texts: If you wash your hands and your mind goes blank and you dont remember if you said a bracha or not. do you make a new one? Do you wash again and then make a new one?


texts: Does Seret Vizhnitz have a particular kittle style and where can I buy?

texts: My family are affiliated with Seret Vizhnitz Haifa. I have always wanted to find out what particular kittle style they wear on YK, or if it is a generic one. When I got married, a friend gave me his old generic one and so I just used that but now it is worn out, so I am using the opportunity to get the one I always wanted.


texts: Chazal give a list of people who discovered God on their own. Does anyone know where this list is? I saw it a while ago but can't recall where.


texts: Why did Hadrian care about hair specifically?

texts:
In Midrash Eicha 5:5 It says that Hadrian (May his Bones be Crushed) commanded that if a Jew was found with hair, his head should be removed? Midrash Eicha

What is pshat here, is it talking about the living, the dead, both? Any reason why hair was an issue?


texts: Why doesn’t מזמור שיר ליום השבת mention Shabbos?

texts:
The song of the day for Shabbos is  מזמור שיר ליום השבת. Yet it doesn’t seem to mention Shabbos at all! Why is this?
Also, why does this Tehillim refer to a specific day of the week at all?


texts: How is it that many Teimanim wear long peyos (simanim) similar to many Chasidim, considering that their culture has been mostly isolated from Ashkenazi Europe? Do any historical sources tell us when and why their custom originated?


texts: Who picks a yeshiva for a son or daughter, the mother or the father

texts: Which of the parents has a halachic obligation to pick the religious institution a son or daughter goes to - the father or mother of the child?


texts:
A now-deleted question on this site asked about what halachik justification there was for an attempted stoning of Jesus.  In the passage quoted by the OP, Jesus had said "Before Abraham was, I AM!", and I was able to determine that the wording he used was identical to the words of G-d in Exodus 3:14.  In the Greek translation of the passage from John 8, and in the Septuagint translation of Exodus 3:14, the words for "I AM" are exactly identical.  I came to the conclusion that the Jewish people who allegedly tried to stone Jesus were justified, because Jesus had deliberately described himself in the same words G-d used to describe Himself (in fact, the scholarly consensus is that John is completely unreliable and has no basis in reality, so the event described in the passage never took place).

This made me wonder what other titles for G-d are considered off limits to Jews.  My knowledge of this subject is patchy at best, so please forgive me if I say something offensive.

I know that YHWH is not supposed to be spoken, and I think the associated name (I don't know if I'm allowed to write it, so let's just say that it is the first half of the name of the JW church which is a small offshoot of Christianity, the second half being "Witnesses").  I also know that the word G-d is often written with a dash in place of the "o" in accordance with this law.  Are there other names of G-d which are off limits?  I'm not even sure if it is possible to answer this question, in light of the fact that I'm asking about words that are prohibited.

I would appreciate any help you can offer me, and I hope I haven't said anything offensive.


texts:
Assuming we don't have a problem with the Dome of the rock.

Has anyone discussed sacrifices nowadays regarding:

Can (and should) one bring sacrifices nowadays as we don't know the exact location for the Altar.
Who should be doing the sacrifices, as we don't have true Kohanim Meyuchasim nowadays (all Kohanim are only assumed Kohanim as we have no outside proof of their Kehuna status.
A convert must bring a sacrifice upon converting. Nowadays, we can't bring sacrifices so they don't have to, and are considered normal Jews until the Beis Hamikdash is built.

In a situation where we would have full control over the Temple mount, if one is allowed bring a korban, all converts would have to do so. However, if one would not be allowed to bring a korban (either because one doesn't know who is a real kohen, etc.) one would naturally be forbidden to bring a korban.

Would we then say that all converts would revert back to a doubt?


texts:
I've seen הר"ם quoted in Tosafos in a few places. One example is Kiddushin 50a, Tosfos ד"ה היה לו. I always assumed it was Rabbeinu Meir, the son in law of Rashi, whose sons are the famous trio of Rabbeinu Tam, Rashba"m and Riva"m (M in the last two standing for Meir).
Recently someone told me that it's not crazy for Tosafos to quote the Rambam, and showed me an example in Zevachim.
Now, I saw in Kiddushin 47a that the Tosafos Ri HaZaken quoted הר"ם and is clearly referring to Rambam. Is this the same for regular Tosafos?
Related question is I saw Tosafos in Kiddushin 75a ד"ה כותי quote הר"מ, not using a final Mem. Is this the same person?


texts: How were long-running talmudic discussions actually conducted?

texts: Eiruvin 13b records two years-long disputes between Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai, and surely these are not the only long-running debates.  How did that work in practice?  Did they really have a single discussion that lasted 2.5 (in one case) or 3 (in another) years, straight through?  Or was it something they came back to every now and then, in between other discussions?  If the latter, how did they track progress/context (or did they rehash a lot)?  Was it normal to have several different "threads" of discourse going at any given time?


texts: English Translations of Major Yechezkel/Ezekiel Commentaries

texts:
Shalom!

I have been looking for some time and I cannot seem to find any resources in English.  Are there any translations (into English) of the Yechezkel/Ezekiel commentaries of the following rabbis?

-Radak

-Malbim

-Isaac Abarbanel

-Joseph Hayyun

-Metzudat David

Thank you for any help!


texts: Where does kabbala write about what time the sabbath ends?

texts:
I got a calendar in the mail from some charity. It lists the times to begin and end the sabbath. It's written in Hebrew. Here's this week's:

הד״נ
17:02
מוצש״ק
מקובל 18:17
ר״ת 18:56

That is:

candle-lighting [time, before the sabbath]
5:02 p.m.
the end of the holy sabbath
[according to] the kabbalist 6:17 p.m.
[according to] Rabenu Tam 6:56 p.m.

Which kabbalist is this, and where do we see in his writings that he holds of this earlier time for ending the sabbath?

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


texts: When do we read a vav prefix as "or" rather than "and"?

texts: This answer cites the Ralbag as interpreting a (critical-to-the-question) vav prefix on a verb as "or".  I've heard before that a vav prefix is not always "and" and can be "or" or even "but".  Is there any grammatical rule by which we can tell when to read it which way, or do all the non-"and" readings always arise from judgments about what would make most sense to the interpreter?  Do Chazal generally agree on how any given vav is translated, making it received tradition and there are no explicit rules?


texts: What is the need to have a source for any teaching of Torah?  Can you please give me sources for the answer based on mussar and halacha also.


texts:
There is a general rule that a person who is not obligated cannot do a mitzvah on behalf of someone who is obligated, and according to at least one Rishon this is because a person who is obligated has a stronger Yetzer Hara, and the more difficulty someone has with a Mitzvah the more reward they get.

Since the person not obligated receives less reward, they cannot do it on behalf of someone who's baseline mitzvah receives more.

But what about Tzizit?

A person is not obligated to wear Tzizit unless he wears a four-cornered garment. Therefore he's not Chayiv in the mitzvah until he puts on the four-cornered garment. A person doesn't have the Yetzer Hara to take off the Tzizit from the garment.

So would women, who are not obligated in Tzizit, receive the same amount of reward as men, who are obligated? In this case, since the level of difficulty is the same, wouldn’t the reward be the same?

(I'm not asking if they can put on Tzizit for men just whether it makes sense that the reward level should be the same)


texts: What are the reasons why a person may be able shave and/or haircut (two biiiits!- sorry, just had to) during the three weeks? Please use sources.


texts:
In Monty Python's The Life of Brian, it is asserted that women can't go to stonings because "it is written".

Are women allowed to attend stonings? What about throwing stones?


texts: Are there any restrictions about a chazzan if there are questions about his orthodoxy?

texts: If someone comes up to daven as a chazzan, and you have questions about how kosher they are or whether they're truly shomer shabbos, are you allowed to still use him as a chazzan, or are there halachic ramifications?


texts: What is the "death"? If Gentiles keep Shabbat?

texts:
What is the death?  Physically? Or spiritually?
A gentile who abstains from melacha is liable to death as it says "day and night they shall not stop" (sanhedrin 58b)


texts: Explanation of Gemara's Interpretation of מצא

texts:
The Gemara Bava Kamma (113b) states that the term ומצאתה implies physical acquisition (rather than mere finding as the word would seem to imply):

  אמר רבינא {דברים כב-ג} ומצאתה דאתאי לידיה משמע

The Gemara Bava Metzia (2a) implies that this is an internal implication in the word:

  ומי מצית אמרת מאי מצאתיה ראיתיה והא אמר רבנאי {דברים כב-ג} ומצאתה דאתאי לידיה משמע אין ומצאתה דקרא דאתא לידיה משמע

My question is that this doesn't seem to reflect Biblical usage. For example, Genesis (16:7) states:

  וַיִּמְצָאָהּ מַלְאַךְ ה' עַל עֵין הַמַּיִם

  "And the angel of God found her by the spring of water."

It seems quite unlikely that the angel grabbed her, in spite of the identical verb root מצא. (Cf. Genesis 18:26).

Looking for sourced answers only.


texts: Does one need to worry about feeding his pet gebrokhts or kitniyot on Pesach?

texts:
I thought I had seen just about every unusual Pesach food item, but, it seems that each year, some other idea comes out. I just saw this in my neighborhood store.

Ashkenazim don't eat kitniyot and many don't eat gebrokhts. Does one need to worry about these things when feeding a pet? Is this a marketing gimmick, or is there something behind making and selling this product that makes this pet restriction necessary?

I'm not sure if this dog is wearing a Borsallino, though :-)


texts: How Overcharging or Undercharging (Ona'a) is figured?

texts:
The Halacha of Ona'a is that if an item was sold for more than 1/6 difference in real value the buyer and or seller can cancel the sale.

How is Ona'a figured on for example fresh salmon? There are stores that sell it for as high as $12.99 lb and stores that sell it for as low as $6.99 lb. Is Ona'a 1/6 less than $6.99 and 1/6 more than $12.99?


texts:
Women went alive into Gan Eden
Which women went alive into Gan Eden?


texts:
Shemos 7:4-
וְלֹא-יִשְׁמַע אֲלֵכֶם פַּרְעֹה, וְנָתַתִּי אֶת-יָדִי בְּמִצְרָיִם; וְהוֹצֵאתִי אֶת-צִבְאֹתַי אֶת-עַמִּי בְנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם, בִּשְׁפָטִים, גְּדֹלִים

There, Rashi comments-
את ידי: יד ממש להכות בהם

Does this mean that Rashi was a corporealist? Is there another way to understand his commentary on this Pasuk?


texts: In Kaddish -- what consolation can we offer G-d?

texts:
In the Kaddish, we say that may G-d be praised "beyond any blessing, hymn, praise, and consolation said in this world."

I understand how we can bless or praise G-d -- but how exactly (or even fuzzily?) do we console G-d?


texts:
I am looking for a source that provides a clear halachic (non-aggadic) and rational explanation on why the Gemara (Shabbat 95a) prohibits braiding hair as a kind of building.  This similar question asks and receives answers to this question using aggadic concepts and methods, but I am asking if there is a rationale for this prohibition that is based purely on halachic reasoning.

