texts: Why use the fire pans to cover the copper altar and not the gold one?

texts:
In parshas korach, 17:3, Elazar is commanded to take the fire pans of Korach and his followers and hammer them into "pachim" for the mizbeach.

According to Rashi, the command was to turn them into coverings for the copper altar in order to remind Israel not to attempt a repeat performance of bringing the incense inappropriately.

The outer copper altar was not used for incense, but for the animal and flour based offerings. So why put the reminder there rather than by the inner gold altar where the incense is ACTUALLY brought (and, presumably, where the warning would be needed)?


texts: There is an event the night before a Bris. It's called Vacht Nacht in Yiddish and called Zohar amongst certain Sefardim; I am aware that people of German decent have a third name for it, which I can't recall. What is the source for this event?


texts:
The word chet is "sin" and is used as such (and in related ways -- sin offering, guilt from sinning, cause others to sin etc.) over 200 times according to my Even-Shoshan. It seems to be connected to a word meaning "miss" as it is used in Shoftim 20:16. But in some cases, the first one being in Vayikra 14:49, the root belongs to a word that means "to purify." The Targum there translates it into the same Aramaic root as it would a word based in t-h-r.

When a word like "k-d-sh" is used to mean something other than "holy" there are commentators who explain both the linguistic/etymological ("separateness") and the stylistic (as a euphemism) but I was unable to find anyone in a Mikra'ot Gedolot who comments on that pasuk in Vayikra to explain why a word which means sin suddenly means "make pure."

Is there any commentary who explains the word and its use in this way?

s a side note (edit) if the word is used to mean "purify" then the Gematria of 18 makes much more sense.


texts:
Which is better, more correct, or necessary?

In references to dates on tombstones,

יום שבת קודש or יום שבת?

Thanks very much!


texts:
Why are certain cheeses not kosher and some are kosher?

From the ingredients on the label it contains no non-kosher products or ingredients in it.


texts: Onkelos's various translations of 'ivri.'

texts:
I have noticed that Onkelos switches his translation of ivri from sefer Bereishis where he exclusively translates ivri as a variation on  עבראי\עברי and throughout the rest of chumash where he uses יהודאי\יהודיתא (except for the translations regarding eved ivri for which he uses "yisroel.")

Why the difference? I ask the question with particular reference to the very contradictory vacillation between the end of sefer Bereishes and the beginning of Shemos where the use of 'ivri' in both is in the context of direct speech by an Egyptian.


texts:
On שבת to avoid cooking (בישול) when preparing hot drinks, such as tea or coffee, we pour hot water from the urn (כלי ראשון) into a second vessel (כלי שני), and from the כלי שני to the third vessel (כלי שלישי) where one can prepare the tea without worry of בישול.

According to R' Moshe Feinstein the minimum temperature for cooking (יד סולדת בו) is 110 degrees fahrenheit (but could be as high as 160 degrees https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yad_soledet_bo). Frequently, near the equator, the outside temperature can rise above the temperature of יד סולדת בו.

Assuming that the temperature of יד סולדת בו is 110 degrees, and the outside temperature is above 110 degrees, would one be required to use a כלי שני between pouring from a hot water urn to a cup to prepare a hot drink since everything outside would be at a cooking temperature?

EDIT: Assume (1) the tea leaves are already outside and cooking (roasting) and (2) איו בישול אחר בישול (there is no cooking after cooking) applies to all forms of cooking, not for different types of cooking (i.e. roasting, baking, boiling, etc...)


texts:
Recently, I saw this logo on a package of cereal:

I couldn't locate any information on the web about this kosher symbol. Is this hechsher reliable? Who is the head mashgiach?
This question is Purim Torah and is not intended to be taken completely seriously. See the Purim Torah policy.


texts: Why does a Meat Thermometer not need Tevilla?

texts:
In this answer, We were told that "according to the Star-K Tevila Guidelines, no tevila is required for a meat thermometer."

Why not?

From the Star-K's article on Tevillat Kelim:

  Utensils require tevila with a brocha when they have direct contact with food during preparation or meal time and are made from metal such as aluminum, brass, copper, gold, iron, lead, silver, steel, tin, or glass such as pyrex, duralex, and corelle.

Isn't a meat thermometer metal, and doesn't it have "direct contact with food during preparation"?

The article also mentions:

  Utensils used exclusively with raw, non-edible food, for instance cookie cutters or a metal tenderizer hammer do not need tevila.

One could argue that this would apply to a meat thermometer as well, but is a meat thermometer only used with raw, non-edible food? Isn't it also used to measure when the meat is done cooking, which would mean that the meat was in an edible state?


texts: Have the 613 commandments ever been ranked by order of importance?

texts:
Has any major commentator ever attempted to rank the 613 commandments by order of importance?  There are hints in the Sources about relative importance: The Ten Commandments, the Noahide Laws, the Big Three of pikuach nefesh, Hillel's Golden Rule, the chukkim, tzedakah [Bava Batra 9a, Ketubot 68a], and many others.

Yet the Mishna tells us not to do it: Be as scrupulous in observing a minor commandment as a major commandment, because you do not know the value of each commandment. [Avot 2:1]

Nevertheless, has anybody attempted a ranking?


texts: Amen after hearing an identical blessing

texts:
If someone makes a blessing on food, and before eating hears the same blessing from another person, does he say Amen, or is that a hefsek?

Similarly, if one finishes Baruch She'amar, and (before continuing with Pesukei Dezimra) hears the chazzan finish it, should one respond Amen, or is that a hefsek as well?


texts: PTIJ: What’s wrong with eating meat and couscous?

texts:
Chullin 37b quotes Yehezkel as saying:

לא אכלתי בשר כוס כוס מעולם
I have never eaten meat [with] couscous.

Why would he not eat this dish? What’s wrong with eating meat and couscous?

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


texts: Source for the words Nes Gadol Haya Sham

texts:
Several articles such as this one and this wikipedia article claim that the custom of the dreidel have nothing to do with Chanukah. Myjewishlearning has the following to say about the custom:

  In England and Ireland there is a game called totum or teetotum that is especially popular at Christmastime. In English, this game is first mentioned as “totum” ca. 1500-1520. The name comes from the Latin “totum,” which means “all.” By 1720, the game was called T- totum or teetotum, and by 1801 the four letters already represented four words in English: T = Take all; H = Half; P = Put down; and N = Nothing.

  Our Eastern European game of dreidel (including the letters nun, gimmel, hey, shin) is directly based on the German equivalent of the totum game: N = Nichts = nothing; G = Ganz = all; H = Halb = half; and S = Stell ein = put in....
  Thus the dreidel game represents an irony of Jewish history. In order to celebrate the holiday of Hanukkah, which celebrates our victory over cultural assimilation, we play the dreidel game, which is an excellent example of cultural assimilation! Of course, there is a world of difference between imitating non-Jewish games and worshiping idols, but the irony remains nonetheless.

Does anyone know of an early source (Rishonim or earlier) for the phrase "Nes Gadol Haya Sham?" Is it all really a "Sham" (pun intended) or is there any chance it was actually used by the Jews since the times of Chanukah? Did it exist off the dreidel? Do we refer to Chanukah as a Nes Gadol anywhere in early sources?


texts:
There are two types of commandments: chukkim and mishpatim.  Mishpatim are those for which a good reason quickly comes to mind, such as "Do not steal".  Chukkim are those for which a good reason does not come to mind, such as the red heifer.

Did commentators compile lists of the commandments they deem to be chukkim?  Or, since what sounds like a mishpat to one person could be a mysterious chok to another, none tried?


texts: Ambiguity in the Rambam: Does בְּזָדוֹן Imply Mutual Consent?

texts:
This is a follow-up to my previous question:
In the following excerpt, does the term בְּזָדוֹן imply mutual consent, or simply a unilateral decision on the part of one of the two people involved, presumably the Israelite ?

אֲבָל יִשְׂרָאֵל הַבָּא עַל הַכּוּתִית ... כֵּיוָן שֶׁבָּא עַל הַכּוּתִית בְּזָדוֹן הֲרֵי זוֹ נֶהֱרֶגֶת מִפְּנֵי שֶׁבָּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל תַּקָּלָה עַל יָדֶיהָ כִּבְהֵמָה

The term בְּזָדוֹן, in and of itself, relates to wilfulness or intent; the only question is whose, hence the ambiguity. The above-linked translation, for instance, seems to interpret it as relating primarily to the sentence's subject (יִשְׂרָאֵל).
Could someone with working knowledge of Hebrew lend me a helpful hand in hopefully solving this puzzling dilemma ?


texts:
In Shabbat 12b, G-d is called the Omnipresent several times, implying to me that G-d is present everywhere.
But then it says this:

אין מלאכי השרת מכירין בלשון ארמי שאני חולה דשכינה עמו
"Anyone who requests that his needs be met in the Aramaic language, the ministering angels do not attend to him to bring his prayers before God. ... A sick person is different. He does not need to bring his prayers before God because the Divine Presence is with him."

This implies to me that the Divine Presence is only with a sick person and not with the other people who pray. But then, how should I understand the idea of "Omnipresent"?


texts: How does a recent bar mitzva "complete the weekly portion with the community"

texts:
When a person becomes bar mitva during the year, 98% of the time the community has already read 1 or even 50 weekly portions.

Does the bar mitzva need to make up those portions?
Would it matter if the bar mitzva had previously learned these portions when he was underage?

Factors:

The law of completing the portion with the community is brought in Brachos 8a/b followed by the story of R' Bibi bar Abaye who figured on completing it on the eve of Yom Kipur. This would have been acceptable but for a technicality that he should be eating. Does, then, the completion for all previous portions apply at any point in the year as opposed to a weekly basis?

And if so, would that include all portions of the community, or only those read since he became bar mitzva?

If he does have an obligation on portions predating the bar mitzva, could he include portions that he read underage since both times the mitzva was only rabbinic, or do we make a distinction between a single rabbinic and a double rabbinic (The mitzva is rabbinic and his underage obligation to do rabbinic mitzvos is only rabbinic).


texts: Can one consume food driven by a Jew on Shabbat?

texts:
I often like to invite non-religious friends of mine for Shabbat dinner. Sometimes, a guest will bring over some food to share, usually a bottle of kosher wine. I know for a fact that these people are driving, sometimes from miles away.

I do not serve the wine when they bring it over, but I will use it after Shabbat is over.

What are the different halachic opinions on this issue? I am not looking for psak halacha, I would just like to know what the different approaches are.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Is cross-dressing permitted on Purim and if so why?

Normally cross dressing is against Halacha is it allowed on Purim?


texts: Can you use algae, water plants (e.g. water lillies), hydroponics or fungi for schach?

texts:
My understanding is that schach must be from a plant that specifically grows from the ground. If this is not so, would there be any problems using:

algae / seaweed / water lilies / swamp scum - these grow or float in
water
fungi or moss - such as mushrooms or other similar items that are not
plants but grow on the ground or the bark of trees
hydroponics -
plants grown in the air in a greenhouse


texts:
In the Torah, the word מדה means "measurement". Example:

Exodus 26:2 (Sefaria translation)

  אֹ֣רֶךְ ׀ הַיְרִיעָ֣ה הָֽאַחַ֗ת שְׁמֹנֶ֤ה וְעֶשְׂרִים֙ בָּֽאַמָּ֔ה
  וְרֹ֙חַב֙ אַרְבַּ֣ע בָּאַמָּ֔ה הַיְרִיעָ֖ה הָאֶחָ֑ת מִדָּ֥ה אַחַ֖ת
  לְכָל־הַיְרִיעֹֽת׃

  The length of each curtain shall be eight and twenty cubits, and the
  breadth of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall have one
  measure.

