texts: Maharshal's position about the status of Kohanim today

texts:
R Shlomo Luria, in Yam Shel Shelomo Bava Kamma 5:35, discusses the status of property nowadays declared by its owner cherem for Kohanim. He takes a strong position against the validity of modern Kohanim's claim to the priesthood. He writes:

  בעו"ה אין לנו היחוס, כמו שהיה בזמן הבית. או אפילו אחר החורבן, בימי התנאים והאמוראים. שהיו עדיין נזהרים בתרומות ובטהרות, והיה קרוב מימי הבית. ועדיין היה יחוסיהם בידיהם. ובעונותינו מרוב אריכות הגלות וגזירות וגירושים נתבלבלו. והלואי שלא יהא נתבלבל זרע קדש בחול. אבל זרע כהנים ולוים קרוב לודאי שנתבלבלו. ואם לא כולו, הרוב נתבלבל, כמעשה דאליהו ז"ל עם הלוים, הידוע בדברי רז"ל. ואם לא הרוב, בודאי קרוב למחצה נתבלבלו. וא"כ ניתי לידי תקלה, שמא יתן לכהן שאינו כהן. ויהיה עדיין כהקדש ממש
  Because of our many sins, we don't have proper lineage like they had in the times of the Temple or even after in the days of the Tannaim and Amoraim, for they were still careful with tithes and laws of purity and they were closer [temporally] to the Temple and still had their documents of lineage. And in our sins through the long time of the exile, decrees and expulsions we have become mixed up. [All we can hope for is that] we have not mixed up Jewish and not Jewish lineage, but the lineage of priests and Levites are almost certainly mixed up; if not all of them, at least most of them are mixed up...and if not most than close to half are mixed up. If so, we might have a problem if someone gives [cherem property] to a Kohein who isn't a Kohein, and the property will remain sanctified.

Despite this extreme position, he concludes:

  ובודאי בדיעבד...נותן לכהנים אפילו בזמן הזה, כמו שפסק הרמב"ם. כי מכח האי חומרא לית לן רשות להפסיד ממון של כהנים. רק שלכתחילה יזהר.
  Certainly, after the fact [if one already declared something cherem], one should give the property to a Kohein even nowadays...because by virtue of this stringency [quoted above] we do not have the right to deprive Kohanim of their money. But from the outset, one should be careful [to not declare things cherem].

In other words, if not for his issue with the lineage of modern Kohanim, he would be ok declaring things cherem for them even lechatchilah.

However, in Yam Shel Shelomo Chullin 8:4 he writes:

  אין אנו נוהגין ליתנה אפילו לכהן קטן, וכ"ש לגדול שטבל לקריו, דאין לנו היחס, ואין אנו יודעים אם הוא כהן אמיתי...
  We do not give [Challah from the Diaspora] to Kohein children and certainly not to an adult Kohein who has dipped in a Mikva [who are permitted to eat Challah of the Diaspora even if they have contracted other impurities per Shulchan Aruch YD 322:5] because we don't have [proper] lineage and we don't know if he is a real Kohein...

He goes on to say that we don't give Challah of the Diaspora to such a Kohein even on Pesach, where by not giving it to him to cook, we are forced to allow it to sit and become Chametz (cf OC 457)!

What I don't understand if why he is so stringent regarding Challah of the Diaspora, where the prohibition of a non-Kohein eating it is rabbinic (and a weak rabbinic one at that), but he is willing to allow a Kohein to take cherem property, where the prohibition of a non-Kohein benefiting from it is a full-blown biblical prohibition. Am I misreading the sources? Don't both cases involve potentially depriving the Kohanim of their rightful property? Why is R Luria lenient by cherem but not by Challah of the Diaspora?


texts: How much of a gap in schach is acceptable?

texts:
How large of a gap is allowed in a sukkah's schach (roof) without invalidating it? (in tefachim and inches/feet, if possible)

Would it make a difference if the gap was in the middle of the roof, or on the side (=next to the wall) [דופן עקומה]?

  Related question: How much invalid material invalidates schach?


texts: I heard a rabbi say that the penalty of kareis does not really exist today, because we do not appreciate the concept of infinity, or something to this effect.  Does anyone know where this rabbi would have seen this cited or heard it?


texts: Chance of revival of The Mishna Project?

texts:
The (now defunct) Mishna Project was a startup band that set Mishnayoth to music in an attempt to make learning Mishnah more accessible.

I have their first album (which I highly recommend, if you can find it), and I'm interested in knowing whether there are any plans to revive the project and have more products produced. Does anyone know? Of course, the project's founders know, so if anyone knows a way for me to contact them, that'd be a good answer.


texts: How come chofni and phineas sin or not sinning?

texts:
Chofni and Pinchas, the sons of Eli, when they seemingly cheated those
  bringing offerings at Mishkan Shilo and cohabitated with the women who
  congregated at the Mishkan. (I Shmuel 12-17,22)

Anyone who says these people sinned is mistaken. For real?

I think each case of that question deserve their own question.

What was Hofni and Phineas apparent sin?
Did they sin?
What did they do?

It seems that cohabiting with any women is not a sin as long as the women are not married to anybody. Cheating at offerings? Hmmm. Cheating seems to be sinning. (don't steal, don't defraud, don't get bribe, it's all in the book)

I am not a rabbi nor will I ever be. So what does the law actually said?


texts: What is the rationale for only marking certain letters with sheva, when they are the last letter in a word?

texts:
In printed and manuscript editions of Tanach, I've noticed that a sheva on the final letter of a word is almost never marked, and is meant to be inferred.
The two exceptions I've come across are:

A final chaf e.g.

Bereishit 1:2 (among very many):

וְהָאָ֗רֶץ הָֽיְתָ֥ה תֹ֨הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ וְחֹ֖שֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י תְה֑וֹם וְר֣וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֔ים מְרַחֶ֖פֶת עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הַמָּֽיִם׃

A plosive letter e.g.

Bamidbar 21:1:

וַיִּשְׁמַ֞ע הַכְּנַֽעֲנִ֤י מֶֽלֶךְ־עֲרָד֙ יֹשֵׁ֣ב הַנֶּ֔גֶב כִּ֚י בָּ֣א יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל דֶּ֖רֶךְ הָֽאֲתָרִ֑ים וַיִּלָּ֨חֶם֙ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיִּ֥שְׁבְּ ׀ מִמֶּ֖נּוּ שֶֽׁבִי׃

Shemot 18:9:

וַיִּ֣חַדְּ יִתְר֔וֹ עַ֚ל כָּל־הַטּוֹבָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂ֥ה יְהוָ֖ה לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר הִצִּיל֖וֹ מִיַּ֥ד מִצְרָֽיִם׃

Mishlei 22:21:

לְהוֹדִֽיעֲךָ֗ קֹ֭שְׁטְ אִמְרֵ֣י אֱמֶ֑ת    לְהָשִׁ֥יב אֲמָרִ֥ים אֱ֝מֶ֗ת לְשֹֽׁלְחֶֽיךָ׃

Bereishit 29:11:

וַיִּשַּׁ֥ק יַֽעֲקֹ֖ב לְרָחֵ֑ל וַיִּשָּׂ֥א אֶת־קֹל֖וֹ וַיֵּֽבְךְּ׃

Mishlei 30:6:

אַל־תּ֥וֹסְףְּ עַל־דְּבָרָ֑יו פֶּן־יוֹכִ֖יחַ בְּךָ֣ וְנִכְזָֽבְתָּ׃

Shemot 2:17:

וַיָּבֹ֥אוּ הָֽרֹעִ֖ים וַיְגָֽרְשׁ֑וּם וַיָּ֤קָם מֹשֶׁה֙ וַיּ֣וֹשִׁעָ֔ן וַיַּ֖שְׁקְ אֶת־צֹאנָֽם׃

Bereishit 12:11 (among many):

וַיְהִ֕י כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר הִקְרִ֖יב לָב֣וֹא מִצְרָ֑יְמָה וַיֹּ֨אמֶר֙ אֶל־שָׂרַ֣י אִשְׁתּ֔וֹ הִנֵּה־נָ֣א יָדַ֔עְתִּי כִּ֛י אִשָּׁ֥ה יְפַת־מַרְאֶ֖ה אָֽתְּ׃

What is different about these cases that means that the sheva is marked?


texts: Rabbinic sources on (un)fulfillment of prophecy in Ezekiel 29

texts:
In Ezekiel 29, the prophet predicts very specifically that Nebuchadnezzar will conquer Egypt and get lots of loot. Historically, Nebuchadnezzar attempted to conquer Egypt, but was repelled by Pharaoh Amasis and died soon after. Thus Ezekiel's prophecy remains unfulfilled. (There are other prophecies in the book which also seem unfulfilled, but they are vaguer. This one is very clear-cut.)

I am wondering about the Rabbinic attitude to this fact. Does anyone know of a source where this is discussed?

Thanks!


texts: Kiddush between 6 and 7 o'clock - Which clock?

texts:
Many people hold that one should not make kiddush on Shabbos between the hours of 6 and 7. (Sources: Shulchan Aruch Harav and Taamei Haminhagim, (who, in turn, bring a Maharil, a Magen Avraham, and a Rashi in Shabbos)).

The thing that confuses me is that all the people I know who do this, count the hours by the clock rather than the halachic time. This includes following the clock with time zones, and daylight savings. So, regardless of whether Shabbos starts at 4:30 or 8:00, they will avoid kiddush between 6 and 7.

My question is, does this make any sense at all? Is there any source for following the clock? Furthermore, even if we do follow the clock, can there be any reason to follow daylight savings time?


texts: What is the procedure if one happened to finish two masechtas simultaneously? Does a double siyum occur? What would that be, anyways?


texts: How is a mikve filled in for the first time?

texts:
I am wondering how one fills a mikve for the first time?

Most of the works I consulted on the topic (e.g., the very good document here or Artscroll Mishna Mikvaos) mention "forty seah of rainwater are gathered into a bor" but without details on how to accomplish this practically. Remember that for a kosher mikve, water has to flow naturally and cannot be drawn from containers.

I know it is possible to fill a mikve with ice (under very strict conditions) but assume that ice is not available everywhere, especially in summer months. And since I have seen opinions ranging from 575-1000 liters for forty seah, I assume waiting for rainfall to occur naturally during construction might take a long time, and not work at all for months in hot regions (e.g., Israel).

So what is practically being done?


texts:
Suppose the doctor prescribes some medicine (consumed orally) that is supposed to be taken "first thing in the morning." It would still be effective if you waited until after davening to take it, but it's preferable to take it as soon as you wake up if possible (it's slightly more effective then, or you're less likely to forget about it).

Is there any reason that you should try to wait until after davening before taking the medicine the same way that you would wait before consuming food or can the medicine be taken before davening l'chatchila?