Although the gemara sources itself in the word ויבן from the verse used in creating Chava: ויבן ד' אלוקים את הצלע, which Chazal explain that it refers to Hashem braiding her hair. It does not seem to be a reason for why it is considered "building" but a proof that it is called "building".


texts:
I heard from a Jewish colleague that the concept of Heaven and Hell were not originally part of Judaism. I couldn't find references to these concepts in the Old Testament. So

Were these part of Judaism from beginning?

and if the answer is positive,

Why aren't there references to them in the historically older books like Torah? (Or where are they if there are?)

Edit: by Heaven and Hell I don't necessarily mean the Christian conception of them but the more general idea of a place in the afterlife where people go, think of them as Gan Eden and Gehinam if it helps.


texts: Source for Chazon Ish on What defines a Lamdan

texts:
I recently read an article and the author wrote the following:

"The Chazon Ish described the true lamdan as “someone who spends three hours preparing to deliver a five-minute shiur, and when he is done, the people who attended say, ‘What’s the big deal? What he said is so simple."

Where, if it's published, can I find the source for this?


texts: Which region took the majority of wealth?

texts:
Avos d’Rebbi Nassan 28:1:

  רבי נתן אומר [...] ואין לך חכמה כחכמה של ארץ ישראל. ואין לך יופי כיופי של ירושלים. ואין לך עושר כעושר של מדי. ואין לך גבורה כגבורה של פרס. ואין לך זנות כזנות של ערביים. ואין לך גסות כגסות של עילם. ואין לך חנופה כחנופה של בבל שנאמר ויאמר אלי לבנות לה בית בארץ שנאר. ואין לך כשפים ככשפים של מצרים:

  R’ Nassan says: [...] There is no wisdom like the wisdom of Eretz Yisrael. There is no beauty like the beauty of Yerushalayim. There is no wealth like the wealth of Media. There is no strength like the strength of Persia. There is no harlotry like the harlotry of Arabs. There is no arrogance like the arrogance of Eilam. [...] There is no witchcraft like the witchcraft of Egypt.

Contrast to Kiddushin 49b:

  עשרה קבים חכמה ירדו לעולם תשעה נטלה ארץ ישראל ואחד כל העולם כולו עשרה קבים יופי ירדו לעולם תשעה נטלה ירושלים ואחד כל העולם כולו עשרה קבים עשירות ירדו לעולם תשעה נטלו רומיים קדמונים ואחד כל העולם כולו [...] עשרה קבים גסות ירדו לעולם תשעה נטלה עילם ואחד כל העולם כולו [...] עשרה קבים גבורה ירדו לעולם תשעה נטלו פרסיים וכו' [...] עשרה קבים כשפים ירדו לעולם תשעה נטלה מצרים כו' [...] י' קבים זנות ירדו לעולם תשעה נטלה ערביא כו' [...]

  Ten portions of wisdom came to the world; nine were taken by Eretz Yisrael, and one by the rest of the world. Ten portions of beauty came to the world; nine were taken by Yerushalayim, and one by the rest of the world. Ten portions of wealth came to the world; nine were taken by Old Rome, and one by the rest of the world. [...] Ten portions of arrogance came to the world; nine were taken by Eilam, and one by the rest of the world. [...] Ten portions of strength came to the world; nine were taken by Persia, etc. [...] Ten portions of witchcraft came to the world; nine were taken by Egypt, etc. [...] Ten portions of harlotry came to the world; nine were taken by Arabia, etc. [...]

(In the bracketed ellipses in both quotes they discuss attributes that don’t appear on the other list.)

Almost all of these attributes are identical across both lists: anything which Avos d’Rebbi Nassan says there’s nothing like it, Kiddushin says nine portions of that trait went there.

There’s one exception, though: wealth. According to Avos d’Rebbi Nassan, wealth went to Media, while according to the Gemara, wealth went to Old Rome. Why the discrepancy?


texts: How the tribes' borders were determined?

texts:
IIRC, the Lot (גורל) was used to match the areas with the tribes (B"B 122b):

  אֶלְעָזָר הַכֹּהֵן הָיָה מְלֻבָּשׁ בְּאוּרִים וְתֻמִּים
  וְאוֹמֵר בְּרוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ אִם שֵׁבֶט פְּלוֹנִי עוֹלֶה
  תְּחוּם פְּלוֹנִי עוֹלֶה עִמּוֹ
  וְהַשְּׁבָטִים הָיוּ כְתוּבִים בִּשְׁנֵים עָשָׂר פְּתָקִין
  וְי"ב גְּבוּלִין בְּי"ב פְּתָקִין ...

  Elazar... and Joshua and all the Jewish people were standing before him, and a lottery receptacle containing the names of the tribes and another lottery receptacle containing the names of the boundaries of the twelve different regions of Eretz Yisrael were placed before him.

I don't see the Torah mentioning how Moses or anyone else knew the boundaries or how they were called or defined (GPS coordinates? Landmarks?).

How those areas/boundaries were determined?


texts: Jews were on 49th level of Tumah. Says who?

texts:
There is a well known idea that when the Jews left Egypt during the Exodus, they were on the "forty-ninth level of tumah". Many explanations are given for this and it is expounded upon at length by a number of great commentators and other writers.

However, whenever I've seen this concept brought up, it is always with a vague reference or none at all. I've seen it introduced with "...ידוע הוא" or "...אמרו חכמינו ז"ל" or "...נכתב בספרים הקדושים" or the like, without any direct quote as to where this comes from. A search on Bar Ilan doesn't find anything earlier than around the 17th century that talks about this idea; certainly not any midrashic sources.

Where does this concept come from? I'm looking for its earliest source, preferably a midrashic or Talmudic one.


texts: any source for the idea that the Baal Koreh represents Moshe Rabbainu?

texts: I have heard that the Baal Koreh represents Moshe Rabbeinu like at matan torah. Does anybody have a source for that idea?


texts:
What is the basis for a blanket allowance of halachik compromises by organizations involved in kiruv, if any?

The purpose of this question is to see if there were responsa that give blanket allowances  regarding kiruv (as I've heard there are).


texts: when is shushing in a shul permited, when forbiden and when obligated

texts:
In my shul there is someone who shushes people that talk.
He believes that he is obligated to do this.
I understand that there is a prohibition against embarrassing people publicly and that sometimes you are obligated to protest publicly on a violation.

My question is (please give sources so that he will respect the answer more):
In this shul people usually talk (there is no minhag not to talk) and the people that are talking are not davining.
When can one attempt to quieten the talkers and when is it forbidden?

There is no minyan (<10) and the chazan started to davin (befor yishtabach)
There is a minyan but the minyan is holding before baruch sheamar
The minyan is holding before shma
The minyan is holding in shma
The minyan is holding in shmona esrai
The minyan is holding in chazoras hashatz
The minyan is holding before krias hatorah
The minyan is holding during krias hatorah
Between aliyos
After krias hatorah

thank you very much


texts: A Convert taking on customs of ashkanazim or sephardim

texts:
When someone converts is there any determining factor on what minhagim (customs) they will take upon themselves in terms of Ashkanazim or Sephardim? Should it be dependent on the Beis Din they converted with? May they choose to do however they please (picking one or the other.)
R' Ovadia Yosef Shlit"a has a Teshuva in ShuT Yachaveh Das Chelek 5 Siman 33 where he writes that someone who converts in Eretz Yisrael must take on the Minhagim of the Sephardim. Since he holds that Maran Beit Yosef the Machaber of the Shulchan Aruch is the "Morah D'Asra" in Eretz Yisrael and after someone converts they are considered to be like a baby that is just born. And since the person converted in Eretz Yisrael it's as if he was "born" in Eretz Yisael therefore he must take upon himself the minhag of the Sephardim. If there are more mareh makomos (sources) to this or savaras one way or the other please share!

(In both situations I'm asking, someone who converts outside of Eretz Yisrael and someone who converts in Eretz Yisrael.)


texts: By beautifying a wife to her husband you cause separation?

texts:
Rabbi Nachman (Ben Faiga of Breslov) is quoted (see source below) as saying that by beautifying a wife to her husband you are causing them to separate.
How is one to understand this?

My guess:
If I use the translation below I can guess that that the problem is that by doing this you are making her grater then him and you have the problem of (Yevamot 63a) "Come down a step in choosing your wife." ( A wife of superior position or rank might put on airs, or not be contented with her husband's social or financial position.)
(רש''י נחית דרגא ונסיב איתתא. לא תקח אשה חשובה ממך שמא לא תתקבל עליה)

But it is still hard to understand,
since it says in Ketubot 17a that calling a bride "Beautiful and graceful bride" is a good thing.

Sefer Hamidot. MONEY. Part Two

  27 [or 17]. One who makes a separation between a man and his wife -- that is, he goes to the man and praises his wife to him, but goes to the wife and defames the husband in her eyes, until a separation is created between them -- he becomes troubled (preoccupied, overtaken) by his expenses (for food or sustenance)

ספר המידות - ממון חלק שני

  כז. מִי שֶׁעוֹשֶׂה פֵּרוּד בֵּין אִישׁ לְאִשְׁתּוֹ, הַיְנוּ שֶׁהוֹלֵךְ לָאִישׁ וּמְיַפֶּה אֶת הָאִשָּׁה בִּפְנֵי הַבַּעַל, וְהוֹלֵךְ אֶל הָאִשָּׁה וּמְגַנֶּה אֶת בַּעְלָהּ בְּעֵינֶיהָ, עַד שֶׁנַּעֲשֶׂה פֵּרוּד בֵּינֵיהֶם, עַל יְדֵי זֶה נַעֲשֶׁה טָרוּד בִּמְזוֹנוֹתָיו

Please help me understand this quotation from Rabbi Nachman.


texts:
A Rav mentioned that Chofetz Chaim told his son (a Rav) to appoint leaders of the community to take care of the chesed needs in order to address more global issues - noting that he himself writes seforim to reach a grander scale.

Where does the Chofetz Chaim say this?


texts:
A couple of years ago I heard a vort based on a midrash. The midrash apparently stated that when Yisrael were enslaved in Egypt, the Egyptians made them work very hard at building magnificent buildings and when everything was complete - they would destroy everything and make them build them all over again.

Does anyone know the source of this midrash?


texts: In Breishit 15:16, is G-d implying to Avram about the sin of the spies?

texts:
Genesis 15:16:

  וְד֥וֹר רְבִיעִ֖י יָשׁ֣וּבוּ הֵ֑נָּה כִּ֧י לֹא־שָׁלֵ֛ם עֲוֺ֥ן
  הָאֱמֹרִ֖י עַד־הֵֽנָּה׃

(Modified Sefria.org translation)

'And in the fourth generation they shall come back here; for the sin the Amorite is not yet full.’

If we account for the sin of the spies and the fact that the generation of those that were age 20+ that left Egypt, we find that because the people believed the report of the 10 spies, G-d said that the next generation would be the ones to inherit the land in Cana'an.

So, when G-d mentioned to Avram the 4th generation, does this number include or exclude the fact that the "original" generation would have entered the land had they not sinned by believing the spies' report?


texts: Does one have to pray arvit during a very short night on a plane?

texts:
When flying from the US to Europe (especially in the summer) one often takes off before the time for arvit has arrived and only a few short hours later the sun already rises over Europe. For practical reasons, a European who has been in the US for only 1-2 days and whose body is still on European time can find it tricky to pray arvit since his body clock is already way past midnight when the plane takes off and he finds it hard to stay awake.

