texts: How often does the word "truth" appear n the Torah?

texts: I am interested in knowing how often the word "truth" or "emet appears in the Torah


texts: Was Mordechai upset that Ahashverush purposely hid from the rabbis the fact that drinking was like a religion?

texts:
Esther 1:8
והשתיה כדת אין אנס כי כן יסד המלך על כל רב ביתו
"The drinking was like a religion. It was no accident that the king kept it a secret from the rabbis of his household."
My understanding of the above - The king made drinking itself a religion, but he didn't want to tell his rabbis about this. Yet, according to Midrash, Mordechai didn't want Jews to attend the king's party and drink there. Could Mordechai have somehow known about this scheme and he was upset that the king didn't tell the royal rabbis about this?
This question is Purim Torah and is not intended to be taken completely seriously. See the Purim Torah policy.


texts: This question is distinct from other questions which ask how and when to begin Shabbat, etc. when there is no sunset. I am asking about places in which sunset occurs very late during certain times of the year. For example, in certain very northerly places, sunset occurs as late as almost 2 a.m. during certain periods. In this case, even Plag ha-Mincha is not until 11:30 p.m. Are there any dispensations for celebrating earlier in these times/places, or at least eating earlier? What about in families with young children?


texts: Why did the Jewish sages understand "Daniel 7:13" as the coming of the Messiah, and not the Messiah's ascension to "God" in heaven?

texts:
The term "The Ancient of Days" appears three times in the Book of Daniel and is used in the sense of God being eternal.
"I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire." (Daniel 7:9)
"I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven.
And he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him. To him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed." (Daniel 7:13-14)
The Jewish sages understand "Daniel 7:13" as the coming of the Messiah:
Rashi on Daniel 7:13

"one like a man was coming That is the King Messiah."

Sanhedrin 98a

"Rabbi Alexandri says: Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi raises a contradiction between two depictions of the coming of the Messiah. It is written: “There came with the clouds of heaven, one like unto a son of man…and there was given him dominion and glory and a kingdom…his dominion is an everlasting dominion” (Daniel 7:13–14). And it is written: “Behold, your king will come to you; he is just and victorious; lowly and riding upon a donkey and upon a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9). Rabbi Alexandri explains: If the Jewish people merit redemption, the Messiah will come in a miraculous manner with the clouds of heaven. If they do not merit redemption, the Messiah will come lowly and riding upon a donkey."

Both Rabbi Alexandri and Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi interpreted (Daniel 7:13–14) as a reference to a possible miraculous coming of the messiah to the Jewish people...
How can such interpretation be reconciled with the text of Daniel itself that describes "one like a son of man" (the messiah, who will be born and live on earth according to the Jewish sages) coming on a cloud to God who is sitting on his throne in heaven a scene which suggests the Messiah's ascension to heaven and not the opposite (the Messiah will come to the Jewish people in a miraculous manner with the clouds of heaven)?


texts: What Does Halacha Say About Women Wearing Veils?

texts: I read here about certain Jewish sects prescribing face veil. Is there, in fact, a rule requiring or encouraging covering the faces of women in presence of unrelated men? If so, what is the source for this rule?


texts: What Happens in the Parsha Parellel's Current Events

texts: Where is the source(s) that say that what happens each week in the parsha parallels current world events? I believe it is found in chassidus, but I am not sure where.


texts: Did the Israeli soldiers who were involved in Operation Protective Edge eliminate any parts of davening?

texts:
I assume that those driving the tanks, going in the tunnels, and otherwise in immediate dangerous situations either completely miss a prayer, or eliminate parts of it. Maybe they are saying "Havinenu" instead of Shmoneh Esreh?

If anyone has been (or is) a Chayal (soldier) I'm curious as to what is done regarding daily tefillah.


texts: Is it permissible to use a French Press on Yom Tov?

texts:
Is there an issue of borer when using the plunger of a French Press?
What are the possible issues involved?
Is it borer with a kli?


texts: Is there a general rule or rules that one can use to determine which one of two forbidden activities should be chosen in the event that for whatever reason, it is inevitable one of them must be done on Shabbat?


