texts: Was Psalm 29 derived from Canaanite sources?

texts:
One question, people say that (Psalm 29) was originally a Canaanite psalm for their storm god Baal-Hadad and there seems to be verses in (Psalm 29) which supports this. Especially with verse 3 which says:

"The Voice of Hashem is upon the waters, THE G-D OF GLORY THUNDERS; Hashem is over the vast waters."

Baal-Hadad was the son of the chief god El and he was also a weather, rain, storm and thunder god whose cult originated in Mesopotamia (originally called "Ishkur" in Sumer and "Haddad" in Akkad). So was this chapter adopted from the Canaanites but altered so that it could be a psalm for Hashem instead of Hadad? I've been confronted by this point brought up by atheists, and I have no idea how to answer.


texts: Would replacing a borrowed used towel with a new one be considered ribbis?

texts:
Suppose someone was a guest at someone else's house, and he spilled something (stain causing) on the floor of his host's house, and he borrowed a towel telling the host that he will use it to wipe up the mess and he would replace it afterward with a new towel (due to the stain on the borrowed towel which could not be removed).

As long as the borrower clearly told the host that he will be using the towel for himself, and he will not be returning the same towel but another one, this is called "הלואה", borrowing with intent to return another item, money etc. where the laws of ribbis apply, rather than "שאלה", borrowing with intent to return the same item, where the laws of ribbis do not apply.

May he replace it with a new one, or would this be a problem of ribbis, since the towel he borrowed was a used towel and the new one, which he is replacing it with, is more valuable than the used towel?

Is this considered payment for damages done. [There is no prohibition of ribbis (according to most poskim) when paying (on time) for damages].


texts:
Often times a few different rebbes are mentioned (either previous Chabad rebbes or rebbes of other Chasudusim) in the same talk and then the word "The Rebbe" comes in and it's ambiguous.

I have heard the 7th Rebbe called:

The current rebbe
Our rebbe
most often: The rebbe

I don't really think any of these are adequate.

I've never heard him called:

The 7th rebbe
The last rebbe

What's the best way to avoid confusion?


texts:
There is a curious idea floating around, that World War One commenced on the 9th day of the month of Av. (For example, here, and here, and here.)

I call it curious, since it takes a fairly creative reading of history to see the war as having begun on a single date in particular, and specifically on the 1st of August, 1914. Already on the 28th of July, Austria had declared war on Serbia, and the first shots of the war were fired on the 29th. Those two dates correspond to the 5th and the 6th of Av, respectively. It was on the 9th of Av (already after Russia had fully mobilised) that Germany invaded Luxembourg and declared war on Russia, but I am not aware of there being a single historian who thinks that was "the beginning" of the war. (For more information on these events, see here).

I would like to know, when did people first start suggesting that the war began on the 9th of Av? Was it during the war (1914-1918) itself? Was it during the interwar period? Or was it specifically during or after the Holocaust?

Note: There is a long tradition of relating the 9th of Av to specific tragedies that have occurred to the Jewish people - a tradition that has its origins in the Mishna, Taanit 4:6. I'm not querying why people would want to fit the first world war into this model, but only when people first started doing so.


texts: May a Jew give another Jew a not-kosher haircut?

texts:
Suppose the following situation:

Reuvain is a religious Jew who runs a barber shop. One day Shimon, a non-religious Jew, walks into Reuvain's barber shop and sits down for a haircut. Shimon asks for a haircut that would be prohibited by Torah, as it completely shaves the sideburns. Would Reuvain be allowed to cut Shimon's hair this way?

Of course, we're going to assume that shaving the sideburns is against the Torah, as I'm pretty sure there are many who do not agree this is what the Torah meant in Vayikra 19:27 when it said, "do not round the edges of your beard." So really just any haircut that would shave the peyos area, wherever that may be according to your religious interpretation.


texts: Why is "Merkos L'inyonei Chinuch" spelled that way?

texts: In the title Merkos L'inyonei Chinuch, why is the word מרכז transliterated with an 's' in place of a 'ז' rather than a 'z'?


texts: Is cooking any grain in under 18 minutes kosher for Passover?

texts:
As a Ashkenazi conservative Jew, we follow most of the laws of Passover. I know there. Jewfaq states that

  Chametz includes anything made from the five major grains (wheat, rye, barley, oats and spelt) that has not been completely cooked within 18 minutes after first coming into contact with water.

If one was able to make fresh pasta and then cook it in under 18 minutes, would it still be chametz?


texts: Germaphobes washing on Tisha B'Av and Yom Kippur

texts:
One is not allowed to wash their hands past their knuckles on Tisha B'Av, except if there is dirt on their hands, or if it is for a Mitzvah (SA OC 554:8-10). The same is true, for the most part, for Yom Kippur, though there are some differences (SA OC 613).

Does the exemption of removing dirt apply to a germaphobe attempting to remove germs from his hands? The exemption does indeed extend to using the bathroom (SA OC 613:3, Rema OC 554:9). Does this mean that whenever anyone would consider his hands to be dirty he may wash them, or does this mean that when one considers his own hands to be dirty he may wash them?


texts: Is tzedakah money fungible if someone gives to me to give to another?

texts:
The discussion in this question seems to indicate that my own tzedakah money is fungible; I can collect coins in a tzedakah box and exchange them for other currency when it's time to make the donation.  Is this also true when a third party is involved?

Specifically, suppose some people have given me cash to distribute as tzedakah on an upcoming trip to Israel.  Do I pass those specific bills along (which are US currency), because the givers said "this is for tzedakah"?  Do I make sure I give at least that much in tzedakah but not worry about the currency involved (maybe I converted to shekels)?

If I do not need to use the specific bills that were given to me, do they have any special status?  For example, do I need to set them aside for my own (US-based) tzedakah, or, having fulfilled the mission with different money, can I just put them in my wallet and spend them normally?


texts: Speaking to the Rock. Why bring the staff?

texts: In parshas chukas (20:8), right before Hashem tells Moshe to speak to the rock, Hashem instructs him to take his staff.  Why instruct Moshe to take the staff, if he was supposed to speak to the rock and not hit it?


texts:
I would like to start to study Talmud, BUT do not know how, where to start.
My Jewish training is basically non-existent. I learned how to read the Hebrew words in the Siddur, Machzor, and Chumash - - - But do not know what they mean unless I read the translation on the adjacent page.  AND then I only understand the meaning of the whole and not the parts.  I sort of learned to daven when I said Kaddish in honor of my Dad when he died twenty-five plus years ago.  I continue to read.  I continue to seek out info and I am much more knowledgeable than many Jews I am around and in contact with.  I still want to learn about Talmud and learn what is in it. HOW - WHERE - WHO do I learn??


texts: Onain saying Kadish for parent's Yahrzheit

texts: An Onain is not obligated to do Mitzvos Asei. An Onain does not Daven, nor make Brachos. Suppose a person is an Onain, and that day is his father's or mother's Yahrzheit, does he say Kaddish for them? (sources)


texts: I have heard of potatoes, celery, scallion. What else do people use for Karpas? Is there one item that is more L'Chatchila than the others?


texts: Answering the Chazzan from outside a Shul

texts: If one is neither part of a certain Minyan nor Davening at all rather in a different room, but can hear the Chazzan, may he answer to Amen,Kaddish,etc. ?


texts: Is it modest to compliment a woman on her modesty?

texts:
Most women in my surroundings dress quite immodestly, unfortunately. But, sometimes, a woman does dress modestly. Is it a good idea to tell her something like "I like your long dress" or "It suits you to wear long sleeves"? The two conflicting considerations are:

It is immodest to speak with other women on personal issues, especially those related to their looks.
Women care about what men think of their dressing style. So, such a compliment may give her an incentive to dress more modestly in the future.

What do you suggest?

EDIT: after reading the comments and Ana's answer, it seems that the question can have different answers in different situations. Here is the specific situation that I referred to:

The women in question are in the workplace. Most of them are not religious and probably don't know much and don't care much about halachic modesty. But, they probably do care about what men think of them.
I am married and not interested in any of the women. My main interest is to somehow encourage non-religious women to dress more modestly.
The question is also relevant to religious women, that are encouraged to dress less modestly, e.g, because the get compliments from non-religious men around them. Perhaps a man complimenting their modest look might have a corrective effect.


texts:
וַיֹּ֕אמֶר אַל־נָ֖א תַּעֲזֹ֣ב אֹתָ֑נוּ כִּ֣י ׀ עַל־כֵּ֣ן יָדַ֗עְתָּ חֲנֹתֵ֙נוּ֙ בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר וְהָיִ֥יתָ לָּ֖נוּ לְעֵינָֽיִם׃
He said, “Please do not leave us, inasmuch as you know where we should camp in the wilderness and can be our guide.
(Numbers 10:31)

Why did Moses need to ask Hobab for guidance if the cloud was going to guide us anyway?
Did Hobab go with us or not?


texts: Was there a bracha on blowing the silver trumpet?

texts: The Torah mentions blowing the silver trumpet at various times during the year (e.g., RH, chagim).  Was there a bracha on blowing the silver trumpets?


texts: Where can I get hold of a semicha program syllabus or a guide to help me learn halacha b'iyun? I am not looking to learn for semicha just yet but want something to help be focus my halacha seder as just stam learning through shulchan aruch/rambam/mishna brura is getting a bit stale.  Ideally looking for a syllabus to help give breadth and depth e.g. the Israeli Rabbanut semicha.


texts: Should one rend a garment when hearing an important teaching ‘late’?

texts:
I noticed that Yoshiyahu HaMelech tore his clothes when hearing Torah ‘late’ (2 Melachim 22:11). Presumably, because he realized he had been ignorant of what the Torah said and he now realized he had many sins going back many years.
Is one permitted (or even obliged) to do likewise when hearing something spiritually/morally/ethically important years after it ‘should’ have been heard? I am referring to that terrible feeling of regret and despair that comes over one when hearing something that would have saved one much humiliation if heard much sooner.


texts: The encampment around the Tabernacle: What did it look like?

texts:
Based on Bamidbar/Numbers 2:2 the Israelites had to pitch their tents by tribe around the Ohel Mo'ed/Mishkan.

But what I would like to know is

How it would look from above? What shape would it be (round, squared, etc.)?
And what would their order/arrangement look like?

I noticed that at the east one should start with Yehudah and in Bamidbar/Numbers 2:5 it says: "וְהַחֹנִים עָלָיו". What does this mean? In which direction in relation to Yehudah would the next tribe - Yissachar - be placed? And what about Zevulun?

P.s. After the direction is given, the first tribe is mentioned and afterwards the next tribe is mentioned. In these cases the words וְהַחֹנִים עָלָיו are being used, except for one occasion and that's when Menasheh is mentioned in Numbers 2:20 it only says וְעָלָיו why so?


texts: The probate court of Reb Chaim Volozin resolves an estate of 17 cows -- part 1

texts:
A friend recently told me the following story. He told me that he has known the story his whole life, he's read it or heard it in many places (including Olomeinu Magazine), and he feels sure that the story is true.

A man died and bequeathed his 17 cows to his 3 sons on the following plan: the oldest son was to get (1/2) of the cows, the second was to get (1/3) of the cows, and the youngest son was to get (1/9). The will did not allow the sons to sell or slaughter the cows or depart from the specified amounts. The sons wanted to comply with the will but could see no way to fulfill these terms. Although they were not Jewish they brought the problem to Reb Chaim Volozon for advice. Reb Chaim suggested that if there were 18 cows instead of 17, then the oldest son would take 9 cows, the second son 6 cows, and the third son 2 cows; this is a total of 17, the actual number of cows in the estate. So, he concluded, they should actually take these latter numbers, as if the total available were 18.

