texts: How old was Avraham when he sired children with Keturah, and was that unusual?

texts:
After reporting Sarah's death and burial, B'reishit 25:1 tells us that Avraham had several children by Keturah.  Avraham was 137 when Sarah died.  Earlier (17:17), Avraham had laughed at the idea of having children at the age of 100, yet neither the text nor Rashi makes any comment about these later children.

Is there an interpretation that has this happening earlier, during Sarah's lifetime?  If so, details please?

If the plain reading is correct, then was it unusual for a man of 137+ to sire children?  If it was unusual, does anybody comment on it?


texts: What's the difference between wasting seed and having marital relations without the possibility of conception?

texts:
It is widely known that wasting seed is one of the big sins a person can commit.

However, it seems that having relations when conception is not possible--such as during menopause or during pregnancy--is perfectly fine and is even sometimes recommended.

What exactly is the difference and why is the latter permitted?


texts: Raising heels in kedusha according to Chacham Ovadia

texts: Halacha Yomit says that Chacham Ovadia rules that one must raise his heels 3 times each in every kadosh. Where can the source for this halacha be found in Chacham Ovadia's books?


texts: Why does the Talmud assume a woman cannot get pregnant on the first act of intercourse?

texts: There is a rule in the Gemara (Yevamot 34a) that אין אשה מתעברת בביאה ראשונה. The question is why the Talmud assumes that a virgin cannot conceive on her first act of sexual intercourse if the hymen is actually penetrable and modern-day observations have proven that a women can indeed conceive then?


texts: Why cover coals in the Temple, and what if the cover was needed?

texts:
The mishna, Tamid 5:5, indicates that there was a large container used for several things in the Temple. Two of those were that it covered hot coals that spilled on the floor every Sabbath morning, and that it covered a tamei animal if one were found on Sabbath.

My kid asked:

Were there more than one of these containers? If not, how did it cover an animal if it was covering the coals? Even if it covered the coals only for a while (see next bullet point), what if an animal was found during that time?
Why did they need to cover the coals? (I suggested that maybe it was so no one would burn himself — which may indicate they were only covered for a while — but that I was unsure and presumably anyone walking by would see the coals.)


texts: Ezra spreading out his hands 'unto' G-d, Solomon's hands towards heaven

texts:
In Ezra 9.5, there is a reference to Ezra 'spreading his hands unto G-d'. Similarly, Solomon 'spreads forth his hands towards heaven' (2 Chronicles 6.13) and subsequently addresses G-d.

In line with the non-corporeality of G-d, these gestures couldn't be pointing to a direction or physical orientation where G-d resides. In that case, what is the meaning of these quotes which might seem to imply a gesture 'toward' G-d?


texts: Does existence of a Machlokes prove the lack of established Halachah?

texts:
I'm trying to understand the methodology and the dynamics of the Halachah and when the Gemmorah presents a Machlokes that is resolved generations later I arrive at the conclusions that there was no obligation/established Halacha on that topic at the time of the Machlokes.

In other words, at least up until the time of the Machlokes, each side kept his own [ways of] Halochos.

For example, the numerous Machlokos between R' Moshe and the Israeli Rabbis Z"L prove that those Halochos were not established and each side kept his own Halochos.

What Rabbinical sources support/refute my conclusion?

I intentionally don't claim "there was no established Halacha on this topic ever", I can accept the claim of Moses or later generations kept it all in unison, I only ask about the conclusion about the specific time of the Machlokes (probably inferring that it was all lost in between).


texts:
There is a commonly held "tradition" that Rashi's daughters wore Tefillin.

One highly educated rabbi/professor has publicly stated that he's spent 35 years searching for a source but to no avail.

Long shot: Does anyone here have a source for this?


texts: Please explain the difference in the order of naming Tzelafchad's daughters

texts:
When naming the daughters of Tzelafchad in Bemidbar 26:33 and when they approached Moshe with the inheritance question in Bemidbar 27:1 the order is:

Machla, Noah, Chaglah, Milka, Tirtzah

When they are married, as state in Bemidbar 36:11 the order is:

Machla, Tirtzah, Chagla, Mika, Noah

Why the change in order?

Perhaps, the first two orders them in birth order - oldest to youngest and the 3rd list is the order in which they were married?


texts: Putting food into a cli sheini on Shabbos

texts:
We know that a food that is a "davar yavesh" (dry) that was already cooked (in a cli rishon) before Shabbos may be put into a pot of hot water (even a cli rishon -- so long that it is on the fire) on Shabbos (See Orach Chaim Siman 318 Saif 4.)

We also know that in general a food that wasn't cooked may not be put even into a cli sheini (that is yad soledes bo) on Shabbos. The reason for this is either because we are afraid of "kalei habishul" foods that are easily cooked (even in a cli sheini) and since we don't know what foods are and what foods aren't we are therefore machmir by all foods. Or because of the reason that if the food wasn't cooked and now it's going into a cli sheini it could be considered "mechzei c'maveshel" (it "looks" like we are cooking.)

With this in mind, what would be the din if someone put a food in a cli sheini (that's yad soledes bo) before Shabbos. May it be put now into a cli sheini on shabbos?

If the food is considered to be from those that are "kalei habishul" then you could say that it's muter because it's already been cooked and would have the same din of a regular food that was put into a cli sheini. There is then no problem of actual bishul or even "mechzeh c'maveshel." However if the food is not considered to be from those that are "kalei habishul" (let's say we know for sure) and it was already in a cli sheini that was yad soledes so "something" happened to it. Would that be enough to take away the second problem of mechzeh c'maveshel when one puts it into a cli sheini that is yad soledes bo on Shabbos?


texts: Shiloysh mayoys, sheesheem vichawmaysh (365) mi yodeya?

texts:
B"H
Every number has a special significance in the Torah
It's known that 365 corresponds to the number of "don't do", otherwise known as "negative" mitzvos (commandments) as well as the 365 "sinews" of the human body (which also metaphorically correspond to the 365 "sinews" of Hashem, so to speak (kawvyachoyl), a metaphor for the negative mitzvos) as well as the 365 days it the solar year (see rambam, introduction), but I was wondering what other, if any, significance does the number 365 have in the Torah
Blessings and success


texts: Can someone say "kiddush levana" by day if he sees the moon clearly, in full? Or is there a reason why we only say it in the evening other than the fact that the day starts at night.


texts: What spot is on the other side of the World from the Beit HaMikdash?

texts: If an axis goes through the world, where is the spot exactly opposite Har HaBayit where the axis comes out? Is it in the middle of the Ocean? Should there be anything special expected about this point? Has anyone ever been there?


texts: Why does Hillel's teachings change to Aramaic in Ethics of the Fathers?

texts:
In Ethics of the Fathers chapter 1 (Mishna 11-13) three sayings are said in Hillel's name. Two are in Hebrew while one (Mishna 12) is in Aramaic. The rest of the chapter is all in Hebrew. Why the sudden change to Aramaic? please source.

הִלֵּל וְשַׁמַּאי קִבְּלוּ מֵהֶם. הִלֵּל אוֹמֵר, הֱוֵי מִתַּלְמִידָיו שֶׁל אַהֲרֹן, אוֹהֵב שָׁלוֹם וְרוֹדֵף שָׁלוֹם, אוֹהֵב אֶת הַבְּרִיּוֹת וּמְקָרְבָן לַתּוֹרָה:
הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, נָגֵד שְׁמָא, אָבֵד שְׁמֵהּ. וּדְלֹא מוֹסִיף, יָסֵף. וּדְלֹא יָלֵיף, קְטָלָא חַיָּב. וּדְאִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בְּתָגָא, חָלֵף:
הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, אִם אֵין אֲנִי לִי, מִי לִי. וּכְשֶׁאֲנִי לְעַצְמִי, מָה אֲנִי. וְאִם לֹא עַכְשָׁיו, אֵימָתָי:

By the way, this switch to Aramaic happens again in chapter 2 mishna 6 when Hillel speaks to the floating skull in the river.


texts: I’ve heard from someone that we have 18 minutes after the time listed for Shabbat to do Muktzeh. Is this true? So let’s say it says Shabbat is to come in at 7:30. Do we have till 7:48 to do muktzeh? Is this true, or was I informed incorrectly? List sources. Thanks, really wanna know!


texts:
We all presume that Haman was well literate and familiar with our Tanachic sources. It is widely known that since the sin of the Spies (Meraglim) 9th of Av was chosen for all kinds of misfortunes for Am Israel.

I don't know if they observed the 9th of Av and the destruction of the latest Temple back in Persia, but the month was known for its bad luck.

On the other hand, as I recall, there were no bad events in Adar and Moses' death was albeit a "punishment" for Moses but not for the whole people that were about to enter the Promised Land with Yehoshua.

Why Haman didn't decide straight on the 9th of Av to complete the destruction of the Jewish nation?


texts: Why is the kallah's home referred to as beit nashe?

texts: In certain ketubot I've seen the home of the kallah is referred to as Beit nashe, meaning the house of forgetting. What is the reason for referring to the kallah's home that way?


texts:
What's the deal with using solar power on Shabbos?

Cooking is permitted, but what of the following cases:

1) Heating water (Dud-Shemesh style)

2) Solar-powered watches

3) Solar-powered toys

What other applications are there for solar power, permissible on Shabbos?


texts:
The Rambam (Hilchot Melachim 11:8) says the following:

  ואם יעמוד מלך מבית דויד הוגה בתורה ועוסק במצוות כדויד אביו, כפי תורה שבכתב ושבעל פה, ויכוף כל ישראל לילך בה ולחזק בדקה, ויילחם מלחמות ה'--הרי זה בחזקת שהוא משיח:  אם עשה והצליח, וניצח כל האומות שסביביו, ובנה מקדש במקומו, וקיבץ נדחי ישראל--הרי זה משיח בוודאי.

This passage suggests that the Mashiach will be a King.

Famously, Rabbi Akiva (and others in his generation) believed Bar Kochba to be the Mashiach. The next Rambam seems to suggest that Bar Kochba was a king (ibid.):

  שהרי רבי עקיבה חכם גדול מחכמי משנה היה, והוא היה נושא כליו של בן כוזבא
  המלך, והוא היה אומר עליו, שהוא המלך המשיח.  ודימה הוא וכל חכמי דורו
  שהוא המלך המשיח, עד שנהרג בעוונות;

Following this can we assume that Rabbi Akiva believed him to be a king? If yes, was he ever anointed as such? Is 'fighting the wars of Hashem' a sufficient criterion for being labelled a king?


texts: Halachic difference between a medicine and a supplement?

texts:
Dietary supplements are a huge industry right now. Many people are taking a variety of vitamins, nutrients, and herbs in the same way they would take a prescription from a doctor.

The problem with supplements is they sort of blur the line between medicine and food as they can sometimes be a little bit of both. Obviously, medicine gets held to a different standard due to the importance of personal health. A Jew doesn't need a hechsher for heart medication.

Supplements though, they're a different thing entirely. While there are some supplements which can genuinely benefit your health and even treat certain diseases, they're only "kind of" medicine. Many are food stuffs or derivatives of food stuffs. That leaves open the question of " when and where does a Rabbi involve themselves in overseeing supplements?"

B12 is a nutrient that your doctor will actually give you a shot for. It's used medically.
Vitamin D is used in a similar way with prescriptions being given.
Turmeric is an herb used in cooking but is also used as an anti-inflammatory supplement for various conditions (Depression, Arthritis, Dementia, etc.)

