texts: Why is the Bible not a work of theology?

texts:
The Bible contains stories, and poetry, and history, and myth, and rules, and a few other bits and pieces. What it does not contain is theology, per se. Nowhere in the Bible does anyone attempt to describe a cosmology: they assume their audience is in on it. Nowhere in the Bible is there a straightforward description of God, or the spiritual world, or any other simply laid out description of the structure of the universe.

Now, those stories, poetry, myth, etc. reflect, of course, the beliefs of those who wrote them, so you can, if you peer at it carefully enough, derive theology from it by attempting to infer the beliefs of the writers. And that is what theologians do. However, there is no part of the Bible which reads like a theology text. The theology has to be inferred from the narrative, the legislation, the prophecy, and the poetry.

Why?


texts: Is it permissable to be in a musical group that does not exclusively play simchas?

texts: Is it permissible to play in a musical group that does not only play at 'simchas' (weddings, etc.)? I once heard someone say that playing any music in public that is not for a specific mitzvah is forbidden.


texts: Will Tisha B'Av be pushed off in the future?

texts: We have a tradition that Tisha B'Av will become a holiday in the time of Moshiach. Will that holiday also be nidcheh if it comes out on Shabbos?


texts:
Parshas Lech Lecha has the first record of Hashem communicating with Avraham (Genesis 12:1):

  וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־אַבְרָ֔ם לֶךְ־לְךָ֛ מֵאַרְצְךָ֥ וּמִמּֽוֹלַדְתְּךָ֖ וּמִבֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑יךָ אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַרְאֶֽךָּ׃

  The LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.

I heard somewhere that this was the first time that Avraham experienced prophecy. I looked in Torah Sheleimah on this verse and couldn't find any Midrash that says this. Is this a true fact?


texts: Do the Rabbanim know more than King Solomon about the reality of post-death?

texts:
I believe it's accepted in the mainstream that Kohelet is authored by King Solomon in his wisdom.

In it, he writes:

  19- For there is a happening for the children of men, and there is a happening for the beasts-and they have one happening-like the death of this one is the death of that one, and all have one spirit, and the superiority of man over beast is nought, for all is vanity.

  20- All go to one place; all came from the dust, and all return to the dust.

  21- Who knows that the spirit of the children of men is that which ascends on high and the spirit of the beast is that which descends below to the earth?

  22- And I saw that there is nothing better than that man rejoice in his deeds, for that is his portion, for who will bring him to see what will be after him?

-Kohelet / Ecclesiastes 3:19-22

So there's this ambiguity present here, and really all across the Tanakh with regards to the conditions of the afterlife. Though here it's more directly addressed as being unknown.

However, our Rabbanim speak about Olam Haba and Gehhinom with a certainty and at times list particular actions that can land an individual in one or the other. This seems to contradict the statement made above in Kohelet.

Why do the Rabbanim know and not King Solomon?


texts: Proper protocol for saying Mi Sheberach for the ill

texts:
I've seen different shuls do different methods of saying Mi Shebreach for the ill. Methods I have seen:

Chazzan (or gabbai) says the intro aloud; people line up and give him the name and he says them aloud
Same as above except that he reads off a printed list or a stack of cards / notes rather than people lining up. Those who are in the cong. who did not have their name submitted don't line up to announce the name, but say the name to themselves, silently.
Chazzan says the intro then pauses. He will read names from the list silently and others who have not submitted names will say their names silently. Then, he concludes the end of the blessing aloud

I've also seen some cong. say separate prayers for males and females while others place them together. Does this matter? Is there a preferred method?

I am curious if there is any specific protocol mentioned in Shulchan Aruch or elsewhere. Or, is any method fine?


texts:
With my limited understanding of dikduk I don't know what the significance of the ־ symbol is. Maybe it  indicates that two word should be read together? I know grammatically it turns an אֵ֖ת to an אֶת. With that introduction, I'm curious about an inconsistency I noticed.
When Hashem promised Avraham a land for his descendants, He says (Bereishis 15:19-21)

אֶת־הַקֵּינִי֙ וְאֶת־הַקְּנִזִּ֔י וְאֵ֖ת הַקַּדְמֹנִֽי׃
the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,
וְאֶת־הַחִתִּ֥י וְאֶת־הַפְּרִזִּ֖י וְאֶת־הָרְפָאִֽים׃
the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
וְאֶת־הָֽאֱמֹרִי֙ וְאֶת־הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֔י וְאֶת־הַגִּרְגָּשִׁ֖י וְאֶת־הַיְבוּסִֽי׃ (ס)
the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”

Only the Kadmonites are lacking a ־ symbol (thus making it וְאֵ֖ת). Are there any meforshim that explain why they were singled out?


texts: Should a chazan who missed a day count the omer with a b'racha?

texts: In general, someone who misses a complete day's counting the omer continues to count without preceding his count with the b'racha (benediction) normally recited for the mitzva of counting. (In fact whether he should recite it is unclear, and we rule that, because of that inclarity, he should not.) I'm wondering about a shatz (leader of the prayer service). In many synagogues, he recites the b'racha aloud (also having in mind to exempt anyone listening). What if the shatz has missed a day? Presumably, like anyone who missed a day, he doesn't recite the b'racha aloud — but is there an exception made for a shatz, whether so as not to embarrass him or for some other reason?


texts: White booklet that lists key pieces in Ramban Al HaTorah?

texts:
I was told there's a small white booklet which lists the main pieces in Ramban Al HaTorah for each parsha. I have asked around and people have told me that it has been out of print for a while.

Does anyone know the official name of this sefer?
Does anyone know where I can find it?

Thanks!


texts: Is there any source for saying the first possuk of Shema quietly?

texts:
The Rema in OC 61(26) says the custom is to say the first possuk of the shema aloud. In this question Sh'ma aloud but amida quietly  Gershon Gold said that Shema is said aloud in unison and msh210 said "Sh'ma" is not said in unison in many synagogues, but is said aloud anyway.

In many shuls I have “heard” people saying the first possuk quietly or even inaudibly. Is there any source for saying it quietly?


texts: There is a new vodka which is made from a whey base. I was wondering what are the halachic considerations,chalav akum is one that comes to mind,as well as basar bchalav?


texts: Is it forbidden to count Jewish people without uttering any words?

texts:
Related: Am I allowed to count people?

We are not allowed to count Jewish people. But one can count other objects to represent the people and one can also speak the words of a possuk where the number of words therein is known.

I understand from this that counting by looking at the people and saying words  out loud “one, two, three etc.” is what is forbidden.

Is it forbidden to look at the people and count them without uttering any words (but so-to-speak saying them in one's head)?


texts: Must one publicize a lost object if it had been found a long time prior?

texts: Let's say, for whatever reason, someone found a lost object but did not get around to publicizing it for over a year. Does the Mitzvah to publicize it still apply, assuming that after the long duration the owner is probably yeush (has abandoned hope)?


texts: Which phrases in Shirat HaYam are read with the special 'shirah' trop? (Inspired by this question.)


texts: Ezra's penalty against the levites and an incident in the mishna

texts:
According to several discussions in the Mishna, Ezra penalized the Levites who did not make Aliyah by giving the Maaser to the kohanim. But then there's an incident in the mishna (Maaser Sheini 5:9)

One whose produce was far away from him, he must call it by name. Once it happened that Rabban Gamaliel and the elders were traveling by ship, and Rabban Gamaliel said: “The tithe which I shall measure out in the future is given to Joshua, and the place which it is in is leased to him. The other tithe which I shall measure out in the future is given to Akiva ben Joseph that he may hold it for the poor, and the place which it is in is leased to him.” Rabbi Joshua said: “The tithe [taken from terumah] which I shall measure out is given to Elazar ben Azariah, and the place which it is in is leased to him,” and they each received rent one from another.

This indicates that Maaser was given in the ordinary way to Levites in those days. So what happened to Ezra's penalty?


texts: Can I use a SodaStream with an indicator light on Shabbos?

texts: I saw that I can use a SodaStream on Shabbos, but I have a specific question:  Can I use a Sodastream on Shabbos if it has an LED indicator? If not, is there something I can do to it to make it usable on Shabbos? Would putting tape over the light perhaps help?


texts: Shabbos Zemiros source for Al Ahavosicha?

texts:
My family sings a zemer called al ahavosich, which i have never seen in a standard bencher/zmiros book.

Does anyone know where this zemer comes from?


texts: Does the name Daniel really mean: 'G-d is my judge'?

texts:
Most people pronounce the Hebrew name דניאל as Dani-el.

Surprisingly enough, when the name Daniel is mentioned in Tanach (in the book of Daniel) it is written with a Tzeirei under the Yud with no vowel under the Aleph.

This would mean that we should be pronouncing it as Dani-yell.

(See here for more discussion about names which are commonly pronounced differently than how they are found in Tanach.)

(It's interesting that in English the name is spelled like Dani-el, but it's pronounced like 'Dan-yl' - emphasizing the 'y')

My understanding is that the meaning of Daniel is 'G-d is my judge'

Is this really correct being that the Tzeirei is not under the Aleph?


texts:
Is one allowed to train an animal to do malacha on shabbas (e.g. turn on a light)?

Is it comparable to amira l'nochri (telling a non-Jew to do so), or do we say its mutar altogether?


texts:
This is a simple and a bit naive question. I understand that a miracle everywhere is a super natural force unexplainable by current state of science.

The Purim story looks all natural, nothing truly extraordinary.

I heard some refer to it as "hidden miracles", but I find it difficult to grasp, aren't those hidden miracles called "the nature"?

So what miracle(s) do we mean saying Nes Purim and Al Hanissim?


texts:
In every community in which I have heard Megillah, it seems customary to hiss whenever Zeresh is mentioned (in fact I have a mesorah from my father to do so).

Are there any sources which mention this practice and why it was done?


texts:
I'm an iPhone app developer with mostly Jewish & Israeli iPhone apps and I'm open to new suggestions or ideas for new apps that can be useful for Jewish people.

Anyone here had a case that he needed an iPhone app related to Judaism and couldn't find it in the app store?

Answers should come with explanations of why or how the proposed app would be useful and different from what's already on the market.


texts: Source that indicates which Sefira corresponds to which persona

texts:
The Ten Sefiros can be correlated to people in Tanach. For example, Avraham is Chesed, Yitzchok is Gevurah, Moshe is Netzach, etc.

I'm looking for an early source which lays out these correlations. All I can find is Wikipedia articles..I assume this is from the Arizal.


texts: Can I talk about my business in shul if it is to help another Jew avoid a transgression?

texts:
Reuven's job is to check clothing for shaatnez and remove it. Shimon gives Reuven a suit to check. Later they meet in the synagogue.

Mishna Berura 151 (1)[2] forbids even mundane talk for one's business in the synagogue.

Shimon wants to know if the shaatnez has been removed; this is not for his business – it is to avoid him doing something that is forbidden. What is involved in asking Reuven, whose business it is, if he has finished the suit? And  what is involved in Reuven responding?

Let us assume that the question does not come up in the three weeks.