My friend had some questions about this story, and I have a few of my own.

HALACHIC QUESTIONS

Stated generally, problems in wills must be very common. For example some people must misstate their actual property even when writing a will, and then in their remaining years (after writing their last will) some people must acquire and part with property in ways that eventually make the descriptions found in their wills inaccurate. People must sometimes describe the allocation of their property in such a way that some property is assigned more than once and some is omitted.

The allocation in the story does not seem to fulfill the will. Each son is rounding up the allowance under the will (taking 9 instead of 8 1/2, 6 instead of 5 2/3, 2 instead of 1 8/9), therefore taking more property than the will authorizes, and in amounts that are simply chosen for administrative convenience. Is that allowable?

What is the proper way to deal with instructions in a will that don't make sense or cannot be executed?


texts: Where can one find information about common sense?

texts:
I remember hearing that either the Rambam or the Shulchan Aruch had a chapter/volume ("something daas") on common sense and the dos and don'ts of human interactions.

Is there a particular text I can look into to learn more about this topic?

I am not looking for halachah in particular but just wisdom and common sense on how to navigate life more smoothly via the use of the wisdom of the sages.


texts: How was flour measured in the bes hamikdash?

texts:
Modern cooks will tell you that the way to measure flour is to scoop flour with a scoop whose volume is known, and then to shave any excess off the top. (However, liquids are measured by pouring into a graded (that is, lined) receptacle until the desired line is reached.)

Is that how they measured flour in the bes hamikdash also?

The reason I ask is as follows:

M'nachos 57:2 cites a tana as holding that utensils for measuring flour ("dry measures") were anointed as k'le shares (sanctified) only within, and not on their outside surfaces, whereas "wet measures" were anointed within and without. Other tanaim (see Tosafos s.v. "Rabi") maintain that dry measures were not anointed at all, while wet ones were.

If flour was measured in the bes hamikdash by scooping, then it (I suppose) makes sense that the outsides of dry measures were not sanctified, as they'd want any flour that falls off after scooping, and back into the bin, not to be holy.


texts: Would soda (non-fruit juice like sprite or coke) machshir to receive tuma? is it similar to water in this respect or to other liquids which do not machshir?


texts: Is there a relationship between the Sma"g and the Sma"k?

texts:
The works Sefer Mitzvos Gadol and Sefer Mitzvos Katan have very similar names, but I never assumed the connection went far beyond that.

Then, I saw a Beis Yosef (Yoreh Deah 194) which, in explanation of an omission of the Sefer Mitzvos Katan, says that he depended on the fact that the Sefer Mitzvos Gadol mentioned it.

What is the relationship between the two works such that one would rely on being understood in the context of what is said by the other?


texts:
If the point of migdal bavel was to reach the heavens, why not build it on a mountain instead of a valley?

  וַיְהִי כָל הָאָרֶץ שָׂפָה אֶחָת וּדְבָרִים אֲחָדִים:(ב) וַיְהִי בְּנָסְעָם מִקֶּדֶם וַיִּמְצְאוּ בִקְעָה בְּאֶרֶץ שִׁנְעָר וַיֵּשְׁבוּ שָׁם:(ג) וַיֹּאמְרוּ אִישׁ אֶל רֵעֵהוּ הָבָה נִלְבְּנָה לְבֵנִים וְנִשְׂרְפָה לִשְׂרֵפָה וַתְּהִי לָהֶם הַלְּבֵנָה לְאָבֶן וְהַחֵמָר הָיָה לָהֶם לַחֹמֶר:(ד) וַיֹּאמְרוּ הָבָה נִבְנֶה לָּנוּ עִיר וּמִגְדָּל וְרֹאשׁוֹ בַשָּׁמַיִם וְנַעֲשֶׂה לָּנוּ שֵׁם פֶּן נָפוּץ עַל פְּנֵי כָל הָאָרֶץ

  1) And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech. 2) And it came to pass, as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. 3) And they said one to another: 'Come, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly.' And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar. 3) And they said: 'Come, let us build us a city, and a tower, with its top in heaven, and let us make us a name; lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.'

Bereshis 11:1-4


texts: Child from the relations Yael had with Sisra

texts:
According to Shoftim 5:27, per the explanation found in Yevamos 103a (in the name of רבי יוחנן), Yael had relations with Sisra.

  אמר רבי יוחנן שבע בעילות בעל אותו רשע באותו היום שנאמר בין רגליה כרע
  נפל שכב בין רגליה כרע נפל באשר כרע שם נפל שדוד

  R. Johanan Said: That profligate (Sisera) had seven sexual connections
  on that day; for it is said (Shoftim 5:27), Between her feet he sunk, he fell, he
  lay; at her feet he sunk, he fell; where he sunk there he fell down
  dead.

(Soncino translation)

Did she bear a son from these relations? If so, was he a prophet?


texts: Spending one-fifth of one's money on honoring parents?

texts:
We hold that one is obligated to spend up to one-fifth of his money on positive Mitzvot (and all the money to refrain from negative ones) (Ketubot 50a).

Honoring one's parents is a positive Mitzvah. (BTW having awe of one's parents is also a positive Mitzvah that is very close to a negative as the Torah says "ארור מקלה אביו ואמו".

The Gemmorah (Kiddushin 30-31) and the following Poskim offer only two Halachic solutions: if the parents have money they pay the expenses, if they don't and the children do have - they are obligated to pay the expenses of honoring the parents.

Is there a Posek that mentions an option to obligate the children to spend one-fifth of the money, just like on any other positive Mitzvah? If not - how come?


texts: Is there a halachic preference order to the grains used for matzot?

texts:
My understanding is that there are 5 grains that may be used for fulfilling the mitzvah of matzah at the seder: wheat, barley, rye, oats and spelt.

In U.S., the majority of matzot sold are made from wheat, though I have seen matzot made from oats and spelt. I gather that there are barley and rye matzot, though I haven't seen them in any markets.

Is there an order of preference of which grain to use for Seder matzot?

Also, may one use multigrain matzot? If, say, wheat is the 1st preference, does one fulfill this requirement with the majority being wheat, or does it need to be 100% wheat?

Note: I am referring to what I gather is the "current" translation / application of these 5 grains. I am aware that there are various interpretations of שועל and some of the other terms. Please do not delve into this unless it influences the answer.


texts: Where can I find cholov yisrael evaporated milk, not powdered milk nor condensed, in the central NJ area? I have been unable to locate any.


texts: What is the platform on the side of Me'arat Hamachpela?

texts:
When I recently visited Me'arat Hamachpela ("Cave of the Patriarchs) in Hevron, I noticed that there was a ramp leading to a platform facing the outside wall of the building. A few people were praying there.

What is this about?


texts: Is there a rule for Rashi's French transliterations (Laaz)?

texts:
Rashi frequently uses French words in his explanation to Chumash or the Gemara. However, he doesn't write it in the original language, but he writes it in a "transliteration" of French in Hebrew lettering.

Are there any rules to "transliterate" it back to French?


texts: How do people with overwhelming financial difficulties convert?

texts: I have a sincere desire to convert Orthodox with my family and don't have the financial means to do so. My main question is how do people in these circumstances handle all the extra duties that are required, especially if the distance to a Shul is too great and moving is impossible. Are there steps they can take to begin the conversion or is that basically not an option?


texts:
Is "Gemilus Chasadim", Doing favors for others, (other than lending money), a
  מצוה חיובית מן התורה  - a mandatory Mitzvah of the Torah, or is it a Mitzvah Kiyumis, If one does it he is rewarded, but it is not mandatory?

common examples:

If one is driving somewhere by car, and he knows of someone else who needs to travel to the same place, is he obligated to offer the other person to join him in his car, (If it would not require any extra expense or time)?

If one is traveling abroad, and someone asked him to take along a package/ piece of luggage for him to the same destination, is he obligated by the Torah to take it if he can?

Even if added time and expense were involved, if it is a Mitzvah Chyuvis then why should one not have to spend money (חומש נכסיו - see Shulchan Aruch/Rema in siman 556), or time on it as with other mitzvos?

[Please address the main question first, whether doing chessed is a mandatory mitzvah, (with or without added time and expense), and not just the specific examples.]


texts: Goliath might have been from the Nephilim whom are mentioned in Bereishis 6,4 pre-flood and fought famously with Dovid. The Nephilim are also mentioned in the incident with the spies (Bamidbar 13,33) being terrified by the sight of them from afar, so we know they existed post-Flood. Were all Nephilim destroyed in the Flood and if so, how did they reappear after the Flood?


texts:
It's pretty well known that you can't fulfill a mitzvah with something that has been stolen. However, what if you buy or find something to fulfill a mitzvah that (unbeknownst to you) had been stolen by the person who sold or lost it?

For example:

Ari steals a lulav and sells it to Benyamin. On Sukkot, Benyamin takes lulav, but later learns that his lulav was stolen. Has he fulfilled his obligation that day, or must he re-take with another lulav?
Ari steals a lulav and loses it. Benyamin finds the lulav, tries to find its rightful owner, but can't. On Sukkot, Benyamin takes lulav with his found lulav, after which Ari confesses to him that he had stolen the lulav in the first place. Has Benyamin fulfilled his obligation to take lulav that day?


texts:
I just borrowed a wonderful book from the local library (let's assume Jewish library - but does it matter?). My friend sees the book and wants to read it. My library lets me keep the book for a week, so I figure "why not?"

Can I lend the book to my friend? Or is this a case of אין השואל רשאי להשאיל ("a borrower is not permitted to lend (that which he has borrowed)", Bab. Gittin 29a; )?
Would it matter if my friend happens to have membership at this very library?
Is there an עבירה (sin) being committed by going ahead and lending it anyways (assuming the answers above are no)? Or am I just responsible if something goes wrong with the book?
Would it matter if the library puts up a sign that explicitly disallows lending?


texts: Do all 10 men that form a minyan need to be "alert"?

texts:
Occasionally, I daven in a nursing home. Sometimes, they wheel in patients who aren't exactly aware of what is going on or where they are.

Does the requirement of forming a minyan require that all 10 men be awake as well as aware of where they are and what is happening at all times? Or is their physical presence sufficient?

If there are specific parts of davening where the rules differ, please state this. I'm obviously referring to those places in davening that specifically require a minyan such as Torah reading and Kaddish.


texts: Earliest Sources for Giving Maaser of Time

texts: Rav Moshe Feinstein writes in a teshuva (EH 4:26:4) that one must give a tenth of his time for others the same way one should give a tenth of his money. What are the earlier sources for such a concept?


texts: Variant on: Is it better to Daven "too early" with a Minyan, or to Daven alone at the right time?

texts:
In many communities there is a regular weekday morning Minyan and the "working-person's" Minyan, which technically Davens too early according to most opinions, but which is better than nothing, according to other opinions. But, again, many opinions hold that it is far better to Daven "at the right time" all alone than "too early" with a Minyan. This is how my Rav in Yeshivah Paskened.