Is there a Rabbinically verified method of determining which supplements fall under a medicinal category and which fall under a food category (and thus would need Rabbinical oversight) or is the issue one where there exists a lack of a uniform definition?


texts: What is the purpose of the word וְהָיָ֗ה in Devarim 11:13?

texts:
Deuteronomy 11:13 says:

  וְהָיָ֗ה אִם־שָׁמֹ֤עַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ֙ אֶל־מִצְוֺתַ֔י אֲשֶׁ֧ר אָנֹכִ֛י
  מְצַוֶּ֥ה אֶתְכֶ֖ם הַיּ֑וֹם לְאַהֲבָ֞ה אֶת־יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶם֙
  וּלְעָבְד֔וֹ בְּכָל־לְבַבְכֶ֖ם וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁכֶֽם׃

  And it shall be that if you will listen to My commandments which I
  command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve Him with
  all your heart and with all your soul.

The word וְהָיָ֗ה seems extra. The verses that follow make it seem quite obvious that if you obey the commandments, you will receive a reward. The reward comes in the future, after performing the commandments. What then, is the purpose of the word וְהָיָ֗ה in this verse?


texts:
Is there anything dishonest about asking a question on a Q&A site to which one is not actually interested in learning the answer?

Possible ulterior motives could be

wishing to pump up one's self-esteem as a skilled asker of questions,
wishing to pump up one's rep (on a site like this one),
wishing to demonstrate one's knowledge of a topic by answering one's own question,
wishing to provoke an argument between those answering a question on a given topic.

Is there a problem of false portrayal of oneself as curious on a topic in which one is not actually interested? Does it have a practical marginal malefit of diluting the knowledge base by composing questions to which one is not committed?


texts: List of establishing rabbis for each set of minhagim

texts: I am a baal teshuva who is becoming orthodox and wondering what customs to hold. Is there a list of important rabbis who set minhagim (ie ashkenazi, sephardi yekki, chabad, notable subgroups, etc) and some sources to learn about each? Thank you.


texts:
Before returning the Torah to the ark, we say a verse from Mishlei 4:2.
כִּ֤י לֶ֣קַח ט֭וֹב נָתַ֣תִּי לָכֶ֑ם...
For I have given you a good lekach.
(Lekach is essentially, honey cake, commonly eaten by Ashkenazim on Rosh Hashannah.)
Why did G-d give us lekach? Why do we mention lekach before returning the Torah to the ark?

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


texts: Understanding lack of Hallel on Purim and most of Pessah

texts:
Hallel, six psalms (113-118) that thank and praise God, is recited on Pessah, Shavuot, Sukkot, Hanukkah and Rosh Chodesh.

-But not on Purim, because the miracle did not happen in the Land of Israel, and in the end the Jews were stills the subjects of a foreign ruler.  (Unlike the case of Hanukkah.)

-But only partially on the last six days of Pessah. The Talmud (Megillah 10b*, Sanhedrin 39b**) says that when the Egyptians drowned in the Sea of Reeds, God prevented the angels from singing songs of praise because “His handiwork was drowning in the sea.” The Taz (Orach Chaim 490:3), Chavot Yair (225) and Or HaChaim (on Exodus 13:17) conclude from that that a full Hallel cannot be said on the last 6 days of Pessah.

Why, in both cases?  Isn't not reciting a full Hallel equivalent to telling God: "You could have done better, so we are toning down thanks and praise"?  Is this the proper attitude?


texts:
The Halacha is ( אורח חיים הלכות תשעה באב סימן תק''ס סעיף ג) That since the Destruction of the Temple we may not listen to any Music.
How is it that most people do listen to recordings?


texts: Why are 2 Midianites mentioned in the Torah named "bird"?

texts:
There are two Midianites mentioned in the Torah that are both named "bird":

Tziporah - Moses' wife
Tzipor - Balak's father

This does not seem coincidental to me. Was it common for Midianites at the time to name people "bird" or after some bird species? If so, what was the reason? Is there a message the Torah is telling us about these two people named similarly? (One masc. one fem.)


texts: How to clean up from one meal for another on Shabbos?

texts:
If after clearing the table on Shabbos there are lots of crumbs still left behind, how should one get rid of these properly?

May one use their hands or mini broom to brush them into ones hand, dustbin, or trash?
May one use the crumb collector (small metal object used in restaurants to collect crumbs)?
May one shake the crumbs outside (assuming its in ones fenced backyard and carrying isn't an issue)?

Or is there another preferred method of doing so? Alternatively, must one just leave the crumbs as they are on the table cloth?


texts:
Is there a standard for writing Hebrew words in English letters in the context of religious texts? I see a different way to write the same word or distinction between "כ" and "ק" or "כ" and "ח" and even "ת" and "ט".

To focus on my questions I give examples from real life as it's more common and more accessible then examples in religious texts.

I see "חיה" written as "chaya", "haya", "khaya". Same goes to writing city names such as "פתח תקווה": "Petach Tikva" and I saw "Petach Tikqa" (even in road signs in Israel). And "נצרת" written as "Nazareth", "Natsert", "Natsreth", "Natsrat" and more.

So is there a standard for writing Hebrew words in English letters?


texts: Can a piece of chocolate meltaway cake be reheated in the oven on Shabbat?

texts:
I am quite confused regarding some of the rules of reheating food on Shabbat. Here is my general "meek" understanding:

already cooked liquids may not be reheated
pre-cooked solids that become liquids when heated may not be reheated
pre-cooked solid foods that remain solids may be reheated because of a rule en bishul achar bishul - cooked foods can't be re-cooked.

In a shiur that I heard some time ago, if I heard correctly, the rav stated that baked foods, regardless of what form they are, may not be reheated in an oven (the oven has been on all of Shabbat) because yesh afi'ah achar afi'ah - baked foods can be rebaked. Is this correct? If so, why is baking different than cooking?

If reheating baked foods is permitted, in the case of chocolate meltaway cake, when baking the meltaway, the chocolate will change from a solid to a liquid. My understanding is that this is prohibited. Is that assumption correct in this case?


texts: I have noticed that sometimes people will be wearing their tallit as in the below image, with one of the front tzitziot thrown back. Why is this?


texts: Why didn't Ya'akov try to hide from Esav?

texts:
I know that there are some Midrashim that "blame" Ya'akov for sending messengers to Esav. But, after he sends them, they return and report that Esav is coming after him with 400 men.

We see that he sends Esav gifts to try to appease him, and he prepares to defend himself. And, he prays to G-d for help. One thing that doesn't seem apparent, is that assuming that Ya'akov knew that he was outnumbered, and that he was afraid of his brother, why didn't he run away, try to outmaneuver his brother or hide in a cave for a while until he calculated that Esav would eventually give up searching for him?


texts: can a sibling go to a burial in a non jewish cemetery

texts: A Jewish man married to a non-Jewish woman dies. He is buried in either a non-Jewish cemetery or in a section designated for Jews. Can siblings go to the cemetery for the burial or a visit?


texts:
What does one do if he/she lost one of the 10 pieces of Bread and can't find it?

(Don't worry, just curious)


texts: Why do we find in the Mishna and Talmud that most תנאים and אמוראים were prefaced with the title "rabbi" but some were not?


texts: only a bris that is on time on the eighth day is done on shabbos (ch 19 mesechta shabbos), so a mohel who performs a belated bris on shabbos is mechalel shabbos, does that invalidate the bris being that it was done "illegally"?


texts: Speaking while wearing Tefillin - revisited

texts:
In today's day and age the vast majority of the time we only wear Tefillin when we are Davening. However, in theory, we should wear them all day (ibid).  So what about the requirement not to speak frivolously in them?  What exactly is considered frivolous?  Are Divrei Torah frivolous? Let's assume not; I know a few people who learn all day and don't take off their Tefillin until the first time they take a break from learning.  But what about general greetings?  How is one supposed to conduct business affairs, even assuming one is very spiritually oriented and focused LeShem Shamayim throughout the day, how does one avoid general conversation - or does frivolous mean more degrading types of conversation?  Then, even assuming that that is what it means, what about eating and drinking?  What about wearing them during some kind of celebration - at a Berith Millah most people wear them, but what about a wedding where one is obligated to dance before the bride?

I know I've listed several different scenarios which might have different rulings, but I'm trying to get to the bottom-line answer of what exactly is considered too frivolous for wearing Tefillin?


texts:
The Al Hanisim for Purim mentions Haman's plot to kill every single Jew. However the list of victims ends with a seemingly unnecessary point that not only will they be killed, but their possessions taken for plunder.

  בִּקֵּשׁ לְהַשְׁמִיד לַהֲרוג וּלְאַבֵּד אֶת כָּל הַיְּהוּדִים מִנַּעַר וְעַד זָקֵן טַף וְנָשִׁים בְּיום אֶחָד. בִּשְׁלשָׁה עָשר לְחדֶשׁ שְׁנֵים עָשר. הוּא חדֶשׁ אֲדָר. וּשְׁלָלָם לָבוז:

  when he sought to destroy, murder, and to eliminate all the Jews, from the young to the old, infants and women, in one day, on the thirteenth of the twelfth month of Adar, and plunder their wealth.

Seems disconnected from the immediately preceding statement, the date of the plot, as well as redundant since everyone is dead. Why is this mentioned?


texts: Please explain the "introductory" paragraph for High Holiday Piyutim

texts:
Near the beginning of the reader's repetition of the High Holiday Amidah, there is an introductory paragraph (Nusach Ashkenaz and I assume in Nusach Sefarad, as well) that starts:

  מסוד חכמים ונבונים ומלמד דעת מבינים

My translation:

  From the secrets (consultation?) of the sages and the discerning ones
  and from the teachings of the knowledge of the experts

I am seeking some nuances in the above phrasing. (Feel free to correct the above translation, especially if I am way off, somewhere.) Specifically,

סוד means "secret". Is there any nuance of secrets that may be implied, here? If so, what types of secrets?
Why is the term סוד attached to חכמים ונבונים ? Is there any difference between these 2 classes of people that they are described differently, or are these just synonyms, i.e. are חכמים also נבונים?
Are the מבינים a 3rd group different from the previous two? Why is למד ascribed to them and not the others?


texts:
I see a machloket sidurim and Tanachim about the Na of Hasem Hatlicha Na in the hallel.
Many sidurim was with dagesh on Hoshianna and not on hatslicha na. I searched an explanation.
The explanation found what that the hatslicha is milera, so the na is not dagush and the hoSHia is mileel, that entail a dagesh chazak on the next word nna.
But I discovered the Tehilim Feldheim Simanim and the first astonishment where dissiped, both are Daguesh:
 @msh210 demonstrated that the source is the Aleppo Codex. On the Leningrad Codex I pasted this אָנָּ֣א יְ֭הוָה הוֹשִׁ֘יעָ֥ה נָּ֑א אָֽנָּ֥א יְ֝הוָ֗ה הַצְלִ֘יחָ֥ה נָּֽא׃
Zarka (mishne lemelech) mercha (a mesharet) etnachta (keysar), Zarka mercha siluk.

But both are milera and my old teruts become a Kashia why is there a dagesh after milera?
. Is there someone which can explain this?

I see in this book Yesod Hanikud Shaar Hadagesh paragraph 28 (כח) a potential explanation but not understand wholly.

