texts: Why does Eliezer change facts in retelling what happened at the well?

texts:
There are 4 times in parshat Chayeii Sarah that the events at the well are related:

The first is 24:14 (English from the chabad website) - what Eliezer prays for

  And it will be, [that] the maiden to whom I will say, 'Lower your
  pitcher and I will drink,' and she will say, 'Drink, and I will also
  water your camels,' her have You designated for Your servant, for
  Isaac, and through her may I know that You have performed loving
  kindness with my master."

The second is what actually happens (17-20)

  And the servant ran toward her, and he said, "Please let me sip a
  little water from your pitcher." And she said, "Drink, my lord." And
  she hastened and lowered her pitcher to her hand, and she gave him to
  drink. And she finished giving him to drink, and she said, "I will
  also draw for your camels, until they will have finished drinking."
  And she hastened, and she emptied her pitcher into the trough, and she
  ran again to the well to draw water, and she drew for all his camels.

The third is during the recap when Eliezer says what he was looking for (24:43-44)

  Behold, I am standing by the water fountain. When a maiden comes out
  to draw [water], I will say to her, 'Please, give me a little water to
  drink from your pitcher.'  And [if] she will say to me, 'You too may
  drink, and I will also draw water for your camels,' she is the woman
  whom the Lord has designated for my master's son.'

And finally when Eliezer says what actually happened (45-46):

  I had not yet finished speaking thus in my heart, and behold, Rebecca
  came out with her pitcher on her shoulder, and she went down to the
  fountain and drew water, and I said to her, 'Please give me to drink.'
  And she hastened and lowered her pitcher from upon her, and she said,
  'Drink, and I will also water your camels.' So I drank, and she also
  watered the camels.

In 3 of the versions, the woman is presented as responding to a single request for water as immediately offering the man water and the camels water. However, in the actual event (version 2) she only offered to water the camels after he finished drinking.

This series of events is commented on in the Artscroll as being the better way -- had she offered to water the camels at first, Eliezer might have rushed to drink or reduced how much he drank (the chumash on page 113 references the Or HaChaim). Her not initially offering to water the camels is a positive thing!

Why then would Eliezer not retell the events in version 4 as they actually happened? Why change it to be in line with the 2 prayer-versions of immediate help? Why lie and lie in a way which detracts from the wonderful thing that she did?


texts:
I recently heard from an unreliable source that a certain Chasidic rabbi in my hometown claims that the entire oral Torah in its current written form (including the Bavli, the Yerushalmi, and all of the Torah she'b'al'peh that came later) was given at Har Sinai and passed down orally verbatim until it was finally written down.

I am pretty sure that the person who I heard this from is mistaken because I have never heard anybody make such a claim, but that's why I am asking here whether there is any group or authority who make this claim?


texts: Does one do aliya-ending notes when reading Torah in private?

texts:
When reading the Torah with cantillation in private, such as when doing "Shnayim Mikra Ve-echad Targum," when one gets to the end of an aliya (formal division of a parasha), does one end with the tune for ending an aliya or just with the normal tune for ending a verse?

If one is privately reading a parasha that's doubled-up for this week's reading with an adjacent parasha, how does one treat the points which would be aliya-endings for the individual parshiyot but not for the double parasha?


texts:
From my preschooler:

What's an Achashvei?
I know that a rosh is a head. I want to know what kind of head Achashveirosh was.

Can you help me come up with a satisfying answer? I'd prefer not to have to rely on some sort of academic cop-out like saying the word is actually Ugaratic (whatever that is) or one of these other non-Lashon-Hakodesh languages that, they say, somehow snuck into Tanach, chas veshalom.

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


texts:
This article cites a principle in the name of R. Saadya Gaon and Rambam that אין הלכה כנפלג. He cites כתבים לגר"י קאפח, ח"ב עמ' 557.

Where can this be found in the writings of the Geonim or Rambam?

Does it meant that when the Gemara say ופליגא אדר' פלוני  that the halakha follows the opinion that had been discussed, or ר' פלוני?


texts: What Currency will the Messiah introduce in the Messianic Age?

texts:
Does anyone know what the currency will the Messiah introduce in the Messianic era?

Is there such a thing as "the original Torah currency"? And does anyone mention switching to this currency?

Thank you!


texts:
The basic halachah is that when the congregation/community starts Shabbos (Sabbath) early an individual is forbidden to perform melachah (labor) even though Shabbos has not technically begun.

What is the basis for the congregation to have two minyanim, an early one and a late one? Why doesn't this cause a halachic problem (at least according to the opinions who permit it, not that I know of any who forbid it) if the majority of the kehillah starts early?


texts: Coming from a Reform Jewish perspective, since one is obligated to make as many mitzvot as possible, can one do machshava k’ma’ase’ for doing an actual mitzvah instead? If you think about a mitzvah, is that the same as actually doing it and performing the mitzvot? The Talmudic principle is, if you think about a subject it is as if you are doing it, so by that same logic, if you think about how nice it would be to do a mitzvah, are you good?


texts: Why do some people say the end of the 2nd bracha before Shema with the Shat"z?

texts:
I have noticed in many shuls (mainly Nusach Ashkenaz, though, I have seen in Nusach Sefard, as well) I have attended that some people conclude the end of the 2nd bracha before the Shema (Shacharit - ends with הבוחר בעמו ישראל באהבה ; Ma'ariv ends with אוהב עמו ישראל ) together with the Shat"z.

I guess this is a minhag? What is the origin / reason for doing this as opposed to concluding the bracha before the chazzan? Is there a problem with pausing between the end of the bracha and the beginning of Shema?


texts: Why was dill created just before Shabbat?

texts:
Pirkei Avot 5:6:

עֲשָׂרָה דְבָרִים נִבְרְאוּ בְעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת,
וְאֵלּו הֵן....  וְהַשָּׁמִיר,:

Ten things were created on the eve of the [first] Shabbat at twilight. And these are they: ... the dill
I see that all the other items in the list were used either for some other miracle / event mentioned in the Torah or in the Temple. Point is, that they are mentioned somewhere in Tanac"h. Where was dill mentioned in Tanac"h; What was its use?

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


texts:
Can one have leftovers from ones wife when she becomes a nidda being that the leftovers is from the day before she became a nidda?

It is somthing really mutar but yet still leftovers.


texts: Where does the Zohar say blessing and success come as a result of the Shabbos’s holiness?

texts:
The Eitz Yosef (cited in a footnote in 'The Complete Artscroll Siddur', page 316) quotes the Zohar who says:

  All the weekday blessing and success come as a result of the Shabbos’s
  holiness. Therefore, what you put into Shabbos is what you get out of
  it. The amount of energy (spirituality) you inject into sanctifying
  the Shabbos, will determine the amount of blessing that will be
  deposited into the coming week.

Where does the Zohar say this?


texts: Is it permitted to think about God / Hashem in the bathroom?

texts: One may not learn Torah in the bathroom, even if the thoughts are not verbally expressed. That made me wonder if it is permitted to think about God. My definition of "thinking about God" would be either thinking about the existence of God or general theology.


texts: What is the punishment before Vayehi Bineso'ah Ha'aron?

texts:
Rashi on Bamidbar 10:35 writes based on Shabbos 116a that Vayehi Bineso'ah Ha'aron is moved out of its proper place is to separate between two punishments.

  ויהי בנסע הארן" - עשה לו סמניות מלפניו ומלאחריו לומר שאין זה מקומו ולמה נכתב כאן כדי להפסיק בין פורעניות לפורעניות וכו' כדאיתא בכל כתבי הקדש

The punishment that came after is is very clear. In 11:33 many of the Jews were killed for complaining about the Man and their lack of meat.

  הבשר עודנו בין שניהם טרם יכרת ואף יהוה חרה בעם ויך יהוה בעם מכה רבה מאד

However, its not really clear what the punishment that happened before Vayehi Bineso'ah Ha'aron is. Many of the Meforshim such as Tosfos in Shabbos there explains the Gemara there to be saying that it's the sin of running away from Har Sinai like a child running away from school.

  פורענות ראשונה ויסעו וא"ר חנינא שסרו מאחרי השם. פי'. בקונטרס שמאז התחילו לשאול בשר ואומר ר"י דאין נ"ל כן אלא פורענות ראשונה כדאמר במדרש (ילמדנו) ויסעו שנסעו מהר סיני דרך שלשת ימים כתינוק היוצא מבית הספר שבורח לו והולך לו כך היו בורחים מהר סיני דרך שלשת ימים לפי שלמדו הרבה תורה בסיני אמר הקב"ה נסמוך פורענות לפורענות לאו. אלא נפסוק פרשת ויהי בנסוע הארון

But that isn't a punishment. That's a sin! The Gemara and Rashi are explicit that there is a punishment right before Vayehi Bineso'ah Ha'aron!


texts: Explicit shaimos printed in prayer books

texts:
The gemara in Shabbos 115b cites a Tosefta seemingly condemning those who publish prayer-books (and amulets) with G-d's name: "...מכאן אמרו כותבי ברכות כשורפי תורה". Nonetheless, it is common practice today of virtually all prayer-book publishers to include G-d's names in their products. Is there a halachik justification for this seemingly unnecessary leniency?

(While not necessarily addressing all the potential halachik issues, many older siddurim often employed e.g. the use of "יי" in place of the Tetragrammaton and used a character that combined the א and ל for other divine names. [My understanding is that the other names were printed as is.] Even this practice seems to have been abandoned by modern publishers of prayer-books.)

An additional potential issue of e.g. printing the Tetragrammaton as written instead of as pronounced is the possibility that those unaware of the rule about pronouncing that name are likely to be misled into violating that halacha. Is there any basis for this potential "michshol" as well? (This leniency was even introduced into the recently published children's picture-siddur of Koren publishing.)


texts: When did the custom of silver candlesticks for Shabbat start?

texts:
I heard that it is a custom to give a bride candlesticks. Is this true? when did this start? Who has the obligation to do this? and more info on the subject with sources please.

Is this true that it is good to respect the mitzvah of Shabbat candles and do it on silver candlesticks?


texts: Explain apparent contradiction regarding "binah" in the bracha "Chonen Hada'at"

texts:
The Bracha Chonen Hada'at seems to have an apparent contradiction regarding "binah".

The beginning of the blessing separates "da'at" from "binah" by implying that "G-d gives man graciously da'at and teaches a man 'binah'"

My rav explained this distinction. "Da'at" - wisdom is a gift that G-d gives us. But 'binah' is the ability to distinguish things such as good vs. bad / right vs. wrong. That must be learned and G-d helps man learn this.

OK - I understand this explanation. However, at the end of the bracha, we ask G-d to "Give us graciously ...'binah'". So it seems that we are asking G-d to give us 'binah' as a gift, not to teach it to us.

Is this contradictory, or what is the meaning implied by the request at the end of the bracha?

NOTE: The link uses Nusach Ashkenaz. The phrasing in Nusach Sfard is different, but still implies the same idea.


texts: Issues of lifnei iver with an inaccurate clock

texts:
Is there any problem with lifnei iver (giving bad information) in having an inaccurate clock that someone else will look at?

I'll examine a few cases here.