What is the obligation to pray arvit in such a scenario?

I could imagine a few answers

One has an obligation to stay awake (or set up an alarm to wake up in the middle of the night) to pray when it is night
One should try to stay awake on a best-effort basis
One is allowed to go to sleep before the time for arvit has come (since one is not obligated then) and doesn't have to set up an alarm (maybe one who sleeps is not obligated in mitzvot). Would that also apply to the night shema?

I am not discussing the different nature of arvit (d'oraita vs. d'rabannan) since minhag Israel is to pray arvit every night (see here or there in depth).

PS. This is part of my series of questions on prayer in planes, see also Time for morning prayer when flying over Greenland and seeing the sun rise twice and Time for evening prayer when flying eastward over Greenland and the sun doesn’t set?


texts: Question on Magog son of Yefes and Gog uMagog

texts: Is the nation of Magog the same Magog as the Magog in Gog uMagog?


texts: Some Posekim write (Yalkut Yosef Hilchot Mayim Aharonim and Mishna Berura 181, 4 and IIRC the Magen Avraham) that Mayim Aharonim has Ruah Ra'a and that once someone used the water for Mayim Aharonim we shouldn't walk over it. Why aren't we allowed to walk over Ruah Ra'a?


texts: Do Jews believe that the messiah will be a prophet?

texts: Is there a normative belief in orthodox Judaism that the messiah must also be a prophet? If so what is the source for this belief?


texts: If one buys clothing or jewelry for his wife for simchas Yom-Tov, and she wears them on Shabbos before YT, and again on YT, is he מקיים the mitzvah?

texts:
If someone buys new clothing or jewelry for his wife for Yom-Tov, in order to observe his חיוב (obligation) of Simchas Yom-Tov, and Shabbos was the day before Yom-Tov, (as the upcoming Shavuos), and she wears the clothing / jewelry on Shabbos before YT, and then again on YT, is it still considered simchas YT, even though she already wore it before?

[If it is, What if Shabbos was a few days/weeks... before YT? how far can it go?)

[See K'dushin 34b-35a - אשה בעלה משמחה, A woman, her husband must make her happy (for simchas Yom tov), and שולחן ערוך סימן תקכט סעיף ב  והנשים, קונה להן בגדים ותכשיטין; [for] women, their husband should buy for them clothes and jewelry...]


texts: I know that there's a problem of boneh to build tents on Shabbos. Does anyone have advice for my kids who love tying sheets between their beds?


texts: Why do Jews who go to Beis Din to resolve  a financial disagreement, often use "lawyers" (to'ein) to argue their respective sides. If the dayanim are capable shouldn't they be able to just heard the sides and make a decision based on the Torah? Also, doesn't this lead to the richer side being able to hire the better "to'ein" which makes it unfair?


texts:
What will happen prior and after the End of Days?
What are the stages leading up to this moment and what kind of events or happenings do they contain?

I try to get a clear view on the Jewish view on concepts like the Yemot HaMashiach (days of Mashiach), Techiyat Hametim (resurrection) and the Olam Haba. http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com seems to declare the End of Days equal to the Day of Judgement (Yom HaDin) and the Day of HaShem.


texts:
In his supercommentary to Rashi Genesis 7:2, R. Yissechar Ber Eilenberg cites the following from his teacher R. Mordecha Yaffe:

וטעם שאסור ללמוד תורה לגוי הוא מפני הערלה שבו ויש בו סוד שלא להכניס הטומאה בהיכל הקדש
And the reason it is forbidden to teach Torah to a non-Jew is that he has a foreskin. And there is a secret [mystical idea?] so as not to allow impurity into the holy sanctuary.

Have any poskim applied this in practice to justify teaching Torah to non-Jews if they are circumcised?

If yes to the above, given that many non-Jews nowadays are circumcised, can you teach Torah to any non-Jew (if you don't know that they are not circumcised)?


texts: Is there discussion of a connection between מצוין and צִּיּוֹן?

texts:
I haven't worked through all the etymological dictionaries yet so the connection might be obvious, (Jastrow and Klein don't seem to make it explicitly) but I am looking for discussion which connects the idea of being m'tzuyan (noteworthy or remarkable) and Tziyon. The word is questioned here (53rd gate) but no answer is given.
Specifically, I would think that such a connection would be useful in a discussion of the unique identity of Bnei Yisrael when the tribes settled in Goshen and were "metzuyanim" (or metzuyanin) there. This is explained as being "distinguishable," quantified by some commentators as retaining names, food and practices which defined them as a distinct son-of-Israel culture. One could then tie this homiletically to a lesson about retaining a connection to Tziyon.


texts: Why does the letter Hei stands for Shechinah

texts: Why is it the letter ה which represents or is connected with the Shechinah? What is the explanation behind this idea?


texts: During Temple times, who can butcher a kosher animal?

texts:
During the Temple Times, for the purpose of consumption, can any Jew butcher a kosher animal or must the animal be butchered by a Cohen or a Levi?

I would appreciate a rabbinical source.

I just thought that a cohen or levi would be more qualified or trained to slaughter than an yisraelite (for the purpose of sacredness, purity ...)


texts: If someone does a mitsva like writing a sefer or providing a building for Jewish activities like a shul or school. Should he put his name on it and have it called after him? I am not referring to giving charity to poor people because that is better done in private but to giving a building. Even though some hold it may deduct from the mitsva, on the other hand because of his generosity it causes others to do the same, which when they do, he has a share in their mitsva since they do it through his instigation and the community profits more by it.


texts: If one is looking to give Tzedakah (charity) without leaving their chair, which reliable Jewish organizations accept donations through their websites?


texts: Is the punishment for loshan hara death or tzaraas?

texts:
What is worse loshan hara about a thing or about a person?

We see that Miriam said Lashan Hara about a person and got Tzoraas

We see the meraglim said Lashan Hara about trees and stones and received death

Why the difference? (Should not it be the opposite?)


texts:
On a regular shabbas the teffilah of retzei vhachlitzainu in shmoneh esri has three variations:

In maariv it is בה .
In shachris and musaf it is בו.
In mincha it is בם.

There is a reason for this difference (gematria or a parable of a bride).

My question is, when Yom Kippur falls on shabbas, my machzor uses בו in neilah. Is there a reason for this (other than the editors forgot to differentiate)?  Shouldn't it say בם since it is after mincha?


texts: Why does מורא גדול and nothing else in the verse refer to גלוי שכינה?

texts:
In the Haggadah, we quote the Sifre's exegesis of Deut. 26:8 (in which I've boldfaced quotations from the verse itself):

And God removed us [from Egypt] …
with a strong hand — this refers to the plague, as it says [elsewhere about a plague] "lo, the hand of God is against your cattle…"
and with an outstretched arm — this refers to the sword, as it says [elsewhere about a sword] "and a sword unsheathed in his hand, outstretched…"
and with great awesomeness — this refers to the divine revelation, as it says [elsewhere about a divine revelation] "…with signs, with wonders, with battle, with a strong hand, with an outstretched arm, with great awesomenesses…"
and with signs — this refers to the staff, as it says [elsewhere about a staff] "and take this staff in your hand, that you may do the signs with it"
and with wonders — this refers to the blood, as it says [elsewhere about blood] "I'll place wonders in heaven and earth: blood…"

My kid asked: How does "…with signs, with wonders, with battle, with a strong hand, with an outstretched arm, with great awesomenesses…" show that "great awesomeness" refers to revelation any more than it shows that "strong hand" or "outstretched arm" or "signs" or "wonders" refers to revelation? How do we know from that verse that, in our verse in Deuteronomy, specifically "great awesomeness" refers to revelation?


texts: How can I slow-cook dairy if my slow-cooker is meat?

texts:
I have a (meat) slow-cooker and very occasionally want to be able to slow-cook dairy foods.  Is it possible to adapt my existing appliance for this purpose?

The slow-cooker consists of a glazed clay crock with a glass lid that sits in an electric heating element.  (My crock is removable, though that is not always the case.)  As the name implies, the appliance is run for many hours -- overnight, or morning to evening, or sometimes longer (24+ hours).

Possibilities that have occurred to me:

Get a second crock (and lid?).  Does the meat crock transmit its meat-ness to the heating element, making this problematic (so I would need a whole new slow-cooker), or is that not a concern because food never touches the heating element?
Use some sort of disposable liner.  I undertand that one can buy plastic liners but I have no experience with this.  (That may be a question for Cooking.SE.)  Or use a disposable foil pan (wrapped in foil) to hold the dairy food.  If this is a valid approach, it would be less of a storage problem (and probably expense) than buying a second crock.
Place a (dairy) casserole inside the crock.  Does the dairy casserole in the meat crock pose a problem?  Does there need to be something between them, like foil?  (This approach involves no waste from disposable liners/pans/etc.)
Forget about using the slow-cooker to slow-cook and just leave the oven on all night instead (consumes more power and, in summer, heats up the house).  This is what I do now, unless I just give up on the slow-cooked dairy food entirely.


texts:
In tamid (32b):

תנא דבי אליהו גיהנם למעלה מן הרקיע וי"א לאחורי הרי חשך
They taught in the Beis medrash of Eliyahu: hell is above the sky, and some say beyond “the dark mountains”.

And yet in chagiga (2:1):

כָּל הַמִּסְתַּכֵּל בְּאַרְבָּעָה דְּבָרִים, רָאוּי לוֹ כְּאִלּוּ לֹא בָּא לָעוֹלָם, מַה לְּמַעְלָה, מַה לְּמַטָּה, מַה לְּפָנִים, וּמַה לְּאָחוֹר.
Whoever speculates upon four things, it would have been better had he not come into the world: (1) what is above, (2) what is beneath, (3) what came before, and (4) what came after.

How, according to this Mishna, was the Beis midrash of Eliyahu allowed to learn what is above? And even if they were allowed to because of a special heter (for example: they were holy enough to learn it), how could Rav Ashi and Ravina write it down for anyone to learn?


texts:
People might write this off as a matter of typeface and nothing more, but why do so many siddurim vary the font size within the tefillos? I used to think that they made the more important tefillos larger and the less important tefillos* smaller but in many siddurim there seems to be no order at all, they just change the font size randomly whenever they want. Is there a reason for the varying font size? Perhaps the publisher is trying to convey that certain portions of davening are more important than others?

*What even is a more important/less important tefillah? They're all important. I guess what I mean is that they make Baruch She'amar, Yishtabach, Shema, etc. large and things like various perakim from Tehillim small.


texts: How was the world created through the even shesiya?

texts:
In Yoma 54, it says the world was created with the Even Shesiya (primordial rock).

Is this to be taken literally and if yes, do we have details into this process?


texts: Can the threefold blessing be said motzi others who ate different foods?

texts:
Can the threefold blessing be said in one combined form motzi others who ate different foods requiring different versions of the bracha?

For example: I'm saying bracha acharona after eating cake and grapes and also wanting to be motzi for two others, one had cake and the other had grapes. Can I say the combined version of the bracha for hamichya and haeitz with everyone in mind?

If not, what should I do in this situation?

