texts: PTIJ: Which fodder should a child be fed?

texts:
The Talmud says (Ketubot 50a):

אמר ליה רב לרב שמואל בר שילת בציר מבר שית לא תקביל בר שית קביל וספי ליה כתורא
Rav say to Rav Shmuel bar Sheilat, who taught children: With regard to a child less than six years old, do not accept him; if he is six years old, accept him and stuff him like an ox.

Must I follow local practices, or is it preferable to follow the majority--whether it be grass-fed or otherwise?

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


texts:
May someone cordon of an area of a public place for his own use and not let others come within that area.

1- May one make a show performance etc. in a public place and only allow people who pay to come?

2- May one make a large gathering for some people in a public place and keep others out?

3- May one stake out a place for a large picnic in a public place, and claim that other people who come within that area are disturbing his rightful use of that area?

May someone rope of a part of a public waterway for boat or swimming races, (or for recreational swimming or boating), and keep others from entering the waters there?


texts: Sweatpants and basketball shorts in the nine days

texts:
During the nine days, people do not wear freshly laundered clothing as a sign of mourning for the destruction of the Temples. This applies to shirts, pants, coats etc (all examples of regular clothing), but not to underclothes1 (Laws of the Three Weeks, Rabbi Simcha Bunim Cohen, page 85).

What are not mentioned in either group (unless I missed it) are clothes meant for exercise, for sweating in, such as basketball shorts or sweatpants. What is the status of clothes such as basketball shorts with regard to the laws of the nine days?

Does it make a difference if the clothes are being worn to exercise ("sweat") in, or if they're worn just for relaxation?

1 Rabbi Cohen does write (there) that some are מחמיר even on underclothes, but for the purposes of this question we'll assume that you don't have to.


texts: Why did R. Zera want to forget the Talmud Bavli?

texts:
I read that R. Zera fasted one hundred days to forget the Babylonian Talmud before he left Babylon to live in the Land of Israel.  Why would he do this when I've understood that the Babylonian Talmud is generally considered "better" than the Jerusalem Talmud?
Indeed, the Talmud Yerushalmi seems to be pretty much ignored by the vast majority of people. When people say Talmud it's assumed they are talking about the Bavli, as if the Yerushalmi didn't even exist. This is simply the impression I get from frum Jewish society.

  ר' זירא כי סליק לארעא דישראל יתיב מאה תעניתא דלשתכח גמרא בבלאה מיניה
  כי היכי דלא נטרדיה

  and before starting he spent a hundred days in fasting, in order to
  forget the dialectic method of instruction of the Babylonian schools,
  that this might not handicap him in the Land of Israel (Bava Metzia 85a).

Just so it's clear, the main question is why would he want to forget what he learned in Babylon?


texts:
"Help! My beard/hair is turning white."

May a man pull out the white hairs from his beard/hair?


texts: If the Torah says that Yaakov was blind, how could he see Yosef's sons?

texts:
Bereishit 48:10 begins:

  וְעֵינֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ כָּבְד֣וּ מִזֹּ֔קֶן לֹ֥א יוּכַ֖ל לִרְא֑וֹת

  Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see.

However, pasuk 8 says:

  וַיַּ֥רְא יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יוֹסֵ֑ף וַיֹּ֖אמֶר מִי־אֵֽלֶּה׃

  And Israel beheld Joseph’s sons, and said: ‘Who are these?’

Verse 11 also says:

  וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אֶל־יוֹסֵ֔ף רְאֹ֥ה פָנֶ֖יךָ לֹ֣א פִלָּ֑לְתִּי וְהִנֵּ֨ה הֶרְאָ֥ה אֹתִ֛י אֱלֹהִ֖ים גַּ֥ם אֶת־זַרְעֶֽךָ׃

  And Israel said unto Joseph: ‘I had not thought to see thy face; and, lo, God hath let me see thy seed also.’

What is this contradiction here? It says twice that Yaakov saw them, but it also says that he could not see. Rashi does not address this.


texts: Did the half tribe of Menashe have the same conditions as the tribe of Re'uven and Gad?

texts:
Prior to giving Gad and Re'uven land on the East side of Jordan River, Moses makes them keep a condition:

Numbers 32:20-22:

  וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם֙ מֹשֶׁ֔ה אִֽם־תַּעֲשׂ֖וּן אֶת־הַדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֑ה
  אִם־תֵּחָֽלְצ֛וּ לִפְנֵ֥י יְהוָ֖ה לַמִּלְחָמָֽה׃ וְעָבַ֨ר לָכֶ֧ם
  כָּל־חָל֛וּץ אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֖ן לִפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה עַ֧ד הוֹרִישׁ֛וֹ
  אֶת־אֹיְבָ֖יו מִפָּנָֽיו׃ וְנִכְבְּשָׁ֨ה הָאָ֜רֶץ לִפְנֵ֤י יְהוָה֙
  וְאַחַ֣ר תָּשֻׁ֔בוּ וִהְיִיתֶ֧ם נְקִיִּ֛ים מֵיְהוָ֖ה וּמִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֑ל
  וְ֠הָיְתָה הָאָ֨רֶץ הַזֹּ֥את לָכֶ֛ם לַאֲחֻזָּ֖ה לִפְנֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃

  And Moses said unto them: ‘If ye will do this thing: if ye will arm
  yourselves to go before the LORD to the war, and every armed man of
  you will pass over the Jordan before the LORD, until He hath driven
  out His enemies from before Him, and the land be subdued before the
  LORD, and ye return afterward; then ye shall be clear before the LORD,
  and before Israel, and this land shall be unto you for a possession
  before the LORD.

Then, we see in verse 33, that when Moses gives the land, he includes part of the tribe of Menashe. But, we don't explicitly see that they were bound by the same oath that Re'uven and Gad was. Did they have to take the same oath or be bound by the same conditions? If not, why not?


texts: Brachah on Tefillin, Mezuzah, and Terumah

texts:
When sitting in the Sukkah, we make a brachah of "leishev baSukkah," reflective of the passuk of "basukkos teishvu shiv'as yamim" (Vayikra 23).

Similarly, when putting up a ma'akeh, we make a brachah of "la'asos ma'akeh," as the passuk says, "v'asisa ma'akeh l'gagecha" (Devarim 22).

Why, then, do we say "l'haniach tefillin" instead of "lehakshir tefillin," like the passuk of "ukeshartam l'os al yadecha" (Devarim 6)?

Likewise, why do we say "likvo'a mezuzah" instead of "l'kasev mezuzah," like the passuk of "u'kesavtam al mezuzos beisecha" (Devarim 6)?

Finally, why do we say "l'hafrish terumah" instead of "l'terom terumah," as in the passuk of "tarimu terumah laHashem" (Bamidbar 18)?

All brachos can be found in the Artscroll Siddur.


texts: Why wasn't Aharon punished for making the Golden Calf

texts:
Why wasn't Aharon punished by death together with idolators (others who have sinned with the Golden Calf) when Moses came from the mountain?

Why was Aaron treated differently?


texts:
Which are the Jewish grand festival, like christian having Christmas and Muslim having IDD.
Now a day busy in writing a article on different culture festival but not getting any specific data about Jewish, Hope I am not wrong to ask here, if so please feel free to correct.

Thanks.


texts: Are we precise in which name of God we use outside of Chumash?

texts:
In the chumash, there is a distinction between the use of Elokim (midat hadin, the characteristic of justice/law) and the four letter name (midat harachamim, the attribute of mercy).

Rashi on 1:1 reads (as per chabad's text)

  God’s creation of the heavens and the earth: But it does not say “of
  the Lord’s creation of” (i.e., it should say “of the Lord God’s
  creation of” as below 2:4 “on the day that the Lord God made earth and
  heaven”) for in the beginning it was His intention to create it with
  the Divine Standard of Justice, but he perceived that the world would
  not endure; so He preceded it with the Divine Standard of Mercy,
  allying it with the Divine Standard of Justice, and that is the reason
  it is written:“on the day the Lord God made earth and heaven.”

  ברא א-להים: ולא אמר ברא ה', שבתחלה עלה במחשבה לבראתו במדת הדין, ראה שאין
  העולם מתקיים, הקדים מדת רחמים ושתפה למדת הדין, היינו דכתיב (להלן ב ד)
  ביום עשות ה' א-להים ארץ ושמים:

and 2:4 confirms:

  the Lord God: יהוה is His name. אֱלֹהִים [means] that He is the Ruler and Judge over the entire world, and so is this defined everywhere according to its simple meaning: the Lord (יהוה ), Who is Ruler and Judge (אֱלֹהִים).

  ה' א-להים: ה' הוא שמו, א-להים שהוא שופט ושליט על כל, וכן פירוש זה בכל
  מקום לפי פשוטו, ה' שהוא א-להים:

As such, when we explicate pesukim, we can look at the name used and see a level of meaning derived from the attribute invoked, such as here, as this is applied to Yeshayau's text.

Is the same distinction applied to the use of the names in davening? Is it possible to understand particular prayers (like the shmoneh esrei) in light of the name used? When prayers are authored, is there an intentional and specific choice of names (both historically and currently)?

[related somewhat Can't use the name of Gd during spontaneous prayer?


texts: Was sacrifice the only means of forgiveness, or prayer is also included?

texts:
Please note I am looking for ideally explicit verses from the Torah to establish these points.

Is/was animal sacrifice the only means of seeking forgiveness?

Can someone provide some verses which indicate that prayer and seeking forgiveness is also a viable means and that G_d will accept it.


texts:
My family, after boiling water and pouring it into the sink to kasher the sink, then reboils that pot and causes it to overflow in effect kashering itself.
Is there any source to be required to do this or did my parents (balei teshuvah) just misunderstand something they were taught?


texts: When and why did the custom to have young children end Musaph Shabbat davening begin?

texts:
In most shuls that I have attended (mainly Nusach Ashkenaz), young children (below Bar Mitzvah age, usually) finish the Shabbat davening at the end of Musaph. I.e., they sing from En K'elokeinu through Adon Olam.

How and why did this custom begin?

I have a concern with their doing this. While this is not a scientific poll, I asked about 20 young kids (ages 6 - about 11) if they actually recite the entire Pitum Haktoret, the passage after En K'elokeinu. All said, no. The words were too hard from them to pronounce, and I guess, being that there is no song to them, I can understand, somewhat, why this is harder than "Aleinu". OK, if, technically, you're a Shaliach Tzibbur, aren't you supposed to say everything? Is it correct to assign a kid who can't do it and just says the ending "for show"?

I can probably say the same thing about An'im Zemirot, though, it seems that since they have to sing it aloud, that may be an incentive for them to pronounce the words better. (When I was a younger boy (not a "Yunger man"), my chazzan would not let me sing Anim Zemirot, exactly because of this concern that the words were too hard to pronounce.)