והמיל השלישי אשר נכלל בדין דחיק הוא לדעתי מה שהזכירו המדקדקים בדין אתי מרחיק כי גם דין זה אינו נוכג אלא בה"א ולא בשאר אותיות אהו"י כמו בשאר דיני דחיק ואולם בעיקר הדין לא כיוונו המדקדקים יפה והכלל כל תיבה שהיא בטעם משרת שבופה קמץ ואחרי הקמץ ה"א נחה, ... והמילה היא מלעיל בעצם בראשונה, רצוני לומר שאין הטעם נסוג אחור, מפני קירוב הטעמים והמילה שאחריה תהיה לה הנגינה באות הראשונה. אז היא דגושה כמו וְשָׁכַח֙ אֵ֣ת אֲשֶׁר-עָשִׂ֣יתָ לּ֔וֹ

This is an explanation for hoshia nna. if hoshia is mil'el but @msh210 demonstrated that it is milera. I can guess that the reason is because hoshia is usualy mile'el and hatslicha also. Am I Right?


texts: How many sin-offerings are due for one who (unintentionally) sleeps with his mother while she's married to his father?

texts:
Sanhedrin 7:4 lists several types of transgressor who are stoned, and then talks about some unintentional sexual transgressions:

הַבָּא עַל הָאֵם, חַיָּב עָלֶיהָ מִשּׁוּם אֵם וּמִשּׁוּם אֵשֶׁת אָב. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, אֵינוֹ חַיָּב אֶלָּא מִשּׁוּם הָאֵם בִּלְבָד. הַבָּא עַל אֵשֶׁת אָב חַיָּב עָלֶיהָ מִשּׁוּם אֵשֶׁת אָב וּמִשּׁוּם אֵשֶׁת אִישׁ, בֵּין בְּחַיֵּי אָבִיו בֵּין לְאַחַר מִיתַת אָבִיו, בֵּין מִן הָאֵרוּסִין בֵּין מִן הַנִּשּׂוּאִין.
He who has sexual relations with his mother incurs a penalty in respect of her both as his mother and as his father's wife. R. Judah says: “He is liable in respect of her as his mother only.” He who has sexual relations with his father's wife incurs a penalty in respect of her both as his father's wife, and as a married woman, both during his father's lifetime and after his death, whether she was widowed from betrothal or from marriage.

From this we learn about two different cases:

For one's mother, two (R' Yehudah says one) -- one for mother and one for father's wife
For one's father's wife, two -- one for father's wife and one for married woman

(The mishna then adds one more: For one's daughter-in-law, also two -- one for daughter-in law and one for married woman.)
I am confused about the first case in the mishna I quoted.  If a man lies with his father's wife, then she is also a married woman.  And we know from the second case in the quoted mishna and from the daughter-in-law that "married woman" is a transgression requiring an independent sin-offering.  Doesn't that mean that a man who lies with his mother while she is married to his father should owe three sin-offerings?  But this case is not discussed here.
I looked for enlightenment in the g'mara, but it mainly discusses the disagreement between R'Yehudah and the others about one versus two.  It doesn't bring up owing three.
Does he owe three in this case and that's "obvious" enough not to merit being called out?  Or is it discussed somewhere else and I missed it?
If he only owes two, why?  (Is there a cap, perhaps?)


texts: Keeping the last part of a learnt text for a siyum

texts:
There is a widespread custom, discussed in a few places on Mi Yodeya (such as here), to keep the last part of a masekhta unread in advance of the siyum. So, for example, if a person has just learnt Pesachim, they might wish to leave the final part of the final sugya unrevised, then learn it in the company of those who are joining them for the seudah. So far as I understand it, this is a custom only, and does not preclude reciting the hadran or the kaddish, and certainly not eating the meal.

My question concerns those who wish to observe this custom, but who are making a siyum in the morning, having just finished either Berakhot, Nazir, Yevamot or Kareitot. All four of those masekhtas conclude with the same brief sugya, which is also included at the conclusion of the davening:

אמר רבי אלעזר אמר רבי חנינא תלמידי חכמים מרבים שלום בעולם שנאמר וכל בניך למודי ה׳ ורב שלום בניך אל תקרי בניך אלא בוניך שלום רב לאוהבי תורתך ואין למו מכשול יהי שלום בחילך שלוה בארמנותיך למען אחי ורעי אדברה נא שלום בך למען בית ה׳ אלהינו אבקשה טוב לך ה׳ עוז לעמו יתן ה׳ יברך את עמו בשלום

Granted, this is only a custom, and granted that there is nothing problematic about omitting this part from one's davening anyway. My question is really about whether one might recite it in their davening and still be observing the minhag of keeping the last part of the masekhta unrevised. Is davening sufficiently distinct from learning as to permit this possibility? Or should one who wishes to observe this minhag be careful not to recite this section in any of their tefillot between completing the masekhta and having the siyum?


texts: Why is Yiftach's sacrifice of his kin looked at so negatively, while Chana's "sacrifice" of kin so positively?

texts: According to the commentaries (who include the Ralbag, Radak, Ibn Ezra and Abarbanel) who say Yiftach didn't literally kill his daughter but rather made more of a spiritual "sacrifice", where she basically lived in a tower, why are her circumstances looked at so negatively, while Shmuel's looked at so positively? I know there's a lot of extenuating circumstances (i.e. Shmuel was there from birth and Yiftach's daughter was later on), and there seems to be a blight on Yiftach because he knew he should be getting counsel from Pinchas regarding this (cited here) etc. but there's such a contrast in views between Chana and Yiftach according these commentaries and I was just wondering if there was something I was potentially missing


texts: Knowing that Finance is an integral part of one's daily life, is the idea of how one should budget mentioned in the Torah Sh'beksav or Torah Sh'baal Peh?


texts: What is the English translation of the Yiddish word באווארן?

texts:
I'm trying to figure out a good way to say the Yiddish word באווארן in English. We used this a lot in Yeshiva, usually in the context of "to באווארן a question".

To explain:

A statement would be structured in such a way that it answers and negates a question before it is asked.

@IsaacMoses described it thusly below: A statement that includes information that undermines a challenge you might otherwise pose to that statement.

An example:

I could say that rice takes 20 minutes to cook. You would then ask, "what about brown rice, it takes 40 minutes?" I would then answer I meant white rice.

Or I could say that white rice takes 20 minutes to cook. By adding the word "white" to the statement, I made it clear that I wasn't referring to brown rice, and thus your question about brown rice was answered and negated before you asked it. By phrasing the statement that way, I באווארנט your question about brown rice.

Google Translate offers "guard", "watch", or "guarding", but none of that sounds right in this context.

The closest I've thought of is "anticipate", as in "The statement was structured in such a way to anticipate your question".

Other possibilities that come to mind are "obviate", "preempt", "negate", "address", "precede", but none of those sound right.

There must be an english word for this.


texts:
In the משנה פאה א:א, in the phrase והבאת שלום, is the word והבאת a הפעיל  gerund?

Regards,

Ben


texts: I have heard from an unauthoritative source that one should not interlace his fingers while praying, because, l'havdil, Christians do. Is there any authoritative source for the claim that it's inappropriate to interlace one's fingers while praying (or in general)? If so, what reason is given? (I know Orach Chayim 91 discusses the ideal hand configuration for praying the amida, and am not asking about that. I'm asking specifically about a disapproval of interlaced fingers, beyond any general disapproval of less-than-ideal hand configurations.)


texts: What partition is needed to wash your hands in a bathroom for bread or davening?

texts:
I heard rumours that after walking into a bathroom, nowadays, you're required to wash you're hands three times (as in, I've seen some Rabbi do this: after just walking into a bathroom to get something, he washed his hands 3 alternating times).

I also heard (and experienced) that if there's a partition between you and the actual bathroom, you can wash your hands there, even for bread and davening. I'm not sure though as to the extent of the partition required. In the bathroom at the shul where I go to, they have the netilas-yadayim cup in a sink that's inside the actual bathroom, with only a partition separating between it and the urinal, and the other toilet is right next to it (but that is fully partitioned off). Would something in that case still be considered a valid partition, even though it only blocks the urinal from one side, but you can still see it in the front, or does the partition have to block it from all directions, or is only a closed door sufficient?

Basically: what is the extent of the partition needed to wash your hands in a bathroom for bread or davening without any halachic concerns whatsoever?


texts:
The Gemara in Bava Basra (40b) discusses the law of the Modaah, and says:

דלא כתיב בה אנן ידעינן ביה באונסא דפלניא לאו מודעא היא מודעא דמאי אי דגיטא ודמתנתא גלויי מילתא בעלמא היא ואי דזביני והאמר רבא לא כתבינן מודעא אזביני לעולם דזביני מודי רבא היכא דאניס וכמעשה דפרדיסא דההוא גברא דמשכין פרדיסא לחבריה לתלת שנין בתר דאכלה תלת שני חזקה אמר אי מזבנת לי מוטב ואי לא כבישנא לשטר משכנתא ואמינא לקוחה היא בידי כה"ג כתבינן מודעא:
that does not have written in it the formulation: We are aware of so-and-so’s duress, i.e., we are aware of the nature of the coercion that forced him to enter this arrangement against his will, is not a valid preemptive declaration. For what type of transaction is the preemptive declaration being stated? If one were to say that it is a preemptive declaration for a bill of divorce or for a gift, the preemptive declaration is merely revealing the matter. Since these actions can’t take place unless he desires it, it is sufficient that he stated that he does not desire them, and he need not specify a particular reason for nullifying them. And if it is for a sale, but doesn’t Rava say: We do not write a preemptive declaration for a sale? The Gemara answers: Actually, it is referring to a preemptive declaration for a sale, as Rava concedes in a case where one was compelled to act due to a threat of monetary loss, as with the incident of the orchard, as there was a certain man who mortgaged his orchard to another for three years. After he worked and profited from it for the three years necessary for establishing the presumption of ownership, he said: If you sell the orchard to me, it is well. And if not, then I will hide the mortgage document and I will say that this land is purchased and that is why it is in my possession, and you will receive no payment for the orchard. In a case like this, we write a preemptive declaration. The declaration states that he does not actually desire to sell his property but was forced to do so.

It looks like the point is to cancel a fishy sale in advance.
But what's the point?
If such sales shouldn't be valid, then make them invalid. And if you can cancel a Modaah, then any robber worth his salt will just force him to write a Bittul Modaah before the contract.


texts: Is a convert obliged to honor his parents? I understand that a convert loses all halakhic relationship to his parents upon being "reborn." Therefore, does the mitzvah of kibud av va'eim still apply?


texts: If a Baal Koreh already read can he Be motzeh Other men?


texts: Working from morning until afternoon on Friday before Shabbath starts

texts:
Disclaimer: To my own surprise the Q&A field didn't wield any sufficient results (or I used bad/inappropriate keywords). If you link me to a page where this question got already answered and dealt with I could close this thread.

It's not always easy to find employment (be it a full time academic working place or just a minimum wage job) in sectors where you are free from Friday evening to Saturday evening, but I reckon it was even harder in the past.
How about working on Friday morning until Friday noon? Think of 8am until 12am as a time frame. Does any past (or contemporary) Rav offer his opinion on that?

Shalom


texts: What is the downside to wearing techeiles?

texts:
There are many Compelling arguments to support Techelet, although it's not yet universally accepted.

A friend of mine bought P'til Tekhelet Murex techeiles, and went to his rabbi (who I know and respect) to ask for advice on how to tie it, and his rabbi told him "Don't."