If it cannot be taken l'chatchila, are there any scenarios where it could be done? Some considerations that I can think of which might be relevant to the answer:

How severe the medical condition is which is being treated (or maybe it's not a medical condition at all like a dietary supplement to help build muscle).
What is the method of consuming the medication (e.g. taken as a pill, dissolved in something that is otherwise permissible to consume before davening [like water], dissolved in something that would not normally be consumed before davening, chewed and swallowed, etc.)
How much waiting affects the efficacy or effectiveness of the medicine.


texts: Did Moses marry a second time?  Maybe his first wife died or maybe we don't know for sure?  I am wondering if the wife that Miriam and Aaron complained about in parshas Beha'alosecha (Bamidbar 12:1) is actually the same first wife just being described differently?


texts: When are men supposed to start wearing a tallit?

texts: I am looking for halachic origins. I am also curious about the Sephardic and Ashkenazim halachic justifications for their choice (when to wear it). I learned that Sephardic boys start wearing theirs at a young age, whereas Ashkenazim only start wearing theirs after their wedding day. Does this just boil down to personal preference? What do other Jewish communities do, besides Ashkenazim and Sephardim? What are your sources? When (point in time) did these differences in customs emerge? What caused this event to occur? Which group's custom is a violation? How do you know?


texts: In the (second presentation of the) tenth commandment (Deut 5:17), why does the Torah use two different words in Hebrew (תחמד and תתאוה) that mean almost the same thing is English ("covet" or "desire"). I can find no explanation in Rashi. What is the difference between those words?


texts: Aside from the days set aside for impurity, what exactly is a man allowed to do with his wife in regards to intimacy?

texts:
A man cannot touch, stare, kiss or have relations with a woman he is not married with.

On the days when the laws of impurity do not apply, what exactly can a man do with his wife?

Assuming extra precaution is taken to avoid wasting the seed of the man, is everything else allowed?


texts: No Son's obligation to bury his parents?

texts:
I've been studying the Sugya of honoring the parents for almost a month now, and only today I stumbled upon Shu"A רמ"א that exempts converts from obligations to engage in burying his gentile parents.

I realized that nobody speaks of such a basic obligation of kids to their parents, as the Gemmorah only lists 3/6 (feeding, clothing and welcoming in and out). I know there's a Diun on the monetary obligation of the funeral, but no specific and clear obligation of burying itself.

There's a lot of Halokhos of honoring the parents after the funeral, but no reference to the funeral itself.

(Please help me to phrase the question properly)

How come?


texts: Can I say kiddush levana during daylight hours if the moon is visible?

texts: Suppose it's late afternoon or early morning and the moon is visible -- can I say it then?  Or must it be at "night"?  (If so, how do we define "night"?)


texts:
I would like to know what Yom HaShem is refering to and when it will have it's impact

Isaiah 2:12 Yom L'HaShem Tzevaot
Ezekiel 13:5 Yom HaShem, 30:3
Isaiah 13:6 & 9
Joel 1:15, 2:1, 2:11, 3:4, 3:14
Amos 5:18-20
Obad 1:15
Etc..etc...


texts: Can a man and woman with the same name marry each other?

texts: Suppose you have a man named Simcha. May he marry a woman named Simcha? (sources)


texts: Is there any Shut sefer or other that permits a women not covering her hair NOT the Aruch Hashulchan saying it is not Ervah but allowing a women to go out in modern times with their Hair uncovered?


texts: Obtaining a copy of Shabbos Test By Harav Zalman Nechemia Goldberg

texts:
Due to the Coronavirus situation in Israel, does someone have a copy of the Shabbos Bechina (test) they can upload here? Clean copy if possible.

I’ve tried google to see if someone has uploaded.

Many thanks.


texts: Many news websites (NY Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post etc.) make use of paywalls which pop up after the visitor starts reading the article requiring the visitor to pay in order to continue reading the article. Is it assur for one to set up their browser in a way so that paywalls don't pop up (not an incognito window)?


texts: Liability for damage caused by a fallen wall or fence

texts:
Who is liable for the damage caused if a person's fence or wall falls into public property? According to Bava Qama 3:2, if a person's fence falls into a public thoroughfare and somebody is harmed, the owner of the fence must pay compensation. According to Bava Metzia 10:4, if a person's wall falls into a public thoroughfare and somebody is harmed, the owner of the wall is exempt from paying compensation.

Is there an important difference between fences and walls of which I'm not aware? Or are these mishnayot simply speaking of different cases?

Here they are, with the relevant sections in bold:

השופך מים ברשות הרבים והוזק בהן אחר,  חיב בנזקו.  המצניע את הקוץ ואת הזכוכית והגודר את גדרו בקוצים וגדר שנפל לרשות הרבים והוזקו בהן אחרים חיב בנזקן

If somebody pours water in a public thoroughfare and somebody else is harmed as a result, he is obligated to pay compensation. If somebody hides thorns or glass [in a public thoroughfare], or places thorns in their fence [in such a way that they abut onto a public thoroughfare], or if a person's fence falls into a public thoroughfare and somebody is injured as a result, he is obligated to pay compensation.

Bava Qama 3:2

וכן בית הבד שהוא בנוי בסלע וגינה אחת על גביו ונפחת הרי בעל הגינה יורד וזורע למטה עד שיעשה לבית בדו כפין. הכתל והאילן שנפלו לרשות הרבים והזיקו פטור מלשלם. נתנו לו זמן לקוץ את האילן ולסתור את הכותל ונפלו בתוך הזמן פטור, לאחר הזמן חיב

Similarly, regarding an olive press built on stone with a garden on top of it, if the roof caves in then the owner of the garden may plant below [on the floor of the olive press] until the owner of the olive press makes a roof. If a wall or a tree falls into a public thoroughfare and harms somebody, he [the owner of the wall or the tree] is exempt from paying compensation. Time is given him to chop up the tree and to mend the wall, and should it fall again within the allotted time he remains exempt, but if it falls after the allotted time he is obligated [to pay compensation].

Bava Metzia 10:4


texts: Rationalist Position on Bible Ancients' Long Lives

texts: How would a rationalist interpret the long lives of the ancient people enumerated in the Bible, from Methuselah on down? Virtually no person lives more than 120 years today, even with the assistance of modern medicine. Does the rationalist concede that at least in this one case, we must say "Nishtaneh haTeva," nature has changed?


texts: Is there a book or online source explaining Jewish year-"type" sequences?

texts:
The current Judaic calendar allows for three types of year lengths:

Chaser ("missing") - 353 days
Kesidra ("in order") - 354 days
Shalem ("full") - 355 days

(Add 30 to each of the above for leap years.)

Is there a set of rules that explain the sequence / possibilities of the year types? For example, I noticed that this year, 5779 is a leap year / shaleim and 5780 will be a non-leap year shaleim . Offhand, I don't recall two maleh years concecutively, and I assume that this can occur only if one is a leap year and the other is not. (I.e., you wouldn't see two consecutive non-leap shleimim.)

I gather that the sequence depends mainly on the day of week that Rosh Hashanna begins as there are a limited number of kviyot allowed for each possible weekday. But, I haven't been able to locate something that explains the possible sequence of the year types.


texts: PTIJ: Full-time Torah learning? What about issur kolel?

texts:
R. Shimon bar Yohai is famously quoted in Berakhot 35b as believing that:

אפשר אדם חורש בשעת חרישה וזורע בשעת זריעה וקוצר בשעת קצירה ודש בשעת דישה וזורה בשעת הרוח תורה מה תהא עליה אלא בזמן שישראל עושין רצונו של מקום מלאכתן נעשית ע"י אחרים
Is it really possible that a man should plow during the plowing season, sow during the sowing season, harvest during the harvest season, thresh during the threshing season and winnow during the windy season? If that is the case, what will become of the Torah? Rather, it must be that when Israel performs the will of the Omnipresent, their work is carried out by others.

This view is often cited by those advocating for full-time torah study in place of earning a living. See e.g. here.
My question is, how can R. Shimon bar Yohai allow this? What about issur kolel, the prohibition to attend a kolel where torah is studied full-time by married men, in lieu of earning a living?

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


texts: Can anybody read from the torah or prophets in a synagogue?

texts: I am trying to understand the context of a passage from the Christian gospels.  Luke 4:16 says that Jesus went into the synagogue and started reading from the book of Isaiah.  At that time could anybody just walk in and read such a passage during a service?  Was this the torah reading or something else?  Was it different from modern practice?


texts:
My wife and I just had a beautiful little girl and we named her Laila Grace.  I was curious of the meaning of Laila and decided to search the web.  I came to an interesting comment that I am hoping for this forum to shed some light on.

  In the Torah, G-d Almighty sent Lailah, angel of the night, to Abraham.  In part to protect and to fight for him in a night time battle against vile, corrupt and ungodly kings.  They fought side by side and easily destroyed the sinners.

As a Christian, I am also curious where this is found in the Torah or Bible.


texts: I'm having hard time understanding the definition of idolater. It is easy for me to recognize for example that who prays a statue is an idolater. But what about other monotheistic religions? Are christians and muslims considered idolaters?


texts: Why does David refuse to kill Shimi b. Gera, but then later tell Shlomo to kill him?

texts:
II Samuel 16:5-14

  And king David came to Bahurim and, behold, there came out of there a man from the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera, coming forth and cursing. And he threw stones at David, and at all king David's servants and at all the people and at all the mighty men who were on his right and on his left hand. And so said Shimei in his curse, "Begone, begone, you man of blood, and you wicked man. The Lord has returned upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead you have reigned; and the Lord has given the kingdom into the hands of Absalom your son; and behold you are in your own evil for you are a man of blood." And Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? let me go over, I beg you, and remove his head." And the king said, "What is it between me and you, sons of Zeruiah? So let him curse, because the Lord has [surely] said to him, 'Curse David'; who then shall [have the right to] say, 'Why have you done so'?" And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, "Behold my son who came from my body seeks my life; how much more now [that] the Benjamite [should do it]? let him alone, and let him curse; for the Lord has bidden him. Perhaps the Lord will see (the tears of) my eye, and the Lord will return to me good instead of his curse on this day." And David and his men went by the road; and Shimei went along the hillside opposite him, going and cursing and he threw stones toward him, and he threw earth. And the king, and all the people that were with him were weary, and he refreshed himself there.

(Translation via Chabad.org)

Shimi ben Gera was actively hurling insults at King David, Hashem's anointed, but when Abishai suggests to David that he [Shimi] be executed, David insists not, and spares his life.

However, later, in I Kings 2:9, David charges his heir Shlomo with the task of taking revenge on Shimi ben Gera for what he did.

  And, behold, there is with you Shimei the son of Gera the Benjamite of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse on the day when I went to Mahanaim, and he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by the Lord, saying, 'I will not put you to death with the sword.' And now hold him not guiltless, for you are a wise man, and you will surely know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his hoary head down to the grave with blood."

There seems to be a big contradiction here. First, David spares Shimi's life, but then later he tells his son Shlomo to execute him because of his actions. Why? Perhaps David took an oath that Shimi would not die in his lifetime but that after he died Shimi would be charged and executed?


texts:
Throughout our prayers we talk about G-d's Kedusha. For example, we say "Ata kadosh", "Nekadesh es shimcha", etc.
Kedusha is generally translated as "holiness". Holiness, in turn, generally refers to being "Godly". With that understanding, saying Hashem is Kadosh is circular reasoning - we are saying that G-d is godly, an obvious statement that would not occupy such a prominent role in our prayers.

The Kabbalists, specifically the Ramchal and Nefesh HaChaim, have one understanding of Hashem's Kedusha. I am looking for a non-Kabbalistic approach.

I know that Rashi (Vayikra 19:2 and numerous other places in Chumash) understands Kedusha as seperation. I am not sure what that would mean in reference to G-d.