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

Upvote all interesting answers.

Accept the best answer.

Go on to the next number.


texts: What does it mean "and they were prophesying"?

texts:
in Shmuel I chapter 19 Posuk 20.

And Saul sent messengers to take David, and he saw the company of prophets prophesying and Samuel was standing as head over them; and a spirit from God was upon Saul's messengers, and they too prophesied.        כוַיִּשְׁלַח שָׁאוּל מַלְאָכִים לָקַחַת אֶת דָּוִד וַיַּרְא אֶת לַהֲקַת הַנְּבִיאִים נִבְּאִים וּשְׁמוּאֵל עֹמֵד נִצָּב עֲלֵיהֶם וַתְּהִי עַל מַלְאֲכֵי שָׁאוּל רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים וַיִּתְנַבְּאוּ גַּם הֵמָּה:

What does this mean exactly?
i'm a little bit confused, did they come to get him and as they got there they fell into a trance and started prophesying?


texts:
I was just wondering about the halachos of waking up to eat before a fast day.
If one had intention, is it best to wake up, wash negal vasser, get dressed, go to bathroom say Al Netilas Yadaim, Asher Yatzar and Elokai Neshama and then eat?  Or should one eat before reciting these?


texts: Would Adam and Chava have been permitted the tree of knowledge if they'd waited?

texts:
I've long been somewhat troubled by the episode with the tree in the garden, because it seems like it was necessary for man to acquire knowledge (how else could we enter a covenant and accept the yoke of torah?), yet Adam and Chava clearly disobeyed God, which is problematic.

In a class tonight I heard a new-to-me idea in a passing comment: that if they had just waited a few hours, God had intended to permit them to eat from that tree on Shabbat (so knowledge would have been given, but at God's direction rather than theirs).  Is that so?  What is the source for this?


texts: How long does it take to learn to layn Megillas Ester?

texts: How much time would it take to learn Megilla layning to the level of a pro with zero prior layning experience?


texts:
I've seen the custom quoted in many siddurim to recite Psalm 130 (שיר המעלות ממעמקים), with the Ark open, between ישתבח and ברכו during עשרת ימי תשובה.

Why this Psalm? What special relevance does it have to עשרת ימי תשובה (Ten Days of Repentance between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur)?


texts: Dunkin Donuts MUFFINS - are they kosher?

texts:
Ok - everyone talks about donuts and whether they are kosher everywhere or not, etc. what about muffins? Those need some love too. All i want right now is a pumpkin muffin and the only nearby DD is not certified kosher. If i could go to this branch near my office for muffins (or donuts, of course) that would just be amazing. Come on people! I know this is super complicated but i wanna hear all of it.

Basically, I really want to know if one can enter any DD branch and consume a muffin. According to straight up kashrut ingredients.


texts: Why does Yitzchak's name mean to laugh if he represents gevurah? Gevurah is something that is restrained and hold back. And laughter is something which breaks out of the chains and feels more free.


texts: Is it preferrable to sell chometz to a non jew who is located in the same town that the chometz is located in?

texts:
For example, if one lives in Brooklyn but will be spending Pesach in LA, should the chometz be sold to a non jew who lives in Brooklyn, since selling it to someone who resides in LA would look more like a 'haramah', a trick, and not a valid mechirah since it wouldn't be practical or make economic sense for him to fly to Brooklyn just to get the small amount of chomezt that was sold.

edit - maybe I should have gave an example with NY and Toronto where there is no time zone difference.


texts: Why refer to alcoholic beverages as Yash?

texts: In many Chasidishe and Heimishe Shuls - Vodka, Whiskey and the likes are known as "Yash" which is an acronym for Yayin Saraf - יי״ש. However would it not be more appropiate to call it Yas? Then why do we call it Yash?


texts: Why is the kesuba not written in a native language?

texts:
The kesuba (marriage contract) is written in a smattering of Hebrew with Aramaic thrown in. It is possible that onr or both parties may not know what all the words in the kesuba mean. Furthermore it promises vague amounts of money, which many men may not realize the current market value of. At some weddings I have seen a Rav broadly outline the meaning of the document, but usually only to the husband only.

