texts: Why is "Hinei yomim boim" - a truncated version of Amos 8:11 sung as though it is words of nechomoh?

texts:
Posuk 8:11 of Amos says:

הִנֵּ֣ה יָמִ֣ים בָּאִ֗ים נְאֻם֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יֱהֹוִ֔ה וְהִשְׁלַחְתִּ֥י רָעָ֖ב בָּאָ֑רֶץ לֹֽא־רָעָ֚ב לַלֶּ֙חֶם֙ וְלֹֽא־צָמָ֣א לַמַּ֔יִם כִּ֣י אִם־לִשְׁמֹ֔עַ אֵ֖ת דִּבְרֵ֥י יְהֹוָֽה
Behold days are coming says the Lord God, and I will send famine into the land, not a famine for bread or a thirst for water but [an unfulfilled desire] to hear the words of God.

Rashi there says:

כי אם לשמוע. שתפסוק מכם רוח הקדש
They will cease to have ruach hakodesh (divine inspiration).

Similarly the Metzudas Dovid says:

כי אם לשמוע וגו׳. ר״ל יהיו תאבים אל הנבואה ולא ימצאו כי תפסק הנבואה בהיותם בגולה:
It is saying that they will desire prophesy and not find it because prophecy will cease in exile.

The context of the entire chapter 8 of Amos is a kloloh (curse) foretelling tragedy. So why is there a zemer that is often sung at shalosh seodos and other occasions that seem to imply that these are words of nochoma (comfort)?
To be clear: Rashi and metzudas Dovid are both saying that the lack of prophecy directly causes the "famine" in wishing to hear the word of Hashem. This is in distinction to the possibility that there is an additional external force making people wish to hear the word of Hashem in addition to the end of prophecy. This later possible peshat is not anything I have seen in the rishonim. But if it does exist I would very much like to see it.
[The text of the zemer is הִנֵּה יָמִים בָּאִים ... וְהִשְׁלַחְתִּי רָעָב בָּאָרֶץ לֹא רָעָב לַלֶּחֶם וְלֹא צָמָא לַמַּיִם כִּי אִם לִשְׁמֹעַ אֵת דִּבְרֵי ה’.]
Links to the zemer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxQiswj_To0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJASoxnKziQ


texts: How straight do the chanukah lights have to be?

texts:
The Mechaber says (Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 671:4) that the Chanukah lights may not look like a bonfire. The Remah therefore says that the Chanukah lights must be in a straight line, to make sure it doesn't look like a bonfire. The Mishna Berura (SK 16) says that the candles can't even be staggered (one in and one out), so that one doesn't come to set them up in a circle.

Do the candles have to be set up in a perfectly straight line, or are slight variances acceptable (sources please)? If slight variances are acceptable, how much?

Does this idea of the candles being in a straight line also apply to up and down, or just side to side?


texts: What are you supposed to do on Tisha baAv?

texts:
On Tisha baAv you can't

eat
wash oneself
anoint oneself
marital relation
wearing leather shoes
sit on a chair
Torah study
greeting people with a blessing
conducting business
going on a pleasure trip. etc.

So my question is, what are you supposed (or what do people) do for 25 Hours. Besides maybe 3-5 hours of davening and 8-9 hours of sleep coming out to about 13 hours of...


texts:
Does anyone know the origin of the custom to spit in Aleinu after the words
   שֶׁהֵם מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים לְהֶבֶל וְלָרִיק?

Where did it start? And in which seforim is it mentioned?

I have seen in the sefer Hayom Yom - 9 Tevet that the reason for this minhag is that speech stimulates saliva, and we do not wish to benefit from this saliva, but I'm curious to know about how/where this minhag started.

Also, is this minhag practiced today apart from Chabad?


texts: PTIJ: Why can't you turn away a baker with the king's ring?

texts:
The Megillah says:

ונחתום בטבעת המלך אין להשיב
You can't turn away a baker with the king's ring

Why not?  What's special about a baker, as opposed to a butcher or a candlestick maker?
This question is Purim Torah and is not intended to be taken completely seriously. See the Purim Torah policy.


texts: Yichud with someone who can't have an erection

texts:
If a man is in a physical situation where he is unable to have an erection will there still be an issur of yichud (the prohibition of being alone with someone that it is forbidden to have relations with. See SA EH Siman 22)?

Over there the Shulchan Aruch (EH Siman 22 Sif 1) the Machaber writes that yicud is ossur because it causes "liglos ervah" (to reveal "ervah".) Meaning that from the yichud (seclusion) of these 2 people could come to a situation of relations between them. Is the gezera however specifically in a case where actual relations could take place or even other forms of physical contact that might be ossur between these 2 people (this is essentially what the question boils down to.) And therefore even if the man is unable to obtain an erection still there would be an issur yichud because we are afraid that some other form of physical contact will take place between the 2 people aside from relations.


texts: What is the source for dressing in fancy dress on Purim?

texts: I have searched in several sefarim for information about why we dress in fancy dress on Purim but, yet to no avail! Mishna Brurah, chaiyai Adam and the Kitzer all say to wear Shabbos clothes; they don't mention fancy dress. Where does this minhag come from? How comes it's become so prominent? What is the reason for it?


texts: Is a Chosson allowed to attend a funeral during his Sheva Brachos?

texts:
Is a Chosson allowed to attend a non-relatives funeral during his Sheva Brachos?

I have looked around at some sources and have not been able to find anyone that talks about this specifically.

The basis of this question is that, presumably, during his Sheva Brachos is a time of Simcha, and attending the funeral would detract from it.


texts: How will the Buddhists, Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, etc come to recognize the G-d of Israel when the Messiah comes since these religions and rest of the 49% of the world's population that doesn't believe that the Torah Is the divinely inspired word of G-d and that the Torah was given to the Children Of Israel at the foot of Mt. Sinai by G-d himself?


texts: Can one bring a Korban Todah as a nedava if he is not from the 4 who must give thanks?

texts: As the title says, must one be from the four who need to give thanks (edit—Brachos 54b) to bring a todah and the associated 40 chalos or can you bring it as a nedava without being from the four?


texts: Who Exactly Threatened to Excommunicate Ramchal?

texts:
Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato, known as Ramchal, was a controversial and prolific Italian philosopher and Mekubal.

According to the linked Wikipedia article, after disseminating Kabbalah in Italy,  "leading Italian rabbinical authorities were highly suspicious and threatened to excommunicate him." Furthermore, this biography also mentions that "[w]hen word got out of Luzzatto's messages, the rabbis of Venice became alarmed, considering such mystical activities dangerous."

What are the names of these Rabbis, and do we have any texts from that time about the proposed excommunication of Ramchal?


texts: What is the spiritual significance that the Sefer Torah is in a Scroll format?

texts:
I have read the Q&A at: Why does the Torah have to be in a scroll format

But what I am looking for in this question is something that goes beyond the purely legal and technical (halachic) reasons that it is a halacha moshe m'sinai.

It seems to me that just like the fact the the luchas are in stone, and that the letters are something that are intrinsic and not ink on gvil (and thus two independent items, liable to be separated), there is some deeper meaning to the fact that we write a Sefer Torah on gvil, and that is a continuous scroll.

Has anyone come across a deeper reason?


texts:
I once had a Hebrew professor state with absolute determination that "Ahavah" (the Hebrew word for "love") does not, in fact, mean love. His proof was twofold:
1. G-d could not have commanded us to "love" Him. Love is an emotion and cannot be controlled in that way.
2. A person can deeply love his or her spouse but be unfaithful.

He insisted, rather, that the word means faithfulness. When we are commanded "VeAhavta Eth HaShem Elokeicha", the commandment is not one of how we are obligated to feel, but one of how we are obligated to act - we are obligated to be faithful.

Is there any source for this idea? If so, why do we always translate "Ahavah" as "love"?


texts: How can the mourner remarry within one month, if he has to wait two regalim?

texts:
Moed katan (21b):

  מתה אשתו ונשא אשה אחרת — אינו רשאי ליכנס לביתו לדבר עמו ]תנחומין, [כדי שלא לפגוע באשה החדשה.
  If it was the mourner’s wife who died and he married another woman within thirty days of his first wife’s death, one may not enter his house to speak words of consolation with him, [so as not to offend his new wife].

The Gemara teaches that one may not console someone in his first thirty days of mourning whose wife died and he remarried, so as not to offend his new wife.
And yet:

Moed katan (23a):

  [תנו רבנן [שנו חכמים]: כל שלשים יום [שלאחר כל אבל אסורים לנישואין. [ואם] מתה אשתו — אסור לישא אשה אחרת עד שיעברו עליו שלשה רגלים [מאז מותה.] ר' יהודה אומר: רגל ראשון ושני — אסור, שלישי — מותר.
  The Sages taught another baraita: During the entire thirty-day [period of mourning, it is prohibited] to marry. If one’s wife died, it is prohibited to marry another wife until three Festivals pass [since her death]. Rabbi Yehuda says: Until the first and second Festivals have passed, he is prohibited from marrying; before the third Festival, however, he is permitted to do so.
  [Steinzaltz in brackets, sefaria’s translation]

We learn in the B’raisa that one may not remarry for at least two regalim, which is at least a 50 days (if we go according to rabbi Yehuda, and his wife dies the day before Pesach), or over a month! So how does the first case even make sense, that he remarried within 30 days?


texts: Respect for the Torah vs Respect for your Parents

texts: I recall seeing that Kibbud Hatorah takes precedence over Kibbud Av. Does it? If one's father openly denigrates the Torah is it acceptable to chastise him & if the comment is made in front of ppl can one respond on the spot, publicly?


texts: In commenting on Leviticus 26:14, Or HaChaim argues that if you study the details of the sacrifices today, when you cannot actually do them, you have fulfilled the commandments on sacrifices better than if the Temple stood and you sacrificed as commanded without really knowing all the details.  Given this teaching, why can't intense Torah study of any commandment substitute for its actual performance, even when it CAN be performed?


texts: For the prohibition of owning hameitz on passover, what is the ratio of hameitz-to-other that makes a mixture hameitz? The prohibition of owning hameitz is a separate mitzvat lo-ta'asei, as listed by the Rambam at the beginning of Hilkhot Hameitz u-Matzh, so I assume it might have different laws than the prohibitions of eating hameitz or of deriving benefit from hameitz, which is why I'm asking this as a separate question.


texts: When are exceptions to rulings warranted?

texts:
The Gemara says:

Rav Yehuda permitted applying blue eye shadow to the eye on Shabbat.  Rav Shmuel bar Yehuda said: One who follows Yehuda desecrates Shabbat. Ultimately, Rav Shmuel bar Yehuda himself suffered pain in his eye. He sent a message to Rav Yehuda: Is it permitted or prohibited for me to treat my eye on Shabbat?  Rav Yehuda sent back to him: For everyone else, it is permitted; for you, it is prohibited. [Av. Z. 28b]

What do we make of this story?  It almost sounds like a joke.  Can rabbis make exceptions for spite?  Why did Rav Shmuel bar Yehuda even ask Rav Yehuda instead of following his own opinion?  They even seem to be talking about two different things: One cosmetic and the other curative.
At any rate, the Rambam ruled:

If one feels pain in his eyes, being inflamed or affected by some disease, and pus, tears or blood flow from them, he is considered seriously ill, and we may break the Sabbath in preparing whatever cure he needs. [Mishneh Torah, Shabbat 2:4]


texts: Who had the authority to change the Shir Shel Yom of Chanukah?

texts:
As has been pointed out previously, the source of which Shir Shel Yom to say on Chanukah (Psalms 30) is in Ch. 18:2 of Masechet Sofrim.