A shaalah has been asked of a LOR.


texts: Songs Carlebach created from the Rosh Hashanna liturgy

texts: Besides Simcha Lartzecha, did Shlomo Carlebach record other songs specifically from the Rosh Hashannah liturgy? If so which ones?


texts:
Can a body part which may reasonably br presumed to have the status of erwa for a particular woman ever lose that status?

Some examples are if a woman is widowed or divorced can she legally uncover her hair? Some rabbis issue heterim for a shiddukh to take place.

If a single woman takes on covering her hair, can she after many years uncover ot again even with hatarath nedarim?

If a woman takes on a full coverage dress code, can she start showing forearms or leg below the calf in public?

How permanent is this status of erwa?


texts: In food service, does the separation of pareve and meat require less policing than the separation of kosher and non-kosher?

texts:
At the market where I buy groceries, there’s a deli counter under kosher supervision, selling fish and meat. When I buy fish, the clerk puts on a new pair of rubber gloves, takes a fresh piece of paper from a dispenser, places the paper onto the scale, weighs my fish, puts the fish and paper into a plastic bag, and throws away the gloves. When the next customer orders corned beef, the procedure with gloves and paper is repeated for the weighing of the corned beef.

My question is, would this routine allow the selling of kosher food on non-kosher equipment?

It’s hard to picture a market in which they sold pork and kosher foods on the same scale, relying on rubber gloves and a piece of paper to segregate kosher and non-kosher. But is there any reason that the distinction between pareve and meat should require less policing than the distinction between kosher and non-kosher?

I can see that if the shop sold kosher and non-kosher beef that were hard to distinguish, kosher customers might worry that they had actually been sold a piece of non-kosher meat. But I'm not asking about that possible confusion; I'm asking about that status of the food if we do everything as we intend, putting the paper on the scale etc. Would the equipment shared by kosher and non-kosher be worse than equipment shared by pareve and meat?


texts: Why is there a break in shacharit between "umakdishim" and "et shem"?

texts: In the siddur there is a break in the middle of the sentence "...umakdishim umamlichim.." and "...et shem...".  I there a reason for this, or is it merely poetic?


texts: While I know the basics of Gematria, i.e. the numerical value assigned to each letter, I’d like to learn more, like the different letter substitutions, how far off you can be and still count it as the same value, etc., as well as sources for these principles. Can someone recommend a Sefer on the topic?


texts:
Why does the Torah outline many different degrees of impurity טומאה with different purification methods?

You have corpse-impurity which requires sprinkling with the water of the red heifer during a seven-day waiting period. Beyond that, there are multiple levels of impurity which require possibly waiting some amount of time and then immersion in a mikveh (or immersion in the mikveh and then waiting some amount of time) for purification.

Why is there a need for all of these different types of ritual impurity and purification methods? What is the difference between them that causes them to be treated differently?


texts:
Some Ashkenazim are medakdek to pronounce their Aramaic "correctly". And they know that there is a mapik heh in Amein Yehei ShemeiH Rabba. Thus,

יְהֵא שְׁמֵ*הּ* רַבָּא מְבָרַךְ לְעָלַם וּלְעָלְמֵי עָלְמַיָּא יִתְבָּרַךְ

But what they don't realize is that, probably due to the phonological features we are trained on, when they try to say Shmēh with a tzeirei (as in English 'hay') they actually say Shmeh with a segol (as in English 'egg'). Listen carefully the next time you or someone else tries it. If it were a different consonant at the end, e.g. a Resh or a Samech, there would be no problem pronouncing the tzeirei, but a difficult guttural like a Heh triggers a weakening into a segol. And it is quite difficult to overcome.

In which case, one is merely substituting one "error" in pronunciation for another. Except you get to sound all weird or precise (depending on one's perspective).

So, which is better? If you don't pronounce the Heh, you sound like other Jews, and one could argue that the meaning is perfectly clear while the standardization legitimizes the 'incorrect' pronunciation. Meanwhile, if you do pronounce the Heh, you are probably still getting it wrong, but just in a vowel, and while at least making an effort to get it right.


texts: Purim as the time of "receiving the Torah" according to the Gaonim?

texts:
In a recent interview, Rabbi Hershel Schachter is quoted as saying:

  In the days of the second Beis HaMikdash, there were many yamim tovim d’rabanan, all of which were batul after the churban habayis, except for Chanukah and Purim. Of all these yamim tovim, only one had a chiyuv seudah: Purim. The Gaonim had the girsa in the Gemara that the reason Purim is different is because it’s yom kabalas haTorah.

What is the source for this statement regarding the girsa of the Gaonim?


texts: Where did the Jews send the goat "for Azazel" while in the desert?

texts:
Rashi (Vayikra 16:8) says:

  Azazel: This is a strong and hard mountain, [with] a high cliff, as the Scripture says [in describing Azazel] (verse 22 below),“a precipitous land (אֶרֶץ גְּזֵרָה),” meaning a cut-off land [i.e., a sheer drop]. — [Torath Kohanim 16:28; Yoma 67b]

If Azazel refers to a mountain in Eretz Yisrael, where was goat sent before we entered Eretz Yisrael?


texts: What happens if the Chazzan is bareheaded?

texts:
Based on something that really happened last week:

After completing Mincha, the Shliach Tzibur realized he was bareheaded the entire time. Nobody in the congregation had noticed it.

Has the congregation fulfilled its duty or should somebody repeat the Kadeishim and Chazarat HaShatz again?

Looking for sources or solid proofs.

I can't seem to find anything specific - here's related Halachot:

The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch in 3:6 states that it's forbidden to walk 4 cubits or to say anything Holy while bareheaded.

  אָסוּר לֵילֵךְ אַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת אוֹ לְהוֹצִיא מִפִּיו דָּבָר שֶׁבִּקְדֻשָּׁה בְגִלּוּי הָראֹשׁ.

But he doesn't say what the state of the Holy sayings are if they were said bareheaded.

The Shulchan Aruch in 91:3 says that some say that one shouldn't mention Gcd's name while bareheaded, and some say one should protest if someone enters a synagogue bareheaded.

  ג: יֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים שֶׁאָסוּר לְהוֹצִיא הַזְכָּרָה מִפִּיו בְּרֹאשׁ מְגֻלֶּה, וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים שֶׁיֵּשׁ לִמְחוֹת שֶׁלֹּא לִכָּנֵס בְּבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת בְּגִלּוּי הָרֹאשׁ.

This makes it sound like it's not imperative. But in 2:6 he says it's forbidden to walk 4 cubits while bareheaded.

  ו אָסוּר לֵילֵךְ  בְּקוֹמָה זְקוּפָה וְלֹא יֵלֵךְ  ד' אַמּוֹת  בְּגִלּוּי הָרֹאשׁ:

It seems like there is an opinion that one can sit (or stand still), remove one's head covering and make then a Bracha. In that case, the congregation would have nothing to worry about, ex post facto.


texts: What is the origin of using tombstone symbols?

texts:
I was at a cemetery today and noticed a few interesting "icons" placed on certain tombstones. Someone explained to me the following:

spread-out fingers used for a Cohen, representing the position of the Cohen's hands when performing the Priestly blessing
candles on a woman's tombstone - representing the woman who lights Shabbat candles
a tree split at its trunk - for young children - representing that the family tree ended as the person died too young to form a family
a ship for someone whose profession involved seafaring
a lively skeleton (for ?)
a pitcher for a Levite

I may have missed a few other notable symbols, so please edit in, if you wish.
I'm curious when and why these symbols became customary. Which Jewish community began this custom and for what purpose?


texts: Where can I find an online Jewish community?

texts:
I've newly created an account on this site as someone who's "lurked" or obtained information here before and found the quality of communication excellent. I moved to Montana from Los Angeles as a fledgling Baal Tshuva, and there isn't really much Jewish community here. I have to stay here for a while for career reasons, and I'm determined to make the best of it while staying close to Torah and hopefully feeling connected to other Jews from afar. It's by no means ideal, but it's far better than isolation or complete assimilation (of which I'm constitutionally incapable). I still speak on the phone regularly with my Jewish friends in LA, and there's a rabbi out of town whose hashkafa I love and with whom I'm in regular phone contact. My purpose in creating this account and posting this question is both to get specific answers about virtual "places" where I can still have a sense of community as well as hopefully attain a sense of community here. I suspect this is more of a Q and A anonymous information hub  than a community, but I don't know.

So, to follow the rules, my specific questions are:

-Is there a "community" here?

and

-Where are some "good" virtual Jewish communities that would help someone like me not feel alone?

Thanks! Forgive me if questions are supposed to be technical/Torah-related only.


texts: What bracha do you make when smelling non-edible flowers?

texts: I know about the bracha "borei atzei besamim". I understand this bracha to apply to edible spices and herbs and spices such as sage and rosemary. What bracha, if any, would I make if I smell other flowers. Does it matter if the flowers are cut and in a vase vs. still on the tree?


texts:
In the Tanya, Iggeret HaTeshuva Perek 4, the Ba'al HaTanya writes that the statement "there is no teshuva for spilling seed" applies only to "lower teshuva" ("re-attaching the second hei to Hashem's name") but "upper teshuva" (attaching the first hei back to Hashem's name) still works...

What exactly does this mystical idea of "upper level teshuva" imply, and thus what is necessary to perform "upper level teshuva" for spilling seed?


texts: Customs for waving arba minim three times in each direction

texts: I get why we shake the arba minim in all directions, but why do some have the custom of shaking them three times in each direction?


texts:
R. Zerachiah ha-Levi composed a comentary on Rif, named "Sefer Hamaor".

Why is it split into "Hamaor Hagadol" (on Noshim and Nezikin) and "Hamaor Hakatan" (on Zroim, Mo'ed and Chullin).


texts: What does it mean that Hashem is One and that there is nothing in the world except for Him?  What does the Ba'al Ha'Tanya mean (chapter 20) that Hashem Echad means that He is alone in the world and that everything else has no existence? In what sense do I have no existence?


texts: Is it a problem to use the lights of the Chanuka candles as the sole source of light in a photograph?

texts:
A common setup get a beautiful "lighting Chanuka candles" picture is to use only the light of the menorah to illuminate the photograph, including the menorah and the hands and face of the person lighting the candle. The face, hands and arms of the person lighting it are an essential part of the picture.

I know one is not allowed to benefit from the light of the menorah. Would deliberately using the menorah as the sole illumination in a photograph transgress this prohibition? Does it change anything if someone specifically waits for the later nights of Chanuka when there are more candles on the menorah and therefore more light?


texts: Purpose for stating unlikely hava aminah

texts:
The Gemarra and Midrashei Halacha are filled with the phrases

יכול...ת"ל
שומע אני...ת"ל
אתה אומר...או אינו אלא

I don't know if there's any difference between them, but they all introduce a hava aminah, what I would have said the law is, and then brings a verse to show that the halacha is not that way.

Rav Menachem Mendel Kasher, in the Miluim to his Torah Sheleimah Volume 26, has a long piece on these phrases. He says many times the hava aminah is very out there, and no one would seemingly have thought of them. He also questions the purpose of bringing them in the first place, instead of just teaching us the halacha.