How would the Rishonim and Pashtanim understand the meaning of Hashem's Kedusha in a way that accounts for its importance?


texts: Eating non-kosher food then drinking out of kashered cup?

texts: Does drinking a cold drink several minutes after eating cold non-kosher food render the cup non-kosher since it is making contact with the mouth, which may still have remnants of non-kosher food in it? Does the answer differ if the cup is glass?


texts: Is G-d still present in a relationship continuing after a Get?

texts: I would like to know that if after two Jews are divorced what is the relationship with G-d and their relationship. It is said that G-d is part of a marriage and continues to be. If the couple gets divorced, where does G-d stand in this relationship now? I know what happens when the relationship is broken up through illegal acts such as adultery, but what happens when it is mutual and done according to G-d's law?


texts: Is it forbidden to practice "practical" kabbalah (kabbalah maasit) today? If so, why? If it is forbidden to practice is it also forbidden to study?


texts: Are there any sources for a story about an angel coming down and healing people at a pool?

texts: The Christians have a story about an angel coming down to a pool (at Bethesda) and dispensing healing.  (It sounds like they were anticipating this event.)  Are there any Jewish sources for this story?


texts: The Gemara (Bab. Shab. 146b) discusses certain rules that pertain to a house that is entirely sealed. What kind of house is entirely sealed? If it means what it seems to mean, that it has no entrance or exit, no windows, no doors, what kind of a house is that? What is the point of deriving and teaching a law that can't be applied?


texts: What mean Cholek, Chozer, modey and Gozer?

texts: When studying Massechet Ketubot with a Rabbi, he often says "He is Cholek", "He is Chozer", "He is Modey" or "He is Gozer". These four words seem related. It seems, according to the context, that they have something to do with the Kiddushin Al Tnay (Kiddushin made with a condition). Can you please tell me what these words mean? I searched them in the Melamed Dictionary with no success.


texts: Linking two sources on Ben Zoma and richness

texts:
I recently came across a report of Ben Zoma being rich, and it made me wonder whether there's any relationship between that and his famous definition of "richness" in Avot.

A baraita quoted in the Talmud (Berachot 58a) tells us that Ben Zoma, contemplating a very large crowd of Jews in Jerusalem, blessed God for the fact that He "created all these to serve me."1 He went on to explain that unlike the original human (Adam), who had to produce all of his needs (e.g. food and clothing) entirely by himself, "I wake up and find all of these prepared for me. All nations diligently come to the entrance of my home, and I wake up and find all of these before me." In other words, he has access to a multitude of goods that he didn't produce himself.
Rashi explains "all nations diligently come to the entrance of my home" to mean "He was rich, so they all came to him for trade."2
I find this report that Ben Zoma was rich interesting both internally and with respect to another source. Internally, I wonder why it was necessary to say that Ben Zoma, personally, was rich, since one did not have to be personally rich, even 2000 years ago, to have much more access to trade goods than the original human did.3
But also, we know that Ben Zoma had his own definition for rich, as seen in the Mishna - Avot 4:1:

אֵיזֶהוּ עָשִׁיר, הַשָּׂמֵחַ בְּחֶלְקוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים קכח) יְגִיעַ כַּפֶּיךָ כִּי תֹאכֵל אַשְׁרֶיךָ וְטוֹב לָךְ. אַשְׁרֶיךָ, בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה. וְטוֹב לָךְ, לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא.
Who is the rich one? He who is happy with his lot, as it says, "When you eat [from] the work of your hands, you will be happy, and it will be well with you" (Psalms 128:2). "You will be happy" in this world, and "it will be well with you" in the world to come.4

This makes me wonder whether it's possible that when Rashi said that Ben Zoma was rich, he meant "rich" in Ben Zoma's sense - happy with his lot. Of course, it's not obvious how being "rich," by this definition, would result, as Rashi says, in access to trade. However, the context there is Ben Zoma expressing a particular kind of happiness with his lot.
Further complicating matters, the verse Ben Zoma quotes in Avot speaks of the virtue of consuming "the work of your hands," while in Berachot, Ben Zoma was expressing particular happiness at not having to depend on the work of his own hands, as the original human had.
As I've demonstrated, there seems to be a significant amount of conceptual overlap, and possibly conflict, between these two sources. Do any commentaries explore this interaction?

1. Talmud translations from the William Davidson Talmud, via Sefaria. I elided their inserted elucidations for this context.
2. My translation.
3. Hat-tip to Prof. Russell Roberts for instigating the discussion by citing Berachot, and then raising this question on Twitter.
4. Sefaria community translation.


texts: One of my family members is having a family event at a non-kosher restaurant.  I want to be there because it is a very important occasion and I don't want to insult my family.  However, I know that in general I am not supposed to walk into a non-kosher restaurant.  What is the halacha in such a situation?  May one attend but not eat the food, for example, or must one not attend?


texts: Why does leading the Amud alleviate suffering for the deceased?

texts:
A question was asked here on the forum for clarification on the Chiyuv for an Avel to pray for the Amud. And in an answer that was given, the answerer provided a quote from Rabbi Neustadt:

  "...for Chazal teach that when a son serves as the Sheliach Tzibbur,
  he is actually fulfilling the Biblical commandment of Kibbud Av V'eim
  by honoring the neshamah of his departed parent and alleviating its
  suffering in Gehenom."

Question:
Why does leading the Amud alleviate suffering of the deceased?


texts: Issues with opening a tea bag on Shabbos

texts:
I was in a Beis Medrash recently and they had a note that said that despite any heter to make tea, there is no practical way to open a tea bag on Shabbos, and thus tea essence should be used even according to that. [The tea they provide was not pre-opened, I assume for freshness reasons].

What are the issues in opening a tea bag on Shabbos?


texts: Head tefillin - how serious is it when the divisions between the individual scrolls are split?

texts:
Gemoro Menachos 35a

  R. Huna said, As long as the surface of the sides(19) of the tefillin is
  whole they are valid. R. Hisda said, If two [sides](20) were split they
  are still valid; but if three, they are invalid. Said to him Raba,
  Your ruling that if two [sides] were split they are still valid is
  true only if [the rents were] not facing each other,(21) but if they
  were facing each other they are invalid. And even if they were facing
  each other [they are invalid] only if they were new(22) [tefillin], but
  if they were old it would not matter.

  Notes: (19) I.e., the external sides of the box, or the sides which
  form the divisions between the compartments. (20) According to Maim.
  (v. Yad, Tef. III, 18 and Kesef Mishneh a.l.) the reference is to the
  stitching of the tefillin, and the rules are here stated where two or
  more stitches had snapped. (21) Or: next to each other, i.e., in
  adjoining compartments. (22) For it is evident that the leather was of
  an inferior quality.

The gemoro speaks about the head tefillin when the divisions between the individual scrolls are split.

My chavrusa and I ask:
How can you tell when the  divisions are split – presumably only when you have opened up the tefilloh?

Do we understand that the difference between old and new tefilloh teaches that there is no inherent problem if the divisions are split  - only a problem of hiddur?


texts: Can/Should a Kohen Disqualify Himself from Birchas Kohanim because of Tumah?

texts: Is it proper for a kohein to disqualify himself from duchaning if he feels that he is ritually unpure at that particular moment?


texts: I heard that there is a Medrash that says that besides Noach, his wife, 3 sons, 3 daughters-in-law, animals, birds, and garbage there were others in the Teiva. What else was in the Teiva?


texts: Rebbe Nachman's The Master of Prayer Story

texts:
In Rebbe Nachman of Breslov's tales,  The Master of Prayer Story, the Master of Prayer talks about a Hand that the King had.  I assume the details that follow are not to be understood on only the most basic level of a story.  Can anyone elaborate a little on what the Hand actually is and/or represents according to Rebbe Nachman?

In the story, the Master of Prayer said, "Everything that existed from the time Heaven and Earth were created until the end, and even what will exist after that, was inscribed on that Hand.  The lines on the hand provided a picture of the structure of every universe with all its details, just like a map.  The lines also formed letters, like the inscriptions on a map, so that one can know what each thing is........Also inscribed on this Hand is the path from one world to another.  There is road and a path upon which one can travel from earth to heaven.  [The only reason that it is impossible to go up to heaven is because people do not know the path; but on the Hand is inscribed the path to heaven.]  On it are written all the paths from one universe to another.  Elijah went up to heaven on one path, and that path is inscribed on the Hand.  Moses went up on a different path, and that path is also inscribed.  Enoch went up to heaven in still another way, and that is also inscribed there."

I am already aware of Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan's commentary on the story.  I am hoping that someone could provide further information in detail.


texts: Does the verse וארשתיך... count as the language of Kiddushin?

texts:
Following the discussion about different formulations of non-Orthodox Ketubahs on this site.
A couple wishes to find a milder non-Orthodox formulation of the Kiddushin. So they chose that the groom will tell to his bride the full Posuk (Hosea 2, 21):

"וְאֵרַשְׂתִּיךְ לִי לְעוֹלָם וְאֵרַשְׂתִּיךְ לִי בְּצֶדֶק וּבְמִשְׁפָּט וּבְחֶסֶד וּבְרַחֲמִים"
(be careful with the translation) And I will espouse you forever: I will espouse you with righteousness and justice, And with goodness and mercy.

Does it count (nowadays) as a language of Kiddushin (instead of הרי את מקודשת לי)? Does it depend on a specific community?
I don't ask if it bounds (depends on witnesses, and surroundings and a ring etc, only the language.

There are many "catches" in this scenario: it is a whole Posuk (maybe doesn't count), the language is unclear if it is past or present or future (ו' ההיוך), if this language is considered "spoken", it describes the action, not the state of the bride (את מקודשת) and more.


texts: Jews allowed to pray and join Muslim congregation in Mosques and Experiences

texts:
I had read somewhere in Maimonidian literature that Jews are allowed to pray in Mosques. Is it even allowed for them to Join the Muslim congregation and pray the Salat for they worship the same God (According to Maimonides)?
Some references, from http://www.hashlamah.org/co-worship.html:

A Muslim historian, Ibn al-Qifti (1172-1248) reports nothing less than
that the Rambam himself, on numerous occasions, voluntarily went to
mosques to pray [1], under no compulsion and seeing no contradiction
with his Judaism. Ibn al-Qifti notes that this was towards the end of
Maimonides’ life and was not an event of his youth, under fear of the
Al-Mohades who had invaded Al-Andalus in his youth.[1]
Kenneth Seeskin writes, in The Cambridge Companion to Maimonides, “although Ibn
al-Qifti’s book has come down to us in a later recension, and contains
some errors, we have no reason to doubt the information on
Maimonides.”[2]
Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef witnessed prominent rabbis who prayed in the Mosque at the Cave of Machpelah. He then determines decisively that in Mosques it is permitted to pray and learn there. [3]
[1] Tarikh al-Hukama, p. 318, trans. Kraemer in Fine, 2001. 424.
[2] Kenneth Seeskin, The Cambridge Companion to Maimonides, (Cambridge  University Press: 2005)
[3] Responsa Yabiah Omer 7, Yoreh De'ah 12, paragraph 4.


texts: Is Mossad Assasination allowed in Torah?

texts:
The Torah seems to allow many instances of killing. Genocide is sometimes okay if you give fair warning. So is the execution of a convicted murderer, or even those who break the Sabbath.

It does prohibit murder, and some say murder means "ninja like" killing. (You can be a samurai, but you can't be a ninja.)

This question is not asking whether it's morally wrong to assassinate terrorists. It's about whether it breaks G-d's commandment or not.

I am just wondering, is it allowed by Torah? If it's allowed, what does, "Thou shall not murder" mean anyway? It seems that all are fair game.

Does it simply mean not murdering fellow Jews?

Note: I am not asking whether jews are evil or not. I don't think so. At least not more than the rest of the world. I am just curious what the laws really mean.