Masechet Sofrim seems to make a break between those Shir Shel Yom said in the Mikdash (Ch. 18:1) and some others, like Chanukah.

I was wondering: What did the Levi'im sing on Chanuka in the Mikdash? If it was Psalms 30 then who had the authority to change it from the regular schedule sung for about 600 years, until the Chanuka miracle, to a new one?

Masechet Sofrim Ch. 18:1-2

  1:
  למה אמרו שיהא אומרין בכל חודש וחודש כרשב"ל בעא קמיה רבי יוחנן מהו לומר שיר בלא נסכים אמר ליה נשמעיניה מן הדא בזה ובזה הלוים עומדין על הדוכן ואומרים (תהלים צד) וישב עליהם את אונם א"ל רשב"ל מזמור ומוסף מי קודם מחורתא מילתא שהמזמור קודם לפיכך נהגו העם לומר מזמורים בעונתן (כלומר בעתן) דתנינן תמן שיר שהלוים אומרים בבית המקדש ביום הראשון היו אומרים (שם כד) לה׳ הארץ ומלואה תבל ויושבי בה כו׳: בשני היו אומרים (שם מח) גדול ה׳ ומהולל מאד כו': בשלישי היו אומרים (שם פב) אלהים נצב בעדת אל כו׳: ברביעי היו אומרים (שם צד) אל נקמות ה׳ כו': בחמישי היו אומרים (שם פא) הרנינו לאלהים עוזנו כו׳: בששי היו אומרים (שם צג) ה׳ מלך גאות לבש כו׳: בשבת היו אומרים (שם צב) מזמור שיר ליום השבת לעתיד לבא ליום שכולו שבת ומנוחה לחיי העולמים שכל המזכיר פסוק בעונתו מעלה עליו כאילו בונה מזבח חדש ומקריב עליו קרבן:

  2:
  בחנוכה (שם ל) ארוממך ה' בפורים (שם ז) שגיון לדוד ביום הראשון של פסח (שם קלה) הללו את שם ה' (וי"א (שם פג) אלהים אל דמי לך) וכן חולו של מועד אלא בימים הראשונים של פסח הוא צריך לומר יהי כבוד ה' וכל העם בעמידה עד וברוך שם כבודו לעולם ויושבין ואומרים כל ענין של מזמורות ובי"ט האחרון של פסח הלל הגדול ואיזהו הלל הגדול (שם קלו) הודו לה' כי טוב הודו לאלהי האלהים ונהגו העם לומר הלל הגדול אף ע"פ שאינו מן המובחר:


texts: Does urine leakage render one ritually impure?

texts: If one leaks a little bit of urine after urinating, does this liquid (in the clothes) render one ritually impure? If not ritually impure, impure in another fashion?


texts: What is the origin of using a different trope mode for the High Holidays in Nusach Ashkenaz?

texts:
I noticed that during the High Holidays there isa special trope mode that is used in Nusach Ashkenaz shuls. I assume they do the same in many Nusach Sefard shuls as well.

When and where (or who composed it) did this special tune / mode begin, and why was a special mode made just for High Holidays?


texts:
The Torah is full with money statements - such as acquisitions, donations, fines and payments, presenting different names and values for money - such as Shekel, Sela, Kesef, Ksitah and more. But the Torah was given on Mt Sinay and spoke "the language of the people". If I understand right, the only "money" Jews had at that time was Egyptian.

The Talmud is full with discussions about currencies and money (see Kiddushin 11, B"M and more). Many of those currencies practiced in Greece and Babylon, but the Talmud makes bold statements about the ancient (pre second-temple era) generations, up to Moses, using the same currencies, including statements of Abraham, Yacov, Yehoshua issuing coins (B"K 97).

I've checked numerous sources, but all of them assign implementation of coins as currency (as opposite of weight) to at earliest 8th century BCE, which is approximately in the middle of the first temple period. Therefore, no currency in ancient Egypt, no currency in the desert, no currency during Moses, Yehoshua, Zkenim, even Kings David and Salomon didn't have it.

How do we reconcile those facts?


texts: I once read that a Greek Sefer Torah is Kosher, is this correct? Is it also correct that Greek is the only language other than Hebrew that a kosher Sefer Torah can be written in?


texts:
Can Mr Potato Head carry stuff inside himself on Shabbos without a Kosher Eruv? And is there a difference if he's carrying food, body parts, or non essentials? Of course, his own limbs which can detach are considered part of himself (just as someone may wear a prosthetic limb on Shabbos without an Eruv, since it's considered "part" of the body).
Additionally, does Mr Potato Head need to check inside himself for loose change? So that he follows what Rebbe Chananya taught in Shabbos 12a: "A person is required to check his clothing Erev Shabbos to ascertain whether he forgot an object in his pockets that he might come to carry on Shabbos."

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


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  (Neis) Miracle of Sarah giving birth at 90

I think the RambaN ask the question that if Yocheved was born when Yaakov came down,
then why doesn't the Torah mention the miraculous births of Miriam, Aharan and Moshe after Yocheved was 120 years old.

Does anyone offer an answer?


texts:
I am not Jewish, but sort of try to emulate some parts of it to see if it does me any good.
Well, not doing anything for 1 day is too boring. Actually what else can we do anyway during sabbath beside sleeping? The game is diablo 3. Basically we "work" on gaining level trading items, etc. But hey it's a game. It's not like I am programming.
What would a Jew in my position do?


texts:
I read somewhere (don't remember where) that the Chofetz Chaim used a kiddush cup that was a smaller shiur than he recommends to use in his Mishna Berurah.
Can anyone verify this and/or explain the details?


texts:
In Genesis 11, we are shown that Abram, Nahor, and Haran are brothers. Haran dies in Ur.

Then, Abram and other family members travel now to a city called Haran (a bit confusing, but okay. Did they found the city and name it after the deceased brother or something?). No mention of Nahor and what happened to him.

Then, Genesis 24, Abraham wants to find a wife for his son from his hometown. Where is his hometown? Is it Ur (where his father is from) or Haran (which is where the family spent some time)?

Then, a servant goes out and makes his way to the "town of Nahor." Where is that?

I looked on Google for all sorts of map but I can't find a city called "Nahor." I found one map with a colored line describing the travels of the servant and it ends in the city of Haran. So is "town of Nahor" = "Haran " = "Abraham's hometown"? I am so confused.


texts: Distinction between Samekh and Sin in the Yemenite tradition

texts:
As far as I know, in the Yemenite tradition there is a distinct sound for all consonants for the exception of Samakh and Sin. In the Wikipedia, it says that both sin and samakh are pronounced identically as /s/. However, I have found two responses here of that at least in in some sub-dialects of Yemenite Hebrew, there was exists or at least at some point existed a distinction between the two letters.

Examples of this are here and here. I've searched around the web looking to see if there was any other source that would indicate the existence of between the voiceless sibilants. After much searching, the only lead I could find of people talking about a difference was on the old teimani website chayas here as a comment from the site admin. I can't trust the source for sure but if such a distinction did exist in recent times, could any of you present me a good source that talks about the difference between samakh and sin according to the Yemenites, if it exists?


texts:
from: http://doseofhalacha.blogspot.com/2014/04/toiletries-on-pesach.html

On Pesach, anything that is rauy l’achilas kelev (can be eaten by a dog) is considered chametz. The Shulchan Aruch (OC 442: 9) writes that once it becomes unfit, one may own it over Pesach. The Mishna Berura (442:43) qualifies this ruling: while one may own it, one is still forbidden to eat this inedible ‘food’ miderabanan (See Rosh, Pesachim 2:1).

How this rule applies to modern substances, however, doesn't seem without question. For instance, should one throw out Play-doh and similar products before Pesach? (For another decidedly modern application, see here.)
From the Play-doh website:

...it is primarily a mixture of water, salt and flour... It DOES contain wheat. Play-Doh compound is not a food item and is not intended to be eaten.
Play-Doh compound is non-toxic, non-irritating & non-allergenic except as noted: Children who are allergic to wheat gluten may have an allergic reaction to this product. Also, due to the high salt content in Play-Doh compound, the product can be harmful to pets if ingested.

(See also: https://www.google.com/patents/US6713624 )
Assuming it is basically flour, water, salt, and coloring, is it considered chametz or taarovet-chametz and is it considered ra'uy l'achilat kelev. More specifically, does rauy l'achilat kelev mean that something would typically be used as dog food, or that it is non-toxic and has nutritive value and a dog would eat it? (I've so far found random sites on the internet that claim both ways, but was curious if anyone's come across a more definitive ruling with sources and/or explanations both for the general rule and the particular example of Play-doh.)


texts:
Is there a Jewish equivalent to Christian's upside-down cross, a symbol that some Christians believe to mean "evil" or the "devil."

Does the "average" Jew have a visual symbol which might be taken to mean evil or the devil?


texts:
On social media I see that some people are making a Shecheyanu without Hashem’s name after having the Covid vaccine.
So I was wondering whether hagomel  would/ should be more appropriate maybe without Hashem’s name.


texts: What is the significance of the title of Parshat Yitro?

texts:
What is the significance that the parsha that contains the events of Mattan Torah and the Aseret Hadibrot is called "Yitro", who was a convert?

I understand that the simple answer is that "Yitro" is one of the first words in the parsha and therefore it is named this, but I was looking for more of a drash/dvar Torah.


texts: Is beauty that is described in the Torah objective beauty?

texts:
Perceptions of beauty have changed throughout time.  For example, in the times of the Talmud, R' Yochanan, who was described as being fat (Berachos 13b), is also described in the Talmud as being exceedingly beautiful (Berachos 20a, for example).  However, today obesity is generally considered to be unattractive.

Similarly, across different cultures beauty manifests differently (See this slideshow for some examples - disclaimer: contains photos which I did not peruse to verify modesty).

What I am wondering is if the people who are described in the Torah as beautiful (Bereishis 29:17, for example) were beautiful according to their time and their culture, or if there was an objective nature to their beauty which was not subject to vicissitudes of time and place.


texts:
Why does the Torah have to be in a scroll format?

How do we know that's what God wants?


texts: Do we have a right to not be ambassadors?

texts:
The expression Or LaGoyim is thrown around a lot, but generally it means that we have a duty to be good ambassadors for G-d.

But what if we're tired, or we're in a hurry, or we're just not in an outgoing mood?

Do we have a right to just keep our heads down and keep to ourselves?

I'm specifically not asking about situations of danger to life or where one is being excessively harassed or insulted.  Just for no particular reason.  Someone needs a tire changed, or a stranger approaches you with a question about your Kippah.  Do we ever have a right, under normal circumstances, to decline to be an Or LaGoyim or attempt* a Kiddush HaShem?

*I say attempt a Kiddush HaShem for two reasons:
1) You never know if your actions will result in a Kiddush HaShem.
2) By declining, you may in fact be creating a Hillul HaShem, but you may never know if that is the case.


texts: Why doesn't Tefilat Geshem have a verse referring to Miriam?

texts:
The "Tefilat Geshem" ("Prayer for Rain") recited on Shemini 'Atzeret contains six verses. Each verse refers to a different person (except the last, which refers to a nation) and makes various allusions to that person's interactions with water found in the Torah and Midrash, with the prominent repetition of the word "mayim" ("water") throughout and ending each verse.