The clock is a few minutes off. I don't think this is a problem -- people who need super accurate clocks will have their own (rocket scientists).
The clock is totally dead, not moving at all. It should be clear enough after a minute or two that the clock is dead.
Clock is moving slowly. Say, it only changes one minute every two minutes. This is probably harder to notice at first.
Clock is totally off. It keeps time alright, but is 3 hours and 10 minutes slow.

A related case: is rounding to the nearest round number related to any of these?


texts: How much is the proper amount to give for Matanos L'Evyonim?


texts:
By default, the world אַתָּה (you) has a final stress. If I am correct (and the concordance as well), out of 172 occurrences 159 satisfies this rule in the Torah (92%).* However, if this word is in a pausal position, the stress is withdrawn to the penultimate syllable (Bereishit 29:14):

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לוֹ֙ לָבָ֔ן אַ֛ךְ עַצְמִ֥י וּבְשָׂרִ֖י אָ֑תָּה וַיֵּ֥שֶׁב עִמּ֖וֹ חֹ֥דֶשׁ יָמִֽים׃
And Laban said to him: "Surely thou art my bone and my flesh." And he abode with him the space of a month.

I have counted 7 such cases (4%). Yet, right in the next verse we see:

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לָבָן֙ לְיַֽעֲקֹ֔ב הֲכִֽי־אָחִ֣י אַ֔תָּה וַֽעֲבַדְתַּ֖נִי חִנָּ֑ם הַגִּ֥ידָה לִּ֖י מַה־מַּשְׂכֻּרְתֶּֽךָ׃
And Laban said unto Jacob: 'Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? Tell me, what shall thy wages be?'

I have found 6 cases where there is a patach despite the penultimate stress (Bereishit 3:19, 22:12, 29:15, 32:17, 49:3, Shemot 33:3). 5 of them have zakeif katan, 1 has pashta. Aren't these disjunctives strong enough to warrant a kamatz? Does it happen due to a nasog achor? Are these cases simply exceptions?
* I have considered the words: אַתָּה, וְאַתָּה, אָתָּה, וָאָתָּה.


texts: Torah reader unable to continue -- how should he proceed?

texts:
On Shabbat morning I was leining torah1 when, not long into an aliyah, I started having temporary but ill-timed vision problems that made it difficult to read.  As a result I made many mistakes (despite being well-practiced) that had to be corrected, which was embarrassing to me and probably not very pleasant for the kehal.  I wondered whether I should abort but was not sure (a) whether that was appropriate or inappropriate or (b) if appropriate, how to implement it correctly.  I strongly suspected that stopping mid-aliyah to ask for guidance would be a problem.

I have a question pending with my rabbi for the local ruling, but I am wondering what the general halacha is if something impedes a ba'al koreh during the reading.  If he absolutely can't continue then, well, he can't, but what about a case like mine, where it was technically possible to continue (it's not like I fainted or something) but in a very problematic way?

1 For purposes of this question can we please grant that this was a setting where a woman reading torah is ok?  I'd rather not get sidetracked by that, and considered asking the question in the third person to obscure that detail.  However, I thought it was more important to be able to answer any questions that come up about the nature of the impairment, should that matter.


texts: Why do people keep saying 12 tribes of Israel when there are 13?

texts:
The Encyclopædia Britannica article “Twelve Tribes of Israel” says (emphasis added),

Jacob’s first wife, Leah, bore him six sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi,
Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. Each was the father of a tribe.

That’s six tribes.
The article continues,

Two other tribes, Gad and Asher, were named after sons born to Jacob
and Zilpah, Leah’s maidservant. Two additional tribes, Dan and
Naphtali, were named after sons of Jacob born of Bilhah, the
maidservant of Rachel, Jacob’s second wife. Rachel bore Jacob two
sons, Joseph and Benjamin.

That’s another six, to make a total of twelve.
But Joseph produces two tribes, Efraim and Manasheh. There is no tribe of Joseph.
So there are thirteen tribes in all.
Perhaps Levi doesn’t count due to its lack of territory. But the article clearly says that Levi is a tribe. And then it goes on pretending that there are twelve tribes all along.
Is my math correct?
This has been bothering me for years since childhood. Why does nobody seem to think there is any problem? Your math is correct the Levites were the priests however both sons Mannassah and Ephraim came from Joseph and because they were brothers counted as 2 tribe


texts: How early can I take down my mezuzos before a move?

texts:
Suppose a Jew will be vacating an apartment or other property rented from a gentile. In such a case, he is permitted to take down his mezuzos before leaving. How long before actually moving out may he take down the mezuzos? Must it be during the last day of the lease, the last minute of the lease, or after the lease ends? Or may he pack up his mezuzos in the normal process of packing his things?

Hypothesis: Based on the laws of eiruvim, it seems to me that food plays a role in the halachic definition of "one's own" dwelling. Therefore, I would suppose that he may take down and pack his mezuzos as soon as he has removed all his food (or perhaps only his bread) from the property.


texts: On this night We ALL must lean not exactly?

texts: While it is true the Mishnah Berurah says that woman in current times are all considered important and hence all are supposed to lean basic Halacha does not require women to  lean so we do we say KULANU MISUBIN (WE ALL LEAN)?


texts: Can a widowed or divorced kohen who already has children marry a woman convert who cannot have children (eg, because of a hysterectomy or being postmenopausal)?


texts: Nazir having his hair removed through an indirect manner

texts:
The Mishnah in Nazir 6:3 states:

סְתָם נְזִירוּת שְׁלשִׁים יוֹם. גִּלַּח אוֹ שֶׁגִּלְּחוּהוּ לִסְטִים,
סוֹתֵר שְׁלשִׁים יוֹם. נָזִיר שֶׁגִּלַּח בֵּין בְּזוּג בֵּין בְּתַעַר
אוֹ שֶׁסִּפְסֵף כָּל שֶׁהוּא, חַיָּב. נָזִיר חוֹפֵף וּמְפַסְפֵּס,
אֲבָל לֹא סוֹרֵק. רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל אוֹמֵר, לֹא יָחוֹף בַּאֲדָמָה,
מִפְּנֵי שֶׁמַּשֶּׁרֶת אֶת הַשֵּׂעָר:
A basic nazir [vow] is [for] thirty days. If he shaved or bandits
shaved him it voids the thirty days. A nazir who shaved, whether with
scissors, with a razor, or if he trimmed at all, is liable. A nazir
can rub and trim but not comb. Rabbi Yishmael says: "He should not rub
with earth, since it tears out the hair."

Suppose a Nazir does an action that indirectly causes his hair to be removed (for example, he undergoes chemotherapy and his hair falls out). Does doing that action void his Nezirus counting? Does the Issur of a Nazir shaving his head apply to indirect manners of hair removal?
On the one hand, the Mishnah seems to say that both Oneis (unavoidable action) and Psik Reisha (guaranteed outcome) are forbidden. That would seem to correlate accrately to this scenario.
On the other hand, perhaps other factors such as Davar She'eino Miskavein (unintentional result), not removing the hairs in a 'normal' manner, etc. would make this case not a violation of Nezirus.


texts:
How could Yackov Lie it is גניבת דעת to say

  אָנֹכִי עֵשָׂו בְּכֹרֶךָ

How was he allowed to make this statement?


texts: Is there an obligation or a custom to sit down while saying hamotzi? What about for the other before blessings (borei minei mezonot, borei pri adamah, borei pri ha'etz, and shehakol nihiye bidvaro)?


texts:
related to this question

The halacha requires that on Pesach, when drinking at least the first 2 cups of wine or eating the matzah for the mitzvah, a person leans. The S"A (O"C 472:7) codifies it as

  כל מי שצריך הסיבה אם אכל או שתה בלא הסיבה לא יצא וצריך לחזור לאכול ולשתות בהסיבה

But when sitting with certain people, including one's Rav Muvhak, there seems to be the possibility that, if told NOT to lean (or not given explicit permission TO lean -- אא"כ יתן לו רבו רשות), one does not lean.

My Daf Hayomi B'Halacha email wrote these two statements -- the first about leaning in the presence of one's father and the second, in the presence of a Rebbe

  The Poskim disagree whether a son is permitted to lean in front of his father if the father insists that the son not do so. Some rule that the son may not lean in opposition to his father’s wishes, while others say that the father’s opinion is negated due to the fact that the average parent has no issue with his child leaning in front of him.

  If the teacher permits the student to lean, the student must do so. The permission must be explicit and cannot be assumed.

But if the obligation to lean is on the level of halacha -- so much so that not leaning means one has not discharged his obligation, then being bound by the dictate of the father or the Rebbe would stop someone from being yotzei an obligation. The halacha yomit site writes

  The Torah further states (Vayikra 19), “Each man shall revere his mother and father and you shall keep My Shabbat,” to teach us that if one’s father commands him to desecrate the Shabbat, the child may not obey his father, for the father is likewise obligated to honor Hashem who has commanded to observe the holy Shabbat. The same applies to any other Mitzvot in that if one’s parents command him to transgress any of the Torah’s commandments or that of the Sages, one may not obey them, for they are also obligated to keep these commandments.

Among other reasons, I can imagine that the dictate of divrei harav, divrei hatalmid, divrei mi shom'im might also apply.

How can there be any opinion that says that in the face of a particular element which is a sine qua non of proper fulfillment of a mitzvah, one can be forbidden to perform it by someone? Is it because of some difference between an aseh and a lo ta'aseh (or a shev v'al ta'aseh)? The answer here uses the language of ANY commandment.


texts: Informing someone that the food they are eating is permissible only b'deved(after the fact)

texts:
Does one need to inform someone that the food they are about to eat is permissible b'deved(after the fact)?

Example 1: Some milk fell into the chulent and the Rabbi employed batel b'shishim and now the chulent is mutar b'deved.

Example 2: If a caterer was preparing food for a wedding and there was a mess up ,and he asked a Rabbi who permitted the food because it is a case of hefsed m'rubah(great loss) and now the food is allowed b'deved.

In these cases does the baal habais have to inform his guest(s) that the food is in a b'deved state?


texts: In some Sephardic/Edut HaMizrach siddurim, there is a sentence as one concludes that one reads "ברוך הזן, ברוך שולחן, ברוך משה בן עמרם". Hebrew Wikipedia records it as the custom of the Kurdistan community in Israel but gives no reference. Couldn't find the source for this custom. Any ideas?


texts:
Does anyone know where I might find the common Chabad siddur, Siddur Tehilas Hashem, with a Yiddish translation? A while back I had seen one for sale on Eichler's website, but the link has since been taken down. It is important that I can buy it online.

I tried eBay, Reb Google, etc. All to no avail.


texts:
Cremations for Jews?
Why shouldn't Jews be cremated?


texts: Did David Hamelech reference his mother's name in Tehillim?

texts:
I'm pretty sure I heard this at Shul:
Someone asked R' Zilberstein if he's allowed to publicly praise his living mother, if she doesn't want to be honored. So I think R' Zilvberstein answered that David Hamelech's mother didn't want to be mentioned in Tehillim. So David Hamelech followed her request, and only wrote a remez (hint) to her name.

I think but I don't remember for sure, that he said her name was נצבת Nitzevet. But I may be wrong.

(I don't have contact information for the Shul I davened for that minyan.)
Does anyone know where the remez in Tehillim is, and what her name is?