There are many other examples. However, I am unaware of any place in the Torah where the definition of the term is "behavior".

It seems that in the Mishnah, the word is frequently used to mean "behavior" , "temperament" or "character trait" as in:

Pirkei Avot 5:10 (Sefaria translation):

  אַרְבַּע מִדּוֹת בָּאָדָם. הָאוֹמֵר שֶׁלִּי שֶׁלִּי וְשֶׁלְּךָ
  שֶׁלָּךְ, זוֹ מִדָּה בֵינוֹנִית. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים, זוֹ מִדַּת סְדוֹם.
  שֶׁלִּי שֶׁלָּךְ וְשֶׁלְּךָ שֶׁלִּי, עַם הָאָרֶץ. שֶׁלִּי שֶׁלָּךְ
  וְשֶׁלְּךָ שֶׁלָּךְ, חָסִיד. שֶׁלִּי שֶׁלִּי וְשֶׁלְּךָ שֶׁלִּי,
  רָשָׁע:

  There are four temperaments among men: the one who says "what is mine
  is mine, and what is yours is yours" -- that's an [average]
  temperament. And there are some who say that is the temperament of
  Sodom. [A second type is one who says] "what is mine is yours, and
  what is yours is mine" -- [that's an] am ha'arets (uneducated
  person). [A third type is one who says] "what is mine is yours, and
  what is yours is yours" -- [that's a] pious person. [A final type is
  one who says] "what is yours is mine, and what is mine is mine" --
  [that's a] wicked person.

What is the connection (if any) between these two definitions, and why the change in meaning?


texts: If someone takes a roadtrip and has multiple stops (multiple days) should he recite Tefilat Haderech every time he continues to his final destination?


texts: Do I have to know what brucha I'm making before I begin saying the brucha?

texts: If I'm eating an apple, can I say "Baruch atah Hashem elokenu melech haolam" before I decide that the brucha I'm making is a Haeitz, and not Mezonot, Shahakol, or Haadamah?


texts: I have a short amount of time to find recent Halakha on Orthodox and Conservative guidance on mourning a stillbirth.  Any pointers greatly appreciated. Thank you!


texts: Source of 3 daily miracles love of occupation, place of living and wife

texts:
I heard a shiur of Gemara (I might be mistaken with the details):

The world would not be able to exist if not for Hashem causing 3 constant miracles, that man: 1 enjoys his occupation, 2 enjoys his place of living, and 3 enjoys his wife.

Where is the Gemara that says something similar to this?


texts:
Aside from the additional lines in the Sephardi version of the piyut, "Adon Olam", I have seen two different variations in the beginning lines of the prayer.

In most versions, such as in general Ashkenazi and Sephardi siddurim, I have seen the following:

  אדון עולם אשר מלך, בטרם כל יציר נברא

But in the Chabad siddur, it has:

  אדון עולם אשר מלך, בטרם כל יצור נברא

What is the reason for this difference between general siddurim and Baal HaTanya's siddur?

At first I thought the "discrepancy" happened because in many Eastern European dialects, the vowel shuruk makes an "ee" sound like the chirik. After all, the Baal HaTanya sought to correct grammatical errors (in his opinion) that had crept into the text. But when I saw the Sephardim also had "yetzir", this closed this rationalization.


texts:
Is reading the Haftarah a Minhag?

I know that the practice was instituted when we couldn't publicly read torah, and then it was kept. Does that make it a Minhag?


texts:
Except in Tehillim, Mishlei, and most of Iyov, the esnachta indicates the biggest break in a pasuk.  In the taam elyon in both Yisro and Vaetchanan, the second dibra is one pasuk, with the esnachta almost all the way at the end, before ועשה חסד לאלפים.

Why is the break there?  I would have thought it should be before כי אנכי ה' א-להיך א-ל קנא, but instead the segol, which is the second biggest break, is there.

The same is true in the case of Shabbos in Yisro - a simple understanding would put the esnachta on בשעריך, before כי ששת-ימים.  Instead, there's only a zakeif there.

Why is the break up so strange?


texts: Why was Adon Olam reduced from 16 to 10 verses?

texts: Why did Ashkenazim cut down the original Adon Olam from 16 to 10 verses?  (See original below, by Solomon ibn Gabirol, 11th century Muslim Spain.)  Sephardic siddurim still have all 16 verses, although some have only 14 or 12.  There does not seem to be anything controversial in the additional 6 verses.


texts:
Who said that little Tzfardeaim jumped out of the big one's mouth?

As far as I can tell, the gemara in Sanhedrin, as well as all of the mainstream medrashim, use a lashon of וישרצו, which, as Rashi points out in Chulin, is a lashon of leidah, the Zohar says וילודו, which is definitely a lashon of giving birth, and rashi al hatorah uses a lashon of vaýifritzu mimenah nichilim nichilim, it sprayed out from it (same lashon as the medresh Agadah (Rav Moshe haDarshan)).

I always assumed that it started with one squeamish preschool teacher saying "it came out of it", and the kids assumed that it meant from it's mouth and told that to their kids...

Is there a mekor for this? I've been looking for years.


texts:
Which well known English speaking (preferably) Rov in Jerusalem would give Semicha despite not having learnt by him/his Kollel etc? Rabbanut Semicha is a bit too bureaucratic for me.
I would say in lieu of the Semicha of Rav Zalman Nechemia Goldberg ZTL now that I am unfortunately unable to get from him.


texts: Hell or something else: גהנום/ גהנם and שאול what are these?

texts:
'Hell' as described in most dictionaries doesn't seem to be the right translation. Yet a lot of translations of the Tanakh uses this word to translate words such as Sheol and Gehinom (
גהנום/ גהנם and שאול).  What are these?

What do they mean, and what happens there? What do the scriptures teach about these concepts and what is the Jewish view regarding these?


texts: How do different scholars define "aggadah"?

texts:
It is common to conceive of Shas (Bavli and Yerushalmi) as being an admixture of halakha and aggadah, and I've no doubt that people have differed from one another on the precise delineations of each. Oftentimes, a story might get brought in the presentation of a law, or a law might be found to have influenced a detail of a story, and while there must surely be instances of aggadot entirely devoid of halakha (just as most halakhic literature is devoid of aggadah), the lines between the two genres are sometimes blurred.

What I would like to know is the extent to which people have disagreed with one another on this issue. Did the compiler of Eyn Yaakov, for example, ever differ in his understanding of what is and what is not aggadah from various of his contemporaries and predecessors? Did anybody ever codify halakha from a passage thought by others to be aggadic? Were there any famous machlokot that centred on whether a passage was meant to be read halakhically? And, of course, a thousand other questions of this nature, all of which boil down to the following:

Has anybody ever conducted an overview of different scholars and their respective approaches to the definition of aggadah?


texts: Why is the wait between meat and milk not halachically calculated?

texts:
Why don’t we use halachic hours to calculate how long you should wait in between eating meat and milk or vise verse? This would make a significant difference in different seasons like winter and summer in regards to how long one has to wait between the two.

How come today then do we calculate in regular hours and not halachic, regardless of the biology of it?


texts:
Every night, we make the Berachah of המפיל חבלי שנה על עיני, Who causes the binds of sleep to fall on my eyes (Berachos 60b; SA OC 239:1), and in the morning, we make the Berachah of מתיר אסורים, Who releases the bound, which refers to when one sits up after waking (Berachos ibid.; SA OC 46:1).

Why don’t we just say “He Who causes us to fall asleep” and “He Who allows us to sit up”? Why do we use such a metaphor instead of a more direct terminology? What benefit is there in describing sleep as being bound, rather than describing sleep as sleep?


texts: What does this reference to Pirkei Avos mean in this letter of the Chazon Ish?

texts:
The Chazon Ish has a letter discussing shana rishona that is quoted in וידעת כי שלום אהלך by R Chayim Friedlander. In it, the Chazon Ish encourages a husband in shana rishona to speak extensively to his wife, and not be dissuaded by the Mishna in Avos that says אל תרבה שיחה because that only is discussing unnecessary talk, "ולא בשנה ראשונה שצריך להשתדלות התאחדות שזה כונת היצירה והיו לבשר אחד ואמרו שכינה וכו"
I'm trying to figure out what that last bit, "ואמרו שכינה וכו" is quoting, because it doesn't seem to be a pasuk, nor from that same Mishna. Thanks!


texts: For you Houstoners, there is a building on S Shepherd called "The Kabbalah Center" that uses a map of the 10 sefirot as it's logo. It looks like something that might exist in other cities. All the books inside are written by one man, Yehuda Berg. Is this place a genuine place to study Kabbalah? Is this man an accepted Kabbalistic scholar? Can anyone explain who this man is and what these places are?


texts: Hakaras HaTov is generally translated as, or equated with, gratitude. Insofar as it literally means "recognizing the good",are there any sources which explicitly include recognizing good that we do not directly or indirectly benefit from under the middah (trait) of Hakaras HaTov?


texts: How many factors did Esav need to prompt him to marry Machalas?

texts:
At the end of parashas Toldos (28:6-8), the pesukim indicate factors in Esav's decision to add Machalas, who was not a Canaanite, as a spouse:

  א וַיִּקְרָא יִצְחָק אֶל-יַעֲקֹב, וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתוֹ; וַיְצַוֵּהוּ
  וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ, לֹא-תִקַּח אִשָּׁה מִבְּנוֹת כְּנָעַן.  ב קוּם לֵךְ
  פַּדֶּנָה אֲרָם, בֵּיתָה בְתוּאֵל אֲבִי אִמֶּךָ; וְקַח-לְךָ מִשָּׁם
  אִשָּׁה, מִבְּנוֹת לָבָן אֲחִי אִמֶּךָ.  ג וְאֵל שַׁדַּי יְבָרֵךְ
  אֹתְךָ, וְיַפְרְךָ וְיַרְבֶּךָ; וְהָיִיתָ, לִקְהַל עַמִּים.  ד
  וְיִתֶּן-לְךָ אֶת-בִּרְכַּת אַבְרָהָם, לְךָ וּלְזַרְעֲךָ
  אִתָּךְ--לְרִשְׁתְּךָ אֶת-אֶרֶץ מְגֻרֶיךָ, אֲשֶׁר-נָתַן אֱלֹהִים
  לְאַבְרָהָם.  ה וַיִּשְׁלַח יִצְחָק אֶת-יַעֲקֹב, וַיֵּלֶךְ פַּדֶּנָה
  אֲרָם--אֶל-לָבָן בֶּן-בְּתוּאֵל, הָאֲרַמִּי, אֲחִי רִבְקָה, אֵם
  יַעֲקֹב וְעֵשָׂו.  ו וַיַּרְא עֵשָׂו, כִּי-בֵרַךְ יִצְחָק אֶת-יַעֲקֹב,
  וְשִׁלַּח אֹתוֹ פַּדֶּנָה אֲרָם, לָקַחַת-לוֹ מִשָּׁם אִשָּׁה:
  בְּבָרְכוֹ אֹתוֹ--וַיְצַו עָלָיו לֵאמֹר, לֹא-תִקַּח אִשָּׁה מִבְּנוֹת
  כְּנָעַן.  ז וַיִּשְׁמַע יַעֲקֹב, אֶל-אָבִיו וְאֶל-אִמּוֹ; וַיֵּלֶךְ,
  פַּדֶּנָה אֲרָם.  ח וַיַּרְא עֵשָׂו, כִּי רָעוֹת בְּנוֹת כְּנָעַן,
  בְּעֵינֵי, יִצְחָק אָבִיו.  ט וַיֵּלֶךְ עֵשָׂו, אֶל-יִשְׁמָעֵאל;
  וַיִּקַּח אֶת-מָחֲלַת בַּת-יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן-אַבְרָהָם אֲחוֹת נְבָיוֹת,
  עַל-נָשָׁיו--לוֹ לְאִשָּׁה.