If this is a legal document why don't we write it in the language that the parties both speak? Is the document valid if one or both parties don't really understand what is in it?


texts: Is it allowed to delete a file or close a window which contains a written name of Hashem?

texts:
The English word with three letters, God. Is it allowed to close this window, for example?

What is the ruling regarding electronic documents, photos, etc. Can they be deleted from the hard drive or should there be a prayer or ceremony about disposing of them?

What do the modern poskim say? Does Shaimos apply here?


texts: Why the use of וישב in Lech Lecha to describe Abram driving away vultures?

texts:
Lech Lecha 15:11 וַיֵּ֥רֶד הָעַ֖יִט עַל־הַפְּגָרִ֑ים וַיַּשֵּׁ֥ב אֹתָ֖ם אַבְרָֽם

according to biblehub.com yashav is to remain, to dwell, to sit.

How then is this verb translated ?

Thankyou


texts: Multiple Leviyim Washing the Kohanim's hands

texts:
The minhag I've seen is that a levi washes the hands of the kohen before he recites the birchas kohanim.

I have often seen numerous Levittes teaming up to wash a kohen together - each of them grasps the cup at a different point, and together they wash.

Is there any reason for a levi to do so if another levi is already washing? (Please provide sources)


texts:
I have two questions.

1. Is it permitted for a Jew to produce electronic dance music (no lyrics), which is usually played at clubs etc. where women and men will dance together (no gender separation but those "clubbers" are usually gentiles)?

2. Is it permitted for a Jew to perform (ie. play the music / be a dj) in such places?


texts: On Shabbat, if one can't sleep, may one consume valerian tea? Valerian root powder? Other non-prescription remedies?

texts:
Occasionally, on Shabbat, I've had trouble sleeping.

The Doctors Book of Home Remedies (20th anniversary edition) (Rodale, 2010) includes a section about insomnia, which includes a long list of home remedies. Please note that — even though R' Bodner permits drinking wine to treat insomnia on Shabbat — page 368 of the Doctors book explains why alcohol is a poor solution. ("Alcohol may help you fall asleep, but it later disrupts your sleep by causing you to awaken.")

When home remedies don't work, I'd like to try something stronger: e.g. a nonprescription remedy. I'll talk to my rabbi about what to do in my particular situation, but in general:

On Shabbat, can one drink valerian tea to help get to sleep? (I'm hoping it's halachically considered just like any other herbal tea, such as strawberry-rosehip tea.)
Can one swallow a spoonful of valerian root powder?
Can one eat a muffin with a tiny, carefully-measured amount of valerian root powder baked in?
Can one apply a melatonin skin patch?
Can one swallow valerian tablets?

CYLOR.


texts: Does Halakhah require one to believe in Gilu'i Eliyahu, Gilu'i Maggid, and the like?

texts:
I have heard many stories from many independent sources about Rabbis receiving teachings via individual revelation in the form of Gilu'i Eliyahu (i.e. "the appearance of Eliyahu") or Gil'ui Maggid (e.g. the AR"I, the Ba`al Shem Tov, R' Shalom Shar`abi, R' Yosef Qaro, etc.).

Does Halakhah require one to believe that such forms of individual revelation are indeed possible? If so, how can one verify the authenticity of such claims?


texts: Why does the Torah forbid interest only on loans to Jews?

texts: Why aren't we allowed to charge a Jew interest but we're allowed to charge a non-Jew?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Minimum Shi'ur for Kiddush on liquor

Are you allowed to use other alcohols outside of wine for kiddush and how much must be used? really what i don't understand is why booze people use Shot glasses when they use wine or grape Juice the use a full cup?


texts: Can the Chanukah candles be lit via a timer?

texts:
Let's say someone attaches a timer to a fuse / lighter that sends a spark to light the candles. Can lighting be done automatically, or must each candle be lit by human physical action, only?

