texts:
There were many divrei Torah that I read recently which addressed the question of mah inyan sh'mittah Etzel har Sinai, why does the Torah point out specifically that the concept and laws of the Sh'mittah years were given at Mt. Sinai.

Are there instances of other laws which are recorded as having been given at other places, for which a parallel question is asked?


texts: Which ancient cults would cut out the hearts of live animals and offer them as sacrifices? The Mishnah (Avodah Zarah 2:3) mentions a concept called עורות לבובין which Maimonides and other commentators explain refers to the pagan practice of making an incision in live animals and removing their hearts for ritual purposes. Do we have any documentation as to which ancient cults were engaged in this practice?


texts: Would Halacha consider making YouTube videos and putting false titles, with lies, and making money off of the videos, stealing or lying? For example, if you make a video, “How to Get a Free iPhone” and in the video you show a fake method. Does Halacha consider this a sin? Thanks!


texts: Is it proper to put away the tefillin before the end of Shacharit?

texts:
In many shuls, I see the majority of people begin putting away their tefillin when the chazan begins the full Kaddish (after U'va Letzion). To me this seems disruptive and disrespectful to the mourners saying Kaddish at the end. (Just because people don't complain, doesn't mean that it may not bother them.)

Is that disruption/disrespect an actual concern cited in authoritative sources as leading to a recommendation/requirement not to remove the tefillin at that time?
Are the tefillin supposed to be worn for the entire duration of Shacharit (except for Rosh Hodesh / Hol Hamo'ed and those who switch to Rav Tam, etc.)? Doesn't Shacharit end after the last Kaddish? (Nusach Ashkenaz - I think Sefarad is the same idea.) Is it proper then that people put away their tefillin before the end of davening?


texts:
If a congregation forgot to say birkas hachodesh on the Shabas before rosh chodesh, should it say it another time? When? (Does it, perhaps, depend on what day(s) of the week rosh chodesh is?)

Note: AFAICT, Shaare Efrayim and Mishna B'rura say nothing about this.


texts:
This site gives a nice basic infographic on the distribution of the 613 Mitzvot by 4 categories: positive/negative, where, who, penalty. (I would love to have it in verbal tabular form though).

I'm looking for more [sites with] statistics on Mitzvos distribution by more categories, like:

בין אדם למקום / לחבירו
תמידיות / זמניות / שהזמן גרמן
profession dependent/independent (king, Kohen Gadol etc)
by performance type: thoughts, speech, actions, money etc.
by body parts (like Sefer Haredim)
unanimously accepted / debatable between Poskim (Rambam, Sma"g, Ramban etc)
and more.

NB: Please don't argue about the legitimacy of the categories. I'm free to accept any additional division.


texts: The Golden Calf timeline - hour by hour?

texts:
I can't figure out how the making of the Calf was possible in a couple of hours:

12pm was the time Moses promised to return. Satan started fooling around, people started to question.
The bad guys (presumably thousands of them) gathered together. Some say it was Erev Rav, so they needed to enter Machane Yisroel which was some 10 miles (?).
They had some fight with Chur and killed him. That would probably take some time.
They went to Aharon which was in Machane Leviyah, also some 3-5 miles from there.
They approached Aharon and probably had some negotiation. Aharon decided to make it happen and asked for gold. The bad guys needed to go back to their families talk to their wives and kids, collect all the gold and bring it back to Aharon.
When they returned with gold Aharon started to build the Mizbeah which also took some time.
Finally he made the fire and throw the gold into the fire.

All those events should have happened presumably before dark in 6 hours. This looks somewhat unrealistic to me, but I might be wrong.

Did anybody make an hour-by-hour timeline of the events in the GC incident?


texts: May one paddle a canoe (or ride in one) around in a lake or pond on Yom Tov?

texts: Suppose one lives next to a lake or a pond and has a canoe (or a kayak or other non-motorized, sail-less rowboat) that is kept docked at the water.  May one use it on Yom Tov?  Is this melacha?  Does it count as "traveling" if one has no destination and is simply paddling around and returning to his point of departure?  What if one is not paddling but simply riding along?  Would the answers be different on Shabbat?


texts: How does the word "Talmud" derive from root LMD? Is the word Aramaic?

texts:
I know what "Talmud" means and that it derives from the root Lamed Mem Dalet. But I cannot figure out how the word derives. Is it Aramaic (i.e. not Hebrew) and/or are there any other words that follow the t..w. scheme?

(. is a root letter.)


texts: Is there an authentic source for such a partial hair covering for women?

texts:
I'm aware that per 'Iqar HaDin (baseline Halakhah), Qitzur Shulhhan 'Arukh - Yalqut Yosef  writes that a woman may reveal two finger-breadths of her hair (where her hair connects to her head) while covering her hair.

Nevertheless, I see many women in Israel partially uncovering their hair in the fashion below. Is there an authentic tradition/source for such a covering?


texts: Why do Passover and Unleavened Bread last 9-days?

texts: In Scripture the requirement is to observe Passover on 14 Nissan (1-day) and Unleavened Bread on 15 Nissan through 21 Nissan (7-days). What is the basis for the 9-day period?


texts: Washing a Shaitel - Wig during the three weeks

texts: This past week a lady told my wife that it is forbidden to wash a Shaitel - Wig during the three weeks. To the best of my knowledge I have never seen such a prohibition. Is there a source that prohibits washing a wig during the three weeks?


texts: If you daven more slowly than the chazzan, should you skip what someone who came late to davening would skip so that you can reach barchu with the tzibbur?


texts: Why the minimal footage of a Succah is not mentioned in the Mishnah?

texts:
The first Mishnah in Succah discusses the height of Schach but not the measures. Subsequently, the Mishnah does not deal with it at all (Mishna 2.7 discusses the placement of the table independently of the size of the Succah)

Why does the Mishnah omit such a fundamental Halacha?

N.b. the Halacha is finally derived by the Gemmorah, but the question is why not by the Mishnah?


texts: How to write לע''נ when the father is alive

texts:
I understand that usually you write:
לע''נ
Joe
בן
 Shmo
ז''ל
when you dedicate something in honer of someone who passed away

But if the father is alive would you do still the same? Sources please


texts: Can a Cohen Visit the Bodies Exhibit or is Tumah: Ritual Impurity a concern?


texts: Giving a lulav on condition to return, but in a chain where the last person keeps it

texts:
The Gemara in Sukkah on daf :מא relates a story of Rabban Gamliel, Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria, and Rabbi Akiva riding on a boat. The time came to shake lulav, but only Rabban Gamliel had a lulav.  Since it is required to shake one's own lulav on the first day of Sukkot, Rabban Gamilel gave his lulav as a gift to Rabbi Yehoshua. After being yotzei, Rabbi Yehoshua gave the lulav as a gift to Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria who gave it as a gift to Rabbi Akiva who subsequently returned it as a gift back to Rabban Gamliel.

The Gemara explains that the reason it was required to say in the story that Rabbi Akiva returned the lulav to Rabban Gamliel was to teach that a gift given on the condition that it will be re-gifted back to the original owner is considered a gift.

Further down on the page, we also learn that if someone gives a lulav as a gift on the condition that it will be returned, and the person does not return it, the receiver is not yotzei the mitzvah of lulav because he used a stolen lulav.

Tosfot explains that Rabban Gamliel actually gave the lulav on condition that it would be returned after all of the others on the boat had been yotzei.

So my question is as follows: What if Rabbi Akiva had decided to keep the lulav at the end and not return it to Rabban Gamliel? Would Rabbi Yehoshua and Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria be yotzei lulav? They did not personally steal the lulav, so I could definitely believe that if a person steals a gifted lulav, then the retroactiveness of the theft only goes back to when the person acquired the lulav. If others had it before him, since they didn't steal it, they could be yotzei. However, the gift was only given on the condition that it would be returned, which it was not, so perhaps the gift is considered to never have taken effect.


texts:
The Gemmorah in Succah (and Kiddushin) learns that the women are exempt from sitting in a Succah from the word האזרח.

The Torah uses this word a couple of times, many times together with the words גר or תושב.

Today, we use those words as follows:

אזרח - a citizen of a state.
תושב - a resident (with less civil rights)
גר - a convert.

What meaning did the Torah have?


texts: Where does the proverb "as you teach you learn" come from?

texts:
I ran across the proverb "As you teach, you learn" on a list of Jewish proverbs. (Here is an example of it online.)  Does anyone know its source?  I saw a few cites attribute it to "Midrash Tehilim", but can't find an on-line English translation of that book (I don't really read Hebrew - just enough to sound out the words, but not to understand).

Can anyone point me at the source?  I'm especially interested in when the proverb originates (biblical, talmudic, medieval, etc.), the translated text of the source, and the Hebrew spelling of the proverb in the original source.

Thanks!


texts:
There are many approaches to a Chuppah and I only refer to our Ashkenazi tradition of 4 bars/hands and a canopy. I saw that many wedding halls have a fixed cube-like construction, but the covering is always a cloth.

Can the whole Chuppah be made of wood or stone Halachicly? If not Halachic, is there any Kabbalic explanation to this tradition?


texts: In reward-and-punishment system, what is the meaning of curses?

texts:
In Sefer Dvorim the Torah does not spare curses for general misbehaving or misbelieving, etc. In my understanding, the Torah presents a clear system of reward and punishment (Rambam's principles) - do a Mitzvah and you get rewarded, do a sin and you're punished (Ki Tavo for example).

All these curses shall befall you; they shall pursue you and overtake you, until you are wiped out, because you did not heed the LORD your God and keep the commandments and laws that He enjoined upon you. They shall serve as signs and proofs against you and your offspring for all time. Because you would not serve the LORD your God in joy and gladness over the abundance of everything, you shall have to serve—in hunger and thirst, naked and lacking everything—the enemies whom the LORD will let loose against you. He will put an iron yoke upon your neck until He has wiped you out.
The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, which will swoop down like the eagle—a nation whose language you do not understand, a ruthless nation, that will show the old no regard and the young no mercy.
It shall devour the offspring of your cattle and the produce of your soil, until you have been wiped out, leaving you nothing of new grain, wine, or oil, of the calving of your herds and the lambing of your flocks, until it has brought you to ruin.
It shall shut you up in all your towns throughout your land until every mighty, towering wall in which you trust has come down.

What part do those general and unrelated to specific Mitzvos curses play in our reward-and-punishment Mitzvos system?
NB: Please don't bring Kabbole saying all those are Brochos, we just don't know how to read it properly.


texts: Aside from the Arizal has anybody else been able to identify an unknown grave through supernatural means?

texts: It’s said that many of the Kevarim in Tzfas were unknown until the Ari used Ruach Hakodesh to identify them. Has anybody else before or since been able to do this or was he the first & only?


texts: Why were the so-called "minor tractates" (מסכתות קטנות) not incorporated into the Talmud?  Are they any less authoritative?  Haven't we extracted halacha from them?  They certainly deal with very practical matters (conversion, mezuzah, tefillin, tzitzit, etc.)


texts: I am adding Jewish books in my library what religious books are necessary for any orthodox Jew to have? I only speak English

texts:
I am adding Jewish books in my library what religious books are necessary for any orthodox Jew to have?