He then introduces an interesting idea, and says that these phrases are (if I understood him correctly) always coming to refute the opinion of the Saducees. Chazal knew that this was their opinion, therefore they introduced it as a hava aminah and refute it with a drasha on the verse. He then brings many examples to prove his point (although I'm not familiar enough with the gemarras he quotes to know if it's a real proof or not).

What I'm wondering is twofold:

Is this his original idea, or is there an earlier source for such a concept?
Is there anyone who disagrees as to the purpose of bringing these hava aminahs throughout shas/midrashim? For example: it's a stylistic choice for how to teach?


texts: Secret Ops, The President, and The Blessing On a King

texts: One of the conditions to make the brocha on kings is that they have the power to kill you (see Radvaz 1:296 as well as the Orchot Chaim Brachos 49 that say that this brocha is recited on any monarch with enough power to execute or pardon from execution). Although the President could kill someone through different channels (Military, NSA, Secret Service), seemingly that ability could only come clandestily, for if it were ever to come out to light that the President had someone killed he would be subject to impeachment. My question though, is the fact that he  can execute someone only come through secret ways enough of a reason to make the Brocha? Is the sheer ability to have someone killed the main criteria according to the Radvaz? Or is it the unquestioned wanton ability to have you murdered the true litmus test to make the brocha?


texts: I came accross a Magen Avrohom או״ח תמ״ז ס״ק י״ג that quotes a Shach that he says is בגליון does anyone know what he might be referring to?


texts: Can someone transgress the 3 cardinal sins to save Jews?

texts:
As we see in the Megilas Esther Perek 3 Mordechai didn't bow down to Haman because according to some he had an idol on his neck. However, by him not doing so enraged him to want to kill all the Jews.
So my question is, can someone transgress the three cardinal sins if he thinks by doing so jews won't be killed?


texts: Hanukkah candles should start from the right, but which right?

texts:
It is known that the first Hanukkah candle should be on the right, and every day another candle is added to its left.

My question is, which right? If I am lighting the candles in a window or suchlike facing outside, my right will be left from the perspective of outside observers.

So where should it be - to the right of the person lighting, or to the right as seen from outside?


texts: Can I revert from using techeiles back to using all-white strings?

texts:
I used to wear all-white tzitzis, as is the more "universal" custom.

Some time ago, I was convinced to start wearing a blue thread in them, to fulfill the commandment in the Torah to insert a psil techeiles.

Later, I concluded that we do not have a mesorah for techeiles and therefore the companies which manufacture techeiles nowadays do not have the "real deal" dye from the chilazon.

I switched back to using all-white strings.

Did I act properly? Is one allowed to revert to using all-white strings when he decided to put a blue thread in it as the Torah commands? One possible problem I see is that we never go down in holiness, but rather only up (maalah b'kedushah v'lo matah).

In my case I believed initially the blue dye was the real deal, but later concluded that it was not. This case does not deal with someone who believed, and continues to believe, the blue dye we have today is indeed from the chilazon, but yet wears all-white strings anyway for whatever reason. I believe such a question would have to be asked separately.

Notice: I'd like to avoid confrontation about rather the techeiles we have today (be it from the murex trunculus or the cuttlefish) being the real deal. That is not what this question is about; and trust me - I've read into the whole thing. I'm familiar with the arguments.


texts:
Assuming a kosher restaurant or a café that attracts significant quantity of non-Jewish customers, what is their policy on fast days?

Do they keep open? If so, what do they do with Jews, who have forgotten the fast for whatever reason? Aren't they misleading people? Is marit ayin an issue?
Should they close? If so, what should pregnant women or the sick do, who can't cook for whatever reason?

Are there any authorities discussing this topic in detail?


texts: Is there a requirement to join a Minyan?

texts:
Is a person who is learning Torah in another room required to disrupt his learning in order to join a group of nine men so that they can pray in a Minyan?

The person in question comes earlier in order to learn before his own Minyan, that has for sure more than ten people. And when the nine guys come to Barchu and see that one is missing - they call the person to sit in the room, where they pray, so they would have Minyan. Of course the person in question can learn better without guys praying around him. And the question is, can he deny the request or not.


texts: Are you allowed to give a Jewish driver directions to your shul on Shabbat?

texts: While you are walking to the synagogue on Shabbat, a Jewish driver stops his car and asks you how to drive to that synagogue. Is there any problem giving him the directions? Are you facilitating or encouraging him to do a melacha?


texts:
Does advanced age disqualify a Shochet from being able to preform the ritual slaughter? If so what is the cut off age?

  Related question: What's the youngest that a shochet could be? (lower age limit)


texts: the Alter Rebbe's daughter had a male soul

texts:
What is the source that the Alter Rebbe's daughter (Fraida) had a male soul?

I heard in a shiur that the alter rebbe said that his daughter has a male soul (I guess similar to this)

Is this true (that he said this or something similar to it)? Source please

(what does it mean?)


texts:
At a wedding, we designate both eidei kiddushin (witnesses for the kiddushin) and eidei ketubah (witnesses for the ketubah).

However, I haven't really seen the practice of designating eidei nisuin at a wedding except for yichud.

Recall the yichud room is only one opinion of what nisuin is; why don't we designate witnesses for the other opinions? (ie entering the chuppah, covering the kallah's face etc-- see this answer)

Are eidei nisuin  required at a wedding?
If so, why aren't they designated/ set aside for all the different options of nisuin like they are for kiddushin and ketubah?


texts: Proper way for a man to urinate while standing

texts:
Maran HaShulḥan 'Arukh, citing the Talmud Bavli (Niddah 13B), states that a man must avoid holding his member when urinating (Oraḥ Ḥayim 3:14). That is, holding me'atarah u'lema'alah is forbidden while holding me'atarah u'lemattah is permitted (using the Gemara's terms).

MishnaBeruraYomi.org (2:17-2:57) and MishnaBerura.com (18:30-19:25) both explain me'atarah u'lema'alah (the forbidden area) to be the shaft until where it connects to the glans ('atarah). RaSh"I explains the Gemara accordingly (s.v. מעטרה ולמעלה).

Considering that the glans ('atarah) contains the highest concentration of nerve endings in the male body, how does this make sense? Would it not make more sense to permit holding a place with fewer nerve endings and to avoid holding a place with more nerve endings (to avoid stimulation)?


texts:
I have been considering learning safrut from an individual. I know 2 sofrim in my area, but not well. I understand that learning this skill takes much time and this will probably be a significant monetary as well as time investment, so I want to ascertain that I am getting good value and am learning things properly.

When I interview a prospective mentor, what qualities and types of questions should I ask him so that I can evaluate that this person is well qualified as well as knowledgeable to teach me properly? Obviously, he has to know the halachot, but as I don't know all of them myself, how could I verify that he knows them and demonstrates this in his craft? (I am not talking about interpersonal communications, as that's a separate issue that I may not know until later)

Additionally, is there a different set of standards or questions that I should ask him if I am learning to write tefillin / mezuzot vs. inspecting & correcting others?


texts: What is the source or rationale for the sins listed in the Ashamnu?

texts: The sins listed in the Ashamnu do not seem to be all inclusive or exhaustive.  Why these sins and not others?


texts: Who distributed the zemiros across the three meals?

texts:
Any book of zemiros whether it's a siddur, birchon, or what have you divides the zemiros between the three meals. Sometimes the rationale is obvious as with the tikkunim which are written for each meal. Sometimes they seem arbitrary like Kah Ribbon. My question is twofold:

Who decided on the placement of the zemiros?
Is there a unified set of rules for what makes one song a "night zemer" and another a "day zemer?"


texts: Why is Abraham considered the "Founder of Judaism"?

texts:
Why is Abraham called 'the founder of Judaism' given that he didn't write its founding legislation, which is what 'founders' of other religions did (for example, Paul and Muhammed)?  What place does Moshe (Moses) occupy?

Research items which prompt the question are the following:

Who Were the Founders of Judaism?The Jewish People are the children of Abraham. So to understand Judaism, we must start with the story of this great man, perhaps the most important individual in the history of the world, and the founder of Judaism.
Judaism - HISTORY.com:'The origins of Jewish faith are explained throughout the Torah. According to the text, God first revealed himself to a Hebrew man named Abraham, who became known as the founder of Judaism.'
Abraham: The Founder of Judaism - Religions.com
New Jewish Encyclopedia -  Abraham: 'First of the three Hebrew Patriarchs and founder of the Jewish people.'
Encyclopedia Brittanica - Moses: In the Covenant ceremony at Mt. Sinai, where the Ten Commandments were promulgated, he founded the religious community known as Israel.

It is a curious fact that Abraham is not portrayed in the Tanakh as bequeathing a specific body of laws as Moses did later.  We are only told in Beréshit 26:5 that 'Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.'
It is not specified in the history of Abraham in the Torah what these are.


texts: Why do we play bagpipes, get drunk, and wear green on Moshe Rabbeinu's Yahrzeit

texts:
So today is Moshe Rabbeinu's Yahrzeit, and there are many people in the streets commemorating this by wearing green and drinking.  There is also a large prevalence of bagpipes.  I was wondering what the source for this minhag is.

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


texts: Is there any minhag for a Kohen to dress like the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur?

texts:
About 20 years ago, I was the shaliach tzibbur in a shul in Newburgh, NY on Yom Kippur. As I was davening, I hear behind me, "jingle, jingle". I turn around, and behold, there is a man dressed in a long white robe with gold trim, a "breast plate" with colored stones on it, and the bottom of the robe had "pomegranates" and bells. In other words, he was dressed like the Kohen Gadol!

When he got the Kohen aliyah, I verified that he was a Kohen.

I didn't have a chance to ask him why he was wearing his "outfit", as I didn't want to embarrass him. (some people were laughing at him, and he may have been conscious of that.) I'm curious if there is any minhag anywhere for a Kohen to dress this way on Yom Kippur, or was this guy just dressing this way on his own "whim"?


texts: Writing/buying Seforim rather than Sefer Torah

texts: I've heard someone say that the mitzvah to write/buy a Sefer Torah in these days is actually to write/buy seforim that we use to learn Torah from.  Do you know who the source of this opinion is?


texts: Why is the eighth, and last, day of Chanukah called "Zos Chanukah" and what is it significance?


texts: What did King David do to the people of Ammon after he captures the city in Shmuel 2 at the end of Chapter 12

texts:
What does this actually mean?
Was it that King David put them to work or he literally tortured them?
where it says:
31.
And the people that were therein he brought forth and he put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and he made them pass through the brick kiln; and so he did to all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.        לאוְאֶת הָעָם אֲשֶׁר בָּהּ הוֹצִיא וַיָּשֶׂם בַּמְּגֵרָה וּבַחֲרִצֵי הַבַּרְזֶל וּבְמַגְזְרֹת הַבַּרְזֶל וְהֶעֱבִיר אוֹתָם בַּמַּלְבֵּן (כתיב בַּמַּלְכֵּן) וְכֵן יַעֲשֶֹה לְכֹל עָרֵי בְנֵי עַמּוֹן וַיָּשָׁב דָּוִד וְכָל הָעָם יְרוּשָׁלָםִ:


texts:
Shimon has in his vault a valuable document. Reuven knows everything there is on this document, but he wants a copy of it anyway. He's only going to use it for personal use, not to sell it. Being the nice guy he is, Reuven asks Shimon for permission to see this document. But he photocopies it while he has it, say for future reference. Now, when he returns it, he mentions to Shimon, "By the way, I hope you don't mind that I made a copy of your document."