In short, a combo question - why did he custom become this way, and is it the correct thing to use kids that can't pronounce the words or don't even bother in the first place?


texts: Agricultural events and the Jewish calendar

texts:
There are many dates in the Jewish calendar that are connected to agricultural events. They include:

Shavuot is Chag Ha'Katzir, the Holiday of the Harvest - Shemot 23:16
Sukkot is Chag Ha'Assif, the Holiday of ingathering of crops -  Shemot 23:16
15h of Shvat (1st of Shevat according to Beit Shamai) is the new year for trees - Rosh Hashanah 2a
1st of Elul is the New Year for Animal Tithe - Rosh Hashanah 2a

Is there a list of all the agriculturally significant dates on the Jewish Calendar? A brief explanation of what happened on those days would also be great. For example, was Shavuot the beginning, middle, or end of the Harvesting?


texts:
In Bereishit, Hashem said to Adam

  בזעת אפך תאכל לחם

This would seem to imply that bread is universal to all people.

We also know that bread has a particular definition: it has to be made from one of the five grains.  Bentching after eating bread (כדי שביעה) is a Torah obligation, so this is a Torah level definition (at least according to the accepted halacha, Rabbi Akiva in Berachot 6:8 says you can bentch on any full meal).

But there have been cultures that didn't have bread.  The Aboriginal Australians, before European contact, had something called bush bread, but it was made from plants other than the 5 grains, at least according to their standard identifications.  Although there is a kind of barley native to North America, it seems that most Native Americans (again, pre-European contact) made their bread from other crops, like corn.

For havdala, and possibly for kiddush and other purposes, we can use חמר מדינה instead of wine.  The Rashbam (Pesachim 107a) says another drink can become חמר מדינה if there is no real wine in the city; the Rambam is more lenient and says that if the people primarily drink something else instead of wine it becomes חמר מדינה.

Is there a similar concept of פת מדינה, in a place where there is no bread made from the 5 grains?  Would you be able to bentch on this "bread", or make kiddush on it according to those who say that חמר מדינה works for kiddush?


texts: Why did his brothers plot to kill Joseph?

texts:
I'm having trouble understanding his brothers' plotting to kill Joseph (Genesis 37:18–22). Yes, they hated him, but how could they do such a terrible thing? I know S'forno / Rabbi S.R. Hirsch / Haamek Davar's explanation, that they saw him approaching, thought he was planning to get them cursed and (thus) dead, and acted in self-defense — but I find it very unsatisfying: all they saw was that he was approaching: is that really enough to get off on self-defense, even with a history? I also have heard a midrash that they convened a court on the spot and found him guilty and liable to the death penalty — but find that very unsatisfying, too: can they act as witnesses and judges on a case they're not disinterested in?

So I still lack an understanding of how they could do such a terrible thing, a lack that's unfilled by any of the other commentaries I've seen.

(I'm assuming, as do all the commentaries I've seen, that they were righteous individuals, as was Joseph.)


texts: I was learning in a sefer which discusses a case where they couldn't do hagbah, and the Mechaber suggested to do the hagbah like the Teimanim which is to leave it on table in some way, but I didn't fully grasp how it's done. Is there a picture of their technique or a description how it's done?


texts: Are there any issues with buying a used Siddur?

texts: I have found two Siddurim online that I would like to purchase. However, they are used. I am wondering if there is any issues with this.


texts:
The bracha sim shalom, at the end of the amida, has two plural terms: aleinu v'al kol yisrael.

The other brachot in the amida have only one plural term (e.g. bareich aleinu).

Are the two plural terms in Sim Shalom just redundant with no meaning or import, or what do they mean and what is the import?


texts: She'asa Nissim Lavoseinu | שעשה נסים לאבותינו - what did they say back then?

texts:
What was the second blessing mentioned by the Jews right after the miracle of Purim took place? If the second blessing on reading the Megillah mentions:

  "בימים ההם בזמן הזה"

"... in those days at this time", does this mean that the Jews said:

  "בימים הזה בזמן הזה"

"... in these days at this time", when they were rescued?


texts:
In a recent conversation with several friends regarding ba'alei teshuva marrying Kohanim (specifically college students), one person present said that a Kohen can only marry a virgin. I contested this point based on the first Aliyah of Parshat Emor.  Plus, I remember at least one explanation that said a regular Kohen can marry a widow, but cannot marry a divorcee.  However, that same person says the prohibition for a regular Kohen is derived from the Kohen Gadol.

So, is a regular Kohen allowed to marry a widow or is he - like the Kohen Gadol - required to only marry a virgin?


texts:
Inspired by comments on this question:

How true is Sefer HaYashar?

Note: This is not the Sefer written by Rabbeinu Tam, but rather the "midrash" that goes through in detail the chronology from the creation (or just before) until the entering of the Benei Yisro'eil into Israel/Canaan.


texts: Why don't we use the same utensils for milk and meat if the food is cold

texts: If I have designated utensils for cold foods such as salad, or cold salami and cheese. What is the problem of using the same utensils for both milk and meat, since there is no bliya because both are cold.


texts:
Was the Mishnah compiled in the order we find it today? If so, this would mean "Zeraim" was written first, and finally "Tohorot"?
If the Mishnah wasn't compiled in the order we find it today, then what was the original chronology?


texts: What is wrong with asking the angels for a blessing in Shalom Aleichem?

texts: In the artscroll zemiros book they mention that the Gra and Rav Emden either did not say or modified the shabbat song Shalom Aleichem because there is a stanza which requests that the angels bless us. My question is what is wrong with asking angels to bless us? Yaakov does exactly that when he struggled with the angel of Eisav.


texts:
What do the sources have to say about wearing a new watch in the nine days?

Is it considered like significant new clothes and therefore not
permitted
does this minhag not apply to a time-piece
or does it depend, as I imagine, on the degree of pleasure I get from
wearing it?


texts: What causes a person to remain in this world as a ghost?

texts:
A baraita on Berakhot 18b relates a story where a pious man sleeps in a cemetery and hears two spirits talking.  One of them suggests they wander the world, and the other says she can't because she was buried in a reed mat (rather than a shroud).  So these are spirits of people who once lived.  This happens three years in a row, so it's not that the spirits are (for some reason) held there for the first year after death.

From what I understand of our tradition, it is not normal for spirits of the dead to hang around on earth.  Why is it, then, that some do (according to this baraita, anyway)?  Do spirits remain if there is some sort of unfinished business?  If so, what qualifies?

One might think that the one is kept here because of an improper burial, but the other spirit doesn't seem to have trouble roaming, and so I infer was buried properly.


texts: Why is the wording of the beraita consistently switched between shacharit and musaf?

texts:
There's a certain beraita (ת״ר פיטום הקטורת...) quoted in the gemara on כריתות ו. which is recited both as part of the morning order of korbanot as well as after musaf. There are a few different girsot (versions) of the end of the beraita and all of the siddurim I've looked at (which include quite a few different printers as well as both Nusach Ashkenaz and Nusach Sefard siddurim) consistently use the girsah that ends

  שאין מכניסין מי רגליים במקדש מפני הכבוד

in the korbanot section before shacharit and the girsah that ends:

  שאין מכניסין מי רגליים בעזרה מפני הכבוד

after musaf.

My pocket Artscroll siddur has a footnote mentioning the alternate girsah in each case, but still switches between them for shacharit/musaf. Is there a reason why we'd have different nusachot for korbanot vs. for musaf? Why do all of the siddurim seem to differentiate between them, and why is it always this format (מקדש for shacharit and עזרה for musaf)?


texts:
What is the source in halacha that says heicha kedusha is a valid way for a minyan to cover chazara hshatz?

By heicha kedusha I mean the practice of the chazan (person leading prayer) to start the amidah prayer initially out loud as one would for the repetition and after the responsive section known as kedusha is finished to then complete silently thus covering both the repetition to include kedusha as well as the silent amidah prayer

edit note. I am not asking about the bracha concluding kedusha but about the practice of heicha kedusha. this is not a repeat


texts: Shemona Ve'esrim Ushlosh Meyot - mi yodeya?

texts:
Who knows three hundred twenty-eight?
?שמונה ועשרים ושלוש מאות - מי יודע
The traditional Passover song "Echad - mi yodeya" implies a possible presupposition that there is a Jewish significance to be found for each natural number. Accordingly, there is an ongoing series on Mi Yodeya that is attempting to unearth significant Judaism facts about each number, in sequence.
What significant Judaism facts are there about the number 328? The more significant within Judaism and the more intrinsically dependent on the value 328, the stronger the answer. Please include sources for your information wherever possible, as with all other answers on this site.
Forget about answering with lazy gematria or with statistical lies.


texts:
Are you allowed to try on clothes in a store if there's a ch'shash of shatnez?

If you can't, then what can one do to know if something fits before buying it?


texts: In a leap year, is the extra month Adar I or Adar II?

texts:
I'm implementing support for the Hebrew calendar in Noda Time, my date/time library for .NET. I think I'm mostly there aside from text support (although beta testers would be very welcome!) but one aspect still puzzles me.

The Wikipedia Hebrew Calendar entry states that in a leap year, the extra month is inserted before the "regular" Adar:

  During leap years Adar I (or Adar Aleph — "first Adar") is added before the regular Adar. Adar I is actually considered to be the extra month, and has 30 days. Adar II (or Adar Bet — "second Adar") is the "real" Adar, and has the usual 29 days. For this reason, holidays such as Purim are observed in Adar II, not Adar I.

So according to this, Adar I is the leap month. However, the Microsoft method of Calendar.IsLeapMonth returns true for year 5502, month 7 - which is Adar II (using civil month numbering instead of ecclesiastical). By my reckoning, it should return true for month 6 instead of month 7.

This is also the way Microsoft handles Adar in Windows Store applications. From CalendarIdentifiers.Hebrew:

  During leap years, Adar is replaced by Adar Alef with 30 days and Adar Beit with 29 days. Adar Beit is considered the leap month. The last day of Adar Alef and all the days in Adar Beit are considered leap days.

Currently this doesn't impact my implementation, but I can see that it might in the future - and I'd rather get things right than just follow Microsoft if they've got it wrong. So, who's right in this case? And does it have impact beyond that mentioned in Wikipedia?


texts:
Usually, the color white is associated with purity (as indicated by the kittle). I don't know if the opposite color in the spectrum represents the opposite of purity (yes, I know it's not technically the opposite, but is perceived as such); but if the purpose is to dress in a modest way that does not attract attention, there are certainly better colors than black, which seems to be the most frequently worn color in the female Jewish world (based on my unscientific study of looking around every day). This is especially true at joyous functions like a wedding. Why wear a somber color at such occasions? Furthermore, black is generally seen in the fashion world as a slimming and elegant color, so assumedly it would actually attract more attention than say a nasty brown or gray, thus defeating the purpose of wearing it to be more tznius.

So I ask again, why do women overwhelming favor black clothing?


texts: Is there anything halachically or hashkafically wrong with installing reference computers in a Bet Midrash?

texts:
With the vast amount of information available on the web, I am curious why I have not seen any Batei Midrash equipped with a number of central computers that can access only "kosher" web sites geared for finding an answer quickly.

Often while studying Gemarrah, halacha, or some other topic in the Bet Midrash, it becomes challenging to find a quick answer to something. I may not know which sefer has the answer, and sometimes even if I do, the sefer is unavailable - someone else is using it, or I don't know where to locate it.