Ive read that I should have these books

-Talmud Bavli

-Tanakh

-Chumash

-Shulhan Aruch

are there any missing books that I should have?


texts: Muktzeh as a means to encourage cessation of labor

texts:
In his work on the laws of shabas called Kalkalas Shabas (at the beginning of the 3rd chapter), the author of Tif'eres Yisra'el introduces the topic of muktzeh by saying that the reason the sages prohibited use of non-essential objects on shabas was

כדי שיהא שביתת האדם ניכרת שהיא כמצות התורה למען ינוח, שיהא לבו פנוי לתורת ה' ביום שבת.
so that a person's cessation would be recognizable as the Biblical commandment "so that one shall rest", such that his mind could be available for God's Tora on shabas day.

From the way he phrases the next few lines, his contention seems to be not just that this is a reason for the prohibition against moving muktzeh objects, but the primary reason therefor.
As opposed to the opinions of Ramba"m and Ra'ava"d, quoted further in the paragraph, which hold that muktzeh laws were instituted to prevent forbidden activities being done with the objects in question, the Tif'eres Yisra'el appears to believe they were meant to simply free up a person from quotidian busywork, which would detract from his learning/spirituality (or to represent such a freeing up).
Is there an earlier source for this explanation of the laws of muktzeh - stated as a primary reason or otherwise? It seems pretty extreme and is unsourced, unlike the other explanations he includes.


texts:
I know people call the last day of Chanuka "Zos Chanuka" (taken from Bamidbar 7:84, read on that day). How is it specially commemorated if at all? I've heard it is, but know no details.

I'm not asking why it is special, which has already been asked, but how. What do people do special on that day?


texts: What was the dietary source of calcium in Talmudic times?

texts:
The Mishna in Ketubot Chapter 5 describes the basic diet of a working-class woman at the time (around the year 200):

  ה,ז  [ח] המשרה את אשתו על ידי שליש--לא יפחות לה מקביים חיטים, או מארבעת קבים שעורים; אמר רבי יוסי, לא פסק שעורים, אלא רבי ישמעאל שהיה סמוך לאדום.  נותן לה חצי קב קטנית, וחצי לוג שמן, וקב גרוגרות, או מנה דבילה; אם אין לו, פוסק לעומתם פירות ממקום אחר. ...  במה דברים אמורים, בעני שבישראל; אבל במכובד, הכול לפי כבודו.

Wheat or barley; beans; [olive] oil (though the commentaries aren't sure if this was for eating or lighting); figs or dates; or nutritional equivalent. "These [guidelines] were only stated regarding a poor person, but a high-class person should match his status [when providing for his wife]."

Okay I see the basic macronutrients covered here; but what about calcium? Yes we have kosher laws all about milk and cheese, but that didn't seem to be as common a part of the staple diet? No? Or did this dairy Babylonian kutach (Pesachim 3:1) condiment help, and if so, was it included (implied?) in the basic diet described above?

Or did figs make enough of a calcium source?


texts: I once saw Rav Hirsch make a passing reference to black slavery in America in his Collected Writings, but no longer remember where. Does anyone know where this might be?


texts:
The chorus and multiple verses of Lecha Dodi address a female second person - "Beloved." Who is it?

In the final verse, the object is presumably the Shabbat Queen, since we end with "Come O Bride! Come O Bride!," but in the chorus, the object is clearly someone else, since we invite her to greet "the bride."


texts: חַשְׁמוֹנָאִי or חַשְׁמוֹנַאי which is correct?

texts: Artscroll English Siddur has in the על הנסים the word as חַשְׁמוֹנַאי. The Artscroll all Hebrew Siddur has the word as חַשְׁמוֹנָאִי. Which is correct? Is there a difference in meaning if it is חַשְׁמוֹנָאִי or  חַשְׁמוֹנַאי?


texts:
Someone went fishing in the ocean on a eight hour outing off the Jersey shore [they go out a few miles], and wanted to know if he needs to make a birchas hagomel like all those that travel at sea. See OC 219:1

In Su"T Betzel HaChochma [6/115] he writes that fishermen need to make this bracha for an excursion a few "mil" out. I have never seen or heard about anyone that made this bracha for this type of  trip.

Does anyone know of any other source, or "minhag" regarding a bracha in this type of situation?


texts: Is there ever a case that the groom can get back the money he used for the wedding

texts:
Halachikly the groom is the one who pays for the wedding (last paragraph on this page Igros Moshe 7 even ezer 4:92:1 and can the bride's family force Sheva Brachot )

Is there ever a case that the bride's side needs to pay him back his expenses for the wedding (or is it just his loss)?

Possible theoretical examples

If the bride cheated him, for example if he did not have the ability to check that she is missing a toe, and she did not tell him about it, and when he found out (before they had relations) he did not like it , so the marriage is void or
if right after the chuppa she became a a moredes (before they had relations)
(it seems that maybe if the wife's side payed for the wedding (as explained in the Igros Moshe above), in case of divorce accoring to the Mechaber (תטול בלאותיה הקיימים) he must pay her back all her wedding expences, if he has cash S"A E"H 77:2)

Sources please


texts: is there a list of mitzvos which show respect?

texts:
I'm looking for a list of Mitzvos which show how important respect is. I have a few, but would like to know all others.

The ones I have are:

Kibud av ve'eim
Mipnei seiva takum


texts: Should we never begin a sentence with God's name?

texts:
The Talmud (Nedarim 10b) says: Do not say "l'Hashem korban" but rather "korban l'Hashem" to avoid [possibly] saying God's name in vain.

Presumably, the fear is that you could collapse and die right after saying God's name, and so (1) will have invoked His name in vain, which is a a sin AND (2) at the time of death, meaning no opportunity for repentance.

(1) Does this imply that one should never begin a sentence with God's name?

(2) Is this why blessings begin with "Baruch atta Hashem", with God's name at the end and not the beginning? (When you address someone, you usually say their name first to get their attention.)

(3) Why do biblical verses get a dispensation? We recite many in liturgy that begin with God's name:  Hashem, Hashem, kel rahum vehannun; Hashem oz l'eammo iten, Hashem yevarech et ammo bashalom; Hashem s'fatai tiftach...


texts:
Who knows two hundred eighty-eight?
?שמונה ושמונים ומאתים - מי יודע
In the spirit of the song "Echad - mi yodeya", please post interesting and significant Jewish facts about the number 288.
This number blossoms with lazy gematria possibility.
Check out mi-yodeya-series for the previous two hundred eighty-seven entries in this ongoing series.
Please include sources for your information wherever possible, as with all other answers on this site.


texts: Why don't we say "Misod" for Geshem and Tal?

texts:
On Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, the Shat"z says a short paragraph at the beginning of his repetition that starts with the words "מסוד חכמים ונבונים," which is an explanation for the insertion of extra piyutim in the middle of חזרת הש"ץ.

Why don't we have the Shat"z say מסוד for תפילת גשם and תפילת טל?
(Or if we do, why isn't it printed in the siddurim?)


texts:
The Three regalim got me thinking.

Firstly, why is Sukkot and Pesach specifically 7 days - what is behind this number?
Additionally, why is Sukkot and Pesach seven days long while Shavout only one?


texts: "To" Ha Shem.... In some Torah scrolls the HEY is enlarged for the word "To" which proceeds Ha Shem, What is the significance? I have not seen this in other verses of Torah where the word proceeding Ha Shem has a letter that is enlarged.


texts: Serpants (snakes) or Seraphim (heavenly beings of some sort)?

texts:
I read different questions on this matter from 'mi yodeya' but I couldn't find my answer:

In Numbers 21:6 HaShem brings  הנְּחָשִׁים הַשְּׂרָפִים upon the people...
In Numbers 21:8 HaShem commands Moshe to make a שָׂרָף (saraph) and וְשִׂים אֹתוֹ עַל־נֵס(to put it on a flag/pennant/standard).
In Numbers 21:9 Moshe makes a נְחַשׁ נְחֹשֶׁת (brass serpent) and וַיְשִׂמֵהוּ עַל־הַנֵּס (put it on a flag/pennant/standard) which according to this verse helped to solve the matter.

שרף seems to have to do with 'burning', but the same word is also used to describe some heavenly beings as in Yeshayahu 6:2

So what attacked the people and what did Moshe had to make: a seraph (like he did) or a saraph (like HaShem said him, but might indeed refer to a serpent)?


texts: Which kind of relations are considered incestuous in Judaism?

texts:
Specifically what kind of relationships are defined as incestuous in Judaism? I am guessing that it is forbidden to marry one's parents/children or siblings but what about other relations like first cousins?

Also, what is the specific source (is this outlined Biblically or rabbinically)?


texts: Why do mourning practices surrounding suicide differ from Shulchan Aruch?

texts: It used to be that a person who committed suicide was buried in a separate part of the cemetery and the relatives did not sit shiva (see Shulchan Aruch YD 345). We no longer do these things and we treat a suicide as a regular death. On what basis is this done?


texts: Does Judaism allow Jews to read the Quran?

texts:
I've received a packet of Islamic materials which include the "Holy Quran" among other materials explaining the relation of Judaism with Islam.

I guess we should be open to all spiritual materials which have the possibility to complement the Torah, and I've found that we don't have a basic creed-based, theological difference, except that they believe in two additional prophets.

Can such books be read by an Orthodox Jew just for curiosity sake and would a rabbi approve that?


texts: Is Ketubah a biblical obligation accd to Rambam?

texts:
The Rambam, before starting Hilchos Ishus writes

  הלכות אישות. יש בכללן ארבע מצות, שתי מצות עשה, ושתי מצות לא תעשה. וזה הוא פרטן:
  .א: לישא אשה בכתובה וקידושין

Does the Rambam hold that Ketubah is דאורייתא?


texts:
Who knows a fifth?
?חמישית - מי יודע
In the spirit of the song "Echad - mi yodeya", please post interesting and significant Jewish facts about the number 0.2.
Lazy gematria may be worthy of discission, but perhaps not of a full-fledged answer. [This may not apply in the conventional sense, but, e.g., saying x is a quarter of y is just not keeping in the spirit. However, there maybe be examples that the Arizal, Baal Haturim, etc., mention and they are perfect for comments.]
Check out mi-yodeya-series for the previous three hundred fifty entries in this ongoing series.
Please include sources for your information wherever possible, as with all other answers on this site.


texts:
The Gemara in Yevamot 5oa clearly assumes that R. Yehuda Hanassi authored the Mishna:

  אמר רב יוסף כאן שנה רבי משנה שאינה צריכה

Are there any tannaic sources that also state that he authored the Mishna (e.g. a Tosefta, that is an actual tannaic source, not an Ammoraic source referencing tannaim)?

I am aware that there is debate regarding his role in the authorship. My question isn't whether he authored, compiled, or redacted. My question is only whether there is a tannaic source for any of the above.

EDIT: In order of priority to answering the question:

A Tannaic source.
Some proof that there is no Tannaic source (ignorance being a poor proof).
A distant third: a very thorough analysis on Rabbi Yehudah HaNassi's role in compiling the Mishnah.


texts: In parashat Vayikra (3:9)the kidneys are referred to as "העצה". Rashi comments explains that they are called this because they give advice. In what way to kidneys give advice?


texts: כחל of a Ḥayah Tehorah - same din as כחל of a Behemah Tehorah?

texts:
I'm trying to tighten up my answer on Haman and prepare for my Purim Derashah. Does anyone know if כחל of a Ḥayah Tehorah has the same Din as a Behemah Tehorah?