As @Yehuda asked an interesting question if the person must be present, there is an opinion that one may say the bracha upon seeing the candles lit, even if hwe has not lit it himself (See Talmud Shabbat 23a). So, assume that the timer caused the candles to be lit, and while they were still lit, the home owner came into the room and saw the candles. Can he make the bracha and fulfill his obligation?


texts: As it is known that one is not allowed to eat before morning prayers,  is there any opinion that allows to eat after birkot hashakhar but before tefillah?


texts: When we say "עַל צִיצִת הַכָּנָף" at which point do we kiss the tzitzis?

texts:
When we say Krias Shema, the widespread custom (referred to in OC 24 (4) Rema), is to kiss the tzitzis when we say the word, “צִיצִת”.

When we come to the words, עַל צִיצִת הַכָּנָף (which Singer translates as “upon the fringe of each corner”), to kiss at the word צִיצִת interrupts between the words צִיצִת and כָּנָף which belong together. I think it is better to kiss after the word כָּנָף.

The problem with my thought is that in OC 61(20) it says one must avoid run-ins of words where one ends in the letter that begins the next and gives as one example הַכָּנָף פְּתִיל . If we stopped to kiss the tzitzis after the word הַכָּנָף (as I suggest) there would be no need for the Shulchan Oruch to gives us this din.

Can anyone provide evidence either way on my idea please?

This question Kissing Tzitzis during Shema is related.


texts: Did the Jewish people choose G-d, or did G-d choose the Jewish people? Or both?


texts: After eating an excessive amount to a point that would be termed achila gasa which I will leave undefined, does a person have an obligation to recite grace after meals (or another bracha achrona as appropriate)?


texts: Just how overpriced was Efron's burial cave anyway?

texts:
In B'reishit 23 Avraham pays 400 shekels to Efron for the cave of Machpelah.  This seems to be an enormous amount of money and Rashi suggests it's even worse than it appears (referring to larger versus smaller shekels, whatever that means).

For comparison (all centuries later), in the desert census each Israelite paid a half-shekel (Sh'mot 30), the compensation for a slave gored by an ox was 30 shekels (Sh'mot 21:32), people (as part of vows) were valued at between 5 and 50 shekels (Vayikra 27), and a man who violates a virgin pays 100 shekels (D'varim 22).  Jeremiah bought a field for 17 shekels (Yirmiyahu 32:9); whether he paid full price or a fire-sale price isn't completely clear.

We know he overpaid; I'm trying to get a sense of the scale.  Did he overpay by a factor of 10?  Factor of 100?  What was the going rate for a burial cave in Avraham's time?


texts: It is written somewhere (I don't remember exactly where) that 40 days before conception, it is called out in Heaven who that person will marry. However, if the person gets married multiple times how does that work. Are the other marriages also called out? And what if the person doesn't get married?


texts: What is the purpose of "shlichut" money?

texts:
Whenever I have gone to Israel, people have given me "shlichut / mitzvah" money to donate at the Kotel.

Usually, I get to the Kotel, but, I don't always have time to do this, if I'm on a very short trip.

Some questions about this practice:

What's the origin of this minhag?
What's its purpose? Is the possession of this money supposed to act as a sort of "protection" that you will arrive in Israel safely?
I gather that the giver makes you a shaliach and he specifically requests that you give it to someone at the kotel. Does this mean that I fyou donate it to someone else outside the kotel, you haven't fulfilled the giver's command? So, what should you do? Donate it, elsewhere, or return the money back to the giver?


texts:
I live in Beer Sheva, Israel where there are presently ongoing rockets fired at us from Gaza. We are warned of an impending rocket by a loud siren that gives us less than a minute to run to a bomb shelter. Now that's it time for the Maariv, I'm feeling quite apprehensive about approaching prayer in general and realized a few questions.