In a slight twist, I'd like to ask the following:
If someone will have a slight chance of Davening alone at the proper time (Zeman), should he forgo Davening with a Minyan that definitely Davens too early? What if the odds are stacked against him that he will likely miss the Zeman anyway and have to Daven late or do Tashlumin (make-up)?


texts: What is the bracha on "cookies and cream" flavor ice cream?

texts:
I saw here that Rav Belsky holds the following:

  One of the flavors of Klein's parve ice cream is "Cookies and Cream" which contains cookie crumbs or bits which are sprinkled through areas of vanilla frozen dessert. The appropriate brocha rishona on this product is shehakol, but it is k'dai [worthwhile] to make a borei minei mezonos on another product and have in mind at that time to be motzi the cookie part of the ice cream as well.

Why is the appropriate bracha rishona shehakol? I thought that mezonos was not batel in a mixture because it is always chashuv (see Mishneh Berurah 212:1 or Aruch HaShulchan 212:1)? What is the logic behind Rav Belsky's ruling?


texts: Why are angelic icons not prominent in Judaism?

texts: I learned that the song Shalom Aleichem is all about welcoming the Shabbat angels, and clearly angels are celebrated in Judaism.  However I've noticed that images of angels are not very widespread in Judaism (at least compared to my impressions of their scope in Christianity). Can someone explain why?


texts: About giving up one's Life for G-D and Minhag

texts:
My question is concerning the times when Jews are - G-D forbid - being persecuted religiously and they can't transgress or stop performing mitzvot to the extent of  not changing Minhag.

Does this mean that if my personal Minhag on Pesach is to refrain from eating kitniot (although my Sephardic neighbors do eat it) that I would have to give up my life rather than break my Minhag of not eating that on Pesach?

Or is it just talking about general Jewish vs non-Jewish customs?


texts: How can the Rambam's Eighth Principle of Jewish Faith be believed in light of Hazal?

texts:
The Rambam's eighth Principle of Jewish Faith states that the entire Torah in our possession - every verse - was dictated to Mosheh Rabbenu and that it has not changed.

However, we have explicit passages in Hazal that tell us that the Torah had to be critically reconstructed from a multiplicity of scrolls, each with slightly different wording in certain passages (cf. y.Ta`anith 4:2) and that these were apparently used by Ezra HaSofer in his reconstruction (cf. Avoth De-Rabi Nathan 30b).

Additionally, we have an explicit text in the Gemara that says that the Amoraim were not experts in defective and plenary spellings in the words of the Torah (cf. b.Qidhushin 30a).

And in the Rambam's own day there were multiple versions of the Torah (differing only in a very few, slight ways), including the mesorah of Yemen which differs from Ashkenazi and Sefaradi mesorah in five places!

Not to mention the accurate placement of petuhoth and setumoth, which has enough halakhic weight to pasul a sefer Torah if made incorrectly.

My question is:

Surely the Rambam knew these passages from Hazal and the facts on the ground, so how could he write such a seemingly dogmatic statement regarding the Torah "in our possession"? Are we missing something? Was he?

NOTE: I am aware of the simplistic and non-Maimonidean wording of the popular "Ani Ma'amin" on this principle of faith and I reject it as not accurately representing the intent of the Rambam in his fuller, more original wording of the eighth principle.


texts: I learned that other than praying, I can talk to G-d throughout the day, while I'm in traffic, or walking to some where ...any time. Now, since it's very hot here where I live , I prefer to be more comfortable in the house, rather than dress modest like when I go out. I know that G-d has no limit, and He made me, and He can see right through me. Yet I'm still a bit confused about whether it's appropriate or no to talk to Him when I'm not so modest in the house. Is it allowed, as long as I strengthen my connection no matter what? Or is it disrespectful since we even need to cover our head to pray? Because even though I might be bored washing the dishes, and decide in the mean time I can say a few words with Him while I'm doing, it's still praying in a way, no? Thought or speech, is still prayer, no?


texts: Was there some form of Tefilas Tal before Rabbi Eleazar Ha-Kallir?

texts:
Tefilas Tal (and Geshem) were composed by Rabbi Eleazar Ha-Kallir who lived around 570 – 640 CE.

How did the synagogue service mark the change from winter to summer and vice versa before he composed these prayers?


texts:
Anecdotally, I've eaten with people before who have recited birkat hammazon to themselves quietly and who are either record-breaking speed speakers or who are using a shortened version. I suspect the latter, but cannot ask them (for reasons that are beyond the scope of this question) what it is that they said. I would just like to know how widespread is the custom of abbreviating the birkat hammazon and if it's permissible to do so under any circumstances.

This question asks for an online copy of the abbreviated text, and the PDF that Dov shared by way of an answer gives one particular version of it. I am assuming, from the author's prefacing his version by saying that he established it himself, that there is no standardised text in this regard.


texts:
The Sages prohibited accepting payment for work done on Shabbat.

Is it permissible to accept payment for NOT doing something on Shabbos?

Example: If someone wants to pay someone not to serve a particular food, which he usually serves, at the shabbos meal, Is that permitted? (He is not paying him to serve something else instead, just not to serve that particular food).


texts: Are there any sources or any reasons why a chosson and kallah should wear Shabbos clothing during all seven days of Sheva Brachos? I've seen it commonly done in some circles. Also, since the Halacha is that the chosson can't do malacha during these days, apparently there is some special significance to these days besides making Sheva brachos.


texts: Doing something good 3 times is like a neder. Can the 3 times be even in the same day?

texts: An acquaintance told me that the 3 times must occur on 3 separate days but I cannot find a source for this, please let me know if you know of a source either way.


texts: What sources are there for learning how to spell last names in Hebrew? Especially, or halachic documents like kesubos, gittin, etc.


texts:
After reading MB OC 301:17:65 (thanks, YDK!) I am baffled by a nagging question regarding Modern Hebrew and Biblical Hebrew. Eliezer Ben-Yehudah is known to have revitalized Hebrew, in part by taking Biblical and post-Biblical (often Mishnaic and/or Rabbinic) Hebrew words, and sometimes Aramaic words, and adapting them to modern uses. But there are words that are not new to the world, and certainly could not have been new to our ancestors, which he apparently adapted from the classical sources because he could not find evidence of them there but found similar words that could be made to apply. The example I'm trying to understand is the Hebrew word for "ice".

In the Mishnah Berurah above why did the M"B need to describe ice as "water which has frozen"? Furthermore, why did he have to Hebraicize the Aramaic word for "freeze"? Is there no classical Hebrew word for "ice" or even "freeze"? According to http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0131.htm "קֶרַח" translates as "frost". According to http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/גלד the word "גלד" is Aramaic for "freeze" and Hebrew (presumably modern) for "scab". I have also seen elsewhere in my search today that "גלד" is also used in the context of congealing (I believe in Hebrew).

Is there no other classical Hebrew source for a word that translates directly as "ice"? It seems almost inconceivable that our ancestors did not have a word for this. Is it just that the word is unknown because our sources are limited to Biblical and post-Biblical writings?


texts: If a seller sent an item to a customer via the postal service, the postal service claims to have left it at the house, and the customer claims it has not been received, who is responsible for the loss? for the shipping cost?


texts: Should females remain awake the night of Shavuos? (sources please)


texts: I'm looking for a family tree that collects all of the genealogical records of Am Yisrael in the Tanach and also shows who was in the same generation as whom (for example, if I remember correctly, there are about 17 generations between Korach and Shmuel but between Nachshon and David there are only 4, yet David and Shmuel were contemporaries). Is there such a thing available somewhere?


texts: Entering a place where Gentiles and Jews Daven together from a Siddur

texts: Would it be permitted to pray in a place where there are services that are mixed with Jews and gentiles? Meaning, a synagogue that also invites gentiles to pray with the Jews (but they all pray from a Sidur).


texts: Are there any good, modern commentaries on Sifra (Torat Kohanim)? I am specifically asking for modern commentaries - I have mediaeval commentaries (like that of the Raavad), but I want something more recent. Doesn't need to be academic; just explanatory. Can be Hebrew or English.


texts: if a woman went to mikveh after 7 days is it kosher bedieved?

texts: There is a tradition in Orthodox (not Conservative) to keep niddah like a zava- meaning 4-5 bleeding days and then 7 additional clean days. In the Torah, niddda is 7 days and then mikveh. This was the way it was until the expulsion of the Jewish people when it was felt that people would get confused with the counting for niddah. My question is if the woman went to mikveh after the 7 days, is it ok bedieved? Thanks.


texts: Having chumrahs that one's Rabbi doesn’t have

texts: I was learning with my chevruta about how one should not keep Chumrahs that one's Rabbi or community doesn’t keep. I can’t remember where I learnt it. Would anyone have a reference?


texts: What is the source of the (oft-quoted) phrase "אתיות מחכימות"

texts: The phrase "אתיות מחכימות" is often bandied about. What is the source? Is this meant to be taken literally? Does it apply to נ"ך as well as תורה? What about דברי חז"ל?


texts: Does Hashem speak Lashon Hara about Sara?

texts:
In this week's Parasha, it seems to me that Hashem speaks L'H about Sarah, regarding her laughing about having a child (Genesis.18.13).

וַיֹּ֥אמֶר ה' אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֑ם לָ֣מָּה זֶּה֩ צָחֲקָ֨ה שָׂרָ֜ה לֵאמֹ֗ר הַאַ֥ף אֻמְנָ֛ם אֵלֵ֖ד וַאֲנִ֥י זָקַֽנְתִּי׃

Then the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I in truth bear a child, old as I am?’

Did Hashem indeed speak L'H, and is this only permissible because He is God, and is this a case we shouldn't try and emulate Hashem?


texts: What different pronunciation should a Kohen give to each letter to be strict in halacha? (SA 128:33)

texts:
When Halacha says that a Kohen should distinguish between all the Hebrew letters in Siman 128 Seif 33 from where it says "similar examples":

  מי שאינו יודע לחתוך האותיות כגון שאומר לאלפי"ן עייני"ן ולעייני"ן
  אלפי"ן וכיוצא בזה לא ישא את כפיו:

  One who does not know how to enunciate letters, for example one who
  pronounces Alephs as Ayins or Ayins as Alephs, or similar examples,
  should not perform the priestly blessing.

What pronunciation should the Kohen give to each letter, if he wants to be strict in Halacha?

Would historical accuracy matter even though it is not mentioned in the text. However it is impossible to even know what was the historical pronunciation and so he should just stay with his traditions' way of pronouncing?

Or would textualism matter and thus as long as the Kohen distinguishes between the letters even though historical accuracy is disregarded because either way it is impossible to be 100% sure what was the historical pronunciation? If so would would be the most appropriate way for the Kohen to distinguish if there is such thing for being appropriate? Would it be by adopting the Yemenite or Baghdad system or some other way?


texts: How is the law in a case of multiple edim zomemim justified by Chachomim?

texts:
Mishna Makkos 1 (5) describes the case of witness who are zomemim.

The mishna according to Chachomim (with whom the halacha goes) says

  If others [i.e. another pair of witnesses] come and are proven [a
  prior pair] to be zomemin, and [still] others come and prove them to
  be zomemin, even [if this occurs] one hundred [times], all of them are
  executed.

This means that Set 1 are shown to not have been present when the murder took place because Set 2 says that Set 1 were with them somewhere else. Set 1 are put to death.

Later Set 3 accuse Set 2 of not being present with Set 1 because they were present  with them somewhere else. So Set 2 are  are put to death.

Now we look back and see that Set 1 were put to death wrongly.

Rabbi Yehudah would only put to death Set 1 because (Bartenura) he holds that after the first group is categorised as zomemim, the testimony of a second group that comes is no longer accepted, and if [a second group does in fact] testify and is categorised as zomemim, they are not killed.