FYI, I want to change the words "Kosher animal" in that answer to "Behemah Tehorah", but I need to be 100% sure before I do. I'm just too tired now to connect all the dots to be totally sure of it. Are there any explicit sources?


texts: Why is Jeremiah 10:11 written in Aramaic?

texts:
The Aramaic language appears only once in the Book of Jeremiah in the following verse.

  Jeremiah 10:11 (MT)
  ִּדְנָה֙ תֵּאמְר֣וּן לְה֔וֹם אֱלָ֣הַיָּ֔א דִּֽי־שְׁמַיָּ֥א וְאַרְקָ֖א לָ֣א עֲבַ֑דוּ יֵאבַ֧דוּ מֵֽאַרְעָ֛א וּמִן־תְּח֥וֹת שְׁמַיָּ֖א אֵֽלֶּה׃

For reference, the English translation is as follows--

  Jeremiah 10:11 (MM)
  11 Thus shall ye say unto them: 'The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, these shall perish from the earth, and from under the heavens.'

What Jewish sources bear upon the literary and/or historical significance of this one-time use of Aramaic in the Book of Jeremiah? If the answer is because the quote was intended for the Gentiles, then why was not Jer 25:27 written in Aramaic, since that verse is also intended to be repeated to the Gentile nations?

In other words, is there any peculiar significance for Jewish readers (both then and now) when they come upon this one particular verse written in Aramaic in the Book of Jeremiah?


texts: PTIJ: When will the Purim story take place?

texts:
The Scroll of Esther begins with 'And it will come to pass (literally be) in the days of...' ...ויהי בימי and then the Scroll continues to tell quite the exciting tale of what is known as the Purim Story. (Vashte removed, Esther becomes queen, Haman wants to kill Jews, Jews are victorious etc.)
Do we actually know when this will all take place?

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


texts: Berur halachah - what is this called in English?

texts:
I'm translating an article concerning the need for a "berur halachah" in order to determine the legal status of individuals with mental retardation.

How would say "berur halachah" in English? "Clarification of the Halachah"? The idea, of course, is to go through the literature (Talmud, rishonim, achronim) to arrive at a modern ruling.

Thanks,
Ilan


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Are there any Jewish people alive today who can identify themselves as coming from a particular tribe?

Does every Jew know his tribe? I heard that every Jew has the name of his tribe written somewhere inside of his hat that he is wearing. Is it true?


texts: Is it acceptable to ask in reverent prayer for a BOAZ to come into one’s life?

texts: Is it acceptable for a widow to ask in reverent prayer for a BOAZ to come into her life?


texts:
this is not a personal question per Mi Yodeya Guidelines barring personal questions

In Parshas Bechukosai the פסוק (verse 26:3) says:

  אם בחקתי תלכו

  If you follow My decrees

Rashi says:

    שתהיו עמלים בתורה

  That you should be involved in the intensive study of Torah

In Torah learning, the highest value is to learn with Ameilus — with struggle and effort.

Now, many people are affected by ADD or ADHD which can impair a persons ability to focus, think critically and simply stay still. However, with behavior modifications and intense self control and will a person could overcome these difficulties without the use of medicine.

If someone suffers from these conditions and could remedy it with medication, and thereby make focusing easier, would taking medication reduce the reward they get for Ameilus? Should they force themeselves to sit and learn under intense pain and anguish, and continue that way in their learning — all in order to try to get more Ameilus reward?


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Chazal say the Torah was studied before Sinai. (ex. by Adam and Eve as explained here. Likewise chazal say the Patriarchs studied Torah from Shem ben Noach.)

In what form was this pre-Torah? It seems it was a different version than the one we have otherwise, they would be reading their own stories and shortcomings which does not make sense.


texts: Another question asks whether pictures of erva are erva. My question assumes, for the sake of argument, that they are, and asks: May a married woman show photos of herself with her hair uncovered that were taken, while she was married, in a situation where she is allowed to be with uncovered hair (in her home, as per those halacha opinions)?


texts: Exile the teacher also to the city of refuge?

texts:
In Makkot 10a, we learn that if a man is exiled to a city of refuge, his teacher must be exiled with him to continue to teach him Torah there:

  [The Sages] taught: [If] a student is exiled [to the city of refuge], his teacher is exiled with him, [so that the student can continue studying Torah with him there,] as it is stated:
  [And he shall flee to one of these cities] and live, [Deut. 4:42]
  from which it is derived: Perform some [actions] for [the unintentional murderer so] that [life in the city] will be [conducive to] living for him. [Since Torah study is an integral component of his life, arrangements must be made to ensure its continuity.]
  Rabbi Zeira says: From here one learns that a person should not teach a student who is not fit, [as that may result in the teacher following the student into exile].

Sounds like a bad deal for teachers!

I have a couple of questions:

Why does it have to be HIS teacher, as opposed to "A" teacher?
Why does the teacher have to be exiled, as opposed to visiting his student periodically?
Perhaps the authorities can appoint a resident teacher at a city of refuge, to teach ALL the refugees there.

Is all this addressed anywhere?


texts: Is there a custom not to eat roasted chicken at the Seder?

texts: Does the custom to refrain from eating roasted meat at the Seder extend to chicken, turkey, and any other fowl one might serve roasted?


texts: Seeking tips for avoiding rationalizing when doing heshbon nefesh (self-accounting)

texts: Especially at this time of year (around the high holidays), we are to reflect on ourselves and do an accounting of our soul (heshbon nefesh).  But all people are good at rationalizing what they do.  That makes doing heshbon hanefesh harder.  I am seeking what in industry might be called "job aids", that is, tools to avoid such rationalizations.  What such tools exist?  Do any reflect input by psychological experts as to what to look for that might indicate rationalization is at work?  Are there categories of topics to consider? (Yes, there are a few lists in the YK machzor and elsewhere in the davening, but only category titles are listed with little detail.) Any suggestions will be appreciated.


texts:
Why did Sarah laugh when she heard that she'll have a child despite her age (18:12) when she had just became a Nidah (Rashi 18:8) after not being a Nidah for a long time (18:11)? Shouldn't she realise that she can have children if she's a Nidah?

(Da'as Z'kenim Mi'Ba'alei Tosafos says that 18:11 means that she wasn't a Nidah for a long time, but now she was. Otherwise it'd contradict Rashi.)


texts: Why is Ona'as Devarim not in Hilchos De'os?

texts: The Rambam places most of the laws regarding social, interpersonal relationships (such as the prohibition against slander) in Hilchos De'os, but he seems to be missing an important one: ona'as devarim, the prohibition against distressing another person. While it's true that the Rambam does mention this in other places (Hil. Teshuva 7:8, Mechirah 14:12), it seems like it should be worth at least a passing mention in Hilchos De'os.


texts: Is there nowadays any advantage in having an Ark which is movable?

texts:
The Mishnah in Taanis 2 (1) refers to the practice of taking the Ark out of the synagogue into the the town square on the more serious fasts for rain and putting ashes on the ark:

  סדר תענייות כיצד:: מוציאין את התיבה לרחובה של עיר; ונותנין אפר מקלה על
  גבי התיבה

Modern arks come in at least two forms. One is a movable ark and the other is built into the structure of the  synagogue.

I do not know of a widespread custom to take  the Ark out of the synagogue into the the town square any more. Would it nevertheless be preferable to have a movable ark to remain in touch with the practice described in the Mishnah?


texts: Could someone explain me the meaning of יקוק קטן as a reference to the Metatron? Why is the Metatron ‘described/entitled this way? I’ve found many writing about this online quoting Sanhedrin 38b, Yevamot 16b, Zohar and other sources. But I’m not sure if these are reliable.


texts: How can we say something is a machlokes Rashi vs Tosfos, if Rashi can't respond or defend himself?

texts:
Many Tosfos contain questions about what Rashi says, followed by them giving their own answer.

But how can we honestly say something is a "machlokes Rashi vs Tosfos" when Rashi doesn't get a chance to defend his shit"a or respond to any of Tosfos's questions?

Conceptually it doesn't seem accurate to call this a machlokes like we would by Abaye & Rava, ie contemporaries who go back and forth with each other.


texts: What, if anything, is different about Christianity compared to other forms of Avodah Zara?

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Idolatry, defined as worshipping something or someone other than Hashem is forbidden to jews. This goes all the way back to Avraham and then is stated explicitly in the commandments received by Moshe at Sinai.
All major jewish scholars interpret Christianity as being Avodah Zara. This has been discussed on Mi Yodeya before and I don't wish to open that discussion.
Is Christianity Avodah Zara?
My question is if, even if we hold that Christianity is a form of Avodah Zara, is there something different, or special to it, positive or negative. What the Christians call the Old Testament is more or less very similar to the Tanakh, and it claims for itself to be monotheistic, even if the Christian idea of monotheism is different than the one in Judaism.
Also related, the Christian nations have largely been some of the most successful in the world. That has also been discussed below, from the perspective of why Hashem would grant such success to idolaters.
If Christianity is avodah zarah and Islam is not, why has the Christian world triumphed over the non-Christian, and why do Jews prefer to live among Christians and not Muslims?
Also relevant, some scholars, including Rashi and Ramban have identified Christianity with the descendants of Edom.
https://www.etzion.org.il/en/lecture-7a-rashi-part-iv-rashi-and-christianity
https://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=41398&st=&pgnum=51


texts: King David conquering bandits/troops (literally, גדוד) to get money for Jews in need

texts:
The Talmud Bavli Brachot (3b) says that when Jews needed financial assistance and the economy did not have enough money to go around, King David would advise the sages of Israel to confiscate money from (what is commonly translated as) bandits or troops --  "לכו ופשטו ידיכם בגדוד". Then, the leaders would create a military strategy and attack the גדוד (see the page for the process).

What is the legal justification for this measure?

Who were these bandits/troops? If they were dangerous and the king always had a right to do this, then why were גדוד hanging around Israel, and why did King David only confront them when the people needed money? If the גדוד was not a threat, then why would the King decide to hurt and rob other people for the sake of financial gain?


texts: Would an avel who visits the Kotel need to do an extra tearing?

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In the back of a siddur, I saw one of the halachot state that one who has not visited the Kotel ("Western Wall" in Jerusalem) within 30 days should tear his clothes when he comes to the Kotel.

Let's say an avel (mourner) can't get a minyan in his home. He goes to the Kotel to pray with a minyan, there. An avel would already be wearing torn clothes during his week of shiva. If he goes to the Kotel would he need to tear again (same shirt, or perhaps wear a different shirt), or is the torn shirt that he is already wearing for his own aveilut sufficient?


texts: Chazal empty barrels make the most noise

texts: As far as i know there is a mamer chazal for empty barrels make the most noise. can any one help me find it


texts:
In Tefilas Geshem we say "Al HaSela Hach Vayeitzu Mayim"

translated by Artscroll as:

  Remember the one [Moses] drawn forth in a bulrush basket from the
  water. They said, 'He drew water and provided the sheep with water.'
  At the time Your treasured people thirsted for water, he struck the
  rock and out came water.