While I'm pursuing the answer to the question through other means, what possible reasons are there to say not to wear techeiles? Let's say that Murex is not the chilazon, and we have some strings that have been dyed blue for no reason. What problem could there be in attaching those strings to my tzitzis?


texts: Medicines on fast days which need to be taken with food

texts:
I had seen on this Halachipedia page in the name of R' Shlomo Zalman Auerbach that one may drink a minimal amount of water, as needed, in order to swallow pills. However, R' Belsky, as quoted in this article, forbids such a practice. However, all opinions, as also brought down in the latter article, agree that one should avoid it on Tisha B'Av, if possible, and that its 100% forbidden on Yom Kippur. (This is assuming you don't have doctor's orders. Even R' Belsky agrees you should take the pills with water on Yom Kippur if a doctor tells you to do so - same article.)

What about one who needs to take a pill, but such a pill requires him or her to take it on a full stomach? Is one allowed to have something to eat in order to take the pill? Does it make a difference if he's a choleh sheyeish bo sakanah or not? In any of the above scenarios, including where you're just drinking water, is one considered to have "broken his/her fast" after having more than a reviis of liquid or a kekoseves of food, such that there is no longer a prohibition to eat? (I don't have a source for that last claim, but I'm pretty sure I learned somewhere that on any fast day besides Yom Kippur one can only be oveir eating/drinking once. Please correct me if I'm wrong.)


texts:
I would like to know what is the Halachic SOURCE for chabad to daven late for shachrit.
I have asked many people who should know and have been unsatisfied by their answers.
If anyone could help , it would be great.

Thanks


texts: Why is the blessing of Mezonos not mentioned in the Mishnah?

texts: The Mishnayos of the sixth perek of Berachos discuss all the different blessings which one makes on food, with the exception of the blessing 'borei minei mezonos'. Why is this not mentioned?


texts: Applying Precepts of Pirkei Avot 2:5 vs. Pirkei Avot 4:14

texts:
In Pirkei Avot 2:5, Hillel suggest, "In a place where there are no men, strive to be a man."

One idea that I infer is that if you are in a place where there are no leaders, you should attempt to be the leader. So, if you are in a place where there are no Torah leaders or Talmidei Chachamim, and you are able to be one and be the community leader, you should do this.

However, this notion seems to conflict with Rav Nehora's precept in Avot 4:14 that says that one should exile himself to a place of Torah.

My question is both in terms of understanding these two seemingly contradictory precepts as well as its applications today.

If someone currently lives in a place where there is no Torah leadership of any form, and the majority of Jews living there are secular, unobservant and uneducated, and this person feels that he could establish a Torah community and be the leader, should he attempt to do this, in line with Hillel's advice? Or, should he follow Rav Nehora's advice and go to an already established place?

Perhaps, an analogous situation, today, is when Chaba"d decides to send a shaliach who, say, has lived near 770 and they send him to a place that has no Torah leadership to establish a new community.

In summary, In viewing these two precepts, when should one enact one precept vs. the other?


texts: If you plant a seed shortly before the end of shabbat (zoraya) and then un-bury it after shabbat, or you put an uncooked food into an oven and then take it out within seconds without it having baked (ofeh). Have you transgressed a melacha or not?


texts:
The late, renown Shakespearean scholar Frank Kermode said that the work of a critic is to help us makes sense of how we try to make sense of things. (Sounds like a svek sveka.)
Are there any books (I would say "worthy," but trying to avoid the taint of opinion based) focused primarily on the "Guide," rather than included in a more general discussion of HaRambam.
I should say in English, which may severely constrain the possibilities.
Thanks


texts: Talmud Bavli Sanhedrin 98b: an interpretation in a messianic sense of the figure of the "suffering servant" of Isaiah 52-53?

texts:
I’m an Italian  noahide.
I read in various Jewish sources, and also in this forum at

The suffering servant? Yeshayahu- Isaiah - Chapter 53

that the figure of the "suffering servant" described in Isaiah 52-53 is interpreted in the Jewish tradition as referring to the entire people of Israel and not to an individual figure. But I read the following passage in the Talmud Bavli:

  Sanhedrin 98b

  Apropos the Messiah, the Gemara asks: What is his name? The school of
  Rabbi Sheila says: Shiloh is his name, as it is stated: “Until when
  Shiloh shall come” (Genesis 49:10). The school of Rabbi Yannai says:
  Yinnon is his name, as it is stated: “May his name endure forever; may
  his name continue [yinnon] as long as the sun; and may men bless
  themselves by him” (Psalms 72:17). The school of Rabbi Ḥanina says:
  Ḥanina is his name, as it is stated: “For I will show you no favor
  [ḥanina]” (Jeremiah 16:13). And some say that Menaḥem ben Ḥizkiyya is
  his name, as it is stated: “Because the comforter [menaḥem] that
  should relieve my soul is far from me” (Lamentations 1:16). And the
  Rabbis say: The leper of the house of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi is his name,
  as it is stated: “Indeed our illnesses he did bear and our pains he
  endured; yet we did esteem him injured, stricken by God, and
  afflicted” (Isaiah 53:4).

It seems to me that the passage above shows that, in addition to a collective interpretation, there is also in the Jewish tradition an individual interpretation, and specifically messianic, of the "suffering servant".

I also read the Italian edition of “Sefer Vikkuah haRamban”, the famous “Barcelona Dispute”, where this great master says:

  “It is true that our masters, their memory be blessed, in the books of
  the Haggadah they refer to the Messiah the interpretation of this
  passage "(referring to the “suffering servant” in Isaiah 52:13 and
  later;editor's note). But they never said that the Messiah would die at the hands of
  the enemies”.

I therefore wonder: why then is this messianic interpretation often not mentioned? It seems to me that it is  attested in the Jewish tradition


texts:
I ask this question because I notice what seems to be a practical "contradiction".

Inevitably, even after salting meat, there seems to be some blood in it. Yet, I notice some people that eat raw meat (steak tartare, for example. As a child, I sometimes ate raw ground beef.)

However, when baking cake, I have been instructed to crack each egg into a glass to check for blood spots. If an egg has one, I have to dispose it. Why can't I use that egg if I will be baking the cake using a dozen eggs in the batter, and I have checked all the others and verified that there are no spots in the others?


texts: What's the best way to make wick-and-oil work for Chanukah?

texts:
I've tried lots of fancy fluffy cotton wicks that just burn out.  Some people have those little metal holder-thingies to keep the wick in place; some use bobby pins as holder thingies.  If your oil cups are plastic, the metal holder things will melt the oil cups!

I've given up and gone to floating wicks.  Any other suggestions?

Those nice old-fashioned, Genie-esque "lamp" things look great, but how do they work?!


texts:
I see mentions of a short version of Birkat Hamazon ("Birkat Hamazon Hakatzar"). R Yitzchak Abadi wrote one "based on the Rambam and other Rishonim", R Yosef Eliyahu Henkin is mentioned here as having one as well and there might be others.

I knew of an abbreviated Shmonei Esrei but not of an abbreviated Birkat Hamazon and would like to learn more:

Did a common nusach emerge?
What have been views of other poskim regarding these proposals?
Are there communities where it is mainstream to recite these abbreviated birkat hamazon lechathila?

PS. This reminds me of a story I heard, maybe in the name of R Kotler, saying: "I don't understand why people say they don't have time for breakfast: 5 minutes to eat, 15 minutes for birkat hamazon and that's it!"


texts: Customs/Habits around having a second child?

texts: Besides the brit milah ceremony, pidyon haben/habat (redemption of the firstborn) or kidush peter rechem (sanctification of the womb's opening) or seder kidushat chaye hamishpacha, (ceremony of consecration to family life) is there a dedication ceremony for second children or for those following the first one’s? And are there other custums for introducing a child to or welcoming a child into a congregation?


texts: Shmoneh Esrei: Why are there so many brachot for the redemption era?

texts:
I assume redemption, ingathering of the exiles, restoration of justice, restoration of Jerusalem, restoration of King David's dynasty, and restoration of the temple all are referring to what we colloquially refer to as the "coming of Mashaich." That is, I assume all redemption requests will be fulfilled at arrival of a new era, relatively all at once. (When it comes to personal requests, they get fulfilled very differently at very different times since their deliverance may not be related. For example, health can be granted very independently from livelihood (but not necessarily).)

Why are the Mashaich-related requests treated as separate if they are truly deeply interrelated? Wouldn't it be logical to have one request for one event?


texts: A practical guide to Jewish neighborhoods and communities in Israel

texts:
In the interest of fulfilling the Torah imperative to live in the Lnd of Israel, can anyone recommend a guide to Jewish neighborhoods and communities in Israel that includes information on as many as possible among the following categories?

good for families with young children
good for Americans
good for observant (frum), pro-Zionist Jews
good for artists


texts: Did Rav Yosef seriously instruct us to leave people in pits?

texts:
Avodah Zarah 26a-b

In a passage here, Rav Yosef instructs us to leave idolators and 'shepherds of small animals' in pits. Abaye constructs an excuse to fish them out. Abahu stands with leaving them in there, and in some cases instructs us to put them there.

What is the halacha that results from this?
Even granted the notion that sheep-and-goat herders have a propensity for criminal behavior, how do the authorities here make the leap to the apparent death sentence of being left unrescued from a pit?
What are English-language sources to read that comment on this passage and/or put it into context?
Is this a serious discussion of behavior, or an exercise in drawing conclusions from Torah or Mishnah?


texts:
The Mechaber in Orach Chaim 128:13 writes:

"מתחילין הכהנים לומר יברכך: הגה וי"א שגם מלת יברכך יקרא אותם ש"צ תחלה [טור ור"ן פ' הקורא והגהות מיימוני] (וכן נוהגים בכל מדינות אלו) ואח"כ מקרא אותם ש"ץ מלה במלה והם עונים אחריו על כל מלה עד שיסיימו פסוק ראשון ואז עונים הצבור אמן וכן אחר פסוק ב' וכן אחר פסוק ג':
The kohanim begin to say "Yevarechecha." (Ram"a: Some say that even the word "Yevarechecha" is called out by the cantor first, and so is our custom in these countries.) Afterward, the cantor calls out to them word by word, and they respond after him with each word, until they conclude the first verse. And then the congregation answers, "Amen." And so after the second verse; and so after the third verse."

Yet many communities of the Sefaradim and the Edot Hamizrach have the chazan call even the word yevarechecha.
Why and when did this practice change?


texts:
Purim is a Jewish holiday - however, unlike other holidays almost everything is permitted granted it's in the "spirit" of the holiday.

With that being said is physical exercise permitted on Purim?


texts:
This question, coupled with some math I did today leads me to a question.

Yishmael was born (according to the Jewish Timeline Encyclopedia) in the year 2034 from creation, the same year that Avraham married Hagar. He was circumcised at age 13 (2048) and Yitzchak was born 6 months later. He and Hagar were sent away in 2061 (at age 27). The Akeida was when Yitzchak was 37, in the year 2084. At this point (which leads right into Sarah's death) 50 years had passed since Avraham first married Hagar.

Avraham (re)marries Keturah/Hagar (cf) either in 2088 or 2096, ranging from 54 to 62 years since she (assuming Keturah was Hagar) birthed Yishmael. I don't want to assume that Hagar was married to Avraham when she was under a reasonable age (say 12) regardless of opinions that Rivkah was 3. So using the age of 12 as a minimum, Hagar would have to be between 66 and 74 years old when she started giving birth to the next 6 kids. Sarah knew that (at age 90, based on a death at 127 years old in 2084 and Yitzchak's birth about 37 years earlier) she would not conceive naturally because her cycle had stopped already.