How can Chachomim justify that Set 1 were put to death wrongly?


texts:
If two parties write a contract with two clauses A and B, such that if the conditions of the first clause A, are not fulfilled then the contract defaults to the second clause B, and both parties have the intention at the time of signing that the conditions in clause A will not be fulfilled and / or write clause A so that it's impossible or nearly impossible to fulfill it's conditions, is clause A a valid part of the contract, or is clause B effectively the whole contract?

The assumption is that it is clear to everyone, including witnesses to the signing, that clause A is meant to be symbolic only, such that if either side were to try and fulfill the conditions in clause A the other side would fight against it's enforcement in Beit Din and try to prove it either invalid or unenforceable.

Edit

I just realized that this is an example of the logical construct known as empty truth or vacuous truth.

The heter iska agreement is one example of such a construct in halacha, and I don't understand why this is acceptable as it seems to contradict the idea of Torat Emet as I understand it in it's p'shat meaning ( which may be incomplete I admit ).

I could for example say:

  If I am a chicken, then this pig is a cow.

Both are logically equivalent, yet no one would accept this statement as valid even though it is logically true.

Specifically, people assume that the logical truthfulness of the overall statement implies that "this pig is a cow" is truthful, which is clearly ( and logically ) not the case.  The known truthfulness of "If P Then Q" implies nothing about the truthfulness of Q.

So when I say:

  If ( some impossible condition ) Then ( the money I pay you is profit and not interest )

It seems that the above is what is happening, i.e. that people assume that the overall logical truthfulness of the statement necessarily implies that the second part of the structure is true, which is not the case.


texts: The gemoro and shulchan aruch has much to say about 'vestos', way to find out in advance when one will be a niddah, which rarely work today. There are modern methods which do work: does one have to use them? Especially since the 'old' ones don't work anymore.


texts: What does the Rambam mean by "velo yishtomem"?

texts:
The Rambam uses an unusual word in Hilchos Yesodei Hatorah 5:11: ולא ישתומם, which is translated on Sefaria as "and does not act so ridiculously".
I am not criticizing this translation, rather I am asking on what basis it was made, and are there alternative interpretations?

וְיֵשׁ דְּבָרִים אֲחֵרִים שֶׁהֵן בִּכְלַל חִלּוּל הַשֵּׁם. וְהוּא שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה אוֹתָם אָדָם גָּדוֹל בַּתּוֹרָה וּמְפֻרְסָם בַּחֲסִידוּת דְּבָרִים שֶׁהַבְּרִיּוֹת מְרַנְּנִים אַחֲרָיו בִּשְׁבִילָם. וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינָן עֲבֵרוֹת הֲרֵי זֶה חִלֵּל אֶת הַשֵּׁם כְּגוֹן שֶׁלָּקַח וְאֵינוֹ נוֹתֵן דְּמֵי הַמִּקָּח לְאַלְתַּר. וְהוּא שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ וְנִמְצְאוּ הַמּוֹכְרִים תּוֹבְעִין וְהוּא מַקִּיפָן. אוֹ שֶׁיַּרְבֶּה בִּשְׂחוֹק אוֹ בַּאֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה אֵצֶל עַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ וּבֵינֵיהֶן. אוֹ שֶׁדִּבּוּרוֹ עִם הַבְּרִיּוֹת אֵינוֹ בְּנַחַת וְאֵינוֹ מְקַבְּלָן בְּסֵבֶר פָּנִים יָפוֹת אֶלָּא בַּעַל קְטָטָה וְכַעַס. וְכַיּוֹצֵא בַּדְּבָרִים הָאֵלּוּ הַכּל לְפִי גָּדְלוֹ שֶׁל חָכָם צָרִיךְ שֶׁיְּדַקְדֵּק עַל עַצְמוֹ וְיַעֲשֶׂה לִפְנִים מִשּׁוּרַת הַדִּין. וְכֵן אִם דִּקְדֵּק הֶחָכָם עַל עַצְמוֹ וְהָיָה דִּבּוּרוֹ בְּנַחַת עִם הַבְּרִיּוֹת וְדַעְתּוֹ מְעֹרֶבֶת עִמָּהֶם וּמְקַבְּלָם בְּסֵבֶר פָּנִים יָפוֹת וְנֶעֱלָב מֵהֶם וְאֵינוֹ עוֹלְבָם. מְכַבֵּד לָהֶן וַאֲפִלּוּ לַמְקִלִּין לוֹ. וְנוֹשֵׂא וְנוֹתֵן בֶּאֱמוּנָה. וְלֹא יַרְבֶּה בַּאֲרִיחוּת עַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ וִישִׁיבָתָן. וְלֹא יֵרָאֶה תָּמִיד אֶלָּא עוֹסֵק בַּתּוֹרָה עָטוּף בְּצִיצִית מֻכְתָּר בִּתְפִלִּין וְעוֹשֶׂה בְּכָל מַעֲשָׂיו לִפְנִים מִשּׁוּרַת הַדִּין. וְהוּא שֶׁלֹּא יִתְרַחֵק הַרְבֵּה וְלֹא יִשְׁתּוֹמֵם. עַד שֶׁיִּמָּצְאוּ הַכּל מְקַלְּסִין אוֹתוֹ וְאוֹהֲבִים אוֹתוֹ וּמִתְאַוִּים לְמַעֲשָׂיו. הֲרֵי זֶה קִדֵּשׁ אֶת ה' וְעָלָיו הַכָּתוּב אוֹמֵר (ישעיה מט ג) "וַיֹּאמֶר לִי עַבְדִּי אָתָּה יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר בְּךָ אֶתְפָּאָר":
There are other things included in blasphemy, although they are not of themselves either among the mandatory or prohibitive commandments, as for example, when a great man, famed for his learning and piety, will do something that the public will suspect him on account thereof, even though such deeds be not transgressions, yet he has committed blasphemy, as for example: if he makes a purchase and does not pay for it at once,10 although he has the money and the vendors are claiming it and he delays them; or if he indulges in frivolity, or doth eat and drink with and among the ignorant,11 or if his speech with his fellow men be not polite, or if he does not receive them pleasantly, but acts as one looking for strife and shows anger. In such and like matters, all measured by the standard of the greatness of such scholar, he must take particular care, and act exceedingly better than the law requires. Conversely, if the scholar restrains himself, speaks politely to his fellow men, and when among them acts like one of them, and receives them pleasantly, takes abuse from them but never gives abuse to them in return, respects them, even those who do not respect him, acts in business honestly, does not remain in company with the unlearned, nor visits their assemblies, and is rarely seen otherwise than to be engaged in the study of the Torah, wrapt in the prayer-garment and adorned with phylacteries, and performs his duties exceedingly more than the law requires, provided he does not go to extremes and does not act so ridiculously, so that all praise him and love him and crave to imitate his actions, behold he doth sanctify the Lord, and concerning him, the verse speaks, saying: "And He said unto me, thou art my servant, Israel, in whom I am glorified." (Is. 49.3).


texts: Who were some of the "sages" referred to in the Mishnah?

texts: When the Mishnah uses the term חכמים אומרים, as in the first Mishnah in Tractate Brachot, approximately how many comprised this group? Who were in this group of people? (doesn't need to be a complete list, but some of the main people.)


texts: Halachic significance of the plurality of Jews living in Israel

texts:
I once heard that if Israel has the largest Jewish population, it has a significant effect on certain Halachot.

What are the criteria for this, and what halachot are affected? (Shmita is the one most cited)

According to JewishVirtualLibrary, that seems to now be the case, or is it? (links hidden in the word 'JewishVirtualLibrary')


texts: Ḥaser form of writing "Jerusalem" in the Bible

texts:
It seems that Jerusalem is always written "ḥaser" (defective) in the Bible: that is, as ירושלם, without the י/yud, as opposed "malei" (full), as ירושלים. See, for example, Isaiah 62:6. This presents a problem when vowelizing texts, since a printer would need to figure out where to place the chiriq (the "eee" vowel). Some editions try to stuff both the chiriq and the patach or qamatz from the preceding letter under the ל/lamed. Others might try to put it under the ם/final mem (e.g. http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=43492&st=&pgnum=41).

What is the reason for Jerusalem always being written ḥaser? Is there a standard Unicode-friendly way for typing it ḥaser with vowels? (See the problem here: http://mechon-mamre.org/c/ct/c1062.htm) Are there any other such words where there is no room for putting all the vowels (not otherwise in a qeri/ksiv)? Is it even technically correct to call it "ḥaser"?

By the way, the only "malei" form of Jerusalem I could find is in 1 Chronicles 3:5. Are there any others?


texts: What beracha do sefardim make on pizza? Does the amount of slices eaten make a difference?


texts: What happened to the Jewish practice of using burial caves?

texts:
A three-part question about funerary practices.

In ancient times, Jews used to bury people for a year or two, then, after the body decomposed, collect their bones and put them in a family cave.  In antiquity, the bones were all placed together, but later on, the bones were collected into ossuaries and the box was put in the cave.

Why did this practice stop?
When did this practice stop?
What limitations (halachic and otherwise) are there on reinstating this practice?


texts: Can one sleep in a room with a tefillin bag/tefillin in the room?

texts:
Can a person sleep in a room with their tefillin bag? Does it matter that the tefillin is in the tefillin bag?
Also, if the answer is no, what can one do on Friday night, if one finds out that inadvertently, they left their tefillin bag on the desk in their room? Is the bag a basis for a davar ha'asur and therefore not be able to be moved. We don't really need gufo or mekomo (we would hypothetically need to get rid of it).
Any sources would be helpful.


texts: Is there a comprehensive list of what all the Halacha L'Moshe M'Sinai are?

texts:
Tefillin have to be black
Lavud (two things are within less than three tefachim of each other, they are considered to be touching, and therefore contiguous)
all the types of shiurim (measurements)
orlah outside of Eretz Yisrael

... are just some of the many Halacha L'Moshe M'Sinai

Does a comprehensive list of what all the Halacha L'Moshe M'Sinai are exist?


texts: Do ceramic salt and pepper shakers need to be immersed in a Mikvah before use?

texts: Considering that salt and pepper shakers aren't used to eat food with directly, nor are they used to make food, do they have to be immersed in a Mikvah before using if they are ceramic?


texts: Does cooking kitniyot in a pot render it non-kosher-for-Passover for Ashkenazic Jews? If so, why?

texts:
I've heard of cases where a Sephardic family, for whom rice is totally kosher for Passover (assuming it's checked and contains no additives etc.), cooked rice in a pot. The next day, they invite their Ashkenazic neighbors over and cook completely kitniyot-free, but their Ashkenazic neighbors say it's a problem as even potatoes cooked in that "kitniyot" pot is a problem.

Am I getting this correct so far?

If so, is there any halachic basis to this, or is it "just one of those Passover customs"?