The following factors are implied:

Esav saw that-

Yitzchak blessed Yaakov
Yitzchak sent Yaakov away from Canaan to find a wife
Yitzchak told Yaakov not to marry a Canaanite
Yaakov listened to his parents and left

The result being that Esav saw that his father was against marrying Canaanites.

-#3 is certainly a factor in the decision.  #2 is related, but seemingly extraneous.  #1 and #4 don't seem to be connected.  This has bothered me for a while. Any ideas?


texts:
I don’t know much about chemistry or alcohol, so please bear with me for a moment.

At what point does wheat- or barley-derived ethanol become Chametz? Is it naturally Chametz, or does it require a catalyst to ferment?


texts: Why is the Ba'eir Heiteiv citing himself?

texts:
In the Ba'eir Heiteiv (באר היטב) commentary to the Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 1, at the end of s'if katan 13, we find the words:

וכן העתיק הבאר היטב אשר לפני ע״ש ולא ידעתי למה.
And likewise, the Ba'eir Heiteiv that is in front of me brought/wrote [this idea], see there; and I do not know why.

Is this indeed a self-citation, and if so, why are his own words incomprehensible to him?


texts: Non-Jews (Gentiles) in Olam Haba (Jewish Afterlife)?

texts: Are there non-Jews in Olam Haba (the world to come), either in Gehenom (Hell) or Gan Eden (Heaven)?


texts: You didn't cut your nails last Friday; now it's Wednesday and they're too long. Should you cut them now?

texts:
There are various disadvantages to having long fingernails. These disadvantages are enumerated in an article by R' Daniel Doron Levy.

[Edit: But DonielF writes: "You're not allowed to cut your nails on Wednesday." See his comment attached to this question.]

You neglected to cut your fingernails last Friday. Now it's Wednesday, and they are too long. Should you cut them now, or should you wait until this coming Friday?

Second edit

Regarding cutting your nails on Wednesday and/or Thursday, please see an article by R' Avi Zakutinsky, plus a relevant Mi Yodeya thread.

Note

In practice, please ask your rabbi.


texts: Why are there no special mitzvahs of Shavuos

texts: Why is there no Mitzvas Hayom on Shavuos (For example, on Sukkos there is a commandment of shaking the Lulav, on Rosh Hashanh one must blow the Shofar, on Purim one must read the Meggilah, on Chanukah on must light the Menorah, etc.)?


texts: When and how is person chayav on shabbos for ploughing. For example is a woman with a buggy allowed to push it on the grass, or can she not. The problem for ploughing is that you need to have a intent for improving the ground, So what are the issues for certain things when clearly one who does things on grass isn't doing the actual malacha which needs to be done?


texts: Inconsistencies in Targum Onkelos for Bamidbor chapter 26. Explanation please

texts:
Rashi on Bamidbor 26(5) remarks on the way the names of the families are written (e.g. חֲנוֹךְ֙ מִשְׁפַּ֣חַת הַֽחֲנֹכִ֔י) as follows:

… Therefore, the Holy One, blessed is he, appended His Name to them,
the [letter] ‘hey’ to one side and the ‘yud’ to the other side, as if
to say, ”I bear witness for them, that these are the sons of their
fathers.”

I noticed some peculiarities in the way the Targum Onkelos translates these family names. For the most part, he takes no notice of the extra ‘hey’ and ‘yud’ - see below for 26 (5):

Hebrew Text    רְאוּבֵן, בְּכוֹר יִשְׂרָאֵל; בְּנֵי רְאוּבֵן, חֲנוֹךְ
מִשְׁפַּחַת הַחֲנֹכִי, לְפַלּוּא, מִשְׁפַּחַת הַפַּלֻּאִי.
Onkelos רְאוּבֵן בּוּכְרָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּנֵי רְאוּבֵן חֲנוֹךְ
זַרְעִית חֲנוֹךְ לְפַלוּא זַרְעִית פַּלוּא

There are exceptions:
Possuk 17 Targum reads  אֲרוֹדִי for  הָאֲרוֹדִי
Possuk 31 Targum reads אַשְׂרִיאֵלִי for הָאַשְׂרִאֵלִי and
Possuk 40 Targum reads הָאַרְדִי  for  הָאַרְדִּי (the only full use of the hey and the yud) and נַעֲמִי for הַנַּעֲמִי.
I used the text for the Targum from my Chumash (זכר חנוך) and Sefaria which agree. The Targum Yonoson ben Uziel is consistent and never uses  the hey and the yud.
Is there an explanation of these differences in translation by Onkelos?


texts: How do we meet Jews without the religious worship?

texts:
How can people of Jewish heritage meet others of like mind when they are new to a city? That is, without the trappings of organized RELIGIOUS worship, etc.

We are an adult married couple, with adult children, so we aren't interested in the dating game (singles have their own websites and places to meet for dating). It would be nice to identify and share with others that probably feel as we do.

As we are new to an area, where there are certainly many Jews, and there are two synagogues (one a Reconstructionist and one a Chabad), neither would fill our need without participating in their ceremonies and rituals. And we don't subscribe to either ones motivation although they are indeed in the recruiting mode.

We are not interested in religious worshiping and we know that over half the Jews in America feel the same way. Yet we have similar backgrounds that are fun to recall. Individually, and collectively, we can all enjoy the good-feeling of being an American of Jewish heritage and culture, without the mishagash of religion.

Is there a way to find and meet other Jews who would like to befriend each other and share our common heritage (without ceremony).

Is this possible?


texts: How to cook with a metal disc on a treif glass top stove?

texts:
The Star-K gives this advice for kashering a glass top stove: https://www.star-k.org/articles/articles/kosher-appliances/2931/kashering-glass-corning-halogen-or-ceran-cooktops/

The sentence that I am asking about is: "it would be wise to place a metal disc, approximately 1/8 of an inch thick".

If anyone has tried cooking on a metal disc in this way, please tell me how it works, practically speaking.  My concerns are:
What type of metal disc?
Where to buy such a disc?
Does the disc mar mar or otherwise harm the stove top?

Thank you.


texts: Tehillim (Psalms) 27:2 -- Is it כָּשְׁלוּ or כָשְׁלוּ?

texts:
There seems to be some discrepancy in how to write/pronounce the penultimate word of Tehillim (Psalms) 27:2.

According to Chabad.org, it is written:

  ב. בִּקְרֹב עָלַי | מְרֵעִים לֶאֱכֹל אֶת בְּשָׂרִי צָרַי וְאֹיְבַי לִי הֵמָּה כָּשְׁלוּ וְנָפָלוּ:

Here, the word has a Kaf - with a Dagesh - which would be pronounced Kashəlu.

Yet, according to Mechon-Mamre.org, it is written:

  ב  בִּקְרֹב עָלַי, מְרֵעִים--    לֶאֱכֹל אֶת-בְּשָׂרִי:
  צָרַי וְאֹיְבַי לִי;    הֵמָּה כָשְׁלוּ וְנָפָלוּ.

According to this, the word has a Chaf - no Dagesh - which would be pronounced Chashəlu (alt. Ḥashəlu or Khashəlu).

I've seen both used in printed Siddurim, and there seems to be no distinction drawn along Ashkenazi vs. Sepharadi tradition.  The difference also does not seem to be based on different publishers using variant texts -- I've seen the same publisher use both forms consistently within one volume, but at odds with different editions of their Siddur (not different printings of the same book, but different editions of their Ashkenazi Siddur or their Sephardi Siddur).  For example, the ArtScroll Siddur Kol Ya'akov writes it one way*, whereas the ArtScroll Siddur Yitzchak Yair writes it the other way*.

Is there some disagreement among codices or rabbinic sources that might explain this?  Is one correct and the other a scribal error that's been missed and shared among several publishers?


texts: What was the reasoning of the 'scorners of the generation'?

texts:
Bereshit 25:19 reads:

  וְאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת יִצְחָק בֶּן אַבְרָהָם אַבְרָהָם הוֹלִיד אֶת
  יִצְחָק:

  And these are the generations of Isaac the son of Abraham; Abraham
  begot Isaac.

Rashi: (bold in the English is mine)

  אברהם הוליד את יצחק: ... לפי שהיו ליצני הדור אומרים מאבימלך נתעברה שרה, שהרי כמה שנים שהתה עם אברהם ולא נתעברה הימנו, מה עשה הקב"ה, צר
  קלסתר פניו של יצחק דומה לאברהם, והעידו הכל אברהם הוליד את יצחק, וזהו
  שכתב כאן יצחק בן אברהם היה, שהרי עדות יש שאברהם הוליד את יצחק:

  Abraham begot Isaac: ... Since Scripture wrote: “Isaac the son of
  Abraham,” it had to say: “Abraham begot Isaac,” because the scorners
  of the generation were saying that Sarah had conceived from Abimelech,
  for she had lived with Abraham for many years and had not conceived
  from him. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He shaped the
  features of Isaac’s face to resemble Abraham’s, and everyone attested
  that Abraham had begotten Isaac. This is the meaning of what is
  written here: “Isaac, the son of Abraham,” because here is proof that
  “Abraham begot Isaac.” - [From Midrash Tanchuma, Toledoth 1]

Why would the scorners think that? I suppose it was well known that Avraham already had a son (Yishmael) from Hagar - so wouldn't that fact make it clear that it was Sarah that was barren?

So then I thought: 'Well, that's why they are scorners - they don't need to be logical'

But then, why would Hashem  pay attention to illogical nonsense?


texts:
Babylonian Talmud, ‘Erubin 19a'
Joshua b. Levi said: The Gehenna/Gehinnom has seven names; Sheol, Abaddon, Beer Shahat, Tit ha-Yawen, Sha’are Mawet, Sha’are Zalmawet, and Gehenna.

What exactly is ment by Gehinnom (I know that its name was borrowed from that of a real valley mentioned in the Tenach, and I know what it serves for; a cleansing process) and what are its seven names refer to (just looking for the meanings since some of these names are used in verses like Mishlei 15:11 and I wonder if they have more meaning behind it)?


texts: There is a custom of those of Moroccan decent to make a "Mimunah". What does this custom entail, how did it develop, and what does it have to do with Pesach? A general overview of the Custom would be appreciated.


texts: A heap of people and ingathering of food

texts:
Is there any connection between the word אסף (to gather, collect) and אסם (literally a barn or storehouse but could be from an unised root meaning to heap up).

I wondered because there is a feast in Shemot 23:16 called Chag Ha'asif, the Festival of Ingatherings (Sukkot), which comes from the same root as the ha'asaf'suf, the rabble mentioned in Bamidbar 11:4.

Could this be because like the food ingathered and being heaped up in storehouses, these people were gathered and becomming a heap of people?


texts: When I study gemara with some people, I often heard the sentences "he is dochak", "he's not so dochak". What does this word mean exactly ? I do not find it in the dictionnary.


texts: Maariv Motzoei Shabbos. Origin of the minhag not to say the verses of “Kedusha Desidra” aloud

texts:
The Oruch HaShulchan O. Ch. 132 (1) points out that Chazal did not institute to say “kedusha” at Maariv. Indeed we do not say “kedusha” at Maariv; but on Motzoei Shabbos we do say ואתה קדוש וכ׳ in what is called the “Kedusha Desidra”. (It is also said any time there is a post-Shmoneh-Esrei Nakh study (Tehillim 91, Esther, and Eikha are the three currently practiced examples for Maariv; at other prayers it's Tehillim 145/20)).

Normally in the “Kedusha Desidra”, the verses of the kedusha in Hebrew (e.g. קדוש קדוש קדוש ה׳ צבא.ות וכ׳) are said aloud.

