhedrin 10:1?

By that I mean what is his source that without these principles one does not go to Olam Haba? How does he know they're not simply prohibitions? (He says in Hilchos teshuva 3 that whoever doesn't believe these things is a heretic and has no Chelek in Olam Haba)


texts:
According to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, the Vilna Gaon holds that the tzimtzum is to be understood literally, that God literally withdrew Himself from the creation.

How can this be understood given that the universe's existence depends on God's existence. How can something whose existence depends on something else continue to exist when that source withdraws from it?

for an overview of tzimtzum and its implications see here


texts: Who owns the air above a balcony (to build a Succah)?

texts:
Contemporary buildings in Jerusalem for Haredim are built in such a manner, that the balcony of the first floor extends to, say, 20 feet, 2nd floor 17 feet, 3rd floor 14 etc, so each one has 3 feet of the skyline above the balcony to accommodate for a Kosher Succah.

A neighbor on a higher floor wants to hang an air conditioner behind his wall right above the "Sucah space" of the floor beneath.

Can he do it? And who owns the air above that "Sucah space" part of the balcony?


texts: What is the source of the words of the Hebrew folksong "Hevenu Shalom Aleichem"?

texts: I am wondering if anybody can point me to background information on the Hebrew folksong Hevenu shalom aleichem.  (I think of this as an "Israeli folksong", but I am not sure if that is an accurate description.)  Specifically: As far as I know there are just three words, and "shalom aleichem" is a stock Jewish greeting.  Does the phrase "Hevenu shalom aleichem" appear in a scriptural or liturgical source?


texts: A non jew put a mezuzah back up, now what

texts:
If a mezzuzah fell and a non Jewish employee put it back up

Theoretically is there an obligation to take it down and put it up by a Jew? (With a bracha?)

Or is it kosher the way it is?


texts: Why don't we say Korban HaTamid twice a day?

texts:
In Shacharit, we say Korban HaTamid in the Korbanot section, as a way for us to "bring" the Tamid offering which we no longer can bring without the Beit HaMikdash. However, the Tamid was brought twice a day during the days of the Beit HaMikdash. Therefore, it would make sense for us to say the Parsha twice, once for each time we bring the daily offering.
So, why is Tamid not a part of the Mincha service?
Should one say it twice a day, with the Yehi Ratzons?
Are there any sources that one should say this twice a day?


texts:
Are we allowed to teach Sifrei Mussar (for instance Orchos Tzadikim, Mesilas Yesharim, Chovos Halevavos) to non-Jews?

What about the Gra on Mishlei?


texts: Is it forbidden to use a sand timer on shabbos?

texts: Everyone I know seems to say that using a sand timer (hourglass) on shabbos is forbidden. The question is why? Is it because of sifting? Is there some other melacha involved? Is it actually forbidden?


texts: What are the months of Jewish civil and religious calendar?

texts:
I understand that Jewish religion has two calendars; one is Civil for Kings, childbirth, contracts etc. and second for festivals.

what are the months of these calendars and how they are related datewise with current Christian  calendar?


texts:
According to Numbers 34:5 the south-western most point of (Biblical) Israel is "Nachal Mitzrayim". My first question is what river is this referring to?

The first time I remember reading this I thought it was referring to the Nile River (or one of the tributaries that feed into it from the Mediterranean) because that seemed to be the main river in Egypt and it would make sense to refer to it as Nachal Mitzrayim. However on most of the maps that I saw of Biblical Israel, Nachal Mitzrayim is identified as Wadi El Arish (much closer to Israel). A related question can be seen here.

Who says that Nachal Mitzrayim is Wadi El Arish and why do they understand "Nachal Mitzrayim" this way?

My second question is: Does anyone say that Nachal Mitzrayim is the Nile?


texts:
What can we learn from the Jews being commanded to put blood on the doorposts of their homes in Egypt?

The Torah is nitzchis (eternal) but here we have a mitzvah which was specifically given for one time and place.