I asked one rav in a local Bet Midrash about the concept of "teching" the Bet Midrash. He felt uncomfortable and suggested that it would "ruin the spirit" of the Bet Midrash and detract from learning.

I'm not suggesting eliminating the sefarim. But, I think having access to the sources and getting answers more quickly can actually increase learning. If an answer can be more easily found by using web tools, what's wrong with that?

I understand concerns that someone may be browsing into other "unkosher" or unrelated sites, but there is technology to block such sites and limit access only to authorized sites.

Is there any halachic, philosophical or other reason why few places, if any, make computers available? Perhaps there are some locations, I guess in colleges or universities, that do this, but I haven't seen this in a typical yeshiva Bet Midrash. I don't know if Yeshiva Univ., for example, is doing this.


texts:
Why is Masechet Eduyot in Seder Nezikin?

As a collection of miscellaneous laws, I realize that it would be difficult to fit into the themes of any of the six sedarim, but I’m wondering if there is a rationale given for why Nezikin was chosen.


texts: Rothschild purchased Israel excluding the temple mount

texts:
I was told that Rothschild wanted to purchase the temple mount when he was purchasing land in Israel, but did not because the Rabbis were against it

What were the reasons the Rabbis were against it?
Are there responsa regarding this (which I can read)?

(I only found was https://socioecohistory.wordpress.com/2015/09/30/1829-newspaper-rothschilds-have-purchased-jerusalem/ and

  Rabbi Zvi Hirsh Kalisher, a leading figure in this effort, turned in writing to the greatest Jewish philanthropist of the age - Baron Asher Anshil Rothschild, who commanded the respect of all the world's royalty. R. Kalisher suggested that he offer to purchase the entire land of Israel at a high price from Ibrahim Pasha, King of Egypt, who ruled over the Holy Land at the time. The land itself was barren and desolate. R. Kalisher also suggested an alternative possibility, in the event that the first one should be rejected - to request the minimal purchase of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. The Rabbi explains at great length, how the renewal of the Temple service will lead to the mass immigration of the Jewish people from the lands of their oppression, resulting eventually in the settlement of the entire land of Israel

From http://www.templeinstitute.org/build.htm


texts: I’m pretty sure that on a non fast day, one must wash their mouth before praying, to avoid saying the name of Hashem with a bad breath. So if your not allowed to brush your teeth on a fast day (I believe), then is it permissible to pray with a bad breath on fast days?


texts:
There seems to be an untold rule in the chareidi community that you don't tell people you are dating unless there is an explicit reason to tell them. I get why people might not want everyone knowing but this seems almost like a taboo.

Are there any sources that endorse not being open and public, that your dating?


texts:
Is it asur to speak lashon hara about yourself? The only source have that it is asur is a story about thr Hafes Haim on a train. I'm not sure if that's a sufficient source to assume that it's asur.

I've read the Kisur Hilchot Lashon Hara before and I don't remember it coming up. I've heard that's it's not in the Hilchot Lashon Hara of the Hafes Haim either, but there is that famous story that the Hafes Haim says it is Asur to say Lashon Hara about yourself.

I remember that the Sefer Shaare Teshuva says that you shouldn't tell people your Averot but there are also other types of Lashon Hara. So that's my question.


texts: Why Did Yosef Get Punished For His Hishtadlut While Yaakov Didn't?

texts:
Putting Dinah's box situation aside, Yaakov wasn't punished for taking multiple measures in preparation of his confrontation with Esav.  He should have just prayed, but he also sent gifts, separated his camps, etc..

One answer to this is that we learn from here that hishtadlut is important alongside prayer.  So then, why did Yosef get punished for asking the winemaker to remember him? (According to Rashi)

EDIT:

I don't think a commentator says that Yaakov was successful in his meeting with Esav due to his hishtadlut, but nobody, seemingly, says he was wrong for his hishtadlut, and so it can be figured that his hishtadlut was a good thing.  I think it's the Ramban that says that, from Yaakov's hishtadlut, we learn how to deal with our enemies and not just to rely on righteousness or miracles.

Also, could something be said for Yaakov's formal prayer in the midst of him preparing to meet Esav?  It does not seem that Yosef formally prayed to Hash-m in addition to telling the winemaker not to forget him, unless I am missing something?


texts: I am looking for a suggestion for a good Jewish book (english) for a somewhat observant Bat Mitzva girl. Something which will teach her more about Judaism at her level.


texts:
During krias haTorah, I noticed that while during the counting, most tribes were counted like this (taking Yehuda as an example):

  לבני יהודה תולדתם למשפחתם לבית אבותם במספר שמות מבן עשרים שנה ומעלה כל יצא צבא
  Bamidar 1:26

On the other hand, Shimon gets a different treatment from every other tribe:

  לבני שמעון תולדותם למשפחתם לבית אבתם פקדיו במספר שמות לגלגלתם כל זכר מבן עשרים שנה ומעלה כל יצא צבא
  ibid. 1:22

Can anyone explain why that is?

[sourced answers preferred]


texts:
Many, many times in Tanach, including Chumash, a verb has its infinitive nearby. Examples include B'reshis 2:16 מִכֹּל עֵץ הַגָּן אָכֹל תֹּאכֵל (I think that's the first example in Chumash) and Bamidbar 16:13 כִּי תִשְׂתָּרֵר עָלֵינוּ גַּם הִשְׂתָּרֵר. This is generally translated as providing emphasis; thus, for example, R' Kaplan's chumash translates B'reshis 2:16 as "You may definitely eat", and the JPS chumash translates Bamidbar 16:13 as "but thou must needs make thyself also a prince over us". (FWIW Christian translators, l'havdil, usually translate it similarly.) IIRC when I learned Chumash in grade school, the repetition was translated with an added "surely".

My question is, does anyone have a written (Jewish) source for such interpretation of the repetition (or for any other interpretation of it), especially among the rishonim?

Note that my question is about the p'shat of such p'sukim, not about d'rashos on them.


texts: What Rav do majority of Sefardi Jews follow(ed) on 2010?

texts:
Which rabbi do the majority of sefardim follow? Or, do a majority of them not follow a single rabbi?

As of May 3, 2010


texts:
In "Al Hanisim" we say "Bimei Matisyahu ben Yochanan Kohen Godol", "in the days of Matisyahu the son of Yochanan the Kohen Gadol (=high priest)".

Who was the Kohen Godol: Matisyahu or Yochnan?


texts: Why is it forbidden to blow shofar on shabbat that isn't rosh hashanna?

texts:
The gemara (Rosh Hashanna 29b) rules that blowing a shofar is not forbidden on Rosh Hashanna which falls on Shabbat as a forbidden labor (חכמה ואינה מלאכה). It isn't even rabinically forbidden like musical instruments because it can't be fixed. So why can't I blow a shofar tomorrow to practice?

(NB question asked on a Friday)


texts:
When we pray for someone to be healed, we pray this individually in the Amidah but we also often have a community misheberach list.  I assume that there is a theological reason for the public prayer, and not just to publicize who might need some extra support, especially since you probably have no idea who Plonit bat Sarah is without further context.

Similarly, we often have more than one person praying (individually) for the same person and they know about each other.  Do the extra pray-ers help?

What is the benefit to having more than one person pray for the same recipient, either through the public misheberach or through multiple people's private prayers?  Surely God, who is just and merciful, would respond to a single prayer in a good cause, and, being all-powerful, does not need to manage a queue where popular requests are dealt with first and multiplied prayer "votes people to the top".

Does God care how many of us pray for a particular person?  What is the effect of the multiplied prayer?

This question is prompted by this answer to a question about asking others to pray for someone.


texts: Is there an equivalent of the sotah for men?

texts:
We know a woman accused of adultery has to drink the sotah water to prove her innocence

In a case where she is guilty, what happens to the man she was with? What is the punishment for a man who commits adultery with a married woman?


texts: Korban Tamid: why is "from Sinai" after the lamb and meal offering, but before the wine offering?

texts:
In the Korban Tamid (Bamidbar 28:1-8), it states,

"The one lamb shalt thou offer in the morning, and the other lamb shalt thou offer at dusk; and the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meal-offering, mingled with the fourth part of a hin of beaten oil. It is a continual burnt-offering, which was offered in Mount Sinai... And the drink-offering thereof shall be the fourth part of a hin for the one lamb; in the holy place shalt thou pour out a drink-offering of strong drink..."

What reason is there for the lamb/meal offering being described as at Sinai, but the wine offering is mentioned afterwards?

Every day we read this, but I'm perplexed... this will drive me to drink.


texts: Why is the Evil Inclination Called a “fire”

texts:
In the introduction of Chomat Hadat, the Chofetz Chaim calls Yetzer Harah a "fire".

Why this comparison? What that means? And where is his source for this?


texts: Is there a custom to go round the Sefer Torah with just the arava bundle on Hoshana Rabba?

texts:
There is a shiur “HOSHANA RABBA SHIUR OF RABBI J.B. SOLOVEITCHIK BOSTON, 1969” which discusses the custom of the arava on Hoshana Rabba.

In the shiur, the Rav is recorded as saying:

  On Hoshana Rabba, besides decorating the altar, might they also have
  taken the arava in hand while marching around it seven times?
  Otherwise, how can we consider the arava a remembrance of the Temple?
  What possible commemoration can there be for the decoration of the
  altar? However, if in the Beis HaMikdash we had marched around the
  altar with the arava as well, then by our marching around the Sefer
  Torah on the bima today, we do, indeed, reflect the practice in the
  Temple.

The bold part of the text seems to suggest that we march around the Sefer Torah with the arava. (Does the Rav mean the arava in the lulav bundle?). I have never seen anyone make a hakafa with the arava.

Can someone please explain this passage?


texts: The Torah talks about removing idol worship objects. Are we then just talking about statues? What about books, newspapers, pictures, paintings , maybe your house is designed in a form that goes back to a form of idol worship. How far does this go, what to Include and what to Exclude?


texts: What determines the sorts of cases in which one can deliberately not know the facts?

texts:
Halacha depends on the facts of a situation. Generally, when one cannot know the exact facts, he is expected to assume that they are as usual (rov), or as they were when last checked (chazaka). When one knows the facts, can he deliberately cause himself not to know them? We seem to find contradictory rulings in various branches of halacha.

For example, one cannot take a non-kosher spoon identical to other, kosher spoons, and hide it among them (Shulchan Aruch, Yore Dea 99:6), causing himself not to know the facts.

Moreover, there are times when one must strive to ascertain the facts, which seems to be even stronger than a prohibition on causing himself to not know the facts. For example, even though "shehakol" works on any food b'diavad, one can't eat something, saying "shehakol", if he doesn't know what sort of food it is (e.g., Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 50:2): he must ascertain the facts if he can. Similarly, as DoubleAA notes in a comment, one is required (SA, Orach Chayim 8:9) to inspect tzitzis before donning their garment, so as to be sure they are kosher, again a requirement to ascertain facts.

However, I think one can hide a dairy spoon among pareve spoons, causing himself not to know the facts.

Also, someone not in her shiv'a n'kiyim should wear colored clothes so as to hide any potential spotting (SA YD 190:10), causing herself not to know the facts.