I am not seeking practical halachic advice for which I can ask my Rav. I'm interested to know the sources on the basis of which my Rav would decide.

If I'm in the middle of the Amida and a siren goes off I will of course run to a shelter to save my life. Until I can return to my home and continue praying again (maybe 10 minutes later), is it forbidden for me to speak?
Would I have to start over again from the beginning of the Amidah?
If a person is stricken with fear of an impending siren, are they released from the obligation to pray? As this situation might last for several days, I don't think one could hope for a tashlumin.

Obviously, I never before considered the context of such halakhot, but they are quite pressing and real. I would be grateful if someone could help me out, as well as ask everyone here to have us in your tefillot.


texts: Why believe in the revelation at Sinai other than the "Kuzari mesora" argument?

texts: I was reading this post the other day, and came across a comment by user DoubleAA who stated in the comments something to the effect of "if the only reason you believe is because of the Kuzari argument of our unbroken mesora, I feel sorry for you". Which got me thinking: What, then, is the better argument for belief in Torah MiSinai? Specifically, what is a proof that doesn't have the same problems as the Kuzari's argument?


texts:
What exactly is "Torah Im Derech Eretz" and "Torah Umada." I am not looking for a translation but rather an explanation of Yeshiva University's philosophy regarding these things. What are the differences between these two things? Is there are difference? What are the exact philosophies here?

Furthermore: What is Rav Hershel Schachter's opinion on all of this?


texts: Fast some other day if can't fast on Yom Kippur?

texts: If someone is sufficiently ill on Yom Kippur to be halachically allowed to eat, would there be any value in him fasting for a whole day after he gets well?  I'm sure it would be voluntary, but is it ever encouraged?  Anything from the Sources?


texts:
The following quote appeared in a book I was reading:

“May I be punished, if my decision was not communicated
to me by Shemaiah and Abtalion!” At once, his opinion was accepted.

The author attributes this quote to Hillel. What is the original source for this quote?


texts: What Biblical couple is the standard for happy and healthy marital relationships?

texts:
On Shabbos, we bless our kids with Brochos to grow like our forefathers/mothers. When my kid announced that he's getting married I exclaimed "may God put your marriage like..." and got stuck because I couldn't remember what Biblical couple is our Jewish standard for a happy and healthy marriage (besides R' Desler, of course :).
Please help, what Biblical couple is considered the standard for happy, healthy and Kosher marital relations?


texts: What advice do the sages give for improving one's concentration in prayer?

texts: Following up on Isaac's question seeking experience-based advice to improve his prayer:, I am seeking something a bit different.  I remember reading some advice on the subject given (I think) by Rav Schach, zt'l, that one should from time to time use a different siddur in order to force himself to go through the siddur word for word and concentrate on what he is reading.  Can someone point me to published suggestions by other gedolim?


texts: Of what material were the staffs made in Parshas Korach?

texts:
Bamidbor 17 (17) records the instruction to take a staff for each of the chieftains.

  דַּבֵּ֣ר ׀ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְקַ֣ח מֵֽאִתָּ֡ם מַטֶּ֣ה מַטֶּה֩
  לְבֵ֨ית אָ֜ב מֵאֵ֤ת כָּל־נְשִֽׂיאֵהֶם֙ לְבֵ֣ית אֲבֹתָ֔ם שְׁנֵ֥ים
  עָשָׂ֖ר מַטּ֑וֹת אִ֣ישׁ  אֶת־שְׁמ֔וֹ תִּכְתֹּ֖ב עַל־מַטֵּֽהוּ׃

  Speak to the Israelite people and take from them—from the chieftains
  of their ancestral houses—one staff for each chieftain of an ancestral
  house: twelve staffs in all. Inscribe each man’s name on his staff,

One might have thought that in order to have a fair test, these staffs should have been made from the same material.