Shimon is understandably annoyed by this act, but he's not sure there's anything he can do. Did Reuven violate lo signov? No. He had the document legally. Is there geneivas da'as? No. Shimon gave it to him willingly.

So: is there an issue with copying someone else's objects, assuming that there's no geneivas da'as or actual geneivah? What about in a case where Reuven decided to copy it only after he had it in his possession? Is that a Sholeiach Yad issue?


texts: Relative status of biblical and rabbinic transgressions

texts:
In the opening chapter of Sefer Tanya, the rebbe notes that failure to perform a positive biblical commandment is worse than performing a rabbinic transgression.

In his words: “Even one who transgresses a minor prohibition of the sages is called an evil-doer... and all the moreso one who fails to perform a positive [biblical] obligation, such as one who was able to engage in Torah study but who didn’t do so... And it is obvious that such a one is considered an evil-doer moreso than he who transgresses a rabbinic prohibition” (ואפילו העובר על איסור קל של דברי סופרים מקרי רשע... וכ”ש וק”ו במבטל איזו מ”ע שאפש’ לו לקיימה כמו כל שאפשר לו לעסוק בתורה ואינו עוסק... ופשיטא דמקרי רשע טפי מעובר איסור דרבנן).

Can somebody please provide me with a source for this idea that violating a rabbinic prohibition is of less severity than failure to observe a biblical obligation? Is it universally held, or are there scholars who hold that violating a rabbinic prohibition (while of less severity than violating a biblical prohibition) is actually worse than non-compliance with a biblical obligation?


texts:
There are things that we say in davening in Aramaic. I have seen a few explanations as to why (as per this Q and A) but I don't know where Ushpizin fits in with that. I'm not sure if anyone would call Ushpizin a "prayer" so I don't know if its language is up for discussion as other things' are.
Unlike Ha Lachma Anya (are parts of the Haggadah considered "prayers"?), we don't need the common man to understand this invitation as it is aimed at the souls of biblical figures -- are we assuming that they don't know Hebrew? Are we saying something that we don't want angels to understand? Or is this just a case of "it was written in a text which was in Aramaic so, whatever"?


texts: The application of the dispute about the borders of Babylon

texts:
The Talmud (Kiddushin 71b) discusses the differences in the lineage of people from different places in the vicinity of Bavel (Babylon) by analogy of health. Bavel is healthy (has a good lineage), Mishon is dead (totally bad lineage), Maday is sick (mostly good), and Elam is dying (mostly bad).

Immediately afterwards, the Talmud asks what the boundaries of Bavel are, beginning by quoting the opinions of Rav and Shemu'el.

My understanding is that this dispute about the boundaries of Bavel is about lineage, meaning which places have a good lineage. (The practical ramification could be that you can marry a Babylonian man or woman without checking, on the assumption that he or she has a good lineage.) This understanding seems to be shared by Rashi and is necessitated by the dispute between Rav Papa and Rav Yosef whether the boundaries under discussion can be applied to bills of divorce.

I have some problems with this.

Rabbi Yochanan is quoted later in the discussion about the boundaries of Bavel. However, the Gemara has already established that Rabbi Yochanan is unaware of the fact that Babylonians had a pure lineage. Rabbi Yochanan believes that there are also people with bad ancestry in Babylon. Why would Rabbi Yochanan discuss the boundaries of Bavel within the context of determining who has a good lineage, if he doesn't believe that Babylonians have an especially good lineage?
The Talmud Yerushalmi (4:1, 43a) also mentions this dispute between Rav and Shemu'el. While the Yerushalmi does have (quoting the Babylonians) the comparison between Bavel, Mishon, Maday and Elam, this is mentioned after the dispute about the boundaries of Bavel. The Yerushalmi gives these borders next to a dispute about whether to accept converts from Tadmor in marriage. Could it be that the dispute is about the border between Bavel and Tadmor, i.e. between Jewish converts from Tadmor who can't intermarry with Jews (according to one opinion) and Babylonians who can? And if so, would the Talmud Yerushalmi be interpreting this dispute differently than the Talmud Bavli, or could they both be sharing this understanding of the dispute?
Side point: It strikes me as strange that Rabbi Yochanan, from the land of Israel, voice an opinion specifically on the northern border of Babylon, and that the Yerushalmi is aware of Rav and Shemu'el's dispute (via Rabbi Yose berabbi Bon), but not Rabbi Yochanan's opinion. How can this be explained?


texts: (Mekach Toyus) Mistaken purchase - in a marriage

texts: There is a concept of Mekach Toyus (mistake-based deal) in a marriage. What would be considered Mekach Toyus? Suppose when the bride or groom figured out that this was a Mekach Toyus and remained together for a while longer can they still say Mekach Toyus?


texts: Status of children born from a yefat toar who was converted to judaism after the 30 day period

texts:
In parshat Ki Teietze it talks about the yefat torah.
If after the 30 days if he still wants to marry her, she is converted to judaism, then he can marry her.
Question: Is this conversion a regular normal conversion (which would require her assent, and, at least under the normative view of current Judaism, an extended period of education) through which
she becomes a true convert in all aspects?
Or is the conversion only partial, where she is not quite jewish?


texts: Can you put a child who is not yet old enough to understand (lo higyah lichinuch) Shabbos in front of a light switch in order that he or she turn the light off or on? Is there a difference between the two: turning the light off versus turning it on? (This question is about lights in particular.)


texts: Would suicide be considered acceptable if it was done to prevent yourself being sacrificed to an idol deity?

texts:
This is an oddly specific question but the thought came to me and I wanted to know what your opinions on it would be.

Historically speaking, human sacrifice was a regular occurrence in various pagan communities. The Canaanites were said to have practiced child sacrifice as part of their practices.

Say that a Jew had been taken hostage by the Canaanites or similar and they were planning on sacrificing him to their deities.

Would a Jew be doing the better thing if he killed himself in order to not allow his death honor a god that wasn't Hashem?
Or would his sacrifice ultimately not matter because there are no gods but Hashem. Thus attempting to prevent the sacrifice is partially you acknowledging another god that isn't Hashem?
The problem is I don't believe that logical train of thought is correct because we purposely create Mevushal wine in order to prevent such sacrifices from taking place. So then the sacrifice obviously would matter at some level, wouldn't it?

It's a complex question because I'm trying to figure out if this would fall under a similar category as being forced to worship gods that weren't Hashem.

Jewish tradition establishes that Jews who died as martyrs died having done Kiddush Hashem. My question is would the act of committing suicide to prevent your death worshipping a foreign diety be considered a form of Kiddush Hashem?

Obviously, there's a moral complication here in that you'd be committing a gross act of sin through suicide. That being said, is the context of your sinful action understood as being an act of loyalty since you are preventing your death from honoring another diety?

I was curious what your thoughts on this would be.


texts:
In the Megillah, we read (6:1):

  בַּלַּיְלָה הַהוּא נָדְדָה שְׁנַת הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיֹּאמֶר לְהָבִיא אֶת־סֵפֶר הַזִּכְרֹנוֹת דִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים וַיִּהְיוּ נִקְרָאִים לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ

  On that night, the king's sleep was disturbed. He said to bring the book of chronicles, and they read it before the king.

Likewise, in Ezra 4:18, Artachshasta (who was either Koreish/Daryavesh, according to Rashi, or Achashveirosh, according to Ralbag) says that he had a letter read to him:

  נִשְׁתְּוָנָא דִּי שְׁלַחְתּוּן עֲלֶינָא מְפָרַשׁ קֱרִי קָדָמָי

  The letter which you have sent to me has been explained and read before me.

Why didn't these kings read the text themselves? At first, I thought maybe it was just the way of kings to have others read things to them, but we find that Jewish kings did read (Yehoram in Melachim 2:5:7, Yoshiah in ibid. 22:16 and 23:2), as well as Babylonian ones (Sanhedrin 22a explains that the handwriting on the wall was written in code, implying Belshatzar could read it otherwise).

According to the Ralbag, perhaps since Achashveirosh's father was a stable boy (Megillah 12b), he simply didn't have the education to know how to read. But Rashi learns that Artachshasta was a different king; what was his excuse?

I see three possibilities here:

Specifically Persian-Median kings had the custom to be read to, rather than reading themselves.
Persian-Median kings were incapable of reading.
Persian-Median kings could read, but Achashveirosh was ill-educated, and Koreish...?

Which of these is correct?


texts: How did Jerusalem get bigger without the Sanhedrin?

texts:
The Mishna in Sanhedrin 1:5 states:

  אין מוסיפין על העיר ועל העזרות, אלא על פי בית דין של שבעים ואחד.

  They may not add [annex] to the city [Jerusalem] or [Temple] Courtyards, except by a court of seventy-one.

Correct me if i'm wrong, but we've been lacking a Great Sanhedrin of 71 for a while now.

The modern city of Jerusalem is much larger than the ancient city. However, even  the "New City" is considered Yerushalayim. They follow the nusach of Yerushalayim, observe Shushan Purim, etc.

If the Sanhedrin never "annexed" it, how can it be part of the city?


texts:
Yesterday, I heard the door open and close. I went over and discovered that the mailman had delivered the mail. A magazine (which I looked forward to reading), some envelopes and a small package. I wasn't expecting a package. I picked it up and noticed that it was supposed to be delivered to my neighbor, a block away. I also noticed that the return address was from the Jelly Belly corporation. And the package made a distinct noise when I shook it...

I have read about receiving free samples on Pesach, but this case was a bit more complex -- I wasn't receiving the sample, but I took it into my house. Do I hold on to it and destroy it without delivering it properly (though it isn't my mail to mess with) or do I deliver it and put it in his reshut and put him in the position to have to destroy it? Might that then indicate that I, even for a short time, took ownership of it without destroying it? And that I am willfully delivering chametz to him on Pesach that he might, even for a short time, acquire?  I know about CYLOR but the issues here seemed complex enough to raise here as well.


texts: I looked at the Strong's Concordance and it says perhaps "Day of EL/God".  Any insight into what this name may mean?


texts:
Rav Chaim of Volozhin in his famous work Nefesh HaChaim explains things according to the Litvish philosophy, views etc. Is there a Chassidic work which deals with the same topics as Nefesh HaChaim?