Also, I seem to recall (but cannot find) that bes din, in interviewing witnesses to the new moon, would be deliberately cursory if they knew (by calculation) the correct date, so as not to find out the witnesses were lying, again causing themselves not to know the facts.

So my question is: Are there specific parameters for when we say one can deliberately not know the facts? What is it about the first case I give, and others like it, that distinguishes it from the latter ones, and others like them?


texts: The order of words in the Shemoneh Esrei vs. the order in the prayer of the gabbai

texts:
In the first blessing of the Shemoneh Esrei we say that G-d is עוזר ומושיע ומגן - Helper, Savior and Shield, but before the reading of the Torah on Shabbos morning the gabbai recites a prayer which starts ויעזור ויגן ויושיע.

Why is the order different in these two places?


texts: There is a principle in Shas, "Chachamim decree only in normal cases." Is there the same/similar principle for Torah commands/safeguards?

texts: In Shas, there is the principle "Chachamim decree only in normal cases." (e.g Beitzah 19a about 1/6 down the page, (number 8 in Gemara text)). Does the same apply to Torah commands/safeguards?


texts: How to tactfully make food blessings in front of a gentile?

texts:
Say you're in a business meeting with a gentile. Food is served (kosher of course!). How can you go about reciting the before and after blessings without causing any embarrassment or awkwardness to either party?

I am looking for an answer that will provide some kiddush Hashem and minimize any possible chillul Hashem.


texts:
What halachic principles are involved in starting the iRobot on Shabbos with a timer?

Can it be turned on anytime or just at night?

Is it like security cameras in that it is OK to walk by them if you don't want to change anything ("גרמא"). Or is it different because it's a physical entity that you might interact with on purpose?


texts: Most auspicious number of "dunks" in Mikve according to Kabbalah

texts:
I recently had wonderful experiences bathing in Mikve in Tzfat--most particularly Mikvah HaAri. I was given basic, general guidelines to bathing there, and my nephew and I enjoyed very exhilarating, spiritual experiences, but we were lacking knowledge in how to get the most spiritual benefit out of the bath (as well as the philosophical aspects to this). The question below deals with men bathing, if the answer is different for men and women.

I understand that there are 2 ways my question can be answered:
a.  The traditional rules based on Jewish Law/Halacha
b.  The Kabbalistic answer--in terms of spiritual experience and philosophy

If possible, please answer this question with respect to the Kabbalistic interpretation.

When one goes into the Mikvah and "dunks" under, are there a certain number of times that are more auspicious to submerge oneself during the bath?

If there is a more auspicious number, what is that and why?

Thank you for your wisdom on this matter!


texts: Sacred vs Holy: why the same word in Hebrew?

texts:
English and other languages (e.g., Russian & Greek) distinguish between "holy" ("святой", "άγιος") and "sacred" ("священный", "ιερός").
However, it appears that Lashon Kodesh, of all languages, lacks this subtlety and has קָדוֹשׁ for both (to the degree that some rabbis ignore the distinction and use holy for everything, talking about "holy meat of offerings").
Is there something deeper than an artifact of language history?
PS1. For clarity's sake, "holy" is usually applicable to sentient beings who owe the status to themselves and "sacred" applies to inanimate objects and animals ("holy cow" notwithstanding) whose status is conferred on them by sentients. However, this is not important.
PS2. Hebrew also has a single word לאהוב for "love/like". The lack of nuance might be an artifact of the language being ancient.


texts: It is a common custom of many baalei keriah (public readers of scripture) to do a special Trope for the end of every chapter in a Megillah (listen e.g. here at ~13 minutes).  Given that, historically, it was the Christians who originally divided the chapters in the Bible, is this a custom that must/should be continued based on the principle of minhag yisrael torah hu or would this qualify as a minhag taut (errant custom) that should preferably be abolished?


texts: Can I leave my car by a Jewish secular mechanic if there's a possibility that he'll do work on it on Shabbat?

texts:
If it's Friday or close to Friday, am I allowed to leave my car at a Jewish secular mechanic to do a job at a set rate with the possibility that he'll work on it on Shabbat?

Would it help if I asked him to refrain working on it on Shabbat?

The question May a halachically 'Jewish' Atheist work as a 'Shabbat goy'? is related but different from what I am asking. The first difference is that you are specifically hiring the athiest to work for you on shabbat - here it's simply a possiblity that the mechanic will do the job on Shabbat but not a necessity. Second difference the mechanic is not necessarily an athiest but simply non-religious (tinok shenishba or what have you...).


texts: Is a hashgacha required for freshly squeezed orange juice?

texts: Does freshly squeezed orange juice require a hashgacha? (ex: the freshly squeezed orange juice at Whole Foods)


texts: Prayer in the Ran at the end of Neddarim

texts:
Printed at the end of Ran's pirush on maseches Neddarim, before the hadran, is a prayer for Torah and the Beis HaMikdosh. It reads:

א-לקים משמים יאיר עינינו בתורתו כאור החמה שבעתים.
ויזכנו לראות בבנין ירושלים אמן.

I'll assume this is actually from the Ran unless proven otherwise. But why this particular prayer at the end of this masechta, and why any prayer at all? He doesn't seem to have put any type of prayers at the end of the other masechtos we have his pirush on.


texts: When a Bechor's Bris is delayed beyond the day of the Pidyon HaBen

texts: If a baby who is a Bechor had his Bris delayed beyond the 31st day - should the Pidyon HaBen be pushed off until the Bris is ready to be done? On one side you do not want to delay a Mitzva in its proper time, on the other hand Bris Milah is the foundation of the Jewish people and without this covenant between Hashem and Klal Yisroel there would be no Mitzva of Pidyon Haben. (sources please)


texts: The afflicted, poor and humble a reference to the command to afflict oneself on Yom Kippur

texts:
How do we know that 'v'initem' (Leviticus 16:31) includes fasting in the context of Yom Kippur? How does this usage relate to usage of the word, or related words, in other contexts?

Some food for thought regarding this root:

I found something in the WTT Hebrew Text regarding Tehillim 9:19:
עניּים and ענוים one from the root עניּ and one from the root ענו
In both cases these words are often used in reference to one being 'afflicted, poor, humble, meek'

Found this on the website balashon.com:

  The common word for a poor person is עני, and the etymology is clear: it derives from the root ענה meaning "to humble, oppress, afflict" and is related to such words as anav ענו - "humble", taanit תענית - "fasting" and inui עינוי - "torture"


texts: What was the first systematic book about Jewish tradition?

texts:
If I follow Rabbinic sources from the Torah to Rambam, I spot a progression from essentially unstructured and non-systematic books such as the Tanakh to Midrashic anthologies and Halachic compendia, e.g the Mishna and the Talmud, that, while organized by topics or Parashot, do not present a consistent and coherent view on any subject, and to Rambam's Mishne Torah as an attempt to systematize all the existing Halachic knowledge by Mitzvos, chapters, and books.
On this timeline, what was the first book that attempted a systematic approach to Jewish knowledge and tradition?
(Maybe I'm wrong about the progression, and Rambam was unique in his approach).


texts: Is there a difference between eating breakfast before a weekday Shacharit prayer or a Shabbat Shacharit prayer?

texts:
Based on the verse “Lo tochlu al hadam,” in Vayikra, we learn that one should not eat before praying in the morning.

There is also the concept of Oneg Shabbat. Which basically means that you should be enjoying Shabbat and not be experiencing voluntary pain.

With that being the case, is there a difference between eating breakfast before a weekday Shachrit or a Shachrit of Shabbat? The Shabbat Schachrit in most places ends around 11 am and a person might get quite hungry by this time.

I am aware of custom to eat a snack followed by kiddush between Shachrit and Mussaf, but my question deals with specifically eating prior to Shachrit.


texts:
A classmate showed me a pendant that she recently acquired.  It was described to her as representing some sort of blessing for marriage.  None of the people who looked at it could figure out what the text might mean; speculation included unknown abbreviations or that this might have (abbreviations of) specific people's names.  (Though it appears to be cast or molded, not engraved.)

Here are photos of the front and back.  What (if anything) does it say/mean?


texts: Where could an extreme ultra-orthodox baal t'shuva etc. realistically find a shidduch?

texts:
When it comes to shidduchim, the extreme ultra-orthodox (both chassidim and non-chassidim) often seem to discriminate against equally (or even more) religious (children of) baalei t'shuva, gerim, persons of color, b'nei niddah, and others of "lesser yichus".

Lev Tahor is an example of an extreme ultra-orthodox chassidic community that makes shidduchim regardless of yichus, etc. However that community is both controversial and remote.

Where could an extreme ultra-orthodox baal t'shuva realistically find a shidduch?

Note: This question is asked out of curiosity, as I am happily married, B"H.


texts: Use of the tetragrammaton in other names

texts:
One of the most striking things to me about Jewish practice is the reverence shown for the Tetragrammaton and, I suppose by extension, all other ways of referring to the Creator. It occurred to me recently (following the death of Leonard Cohen), that the Name is incorporated into various other words, as in “Hallelujah”. (That transliterated word is what appears in the NJPS translation of Psalm 150.) Then of course there are biblical names that incorporate the Tetragrammaton either in part or in whole (Elijah, Isaiah, Jehoshaphat, etc.).

The question is, do these Tetragrammaton-incorporating names receive any special treatment in Jewish tradition? Has there been any reflection on the significance of the Tetragrammaton appearing in these names?

(“Has there been any reflection?”—from previous experience in this site, I know that this must all have been worked out thousands of years ago; I just don't know where to look for the answer.)


texts: Why is it we read Shir Hashirim on Shabbbos Chol Hamoed Pesach?


texts: What are the teachings regarding prophets nowadays?

texts:
Since the Talmud mentions that once, there were hundreds of thousands of prophets: twice as many as the number of people who left Egypt (Megillah 14a), but that many had messages only for their generation, and so they aren't all mentioned, what is said about prophecy nowadays? I know that some Chassidic masters managed to get to certain levels of understanding which permitted them to do similar things.
My question is: What are the teachings in regards of prophecy nowadays? What makes it different from then? Why aren't there as many prophets(not necessarily prophets per-se, people like Daniel also count) anymore, or are there still, but don't speak?
Thank you very much in advance.


texts: Reading Shna'yim mikrah vi'echad targum aloud

texts: Does one have to actually articulate the words (dibur) of the chumash and targum (or Rashi) in order to be yoitzei the chiyuv of "shna'yim mikrah vi'echad targum" or is it enough to scan the words with your eyes (hirhur)?


texts: How can we get people to stop talking (much, loudly) during minyan?

texts:
I know that lots of minyanim have the talking problem; has anybody solved it?

I daven with a weekday shacharit minyan that has a noise problem.  A couple of people are the main sources of the problem (instigators). The problem, to be clear, is talking about inappropriate things during services loudly enough to disrupt others, including the sh'liach tzibbur.  Both the regular congregants and the sha"tz, have tried talking privately and delicately with them and encountered denial and some hostility.  There is no rabbi; everyone there is a layperson.  I'd rather not leave this community.