The subjects of the six verses are:

Avraham
Yitzchak
Ya'akov
Moshe
Aharon
The 12 Tribes of Israel

If there's anyone in the Torah+Midrash who's associated with water, Miriam is, as the well on which the Israelites depended for their water in the desert was called "the Water of Miriam" in the Midrash. One of her other claims to fame was "Song of Miriam," the version of the Song of the Sea that she led the women to sing on the banks of the Red Sea. She's also known for the vigil she stood over her baby brother Moshe, when he was hidden in the Nile.

Why isn't there a verse of Tefilat Geshem devoted to Miriam?


texts: Reincarnation vs. resurrection of the dead

texts: Some Jews believe in reincarnation. They are also supposed to accept the Resurrection of the Dead, where actual bodies are resurrected. In that case, for each soul, which body is resurrected?


texts: If visiting the kosel before a joyous event, does one tear kriyah?

texts:
If visiting the kosel the morning of, say, one's wedding, should one tear kriyah? I am asking whether we should be in mourning for the temple even at a very joyous time. (My guess is yes, partly based on the ~fact that the groom breaks a glass at the chuppah in memory of the temple's destruction.)

Related: How to Tear Kriyah


texts: Rashbi's generation was completely righteous, so why were they killed?

texts:
In the midrash Rabbah for Bereishis 35:2, as well as other tradition, it is noted that there were no rainbows in the generation of Rashbi because the generation was completely righteous.

However, I was taught that all the students of Rabbi Akiva, but five including Rashbi, were killed because of their lack of kavod for each other.

How do these facts square up?


texts:
How do I write in Hebrew for a Ketubah, "On the first day of the week, the thirtieth day of Adar I in the year fifty-seven seventy one"?

Question was asked by Stephen Spiegel, I'm just posting it here as its own question instead of a comment.


texts: Why is this phrase flipped between Avinu Malkeinu and Tachanun?

texts:
In Avinu Malkeinu, we read, "חָנֵּנוּ וַעֲנֵנוּ כִּי אֵין בָּנוּ מַעֲשִׂים עֲשֵׂה עִמָּנוּ צְדָקָה וָחֶסֶד וְהוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ"
be gracious with us and answer us, though we have no worthy deeds; treat us with charity and kindness and save us. (Translation from the Artscroll).

A similar sentence is used in tachanun on Mondays and Thursdays:
אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ חָנֵּנוּ וַעֲנֵנוּ. כִּי אֵין בָּנוּ מַעֲשים. צְדָקָה עֲשה עִמָּנוּ לְמַעַן שְׁמֶךָ

The final 5 words are also repeated later in tachanun.

I don't know a source for the phrase so I don't know if one is "more authentic" than another, but why would the two prayers use the same phrase but change the order of the words? One has asei imanu tzedaka and the other has tzedaka asei imanu. Is there a difference in meaning brought about by the shift in the words?


texts: Are two biological brothers allowed to marry two biological sisters? Are there any halachically issues involved with such a marriage? I do recall hearing something about it but not sure what it was.


texts: Questions on Yitroh's Advise to Moses on appointing judges

texts:
Without further ado:

Bney Noah are commanded on establishing a legal system and courts. I would expect Bney Israel in Egypt and through the Exodus to comply with this commandment. What Chidush did Yitroh advise Moses on establishing Batey Dinim for Israel, especially after they were commanded Dinim in Marah?
Moses was a father of all prophets, spent a total of 80 days studying and mastering Tora and laws with Hashem on Mt. Sinai. Yitro was just a convert, with no Torah background. So what was the Moses' reason for judging alone and how dare Yitroh to offer Moses an advice?
The Torah says it was Moses' first day of judging people. How did Yotroh get such a fast impression of an inevitable failure on the very first day, and how did Moses agreed so fast?
When someone wants his advice to be heard and followed, he usually keeps the changes small, like if you want to advise your friend to change his $5000 car, you'd probably offer to buy a $10K or $20K but surely not $500K. Instead of offering to involve Aharon and his sons (5 men), or the Heads of the tribes (12 men) or the Elders (70 men), he offers to jump straight to a total of 77,000 judges. Is this way of thinking reasonable?
The system offered by Yitroh totally contradicts the Oral Law we have ruled in Sanhedrin, i.g. courts of 3, 23 and 71. All appointed judges were single judges (דיין יחיד). How come?
Moses prophesied the 77,000 judges. But did he also prophesied the division of the Israeli nation into tens and fifties and hundreds and thousands? If no, what's in the name of the judges, if yes, what was the division based on? (A bonus question - the tribes did not count full thousands and even hundreds - did some judges worked with more that one tribe?)
Slightly off-topic and more general question: When does Moses decide to act on his own and when he decides to consult Hashem? Why did he not consult Hashem as he did on other occasions (like Bnot Zlofechad)? What was Hashem's reaction in this case - did He agree?

I am open to adding your questions also. Thank you.


texts: Why was Noach the person to save the animals?

texts: While reading this week's portion, I was wondering why did Noach have in particular the merit to save the animals of the created world? They could have been saved in other ways, for example the Land of Israel was not flooded according to Bereishit Rabbah 33:6, but Hashem could have done a miracle or recreated them.


texts:
The Rambam, Gemara, and most of the ge'onim presume that you will be tying your tzitzit with hulyot. However, they often describe tying the hulyah after the windings.

This "tying," how is it done? It's common nowadays to do a double knot, and many interpret the "tying" to be of the double knot variety.

Others interpret it as winding the shamash around the strings, tucking the shamash under the coils and pulling tight. In essence, the chulyah is not only 3 windings, but it is also the knot. This is how the Yemenites do it.

If one were to tie according to the idea that the knot mentioned by the Rambam is a double knot that we know today, it would like the tzitzit that are second from the left. If one holds that the chulyah is the knot, then it would look like the tzitzit on the far right.

Where is the source for the divergent opinions on the knots? Which knot is intended by the Gemara, Geonim, and Rambam?


texts: If the Oral Torah is Divine, why are there arguments?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Why don’t we just follow the shittah of Moshe Rabeinu?

If the Oral Torah is Divine, how are there arguments in the Mishnah and Gemara?

(I have heard this question asked several times and I wish to be equipped properly to answer it.)


texts:
I remember when I visited the Touro  Synagogue   years ago I vaguely recall hearing about a secret door under the bimah. I don't remember seeing it ,but upon further investigation I found a picture online. However, the reason behind having such a trap door remains somewhat of a mystery. Does anyone have an authoritative account that explains  why a synagogue would have such a trap door right beneath the  bimah.

Picture I found :

(forgive me if this is off-topic,I am not sure what category this question falls into,I guess it also depends what the purpose of the trap door was for)


texts: Hilchot Shchita for the Binding of Isaac

texts:
I was wondering if Hazal referred to the question of how exactly Abraham was planning to perform the שחיטה of his son Isaac. Clearly, Abraham had intended to do it as it is written "ויקח את המאכלת לשחוט את בנו".

In VaYikra we are given specific and detailed instructions on how שחיטה should be performed and those instructions vary depending on the animal or bird. In my Rosh HaShana's Machzor, I remember a passage referring to a Minhag of hiding away the Shofar in remembrance with Abraham hiding away Isaac so that the the satan won't inflict a mum (מום) on him (and thus making him inadequate for a korban).

I would appreciate the sharing of knowledge regarding this issue with sources.


texts: How was Yitro allowed to say to Moses "you're acting not good"?

texts:
וַיֹּאמֶר חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה אֵלָיו לֹא־טוֹב הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה עֹשֶׂה׃
But Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing you are doing is not right"; (Shmot 18)

The Halachah says (Rambam T"T 5,9):

רָאָה רַבּוֹ עוֹבֵר עַל דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה אוֹמֵר לוֹ לִמַּדְתָּנוּ רַבֵּנוּ כָּךְ וְכָךְ. וְכָל זְמַן שֶׁמַּזְכִּיר שְׁמוּעָה בְּפָנָיו אוֹמֵר לוֹ כָּךְ לִמַּדְתָּנוּ רַבֵּנוּ.
If one beholds his master transgressing the words of the Torah, he should say to him: "Our master, you have instructed us such and thus." Whenever he quotes a lecture in the presence of his master, he should say: "So have you, our master, instructed us."

Moses just descended from 80 days of continuous learning Torah from G-d Himself, presumably knowing the whole Torah.

Moses didn't teach the Torah yet to the masses.

A yesterday idolatry pries that worshipped all the idols available and a freshly converted old man judges Moses' behavior publicly.

The [quality of the] advice by itself is not a problem but its phrasing seems bad. He should have said, "Moses, please reveal the laws of the Jewish Judicial system that G-d commanded upon you. Is this how G-d commanded you?" But he was sure Moses is wrong, but how dared he?

As the Gemmorah in Kiddushin 30 explains that respecting Talmidei Chachamim equals (and stems from) respecting G-d and His Torah, it is clear to me that Yitro comes not against Moses as a person but against the whole Torah and its scholars.
How Halachic is it, and if not, who criticizes Yitro for this conduct?
Please note, I don't discuss the advice itself here, only the way of referring to Moses.


texts: Walking backwards from the kotel - minhag or din?

texts:
Minhag or din?
Apart from this Magen Avraham on not turning your back on the heichel (which I don't know if it is a din or minhag), could anyone point me to support for the practice of walking backwards away from the kotel?
If it is a din, how do you determine at which point do you turn back to your normal walking direction?
It is not a duplicate of question as the kotel may or may not be treated halachically differently.


texts: יִבָּנֶה הַמִּקְדָּשׁ עִיר צִיּוֹן תְּמַלֵּא — why not תִּמָּלֵא?

texts:
The Shabas table song "Tzur mishelo achalnu" contains the following line:

יִבָּנֶה הַמִּקְדָּשׁ עִיר צִיּוֹן תְּמַלֵּא
yibane hamikdash ir Tziyon t'male
the Temple should be built; you should fill the city of Zion

It seems so unpoetic to have the first half, "yibane", in nif'al construction (and passive/intransitive), and the second, "t'male", in piel construction (and active/transitive). They could easily be balanced:

יִבָּנֶה הַמִּקְדָּשׁ עִיר צִיּוֹן תִּמָּלֵא
yibane hamikdash ir Tziyon timale
the Temple should be built; the city of Zion should be filled

— with both in nif'al construction (and passive/intransitive). (We do find timale in that form in Shir Hashirim 5:2.)
Why aren't they balanced?
Note that I wrote the above question based on the unpoeticness of the switch in construction. That is, I contend that timale is better (after yibane) and ask why it's not used. I suppose unpoeticness is arguable. However, even if both forms (timale and t'male) are equally poetic, my question stands (albeit weaker): why switch constructions mid-sentence?
(Note that there is at least one prayer book in which timale is used, matching yibane: in "הסידור המדוייק איש מצליח (מהדורא רביעית) לפי מנהגי ונוסח הספרדים ועדות המזרח", according to a report I received via e-mail. But that's the only one I know of. I've checked a number of (mostly Ashk'nazi) prayer books and Shabas-song books, and all had t'male.)


texts: A rebellious elder is executed on the festival? How does that work?

texts:
The mishna in Sanhedrin 11:4 says that the rebellious elder is not executed by his local court but is instead taken to Yerushalayim and executed on the next festival in front of all the people.