Topics which the book discusses is as follows: Section one is about the nature of the soul and man's role in creation. Section two is about prayer, its true nature as directed meditation and what prayer really does in the context of God's plan: bind the worlds together and nourish them from above. It also describes how the process of repentance operates in re-establishing one's connection to God. Section three is about the nature of God's presence in the world, reconciling unity and duality. The Chapters section between sections three and four addresses how the evil inclination strategizes to divert us. Section four is about the special nature of Torah and the importance of our involvement with it.


texts: Is there an online resource like Jewish Encyclopedia available that is more up to date?

texts: I find the Jewish Encyclopedia (1901-1906) to be an invaluable resource but alas it is quite old. Is there a similar but more updated encyclopedia available online anywhere?


texts: Where does the phrase Nitl Nacht come from?

texts: A common Yiddish phrase to refer to the night of the 25th December is Nitl Nacht. Where does this phrase come from and what are the sources for calling it that?


texts: Is there a chatzitzah if one holds the lulav while wearing a gold ring around one's finger?

texts: The Rabbi of my shul said that it is not considered a proper "lekicha" if one has a ring on their finger while taking the 4 minim. This is especially relevant to women who have jewelry (and men who have wedding rings).


texts: When moshiach comes, will it be impossible for Jews to make aliyah?

texts: Since with this worldwide pandemic, you can find tons of information about what will happen, or what could happen when moshiach comes. Some rabbis state that once he shows up, it will be too late for us to make aliyah. Well, isn't the duty of moshiach to bring back the exiles? At this point I am very confused.


texts: PTIJ: Should I kill my computer after installing software?

texts:
Shemot 22:17 says that a wizard should not live.
When I buy a new computer or if I've inherited a computer and I install new software, it frequently involves a wizard to set it up or install it. What should I do with this? The software package doesn't show the wizard or mention anything about it. Otherwise, of course, I wouldn't have purchased it because I'm not supposed to trust in wizards.
But, now that I'm about to install it and the CD or the download process has begun, the wizard is now on my computer. Should I kill the entire computer? Should I kill just the software itself? What's the proper halacha, here?
This question is Purim Torah and is not intended to be taken completely seriously. See the Purim Torah policy.


texts: Is there any reward for the intent or attempt to do a mitzvah?

texts:
As per the title, does one earn any reward/s'char for the attempt (or even just the intent) to perform a mitzvah?

This evening, we all piled out of shul to say Kiddush Levana only to find that the sky was too cloudy, but we were all ready and interested in doing the mitzvah. If it ends up that, because of the weather, we cannot perform the mitzvah this month, do we receive any reward for our intent or trying to perform it?


texts: Where does the comma go in the Birkas Kohanim, and why?

texts:
In which of the positions (1) or (2) does the comma go in the introduction to Birkas Kohanim,

ברכנו בברכה המשלשת (1) בתורה (2) הכתובה על ידי משה עבדך
Bless us with the blessing which is tripled (1) in the Torah (2) which is written through Moshe Your servant.

(free translation)
and why?
I have seen siddurim with both versions.


texts: Is there anyone today who only wears Rabenu Tam t'philin?

texts: Is there anyone in our times who ONLY wear t'philin made according to the shitta of Rabenu Tam - to the exclusion of "Rashi" t'philin?


texts: Does participating in Torah discussion websites fit into the spirit of Torah sheB'al Peh?

texts:
This question is a follow-up to Why was Torah SheBe'Al Peh not allowed to be written? and Why can people write Torah sheBal Peh nowadays?

As discussed in the above questions, there were many reasons why the Oral Torah was not meant to be written down. Eventually, due to the fear of forgetting the Torah, it became permitted to write it down, and many seforim have been written since the 9th century CE. Where does participation in Torah websites (such as this one) fit into this picture? Does it go further than the original hetter by writing and publishing so much material from any person? Or perhaps it fits more with the nature of Oral learning because of its discussion nature?


texts: Does an emergency exit require a mezuzah?

texts:
A mezuzah is placed on the right doorpost of the one entering the room or building.

An emergency exit is not entered from the outside and is only used as an exit -- typically to a unenclosed open area. Does it require a mezuzah? If it does, where is the mezuzah placed?

The location of a mezuzah of an enclosed deck is subject to dispute, as discussed here. However, the location of a mezuzah on a unenclosed deck door is on the right going into the house since the deck is treated as the outside and not a room of the house. An emergency exit may be completely exempt since it is not used as an entrance at all.


texts:
What is the Etymology of “Grager”?

Grager is the noisemaker we use on Purim during the Megila when Haman's name is read.


texts: Why do we say באהבה twice in ותתן לנו on Shabbos of Yom Tov?

texts:
In the Shemoneh Esrei and the nighttime Kiddush for Yom Tov (Nusach Ashkenaz), we say (additions for Shabbos in square brackets and italics):

  ותתן לנו ה' אלקנו באהבה [שבתות למנוחה ו] מועדים לשמחה חגים וזמנים לששון את יום חג  ... הזה זמן ... [באהבה] מקרא קדש וכו׳

Why do we need another באהבה for Shabbos when we already had one earlier in the same sentence?

See the Siddur Rinas Yisroel for example pages 367 (kiddush) and 376 (mussaf).


texts: Why does Sukkot have an individualized Harachaman insert in Bentching, but not Pesach or Shavuot?

texts: We have הרחמן הוא יקים לנו את סוכת דוד הנופלת for Sukkot. But for Pesach and Shavuot, there's one generic הרחמן הוא ינחילנו את יום שכולו טוב. Why?


texts:
On Yom Kippur and Tisha B'av we read about the Ten Martyrs who were gathered and killed by Emperor Hadrian to atone for the Sale of Yosef HaTzadik.

In addition to the idea that the Ten Martyrs didn't live at the same time, the Talmud records the deaths of at least some of the Ten Martyrs in a very different manner (I remember learning about the deaths of some of the Rabbis, and assume that the rest are also recorded). According to the Talmud each Rabbi was individually found guilty of a crime (such as teaching Torah or giving Semicha) and executed.

So, if we assume that the poet was taking some poetic license and the deaths of the Ten Martyrs didn't happen exactly as described (i.e. they weren't all gathered together and then killed at one time). How did they actually die?

Where in the Talmud (or other sources from the same time period) are those deaths recorded and what crime did the Rabbis commit? How were they actually killed? If there are conflicting accounts in other places, please mention them.

I'm setting up a community wiki answer in order to try and get a complete answer in one place.


texts: When Tisha B'Av immediately follows Shabbos (either because the 9th of Av is Shabbos or because the 9th of Av is Sunday), how and when do we make havdallah?


texts:
I have been trying to understand Isru Chag. While there is a source in tehillim for the words and the gemara derives a notion of extra celebration, there seems to be little about the scope of the day.

What troubles me is that the codification of Isru Chag via the Ramo takes place in galut -- post-15th century. The last day of pesach would already have been logically obviated and maintained only as a derobonnon practice so the deriving of a day as an extension of the yom tov would already have been satisfied by the addition (and maintaining) of an entire second day of yom tov. Isru chag would still have value in Israel because otherwise, nothing would be "bound" to the end of the holiday. But outside of Israel, we are already "binding" a second day of yom tov.

We know that the last day of pesach is not "really" part of the biblically mandated holiday. So the derivation of the isru chag via a line in tehillim (written about the celebration PRE-yom tov sheini shel galuyos) to create another day seems unnecessary.

So shouldn't Isru Chag be a practice only for Ashkenazim in Israel? (I note no Isru Chag tag)


texts: Pirating software that has already been bought

texts:
Say, for instance, that I've previously bought a set of DVDs (for example, the workout program P90x, which contains several DVDs in a set), and that I am currently in a different country and have not brought the DVDs with me- does the fact that I've already paid for the item remove any problem of subsequently illegally downloading the videos?

I'm aware that the halachic issue of intellectual property and pirating software is already hazy and complex at best, but would such a case remove all issues of actual "loss" to the owner? One would have already bought the item, and thus one is not causing the company any real loss.


texts: Are Maran Ovadiah Yosef's lectures translated?

texts:
Where can I find English transcribed lectures of Maran Ovadiah Yosef, if such a thing exists?
I've come across some clips of his lectures on YouTube that have Hebrew transcriptions and sometimes English too, so maybe the same exists for longer lectures?


texts: Use of Jewish Decorations and Artifacts by Non-Jews

texts:
In another forum I frequent, the question of using some Jewish themed decorations and artifacts (for example Hannukah lights) by Non-Jews came up.  Some felt it was a desecration, some went *meh*.
My thinking was as long as a Non-Jew treats any decorations/artifacts with similar reverence and respect as a Jew would for that same item, there is generally no harm done. For example:

A few cheap plastic Hannukah lights, meh....
A Sefer Torah, if it fell into the hands of a Non-Jew please treat with awe and respect that a Jew would, and restore to the Jewish Community as soon as possible.

The basic question: How is a non-Jew expected to treat artifacts of the Jewish religion.  Ranging from items not sacred to the religion like plastic Hannukah decorations, up to a Sefer Torah for example?


texts: הדרן עֲלָךְ מסכת פלונית - why not עֲלִיךְ?

texts:
The standard text for a siyum on a masechta, as printed in Gemaras, is

  הדרן עֲלָךְ מסכת פלונית

מסכת seems to be feminine, so shouldn't it be עֲלִיךְ, with similar changes for the other words?

As DoubleAA points out, after each perek there's a one line הדרן עֲלָךְ פרק פלוני, and after the last one it's הדרן עֲלָךְ פרק פלוני וסליקא לה מסכת פלונית, which is grammatically as I'd expect it.  I'm talking about the longer text that comes after that in many printings (e.g. bottom of this page), which people follow at most siyumim that I've been to.


texts: Does anybody know any good picture mishnayos for masechtas mikvaos. There is no Mishnah Behirah on it.


texts: Does language change affect what hyssop is valid for the ḥatat ritual?

texts:
In Parah 11:7, we learn that hyssop that is called simply "hyssop" (אזוב) is valid for use in sprinkling mei ḥatat, but hyssop that has an accompanying name (such as "blue hyssop", etc.) is unfit.

Is this a descriptive rule based on the language they had at the time? Or possibly, we require something called "hyssop", and if the particular plant we call "hyssop" changes over time, then the acceptable species also changes over time?

(This question can also be asked for several other cases, such as which straight metal utensils are susceptible to tumah, see Keilim 11:2.)


texts: Can a rabbinical mitzvah (that is currently being done) override a biblical mitzvah?

texts:
There's a principle of Osek Ba-Mitzva Patur Min Ha-Mitzva that says that if one is in the midst of doing one mitzvah he is exempt from performing other mitzvot.

Do both mitzvot have to be of the same type (biblical or rabbinical)? Or does any mitzvah count towards this principle.