Some have suggested that the sha"tz stop services when this happens and just wait, or even address these people directly at that point and ask them to stop.  I'm concerned that this might cross the line into inappropriately embarrassing them, particularly if there are visitors to the minyan (as there sometimes are) who do not know the history.  What are the halachic parameters of such an approach:  is anything in that vein possible (and advised)?  Are there other ways to address this problem, other than the sha"tz just raising the volume to overpower the talkers?


texts: Passover Lamb: Why is the bone not broken?

texts:
The Torah in Exodus 12:46 teaches us the prohibition of breaking a bone from the Passover lamb:

בְּבַ֤יִת אֶחָד֙ יֵאָכֵ֔ל לֹא־תוֹצִ֧יא מִן־הַבַּ֛יִת מִן־הַבָּשָׂ֖ר ח֑וּצָה וְעֶ֖צֶם לֹ֥א תִשְׁבְּרוּ־בֽוֹ׃
It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the flesh outside the house, and you shall not break any of its bones.

Why do we not break the bones of the Passover lamb?
Is it because it was a pagan practice or because of something else?


texts: Can we offer Mishloah manot the night of Purim

texts: Can we offer mishloah manot the night of Purim after the reading of the Megilla? Is it allowed?


texts: When was matzah eaten besides for Pesach? (Chametz u'matza)

texts:
The first of four questions specifically says, "On all other nights we eat chametz or matza, why on this night only matza?"

While I understand that it's halakhically acceptable to eat matzah when it isn't Pesach, was there a time when people regularly ate matzah outside of Passover?


texts: Why do we need to count omer for fifty days exactly?

texts:
We count the omer from the second day of Pesach until or before Shavuot totalling 50 days.

Why do we need to count up to 50 days and why is the 50th day connected to Shavuot? In other ways why does Hashem want to give the Torah exactly on the 50th day and not another number?


texts: Where are all the places in the torah with extra dots over the words?

texts:
This morning during the reading from Nitzavim I saw the extra dots over a couple words in D'varim 29:28 and tried to remember what that meant.  I found Rashi's commentary on [t deut 29:28 lr], which says in part:

  There is a dot placed over [each letter of] the words לָנוּ וּלְבָנֵינוּ here, to teach us homiletically that even for open sins [which were not brought to judgment, God] did not punish the whole community-until Israel crossed the Jordan. For then, they accepted upon themselves the oath at Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, and thereby [formally] became responsible for one another (Sanh. 43b). [When dots are placed over letters of the Torah, this denotes an exclusion of some sort. In our context, our Rabbis teach us that the exclusion refers to the period prior to the crossing of the Jordan.]

My question is about that (unsourced) editorial note at the end saying that dots over letters denote an exclusion of some sort.  I wanted to look at the other places where these dots appear to see what's being excluded in those cases.  I looked up Sanhedrin 43b, which talks about this passage but doesn't generalize.

Where are all the places that the torah uses these dots?


texts:
Hosea 6:7 says:

  וְהֵמָּה, כְּאָדָם עָבְרוּ בְרִית; שָׁם, בָּגְדוּ בִי.

Which could be (and is) translated either as "They, like Adam, have transgressed the covenant," or "They, like men, have transgressed the covenant."

If the first reading is correct, what is the brit referring to? I don't remember any covenant made with Adam (the first is with Noah, to my knowledge). Are there any commentators who understand the verse this way and offer insight?


texts:
What is the role of the Kohanim in the ascent of Sinai? They are listed second in Exodus (19:22) as being prohibited from ascending, but are listed first in v. 24.

Why single them out?
why switch the order?


texts: Difficulty understanding Gemara's logic about number of necessary sukkah walls

texts:
Some background information
At Sukkah 6b, the gemara presents a dispute between R' Shimon and the Rabanan about how many walls are necessary for a sukkah to have.  The Rabanan hold that a sukkah needs two full walls (at least 7 tefachim long) plus one wall of at least a tefach.  R' Shimon holds that a sukkah needs three full walls plus one wall of at least a tefach. The gemara attempts to explain the nature of their dispute.
The first possible explanation is that they dispute whether the כתיב (how a word is written in the Torah) or the קרי (how the word is pronounced when reading from the Torah) is considered more important.  They consider three times the word sukkot is written in the Torah. Twice it is chaser (the vav that makes the word plural is not included in the כתיב), and once it is malei (the vav is written).
Since the Rabanan hold that the כתיב is more important than the קרי, they count the instances of sukkot that are chaser (spelled סכת) as 1 and they count the instance that is malei (spelled סכות) as 2. So all-together they get 4 (סכת + סכת + סכות) and they subtract one because they hold that you do not make a derasha on the first instance of a word.  They are left with three, and they make the derasha that that means 3 walls for the sukkah and they say that there is a halacha l'Moshe miSinai that one of the walls only needs to be one tefach long.
R' Shimon, on the other hand, holds that the קרי is more important, so he counts each instance of the word sukkot as 2 for a total of 6 (סכות + סכות + סכות). He subtracts one instance of the word sukkot because he doesn't make a derasha on that instance and so he's left with a total of 4 (סכות + סכות), meaning 4 walls. And he holds (like the Rabanan) that there is a halacha l'Moshe miSinai that one of the walls only needs to be one tefach.

My Question
After all of that background information, here is my question.  After the above discussion, the gemara gives a series of alternative explanations about the nature of the dispute between R' Shimon and the Rabanan.  The first alternative explanation leaves me baffled, though.
It says that alternatively, we can even say that both the Rabanan and R' Shimon hold that the קרי is more important.  So they both count a total of 6.  Subtract one instance of סכות because we don't make a derasha on the first instance of the word, and we're left with 4. Here's the part I don't understand:

מר סבר סככה בעיא קרא ומר סבר סככה לא בעיא קרא

Based on Rashi, I understand that to mean that the Rabanan hold that we would not have been able to know that a sukkah needs skhakh without one of these instances, while R' Shimon holds that we don't need to use one of the instances to show that a sukkah needs skhakh since it wouldn't be called a sukkah if it didn't need skhakh.
So for R' Shimon, the case is the same as above; he has a total of 4 walls, and there is a halacha l'Moshe miSinai that one of them only needs to be 1 tefach. But I don't understand how the Rabanan come out to 3 walls based on this understanding. It seems to me that the Rabanan require two of the uses of sukkot for other things, and they are only left with one.  That should be two walls, not three.
So what about the Rabanan's position according to this second explanation of the dispute am I misunderstanding?


texts: Nefesh, neshama and ruach as words for "soul"

texts: All three words can mean something like "soul", e.g., neshama in גלגול נשמות, and ruach in  וַתְּחִי רוּחַ יַעֲקֹב אֲבִיהֶם (Bereshit 45:27). So, what is the difference?


texts: I am soon to visit a chasidic rebbe for a one-on-one meeting, for almost the first time in my life. I understand it is both appropriate and customary to (if feasible) leave "pidyon" — that is, money or a check made payable to the rebbe's congregation or organization. Do I give the check to the rebbe? give it to his gabay (secretary/gatekeeper)? leave it on the rebbe's desk? or what? Do I do so before (or at the start of) my meeting? after (or at the end)? or when? Any further details will be appreciated also.


texts: Rabbinic Opinions on Smoking, before the 1950's

texts:
Prior to the studies which convincingly connected consistent cigarette smoking with a variety of illnesses, including cancer, the frequent use of cigarettes was all too common, including amongst Orthodox Jews

Are there any extant reports of rabbinic opinions about the value (or demerit) of smoking, before the health concerns became common knowledge? Meaning, did any Rabbi's or teachers speak or write about a particular benefit (spiritual, physical, or otherwise) which comes from smoking, or a particular detrimental effect? Or was it just an indulgence people enjoyed without thinking too much about it?

I believe this is relevant because it could shed light on the way Jews attempt to find meaning and religious significance within mundane activities. It also has the potential for a case study of the change of halachic status in the face of contemporary medical opinion (such as, if some rabbi had asserted that smoking had some spiritual benefit, and should be done).


texts:
I was wondering if yichud is an issue in a situation like one that might arise on a college campus in an all girls dorm (apartment style- the building is mixed but each apartment is separate) if one night a guy sleeps over.

Dorm apartments are public enough that if the front door isnt locked chances are people will walk in freely during the day but in the end of the day they are real apartments not dorm rooms off a hallway.

My question is if in this situation there is a yichud issue? And if there is one if the fact that the girls out number the guy (6-1) helps and if not locking the front door would be enough to avoid a yichud issue or alternatively if locking yourself in your own rooms helps?

I'm looking for a general answer on the matter - the basic rules for yichud and ways of dealing with it and I'm sure many of you have thought about it in the context of a dorm situation at some point. Thankfully this is not an actual issue for me right now but its good information to have.


texts:
When we speak, it is very normal to make an error and say something like “I saw John and Bob, I mean Bob in the store yesterday.”

How does one make a correction when he accidentally adds a word to the Torah reading - for example: ויאמר ה אל משה ואהרון I mean משה לאמר. Must he repeat the entire passuk? Please cite sources.


texts:
The Yerushalmi Yoma 2b writes:א"ר תנחום בר יודן ותני לה כל שבעת ימי המילואים היה משה משמש בכהונה גדולה ולא שרתה שכינה על ידיו וכיון שלבש אהרן בגדי כהונה גדולה ושימש שרתה שכינה על ידיו מה טעמא (ויקרא ט) כי היום ה' נראה אליכם

that since Moshe didn't wear the Bigdei kehunah but rather wore a white cloak the Shechina did not rest there (that's how I understood the gemarah). However,since Aron wore the Bigdei Kehuna the Shechina rested there. Didn't Moshe bask in the presence of the Shechina on a daily basis when he went up to Har Sinai.  What changed now that he needed the begdei Kehuna?


texts: What does *ruach raa* in the mishna brura refer to?

texts:
I've started learning Mishna Brura and I've come across ruach raa in the sefer's discussion of hilchot netilat yadayim.

Is ruach raa simply another word for tuma, does it refer to smell, or some other concept entirely?


texts: Blind man not exempt from eruv tavshilin

texts:
The gemara in Beitza 16b brings an episode about a blind man who recited tannaic texts in front of Shmuel. One yom tov Shmuel saw the blind man was depressed and asked him why is he down? The blind man responded that he forgot to make an eruv tavshilin and now cant cook for shabbas.  Shmuel said you can rely on my eruv tavshilin like my fathers psak on this matter. The next year the same thing happened and the blind man forgot and Shmuel said that now you are negligent and you cannot rely on my eruv tavshilin.

My question is  aren't the blind exempt from mitzvos (Rabbi Yehuda Bava Kamma 87a), and since the whole  reason for eruv tavshilin according to Shmuel (daf 15) is not to forget food shabbas (one may eat all the food before shabbas) then why didn't Shmuel allow a blind man to rely on it if this mitzvah (safeguard of a positive mitzvah) doesn't apply?


texts:
Breishit 6:16 says that there were three levels in Noach's ark. Rash"I explains that the top level was for Noach and his family; the middle for the animals, and the bottom for waste.