I am informed that there is a (yekkische) minhag not to say them aloud  on Motzoei Shabbos.
Is the fact that normally  Chazal did not institute to say “kedusha” at Maariv the source of this minhag?


texts:
The endurance artist David Blaine is covered in this video showing the technique where one could learn to swallow certain live animals. And, at will, regurgitate the live animal (for example, a frog).

The main question here is if a Jewish person could do such a thing with a living creature of some kind, that would be ordinarily absolutely forbidden.

Points of clarification would be, what exactly defines a normal case of eating something not kosher, how does eating something alive play into this.

The point of contention here is that one is not eating it at all, or is he?


texts: What bracha should one make when eating raw sesame seeds?

texts:
The brachot site states:

  Fruits and vegetables which are normally eaten cooked but not raw –
  would receive their ideal bracha (Ho’eitz or Ho’adomo) when cooked,
  and only shehakol when eaten raw.

  Examples would be: quince, and peanuts. (almost all peanuts are
  roasted, either in or out of the shell, and therefore raw peanuts
  would be shehakol.)

I like to eat raw sesame seeds. However, as far as I know, sesame seeds are usually eaten when it is used as a topping on bread, pastries or borekas, etc. Offhand, I don't think that it is customary for people to eat raw sesame seeds in the U.S., but I'm not sure if this is common or not.

What bracha should I be making - ha'etz or shehakol?


texts:
One of the reasons given for only saying half Hallel on Pesach (Shibolei Haleket I believe) is because we limit our joy at the destruction of the Egyptians as they are the handiwork of Hashem.

Why don’t we have a similar logic on Chanukah and limit our joy at the destruction of the Greeks and thereby only say half Hallel on Chanukah?


texts: What is the origin of the dispute on which way to wrap tefilin shel yad?

texts: Non-Chasidic Ashkenazim wrap their tefilin shel yad inward toward the body when coming over the top of the arm, while Sefardim and Chasidim wrap outward away from the body when coming over the top of the arm.  What is the origin of this dispute, the earliest extant sources for each custom, and the meanings and significance ascribed to them?


texts: May one tour the Acropolis in Athens, Greece?

texts: The Acropolis with its Parthenon is Greece's #1 tourist attraction. Are there any halachic issues with touring the ruins of pagan temples?


texts: Was the Jewish month of Tammuz named after the pagan god Tammuz of the Babylonian?

texts:
According to Wikipedia: "The name of the month was adopted from the Assyrian and Babylonian month Araḫ Dumuzu, named in honour of the Mesopotamian deity Dumuzid"
If so what's the implication about mention other gods before Yahweh in Exodus 23:13? Is it a violation?


texts: Rebbi Akiva knew Torah before he turned 40?

texts:
I have heard there is a not so well-known opinion that Rebbi Akiva actually knew Torah before the age of 40, but had left the path of Torah observance. His story would actually make more sense if that's true.

But, has anyone heard of this opinion and what the source is for it?


texts: I first became involved with a non-orthodox congregation where it was customary for everyone over Bar Mitzvah age to wear a tallit gadol. However, I understand that it is an Ashkenazi minhag not to wear a tallit gadol before marriage. As an unmarried man who has been wearing a tallit gadol, can I change my custom and stop wearing a tallit gadol (until marriage)?


texts: Is it disrespectful to have a raffle where the prize is a Sefer Torah?

texts:
I recently came across an advertorial on thelakewoodscoop.com regarding a Shul that is having a raffle where one can win a Sefer Torah. The first comment was:

  "Is it just me or is using a Sefer Torah as a fundraiser a little
  disrespectful?"

Is a raffle disrespectful? Is doing a fundraiser, where funds are raised by selling lines, columns, Parshiyos appropriate? Basically, what may be done with the help of a Sefer Torah?


texts: I really wish to know with sources what are the benefits or rewards of observing Shabbat and what are the punishments for someone who desecrates it. Furthermore, what are the disadvantages of being a Mekhalel Shabbat from different sources? (For example, Chacham Ovadia says a Mekhalel shabbat can be lent money with interest)


texts:
I found a reference to turning the body when waving the lulav. The text reads

ויש נוהגים גם להפנות את הגוף לארבע רוחות (מאמ"ר יג; כה"ח צו).

What, please, is the meaning of the abbreviations used for the sources of this custom  מאמ"ר יג; כה"ח צו and are the sources available online?

I found the reference at https://ph.yhb.org.il/13-05-04/ (at the bottom of the page).


texts: Meaning and origin of names used for Jewish schools

texts:
I am familiar with the following "titles" used for different types of Jewish schools. My assumptions (correct me, please, if necessary.)

Yeshiva - a "generic" term applying to all Jewish schools of all ages. Though, in many places, I have heard this applied only to elementary schools (see below.) I gather that this word comes either yashav - to sit or yishuv - "establishment".

Metivta - applies to high schools. I gather it's an Aramaic word, but I don't know its origin or "root form" meaning.

Kolel - college and adult program. I gather it comes from the word to mean "inclusion".

Why were these different terms assigned to these different age groups? Are these terms meant to define either some behavior or mode of learning that occurs at that age? Or are there other criteria dictating the usage of these terms?

Also, when did these terms start being used?


texts: Is it okay to do a Brit Shalom instead of Brit milah?

texts: Brit shalom is basically Brit mila without the circumcision, is that okay according to Halacha?


texts: Is there a transgression on this tzitzit tying?

texts:
Suppose someone bought some tkhelet for his tallis, wanting to tie the Rambam tzitzit, which requires 1 half tkhelet/half white string and 3 white strings, so once it goes through the hole of the corner of the tallis it turns into 8 strings, one of them tkhelet and 7 white ones.

Subsequently, he realizes he had gotten FULL tkhelet strings, meaning he'd gotten 6 white strings and 2 tkhelet.

The question is: Can one still tie the Rambam tzitzit? Would it be a transgression? Would it be better to just accept the fact that he should tie his tzitzit in a different way?


texts: Can you buy chametz from a store whose owner profited from items sold during Pesach?

texts:
The scenario (theoretical):

Mr. Lachmi sells his Zeppolli store to Luigi before Pesach. He tells Luigi that he can use all his ingredients to make Zeppolis or anything else he wants to sell, so long as he leaves the place kosher and puts up a giant sign in front saying that the store is not Kosher for Passover and is run by a non-Jew during the week of Passover, and Jews cannot purchase products during the week. (We avoided the "marit ayin" problem, I think!)

Luigi makes loads of money selling Zeppolis to Gentiles during the week. After Passover, Luigi sells the store back to Mr. Lachmi, and also gives him 30% of the sales he made.

Q - If Mr. Lachmi takes the money, is this considered as if he had owned chometz during Passover? Would the Jewish public be allowed to shop in his bakery, assuming that he is using flour remaining from during Pesach - would this be considered "Chametz She'avar alav HaPesach?" - Chametz that was owned by a Jew during Pesach?


texts: Minhag to leave an area of the wall unpainted: does it need to be unpainted, or can it be painted another color?

texts:
I found this: http://www.jewishtreats.org/2014/07/a-house-unfinished.html it says "there are some minority opinions that permit one to mark the zeicher l’churban by painting an appropriate size square a different color than the rest of the wall." but it doesn't provide any sources.

My friend was painting his house and by mistake painted over part of the bare section and it is no longer an amah al amah.


texts: Are there any historical Bibles entirely written on parchment?

texts:
Mishneh Torah, Tefillin, Mezuzah and the Torah Scroll 7:15:

  מותר לדבק תורה נביאים וכתובים בכרך אחד .

  It is permissible to attach Torah, Prophets and Writings in one
  scroll.

Between the end of Devarim and the beginning of Yehoshua, one needs 4 lines of separation, similar to how each of book of the Chumash is separated from the next one.

If Ramba"m mentions this, I assume that someone, at that time, must have done this. Or was Ramba"m just mentioning this as allowable, yet no one ever did it? Is there any evidence that someone at some time did this?


texts: If one is in middle of Shemoneh Esrei (which is the only part of Tefillah, I could think of where there might be a problem), and there is a life to be saved, is he/she allowed to interrupt the Tefillah in order to go save the life?


texts: What would Avraham have done if Lot didn't choose to go to Sdom?

texts:
So Avraham tells Lot, "we need to separate; if you go right I'll go left, and vice-versa."  Lot chose to go to Sdom, which was wicked.

Had Lot chosen otherwise, would Avraham have gone to Sdom?


texts:
Can one spread kosher cream cheese with a treif knife? I'm looking for sources (obviously will AYCLOP for final psak)
Thank you,


texts: Sukkot water libations - from the Torah, from Sinai, or from the Rabbis?

texts:
There's a disagreement recorded in the Mishna, Zevachim 13:6, regarding the Sukkot water libation. R' El'azar includes this ceremony in the list of Temple activities that are prohibited by the Torah to perform outside the Temple, in this case, specifically on Sukkot. His position opposes the default position in the mishna (the tana kama), which does not include the water libation in this prohibition.
R' Ovadia MiBartenura comments:

...
דסבר ניסוך המים בחג דאורייתא היא הלכך מחייב עלה בחוץ ואין הלכה כר״א בכולה מתניתין ונסוך המים בחג לאו דאורייתא היא אלא הלכה למשה מסיני
... for he holds that the water libation of Sukkot is from the Torah, so he says that one is liable for performing it outside [the Temple]. And the accepted law does not follow R' El'azar throughout this mishna. And the water libation is not from the Torah, but a halacha leMoshe miSinai.

my translation
I was curious how the distinction between the water libation's source being in the [Written] Torah and being a halacha leMoshe miSinai, which are both kinds of Divine legislation, would bear on whether or not the prohibition of outside services would apply to it, as R' Ovadia seems to imply, so I looked at the Gemara on this Mishna (Zevachim 110b). There, to resolve a technical point in R' El'azar's position, the Gemara concludes that he must hold that the source of the water libation is a halacha leMoshe miSinai. The Gemara doesn't appear to address the tana kama's position regarding the water libation's source. From the back-and-forth in the Gemara, it seems that if its source was derived from the Written Torah, as cited there to R' Akiva, the prohibition of doing it outside the Temple would apply even more widely.
So now, I don't understand R' Ovadia's last line. It seems to imply that the position that the water libation is a halacha leMoshe miSinai is the accepted law, in contradistinction to R' El'azar, who holds that it's "from the Torah." If this reading of him is correct, it directly contradicts the Gemara, which concludes that R' El'azar must hold that it's a halacha leMoshe miSinai. Is this the right reading of R' Ovadia? If so, how does he understand the Gemara?
Or, we could read R' Ovadia as ascribing this statement about halacha leMoshe miSinai specifically to R' El'azar. I think this is a tortured reading of this comment, though it's consistent with the Gemara. In this case, why throw this line in at all? Unless you get to the technical point discussed in the Gemara, which is brought up neither in our mishna nor in R' Ovadia's commentary on it, this distinction doesn't make a difference to the prohibition the mishna's discussing.
Or, we could read R' Ovadia as concluding that R' Ela'zar and the tana kama agree that the water libation is a halacha leMoshe miSinai, though they disagree about whether the prohibition of doing it outside applies. If so, on what basis does the tana kama disagree? And again, why throw this line in at all?
Finally, what does the tana kama hold regarding the source of the water libation? It would be easiest to say that the tana kama holds that it's Rabbinic legislation, so the Torah prohibition of outside performance can't apply. This seems to be implied in the first part of R' Ovadia's comment. If so, is this corroborated somewhere else in the Mishna or Gemara? (Rashi comments on the Gemara's conclusion that "everyone holds that it's from the Torah," but perhaps that just means everyone mentioned in the discussion in the Gemara - R' El'azar and R' Akiva - and not truly everyone, such as our tana kama.)


texts: Echad Mi Yodeya - why does it stop at 13?

texts: The song "Echod Mi Yodeya" traditionally sung at the Pesach Seder goes up to number 13. Why does this song not go higher or lower than 13?


texts: Can one reach the point where he can no longer do teshuvah?

texts: If someone caused pain to multiple people or caused irreversible damage, can he possibly be in a situation where he can no longer do teshuvah? If so, what does hashem want from him at this juncture?


texts: What's the meaning of "Hashmal" (electricity in modern Hebrew) in the bible? (Ezekiel 1:4)

texts:
Ezekiel 1:4:

  I saw, and behold, there was a stormy wind coming from the north, a great cloud with flashing fire and a brilliance surrounding it; and from its midst, like the color of the Hashmal from the midst of the fire.