Thank you very much


texts:
I believe this is a strictly academic question. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Many of the restrictions enacted by the Rabbis (as opposed to those extrapolated from the Torah) were done so in order to prevent one from performing a forbidden act. The formulation of such preventative restrictions is often something like, "the Rabbis forbade X so that one will not come to Y", where Y is the Biblical prohibition. Do these preventative measures fall into two conceptual categories or is the following a spurious distinction? If the distinction is a real one, does it have practical ramifications?

cases where habituation to X as acceptable will unconsciously persuade one to believe that Y is acceptable as well
cases where X is sufficiently similar to Y that one may unknowingly perform Y when one thinks he is doing X


texts:
Before saying shemoneh esrei we say "Hashem, sefatai siftach u'fi yagid tehilasecha". Are you supposed to say those words

A) Before you take the 3 steps back to start your shemoneh esrei
B) One word per step (3 words for the 3 steps back, 3 more for the 3 steps forward)
C) After you've taken the 3 steps back, before you take the 3 steps forward
D) after you've taken all 6 steps (ie immediately before you begin shemoneh esrei)

I have had different people tell me some variation of these 4 options. I'd like to know which is authoritative.


texts: Where is הגר? The country, not the person

texts: In the מטה אשר (commentary to שמלה חדשה), it is recorded that it was the custom of Jews in "מדינות מלכות רוסיא וגאלציא וגם במדינת הגר בקהילת היראים" to use the sefer שמלה חדשה to learn the halachos of shechita. So I figured out (big deal) that רוסיא is Russia, and גאלציא is Galicia; but what/where is הגר?


texts: Minhag of throwing Challah at the Friday night Seuda

texts: Aruch HaShulchan 167:31 and Be'er Hataiv 167:22 both say that it is forbidden to throw the (Challah) bread. I have heard that there are some people (I heard that there are some Rabannim who do so) that have a Minhag to throw the bread when passing it around Friday night. Is there a source for this Minhag? What is the reason? How does it circumvent the problem of throwing bread?


texts: The mishna says carrying in an unusual way is permitted but we apparently don't follow that; what changed?

texts:
The mishna on Shabbat 92a says that one is prohibited from carrying in his right or left hand, in his lap, or on his shoulder, because that's how the mishkan was carried, but he can carry in an unusual way such as in his mouth, in his shoe, between his belt and his body, and several others that are listed.  The g'mara clarifies that we are talking about what is unusual in one's community; specifically it first says carrying on your head isn't ok because that's what the Huzalites do, and then says "we should pasken by the Huzalites? for them it's forbidden but not for us" (I'm paraphrasing).  So from this g'mara it seems like carrying is defined by local conventions.

This answer and its comments on a question about chewing gum seem to say that even carrying in an unusual way is rabbinically forbidden, presmably for everybody.  (That's kind of a tangent to that question, as the mouth would be the usual place for chewing gum so it's not unusual.)  If I'm understanding that discussion correctly, it would be rabbinically forbidden for me to, say, carry my house key in my shoe (sans eiruv), and that's why people make special belt buckles and necklaces.

My question is about how we got from the g'mara to the present rule.  On what is the prohibition based?  I realize that the g'mara isn't the final word on halacha, but since it's part of our received tradition I assume this one was considered and rejected, so I'm curious about what took precedence.


texts: Why did HaShem have to introduce Himself to the Israelites in Mitzrayim?

texts:
In Shemot 3:6 HaShem introduces Himself to Moshe and says: 'I am Elohei Avicha, Elohei Avraham, Elohei Yitzchak and Elohei Ya'akov'. In verse 13, Moshe asks HaShem which name he should tell the people and HaShem replies: 'Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh,' and tells him he should tell them that He is Ehyeh, and that He is HaShem, Elohei Avraham, Elohei Yitzchak and Elohei Ya'akov, and that this is His name for eternity from generation to generation. And even to the Ziknei Israel Moshe has to say that He is HaShem Elohei Avoteichem, Elohei Avraham, Yitzchak v'Ya'akov. Eventually Moshe has to tell Pharao that He is HaShem Elohei HaIvriyim. And to the Israelites Moshe has to show different signs in order for them to believe that He is indeed HaShem Elohei Avotam, Elohei Avraham, Elohei Yitzchak v'Elohei Ya'akov.

In Shemot 4:31 it says that the people believed that He was HaShem.
But after Moshe visit to Pharao he gave the people harsh labour and then something changed..

Why is it that Moshe has to introduce HaShem? Didn't the people know who HaShem was?
And why does it seems like Moshe has to reintroduce HaShem to the people in Shemot 6:6-7?
And last but not least, when was it that the people knew HaShem?


texts: Can you stop benching (saying the grace after a meal) after al-yichasiranu (the end of the fourth blessing of the grace)?


texts: Kiddush on grape juice that's pasteurized or has added sulfites

texts:
I'm working on a piece for a Sefer my Kollel is putting out on the topic of making Kiddush on grape juice that's pasteurized or has sulfites added (primarily based on שו"ת מנחת שלמה חלק א סימן ד, תשובות והנהגות כרך ד סימן סט, אשרי האיש פרק ז' אות נ"ט, and ברכת שמואל (להרב שמואל דרזי) עמ' רמ"ג)

The Teshuvos Vehanhagos (see also Rav Elyashiv) says that although you can use use pasteurized grape juice since if you add yeast to it it will ferment , you cannot use grape juice with potassium metabisulfite since if you add yeast to it it will not ferment (see there for his Raya that in order to be allowed to use grape juice it has to be on its way to fermenting).

One thing I've discovered (and the Birchas Shmuel touches on this as well) is that if you add wine yeast to even pasteurized grape juice with sulfites added it will have no problem fermenting. I've done it myself. Additionally there are many ways to get the sulfites (free SO2) out (either by letting them dissipate or making them bind with something else) which would then allow you to even use regular yeasts (although they can't get the alcohol content as high). However, I have not found a good source as to whether the fact that you are able to add something else to grape juice to make it ferment is enough to make it considered on its way to fermenting (as Rav Elyashiv and the Teshuvos Vehanhagos say is necessary) without adding anything. I haven't found anyone who disagrees with this explicitly although I have seen a few Poskim who clearly would hold its okay. Certainly the Minhag is to be lenient- after all most people in America would have no problem with someone making Kiddush on Kedem grape juice. Does anyone have a strong Raya as to whether the fact that you could add/do something to the grape juice to cause it to ferment is enough to make you allowed to make Kiddush on it without adding anything?

By the way, although I'm not done working on this piece I gave it as a Shiur yesterday, in part because I wanted to see what everyone attending the Shiur had to say. Anyway I only had about 20 minutes so I didn't get through anywhere near everything anyway. You will notice that I did mention that I had an open bounty on this question on judaism.stackexchange ;)
I only remembered to say the story I found at @user15464's link after I ended the recording since it wasn't in my original Shiur plan so I restarted the recording afterwards (I also added a few more details I found after doing some more research). If you want to hear the story just don't get scared off by the way the recording goes silent for five seconds. You can listen to the Shiur here and if you have any comments please let me know as soon as possible so I can make changes before I publish in the coming weeks.

Update- The Sefer was published a while ago. If you'd like to see how I handled this you can download the Sefer here and read it on page 36. I go through all the Halacha and science there as well.


texts: Lifnei 'Iver and your maybe-Jewish co-worker

texts:
I work in an office in which someone working down the hall is disabled. She has a Jewish sounding last name and talks to me about her family's practices in regard to being members of a Reform temple and keeping certain Jewish traditions like going to Miami for Passover (we've had this conversation tongue in cheek, but it impressed upon me that she has experience in Jewish practice).

Yesterday she made a comment that led me to strongly question whether she is, in fact, Halachically Jewish.

Until now I've been very mindful of avoiding situations in which I have to aid her with certain things that might constitute Lifnei 'Iver or Mesayea' issues (causing someone to sin or helping someone sin if they would have sinned anyway). If, however, I have a doubt that she is actually Jewish according to Halachah, do I need to worry about these things?


texts: Besides a person's wedding and Yom Kippur are there any other events which provide someone with atonement just by dint of the occasion itself?


texts: Chanuka lighting: BeZman (at the best time) or Pirsumei Nissa (publicization of the miracle)?

texts: Is it better to light candles at bezman, or later when there will be more pirsumei nissa? I find 4:30 (approx candlelighting time in NYC this year) to be too early to catch the regular "rush hour." Is it better to delay so as to achieve more pirsumei nissa? Assume I have limited sized candles.


texts: Any books dealing with minhaggim of lita?

texts: Are there any books that discuss the varying litvish (Lithuanian) minhaggim (customs)—or, if not, maybe just the most prevalent ones?


texts: I noticed that in borei nefashot in the Artscroll Siddur and in the Koren Siddur the tav in word בראת has no dagesh. I was under the impression that the tav suffix for second person masculine past always had a dagesh so I was wondering why this might be.


texts: Why does the Ba'al Haggadah cite Yechezkel 16:7 before 16:6? Why does it even cite 16:6 at all?

texts:
In my Haggadah,1 I see the following text, in the section expounding Arami Oved Avi:

  וָרָב. כְּמָה שֶּׁנֶּאֱמַר: רְבָבָה כְּצֶמַח הַשָּׂדֶה נְתַתִּיךְ, וַתִּרְבִּי וַתִּגְדְּלִי וַתָּבֹאִי בַּעֲדִי עֲדָיִים, שָׁדַיִם נָכֹנוּ וּשְׂעָרֵךְ צִמֵּחַ, וְאַתְּ עֵרֹם וְעֶרְיָה. וָאֶעֱבֹר עָלַיִךְ וָאֶרְאֵךְ מִתְבּוֹסֶסֶת בְּדָמָיִךְ, וָאֹמַר לָךְ בְּדָמַיִךְ חֲיִי, וָאֹמַר לָךְ בְּדָמַיִךְ חֲיִי.

  "And many," as it says, "Plentiful like the grass of the field have I placed you, and you grew up and reached maturity, firm breasts and sprouting hair, yet you were naked and bare. And I passed over you and saw you wallowing in your blood, and I said to you, 'In your blood you will live,' and I said to you, 'In your blood you will live.'"

These pesukim are taken from Yechezkel 16:6-7, but the order of the pesukim is swapped: "Plentiful like the grass" is v. 7, while "And I passed over you" is v. 6.

Why does the Haggadah (and the Midrashim from which it's quoting) quote these Pesukim backwards?
The Haggadah is trying to prove that the Jews were plentiful in Mitzraim. What does v. 6 add to this? Just quote "Plentiful like the grass of the field," and its point will be made; why does it quote "And I passed over you"?

1 Your edition may vary; I'm using the text found in Oz Vehadar's Mesivta Haggadah, Artscroll's Youth Haggadah, Sefaria's Haggadah, and Sefaria's Edos HaMizrach Haggadah.


texts:
The full moon occurs at the halfway point of the lunar cycle (which according to halacha is on average 29 days, 12 hours and 793 chalakim, see here). The Shulchan Aruch (OC 426:3) says one can say Kiddush Levana until but not including 16 days from the Molad (the new moon, the start of the lunar cycle). The Rema says it can be said until the halfway point of the lunar cycle mentioned above, since at that point the moon is full and begins to wane (on a side point the Aruch Hashulchan says the SA agrees he just didn't bother writing precisely). This Rema is based on Teshuvos Maharil # 19.