I'm thinking specifically of situations when an a parent is saying the bracha acharona for children but perhaps the same principle applies more widely.


texts: Deviations of Ralbag from normative Jewish theology

texts:
In an article about the Rashba's views on science, Rabbi Dr. David Horwitz throws in the following sentence (p. 53):

  No less than a radical thinker than R. Levi ben Gershom (Ralbag), who had no qualms about deviating from the normative Jewish theological position on a number of issues, was a firm believer in the effects of stars upon human life, and based his opinion on empirical evidence.

What issues deviating from the normative Jewish theological position could he be alluding to? I don't believe the effect of stars is one of them as the author is showing how Ralbag conformed with the view of other Rishonim who argued on the view of the Rambam.


texts:
Are there any tips anyone would care to provide to help one avoid (or get out of) a workplace situation in which one has been asked to assist someone do something that violates Halachah?

Examples that come up in the workplace:

Assisting with setting up non-Kosher food for a gathering, where some attendee(s) may be Jewish but not keep Kosher.
Assisting a disabled, Jewish individual get her non-Kosher lunch out of her hard to reach backpack. (This inspired the question, actually.)
Helping Jewish colleagues (or customers) prepare for business trips that involve work and/or travel on Shabbath and Yom Tov.


texts: Why didn't we prepare bread in Mitzrayim the night before?

texts:
Why didn't Klal Yisrael prepare any bread the night before they left Mitzrayim? The pasuk in Shemos (12:39) as translated by mechon-mamre writes,

  וַיֹּאפוּ אֶת-הַבָּצֵק אֲשֶׁר הוֹצִיאוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם, עֻגֹת
  מַצּוֹת--כִּי לֹא חָמֵץ:  כִּי-גֹרְשׁוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם, וְלֹא יָכְלוּ
  לְהִתְמַהְמֵהַּ, וְגַם-צֵדָה, לֹא-עָשׂוּ לָהֶם. And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual.

It seems the nation was caught unaware that they were leaving Mitzrayim the next morning on short notice. No one knew of the imminent exodus?


texts: Why break Hallel in the middle of a parsha?

texts:
On Pesach night, following Beis Hillel we break up Hallel between חלמיש למעינו מים and לא לנו.

This is in the middle of a parsha, according to the Keter (navigate to Psalms --> From 114_2 to 118_1) and Leningrad (direct link to the page).

Why break in the middle of a parsha?

*   This is one of the only two places in Tehillim where the Christian chapter divisions deviate from our Mesorah.  The other is that we divide their chapter 119 into 22 parshiyot, one for each letter.


texts:
Can one cook food while fasting and eat it when done fasting? Does it matter if the food being prepared is for oneself or others?

Maybe cooking would distract from the focus that a fast is supposed to have, but maybe it would be different to cook for someone else.


texts: What is the difference between akh and ekha

texts:
For example, retsonekha, retsonakh. Kodsheha, kodshakh. What is the reason for this difference?

I see this difference in several places in the jewish prayer books, for example in Yedid Nefesh or in the Kedusha. This is why I am asking it through this website.


texts:
Why does a family adopt its father's minhagim, not mother's? What is the scriptural source for this (or Talmudic)?

Why does the wife take on her husbands minhagim and not vice versa? Is this obligatory? This is especially perplexing since the verse states "Do not abandon the Torah of your mother"!


texts: Gravesite of Moshe Rabbeinu Not Being Known

texts:
Where does it speak about the fact that we don't know where Moshe Rabbeinu is buried. Is this in the Talmud? Somewhere else in Chazal?

I've heard the reason is that G-d did this in order that people shouldn't go to the gravesite to "worship" him (or something along those lines.) Is this the reason given wherever the source is? Or is there another reason? Or any reason at all?


texts: My whole family will be staying at a hotel over shabbos and the hotel management says that we are not allowed to light fires in our rooms.  Nobody will be in our home.  How can we fulfill the mitzvah of chanuka candles?


texts:
In Leviticus and Deuteronomy, there are sections that give a seemingly comprehensive list of non-Kosher birds. They are mainly birds of prey, not songbirds or birds like that.

I know that there is no messora for New World birds like turkeys, and yet they are kosher, perhaps because they are similar to chickens. So may songbirds be eaten even though there doesn't seem to be a messora permitting them? Maybe they are just so small that they were ignored by messora but there's no prohibition eating them. What about penguins or puffins for that matter, are they duck-like enough?


texts:
Inspired by the comments here, I realized how little I know about what other customs' Sedarim are like. As an Ashkenazi, I'd only ever participated in Ashkenazi Sedarim. Surely there are those who similarly had never been to an Ashkenazi Seder.

On behalf of such people, what is a typical Ashkenazi (central European) Seder like? What sorts of minhagim are widely practiced uniquely in Ashkenazi communities?

Particularly those who have attended both Ashkenazi Sedarim and other traditions: what were some of the main differences you saw?

For other posts in this series, click here.


texts: First use of the term "Taharat HaMischpacha "

texts: When and by whom (and why) was the phrase "טהרת המשפחה" ("family purity") first used to describe the halachot relating to niddah?


texts: Source of 7 days or 3 days celebration for married couples

texts:
I read in the Art Scroll Ashkenaz siddur in the section about when to omit Tachanun, that one of the occurrences is when a new groom is present in the synagogue and he is considered a "groom" from the day of the wedding (implying that this occurs even before the wedding itself if it is later in the day) and until the conclusion of the 7th day afterwards. Then, the siddur adds that if both the bride and groom have been previously married, then, for purposes of tachanun, this lasts only 3 days.

What is the source of having the celebration last 7 days? Is it related to the 7 days of creation in some way? And why is it only 3 days if both the bride and groom have been previously married?

Note I am stating tachanun merely to cite a source for where I got this info. My question is not related to the rules of tachanun


texts: Why did Ralbag's commentary to Leviticus take so much longer than the other books of the Torah?

texts:
At the end of each book in his Commentary to the Torah, Ralbag gives us the date he completed it.

At the end of the book of Genesis he tells us that it was completed in October of 1329:

  והנה היתה השלמת זה הספר בי"ז יום לירח מרחשון בשנת תשעים לאלף הששי

At the end of the book of Exodus he tells us that it was completed in August of 1330:

  ובכאן נשלם הביאור בזה הספר והיתה השלמתו בראש חודש אלול שנת תשעים לפרט
  האלף הששי

At the end of the book of Numbers he tells us that it was completed in December of 1337:

  והיתה השלמתו בכ"ג לחדש טבת של שנת צ"ח לאלף הששי

At the end of the book of Deuteronomy he tells us that the entire Commentary to the Torah was completed in January of 1338:

  והיתה השלמתו בכ"ג לירח שבט של שנת צ"ח לפרט האלף הששי

Additionally, at the end of Parshat Bereishit he tells us that the commentary to just that section (which takes up about a third of the entire commentary to the book of Genesis) was completed in August of 1328:

  והנה היתה השלמתו בסוף חדש אב משנת השמנים ושמונה לפרט האלף הששי ליצירה

As you might have noticed, I skipped the date of completion for the commentary to the book of Leviticus. This is because he doesn't seem to have mentioned it.

So based on the above we have the following:

It took him about 14 months to get from Parshat Noach to the end of the book of Genesis.
It then took him about 10 months to get from there to the end of the book of Exodus.
It then took him about 7 years and four months to get from there to the end of the book of Numbers.
It then took him about 1 month to get from there to the end of the book Deuteronomy.

There are also two more bits of information that Ralbag mentions in these concluding statements:

At the end of Parshat Bereishit he says that he wrote it in a very short period of time:

  והיתה השלמתו בזמן קצר מאד

Similarly, at the end of the book of Numbers he says that he wrote it in a very short period of time, without access to books, and it therefore requires a second review:

  והשלמנוהו בזמן קצר מאד ובזולת ספרים ולזה יצטרך בגזרת ה' לעבור עליו
  שנית

Thus, we see that the 7+ years between completing Exodus and completing Numbers was not because of Numbers. Which means that the book of Leviticus is what took all that time.

Considering that all the other books took only a short amount of time (ranging from a month to a bit more than a year), why is it that the book of Leviticus took so much longer?

Is there perhaps something specific about the content of that book
that required all those extra years to compose a commentary?
Do we perhaps know of a particular event during that time period that
may have delayed Ralbag?
Has anyone (Ralbag himself, or later scholars) explained this
anomaly, or even noticed it?

Bonus question: Why is Leviticus the only book that does not include the date it was completed, and is this perhaps related to the anomaly of how long it took?


texts: Can I eat chocolate melted in a meaty pot and then combined with dairy?

texts: Suppose I'm making some dessert, like cheesecake or ice-cream sundaes, by melting chocolate and pouring it over the dairy dessert.  I realize after doing this that the pot I used was fleishig and used within the last 24 hours.  Can I still eat my dessert, or did it become a meat-milk mixture because of the pot?


texts: Do people who are Jewish by ancestry but are descendents of apostates need to convert?

texts: Suppose a Jewish woman converts to Christianity.  Her children find out about their Jewish ancestry and decide that Judaism is right for them. Do they have to go through a conversion process? Does it matter if the coversion to Christianity happened many generations ago, and the decendents want to be Jewish (suppose the line is strictly maternal all the way down to child).


texts: Removing signs from a Shul bulletin board

texts: In many areas Shuls have a bulletin board on which signs are hung. In some larger cities there are sign hanging companies that for a fee, go around and hang up posters for businesses on these bulletin boards. May one remove a sign from the bulletin board at any time? Is there any prohibition involved in removing a sign? The advertiser paid the hanging company however does not pay the Shul anything for the privilege of having the sign hanging in the Shul. (a sourced answer would be appreciated)


texts: Why "ומייתי להו בשגגה" for a סולם and not for other equipment?

texts:
The fifth chapter of Shabas in the Bavli discusses various things an animal can wear in the street on Shabas. Some of them are forbidden because the item may fall off the animal and a person may come to carry the item around in the street, a prohibited activity. The Talmud itself offers this reason; other times, Rashi does so. Some examples of the latter:

On daf 53 amud 1, the Talmud is discussing a sort of horseshoe: a horse cannot go out wearing it. Rashi explains "דדילמא מישתליף ואתי לאתויי", "because it may come off and he will come to bring [it]".
On 53 amud 2, the Talmud is discussing a receptacle placed under an animal's udders: it says that the animal cannot go out wearing that receptacle if it's loose. If it's tight, though, it's okay, as Rashi explains, "דליכא למיחש דילמא נפיל ואתי לאתויי", "because one [need] not be concerned lest it fall and he will come to bring [it]".
On 54 amud 1, the Mishnah is discussing a saddlecloth or blanket for an animal: it says it cannot go out wearing one. Rashi explains "משום שמא תפול ומייתי לה הוא", "because it may fall and he will bring it".
On 54 amud 2, the Talmud is discussing a neck cradle, used to prevent an animal from gnawing at its skin: it says the animal cannot go out wearing it. Rashi explains "וחשובים הן… ואי נפלו חייס עלייהו ומייתי להו בשגגה", "they're valuable… and if they fall he will have pity on them and bring them by accident".