Unless one assumes that at that time, women continued their menses until well into their 80's (which would make the miracle of a 90 year old birth less amazing) it seems strange that Hagar would be able to conceive and carry children naturally so late in life. I can't figure out not why the Torah wouldn't ascribe any miraculous nature to the ability of a clearly post menopausal woman to give birth, but why Hagar would deserve to be the recipient of such a miracle.

[Yes, I know I have made a few assumptions about Hagar's initial age and the time of the cessation of the menstrual cycle at that era, but if someone can give me facts and sources which show me the numbers or facts are different I'd appreciate that.]


texts: I find that most people have tendency to say most blessings (on food, going to the bathroom etc.) quietly to themselves. This may preclude others from having a chance to answer amen afterwards. Is the proper course of action to say all blessings aloud so that others can answer amen or should blessings be said in an undertone?


texts: R' Yehoshua and the Athenian Elders: The mule's debt, the rotting salt, and the field of swords

texts:
This is part of a series of questions on the Gemara in Bechoros 8b-9a. Below is a summary of the relevant parts of the Gemara. After being challenged by Caesar, R' Yehoshua went to Athens to defeat the Athenian Elders in a battle of wits.

In the process of their debate, the following three cases are debated:

The Elders asked R' Yehoshua to tell them a falsity. R' Yehoshua said, "A mule gave birth, and on its newborn foal it hung a sign saying it owed 100,000 zuz that was lent to its father."

The Elders protested, "Mules don't give birth!"

R' Yehoshua replied, "You asked for a falsity."

The Elders then posed a falsity to R' Yehoshua. "If salt rots, what do you use to preserve it?"

R' Yehoshua replied, "You use the fetal sac that comes out of a mule."

The Elders asked, "Mules don't give birth!"

R' Yehoshua replied, "Salt never rots, either."

Further down on the amud, the Elders ask R' Yehoshua, "How do you harvest a field of swords?"

"With a donkey's horn, of course," R' Yehoshua answered.

"Donkeys don't have horns," the Elders protested.

"Neither do fields produce swords," R' Yehoshua replied.

What is the significance of these debates? That is, what did the Elders mean by asking for a falsity? If they just meant something false, why didn't R' Yehoshua reply that a rock is wood? Now that they're bringing these odd cases, how are R' Yehoshua's answers to the Elders' questions answers? The Elders seem to concede that they would be valid answers, were they possible, and R' Yehoshua answers that since the question is also up in fantasyland, anything is game. So why did he choose these specific answers?


texts: After Nodov and Avihu died what was done with the Shulchan which became tomei?

texts:
Nodov and Avihu died in the mishkan.
This should have caused the mishkan to have become tomei.
I heard that the Tur explained that the mishkan had a status of “kovua” and therefore did not become tomei.

Nevertheless, the contents of the mishkan would have become tomei.
There are certain contents of the mishkan, most noticeably the Shulchan, which cannot be purified by immersion in a mikvah.  (see the Bartenura on Mishna Chagiga 3 (8)).

What was done about the Shulchan which became tomei??


texts: Animal in excruciating pain on Shabbos: What lenient opinions exist?

texts:
Are there any respected poskim who would permit killing (with a shinui) a bug or other small creature who is clearly suffering terribly on Shabbos?

If not Shabbos, what about Yom Tov?

If not killing, is there anything else you could do?

Please don't judge me for this question. I understand the answer would seem to be "no," but I also have faith in the power of creative poskim to find a part of the Torah on which good and sensitive instincts may stand.


texts: How to sing Karnei Farah and Yerach Ben Yomo

texts: Hi I'm looking for different traditions (and sources!) about how to properly sing these very rare trop found in the Torah exclusively in Bamidbar 35:5 Does anyone have any idea which version is better / closer to the original?


texts:
The gemara in megillah 10b and Sanhedrin 39b make a diyuk from the word 'yasis', as opposed to 'yasos' in devarim 28,63 that Hashem makes our enemies happy when we sin but he himself is not happy.

In yeshaya 62,5, it says that Hashem will ''yasis'' on yerushalayim when mashiach comes. If we use the diyuk from above, this passuk seems to be saying that Hashem himself will not rejoice with yerushalayim. This seems very odd.

Is there a way to interpret this all such that the gemara's diyuk makes sense yet the passuk is not implying Hashem won't be happy about yerushalayim?


texts: Why are 3 cornered cookies called HamanTashen?


texts: In Rambam's Epistle, he mentions three groups that challenged the Jewish people by coming up with a new religion. He mentions Jesus first and Islam (who he refers to as the Madman) last. However, he mentions a middle group without giving a name. Who is this group?


texts:
Online i found another name for the book of Exodus/Shemot, Sifra D'Hafkona.
What does it mean and how to translate this in English and Hebrew?


texts: A summarized account of the Apocryphal work Tobit (Tuvia in Hebrew) is supposed to appear in Bereishit Rabbah. (Source: Wikipedia) I have read that the midrashic account is connected to Jacobs vow (Genesis 28:22). Does anyone know where in Midrash Rabbah this account is located? (I could not find it in parshat vayetzei).


texts: I'd like to read Ramban's commentary on Devarim 4:2. Is there a PDF of it on Hebrew Books?


texts: Is there any mention from our sages of blessed memory of Alexander The Great building a big metal wall in Central Asia to keep Gog and Magog at bay?

texts: Is there anything that our Sages, of blessed memory, say about Alexander the Great building a big metal wall in Central Asia to prevent Gog and Magog from invading the greater part of the world?  The Quran talks about this so I wondered if they based it on anything from our tradition.


texts: Was there a scriptural, halachic, rabbinical, or legal reason for Jewish involvement in the Civil Rights Movement?

texts:
It is largely forgotten today, but when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other Civil Rights leaders put out the call for believers and clergy of all denominations to get involved in the Civil Rights Movement, Jews were drastically overrepresented in the response.

The Jewish people were in the front lines from an early stage, and some, like Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, paid for it with their lives.

I think this was in large part a reflection of the long history of discrimination against Jews, and an act of conscience on the part of each individual.  But I am curious as to whether there was also a scriptural, legal, or halachic motivation.
Do Jewish scriptures, laws, rabbinical authorities, or Halacha encourage Jews to oppose oppression of other races and ethnicities?


texts: What does it mean to take God's name in vain? From the Jewish perspective. I struggle with the worldly interpretation and my own.


texts: Auspicious time for tefillah when the bride is led down the aisle

texts:
I heard many times that when the bride is led down the aisle, it is an auspicious for tefillah.
Does anyone know of a source for this?


texts: Why is the clean animals mentioned only once and the rest of animals(a pair) is mentioned numerous times with the omission of the clean .


texts: מִלֵּא יָדָם “Ordination” for non-priests?

texts:
According to “Ordination In the Old Testament”
by Afolarin Olutunde Ojewole, Ph.D.

"The phrase “fill the hand,” containing the word mālēᵓ is translated as “consecrate” or “ordain.” The phrase ultimately became the idiomatic expression for “installing a priest into office,” or “ordination” . See passages like: Exod 28:41; 29;9, 35; 32:29; Lev 8:33; 16:22; 21:10; Num 3:3; Judges 17:5, 12; 1 Kings 13:33; 1 Chron 29:5; 2 Chron 13:9; 29:31. This could have originated from the wages or support a priest received for his services as evidenced in Judges 17 where Micah made his son a priest by ‘filling his hand’ with silver (17:5) and later hiring a Levite and paying him for his priestly services (17:10-12). It could reflect the practice of filling the priest’s hands with the offerings of the sacrificial animals as the reason for the term. In Lev 8:25-29, Moses placed portions of the sacrificial ram and cake offerings in the hands of Aaron and his sons to offer them as a wave offering to God and later consumed them on the altar as “an ordination offering for a soothing aroma” to the Lord (Beck, 1962, p. 667). Numbers 3:3 reads: “These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he consecrated to minister as priests.” The multiplication of verbs that refer to cultic actions in this short verse is interesting:lemallôt yādô , literally, “fill his hand” meaning “consecrate himself.” This has no cultic connotation but that they commit themselves and their services to God whole-heartedly and sacrificially. In Judges 17:5, a man named Micah made a shrine and installed one of his sons as the priest for it. He waymallēᵓ ᵓet-yad , literally “filled the hand of” meaning “he consecrated.” Later on in Judges 17:12, Micah had found a Levite to install as his personal priest instead; literally: “Micah filled the hand of the Levite” meaning “Micah consecrated the Levite.” Like Numbers 3:3, these two verses have strong cultic connotations pointing to some form of “ordination.” In Numbers 3:3, the phrase millē yādā, as a figure of speech, it literally means: “fill their hand,” thus describing the ceremonial rite of ordination (Kiel & Delitzsch, 1973). This signified two things for the ordination of priests. First, it represented the duty and privilege the priest had in making offerings to the Lord on behalf of others. Second, it represented that the Lord would indeed fill their hand in the sense of providing for the material needs of the priests, representing God’s sufficiency. “‘To fill one’s hand’ (with sacrifices) is ‘to consecrate’ one’s service (1 Chron 29:5; Exod 32:29) or a priest (Judges 17:5)” (Kaiser, p. 506). In Exodus 32:29, after the molten calf experience, Moses told all the children of Israel to milᵓû yedḵem , literally, “fill your hand” meaning “consecrate yourselves.” This has no cultic intention but just that they confess their sins, and re-dedicate themselves to serving God alone.

According to the writer the term מִלֵּא יָדָם could be used with non-priests ,to mean " confess ones sins, and re-dedicate himself to serving God alone"  ...
in one Jewish apocalyptic text (testament of Moses):

"And then His kingdom shall appear throughout all His creation, And then Satan shall be no more, And sorrow shall depart with him. Then "the hands of the angel shall be filled." Who has been appointed chief, And he shall forthwith avenge them of their enemies. For the Heavenly One will arise from His royal throne, And He will go forth from His holy habitation With indignation and wrath on account of His sons."

My question:
Why did the writer use The phrase “fill the hand,” with an angel?
what is his intention behind such strange usage?
why do the hands of an angel shall be filled (as a priest ),for a mission of revenge?
Thanks.


texts:
I apologize for the question. but is it permitted to eat ones boogers?
possibility of blood? is it Baal Teshakzu? totally permitted similar to nail biting?
and would it be forbidden on shabbos?


texts: What is involved in moving items for the purpose of a non-Jew on Yom-Tov?

texts:
A ball comes over the fence from the non-Jewish neighbours on Yom Tov.  Are there any halachic problems involved in returning the ball if there is an eruv in the area?

In the back of my mind I know I may not cook for a non-Jew on Yom Tov.


texts: Why the difference in minhagim about wearing a kittel on Yom Kippur only, or also on Rosh Hashanah

texts:
My families minhag is to wear a kittel just on Yom Kippur (so I do). But in shul I see a number of folk with the minhag to wear it also on Rosh Hashanah.

I know it is related to Yom Hadin, and whatnot for wearing it in the first place, but why the difference in minhagim between the two sets of days?


texts: Why did Moshe insist on killing the Midianite babies?

texts: After the Midianites enticed the Israelites to fornicate and worship their false deity (Baal of Peor), Moshe launched a surprise attack and slaughtered all the adults, but the warriors left the children alive, and this angered Moshe. Why did Moshe get so upset? Is there a general principle that says one must kill the male babies?


texts: Does flavored dental floss need a hechsher?

texts:
You can find flavored dental floss these days usually in the flavor of mint.
Is there anything to worry about or is it no worse than mint mouthwash?