So far I know, Moshe Rabeinu was taken to task over hitting the rock. Then why do we pray that in this Zechus we should get water???


texts: What is the Chasam Sofer saying here about תש"פ being bad and תשפ"א being good?

texts: He seems to be saying something about תש"פ being bad and תשפ"א being good.


texts: Discrepancy in number of Pesukim in Va'eschanan

texts: At the end of Parshas Va'eschanan all the Chumashim I have seen (example 1) (example 2) (example 3) mention that there are 118 verses - Uziel Siman - as Uziel = 118. Artscroll Chumash has the same information. Yet if one counts the verses, there are actually 122. What is the reason for this discrepancy?


texts:
HaRav Yitzchok Sorotzkin said the following story:

The debitzener himself was present by the Second World War - r"l the holocaust:

“He was standing on the last transport going to Auschwitz. All of sudden out of nowhere, a lady appeared. This lady started screaming, ‘Jews, Jews, you know why you're suffering so much? Because you speak in the shuls during davening. This is what is causing the churban Europe.’ After she finished this, she disappeared into thin air," testified the Debitzener. It was messenger from heaven that came down and told them very clearly that the root cause of churban Europe was due to the fact that they disregarded the sanctity of their shuls in כבוד השכינה.

Does anyone know where the source for this story can be found?


texts: For how long is Kaddish recited following the passing of a parent (for Sephardim/Mizrahim)?

texts: According to AskMoses, The prevalent Sephardic custom, based on the teachings of the holy Arizal, is to recite the kaddish for 12 months minus one week. Just wondering where this is brought down? Can't seem to find it. Can anyone cite any other Sephardic sources, if possible?


texts: What does a typical USA Jewish household do to celebrate Sabbath?

texts:
I was raised in a not-very-observant home.  I understand Friday dinner, blessing over Sabbath candles, blessing over bread, and blessing over wine, and I know that Havdalah comes at the end.  But what else? Basically, what does a typical Jewish USA-ian household do to celebrate Sabbath?

I understand it varies between Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform.  I'd like to understand what is normative or typical.  I'm corresponding with a fiction author who uses Jewish characters but never has them do anything religious, and now he's asking for "traditional family observances of the sabbath".  So assume if you will the typical conservative family Friday night, Saturday, and Saturday night activities.


texts: Does a minor's siyum allow one to eat meat in the nine days?

texts: Ashk'nazim do not eat meat or drink wine during what's commonly called the nine days (the first nine or so days of Av). However, they may do so at a mitzva meal, such as one that celebrates the siyum (completion) of study of a tractate of Talmud. Can an adult eat meat and drink wine at a meal in the nine days that celebrates a minor's siyum? Does it count?


texts: Tachanun for Shacharis in the afternoon, on a day where there is no Tachanun at Mincha

texts: If you start Shacharis Shmonei Esrei just before Chatzos, on a day where there is no Tachanun said at Mincha, and finished after Chatzos, do you say Tachanun?


texts:
Shmot 30:34:

ויאמר יהוה אל-משה קח-לך סמים...
Hashem said to Moshe, take drugs...

What was Moshe on? And where do we see examples of this?

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


texts: Mishna Demai 5:11: why can't you take teruma from vadai on demai?

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(Lomdus alert: this question is not for beginners.)

In Maseches Demai (5:10-11) we learn that taking teruma from a vadai (=untithed produce) on demai (=possibly untithed produce) does not work, even on the vadai itself.

I totally don't understand why this should be.  Either way: if the demai was not tithed, then they are both untithed, so the teruma should be good.  And if the demai was tithed, then it turns out he just took extra-large teruma from the vadai.  What's the problem, that the mishna requires him to take teruma again?


texts: Have Egyptian paintings of the exodus been discovered? (some claim they are shown in this book)

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I was in shul on this past tikkun leil shavuot, as they had some interesting shiurim.

They had a rabbi associated with aish there, I don't recall who it was, and he gave a talk about archaeology and the bible.

He said that paintings have been discovered, I don't recall if he said in tombs or pyramids.. but he said these paintings have been discovered, and that they show a people crossing the sea, with the sea split.  At the end of his talk he held the book up with the pages open and said here, and everybody crowded around in awe.. I didn't see clearly myself from the distance, but I saw the colours of the book, and I looked up about the book and have identified which book it was.

https://www.amazon.com/Israels-Exodus-Transdisciplinary-Perspective-Quantitative/dp/3319047671

Israel's Exodus in Transdisciplinary Perspective: Text, Archaeology, Culture, and Geoscience (Quantitative Methods in the Humanities and Social Sciences) 2015th Edition
by Thomas E. Levy (Editor), Thomas Schneider (Editor), William H.C. Propp (Editor)

And one of the reviews backs up what the rabbi said and showed re the contents of the book

"These are the foremost experts on the Exodus all gathered in one place, in one volume. All the big names are here. A number of contributors point to hieroglyphic accounts of the Exodus and some Egyptian paintings of the dramatic scenes. This should be the subject of much discussion in the years to come. Debate about the historicity of the Exodus should be reopened as a result of this fine work."

I've heard that one issue archaeologists would have with the exodus is that according to archaeologists, egypt ruled israel at the time, so escaping from egypt to an israel ruled by egypt, wouldn't work. So i'm under no illusions, i'm sure the minimalist archaeologists haven't changed their position overnight into one that the exodus happened. But regarding these paintings,

Are they really egyptian paintings of the exodus?  Are there good reasons to think they're not?

I can't much online about it, though it seems like it should've been a big news story.


texts: Reason for Yaakov's [lack of] Kibud Av while in Haran

texts:
The Gemmorah (Megilla 17a) mentions that Yaakov was punished for not honoring his parents for 22 years in Haran (but not for the 14 years at Ever's Yeshivah). His punishment was that his son Yossef was also "cut off" from him for 22 years:

  "ומנלן דלא מיענש דתניא נמצא יוסף שפירש מאביו עשרים ושתים שנה כשם שפירש יעקב אבינו מאביו דיעקב תלתין ושיתא הויין אלא ארביסר דהוה בבית עבר לא חשיב להו"

Yaakov could send messengers to his parents pretty freely.
Yaakov was acquired with angels (that he sent to Esau), he could send angels.
His father was a millionaire and could afford a better communication with his (only) heir.
Yaakov didn't acknowledge his parents of the birth of their grandkids, fulfilling G-d's (and Yitzhok's) plans he was sent to Haran in the first place.

What might be the reasons for Yaakov's lack of honoring for his parents Itzhak and Rivkah?


texts: Do Jews think that all the unbelievers would go to hell someday?

texts: I wonder whether Judaism teaches that those unbelievers or those who are Jews but nevertheless lead a sinful life would go to hell someday when judgement time comes.


texts: Convert that had children prior to conversion

texts: If a fellow converted (his children remained gentiles) and prior to his conversion he had children - has he fulfilled the Mitzva of Peru U'Revu? (sources)


texts: What does 'בציצית' mean in 'להתעטף בציצית'?

texts:
When we don the טלית גדול, we say:

  ברוך אתה ה׳ אלקינו מלך העולם אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו להתעטף בציצית.

I'm wondering about the meaning of the last word of the benediction. (Not midrash-like interpretations of it, but what it simply signifies.) Here are what I see as some possibilities:

The prefix 'ב־' means "by means of", indicating the tool used to do the action of wrapping oneself. (Compare 'מכה בפטיש'.)
The prefix 'ב־' means "in", indicating the wrapping in which one's wrapping himself.

And then, seemingly independently of the above:

'ציצית' refers synecdochically to the טלית.
'ציצית' refers to the ציצית themselves (they wrap around the person also, and surround him on all sides).

Of course, there may be some other meaning, that I haven't thought of, for either part of the word. Does anyone know the actual meaning?


texts:
From Adonijah's self-exaltation to self-debasement at the horns of the altar, what was the time frame?
From the time
"Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying: 'I will be king'" (1 Kings Chapter 1:5)
to the time
"Adonijah feared because of Solomon; and he arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar" (1 Kings Chapter 1:50),
how long was it, what was the time frame?


texts: The Parshiot about Joseph always fall right before or during Chanukkah.  It their a relationship between the Joseph stories and the Chanukkah stories?  It there something to be learned from the fact that they are so closely linked together?


texts: Is one required to leave a house key with the rabbi when selling chametz?

texts:
Because of convenience, I used a different community rav this year when I sold my Chametz. On the contract, there was a statement that said, "If I will not be home", a key to my home can be found at ___" (I had to fill in an address.)

This is the first time I have seen this. I expect that someone will be at home nearly at all times, but, I'm wondering if having a key available or even leaving a key with the rabbi is necessary?

I understand the concept that the Gentile owns the chametz in my home and he should have free access to his chametz at any time. But, is it necessary to go that far as to leave a key with the rabbi? What about those people that have a security system on their homes? If someone enters the house and doesn't enter the correct password within about a minute, the police come. Does this mean that in addition to the key, one must also give the rabbi his home security password?


texts: Interpreting the Zohar's Prediction of the year 1840

texts:
On the verse in parsha Noach (Genesis 7:11): "In the six-hundredth year in the life of Noah... all wellsprings of the great deep burst open, and the windows of heaven were opened..."

The Zohar (part I, 117a) interprets along prophetical lines:

  In the 600th year of the 6th millennium [1840 CE] the upper gates of
  wisdom will be opened and also the wellsprings of wisdom below. This
  will prepare the world for the 7th millennium like a person prepares
  himself on Friday for Shabbat, as the sun begins to wane. So it will
  be here. There is a hint about this in the verse "In the six hundredth
  year of Noah's life …all the fountains of the great deep were broken
  up, and the windows of heaven were opened" (Gen. 7:11).

The wellsprings of wisdom below is interpreted as the industrial revolution, which according to wikipedia broke out in the 1780s was not felt until 1830s or 1840s. We are still feeling the effects today with all the scientific revolutions that followed.

Many Chasidim want to interpret the "upper gates of wisdom" as referring to the rise of Chasidut, which started a bit before that time (the Tanya which is considered by Chabad to be the "the Written Torah of Hasidus" was published between 1797-1814. Chasidut brought many revolutionary interpretations such as that of the Tzimtzum) Historian Rabbi Berel Wein describes the Chasidic movement as "the greatest revolution that ever occurred within the parameters of traditional Judaism".

Assuming the Zohar is authentic and that its prediction is correct, is there an alternative interpretation of a great revolution in torah ("upper gates") wisdom around that time that has been fulfilled?

I am looking for an alternative interpretation since most religious Jews think a) the Zohar is an ultimate essential primary text, and b) Tanya is not an ultimate essential primary text. Those two premises can't hold given the interpretation presented above.

Please provide a source.


texts:
When did the Men of the Great Assembly start and cease to function and why?

What was their relationship to the Sanhedrin and to beit Hillel and Shammai?


texts: Is there an English translation of Siddurei Geonei Rav Amram and / or Rav Sa'adiah?

texts:
I enjoy exploring the history of the Siddur. Rav Amram and Rav Sa'adia's siddurim are two of the oldest.

One of them, from what I recall has loads of "instructions" some of which explain halachot and occasionally explanations into the phrasing, many of which is no longer used, today. My Hebrew is quite good, but, if there are any English translations for any of these, that would make things a bit easier, esp. if I'm conducting classes with others. Is anyone aware of any English translations?


texts: Is one allowed to read books written by Homer such as The Iliad or The Odyssey?

texts:
When I was in elementary yeshiva, I had to read both The Iliad and The Odyssey. Both these books focus on Greek mythology, specifically the Trojan War.