  אֵין מְמִיתִין אוֹתוֹ לֹא בְבֵית דִּין שֶׁבְּעִירוֹ וְלֹא בְבֵית דִּין שֶׁבְּיַבְנֶה, אֶלָּא מַעֲלִין אוֹתוֹ לְבֵית דִּין הַגָּדוֹל שֶׁבִּירוּשָׁלַיִם, וּמְשַׁמְּרִין אוֹתוֹ עַד הָרֶגֶל וּמְמִיתִין אוֹתוֹ בָרֶגֶל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים יז) וְכָל הָעָם יִשְׁמְעוּ וְיִרָאוּ וְלֹא יְזִידוּן עוֹד,

This is according to R' Akiva; R' Yehudah says he is executed immediately and messengers are sent to all communities with the announcement.

My question is about R' Akiva's interpretation.  Is he really saying that the execution occurred on the festival day, which would involve several forbidden melachot?  For Pesach or Sukkot it could instead mean chol hamoed, the intermediate days, but that doesn't help for Shavuot.  Or does the mishna just mean at the time of the festival, and they would execute him either before or after?  What does בָרֶגֶל mean here?

I didn't find an answer in the g'mara here.


texts: How do those rabbis opposed to the RCA ("Rabbi Willig's") prenup feel about the Nachlas Shiva document?

texts:
Many American rabbis will refuse to perform a wedding unless the couple has a specialized prenup regarding halachic divorce.  This is known as "The RCA prenup" or "Rabbi Willig's prenup."  From what I understand, its mechanism is almost identical to one found in a document in Nachlas Shiva, from ~350 years ago.  Here's the quote from Nachlas Shiva (Shtaros, Siman 9):

ואם ח”ו שיעשה כמר פלוני הנ”ל לזוגתו מרת פלונית איזו דברים שאינה יכולה לסבול וצריכה לבית דין, אז תיכף ומיד יתן לה עשרה זהובים לפיזור מזונות. וכן יתן לה כל חודש וחודש משך ימי הקטט. וכל בגדיה ותכשיטיה השייכים לגופה. וירד עמה בדיני ישראל לבית דין שלהם, תוך שני שבועות אחר בקשתו ממנו, ועל פיהם יעמוד כל ריב וכל נגע.
Should, G-d forbid, Mr. so-and-so do anything that his wife, Mrs. so-and-so, cannot bear, and they shall need a rabbinic court, immediately he must provide her with ten gold coins for her support, and continue to do so monthly for the duration of the conflict ... The husband shall deal with a Jewish court following Jewish law, within two weeks of his wife's request to do so; this court shall have final say.

Yet I've heard that some rabbis are halachically opposed to today's prenup because they feel it's a problem of "get me'useh" (a Jewish divorce can be invalidated if it was done under duress, in some circumstances; here the duress would be the ongoing payments of support).  Do they disagree with the above Nachlas Shiva text, or draw some distinction between it and the contemporary case?


texts: emailing from israel to diaspora isru chag

texts: Is it permitted to send an email from Israel on isru chag to a non-religious Jew in the diaspora, whereby he will probably read it on 2nd day yom tov?


texts: PTIJ: May one live in Pennsylvania, Alabama, or Alaska?

texts:
As the famous Gemara (Eruvin 96a et. al.) states:

כל מקום שנאמר 'השמר פן ואַל' - אינו אלא בלא תעשה
Anywhere that it says Hishamer, Penn, or Al, it is a "do not do."

May one live in Pennsylvania, as Penn indicates a "thou shalt not"? What about Alabama and Alaska, since Al indicates a "thou shalt not?"
Obviously if you're going to learn Torah or otherwise do mitzvos, we'd say that the positive mitzvah overrides the negative one, so surely going to the Philidelphia Yeshiva would be okay. But other than that, may one go?

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


texts:
A prerecorded english language message of a local mikvah informs that the mikvah is open from an hour before Shtopp Zman (approximate phonetic spelling, as I do not know this phrase). The recording can be heard by calling +44(0)20-8806-3880.

What and when is that? Why is it called like that when such a phrase is not used on luchos (Jewish law calendars)?


texts: English translation of She'eilas Yaavetz 1:41 about shituf for Gentiles

texts: I would need to read an English translation of the passage  in She'eilas Yaavetz 1:41 where Rav Emden analyzes the different cases of shituf in relation to the Gentiles. Could please someone get it for me?


texts:
The Chazon Ish wrote in the book Emunah U'Bitachon Chapter 2 that the definition of bitachon is NOT the mistaken belief that when faced with 2 possible outcomes one must believe that the better (or thought to be better) outcome will happen, rather it is to know that nothing happens by chance and that God is controlling and directing everything.

1- Does anyone define bitachon like this prior to the Chazon Ish?

2- Does anyone define bitachon the way the Chazon Ish says not to? (i.e. to believe that God will make everything work out).


texts: What sources discuss whether a pareve dish can be used in the same oven as meat and/or dairy consecutively?

texts:
Suppose a pie dish was used only for making fruit pie, and has never contained any dairy or meat.

Suppose it spends time cooking inside an oven that also contained chicken and meat.

The question is, can such a dish be put in an oven in which dairy (i.e. lasagna) is also being cooked?

What does Shulchan Aruch explain about this case. I understand that a specific real case should be brought to a LOR if there is a practical real question to be decided.


texts: Is a Cohen who had a vasectomy allowed to perform Birkat Kohanim?

texts: Is Cohen who had a vasectomy allowed to Bless the congregation? Also marry? What happens if he does marry?


texts: Why did Shimshon ask his parents to help him marry a Philistine woman?

texts:
In  the 14th perek of Sefer Shoftim the pasuk reads:

Translation is via Sefaria

וַיַּ֗עַל וַיַּגֵּד֙ לְאָבִ֣יו וּלְאִמּ֔וֹ וַיֹּ֗אמֶר אִשָּׁ֛ה רָאִ֥יתִי בְתִמְנָ֖תָה מִבְּנ֣וֹת פְּלִשְׁתִּ֑ים וְעַתָּ֕ה קְחוּ־אוֹתָ֥הּ לִּ֖י לְאִשָּֽׁה׃

"On his return, he told his father and mother, 'I noticed one of the Philistine women in Timnah; please get her for me as a wife'."

If Shimshon wished to marry a Philistine, why did he ask his parents to "Redt the Shidduch" (arrange the marraige) if he (presumably) knew that they would not approve?

I presume that marriages were usually arranged and that's why he asked them, or is there more to it with him asking such?


texts: Shemot 30:32 anointing oil NOT to be poured on human flesh?

texts:
Shemot 30:32

  לבעַל־בְּשַׂ֤ר אָדָם֙ לֹ֣א יִיסָ֔ךְ וּבְמַ֨תְכֻּנְתּ֔וֹ לֹ֥א תַֽעֲשׂ֖וּ כָּמֹ֑הוּ קֹ֣דֶשׁ ה֔וּא קֹ֖דֶשׁ יִֽהְיֶ֥ה לָכֶֽם

"It shall not be poured upon human flesh, and according to its formula you shall not make anything like it. It is holy; it shall be holy to you."

What is the meaning of the beginning of that verse? The specific purpose of the anointment oil is to be smeared on human flesh. The rest of the verse is clear in the commandment not to duplicate it but why does it say "not to be poured on human flesh?"


texts: Should one make a blessing when smelling fruit / vegetable vapors?

texts:
From this site:

  The bracha one recites over a pleasant fragrance depends on its
  source. If the fragrance comes from a produce that is fit to eat,
  whether it’s the fruit of a tree or of the ground, even if the fruit
  is unfit to eat on its own like a lemon, nevertheless since its
  primary purpose is to be eaten, the bracha is “haNosein reiach tov
  b’peiros,” that G-d places a pleasing smell in the fruit. (Mishnah
  Brurah 216:9 favors the alternate text, “asher nasan reiach tov
  b’peiros,” in the past tense.) One only says the bracha if he intended
  to smell the fruit. If he meant to eat it and smelled it incidentally,
  one does not recite a bracha. One says this bracha when enjoying the
  scent of roasted coffee beans.

Does this blessing apply only when smelling the actual fruit or would it apply to smelling vapors that may be mixed with other items or during a cooking process? Some examples - Should you say this bracha when:

Entering a Starbucks (well, technically, any coffee shop or even your kitchen), you are smelling the coffee as it's being brewed. I.e., you are most likely smelling the coffee vapor / steam, rather than the coffee fruit, itself.
The smell of beer comes from the vapors emitted during the brewing process. Beer vapors probably have a mix of alcohol from the yeasts (not considered a fruit, AFAIK) as well as hops and barley, which are fruits / veg. Should you say the bracha when in a microbrewery?
Smelling fried onions, French fries, sautéed garlic, etc.
Coffee while it is being roasted (if you're far away enough from the smoke)


texts: Custom for a mourner to be chosen to read the haftora every week

texts:
The Chabad rabbi near me has the custom of taking (for himself) both the kaddish recitation after the Torah reading (when applicable) and the reading of the haftorah on Shabbat — specifically when he is in a mourning period (thirty days for a close relative or twelve months for a parent).

Is there a source for this minhag?

Sources/rationales for this custom would be appreciated.


texts:
I recently read an article on polyphasic sleep and I'm quite interested in experimenting with it. The article advises the Uberman approach which advocates 20-30 minute naps every four hours, meaning that you sleep about 2-3 hours per 24 hour period. I'm also interested in trying the Dymaxion approach which advocates 30 minute naps every 6 hours. The interesting thing is that eventually, you  reach the point at which you get a full REM cycle every time you take a nap. It seems that from mouths of the people who do this and establish polyphasic sleep patterns, they have more energy and higher alertness.

The first and foremost question is whether one is allowed to do this out of the possibility of self-harm. For this and for the other questions, I'll be consulting my Rav.

Next comes the halachic aspects of berachos and the like. Since I'll only be sleeping 20 to 30 minutes each time, here's where the questions come in.

If I'm only sleeping for 20 to 30 minutes, do I wash my hands when I wake?

I remember there being something about the minimum length of sleep required in order to wash, and I'm not really sure what that minimum is.

When it comes to only sleeping for two or three (depending on sleep schedule) short periods in the night, when should I make my birchos hashachar and birchos hatorah?

I'll probably be studying Torah and doing other Torah-related things during the night, possibly before and possibly after chatzos. Let's give an example of this for clarity:

Do I just say Krias Shema Al Hamita only the first time I go to bed during the night?

Nap Schedule

  Nap Start Time | Nap End Time
-----------------|---------------
| 7:40pm         | 8:00pm       |
| 11:40pm        | 12:00am      |
| 3:40am         | 4:00am       |
| 7:40am         | 8:00am       |

Zmanim Schedule

  Zman Name     | Zman Time
----------------|----------------
| Nightfall     | 8:00pm        |
| Midnight      | 12:00am       |
| Dawn (Alos)   | 4:00am        |

Of course, the contrived example above is overly simplified and isn't necessarily real, but it should help to serve as an example. Can one give an answer on my three questions above given the above example? I'd like to be able to try this, but I need to be clear on what the halacha is so that in my sleeplessness, I don't transgress.


texts: Is there any religious text that asks Jews to dislike Muslims?

texts:
Is there any religious text in Judaism that asks its followers to dislike Muslims? Dislike or even "hate" but NOT "fight" or "kill" as those are very different issues. To dislike someone or a certain group it's a feeling or a choice of attitude but translating that into an action is entirely a different order.