A common application of this happens daily: You have 5 minutes until sof zman kriat shema (a biblical obligation) and you're in the middle of reciting pesukey dizimra (a rabbinical mitzvah). Should you interrupt pesukey dizimra to say shema on time? Or does reciting the pesukey dizimra exempt you from saying shema on time?


texts: Can one carry a child outside an eruv on Shabbat?

texts: If one is on a walk on Shabbat with a small child in an area without an eruv, and the child gets tired, is one allowed to carry the child? For the purpose of answering this question, assume that the child is not in any danger, is just getting fussy, and does not have anything in his or her pockets.


texts: Why was Rabbi Moshe Feinstein skeptical about allowing lift and cut shavers?

texts:
From Koshershaver.org

It is important to mention that Rav Moshe Feinstein was very skeptical about permitting the use of a lift and cut shaver when it was first shown to him in his later years. One should bear in mind that the widespread heter to use electric shavers is primarily because Rav Moshe, being the posek hador of the past generation, permitted their use. Most poskim in Eretz Yisroel on the other hand, forbade their use. Consequently, it is questionable how a person who relies on Rav Moshe’s shitah with regard to shaving, can go ahead and use a lift and cut shaver which Rav Moshe himself was skeptical about.31
Footnote 31: This is what I heard from Rav Belsky, Rav Dovid Feinstein and Rav Reuven Feinstein. See Halichot Shelomo page 11 who gives another rationale to permit shaving...

Why was Rav Moshe Feinstein skeptical about lift and cut shavers? What makes their halachic status different from other electric shavers, which he permitted based on the idea that they act like scissors rather than like a razor? Doesn't the lift and cut shaver do the same thing?


texts: What do I do when asked to "open the Aron" or "take out the Torah"?

texts: If I'm in synagogue and someone asks me if I can "open the Aron" or "take out the Sefer Torah," what will I be expected to do, and when?


texts: Is one allowed to drink alcohol on regular weekdays?

texts:
Is it permissible to drink alcohol in any circumstance other than Holidays and Shabbat? Please cite sources.

CYLOR.


texts: Is it a problem of bal tashchit to throw out edible leftovers if one prefers to do so for no good reason?


texts: What is meant by the stars/asterisks that are printed around some words/phrases in the Pri Megadim on the shulchan aruch? These asterisks/stars are found repeatedly on almost every page of the Pri Megadim - more so in Ohr Hachayim - in all editions of the shulchan aruch.


texts: Why does the Halacha distinguish between blessing for fragrance and before eating fruits

texts:
The Halacha distinguishes between three types of blessing of the fragrance according to their source: בורא מיני בשמים, בורא עצי בשמים, בורא עשבי בשמים. However, when coming to eating fruits the Halacha distinguishes only between shrubs and trees: בורא פרי העץ, בורא פרי האדמה.
Why doesn't the Halacha make the same distinguish for blessing before eating?


texts: Looking for Peirush HaGra on Sefer Yehoshua online

texts:
Does anyone know if there is an online version of the Peirush HaGra on Sefer Yehoshua online?

I can't seem to find it on Sefaria or Hebrewbooks.org.


texts:
1) Why do people refer to the hebrew word for egg, ביצה, as ביה?

2) When one says ביה isn't he also saying part of G-d's Name?


texts: "Hanukkah 8th day/Tevet 3/New Years Day" triple coincidences - What makes them so Rare?

texts:
I very recently became aware that Hanukkah 8th day sometimes (but rarely) falls on Tevet 3. What causes this to happen? At the same time, I also noticed that when Hanukkah 8th day/Tevet 3 happen together, this sometimes occurs in conjunction with the Gregorian New Year's Day (January 1). Additionally, when such triple coincidences occur, they always occur on the first day of the week (i.e. Sunday). One such "triple occurrence" happened most recently in 2017 (5777 Hebrew year). However, another one also occurred in 1797 (5557 Hebrew year), and yet another will apparently occur 150 years from now in the Gregorian year 2169 (5929 Hebrew year). So I now have a couple of related questions....

  1) Can someone tell me the calendar conditions that cause Hanukkah 8th day
  to fall on Tevet 3?

  2) Can anyone possibly extrapolate from that to tell me how frequently it
  might occur as a "triple event" with the Gregorian New Years Day? (I can only find two occurrences since the calendar shift from Julian to Gregorian happened in 1582). Thank you
  for all of your help.

BONUS QUESTION: Hebcal seems to indicate that another triple occurrence also happened in the Gregorian year 1550. I highly doubt that this is correct because this date is prior to adoption of the Gregorian calendar when the all important "11 day date shift" occurred - that would make the triple occurrence in Gregorian year 1550 theoretically impossible. So, it doesn't seem to be correct. Is it possible that Hebcal is not calculating correctly? Can someone check this out? Does anyone know how reliable Hebcal is?

  Edit/Update: I became more curious, so I manually checked the entire date range from Gregorian years 1797 to 3797 for any "Hanukkah 8th
  day/Tevet 3/January 1" triple occurrences. This is what I found:

  I found a mere eight triple occurrences of "Hanukkah 8th day/Tevet
  3/January 1" over the entire span of 2000 years - 1797,
  2017, 2169, 2275, 2389, 2609, 3486, and 3706. These 8 triple occurrences seemed to happen LESS frequently in future years
  according to Hebcal with a large gap between 2609 and 3486. The dates in Bold all occurred on Sunday. The dates
  in Italics all occurred on Friday. Furthermore, several of the dates appear
  to be equally spaced by 220 years (except for 2017 to 2169 and 2609 to 3486).
  I
  did observe that the Hebrew dates do seem to be shifting gradually (slightly) relative to the Gregorian solar calendar. I do not know the reason for
  this. I expected them to be continuous and relatively stable and in-sync. I also observed
  that starting with the Gregorian year 3032, Hanukkah/Kislev 25 begins to fall
  on January 1 (after that such "New Years Day/Kislev 25" occurrences happen regularly).

  I suppose I may have missed one or two occurrences, but probably
  not many. I wanted to post this update for any who might be interested in the date patterns. Thank you for your answers.


texts:
I believe the vav of vayikra is a vav hamehapeich, meaning it switches yikra from asid to avar. To that extent I heard that the correct translation would be He called, rather than "and He called" (unlike [chabad translation])1.
If so, why does targum translate ukra? which would indicate vav hamoseif?


texts: Is a Non-Jew allowed to stand under a chupah when a wedding is being officiated, either as a guest or as a relative of the couple? Couldn't find a source that discusses this situation.


texts: Is becoming a "Talmid HaRambam" limited to the Rambam?

texts:
This answer explains (very nicely) the justification and practice of those who consider themselves followers of the Rambam, as opposed to any other opinion.  In the cited responsa of the Beis Yosef, he is specifically addressing those who become followers of the Rambam.

I am unaware of "Rashba-ists," "Halachos Gedolos-ists, "or "Tur-ists," even though they all have their own works of systematized Halachic codification. I am unaware of "Shachists" or "Aruch HaShulchanists."

This question asks why the phenomenon exists only with respect to the Rambam.

I am wondering if there is any reason why it is only allowed with the Rambam.  Is this practice of following exclusively the Rambam limited to the Rambam, or could someone, if so inclined, become an "Aruch Hashulchanist" even though they are, for arguments sake, Chassidish, or Syrian, and have no Aruch HaShulchan-related mesorah?


texts: I have a veritable million little lactaid chewable tablets sitting around my house. I cannot find a single person who is clear on whether or not they're chametz Gamur, or even Kitniyot for that matter. If they're chametz Gamur, I have to get rid of them fully. I've heard that I shouldn't eat them- but no one is clear on whether they're kitniyot or chametz Gamur.


texts: Why does the ben chocham ask what the mitzvos are if he is a chochom?

texts: Title says it all, if the ben chocham is already wise, as proven from this itself that he asks "what are the adus, chukim and mishpatim..", implying he knows the difference between the three categories of mitzvos, and the gemara in general says this question is being asked by a ben chocham, then why would he need to ask what the specific commandants are? Doesn't he know Torah shebochsav and Torah shebal peh? If not, then what makes him a chochom, and if so, then what is he asking?


texts: Is there a name of God (derived through gematria, kabbalah or otherwise) associated with the number 210?


texts: Seeking explanation/reason for versions of "R'faenu"

texts:
I've seen the following versions (and slight variants thereof) of a portion of the eighth b'racha of the weekday sh'mone esre:

וְהַעֲלֵה אֲרוּכָה וּמַרְפֵּא לְכָל תַּחֲלוּאֵינוּ וּלְכָל מַכְאוֹבֵינוּ וּלְכָל מַכּוֹתֵינוּ
וְהַעֲלֵה אֲרוּכָה וּמַרְפֵּא לְכָל תַּחֲלוּאֵינוּ וּלְכָל מַכְאוֹבֵינוּ רְפוּאָה שְׁלֵמָה לְכָל מַכּוֹתֵינוּ
וְהַעֲלֵה אֲרוּכָה וּמַרְפֵּא לְכָל תַּחֲלוּאֵינוּ וּלְכָל מַכְאוֹבֵינוּ וּלְכָל מַכּוֹתֵינוּ רְפוּאָה שְׁלֵמָה לְכָל מַכּוֹתֵינוּ
וְהַעֲלֵה רְפוּאָה שְׁלֵמָה לְכָל מַכּוֹתֵינוּ
וְהַעֲלֵה רְפוּאָה שְׁלֵמָה לְכָל תַּחֲלוּאֵינוּ

(There may be others, too.) Are there any reasons (besides "that's the way our fathers did it") given for any of the various versions, or explanations of the differences among them?


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

Upvote all interesting answers.

Accept the best answer.

Go on to the next number.


texts: In an average shul, how long before sunset does a combined weekday Mincha/Maariv service start?

texts: Many shuls worldwide run combined weekday Mincha/Maariv services.  How long before sunset do these services tend to start?  Please specify a range, measured in "number of minutes".  Also, please cite your sources, if any.


texts:
I was just reading a Devar Torah which said "Hashem does not judge human beings on Shabbos." I feel like I've heard this before but I'm wondering if this is true. Does anyone know of a primary source (Rishonim or earlier) that discusses whether Hashem judges on Shabbos? Thank you so much.
(This question is not about whether someone gets punished on Shabbos. It's only about whether Hashem judges on Shabbos.)


texts:
The Shulchan Aruch and Rama pasken in Orach Chaim Siman 114:9 that if one says Mashiv Haruach (or doesn't say Mashiv Haruach) 90 times (with the surrounding words) we assume he made a Chazaka and will continue to say it the correct way.

  אם ביום ראשון של פסח אומר ברכת אתה גבור עד מוריד הטל צ' פעמים כנגד ל' יום שאומר אותה ג' פעמים בכל יום משם ואילך אם אינו זוכר אם הזכיר גשם הרי הוא בחזקת שלא הזכיר גשם ואינו צריך לחזור: הגה וכן לדידן אם אמר עד מכלכל חיים בלא משיב הרוח ומוריד הגשם שמזכירין בימות הגשמים וכן אם אמר בשמיני עצרת צ' פעמים אתה גבור עד מוריד הגשם אם נסתפק אחר כך אם הזכיר או לא חזקה שהזכירו [דעת עצמו]:

The Mishna Berura there says you should say it 101 times ideally:

  מא) צ' פעמים - ובתשובת חתם סופר חא"ח סימן כ' מורה ובא לכתחלה לאומרו מאה פעמים ואחד אמנם בדיעבד מי שאמר רק תשעים פעמים אין בידינו לפסוק שיחזור ויתפלל נגד פסק השו"ע:

Based on this many Shuls have a custom on Simchas Torah to sing 101 times the words "מחיה מתים אתה רב להושיע - משיב הרוח ומוריד הגשם."