What can we learn from this which applies to our lives today since clearly we don't put blood on our doors?


texts: Codifying in a variant-text based machlokes

texts:
The בית חדש in O.C. 168 writes the following:

  אלא דלהלכה ודאי במידי דתליא
   בגירסאות אזלינן לחומרא הכי והכי

In something which is dependent on variant texts we are stringent in both directions.

I have never seen this rule before, and מלתא דלא רמיא עליה דאינש לאו אדעתיה (that which you aren't looking for you don't notice) but I have the sense that in my experience learning halacha this rule is not generally followed.

Do any other poskim  follow this rule, and is it sourced somewhere?


texts: What is the minimum number of people for a seder?

texts:
This year, many people will be quarantined and unable to invite people to their seder or go to another's. Some will be with their immediate family, and others alone. I'm wondering whether this is a halachic problem.

How many people at minimum are required for a seder?

Even though this is a very basic question, I haven't been able to find an answer in reliable sources. I suspect that different people need to ask and answer the questions, or that three people need to be present so they can bentch, but I don't know.


texts: Why does the number of letters Vav in name Achashverosh vary?

texts: Why does Megillas Esther spell Achashverosh's name varyingly with one (as in 2:21), two (as in 1:1), and zero (as in 10:1) letters Vav?


texts: Is a Ger first or almost last for assistance?

texts:
The Pri Megadim in OC Siman 156 Ashel Avraham Sif-Katan 2 (it's a long piece) cites from the Rambam in Hilchos De'as Perek 6 Halacha 4 that the Mitzvah of Ahavas HaGer (loving a convert) is really 2 mitzvas "Aseh" (positive commandments.) The Rambam writes,

  אהבת הגר שבא ונכנס תחת כנפי השכינה שתי מצות עשה. אחת מפני שהוא בכלל
  ריעים ואחת מפני שהוא גר והתורה אמרה ואהבתם את הגר. צוה על אהבת הגר כמו
  שצוה על אהבת עצמו שנאמר ואהבת את ה' אלהיך. הקב"ה עצמו אוהב גרים שנאמר
  ואוהב גר

  One mitzvah of because the convert is included in that of our friends
  ("re'im") and another because he is a convert.

The Pri Megadim there writes that therefore there would be a "nafka minah" (difference) if someone came across a Yisrael (a born Jew) who needed help unloading something and a convert that needed help loading something. He writes that it's better to help the convert since there is an additional mitzvas aseh (positive commandment -- 2 altogether.)

In this being the case (according to the Pri Magadim) why then in Hilchos Tzedeka Yoreh Deah Siman 251 Sif 9 do we find that in the order of priority in who Tzedeka should be given a convert is almost the last one on the list (!?) Seemingly from this Pri Megadim he should be one of the first!


texts: May a non-Jew participate in parts of a Jewish burial?

texts:
May a non-Jew participate in any of these parts of a Jewish burial (assume there is no separate "funeral" in a home and everything is graveside?

Hesped - giving the main "speech"
carrying the coffin
assisting with lowering the coffin into the grave
shoveling dirt onto the grave
reciting Kaddish if he can read Hebrew but none of the mourners can. (Obviously, he is not part of the minyan.)


texts:
Chazal are replete with stories about the Yeshiva Shel Maala (heavenly yeshiva) whereby the souls of the righteous deceased study Torah.

What do women do in the afterlife? Is there also a similar system for them?


texts: ?חד גדיא ,הגדה--מי יודע

texts:
My question is about the history of the Passover song Chad Gadya. I have long suspected this song was originally conceived as a pastiche of Echad Mi Yodeya--the thematic, musical, and phonetic similarities seem to me too many to overlook--with the Aramaic lyrics pieced together around a central theme over time and across Seder tables. However, it struck me that there is an even more obvious correlate of the title and refrain of "Chad Gadya": the "Haggadah" itself, or at any rate its title.