My question is as follows. The continuation of that teshuva mentions that if a Lunar Eclipse occurs before this cut off time, then one can no longer say Kiddush Levana. This is because a Lunar Eclipse only occurs when the moon is full. One therefore cannot say Kiddush Levana even if the halfway point of the above cycle hasn't occured. This can happen since it's only an average.

The Beis Yosef quotes this part of the teshuva, but he doesn't bring it down in the SA. The Rema doesn't mention it, nor the Mishnah Berurah or Aruch Hashulchan. Is there anyone who rules in accordance with this teshuva? It logically makes sense to me, and I find it curious none one (I know of) says it should be followed.


texts: Is a person liable for murder many years later?

texts:
Shemot 21:18-19 described a situation where someone injures someone else and he doesn't die but is bed-ridden. If he walks on his crutches, the person who hit him does not receive the death penalty.

I saw Rash"i, and he explains that we wait to see if the person recovers first - however long that is - before we decide that the injurer is not liable to be killed.

What if death occurs many years later as a result of the injury? Sometimes, no symptoms occur immediately. Then, the person suffers symptoms and dies and doctors determine that the injury directly caused that death.

Is the injurer still innocent by the mere fact that the other person walked around? What are the minimal criteria to be considered a "recovery", halachically, in this situation?


texts: What are some of the classical references for instituting Hallel b'zman hazeh? And in a more discussion-oriented vein, what kind of miracle do you think it would take for the vast majority of klal Yisrael to agree on a new day for Hallel? Clearly Yom Ha'atzmaut and Yom Yerushalayim have not yet caught on in the broader charedi/yeshivish communities.


texts: Can one use a Swiss army knife on Shabbat?

texts:
There are two reasons why I would be concerned regarding using a Swiss Army knife on Shabbat:

Possible violation of a melacha of creating / completing a tool. When you fold out the knife, you are "completing" the use of the tool, as the main part of the unit is the knife handle and the knife now folded out creates its use as a knife.
Muktzah - The unit contains other gadgets that cannot be used on Shabbat such as a screwdriver, scissors, etc.
Borer - selecting - You are selecting / choosing a specific tool from among others in the collection.

Are any of these or possible other items concerns prohibiting using a Swiss Army knife on Shabbat, or are there any leniencies providing one follows certain conditions?


texts: Is the art of taxidermy kosher?  What about keeping animals that are stuffed in your house?  My family has recently become more observant and my brother wanted to get several stuffed animals, fish, etc. but we weren't sure if there was a problem with that.


texts:
The Rambam describes how to handle a case where a couple is divorcing and one spouse claims the other is rebellious (refusing marital relations) and the other is insisting that this is not the case (financial penalties are assessed on the offender).

  מחרימין בתחילה, על מי שהוא מורד ולא יודה בבית דין; ואחר כך, אם לא הודו--אומרין להם, התייחדו בפני עדים.  נתייחדו ועדיין הם טוענין, מבקשין מן הנטען ועושין פשרה כפי כוח הדיין

(This is quoted verbatim in Shulchan Aruch Even HaEzer 77:4)

Basically, in the end the Beis Din has to make a compromise, after trying a couple of things to make the offender admit (or change). How is that compromise effectively handled today in Beis Din?

I guess simplest is to discuss the case of the wife being the accused party, since it the financial penalty is more straight forward - she just loses her Kesuba. For the husband, it would further entail problems of determining the penalty amount in today's currency.


texts:
From what I understand, there is no problem using Erectile Dysfunction medications for ED. I am wondering if there is anything problematic about using a drug like Viagra for the purpose of extending cohabitation for pleasure (of either party).

Possible issues that come to mind are kishuy lada'as (intentionally arousing one's self) or overindulging in sexual matters, although I confess to not really know enough about the parameters of either topic. I also don't know very much about how ED drugs work.

On-point sources would be most appreciated.


texts: Understanding Rashbam to Vayishlach 32:27

texts:
Rashbam to Genesis 32 says that the purpose of Yaakov's crossing Yabok river was to avoid meeting Esav. (See his commentary to verses 21–26.) In verse 25, he explains, an angel fought with Yaakov to prevent that escape, so that Esav could hurt him. In verse 26, then, the angel was unable to win the fight, Yaakov sought to escape against the angel's will, and the angel injured Yaakov's leg [seemingly as a last-ditch effort to prevent the escape, though Rashbam doesn't say]. Then verse 27 reads:

He said, "Let me go [or: send me] for dawn has broken." He replied, "I won't let you go [or: send you] unless you've blessed me."

Most commentaries attribute the first of those speeches to the angel and the second to Yaakov. Rashbam writes:

for dawn has broken: and because the day has illuminated, now you should go on your way
unless you've blessed me: that you send me from you in peace, that I not be damaged by the fact that I fought with you, for now dawn has broken. Then Yaakov knew that he's an angel.

I don't understand this Rashbam. Specifically:

What does "for now dawn has broken" have to do with the request for a blessing that the speaker (Yaakov?) not be damaged by having fought? Why does Rashbam write that phrase there?
How did Yaakov learn just at that juncture that the angel was an angel, and how does the Rashbam know this?


texts: Why can't Ploni Almoni be a real name, in Ruth?

texts:
The verse states (Ruth 4:1):

  וּבֹעַז עָלָה הַשַּׁעַר, וַיֵּשֶׁב שָׁם, וְהִנֵּה הַגֹּאֵל עֹבֵר אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר-בֹּעַז, וַיֹּאמֶר סוּרָה שְׁבָה-פֹּה פְּלֹנִי אַלְמֹנִי; וַיָּסַר, וַיֵּשֵׁב
  Now Boaz went up to the gate, and sat him down there; and, behold, the near kinsman of whom Boaz spoke came by; unto whom he said: 'Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here.' And he turned aside, and sat down.

Why is everyone so convinced that Ploni Almoni is meant to be a placeholder of sorts and not actually his name? And if it is a placeholder, then what is its root? P-L-N? What does that mean?


texts: Personal Supplications in Native Language

texts: We're allowed to add personal supplications within the Amidah during either Shema Koleinu or after Elokai Netzor. My question surrounding this: is one allowed to make these supplications in their native language (English, spanish , etc) or if since it is in the middle of tefilah it also should be in hebrew - so as not to cause some sort of interruption?


texts: Does Devarim 30:4 hint at space travel possibility?

texts:
Devarim 30:4 says "Even if your exiles are at the end of the heavens, the Lord, your God, will gather you from there, and He will take you from there."

Why does it use the expression "בִּקְצֵ֣ה הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם " - at the end of heavens? We would expect it to say "at the end[s] of the Earth". I suppose it can be read metaphorically, signifying any place no matter how far.

But if we read it literally,  "end of heavens" seems to signify outer reaches of space. If this verse is speaking about the time Moshiach, then can it be hinting that Jews will live on other planets/solar systems/galaxies?


texts:
Are you allowed to daven for someone else to get punished? In other words, if a real Jewish rasha in every sense of the word does bad to you for no good reason and you feel incredibly hurt, can you daven for them to get punished? Assume that the person continually wrongs others.

It is true that Hashem will punish them anyway, but if davening makes you feel better, is it considered inappropriate or even wrong? And, if so, are there consequences to doing so? (Such as other tefillos becoming nullified because you davened for someone to get harmed?)


texts:
If one finds a Torah on the floor in a reshus harabim on shabbas what should one do? It is a big  bizoyn to leave  it on the floor but to pick it up and carry it is problematic.

Question inspired by: What are the halachot when finding a Sefer Torah on the floor?


texts:
What's the difference between נכסי צאן ברזל and נכסי מלוג? Is there more than one difference. When asking a prior question for what the Hebrew term for "living trust" was i got those two as a response but don't know the legal differences between the two.

Anyone here know?


texts: I heard that the Chasam Sofer says talmidei chachamim marbim shalom b'olam because God only puts in a limited amount of machlokess in the world. So when lamdanim use it up for torah discussion, then there is less left over for people to bicker. Is this citation traceable?


texts: If I make a bracha on food and it falls out of my hand, do I need a new bracha on the rest of the food?

texts:
Let's say I am planning on eating some nuts. I hold one in my hand and make the bracha. Then, before I can eat it, it falls out of my hand and gets ruined.
If I right away take another nut from the pile, must I make a new bracha? Or, will my original bracha still cover the rest of the nuts? Does it make a difference if the nuts were next to me while I was making the bracha (as opposed to being in a different room)?
This question is assuming that there was no talking between the bracha and the eventual eating.


texts: Bris for non-Jewish boy whose parents are converting

texts:
If in the process of conversion, a couple has a baby boy, what is done regarding the bris? They have not yet fully converted, but are in the process, with a Rabbi and regularly attending synagogue services. This is before they've been before the beit din and gone to the mikvah.

All their children are going through conversion with them, but the conversion won't happen between the birth and the 8th day. So I'm asking what common practice would be.

Will a mohel perform the bris? Should it be done by medical staff still on the 8th day? Medical staff but not on the 8th day? Not circumcised at all?


texts: Did Aharon have his own stick, like Moshe?

texts:
In a few places, the Torah seems to imply that Aharon had his own stick. Some examples:

Shmot 7:9 "Tell Aharon take your stick..."

verse 10 "... Aharon cast his stick..."

verse 12 ... "Aharon's stick swallowed their sticks"

Is this the way to translate it, that Aharon possessed his own stick, or is it that when he used Moshe's stick, it was as if it were his own?


texts: Is there any halachic requirement for the Shema to be recited in Hebrew only? I searched to make sure this was not a duplicate question and only found one that asks when reciting the Shema in English one should add Kel Melech Ne'eman when praying without a minyan. My question is simply about language only.


texts: Can a yeshiva be holier than Beis Hamikdosh?

texts:
Rambam in his Mishneh Torah (Prayer and the Priestly Blessing 11:14) states that a hall of study is holier than a synagogue.

This raises an interesting question if a hall of study can be holier than Beis Hamikdosh? (Of course, I understand that logically the Temple should be the holiest place, yet it would be interesting to see how others would answer this question).


texts: What was the purpose of Nachshon's sin-offering?

texts:
Nachshon ben Amminadav, and each of the eleven tribal leaders who followed him, offered "one young he-goat for a sin offering" as part of their gifts for the dedication of the Mishkan (Num. 7:16 passim). Rashi there, citing Sifri, states that this was

  to atone for [uncleanness caused by] a grave in the depths [i.e., an unknown grave which may lie in the earth over which people unknowingly pass, rendering them unclean],which is a [case of] uncertain contamination.

But in his commentary to Lev. 10:17, he points out (citing Sifra) that the sin offering that Aharon's sons burned (instead of eating it) must have been the one brought in honor of Rosh Chodesh, since Moshe identifies it as an offering brought "to gain forgiveness for the sin of the community," and Nachshon's offering was not brought for purpose of atonement.

[The sin offering of Rosh Chodesh is meant to atone for cases where "there was no knowledge [of being impure] at either the beginning [before entering the Beis Hamikdash or eating sacred food] or at the end [after having done so]" (Rambam, Hil. Shegagos 11:9, from Shevuos 2a).]