Sefer HaChinukh 426:1 says:

  שלא לחן ולרחם על עובד אלילים - שלא נחמל על עובדי עבודה זרה, ולא יישר
  בעינינו דבר מהם, כלומר, שנרחיק ממחשבתנו ולא יעלה על פינו שיהיה במי
  שהוא עובד עבודה זרה דבר תועלת, ולא יהיה מעלה חן בעינינו בשום ענין, עד
  שאמרו רבותינו זכרונם לברכה (ע''ז ז א) שאסור לומר כמה נאה גוי זה או מה
  נחמד ונעים הוא, ועל זה נאמר (דברים ז ב) ולא תחנם, ובא הפרוש על זה לא
  תתן להם חן, כענין שאמרנו. ויש מרבותינו שלמדו מלא תחנם, לא תתן להם
  מתנות חנם, והכל שרש אחד. ובירושלמי דעבודה זרה (פ''א ה''ט) אמרו לא
  תחנם, לא תתן להם חן, בלא תעשה.

Synopsis of part of the above:

From the verse in Deuteronomy 7:2 which says (at the end) "Do not show favor (grace) to them", this means that we should distance our thoughts and it should not enter our speech regarding an idol worshipper, any use to us, and it should not even find any favor in any manner.

Furthermore, the rabbis of blessed memory said that we should not say, "How pleasant and enjoyable this nation is."

Does this mean that we are prohibited to read any of the writings that discuss foreign gods, such as Greek mythology? What if, as when I was in elementary school, the teacher forces you to read it as part of the class, but you gain no pleasure at all from doing so? (At the time, I thought both books were painfully boring!)


texts: I'm confused as to whether what the actual relationship to a man a pilegesh actually has in Jewish Law.  I've seen conflicting sources:   (1) Hebrew school taught a pilegesh is a secondary wife (concubine) who the man marries separately since his first wife cannot have a child and so the contract is between the man and said secondary wife; or (2) Genesis teaches a pilegesh is a servant (handmaiden) contracted by the primary wife to offer to the man when she herself cannot have a child, and the the relationship is actually between the primary wife and her handmaiden, with the servant standing in as the primary's surrogate.  Please clarify?


texts: Were Benei Noach chayiv in Priah u'Reviah and Bris Milah before Sinai?

texts:
The Gemara in Sanhedrin 59a says that any mitzvah given to Benei Noach and repeated at Har Sinai, generally speaking, was given to both groups. Thus, both groups are given the issur of Avodah Zarah, for instance.

The Gemara challenges this premise based on the fact that Priah U'Reviah and Bris Milah were given to Benei Noach. Why are they not chayiv in them as well? The Gemara answers that they were repeated to teach special laws.

Now, before Har Sinai, these laws were not repeated. Does this mean that Benei Noach, pre-Sinai, were chayiv in Priah u'Reviah and Bris Milah? Do we say that it works retroactively, that since we see from the fact that it was repeated at Har Sinai that it's like they were never commanded in it, or were they commanded in it until it was retaught?


texts: Does a facemask with 4 corners require tzitzit?

texts: I've come across facemasks that are 4 corned, therefore would it require tzitzit or as its for health reasons exclude this commandment.


texts: Does וְאַל-תִּטֹּשׁ, תּוֹרַת אִמֶּךָ invalidate the Mitzvot-Exemption-for-Women: וללמדו תורה אבל לא האם and ותלמוד תורה and פריה ורביה?

texts:
How can Shlomo write in Mishlei 1:8b, וְאַל-תִּטֹּשׁ,  תּוֹרַת אִמֶּךָ,   "don't abandon the Torah of your mother" if the Mitzvah of teaching one's sons -  וללמדו תורה אבל לא האם - and learning Torah -  ותלמוד תורה - and the Mitzva of having children -  פריה ורביה - are exemptions or optional for a woman?

I understand that one can also take "Torah" in this passage to mean "Minhag" or whatever Remez/Drash/Sod it can mean, but my question is simply in the Pshat level of Mishlei 1:8b, וְאַל-תִּטֹּשׁ, תּוֹרַת אִמֶּךָ

This question grew out of the answer of Danny Schoemann in the discussion here: In how many of the 613 mitzvot are women obligated?


texts:
I’m noticing that in most siddurs, while you’re not meant to pronounce Gd’s name as it’s written, they vowelize the letters as if it’s meant to be said. Is this for kavannah? Why would we need vowels for something not read?

I’m seeing many different vowel combinations on the Slonin Siddur Magen Avraham with a different combination depending on the pasuk.


texts: Are all prayers a replacement of offering?

texts:
Are all prayer a replacement of offering?

In accordance with the words of Hosea, we render instead of bullocks the offering of our lips (Hosea 14:3)

Not asking if all offering is just prayer,we have money,and so on.But when we pray are we replacing some  sort of offering?


texts: Was Nebuchadnezzar's statue an image of Daniel himself?

texts:
The third chapter of Daniel brings the story of how King Nebuchadnezzar erected a statue made of gold for the people of the land to worship. (Ultimately, this is the story of how Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, Daniel's three friends, were thrown into a furnace for not bowing down to the idol but miraculously survived.)  The first thing noticeable about this chapter is that Daniel is missing from the narrative. The Gemara (Sanhedrin 93a) tells us the reason behind Daniel's absence:

The Sages taught: Three were partners in that plan to ensure that Daniel would not be in Babylonia when the decree of persecution was in effect: The Holy One, Blessed be He; Daniel; and Nebuchadnezzar. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said: Let Daniel go from here, so that people would not say that Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were delivered from the fiery furnace due to the virtue of Daniel, rather than due to their own righteousness.
And Daniel said to himself: I will go away from here so that this verse will not be fulfilled in my regard: “The graven images of their gods shall you burn with fire” (Deuteronomy 7:25). Daniel was concerned that because Nebuchadnezzar worshipped him like a deity, his legal status was that of an idol, and he would be burned.
And Nebuchadnezzar said: Daniel should go away from here so that the people will not say: Nebuchadnezzar burned his god in fire. And from where is it derived that Nebuchadnezzar worshipped Daniel? It is derived from a verse, as it is written: “Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and worshipped Daniel and commanded that they should offer an offering and pleasing aromas to him” (Daniel 2:46).

Nebuchadnezzar worshipped Daniel as a god. Metzudat David on Daniel 3:12 says that Daniel didn't have to worship, because how could a god come to bow down to an idol?
Now comes my question. Could it be that the statue Nebuchadnezzar made was actually the image of Daniel himself? I have not found a source to back up my claim, but I have not found anything against it either. "The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence," so they say.
{Question courtesy of my brother.}


texts: Understanding an apparent conflict regarding Israel's Biblical eastern boundary

texts:
I'm trying to understand what appears (for me) to be a conflict regarding the Biblical eastern boundary of the "Promised land".

It seems that the land promised to the fathers went all the way as east as the Euphrates. There are two verses, in particular I'm viewing:

Breishit 15:18 G-d promises to Avraham and his descendants the land from the Egyptian river to the Euphrates river.

Devarim 1:7-8 In verse 7, Moshe tells B'nai Israel to go to the land until the Euphrates River. In verse 8, Moshe uses the phrase "...that G-d has promised your fathers."

What seems contradictory is that when delineating the land borders for 9 1/2 tribes (Levi doesn't get a portion; and 2 1/2 tribes took their portion East of the Jordan) the Torah marks the eastern border along the Kinneret and the Jordan River - not as far as the Euphrates (Bemidbar 34:10-12.)

The conflict appears to be why G-d limited the eastern border for those remaining tribes to the west of the Jordan. In actuality, it seems that the "promised land"'s eastern border extended to the Euphrates. Why, then, does the Torah in Bemidbar not extend the eastern border for all the tribes to go east of the Jordan?


texts: Why is the word "youth" בְּחֽוּרֹתֶ֑יךָ in the plural?

texts:
Why is the word "youth" בְּחֽוּרֹתֶ֑יךָ in Kohelet 12:1 in the plural, when the first word, the first verb in the sentence, indicates that the speaker is speaking to one person?

וּזְכֹר֙ אֶת־בּ֣וֹרְאֶ֔יךָ בִּימֵ֖י בְּחֽוּרֹתֶ֑יךָ עַ֣ד אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹֽא־יָבֹ֨אוּ֙ יְמֵ֣י הָֽרָעָ֔ה וְהִגִּ֣יעוּ שָׁנִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר תֹּאמַ֔ר אֵֽין־לִ֥י בָהֶ֖ם חֵֽפֶץ׃
And remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of evil come, and years arrive, about which you will say, "I have no desire in them."


texts: I know Adam Harishon lived to be 930 years old but why did he live to be 930? Is there some kind of hidden meaning behind the years in his life like there is with other people in Tanach? Sources would be greatly appreciated.


texts: There are different minhagim as to how the shin is supposed to look on the tefillin shel rosh. Is there somewhere where I can view each of the most common minhagim? (Ashkenaz, Sepharad, Arizal, Chabad, Teiman, etc.) Maybe someone could provide pictures of each?


texts: What blessing would one have said on seeing Einstein for example?

texts:
The Oruch Hashulchan O Ch 224, 6 says

  הרואה חכם מחכמי ישראל שגדול בתורה מברך: "ברוך אתה ה' אלהינו מלך העולם
  שחלק מחכמתו ליריאיו,

  Someone who sees a Jewish Torah sage makes the blessing “ שחלק מחכמתו
  ליריאיו"

and later he says

  הרואה חכם מחכמיהם הגדול בשארי חכמות מברך: "ברוך... שנתן מחכמתו לבשר
  ודם

  Someone who sees a non-Jewish wise man with wisdom in other fields
  makes the blessing שנתן מחכמתו לבשר ודם

What about the blessing for a Jewish wise man with wisdom in other fields?


texts: Hefsek between hagafen and drinking during havdallah

texts: Why does everybody (at least that I have ever seen), say "borei pri hagefen" first of all during havdallah, but not drink the wine until all of the other brachos have been said? Is saying the other brachos not a hefsek? How is the wine different from the spices, which I have always seen people smell immediately after making "borei minei bsamim"?


texts:
Rashi (B'reshis 37:2) calls it an "an act of immaturity [to fix one's] hair (...) so he would look good".

Obviously, payos are made from hair, but they are not considered regular hair within kabbala (k'lipos that are to be removed).

The fact is that many orthodox Jews go to great lengths in order to have long beautiful payos.

Question is if they have a status as mitzva item that exempts them from the problem Rashi speaks of.


texts: korat ruach versus nachat ruach in the "Path of the Just"?

texts:
In The Path of the Just (Mesilat Yesharim) by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato (ch.19), I noticed he sometimes uses the term "nachat ruach" and other times "korat ruach."

What is the meaning of both expressions and their distinction in this context?


texts:
Which of Rav Kook's books would be the one to learn if you want to see his learning style and methodology.
What I mean is, in which book does he most "show his work" so to speak.


texts: Is a man expected to be a virgin on the wedding night?

texts:
Just as the ketubah generally refers to a first time bride as a betulah (virgin), is any such language used to refer to a first time chosson?