This is admittedly a long-tail question about something it may or may not be possible for musicologists to answer, if they haven't already; still, I will give it a try. Are the phonetic similarities between "Chad Gadya," "Echad Mi Yodeya" and "Haggadah" a matter of pure coincidence, or can anyone provide historical evidence of their intertextuality? Put another way, was the original refrain of "Chad Gadya" "Haggadah"?


texts: Sefardi praying schacharit with Ashkenazim

texts:
What should a sefardi do during tachanun when praying with ashkenazim?
They don't say veyavor and when they sit they put their head on their arm.
What about on Mondays/Thursdays where Sefardim sit first then stand up, but Ashkenazim stand and then sit down at the end?
Also should/can a sefardi praying with ashkenazim skip tefilah ledavid, bet yaakaov shir hamalot and ketoret?


texts: Permissibilty of Chanuka bushes, dreidels, gelt, and Chanuka presents

texts:
Maimonides codifies the biblical prohibition of keeping gentile customs (Laws of Idolatry 11:1):

  אין הולכין בחקות העובדי כוכבים ולא מדמין להן לא במלבוש ולא בשער וכיוצא בהן שנאמר ולא תלכו בחקות הגוים. ונאמר ובחקותיהם לא תלכו. ונאמר השמר לך פן תנקש אחריהם

  We don't follow the mores of the idolators, nor do we imitate them, neither in dress or hairstyle, etc., for it says, "and go not in the mores of the gentiles," and it says, "and in their mores go not", and it says, "guard yourself lest you stumble after them".

This idea perhaps exemplifies the underlying ideological battle between the Maccabees and the Mithyavnim (Hellenized Jews). Hellenism believed in a religious "pluralism" antithetical to the Jewish claim of one G-d, and persecuted the Jews for their religious chauvinism (see Maharal, Ner Mitzvah).

Nonetheless, after close to two millennia exiled among the nations, it is perhaps no surprise that many customs appear to have infiltrated into the Jewish mimetic tradition. Perhaps this is most marked with regard to the festive practices associated with the pagan-to-Christian holidays, particularly Saturnalia/Christmas.

Ironically, among these practices appear to be the (perhaps commercially-initiated) sending of Chanuka cards, giving of Chanuka presents, giving of foil-wrapped chocolate "gelt" to children, and gambling, particularly with dreidels. (To my knowledge, Chanuka bushes have not infiltrated yet into the more traditional Jewish communities.)

Do any rabbinic authorities discuss (in writing or orally) the permissibility (or lack thereof) of these specific customs with regard to their (possible) non-Jewish roots. (I'm particularly interested in references that explicitly consider that the customs' origins are possibly non-Jewish).


texts: We know that if a parent wants his/her child to violate halacha, the law of Kibbud Av V'Eim does not apply. But what if the parent wants the child to not accept a chumra that the child feels very strongly about or that is widely accepted in the child's community?


texts: What is the proper grammar of giving/receiving mishloach manos/shalach manos? I've heard people use both terms as in, "I'm preparing mishloach manos for tomorrow" and "I hope to bring the shalach manos later".


texts: Why can we not say the names of certain angels aloud?

texts: I have found in certain kabbalistic documents that contain names of angels there is an instruction not to say the names of those angels aloud - example with names in parenthesis. I realize we are not allowed to say the name of God aloud the way it is written, but why are we not allowed to say the names of angels?


texts:
Who knows two hundred twenty-two?
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:
Who knows one hundred eighty-two?
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: Waiting for the host to recite Hamotzi to have me in mind

texts: When washing for bread and waiting for the host to recite Hamotzi to have me in mind, after how long would my washing and hearing the brocha become a hefsek?


texts: How to translate העלם in the context of שבת

texts:
The beginning of the seventh chapter of Bavli Shabas (and its commentaries) speaks of instances in which someone forgets that the day is Shabas, forgets that there is such a thing as Shabas altogether, or forgets that a particular action is forbidden on Shabas; he therefore does a forbidden action on Shabas. One Hebrew word that keeps getting used there is "העלם". Briefly, an action is said to be in a העלם if the actor forgot something significant (one of the aforementioned facts), and the העלם isn't over until the actor realizes his error. Thus, the g'mara discusses whether things occur "in one העלם or in two", etc.

In reading and attempting to translate the g'mara, I find myself stymied by this word. I keep translating it as "a forgetting", which is not really a word. (I mean, it's in the dictionary. But not as meaning "a time period of forgetting, until realization". Or, at least, no one uses it that way.) However, everything else I can think of is too long to be usable with any frequency: brevity is important to me. I would appreciate suggestions.