Of what material(s) were the staffs made?

Note: Jewish Encyclopedia contains the following - Midrash Yelamdenu (Yalḳ. on Ps. ex. § 869)

  "It was made of sapphire, weighed forty seahs (a seah = 10.70 pounds)…

but I do not know how authoritative this is.

Related: The blossoming of Ahron's staff a miracle not a trick?


texts: Beresheet 5:24 - What happened to Enokh?

texts:
In this genealogical chapter, in the portion enumerating the lineage from Metushelakh to Noakh, everyone gets an "and he died" except for Enokh, who gets an "and he was no longer, for God had taken him." I thought I recalled this as the basis of a midrash that says that Enokh ascended to heaven alive and became a member of the malahkhay hamlakhem. Anyone know where this might be found textually?
https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/8169/jewish/Chapter-5.htm


texts:
At the seder, the third cup of wine is drunk after Birkat Hamazon. If a person has plenty of wine, but no matzah (and hence no Birkat Hamazon), should he still drink the third cup of wine?

If so, should he just drink it right before saying Hallel when he finished his meal (but cannot bench), or should he say it along with another blessing/Mitzva? If so, at what point?


texts: Can someone else turn on my computer on Shabbat/yom tov using Wake-on-LAN

texts: Let's say I am not Jewish, and I have a bunch of Jewish people in an apartment building on one big LAN.  During Shabbat I want their computers to all turn on at a specific time so I send a WOL message and turn them on.  None of them directly asked me to do this but they will benefit from the computer being on.  Is there a problem? What if one of them asked me to do this? What about yom tov? What if they said to me, "we would like our computer to be turned on at some point before 9am on Saturday morning", and I could have send the WOL before Shabbat started, but I elected to send it at 8am during Shabbat?


texts: When do you say Kaddish Derabanan after a shiur? What are the requirements for this Kaddish?


texts: Are you allowed to make ice cream on shabbos?

texts:
Let's assume the steps are:

Mix milk, cream, sugar, flavoring (all cold).  Put in a container.
Mix ice and salt in a bigger container, then put previous container into this one.
Shake everything for a while.
Scrape and mix the semi-frozen ice cream.
Shake for a while longer, scrape and mix.

Anything here that can't be done on shabbos?  What about yomtov?


texts: Eating parve food, which was cooked with dairy utensils, while fleishig

texts:
If I am fleishig, would I be able to eat bread that was warmed up in a dairy toaster?

Although this is a toaster, and at most the only thing put inside was parve bread whereas there would be no problem eating anything that came out of it in regard to ones milk/meat status, I was just wondering in general if Parve food is effected by the utensils it is cooked with.


texts: Would a rectangular cloth be halachically invalid as a tallit (kattan or gadol) because it happens to be a national flag? Would any other specific pattern or logo make a difference?


texts: This link claims that the Siddur Ha'Arizal compiled by Rabbi Asher Margaliot is the siddur that was used by the Ba'al Shem Tov and his original followers. How accurate is it to say this?


texts: Why must we acquire Lehhem Mishneh for every Shabbat meal?

texts:
The Torah (Shemot 16; Parashat BeShalahh) details the miracle of the mahn ("manna"), which HaShem brought down from the Heavens to sustain 'Am Yisra'el in their journey through the desert.

In a shi'ur of his, HaRav Zamir Kohen SheLIT"A explains that we eat two hallot/pitot during Shabbat meals in order to commemorate the miracle of the mahn that HaShem performed (specifically, that a double portion was provided on Friday to sustain us throughout Shabbat).

This is brought down as Halakhah in Mishneh Torah (Hilkhot Shabbat 30:9), Rabbeinu Asher on Masekhet Shabbat 117B, Halakhot HaRI"F (Shabbat, 16:132B), Shulhhan Arukh (Orahh Hayim 274:1), Mishnah Berurah (Orahh Hayim 274:1, Note 1), and Qitzur Shulhhan Arukh - Yalqut Yosef (Orahh Hayim 274:4). The matter is discussed in the Talmud Bavli, Masekhet Shabbat 117B (near the end of the page).