So in that case, isn't Nachshon's offering indeed for purposes of atonement - indeed, it is largely similar to what's covered by the Rosh Chodesh offering?


texts: What type of "rainbows" require a bracha?

texts:
Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayyim 229:1 says:

  הרואה הקשת אומר בא"י אמ"ה זוכר הברית נאמן בבריתו וקיים במאמרו. ואסור
  להסתכל בו
   ביותר:

  One who sees the rainbow says, "Blessed are you, God our Lord, king of
  the world, who remembers the covenant, who is faithful to his
  covenant, and who fulfills his word."  And it is forbidden to look
  upon it further.

This article describes different types of rainbows. I am assuming that the bracha applies only to rainbows that are in the sky and not ones caused by, e.g. Niagra Falls' mist, refraction of sunlight on soap bubbles, etc. (If I'm incorrect, please state why.)

However, not all rainbows seen in the sky are caused by falling rain, where one sees an "arch" (with a big pot of gold at the end ;-) Rainbows are often caused by refraction from cirrus clouds, which are mainly ice crystals. They are also common at night surrounding the halo around the moon.

Would seeing such rainbows require saying the bracha?


texts:
My job requires me to work weekends, incuding saturday. I am vexed in my spirit to work on saturday the sacred day of our forefathers. I get off at 3:30pm. What should I do about this? Is it lawfull for me to continue the Sabbath after I get off work at 3:30? this just makes me grieved in the pit of my stomache.

So is it lawfull to take up sabbath after I get off work at 3:30 pm and pray for Hashem's forgiveness?


texts: Is contamination the reason for the morning rinsing of the hands?

texts:
Does halacha require Jews to rinse their hands when they wake up because of some "contamination" that happened while they were asleep?

If so what exactly was that contamination?


texts: Recommended program/method for creating sourcesheets?

texts: I have seen many sourcesheets provided by Rabbis for a class they are giving. My question is: Is there a particular program that is recommended to use for creating a sourcesheet? Also, is there any particular method to go about creating a sourcesheet that would make the job easier or of a higher quality?


texts: Can a Kli Sheini be built onto a Kli Rishon?

texts:
If I want to use use hot water from my coffee urn on Shabbat (as I understand it, the urn is a kli rishon) to make instant coffee, I pour it into a separate cup and pour from there into the cup that I intend to drink from. While there might be all sorts of halachic intricacies which would change this process, I'd like to start this hypothetical with those parameters.
Does the kli sheini into which I pour the hot water have to be separate from the kli rishon? Does it have to have a certain size or shape?
Could I attach a small receptacle with a secondary spigot to the spigot on the urn so that I can consider that "way station" to be a kli sheini (as it is not heated by the urn) and I can open the secondary spigot and pour from there into my coffee cup? Would the intermediary have to be of a certain size, or shape? Would I have to wait a period before emptying it into my coffee cup?


texts: How exactly did Solomon determine the child's mother?

texts:
In 1 Kings 3:16–28, Solomon judges a dispute between two prostitutes about the parentage of a baby. Readings of the story that I have previously seen indicate that Solomon identifies the mother after threatening to have the baby cut in half. (An example would be this summary of the haftarah from Chabad.) The logic of his ruse makes sense: the actual mother of the child would prefer to have the child raised by another woman rather than dead.

However, the footnotes in the Jewish Study Bible seem to indicate that Solomon already knew who the mother was and simply chose to reveal the mother's identity with this ruse.

  23: One says … the other says … : Solomon discerns a distinctive pattern in each woman's speech: The more loquacious one emphasizes death first while the other emphasizes life. Solomon intuits who is the mother of the living child and announces it circumspectly. 24–26: Since justice requires a more convincing demonstration of truth, Solomon stages a confrontation in which the passionate public behavior of the mother emphasizing life validates his intuition.

Assuming I'm not just splitting hairs here, when exactly did Solomon figure out the mother's identity? If he already knew (in a sense) after the women spoke, was the confrontation supposed to confirm his answer, or was it just an instrument used to force the answer to be revealed "naturally"?


texts: Is the typical "vort" that is celebrated in many Orthodox communities when a couple gets engaged of any actual significance from a Jewish perspective  (Halachic / Hashkafic) or is it just a way of making an engagement party that has some sort of Jewish name to it?


texts: PTIJ: What should be your 1st reaction to a foul-mouthed person who has laryngitis?

texts:
On of my friends has a terrible tendency to speak lashon hara. I've warned him about this many times, and I try to cover my ears or walk away. But, he keeps doing this.
This morning, I said hello to him. He waved and signaled that he couldn't talk because he has laryngitis.
Usually, when someone is sick, my first response  is refu'ah shleima - Speedy recovery. But, since he usually speaks lashon hara almost immediately, I'm wondering if I should say the bracha hatov vehamaitiv, instead?
What's the halacha, here?

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


texts:
The gemarra in Kiddushin 17b says that a non Jew inherits his father. My question is according to the Achronim1 who say the concept of "rov" doesn't apply to non Jews, how can a non Jew know who their father is to inherit them? The gemarra in Chullin 11b says a Jew can only know who their father is based on a rov, which according to these opinions, non Jews can't use.

A potentially related question is how is a non Jew proven to have transgressed arayos relations that have to do with the father (such as the one's father's wife); maybe he's not his father. Unless the amount of evidence needed to be liable for arayos is less than for a Jew, as they don't have the idea of והצילו העדה2 (which makes it beis din's obligation to avoid the death penalty if at all possible).

1 Rav Shlomo Landau, the son of the Nodeh BeYehudah  (בשו"ת נובי"ת (אהע"ז סימן מ"ב, Chasam Sofer  (יו"ד סימן י"ט), Pri Megadim (מש"ז סימן ס"ב סק"א) and ובפתיחה להל' תערובת (פ"א חקירה ג'). Two students of the Chasam Sofer also assume this: Machane Chaim (ח"ב יו"ד סימן ו') and Maharam Shik (או"ח סימן קמ"א). Rav Asher Weiss however holds rov does apply to non Jews, and uses this gemarra as a proof. However the Machane Chaim loc. cit. says רוב בעילות אחר הבעל doesn't apply to non Jews. That point seems to be a subjective disagreement.

2The Machane Chaim loc. cit. talks about this.


texts: Second and Third Person in Birchat Kohanim

texts:
I have been reading up on the shift in the text of many brachot from the second person (ata) to the third person (for example, "hemvarech et amO..."). One nice explanation comes from here:

It is thus apparent that the very wording of the blessing reflects the religious experience of all of humanity. First there is the contrast between the felt immanence of God, His proximity, reflected in the word ata, You. Immediately afterwards the sense of God's transcendence takes over, that is His distance from humanity and how far away He can sometimes seem.
...When faced with a piece of bread, fruit, meat, or a drink, the gratitude he experiences is one which contains a sense of closeness to God. But that sense is always ephemeral. It cannot last and it quickly transforms into an awareness of God as the powerful Omnipotent Being whose majesty makes all humans feel puny and insignificant.

However, I am left wondering about the texts of the blessings madebefore and during Birchat Kohanim.
The bracha said by the Kohanim before they bless the people seems to fit the mold as established by many other Brachot, and fir the explanation of the OU site -- "levarech at amo Yisrael". The Kohanim address Hashem in second person and then "move away" to refer to Hashem in third person.
But the bracha made before this, by the Chazzan, stays in the second person!
"...she'otcha, levadcha b'yir'ah na'avod" that YOU, alone, we will worship."
This could easily have been written in the third person "she'oto, levado" -- that He, alone, we will worship.
What is there, in terms of meaning, that allows us to continue in the second person, instead of realizing the distance between us and the Divine, and moving to the third person (as the chazzan does if there is no Birchat Kohanim when he says "hamachazir shechinato")?


texts:
In Mishnat Sofrim, the Chofetz Chaim discusses the correct forms of the letters as they should appear in sifrei sta"m. When he comes to thee letter פ in its medial form, he says that the current practice, which he terms פ שבור (or broken פ, pictured here) is not the correct form of the letter. However, in most sifrei Torah I've seen from prior to the 1980s (read all of the ones I've seen)as well as the omnipresent KTAV tikkun, the letter פ is nonetheless written out in the manner referred to as שבור, and Chassidei Chabad write their sta"m with it to this day.

So here are my questions:

Why did the Chofetz Chaim effectively seek to passul nearly all existing sifrei sta"m of his day? Why wasn't the existing פ kosher?
Why was his פ not accepted for so many years?
What sources (outside of Otiot HaRav) are followed which disagree with his p'sak?


texts:
Looking at this phrase from Jeremiah 31:31-33: I wondered what it means when it says: "New" and "Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers". What's new about this covenant? And what part is not according/comparable to the covenant G-d made with their fathers?"
And my main question: “Why not make such a covenant the first time around, why does a ‘new’ one has to be made ‘not according to that which He made with our fathers’?


texts: Cutting the omer on Shabbos vs. building the Mishkan

texts:
Rashi to Shemos 32:21 quotes Rosh Hashanah 9a in which some Tannaim learn that the implication of specifying plowing and harvesting is to indicate that the only prohibition on Shabbos of plowing and harvesting are those that are optional, to exclude the omer which is obligatory.

Yet, the Mishkan is also obligatory (Shemos 25:1ff), and yet it does not override Shabbos (Rashi to Shemos 31:13 and 35:2). Why is there this distinction?


texts:
This is a question of 2 different possible statuses, each with its own implications.
In Maurice Lamm's "The Jewish Way in Death and Mourning," he writes (page 26)

He is not considered an onen if there is absolutely no possibility of his participation in the arrangements

Thus, he or she is not an onen if
...

He could not physically be present at the funeral preparations because he is...overseas

I understand that to mean that if someone is so far removed that he or she could not be at all involved, then that person is not an onen. But if that person WILL be involved at a later date (as the body is being transported to the overseas location) that person will BECOME involved and will then be an onen, and then an aveil.
So what is the status of the person before he or she becomes an onen?
And if there is a delay in the moving of the body, if the person overseas is an onen, for how long can a person remain an onen?


texts: Why is the book of תהילים not called תהילות?

texts: If the word תהילה is feminine why don't we call the book of תהילים not תהילות?


texts:
What are the origins of the tradition to use a round 7-branch candelabra for Passover? Who uses it, when, how, and why?

I am talking about something that looks like this:

...Perhaps interestingly related:
Source for lighting candles in a circle being OK b'dieved


texts:
There is a famous drawing of the menorah by the Rambam in his peirush mishnayos (commentary to the Mishna); this is what it looks like:

However in the Rambam's commentary as printed in my gemara (Greenwald shas) it's depicted like this:

Why would they make the menorah round if the Rambam's actual drawing is straight? In addition, the Rambam son(Rabbeinu Avraham) writes in his peirush on chumash (Terumah 25:32 ) that the menorah is straight like his father drew and not round like others depict.


texts: Historic, variant wording for birkat hamazon for women?

texts: The Mishna Berura (halachot birchat hamazon, siman 187) mentions a variant wording of the birkat hamazon that is said by women.  Precisely what is this wording and when was it used and when was it abandoned?


texts: If we carelessly cause suffering to ourselves does that mean that G-d is punishing us?

texts: Say a person accidentally trips because he wasn't being careful while walking. Should he blame himself or is G-d behind this incident as a way to punish the person?


texts: 20 Sivan and the inappropriateness of new days of commemoration

texts:
The kina (elegy) "Mi yiten roshi mayim" recited on 9 Av was composed in commemoration of the events of the First Crusade as it passed through the Rhineland. It includes the following lines (freely translated):

  And because one ought not add a day to the calendar commemorating destruction...
  I will instead arouse my cries of "woe!" today [i.e., 9 Av]

One could, one might think, dismiss this viewpoint as one that was not accepted as normative halacha/hashkafa. One could, except that there are those who applied this consideration, in practice, to the Holocaust, saying one should not add a day to the calendar (e.g., Yom Hashoa) commemorating it. (I see this argument attributed to Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik.)