Edit: I have been asked to reveal the motive behind this question. I believe it's irrelevant however there is no harm in doing that.

I was merely comparing a religion to an other, Islam for example states for example that we (ie Muslims) should dislike/hate (NOT kill or harm) those who worship idols. I was wondering if there is a similar religious text in Judaism but about Muslims (and maybe Christians?!) since history tells us a little about the conflict between Idolatry and Judaism but a lot about the conflict Judaism and Islam or Christianity


texts: Is there any Jewish-Muslim dialogue that has come to an agreement on anti-Jewish Hadith?

texts:
This link came to my inbox today.  It is a pro-Israel, and pro-Jewish website, to be sure, but my question is; Is it being fair to Islam, at least as far as we know?

Are there elements in Judaism that are engaged in a dialogue with Islam that would lead you to believe that anything in the linked article is not true;  Or are you sure that Islam does teach that (a) Jews are descended from apes and pigs, and (b) that it it is the duty of Islamic people to kill Jews.

I want to be able to share the information in the link, but only if it does not mis-state the Jewish position on this matter.   Is the link over-stating, or taking something to an extreme, when it is less clear cut in the world?

(I realize you may think, why is he asking on a Jewish life and learning site, instead of a muslim site. My question is, in short, is the link from United With Israel consistent with the actual Jewish community opinion of the challenges facing Islamic-Jewish relations?)


texts: The concept of קם ליה בדרבה מיניה

texts: I'm trying to understand this concept. I've Googled around and could't find any straightforward answers. I don't need too many details, just the explanation that's given in the Gemara (I understand this is derived from the Gemara). Can somebody provide the types of situations this applies to. I'm sorry for typing the way I am, I just heard of this concept and can't get to any books to go deeper into it (as I am on a summer vacation).


texts: Why do we read about forbidden relationships on Yom Kippur

texts: Part of the torah reading on Yom Kippur is the list of forbidden intimate relationships in Vayikra 18. I would like to know why we read that section of the torah on Yom Kippur


texts: Does Orthodox Judaism have a generally held position on American politics?

texts:
The Pew Research Study on Jewish Americans says in part:

  On these measures (partisanship and ideology), the only other U.S. religious groups that are as conservative and Republican as Orthodox Jews are white evangelical Protestants and Mormons.

With ultra-Orthodox more strongly identified that way than Modern Orthodox. For non-Orthodox Jews (and especially if you remove Conservative from the mix):

  Jews by religion are more than twice as likely as members of most other religious traditions to describe themselves as politically liberal. And black Protestants are the only religious group with a larger share than Jews by religion that identifies with or leans toward the Democratic Party.

(For those outside of America, if you view politics as a two dimensional line, these two positions are on right and left side of the line, respectively).

What about Orthodox Jewish beliefs cause people with an otherwise similar cultural and ancestral background and experience in America to reach different political conclusions than their compatriots who do not have this religious belief? Is there something specific about the beliefs of Orthodox Judaism that is interpreted as requiring association with one side of the political spectrum over the other, or is this correlation unrelated to religious belief and practice?

Note that for purposes of this survey, self-identification was all that was used. If someone identified themselves as Orthodox and as Republican, it was reported as such. So an objective definition of Republican isn't necessary to answer this question, but rather something which correlates the impression among Orthodox adherents about what political groups they are more affiliated with.

Possible objective sources of answers:

Clear statements from influential Rabbis, Rabbinic Organizations or lay leadership in the Orthodox world which support such political leanings.
A social scientists study on what may create that correlation.
Personal experience with broad ranges of Orthodox Jews and finding a common theme in what they express about their political leanings.
Something I didn't think of.


texts: Why does S"A start Hilchot Shabbat with the laws between a Jew and a gentile?

texts:
The Shulchan Aruch Hilchot Shabbat (siman 243) starts with the laws between a jew and a gentile.

Why does it specifically starts there when it is more likely to discuss the importance of Shabbat at the beginning?


texts: Participating in a non-Kosher food co-op

texts:
A food cooperative is a member-owned food store. It is typically set up that in order to shop there at discount prices, each person can become a member if they agree to volunteer a certain amount of time, and essentially they gain an ownership interest in the organization, much like a shareholder of a company.

Since it is prohibited to do business with (biblically prohibited) non-Kosher food, if the food cooperative also sells non-Kosher food (e.g. meat, seafood and the like), is there an issue for a Jew to participate?

On the one hand, the person could be said to be a minority share holder, not unlike owning some McDonald's stock. So they lack real controlling ownership of the company.

On the other hand, a shareholder would not gain any privileges due to his or her ownership of stock. At most they get limited voting rights (depending on the corporate structure). In a food cooperative, they actually work in the co-op with ownership privileges and special access.

Are there issues with being a member of a Food Cooperative in that context?


texts: Which shots are we reviewing at least twice daily in shul?

texts:
At least twice every day, each shul has someone who says chazarat hashat"z - he is reviewing the shots.
Which shots need to be reviewed? G-d forbid - did someone shoot people in the shul? Is a doctor giving shots that weren't properly administered?
This question is Purim Torah and is not intended to be taken completely seriously. See the Purim Torah policy.


texts: Saying the blessing before counting the Omer

texts: If you have counted the Omer every night but did not say the blessing can you start to say the blessing now?


texts: Why does the book of Esther use the present tense so often?

texts:
I noticed that the book of Esther uses, often very awkwardly, the present tense to describe things that usually are written in the past tense (I didn't notice this much use of the present tense in other biblical books).

Here are some examples:

1:1: הַמֹּלֵךְ (who is ruling): It should have just said אשר מלך, or שמלך. Rashi says that it means that he ruled because of himself, and he wasn't from the royal line, so this one isn't really a problem, but I included it to show the pattern.
2:11: מָרְדֳּכַי מִתְהַלֵּךְ (Mordechai is walking): It should have said התהלך.
2:19: וּמָרְדֳּכַי יֹשֵׁב (and Mordechai is sitting): It should have said יָשַב.
2:20: אֵין אֶסְתֵּר מַגֶּדֶת (Ester is not telling): It should have said אסתר לא הגידה.
Ibid.: אֶסְתֵּר עֹשָׂה (Ester is doing): It should have said עשתה.
3:2: כֹּרְעִים וּמִשְׁתַּחֲוִים (are kneeling and bowing): It should have said כרעו והשתחוו.
6:2: וַיִּמָּצֵא כָתוּב (and it was found written): See Megilah 15b-16a with Rashi.
7:8: וְהָמָן נֹפֵל (and Haman is falling) It should have said נפל.
9:4: וְשָׁמְעוֹ הוֹלֵךְ (and hearing of him is going): It should have said הלך.
9:21: לִהְיוֹת עֹשִׂים (to be doing): It should have said לעשות.

These tenses are so important that if one changed present to past he doesn't fulfill his obligation even bedi'avad (Mishnah Brurah 690:51)!

What is the reason for so much use of the present tense?

(Conversely, there was one past tense that I thought should be present (6:8): וְסוּס אֲשֶׁר רָכַב עָלָיו הַמֶּלֶךְ (a horse on which the king rode): Shouldn't it be on which the king rides (consistently)? What does it matter if the king rode on it once?)


texts: Can one be allowed to use a house for free because he is able to use that house for free?

texts:
As per Bava Kama 20a, a squatter who does not benefit from a property, where the owner does not lose anything from the squatting, need not pay rent. Rashi explains there that the squatter is not considered to benefit from the use of this property because "שכיחי ליה בתים בחנם" -- he has houses available for him to use, free of charge. I assume that this particular case is an instance where the squatter's access to the other houses is legal; an earlier comment by Rashi refers specifically to borrowing and owning those other houses.

What if the squatter does not have legal access to any houses, but has access to two houses (that are not generally rented out) as a squatter? His free access to House A is predicated on his free access to House B, which in turn is based on his free access to House A. Is this man able to use either house for free? Is there a problem if the reasoning allowing him to use these properties is circular in nature?


texts:
Is it permitted to carry pepper spray for self-protection on Shabbos or Yom Tov mitzad muktzah?

Is there any issue with using aerosols on Shabbos? discusses a machlokes of using sprays on Shabbos, however, according to the stringent opinions, would pepper spray be muktzah being that it's carried around for self defense?

I don't think this is a clear cut case of pikuach nefesh, as there's not necessarily any tangible threat, it's just a precaution.


texts: What do the sources say about when women can reveal they're pregnant

texts:
I've heard that women are meant to wait until after the first trimester  to reveal that they are pregnant. (One rabbi I heard say they should wait even beyond, if possible.) The idea being to avoid drawing the evil eye from others, by which I'm referring to Artscroll's Talmud's explanation: a negative spiritual force that can arise as a result of causing jealousy in others, leading to the Heavenly Court questioning anew someone's aptitude for receiving a bracha.

I have a few questions about that:

When does the 'first trimester' start, in this regard? Modern medicine counts the start from the first day of the last period before a woman conceived. (Which seems weird - saying someone's pregnant during a time when they were on their period. Any doctors who want to elaborate?) If you count one trimester from that date, you get a date about two weeks earlier than if you count from the mikveh night following the last period.
Also, is 'one trimester' 12 weeks? 90 days? From the date a woman becomes pregnant (e.g. 15 Nisan) to the same date three calendar months later? Something else?


texts: A convert's biological parents are not their parents in a halachic sense.  In some senses the converting beis din is "responsible" for the convert in the way of parents.  In name, at least, the ger's parents are Avrohom Avinu and Sarah Imenu.  When, if ever, does a convert say yizkor?


texts:
I was viewing O.C. 321 and there are a few halachot at the beginning that mentions that one cannot salt or put cabbage in vinegar on Shabbat because it is similar to cooking. My understanding of this rule is that it seems to be in terms of preserving the vegetable for later. There seem to be permission to salt vegetables that will be eaten immediately.

Ceviche is a dish made by marinating raw fish in lemon or lime juice, mainly. If the ceviche will be eaten for a Shabbat meal, may one marinate the fish? Are the parameters of the marinating prohibition based on either the type of food being marinated (i.e. are veggies a problem but fish is not?) or is it a "time" concern (i.e., it's not a problem if you are eating the food immediately.)


texts:
I read (in the biography of Rabbi Mordechai Pegrimansky; The English translation is titled: The man who never slept) that a supplemental publication called Sefer Daas Mordechai was underway at the time of publication (2013) to include original thoughts that Rabbi Pegrimansky discussed during his short life.
Is this publication now available, and if so where?


texts: woman posting a picture of herself on social media

texts: From a halachic perspective, is it modest for a religious woman - especially someone who is single - to post her picture profile on social media?


texts: Why the custom at the end of Tashlich to shake off Tzitzis?

texts:
In the Siddur Nussach Ari it says by the end of Tashlich to shake the ends of your Tzitzis, I heard that this symbolizes the tossing of a persons sins in the depth of the water (as in the verse " ותשליך במצולות ים כל חטאתם"  (Micah 7:18-20) "You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea."

Does anyone have a source for this?
Also, if it is true, then why the need for further Teshuva (in the rest of the ten days of Repentance)?