If that is the case, since HaShem brought down two portions of mahn on Friday (Shemot 16:5, ibid. 16:22), why don't we simply have Lehhem Mishneh for the first of our three Shabbat meals? Why must we commemorate the double portion of mahn at every meal when the double portion itself only arrived on Friday?


texts: Hitting your child as a disciplinary/educational measure - modern opinions

texts:
Shemos Rabbah (Shemos parsha 1) and a gemara in Makos (8a) both seem to indicate that physically striking a child/student is a positive thing to do in terms of discipline/education.

My question is: what are the opinions of Rabbis writing from about 1950 until now on this subject?

(I am interested in recent opinions since they would reflect a position based on modern society [assuming that a halachic decision would include such a consideration])


texts:
The Yalkut Shimoni (Chapter 620) says, "Hashem waits ten years before He passes a decree."
Which is interesting, because it took ten years to find and kill Osama bin Laden!

Why does Hashem wait ten years before He passes a decree?


texts: What is the difference between חיי העולם הבא and חיי העולמים (in Bircas Hamazon)?

texts:
Towards the end of Bircas Hamazon on Shabbos, Ashenazim say
הרחמן הוא ינחילנו יום שכולו שבת ומנוחה לחיי העולמים

Later and every day they say,
הרחמן הוא  יזכנו לימות המשיח ולחיי העולם הבא

What is the difference between חיי העולם הבא and חיי העולמים?


texts: Otters, alligators, salamanders, frogs, penguins, seals, polar bears, sea lions, platypuses, beavers, sea snakes, sea turtles, etc. These animals to varying degrees need to be able to be both on land and in the ocean to survive for an indefinite period of time. Were they on the Ark, and if so, were they on it continuously during the entire flood? Do any commentaries address this question?


texts: What is the root of the word mishpocha, family?

texts: The word appears in the Torah (ex. Bereishis 10:5, 36:40, Devarim 29:17, etc.) and is in common usage today.


texts: Torah Blessing - הַמְבֹרָךְ or הַמְּבֹרָךְ

texts:
In the blessing before the torah reading, some siddurim have הַמְּבֹרָךְ (with a dagesh in the mem) and others have הַמְבֹרָךְ.  Wouldn't the hay hayedia require a dagesh in the mem thus making the vowel a sh'va na and pronounced?  Are mems exempt from this rule?  I've checked a tikkun, several machzorim, and a slew of siddurim and find no consistency.  Art Scroll, for instance, has no dagesh but indicates a sh'va na!

I'm not sure if this discussion is relevant to the current question?
Hamracheim or Hammerachim?

Thanks for your thoughts, kol tuv, and g'mar chatimah tovah.


texts: I have seen Hamantaschen discussed by the Bnai Yissoschor (early 1800), Zera Shimshon (mid 1700s). I would like to know the earliest source for eating Hamantaschen on Purim?


texts: Returning tabletop that fell off on Shabbat

texts:
At the shul we have simple tables with metal frames (a rectangle with 4 legs) and wooden tops, screwed to them with 4 screws per table. Eventually, all 4 screws of one table loosened up and the tabletop fell when someone was taking a seat by it on Shabbos.

Can it be placed back on the frame without fastening on Shabbat?

Is it the same Din for similar constructions as a Shtender (wooden top in metal frame) or a bench or a Yeshivisher bed?


texts: If a virgin birth actually disqualifies a Messianic candidate, how then should Isaiah 7:14 be interpreted?

texts:
Earlier today in chat, I saw this:

Jewish identity is matrilinial. Jewish tribal lineage is patrilinial.
If Jesus had no biological father, then he could not be from the tribe of Judah, as the Messiah will be. From a Jewish perspective, the irony is that being born of a virgin would not prove that one was the Messiah. On the contrary it would invalidate one as a messianic candidate.