My question is, what do such opinion-holders do with 20 Sivan, which has a history of great rabbis' support, and commemorates post-churban tragedies?


texts: Is it prohibited to have a painting \ sculpure of a pig or any other non kosher animal in one's home?

texts: Is it permitted, to have a piggy bank shape like, well a pig - for example?


texts: Is there a benchmark that one can use when consulting a Rav to discuss the possibility that his observance of certain laws needs to be considered as though he has an illness?


texts: Based on this question and the ensuant discussion, I would like to know if a person makes a blessing upon anointing himself for pleasure. If not, why not?


texts: They're called Totafot in the Torah, so why do we call them Tefilin?


texts:
Upon completing a lecture many rabbis end their blessings with the words "Amen Ve'Amen" (True and True). The source for this quote seems to be Tehillim 41:14.

What is meant by the repetition of the word Amen?


texts: Has anyone determined or approximated how many Cohanim entered Cana'an?

texts:
A co-worker told me, yesterday, that he noticed that most shuls tend to have more Cohanim than Levi'im. He says that seems strange.

I can't say for what occurs in shuls, but, he did conclude that there would have had to have been fewer Cohanim than Levi'im, at least at the time B'nai Yisra'el entered the land of Cana'an.

Parshat Pinchas indicates the last census taken by Moshe and Elazar of those who survived the 40 years in the desert. We have a census of Levi'im above age 20, and there was obviously more than that under that age. However, only descendants of Aharon were considered Cohanim, which is a rather small percentage of that number.

Has any commentary or anyone else calculated how many Cohanim were around?


texts: Is there a term for a non-Jewish friend of the Jews?

texts:
I saw a related, unanswered question but it was specific to honorable deceased non-Jews.

I'm wondering if there is a Yiddish term in Judaism for someone who may be close friends with many Jews, who knows a lot about Jewish culture, but who is not Jewish (or some definition close to that).

Any term that would discern them from a random goyim?


texts: Halachos of an Aveil with Mishloach Manos

texts:
The Rama in Orach Chaim 696:6 says we do not send Misloach Manos to an Aveil (mourner). The way people send is to send it to the family, rather than directly to the Aveil.

If you do not know anyone else in the Aveil's family, can you still send it to such a family member?
Suppose someone is in Aveilus (mourning) and a person shows up delivering Mishloach Manos. How should he respond?


texts: How do you pronounce numbers 248, 365, and 613 in the siddur?

texts:
In the meditations before putting on the tallit and tefillin in the morning, there are three numbers — 248, 365, and three instances of 613. They’re written out in standard Hebrew letter notation in the siddur, but what confuses me is that they have vowels:

248: רְמַ׳׳ח
365: שְׁסָ׳׳ה
613: תַּרְיַ׳׳ג

How should one pronounce these numbers when davening? Is it by the names of the letters (“resh mem het”) as is done with other numbers written in letter notation? Is it as a word, using the vowels that are in the siddur (“re’mach”), which is how acronyms are pronounced? Or is it as a regular Hebrew number (“matayim arbaim v’teishah”)?


texts: Is Ahimsa related to Hamsa (both the symbol and the name)? If so, does this lend credence to those who view Hamsa as being of non-Jewish (at best, or pagan, at worst) origin?


texts: Explanations for forbidding writing Oral Torah

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Why was Torah sheBal Peh not allowed to be Written?

The Wikipedia article for Oral Torah mentions the possibility that it was forbidden to write and publish Oral Torah.

Has there been any explanation about why God has forbidden writing Oral Torah (at least initially)?


texts: What are the "easy" Mitzvos that one steps on with his heel?

texts: Rashi in the beginning of Parshas Eikev here brings a Chazal that says "If one keeps the easy Mitzvos that one (tends to) tread on with their heel" then G-D will reward them with his Covenant and kindness. (Translation based on Artscroll.) Is there a list of these Commandments that Chazal are referring to that someone can provide? Sources please.


texts: What is the proper pronunciation of ומפז?

texts: Tehilim 19 which is said Shabbos morning at Shacharis has the following Posuk הנחמדים מזהב ומפז רב. I have seen Artscroll Sedurim with a Patach under the Pei of UmiPaz and I have seen Artscroll Sedurim with a Kometz under the Pei of UmiPuz. What is the correct pronunciation?


texts: Is it appropriate for a Gentile to attend and/or participate in a Seder?

texts: The context: last year, I saw this sign that announced the time and place that a Jewish Seder (probably Yom Kippur) would happen. I was definitely curious and considered going and at least observing because as a Christian, my religion has Jewish roots. I ended up not going, mostly out of laziness (I'm a college student, after all), but also somewhat because I didn't know if it was appropriate for me, a Gentile, to observe or participate. Now Passover is coming up and I'm curious again - what is appropriate for me to do as a Gentile at a Seder?


texts: Is Hachnasat Orchim among the 613 Mitzvot listed by Rambam or Chinuch?

texts: Is welcoming guests among the Mitzvot listed in these sfarim (Sefer HaMitzvot, Sefer HaChinuch)?


texts:
Is there empirical proof that the exodus from Egypt and related happenings (like Har Sinai etc) did in fact occur (i.e: Archeological proof)?
I believe in the Torah, but how would you prove to someone that the exodus did indeed happen if the other person does not believe in the Torah (yet)?


texts: How do you violate the intermediate days of the festivals?

texts:
The Talmud (Sanhendrin 99a) states:

  He who defiles sacred objects, he who violates the intermediate days of the festivals, or he who embarrasses another person in public, even if they are learned in Torah and have done many good deeds, lose their portion in the eternal world.

Defiling sacred objects and embarassing others is pretty clear, but how exactly do you violate Hol Hamoed (intermediate days of the festivals)? The primary days of the festivals have the 39 melachot (except cooking), but the melachot don't apply during Chol Hamoed!


texts:
Who knows sixty-four?
Please cite/link your sources, if possible. At some point in the next few days, I will:

Upvote all interesting answers.

Accept the best answer.

Go on to the next number.


texts: What is this parsha about Haman and why should I read it daily?

texts:
This morning, as I was about to put my tefillin bag in the closet, I saw a young guy still davening something after minyan was finished. I waited until he finished and asked him what he was saying. He told me he recites parshat Haman each day, and that it is very important that I should say it daily, too. I asked him why, and he said that reciting parshat Haman daily will improve my parnassa.
What is this guy talking about, and why or how can reading this parshat Haman improve my parnassa?

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


texts: Why do we take steps before the Shemona Esrei?


texts: no shiva after finding out after sheloshim?

texts:
I interpret the shiva as also being a time for the mourner to psychologically process the loss of the deceased.

If a mourner only learns about the deceased's passing more than 30 days after the death, they are exempt from shiva; all they need to do is mourn for about 1h and say a prayer (YD 402:1).

Why is that? This seems insufficient.


texts: Related to Are there any jokes in tanach?, what puns exist in Tanach?


texts: Exodus 21:22–25 Relevance for the issue of abortion

texts:
I'm asking about the interpretation of Exodus 21:22-25 as a Christian who talks about abortion policies etc. In my reading of the passage, I tend to interpret it that the expectation of the passage is that the baby likely doesn't live (because of primitive health care) and the monetary fine covers damages because in ancient times children were considered a form of property etc. And the "eye for an eye" aspects of the later passage speak to the issue of the mother if she is hurt or dies from the assault. Anyway what do you think of that interpretation? How do Orthodox rabbis interpret it?
Thanks!


texts: Can autonomous vehicles be used on Shabbos

texts:
Autonomous vehicles seem to be pretty much inevitable over the next 30-50 year. Would their use be allowed on shabbos? I'm pretty sure having to actively call one on shabbos (through an app or whatever) would not be permissible, however there are other possible scenarios:

Like a shabbos eleveator, autonomous busses go around the city automatically stopping at each stop
You can schedule an autonomous car to pick you up at a certain time (on shabbos) and drop you off at some location (within the t'chum).

Would it matter what form of energy these vehicles used (electricity vs. combustion)?

Would Maares Ayin be an issue even if these became the standard means of travel by some point?


texts: Who is the "Gilyon" on the page of the Talmud?

texts:
In many versions of the Talmud there are textual emendations made by "Gilyon".
Who is this Gilyon and where did the publishers of the Talmud get this material from?
The Gilyon I'm referring to is quoted in the hagahos ve'tziyunim section of the Oz Vehadar version of the Talmud and the different girsaos that are offered are many times sourced simply as "gilyon". (I'm not referring to the gilyon hashas by Rabbi Akiva Eiger.)


texts:
Aharon was the first kohen and his sons inherit this status from then on (Shemot 28:1); their major role being to make offerings in the Temples on behalf of all of Israel.

Aside from being a practical way of guaranteeing that there are enough people to serve in the temples, what is the reason behind continuing the merit of Aharon through his sons? Why did the Torah choose this rather than through some sort of case by case decision based on merit, especially on something so important e.g. only the wise/learned or young/strong could serve.

A teaching in Pirkei avot (2:12: "והתקן עצמך ללמוד תורה, שאינה ירושה לך") suggests that Torah wisdom is not inherited i.e. you'd better be sure that you learn it of your own merit.

Kingship is another status that doesn't need to be passed on to your son although it may seem the natural choice for the next king if that son is indeed fitting for the role.


texts: Going out of the way to reach 100 Brachos in a day

texts:
There is a Halacha that one should say 100 Brachos per day. To what extend may and must one go to reach that number?

For example, if it is Tisha B'av and one is not near a minyan, may and must they find several opportunities to make a blessing over smelling spices if that is the only way to reach 100? Or in a similar situation but if it is Shabbos must one and may one have many small snacks for the sole purpose of getting to 100 Brachos?


texts: Source that a married woman seduced by a “messianic figure” is still permitted to her husband

texts:
I've heard in the past that there is a responsum in regards to a married woman that was seduced by another man claiming to be the messiah, and the question arose about whether or not she was still permitted to her husband.

Does anyone know where this source of this tshuva comes from?


texts: What are some good resources for finding the meaning of unfamiliar Hebrew and Aramaic words in Acharonim?

texts:
I have no trouble using Jastrow for Tanach and Shas but I find it difficult to apply to Acharonim.  How might I use it more effectively?  Are there peculiarities of grammar I'm missing?

For a few examples, I'm looking now at some of the words that caused me to ask this question in the first place and I'm finding that with a little digging they are in fact generally in there.  I had been stuck on:

החוטין צריך שיהיו טווין לשמן

but I think I understand it now as "the threads should be twisted in groups of eight". In fact, I'm realizing that it could well be that what I really need is a stronger foundation in grammar and conjugation.  For example, I know what all of the words here mean:

הישן עם אשתו ובניו איך יתנהג

and I have a general sense of what this is saying, I think - "Customs regarding sleeping together with your wife and/or your children" - but why is נהג conjugated this way?  Doesn't the ית prefix indicate the infinitive?