Are any expectations of virginity placed upon the chosson or is only the kallah expected to be a virgin on her wedding day (based on the assumption that she is a betulah)?

Is there any evidence that it is more desirable for a man to be a virgin at the time of his marriage?


texts: Havdalah if you have to eat or drink on Tisha B'Av that comes out on Sunday

texts: If a person for whatever reason has to eat and drink on Tisha B'Av that comes out on Sunday, and they know this ahead of time, when should they make havdallah on a cos? Should they make Motzei Shabbos like normally (however omit the other parts of havdallah that are omitted when someone would normally make havdallah on Sunday night after Tisha B'Av.) Should they make havdallah (on cos) only right before they will eat or drink. Or Should they wait and make havdallah (on a cos) Sunday night like everyone else?


texts: Must Noachides accept the story of Noach?

texts:
I know of a certain person who attempted an Orthodox conversion some time ago, but had to stop in the middle for various reasons, including, but not limited to, opposing hashkafic views. This person then went on to complete a conversion course from a different denomination. This person told me that their Orthodox rabbi considers them to be a Noachide, not accepting, naturally, the legitimacy of their conversion.
I am aware, also, that this person believes in the Documentary Hypothesis and that many of the stories in the Torah are myths (which is one aspect of the original Hypothesis by Graf-Wellhausen), including, ironically, the story of Noach and the flood.
Which brings me to my question: The story of Noach includes the covenant between Hashem and Noach and the giving of the Noachide commandments. Must a Noachide accept the story of Noach as true, or may a Noachide view it as mythic, coming to teach some such idea?


texts: Do we need to check for nefuchos in our matzah today?

texts:
We are not supposed to eat matzoh that contains a nefucha (a "swollen" part/air bubble) bigger than a hazelnut. I'm not entirely sure of the reasons, but it is discussed in Mishna Berura 461:34.

According to some, checking one's matzoh for kefulos and nefuchos is part of the standard preparation for Pesach.

However, this page indicates that we do not need to check matzah for nefuchos anymore because of the texture of matzoh today. In addition, this document suggests that commercial matzah may in any case be checked by the bakery for nefuchos and kefulos prior to giving a hechsher.

However, other sources I've seen suggest that we do still need to check our matzah for nefuchos. I would especially wonder about the need to do so for handmade/shmura matzah, which does not have the thin, cracker-like texture of factory matzah.

So, what's the deal? Do we need to check for nefuchos in our factory matzoh? Handmade matzoh? How can we know if the bakery has done it for us?


texts: In the prohibition of a Kohen marrying a Zonah (cf. Vayikra 21:7), what defines a woman as a Zonah?  Is it just having had relations with a non-Jew, or does it also include having relations out of wedlock?


texts: Although it pains me to ask the question, after davening in many orthodox shuls throughout New York, New Jersey, and Maryland, it seems chazanim often skip parts of והוא רחום (longer Monday/Thursday Tachanun) based on the time it takes to say it. Is there a source to allow for such a leniency?


texts: What is the most effective way to translate non-Hebrew translations found in Rabbinic literature?

texts:
Non-Hebrew translations are often included by our Sages when attempting to clarify words or concepts.

There are myriad examples in RaSh"I (Shemot 5:7) and Hizquni (Wayiqra 11:16). For relatively later writings, Shulhan `Arukh is also chock-full of these (OH 10:8, OH 10:12, OH 254:5).

Given the ambiguous niqqud of these translations (I'm not aware of any Rabbinic literature originally written with niqqud), what is the most effective way of deciphering of our Sages' writings?


texts: In various shuls during Hakafos on Simchas Torah, I have heard the well known song "Tov Li Toras Picha" (טוב לי תורת פיך מאלפי זהב וכסף" - תהלים קיט עב") with a chorus in Yiddish. Does anyone know the words of this verse? Also, what is the origin of this song?


texts: Is it possible that the Torah could be considered Lashon HaRah? It describes personal information about both individuals and groups of people and documents their good, bad, and indifferent behaviours. This has lead to both praise and criticism of even the Prophets.


texts:
I alway admired the Jews for having a belif system that their is only one God. But recently I got this message from a Christian that claimed that they associate themselves with God, by saying part of their souls is divine, see below:

"Also theos means divine it does not mean uncaused cause. Jews and Muslims do not believe in pne divine eternal entity they  believe that God and his word are together divine and eternal. Infact Jews go farther than us their God has 10 sefirot and the 10 are one and they teach that the higher part of the human soul is God. I do not understand how divine plurality is monotheistic for Jews and Muslims but divine plurality is polytheistic for Christians."

I have two question regarded this

1) do Jews believe 10=1, like Christians believe 3=1, that is in the literal sense i.e. 1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1=1?

2)do Jews really believe that the higher part of the soul is God?

I do not what to know what Christians/Muslims believe compared to Jews, with respect to the above questions.


texts: 9 plagues in response to Pharaoh's denial of G-d?

texts:
I once heard a Shiur where the Rabbi said that originally there were not going to be 10 plagues, Just the threat of death of Egyptian firstborns should Pharaoh not listen. It was only once Pharaoh denied knowledge of G-d that G-d said there would be 10 plagues, so that the whole of Egypt would know who G-d is.

He explained it as follows:

In Shemot 4:21-23, G-d says to tell Pharaoh that if he does not let His firstborns go (i.e. the Jews), G-d will kill his firstborn sons. G-d mentions nothing about the other plagues. (note that the wonders mentioned in Shemot 4:21 do not refer to the plagues, at least according to Rashi).

In Shemot 5:2 Pharaoh says he does not know G-d. and then, in Shemot 7:2-5 G-d tells Moshe that He will increase His signs and wonders, but Pharaoh will not listen because G-d will harden his heart, "And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord when I stretch forth My hand over Egypt, and I will take the children of Israel out of their midst."

This is also emphasized during the different plagues, where G-d tells Moshe to tell Pharaoh that the plague of mixed animalas will be "in order that you know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth." (Shemot 8:18). The plague of hail, "in order that you know that there is none like Me in the entire earth." (Shemot 9:14), and even more so, "in order to declare My name all over the earth." (Shemot 9:16)

Has anyone heard or does anyone know a source for this idea. I'd like to read it inside, to verify the details. It sounds like an interesting explanation, but I have some questions. For example, how does this explanation fit with Shemot 3:19-20, which seems to have G-d telling Moshe about the plagues before Moshe even goes to see Pharaoh for the first time.

Also, it does not seem that Rashi learns it this way, since in Shemot 4:23 he says:

  That is the last plague, but He warned him [Pharaoh] about it first, because it was [the most] severe...


texts: At the end of each Parsha many Chumashim have the number of Pesukim that are in that Parsha. By Parshas Tzav they all say 96 which is the Gematria of Tzav צו. However if counted there are 97 Pesukim. Was this done since there are really 96 Pesukim and 2 of the Pesukim are really one, or since it was only off by one it was a cute Siman? Some other reason?


texts: What is the proper way to wash after a Funeral or a visit to the Cemetery?


texts: Reverse Osmosis Water machine -- possible kosher issues?

texts: There’s a machine at a local store near me that has a reverse osmosis water machine. I don't think there is a hecsher on the machine, but it's just water. Is there any possible kosher issues with it, just in general (possible filter issues)?


texts: Does the Rambam talk about health in his Sefer , Mishnah Torah  ? I'm thinking maybe he talks about it in Hilchos דעות.


texts: Which parts of the head should be covered by the kippa?

texts: I understand that it is a widespread minhag for men to wear a head covering. Recently I have seen kippot covering different portions of the head. So please tell me which parts of the head should be covered by the kippa?


texts: Why did Rashi create a new letter system for his commentaries?

texts: I had heard that he created his own lettering system so that his words would be easily distinguishable from the actual words of  the Torah. Is this just hearsay or speculation? If so, is there any reason given for why?


texts: Sources for which Mitzvot require early training

texts:
I'm looking for examples the Sages prescribe for educating for keeping Mitzvos (חינוך למצוות), for example:

"קָטָן הַיּוֹדֵעַ לְנַעְנֵעַ, חַיָּב בַּלּוּלָב:" Mishnah Succah 3,15
"מִשָּׁעָה שֶׁהַבֵּן יוֹדֵעַ לְדַבֵּר, לַמְּדֵהוּ "תּוֹרָה צִוָּה לָנוּ מֹשֶׁה"

On what additional Mitzvos do we have explicit Rabbinical (pre-Rishonim) sources to educate our kids to? Like is there a way to get them used to Yom Kippur or Teffilah or Matzah or Honoring parents etc.


texts: How can I eliminate or reduce the musty "sheepy" Torah odor?

texts:
I was inspired to follow up on this question that asks about cleaning Torah scrolls.

My shul building is about 90 years old. The Aron has 10 Torah scrolls - only 4 of them usable. This ark is opened once weekly (Shabbat only) on average. Calculating things based on the annual reading schedule, one is used regularly; a second is used about once every 3 - 4 months (Shabbat Rosh Hodesh, holidays, etc.) and the other two are "rotated" when reading schedules get "close" (e.g. Pesach has readings from various places, so I may use one of the other 2 so that I can keep one of the first two in place for future annual readings.)

I mentioned all this because I gather that the less a scroll is used, the more likely it will develop a musty smell and, perhaps, mold? (I haven't personally seen mold on a Torah, but, I guess it can happen?)

The ark is opened only once per week, on average. The shul gets very damp and musty esp. in the summer when it is hotter and more humid and the A.C. is not on in that area.

Given all these factors, besides having the A.C. or a dehumidifier running in the shul (it's a huge space and the shul can't afford these solutions), what other ideas can be done to reduce the musty smell and prolong the age of the parchment?

Are there cleaners / sprays or something like that that can be used? Would the 6 passul Torahs sitting in the ark be a major contributing factor to possible mold , smell and humidity? Should they be removed from the ark, permanently (we do have closets to store most if not all of them)? Any other ideas?


texts: What's the reason for silver spoon at yichud door?

texts: At a wedding, according to Chabad custom, a silver spoon is placed at the entrance to the yichud room. The chosson walks in first by stepping over it with his right foot first. What is the significance of this?


texts:
Medishare is a healthcare sharing program designed for Christians.

Is there any reason a Jew wouldn't be able to join such a program?

As far as I understand it, the program works in such a way that people in the program help pay for each other's medical bills. Therefore, you would be sometimes paying for medical bills of Christians and they would be sometimes paying for you. Somehow it works out to be cheaper than many insurance plans. If you need more info on how it works, it is explained here.


texts: Is there any halachic or recommended consistency needed for charoset?

texts:
I've seen charoset made in various consistencies. Some are chunky with loose pieces of apples and nuts in a bit of wine or grape juice - the wine is not incorporated into the mix, so the pieces are just marinating in the wine.

Others make more of a loose mix. It looks much like applesauce with a few apple chunks and crunchy nut pieces. It has a loose consistency.

Others make it very thick, probably by adding a lot of ground nuts. If you put the charoset on a spoon and hold the spoon upside down, the charoset sticks to the spoon for a while.

Is there any halachic requirement or minhagim for the thickness / consistency of charoset?


texts: Reviewing studies 40 times or 101 times?

texts:
The Gemara in Pesachim 72a says, "One, who reviews a subject 40 times, is guaranteed it will be rooted in his memory as if it were placed in his pocket."