Anyway, speaking of genocide:

  Deuteronomy 20:10-14

 As you approach a town to attack it, first offer its people terms for peace.

  If they accept your terms and open the gates to you, then
  all the people inside will serve you in forced labor.  But if they
  refuse to make peace and prepare to fight, you must attack the town.
  When the LORD your God hands it over to you, kill every man in the
  town.  But you may keep for yourselves all the women, children,
  livestock, and other plunder.  You may enjoy the spoils of your
  enemies that the LORD your God has given you.

Now I understand that other tribes at that time were not more merciful either.

I am just curious on what kill/murder means in ten commandment. Does it apply to kittens too, for example?

My understanding is from biblical passages and answers around here:

So on what cases killing is okay and killing is not and well, the original question is whether mossad assassination is okay.

Again, I am not saying it's wrong. I understand the other side would pull the same thing too. I am just wondering if it's halakha or not.


texts:
וּמֵעֵץ, הַדַּעַת טוֹב וָרָע--לֹא תֹאכַל, מִמֶּנּוּ:  כִּי, בְּיוֹם אֲכָלְךָ מִמֶּנּוּ--מוֹת תָּמוּת. - Bereshis 2:17

Why did not not kill Adam and Eve the very day they ate from the tree of knowledge like he said he would?


texts: I've heard people talking about the merit of a good relationship with his shidduch in dating from the act of holding the Havdala candle. How does the two relate?


texts: Do you know of a Rabbi who rejects modern technology?

texts: A little bit like the Amish... I just want to know if such an ideology exists in Judaism. I know that the Hatam Sofer and Rabbi Hillel Lichtenstein opposed modern philosophy, maybe one Rabbi opposed modern technology. Not necessarily all modern technology, but at least part of it, like the Amish that allow health technology. I am also looking for a simple statement against technology.


texts:
The issur of onaah applies when one charges more than an additional sixth of the market price.

Does one have to take into account competition with black market prices (where goods in this case are much cheaper) when pricing a product?


texts: Why did God command Noah to take seven each of the "clean" animals on the ark? Is this evidence that the sacrificial system was in play? Why did God make a distinction between clean and unclean to Noah?


texts: How was it decided when the period of Tannaim ended and the period of Amoraim began?

texts:
The era of the Tannaim was from 10-220 CE

The era of the Amoraim was from 200 to 500 CE

A couple questions:

1) Who or what flipped the switch to determine that one era was ending and another was beginning?

2) Were the names "Tanna" & "Amora" assigned retroactively (ex: like WWI was called "The Great War" before WWII happened) OR did they know in the moment that the "Tanna" period ended and that the "Amora" period began?

(if the latter, would make sense that Rav "רב תנא הוא ופליג"  since he was the last Tanna/ first Amora- Kesuvos 8a)

BONUS:

3) Same questions can be asked re: the "Amoraim"/ "Savoraim" divide, and then "Rishonim" period etc- how did all these eras get set?


texts: when do you stop eating bread and etc.. for passover?

texts: Do you stop eating bread once Seder starts or beginning of the morning of Seder day? Not sure about this


texts: Mesechtas in the Bavli shas start on daf bet instead of daf aleph, why is this so? As a child I was told it was to give you incentive to start ("Hey, I'm already on page 2!") but that now seems both childish and wrong; for example, why then is the same thing not done in talmud Yerushalmi?). Is there a real reason for this?


texts: Is the term Cushite used to refer to people of African descent?

texts: While reading the book of Numbers (I am a Christian, I don't know if it is referred to something else in Judaism), I came across the passage (Numbers 12:1-15) where Miriam and Aaron were speaking against Moses for taking a Cushite wife. I wanted to know if the term Cushite or Cushi is used to refer people of African descent, or specifically Ethiopia, or if not what exactly it does/did refer to. Obviously google gives results all over the map, it would be nice to get some real facts.


texts:
It is recommended to give tzeddakah when embarking on travel, preferably in the morning because of the spiritual 'climate' of day.

“One should not give [tzedakah] before the evening prayers [in contrast to the practice] in the morning.(ibid., Tefillas Arvis, Drush 1) from http://www.chabad.org/therebbe/letters/default_cdo/aid/2281756/jewish/Letter-No-238-Giving-tzedakah-at-night.htm

When should one give tzeddaka for travel if travel starts at night, when it is a new halachic day (say 10pm) - in the morning or afternoon of the previous day or the morning after the night of travel?


texts: Should women also be bowing down on yom kippur

texts:
During the mussaf on the high holy days we bow down to the floor. Do women also have this minhag.
Did they also bow down in the temple when it was standing on hearing the kohen godol say the shem.


texts:
Is donating blood a mitzvah?
Are there contemporary sources?
I am looking for an answer from a posek, rav, etc.


texts:
I've heard that the Third Beit Hamikdash will be made when the Mashiach arrives. And that it will be built by G-d himself, unlike the previous Temples. This seems to be the most common opinion in Orthodox Judaism, but I recently found out that the Rambam says that it should be built by jews, and that it's an obligation to attempt to build it if possible.

What are the bases for both opinions? Should we wait for the Mashiach or should we start building?

Update: I found a link with very detailed explanations of each side of the argument. It's really good and it's what I was looking for. However, thank you all for your answers and contributions.
http://rchaimqoton.blogspot.com/2007/07/building-third-holy-temple.html?m=1


texts: What does it mean that God "remembers" something?

texts:
In verses such as Noach 8:1 ("And God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark, and God caused a spirit to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided"), what does it mean for God to "remember" something? Does this not imply that He "forgot" something? What does it mean for God to be "reminded" of something?

I am looking for sources that explicitly discuss this topic.


texts: Understanding discouragement of converts

texts: Why do we discourage converts? I know that Naomi did so with Rus, but Moshe doesn't seem to do so with Yisro. Why wouldn't Judaism want to encourage converts? Furthermore is it a responsibility merely of the Rabbi performing the conversion or of any Jew who meets the convert (if it is the former how do we understand why Naomi dissuaded Rus)?


texts: Why don’t any of these Tannaim hold of 1:60?

texts:
Terumos 10:8:

  דָּג טָמֵא שֶׁכְּבָשׁוֹ עִם דָּג טָהוֹר, כָּל גָּרָב שֶׁהוּא מַחֲזִיק סָאתַיִם, אִם יֶשׁ בּוֹ מִשְׁקַל עֲשָׂרָה זוּז בִּיהוּדָה שֶׁהֵן חָמֵשׁ סְלָעִים בַּגָּלִיל דָּג טָמֵא, צִירוֹ אָסוּר. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, רְבִיעִית בְּסָאתָיִם. וְרַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר, אֶחָד מִשִּׁשָּׁה עָשָׂר בּוֹ

The following summary of the Mishnah is based on the Yachin’s commentary.

If one pickled a non-Kosher fish with a Kosher one, then the Tanna Kamma requires a 1:960 ratio to permit the non-Kosher fish’s brine; R’ Yehudah requires a 1:192 ratio; and R’ Yose requires a 1:16 ratio.

The Tiferes Yisrael notes that the Tanna Kamma requires such a high number because fish brine has such a strong taste that it requires that much to dilute it.

To this I ask: Why should this be any different than all other cases of Nosen Ta’am LaShevach (improving the taste of the food - Avodah Zarah 39a classifies spicy foods likewise) which are just 1:60? Where does he get 1:960 as the magical number to be nullified? (It looks like the Boaz addresses this, but I can’t understand what he’s saying.)

Likewise, according to R’ Yehudah and R’ Yose (especially R’ Yose): why do they not require 1:60?

This question may be strengthened by the Yachin’s final note on the Mishnah, that we indeed pasken 1:60 in this case, against all of these Tannaim (based on YD 3).


texts: A source for the claim that the Satmar Ruv (R' Yoel Teitelbaum) said to VP Hubert Humphrey "Sell weapons to Israel!"

texts: There is a commonly quoted anecdote that when Vice President Hubert Humphrey came to the Satmar Rav for votes in 1968 and asked him what he could do for him the Satmar Rav replied "Sell weapons to Israel!". In some versions of the story Humphrey is surprised about this and the Satmar Rav explains "We have a disagreement with our family members but we don't want to see them hurt".  This anecdote seems to be popular because it contradict (or at least mitigates) the uncompromising anti-Zionism that is reflected in R' Yoelish's published writings. My question is does anyone have a reliable source for this story and is it true? And if not where does this story come from?


texts:
Yesterday I was looking at the text of how the incense had been prepared. In my ArtScroll book it is written:

בֹּרִית כַּרְשִׁינָה לָמָה הִיא בָֽאָה

A bit later it says:

אַחַת לְשִׁשִּׁים אוֹ לְשִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה הָיְתָה בָאָה שֶׁל שִׁירַֽיִם לַחֲצָאִין

In the first case a penultimate stress is marked with a meteg, while in the latter one the lack of mark indicates a final stress. I checked an Eshkol edition, and it had the same difference. The concordance lists multiple occurrences of both versions too. Shouldn't it be the same?


texts: Does Joshua 8:34-35 disprove oral law's existence?

texts:
I was reading about Karaite Judaism and it lists a number of reasons, some which I thought were compelling, for rejecting the Oral Law.
For example,

Joshua 8, 34–8, 35 states:
After that, he [Joshua] read all the words of the Torah, the Blessing and the Curse, according to all that is written in the Torah scroll. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua failed to read in the presence of the entire assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that walked among them.

If Joshua read every command that Moses had commanded, then presumably there would be no room for the existence of non-written commands that would form an Oral Law.
How would you reconcile this passage with the existence of an Oral Law?


texts: Are there potential problems with this sukkah?

texts:
I plan on making two walls of my sukkah from wooden panels constructed out of vertical slats nailed to a horizontal wooden slat at the top and bottom. The walls will be just over 10 tefachim high and the slats are 4.2 cm (slightly less than 1 2/3 inches) wide. I wasn't planning on having any horizontal slats other than the top and bottom ones.

I am confident that there are no halachic issues in my planned configuration (with slats adjacent to each other and their ends resting on the ground). In the interests of Torah study, though, I'd like to know of the potential issues that can arise if I change this, even minority positions that do not represent consensus halacha:

Particularly:

What if the vertical gap between the slats were less than a tefach but more than the width of a slat, so the majority of the wall was empty space?
What if the vertical gap between slats were more than a tefach but less than three tefachim?
What if the bottom slat was above the ground, but by less than a tefach?
What if the bottom slat were above the ground by more than a tefach, but less than three tefachim?


texts: Rabbi Medan on the prophecy of Yoshiyahu

texts:
In this essay, pg. 64, note 38, with regards to the attempt to prove that there were actually two Yeshayahus, and subsequent attempts to counter that claim, Rabbi Yaakov Medan wrote:

ונסתייעו בנבואת איש האלוהים לירבעם על יאשיהו שיחלל את העגל בבית אל (מלכ"א, י"ג), אירוע שהיה למעלה משלוש מאות שנה לאחר הנבואה. לעניות דעתנו סיוע זה ניתן להידחות ואכמ"ל.
Translation: "and they [those that countered the claim] were assisted in this by the prophecy of the man of God to Yerov'am on Yoshiyahu who will destroy the calf in Beit El (Melachim 1:13), an event that took place over three hundred years after the prophecy. In our view, this proof can easily be disproven, but now is not the time to do so."