If not, doesn't the gemarah in berachot 6th perek say that it's assur to taste anything without a beracha?


texts: Are there any halachic parameters regarding a building which has an aron kodesh in it and what may or may not be built on top, meaning on the floors above? For example it would seem to me that it would be inappropriate to build a bathroom or bedroom directly above a room which contains an aron kodesh.


texts:
Mouse-deer do chew cud (they has four stomachs), but have not two, but four hoofed toes.

Are they kosher?


texts: I read on Machon Moreshes Ashkenaz's forums Wedding Minhagim that it is the German custom not to wear a kittel or sargenes under the chuppah. I know that it is worn on Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur, as well as by the shliach tzibbur on Hoshanna Rabbah; some also wear it at other times, but those three are the only ones specified by MMA, which does not say what the first occasion for wear is. Does anyone know when it is first worn?


texts: The Shulchan Aruch says that candidates for conversion must do "Kabbalat Mitzvot".  In this article, the author argues that this can be fulfilled by asking the candidate "Do you accept liability for not following the commandments?", as opposed to asking him "Do you to promise to follow the commandments?", given that many candidates will not follow an Orthodox lifestyle.  Are there halachic objections to this perspective?


texts: source that purpose of this is world is as an arena for human free will

texts:
In a lecture on science, Rabbi David Gotlieb states that the purpose of nature is to provide a misleading appearance that the world carries itself, and the purpose of that is to provide an arena for human free will.

Are there any sources which say this explicitly? (preferably from scripture if possible)

Best I can see, is Deuteronomy 30:19 (..choose life), but that just says regarding the blessings and curses. It does not say that the purpose of creation of this world is as an arena for man's free will.


texts: Is there a substantive difference in meaning when the Torah uses the Hebrew verb root דבר rather than אמר?

texts: Is there a substantive difference in meaning when the Torah uses the Hebrew verb root דבר rather than אמר, or do they both pretty much mean "to say" or "to speak"?  Do any sages see the choice of one word over another to have some extra meaning?


texts: Who added on the words לאלתר לחיים טובים ולשלום to the greeting לשנה טובה תכתב ותחתם?

texts:
Orach Chaim 582:9 - The Rama brings in the name of the Tur that on Rosh Hashana one should bless his friend & family לשנה טובה תכתב. Be'er Hataiv says that one should say לשנה טובה תכתב ותחתם.

Now in many Siddurim & Machzorim it says to wish  לשנה טובה תכתב ותחתם לאלתר לחיים טובים ולשלום. What is the source for adding on the words לאלתר לחיים טובים ולשלום?


texts: Rashi in Mishlay (31,31), the source for the song, says that the song is talking about the Torah. Where in the text of the song itself are the proofs for this theory and explanation of how the text indicates it?


texts: Does Rambam include the Oral Torah in his eighth principle?

texts:
When Rambam says that a principle of faith is that the entire Torah that we now have is that which was given to Moshe, does he include both written and oral Torah, or only the written Torah?

If the former, to what extent?  Since he speaks of the Torah that we now have, it cannot mean the Oral Torah in an abstract sense, but, it seems to me, must include some redaction currently in our possession.  Does he mean the entire Talmud?  Only the Mishnah?


texts: Buying products from store that sells avodah zarah?

texts:
What is the Halacha on buying products (not used for Avodah Zarah and not intended) from stores that sell things that can be used for Avodah Zarah?

Assuming that buying such products is forbidden, if something was bought, and there's no way to return it, what should a Jew do with it? Donating or giving it away would further the Avodah Zarah by suggesting its use.


texts: If a tzitzit string accidentally gets dyed (yellow, or purple, or orange etc.) on a regular white beged, is it kosher or pasul?


texts: Can a beis din rule in a case where they're biased?

texts: Can a beis din rule in monetary matters that concern them? For instance can they rule that Simon owes Levi and themselves? Or must it be brought to a unbiased beis din?


texts: Meaning of the verses ana hashem hoshia/hatzlicha na?

texts:
In Hallel (and in Havdala for Sefardim) the following verses are recited:

Ana Hashem hoshea na.
Ana Hashem hatzlicha na.

The simple translation would be:

Please, O Lord, save now!
Please, O Lord, make prosperous now!

Is there a deeper explanation to these verses and what exactly are we asking to be saved from? Is it referring to the final redemption?


texts: Is there anywhere in the world I can still get a hot chocolate without a hechsher?

texts:
~150 years ago in Eastern Europe, the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch wrote that you could usually go buy a coffee, tea, or hot chocolate without having to worry about its kosher ingredients (or bishul akum).  While this is mostly our practice today with regards to unflavored coffee or tea, I assume the hot chocolate available then was purely vegan; and today everyone would demand a hechsher on their hot chocolate given the possibility of animal-based flavorings, marshmallows (=gelatin), and the like.

Is there anywhere in the world (barring the use of a time machine) where you can still get a plain hot chocolate without a hechsher?


texts: If a kohen is in his shiva period, can he take the kohen aliyah if there is no other kohen present?  We had such a situation on Shabbat at mincha.  One ruling said that the kohen should take the aliyah in such a case, but on Monday at the Shiva house, the rabbi who was present (chabad) said he should not.


texts: Why is a female heiress allowed to marry out of the tribe?

texts:
In Bamidbar 27:7, Rashi says that the commandment in Bamidbar 36:7 (That daughters who inherit from their father must marry in that tribe) was only for the Generation that entered the land.

The reason (as given in Bamidbar 36) is so that the land that the women inherit not leave the tribe when their sons inherit from them. Since tribal affiliation is paternal, the sons are part of a different tribe, and the land they inherit now becomes part of their tribe's land.

This seems like a legitimate concern that applies to any generation. If so, why was the decree only for the generation that entered the land?

A couple of notes:

1) The Talmud, Bava Basra 120b and Taanis 30b, says that the reason why it was only forbidden to the generation that entered the land is learned out from Bamidbar 36:6], so perhaps it is a Gezerat HaKatuv. (If that's the reason I'll accept it, but it's not much of a reason)

2) The Maharsha (Chidushei Aggadot BB 121A) (Discussing the holiday of the 15th of Av) asks what is the joy of the tribes being able to intermarry, if this could result in lost land. His answer seems to be that men were always allowed to intermarry, since this would not affect inheritance. Now the women were happy that they received the same rights as men, even if it would result in a loss. -- However, this only explains what the celebration was, not why we no longer care about a loss of family land.


texts: What is the earliest source for striking one's chest while reciting Vidduy?


texts: Is it advised to study alone without a havruta?

texts: Is it advised to study alone without a havruta ? Is it also advised to study at home instead that at a yeshiva if the only available yeshiva is not of our hashkafa ?


texts: Parasha Behalotecha- Numbers 12:1 "Cushit" with a khaf vs with a chaf

texts:
As I was going through Parashat Behalotecha, I noticed that the word "Cushit", referring to Moshe's wife, is spelled two different ways in the same pasuk, once with a chaf and once with a khaf. Does anyone know why this might be? Do any sources attach any special significance to this?
NB I am aware of the term's meaning in modern Hebrew, please don't bring that up unless it's relevant to your answer.

וַתְּדַבֵּ֨ר מִרְיָ֤ם וְאַהֲרֹן֙ בְּמֹשֶׁ֔ה עַל־אֹד֛וֹת הָאִשָּׁ֥ה הַכֻּשִׁ֖ית אֲשֶׁ֣ר לָקָ֑ח כִּֽי־אִשָּׁ֥ה כֻשִׁ֖ית לָקָֽח׃

Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman he had married: “He married a Cushite woman!”


texts: Succession of Leadership in the Rambam's Introduction to the Mishnah

texts:
In the Introduction to the Mishnah, the Rambam lists the leadership through the years from Moshe to Rav Ashi. Is there a source for each link in this chain, showing that successive leaders were associated personally as Rebbe and Talmid, that the latter survived the former, etc.? I tried to create this list but did not get very far before petering out:

YEHOSHU'A SUCCEEDS MOSHE. When Moshe prayed for a successor, G-d chose Yehoshu'a (Num 27:15 to 23). Moshe guided Yehoshu'a (Num 11:28). G-d appointed Yehoshu'a to succeed Moses as leader (Joshua 01:01 to 05).

PHINCHAS SUCCEEDS YEHOSHU'A. Pinchas exercised some leadership during the reign of Yehoshu'a (Joshua 22:13), (Joshua 22:30 to 32). Pinchas survived Yehoshu'a (Bava Basra-15a) and ministered at Beth-El before the Ark (Judges 20:17).

ELI SUCCEEDS PINCHAS

SHMU'EL SUCCEEDS ELI. Eli guided Shmu'el (1 Kings 19:21).

Is there a commentary on the Rambam's book supplying these sources? Or is this just not what the Rambam is saying?


texts: The concept of shechita and the requirements

texts: From where in the Torah does it mention shechita? And where does it mention it must be performed by a Jew? Yes this is a double question.


texts: Can anyone warn a man's wife to give her the status of a sotah?

texts:
In the Mishna, Sotah 4:5 (and Bavli 27a) it explains that in certain situations Beit Din may warn a woman not to be secluded with a man and this warning carries the legal status of kinuy such that if she is secluded with the same man later on she may lose her ketubah. I recall learning, but cannot find, a Sifre which extends this ability to warn to 'neighbors' as well.

I would like to know if there is any halachic discussion as to what the status would be if any person, besides Beit Din and neighbors, warn a married woman about seclusion (in a case where the husband cannot, such as if he is in jail). Are other people also able to trigger kinuy such that she can potentially lose her ketubah, or is it only the Beit Din and 'neighbors'?


texts:
Suppose I enjoy eating plain potato skins. What bracha would I make?

As always, please cite your sources.


texts: Besides Moshe is there any record of any other male wearing a veil or other face covering in tanach?


texts: Saying words of prayer or Torah while an immodest photo or drawing is in your field of vision?

texts:
The halachah is clear (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 75) that one may not recite Shema, or any other words of Torah or prayer, while in the presence of parts of the human body that should be covered.

What about photos or drawings, though? For example, you may be riding on the subway, and you want to put the time to good use by saying Tehillim or studying Daf Yomi or Rambam or whatever - but you're sitting across from a racy ad. Or (inspired by this post at the Seforim Blog), the title pages of some sefarim on the table in front of you feature drawings of nudes or semi-nudes. Are these indeed considered the same as seeing them "in the flesh," or are they halachically insignificant, at least for this purpose?


texts: Sinning and G-d's will, what's wrong with this logic?

texts:
Nothing happens against Hashem's will.
Ergo, when one sins, that's also Hashem's will.
Yet we know that Hashem wants us not to sin, so it's against His will.

Contradiction?


texts: Vav/Waw Hahipuch (Conversive Waw) And the Sheva/Shewa that follows

texts:
A topic came up regarding pronuncation in a class i was recently in. The class is about leading prayers, and a question came up regarding how to pronounce certain words that have a shewa following the conversive waw, and whether or not that shewa should be a shewa na or shewa nach. People fell into two camps regarding this issue, and the Rabbi said that there are grammarians who support each view. Does anyone here know the arguments for both these sides? And which grammarians support which pronunciation?

For example וַיְחִי - some people pronounce it Waychi, and others pronounce it Wa-yechi

EDIT There is no meteg, and no dagesh in the yodh.