What's the meaning of "Hashmal" (electricity in modern Hebrew)? There are some assumptions about the definition but I couldn't find any certain explanation for this word.


texts: Claim for number of times the Tetragrammaton (and 'distinct words') appear in the Chumash

texts:
This article makes the following claim:

  And now to our correspondence: one of the most important contributions to Jewish
  scholarship in the recent past has been the work of Rabbi Zalman Pinhas Horowitz (1).

  Rabbi Horowitz was (to the best of our knowledge) the first to correctly count the
  number of times the Tetragrammaton (YHVH) appears in the Pentateuch: 1820 times.
  Even more surprising and innovative was Rabbi Horowitz’s cataloging of all the
  distinct words (2) in the Pentateuch, which he also found to be exactly 1820 in number.

  (1) See his volume Ahavat Torah (Podgorza, 1905).

  (2) Meaning words that stem from different roots (¦שרשי, shorashim), the 2 or 3 letter combinations which serve to form words in semitic languages like Hebrew [technically, 2 letter roots are known as gates (¦שערי,
  sha’arim)].

Does anyone know, more precisely where the source for this claim is in the Ahavat Torah (in the references).

I just checked the 5 books in the chumash on Mechon Mamre and found the number of times that the Tetragrammaton appears: 165 + 398 + 311 + 396 + 550 = 1820. Is the second claim of 'distinct words' verifiable and if so what does he define as a 'distinct word'?

Furthermore, despite the article brought above, in the sefer what is the connection between the number of times Hashem's name is mentioned and the number of 'distinct words' in the Chumash?


texts:
I understand that sifardim do yihud after the meal and ashkenazim do it before

What is the reason/source ashkinazim do it before?
Can an Ashkenazi person do it after?


texts: Is someone who has clinical depression allowed to take an antidepressant on Shabbos?

texts:
It’s my understanding that there’s two main categories of non-life threatening illnesses: מיחוש בעלמא, “average pain,” and נפל למשכב, one who is so sick that he’s unable to get out of bed. The former category is unable to take medication on Shabbos; the latter is, as well as certain other leniencies on Rabbinic prohibitions (see SA OC 328 for details).

Which category does someone with clinical depression fall into? People with clinical depression tend to constantly feel sad and have lack of interest and motivation to do anything. Does that qualify them as a נפל למשכב to be allowed to take an antidepressant on Shabbos, or are they still considered to have just a מיחוש בעלמא and it would be prohibited?

I’m specifically talking about someone diagnosed by a professional as having clinical depression, has been prescribed an antidepressant, and is not suicidal.

EDIT: It has been brought to my attention that it’s a dispute amongst the Poskim whether one who takes medicine regularly may continue to do so on Shabbos. It would therefore seem that my question only applies according to Rav Moshe, cited there from Igros Moshe OC 3:53, who holds that one may not continue a regular dosage on Shabbos.


texts: What is the source for Rambam's "physician's oath"?

texts:
A physician friend pointed out to me the Rambam's "physician's oath" (it doesn't look like an oath per se, but that's what it's called), which begins (in English):

  The eternal providence has appointed me to watch over the life and health of Thy creatures. May the love for my art actuate me at all time; may neither avarice nor miserliness, nor thirst for glory or for a great reputation engage my mind; for the enemies of truth and philanthropy could easily deceive me and make me forgetful of my lofty aim of doing good to Thy children. [...]  Full text at Wikipedia.

The lone source on that page leads to an article with non-specific citations, including the Guide for the Perplexed.  But the Guide is a big document.  Further, some say that this is a later text, not from the Rambam at all.

Was this text written by the Rambam?  If so, where can I find it in its original form?


texts: Can a Gentile say a Bracha before a wedding feast?

texts: If a gentile has been called upon to give the blessing before a wedding meal, with part of the wedding party being Jewish, would there be any problem with including a standard bracha at the end of the prayer, ("baruch atah adonai elokeinu melech haolam" followed by the bracha for wine), where the goal is to make the point that there is one God for all, and to welcome the Jewish participants?


texts:
I vaguely recall hearing in a shi`ur once about a grave prohibition against speaking negatively about Rabbis. Unfortunately, I don't recall the shi`ur (I think it may have been by R' Eli Mansour) nor the original source for such a teaching.

Does such a special/separate prohibition exist (aside from the general prohibition of Leshon Hara`)? If so, what is it's source?


texts:
My uncle has always encouraged me to avoid speaking lashon hara. "Will these words bring me closer to or further from this person?" is his usual response. However, is it ever justified to speak ill of someone?

For example, can we speak lashon hara in an attempt to expose evil and promote justice in the world? Is speaking badly about Kim Jong-un justified? Is it OK to demonize corrupt institutions and leaders?

My feeling is that the prohibition against lashon hara does not protect the guilty. It is perfectly acceptable to expose people for engaging in evil acts that bring about suffering in the world.

Is this correct?


texts: Can one cite divrei torah in the name of a rabbi who has gone astray?

texts:
In the most recent issue of Jewish Action, there is a brief interview with R. Herschel Schachter about HALACHAH AND THE FALLEN RABBI. The final question is

  JA: Can we/should we continue to cite divrei Torah in his name?

to which R. Schachter responds:

  RS: We are not allowed to do so. The gemara (Avodah Zarah 35b) says
  that if a rabbi violates halachah, one cannot say divrei Torah in his
  name. The statements found in the Talmud in the name of Elisha Ben
  Abuya were made when he was still committed to Torah observance and
  belief (see Tosafot, Sotah 12b). If it would appear that the books and
  articles of the fallen rabbi were written before he began his sinful
  behavior, they may be used.

R. Schachter's reference to Avodah Zarah 35b appears to refer to אמר להו רבא ואיתימא רב נחמן בר יצחק לא תשתעו (בהדיה דאיבו) דקאכיל לחמא דארמאי. The Bach comments:  בהדיה דאיבו. נ״ב ס״א לא תשתעו מיניה דאיבו פי׳ לא תאמרו דבר שמועה משמיה. אלפסי והר״ן והרא״ש. Does anyone else cite this Gemara as a source that it is forbidden to quote a dvar torah in the name of a rabbi who has sinned?

Also, R. Schachter (or an editor?) refers to Tosafos in Sotah 12b as a source indicating that only statements of Elisha b. Avuyah "when he was still committed to Torah observance"
are quoted. However, Tosafos there has two opinions about whether R. Meir is called "Acherim" only when citing Acher, or whether R. Meir was always called Acherim after the incident recorded in Horiyos 13b. How does this relate to the status of Elisha b. Avuyah? Here is the text of the Tosafot in question:

  אחרים אומרים נולד כשהוא מהול. ומקשים מדקאמר ר"מ טוב שמו מכלל דאחרים
  לאו היינו ר"מ ובשלהי הוריות (דף יג:) אמר דאסקוה לר"מ אחרים ובפ"ק
  דברכות (דף ט:) בגמרא מאימתי קורין שמע בשחרית אפליגו ר"מ ואחרים וא"ר
  שראה בקונטרס צרפת שמועות שקיבל מאלישע בן אבויה קבעום בשם אחרים מפני
  שהיה שמו אחר אבל שאר שמועות קבעום בשמו ולא מסתברא דהא לרבי נתן אסקו יש
  אומרים ואית לך שכל שמועותיו קבעו כך ולר"מ נמי עשו כיוצא בו אלא נראה
  דלאחר דאסקוהו אחרים חזר בו ואמר נולד כשהוא מהול וכן בפ' קמא דברכות


texts: Calculating shabbat candle lighting time

texts:
Is it possible to calculate the candle lighting time based on location and date alone?

Assume all you have is a GPS, a watch and a calculator.


texts: Source for story about Chazon Ish and mischief

texts:
I once heard a story along the lines of the following:

A man brought his 7 or 8 year old son to meet the Chazon Ish.  He wanted to show him what a masmid his son was.  The Chazon Ish, after asking the boy a few learning questions, turned to the father and asked him if he taught his son mischief.  The father responded with a confused look.  The Chazon Ish turned to the boy, pointed to a chair, and told him to knock over the chair.  The boy refused.  The Chazon Ish encouraged the boy, but he could not bring himself to knock over the chair.  The Chazon Ish turned to the father and told him he had failed to teach his son mischief.

The idea, as I understood it, was that the father should have taught the child how to have fun also.

Anyone know of a reliable source for this story, or a story to the same effect?  If I have the wrong Gadol, I'll take the same story with a different name.


texts: Does demolition of terrorists' homes have any basis in Judaism?

texts:
Israel is currently implementing a policy of demolishing the homes of terrorists, even after they have been 'eliminated', as a deterrent to others.

Is this kind of action OK, according to halacha + hashkafa?

We can define this as a punitive measure against the family of a murderer from an enemy population.

Edit: Does it make a difference if the family a) knew and supported, passively or actively b) didn't know but supported after-the-fact c) didn't know, and condemned it?


texts:
According to the OU, one must eat a minimum of "approximately 26 cubic centimeters" of Matza and Marror to fulfill his requirement (ie, a kezayis is 26 cm3). They also provide a chart, which states that one must eat a piece of matzah that is "6.25 x 7 inches".  Converting that to centimeters (1 in = 2.54 cm), we get "15.875 x 17.78 cm," for a total area of ~282 square centimeters.  (This chart is also published by other organizations, for example here.)

What is the source for the number "26 cubic centimeters?"
Assuming that number is the total volume of a kezayit, how does the chart make any sense?

How does one convert this 2-dimensional chart into a 3-dimensional piece of matzah?


texts: Sources on mystical and spiritual meaning of Brit Milah?

texts: What are some good sources discussing the mystical and spiritual meaning of Brit Milah as well as how it affects one's spirit/life/etc?


texts: Why can we prepare food on Yom tov but not other melachot?

texts: What is the reason that we can do melachot for preparing food on Yom tov but all other melachot are forbidden like on Shabbat?


texts: Why is the first bracha after Yishtabach not a bracha?

texts:
In any checklist for saying 100 brachos a day, and based on the fact that we do not answer amen, why is the bracha that ends in "oseh shalom u'voreh es hakol" not considered a bracha?

It is not considered one of the "Birchot Shema" - why is that?


texts:
As mentioned in this answer, the Vilna Gaon once criticised the Rambam for having been led astray by his own philosophy. I have seen this statement referenced also in this article on Seforim Blog and in various articles by Rabbi Natan Slifkin (such as this one). It seems to be fairly widely known, but I would like to see the Gaon's language, and I've not been able to find it online.

Since I don't currently have access to my seforim, can somebody please provide me with the text in question? Ideally, please also include the section of the Shulchan Arukh on which the Gra is commenting when he says it, and please include the full quote. With so many people making reference to it but nobody (it seems) actually providing the language, I am curious as to how unambiguous the Gra's criticism of the Rambam actually is.


texts: How to start loving someone after they become Jewish

texts:
A certain acquaintance of mine had bad middos and I didn't like her. Then she converted to Judaism. Nothing has changed: she still has bad middos; I still don't like her.