I was wondering how this piece of evidence for the ability of prophets to prophecise in great detail and far into the future could be disproven. I found a class by Rav Medan on the subject of the Two Yeshayahus, but a few minutes into the class he mentioned this and again said that this particular point can easily be disproven, but stated that that should be an entire class in itself and so there, too, he didn't expand on the issue. I was unable to find any class of his that discusses this particular issue (there might be one, but I don't know).
Does anyone have any idea what he could have meant by this statement?


texts:
How do you survive a very busy Purim?

Purim is a very interactive holiday and has a number of Mitzvot that need to be observed that intersect with, and are often dependent on, other people's activities and their own fulfillment of the Mitzvot.

What are some helpful strategies, tactics, and plans for keeping it all together and not only fulfilling the obligations but keeping the holiday festive and enjoyable for all involved?


texts:
What would be the bracha on "bread" that had mashed fruit or vegetable kneaded into the dough, but tastes like bread? For example, if you mashed a few potatoes into the dough, then the bread will still look and taste very much like regular bread after it's done. Is using mashed fruits/vegetables different than making bread out of fruit juices?

(Note: the link above is to an answer because the question was not about fruit juices in general, but the answer is)


texts: Where did the idea of paying a shadchan come from? Is it an obligation? Is it just like paying anyone for a service? If so, why do we only pay if the shidduch leads to a marriage? Additionally, who defines the salary of a particular shadchan and at what point during the process is the amount specified?


texts: I have noticed when looking at old photos that there seem to have been many more patterns for tallit striping in the past. As there seem to be only two major manufacturers (Talit[a]nia and Mishkan HaTechelet) the modern array of patterns seems much smaller. Is there an archive which shows some of the older (pre-war?) tallit patterns, as well as any alternative modern ones?


texts:
Would those who hold that a minor can serve as an agent in Jewish law (for a d'var r'shus - discretionary act, not a mitzva) hold similarly for a sufficiently intelligent and self-aware robot? The qualifications for the minor seem to be:

He possesses the basic level of discernment to consciously accept the task and
He has the faculties necessary for preforming it.

Or would a non-human always fail on criterion 1 no matter how much intelligence it could simulate?

(See, for example, the Sha"ch on Choshen Mishpat 182.)


texts: What should someone who would otherwise be saying kadish (whether as an obligation or not) do in a shiv'a (mourning) house? Should he say kadish along with the mourners (I'm asking according to the common custom that more than one person says kadish yasom at a time) as he would in a synagogue, or should he leave the kadish to the mourners only? I can't really think of a reason for the latter, but it seems somehow appropriate. Does anyone have a good argument either way, or a source for an answer?


texts: Ashkenazi hoshanot schedule when first day Sukkot is Monday

texts:
When the first day of sukkot is a Monday, the following is the standard Ashkenazi hoshanot schedule for the first six days (found in all siddurim/machzorim that I've seen and e.g. in Levush here):

Lema'an amitach
Even shetiyah
E'eroch shu'i
Om ani chomah
E-l lemoshao't
Om netzurah

I understand that 1. and 2. are said as early as possible, and 3. is said on the first available day of chol hamoed (consistent with every other year (see e.g. Levushei S'rad here)). I understand that on shabbat the relevant hoshana (6. om netzurah) is recited (consistent with every other year).

My question is about the relative postions of 4. and 5. Why does om ani chomah precede e-l lemosha'ot?

I understand that in such a year, adon hamoshia cannot be recited, as it is only ever recited on the sixth day of sukkot, which in this case is shabbat.

But why is its substitute om ani chomah (which is only ever customarily recited in a year of this type, notwithstanding Eliyah Rabbah here) recited before e-l lemosha’ot? Why not recite it afterwards, in the same way that every other year adon hamoshia is after e-l lemosha’ot?

[It's possible that there's some reason that would specifically link om ani chomah to the fourth day of sukkot and e-l lemosha'ot to the fifth day, but that seems somewhat unlikely when we consider a year where the first day of sukkot is a Tuesday, in which case common practice is to recite e-l lemosha'ot on the fourth day of sukkot and not recite om ani chomah at all.]

In summary, please explain why om ani chomah comes before e-l lemosha’ot.


texts: How is it possible that Leah was the first person to thank Hashem?

texts:
The gemara in Berachos 7b says that Leah Imenu was the first person who ever thanked Hashem:

ואמר רבי יוחנן משום רבי שמעון בן יוחי מיום שברא הקדוש ברוך הוא את עולמו לא היה אדם שהודה להקדוש ברוך הוא עד שבאתה לאה והודתו שנאמר הפעם אודה את ה׳
And Rabbi Yochanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai: From the day the Holy One, Blessed be He, created the world, no one thanked the Holy One, Blessed be He, until Leah came and thanked Him, as it is stated: ‘This time I will give thanks to God’ (Genesis 29:35)

Besides being motzi la'az on previous generations, it's almost inconceivable that not one person-- none of the Avos, Sarah, Rivka, Noach, Adam HaRishon etc-- thanked Hashem prior to this.
What was so unique about Leah's gratitude that the gemara would say she was the first person who ever thanked Hashem?
(are there any Rishonim etc who address this?)


texts:
I recall learning a gemarah (Bavli) where a certain scholar passed away and when another scholar was asked to eulogize him he responded with something akin to, "What should I say? We lost our bookcases?"

Where can this gemarah be found?


texts: To avoid bal tashchis, halachically, should people limit the quantity of "junk food" in mishloach manot?

texts:
Each year, after Purim, I am left with mounds of candy bars, wafers, juice boxes and other junk food that no one in my family eats. It gets thrown into the garbage. Seriously, we tried one year giving this to another family that has a lot of kids, and the parents took it not to embarrass us. But, afterwards, the mom asked us not to do this again as it was not healthy for her kids.

No doubt, many people have this experience - the junk food gets thrown out. So, halachically, to avoid wasted food, should people either not include "junk food" at all, or limit sending mishloach manot to just one person, perhaps? Any other trick to avoid bal taschis?


texts:
There are many times of prayer.
Why?
Is this a  teaching made to make order?
Anything to do with the Cosmos?

In the psalms King David also has morning prayer.

Morning, afternoon, midnight, why not whenever?

Why is there a system for prayer during the day?


texts:
משנה האומר איני עובר לפני התיבה בצבועין אף בלבנים לא יעבור בסנדל איני
  עובר אף יחף לא יעבור העושה תפלתו עגולה סכנה ואין בה מצוה נתנה על מצחו
  או על פס ידו הרי זו דרך המינות ציפן זהב ונתנה על בית אונקלי שלו הרי זה
  דרך החיצונים
  (Babylonian Talmud - Megila 24:)

Some of the interpretations say that בית אונקולי is the elbow (R.Chananel). Is this opinion supported by historical evidence? I mean, did we find in the history sects who put their Tefillin right there on the elbow?


texts:
Does one say Ushpizin if one is eating inside a house and not in the Sukkah due to heavy rain? Is Ushpizin about inviting the guest to the sukkah, or is it about inviting to the se'udah, where ever it is on Sukkot?

(H/T My Dad)


texts:
This question is different than the one people think is a duplicate because the other one doesn’t necessarily answer the questions I’m asking.

If someone has intercourse with a non Jew even if he never meant to do it and he was seduced in the moment and regrets it, teshuva takes away all the sin but I heard the souls stay attached until shamayim. Does teshuva also take that part away? And if not is there a way?

This was also a question but wasn’t answered. Also I heard someone is reincarnated into a dog if he doesn’t do teshuvah so if he does teshuva will it be cleared and he won’t be a dog.


texts: Why the extra "בֶן" in חֲנַנְיָה's name?

texts:
The Mishna in Shabbos (1:4) references חֲנַנְיָה בֶן חִזְקִיָּה בֶן גֻּרְיוֹן, with two בֶן's, but when referenced in Menachos (45a):

  אמר רב זכור אותו האיש לטוב וחנינא בן חזקיה שמו

the Tanna's name no longer has the second בֶן גֻּרְיוֹן. Is there a reason why in the Mishna Shabbos (1:4) חֲנַנְיָה בֶן חִזְקִיָּה also extends back to בֶן גֻּרְיוֹן?


texts: Was Adam with Chava when she first ate the fruit?

texts:
My impression (since childhood) of the incident in the garden is that the serpent persuaded Chava to eat, and then she took some fruit to Adam and he ate it.  This question asks if he knew where the fruit came from when he ate it, which presupposes that he weren't there.  This answer brings different views about his knowledge, but none of the sources there assert that he was a direct witness.
The plain text, however, is much more ambiguous.  The end of Bereishit 3:6 says:

...  וַתִּתֵּן גַּם-לְאִישָׁהּ עִמָּהּ, וַיֹּאכַל.
and she gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat.

This is in the same verse where she herself eats -- she saw it was good, ate, and gave to her husband who was with her.  Rashi addresses her reasons but says nothing about the "with her" part or the timing.
How do Chazal get from this text to the understanding that he wasn't there at the time and she brought him the fruit elsewhere?  Is it that we know he wouldn't directly transgress so he must not have been there, or or is my impression wrong and it's possible he was there the whole time (which raises questions about why he didn't intervene)?


texts: Does anyone (other than those in Chabad) believe that the late Lubavitcher Rebbe is the mashiach?

texts:
Are there any sects or significant Rabbanim, other than those in Chabad, who hold that the late Lubavitcher Rebbe (now that he has passed away) is mashiach?

If there are those that do believe him to be the mashiach, do they think that he is the only option or that others (whether we know who they are or not) can also be candidates?


texts: Bent/Inverted Kaf in Torah Scroll, Parshas Bereishis

texts:
If a Torah reader finds certain writing errors in a Torah scroll, the scroll may be invalid, and the congregation would be required to take out a different one to continue the service. Some errors, however, are considered minor, and the service could be continued using that scroll, with the error to be fixed at a later time.

In a discussion of possible errors in the "laws" section of my Tikkun (Jerusalem: Mishor, 1990), one was mentioned at Genesis 3:24: the verse ends, "לשמר את דרך עץ החיים" -- "to keep the way of the tree of life". The issue deals with the final Kaf ך of the word דרך (way). If the Kaf is הפוכה (inverted), then you could continue reading from that scroll. But if the Kaf is כפופה (bent over; that is, it was written כ, as its medial form), then a new one must be taken out.

What is the background for these rules? Why would someone want to invert or bend/medialize the Kaf on this particular verse, and if so, why is one worse than the other?


texts: Is it written anywhere that one must stand up for what he believes is right?

texts: This may sound like a weird question, but I was wondering if it is written anywhere (Gemarah, Commentators, etc) that one has an obligation to stand up for something he believes is right, continuing to believe and behave accordingly, even in the face of peer pressure.  Is it?


texts: Why do we need a separate celebration for Shushan Purim in walled cities?

texts:
Purim is celebrated on Adar 14 because that was the day the Jews rested after prevailing against their enemies. In walled cities, Shushan Purim is celebrated on the 15th because that was when the fighting ended in Shushan (a walled city).

  Later, in deference to Jerusalem, the Sages determined that Purim would be celebrated on Adar 15 in all cities which had been enclosed by a wall at the time of Joshua's conquest of the Land of Israel. This criterion allowed the city of Jerusalem to retain its importance for Jews, and although Shushan was not walled at the time of Joshua, it was made an exception since the miracle occurred there. Wikipedia

I have 2 questions:

Why do we need a separate celebration for walled cities at all?
How does celebrating Shushan Purim in Jerusalem "allow it to retain its importance"?


texts: The Book of Genesis says that Abraham was from Ur Kasdim. Usually English translations renders it "Ur of the Chaldees/Chaldeans". It is impossible for Kasdim to mean Chaldeans if the Torah was written by Moses since the Chaldeans only came to Mesopotamia around 8th century BCE. And Abraham cannot be Sumerian (Ur was a Sumerian city) since Sumerians were not semetic people. So what was Abraham's ethnicity?


texts: Google says it is the Jewish Year 5774. The wiki says Judaism is 3000 years old. How is this discrepancy reconciled?

texts:
Google says it is the Jewish Year 5774. The wiki and other sources say Judaism is 3000 years old and suggest Abraham was born 4000 years ago. Where is the discrepancy?