In the Sefer Taamei Haminhagim: http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=14556&st=&pgnum=332 it says that the reason we do it is to shake off the Kelipos which are attached to us when we do a sin, so the question is does that mean we are ridding ourselves of the actual sins?


texts: What is the origin and usage of the phrase רבונו של עולם?

texts:
I don't recall the phrase   - רבונו של עולם -  (loose meaning- "Master of the world") mentioned in Tana"ch. I think it first appears in the Mishnah or Gemarra. It is a common phrase in prayers.

When was this phrase first used? What does this phrase convey that couldn't be conveyed by just אד-ני ? I.e. - are there special occasions or situations that make the choice of this phrasing more optimal or more appropriate?


texts: How long does one say Kaddish for a parent?

texts: For example, if one's parent died on 1 Nissan, and was buried on 2 Nissan, what is the last day on which kaddish would be said for them?


texts:
The gemara (Gittin 84b) writes

כל התנאין פוסלין בגט
All Tannaim invalidate a get

(my very own translation)
Why is it that a rabbi of the mishna will invalidate a get (divorce document) by writing it, whereas a rabbi of the Talmud or later is able to write a kosher get?

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


texts: Jew raised in a secular home wants to connect again, Switzerland

texts:
There is a friend living in Switzerland whose mother was born Jewish and converted to Christianity.

The short story. His grandfather got lost during the Holocaust, his grandmother went to Switzerland and married again a Swiss guy bringing in her three children, converted to Christianity and rised up their children under the new Swiss name (adoption). One of this children is his mother. Now you might understand that he lost kind of all connection to the Jewish culture ... but he wants more. He found out about his family history only at age 24, because he asked his mother why he feels so different to all the people around. She kept it secret for all his life; it hurt him much, and he feels separated now.

In Switzerland there is a big Jewish community in Zürich and Bâle/Basel, but mostly of them orthodox and very strict. Connecting to a rabbi there, not telling the whole story, but his intention to join the tribe, he received no feedback at all.

What do you advise him? Considering knowledge is identity and culture, which sources for literature you would advise him to check out. Can a Jew be seperated but living Jewish only by connection to the writings of the tribe (the Talmud, Tanakh, and Torah)? Maybe you do know any people he can connect to in Switzerland in his situation? - At the moment, he feels separated from everything, the culture he grew up within and also the Jewish people.

Please be aware that your suggestion might be adopted forming his future being.


texts: Jewish people named the same as Jewish holidays

texts:
I know a few Jewish people with first names as Yom Tov and Pesach. Perhaps, Shabbat is used as a Jewish name, though I don't know anyone with that name. But I have not heard of anyone named Shavu'ot, Succot, Roshashana, Chanukah or Purim, etc.

Is there anything special about naming people after these two names that I mentioned? Is there any reason why the others might not have been used?

Note: I'm not seeking as much an answer to the 2nd question, as it may be as simple as "school kids might make fun of someone named Purim".

Edited based on comments

1st names only. I know that there's a lot more variance with last names, and, I have heard some strange ones, lately ;-)
Names should clearly indicate the Yom Tov or occasion, itself. E.g. - someone named Chag Hakatzir would qualify, but not just Katzir.

(I know that one of Israel's former M.K.'s (I think?) has a last name "Katzir" but that doesn't qualify for 2 reasons.)


texts:
What are the earliest sources that refer to Jewish mysticism in particular as "kabblah".

(Preferably the answer should include an indication that the word was associated with this in particular, rather than just being used for mysticism as an example of things which are received by tradition).


texts:
In Genesis 2:19:

  And the Lord God formed from the earth every beast of the field and
  every fowl of the heavens, and He brought [it] to man to see what he
  would call it, and whatever the man called each living thing, that was
  its name.

The obvious question (so obvious that I fear that the answer may be well-known to everyone but me), is how did the fish, insects, worms, bugs, and other critters which are not "beasts of the field" or "fowl of the heavens" receive their names?

I see two possible explanations:

Adam only named the animals related to agriculture (somewhat strange given that agriculture didn't exist for a while later, and so "beasts of the field" is an unexpected category of animals, unless the "field" is not a ploughed field but just non-mountainous terrain, but I digress) and fowl (and what about birds which are not fowl)... but then why "every living thing" in the verse?
Adam did actually name all the animals, but this isn't mentioned anywhere because the readers of Genesis would primarily care about beasts of the field and fowl and not about little insects and some obscure creature of the sea. Maybe G-d didn't bring these animals to man (as it is written) but presented it to him mentally.

Anyway, I sure would appreciate your input on this. Thanks!


texts: Are there poskim who sanction using nedarim today

texts:
Are there major contemporary poskim (halachic authorities) who advocate making nedarim (vows) for certain circumstance (besides donations)?

for example, someone who has a bad habit, to use a nedar (vow) to break the bad habit.


texts: Is praising non-Jews actually prohibited?

texts:
The gemara Avodah Zara (20) explains that praising a non-Jew is a violation of "lo sechaneim", and this is quoted in the Rambam (Hil. Avodah Zara 10:6) and the Shulchan Aruch (Y"D 151, and Shach s.k. 18 says that this applies to all non-Jews).

However, it seems like we aren't so careful about this. After all, Chazal themselves praised Antoninus and Dama ben Nesinah, and it seems like no one, from Rishonim (such as the Rambam's praises of Aristotle) to today, has any serious issue with this. Does anyone know of a source that discusses these specific cases or has a list of 'kulos' that would cover the common practice?

I know of a few exceptions (such the Shulchan Aruch there allows it if it's meant as a praise of Hashem or Jews) and the most widely applicable is probably that of R. Moshe Shterbach (Teshuvos Vehanhagos 4:197) who allows praising a non-Jew whom one doesn't know personally, but it seems like there must be more leniencies.


texts: Date of composition of the book of Nehemiah

texts:
In Nehemiah chapter 12 there is a list of the high priests that served in the second temple. The last one mentioned is Yadua in verse 11. According to wikipedia Jadua was in the times of Alexander the great and even met each other (the famous legend of Alexander seeing Shimon hatzadik in his dream according to Josephus was Yadua, and some even think that they are the same person).

Since Yadua is mentioned in the book of Nehemiah it follows that the book wasn't completed until the days of Alexander the great. So my question is, is this compatible with Jewish tradition, are there any Rabbinical sources that state that the book of Nehemiah was completed before that?


texts:
Who knows two hundred sixty-six?
Please cite/link your sources, if possible.
At some point between twenty-four hours and a few days from now, I will:

Vote up all interesting, relevant answers.

Accept what I consider the "best" answer.

Move on to the next number.

Lazy gematria for today is: סור - "turn away".


texts: What should I do if I don't know whether I'm in a pikuach nefesh situation?

texts:
Suppose I find myself in a situation where I am not sure whether my life is sufficiently in danger to warrant halachot of pikuach nefesh to come into play. What should I do in this case? Am I supposed to (e.g.) violate Shabbat in this case?

To be clear, I am not talking about a situation where I do not know how much danger I am in (I am having sudden chest pains and I'm not sure whether it's a heart attack or something more benign. My understanding is that this is the category of safek pikuach nefesh and it is treated the same as pikuach nefesh situations). I am talking about the situation where I am aware of the level of danger and I have a safek about whether the risk is sufficient to constitute pikuach nefesh (e.g. I am caught driving in a severe blizzard and Shabbat is about to begin).


texts: Realizing you're unknowingly carry an item on Shabbos

texts:
What is the best thing to do when you realize that you're unknowingly carrying an item on Shabbos? Is the following correct:

When the person was carrying unknowingly, he was misasek (making a work of Shabbat when he was thinking he doesn't), so he wasn't doing a milacha, which requires mileches machsheves (intentional work) If he continues walking after he realizes he's carrying, he now is doing a mileches machsheves by walking 4 amos (4 cubits). Therefore he should stop and put down what he was carrying. The original akirah (moving an object from its previous place) was done without the knowledge, so it should count as nothing.


texts: Shul closed for a Shabbos. Do they have to repeat the missed sedrah when they get back?

texts:
The Rema paskens in O Ch 135 (2)

  If they neglected [to be able to hold] the public reading of the
  parashah, then for the following Shabbat they read that parashah (i.e.
  the missed one) along with the parashah belonging to that (i.e. the
  following) Shabbat (Or Zarua).

Say the Congregation closes down for a Shabbos;  the members went on private holidays in numerous areas with minyonim and heard the leining where they were. When they return to their regular shul building, are they required to make up the reading or not? In other words is the sedrah reading an obligation on the congregation or on the shul building?

It seems obvious to me that it is an obligation on the congregation but my Chavrusah disagrees.


texts: Eating bread with jam, then eats only jam, would he recite a shehakol?

texts: If one is spreading jam on bread and eating it, and then eats only jam, without bread, would he make a shehakol on the jam, or would this be covered by the hamotzi?


texts: Designating Muktzeh items before Shabbos/Shabbat for personal use

texts:
Can one designate any normally muktzeh item for Shabbat/Shabbos or Yom Tov personal use, like rocks, animals, etc, thus making it not muktzeh?

The question essentially is: can one avoid the prohibition of muktzeh through the legal loophole of designating items for actual use, even in cases where all opinions hold it is the highest level of muktzeh or even in a case where the Rabbis made a "lo plug" prohibition on a particular case of muktzeh (e.g. animals according to some Rishonim).


texts: Every blessing begins baruch attah adonai elohany melech ha'olam. Why?

texts: For the past half-century, every blessing I have recited has begun with " baruch attah adonai elohany melech ha'olam".  Why is this so?  When was the phrase created?  Was there some rationale behind it?  Why is G-d described as a king (Melech)?


texts:
Many years (but not all), we have had bee problems in the Sukkah. This is probably caused by the fact that we continue to use honey for dipping the Challah throughout Sukkos.

What are some practical solutions for keeping them out? I would prefer to hear solutions that don't involve trapping/killing the bees.


texts: When should one say "El Maleh" if the yahrtzeit falls on a non-Torah-reading day?

texts:
As far as I have seen, "El Maleh" for the departed is said only a day when the Torah is read, assuming that Tachanun is said that day (I'm not referring to its recital during Yizkor or Shabbat mincha.)

If a person's yahrtzeit falls on a non-Torah-reading day, when should the deceased's relative say El Maleh - before or after the yahrtzeit date? Does it not matter? Is there a different protocol for the first Yahrtzeit?


texts: Must one say a blessing before writing Torah thoughts?

texts: Suppose one wakes up in the morning, and comes up with a chiddush in some subject of Torah. Must he say the blessing for studying Torah before writing it down?


texts: The Talelei Oros (Bamidbar 31:23) quotes the Satmar Rav (Kuntros Chiddushei Torah on Avos) who says the war of Sichon & Og took place on Erev Shabbos and ended just before Shabbos in order to answer why nothing was mentioned about the utensils until Midyan. Where is this Midrash?


texts:
A few summer camps have a small dining room that can't fit all the campers and counselors for a meal at one time. Therefore, the camp schedules two meal shifts.