That implies that all the animals were together in the same level. Some animals are predators of other animals. Did Noach attempt to separate the species so that they wouldn't harm each other? If so, how would he have known about animal behavior for every species? Or was it just miraculous that animals didn't eat or harm each other?


texts: Why did Aaron's two elder sons die? I've heard that there are many reasons offered, and would appreciate knowing as many as possible.


texts:
This past Shabbos someone said over to me a particular sugia they were learning in Taharos and a maklokes Rishonim (an argument between Rishonim, medieval rabbis) in a particular analysis. One Rishon was basing himself partially on a Tosefta and his understanding of it. Among the the Rishonim on the other side of the maklokes were those who brought a proof from Toras Cohanim (Sifra). While we could obviously discuss and try and understand other points of this maklokes we began thinking if there is any "klal" (general statement) in regards to what's stronger (in terms of halacha -- not neccessarily practical halacha but more in the context of such a maklokes) a Tosefta or a "braisa" (I suppose that is the best thing to call it) from Toras Cohanim. Similar questions have been asked in the past in regards to what's stronger Bavli or Yerushalmi or a Tosefta or Yerushalmi.

Is there any klal in this?

(Note: It could be since Tosefta is also just a "collection" of braisos and Toras Cohanim is also braisos it may be no different. However the fact that some were include in Toras Cohanim and others included in Tosefta might show the difference.


texts: Looking to better understand if, per the sources, Moses was at fault for sending spies, especially as it relates to sending them on a seemingly military mission.


texts: Do concepts of nat bar nat and batel beshishim apply to ovens?

texts:
In a prior post I asked about batel beshishim and nat bar nat (noten ta'am bar noten ta'am) as it applies to pots and utensils.  Do these concepts apply to ovens?  If yes why?  If not, why?

If these concepts do apply, I can see it going both ways.  One the one hand, there would seem to be even less "particles" from the surrounding oven making their way into the food, as the food is not touching the oven directly, unlike with pots and pans.  On the other hand, there is steam.  I am aware as well of differences between vented and non-vented ovens.  But I suspect there are a completely different set of issues regarding ovens and the above analysis might not at all be relevant.

Would greatly appreciate if someone could tie this all together for me.


texts:
One opinion brought in the Beis Yosef (whom we do not hold of) is if the fast of 10 Teves came out on shabbat we would have to fast, but it cannot happen due to the setup of our calendar.

How can there be a fast day on shabbas if it has to do with mourning and tzar? There is no public mourning on shabbas. What is different about the 10th of Teves that one can show tzar on shabbas according to that opinion?


texts: What year was the second temple destroyed?

texts:
What year, in the equivalent Gregorian, and Hebrew, was the second temple destroyed?
Edit: I did some googling before posting and it seems that there's a discrepancy between chazal and the secular historians.


texts:
Is a non Jew allowed to wear the tablets of the 10 commandments as a necklace?

I am sking this question because I heard that a non Jew is not allowed to wear a mezuza as a necklace even if it is not a real mezuza.


texts: (Why) is the construction of the 3rd Temple necessary to restore peace in the world?

texts: Is it essential to build the 3rd Temple to restore peace in the world? If so, why? And why can only the Messiah do this? And how should this goal be achieved in a way that keeps everyone happy?


texts:
The last ole (person called to the Torah) (besides the maftir) of Vaychi, P'kude, B'chukosay, and Mas'e is, in my experience, called using the formula "yaamod p'loni ben p'loni sh'vii chazak", with chazak added at the end.

In some instances, a bridegroom called to the Torah on the Shabas before his wedding, or a boy his first Shabas of bar mitzva-hood, is also called as "yaamod p'loni ben p'loni maftir [or r'vii or whatever] chazak", with chazak added at the end.

What is the provenance of these customs?
What is their reason/basis?

And anything that can be said about their incidence/currency (who has these customs?) would also be appreciated.


texts: May adult Ashkenazim kiss their children in shul?

texts:
in shulchan aruch orach chayim 98:1 the Rama writes
 וְאָסוּר לְאָדָם לְנַשֵּׁק בָּנָיו הַקְּטַנִּים בְּבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת, כְּדֵי לִקְבֹּעַ בְּלִבּוֹ שֶׁאֵין אַהֲבָה כְּאַהֲבַת הַמָּקוֹם בָּרוּךְ הוּא (בִּנְיָמִין זְאֵב סי' קס''ג וַאֲגֻדָּה פ' כֵּיצַד מְבָרְכִין).
i am wondering if any contemporary authorities deal with this issue. in my experience this psak is not practiced in many communities.


texts: Why are Avraham (and Sarah), Yehoshua and David set apart?

texts:
Avraham's advanced age is referred to as "zaken ba bayamim" in Ber. 24:1. His age (along with Sarah) is similarly labeled in Ber. 18:11.

Yehoshua is called the same way in Yeh. 13:1 and 23:1, while David Hamelech is called "zaken ba bayamim" in Melachim I, 1:1.

Why are these the only people called "ba bayamim" in reference to their age? What does this phrase add to "zaken" which ties these people together and excludes all others for whom the phrase is not used?


texts: Are there examples of Sasanian censorship in the Bavli?

texts: The talmud Bavli was compiled and edited in Iraq while Jews were under the rulership of the Sasanian empire. There are (unfortunately) ample examples of the Bavli being censored by Christians I would like to know if there are any known examples of censorship in the Bavli by either the Sasanian rulership or the Zoroastrian priests who held sway at that time.


texts: Does Jewish law have a separate status for someone whose father is a Jew rather than simply grouping them with non-Jews?

texts:
Traditional standards on Judaism are clear about the topic. One is only legally Jewish if they have a matrilineal connection to the community.

That being said, I've heard a few people throw around the term Zera Yisrael when discussing the topic. While a Jew is B'nai Yisrael, a Zera would be considered a seed of the nation while not being a legal member of the Jewish nation.

I was curious if such a term is just a modern concept we've developed or if there is historical and Rabbinical precedence in differentiating a person from Jewish origins from the rest of the population.

While they don't have legal Jewish status, are they somewhat held to a different standard when discussing the rest of the non-Jewish world?


texts:
Why is that in the Ashkenaz circles (non Sephardi) by the daily birchat kohanim, the congregation responds “Ken yehi ratzon” rather than the usual response of Amen, after a blessing is recited?

Why do chassidim add “bezchus Avraham Avinu, etc”? When and where did this originate, what’s the connection?


texts: Can you answer amen to a Baracha that was made over the telephone?


texts: Ask Please and Speak into the Ear of the Nation

texts:
Why did Hashem have to tell Moshe ask please and a second question why did they have to borrow and not ask for gifts?

דַּבֶּר נָא בְּאָזְנֵי הָעָם וְיִשְׁאֲלוּ אִישׁ מֵאֵת רֵעֵהוּ וְאִשָּׁה מֵאֵת רְעוּתָהּ כְּלֵי כֶסֶף וּכְלֵי זָהָב


texts:
It is relatively easy to find a list of dotted letters in Torah.  Even a good tikkun kore will list them.

However, it's harder to find a list of these in Nakh.  Where can I find that resource?  Alternatively, where are they?


texts: Rambam's relationship with the Rif: a question on the Bartenura

texts:
In the Mishna to Chullin 4:6 (s.v. וכן שניטל צומת הגידין), the Bartenura refers to the Rif as having been the Rambam's teacher: "ושיטה זו תפסו רבותי... אבל רמבם ורב אלפס רבו תפסו עיקר הפירוש אחר". In actual fact, the Rif died in 1103 and the Rambam was not born until 1138. While it is possible that the Rambam had studied for a brief time under the Rif's student, the Ri Migash (1077-1141), it is most likely that he received his primary education from his father, Maimon, who was himself a student of the Ri Migash and not of the Rif.

To say that the Rambam's teacher was the Rif because his actual teacher had studied under a student of the Rif seems like a rather long shot, and I feel forced to conclude that the Bartenura meant one of two things: either the Rambam studied the Torah of the Rif (in which case the Rif was his rav in the same way that R' Yosef Rosen, for example, described the Rambam as his rav), or the Bartenura actually thought that the Rif had literally been the Rambam's teacher.

Neither of these suggestions is entirely satisfactory to me: the first seems fanciful and the second is predicated on something that we know to be simply wrong.

a) Is there another way in which the Bartenura's statement might be understood?

b) Alternatively, is there precedent for describing as one's rav a person who died before one was born?

c) Is there reason to suppose that at the time of the Bartenura people may have thought that the Rambam had studied under the Rif?


texts: Inconsistency in listing creeping things in Noach's Ark's population

texts:
The animal population of Noach's Ark is commanded/listed six times in Parashat Noach:

Genesis 6:19-20 (Initial command)
Genesis 7:2-3 (Reiteration of command)
Genesis 7:8-9 (Entry to the Ark)
Genesis 7:14-16 (Reiteration of entry)
Genesis 8:17 (Command to exit)
Genesis 8:19 (Exit)

Each of these lists include animals, birds, and creeping things, except the second, which omits creeping things. Why?


texts: Preparing food on Shabbos for Bein Hashmoshos

texts:
I have asked in a different question for the citation to the Pri Megadim that I've heard says it's ossur to cook on yom tov for the purpose of eating the food Bein Hashmoshos.

Although a makor for that hasn't been posted yet, I'd like to ask another question in that regard (assuming that the Pri Megadim says in fact what I think he says).

Would it be muter on Shabbos to prepare a food that would be eaten bein hashmoshos, or would this be a problem of "preparing" on Shabbos for the weekday (based on the fact that bein hashmoshos is "sofek lyleh" (possibly night) and is perhaps already the next day, so that it would turn out that the person prepared the food specifically for the next day)? I'm of course speaking of a case where the person's whole intention was to make the food to specifically eat it during the time of bein hashmoshos (if it would be part of the 3rd official Shabbos meal then obviously that would be a different story).


texts: Why does Hashem react so violently against the people who demanded meat?

texts:
The question is self explanatory so I'll just clarify why it seems to me that Hashem's reaction is disproportionate. Imagine a parent with a spoiled child who starts demanding more than he deserves. We can imagine several responses from the parent. Perhaps the parent will simply give in to the child. Perhaps he'll ignore the child so that the child will learn that unreasonable requests are ignored. Perhaps he'll reduce the amount the child currently receives so that he'll learn to appreciate what he has.

Regardless, killing the child seems like a totally inappropriate response. If a parent reacted excessively violently to such behaviour, we'd probably accuse him of being abusive and wouldn't allow him to continue looking after the child. So why does Hashem react so violently against the Jews in the desert when they demand meat? Sure, their behaviour was wrong but it's difficult to believe that death was literally the only viable response.


texts: Do the laws of shmirat ha-lashon and the principle of diyyun le-khaf zekhut protect criminals?

texts:
I have heard many times people use the laws of shemirath ha-lashon and the principle of diyyun le-khaf zekhuth almost as an excuse to ignore crimes of theft, molestation, et al among religious people.

I have further experienced circumstances where a rabbinic or Hasidic figure has committed grave errors or sins and people rush to their defense under the banner of shemirath ha-lashon and diyyun le-khaf zekhuth, telling people that it is an "averah" to warn others or to even mention what they have done. But aren't the misdeeds of leaders all the more severe and in need of being pointed out to others in order that they not fall prey to them?