I am perhaps looking for an explain like I am 5 answer, but I know that it's the Jewish year 5774 (http://www.science.co.il/Jewish-Holidays.asp).

But on the Judaism page, the wiki says:

  Judaism claims a historical continuity spanning more than 3,000 years

and links the 3,000 years to Abraham who it says was born about 4,000 years ago.

There seems to be a clear discrepancy between the wiki age of 3,000 years and the Jewish view of it being the year 5774. I would like to know how that discrepancy is reconciled.


texts: Is a naturally self-impregnated androgynus's child a mamzer?


texts: Why do some Breslov chasiddim have the custom to wear white yamalkas?

texts:
Many Jews tend to wear black yamalkas and that seems to be the widespread custom among Yeshivish, Modern Orthodox, Chasidic and Haredi Jews.

It seems that Breslover Chassidim have the custom to wear white yamalkas with a different style and knitting:

What is the reason for this custom?


texts: Asking A Gentile To Perform Safeq Melakhah

texts:
Citing HaRav HID"A and Hakham 'Ovadiah A"H, HaRav Eliyahu Mansour states in his Daily Halacha that:

  The Hid"a [...] writes that it is permissible to ask a non-Jew to place a pot of cold liquid on a covered flame on Shabbat [...] because the aforementioned ruling of the Shulhan Aruch is not the only view on the subject. The Rambam [...] was of the opinion that even when it comes to liquids, reheating is distinct from cooking. In his view, once a solid or liquid food has been cooked, it can never be “cooked” again in the Halachic sense, even after it has cooled. Although the Shulhan Aruch does not accept this view, we may nevertheless rely on it to permit asking a gentile, such as a non-Jewish housekeeper, to reheat a pot of hot food, as long as the fire is covered or if the pot is placed on an electric hotplate. Hacham Ovadia Yosef, in several contexts, accepts this ruling of the Hid”a.

If I am not mistaken, the permissibility of reheating a liquid on Shabbat is a question of if "yesh bishul ahhar bishul belahh" (it is possible to recook a liquid after it has already been cooked) and I believe the Halakhic debate on the matter renders the law a Safeq MiDe'Oraita (uncertainty concerning a Biblical law).

I read recently in Yalqut Yosef (Hilkhot Shabbat, Volume 1, though I don't have Siman handy) that asking a Gentile do perform melakhah on Shabbat (e.g. to turn on/off lights) for a Jew's benefit is Rabbinically forbidden. If, for example, it is prohibited to ask a Gentile to turn on/off lights for a Jew's benefit on Shabbat, how is it permissible according to HID"A and Hakham 'Ovadiah to ask a Gentile to perform a melakhah categorized as a Safeq MiDe'Oraita (i.e. reheating food on a hotplate)?


texts: What is the order in terms of level of cavod for sheva brachos under the chuppah?

texts: In order of cavod of the sheva brachos 1-7 what are the levels of cavod or importance for each of the brachos? There are gonna be a lot of rabbis at my wedding in a few days


texts: Use of "חלק" measure of time in Halachah

texts:
"חלק", being a 1/1080 part of an hour, is used in calculating the New Moon.

Rambam in הלכות קידוש החודש mentions that the original tradition of calculating the New Moon was forgotten and the system our Sages used ever since the Babylon exile was the Greek's. In those calculations, the phrase "our Sages divided an hour into 1080 parts" appears in many sources.

However, I could not understand whether this unit of measure was used by the Sages as a unit of time, prior to calculating the New Moon, or it was copied from the Greek's sixty-base system for those calculations only.

Are there other practical Halachot that this measure of time is used?


texts: Zeraim Moed Nashim Nezikim Kodshim Taharos - why not Moadim?

texts: The names of the Shisha Sidrei Mishna (Six Orders of Mishnah) are: Zeraim, Moed, Nashim, Nezikim, Kodshim, Taharos. All of them besides Moed are in plural form. However Moed is in singular form. Why is it not called Seder Moadim (similar to the expression moadim l'simcha)?


texts: Borrowing money without clear plan of how to pay it back

texts: Are you allowed to borrow money from a Jew without having a reasonable idea how you will be able to repay the loan?


texts: Is there a maximum seam breakage in a Torah before it becomes pasul?

texts:
I gather that when writing the Torah, there is a maximum allowable space between columns.

Hence, my question, which may be based on the above assumption...

If the stitched seam between two parchment sheets is beginning to fray such that the two sheets are beginning to separate, is there a maximum spacing or length of breakage allowable before the Torah would be considered pasul?

Concerns:

If there is a maximum allowable spacing between columns, would it become pasul if any part of the gap exceeds this spacing? For example, part of the seam is ripped but not its entire column length. If even one line between two columns is too far, is that a problem? The majority of the seem needs to be ripped? Or, how much? Or is it good as long as there is even a tiny piece still sewn together?


texts:
I'm working up a presentation on flags in our history, and I need information on the unofficial but commonly displayed Chabad Moshiach flag.  Does anyone know when and where it was first flown, and under what circumstances?  Who designed it?  Why is the keter blue and the background yellow--what do the colors symbolize?  Can someone direct me to an article or website on the subject, in Hebrew or English?
I know anything that touches on messianism can be controversial, but I'm asking purely academic questions here, and would appreciate any leads.
--Bard Cosman from San Diego


texts: Annulling nedarim on the basis of noladim

texts:
I am trying to understand the opinion of Rabbi Meir in the Mishna, Nedarim 9:3-4. If you are already familiar with Masekhet Nedarim, you can skip to the fourth paragraph of my question. If not, the following two paragraphs constitute an introduction to this issue:

The first of those two mishnayot concerns the nolad. This is a situation that was not present at the time the person made a vow, the presence of which would have caused him not to make it, but one which later becomes manifest. According to Rabbi Eliezer in Nedarim 9:2, we can annul a vow on the basis of a nolad. In one of the examples that he gives, if a person were to vow never to enter a particular building, and if that building were later to be made into a synagogue, the fact that he would not have made the vow had he known that it were going to become a synagogue means that (according to Rabbi Eliezer) the vow can be retroactively annulled. The sages disagree, since the building was not actually a synagogue at the time of the vow.

In mishna 9:3, Rabbi Meir declares that there are some things that are like a nolad without actually being a nolad at all. In the examples that he brings, it appears that the reason they are not really noladim lies in the fact that the one making the vow stipulates a reason explicitly; what makes them look like noladim is the fact that the reason later becomes untrue. By stipulating the reason, it is as though he is placing a condition on the vow, and since the condition is no longer existent the vow is invalid. For example, if he declares that he will not marry a certain woman because her father is wicked, and her father subsequently dies, Rabbi Meir permits his marrying the woman since his phrasing of the vow made the reason look like a condition that needed to be met for the vow to be in effect.

The phraseology of mishna 9:3 is such that it would suggest that Rabbi Meir agrees with the sages: one cannot annul a vow if the reason for its annulment is a [true] nolad. Where he disagrees with them here (if indeed he does; there are different girsaot) is in suggesting that this particular situation is permissible because it's not really a nolad; it merely looks like one.

Once we have established that Rabbi Meir agrees that one cannot retroactively annul a vow because of a nolad, how do we explain Nedarim 9:4? In this mishna, Rabbi Meir permits one to retroactively annul a vow that concerns a person's relationship with another Jew, by asking whether or not they would have made the vow if they had known that this other person might become poor and be unable to support himself without access to the vower's wealth. The wording is שמא יעני ואין אתה יכול לפרנסו; "perhaps he will become poor and you will be unable to support him". The man's response (אלו הייתי יודע שהוא כן לא הייתי נודר; "had I known that he [could become] this, I would not have vowed") is very similar to the wording used by Rabbi Eliezer in mishna 2 (אלו הייתי יודע שהוא נעשה בית הכנסת לא הייתי נודר; "had I known that it could become a synagogue, I would not have made the vow").

How is it possible to understand Rabbi Meir's opinion in Nedarim 9:4 as not concerning the annulment of a vow on the basis of a nolad (in this case, that the man might become poor)? And if it is impossible to do so, how is it possible to understand Rabbi Meir's opinion in Nedarim 9:3 as permitting such a thing?


texts: Can one be Yotzeh Meggilah on Skype or  webcast or through a microphone or telephone is there a difference between each? Does a Hearing Aid disqualify a person from being Yotzeh the Laining?


texts: This question is different than others I've read regarding mourning a Non-Jewish parent.  I'm specifically interested in the case of a Noahide father and a Jewish mother who have divorced.  What I mean by Noahide is someone who professes belief in HaShem, but does not attend any non-Jewish religious services or engage in any conduct forbidden to a non-Jew by the Torah.  Going beyond this, the Jewish child was raised Jewish by the non-Jewish father, and through the father's active support eventual became religiously observant.  What would be the proper way to mourn such a parent?


texts: Rape for a girl and is looking to get married

texts:
If a young Jewish girl was raped, what are the protocols for her getting married?
Is there anyone that she can't marry other than the Kohen or Kohen Gadol?
What are the halachot for these types of circumstances, and what do you recommend should be the protocol as she is looking to shidduchim now?


texts: Did Rebbi arrange the Mishna at the end of his life?

texts:
There's a famous line in the Gemara  "וכי רבי לא שנאה ר' חייא מנין לו".

It means that if Rebbi didn't teach a concept in a Mishna, Rabbi Chiya can't know it. Let's assume here it means that if it's not in the Mishna it probably isn't a teaching of Rebbi.

Why?

Rabbi Chiya was a Talmid of Rebbi. Couldn't Rebbi change his mind after editing the Mishna, or was the Mishna edited right  at the end of his life?


texts:
I looked over this answer Why isn't the book of the Maccabees part of the Jewish canon?, but I had further questions.

I understand why its non canonical, i think its easier to understand when an item is non-holy-spirit-inspired by how the writer puts the hero(s).  If the hero(s) are put without fault, then usually its a sure sign that its out of canon. (There are VERY few characters in the Jewish canon that do not have any faults.)

But II Maccabees has stories of God interacting with his people:  The flogging in the temple, the horsemen leading battle charges, and what sounds like another Jericho incident.  I thought God was silent after Malachi.  But this does not sound silent!  Can someone explain?  My pastor said he does not have time to read and learn the Apocrypha as the Bible is already to much for the time given to answer my questions :)  So clearly the Stack Exchange crowd shall help be my answer.

Thanks.


texts: Would you say this phrase in bentsching while eating at a gentile’s house?

texts:
Someone ate their own kosher meal at a gentile’s house. Would they still say the following phrase?

הָרַחֲמָן הוּא יִשְׁלַח לָנוּ בְּרָכָה מְרֻבָּה בַּבַּיִת הַזֶּה, וְעַל שֻׁלְחָן זֶה שֶׁאָכַלְנוּ עָלָיו.
May the All-merciful send a plentiful blessing upon this house, and upon this table at which we have eaten.