Maybe my question is really "what is a solid resource for improving my understanding of grammar and conjugation", with a sub-question of "do the Acharonim generally conform to Mishnaic grammar?"


texts: is there some significance in their relationship between Haman and Daniel?

texts: The Gemara says that memuchan was Haman, but in Targum Sheni it says it was Daniel. Also regarding hasach the regular Targum identifies as Daniel and says Haman killed him. My question is, is there some connection between Haman and Daniel? Or significance on there relationship if there is any?


texts:
I live in a fairly cold climate (at least during Sukkos, especially this year) and so I am always looking for ways to reduce heat-loss in my Sukkah.  There are plenty of options for the walls, but the s'chach is more difficult.  In previous years, I have used wood wool (the long thin wood shavings that you typically find in gift baskets) on top of a nylon net suspended under the typical modern reed mat s'chach, but this is tedious to arrange and as far as I understand is not really ideal halachically as the s'chach should not be supported by something not kosher for s'chach.  It can also get a bit messy.

I'm looking for ideas for how I can have some kind of kosher s'chach which will act as a good insulator without being too thick (not more than a few centimetres), not too time consuming to arrange and not too expensive (I'm not looking to spend hundreds of British Pounds).  The sukkah is about 3x4 metres and I have a sloping frame as I pull a sheet of tarpaulin over the top to protect the sukkah from the rain.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.


texts:
If I have a lapse in concentration during a few words in davening, it improves my davening tremendously to be able to go back and force myself to immediately say those words again, properly. I find that it helps me concentrate the first time too. Can repeating like this ever be allowed?

Obviously once a brocha is said one should not go back. I assume repeating a Shem Hashem would similarly be a problem.
Regarding Shema - I recall that repeating the פסוק of שמע ישראל is definitely a problem, and repeating paragraphs is okay.
Regarding Hallel - I recall repeating words being a problem.


texts: Is there a reason to prefer giving a child single name over multiple names?

texts:
From biblical times through at least the Geonic period and perhaps until as late as the Chasam Sofer Jews gave their children a single first name. It seems to be a relatively late idea to give a child more than one 'first' name. It is my understanding that the name Shnuer was created as a contraction of the words 'shnei ohr' (two lights) when a question arose about naming a child after someone named Uri and someone else named Meir. The solution, to create a new name, came about because of the hesitation or unwillingness to simply give the person two names.

Is there any religious reason to prefer giving a single name and if so does anyone explain why there was a shift from giving a single name to multiple names?


texts: What blessings would one say upon receiving the COVID19 vaccine?

texts:
I have some gaps in my Jewish knowledge, but it seems prudent to recite Shehechiyanu upon receiving the first shot, as it is a momentous occasion. Not just momentous for your own health, but the health of your community and in moving forward from this collective trauma.
I have read other opinions from https://www.jpost.com/judaism/what-blessing-should-you-say-when-you-get-the-covid-19-vaccine-653043, but I felt that these collections might be incomplete. Thank you.


texts: Do English-speaking Jews read the Bible in English?

texts: Do English-speaking Jews read the Bible in English, or is that too Christian for them? Maybe they like to get the gist of the Torah or Tanakh by reading in the vernacular English and then they may read prayerfully in modern Hebrew?


texts: History of decorated Paroches - curtain on the Aron Kodesh

texts: In Praying directly before an aron the question is asked whether it is proper to pray in front of a Paroches that is decorated. I am aware of a few Shuls that do not have any decorations or words on the Paroches. I never thought about it, yet now think that most likely they do this, to avoid the issue of praying in front of pictures or drawings. Unable to find a source from previous generations discussing this phenomenon, makes me wonder when in history did Shuls start having a decorated Paroches?


texts: Rabbinical suppport for reducing noise at weddings

texts:
There is a verse in Devarim (Deut) - Don't recall exact location that says "Watch your lives very carefully". From here we learn that we must do what we can to preserve our health.

So, I'm wondering if there has ever been a rabbinical decree / statement that requested Jewish event hosts to reduce the music / band volume at Jewish events? It is a well-known fact that prolonged exposure to loud music causes hearing loss. If so, when the band knowingly plays such loud music (proof - the band players are wearing headphones or ear plugs), it seems  they are violating the rule of ruining other people's health, and, perhaps, enjoyment of the simchah.


texts: Is the phrase "Coming of days" reserved for specific people?

texts:
I searched the phrase באים בימים (and related grammatical instances, such as בא בימים, etc.). It seems to occur regarding only these people:

Avraham and Sarah - Breishit 18:11
Avraham alone - Breishit 24:1
Yehoshua (Joshua) as mentioned in Joshua 13:1, 23:1, and 23:2
David (Samuel) - Melachim I (Kings I) 1:1

The phrase means literally, "coming of days". One explanation that I have heard about this phrase is that it means that these people made each day of their life "count" and each day they did something significant.

This is a nice explanation, but, I think this can be said about other notable people in Tanac"h. I would think that this could be said about Moshe and Aharon, among others. But, you don't see this phrase used for them.

Is there something special about this phrase that it is said about only the people I mentioned in the list?


texts: There is a Yidish expression "Vi Ah Grude Michel" - What does it mean and where did it originate?


texts: Being Yotzei through someone else's Bracha (and physical movement)

texts:
When the chazzan says the birchot hashachar, there seems to be a practice of NOT saying baruch hu vvaruch sh'mo so that the individual listening and saying amein can be made yotzei through the chazzan's words.

There is also a practice of touching the tefillin during certain of the brachot. Combining these two practices, would one becoming exempt through the chazzan's reading make the motions of touching the tefillin (is it as if he is saying the blessings) or not because the touching is only part of a personal "saying"?

[I can't think right now of many other situations where saying is coupled with movement, and yet the individual can be exempted through someone else's saying -- but if other cases exist, then I presume that this question would apply there as well. One possibility is one who does not know to daven being exempted for shmoneh esrei by listening to the Shatz -- should the individual bow (and/or strike his chest) at the appropriate moments?]


texts:
In Shemos 13:7, the verse uses the passive form מצות יאכל, where the subject is feminine plural but the verb is masculine singular.

A similar occurrence is in Pinchas for Pesach korbanos (Bamidbar 28:17) and the only other location in Tanach is in Yechezkel 45:21.

What does this incompatibility mean, and why major grammarians like Rashi and ibn Ezra say nothing?


texts: What goes on in an Orthodox Women's Rosh Chodesh celebration?

texts:
I am vaguely aware that in some Orthodox communities, there are Women's Rosh Chodesh celebrations.  As I do not live in such a community (and in any case am not a woman), I don't really have any idea what goes on in such an event.  I imagine there is usually some learning; I have also seen references online to reading Tehillim or special Rosh Chodesh tekhines, but these lack specifics.  I have also seen a number of sites that talk about inventing modern Jewish women's rituals, but these mostly seem to be aimed at a non-Orthodox audience.

I don't expect any kind of definitive answer of what should be done -- I assume there is no normative halakha on this -- but it would be very helpful to have a sense of the parameters governing what could be done, or what is typical at such events.


texts:
Mishnah Pesachim 10:3 says:

מְטַבֵּל בַּחֲזֶרֶת, עַד שֶׁמַּגִּיעַ לְפַרְפֶּרֶת הַפַּת
[he] dips the lettuce until he reaches parperet hapat

What exactly does parperet hapat mean in this context? Various commentators seem to agree that it's a part of the seder, but they disagree on which part.


texts: Why is the reading from the Prophets on Shabbat called הפטרה?

texts: The reading from the prophets that is done on Shabbat morning, is called  הפטרה. This seems to come from the root word פטר meaning "to exempt". What, if anything, is being "exempted"?


texts:
In Parshas Mattos, 32:24, there is an unusual construction for the plural possessive "your sheep" -
בְּנוּ-לָכֶם עָרִים לְטַפְּכֶם, וּגְדֵרֹת לְצֹנַאֲכֶם; וְהַיֹּצֵא מִפִּיכֶם, תַּעֲשׂוּ.

What is the rule for this construction? Does it have a name, and are there any similar words in the Tanach?


texts: Switching residences at night during Chanukah

texts:
The answers to this question explain that if one is not eating at home during Chanukah, he nevertheless needs to light at his house, where he will be sleeping that night.
What happens if someone switches his 'home' during one of the nights of Chanukah?
As a concrete example, consider someone who owns two houses in two cities. He has been living in his house in City A for the past two months, and at sunset/nightfall is planning to leave his house later that night to move to his other house in City B for the next two months.
Does he light at sunset/nightfall in his first residence (where he has been sleeping on the previous nights)? Or in his new residence where he will only arrive later that night and where he will be sleeping from now on? (Or maybe he doesn't have an obligation to light at all?)
Does it make a difference how late at night he plans to move? Does it make a difference where he will be eating that night?
(Assume that this person forms his own household (or is traveling with his entire household) such that relying on others to light on his behalf in either location is not an option.)


texts: Did Chazal know about China and the Chinese? and from which of Noach's sons do they hail?

texts: The silk road from the Far East to Asia probably operated from about 200 B.C.E although it was not a direct trading route but worked in stages; so there was no direct contact from say China to Palestine. Marco Polo arrived in China around 1265 C.E. Chazal ascribe Noah's sons as founders of the Greeks etc. There is no reference to Chinese, Koreans or Japanese - so which son takes the honours?


texts: Similarity between atonement in Leviticus 4:20 & cover in Genesis 6:14 in terms of semantics, wording/phrasing, lettering/grammer, pronunciation?

texts:
I apologize but I do not know any Old Testament Hebrew so I'll have to rely on the responders to this post when it comes to analyzing the Old Testament Hebrew.

Leviticus 4:20  (NASB 1995)
20 He shall also do with the bull just
as he did with the bull of the sin offering; thus he shall do with it.
So the priest shall make atonement for them, and they will be
forgiven.

4:20 Hebrew OT: Westminster Leningrad Codex וְעָשָׂ֣ה לַפָּ֔ר
כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר עָשָׂה֙ לְפַ֣ר הַֽחַטָּ֔את כֵּ֖ן יַעֲשֶׂה־לֹּ֑ו וְכִפֶּ֧ר
עֲלֵהֶ֛ם הַכֹּהֵ֖ן וְנִסְלַ֥ח לָהֶֽם׃
ויקרא 4:20 Hebrew OT: WLC (Consonants Only) ועשה לפר כאשר עשה לפר
החטאת כן יעשה־לו וכפר עלהם הכהן ונסלח להם׃

Genesis 6:14 (NASB 1995)
14 Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood;
you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and
out with pitch.