In the Otzar Hachochmah forums there is a big argument whether it works to sing it as singing may not be relevant to saying it normally as Tosfos on Baba Kamma 37a says that a Chazaka can't be established from Shabbos onto weekday because on Shabbos we wear different clothes.

  הרי הוא מועד לשבתות. מפרש בירושלמי לפי שראה אותם במלבושים נאים אחרים וחשובים בעיניו נכרים ואינו מכירם:

This seemed fascinating to me. Many Shuls led by many great Rabbanim sing it on Simchas Torah with the assumption that it will create a habit for saying it normally, but it is a good point. Why should it create a Regillus that will allow you to assume that when you Daven Shmoneh Esrei normally you will say it the correct way.


texts:
Can a father use maaser money to pay a mohel to give his son a bris milah?

The question is strenghtened since a person is not allowed to charge for performing a mitzvah.


texts: Where in hilchos loshon hora, does the chofetz chaim say that ridiculing Torah lectures is a form of loshon hora?


texts: The Arizal says that Hevel was reincarnated many times to purify his sin. What was his sin?


texts: Where did the Bnei Israel go to the Mikveh in the desert?

texts:
Our Sages in Yevamot 46b and Keritot 9a in the Bavli say that the requirements for a proper conversion are bringing a sacrifice, Mila, Kabalat Hatorah and immersing in a Mikvah.

The Gemara in Yevamot 46b understands that Bnei Israel converted at Maamad Har Sinai: sacrifices were brought (Shemot 24:5), Mila was performed in Egypt before leaving in order to perform Korban Pesach (Kol Bo comment on Yechezkel 16:7 from the Pesach Haggadah), Kabalat Hatorah at Matan Torah, but what about immersing in the Mikvah?

When, where and how did this happen? How about the Jewish ladies after Matan Torah immersing after being Niddah? And the other mitsvot that require immersion?


texts:
It was my understanding that the halakha differentiates between a person who cannot hear and one who can neither speak nor hear, despite the fact that the Hebrew word חרש is used for both (cf, for example: Terumot 1:1-2). It was also my understanding that a person who can neither speak nor hear is one who was born deaf, while a person who cannot hear but who can speak was one who became deaf later in life. In fact, this is how Kehati appears to understand the term in Terumot 1:2 - "חרש המדבר ואינו שומע - כגון שהיה שומע כשנולד ואחר כך איבד את כושר השמיעה" ("A deaf person who can speak but who cannot hear - such as one who could hear when he was born, but who subsequently lost the faculty of hearing").

Bearing that distinction in mind, can somebody please explain to me how it is that Yevamot 14:1 can speak of a person "becoming" deaf, and subsequently becoming incapable of effecting a divorce? Given that the mishna's interpretation is dependant upon them being non compos mentis, I would think that it needs be referring to the case of a person who can neither speak nor hear, which is somebody born deaf. I cannot think of how a person might suddenly be stricken both deaf and dumb later on in life, such that they are no longer to be considered capable of effecting a divorce. [- or somebody who suffered a certain type of brain damage; see comment beneath this question.]

More particularly, I am asking the following: is the person spoken of in Yevamot 14:1 a person who was stricken both deaf and dumb later in life, or is he simply a person who has lost his hearing? Is a person who has lost his/her hearing to be considered non compos mentis as a result?


texts: If Lubavitch is careful not to eat or drink anything outside of the sukka, why does Lubavitch not sleep in the Sukka?


texts: Is studying in a university while at a yeshiva possible in israel?

texts:
I would like to learn in Israel in a university, but besides that i would like to study in a yeshiva. Is that possible?

Thanks


texts: The Medresh says that Moshe said to Hashem "Vaz Chatasee" with the word Az I have sinned and with the word Az I will say Shirah to you. What does the Medresh means when it says Moshe said with the word Az I have sinned to you and with the word Az I will say Shirah to you It a little bit odd.


texts: I thought Gezeirah Shavah requires Mesorah

texts:
In Masecheth Rosh Hashanah (9b), the Gemara uses a Gezeirah Shavah from Tishrei, with the word שנה, to support the Mishnah's ruling that 'Orlah is counted from Tishrei. In response, however, the Gemara challenges that Nisan has the same word and, therefore, the Gezeirah Shavah could be applied to Nisan, a point which is subsequently rejected based on a logical argument.

Wait a second! I thought that a Gezeirah Shavah can only be established by a tradition from one's teacher! While I understand the logical argument on both sides of this particular debate, of what relevance is either argument? Either there's a tradition, or there isn't. So what's going on here?!


texts: Orthodox Visits to Other Denomination Sanctuaries

texts: Why is it that some people won't set foot in another's sanctuary, even if it was for a non-prayer function?  Can an orthodox person be in a reform style temple sanctuary for a lecture or concert? I understand possible discomfort with prayer services but sanctuaries are often used for other purposes.


texts:
As the title, in Book 2 of Shmuel Chapter 6 it says that Michal peered through her window and saw King David dancing and loathed him for doing so: "And David danced with all his might before the Lord; and David was girded with a linen ephod.       ידוְדָוִד מְכַרְכֵּר בְּכָל עֹז לִפְנֵי יְהֹוָה וְדָוִד חָגוּר אֵפוֹד בָּד:
15And David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of [the] shofar.        טווְדָוִד וְכָל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל מַעֲלִים אֶת אֲרוֹן יְהֹוָה בִּתְרוּעָה וּבְקוֹל שׁוֹפָר:
16And [as] the ark of the Lord came [into] the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul peered through the window, and she saw the king David hopping and dancing before the Lord; and she loathed him in her heart." and she goes on to greet him later and rebuke him for doing so and then tells him ""How honored was today the king of Israel, who exposed himself today in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as would expose himself one of the idlers."

Did King David Expose himself (nude) while dancing or was it just unfit for him in the eyes of Michal?


texts:
My chavrusa is looking for a text-based copies of Ritva (חידושים מכתב יד) and Rabeinu Kresscass (ריטב"א) on Gittin, so that he could put them into his computer.

Where can I find a copy of either of the above sefarim, online, as text (meaning, not pdf)?


texts: For puposes of Tashlich, what is considered a "body of water"?

texts:
On the 1st day of Rosh Hashanna (if not Shabbat), customarily people go to a body of water for Tashlich. Does the water have to be there currently and must be a "natural" body of water? If so, what's the minimum size? For example, would any of these situations be considered fine for making Tashlich?

a wadi or other dried up lake, stream, or river
a small brook in a forest trail that has non-visible water but the leaves or moss is damp
filling up a basin with water from a hose. How large must the basin be?
turning on a fire hydrant in the street
a puddle of rain in your driveway or in a pail outside your home
snow or ice (it could happen!) on your lawn
Does the water have to be liquid? What if you go to a frozen lake?

Supplement

Kaf HacHaim (O.C. 583:30) mentions that in Yerushalayim, people said Tashlich at a well or pit even if there was no water in it. He states that the most important thing is the intention of ridding sins in the "upper ocean".

Based on this, it may be possible that the 1st & 2nd items in the list may be permissible, but I'm uncertain, if this can be inferred.


texts:
The question "Keeping Kosher at a secular company" asks about food issues on the job in general.  This question is focused more narrowly on "unbalanced" situations: situations where there's an imbalance of power.

A junior employee, such as an intern, works at a large company where the senior management sometimes invites junior employees to lunch.  Such meetings are primarily of benefit to the invitees, who can gain valuable advice and networking opportunities as they start their careers.

How should the employee in this situation respond if the invitation is to a non-kosher restaurant?  On the one hand, the lunch offers an opportunity and it seems impolite to decline a higher-up like a company president.  On the other hand, it also seems impolite to sit in the restaurant and not order anything, and this may make a bad impression on those present.   I know there may also be the issue of maras ayin from going into and/or eating in the restaurant.

What is the best way to handle this situation?


texts: Do Jews need to care about non-Jewish homosexuality?

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Since there is currently no way and/or need for Jews to administer capital punishment to gentiles who violate the 7 Noahide laws, is there any halachic reason for a Jew to care whether or not a non-Jew engages in homosexuality?
I am asking if there is any halachic basis to mandate that a Jew care (if you prefer 'actively object') about non-Jewish homosexuality today. If no such mandate exists, that does not necessarily mean the inverse is true (i.e. that you may actively accommodate this behavior).
To be clear, this is not related to chinuch or the desire not to be exposed and influenced by practices that are antithetical to the Torah. I am asking this in a purely halachic context.


texts: Why would a product be "only for cooking and pureeing"?

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A recent OU kashrut alert that I found on Kashrut.com says:

  Kirkland Nature's Three Berries: Rader Farms, Inc.: This product bears a Half-Moon K symbol and should be used only for cooking and pureeing.

Why would cooking or pureeing be OK but other uses (presumably raw snacking) be not OK?


texts:
If one's yahrtzeit falls on a day when there is a haftarah, there is a discussion about whether it's a bigger merit for the deceased to recite the haftarah on that day or before the day of the yahrtzeit, so that the merit will be in place prior.

Does anyone know what is done in practice?  Are there any sources which talk about this in more detail?


texts: Can you say the Amidah while the Sefer Torah is being read?

texts:
Through an unavoidable circumstance, someone comes to shul late on Shabbos morning.

Despite skipping those parts of the davenning that can be skipped, after saying Shema, he can see that he will be ready to say the Amidah, just as the congregation will start to read from the Sefer Torah.

What considerations are involved and what do the sources advise him to do?

The question could be posed in two cases: (1) where if he delays his Amidah he will miss the time for saying it and (2) where there will be time to say the  Amidah after the Torah has been read.


texts: Is there a source for the Kallah Bride wearing white in Torah?

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BS"D
Is there a Torah source for the Kallah Bride to wear only white? What about a second marriage?  Does the white indicate that the bride and groom make the day before marriage a special attempt to do Tshuvah?


texts: May one recite a bracha while in the presence of ervah? According to Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 75, one may not pray or recite Torah while in the presence of body parts that should be covered. Does this also apply to blessings (on food, etc.)?


texts: Does anyone know of a place on the web I can find Kabbalat Shabbat sung from the people in a synagogue (preferably Ashkenazi)?

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Here is a perfect example of authentic singing, this is what I'm looking for but for Kabbalat Shabbat.

The problem for me is when people solo Tehillim they make their own version and that is not what I want to hear. It's very hard to record this because it's not shabbasdic, even though it might be halachicly ok to record it. For example the song for "Kol Adonei Al Hamaim" would be nice. I'm looking for the "full version" of Kabalat Shabbat - fully sung - (the songs which are usually sung at least) Thanks!

This is the closest I found but it's for the most famous song so no surprise there. Here is something from Carlebach which resembles the regular way but for me, it's ruined when he solos, so this is not what I'm looking for but at least the names of the songs are.


texts: What is the exact meaning of "ha Elohim" in Genesis 22:1?