  וַיְחִ֤י יַעֲקֹב֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם שְׁבַ֥ע עֶשְׂרֵ֖ה שָׁנָ֑ה וַיְהִ֤י יְמֵֽי־יַעֲקֹב֙ שְׁנֵ֣י חַיָּ֔יו שֶׁ֣בַע שָׁנִ֔ים וְאַרְבָּעִ֥ים וּמְאַ֖ת שָׁנָֽה׃

i think the most common iteration of the conversive waw with a yodh is waw-yedaber

וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר


texts: How may one respond to someone who habitually posts off-topic on a mailing list?

texts:
A long-time member of a mailing list posts many off-topic messages, ranging from a couple a month to several a week, and rarely posts on-topic.  This behavior frustrates some members of the list because of the noise it generates (both those posts and followups).  Direct, private requests to the poster to stop doing this (from several people) have not changed his behavior.  Requests to the owners of the mailing list have gone unanswered.  Fairly often, now, when he posts one of these messages, somebody will respond to the list asking how this is related to the subject of the list.  ("What's the [insert topic here] issue?" is the usual form.)

Aside from issues of what might be effective (that would be a question for a psychology or IT site), how may a (Jewish) member of the mailing list respond?  Are the "what's the [topic] issue" responses appropriate, or does the possible embarrassment they cause preclude them?  Does it matter if the poster is Jewish?  Does it matter if it's a Jewish-topic mailing list -- do we expect a different standard of behavior among Jews than we would on, say, a gardening list?  Would it be inappropriate to automatically send all of this person's messages to the trash, which would mean missing any apology or on-topic message he might post in the future?


texts:
Berachoth (4b) states conclusively that Ma'ariv is compulsory (לאפוקי ממאן דאמר ... רשות; קמ״ל דחובה). But one of the accepted premises when comparing Ma'ariv to other Tefilloth is that Ma'ariv is voluntary (although it's been universally adopted, thus giving it the force of Halachah nowadays - See ב"ח, או"ח רל"ז). Why do we Pasken against a clear conclusion in the Gemara on a matter of Halachah?

This question is part of the Daf Yomi Challenge.


texts:
what is the source that every four amot (~2 meters) walked in Israel is a mitzva? (read this somewhere)

Also, what is the reason for this mitzva if it has any.


texts: Relationship between Amalek and Gog/Magog?

texts:
Both are mentioned as adversaries of the Jewish people, and are mentioned in various sources, but always separately. Amalek is first mentioned in Shemot Ch 17 and several times in Neviim, while Gog and Magog are mentioned in Ezekiel Ch 38.
Is there any sort of relationship between them ? Are they somehow related, or is one descended from the other ? Will the Jewish people have to face both before the Messianic Age ?


texts:
The Gemara says Berachot 10a

  אפי' חרב חדה מונחת על צוארו של אדם אל ימנע עצמו מן הרחמים

Even if a sharp sword is resting on one's thought he shouldn't hold back from (asking for) mercy."

Why does the Gemara have to say "sharp" rather than just a sword? A sword usually makes a connotation of sharpness.


texts:
Kalashnikover_Rebbe at hashkafah.com asks:

  Isn't blocking ads stealing??? The people put them on the sites for a reason....

He elaborates:

  On one hand the argument can be made that [forum XYZ] is PUBLICLY broadcast and distributed and what YOU do with it once it hits your PC is your own business.

  But an argument can be made that the service is provided on the implicit TANAI that you at least VIEW the ads, as well as the more general and abstract concern that if everyone started blocking ads, advertisers would stop paying to place them and it would be bad for everyone because so many sites are kept alive by ad revenue....
  The fact that it's smut though, is irrelevant. No one forces you to come to view and participate in [forum XYZ] to begin with and if that is how the site administration chooses to raise funds, it is THEIR choice, you can take it or leave it...

  The real question is CAN they make such a tanai???

So — is ad-blocker software permissible?  Please cite your sources as best as you can remember.

(Note to readers:  But, in the end, ask your rabbi.)

[Edit:  Another interesting point:  The big ad networks have been used as vectors to spread malicious software on quite a few occasions.]


texts: Is a Muslim allowed to touch a food item for purchase in a kosher bakery?

texts:
Suppose I enter a kosher bakery and want to purchase some food item from the shelves. Can I pick that thing up by my hands for purchase?

My reason is that the laws of Kashrut are very very strict, and I do not want to pollute the kosher items kept in the shelves, but I want to purchase as those things are clean and Halal for muslims to eat or consume, but I also do not want to violate any laws of kosher.


texts: Adducing Gezerah Shavah (גזירה שוה), list of Gezerah Shavah (גזירה שוה) words

texts:
In Genesis 37:15 we read

  Then a man found him, and behold, he was straying in the field, and
  the man asked him, saying, "What are you looking for?"

  טווַיִּמְצָאֵ֣הוּ אִ֔ישׁ וְהִנֵּ֥ה תֹעֶ֖ה בַּשָּׂדֶ֑ה
  וַיִּשְׁאָלֵ֧הוּ הָאִ֛ישׁ לֵאמֹ֖ר מַה־תְּבַקֵּֽשׁ

Rashi states here as interpretation

  Then a man found him: This is [the angel] Gabriel, as it is said: “And
  the man Gabriel” (Dan. 9:21). [From Tanchuma Vayeshev 2]

My siddur states on p.77 in the comments on the Baraita of Rabbi Yishmael, second principle of Torah interpretation, "similarity of words" (גזירה שוה)

  "A Gezerah Shavah (גזירה שוה) cannot be original, it must be passed
  down from master to disciple, originating with Moshe to whom G'd
  taught it at Mount Sinai"

In this particular case man means angel Gabriel. In other cases man (obviously?) does not mean angel Gabriel. So I have a couple of questions about this.

Is the Gen 27:15 specific man/ish interpretation an example of Gezerah Shavah (or maybe aggadah as a comment suggests)? How would one figure that out?
Was each specific case (word+context) of applying Gezerah Shavah passed down by Moshe, or did he give rules when/if to apply the rule based on other contextual clues?
Is there a listing of words that are used for Gezerah Shavah with the specific contexts they are to be used?


texts: How did Pharaoh know that Sarai was Avram's wife?

texts:
When Avimelech took Sarah, Hashem came to him in a dream and told him to return Avraham's wife (Bereishis 20:3).  When Pharaoh took her, no such event is recorded in the Torah.  Pharaoh's household was afflicted with some kind of disease, and then he returned her to her husband (Bereishis 12:17-18).

I realize that Hashem could have told Pharaoh also, and it just isn't relevant for some reason.  But is there any source that explains how Pharaoh knew?

Additionally, why the discrepancy between Avimelech and Pharaoh?


texts: benefits of following Noahaich laws and 613 mitzovets

texts: As I read on mi yodeya, that following the 613 mitzovet is a nessesary for righteous jews, and I also know that this task is very difficult, but the seven mitzovet of Noahich laws are easy, and the I know that the follower of the 613 mitzovet will definitely have a portion in Olam Haba and the person who is gentile and following the seven noahiche laws will also have portion in the Olam haba, then my question is , Why to not follow the seven laws of Noaha, these laws are easy and after that there is no binding to follow any thing, and after all the follower of the 613 mitzovet and the bne noahaich both will have good portion in olam haba, then why we should put ourselves in more pains by following the 613 mitzovets, I am sorry if some thing wrong in my question, I just want to ease my mind.


texts: Looking for a good online book for shemira einayim

texts: anyone know of a good reliable online book for studying the matter of shemiras einayim (guarding the eyes)? (halachas/mussar. something like the chafetz chaim's book on shemira halashon)


texts:
Does anyone know where there is a elaborated set of Halachot for Shabbat in the outdoors.
More precisely I would like to cook chicken on coals for Shabbat morning. My idea is to make a bonfire Friday afternoon, dig a hole before Shabbat and put the coals and the chicken wrapped in foil in the hole.
I want to know what are the Halachot I need to be aware of.


texts:
I am wondering what systems of structured Jewish learnings exist or alternatively how to build one. In a broader way what are existing/recognized Jewish learning curriculums or answers to “what should a Jew know/learn regularly”?

We know some partial answers

“shnei mikra v’echad targum” - weekly review of the parsha of the week with its commentary (Onkelos / Rashi) - I know some try to learn every year another commentary on a revolving basis (e.g., Ramban, Baal Haturim)
daf yomi
Hitat (Chabad’s Humash, Tehilim, Tanya) - discussed here on MY
Chabad’s (and others?) daily learning of Mishne Torah (1 chapter a day / 3 chapters a day)

But am I asking in a broader way. What should a Jew know and regularly learn? The answer is probably a combination of

Humash: weekly review of parasha and commentary (what about midrash?)
Tanakh: yearly review of rest of Tanakh
Oral Law: daf yomi + review all mishna every 1/2/3 years?
Halakha: regular review of Mishna Brura (e.g., Dirshu's Daf Yomi b'Halacha, see also here)
Mussar: e.g., review on a revolving cycle of Mesilat Yesharim, Chovot Halelavot, etc.

What existing systems are you aware of? What are thoughts on this?

PS. I read (in his wife's biography) that R Chaim Kanievski has his own seder limud, completing every year Talmud Bavli, Talmud Yerushalmi, Nach, Rambam, Shulchan Aruch, Mishnah Berurah, Midrash Rabbah, Midrash Tanchumah, Sifra, Sifri and Tosefta. But I am looking for something for us normal humans...


texts:
chazal tell us 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva were wiped out in a plague due to not giving honor to each other. (Yevamot 62b)

אמרו שנים עשר אלף זוגים תלמידים היו לו לרבי עקיבא מגבת עד אנטיפרס וכולן מתו בפרק אחד מפני שלא נהגו כבוד זה לזה

is there any kind of guidance as to what is the minimum amount of honor that one should grant to others according to halacha to fulfill one's obligation in this?


texts: What is the source of the name Isser? On what Yiddish, Hebrew or Jewish term - if any - is it based?


texts:
This website produces religious jewelery, one of whose pieces is described as the Etz Chayim as envisaged by Abraham Abulafia, founder of the prophetic-ecstatic school of Kabbalah. Is shows a very different conceptual arrangement of Sephirot to the commonly used Tree design as developed by Rav Yitzak the Blind.

Is this design (image below) an accurate representation of Abulafia's concept of the Tree?  The Sephirot appear to be ordered into four 'branches' along a series of expanding spheres; Abulafia (basing himself on the cosmology of Rambam's Moreh) did write about the cosmic spheres, however, I've yet to find anything in his writings that describes his particular conception of the Tree in detail.


texts: Who authored the Shem Yosef commentary on Rambam's Mishneh Torah? This work is featured on the online bar-ilan database.


texts: Are we allowed to ask someone if he's a convert?

texts:
I remember learning that we are forbidden to "remind a convert of his past".  The implication, as I remember it, is reminding someone that he used to be an idolater.  (Though not all converts were.)  As a result, I was taught, we can't ask somebody if he is a convert unless there really is a specific need to know (like investigating a marriage prospect for a kohein, who is forbidden to marry a convert).

If this is correct, what is the source?