But everything has changed. Suddenly, by not liking her, I am committing at least two and possibly three major aveiros. I am ashamed that I find it incredibly hard to accept her as a fellow Jew, even though the Rabbinate has pronounced her such and she is therefore such by all accounts.

1) How does one suddenly come to love (and not hate) someone one had not previously loved (and had hated) when there is a new obligation to do so?

2) How can one quickly start seeing someone as a fellow Jew when one had not seen them as a Jew before?

3) (Bonus, philosophical:) "Ahavas habrios" seems to be a bit disputed as an actual mitzva. But is it possible that ahavas habrios is necessary as a fence around ahavas yisroel (and loving the ger, etc.) because of the suddenness of conversions?


texts: PTIJ: 50% of laser light on the floor of a Sukkah

texts:
From the Gemara of Sukkah, it was argued that if the light at the bottom of the Sukkah is 50% light, 50% dark, then the Schach must be Kosher, since light expands as it travels from the top to the bottom (meaning that there must be more shade than sun on the top). But what would be the Halacha if the solar light came in the form of a laser beam? Lasers travels in a straight line, which would mean that 50% of light on the floor of the Sukkah would imply 50% of Schach on the top, possibly making it Passul. What should one do if their solar system implemented laser light?

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


texts: Taharas hamishpacha practices during pregnancy

texts:
I am basing this question on this quote from the Wikipedia page on Hasidic childbirth customs:

  At the beginning of pregnancy, a woman's separation behavior depends
  on the regularity of her menstrual cycle prior to becoming pregnant:
  if her menses occurred at regular intervals, she should observe the
  same 12-day separation pattern for three months; but if her menses
  occurred irregularly, she observes ritual separation for one month
  only. (Finkelstein & Finkelstein 1993)

I had never heard that some couples continue to separate on a schedule while the woman is pregnant. I assume that this is done in case the pregnancy turns out to be a false alarm.  Does this actually happen in some communities, and how common is it?


texts: Who holds that Cholov Yisroel is not a chumra?

texts:
Which groups or authorities consider Cholov Yisroel to be normative halacha and not a chumra?

(Possibly equal to, "Who considers cholov stam treyf"?)


texts: I've seen people in shuls say stuff out loud with the baal koreh such as כאלה during pesach or לא תבשל גדי בחלב אמו. This seems problematic if one has to hear torah reading on the tzibbur level from the klaf, and trei kolei lo mashmei. Should shul rabbis speak out against this the way they would speak against any other talking, or is it an acceptable practice"?


texts: Source for Rema re: Fasting in Sefer Tanya

texts:
Orach Chaim Simman 580 Seif 1 the SA writes

  אֵלּוּ הַיָּמִים שֶׁאֵרְעוּ בָּהֶם צָרוֹת לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְרָאוּי לְהִתְעַנּוֹת בָּהֶם; וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁמִּקְּצָתָם בְּרֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ, יֵשׁ מִי שֶׁאוֹמֵר שֶׁיִּתְעַנּוּ בּוֹׁ.

  On the following days which involved suffering to our ancestors, it is fitting to fast. Even if it occurs on Rosh Chodesh, there is an opinion to fast.

The Rema adds:

  וְטוֹב שֶׁלֹּא לְהַשְׁלִים בְּרֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ.

  It is good [however] to not complete the fast when it is on Rosh Chodesh.

The Mishnah Berurah Seif Kattan 3 explains the Rema's statement:

  (ג) וטוב שלא להשלים בר"ח - משום דכתיב בספר תניא דאין להתענות בר"ח:

  Because it's written in the Sefer Tanya not to fast on Rosh Chodesh.

Maybe I'm reading too much into this statement, but at face value it's surprising. The Rema was in the 16th century, and the Tanya was written in the late 18th century.

I'm wondering if the MB really is referring to the Tanya by the Alter Rebbe, or a different book known as "Sefer Tanya" (Tanya Rabbasi seems like a good candidate...is it known as "Sefer Tanya"?). If he's referring to a different book, what is the exact source? If he's referring to the Tanya by the Alter Rebbe, how can it be the source for the Rema? Is it quoting an earlier source which is the source for both of them?


texts:
Yesterday, a request was publicized in the name of R' Chaim Kanievsky to accept a fast in the afternoon to fast today for the medical recovery of R' Y.S. Elyashiv, unless it interferes with one's learning.  I have multiple questions:

How does fasting alone merit a recovery?
Is this act dependent on one accepting the fast the previously, or if one finds out in the morning, should he continue to fast?
If one starts the day not fasting (e.g., I had a coffee this morning to help my learning b/f davening), does it help to continue fasting afterwards?


texts: Is there a problem of Kol Isha when Rina is singing in the tents of the righteous?

texts:
Psalms 118:15:
ק֤וֹל ׀ רִנָּ֬ה וִֽישׁוּעָ֗ה בְּאָהֳלֵ֥י צַדִּיקִ֑ים
The voices of Rina and Yeshu'ah are in the tents of the righteous
I can't see a problem with Yeshu'ah ( I know some boys named "Yeshu'ah" and, no, they're not Christian or J for J) singing. But if Rina sings in the tent where the tzadikim are, isn't there a problem of Kol Isha?

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


texts: What is the halachic boundary of modern day Jerusalem in regards to Purim

texts: I would like to know what the halachic boundaries of Jerusalem are today in terms of where one would be obligated in the mitzvot of Shushan Purim.


texts: The torah commands us to distance from a false thing. I would like to know if any halachic authorities have discussed whether or not this commandment may be put aside when dealing with a terminally ill child (or a similar situation) where one may wish to lie in order to provide comfort to the sick person.


texts: Whatever happened to the Chiefs of the 10, 50, 100 and 1,000?

texts:
In Parshas Yisro (Shemos 18:25) Moshe appoints the Chiefs of the 10, 50, 100 and 1,000.

"וַיִּבְחַר מֹשֶׁה אַנְשֵׁי־חַיִל מִכָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּתֵּן אֹתָם רָאשִׁים עַל־הָעָם שָׂרֵי אֲלָפִים שָׂרֵי מֵאוֹת שָׂרֵי חֲמִשִּׁים וְשָׂרֵי עֲשָׂרֹת׃"
Moses chose capable men out of all Israel, and appointed them heads over the people—chiefs of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens;

We meet them again when Moshe repeats the story (with slight differences as noted here) in Devorim 1:15.

"וָאֶקַּח אֶת־רָאשֵׁי שִׁבְטֵיכֶם אֲנָשִׁים חֲכָמִים וִידֻעִים וָאֶתֵּן אֹתָם רָאשִׁים עֲלֵיכֶם שָׂרֵי אֲלָפִים וְשָׂרֵי מֵאוֹת וְשָׂרֵי חֲמִשִּׁים וְשָׂרֵי עֲשָׂרֹת וְשֹׁטְרִים לְשִׁבְטֵיכֶם׃ "
So I took your tribal leaders, wise and experienced men, and appointed them heads over you: Chiefs of thousands, chiefs of hundreds, chiefs of fifties, and chiefs of tens, and officials for your tribes.

But we never hear about them actually doing anything else. Notably, in Beha'alothcho (Bemidbar 11:16) Moshe appoints a set of 70 Elders to help deal with the people. There is no indication that there was an overlap between the Chiefs and the 70 Elders.
How long did the Chiefs retain their positions? What do we know about them except for the fact that they were appointed?
A quick search of Tanach does not seem to find them later on in history.


texts: origin of chassidish havarah(pronunciation)

texts:
When did people start using the chassidish havarah? If making that change was deliberate, who instituted it?

I remember seeing some where that it was started to oppose the maskilim who where medakdek on dikduk, but I have a hard time believing this. Hence, my question.


texts: Wearing a gold watch on shabbos without an eiruv

texts:
The halocho is a person may wear jewellery in the street on shabbos without an eiruv provided the reason why he is wearing it is for the adornment of it and not some other use. Therefore the poskim stipulate that a gold watch may only be worn on Shabbos if that person would also wear the watch when the battery is dead, proving that the reason why he is wearing it is because of its beauty and not to tell the time.

My question is, what about if you would not wear if it were broken, but not that it proves you wear it to tell the time, its just that its odd to walk around with a broken watch? Really the reason I wear it is for its beauty, just that I do not want to seem wierd to everyone else so that is why I do not wear it when it is broken, but it doesnt prove that I am only wearing it for the time?

So am I allowed to wear my gold watch on Shabbos based on this logic?


texts: May one say the letters of Hashem's name i.e. “Yud hei vov hei”?

texts:
We know we cannot pronounce the 4-lettered name of Hashem.

Is it allowed to say the letters of Hashem's name ie “Yud hei vov hei” as in the meditation before counting the Omer or must one say “Yud kei vov kei”.

What proof is there that the expression ההוגה את השם באותיותיו in the Mishna in Sanhedrin 10:1 refers to saying the letters (yud hei etc.) as well as pronouncing the whole name.


texts: What does the Malbim in his perush on אשת חיל in Mishlei, base his derech hamuskal on?

texts:
The Malbim in his perush on אשת חיל in Mishlei chapter 31,has 2 Perushim and one is called derech hamuskal. He learns that the whole Eishes Chayil is a Mashal.
Where is the Malbim coming from, what source?
Is the Malbim basing the Mashal on a chaza"l somewhere or otherwise what license does the Malbim have to explain this way, can we learn it as a mashal for something else then?


texts: Do we have an obligation to love the Erev Rav?

texts: Does the mitzvah of loving other Jews(Vayikra 19:18) apply to the Erev Rav?


texts: Changing tefilin from left-handed to right-handed

texts:
My son's Bar Mitzvah is coming soon, and he's studying with a rabbi. When learning how to put tefilin, rabbi said that my tefilin is not good for him, because it's apparently for a left-handed person and my son is right-handed.

I have no idea why my tefilin is for a left-handed person, I'm right-handed as well. Is there a possibility to change the tefilin to make it fit for a right-handed person?


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

Upvote all interesting answers.

Accept the best answer.

Go on to the next number.


texts: Are there Jews not following the rabbinic laws?

texts:
Trying to learn about Judaism more I have been reading this StackExchange for the past few months. As a non-Jew using the correct terminology is a bit hard, so please do feel more than free to edit this question to improve it.
Regarding the rabbinic laws (The derabanan if I am not mistaken) there is often discussion and if my understanding is correct they can be 'overwritten' through time. Either way, regarding specific cases I have read about Jews not following some of these instructions (for example regarding what may and may not be done on the Shabbat) which made me wonder whether there are Jews which disregard Rabbinic law as a whole (a movement like the Sola Scriptura movement in Christianity for example), especially after reading a question like Why are we bound to rabbinic laws?.


texts: Was Moses' original scroll used as a blueprint for all following scrolls?

texts:
In Parashat Vayelech, Moses writes/completes a Torah scroll and hands it over to Kohanim to keep it in the Holy Ark.

Does anybody mention that its purpose was to serve as a blueprint for other Torah scrolls?


texts: What are a father's obligations or responsibilities to his children?  Is there any guidance on what happens to those obligations or responsibilities after a divorce?  Is there any guidance on what a father should provide in terms of financial and emotional support?


texts: Does אונאת דברים include disgusting someone?

texts: Does the issur of Onaas D'varim include disgusting someone? or eating in a way that can disgust someone


texts: How accurate is the writing of Josephus? Can we rely on any of his writings to establish authentic Jewish practices or in areas of halacha?


texts: What is an accessible but thorough work on Hebrew grammar for people who already know how to read Tanakh and mefarshim, but would like a more systematic understanding of the grammatical discussions? Preferably it should cover the various approaches throughout history, such as Menachem, Dunash, and Rashi before moving onto Ibn Janach's system.


texts: Is it forbidden to wear a snap-brim Borsalino fedora on Shabbos?

texts:
The Talmud, at Shabbos 138b, presents the opinion that one may not wear a siyana -- which Rashi defines as a wide-brimmed hat — on Shabbos if it has a brim that is one tefach (hand-bredth) wide because it is like erecting an ohel (tent).  Tosafos cites Rabbi Chananel for the principle that this is only where the brim is stiff, and Rashi adds that we are concerned that the wind will pick the hat up and blow it off, causing one to pick it up in violation of the issur to carry in a public domain.  So Rashi would hold that it is only prohibited if the hat does not fit tightly on one's head.