I'm concerned, because usually we don't praise gentiles (see Yoreh Deah 151:14).


texts: Is property belonging to a human god considered tashmishei avoda zara?

texts:
If a non-Jew who is worshipped as a god wants to bring a korban, can we accept it? Normally non-Jews can bring any sacrifices to our God which they want and are not limited to the Temple Mount while the altar is standing as we are. The problem is that normally nothing that has been used for another god may be used for sacrificial purposes (or for any other purposes under most circumstances). If this person is worshiped, does this mean he is barred by this halacha from bringing karbanot?

Inspired by this purim torah question.


texts: Is Kel Malei Rachamim (memorial prayer) said under the chuppah at a wedding?

texts:
I'd seen a book on wedding practices and customs that said if desired in appropriate cases, a memorial prayer ("El/Kel Malei Rachamim") could be said under the chuppah, e.g. a bride/groom who lost a parent fairly young, and would like to have their memory honored (assuming it's not too painful).

This book tended towards Hassidic customs, so I don't know if this custom is limited to the Hassidic world; I haven't seen it at any weddings, but that doesn't prove anything.  Has anyone else heard of or seen this practice?  (Or a Sefardi Azkara for that matter, I suppose?)


texts: Can Isaiah 11:2 be used a basis for the belief that the king messiah will be a prophet?

texts:
If a recent thread, I asked, "Will the king messiah be a prophet?"
@b a cited a source from Rambam's Hilkhot Teshuva, 9.2 which states, "מפני שאותו המלך שיעמוד מזרע דויד בעל חכמה יהיה יתר משלמה, ונביא גדול הוא קרוב ממשה רבנו." But, I did not see Rambam directly refer to an actual pasuk that explicitly states that the king messiah would be a prophet. (However, I do realize that a lot of ideas or notions are not explicitly stated in scripture, but otherwise inferred through various exegetical techniques.)
So, I did a little research using the technique of inference by analogy.
I suppose it is the ruach elohim that causes one to prophecy [truthfully].
For example, in Num. 11:25, it is written,

And Adonai descended in a cloud, and He spoke to him, and He took of the spirit that was upon him and put [it] upon the seventy elders. And, it came to pass, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, but they did not [prophesy] again.
וירד יהוה בענן וידבר אליו ויאצל מן־הרוח אשר עליו ויתן על־שבעים איש הזקנים ויהי כנוח עליהם הרוח ויתנבאו ולא יספו

Now, in Isaiah 11:2, a pasuk that is often cited as referring to the future king messiah, it is written,

And the spirit of Adonai will rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Adonai
ונחה עליו רוח יהוה רוח חכמה ובינה רוח עצה וגבורה רוח דעת ויראת יהוה

Based on the similar phrases employed in each pasuk, is it an accurate inference from analogy (edit: binyan av) that the king messiah would indeed be able to prophesy (and thus, be a prophet) since the spirit of Adonai rests upon him, just as the seventy elders prophesied "when the spirit [of Adonai] rested upon them"?


texts: Why did David HaMelech tell Shlomo to punish Shimei Ben Geira?

texts:
Melachim I 2:8-9 reads

  And, behold, there is with you Shimei the son of Gera the Benjamite of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse on the day when I went
  to Mahanaim, and he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to
  him by the Lord, saying, 'I will not put you to death with the
  sword.'       ח. וְהִנֵּה עִמְּךָ שִׁמְעִי בֶן גֵּרָא בֶן הַיְמִינִי
  מִבַּחֻרִים וְהוּא קִלְלַנִי קְלָלָה נִמְרֶצֶת בְּיוֹם לֶכְתִּי
  מַחֲנָיִם וְהוּא יָרַד לִקְרָאתִי הַיַּרְדֵּן וָאֶשָּׁבַע לוֹ בַיהֹוָה
  לֵאמֹר אִם אֲמִיתְךָ בֶּחָרֶב:

  And now hold him not guiltless, for you are a wise man, and you will surely know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his
  hoary head down to the grave with blood."     ט. וְעַתָּה אַל
  תְּנַקֵּהוּ כִּי אִישׁ חָכָם אָתָּה וְיָדַעְתָּ אֵת אֲשֶׁר תַּעֲשֶׂה
  לּוֹ וְהוֹרַדְתָּ אֶת שֵׂיבָתוֹ בְּדָם שְׁאוֹל:

However when this episode actually occurred David HaMelech's response to Shimei seems quite different:

Shmuel II 16:9-10

  And Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? let me go over, I beg you, and remove
  his head."        ט. וַיֹּאמֶר אֲבִישַׁי בֶּן צְרוּיָה אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ לָמָּה
  יְקַלֵּל הַכֶּלֶב הַמֵּת הַזֶּה אֶת אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶעְבְּרָה נָּא
  וְאָסִירָה אֶת רֹאשׁוֹ:

  And the king said, "What is it between me and you, sons of Zeruiah? So let him curse, because the Lord has [surely] said to him,
  'Curse David'; who then shall [have the right to] say, 'Why have you
  done so'?"        י. וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ מַה לִּי וְלָכֶם בְּנֵי צְרֻיָה
  כֹּה יְקַלֵּל כִּי יְהֹוָה אָמַר לוֹ קַלֵּל אֶת דָּוִד וּמִי יֹאמַר
  מַדּוּעַ עָשִֹיתָה כֵּן:

So if David HaMelech objected to to punishing Shimei then, why did he later on tell Shlomo to punish him?


texts: How is it determined whether someone goes to Heaven or to Hell?

texts: I was told by a Chabad rabbi that the determination of reaching Heaven or Hell (Gan Eden or Gehinnom) is done through the weighing of aveiros (sins) and mitzvos (good deeds). This was, of course, a quick response and I would like to know if this is basically true. And if so, where could I find the documentation for this? Also, would this apply to non-Jews as well?


texts: Is halal meat any better than other treif meat (of kosher species)?

texts:
I know that Islam has many of the same rules about meat that we do, though also some important differences (like that they allow some non-kosher species).  I've heard that in towns where halal meat isn't available they can eat kosher meat.  If the situation is reversed and it's the kosher meat that's not available to a small Jewish community, is it less bad for a Jew to eat halal if the species is kosher?  Or is it no better than any other meat that didn't have proper sh'chita?

Halal meat isn't kosher, but perhaps there are degrees of "bad" with it being less bad to eat halal than some other non-kosher meat.  Or perhaps all non-kosher meat is equally bad so there's no point in somebody trying to mitigate his meat-availability problem with halal meat.

This question is based on another that was asked and deleted.  I ask it to allow a better place to put an answer that was moved in a merge I shouldn't have done.  I apologize to those involved.


texts:
When one makes kiddush friday night then has a meal afterwards, they don't make an al hagefen on the wine/grape juice that they drank by kiddush. This is because (from what I always heard/understood) that Bircas HaMazon will exempt the obligation of al hagefen.

Where does it say this in the poskim? (please provide the sources and actual text so others can easily see what it says.)


texts: Where does it say Joseph (Yosef) is a Tzadik?

texts: Noach we know of course, but where exactly is Yosef called a tzadik? I keep seeing people say "as we know, Yosef is called a tzadik" but what is the exact source?


texts:
Where are there English or German translations of either "Maaseh Torah" by R. Yehudah HaNasi or the "Maaseh Torah" by Vilna Gaon?

I will also consider reading any of these in vowelled-Hebrew or in Hebrew with vowel-pointings.

I came across these two works at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midrash_Maaseh_Torah


texts: How large is a typical contemporary hagada commentary?

texts:
In a contemporary published hagada with commentary, how many total words does the commentary typically comprise? (For comparison, "Hagada - Mi Yodeya?", in its current form, weighs in at about 14,000 words of commentary.)

More broadly:

If someone wanted to bring a manuscript for a hagada commentary to publishers to consider for publication as a full-fledged hagada, what characteristics would the manuscript ideally have, to be taken as seriously as possible?


texts: What are the customs for looking at fingers during havdalla

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What to do with the candles during Havdalah

According to this question, there are many different customs about looking at fingers after the bracha borei m'orei ha'eish in havdalla. What are some of the different customs and what are the reasons for them?


texts:
בראשית נ ב-ג

  וַיְצַ֨ו יוֹסֵ֤ף אֶת־עֲבָדָיו֙ אֶת־הָרֹ֣פְאִ֔ים לַחֲנֹ֖ט אֶת־אָבִ֑יו
  וַיַּחַנְט֥וּ הָרֹפְאִ֖ים אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ וַיִּמְלְאוּ־לוֹ֙
  אַרְבָּעִ֣ים י֔וֹם כִּ֛י כֵּ֥ן יִמְלְא֖וּ יְמֵ֣י הַחֲנֻטִ֑ים
  וַיִּבְכּ֥וּ אֹת֛וֹ מִצְרַ֖יִם שִׁבְעִ֥ים יֽוֹם׃

Gen 50:2-3

Then Joseph ordered the physicians in his service to embalm his father, and the physicians embalmed Israel;
It required forty days, for such is the full period of embalming. The Egyptians bewailed him seventy days;

Assuming that Joseph ordered this procedure, is it OK to mummify corpse?


texts: source in seder olam of date of dor haflaga

texts: Where in the sefer seder olam does it say the year that dor haflaga/ generation of dispersion took place?


texts:
The Code of Jewish Law specifically allows using a Shabbat goy when it comes to heating a house in extremely cold weather, because it may be a matter of life or death, in which case most commandments may be broken:

It is permitted for a Gentile to make a fire ... when it is extremely cold, as everyone is at risk of catching a cold. [Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 276:5]

This was particularly important in Eastern Europe, where temperatures could dip very low in winter, whence the institution of the practice.  But this practice can (and is) easily abused, such as by asking a Gentile to turn lights on and off for convenience.
So my question is: If it is permitted for a Gentile when lives are at stake, why is it not permitted for a Jew?  Why was the institution allowed to be born, instead of telling Jews: "If it's too cold on Shabbat, do what it takes to heat the house yourself." ?


texts: If a Shofar blower must blow twice for two concurrent minyanim, does he need to say the bracha twice?

texts:
A shul has two minyanim that are about 5 minutes apart from each other. They hire 1 Ba'al T'kiah (shofar blower). He says the bracha at the 1st minyan and blows the first set of 30 blasts. Then he goes to the 2nd minyan. Does he need to repeat the bracha there, or does 1st bracha cover for both minyanim.

The 2nd minyan's congregation had not yet heard any bracha.


texts: Are you allowed to extract buried Shemos?

texts: I understand that the burying of Sheimos, in a sense, is similar to burying a dead body. I assume that in the same way that you cannot dig up a dead body except for some unusual situations, you cannot dig out Sheimos. Is that true, or are there specific situations where you would be allowed to do this? If so, please cite 1 or 2 examples.


texts: a wheelchair user's taking "steps" before sh'mone esre

texts:
The Shulchan Aruch, OC 94:5, writes:

  Suppose someone is sitting on a boat or wagon [and saying sh'mone esre (amida)]. If he can stand up when he reaches the point of bowing, he should stand, so as to bow while standing. Likewise, he should take three steps.

The Rama adds:

  That is, although he's sitting for the entire prayer, he should nonetheless stand, if possible, in order to do the bowing and stepping correctly. However, if he can't — for example, if he's riding an animal, he should back the animal up three steps, and it will count for him as if he himself took the steps.

(That's my own free translation; don't rely on it for practical halacha.)