During the Nine Days, the camp schedules a siyum for, say, lunch so that they can eat meat. Can the person who makes the siyum for the first shift repeat the siyum on the same masechta for the second shift? Or is a siyum a "one shot deal"? Let's say no one else is available to make a siyum on a different (or same) masechta for the 2nd shift. Does that change anything?


texts: Opinion that nusach Ashkenaz and Sefard are the same

texts: I remember hearing an opinion somewhere that nusach Ashkenaz and nusach Sefard (but not real nusach Sfaradi/Edot Hamizrach!) are both basically the same nusach, since they are structurally very similar. I think this would mean that a chazan in an Ashkenazic kehillah could use either nusach without worrying about lo tisgodedu. Is this a real opinion, and if so, who brought it down?


texts:
Why did Naphtali name his first son Yachtzeal  (יַחֲצִיאֵל)?

The name is mentioned (as יַחְצְאֵל) in Bereishis 46:24 and Bamidbar 26:48, and (as יַחֲצִיאֵל) in Divrei Hayomim I 7:13, but is there any explanation for the name, which apparently means that Hashem divided?

This question arose because, in Gittin 87, Rashi uses יַחְצְאֵל as an example for a witness signed on a Get, a choice that seems random, unless an explanation for the name explains the connection.


texts:
I have a question that I'm trying to understand and I would like a logical and coherent explanation.

1) In Leviticus 16,4-23-32 the priest (also Aaron) God indicates to them to dress only in linen only. The question, why "only" by Lino?

2) Shatnez (linen and cotton) is forbidden in Leviticus 19.19. The Torah unfortunately does not explain the reason for Sha`atnez. However, we know that the clothing of the priests was in particular exempt from the prohibition of sha'atnez. Exodus 28.6-8-15 and 39.29 prescribe various pieces of interwoven linen and colored wool (see Kil. 9.1: "Priests wear only wool and linen [ie sha'atnez] when they serve in the Temple") .

3) This is a contradiction! That is, if for the priests they were exempt because God told them to dress in linen (Leviticus 16.4-23-23) despite being contradicted by Exodus 28.6-8-15 and 39.29?

4) A scholar provides an explanation. The priests authorized to enter the Temple did not have to wear robes of two different fabrics because together linen and cotton led to producing electrostatic discharges that could have killed anyone near the Ark of the Covenant. Thus, the priests wore a linen robe, as an insulator of the Ark's electrostatic electricity. What do you think?

5) Ibn Ezra points out that in Leviticus 16.4-23-23, this verse does not mention the cuirass, or the ephod, or its robe. Rashi believes that the "pure" linen has to do with the temple treasure ?!

6) Tur HaAroch says  "The Torah by emphasising the fact that the garments enumerated here are to be linen, בד, indicates that during service inside the Tabernacle only linen garments are to be worn. [Approaching Hashem in golden vestments when asking forgiveness would be the ultimate in bad taste. Ed.] In Vayikra Rabbah, 21,10 a comparison is drawn between the way service by the angels is perceived as taking place in the celestial counterpart to the Tabernacle on earth. In those regions the service is performed in linen vestments. The words כתונת בד קודש match what our sages used to describe as taking place in those regions. (Compare Ezekiel 9,1)"

What I'm trying to understand is why the priests had to dress only in linen if they were exempt from Shatnez (Cfr. Exodus 28.6-8-15 and 39.29 and Kil. 9.1)!?

Thank you!


texts: Why a Stumah Break Between Coveting Another's Wife and Other Possessions, if they are the Same Commandment?

texts: In the Jewish way of numbering the 10 commandments, all the "do not covets" are part of the same commandment (that is, the 10th commandment.) However, in the text there is a stuma break between coveting another's wife and coveting another's possessions. This would seem to suggest they are separate in some ways. Have rabbinical commentaries said anything about why the stuma break is there? Or about why we number it the way we do despite the stuma break?


texts: I often hear the Hebrew abbreviation for Maimonides appended to a definite article but don't quite understand why it should be there when the unabbreviated name would (I think) never warrant such an appendage. Is one method of referring more correct/more acceptable by some standard?


texts: If a chazzan has to repeat Shmoneh Esrei, can he use the chazarat hashatz for that?

texts:
Let's say a chazzan makes a mistake in his personal Shmoneh Esrei that he would have to repeat it for (e.g. missed yaaleh vyavoh). Can he use the chazarat hashatz as his required repetition, or must he repeat it silently, and then again aloud?

I think that the purpose of the chazarat hashatz was originally to allow people to be yotzei their chiyuv by listening and answering amen. Couldn't he theoretically be yotzei from the repetition also?
Also, having the congregation wait for the chazzan to repeat Shmoneh Esrei silently might come under tircha dtzibura.


texts:
Vegans have a hard time getting enough protein on Pesach.

Is the plant that grows from a kitniyos seed also kitniyos on Pesach?

What if the seed is still attached?


texts: Story with Rav Safra -- halacha l'maseh?

texts:
The following story is brought down in Rashi in Makkos Daf 24a (Found in Sha'iltas D'Rav Ahai Gaon)

והכי הוה עובדא דרב ספרא היה לו חפץ אחד למכור ובא אדם אחד לפניו בשעה
שהיה קורא ק"ש ואמר לו תן לי החפץ בכך וכך דמים ולא ענהו מפני שהיה קורא
ק"ש כסבור זה שלא היה רוצה ליתנו בדמים הללו והוסיף אמר תנהו לי בכך יותר
לאחר שסיים ק"ש אמר לו טול החפץ בדמים שאמרת בראשונה שבאותן דמים היה
דעתי ליתנם לך
The story goes that someone came to Rav Safra when he was saying Krias Shema wanting to buy something from him. He offered to buy it for a certain amount of money and Rav Safra didn't answer (since he was in  the middle of Krias Shema) the person thought then that he wanted more money for it so he offered to buy it at a higher price. When Rav Safra finished Krias Shema he told the person to buy it at the price he said first since that is what I had in mind to sell it to you for.

This story (as far as I know) is not brought down anywhere in Sifrei Halacha or Poskim. However, my question is, is it? Should a person be nohag (behave) this way? Must a person be nohag this way if such a situation were to happen? Or perhaps it is only a "middas chassidus" (pious attribute) for those with "more" Yiras Shamayim (fear of heaven). I'm looking for any sources in the realm of halacha that speak about this sort of situation and how one should be nohag and if it's "m'ikar hadin" (required according to law) or only middos chassidus (or the like.)


texts: Making coleslaw and potato salad on Shabbos

texts: All of the halachos in regards to lisha on Shabbos have always been difficult to understand. What do the poskim say in regards to making coleslaw (mixing together small pieces of cabbage and carrots together with mayonnaise and other ingredients) and potato salad (mixing together relatively bigger pieces of potato together with mayonnaise and other ingredients.) Seemingly the coleslaw (without making a shinui) would be a problem as by mixing in the mayonnaise it puts together the salad. However with the potato salad perhaps this would be muter (even without a shinui) since mixing together the potatoes with the mayonnaise doesn't actually stick them together like it does to the coleslaw or other mixtures. I'm looking for sources for this two questions with poskim that speak about them.


texts: How can someone dispose of chametz trash that someone has disposed on his private property?

texts:
Someone's home is on a public street. A homeless man likes to feed bread to the birds that are in the nests and on the person's lawn. Sometimes, the man just dumps a pile of bread crumbs on the lawn and leaves it there and birds aren't the only ones that stop by.

Besides having to deal with the mess on the lawn, the crumbs encourage geese that leave their poop all over the lawn, and the owner's kids can't play on the lawn.

Moving the chametz aside doesn't solve the problem. As it will still be on his lawn - subject to the wind and geese / other animals. He can't sweep it into his trash can, as then he will be owning chametz until the sanitation dept. disposes it. He also can't sweep the trash onto the street or down a storm drain, as this is unlawful.

Perhaps, the only way would be to dispose of it in some public trash can in another neighborhood, as the street he is in has no street corner trash bins. However, doesn't he acquire ownership of the chametz once he picks it up?

So, how can he properly dispose of the chametz, or does he have to live with the mess for the week?

(Assume that a friendly sign, "No chametz allowed on my lawn this week", isn't doing the trick :-)

Related question - Are the rules different if either an animal or the wind deposited the chametz from a public area onto private property?


texts: How is Tadir determined when either one can be considered more common?

texts:
There is a principle called “Tadir v’she’eino tadir, Tadir kodem” - when presented with something commonly done and something less commonly done, the one that’s done more common takes precedence (Zevachim 89a et. al.).
What determines what is more common? For instance, on Rosh Chodesh Elul, do we say Barchi Nafshi before L’Dovid, since we say Barchi Nafshi during at least 11 months of the year, but we only say L’Dovid during 2? Or do we say L’Dovid first, since Barchi Nafshi is said on at most 20 days of the year, but L’Dovid is said on 51 days; alternatively, Barchi Nafshi is said at the conclusion of at most 20 tefillos, but L’Dovid is said at that of 102? In other words, if item A is more common than item B if you look at it one way, but item B is more common than item A if you look at it a different way, do we consider either one to take precedence, and if so, how to we determine which one?


texts: What is the source for saying Parshas Hamon is a Segullah for Parnassah?

texts: It is said in the name of Reb Mendel M'Riminov that saying Parshas Ha'monn (Shneyim Mikroh V'Echod Targum) on Tuesday Parshas B'Shalach, is a Segulah for Parnasah. Does anyone know a source for this "Minhag"?


texts:
I sent a woman a gift through PayPal. My email is harry@nekudeshetli.com. She used the money to buy something over a peruta. Do I need to give her a get for her to be free to marry others?
This question is Purim Torah and is not intended to be taken completely seriously. See the Purim Torah policy.


texts: Wives and daughters and the Mitzvos of Purim

texts: Can a married woman rely on her husband for the mitzvos of Purim of Shalach Manos and Mattanos Levyonim (I recall  somthing about Ishto Kigufo)?


texts: Semantics of the address »the lord« in original scripture

texts:
I have some specific questions about adressing God as »the LORD«.

When and where does the address »the LORD« first appear in Jewish scripture (in chronological order)?
What is it called in the original language of that part of scripture (which I suppose to be Hebrew)?
At that time, if you had to address somebody other than God with that word, what kind of social relationship between you and that person would have been the reason to do so?

Edit: The first mention of »the LORD« I found was at Genesis 2,4: »These [are] the
generations of the heavens
and of the earth when they
were created, in the day that
the LORD God made the
earth and the heavens,[...]«

Alternate source: New International Version


texts:
1) When holding the Lechem Mishneh together while making the bracha - Do both challot have to be touching ? What if one challah was wrapped in cellophane or in a bag (yet held next to the other challah during the bracha) - would that be ok ?

2) Does the second challah need to be edible ? What if it was frozen solid ?


texts:
I know that one of the reasons given for our being limited by miderobonon laws is explained in Masechet Shevuot, 39a which says as follows (lifted from dafyomi.co.il)

  i.    "Asher Yeshno Po ha'Yom" refers to those who stood on Har Sinai. "Asher Einenu Po Imanu ha'Yom" refers to future generations and those who will convert later;

  ii.   This applies to Mitzvos received on Har Sinai (i.e. mid'Oraisa). We learn Mitzvos (mid'Rabanan) that will be given later, such as reading Megilas Esther, from "Kiymu v'Kibelu" - they fulfilled what they already accepted (i.e. whatever Mitzvos Chachamim will enact). (end of Beraisa)

But the braita is brought down with the question: "How do we know that we are obligated to commandments that are in the future, to be innovated, SUCH AS MEGILLAH?" (emphasis mine). The answer is given from the megillah, itself.