As with all "please suggest your best…" questions on this site, please list not only what you like but why you think it fits the bill.


texts: How are albums such as AKAPella considered a capella?

texts:
AKAPella is an a cappella group that performs parodies on other artists' songs, often non-Jewish ones as of late, in a cappella for people to enjoy during sefira and the three weeks.

In their albums, they use what I assume to be computer filters to make their voices sound like real instruments. Although if one listen closely it's obvious that it's not the actual instrument, they do such a good job mimicking it at a cursory listening that they have actually printed on some of their CD's "So good it should be assur."

But why isn't it forbidden? Firstly, are computer synths not considered to be instruments? And secondly, even if it's technically permitted, how does it uphold the spirit of the time, in which we are supposed to mourn? We stay away from music as a sign of mourning, and they go ahead and put out a cappella that might as well be real music?


texts: Why do Teshuvah for an accidental חטא (sin)?

texts: Why am I obligated to do Teshuvah if I do a חטא (sin) accidentally, according to Rambam (Hilchot Teshuva 1:1)?  What am I doing Teshuvah for?


texts: Why does the congregation interrupt the chazzan in the middle of sentences of Kaddish?

texts:
At one or two points in "Kaddish", the congregation interrupts the chazzan in the middle of a sentence:

Chazzan: יִתְגַּדַּל וְיִתְקַדַּשׁ שְׁמֵהּ רַבָּא / May His great name be exalted and sanctified
Congregation: !אָמֵן / Amen!
Chazzan: בְּעָלְמָא דִּי בְרָא כִרְעוּתֵהּ / in the world which He created according to His will.

and

Chazzan: יִתְבָּרַךְ וְיִשְׁתַּבַּח וְיִתְפָּאַר וְיִתְרומַם וְיִתְנַשּא וְיִתְהַדָּר וְיִתְעַלֶּה וְיִתְהַלָּל שְׁמֵהּ דְּקֻדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא / Blessed and praised, glorified and exalted, extolled and honoured, adored and lauded be the name of the Holy One, blessed be He,
Congregation (Some traditions): !בְּרִיךְ הוּא / Blessed be He!
Congregation (Some traditions): !אָמֵן / Amen!
לְעֵלָּא מִן כָּל בִּרְכָתָא וְשִׁירָתָא תֻּשְׁבְּחָתָא וְנֶחֱמָתָא דַּאֲמִירָן בְּעָלְמָא / above and beyond all the blessings, hymns, praises and consolations that are uttered in the world.

Translations from Wikipedia
It seems strange to me to interject these responses in the middle of a sentence, instead of or in addition to at the end of the sentence. Most of the time, when we say "Amen," it's at the end of a blessing.
Why do we interrupt like this in Kaddish?


texts: Psak halacha from a havah amina in the Gemara

texts:
The Gemara will often begin a sugya with an initial understanding (havah aminah) of a mishnah or halacha and as the Gemara continues will change until it reaches the maskanah. Often, the maskana will be different from the hava aminah but not entirely. The maskanah can change a specific premise that was proposed initially but not deny every premise that was proposed.

I have seen poskim explain their understanding of the Gemara and what premise(s) was ultimately rejected in order to paskin based off of the initial understanding's premises that were NOT rejected.

I remember seeing this done based off of premises explicitly presented by the havah amina that were not rejected by the maskanah.

My question is: Has a posek ever given a psak based off of a premise presented in the havah aminah that was not explicitly presented by the gemara (or a Rishon)?


texts: Why don't we say amen after a Heicha Kedusha?

texts:
I have been davening Shacharit before work in a shul that does the Heicha Kedusha on any weekday that they get a minyan.  If there is no minyan, they do the Silent Amidah only.  I can understand that because the "pressing time" is to finish at about 8:00 AM so people can get to work.

In this situation, I have been saying the first three blessings (including Kedusha) quietly along with the hazzan.  This seems like the general practice there since no one throws in any "baruch hu varuch shmo"'s.