My question is:
Were the laws of shemirath ha-lashon, etc. designed to protect criminals? And if so, why?


texts: Sephardim naming after living grandparents

texts:
It is very common for Sephardim to name their children after their parents who are still alive.

There is a Halacha that forbids children to call their parents by their first name.

How can they do this, if inevitably they will call their children's name while in front of their parents?


texts:
My friend told me that after I eat I piece of bread I must say Birkat Amazon.
I like Amazon.com; I order many things from them. And, I guess I should say a blessing for Amazon, but, it seems more logical to do that after I receive my order in the mail. So, I have a few questions about this Birkat Amazon:

Who and when was this composed?
What does Amazon have to do with a piece of bread? I.e., why make this blessing after eating the bread?
Do Amazon Prime members have a special obligation / mitzvah to say this vs. non-prime members? Do they get more cash back or perks if they say this blessing?

If you can find and / or link to the text of Birkat Amazon, that would be wonderful. I couldn't locate it on their web site or anywhere else.

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


texts: Can the Baitusim and the Essenes be one and the same?

texts:
This is a total shot in the dark, but it seems coincidental to me that we have a group of heretics closely related to the Tzedukim, called Baitusim  who are never mentioned in the historical works of that time period like Josephus.

We also have another mysterious group, the Essenes, again closely related to Sadducees, mentioned by, but never positively identified by historians. Yet, there seems to be no mention of them in Chazzal.

So, has it ever been suggested, and/or is there any proof, that these people are one and the same?

There is of course another option. If there is proof against this idea, you can answer the question that way.


texts:
In havdalla in chonein hada'as of motzai shabbos maariv, we say "חשוכים מכל חטא [ופשע] ומנוקים מכל עון"

חשוכים means to be prevented from, as in ואחשוך גם אנכי אותך מחטוא לי (Bereishis 20:6).

The Etz Yosef commentary explains that חשוכים מכל חטא means to be prevented from doing any shogeg, accidental sin.  מנוקים מכל עון means that we should be cleansed of any intentional sin that was done.  But חשוכים could not be said by עון because we have the bechira to sin intentionally.

My understanding of the difference between אונס and שוגג is that one (אונס) is beyond your control and completely unavoidable, and the other (שוגג) is a result of a degree of carelessness on your part, which was not intentional but was avoidable.  Thus we find שוגג קרוב לאונס by cases of accidents which were difficult but not impossible to avoid.

So why is שוגג outside my bechira and acceptable to pray that it be withheld from me?  I seemingly have the choice to be careful enough to avoid שוגג as well as intentional sins.


texts: Which of the Napoleonic wars had no casualties?

texts:
The Chasam Sofer (droshos 8th Tamuz) writes about a war in the year 1809 with no causalities on our side.
Can anyone tell us which war this was, and where these details may be recorded?


texts:
Based on this thread

What exactly prevents Ashkenazim from accepting Mesorah from other communities on things that we have not done in our own community?

For example, what is it about the Mesorah of the Yemenites on locusts, as in the above linked thread, that precludes us from just accepting it? Just because we haven't seen it? Clearly this shows their Mesorah is stronger than ours (argumentative tone intended for effect, not actually to be argumentative)!

Taking an extreme reverse example, can Yemenites marry into Ashkenazi families, trusting the Mesorah that the Ashkenazim are in fact Jewish?

Ultimately, are we just insecure?  Is it that we have some (perceived) majority status? Is there something else - a fundamental principle - that I'm failing to see?

Other similar examples:

"Morrocan Jews eat swordfish."

"Regarding birds, it is clear from the Shach and Aruch Hashulchan that one can rely on the Mesora from another community. But does the same halacha apply to chagavim? There was no uniform answer on this. Many of the Ashkenazi participants asked their own poskim and received divergent answers. While many rabbis ruled against eating, some of the leading poskim in Yerushalaim gave the green light to rely on the Yemenite tradition and eat chagavim." // (Thanks, Isaac Moses.)


texts: Is an animal raised on basar bechalav feed permissible

texts:
Veal can be raised on formula that contains basar bechalav (a meat and milk mixture) which is asur behana'ah (forbidden to derive benefit from). Would this isur cause the meat from animals exclusively raised from such a formula to be forbidden.

Note that I do not say not kosher but forbidden for other reasons. If this is the case, would using this formula as part of the feed make a difference or not?


texts: At the seder, does everybody make kiddush?

texts:
Every year at the seder, we are not sure if everybody makes their own kiddush, or if the leader makes kiddush and everybody says Amen.

I was recently told by a friend that the custom at his seder is that everybody makes kiddush. Is this universal? And does it apply to all four cups?


texts: Source for the menorah represents the wisdoms of the world?

texts:
This blog post claims that the Meiri along with other Rishonim taught that the Menorah ,mentioned in Behalotecha represents the 7 wisdoms of the world.

Quoted here:

The Meiri and other Rishonim say that the Menorah’s  seven lights represent the seven wisdoms. The Rishonim classify them as follows:

1) Tevunah, the ability to understand and draw conclusions.
2) The knowledge of nature - in subjects like chemistry and physics.
3) The knowledge of the soul – or as Rav Aharon puts it, the study of psychology.
4) The knowledge of biology
5) Music
6) Metaphysics… (philosophy)  and
7) The knowledge of Torah …. which is the most significant branch.

The blogs fails to cite the exact source of the Meiri and other Rishonim who purportedly make this assertion, where might I find this Meiri?

http://haemtza.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-seven-branches-of-wisdom.html?m=1


texts: How to get an urgent answer if your local rabbi isn't reachable

texts:
I think many frum people have been in the situation of needing time-sensitive help with a halachic question, but not having access to their/any rabbi. What resources such as hotlines are available to such people for getting halachic information from a Torah expert fast?

I am not talking about formal piskei or even formal teshuvos (the distinction between "psak" and "information" is discussed somewhat here). Discussions about the halachic appropriateness of using a hotline for Torah information on an occasional basis--even a different community's hotline--or of whether you should go to a hotline rather than to, say, a published halacha summary, a primary source, or a local rabbi from a different shita--are not on the epistemic level of my question; about that, CYLOR, if you can ;)

This question is subtly different from this one, because here I am talking about isolated, occasional incidents.

Also related:

Reliable Ask-a-Rabbi Websites

How do I find answers to sensitive questions I can't ask my rabbi?


texts: Why aren't there any Gay people in the Bible?

texts:
Our scriptures (the Bible and later) are full of people who sinned.
Every kind of sin, including murder and sexual sins.
The sinners are both from our people as well as non-Jews.
Some of the sinners repent, others receive Godly or earthly punishment.

Nevertheless, there are no homosexuals in the Bible. Yes, sexual relationships between men are forbidden. But there are no concrete example of homosexuals in the Bible and as far as I know in later sources.

As opposed to other sinners (killers, adulterers, rapists, etc).


texts:
There is a prohibition to embarass other people (Sanhedrin 99a).

Does this apply also to anonymous online people despite that nobody knows their identity and therefore they should not feel embarassed but they actually might anyways?

(this could apply for example in posting excessively harsh comments to someone on this site.)


texts:
I heard many times that a Cohen if obligated to bless once he is asked to.

(That this is the reason the shliach tzibur says (calls) "kohamin" before birchas kohamin)

Is this is true?

If yes what is the source of this?

(I asked a Kohen to bless me, he did not want to so I asked him do you not have to if I asked you to, he said no, so I am looking for the source to show him, thank you)

Similar
Can you/should you be blessed by an ignorant/non-orthodox Kohen?


texts: Relations twice as segulah for boy -- What about zugos?

texts:
I had asked what is the source for the segulah of having relations twice in order to have a boy. I first asked this in order to obtain a source to better ask this question.

The Gemorah says in Niddah 31b
הרוצה לעשות כל בניו זכרים יבעול וישנה – One who wants to make all his children males should cohabit once and then repeat it.

In the answer to my question, Michoel so nicely brought the following explanation,

  Rashi there explains that this comes in continuation to the previous
  statement in the Gemora that if the wife emits seed first the child
  conceived will be a male. By first arousing his wife's desire in the
  initial act, she will emit seed first the second time.

Howevver the Gemorah in Pesachim Daf 109b says
ולא יעשה צרכיו תרי
That a person shouldn't have relations twice as it is a problem of "zugos". Doing something in "pairs" could lead to some sort of sacana (danger).

Is there a stira between the 2 gemorahs? If so how can it be resolved?


texts: Substitue passage for Barechu on Friday Night

texts:
In several nusah Sefard siddurim I have, there's a passage from the Zohar printed before Barechu in the erev shabbat section, to be said by individuals in the case of there being no minyan. This passage includes the phrases 'barchu et adonai hamevorach' and 'baruch adonai hamevorach le'olam va'ed' so that you have a sort of mock/zecher recitation of Barechu.

My questions are:

(a) Why have I only seen this in Sefard siddurim?, and

(b) Why is this passage only printed for erev Shabbat? It seems like if its recitation is an appropriate option at one time it should be good for any time. Is there something special about erev Shabbat that makes having no Barechu or 'Barechu-like' liturgical piece especially problematic?


texts:
Seeing that leaving raw eggs overnight is a problem according as "the overwhelming majority of Poskim hold that the Gemara continues to be relevant nowadays" (Nidda 17a - ה' דברים הן שהעושה אותן מתחייב בנפשו ודמו בראשו
האוכל שום קלוף ובצל קלוף וביצה קלופה), does accidentally mixing the raw egg into a mixture for a chicken batter retain its ruach-rah if it's potentially batel bshishim?


texts:
I mentioned to my coworker that I can't eat Domino's pizza, not even without meat, as it's not kosher. He pointed out in response that a fellow coworker of ours, whom I'll call Josh, and who is somewhat observant and calls himself Orthodox[1], does eat Domino's without meat. I replied that I can't speak for Josh. Any ideas on what I should have replied?

[1] By "calls himself Orthodox" I don't mean that I disagree. (I don't.) I mean merely that that's his self-identification.


texts: 7 girls fighting over 1 boy at the Sheva Brachot?

texts:
The last of the Sheva Brachot lists 7 girls:
Gila, Rina, Ditza, Chedva, Ahava, Achva, and Re'ut. Shalom is the only boy that was invited. Why couldn't they invite other boys. Don't any of these other girls need shidduchim? Why should they all have to fight over Shalom?
FYI - I don't know of anyone named "Sasson" other than Vidal, and there, it's his last name. "Simcha" can be either a boy or girl's name.
This question is Purim Torah and is not intended to be taken completely seriously. See the Purim Torah policy.


texts: What's the meaning of not eating animals with blood?

texts:
You can't eat blood, or stuff with blood in it. (Cooked pig blood is a popular cuisine choice in Jakarta.) Actually what is the meaning of not eating stuff with blood in it? Is it because you can't eat things when they are alive?