This should, in theory, be far better than a case of a non-kosher pot; by some quick back-of-envelope math, for any normal pot I can think of, the ratio of volume-of-the-pot-material-itself against volume-contained-within-the-pot should be far less than 50%.


texts: Can it hurt to include Nekudos (vowel marks) when typing Hebrew? Do all systems that support Hebrew lettering automatically support Nekudos? If not, do they at least degrade gracefully?


texts: How do the Israeli Ultra-Yeshivish and Briskers pronounce resh and cholam when they daven and during Torah readings?

texts: I just want to get confirmation if both groups pronounce resh as a velar fricative, uvular fricative, or uvular trill. Also if they pronounce cholam as "oi" for all Hebrew words when they daven and during torah readings? I have read of different opinions and vague references but no direct confirmation.


texts: What if two communities had two different Shabbat days?

texts: Imagine this: One community, A, keeps Shabbat on what we identify as Saturday. However, another community, B, for whatever reason, actually keeps Shabbat on what we identify as Sunday. These two different communities are keeping Shabbat in accordance with their mesora, but we obviously know one of the two communities must have failed in keeping track with the weekly calendar for whatever reason (let's just say a typhoon). What would be the halachic response for this discrepancy?


texts:
Where are there discussions about Torah commands that nobody is known to have broken? These discussions can come anywhere, from the Talmud to the Midrashim.

One example I heard is from Devarim 21:18-21, about a wayward son continues sinning after warning and is found guilty, he is stoned to death by the elders כִּי-יִהְיֶה לְאִישׁ, בֵּן סוֹרֵר וּמוֹרֶה--אֵינֶנּוּ שֹׁמֵעַ, בְּקוֹל אָבִיו וּבְקוֹל אִמּוֹ; וְיִסְּרוּ אֹתוֹ,  ...וּ֠רְגָמֻהוּ כָּל־אַנְשֵׁ֨י עִיר֤וֹ בָֽאֲבָנִים֙ וָמֵ֔ת

If I heard a rabbi's discourse correctly, no son was ever found guilty of this command, really? That is, the presence of this command alone was enough to scare any son to stay away from breaking this command; whether this rabbi was correct or not (it does not matter, for the sake of this posting), where is there a list of Torah commands (that were discussed by the sages), where there is no record that anybody broke such command, or that nobody was ever convicted or sentenced despite committing the sin because of the Halachic  intricacies of that Commandment?


texts:
How do you remove the odor from inside a shofar?

I have already tried hydrogen peroxide.


texts: May one propose with an engagement ring?

texts: Are there any Halachic issues with giving a girl a ring while asking her to marry him? Are there any sources that discuss the sha'alah of safek Kiddushin, etc?


texts: Where can I find the Zohar in french or english?

texts: Where can I find it in french it english? It may be a paper or e-book, or a blog, I don't really care. I am just looking for an accurate translation (besides the Sonccino one that I already know).


texts: Deformed Malachim through Mispronunciation of Words in Tefilah

texts:
There is a common saying that whenever one mispronounces a word in tefila, a deformed malach is created that will testify against him in Beis Din shel Mala.  Does anyone have source for this?
The only thing I could find was "R’ Pinchas said: “Through prayer we re-create the angel MeTaT every day anew. Therefore, one must be very careful not to skip a single word from the prayer, and every word must be said slowly and with concentration. And if, Heaven forbid, a person swallows the words and skips, he has created a demon … he has created a kind of angel without hands or feet, and then his body hurts him and he experiences all kinds of suffering, because that crippled angel that he created pursues him. … the letters of the prayer are chambers that are very far from one another, which is why it is so very difficult to pray. Because, really, a person is very far from true prayer. … Therefore, there is no need to look forward to any other experience of vitality than to just say the words slowly, even in a dry way, until eventually he will slowly warm up and feel more enthusiastic. (Therefore, someone who comes in the middle of the prayer has already lost out on so much, because the rest of the minyan started an hour earlier and has already managed to warm up. By the time the group gets to Baruch She’amar, they already can say it with some vitality and enthusiasm, and he has lost out on this)”
REBBE PINCHAS SHAPIRA OF KORETZ (1726-1791)"


texts:
I have put up my mezuzot with double-sided tape, but when I took them off to check the scrolls either the paint came off with it or it left a sticky mess behind.

Is there a better way to put up a mezuzah which allows it to be removed without damaging itself or the doorpost?


texts: What is the role of a shofet (as in the book of Shoftim)?

texts:
In the book of Shoftim (Judges) we are introduced to a the role of a shofet ("judge"). At first glance, it's a very vague role.

Hashem uses judges to prevent the Jews from sinning. But not much else is explained.

Is a Shofet similar to a prophet, a gadol hador, or is it to be taken literally as a "Judge" like an av bet din?


texts:
The Gemara (Shabbos 133b) brings down the mitzvah of emulating Hashem (derived from Shemos 15:2). Just as He is merciful, so should you be, for instance (mah hu rachum af atah rachum).

Sotah 14a expands this with the statement that just as HaShem visits the sick (Bereishis 18:1), so should you, based on this mitzvah (this time based on Devarim 13:5). It's not just to emulate His middos, but His actions as well.

This leads to contradictions, though. For instance, HaShem kills those deserving of death who can't be prosecuted in court (see, for instance, Rashi to Shemos 32:35). Does this mean that if someone's guilty bidei shamayim we can kill him ourselves? Of course not. Only a Rodef, a Mored b'Malchus, and one sentenced to death by Beis Din are able to be killed. What happened to mah hu af atah?

"I wage wars," HaShem declares, as the passuk says (Shemos 15:3), "HaShem is a Man of war" (Avodah Zara 2b). Should we try to fight everyone? No. HaShem told us to seek out peace from whomever we can in most situations.

Obviously there is a line here. But how do we know where to draw the line?


texts: Is someone killed by force called Kiddush Hashem?

texts: Is someone who was killed for being Jewish without having been given a choice to save himself by transgressing the Torah, called a kodosh?


texts: Can something be kashered by putting it in a cold pot then bringing it to a boil?

texts:
Normally the way a spoon would be kashered (in most circumstances) is taking a pot of boiling water, then dropping the spoon in.

Instead, could I put a spoon in a pot of cold water, then bring the whole thing to a boil?


texts: Why may one not make a business out of hunting wild animals?

texts:
Sheviis 7:4:

  צָדֵי חַיָּה עוֹפוֹת וְדָגִים שֶׁנִּזְדַּמְּנוּ לָהֶם מִינִים טְמֵאִין, מֻתָּרִים לְמָכְרָן. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, אַף מִי שֶׁנִּתְמַנָּה לוֹ לְפִי דַרְכּוֹ, לוֹקֵחַ וּמוֹכֵר, וּבִלְבַד שֶׁלֹּא תְהֵא אֻמָּנוּתוֹ בְכָךְ. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹסְרִין:

  Hunters of wild animals, birds, and fish who happened across a non-kosher animal may sell them. R’ Yehudah says, even one who came across one on his way may take it and sell it, provides that this is not his business. And the Chachamim prohibit [this latter case of R’ Yehudah].

Explains the Bartenura (on the Tanna Kamma):

  דהא כתיב גבי נבלה (דברים יד) או מכור לנכרי הא לא אסרה תורה אלא לקיימן לעשות בהן סחורה אבל בנזדמן מותר:

  The passuk says regarding carcasses (Devarim 14): “Or to sell them to a non-Jew.” The Torah only forbade keeping them to do business with them, but happening upon them is permitted.

What is the reason behind this derasha? Is there a reason that one may not sell non-kosher animals beyond a gezeiras hakasuv?


texts: Does anyone hold that בֵּית לָחֶם is also a person's name?

texts:
In Divrei Hayamim I 4:4 Hur is listed as the father of בֵּית לָחֶם.

  אֵלֶּה בְנֵי-חוּר בְּכוֹר אֶפְרָתָה, אֲבִי בֵּית לָחֶם

The commentaries I have seen read this as he fathered people who lived in בֵּית לָחֶם. However that doesn't seem to be the plain meaning of the pasuk.

Furthermore in Micha 5:1 the Navi speaks about בֵּית לָחֶם as if it were a person.

  וְאַתָּה בֵּית-לֶחֶם אֶפְרָתָה, צָעִיר לִהְיוֹת בְּאַלְפֵי יְהוּדָה--מִמְּךָ לִי יֵצֵא, לִהְיוֹת מוֹשֵׁל בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל; וּמוֹצָאֹתָיו מִקֶּדֶם, מִימֵי עוֹלָם

Are there any m'forshim who say that בֵּית לָחֶם is also used as the proper name of a person?


texts: I am about to graduate from university in England. One of the graduation ceremony traditions is to kneel on both knees in front of a seated master of ceremonies and place one's hands in between his in order to have the degree granted. There is also a ceremonial text which is usually the Christian "Trinitarian formula" ("in the name of the father, son and holy ghost") which I have agreed with the college to change for me to "in nomini Dei" alone. My question is, is the kneeling part also halachically problematic, and if so what would be appropriate to do? If you can provide sources that would be great - I want to understand the halachic context if possible. I am especially interested if someone else has been in a similar situation, what they did.


texts: How is drinking the golden-calf water a sotah-like test?

texts:
In Shemot 32:20 Moshe grinds up the golden calf into water and makes the people drink it.  Rashi comments on this:

  [Those who practiced idolatry both] without witnesses and without warning [died] from dropsy, for the water tested them and their stomachs swelled up (Yoma 66b).

That sounds like the same means of death as with the sotah ritual for the wife suspected of unfaithfulness, and
according to here Avodah Zara 44a makes the connection.  If I understand correctly, the g'mara says that and Rashi alludes to it.

The sotah ritual involves writing the divine name and then dissolving it into water for the woman to drink.  I don't have sources for this, but it seems key that the use of the divine name -- that is, invoking and involving the One in whom she should be in fear and awe as part of the ritual, when otherwise we would never erase the name like that -- is critical.

But the calf is just a lump of ex-jewelry.  It's not divine; it has no power at all.  Grinding it up into sotah-like water doesn't evoke the same image at all.  Why would Moshe want to invoke the so-called "power" of the calf in such a ritual?

What am I missing?  Aside from the drinking part how is this like the sotah?  Or if there are other opinions about why Moshe did this, what are those opinions?


texts: How to teach the Purim story to children?

texts:
As a parent raising a small child, I find it difficult explaining the story of Megillat Esther. Are there any methods (rabbinic precedence or otherwise) of explaining to a young child the violent elements of the story, such as Haman's drive to exterminate the Jews, the war, and Haman's hanging?

These are crucial to learning the story of Purim and yet I find it inappropriate to otherwise talk to my child about such violence.

The same problem occurs in many others places when teaching Torah to children (Dina's rape is the first that comes to mind). However, since I'm now preparing for Purim, I would be happy to hear of a proper, sensitive approach to teaching the story.


texts:
We generally consider T're Asar as one book (as is evident from Bava Basra 14:2). Are there any ways in which we officially treat it as twelve?