If this is not correct and we are in fact allowed to ask someone if he is a convert, are there any specific situations where, per halacha, we shouldn't?  I could imagine, for example, that there might be "after the fact" cases where we shouldn't, e.g. doing so could invalidate an existing marriage.


texts: What is the spiritual value of counting the omer?

texts: I understand that it is a mitzvah to count the 49 days of the omer from the second night of Pesach through erev Shavuos.  But what is the spiritual value of counting s'fira?  I.e. what does G-d want me to achieve by doing this mitzvah, if we know?


texts: Did the Egyptians know that Bnei Yisrael had light during Makas Choshech?

texts: Did the Egyptians knows that Bnei Yisrael had light during Makas Choshech, the plague of darkness?


texts: What is the source and reason for saying L’Dovid during Elul and most of Tishrei?

texts:
The minhag I've seen in Ashkenazi synagogues is to say L’Dovid (Tehillim 27) morning and evening, from Rosh Chodesh Elul until Shemini Atzeres. The earliest source I can find for this is the Mishnah Berurah (581:2), which isn’t particularly that early of a source. Further, he doesn’t give a reason for this minhag.

What is the Mishnah Berurah’s source? What is the earliest source that discusses this minhag? What is the reason (reasons?) for it?


texts: Who are "the women who twist yarn by the moon"?

texts:
Sotah 6:1 talks about when a man who hears about his wife violating his warning divorces her rather than invoking the sotah test:

  Someone who warned his wife [against being secluded with a certain man] and then she secluded herself [with him], even if he [her husband] heard from a fluttering bird, he divorces her and gives her the Ketubah [monetary settlement payable to a married woman upon divorce or the death of her husband]. These are the words of Rabbi Eliezer. Rabbi Yehoshua says, only when the women who twist yarn by the moon talk of her.

From context it's pretty clear that Rabbi Yehoshua is talking about the rumor mill -- when people start talking about the incident he has to act, but before then he can divorce her instead.  But what a strange description of the rumor mill!

Who are the "women who twist (spin) yarn by the moon (moonlight)"?  Was spinning at night a special, social thing, unlike spinning by day?  I wouldn't expect women to commonly be out of the home at night, especially if there are young children to tend?  (I'm aware of the monthly exception; I'm not talking about that.)

I believe that at the time, spinning wool into yarn was done with a hand-held device -- we're not talking about spinning wheels, which come much later.  So it's portable, but I would still expect "portable spinning" to happen mostly by day.  Were the "women who spin by the moon" a common occurrence, or was this an activity that would raise eyebrows to begin with?

In addition to the historical/societal curiosity, the two might be different standards of rumor-mills -- when people who already violate social norms start to gossip might be different from when "ordinary" people do so.  "Women who spin by the moon" could be a different standard than "people who talk in the marketplace", for example.


texts: Where can I buy a Chumash with Rashi in English?

texts: Does anyone know where I could get a complete Chumash with Rashi's commentary in English?


texts:
I wonder what Jewish law and thought say about taking weekday-afternoon naps. Are they encouraged? Allowed? Discouraged? Forbidden?

Please cite sources.


texts:
In some prayerbooks the Kedusha doesn't start like "Nekadesh et simha..." but like "Nekdisha vonaaricah..."

What's the reason for the difference? Also I can see that among the blessings there are some differences.


texts: Difference in law between male and female adultery

texts:
If a man has an extramarital affair he may continue to sleep with his wife whereas if a woman has an extramarital affair she may no longer stay married. There are other differences as well which are generally more severe for the woman than the man.

The laws and their sources related to this idea have been discussed here:

In adultery, why is a wife is guilty, and a husband not?

and here:

Questions about Polygamy in Jewish Law and Culture

What I want to know is the underlying rationale for these mitzvos that explains why it's more severe for a woman to have an extramarital affair, why she is not allowed to marry more than one man and all the other distinctions between men and women that make the laws more severe for women?

[I have edited the question so that it is no longer a duplicate. Please reopen and remove this sentence.]


texts: How does a person who has left Judaism return?

texts: What is the process for a person who has left Judaism and converted to a different religion, who now wishes to return to Judaism? I have heard (based on an Avos D'Rav Nosson) that he would need a second circumcision and Mikva. Is this true?


texts:
A generally accepted halachic principle is that the Torah was not given to angels.  As such, halacha is only applied within normal human capabilities.

A classic example is that one is not required to use a magnifying glass to check for bugs in greens.  We don't consider anything beyond the eye?

My question is:  If a person did use a magnifying glass and did see a bug, would that bug be permissible to eat?

Are there any (classic) sources that discuss this question?  (Any application of this idea)


texts: Is it considered Nivul Peh if one writes an inappropriate phrase? (For example, if one is writing a book with fictional dialogue, or a dictionary of slang terms.)


texts: Aveilus and Davening from the Omud on Rosh Hashana / Yom Kippur?

texts: Can a Ba'al tefillah in his year of aveilus daven from the Omud on Rosh Hashana / Yom Kippur?


texts: Why couldn't the Sefira have been corrected?

texts:
I read the discussion to Counting the omer with doubt before the fixed calendar. A comment by user ID "Shmuel" says:

  "Rav Soloveitchik said this is a very nice reason, but he disagreed
  with it. There is no real sefeika d’yoma today because we have a set
  calendar, but before Hillel the Elder established the calendar, there
  were years when people were unsure when Pesach began. Therefore, Rav
  Soloveitchik assumed that when necessary, it is very possible that
  people did count sefirah in this unusual manner."

I recall Ramba"m in Hilchot Kiddush Hahodesh discusses how long it took messengers to reach the farthest areas in Israel to notify people when Rosh Hodesh was. I think he said it took 10 or 12 days.

So, once people got that message, why couldn't they correct the counting after that point and just continue from that number?

For purposes of this answer, assume we followed Rav Soloveichik's analysis, here.


texts:
Who was the Author of the Piyut "asher
hanee" that ends with Shoshanat Yaakov? Why is it said by Ashkenazim after they read the Meggilah at night?


texts: Advice for keeping tzitzit away from the toilet

texts:
When I sit on the toilet (especially public toilets with a long "snout"), I often find myself in an uncomfortable situation trying to keep my tzitzit away from the bowl.

My strategy has always been to wear my beged longer in the front so that the rear tzitzit stay safe and under control, and then pull up the longish front tzitzit along with my shirt.  Although this works all right, I'm wondering if anyone has a better approach.

If it matters, I'm a slender guy and I wear tzitzit tucked in.


texts: Can an unknown Reform Jew be counted for a minyan?

texts:
Orthodox Judaism treats someone as a Jew if their mother is Jewish, or they underwent an Orthodox conversion. Reform Judaism will count someone as Jewish even if their only connection is through their father. Therefore, people who might consider themselves to be Reform Jews might not even be Jewish according to halacha. Of course, others will have the proper maternal connection.

With this in mind, if a Reform Jew is the tenth for a minyan, can he be counted?


texts:
By "tzaddik" I mean a person who does no sins and has no evil inclination.

Is it possible to become a tzaddik? Or you have to be born one?

For example: If someone is not raised Jewish and then became much more religious, can he become a tzaddik? Or even: If he was raised Ultra-Orthodox, can he become a tzaddik?

And if yes, how?


texts: Ma'ayanah Shel Torah on the Festivals and 613 Mitzvot?

texts:
On the title page of Ma'ayanah Shel Torah, it says that the series covers the Parshiot, Haftarot, Festivals, and 613 Commandments. I have the 5 volumes on the Parshiot and Haftarot, but they do not cover the Festivals. There is no section for the 613 Commandments either, but some are covered in the Parsha.

Is there a Ma'ayanah Shel Torah on the Festivals?


texts: How should the second vowel in ציצת be pronounced?

texts:
I presume that there a distinction in the way that different Chirik's are pronounced if they are blended syllables ("Chaser") or not ("Malei").  If so...

How should the word Tzitzis ציצת be pronounced?
If the word is צִיצִת, wouldn't the second chirik be pronounced as a shorter sound, as in the word "מִנְחָה" ?
The word is always spelled צִיצִת throughout Tanach and not צִיצִית .  (Although this former spelling would contradict Chazal's comment of the gematria of 600.)

I've heard from this site here: KOL HAMIKRA
that both Chiriks are "Malei" and should be pronounced as a long Chirik sound.


texts:
At the end of מוסף לשבת in דרכי אבות השלם (p. 375), a quotation is written in the name of רבי יהודה:

  אמר רבי יהודה: אשרי מי שעמלו בתורה ועושה נחת רוח ליוצרו

Can anyone help me find the exact source for this quotation? I've found Berakhot 17a in the name of רב יוחנן with almost the exact same text:

  ר' יוחנן כי הוה מסיים ספרא דאיוב אמר הכי סוף אדם למות וסוף בהמה לשחיטה והכל למיתה הם עומדים אשרי מי שגדל בתורה ועמלו בתורה ועושה נחת רוח ליוצרו

But, I have not found any quotation with that wording in the name of רבי יהודה.


texts: Can a meteg make a difference in meaning?

texts:
I have a book called ספר הקריאה השלם: חלק ג, פיתוחי חותם.  I bought it from my shul and don't have any other chalakim or further information on it.  It's not a kids' book, but it looks like one (pages about the size of Little Midrash but only about 100 of them, big font, colorful picture on the cover).
On page 79, they talk about metagim, which are short vertical lines that act as secondary accents for the word.  (NOT the sof pasuk lines, although those look the same.  Also NOT the lines that siddurim put to indicate the primary accent on words where that is the last syllable.)  See the blue letters here, except for the last blue letter of each pasuk which is a sof pasuk.

וראוי להזהר לקרות המתגים במקומן הראוי להן כי לפעמים משתנה הענין...וכיון שהמתג מורה על כוונת הענין לפעמים, על כן מחוייב להזהר בקראיתו ולהדגישו
And it's appropriate to be careful to read the metagim in their proper place because sometimes it changes the meaning of the word...and since the meteg sometimes tells you what the word means, therefore it is required to be careful when reading it and to emphasize it.

In the middle of the paragraph, where I put the ..., they give examples: זכרה and ויראו.  I am not convinced that those are good examples.  I understand that before some publishers started marking kamatz katan and sheva na the only written difference was the meteg, but the main audible differences are the sheva na vs. nach and kamatz rachav vs. katan/chirik malei vs. chaser.

Is there any place where a meteg alone changes the meaning of a word?
Assuming (1), is their argument correct?  Because metagim sometimes change the meaning, you have to be careful even when they don't?  And conversely, is it less important to be careful about a grammatical rule that never changes the meaning?


texts:
Sometimes the Torah uses the word בגד for clothing, for example Vayikra 11:32, and sometimes it uses מלבוש, for example Iyov 27:16, or לבוש, as in Ester 6:8.  This answer discusses the difference between the two.

The verb is always constructed from the latter (לבוש), even when the noun is the former (בגד), for example Vayikra 16:23 - וּבָא אַהֲרֹן אֶל-אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וּפָשַׁט אֶת-בִּגְדֵי הַבָּד אֲשֶׁר לָבַשׁ בְּבֹאוֹ אֶל-הַקֹּדֶשׁ..

Why is the word for normal wearing constructed from the word for non-normal clothing?  And why does the word בגד not have a verb form which refers to clothing?


texts: Min b'sh'eino mino requires bitul b'shishim rather than bitul b'rov, d'rabbanan or d'oraisa?

texts: The rule that min b'sh'eino mino requires bitul b'shishim rather than bitul b'rov, is this d'rabbanan or d'oraisa?


texts: Who is the last person regarded as a true prophet in Judaism? What was his time frame?


texts: Pirush On Megilas Esther regarding the word "Melech"

texts:
I remember seeing a book which explains how, b'derech Drash, every instance of the word "Melech" in Megilas Esther, as referring to Hashem.

Does anyone know the name of this sefer?