Ignoring the potential self-supporting loop (the megillah is authoritative because it says it is) by invoking the idea that Tosafot refer to, that the text is divinely inspired, this leads me to 2 questions

Isn't the answer provided by the braita simply a local rule? The question is about megilla and the braita explains why we would be bound by the law of reading megilla! From where do we generalize this to anything else? If the question was about megilla and I had a proof from a different source which I could generalize then I could see the larger application, but when the answer points only to the example in the question why should I apply it to other cases?
How does the answer apply to any edicts which came about AFTER the time of Esther? If the Jews (some? were all Jews living in Shushan and its provinces then, in the same way that ALL Jews were at Sinai -- the point the Braita started with) rose up and ratified their Sinaitic behavior during the megilla then they were accepting the things that came up between matan torah and that moment. Until we all "rise and accept" today, why are we bound to anything innovated between then and now?


texts: Could there be permission to write software on Chol Hamoed?

texts: Is it permissible to write computer software code on Chol Hamoed?


texts: Are there any prohibitions on naming (baby/convert)?

texts: Trying to determine if names like Kohelet or Job (two of which I have yet to hear of anyone being named in the last century) are just rare names or have a reason not be used.


texts:
Recently it has become common to see ladies walking around the Haredi neighborhoods, specifically the shopping streets of Geula, sipping from an iced coffee in a paper cup. It certainly looks inappropriate to me. However someone pointed out to me that many Rabbonim also judged talking on a cell phone while walking down the street as inappropriate (Lav Derech Erets) but in Israel it has become common practice.

I remember a Gemara that says that anyone who eats in the street is like a dog .. is this true of drinking also ? Or is it like walking and talking on the cellphone maybe lacking in Tsniut but still within the bounds of Derech Eretz ?


texts: Does acting "for G-d's sake" override Arayos prohibitions?

texts:
The Gemmorah in Kiddushin 81b describes the story of a Rabbi seemingly overriding the [as most agree, Biblical] prohibition of Kiruv Ervah. After a short debate, he finds an excuse that he was acting "for G-d's sake":

  רב אחא בר אבא איקלע לבי רב חסדא חתניה.
  שקליה לבת ברתיה אותבוה בכנפיה.
  אמר ליה לא סבר לה מר דמקדשא?...
  מר נמי עבר ליה אדשמואל דאמר שמואל
  !אין משתמשים באשה
  אמר ליה אנא כאידך דשמואל סבירא לי
  :דאמר שמואל הכל לשם שמים

  R' Aḥa bar Abba arrived at the house of Rav Ḥisda, his son-in-law.
  He took his daughter’s daughter [which was underaged] and placed her on his lap Tos. Ri Hazzaken: he lay with her both naked.
  Rav Ḥisda said to him: Doesn’t the Master think that she might already be betrothed? ...
  Rabbi has likewise transgressed the words of Shmuel: One may not make use of a woman, so how can you hold her on your lap? He replied: I hold in accordance with another statement of Shmuel, as Shmuel says: "All such actions are permitted for the sake of Heaven."

However, on the following page, the Gemmorah brings several examples that even great Rabbis (such as R' Akivah for example) cannot count on their piety when Arayos are around, stressing the severity of those Halochos.

Tosfos develops this idea further Halachicly, allowing accepting women's services: " ועל זו אנו סומכין השתא שאנו משתמשים בנשים:" and Rem"o mentions it also to allow deviations from the Arayos Halochos "for the sake of Heaven" (EH"E 21):

  וי"א דכל שאינו עושה דרך חבה רק כוונתו לשם שמים מותר,
  לכן נהגו להקל בדברים אלו

A couple of prominent Rabbis in Israel were accused (and sentenced) of sexual harassment and this is the hot topic here. They admitted the transgression but always claimed that they acted "for G-d's sake".

What are the boundaries of permitting different Arayos prohibition (looking at women, using their services, acts of Kirvah, sexual relations) when done for the sake of Heaven?


texts: Why is it that specifically during Shovavim Do we review the Hilachos of Taharas Mishpacha/Shimiras HaBris?

texts: Looking for sources why is it that specifically these weeks is the time to review such Halachos in contrast to other Halachos, such as the Halachos of Shabboss,Yom Tov, Basar B'Chalav, Choshen Mishpat etc.


texts: Can one eat meat on erev shabbos in the 9 days for the mitzvah of טאמאה?

texts:
I remember learning once that it is a mitzvah to taste at least one food on erev shabbos that will be served on shabbos. I believe it is called טאמאה.

So today is erev shabbos Rosh Chodesh during the 9 days. Am I permitted to do this mitzvah like every other week with something fleishigs?


texts: Quality of Sh'ma repeated in its proper time

texts:
Often, I find myself at a ma'ariv minyan that meets before "nightfall" and someone invariably makes the announcement that we should all remember to repeat the sh'ma after tzeit hakochavim. I also know that to be yotzei saying the sh'ma properly one should say the words audibly and clearly, even louder than one says the amida.
But if I know I am davening at a time when my saying the sh'ma is not efficacious towards fulfilling my obligation, must I still say the words out loud? Can I say them at the lowered level of the amida so that they are still "prayer" but not as loud as the sh'ma should be?


texts: Are there any sources that talk about deeper thoughts at night?

texts: I am discovering who I am and am connecting more with G-d but  I always seem to have "aha" moments where everything seems to make sense at night. I go through the day with my mind racing and then at night when I lay in bed I figure out what it is that will help me connect to G-d on a deeper level and live my life in a better way. I wanted to know if there are any sources that talk about deeper thoughts at night. It might help me discover what it is that is bugging me before it consumes my day. I want to understand what others have already discovered without struggling. I want to be at peace and have my joy returned throughout the day.


texts: Changed mind about eating after making netilat yadayim:

texts: What should one do if one washes, with the intention to make ha'motzi on bread, makes the bracha al netilat yadayim and is then interrupted and is no longer able to eat, and/or no longer wants to eat. Is the bracha al netilat yadayim a bracha levatalah?


texts: Rabbi Herschel Shachter and his Rabbi say that a yachid doesn't say anim zemiros.  Do any non-Modern Orthodox poskim rule likewise, and if so, who.


texts: What is the significance of 7-month births?

texts:
I have noticed that there are a number of significant figures in Jewish history who were born at 7 months. To name a few:

Yitzchok Avinu (Rosh Hashana 11a)
Reuvein, Shimon, and Levi (Rabbeinu Bachaye, Bereishis 35:30)
The rest of the Shevatim (according to my assertion here)
Moshe Rabbeinu (Rashi, Shemos 2:3)
Shmuel Hanovi (Niddah 38b)

What is the significance, symbolic or otherwise, to this phenomenon?


texts: Why is it called Bas Kol versus Ben Kol?


texts: Do the laws of witnesses apply to members of a bait din?

texts:
Do the laws restricting witnesses based on their relation to other parties in the case or based on their past sins apply to the judges of a bait din?

Eg. Can a father and son serve together? May a compulsive gambler? I've learned these are invalid as witnesses.


texts: When did Ma'ariv stop becoming 'optional'?

texts:
It's a bit of fun Jewish trivia that Ma'ariv was originally 'optional' (see for example here, and Halachic ramifications of its' original optionality here), but at some point became 'accepted' by Jewish men and is now, for most intents and purposes, mandatory.

I'm curious, when, historically, did the shift from 'optional' to 'mandatory' occur?

I'm aware that, like many Minhagim, it's probably impossible to pin the date to specific moment, as it likely didn't occur at a specific moment, rather it evolved over time. Realistically, an answer to this question would probably be the earliest written source that says something along the lines of 'it's already accepted among all that Ma'ariv is an obligation'.


texts: is there a prayer for a beloved family pet who is dying?

texts: If a family pet is dying, is there a specific written prayer to say for the pet?


texts:
Although the Shulchan Aruch YD (116:5) writes

  ולא יתן תבשיל ולא משקים תחת המטה מפני שרוח רעה שורה עליהם - don't put cooked food or drinks under the bed due to ruach ra'ah

does that issue apply to medicines?


texts: Is there a reference that explains the literal meaning and etymology of the names of the Hebrew months? I am looking for something that explains both the common Babylonian names as well as the Tana"ch names such as Aviv, Bul, Eitanim and Ziv. I can't think of others mentioned in Tana"ch.


texts: Crying when reading about Aaron's sons' deaths

texts:
The machzor (prayer book) that I used this Yom Kippur has this to say immediately before the morning Torah reading:

  עֶס שְׁטֵייט גֶעשְׁרִיבֶּן װֶער עֶס לָאזט טְרֶערִין מִיט דֶעם גַאנְצֶן הַארְץ בְּשַׁעַת מֶען לֵייעֶנְט װִי דִי צְװֵיי זִיהְן פוּן אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן זֶענֶן גִשְׁטָארְבֶּן. אִיז עֶר בָּטוּחַ אַז זַיינֶע קִינְדֶר װֶעלֶן נִיט שְׁטַארְבֶּן רח״ל בַּיי זַיין לֶעבִּין׃

In my own translation:

  It's written that someone who cries wholeheartedly when they read that the two sons of Aaron, the kohen, died is assured that his children will not die, God forbid, in his lifetime.

Where's it written?


texts: Are there any halachic sources that discuss the Qumran calendar?

texts:
As a Torah reader, I was fascinated when I visited Heichal Hasefer - "Shrine of the Book" and read about the Qumran society and their calendar. As far as I know, there doesn't seem to be much, if anything, mentioned about them or their calendar in the Talmud. At least I'm not finding it via web searches.

Is there anything mentioned in the Talmud or other "halachic" sources (Midrash, etc.) about their calendar? If so, please provide references.


texts:
Some people are very careful to say Hashem or Elokim when singing a song with one of G-d's names in it so as not to use His name in vain (related question), but I have also been told this is unnecessary since these songs are equivalent to prayer.

If you shouldn't pronounce them, why did the authors put them in explicitly?
If there's no problem with pronouncing them, then how does repeating the words (for example, in the chorus) affect that? I mean, now that you're saying the words simply to fit in with the melody does that make pronouncing them in vain?


texts: The source for breath of the mouth as the scent of an offering

texts:
I came across this quote:

“May it be Your will that the breath that rises from my mouth at this moment be as the scent that rises from an offering in the fire of the altar..”

It seems to a quote described to Rabbi Elazar (Zohar II 20a-b).

I tried o look it up but couldn’t find it.
Could someone quote this line in Hebrew for me and help me find it’s source?


texts: Why don't we say a blessing before giving charity?

texts: Before doing many mitzvos (commandments), we are required derabanan to say a blessing. Why is this not the same for giving tzedakah (charity)?


texts: Can I eat the fruits overhanging from my neighbor's tree?

texts: My neighbor has a terrific fig tree. Some of its branches go into my property. May I eat the figs from the branches in my property? Would it matter if doing so it may damage some of the structure or growth of the rest of the tree?


texts:
Is it permitted to daven without shoes when in places where shoes can't be worn for non-Jewish reasons? For example, when using prayer rooms in airports that require shoes to be taken off to keep the floors clean for adherents of other faiths that prostrate.

I don't have a source for wearing shoes other than being taught to always wear shoes (and dress respectfully as if for a king) when davening.

If minhag is relevant, I'm Ashkenazi.