So, the question comes up — the black snap-brim Borsalino fedora has now become a staple for men in the Yeshivish world.  The brim on most hats is easily a tefach wide, and the snap-brim makes the brim tight enough to become an air-foil.  On what basis can we claim that this type of hat is not a siyana and therefore forbidden to wear on Shabbos?  Could this be a concern for other types of felt hats common in the Haredi world (the names of these hats are unfamiliar to me)?


texts: Is there a concept of "peer review" in Rabbinical Judaism?

texts:
"Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competences as the producers of the work (peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer review methods are used to maintain quality standards, improve performance, and provide credibility. (WIKI)

As I noticed, the main tendency of Jewish methodology is that a statement is uttered and left unaddressed (unresearched) for many years and only the later generations start questioning and finding possible explanations. For example, in the Gemmorah Amorayim try to explain the sayings of the Tannoyim (some 100-200-500 years later), Geonim try to explain the Gemmora, then Rishonim, then Achronim, etc.

I'd expect that Rabbis that are interested in finding the ultimate G-dly truth would share their thought with their peers to validate and verify their findings or maybe disprove and discard.

Is there an idea of "peer-review" in Judaism? Did any Rabbi/movement in the past establish a system of submitting a work to a close examination to other Rabbis?


texts: What type of case is best for a Megillah?

texts:
I have a century-old Megillah (Esther) that, B"H is in quite good shape. I'd like to buy a case for it. Obviously, I don't use the megillah often during most of the year. Around the beginning of Shevat, I use it to practice my reading (occasionally, with "noise accompaniment" to simulate the Haman interruptions.) On Purim, I carry it outdoors, so I would want something waterproof. (My luck - I think 2 of the last 5 years it snowed on Purim!) The rest of the year, it stays "dormant".

What type of case would be best to preserve the parchment the longest?

silver
wood (any type better than another)?
some other material

In your answer, please include why you believe your suggestion is the best solution (cheapest, keeps out moisture, etc.) and inform me if you have tried this, yourself.


texts: Does the plain text of the Torah support the view that "It would have been preferable had man not been created"?

texts:
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: שְׁתֵּי שָׁנִים וּמֶחֱצָה נֶחְלְקוּ בֵּית שַׁמַּאי וּבֵית הִלֵּל. הַלָּלוּ אוֹמְרִים: נוֹחַ לוֹ לְאָדָם שֶׁלֹּא נִבְרָא יוֹתֵר מִשֶּׁנִּבְרָא, וְהַלָּלוּ אוֹמְרִים: נוֹחַ לוֹ לְאָדָם שֶׁנִּבְרָא יוֹתֵר מִשֶּׁלֹּא נִבְרָא. נִמְנוּ וְגָמְרוּ: נוֹחַ לוֹ לְאָדָם שֶׁלֹּא נִבְרָא יוֹתֵר מִשֶּׁנִּבְרָא, עַכְשָׁיו שֶׁנִּבְרָא — יְפַשְׁפֵּשׁ בְּמַעֲשָׂיו.

The Sages taught the following baraita: For two and a half years, Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel disagreed. These say: It would have been preferable had man not been created than to have been created. And those said: It is preferable for man to have been created than had he not been created. Ultimately, they were counted and concluded: It would have been preferable had man not been created than to have been created. However, now that he has been created, he should examine his actions that he has performed and seek to correct them.  Eruvin.13b

This conclusion seems to align with an analysis of the plain text of the Torah:

Humans are born with bad inclination.

If they follow it naturally, they are punished in this world and suffer from illnesses, hunger wars, etc.

If they overcome it, and observe all the Mitzvos, Hashem grants them "normal human lives" - no illnesses, no hunger, and no wars.

So it looks that the Pascal's wager in the plain text of the Torah is negative - like saying "it's 50% chance that you lose and 50% chance that you merely keep your money" - people have more to lose than to earn.
Do our sources see this connection of the Talmudic conclusion to the text of the Torah?


texts: אצבע אלוקים היא - *how* many?

texts:
We all know the part of the seder in which we talk about how many makot were part of an אצבע (10) and how many were part of a יד (50).

But wait a minute. The phrase אצבע אלוקים היא was not told at the end of the ten makot. It was used after only three makot. Worse, it was only told about the single most recent maka of kinim.

So why are we multiplying ten by five to get fifty plagues at the Red Sea? Shouldn't we have only five, or at best fifteen?


texts: Why is the term שליט"א more commonly used for a rav than the term נ"י?

texts:
As a follow up to this answer to a M.Y. question, why is שליט"א more commonly used after a notable Rav's name than the term נירו יאיר (or נ"י, as an abbreviation)?

A wise person, such as a rav is called a תלמיד חכם meaning student" of a wise person (Thanks to @wfb for the clarity!) This implies that even though he is wise, he is still a student, because he always needs to continue learning.

Also Pirkei Avot 4:1 states:

  בן זומא אומר:איזהו חכם? הלומד מכל אדם, שנאמר: (תהלים קיט צט): "מכל
  מלמדי השכלתי כי עדותיך שיחה לי

  Ben Zoma says:    Who is the wise one? He who learns from all men, as
  it says, "I have acquired understanding from all my teachers" (Psalms
  119:99).

This confirms the same idea that people become wiser by continually learning from others.

The term נירו יאיר implies that the person should continue to shine his light by continually learning and teaching others, and becoming wiser. This seems. to me, to be a bigger bracha than שליט"א, which is just a bracha that the rav should live long, without directly indicating that he should become wiser and teach others.


texts: Are there circumstances when one should repeat a prayer in which he had no kavana the first time?

texts:
Halichipedia writes

  One should have kavana (proper concentration) when praying Shemonah
  Esrei. If one is unable to have kavana for all of Shemonah Esrei one
  should make an extra effort to have kavana for the first Bracha (Magen
  Avraham). If one didn’t have kavana even in the first Bracha according
  to the strict law one is obligated to return to the beginning of
  Shemonah Esrei. However, nowadays if one did not have kavana one
  should not return to the beginning of Shemonah Esrei.

The footnote reads:

  The Tur 101:1 writes that nowadays if one didn’t have kavana in the
  first Bracha of Shemonah Esrei one shouldn’t have to return to the
  beginning because once one didn’t have kavana the first time there’s
  no guarantee that one is going to be successful the next time. This is
  the ruling of the Rama 101:1.

My question is:
Where there is a reason to think that the circumstances are that he will be able to concentrate better the second time (because whatever was disturbing him has stopped), is he permitted or even obliged to repeat if he did not have kavana in the first prayer?


texts:
In 2 Shmuel chapter 6 Uzzah's name is spelled alternatively with an ending aleph (v. 3,6) or heh (v 7,8). What is the explanation for this change?

Note that in the recounting in 1 Divrei HaYamim 13 the name is spelled exclusively with an aleph.


texts: where can I find Rashi translated into English on Talmud either recorded or printed? Ty

texts:
I always find shiurim that translate well the Gemara into English but I have difficulty with Rashi. Where can I find a translation of
Rashi on Gemara?


texts:
I have just watched a "Stump the Rabbi" video about whether mashiach is actually a physical person. Rabbi Shloma Majeski states that mashiach can even be someone that has passed away, and especially if they did something in that generation for the redemption to come.

So after watching this I am wondering, doesn't he basically support the christian idea? I would like to know where exactly he stated in Tractate Sanhedrin if any of you know that mashiach can be someone that passed away. But couldn't a christian watch this and say that their idol is a "candidate".

Here is the video, it is about 5 minutes: https://youtu.be/ZQSYltoKbUY


texts: Why aren't Zeraim or Toharos included in the Bavli as Mishnayos?

texts:
Whatever the reason, there is no Gemara on most of Zeraim and Toharos.  Why, though, were the mishnayos themselves not included in their entireties in the redacted Talmud Bavli?

It seems strange that one could learn the entire Talmud Bavli without having thus learned the entire Mishna.


texts: How do we remember the Churban on our homes?


texts: Death penalty for Shabbos violation, how can it be?

texts: How does beis din ever put anyone to death over a Shabbat violation, what is stopping the defendant from simply saying “it was a melacha she’aino trizcha legufo” or “it was a Davar sheino miskaven” and therefore he should be patur?


texts: Sometimes people add a name for a sick person. Can you just change it to an entirely different name? I know of a case where they kept the first name and changed the second name - originally the name was Menachem Mendel and they changed it to Menachem Chaim. I do not know if a Rabbi was asked and I am curious if there is any source for doing so.


texts: Question of Ribbis (interest) with personal use of employer's gasoline and reimbursement using his own credit card

texts:
Someone travels to work out of town with his own car. He received a credit card from his employer to pay for the gas for the trip to and from the workplace and his home.
The employer does not mind if he makes short local trips before or after work for his own purposes, although he is using gas which was paid for by he employer.
when he travels on longer personal trips he is supposed to pay for his own gas. Sometimes, instead of filling the car with gas before a personal trip he will instead make the trip using gas already in the car which he had previously paid for with the employer's credit card, and as reimbursement to the employer for  the gas used for his personal use, he will fill the car with gas before he goes to work the next time using his own credit card. With this he then travels to work on the gas which he paid for himself, and thus he has repaid his debt.

The question which arose is as follows:
Since sometimes the trip which he traveled using the employer's gas may be shorter than the trip to and from work which he paid for with his personal credit card, it would turn out that he repaid the employer more than he "borrowed".
Would there be a ribbis problem with such a scenario?

We must also consider the point that the price of gas may have risen by the time he returns it. If it indeed did than he would be returning more value than he took, even if he returned the same quantity of gas as he used.
MORESO even if the price DID NOT go up, we may be involved in a question of "seah besah, which forbids borrowing any expendable item with intent to return another of the same item. The reason for the prohibition is because the price of the may rise by the time he returns it. Nonetheless, the prohibition of borrowing Seah Besah is EVEN IF THE PRICE DOES NOT GO UP. The chachamim made an issur because it MIGHT go up. So too here to we might have that problem even if he returns exactly the same amount as he took, and the 2 trips were of exactly the same length, and the price of gas did not rise, it still may be forbidden because of Seah Besah as explained.
One of the exceptions to the rule of "seah besah" is called "yesh LO"
 This means that if at the time of the borrowing, the borrower already has in his possession any amount of the item being borrowed he may borrow the item and we are not concerned about a future price rise
Thus, if the car owner had any of his own gasoline in the car at the time which he used the employers gas for himself, there would be no concern of 'seah besah'


texts: Where does the "functional reason" exception to Beged isha come from?

texts:
First let me note once again that I am not Jewish, but when encountering certain things I often like to explore how Judaism considers those things. Either way, today I was reading Devarim I came across the following verse (22:5):

לֹא-יִהְיֶה כְלִי-גֶבֶר עַל-אִשָּׁה, וְלֹא-יִלְבַּשׁ גֶּבֶר שִׂמְלַת אִשָּׁה:  כִּי תוֹעֲבַת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, כָּל-עֹשֵׂה אֵלֶּה
A woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment; for whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto the LORD thy God.