It seems to be that the last case, "if he can't — for example, if he's riding an animal", arguably would apply also to someone stuck in a wheelchair: he should move the wheelchair backward and forward three "steps" (short movements). Indeed, I have seen someone in a wheelchair do so, though I don't know whether he had any source for it. On the other hand, since a wheelchair, unlike an animal, takes no actual steps, perhaps such movement backward and forward is meaningless.

Does anyone know of any posek (halachic decisor) who addresses whether someone using a wheelchair should move it backward and forward at the start (and/or end) of sh'mone esre?


texts: Inspired by this question: What is the origin of the silver atarot worn by some [typically married] men on their Shabbat tallitot?


texts: Is one allowed to take welfare from the state government? I've heard that it causes kitrugim on klal yisroel, like the story in kiddushin with buying the poroh adumah from the Romans.


texts: Were there more than seven prophetesses?

texts:
The Bavli, M'gila 14 amud 1, quotes:

  Forty-eight prophets and seven prophetesses prophesied for the Jews….

Further along on the page, it questions this:

  Were there no more? But it says [in I Sh'muel 1:1] "there was one man from Ramasayim Tzofim", i.e., one of masayim, two hundred, tzofim, seers, who prophesied for the Jews!

And it answers:

  There were more. Indeed, the rabbis taught "There were so many prophets for the Jews — twice the number of people who left Egypt [at the Exodus]. But a prophecy needed for posterity was written, and one not needed [for posterity] was not written".

Thus, forty-eight prophets and seven prophetesses prophesied for the Jews and have their messages included in Tanach; many more prophets prophesied for the Jews and do not have their messages included in Tanach.

My question is: Were there prophetesses with messages for the Jews, beyond the seven whose messages were for posterity? Any sources that indicate one way or the other?

(I do not think the answer can be found in D'varim Raba (7:8), which quotes Rabbi Hoshia:

  The least [person] in the days of Moshe saw what Yechezkel, a great one among the prophets, did not see — [these were] people with whom the divine immanence spoke face to face, as it says [in D'varim 5:4] "face to face God spoke with you…".

These people — presumably women included — had prophecy, but, unless you can support such a claim, I have no reason to think that it was of the sort that included a message for the Jews, which is what M'gila is discussing ("for the Jews"). I'm asking about message-for-the-Jews prophecy: did women, beyond the seven listed, have that?)


texts:
I heard anecdotally that the early JTS president Solomon Schechter was not, but I have been unable to find a citation either way on this claim.

Schechter was allegedly one of the most accomplished Jewish academic scholars and had enormous influence on the development of American Judaism, for better or worse. Consequently, knowing whether he was shomer shabbos has large implications for how we view JTS and Conservative Judaism as sociological movements at the beginning of the 20th century. Further, the answer to this question has possible implications on how we view contemporary halachic innovation movements such as YCT.


texts: Why are we strict during the 10 days of repentance?

texts:
The lone halacha in Shulchan Aruch O.C. 603:

Even someone who is not careful about eating [pas akum], during the 10 days of repentance he must be careful.

Since the S.A. didn't mention stringencies of a higher caliber, I had always applied this specifically  to cases like pas akum where being strict was preferable even according to the more lenient approach.  I assumed that being strict in permitted vs forbidden cases would put your past actions in a bad light.

I saw recently that the Aruch haShulchan takes a similar approach, but his logic is that acting strict in permitted vs forbidden cases is like accepting the strict approach for the future.

I have heard many prominent Rabbis tell their congregants/students to be strict during these days.  As an example, even if you don't normally drink chalav yisrael...

My question is:  Is there a source that applies this law to permissible/forbidden cases?  If the halacha is applied broadly, why did the S.A (or the Tur) use pas akum instead of more serious issues?


texts: Why is it in the merit of flags that Klall Yisoel becomes worthy to be redeemed?

texts:
I saw in the Midrash Tanchuma on Parshas Bamidbar the following:
(Source provided by Sefaria.org)

אָמַר לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, נִתְאַוֵּיתֶם לִדְגָלִים, וּמִלֵּאתִי מִשְׁאֲלוֹתֵיכֶם. וְלֶעָתִיד לָבֹא, בִּזְכוּת הַדְּגָלִים אֲנִי גּוֹאֵל אֶתְכֶם, וּמְדַלֵּג עַל הַקֵּץ בִּזְכוּת אָבוֹת שֶׁנִּקְרְאוּ הָרִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: קוֹל דּוֹדִי הִנֵּה זֶה בָּא, מְדַלֵּג עַל הֶהָרִים, מְקַפֵּץ עַל הַגְּבָעוֹת (שה״ש ב, ח
G-d said to them (the Children of Israel): In this world you desired for flags (for your tribes) and I fulfilled your request. In the future, because of the merit of those flags I will redeem you. As the verse states "Hark! My beloved! There he comes, Leaping (מדלג) over mountains, Bounding over hills." (Shir HaShirim 2:8)

Is there anything written about the reason for why the flag serves a merit for the children of Israel to be redeemed?
Update:
I saw in the footnotes of the Artscroll Chumash with Rashi 1 unlike other commentaries who understand the word דגל as "flag" Rashi sees it as a "division, disposition of forces, military formation"
While this is insightful it still does not answer the question of why the divisions/flags of Israel serve as a merit to be redeemed. But definitely something to take note of.
1 See Bamidbar pg. 9 footnote 3 for the entire context


texts: What is the [reason for the] issur of "uvdah d'chol"

texts: Why find things that are ossur to do on Shabbos not because they fall into the category of any particular "malacha" (type of work) but rather because of "uvdah d'chol". Something that is normally done during the week and not on Shabbos. While this explanation seems lacking this is precisely what I am asking. What is the "issur" "uv'dah d'chol", why is it ossur? Does it have something to do with maris ayin (because it "looks" like you are doing a malacha?) Is it a "gezera" (some sort of decree) lest one come to do an actual malacha? What is "uvdah d'chol" and why is it ossur (cite sources, earlier the better if possible.)


texts: What are the rules about nudity of the small children?

texts:
Until what age is it permitted to see one's own daughter nude? 3? 12?

What about prayers - how does one behave if during Amidah, or any other prayer or brochos, she is in front, with naked butt? Or even if she carries her potty, trying to sit nearby to be in her zone of comfort? Does one need to keep distance, and turn back, or what?


texts: How did they breathe during the plague of darkness?

texts:
Despite some great answers to The Plague of Darkness and Plague of darkness: if he was standing, he was unable to sit? I still have a question.

If the darkness was so thick that they couldn't move, how were they able to breathe? It's not possible to survive 3 days (or even 3 minutes) without breathing.

To clarify, based on the comments: The verse (Shmot 10:23) clearly states that nobody got up for 3 days.
  לֹא רָאוּ אִישׁ אֶת אָחִיו וְלֹא קָמוּ אִישׁ מִתַּחְתָּיו שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים. Even in the darkest darkness one can move. Even blind people move around. What was stopping them from moving and how did it allow them to breathe?


texts: Alternative (non-gematria) explanations of the "remove his teeth" line

texts:
Are there any alternative answers historically given as to why the Hagadah (page 8 of this) says to remove the wicked son's teeth, besides the usual gematria answer?

Related: Source of the "remove his teeth" gematria


texts:
Municipal fireworks displays in the US are often held on Saturday night, just as it is getting dark -- i.e. right at tzeis hakochavim, time for Ma'ariv, Havdalah, etc.

Assuming there is a vantage point to view the fireworks within walking distance, is there any problem getting into position before Shabbos ends and postponing Ma'ariv, Havdalah, etc, until the fireworks are over?

Does it take something away from the honor of Shabbos to do this? What if it meant missing davening in a minyan?


texts:
I'm looking for a chain of mesorah for the Lubavitcher Rebbe. That is, he learned from someone, who learned from someone, who learned from someone, etc. until Moshe who received the Torah at Har Sinai.

It's fairly easy to trace him back to the Baal Shem Tov, but he didn't have a real rebbe (that is, someone who taught him most of his Torah). Is there another way of tracing back Lubavitch the chain of mesorah?


texts:
Hospitality is valued very highly in Judaism, witness Abraham [Gen. 18:1-5], Lot [Gen. 19:1-8], Laban [Gen. 24:28–32], Manoah [Judges 13:15-16] or the unhappy matter of the concubine of Gibeah [Judges 19:23–24].

The Talmud says that there are six matters for which a person enjoys the profits in this world, while the principal remains for him for the World-to-Come, and hospitality is the first one listed [Shabbat 127a].

But hospitality has limits: (1) God did not look kindly on Lot offering his daughters to protect his guests [Midrash Tanhuma, Vayera 12]; (2) priorities must be set clearly (story of woman offering what little bread she had to comfort a stranger during a siege when there wasn't enough for her own family [Lam. R. 4:13]; and (3) possible strain on the family if the wife or children are not as eager as the husband to welcome guests [Bava Metzia 87a, Ber. 10b].

But I could not find anything in the Sources about the biggest deterrent of all to hospitality: Security.  It could be very dangerous to welcome in your house a stranger who may turn against you.  Is there anything in halacha about this?  (I an sure I don't need to dwell on the current relevance of this issue.)

Added:  The other article concludes: "If a loss or any damage will result from hosting a particular guest one would not be obligated to host him [Orech Maisharim 17-2]." That is not an answer to my question. You don't know beforehand whether you will suffer a loss or not.  I am bothered by the fact that I did not find even a simple "just be careful" in the Sources.


texts: We read a special coda used at the end of each of the five books of the Torah that leads to the traditional exclamation of "Chazak chazak V'Nitchazek!" - can anyone give me the basis for this or sources about how coda varies form the usual end form? the trop look the same so it does not seem to be in them.


texts:
During Shloshim (and 12 months in the case of a death of a parent) one should not buy (though some specify "wear") "new" clothing (according to the summary of laws I have from my rabbi).

Does this rule of "new" clothing connect to the rules regarding saying a shehechyanu on new clothing? (related here and here).

If not, can one buy (and then wear) used clothing during the shloshim or, after the death of a parent, during the 12 months after the loss? This is speaking of clothing that one would say a shehechyanu for were they new ("important" clothing).


texts: What name of G-d was Moshe supposed to relay to B'nai Yisra'el?

texts:
View Shmot 3:13-15.

In verse 13, Moshe asks G-d what name of G-d should he tell B'nai Yisra'el.

In verse 14, G-d first answers  I AM THAT I AM, and then says just I AM.

Fine, I am aware of Rashi's explanation of the conversation Moshe had with G-d regarding omitting "that I AM".

But, in verse 15, G-d says, "G-d, G-d of your fathers, Avraham, Yitzhak and Ya'akov..." and finally the verse ends, "THIS is my name..."

What is the meaning of G-d apparently giving Moshe different answers to what seems like a simple question? Is Moshe supposed to relay all these names? If it's just one, which one is it?


texts: Who was the first Chasidishe Rabbi to settle in the USA? Where did he settle?


texts: Translate Rashi's commentary regarding Rabbi Sheila

texts:
Rabbi Sheila says:

And the Torah said: If one comes to kill you, kill him first. He struck him with the staff and killed him.

Yet, Rabbi Sheila does not provide any verse from the Torah. Could someone translate the commentary of Rashi, below, regarding this?

התורה אמרה אם בא להרגך השכם להרגו – אם במחתרת וגו' (שמות כב) לפי שבא על עסקי נפשות שיודע הוא שאם ימצא ותמצאנו חותר לא תעמיד עצמך מלהציל ממונך והוא בא לדעת כן שיקום עליך ויהרגך אמרה תורה השכם אתה והרגהו