Why specifically and only in the latter case does Rashi say "בשגגה", "by accident"?


texts: What if the Torah Reader for the Curses (Tochacha) is a Kohen or Levi?

texts:
It is (at least) the Chabad custom that the Torah Reader takes the Aliya with the curses (tochacha) in Parshat Ki Tavo and Bechukotai. The reader ascends without being called and recites the blessings before and after. (See the Luach Colel Chabad).

What happens if the Torah Reader is a Kohen or a Levi? The curses don't appear in his Aliya! And, once a Yisroel is called to the Torah, we do not call a Levi for an Aliya.

Does someone else take the Aliyah? Do we let the Levi take it, since he is not being called?


texts: Is there any reason to deny aliens according to Judaism?

texts: Is there any reason that we couldn't believe in life on another planet somewhere?  Is there any source that indicates to the contrary?


texts:
Below is a photo of R' Elio Toaff ז”ל with HH Pope John Paul II. In it, we see R' Toaff wearing a hat traditionally used in certain Ashkenazi and Italki communities, which many Jekkisch chazzanim, such as R' Ezra Lasdun of Breuer's maintain.

Where could one (especially a chazzan or rav) purchase a hat of this type?

Image source


texts: Do the laws of Negiah depend on sexual orientation?

texts:
The Rambam writes (Hilchos Isurei Biah 21:1):

כל הבא על ערווה מן העריות דרך אברים, או שחיבק ונישק דרך תאווה ונהנה בקירוב בשר--הרי זה לוקה מן התורה
One who comes upon one of the Arayos via their limbs, or hugs or kisses in a lustful manner and benefits from the touching of skin receives malkus according to the Torah.

The implication is that the category of Shomer Negiah is only applicable with regards to lustful touching. Now I am aware that there is a discussion of cases where lustful pleasure is highly unlikely, e.g. shaking hands in a business setting. However, it seems to be the common practice that men and women will casually touch members of the same sex, since it is assumed that they cannot be attracted to each other at all. What about the case where one or both of the parties has a homosexual, bisexual, or asexual orientation?  How will this change the categories of people that may be touched?
For clarity, here are two examples to illustrate this question:

May an asexual man touch a woman? (Normally we assume that the man could be attracted to the woman, but in this case we know that he is not.)

May a bisexual man touch a man? (Normally we assume that the man could not be attracted to the other man, but in this case we know that he could be, potentially.)

I am also interested hearing about how yichud might or might not apply in such cases, if it is relevant.


texts: Is it mutar to walk over the George Washington Bridge on shabbos? In terms of techumin


texts: Rashi's apparent internal confusion over יתרו/רְעוּאֵל

texts:
Per Bamidbar 10:29 (see below), חֹבָב בֶּן רְעוּאֵל was the father-in-law of מֹשֶׁה.  There, רש"י asks why רְעוּאֵל is referred to in Shemoth 2:18 as the "father" of בנות יתרו, and he answers that they called their grandfather, "father." But in Shemoth 18:1 רש"י lists רְעוּאֵל as one of the seven names of יתרו and states that only some say the aforementioned answer about רְעוּאֵל being the grandfather.

What is the deal with יתרו/רְעוּאֵל? Does רש"י give any insight anywhere else? Does anyone else address this? I know there is a citation within the commentary for ספרי. Is there an explanation there (Chabad.org says it's in Beha’alothecha 10:29, the first location in this question)?

כט. וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה לְחֹבָב בֶּן רְעוּאֵל הַמִּדְיָנִי חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה נֹסְעִים אֲנַחְנוּ אֶל הַמָּקוֹם...
חובב: הוא יתרו, שנאמר (שופטים ד, יא) מבני חובב חותן משה, ומה תלמוד לומר (שמות ב, יח) ותבאנה אל רעואל אביהן, מלמד שהתינוקות קורין לאבי אביהן אבא. ושמות הרבה [ושני שמות] היו לו יתר על שם שיתר פרשה אחת בתורה. חובב על שחבב את התורה וכו

(Above quotations copied/pasted from here.)


texts: Catching up the missing weeks of Krias Hatorah

texts:
Due to the current health crisis, all shuls are closed. As a result, the weekly Torsh portion will not be read.

After this is all over and synagogue services are resumed, will we:

Continue where we left off
Omit the missing weeks and continue the universal weekly cycle
Catch up the missing weeks to continue with the regular cycle.
Or what?

Sources are appreciated!


texts:
In Ashkenazik circles, can a child be named similar to a living grandparent?

How close is too close?

Examples:

David & Davida
Mira & Meira
Chana & Chanan
Gila & Gilaad
Misha & Moshe
Bella & Beila
Eli & Eliezer

EDIT:

My question is really: can the names sound alike? or is more about meaning of the name?


texts: Four countings of Klal Yisrael - HaShem doesn't want us to decrease

texts:
The Ohr HaChaim at the beginning of Bamidbar asks why HaShem waited a month before counting Klal Yisrael, and how Klal Yisrael could have gained 3,550 from Mitzraim (600,000) to the Eigel (603,550) in spite of heavy losses yet have exactly the same number by the Mishkan with no losses whatsoever. He answers that the Leviim were counted by the Eigel but not at the Mishkan. Including that extra month, the 22,000 gained balanced out with the 22,000 Leviim not counted. Why did HaShem want to ensure the later number wasn't less than the earlier number? So that it didn't appear that Klal Yisrael lost people.

Yet, we find in Parshas Pinchas, when they're counted 40 years later, they indeed decreased almost 2,000 people (601,730)! So how can he say HaShem wants to keep the numbers going upwards when we find that they dropped off?


texts:
Is there any verse in the Tanach which tells/hints on how to become grateful to God for his gifts?

In what sense should one be grateful to God? What I mean is how a person can develop the feeling of being grateful toward God?

Added note : I guess I should clear this with an example, God gave us everything that we need. Let's talk about one blessing for example. The sun. How does one develops a feeling of gratefulness toward God,  specifically for creating the Sun.

Saying thanks to God is a form of an expression of gratitude towards God. Meaning the feeling it self must already be there in order to be able to truly express it. If you're thanking God for something without having the feeling of actually being grateful about it, you're not actually thanking God. Your mouth is just uttering something your heart does not.

My question is not about the way one should say thanks to God. Rather how does one can develop the feeling of being grateful in the first place.


texts: Is a woman technically a niddah after childbirth?

texts:
I understand that a woman becomes a yoledet after childbirth, and that this condition has very similar laws to niddah. But is she also a niddah? I ask because as far as I understand, niddah cannot be caused by dam makkah, or bleeding from trauma. Childbirth seems certainly in this category.

However, sources such as this suggest that she becomes both a niddah and a yoledet through childbirth. Is this true? Why?


texts: I have just visited my great grandfather's grave and discovered his Hebrew name was Yehuda Leib, yet in England he was known as Louis Goodman. Is there a connection between the names? He moved to England from Kiev about 1895, would he have been known as Goodman (or equivalent) in Kiev? His fathers name was Meir what would be a likely English equivalent?


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

Upvote all interesting answers.

Accept the best answer.

Go on to the next number.


texts: Contact lenses during conversion immersion

texts: If a convert wore contact lenses during the mikvah immersion, is the conversion still valid? Does it depend on whether the contact lenses are disposable (not the one you wear for more than 30 days)?


texts: If I hate myself, how can I love my fellow Jew like I love myself?

texts:
How can I love my fellow Jew as myself if I hate myself?

How do I fulfill veavta lerayacha komocha in such a case?


texts: Why were some of the works of Rabbi Steinsaltz banned?

texts: Apparently some of the works of Rabbi Steinsaltz were banned. What are the specific examples that prompted the ban? Is there a list of all of his works that have been banned, as I am interested in knowing if this ban is limited to his previous works or if it applies to his new shas project with Koren publishing as well?


texts: Penalty for eating meat prior to it being permitted

texts: Prior to the flood, mankind was not allowed to eat meat (Sanhedrin 59b, various other sources and interpretations here). During this time, was there a penalty for killing and eating an animal, just as there is a penalty for killing a human being? Sforno seems to suggest otherwise, but from context it seems he may only be referring to the post-flood era.


texts: Reference to Moshiach in Proverbs Chapter 8?

texts: I've been reading about Moshiach for about a year.  Then the other day, I read the above 9 lines (Proverbs 8:22-31).  It seems like Wisdom is saying what people are pouring over Isaiah, etc, looking for clues for.  Where can i find some discussion about this?  You are a totally cool website, even if i don't understand how to work it!


texts: Stealing an idol-worshipper's only food to save yourself

texts: In a desert where there is no water, can one take (steal) water from an idol worshipper causing him to very likely die, to be able to stay alive? I know the answer when one has no personal use for doing this but I am asking when one will not stay alive without it. (Like the way, lehavdil, that killing animals for nothing is not allowed, but it is allowed in order to eat them.)


texts: Which name does a woman use after divorce?

texts: After divorce, does a woman reassume her maiden name or does she still use her married name?


texts: Why is Maseches Shekalim in Daf Yomi, its from the Yerusahlmi?


texts: Why do a few tribes in a list have different trope from the rest?

texts:
In the first aliya of B'midbar the chiefs of the tribes are listed.  Nine have the zakeif gadol trope and three -- Yisachar, Binyamin, and Naftali -- have different trope.  This isn't driven by word count (e.g. the Yosef tribes, even though they have more words, still use the same trope, just with some additions).

I wondered if there were something special about these three tribes that the trope is trying to call out.  Another place where representatives of tribes are listed is in Sh'lach l'cha, and there also there is a majority trope with some variation -- but it's not the same tribes there (Yehudah and Manashe there).

Why do these three tribes have different trope in B'midbar?  Is there a meaning or is it just melodic variation?  And if there is meaning behind it, where can I find commentaries that address it?  Most of the common commentaries (or at least the ones I have) focus on text and don't address trope.


texts:
I happened to see this design (or see below) for a pergola, and I thought, "What an easy way to have a Sukkah frame up all year round!"

But then, when I noticed that it only has a depth of four feet, I realized it wouldn't be large enough to entertain.

But then I thought, what if one were to put up two of these pergolas, facing one another, with about a two or three foot gap between them, and lay bamboo across the top, so that it also covered the gap?  Then you'd have a Sukkah that would be, without any gap, 8'x12', or with a two foot gap it could be 10'x12'. Now you're talking about a pretty roomy, and attractive, Sukkah!

But ... what about that gap?  Sure, the Sechach is covering the gap at the top, but would the gap in the walls be a problem?

(As an aside, although I should really look into it more closely to be sure, I'm fairly certain that the walls themselves are acceptable, because a fence of a similar structure is used for an 'Eruv that has been approved by my rabbi.  Hence, I'm only asking about the gap.  If you see a flaw with the walls themselves, feel free to point it out in the comments, but also realize this is an academic question, as I do not intend to purchase two, or even one, of these products, given the cost, and I'm just curious about what is valid vis a vis a gap in a wall.  So, if you do see a flaw, just assume that the same structure can be made with an improved wall, yet the gap would still be at issue here.)


texts:
The verse in Genesis (22:14) states: "And Abraham called the name of the site 'Hashem Yir'eh' as it is said to this day, on the mountain Hashem will be seen."