That would all make sense and seem self-consistent to me, but when the hazzan gets to l'dor v'dor, the congregants DO say "baruch hu varuch shmo" for that final blessing of the Kedusha (implying that they are not saying the blessing themselves), but then they do not say "Amen", they just roll on silently to Binah.  I thought that someone should say "Amen" if they are not making the blessing themselves.

Is this mistaken?  Some sources (http://torahmusings.com/2010/11/the-quick-mincha-ii-heicha-kedusha/  siting Biur Halacha 124:2; Aruch Hashulchan, OC 232:6.) state that we should actually go and restart the Amidah over from the beginning.  Why is the restarting necessary if we said the first three brachot aloud already?  Is this somehow related to not saying Amen?  If so, the reasoning eludes me.

The same situation comes up for Musaf on Shabbat and Festivals (and maybe on Rosh Hodesh, I'm not sure).

I have read through
how does one do hechi kedusha?
and
When may one do a Hechi Kedushah?
but this inconsistency still does not make sense to me.

Thanks!


texts: Riddle: In parshas Toldos, where are a second set of twins mentioned?

texts: In Parshas Toldos, aside from Yaakov and Eisav, where are the second set of twins mentioned?


texts: Why is אותו מקום referred to as the מקום התורף? What does תורף mean?

texts:
In Bavli Berachot 24a (and Shabbat 64b), the Gemara records that:

  כל המסתכל באצבע קטנה של אשה כאילו מסתכל במקום התורף
  -- Anyone who gazes upon a woman’s little finger is considered as if he gazed upon her naked genitals (for if his intentions are impure, it makes no difference where he looks or how much is exposed; even less than a handbreadth. - Steinsaltz)

What does the term מקום התורף literally mean? In other Gemarot, the term תורף is a reference to the exposed area on a document where the signatures and time of signing are meant to be placed.

Other uses of a similar root תרף include Bereishit 31:19, where Rivka steals the Terafim from her father Lavan. There, the Terafim are understood to be some form of idolatrous or magical device.

Jastrow defines תרף as to make soft (seems more related to רפה), and תרפות as obscenities (which seems to be used across the board as a reference to idolatry). He defines תורף as "that which makes a debt collectable", and תורפא as a valid claim.

Tanchuma says the idols of Lavan are called תרפים to convey a sense of dirtiness and impurity.

The Mishna in Terumot 8:8 uses the term מקום תורפה to describe "a hefker place where [the barrel] will be destroyed" (acc. to Bartenura ad. loc.)

In B. Shavuot 16a the Gemara refers to the upper fields of the Mount of Olives as תורפה של ירושלים היתה ונוחה היא ליכבש, a vulnerable point of Jerusalem from which it would be easy to then take the rest of the city. Rashi there explains: "גלויה וערותה מקום", which just brings us full circle.

All these related usages of תרף seem untenable as clear definitions of female genitalia. I have yet to see anyone explicitly explain this usage. Does anyone have any sources explaining the term? And secondly (as a bonus), why does our Gemara in question not use a more classical description, such as ערוה or אותו מקום?


texts:
What is the term in Judaism for the "fence laws"? (rabbinical laws to guard against G-d's laws)?
For example the Muktzeh..
Distinguishing it from for example the 7 rabbinical mitzvot / mitzvot r'rabbanan..
Is it that the fence laws are things that are Issur D'Rabbanan, whereas any of the 7 are Mitzvot D'Rabbanan?


texts:
When was Torah Or compiled/available, and if different, when was it originally copied and/or printed with the Gemara text?

To clarify, this is not the chabad sefer Torah Or, but the references to Tanach that is quoted in Gemara that today appears beside it.


texts: To say the 13 midos in "tachanun" weekday mincha, should the Sha"tz wear a tallis?

texts:
I asked the question "The Gemoro in Rosh Hashono 17b says that HKB”H put on a talis like a shaliach tzibbur and taught Moshe the 13 middos and said whenever Israel sins they should perform before Me according to this order (which we understand to be repeating the 13 middos) and I will forgive them. Are there any authorities who infer that for saying the 13 middos the shaliach tzibbur should wear a talis?" and accepted an answer that said yes for selichos at a time not yet appropriate for tzitzis.