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In Genesis 22: 1 we read:
"And it came to pass after these things, that ha Elohim tested Abraham, and He said to him, "Abraham," and he said, "Here I am."
I see that the expression "ha Elohim" is constantly translated with "God" in all the Hebrew translations that I have consulted.
However, in a discussion about Abraham's trial that was held here in Italy at an evangelical Christian website, some Israeli Orthodox Jews intervened and claimed, based on what they say is contained in Midrashic traditions, that in reality the presence in the text of Elohim preceded by the article indicates that here reference is not made to HaShem, but to an earthly authority, to which HaShem would have given the task of punishing Abraham for having contracted a pact with the pagan king of Gerar Abimelech ( Genesis ch. 20), to whom Abraham would have given part of the land that had been promised to the descendants of Isaac.
However, this "earthly authority" would have exceeded by ordering the death of Isaac, being the human sacrifice prohibited by the Law of HaShem (the Noahide Law , finding us before the Matan Torah, which effectively prohibits murder), an order, that of human sacrifice , which the Almighty could never have requested, not even in the form of a "test" against Abraham. Therefore, according to these Israeli Orthodox Jews "ha Elohim" in Genesis 22: 1 should be translated as "the authority"; according to one of these users, this authority should be identified with Shem ben Noach, who he claims to coincide with the figure of Melchizedek.
I asked these forum users to tell me what the precise Midrashic sources are in support of this interpretation, which I have never heard, but I have not received an answer.
I am indeed perplexed, and this for the following reasons:
-In Rashi's commentary there is no reference to this exegesis, and furthermore this master cites as sources Talmud Bavlì Sanhedrin 89b and Genesis Rabbah 5: 4 in which, except for my error, no reference is made to the intervention of this "authority ”, and instead the order is attributed to sacrifice Isaac directly to the Almighty;
-The Targum Onkelos translates “ha Elohim” of Genesis 22: 1 with Yud Yud, a name that the Targumins use exclusively for HaShem.
I therefore ask myself: but what are the actual Jewish sources that support the above interpretation?


texts: What is the source of this saying about allotment of words?

texts: What is the source of the saying that each human being is born with a certain allotment of words to utter?


texts: Can anyone explain the rationale for the Ashkenazi leyning in chutz la-aretz on Chol Ha-Moed?  For example, on the first day of chol ha-moed, we leyn as follows:  first aliya - uvayom ha sheni; second aliya - uvayom ha-shlishi; third aliya - uvayom ha-revi'i; forth liaya - uveyaom ha-sheni and uvayom ha-shlishi.  The problem:  because of sfeika de-yoma it might be the second day or the third day, but it certainly is not the fourth day, so the third aliya does not seem to make any sense.  As proof for this, on hoshana rabba, we don't have an aliya that includes the eighth day, because that is shimini atseret!  If the concern is not repeating, that doesn't seem to hold up either because in Eretz Yisrael, we just leyn the same day four times.  Is there an explanation in the rishonim or achronim for this order of leyning?


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What are the 30 Mitzvot (Commandments) that Bnei Noach have accepted (based on Hullin 92a)?

  שלשים מצות שקבלו עליהם בני נח.
    Thirty commandments which Bnei Noach accepted upon themselves.


texts: The Star-K Potato Test: How does it work?

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I had seen on the Star-K website that one may determine if a microwave needs to be kashered by baking a potato in it and then placing one's hand on the roof of the microwave to determine if it's yad soledes bo. If one can hold his hand on the roof longer than fifteen seconds, the microwave does not absorb, and therefore you can use one microwave for chametz and kosher for Pesach.The footnote

Is that measure not subjective? Let's say that my roommate has a higher heat tolerance than I do. The microwave is treif for me but kosher for him, because I can't hold my hand on for the requisite amount of time, but he can? It's for that reason that R' Moshe (OC 4:74) ruled that yad soledes bo is at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit, but certainly at least 160. It needs to be an objective measure, or else you can run into issues like this. How, then, can the Star-K pasken that one may simply place one's hand on the roof of the microwave and see how long he can hold it there?

I have tried reaching out to the Star-K directly for an answer, but being that I have never heard back in any of my attempts I thought I would try my luck here.

To respond to comments regarding whether this is true of kashering microwaves for anything besides Pesach: First of all, if it absorbs, it absorbs, and if it doesn't, it doesn't. We don't say that it absorbs regarding ordinary kashrus but not regarding Pesach. Second, for those who still wish to argue, here is a quote from an email in a separate discussion with the Star-K:

  There are differences of opinion as to how to kasher microwaves.  I can tell you what Rabbi Heinemann (the posek for the Star-K) holds.
  Here is a quote from an article on the Star-K website (http://www.star-k.org/articles/articles/338/the-star-k-pesach-kitchen-2/) regarding kashering microwaves for Pesach.  The same applies to kashering treif microwaves:

He goes on to quote the article linked above. Q.E.D.


texts:
Did Shem's physical body (or) Shem's teachings remain alive 600 years?

What is the correct understanding of וַֽיְחִי־שֵׁ֗ם אַֽחֲרֵי֙ הֽוֹלִיד֣וֹ אֶת־אַרְפַּכְשָׁ֔ד חֲמֵ֥שׁ מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֥וֹלֶד בָּנִ֖ים וּבָנֽוֹת from Bereishit 11:11?

If Shem's physical body remained alive 600 years, then Shem may have literally seen and spoken with Avram, Yitschaq at age 538. This would mean Shem possibly met Yaaqov before passing away.

Does the 600-year lifespan actually mean Shem's teachings remained with his descendants?

Does Judaism believe Shem's life was only physical (120-years) & influential (480-years)? -- [based on Bereishit 6:3]?


texts: Is the prohibition of shomer negia applicable between aunt and nephew? Can you please provide sources?


texts: How Do I Know If it's a Hebrew Leap Year?

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How can I tell if a given year is a Hebrew Leap Year? The simpler, the better.

[Assuming we are using a fixed calendar, not like the "olden days".]


texts: Seeking texts of all prayers associated with the clock change

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In previous years, we've discussed the basic commandment status of changing clocks around this time of year as well as the proper language for announcing the change. Given that it's a commandment and that it is invariably announced in the synagogue, I assume that there must be associated blessings and liturgy. Has anyone come across any of the following, in English, Hebrew, Yiddish, Judaeo-Arabic, vel sim.?

Prayer to be said in the synagogue on or at the end of the preceding Shabbat, along with the announcement.

Additions to the prayers on the preceding Shabbat.

Blessing to be recited before changing one's clocks.

Meditation for those who are awake to observe the clock change.

Haftara for the morning after.

Any other associated prayers.

I realize it's too late for this season in the US, but it's not too late for Israel, and it could be useful to have these texts available for next year.

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


texts: What is the significance of the ten azharos of tshuva (in Yeshaya ch. 1)?

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Rashi in Yeshayah chapter 1 vs. 16 tells us that the ten words in the next two psukim, רחצו, הזכו, הסירו, חדלו, למדו, דרשו, אשרו, שפטו, ריבו, are all אזהרות של לשון תשובה כנגד עשרת ימי תשובה, וכנגד עשרה מלכיות זכרונות שופרות [warnings to do teshuva, 10 phrases correspond to the 10 days of repentance (in between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur), and to correspond to the 10 verses of מלכיות זכרונות ושופרות (the blessings that appear in the prayers of Rosh Hashanah)].

Is anyone aware of an explanation to this? Are these words in a specific order to correspond to a particular day of the עשרת ימי תשובה? Or are they all applicable in a general sense?


texts: Appointing women as representatives of the congregation

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There is a principle recorded in the Mishna, Rosh haShana 3:8, to the effect that a person can only vicariously exempt others from their responsibilities if he shares the same responsibilities that they do. The mishna's language is as follows:

  זה הכלל: כל שאינו מחֻיּב בדבר אינו מוציא את הרבים ידי חובתן

  This is the principle: one who is not obligated in a matter may not
  exempt others from their obligations.

As a result of this principle, a deaf person cannot read the megillah (Megillah 2:4) and a woman, a slave and a minor may not recite Hallel on behalf of a man (Sukkah 3:10). In later halakhic literature, it is this principle that prevents a woman from leading certain parts of the tefillah¹.

  ¹ For examples, see Barry Freundel, "Kabbalat Shabbat: Recited by
  the Community; But is It Communal?". Pages 35-51 of Tradition 44:2
  (Summer 2011), 45-46.

On the other hand, however, there is a principle recorded in the Mishna, Berakhot 5:5, to the effect that a person's emissary is an extension of himself (שלוחו של אדם כמותו). It is this principle that enables a man to have another give his wife a get on his behalf (Gittin 1:6, 6:7, etc), that enables a woman to be represented by another at her own wedding (Qiddushin 2:1), and that enables somebody to hire another person to separate his tithes for him (Terumot 4:4).

Who can be one's emissary? The Rambam (Hilkhot Ishut 3:17) has the following to say:

  הכל כשרין לשליחות חוץ מחרש שוטה וקטן לפי שאינן בני דעת והגוי לפי שאינו
  בן ברית... אבל העבד אע"פ שהוא נעשה שליח לדבר שבממון הרי הוא פסול
  לשליחות הקידושין והגיטין לפי שאינו בתורת גיטין וקידושין

  All are able to serve as representatives except the deaf-mute, the
  fool and the minor, since they have no sense, and the gentile, since
  he is not part of the covenant... but the slave, although he may serve
  as a representative in monetary matters, is exempt from serving as a
  representative in marriage and divorce since he is not within the
  scope of marriage and divorce legislation.

In other words, so long as one's representative is a full Jew (one for whom God's covenant with Israel and the relevant area of legislation both apply), it appears not to matter whether or not they share the same specific level of obligation. As such, it would seem that a woman may send a married woman to represent her at her wedding, a man may send a woman to deliver his get, and a landowner need not choose somebody who is him/herself liable to give tithes in order to separate his own on his behalf.

Given the above, why is it not possible for a man to say to a woman, "You are my representative; read Hallel on my behalf"? Unlike what was thought at the time of the deaf-mute, and contrary to the case of the minor, women are most certainly possessed of intelligence. If the only thing preventing men from having them serve as representatives in tefillah is the fact that they lack an equal maximum obligation, why does that not prevent us in other circumstances where we choose a representative?


texts:
Scaring or startling someone is generally a violation of Onaas Devarim. Is it permitted in order to teach someone a lesson?

For example, if someone is crossing a street while texting, can you honk at them, startling them, in order to cause them to be more careful in the future?

Sources and/or serious severos only, please.


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With regards to using glass vessels on Pesach that were used year round, The Shulchan Aruch HaRav (Orach Chaim 451:63) says that, for Ashkenazim, if the glass vessel was used multiple times during the year for hot Chametz (or cold liquid that sat there for 24 hours), any hot liquid that was used on Pesach is forbidden to drink, unless the vessel was purged through boiling (Hagalah) or through Milui V'Irrui (filling the vessel with cold water and letting it sit for 24 hours. Repeat 3 times (see here)).

The Mishnah Berurah says the same thing in 451:26:155.

My question is, can one do Hagalah on glass without breaking it? Has anyone done it? Any tricks?