However, the Mishnah Berurah 114:41 says, "Reviewing one’s studies 101 times ensures that they will not be forgotten."

Does reviewing one's studies 40 times or 101 times, insure that it stays in one's memory?


texts: Are tefillin supposed to be removed before a bris (circumcision)?  If so, why?

texts:
I remember in yeshiva one day as a bris was about to start after minyan, someone came around and told everybody, "take off your tefilin!"

Recently I saw R' Moshe Feinstein explaining why we leave them on.  R' Moshe writes (IIRC) that we don't have tefilin on shabbos because both are signs of the covenant, but circumcision is 24/7 so by nature it's non-exclusive, and in fact it is therefore appropriate to keep tefillin on at a Bris.

(I'm talking here about the ordinary people watching in shul.  I certainly understand why the father, mohel, and sandek would have theirs off, as they're busy dealing with a baby!)

So which is it?  On or off?  Why?  Is R' Moshe differing with some well-known posek here, or common practice?


texts: A long time ago I read that our Sources say, "It is forbidden to disturb an idolater praying to his idols because, although he does not know it, he is praying to God." Is this accurate and what is the reference?


texts:
Many shuls let people claim (buy) seats and put their name on the chair where they usually sit, making it "officially" their makom kavuah. Some of Mi Yodeya's other makom-kavuah questions also indicate that someone can claim a specific seat.

However, my father once told me that makom kavuah doesn't mean claiming a single specific seat - it's an area, a certain part of the shul where you usually sit.

What is the halachic definition of a makom kavuah? (Plus sources.)


texts: How to walk out of a place that has an ark?

texts:
See my answer to this M.Y. question.

My follow up question - Are the rules applicable to only a "formal" bet Knesset, i.e. a building established as such? Or is it dependent on the presence of an ark? For example, if one is in a shiva home and there is an ark present there for the week, would one have to walk out sideways?


texts:
Can mikvah water ever become tamei from people's immersion? How does this relate to the essentially "living" quality of the water moving through the mikvah?

Related:

using a men's mikvah twice if tamei or just once?

can zera still make clothes and objects tamei?


texts: Is there a higher standard of kashrut for chicken analogous to "chalak beit yosef" for beef?

texts:
If I understand correctly, if someone wants to keep an extra-super-high standard of kashrut for themselves, s/he can look for "chalak beit yosef" beef, which means ("super-glatt") the lungs had virtually no adhesions on them.

With poultry, my understanding is there's no such thing as "glatt"; if the chicken's organs look okay it's okay; if there's any questions, it's no good. Hence no such thing as "glatt" chicken.

Are there other issues where some higher standard of kashrut with regards to poultry comes up? Can I buy "super-duper-extra-kosher" poultry? (In America? In Israel?)

(Please DON'T discuss questions of whether this is a wise idea. Just if it's available, and what does it offer.)


texts:
M'nachos 76 amud 2, describes how flour was sifted to yield the good-quality soles flour for the omer offering that was brought on the second day of Pesach. It was sifted thirteen times, the mishna says, and the Bavli clarifies:

  In a fine [sifter], in a coarse one, in a fine one, in a coarse one. Rabbi Shim'on (ben El'azar) says: There were thirteen sifters in the Temple, one above another, one above another. The top one collects bran; the bottom one collects soles.

There are several different explanations of this on the page of Vilna shas itself (besides whatever others may have done with it), and I'll focus on three:

The commentary attributed to Rashi (printed atop the page): R. Shim'on disagrees with the first statement (and I'll omit the explanation of the first statement). According to R. Shim'on, there are thirteen sifters. The coarsest one catches bran, and the second one sifts out too-fine flour. The resultant coarse flour is then sifted in eleven sifters that are even finer (progressively so) to make sure all the too-fine flour is gone.
The manuscript-based Rashi (printed at the bottom of the page): R. Shim'on agrees with and clarifies the first statement. They hold that there are thirteen sifters. The finest one sifts out too-fine flour; then the coarsest one catches bran; then the second-finest sifts out too-fine flour; then the second-coarsest catches bran; then the third-finest… you get the picture. The middlemost sifter yields the good stuff.
R. Peretz's version of Rashi, quoted within the manuscript version of Rashi in square brackets: R. Shim'on agrees with and clarifies the first statement. They hold that there are thirteen sifters, and the sifting is done as above (the finest, then the coarsest, then the second-finest, etc.). What the coarse ones catch is discarded as bran; but what the fine sifters emit is collected for use in the mincha.

I have three questions on the explanations of R. Shim'on:

According to the commentary attributed to Rashi, progressively finer sifters sift out more and more too-fine flour. That doesn't seem like it would work: surely if something didn't pass through a sifter, you'd use a coarser one to sift it out, not a finer one.
According to the manuscript-based Rashi (not R. Peretz's version), the middlemost sifter yields the correct flour. Is that what's caught by the middlemost sifter, or what it lets out?
According to R. Peretz's version of Rashi, several sifters (besides the last-used sifter) emit flour that was then used. Was it used for the omer or for other offerings?


texts:
Is having imperfect eyesight that requires the wearing of eyeglasses a problem for a Kohen?

The question is two-fold:

1) Does the imperfect eyesight render him a ba'al mum (physical blemish) which forbids him from performing avodah?

2) Does wearing eyeglasses in the Beis Hamikdash constitute yittur begadim (an extra garment besides for the 4/8 bigdei kehunah, which ruins any avoidah he does)?


texts: Is alav ha-shalom (A"H) used often, or do most use zikhrono livrakha (Z"L) when referring to the deceased?

texts: I understand that A"H is translates to "may he/she rest in peace," which is indeed closer to what non-Jews say in gentile societies. However, I also understand Z"L is also an honorific for the dead, which translates to "may his/her memory be a blessing" or "of blessed memory." Which is more common among Jews? Which is more proper, and for what occasions?


texts:
Let's say someone goes through an invalid conversion, and now they incorrectly think they are Jewish.  They pick a Jewish name for themselves, and they are called up to the Torah by that name and use it for whenever else the situation arises that it would be relevant to them.

If they get sick, and you wanted to daven for them or say a Mi Sheberach for them, could you / should you use the name they "picked" for themselves?

My question is not because of the Jewishness of the name.  My question is because it is a) not their given name, or the name they go by regularly and b) taken under false pretenses.


texts: What was the original Torah reading in Israel on 16th Nissan?

texts:
The currently practiced Torah reading in Israel for the first day of Chol Hamoed Pesach is identical to that read in the Diaspora on the same day (where it is the second day of Yom   Tov) namely Vayikra 23:26 - 24:44.

This reading is significantly longer than the remaining Chol Hamoed readings (3 aliyot spanning 52 verses, compared with 26 verses for the next longest Chol Hamoed reading).

The earliest basis for this choice seems to be the statement of Abaye in Megillah 31a, which is presumably describing a Babylonian practice.

This got me wondering if there is any evidence as to what the original Israeli practice was to read on this day.

On the one hand, this section is very fitting for the 16th of Nissan as it contains a passage describing the Omer offering brought on that day. On the other hand, as a Chol Hamoed day (rather than a day of Yom Tov) maybe they read a shorter selection rather than all 52 verses? Or maybe they read something else entirely? Or maybe we have evidence that the Israeli custom was indeed to read all 52 verses?


texts: Why were not all petitionary prayers eliminated on Shabbat?

texts:
Jewish teaching is that Shabbat services are for thanks and praise, not for petition [see Berachot Yerushalmi].  That's why the rabbis cut out the middle 13 blessings of the daily Amidah.

But we still petition God on Shabbat:  Hashkivenu, Oseh shalom, Mi shebberach, prayers for the government and for Israel, etc.  So why did we not go all the way?  What is the dividing line?

[Sephardim cut out the middle part of Hashkivenu (Vehagen baadenu...), but curiously leave the rest (ufros alenu...)]


texts: One Navi revealing themselves to another Navi

texts:
Rav Moshe Feinstein is quoted in Kol Ram asking why didn't Yosef reveal to his father that he is alive in Egypt. He answers that maybe one navi cannot reveal themselves to another navi without HaShem allowing it and that is why Yitzchak also didn't tell Yaakov even though he knew (Rashi 37:33).

Is there such a concept or this is Rav Moshe's chiddush?


texts: How was Klall Yisrael able to have the miracle of being gathered between the two poles of the Aaron HaKodesh if they weren't able to be near it?

texts:
I recently saw while learning Navi that before crossing the Jordan that Yehoshua gathered all of Klall Yisroel and told them that they would experience miracles in their conquest of Eretz Yisroel. Rashi cites that he gathered them (Yes all 600,000 of them) between the 2 poles of the Aaron and the Malbim cites this that once they saw that it was understood that they should prepare for the what to behold the next day.

This may sound a little trivial, but if they were explicitly (see Yehoshua 3:4)  commanded before not to approach the Aaron by 2000 Amos how could they have been gathered between the Aaron for the miracle to even occur?


texts: Are there requirements for the replacement chazan when the first one erred in his Amidah repetition?

texts:
On certain occasions a chazan has to be replaced (see O Ch 53 (17)).

If the error occurred in one of the intermediate blessings, the replacement chazan starts from the beginning of the brocho in which the mistake was made (see Oruch Hashulchan 126 (4)).

(In the light of the related questions listed below) are there any requirements for the replacement chazan e.g. that he has not answered boruch hu uvoruch shemo to the repetition so far, or that he has paid attention  to the repetition so far?

related questions:

Why don't some people answer Boruch Hu Uvoruch Shemo in Chazzan's repetition of Shemona Esrei?

Why do we still do chazarat hashatz?

(less related): Chazzan cannot start the repetition of the Amidah? Does anything change for his replacement?


texts: We know that a son cannot claim self defence if he kills his father who is about to rob him. What about his mother

texts: The g'moro in psochim 2b says that a father who goes to rob his son, will not kill him and therefore if the son kills his father he cannot claim self defence. What about if a mother goes to rob her son and the son kills her, can he claim self defence if he kills her.


texts: Why the Second day of Rosh Hashanah isn't בל תוסיף?

texts:
Rosh-Hashanah is clearly one day from the Torah.
As it falls on the first day of the month, in the days of keeping the Real New Moon, there's no way of informing the other places outside Jerusalem, so practically everywhere it was kept two days as in doubt (Rambam).
Later some rulings were issued as to make Elul always lacking and sending messengers to inform about the RH (Mishnah) 29 days in advance.

After the fixed calendar was accepted, why keeping the second day does not count as the transgression of adding a day to a one-day holiday (בל תוסיף), just as adding a day for Succot? Does someone discuss this option?

Note that Rosh Hashannah can be compared to a two day Rosh Chodesh (which we know from Shmuel I existed as far back as the reign of Shaul Hamelech). However, the two days of Rosh Chodesh are the last day of the previous month (30th) and the first day of the following month. Rosh Hashannah on the other hand is the first two days of Tishrei. Elul is always 29 days. The answer should include the reason.


texts: Where exactly should the amud be placed?

texts: In some synagogues I have seen the amud (lectern) from where the chazan (prayer leader) stands to say the prayers, placed a few feet in front of the aron (cabinet) where the torah is kept or between the aron and the bima (reading table). In other synagogues I have also seen the amud placed a few feet to the right of the aron. Is there an exact location where the amud should be placed? Does it change location depending on its use? Where can I find this information for further study?


texts: Why did David's kingdom split if he didn't sin?

texts:
According to one opinion in the Gemara (Bab. Shab. 56b), the reason David's kingdom split was because he sinned by believing Lashon HaRa'. According to another opinion, though, he never sinned at all. According to the latter opinion, why did the kingdom split?