(Possible ways I can think of that we might are: having breaks between the twelve sections of the sort that are normally between s'farim, when in a k'laf (scroll); a rule that applies only to complete s'farim applying also to a scroll containing only one of the twelve (tum'a on hands perhaps??); a rule that applies to studying a complete sefer applying also to studying only one of the twelve (siyum b'choros perhaps??).)


texts: A Jewish boy who is the firstborn of his mother and who is born of a natural birth (no Caesarean section) needs to be redeemed. Since the redemption is to exempt him from the priestly duties, does the son of a convert (male or female) need to go through the process of pidyon haben?


texts: Why did everybody have to bring their own knife for slaughtering the Korban Pesach?

texts:
We learn in the Talmud (Pesachim 66a)

אמרו לו "רבי, שכח ולא הביא סכין מערב שבת מהו?" אמר להן "הלכה זו שמעתי ושכחתי אלא הנח להן לישראל אם אין נביאים הן בני נביאים הן"
They said to Hillel: Our teacher, if one forgot and did not bring a knife on the eve of Shabbat and cannot slaughter his Paschal lamb, what is the law?  He said to them: I once heard this Halacha from my teachers but I have forgotten it. But leave it to the Jewish people; if they are not prophets to whom God has revealed His secrets, they are the sons of prophets, (and will certainly do the right thing on their own).
למחר מי שפסחו טלה תוחבו בצמרו מי שפסחו גדי תוחבו בין קרניו ראה מעשה ונזכר הלכה ואמר "כך מקובלני מפי שמעיה ואבטליון"
The next day, (on Shabbat that was the eve of Passover), one whose Paschal offering was a lamb took the knife and stuck it in its wool; and one whose Paschal offering was a goat, which does not have wool, stuck it between its horns. Hillel saw the incident and remembered the Halacha that he had once learned and said: "This is the tradition I received from the mouths of Shemaya and Avtalyon", (meaning that this is, in fact, the proper course of action).

And this is codified by the Rambam (Hil. Korban Pesach 1:19)

שָׁכַח וְלֹא הֵבִיא סַכִּין לֹא יְבִיאֶנָּה בְּשַׁבָּת. אֶלָּא נוֹתְנָהּ בֵּין קַרְנֵי הַכֶּבֶשׂ אוֹ בְּצַמְרוֹ וּמַכִּישׁוֹ עַד שֶׁמְּבִיאוֹ לָעֲזָרָה וּמַקְדִּישׁוֹ שָׁם. וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהוּא מְחַמֵּר בְּשַׁבָּת מְחַמֵּר כִּלְאַחַר יָד הוּא וּמִפְּנֵי הַמִּצְוָה מֻתָּר.

Basically:If [Erev Pesach is on Shabbat and] a person forgets to bring his knife [to the Beit Hamikdash before Shabbat], he may not bring it on Shabbat.
Instead, he should entangle it in the animal's horns or fleece and have the animal bring it for him. This is permitted in this case since it's needed for a Mitzvah.
Why would a person need to bring a knife to the Beit Hamikdash? Didn't they have a supply of them? They slaughtered animals all the time.
Furthermore, we don't see anywhere else that you were expected to bring your own knife.
Why was one allowed, nay, expected, to bring one's own knife, even on Shabbat?
To further clarify and sharpen the question (pun intended): Somehow there was time and resources in the Mikdash to share the cups that caught the blood and send them down the line to the Mizbeach and back again to the next animal being slaughtered. During this time the knives could have been passed around also - and even checked for blemishes.
There were also enough bowls in the Mikdash that everybody could pour in the Eimurim that were eventually burnt on the Mizbeach, as well as supplying the poles (and some hooks) for everybody to skin their animals. But for some reason, everybody had to bring their own knife. Why?


texts: How can one prevent women from attending shul this Shabbat?

texts:
While I have nothing against women or their attending shul on Shabbat or at any other time of the year, this Shabbat, in particular is שבת זכר , a Shabbat designated for just men.
For some odd reason, even women who normally don't go to shul on Shabbat, make a special effort to attend shul this Shabbat to hear just 3 verses from the Torah. I can't understand why they feel it's necessary to do this, and they really shouldn't do it this Shabbat.
What's a good way to tell women that they really should not attend shul on שבת זכר and leave the men alone this week?
This question is Purim Torah and is not intended to be taken completely seriously. See the Purim Torah policy.


texts: What customs does a divorced/widowed woman follow? (Ashkenazi/Sfardi -- hers or her ex-husband's?)

texts:
When a woman gets married, she takes on her husband's customs. Thus, an Ashkenazi woman marrying a Sfardi man gets to eat rice on Pesach (and vice versa).

But what happens if she gets divorced, or if her husband dies? Does she continue to follow his customs, or does she revert to her maiden family's?

Does it make a difference if she has kids or not? (I know it does with regards to a Kohein's ex-wife or widow eating trumah.)


texts: How could boiling 3 eggs at a time help?

texts:
A lot of people have a custom of boiling 3 eggs at a time, as mentioned here, among any other places.

One reason given for this practice is that if one egg turns out to be unkosher, the remaining two kosher eggs will be a majority against the prohibited taste, and they and the pot will remain kosher.

I do not understand this reasoning. If you boiled 3 eggs and cracked one open and found a neveila chicken inside, it is totally clear to me that everything would be prohibited.  Kashrus 101: You need 60 parts kosher to nullify the 1 part unkosher!  So what good does it do to have 3 eggs?

Is this practice really justifiable by that reason or not?


texts: Davening and Krias Shema with a sore on the lip or throat

texts:
If someone has a sore on their lip or in their throat, such that it is painful to pronounce certain letters (like the letters that require putting pressure from the upper teeth onto the lower lip or the guttural letters, for example), can they mispronounce words in davening in order to not exacerbate their sore?  What about in Krias Shema?

If they are able to produce a similar sound to the painful letter, but not using the exact mouth or throat formation which is supposed to pronounce that letter, is that OK?  For example, a similar sound to a ב רפה can be produced without your teeth touching your lips.


texts: When was Kedushah introduced as part of the Amidah repetition?

texts:
My understanding is that the Amidah was recited only by the Shat'z during a period before the printing of Siddurim and, perhaps, when Hebrew proficiency was weak.

I'm assuming that because the Kedusha has Congregational responses, that this was introduced when Siddurim were more readily available and people had access to the text. But, I may be incorrect, and, perhaps, the Shat"z recited the Kedusha by himself?

When was it introduced - approximate date / era?


texts:
If you look in the Koren catalogue or Amazon.co.uk, you will notice that there is a British edition of the Koren Sacks machzorim.

I have been wondering about these editions, in my pursuit of whether I should get them or not, as an alternative to searching for reprints of the Rödelheim editions.

Do they include the traditional order of Birchot HaShachar or the modern Israeli one?
Do they include the yotzerot in their proper placement, or are they located in the back, as with the version of the Sacks available in the US?
Does the Yom Kippur version include the Selichot for the rest of the day, or just the ones for Ma'ariv and Ne'ilah?
Which version of B'fi Yisharim do they use in Shochen ad?
For those who have experience with the Rödelheim editions, how similar are they?


texts: How did Paro's daughter explain suddenly having a child?

texts:
In Shemot 2 Paro's daughter Batya takes three-month-old Moshe from the water, speculates that he is a Hebrew child, and decides to adopt him.  She then has Miriam find a wet-nurse (Yocheved) to take the child away until he's weaned; it's unclear how immediately this happens, because according to Rashi (citing Sotah 12b and Sh'mot Rabbah 1:25), they looked for an Egyptian wet-nurse first.  So Batya might have had the infant for some time or not, but in either case became his adopted mother when he was weaned probably a couple years later.

Meanwhile, Paro had this decree against Hebrew male children.

How did Batya explain having this child to her father?  We know that the child wasn't a secret from Paro because of the midrash where Moshe takes Paro's crown, the advisors suggest testing him to see if he's a usurper, and he passes the test and thus isn't killed.

I can think of a few possibilities, but couldn't find any commentaries that support any of them:

Batya spent a couple years not in close contact with her father, so that she could credibly say that the child was her own.  This means passing Moshe off as Egyptian, and also raises a question about claimed paternity.
Batya had actually been pregnant, miscarried, and made a substitution.  This too means passing Moshe off as Egyptian.
Batya admitted that the child wasn't hers but persuaded Paro to let her keep him anyway.  Maybe she passed him off as Egyptian, or passed him off as older (born before the decree), or argued that he couldn't possibly be their savior because she was going to raise him right.
Batya had enough power to simply adopt the child regardless of her father's wishes.

As I said, that's all unsupported speculation.  What actually happened, according to our tradition?


texts: Cohanim standing on carpet by Bircas Cohanim

texts:
When the Cohanim go up to "duchen" by Bircas Cohanim they take off their shoes. I've seen in some places carpets put out for the Cohanim to stand on. Why do they stand on these carpets? What is this minhag? Where does it come from? (It should be noted however that I haven't seen this in every shul or shteibel that I've davened in.)

(In Yerushalayim and other parts of Eretz Yisrael we are zoche to have Bircas Cohanim everyday so this is more common thing to see I suppose, in Chutz L'Aretz however this might not have been seen at all since Bircas Cohanim is only a few times a year.)


texts: Does anyone know of any references to Shakespeare, translations of his works, or anything related to Shakespeare in classic Rabbinic sources?


texts:
In a Ketubah, the Rabbis instituted that a man should obligate himself to pay his wife, should he chose to divorce her (or he dies). If she had never been married before, he obligates himself to pay 200 zuz. If she was previously married, he obligates himself to pay 100 zuz. (See Rambam Hilchot Ishut 10:7) [That is the minimum, he could offer more if he wants]

The Bartenura on Mishnayot Peah 8:8, says that 200 zuz is enough to support someone for one year.

If that's the reason the husband promises 200 zuz, why is he only obligated to pay 100 zuz to a widow/divorcee? Why did the Rabbis feel it was enough to support her for only half a year?

If that's not the reason, what is the reason for the discrepancy between a previously unmarried woman, and a previously married woman?


texts: Yom Yerushalayim and the seven weeks of sefira

texts:
Commentators in many places have discussed the spiritual ascent that is associated with the seven weeks of sefira, from the time an offering of barley (representing animal feed) is brought, right after we left Egypt, to when we received the Torah (when the leavened shtei halechem offering is brought).

Do any commentators discuss specific themes connected to each week of sefira specifically related to events associated with that week, e.g. with regard to this ascent toward Sinai, ? Each week does roughly seem to include/be near at least one significant day, e.g.:

Week 1: Yom Hanef (16 Nisan) from which we count; Shevii shel pesach (21 Nisan) when the sea was split; Isru Chag (22 Nisan);
Week 2: Rosh Chodesh Iyar;
Week 3: 5 Iyar when the Land of Israel was officially returned;
Week 4: 15 Iyar - Pesach Sheni - when those who were unable to bring the Pesach, received a 2nd chance;
Week 5: 18 Iyar - Lag Ba'omer - the plague killing Rabbi Akiva's talmidim stopped;
Week 6: 28 Iyar - the return of Jerusalem to the Jewish people;
Week 7: Rosh Chodesh Sivan; Ymei Hagbala.

In particular, do any recent commentators connect the return of Jerusalem to the themes of sefira and Shavuot exactly one week later?


texts:
The Talmud says that the Second Temple was destroyed because "senseless hatred" [sin'at chinam] prevailed. Yoma 9b

  אבל מקדש שני שהיו עוסקין בתורה ובמצות וגמילות חסדים מפני מה חרב מפני שהיתה בו שנאת חנם ללמדך ששקולה שנאת חנם כנגד שלש עבירות ע"ז גלוי עריות ושפיכות דמים

The use of the word "senseless" implies that there is hatred that makes sense.  What is it?

The following help, but do not fully answer the question.  Any other sources?

Rashi says “senseless hatred” is hatred of people who have not committed any action justifying the hatred. [Rashi on Shabbat 32b] And what are those actions? Talmud: You may bear ill will towards someone if you witnessed him engaging in an act forbidden by the Torah.  [Pesachim 113b].  However, you must assist him quickly, before assisting those you love [so that the ill will does not turn to hatred.] [Bava Metzia 32b].  Now, how do you know that you have reached the point of hatred? When you do not speak to your fellow for three days because of enmity. [Sanhedrin 27b]


texts:
The Rosh and the Rambam argue about whether Kiddushin is a mitzvah in its own right or if it's a preparation for the various mitzvos that can only be done when married, such as having children. The Rosh (Kesubos 1:12) holds of the latter view; the Rambam (Ishus 1:1-2) holds of the former view.