Now, when I looked it up on the internet I found out that you call this prohibition beged isha and to my surprise I encountered the following exception

Further, it would be permitted for a man to wear one item of women's clothing for some functional reason -- e.g. he is stuck in the pouring rain and only has a woman's raincoat.

In this primer on the prohibition on Aish.com. Now, to be very clear here, what I am trying to understand is how this exception came to be. It's not the topic itself that interests me as much as the fact such exception exists. How I understand it is that Rabbi's often interpret the Torah in a certain and that's the way it is for the rest of time, sometimes prohibitions get added, but this is the first time I have consciously seen that an exception like that is created.


texts: When do we change back the ark-cover etc from white to the rest-of-the-year colour?

texts:
When do we change back the proches (ark-cover) etc from white to the rest-of-the-year colour?
I would have thought right after Simchas Torah or possibly Isru Chag?


texts:
According to the new "Annotated Edition" of the Siddur Tehillas Hashem, a Bar Mitzvah bachur should get his first aliya either on Shabbos Mincha time, Monday, Thursday, or Rosh Chodesh.

I assume that the source is from Sefer Haminhagim where it says either Monday, Thursday or Shabbos Mincha time. It does not mention Rosh Chodesh.

What is the source of note in the Tehillas Hashem siddur that one could get his first aliya on Rosh Chodesh?


texts: Why aren't people named after the rabbis from the Talmud?

texts:
Besides a couple names (ex: Akiva, Ashi) you don't really see many people over the course of history who have names that originated from the Talmud- ie "Huna", "Abaye", "Zevid", "Puppa" etc.

Why do you think think this? (other than someone maybe not liking these names for their child)  These members of Chazal are literally gedolim she'b'gdolim!


texts: I am looking for a Yalkut Yosef Tzitzit (In hebrew) but I believe it's only sold together in the full set of 24. I don't mind buying it used. Is there anywhere I'd be able to find this sefer individually?


texts: Why don't we ask "Why is this night different from all other nights?"

texts:
The Mishnah (Pesachim 116a), when recording the Mah Nishtanah, phrases the question as:

  מה נשתנה הלילה הזה מכל הלילות?

The most literal translation I can muster from this is:

  What is different this night from all nights?

The Mishnah clearly doesn't mean "What is different on this night from all other nights?" as the questioner proceeds to elaborate the differences: we only eat Matzah, we only eat Marror, etc. Perforce, the Mishnah must mean "What is it that causes this night to be different from all other nights?" So why doesn't the Mishnah just say that - למה נשתנה הלילה הזה, "Why is this night different from all nights?"
The wording of the end of the question is similarly awkward, contrasting this night to "all nights." Clearly it means all other nights, so why doesn't it just say that: משאר הלילות? (This question would similarly apply to the later stitches, where we say שבכל הלילות, "for on all nights," instead of שבשאר הלילות, "for on all other nights.")


texts:
After hearing about the miraculous things Hashem did for Bnei Yisrael when taking them out of Mitzrayim, Yisro (Moshe's father-in-law) travels from Midian and comes for a visit.

I would say it's almost universally accepted that Yisro ended up converting and joining Bnei Yisrael when he comes and talks to Moshe about what happened.

If he did convert, then why does Moshe send him back home to Midian (Shemos 18:27); shouldn't he have stuck around with Bnei Yisrael, especially since they were to receieve the Torah soon at Har Sinai?

(Of course, the Torah is not in chronological order so it would be easy to say that Yisro was sent back home after they received the Torah, and that the Torah only puts Yisro's visit and return here as a matter of reader convenience.)

Why was Yisro sent back home instead of living in the desert with Bnei Yisrael and eventually entering the land, and more importantly why did Moshe do this? Because the passuk says "vayshallach Moshe es chosno" - Moshe sent his father-in-law away.

The Mechilta (as referenced by Rashi) writes that he went home to convet the other members of his family, but does this imply that he returned, along with his new converts, back to Sinai?


texts:
Blood played a significant role within Israelite Culture ceremoniously and ritualistically.  For example (including but not limited to) for confirmation of a covenant, as part of the dedication of the kohanim, as part of the priestly service on Yom Kippur, and as part of the purification of the metzora.
What was the spiritual significance of the blood being used as a means of atonement, dedication, and purification?  Was there an overall connection of the usage of blood ceremoniously or was there a different reason for its usage on a case by case basis?  Also was this a cultural practice amongst the nations that surrounded ancient Israel (not just in proximity but during the time period) as a means of reconciliation with their deities? Commentaries, Articles, Scriptural Passages, etc. Todah Rabbah.


texts:
I'm looking for a way to accurately describe what a chavrusa (in a yeshiva setting) is to a non-Jew. I'm ideally looking for a one or two line description.

Basically the shorter the better, but it should accurately describe it to someone from a completely different background.


texts: In Israel, what do you do if Isru Chag of Pesach is on Shabbat?

texts:
In Israel, if Isru Chag of Pesach is on Shabbat, when do people reacquire their chametz that they sold on Pesach? Do they acquire it retroactively after the holiday is over, OR do they not acquire it until after Shabbat is over?

For example this year (2012, 5772):
The last day of Pesach is on a Friday, and Isru Chag (the day after the holiday) is on Shabbat.

I know of this question: If the last day of Passover is Friday, may I eat chametz on the Shabbat right after?, but my question here involves chametz that is one's own house and was sold over Pesach.


texts: Sources for Minhag of partial Pesach Cleaning if away

texts: I am looking for any sources for the Minhag of only needing to clean one room in your house for Pesach if you are going to be away for the whole chag.


texts: Source for guest bed in Sedom as a parable for education

texts:
Shalom has quoted R. Yakov Kaminetsky as saying:

  R' Yaakov Kaminetsky pointed to the Gemara about the "guest bed" in Sodom, where if you were too short they stretched you; too tall, they cut off your limbs; he said this was the state of our educational system.

I'm looking for a source for this idea. This can either be a specific citation to R. Kaminetsky writing or saying it, or any source of anyone else of equivalent or greater stature saying the same thing. In measuring "equivalent or greater" the answer's subjective estimation is fine.


texts: What modern devices are susceptible to impurity?

texts: I'm especially interested in computing devices like laptops/smartphones and vehicles like cars and trains.


texts: Is it a mitzvah to create a situation for others to be mekayem a mitzvah?

texts:
I recall reading (though I can't find it) that the person who was punished for collecting sticks on Shabbat was actually doing so in an effort to help others see the laws of Shabbat in practice (or something "positive" like that). Is there a concept in halacha of creating a scenario to allow others to be mekayem a mitzvah?

Examples -- Can I be less careful with my belongings so that I can lose them and give others the chance to return lost items? Can I expose myself to illness so that more people can come visit me as bikur cholim? As an extension, if I choose not to have children have I deprived potential children from being mekayem kibbud av so by not creating the situation; have I added an aveirah?


texts: Source for lighting candles in a circle being OK b'dieved

texts:
I recently played a Chanukah quiz game with friends. One of the questions was "is it permissible to light candles in a circle". The correct answer was "yes, b'dieved". I have always heard that the answer is no, so that it not look like a bonfire.

What is the source for the lighting counting (after the fact) when done in a circle? (And is the quizmaster's assertion actually correct?)


texts: Nature of restrictions on passing during niddah

texts:
I was taught before I got married that passing during niddah is strictly Assur.
However, Upon looking into it I found that it's not mentioned in the gemara in berachos that is the source for most of our Harchokos. It seems Rashi was the first to be makpid on it. I believe the Rambam makes no mention of it.

I have heard two reasons why it's assur to pass:
You may touch her.
Passing leads to closeness.

I would like to know:

A) The earliest sources for it

B) Is it Halacha? Minhag? Chumrah?

C) Are there any circumstances where it doesn't apply?

P.S.- Some of you might say "C'mon passing is the easiest Halacha to keep."
I find that it's one of the most "annoying" to keep as it is constantly coming up. Especially in public or when eating a shabbos meal out.


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

Upvote all interesting answers.

Accept the best answer.

Go on to the next number.


texts: Each generation in which the Temple wasn't rebuilt it's as if it was destroyed anew

texts:
I've often heard the phrase "In each generation in which the Temple isn't rebuilt, it's as if it was destroyed anew". כל דור שלא נבנה בית המקדש בימיו, כאילו נחרב בימיו.
I'm trying to find the earliest source for this phrase. A search on Sefaria brought six late, mostly chassidish sources:

Shemiras HaLashon (Chofetz Chaim, early 20th century, quoting Chazal)
Pri HaAretz [1] and [2] (Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk, 18th century, quoting Razal)
Pele Yoetz (Rabbi Eliezer Papo, early 19th century)
Yismash Moshe (Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum of Satmar, 20th century)
Likkutei Halachos (Rabbi Nosson of Breslov, early 19th century)

Subsequently I found:

Toras Moshe (top right) (Chasam Sofer, late 18th century) uses this expression.

I found in the Yerushalmi Yoma 1:1 the phrase:

כל דור שאינו נבנה בימיו מעלין עליו כאילו הוא החריבו
Any generation in which [the Temple] was not rebuilt in their days, They consider it upon them as if they destroyed it

This version is much harsher, blaming the generation itself. I'm looking specifically for the earliest source of the softer version quoted above, that it was as if it was destroyed.


texts: Why does Tanac"h frequently use the term for "knowledge" when referring to sexual relations?

texts:
Frequently, when Tanac"h speaks about a man and woman having sexual relations, it uses the term ידע as in Breishit 4:1

  וְהָ֣אָדָ֔ם יָדַ֖ע אֶת־חַוָּ֣ה אִשְׁתּ֑וֹ וַתַּ֙הַר֙ וַתֵּ֣לֶד
  אֶת־קַ֔יִן

The verb also means "to know". Why is the term for "knowledge" used? Is there some type of knowledge that is gained via sexual relations, and what knowledge is that?


texts:
Looking at Bereshit/Genesis 25:22

Some commentators [based on the Midrash of Genesis Rabbah 63:6] offer a  explanation [of “Vayitrotzatzu: and they struggled”] as having the meaning of “ratz/rutz: running.”  When Rivkah would pass by a place of Torah study (Beit Knesset, Tefillah, Midrash) [of Shem and Ever], Ya'akov would run and push to come out.  When she would pass by a place of an idol worship or wordly place, Esav would run and push to come out.

Rashi presents another explanation in which the two boys fought over two worlds (Olam Hazeh and the Olam Habah).

It seems those kind of commentaries present a twofold: one side (spiritual) v.s. another side (earthly) represented in the characters, running and the two worlds.

What I would like to know though is why then the two boys fought over both worlds?


texts: Why is it repeating something that's already known?

texts: It is stated in Shemos Parshas Beshalach 14:4 the following: "And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them, and I will be glorified through Pharaoh and through his entire army, and the Egyptians will know that I am Hashem. And they did so." Ok this is fine, but then later on in the perek it says in (14:17): "And I, behold! I shall harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they will come after you, and I will be glorified through Pharaoh, and through all his army, through his chariots, and through his horsemen". Why is all of this repeated about how Hashem will be glorified through his nation and mitzrayim etc.and also why does it need to change Pharaoh to the Egyptians in the 2 Posukim? Pharaoh is a king leader of the whole nation why does it need to harden both of their hearts surely if  Pharaoh's heart is hardened then the Egyptians hearts will be hardened also?


texts:
The Gemara Chullin (139b) writes

  מרדכי מן התורה מנין דכתיב (שמות ל, כג) מר דרור ומתרגמינן מירא דכיא -
  Where is Mordechai in the Torah? It says myrrh, which is translated as
  'mira dachya'.

What is the connection between myrrh and Mordechai that the gummy tree resin is his origin in the Torah?