  וַיִּקְרָ֧א אַבְרָהָ֛ם שֵֽׁם־הַמָּק֥וֹם הַה֖וּא ה' יִרְאֶ֑ה אֲשֶׁר֙ יֵאָמֵ֣ר הַיּ֔וֹם בְּהַ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה יֵרָאֶֽה

The Masoretic taamim (punctuating tune) on the end of the verse combines the words 'mountain' and 'Hashem' and separates 'Hashem' from 'will be seen'. This seems strange because if the translation is really  "on the mountain Hashem will be seen" then 'Hashem' and 'will be seen' should be combined.

Are there any explanations for this phenomenon or alternative texts that in an way obviate this problem?


texts: I'm not sure what they put in the remedies but I would like to know if they are kosher and would batel beshishim apply in this case if there was a non-kosher ingredient?


texts: Can / should one praying alone recite Hallel after Arvit on the first night of Pesach?

texts:
Many have the custom to recite Hallel in the synagogue on the first night(s) of Pesach, at the end of Arvit. (Discussed, for example, in this question and its answer.)

Is this custom only to be observed in a synagogue setting? Can / should an individual praying alone (for whatever reason) also recite this Hallel after praying Arvit, before beginning his seder? If yes, does he make a blessing (assuming that he would ordinarily recite a blessing on a recitation in the synagogue)?


texts: Does one make a shehecheyanu on "used" jewelry?

texts: If someone is going to be wearing a "used" piece of expensive jewelry for the first time (as in, it was previously worn by a different person as opposed to being new from the store), do they make a shehecheyanu on it?


texts: Looking at a siddur, in the Korbanos, the order of the Temple service is written. In the first paragraph (אַבַּיֵּי הֲוָה מְסַדֵּר), it lists everything that is done in a strange manner, it says what one action is and what it is before, and then what that second action is and what it comes before. Why is it listed in this manner, wouldn't it make more sense to say first was this, then this, then this, etc.?


texts: What are the earliest accusations of censorship in rabbinic literature?

texts:
Sefarim are sometimes censored for various reasons. It used to be mostly external censorship, but nowadays I think it is mostly internal censorship.

When people print sefarim and censor them, they often get called out on it by others. There are a number of blogs where one can find plenty of accusations of censorship of sefarim in recent times.

However, we don't often find the accusations themselves in rabbinic literature. I am looking for early sources in rabbinic literature that accused others of censoring sefarim. The earliest accusation that I have seen thus far is by R. Yehuda Aryeh Modena:

Ari Nohem Chapter 23

  הסכת ושמע ישראל באזנים קשובות הקיות ועיונית מה שכתב בעל ספר יוחסין
  דפוס קושטנטינא כי בדפוס קראקא נשמט אולי להפקת רצון איזה אחד מכת
  המקובלים פן תגלה האמת לעולם

Here he suggests that an anti-Zohar passage was removed from the Krakow edition of Sefer Yuchasin, perhaps because the kabbalists were afraid that it would show the world the truth.

Does anyone know of any earlier examples?

For reference, the book cited above was completed in December 1628, so I'm looking for examples prior to that.


texts: Is orlah forbidden from benefit or just from eating?

texts: What is the extent of the prohibition of orlah?  Is it just eating that is prohibited (issur achila), as is written (Vayikira 19:23), or is benefiting from orlah also prohibited (issur hana'ah)?


texts: What was "baptism" to the Jews in the time of John the Baptist?

texts:
Did Jews before John the Baptist practice something called "baptism"?  If so, what was it and what was its significance?  I am looking for a traditional Jewish understanding of this concept in its historical context.

I understand that John the Baptist was a Jewish priest and perhaps an Essene which was a Jewish sect, and that he was also considered a Prophet by the Jewish people of his time.  This makes me think that Judaism might have something to say about baptism.


texts: The fear and anxiety of Yaakov before meeting Eisav

texts:
Bereshit 32:8:

"וַיִּירָא יַעֲקֹב מְאֹד וַיֵּצֶר לוֹ וַיַּחַץ אֶת־הָעָם אֲשֶׁר־אִתּוֹ וְאֶת־הַצֹּאן וְאֶת־הַבָּקָר וְהַגְּמַלִּים לִשְׁנֵי מַחֲנוֹת׃"
"Jacob was greatly frightened; in his anxiety, he divided the people with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps..."

First of all, I noticed that in Hebrew it reads: vayetzer lo (ויצר לו), and I wondered, although it’s probably related to Hetzer הצר (to narrow or take in), if this distressed feeling, does his anxiety come from his Yetzer Hara?
Secondly, what exactly was this fear/anxiety of Ya’akov, hence from where did it come? I.e. What kind of fear/anxiety are we talking about? And how was it solved by wrestling the adversary and meeting Esav?


texts: I read that women are obligated in washing mayim achronim just as much as men. Where is the halachic source for this?


texts: What is the Jewish understanding of the Holy Spirit?

texts:
Christians believe in the Holy Spirit. They believe that the Holy Spirit is the third hypostasis of the Trinity, and is thus 100% God. What Christians called the "New Testament" talks about the Holy Spirit a lot, and it was composed in a Jewish cultural context, which indicates that there was a general understanding of the Holy Spirit among Jews of the day.

How do Jews understand the concept of the Holy Spirit? I would predict that you don't believe he is God because you don't believe that God has a Triune nature. Perhaps you don't even believe the Holy Spirit is a person, and therefore it is inappropriate to refer to it as "he"?

I'm sure there are some references to the Holy Spirit in the Hebrew scriptures, but right now the only one that comes to mind is in the beginning of Genesis/Bereshit:

  NJPS Genesis 1:1-2  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.  Now the earth was unformed and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters.


texts:
A friend of mine is looking for information on a rabbi he saw mentioned in the book "Chochmat Hanefesh" by Rabbi Elazar of Worms (most famous for his "Sefer Haroke'ach"). In the book, a rabbi named Rabbi Avraham Hachozeh1 is mentioned, and a portion from his book "Sha'arei Mitzvot" (שערי מצות) is quoted. When looking for this section in an edition of Chochmat Hanefesh in Hebrewbooks, I saw that in that version they wrote in brackets that this Rabbi Avraham is none other than the Ibn Ezra (pg. 136). However, I did not see "Sha'arei Mitzvot" in Hebrew Wikipedia's list of his books.
Is this indeed a book by the Ibn Ezra? Is it available anywhere? Or is it possible that the publishers of this edition misidentified Rabbi Avraham Hachozeh?2

1 According to note 31 in this essay, Hachozeh = the astronomer.
2 The National Library of Israel's site on piyutim, for example, brings a piyut attributed to Rabbi Avraham Hachozeh and doesn't say that he's the Ibn Ezra. They write, instead, that he probably lived not long after Rabbi Yehudah Halevi. Ibn Ezra, on the other hand, was a contemporary, friend and, according to many views, the in-law of Rabbi Yehudah Halevi.


texts: Looking for the source of an opinion on the definition of good

texts: I heard somewhere that it was the Maharal or a similarly philosophical author who wrote that the definition of good is "something that serves its purpose." It has been escaping me for quite some time, and if I could get a definitive answer or, even better, be pointed to the source, that would be much appreciated! Thank you!


texts: I've noticed that there are varying minhagim among people whether to stand during Kaddish or not. Is there any actual halacha regarding this and whether it's required?


texts: A friend of mine asked me if a deceased's shoes should be disposed of, and if so - why.


texts: what can be done for a person to get married that doesn't have their parents kesuba?

texts:
theoretical scenario...

a baal teshuva (someone not raised observant who later in life became observant) wants to get married. he doesn't have a copy of his parents kesuba.

What bothers me specifically about this situation is how can a person be counted for a minyan but then be told we don't have sufficient proof of your Jewishness to marry you.


texts:
The author of Shulchan Aruch, in his capacity as the author of Shulchan Aruch, is often called "the m'chaber", or "ham'chaber", literally "the composer" or "the author". (Obviously, many authors are called that when discussing their books, but the m'chaber is often called that even out of such context. For example, when discussing halacha, one might mention that the Tur holds a certain view while the m'chaber holds another and the P'ri M'gadim a third.) While of course Shulchan Aruch is an important and seminal work, there are other works equally important and seminal.

How did it happen that the m'chaber came to be called that?


texts:
If a shul buys a sefer Torah that turns out to be stolen, what happens?
May they continue using it? Are they yotzei on the  readings they've performed in the past?


texts: Does the Torah forbid visiting/hiring a prostitute?

texts:
I know that the Torah explicitly forbids adultery and also forbids selling the services of one's daughter:

  Lev 19:29  Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore;
  lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of
  wickedness.

But what about having sex with a prostitute. For example, is a Jewish man forbidden to have sexual relations with a foreign gentile prostitute?

My thought is that in the absence of birth control that it would be forbidden but I don't like to presume.


texts:
Did Moshe's parents ever give him a name? If so, what was it?

We know him as Moshe, but that is the name that Pharaoh's daughter gave him.

Presumably, over the several months that Moshe was with his parents, they needed to refer to him somehow.


texts: I have heard many times from Rabbinim and in lectures that to pick and choose rulings is forbidden. I would like a halachic source for this. I can understand that one should be consistent, but if one follows the Aruch Hashuclhan in one matter and decides to pasken like the Mishna Brurah in another matter lekula in both cases is he doing something halachic wrong? I am not talking haskafickly only halachic.


texts: How widespread was the practice of Judaism in pre-WW2 Europe?

texts: Leading up to World War 2 (1930s etc.), what percentage of European Jews practiced "Orthodox" Judaism?


texts: Does Shalach Manos require a Messenger and why?


texts:
What is the permissible way to use a non-kosher toaster oven? My thought process was that, when cooking milk in a meat oven, the covering of the dish and the rack makes it acceptable.

Would covering the food and the rack be enough to cook in a non-kosher toaster oven?

Does the fact that it's a toaster oven change anything?


texts: How could Ruth do yibbum if she converted only after her husband died?

texts: How could Boaz be required to do Yibbum with Ruth being that she was a non jew when she was married to?


texts: Redistribution of refuge cities after expansion

texts: When the Torah commands the establishment of cities of refuge in Eretz Yisra'el to protect accidental murderers from vengeful relatives it states that the three cities must be evenly placed (וְשִׁלַּשְׁתָּ) to maximize the population's access to them. A couple sentences later it says that when the borders of the land are expanded, three more cities should be added to this set of three. When the borders did expand, were the original three repositioned to maximize their centralization in the larger area?


texts: 12 halachic hours – why no more halachic consequences?

texts:
In MyZmanim (and other luachs) one can find the latest time for reading Shema according to the calculation of the Magen Avraham and Baal HaTanya / Gra. One can (and should) decide which approach to follow of the two. They arguing about which daytime to divide into 12 parts: from alot to tzeit (the broader one) or neitz to shekiya (the tighter one).

I wonder why their argument has rectifications on saying the morning Shema only? Seemingly this is a big machloket which should have bearings on all other halachic times, like saying Mincha, Maariv, accepting Shabbat, etc.


texts: List of petuchot and/or setumot in Eicha

texts:
This seems to be a stupid question to me but here goes.