So now I would like to know please, can we assume the same would apply at a weekday mincha, Nusach Sefard, where they say 13 middos as part of tachanun? (Mostly I see that the Sha"Tz in Nusach Sefard shuls does not wear a tallis at a weekday mincha.)


texts: Does anyone know where this prayer comes from?

texts:
I've always been struck by the beauty of the following Hebrew prayer for the dead (translated into early modern English):

  O Lord and King, who art full of compassion, God of the spirits of all
  flesh, in whose hand are the souls of the living and the dead,
  receive, we beseech thee, in thy great loving-kindness the soul of our
  brother who hath been gathered unto his people. Have mercy upon him;
  pardon all his transgressions; for there is none righteous upon the
  earth, who doeth only good, and sinneth not. Remember unto him the
  righteousness which he wrought, and let his reward be with him, and
  his recompense before him. Shelter his soul in the shadow of thy
  wings. Make known to him the path of life: in thy presence is fulness
  of joy; at thy right hand, bliss for evermore.

  O Lord, who healest the broken-hearted and bindest up their wounds,
  grant thy consolation unto the mourners. Strengthen and support them
  in the day of their grief and sorrow; and remember them for a long and
  good life. Put into their hearts the fear and love of thee, that they
  may serve thee with a perfect heart; and let their latter end be
  peace. Amen.

However, I've never been able to find out where it comes from.  I read somewhere that it was from the Siddur, but I'm pretty sure that it's not the Yahrzheit, or the Yizkor, or part of Kaddish.  Does anyone recognize this prayer?  I'd be particularly interested if anyone knows where I could find the original Hebrew (preferably with stresses).

The prayer can be found at, for example, http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=34254&st=&pgnum=1116 and
http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=34254&st=&pgnum=1118

These pages are from The Authorized Daily Prayer Book by Dr Joseph H. Hertz.


texts:
During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance did religious Jews know about Ktav Ivri?  Are there examples of traditional texts they would have been exposed to written in Ktav Ivri?

Would highly educated Jews in the Middle Ages been capable of recognizing letters of Ktav Ivri?


texts:
Is the Okapi a kosher animal? According to its Wikipedia page, it is most closely related to the giraffe, which everyone seems to agree is kosher. A quick Google search tells me that it chews its cud.

Secondly, is it categorized in the Torah under the chaya called zemer, or is it one of the other chayot (or possibly a behema)?

(@DoubleAA's suggestion: the Halachic application of this difference would be regarding chelev and kisui haddam: if we can classify this a chaya, its chelev would be permissable for consumption and we would not be commanded to cover its blood. If it is a behema, its chelev would be forbidden under penalty of lashes. If we remain unsure, we would be forbidden from eating its chelev (although we would be unable to punish one for doing so) and we would cover its blood without reciting a blessing (Rambam Ma'achalot Asurot 1:9).)


texts: Praying for the price of a stock to go down?

texts: Is it allowed to ask HaShem to make the price of a stock go down so someone can buy it cheaper?


texts:
I'm looking for a new Chumash for school.

I want it to be one volume, with Rashi menukad.  Does anyone have a suggestion?


texts: How far can you go in Shabbos leniency in order to prepare food?

texts:
I am referring to situations in which it is very likely that there will not be any food unless Shabbos leniencies are exploited. For example, if literally all my food is all in the fridge, but I know I left the light in--can I open it, if it's the only way I will eat Shabbos? Or if someone deliberately misused the blech, and all of the food we have is dependent on profiting from their melacha, may we still eat? Or if my [only] food is wrapped in something that would require extensive work to open, may I open it in order to eat?

The focus of my question is not on whether or how such a thing could possibly occur, but on where having no food at all on Shabbos would fall on the scale of illness and other extenuating circumstances that could lead to a loosening of (particularly rabbinical) strictures.