To be more exact here

Are we prohibited to eat

Cooked blood
Living animal
Both


texts: Is "Half the tribe" an administrative unit?

texts:
The Torah says that the land was handed to two AND A HALF tribes (Num 32:33):

וַיִּתֵּן לָהֶם מֹשֶׁה לִבְנֵי־גָד וְלִבְנֵי רְאוּבֵן וְלַחֲצִי שֵׁבֶט מְנַשֶּׁה בֶן־יוֹסֵף אֶת־מַמְלֶכֶת סִיחֹן׃
So Moses assigned to them — to the Gadites, the Reubenites, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph—the kingdom of Sihon

I understand that a [whole]  tribe was a legitimate unit for inheriting the lands, but not parts of it.
What kind of an Administrative unit "half the tribe" was? Was the tribe divided into two halves by families or number of people?
Could those lands be exchanged within the tribe between family's that got the land outside Israel and families inside Israel?


texts: Is one required to have Lechem Mishneh by the Third Shabbos Meal?


texts: Will one receive the reward of Learning Torah if they read the Tanach, Gemara, Shulchan Aruch, etc. in English if English is their mother tongue? Please cite sources.


texts: Is there a limit to what you can pray for?

texts: Must one, should one, or can one pray every little detail of life? For example, can one pray for his sports team to win? Is there a limit of what to pray for?


texts:
We know that saying brachos in a bathroom is Assur. Would the same halacha apply regarding saying them near a bathroom with the door open ?

this doesn't seem to answer the question ?!


texts: Eating bread/pastries from a non-Jewish baker

texts:
There are various commentaries that allow eating pat paltar, see here and here for a more extensive discussion.

Going with the opinion that pat paltar is allowed what questions would one have to ask at a baker in order to ascertain that the bread/cake/pastry (etc.) is indeed kosher and fine to eat?


texts:
One of my favorite concepts (if one is allowed to have favorites) is ein sof (or ein od, or ein od milvado).
A rosh yeshiva and mashpia once told me that when you say "echad" in the shema, you should envision the godliness in everything.
Yet at the end of the havdalah recitation, H' is blessed for making a separation between the sacred and the profane. In the language of math set theory, the universal set is divided into the sacred and, its compliment, the profane.
(I don't think the subsequent distinctions are of the same genre.)
I could understand how one could look at things as either or. But why is H' blessed for engendering that distinction.
Thanks


texts:
What are the sources for עין הרע?
Where does it say practical advice for when you feel you might be effected by עין הרע and you want to take action?


texts:
In Genesis 23, Abraham purchased the Cave of Machpelah from Efron the Hittite. Several generations of Abraham's family were buried there, although eventually new burials ceased.

According to Jewish law, who owns this cave today?

Literally no one (when did it become ownerless)?
The entire Jewish people collectively?
All descendants of Abraham, collectively, whether Jewish or Gentile?
A specific group of people (e.g. all members of the tribe of Levi, collectively)?
Some specific person who is known?
Some specific person whose identity is known only to HaShem and/or Messiah?
Messiah himself?
Something else?

For example, have property rights in the cave been passed down "invisibly" through Jewish inheritance laws for all these thousands of years, vesting ownership in some specific person (maybe some tailor in Brooklyn, or that really tall accountant in Montreal, whatever) who probably has no idea that he is the single rightful heir, or has something happened to positively extinguish ordinary real estate rights?

Note, I am asking this question solely as it relates to Torah Law, as opposed to Israeli law, Palestinian law, Islamic law, Roman Catholic Canon Law, international law, or any other legal code, nor am I asking about the political propriety of trying to claim ownership of or exert property rights over (e.g. trying to bury additional people in) the cave today.


texts: What beracha does one recite upon meeting the US President?

texts:
Resulting from this Mi Yodeya question, the references in the question indicate that one does not recite "she-natan michvodo le-vasar ve-dam" upon meeting a non-Jewish head of state of a limited government, such as the President of the USA.

What beracha should be recited in this situation?

It seems to me that the same reasoning and answer would apply to the head of state of any limited government.


texts: Boiling over a pot to extinguish burners on Yom Tov?

texts:
Generally, on Yom Tov one is allowed to light a gas burner (using a pre-existing flame), but is not allowed to turn off the gas burner. This is because one may light a fire on Yom Tov, but not extinguish it (see here or here for details).

Somebody told me that on Yom Tov, in order to turn off the gas on a stovetop, one is able to put a full pot of water on the stovetop. When it boils, it will overflow and extinguish the flame. One may then turn off the gas, since doing so does not extinguish the flame.

This doesn't sound right to me. This footnote seems to imply the opposite:

  Extinguishing a fire is forbidden. Even indirectly; for example, by placing a burning candle where the wind might blow it out.

However, that footnote is unsourced, so I'm not sure where to look it up.

Has anyone seen a source of whether this practice of boiling water to extinguish a flame is forbidden or permitted? Can someone provide a source where putting the candle in a position where the wind can blow it out is forbidden?


texts: Can a deaf person be a shaliach tzibbur?

texts: I recall reading (Mishnah Brurah - don't recall location) that the shali'ach tzibbur must wait until everyone answers "amen" before proceeding to thE next bracha. If a deaf person were prompted by someone else using a signal, would this allow him to be a shali'ach tzibbur?


texts: Does Ruach Ra'ah transfer between people

texts: If one washes netilays yadaim in the morning and thus eliminates their ruach ra'ah and then someone who has not yet washed their hands touches you do you have to wash again?


texts:
Does anyone know of a sefer or other halachic source that deals with the halachot of what one must believe about G-d?

e.g., obviously Jews are required to believe G-d exists, and that He is the only G-d, but are we required by Jewish law to believe that He is a personal deity? Is it forbidden to believe that G-d has a physical form? Is it required to believe that He is omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent? etc.

I'm looking for something that deals with these issues from a halachic perspective, not so much from a philosophical perspective.


texts: Conventions for derivation of Hebrew names

texts:
How is a Hebrew name chosen for a person whose legal name is English (or other vernacular)? Is the name chosen based on phonetic resemblance to one's English name, a resemblance in meaning, or mere personal/parental preference? (It seems that the first situation is most common, but is this always the case? And what if there is no phonetically similar Hebrew name?)

Is there a reliable resource for determining the corresponding Hebrew name for one's English name?


texts: Identity of "the Greek rabbi" in the Raavad's gloss (Tum'at Met 17:3)

texts: In the Raavad's gloss on Hilkhot Tum'at Met 17:3, he mentions a scholar who (like the Rambam) also erred in his definition of בטח - as found in the Mishna, Ohalot 12:3. Where the Rambam thinks that a בטח was a protruding windowsill (and the Raavad thinks that it concerns the caulking of an oven), this other scholar thinks that it was a type of bath. He is referred to by the Raavad only asהרב היווני: the Greek rabbi. Does anybody know who he is referring to?


texts: Hebrew or Yiddish name for English "Louis"

texts:
What are common Hebrew or Yiddish names for the English name Louis?
Would this be Loeb or Levi or others?


texts: Which Torah and Tanakh is used in Ashkenazi and Sefardi?

texts:
I edit the question a little...
What is the authoritative text/version of the Torah and Kanakh for Ashkenazi and Sefardi Jews? With that I mean, which text do they use when they create a scroll and in their personal studies etc?
I read somewhere it is the Second Rabbinic Bible and at another place (much less reliable source) it's Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia.


texts: What's the difference between making a blessing in vain and wearing a four-cornered garment without tzitzit vis-a-vis checking the tzitzit in advance?

texts:
R. Joseph Karo (Shulchan Aruch O.C. 8:9) codifies the following law:

קודם שיברך יעיין בחוטי הציצית אם הם כשרים כדי שלא יברך לבטלה
Prior to making the blessing [on the tzitzit] he should look at the strings of the tzitzit [to see] if they are valid, so as not to bless in vain.

Various commentaries discuss why the concern is specifically that the blessing will be in vain if the tzitzit are invalid, rather than the fact that the person will be wearing a four-cornered garment without tzitzit (in violation of the express biblical command).
R. Yechiel Michel Epstein in Aruch Hashuchan O.C. 8:14 quotes a bunch of opinions relating to this matter and rejects each of them. In 8:15 he expresses his own opinion, which is that inspecting the tzitzit is not a real requirement. This is clear from the words of the Rosh (the source for this idea). It is not a requirement because you are allowed to rely on the chazakah that the tzitzit were valid and are thus presumed to still be valid until proven otherwise. Thus, even if it turns out that the tzitzit were not valid, there is no problem of wearing a garment without tzitzit or of making a blessing in vain, since at the time that you put it on and made the blessing you had every right to do so, relying on the chazakah.
However, it is an act of piety to check the strings beforehand, because even if you did nothing forbidden by donning the garment (that in actuality did not have valid tzitzit) and making a blessing, at the end of the day a blessing in vain still came from your mouth.

וברור הוא שמעיקר הדין אין חשש בזה דמקורו הוא מהרא"ש והוא כתב בלשון זה בסוף הל' ציצת והחרד על דבר ה' יבדוק קודם כדי שלא יברך לבטלה עכ"ל ובתשובה כלל ב' כתב שהעולם לא נהגו לבדקו דמוקמינן אחזקה ע"ש וזה אינו אלא ממדת חסידות ולכן כתב חשש ברכה לבטלה ולאו משום דחמירה טובא כמ"ש מקודם אלא דלענין טלית בלא ציצת אף אם ימצא שפסולה מיד יפשטנו ומקודם לא עבד איסור כיון שמדינא היה מותר ללובשו מטעם חזקה אלא דלענין ברכה לבטלה נהי דאין עליו עונש כי היה מותר לו לברך מטעם חזקה מ"מ סוף סוף הוציא ברכה לבטלה מפיו ולכן ממדת חסידות יש לו לבדוק

It sounds like he is saying that there is something inherently bad about a blessing in vain even in a context in which the blessing was entirely permissible. What is the nature of this "badness", and why doesn't it also apply to the fact that at the end of the day you also still wore a garment without tzitzit? I.e. both acts are normally forbidden, and both acts are permitted in this case for the very same reason. So why is one of the acts still considered "bad" while the other one is not?


texts:
There are people who don't let someone step over them either because of עין הרע or it will stunt their growth.

Is there any source behind this claim?


texts: Is there anything wrong with inviting friends to a bris?

texts:
I have a friend - let's call him 'A' - who's married; His wife gave birth to a boy. I asked another friend of mine, if 'A' invited him to the bris. He told me that one is not supposed to invite friends to their child's bris.

Does anyone know if there is source for this?


texts: I know that in many situations, ritual handwashing must be performed using a vessel (Source: Maimonides, Mishne Torah (Hil. Mikvaot 11:1)). If one does not have a cup for ritual handwashing, is using one hand to pour water onto the other an acceptable alternative? (Suppose you do not have a "living water" source to pass your hands through either.)


texts: Resources for learning the shorshei mitzvos of the Rambam

texts: The Rambam lays down 14 principles, which he terms shorshei mitzvos, to determine which mitzvos are part of the 613. Besides the commentaries in the standard Mishne Torah, are there any other books written on the shorshei mitzvos? Are there shiurim on the shorshei mitzvos available online?