Does anyone have a list of the petuchot and setumot for Megillat Eicha? I am on a train for the next several hours and my beautiful Koren Kinnot is presently packed into my suitcase, leaving it inaccessible until I get home. Nonetheless, I think that this is a useful question to have here, as a quick search of the net turned up no results for the positioning of the petuchot and setumot in Eicha.


texts: Why do Karaite Jews wear a kippah in synagogues?

texts: As far as I know, the only commandments followed by Karaites are those that are in  explicitly stated in the Torah. Why wear a yarmulke if this isn't commanded in the Torah? Here is a link about Karaite Synagogue Etiquette


texts:
In Berachot 10a, it is said that Chizkiyah was punished by Hashem for not having children:

  מָה עָשָׂה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא — הֵבִיא יִסּוּרִים עַל חִזְקִיָּהוּ, וְאָמַר לוֹ לִישַׁעְיָהוּ: לֵךְ וּבַקֵּר אֶת הַחוֹלֶה. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם חָלָה חִזְקִיָּהוּ לָמוּת וַיָּבֹא אֵלָיו יְשַׁעְיָהוּ בֶּן אָמוֹץ הַנָּבִיא וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו כֹּה אָמַר ה׳ צְבָאוֹת צַו לְבֵיתֶךָ כִּי מֵת אַתָּה וְלֹא תִחְיֶה וְגוֹ׳״. מַאי ״כִּי מֵת אַתָּה וְלֹא תִחְיֶה״: מֵת אַתָּה — בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, וְלֹא תִחְיֶה — לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: מַאי כּוּלֵּי הַאי? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: מִשּׁוּם דְּלָא עֲסַקְתְּ בִּפְרִיָּה וּרְבִיָּה. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: מִשּׁוּם דַּחֲזַאי לִי בְּרוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ דְּנָפְקִי מִינַּאי בְּנִין דְּלָא מְעַלּוּ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: בַּהֲדֵי כַּבְשֵׁי דְרַחֲמָנָא לְמָה לָךְ? מַאי דְּמִפַּקְּדַתְּ אִיבְּעִי לָךְ לְמֶעְבַּד, וּמָה דְנִיחָא קַמֵּיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא — לַעֲבֵיד. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: הַשְׁתָּא הַב לִי בְּרַתָּךְ, אֶפְשָׁר דְּגָרְמָא זְכוּתָא דִידִי וְדִידָךְ, וְנָפְקִי מִנַּאי בְּנִין דִּמְעַלּוּ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: כְּבָר נִגְזְרָה עָלֶיךָ גְּזֵירָה. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: בֶּן אָמוֹץ, כַּלֵּה נְבוּאָתְךָ וָצֵא! כָּךְ מְקּוּבְּלַנִי מִבֵּית אֲבִי
   אַבָּא, אֲפִילּוּ חֶרֶב חַדָּה מוּנַּחַת עַל צַוָּארוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם, אַל יִמְנַע עַצְמוֹ מִן הָרַחֲמִים וכו'.

Translated:

  What did the Holy One, Blessed be He, do to effect compromise between Hezekiah and Isaiah? He brought the suffering of illness upon Hezekiah and told Isaiah: Go and visit the sick. Isaiah did as God instructed, as it is stated: “In those days Hezekiah became deathly ill, and Isaiah ben Amoz the prophet came and said to him: Thus says the Lord of Hosts: Set your house in order, for you will die and you will not live” (Isaiah 38:1). This seems redundant; what is the meaning of you will die and you will not live? This repetition means: You will die in this world, and you will not live, you will have no share, in the World-to-Come. Hezekiah said to him: What is all of this? For what transgression am I being punished?
  Isaiah said to him: Because you did not marry and engage in procreation.
  Hezekiah apologized and said: I had no children because I envisaged through divine inspiration that the children that emerge from me will not be virtuous. Hezekiah meant that he had seen that his children were destined to be evil. In fact, his son Menashe sinned extensively, and he thought it preferable to have no children at all. Isaiah said to him: Why do you involve yourself with the secrets of the Holy One, Blessed be He? That which you have been commanded, the mitzva of procreation, you are required to perform, and that which is acceptable in the eyes of the Holy One, Blessed be He, let Him perform, as He has so decided. Hezekiah said to Isaiah: Now give me your daughter as my wife; perhaps my merit and your merit will cause virtuous children to emerge from me.
  Isaiah said to him: The decree has already been decreed against you and this judgment cannot be changed.
  Hezekiah said to him: Son of Amoz, cease your prophecy and leave. Hezekiah continued: I have received a tradition from the house of my father’s father, from King David, the founding father of the dynasty of kings of Judea: Even if a sharp sword rests upon a person’s neck, he should not prevent himself from praying for mercy. One may still hold out hope that his prayers will be answered, etc.

I found this a bit odd: At first Chizkiyah says that he saw in a prophecy that his descendants will be evil - meaning, done-deal, nothing can be done. And then, when Yesha'ayhu tells him that it's already been decreed that he'll die - again, meaning done-deal, nothing can be done - he says: No way, I have a masoret from my forefather King David that even in the face of the worst danger, a person still has the chance to turn things around.
Is this supposed to be ironic - that in terms of his descendants, Chizkiyah didn't think this masoret had relevance, but when it became personal - it did, or is this a reflection of his Tshuva process from the beginning of the agadeta to the end? Or is it both? Or something else?


texts: Is one permitted to study other religions?

texts: Is one allowed to study other religions? If not, how is one supposed to know that Judaism is correct? If yes, is such study encouraged?


texts: How is one allowed to say the word "Hashem"?

texts:
There's a famous Taz (quoted in Kitzur 6:3) which says that one isn't allowed to say the name of Hashem in foreign languages (So saying/writing B-ga or G-d in vain would be forbidden).

Why would Hashem or Rachamana (in the time of the Gemara) stay permitted? The classical answer is that it's not a name but a reference (When blogging/emailing/etc., do I use "God" or "G-d"?).

Practically, the word Hashem/Rachamana colloquially refers only to "Hashem" so why is it permitted to be pronounces/written?


texts: Why do people lift their pinkies during Hagba?


texts: Where and how does the Shaliach Tzibbur say Tachanun?

texts: When the Shaliach Tzibbur says Tachanun, should he leave his position and say it sitting down or should he rather stay in position and say it without physically sitting down but in a manner which is still halachically valid for Tachanun? Related: Tachanun with No Seats


texts: How much should Rosho Verubo be for Succah measurements?

texts:
The Gemmorah (Succah 3 and Mishna on 28) states that the requirements for a Succah are that a person can fit it "ראשו ורובו" - the head and most of the body.

IIRC the average body is 3 Amot (18 Tfochim)Gemorrah elsewhere and the head is about half Ama (3 Tfochim)  for a total of 21 Tfochim (5'9 or 175cm). So, Rosho (3 Tf.) + most of his body (10 Tf) would equal 13 Tfochim.

We know that they ate laying horizontally on beds, otherwise, if one sits or stands vertically, IMHO, Rosho AND Rubo is meaningless, as the head is above the body.

The Halachah ruled is 7x7 Tfochim.

I see a contradiction here, how can it be reconciled?


texts:
Who knows one hundred eighty-five?
Please cite/link your sources, if possible. At some point at least twenty-four hours from now, I will:

Upvote all interesting answers.

Accept the best answer.

Go on to the next number.


texts: Is a diamond (♦) part of a moderator's name?

texts:
Assuming that moderators are on-topic; how are they called up for an aliyah? Is the diamond mentioned?
It's been discussed before elsewhere on the network, though with an appalling lack of Jewish sources.
What do Jewish sources have to say about including a diamond (♦) in a moderator's name for aliyos, legal documents, and the like?

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


texts:
I recall seeing a Shiltei HaGiborim who writes that one who recites Birkas HaLevana during the weekday, should first don his Shabbos clothing.

Does anyone know where this Shiltei HaGaborim is?
What is the reason behind this?


texts:
Does anyone ever have trouble finding good English translations of certain yeshivish phrases, especially when in conversation with someone who would not understand the original?

Post your favorite phrases and English translations below.

"l'mai nafka mina?" -> "What is the practical difference?"

"kal v'chomer" -> "all the more so"

"dafka" -> ?? I always want to say this in conversation but don't know how.

"mamash" -> ditto


texts:
Klala is translated as curse, but that means when one curses someone to die or curses God or his parents, hamekalel aviv v'imo mot yumat.

but would that imply that cursing vulgarities is permitted?

are there any sources which forbid cursing in this way?

what is inherently bad about common colloquial curse words?


texts: Why the Megillah does not mention Ester marrying Achashverosh?

texts:
The Megillah (2.16) mentions taking Ester into the Palace, loving here [more than other girls] and crowning her as the queen but no mention of the marriage or being Achashverosh's wife:

  וַתִּלָּקַח אֶסְתֵּר אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ אֶל־בֵּית מַלְכוּתוֹ בַּחֹדֶשׁ הָעֲשִׂירִי הוּא־חֹדֶשׁ טֵבֵת בִּשְׁנַת־שֶׁבַע לְמַלְכוּתוֹ׃
  וַיֶּאֱהַב הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת־אֶסְתֵּר מִכָּל־הַנָּשִׁים וַתִּשָּׂא־חֵן וָחֶסֶד לְפָנָיו מִכָּל־הַבְּתוּלֹת וַיָּשֶׂם כֶּתֶר־מַלְכוּת בְּרֹאשָׁהּ וַיַּמְלִיכֶהָ תַּחַת וַשְׁתִּי׃

  Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, in his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.

  The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she won his grace and favor more than all the virgins. So he set a royal diadem on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.

Do any sources speak about that?


texts: Does Earth geography resemble anything metaphorical?

texts:
All I know about the traditional geographical metaphorism is that Jerusalem is the center of the world and the whole inhabitable space is divided between the 70 nations (besides the plain facts, like a sea here and a valley there).

What additional geographical phenomena have metaphorical meaning in Judaism, e.g. the form if Eretz Israel, the number and form of continents, the shape of the oceans, the topology of the Earth, from the Dead Sea to Everest, the paths of the rivers, etc?


texts: I need a free PDF transliterated orthodox siddur

texts: Shalom everyone, I am a jew who is really really bad when reading Hebrew and also I don't have a lot of wealth. I would like to have a PDF Orthodox (chassidic) siddur, with English transliteration. I have no minyan or places to daven near me so I have to pray alone.


texts: Who can we write a will for on Hol Hamoed

texts:
The Mishnah in Moed Katan 3:3 says:

וְאֵלּוּ כּוֹתְבִין בַּמּוֹעֵד ... דְּיָתֵיקֵי
They may write the following documents during the festival: ... wills [of a dying person]

The parenthetical addition of "of a dying person" is added in multiple translations so I assume it comes from somewhere.
Who are we able to write a will for? Anyone? Anyone who is dying? Anyone who is likely to die on Hol Hamoed?


texts:
In the shul (synagogue) I went to growing up, and in other shuls I've been to, they had a device for displaying the current page number. It was a wall-mounted box with three windows, behind each of which was shown one digit. You could change each digit independently by turning a wheel at the bottom of the device. The device shown in this video has similar functionality.

I am trying to find such devices for sale but so far getting nowhere. Googling turned up this discussion thread from a few years ago where someone else had the same problem.

Where can such a device be procured? What is it called?