I imagine a situation in which there is no immediate threat to life or health, and in which--for the sake of interest--there is also no risk of not completing the positive mitzvot. In other words, one has enough wine for 1 kiddush, and enough for 1 kezayis (kebeitza?) of bread x 3 meals per person. But literally nothing else.


texts: Isn't it better to daven in your first language rather than davening in Hebrew and only knowing part of what you're sayig?


texts: Don't pass bread hand to hand: whose hand?

texts:
Shulchan Aruch (OC 167:18) says (in my own translation):

  The one who slices the loaf of bread places a slice before each person. The individual then takes the slice with his hand. The one who slices the loaf does not put [the slice] into the hand of the one eating, unless [the latter] were a mourner.

Rama there explains that a mourner is customarily passed food (as is implied by a pasuk), and Mishna B'rura there (90) explains that therefore "it is inappropriate to do so when [the one eating] is not a mourner, lest his fate worsen".

My question is what precisely is indicative of mourning and therefore not done to non-mourners. Here are some options:

Passing directly from the slicer to the eater is indicative of mourning. (However, passing it to a third party, who then passes it down the table to the eater, is fine, even if it goes from hand to hand throughout.) [This is literally what the Shulchan Aruch says.]
Passing directly to the eater is indicative of mourning. (However, the slicer could pass it down the table hand to hand, as long as the last passage, to the eater, is not done from hand to hand.)
Passing directly from the slicer is indicative of mourning. The slicer should not pass bread into someone's hand. (However, once the bread's on its way down the table, it can be passed hand to hand, even to the eater's hand.)
Passing bread that will be eaten, from hand to hand, is indicative of mourning. Period. No one should pass bread to anyone.
Passing bread from the slicer to the eater, even via other people, is indicative of mourning. However, if it at some point en route is set down, that's fine.

(Of these, option 3 seems very unlikely to me, since the sources above make it sound like it depends on the eater.)

As an ancillary but closely related question: If option 3 or 4 of my four options above is true, i.e. if bread should not be passed to someone even if he's not the eventual recipient, then what happens if it is passed hand to hand? Whose fate can (lo alenu) worsen: the one who received the bread en route, or the eventual recipient? For example, say R'uven slices a slice for Levi and hands it to Shim'on, who places it in front of Levi. Levi then eats it. If my option 3 or 4, above, is correct, R'uven should not have handed the bread to Shim'on because someone's fate could worsen. Whose? (Of course, if my option 1 or 2 (or similar) is correct, then this second question is moot.)

Sourced answers would be ideal.


texts: Place of "laws of mourning" in the rambam

texts:
Maimonides' Book of Judges contains the following sections: laws of the Sanhedrin and the punishments they enforce, laws of witnesses, laws of rebels, laws of mourning, and laws of kings and their wars.

Why are the laws of mourning included here with various procedural-judicial laws? I'd have thought to see them in the Book of Knowledge near the laws of repentance and behavior, or perhaps in the Book of Love with the common ritual laws which aren't calendar related such as circumcision and prayer.


texts: If Shabbat falls immediately after Pesach, what could Sephardim use for Hamotzi on Shabbat?

texts: If Matzah is mezonot for some Sepharadim, and Shabbat were to fall immediately after Pesach, what could such Sephardim use for hamotzi on Shabbat, given the obligation of lechem mishneh? One could not use Matzah, because it is not considered hamotzi in this scenario. One could not use leavened bread because one could not own or buy it during pesach and one could not buy it once Shabbat has started.


texts:
In my yeshiva there is a library that has many very old seforim. While exploring the library I came across a volume of the Mishneh Torah which seems to be from 1574. I opened it and was surprised to see that on one of the introductory pages there was an image of a naked woman. on the border of the image were the words "ויתאו המלך יפיך". The woman was wearing a crown and there was a 7-headed creature at the woman's feet.
I wanted to know if there is some precedent for this kind of thing and is this something which is appropriate to be in a sefer.

Opening page with publishing information:

Image of the woman.


texts: In light of this answer, why do we say V'imru amen and V'nomar amen at various points in bentching and davening when saying that passage alone? (eg. bentching by yourself, or oseh shalom at the end of one's silent amida) It sounds like these phrases were instituted for scenarios with group participation.