This question is part of the Daf Yomi Challenge.


texts:
Are there things Jews are not allowed to do, per halacha, simply on the grounds that some non-Jews do it, and not because these things are bad in themselves?

(These non-Jews may have a bad overall reputation, may do other things we violently disapprove of, we may not want to be confused with them, etc.)


texts: Why Jews feel no need to evangelize/convince others of their beliefs?

texts:
I've read in the interview with Monica Cellio that “Jews feel no need to evangelize.”

I am curious why is that.

There is no need to share the truth with the others?
Even the loved ones?
Are there some rules for that (convincing)? (What will happen with non-Jews?)


texts: Fulfilling commandment to be fruitful & multiply w/ a Gentile?

texts: If a Jewish man without children lives in a place where there are no other Jews and does not have the resources to leave that place and move, then is he permitted to fulfill the Torah commandment to be “fruitful and multiply” with a Gentile?  If we hold that the prohibition of having intercourse with a non-Jew is Rabbinic in nature (and I know this is debated), then is there a rationale for why the Torah commandment would not override.


texts: Meaning of abbreviation tblch"t / tblch"a

texts: What do these abbreviations stand for? I have seen them beside the names of righteous females. Does it mean that she should have long life? What is the equivalent for males?


texts: Why are parshat Noach and parshat Toldot named that way?

texts:
I was taught that the parshiyot are named for the first significant word (or, rarely, phrase) in the parsha, and obviously names have to be unique.  This week's parsha begins "eileh toldot Noach" and is named "Noach".  Later we'll get one that begins "eileh toldot Yitzchak" and is named... "Toldot", not "Yitzchak".

Why is this?  Does the later one, being about a patriarch, claim the earlier word "toldot"?  Is it because the entire Noach story is contained in the earlier parsha so we name it after him?  Is there some other reason?


texts: Can one wear non-prescription sunglasses on shabbas in a place where there is no eruv? Do we say since if the sun gets blocked one might come to take them off in a karm'lis, or do we say it's like regular glasses?


texts: Is checking for bugs halachically required?

texts:
Various methods of checking for bugs in produce, i.e., lettuce, are officially recommended by kashrus agencies and other halachic professionals. However, is use of one/any of these methods--or even a formal check--halachically required? Or is the halachic requirement simply that one not eat bugs?

MOTIVE:
For certain mitzvot, such as taharas hamishpacha and Pesach preparation, checks are halachically required, and--at least for taharas hamishpacha--one must perform them in a certain way. (Moreover, for taharas hamishpacha, the check is sufficient to establish the condition halachically; here, I ask if the same is true with regards to checking for bugs.) I am wondering if the same is true for food. Is a check [of a certain kind] halachically necessary?

IMPLICATIONS:

Could a self-designed method of checking be halachically acceptable? What level of reliability would it need to have in order to be so?
From whom can one learn a method for checking for bugs? Could one adopt the method suggested by, say, someone with a lower kashrus standard, but who still keeps kosher?
Could no method (that is, no checking) be acceptable if one knew the lettuce to be free of bugs?


texts: The Minhag by most Shuls where there is no Birchas Kohanim and the Chazan just says the Birchas Kohanim is to say Kein Yehi Ratzon. Why do we say Kein Yehi Ratzon instead of Amein?


texts: Difference between Mishlei 11:13 and 20:19

texts:
Mishlei (proverbs) 11:13:

הוֹלֵ֣ךְ רָ֭כִיל מְגַלֶּה־סּ֑וֹד וְנֶאֱמַן־ר֝֗וּחַ מְכַסֶּ֥ה דָבָֽר׃

A base fellow gives away secrets, But a trustworthy soul keeps a confidence.

Mishlei (proverbs) 20:19:

גּֽוֹלֶה־סּ֭וֹד הוֹלֵ֣ךְ רָכִ֑יל וּלְפֹתֶ֥ה שְׂ֝פָתָ֗יו לֹ֣א תִתְעָרָֽב׃

He who gives away secrets is a base fellow; Do not take up with a garrulous man.

Do the first segments of these two pesukim mean the same thing?

If they do, why the repetition?

Suggestion: The first pasuk is telling us about "A base fellow". It tells us that one who is known to be a base person "gives away secrets". So don't trust him with your secrets.

The second pasuk is telling us about a person who gives away secrets, and it tells us that he is a base man, and thus, one should not take up with a such a garrulous man.

Related: Mishlei 11:13 and 20:19 Same beginning different Endings


texts: Teshuva for uttering the ineffable name?

texts: Is there any or a specific way to repent for uttering the ineffable name?


texts:
Jewish law says that tattoos must be voluntary to be reprehensible:

If [the tattoo] was made [involuntarily] in the flesh of another, the one to whom it was done is blameless. [Shulḥan Arukh, Yoreh De'ah 180:2]

Does that imply that such people (e.g., Holocaust survivors) are not required to go through the pain, risk and expense of having their tattoo removed?


texts: Why does Rashi say that a hey at the end = a lamed at the beginning so many times?

texts:
Over and over again, Rashi on Chumash points out that a hey at the end of the word means the same as a lamed at the beginning. He doesn't just clarify that that is the usage, he states the rule itself many many times. (In Bereishis alone, 14:10, 15:23, 28:2, 32:4, 33:27, 46:1, and more...)

Why does he restate this rule so much? After the first time, if he just wanted to point out that this is the situation in each case, he could do it in one word e.g.

  : מרתה . למרה

Why the repetition?


texts: Anyone know of a source to read Tehillim from Klaf? I have heard it's something more special than reading from a regular sefer.


texts: Proving Jewish identity through gravestone

texts: What needs to be considered to show that under a grave marker lies a Jewish person?


texts:
The Seffer HaChinuch #425 writes

  וכענין שמצינו חכם אחד שאמרו זכרונם לברכה (ע''ז י, ב) שהיה מבני בניו של עמלק והוא אנטונינוס

I am aware that medrashic tradition traces Antoninus to Edom, as we find in that Gemara he mentions. But where do we see him traced specifically to Amaleik?


texts: Can one attend a wedding ceremony where one partner had a non-Orthodox conversion?

texts:
I am unfamiliar with the nuances of what occurs in a non-Orthodox conversion. However, I have heard from a few Orthodox rabbis and friends that a non-Orthodox conversion is "invalid" and the convert is not actually Jewish.

I see that this question addresses whether a Jew can attend an intermarriage ceremony. Is there any leniency regarding attending one where a Jew marries a convert from a non-Orthodox wedding? Or does this have the same rules as if this were an intermarriage?


texts:
Premise - the Semag was one of the popular/accepted works by a Rishon, and thus was chosen to be placed in the Ein Mishpat/Ner Mitzvah with Rambam and Tur.  The Semak was written based off of it, as well as a number of commentaries.
Now, however, it is entirely unpopular (I don't think I have ever seen anyone learning Semag), but Rambam and Tur are still as popular as ever.

Question - At what time did it lose popularity, and what would the explanation for this be?


texts:
I saw a similar question, hope I'm not being redundant.

I wanted to know if marriages on Shabbat are allowed, and if not, where is it said, and why not.
Thanks in advance! It is a pleasure!


texts: Why is the mitzvah of Shofar on Rosh Hashannah for hearing the sound and not for blowing the shofar?

texts:
There is no direct mitzvah to blow the shofar on Rosh Hashanna. The mitzvah is to hear the shofar blown. It seems that this mitzvah is phrased "causativly". In order to hear the sound, someone has to blow it! Yet, the blower doesn't get any direct mitzvah for the act of blowing; he "passively" gets the mitzvah when he hears his own blowing.

Why is there no mitzvah for actively doing the blowing itself? As for those that cannot blow, technically, they could fulfill the obligation by someone else doing it, no? Wouldn't that work the same way as someone making Kiddush for another?


texts: What is the source of the Rambam's historical account of idol worship?

texts: Rambam in his code of law under the section of idol worship (1:1-2) delineates the historical process which lead to the existence of idol worship starting with according honor to elements in nature which were seen as 'emissaries' (for lack of a better word) of God (eg Sun as the emissary to provide light) then eventually over time and due to (false) prophetic involvement the reasons for serving the 'emissaries' was forgotten and they were worshipped on their own as deities. I would like to know what the Rambam's sources were (if any) for this history.


texts: What can I feed my elderly cat during Pesach?

texts: I have a 19-year-old cat who is (now) on a low-protein diet, precluding the canonical week of tuna.  Is there someplace I can buy chametz-free, low-protein food?  Are there any consequences (for me) if the cat eats kitniyot?  (Owning kitniyot is permitted, I know, and the cat has his own dish and spoon.)


texts:
When Haman hatches his plot to kill the Jews, and get Achashverosh to sign on, a message is sent out to all people, (Esther 3:12)

מְדִינָ֤ה וּמְדִינָה֙ כִּכְתָבָ֔הּ וְעַ֥ם וָעָ֖ם כִּלְשׁוֹנ֑וֹ

In the script and language of each province. No specific subgroup of people is listed so one might think that this includes the Jews. It would seem so because of the public-mourning reaction of the Jews in each province (4:3):

וּבְכָל־מְדִינָ֣ה וּמְדִינָ֗ה מְקוֹם֙ אֲשֶׁ֨ר דְּבַר־הַמֶּ֤לֶךְ וְדָתוֹ֙ מַגִּ֔יעַ אֵ֤בֶל גָּדוֹל֙ לַיְּהוּדִ֔ים וְצ֥וֹם וּבְכִ֖י וּמִסְפֵּ֑ד שַׂ֣ק וָאֵ֔פֶר יֻצַּ֖ע לָֽרַבִּֽים

But in 8:9, when a second round of proclamations is to be delivered, the text details that the edicts was written

מְדִינָ֤ה וּמְדִינָה֙ כִּכְתָבָ֔הּ וְעַ֥ם וָעָ֖ם כִּלְשֹׁנ֑וֹ וְאֶ֨ל־הַיְּהוּדִ֔ים כִּכְתָבָ֖ם וְכִלְשׁוֹנָֽם׃

according to the script and language of each province AND to the Jews in their script and language.
Why does it need to be added here that the Jews received the notice in their language? Did they not speak other languages? If so, how did they learn of their fate initially? If they did speak other languages, why write in Hebrew to them? And once the text says "each province as it writes and each nation as it speaks" doesn't that implicitly include the Jews? Why would they have to be listed separately?


texts: Tefillin shel yad wrapping custom by Tur

texts: What method of tying tefillin shel yad for the hand suggested by Jacob ben Asher? The palm itself is of interest. I know about three turns on the middle finger. And the rest of hand? Like modern Ashkenazi in the form of a letter Shin? Also interested method of wrapping by Joel Sirkish (Bach).


texts:
We know that the water of the Dead Sea is very much salty, so much so that no fish exist in it.

Is there any midrash or agada that speaks on the history of the Dead Sea, how it started to become salty?