The ideal device would:

Display three or four large digits
Allow the numbers to be changed on Shabbat
Be wall-mounted and controlled from below
Operate very quietly, so as not to disrupt prayer in progress
Require as little effort, time, and obtrusion to change as possible (For example, advancing a page should mean something like turning a wheel a little, not taking down the sign, removing one number, sticking in another, and putting he sign back up.)

I'm open to products made for this purpose or creative re-purposing of other products. Perhaps this is a product that's more available in Israel or in Chassidish markets and easier to find if you know good Hebrew  or Yiddish search terms.


texts: Does the congregation recite certain sections of the prayers if a mourner is in the synagogue?

texts:
This morning, a mourner (in Shiva period) appeared in my shul.

Art Scroll Ashkenaz siddur, among others, most likely, indicate that in a house of mourning, Tachanun is omitted and in Uva Letziyon, the phrase Va'ani Zot is also omitted.

I'm not sure if these rules are specific to when prayers are done in a mourner's home (i.e., does it depend on the location?) or would they skip these items in a synagogue where the mourner is present (i.e. it is based on the person)?

Additionally, if the mourner is the Shaliach Tzibbur (cantor), even if the congregation says it, should he, personally skip these?


texts: Accidentally served a guest meat and milk

texts: If someone accidentally served a guest a milk-and-meat  combination and realized his mistake after the fact, should he ask the guest for mechilah (forgiveness)?


texts: Must a man seek 100 rabbis' permission again to take another "second" wife?

texts:
In certain cases, a man might receive a heter meah rabbanim (permission from 100 rabbis) to take a second wife. This may happen for a variety of reasons, but I understand that all of the cases involve the man being de facto separated from his first spouse.

In the case where the man's second marriage comes to an end (e.g. by divorce or death of the second wife), can the man then remarry (which would be his third marriage) or must he seek another heter meah rabbanim first?


texts:
I am getting a bit tired of having to listen to another "jumbled" Birkat Kohanim this Yom Tov. It seems to be the same in almost every shul. There are always a group of Kohanim that sing a different tune than the others.

I understand that the Levi'im in the Bet Hamikdash had a choir master, so I assume that they must have rehearsed before they sang. Is there any supporting halacha or minhag that would require or recommend that Kohanim rehearse or at least agree to a uniform tune for duchenin before performing it?


texts: Should we say Al naharos bavel during Nissan?

texts: There is a popular idea to not say Al Naharos Bavel before Birtkat HaMazon on days when tachnun is not said (see here). Does that apply to all of Nissan?


texts: Wanting to do a Mitzvah, getting paid for intent AND accomplishent

texts:
I heard from someone that whoever wants to do a mitzvah, Hashem gives him reward before he does the mitzvah, and after he does the mitzvah Hashem doubles it.

Where is the source for this?


texts: Is there is a pocket-size Gemara? Soft cover preferred. This would be a great invention if it doesn't already exist.


texts: Are ancient prutahs (collectable) muksah? I would love to show them to my Shabbat guests. They are around 2000 years old. Are they legal tender?


texts: Does anyone pray according to Rambam's Seder Tefila?

texts: I wonder if among the new wave of Talmidei haRambam, there might be anyone using a siddur that uses Rambam's language of prayer exclusively, as recorded in the Mishneh Torah (here).


texts: What (if any) dati leumi/chardal yeshivot teach kabbalah in Israel?

texts: I plan to go to yeshiva after the army, and I am looking for where to go.


texts: I occasionally send my butler down to the wine cellar during a meal to fetch more wine. The cellar is arranged as a three-dimensional grid of wine barrels. Which rows and columns of the grid do I need to check for leavened food before Passover, to verify there's nothing that was left behind absent-mindedly by the butler?


texts: When did siddurim first start showing sheva na - nach differently?

texts: Some (most?) widely used siddurim today give the reader some pronunciation information that is not obvious in standard Hebrew lettering: when a sheva is pronounced (e.g., by making the sheva na bold, as in the Koren).  When did that information first appear in a siddur?


texts:
During this past Rosh Hashanna and Yom Kippur, whenever I wished someone Shanah Tovah or (G'mar) Chatimah Tovah s/he responded Gam L'mar.

I don't recall having heard that before this year. Doesn't Gam L'mar mean "Also to mister?" It seems like a 3rd person response. Why not say Gam Lecha - "To you too"?


texts:
Has the subject of genizah been treated about electronic content?

For example, if it is permitted to delete (and even cut-and-paste) a computer file containing divrei Torah. Or to delete a .jpg picture file known to show in its background an open sefer Torah.

All pointers welcome. Thank you.


texts: Was there an actual person Rabi Tanchuma attributed to writing the medrash that goes by this name? Do know anything about him?


texts: I am or was a religious jew and purposely ate non kosher

texts: I'm a religious Jew. I kind of lost faith and ate non-kosher purposely, and now I feel so bad with myself that I want to die. What should I do? Is there any type of repentance I should take upon myself so that I feel better and stop in general to eat non kosher?


texts: Would it be permissible to believe that Jesus is the messiah if that belief otherwise entails no rejection of halakha or Jewish tradition?

texts:
"Messianic Judaism" is generally speaking Christianity repackaged in a Jewish veneer, so they have the same beliefs on the Torah and the divinity of Jesus/Trinity as mainstream Christianity. But suppose a Jew were to believe that Jesus was the Moshiach, while rejecting the Christian ideas that Jesus was divine, that there was a Trinity, that the Torah (including the oral Torah, Mishnah/Talmud) was to be rejected, or that the New Testament is scripture on par with the Tanach. Would such a person have left Judaism for Christianity similar to what "Messianic Jews" have done?

Some Jewish authorities, while rejecting Chabad Messianism, still accept them as Orthodox Jews, on the grounds that other than a peculiar belief about who the Moshiach is, they otherwise adhere to Judaism; could that logic be applied to a person who believed in Jesus as Moshiach without the other beliefs associated with Christianity?


texts: Order of words (Oizer U'Moshia) in Shemona Esrei

texts: In Shemona Esrei in the first Bracha it ends with Melech Oizer U'Moshia U'Magen מלך עוזר ומושיע ומגן, however towards the end of the Bracha of Modim it says HaKail Yeshuasainu V'Ezrasainu Selah האל ישועתנו ועזרתנו סלה. Why does it switch the order and say in one place first Oizer and then Moshia and in the other place it says first Yeshuasainu and then Ezrasainu?


texts: Why did people date divorce documents according to the Greeks?

texts:
According to this article on Jewish Encyclopedia, the conventional Jewish system of dating documents in the Middle Ages (a system called "מנין שטרות") was related to the accession of Seleucus I, the first king of the Seleucid dynasty. This Hebrew article on Wikipedia explains how it came to be that Jews associated this dating system with the arrival of Alexander and the cessation of prophecy. From that same article, it appears that this was a common system for the dating of ketubot, gittin, colophons and financial documents until the 9th century, although it persisted for Egyptian Jews until the 16th century, and for Yemenite Jews until the 20th.

[For a beautiful example of a colophon that employs this system, see this image from the Leningrad Codex, completed c.1008. It utilises a number of different dates, but the relevant one is at the end of the third line: והיא שנת אלף ושלש מאות ותשע עשרה שנה למלכות יונים שהיא למנין {שטרות} ולפסיקת הנבואה.]

My question, based on the foregoing, is as follows:

The Mishna, in Gittin 8:5, specifically forbids dating a divorce document in accordance with the Greek empire (לשום מלכות יון), and the gemara (Gittin 80a-b) does not appear to qualify this in any respect. What is more, neither Rashi nor the Tosafot raise any objections to this, despite it having been the custom to do so until only a couple of centuries earlier!

Why was dating divorce documents in accordance with the Seleucid Empire not problematic for Jews? Alternatively, how do I learn this mishna (and the corresponding gemara) in such a way that it is not suggesting that this practice should be forbidden? (Or, thirdly, is the author of the Wikipedia article mistaken, and this system was never used for שטרות גירושין?)


texts: Do gerim say the section for the nasi at the end of shachris during nissan?

texts:
Some have a custom to say the Nassi after Shacharis during the first 12 or 13 days of Nissan. At the end of the recital of a passage from Chumash deliniating each tribal leader's contribution offered on that day of Nissan when the Mishkan was first built. There is a prayer that says in part "if I am from the tribe of ..." and each day the tribe that is mentioned in the portion of Chumash said.

Does someone who is a convert, and thus knows positively that he is not from any of those tribes, say some or all of this (either the Chumash or the subsequent prayer)?


texts: What is the Jewish position on the choice of eating human flesh to survive in an extreme emergency situation? Would it be preferable to die of starvation while obeying the Torah or eat the only thing available if it was a deceased human body?


texts: What type of tree was the Eitz haChaim (Tree of Life)?

texts:
What type of tree was the Eitz haChaim (Tree of Life) spoken about in Bereishis 2:9?

  יַּצְמַ֞ח יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהִים֙ מִן־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה כָּל־עֵ֛ץ נֶחְמָ֥ד לְמַרְאֶ֖ה וְט֣וֹב לְמַאֲכָ֑ל וְעֵ֤ץ הַֽחַיִּים֙ בְּת֣וֹךְ הַגָּ֔ן וְעֵ֕ץ הַדַּ֖עַת ט֥וֹב וָרָֽע׃

  And from the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that was pleasing to the sight and good for food, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and bad.

It was a tree that Adam and Chava would have been able to eat from (if they had remained in Gan Eden), so that suggests a fruit tree of some kind.  Chazal discuss what kind of tree the Eitz HaDaat was; do they also discuss this one?  What do they say about it?


texts: Why wasn't Esav willing to wait until his father's mourning was complete?

texts:
Follow up (somewhat) to this Mi Yodeya question:

My recollection is that a number of commentaries explain that Esav was extremely respectful and loyal to his father. I would think that part of respecting his father would include mourning his father's death. If so, Esav's thought seems to say something like, "shortly my father's mourning period shall approach, and I will kill Ya'akov, then." rather than saying something like "I'll wait to kill him just after the mourning is complete."

Should we assume that Esav's loyalty and respect to his father immediately ended the day Yitzhak died?


texts: Can a soul be destroyed to non-existence?

texts:
Can a soul die (make choices that will lead to its being completely destroyed)?

The Zohar 1:131a states that the souls of transgressors will became ashen cinders under the feet of the righteous. From BT Rosh Hashana 17a

  Transgressors of Jewish birth and also of non-Jewish birth, who sin
  with their body descend to Gehenna, and are judged there for twelve
  months; after that time their bodies are destroyed, their souls burnt, and the
  winds scatter their ashes under the soles of the feet of the
  righteous,

further citing Malachi 3:21

  And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the
  soles of your feet in the day that I do make, saith the LORD of hosts

but in Pirkei Avos 4:22 states not to believe the illusion that the grave will be one's escape

  Let not your heart convince you that the grave is your escape; for
  against your will you are formed, against your will you are born,
  against your will you live, against your will you die, and against
  your will you are destined to give a judgement and accounting before
  the king, king of all kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.

If the former, could sinners ultimately claim their grave to be their escape (after the 12 months)?


texts: I have a magen david with שוי writen inside and I want to know the meaning