6:14 Hebrew OT: Westminster Leningrad Codex עֲשֵׂ֤ה לְךָ֙ תֵּבַ֣ת
עֲצֵי־גֹ֔פֶר קִנִּ֖ים תַּֽעֲשֶׂ֣ה אֶת־הַתֵּבָ֑ה וְכָֽפַרְתָּ֥ אֹתָ֛הּ
מִבַּ֥יִת וּמִח֖וּץ בַּכֹּֽפֶר׃
בראשית 6:14 Hebrew OT: WLC (Consonants Only) עשה לך תבת עצי־גפר קנים
תעשה את־התבה וכפרת אתה מבית ומחוץ בכפר׃

Could someone please analyze the  Old Testament Hebrew word for "atonement" in Leviticus 4:20 and tell me if it is similar in terms of semantics, "letter(s)/grammatical construction" and/or pronunciation to the corresponding Hebrew word for "cover" in Genesis 6:14?
If not, could someone please tell me if the nature of the semantics, wording/phrasing in Leviticus 4:20 and Genesis 6:14 are similar? If yes, could you please elaborate?


texts: Many Sepharadim have a custom to take a slight bow when saying Barechu both during Shacharit and Arvit. Others insist on standing. Is there any source for such a minhag in the sifrei Halacha (or elsewhere)? Do Ashkenazim have a similar custom?


texts:
The Rivevos Ephraim 4:54:11 wonders if one says a shechiyanu upon seeing the kotel for the first time,and he brings a source who quotes the opinion of Rav Kook who held one is obligated to make a Shechiyanu upon the first time. The Rivevos Ephraim is mesupak if anyone argues on this,does anyone else speak about this?

Rav Mordechai Fogelman in his Beis Mordichai siman 32 writes that one should make a shechiyanu as well.


texts: Today at Mincha, the Shaliach tzibbur bowed for each word of Kadosh Kadosh Kadosh, to the left, right, and then center, as we do at the end of Shemoneh Esrei.  I have never seen that before.  Is there a source for this, and has anyone ever seen it before?


texts: The Luach Kolel Chabad says a minor can't be maftir on the seventh day of Pesach. Why?


texts: Choosing a microwave oven (e.g.) for ease of kashering

texts:
As far ask I can tell, I have a new twist on the
already
abundant
microwave oven
literature
here at Mi Yodeya.

So please be not quick to mark this question a duplicate.

My question is this.

I am going to buy a new microwave oven for use in a summer camp where a lot of people are around preparing food and kashrus problems seem likely to arise.

Is there some sort of oven which I can buy, as to which there is a wide consensus that includes Chabniks, that kashering is needless or easy? If so, can you actually recommend brands and models that fill that bill? I would gladly consider any comparable sort of cookery, such as a toaster oven, if that offers any advantage.


texts:
We (and the kohanim) are to eat the kobanot satiated (see below for sources). What is the reason behind this mitzva?  It would seem that we would get more enjoyment from eating if we were hungry.

Was the korban pesach eaten only when satiated? quotes the Rambam giving this halacha about Korban Pesach only, but the Rambam does not say why it is so.

Update:
Regarding other korbanot, I offer this "all sacrifices must be eaten when one is satiated, to make sure that one does not leave the table of the King when hungry, thus giving a sense of honor and respect to the eating of the sacrifice."
Source: http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/743728/harav-avigdor-nebenzahl/the-korban-todah-and-sippur-yetziat-mitzrayim/

I see this reason as a non-sequitur rather than a logical reason. If I am invited to go to Shabbos lunch on a day that my shul has a great kiddush, I try hard not to eat anything at the kiddush so I have a good appetite for the lunch.  I would think a kihg's table would deserve, even demand, a good appetite as well.


texts:
My understanding of one functionality of blessings is that they help one to take a moment and focus one's intent on the Creator and on one's higher purpose. This idea is especially poignant when one is engaging in what one perceives as worldly things, such as eating or using the restroom.

No blessing is made before the act of physical intimacy. At least not in any general sense.

I am looking for courses of action one can take with one's spouse, sourced or otherwise, to help put one in a state of mind that ushers the Shechina, or Divine Presence, into the bed, (so to speak). A joint recitation of Song of Songs before intimacy comes to mind, for example.

I would also accept sources or ideas for why this sort of thing should not be done, if an accompanying argument can be made that still accepts the desired end. In this vein, I could accept that by focusing selflessly, lovingly, and solely, on one's spouse, one is already making intimacy holy, and that the Divine Presence needs no special attention, for example.


texts: How many times in Na"Kh is the land called Eretz Cna'an?

texts: The other side of the coin of this question (or, if you prefer, this question), might be, how often, or how many times, does the term Eretz Cna'an appear in Na"Kh after the land was given to Benei Yisrael?


texts:
Virtually all of the major characters (and some of the minor ones) in Megillas Esther have a clear ending for them. Mordechai and Esther live happily ever after (sort of). Haman and his ten songs are hanged. Even Haman's daughter was declared dead by a midrash which proclaimed that she threw herself off a building after dumping trash on her father's head while Haman was parading Mordechai around.

But to the best of my knowledge, Zeresh just disappears. I would think there was some account of how she died, seeing as how she was the one who suggested to Haman about the gallows in the first place. Is there any account of what happened to her?


texts:
How do we explain that Bet Shammai is documented as arguing on their teacher Shammai?

I didn't notice any of the classic Meforshim discussing this peculiarity.

There are at least 4 documented cases in Mishnayot:

Eduyoth 1:7:

  בֵּית שַׁמַּאי אוֹמְרִים, רֹבַע עֲצָמוֹת מִן הָעֲצָמִים, בֵּין מִשְּׁנַיִם בֵּין מִשְּׁלֹשָׁה. וּבֵית הִלֵּל אוֹמְרִים, רֹבַע עֲצָמוֹת מִן הַגְּוִיָּה, מֵרֹב הַבִּנְיָן אוֹ מֵרֹב הַמִּנְיָן. שַׁמַּאי אוֹמֵר, אֲפִלּוּ מֵעֶצֶם אֶחָד:

Eduyoth 1:8 - which is also the end of Ma'aser Sheini 2:4:

  כַּרְשִׁינֵי תְרוּמָה, בֵּית שַׁמַּאי אוֹמְרִים, שׁוֹרִין וְשָׁפִין בְּטָהֳרָה, וּמַאֲכִילִין בְּטֻמְאָה. בֵּית הִלֵּל אוֹמְרִים, שׁוֹרִין בְּטָהֳרָה, וְשָׁפִין וּמַאֲכִילִין בְּטֻמְאָה. שַׁמַּאי אוֹמֵר, יֵאָכְלוּ צָרִיד. רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר, כָּל מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם בְּטֻמְאָה:

Twice in Eduyoth 1:11 - which is also Keilim 22:4:

  כִּסֵּא שֶׁל כַּלָּה שֶׁנִּטְּלוּ חִפּוּיָיו, בֵּית שַׁמַּאי מְטַמְּאִין, וּבֵית הִלֵּל מְטַהֲרִין. שַׁמַּאי אוֹמֵר, אַף מַלְבֵּן שֶׁל כִּסֵּא טָמֵא. כִּסֵּא שֶׁקְּבָעוֹ בַעֲרֵבָה, בֵּית שַׁמַּאי מְטַמְּאִין, וּבֵית הִלֵּל מְטַהֲרִין. שַׁמַּאי אוֹמֵר, אַף הֶעָשׂוּי בָּהּ:

All the more fascinating that it's in tractate Eduyot, meaning that somebody actively testified as to the veracity of the content of the Mishna in front of a full Bet haMedrash.


texts:
Is there an Issur to study on Shabbas for a test that will take place after Shabbas? Would it be considered an Hachuna from Shabbos to Chol?

And if so, is there any difference between a test that's Torah-related or not?

Assume the material is allowed to be learned on Shabbos, and the only issue is the intent to use the knowledge after Shabbos.


texts:
A stove is a gas stove but has both an electric warming drawer as well as an electric "warming zone" surface.   The warming zone is in the middle of the stove - sort of a glass top - and can be set with a manual knob.   When turned on, it is a hot surface (like a hot plate), but not hot enough to cook

The question is whether this can be used on Shabbat in the same way as a hot plate to keep a pot warm.


texts: Is it right to set goals for yourself? How do you know that hashem knows you can accomplish more than the goal you have now? How do you know that hashem knows you bit more than you can chew?


texts: Can anyone find me the source of the story I have heard entitled Pan de Di-o (Bread of G-d) in Ladino?  It is about a shamash who puts bread in an aron kodesh and thinks that Hashem is eating his bread.


texts: Can a person recite Kiddush Levana during the Polar summer months?

texts:
This M.Y. answer states that the moonlight must be visible on the land for someone to be able to say Kiddush Levana.

During the summer season near either the North or South Poles, there is an area of the Earth where the sun never sets completely. It approaches the horizon, but there is probably still too much light for the moon's light to be noticeable on the land. Does this imply that someone who is there during these months could not say Kiddush Levana at all?


texts:
Who wrote the prayer in the Siddur:

  :אוֹר חָדָשׁ עַל צִיּוֹן תָּאִיר וְנִזְכֶּה כֻלָּנוּ מְהֵרָה לְאוֹרוֹ. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, יוֹצֵר הַמְּאוֹרוֹת

  May You shine a new light on Zion and may we
  all merit speedily from its radiance.   Blessed are You, O God, the
  creator of the luminaries.

I have seen it attributed to Chazal, but does anyone have a specific reference?

I ask because those two lines have a history of controversy:

Originally understood to refer to the sunlight that is renewed each day, and that will be enhanced in the Messianic Era.
Saadia Gaon [10th-century Egypt] banned it because that siddur section deals with creation, not deliverance.  Sephardim follow him and recite only the blessing (yotser hameorot), not the first line (ohr hadash).
Sherira Gaon [10th-century Babylonia] reinstituted it.  Ashkenazim follow him.
Rashi [11th-century France] advised not to recite that line because it refers to a light that will shine in the future while the theme of the blessing is a present light.
The Raaven [12th-century Germany] the Rosh [13th-century Germany] and Yaavetz [15th century Spain] reconciled the two opinions: The light is the original light of creation, which was stored for the enjoyment of the righteous in the Messianic era.


texts: Can one tie their sukkah wall to keep it from collapsing in heavy wind?

texts: If the sukkah is able to stand on it's own under normal circumstances, can one tie the sukkah wall "down" to a branch for instance, in order to add extra support for heavy wind?


texts: L'David - Psalm 27 - What does " L'vakair" mean?

texts: in Psalm 27, we say achat sh'alti . . .l'vakair b'haichalo.  What is l'vakair?' I know it means 'to visit' as in bikur chilim'.  But is there more than that p'shat?


texts: May a Jewish professional boxer box a Jewish professional beat boxer?

texts:
(Not to be confused with this question.)

Are there any halachic problems with a Jewish boxer boxing a Jewish beat boxer?

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


texts:
When will  the Messiah come?
What does the Torah
and the Rabbis say about this question?


texts: If don't aspire to be a general cannot be a simple soldier

texts:
I believe I read this saying (originally said by Napoleon) by one of the Gedolim (Torah leaders) with respect to one's religious service. Could be it was the Chafetz Chaim. Looking for a source.
The idea I believe is that if one does not aspire to great heights in his service of God, then he cannot even be a simple God fearing Jew.
I found a related idea in Tana d'Bei Eliyahu (ch.25) "one should always tell himself when will my deeds approach those of my forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob", but nothing like the above.


texts: Sofrim selling other's K'tav rather than their own

texts: Some of the websites by sofrim which I have seen (this and this) show that the sofrim who run them do not write for themselves. Why is this?


texts:
I remember hearing that the Baba Sali very suddenly decided to move away from Yavneh.

Does anyone know the story of what exactly occurred?