Generally speaking, Ashkenazim follow the Rosh, who himself was Ashkenazi, while the Sefardim follow the Rambam, who was also Sefardi. (This is a bit of an oversimplification, but that's the general idea: Ashkenazim follow Ashkenazi poskim, and likewise for Sefardim.) Thus, it's understandable why Ashkenazim don't make a Shehechiyanu under the chuppah, as we hold that it's not a mitzvah in its own right. But why do Sefardim only make a brachah because of the Tallis (see this article, at the end of the "Chuppah" section)? If they hold like the Rambam, they should be able to make a Shehechiyanu without having a Tallis!


texts: Locating a citation from Scholem: Midrash on tzimtzum

texts:
In his chapter on Lurianic Kabbalah in Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism, Scholem refers to a Midrashic source that Luria creatively re-reads to ground the mystical concept of tzimtzum. The bibliography tells me that the Midrash in question is the discussion of Exodus 25.10 in Exodus Rabbah. I can't search for the index of a source text on Sefaria, however, so I'm struggling to locate it. Does anyone know where exactly this verse comes up in Exodus Rabbah?
I would think it'd be pretty well known given its famous Kabbalistic re-imagining. Scholem's synopsis, for reference, is: "The Midrash occasionally refers to God as having concentrated his divine presence, in the holiest of holies, at the place of the Cherubim, as though His whole power were concentrated and contracted in a single point" (260).


texts: Is a neder about something compulsory valid?

texts:
Imagine someone make a neder not to eat pork (this is not a general Neder not to eat meat rather specifically prohibiting pork which is already forbidden). Is that neder valid?

If he then eats pork, is he also responsible for not respecting his neder or only for transgressing Halakha of not eating pig?


texts: For Your names sake, is love the essence?

texts:
The last 3 words in the first paragraph of Shmone esrei, the silent 18 blessing/prayer, aka the Amidah, are לְמַען ׁשֹמו בּאהבה if the essence of Hashem to the best of our comprehension is 'love' (mercy, kindness etc.), & the meaning of שׁם  ֹis essence, as we know a persons name represents his essence (just like the word 'shamayim' has the root word 'shaim' meaning heaven is , essence of everything in our world, since heaven is known as the place of the souls..) then what different expression of praise did the Men of the Great Assembly have in mind, we are saying there, He brings the redemption for His name sake with love but if His name sake is love then what essentialy is the diffrence between these two praises?
To clarify the question in a concise way: What is the difference between "l'ma'an Sh'emo" & "b'ahava" if Sh'mo is His essence & His essence that we know of is The Beneficent One (The One Who gives lovingly), is this not included in the word B'ahava (His love)??


texts: Why (what is the origin) are ALL the plagues in Egypt called Makkot?

texts:
In the text of Sh'mot, the 10 "plagues" to which the Egyptians were subjected are described/called different things:

Blood is called about because the water was hit (makkeh) by Moshe and Aharon (7:17)

Frogs (7:27) Hashem says "anochi nogef" I plague (approx) and later (8:8) "d'var"

Lice (8:12) v'hach et (the dust was hit)

Animals -- mashlich ot (8:17) (send a sign)

Animal plague -- (9:5) ye'aseh (do this thing)

Boils -- no separate word

Hail (9:14) Magefotai, my plagues

Locusts -- Hamavet hazeh, this death (10:17)

Darkness -- no separate word

Death of Firstborn -- nega (11:1), lingof (12:23), hikkah (12:29 and v'hikkeiti, 12:12)

So most are not referred to by any word related to Makkah.

In Devarim 28, the land of K'na'an and the Children of Israel are threatened with "makotecha, v'et makot zar'echa, makot g'dolot) (pasuk 59) and makkah (61) and 29:21 -- makkot ha'aretz.

But stuck in the midst of all this, 28:60, there is "v'heishiv et kol madveh mitzrayim" -- the text chooses not to use a word related to makkah when discussing the events in Egypt!

The word "Makkah" only appears in the 5 books to refer to the punishment of the Children of Israel in Bamidbar, 11:33, lashes in Devarim 25:3 and the suffering mentioned in 28:61 -- never in relation to the plagues.

Only in Shmu'el I, 4:8 is there any such connection, though the reference is to "b'chol makkah bamidbar" with every Makkah in the desert (Rashi wrestles with this but doesn't explain this sudden choice of "Makkah" to describe the ten events).

By the time the text is discussed in Mishna Avot 5:4 (and the Tosefta Sotah and Avot D'Rabbi Natan) the term is Eser Makkot (Eser HAmakkot doesn't appear until Pesikta Zutrata and the Siddur of R. Amram Ga'on).

How do these ten events which are never called Makkot individually, and barely as a group suddenly become known by this shorthand? Are there other sources or other discussion which calls them all "ten makkot"?


texts: How far must a publisher go to mitigate possible lashon hara?

texts:
This question is about sites that host community-contributed content, like Wikipedia, Reddit, or blogging platforms like LiveJournal communities.  Suppose somebody posts something negative about an individual on such a site, something that might or might not be lashon hara (it's not clear).  What does halacha say the overseers of the site (Wikipedia admins, etc) need to do in response if they should happen to be Jewish?  Consider several cases:

The negative content is already widely-known (been in the press, for example).
The negative content is not already widely-known or is even new.
The negative content wasn't directly posted to your site but was linked.
The negative content has been removed from the "main view" (Wikipedia article, blog front page, etc) but is still available via a specific URL.

How far does a Jew who happens to be in an administrative role have to go to prevent the spread of possible lashon hara in cases like this?  Is it enough that the information isn't directly on his site, or is there but buried, or does halacha call for him to purge it if that capability is available to him?


texts: Is there a book that lists major Jewish events that occurred on each day (Judaic calendar)?

texts:
A few months ago, I attended a shul on Shabbat that had a list of "notable" historic events that occurred on each Judaic date that was to occur in the following week. (E.g., if the week following was 7 - 14 Adar, it would list under 7 Adar - Moshe Rabbeinu's birth and death date and any other events; same for each date that week.) These events were printed on the back of the shul's weekly newsletter.

I can't imagine that the compiler scoured the web to find everything listed (each date had about 5 - 7 historic events.) Is there some book or online listing showing some historic events? I don't expect this to be a "full" list, of course, and I assume that any other would "randomly" choose what he wanted to include. I'm just looking for, say, a few sources, if they exist.


texts:
Unlike regular tea, which is from the plant Camellia sinensis, rooibos tea is derived from the plant Aspalathus linearis.  I've checked CRC and Star-K and their tea-specific articles don't mention this tea specifically.

Given the similarity in preparation, and the fact that the desired part of the plant to make this tea is the leaf:

Would it need a hechsher throughout the year?
Because it's classified as a legume, is it kitniyos, even if the part of the plant used is the leaf, and not the seeds?  Would there be concern on Pesach that parts of the seeds would be mixed in with the leaves, or are we less concerned because that might be a sofek and kitniyos is minhag?

Obviously, CYLOR, but I plan to bring the information I get here as part of my shayla.

Thank you in advance!


texts: Can a convert (ger) become a chabad shliach?

texts:
"A convert may not hold a position of Jewish communal authority." (Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Melachim 1:4)

The Tzitz Eliezer ruled that a convert may not serve in a lone communal position but he may serve on a communal committee. (Tzitz Eliezer 19:48)

My question is can a convert (ger) become a chabad shliach (emissary)? Shluchim don't seat in a Beis Din; they just try to bring Jews close to Yiddishkait.

Chabad follows the Rambam in most cases and the question is if Shluchim are included in the statement "jewish communal authority" or since they don't have absolute power, they are not included. I know that they are rabbis converts ,like the chief Rabbi of Prague,but I don't know what is the chabad policy concerning "shliach, offical emmissary" I know that there are some converts chabad rabbis , but I don't know of an official shliach


texts: Is there a problem with saying "Oh my God" or "Oh my Gosh"?

texts:
It seems to me that religious Jews do not say "Oh my God" so I'm asking if there is anything wrong with saying that?

I'd also like to know if there would be an issue to say "Oh my Gosh"?


texts: the regulatory size of a garment in way to be subject to tsitsit

texts: Is there a minimal size of a garment with four corners that makes it duty to tsitsit? Is there a one size fits all?


texts:
In the second chapter of Shemos, we're introduced to a man who marries a woman, and they have a son who has a sister.

After ten verses of narrative about this family, we're finally told the son's name - Moshe. We get introduced to his brother Aharon a few chapters later, and we don't find out the names of their parents until Chapter 6. And the sister is left unnamed until Chapter 14, where the Torah says that Miriam was Aharon's sister, so we can deduce that she was Moshe's sister as well, and thus probably the one who watched over him as a child.

The question is, why are all the names hidden? Usually, the Torah tells us people's names and genealogies as soon as they're introduced. Here they are withheld for many chapters. Why?


texts: Why was King David allowed to mourn on the floor?

texts:
I heard from my rav that one of the laws of a king is that during mourning, he is not allowed to sit on the floor. Rather he sits on a couch, so as not shame his status as the king.

If this is true, how was King David allowed to mourn on the floor as we see in Shmuel II 12:16?


texts: Is there any significance to Yosef's goblet aside from being a prop used to show Yosef's powers and frame the brothers? It seems to be mentioned a lot in the Torah throughout the parsha (especially in Bereishis 44) that it should have some sort of story behind it.


texts:
In hundreds of verses (such as Psalms 51:17 אֲ֭דֹ-נָי שְׂפָתַ֣י תִּפְתָּ֑ח וּ֝פִ֗י יַגִּ֥יד תְּהִלָּתֶֽךָ׃) God is named with the word Ado-nai seemingly referring to the same pronunciation and meaning as how we pronounce and use the four letter name Yod Kay Vav Kay.
Why then (especially as the meforshim from the Aramaic on down, when quoting the verse, use H' which symbolizes the name of God) would the text use the word and not the 4 letters? Does the use of the letters A-d-n-y mean something different which would explain its use instead of the 4 letter name which is pronounced the same way?


texts:
In Bamidbar Rabbah 10:5 it says that Shimshon's mother was called Hatzlelponi:

"אִמֵּיהּ דְּשִׁמְשׁוֹן הַצְלֶלְפּוֹנִי שְׁמָהּ, וְהִיא מְיֻחֶסֶת עַל שֵׁבֶט יְהוּדָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברי הימים א ד, ג): וְשֵׁם אֲחוֹתָם הַצְלֶלְפּוֹנִי."

Translation: The mother of Shimshon, her name is Hatzlelponi, and her lineage traces to the Tribe of Yehudah, as it says (Chronicles 1:4:3): "and the name of their sister was Hazlelponi".
However, in the gemara in Bava Batra 91a it says that her name was Tzelelponit:

"The mother of Samson was named Tzelelponit".

The midrash in Bamidbar Rabbah bases itself on the name used in the Tanach. Why then, did the gemara use a different name (albeit only slightly different)?


texts: We pray for mashiah to come. After mashiah has arrived, are those prayers eliminated or changed? Also, will Halacha itself be changed or eliminated?


texts: After-bracha on <kezayis of motzi, plus other food

texts:
If someone ate some motzi with other food as a snack (let's say half a filled pita pocket), what, if any, after-bracha should he make?

Assume he ate a kezayis of the other food in 4 minutes, but not a kezayis of bread.

CONSIDERATIONS:

I was told by someone that [at least] in the Shabbos meal, you can fulfill your obligation to eat a shiur of bread using other food in the meal. But I'm not sure if this would bear on the obligation to bentch, too.
I read in one source that one doesn't make any after-brocha if one eats less than a kezayis of bread. However, it says here that

  if one eats a k’zayis of any other food {i.e., than bread} a brocha acharona must be
  recited.5

Does this imply we should then make the after-brocha--for example, borei nefashos--on the other food?


texts: PTIJ - Please resolve apparent conflict on what was supposed to be thrown for the plaugue of boils

texts:
There appears to be a conflict between what G-d says should be thrown skyward for the plague of boils (שחין) and what was actually done.
In Shemot 9:8, when G-d is saying what should occur, it says:

וזרקו משה השמימה לעיני פרעה
They shall throw Moses towards the sky before Pharaoh's eyes

But, when Moses appears before Pharaoh, Shemot 9:10 it says:

ויקחו את פיח הכבשו ויעמדו לפני פרעה ויזרק אתו משה השמימה...
They took the oven soot, stood before Pharaoh. They threw him
skywards...

I assume that the word "him" in the above verse refers to Pharaoh, and they (Moses and Aharon) threw him skyward.
I'm puzzled here. Why does G-d command that Moses should be thrown skyward, but when they actually do it, Moses disobeys G-d's command and throws Pharaoh, instead?

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


texts: Why don't boys and girls socialise in the 'frum' world?

texts:
Why in Chareidi circles do boys and girls after the age of Bar/Bat Mitzvah not socialise at all? Any mingling is unheard of, why is this?

Does this have a source in Halacha or is it just a 'chumra'-stringency- that Orthodoxy has accepted upon itself as a 'geder' (fence)?


texts: How is a Chabad-Lubavitch synagogue typically owned/governed/directed?

texts:
I'm used to an Orthodox Union-type synagogue that has a board, a president, and a rabbi as an employee.

How does it work with a Lubavitch shul?


texts: "Karka Einah Nigzeles" (land can't be stolen) - really?

texts:
Borrowing is just renting without paying for it. Since you can rent land, you should be able to borrow it.

If you can borrow something, you can borrow it without permission.

Borrowing without permission, we pasken (Rambam Gezeilah 3:15, CM 188:2, 359:5), is like a gazlan. Thus, one is able to steal land.

Yet we also say that land can't be stolen (Sukkah 31a).

So which is it? The Gemara in Sukkah seems to come out according to all opinions; it doesn't seem likely that it only goes according to the one who holds that a borrower without permission is an ordinary borrower (see BB 88a).


texts: How to vowelize "כתובה" ("marriage document")?

texts:
The promissory note a husband gives his wife when they wed is called a כתובה.

In my experience, people usually pronounce/vowelize this word "כְּתֻבָּה / k'suba". Such a form (mishkal) exists in Hebrew: for example, "גְּדֻלָּה / g'dula". And don't let the presence of a ו (vav) in the usual spelling ("כתובה") throw you: such additions are common. (Consider, again, "גדולה / g'dula".)

But I've long suspected that the correct pronunciation/vowelization of "כתובה" is "כְּתוּבָה / k'suva". This is with very little basis — specifically, the form of "גְּדֻלָּה" seems to me rather rare, so positing it doesn't show up here seems somewhat sensible, and the meaning of "כְּתוּבָה" is "written", which also makes some sense. I wonder, though, whether it's true.

Thus, is there any evidence (besides "everyone says it thus") for any pronunciation/vowelization of "כתובה"?


texts: At what point do we need to be concerned that wheat (or any of the 5 grains) becomes chametz?

texts:
I am not that familiar with the science of fermentation as it applies to chimutz. My understanding is that we have a concern that if the wheat becomes wet, it starts to be chamet after a certain period of time - I gather 18 minutes?

So, my question, here, is at what point do we need to be concerned about the wheat becoming wet? After all, it rains on the wheat. Farmers use irrigation methods. So the wheat is getting wet. I gather that there is no concern of chimutz while the wheat is still attached to the ground, otherwise, we'd never be able to use it on Pesach.

So, at what point do we have to be concerned - immediately after it's cut? At the point that it's cleaned and the kernels are separated from the chaff? At the point that it's ground into flour?


texts: What should a woman who can only do Chalitza do if her Yevam can't do it?

texts:
In some cases of Zikas Yibum, there is a Rabbinic prohibition against their doing Yibum (eg. the deceased husband's brother is a Mamzer, cf. Shulchan Aruch Even Haezer 174) and as such they must perform Chalitza.

What if in such a case all the brothers could not perform Chalitza for practical reasons (eg. none of them have legs, cf. Shulchan Aruch Even Haezer 169).
Could the brother who's a mamzer do Yibbum (according to sefardim  who allow Yibbum and even according to Ashkenazim as there is no option of chalitza) or would she be left an aguna?


texts:
I heard someone mention that the Medrash teaches us, “[If] You are My witnesses... and I am G-d,” but, “If you are not My witnesses... I am not G-d.”

Do you know where this Medrash is from?


texts:
The is a widespread wedding custom to sing a short benediction, מי אדיר, when the groom arrives under the canopy, and to sing מי בן שיח, for the bride as she arrives and walks around the groom.

The Kitzur Shulkhan Arukh mentions singing according to the custom of the place, and I understand why it would be fitting to sing such things in particular at the ceremony, but where do these passages come from?


texts:
What halachic concern(s) are there with items which are 100% non chametz and do not contain chametz (e.g. olive oil - or for that matter avocado, cottonseed and whatever other types of oils, pure cranberry juice etc.) but do not bear a ‘Kosher for Passover’ certification?
P.S. Admittedly I’m more curious about follow up questions and gaining clarity on the whole topic. For now, a general answer will do but hopefully comments can be moved to a chat to further discussion.


texts: Ben Noach give a non-religious ben Yisrael non-kosher food?

texts: If a ben Noach invites a non-religious ben Yisrael to his home for Torah study(let's say they study the seven laws of Noach together) and the ben Yisrael gets hungry, and he's going to not eat kosher food anyways, can or should the ben Noach offer him food from his non-kosher kitchen?


texts: Can the 10 commandments be violated to save a life?

texts:
According to a book I'm reading (Judaism: Everything You Need to Know About: Jewish Religion) and various other Jews I have talked to say, you can violate the 10 commandments to save a life.

Is this true?


texts:
This year we had multiple minyanim, some of which started at the same time. They all had shofar blown outside of the building. This created the possibility that people from one minyan might hear the shofar blown from another minyan. Could these "other" sounds corrupt the intended sounds?
If the one who calls the sounds says "sh'varim" and just as the one who blows finishes the sh'varim, a blower from another minyan sounds a t'ruah, does the one who listens "hear" the combination sound even though "his" blower only intended the sh'varim?


texts:
What's the halachik classification as to why Dolphins aren't kosher?

Is it because:

Dolphins are like a fish

they live in the ocean and thus the Torah considers them a fish and they don't have fins and scales?

OR

Dolphins are like other mammals

they're a mammal and like the other kosher mammals they don't have split hooves and chew their cud?

Practical difference: (H/T Heshy)

What warning would witnesses have to give to someone who's about to eat Dolphin;
"don't eat that non-kosher fish!" or "don't eat that non-kosher animal!"


texts: How does one affect a Jew who is not connected at all?

texts: I have a friend who is halachicly Jewish, but is very far from being "connected". He doesn't care about it at all. He is not a close friend at all, just someone that I know. He lives far away. Is there anything that can be done to affect such people?


texts: Why does Boaz instruct servants to not molest Ruth?

texts:
In Ruth 2:8-9 Boaz instructs Ruth to work closely with the maidens and to not stray. He also mentions that he's instructed his servants not to molest her.

Were these servants not Jewish? Or was the spiritual level of the people that bad?

Did Boaz only care to protect Ruth or were all the maidens included?


texts:
People who participate in certain activities that are bad for society are disqualified from testifying. Also, those who've commit certain sins whose punishment is corporal, and haven't yet repented, are disqualified from testifying. Does either disqualification apply even to cases where a single witness can testify, as on the status of food as kosher or the status of someone as dead?

As always, this question is theoretical; if the issue is practical for you, consult your rabbi.


texts: The "ben neichar" who is banned from eating the Korbon Pesach

texts:
Exodus 12:43 says that a "ben neichar" would not be able to eat the Korbon Pesach (the Passover offering) when the Temple is rebuilt, placing this category of persons in the same category as non-Jews.  According to the Sefer HaMitzvot, Negative Commandment 128, explains this this mitzvah with reference to Targum Onkelos who says that a "ben neichar" is "any Jew who has converted" (Targum Onkelos, Ex. 12:43), and the Mechilta which says "[t]he phrase, 'Any ben neichar,' refers to a Jew who has converted and worshipped idolatry" (Mechilta D'Rashbi).  See also Hilchos Korban Pesach 9:7, where the Rambam explains the expression ben neichar (literally, "son of a stranger") as meaning, "one who serves a strange god."

Given the fact that Christian censors often changed or removed phrases and sentences they deemed offensive to Christians, I would not be surprised if Onkelos was more specific and applied the term to Jews who converted to Christianity in his day.  Is there any proof of this? Can we know from other sources if Christians were forbidden to register for the Korbon Pesach?


texts: Birchos HaShachar for Transgender Persons

texts:
If a person we're both transgender and religious, which of the gendered brachos would they make for birchos hashachar?

Shelo asani isha: this person was either MADE an isha or BECAME one, so making a birchas hoda'a seems inappropriate.

She'asani kirtzono: as above, they clearly do not think their birth state (how they were "made" by Hashem)  is preferable, so offering thanks would seem to be inappropriate.

Additionally, would the answer be different before surgical transition?

To explain, I am NOT asking how we define the gender of such a person - I am asking how such a person would handle making the brachos in question, since each would appear to result in either a falsehood (as they were not "made" that way) or something they would not properly be making a hoda'a on (which is apparent due to the premeditated switching of genders).


texts: How is this a proof that the Rabbis hold that one cannot continue a stopped circumcision on Shabbat (Shabbat 133b)

texts:
The gemara (Shabbat 133b) is trying to identify the Tanna of the Braita above:

  המל כל זמן שהוא עוסק במילה חוזר בין על הציצין המעכבין את המילה בין על הציצין שאין מעכבין את המילה. פירש על ציצין המעכבין את המילה חוזר על ציצין שאין מעכבין את המילה אינו חוזר

Basically, once the mohel has stopped the milah, he can go back for parts that would invalidate it, but not parts that wouldn't.

After a few ideas and rebuttals, they decide on the rabbis who argue on Rabbi Yose in the Mishnah from Menachot 99b, which explains the process of the Showbread (לחם הפנים). The rabbis there say that in order to fulfill לפני תמיד, the Kohanim putting the new bread on and the Kohanim taking the old bread off do it together, so that there is never a gap. Rabbi Yose's opinion is that it just can't be too long between taking the old off and putting the new one on.

How does this prove anything?

What is the relation between constant Showbread and going back for milah?


texts:
Someone told me that giving money towards a shul in order to enhance and beautify the physical structure of the building is a mitzvah.

Is there source for this?