Source: anursa, comments on Slacktivist, via TRiG.
It was asked by fredsbend:

Is that an accurate depiction of Jewish thought? That is interesting.

and affirmed by HodofHod:

Entirely.

Now, as a Christian, I seem to recall some prophecy about the Messiah necessarily being born of a virgin. Sure enough, I see that Isaiah 7:14 says

14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. - Isaiah 7:14 (NIV)

But wait, that's a Christian translation. Enter the JPS...

14 Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: behold, the young woman shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. - Isaiah 7:14 (JPS)

...and Judaica Press translations.

14 Therefore, the Lord, of His own, shall give you a sign; behold, the young woman is with child, and she shall bear a son, and she shall call his name Immanuel. - Isaiah 7:14 (Judaica Press)

(All emphasis mine.)
Okay, so the term can also be translated "young woman". So, now the question is: why is it so significant that a young woman conceive and bear a son? I'd figure that young women would be conceiving and giving birth all the time back in the old days.

Note: HodofHod also pointed out in chat that the "young woman" part isn't the significant thing, but the unaware naming of her child Immanuel. This would be an acceptable answer, as it does answer the question in the title about how the verse should be interpreted.


texts: Whence "בלי עין הרע"?

texts: What is the source, or earliest reference, I guess, of using the phrase, "בלי עין הרע"?


texts:
Are Jews allowed to participate in Valentine's Day rituals? Although St. Valentine's Day is originally a quasi-Christian holiday, it seems that some communities allow participation.* Which communities are these, to what extent do they allow participation, and what is the rationale for allowing it?

*(suggested by this article, which concludes, "...many rabbis allow Jewish participation in Valentine's Day rituals.")


texts: Suppose someone is fabulously wealthy, and they have their own personal tailor who is not Jewish. May this tailor be relied upon not to make anything which contains Sha'atnez? May this tailor be relied upon to check for Sha'atnez in his materials or in whole garments purchased elsewhere?


texts: Can a woman converting to Judaism go to the Mikvah during her period?

texts:
When Gentiles convert to Judaism, they are "like a newborn".

If I understand correctly, there is no such thing as Niddah vis a vis non-Jews.

So, if I add those two together, I am inclined to assume that if a woman has just finished her period when she goes to the Mikvah for her conversion, not only is she Jewish, but she is in a state of purity from the very start, without counting 7 clean days, etc.

If that assumption is correct, what about if she were to go to Mikvah during her period?  Would her conversion be valid, or would her ongoing (or, really, new) state of impurity invalidate the immersion and, by extension, the conversion?


texts: Esther 8:17 - Is the phrase פַּֽחַד־הַיְּהוּדִ֖ים synonymous with יִרְאַ֚ת יְהֹוָ֨ה?

texts:
When studying Esther 8:17, we read:

And in every province and in every city, wherever the king's order and his edict reached, [there was] joy and gladness for the Jews, a banquet and a festive day, and many of the peoples of the land became Jews because the fear of the Jews was upon them. ( וּבְכָל־מְדִינָ֨ה וּמְדִינָ֜ה וּבְכָל־עִ֣יר וָעִ֗יר מְקוֹם֙ אֲשֶׁ֨ר דְּבַר־הַמֶּ֤לֶךְ וְדָתוֹ֙ מַגִּ֔יעַ שִׂמְחָ֤ה וְשָׂשׂוֹן֙ לַיְּהוּדִ֔ים מִשְׁתֶּ֖ה וְי֣וֹם ט֑וֹב וְרַבִּ֞ים מֵֽעַמֵּ֤י הָאָ֨רֶץ֙ מִֽתְיַֽהֲדִ֔ים כִּֽי־נָפַ֥ל פַּֽחַד־הַיְּהוּדִ֖ים עֲלֵיהֶֽם )
[https://www.sefaria.org/Esther.8.17?with=all&lang=bi]

Why would Esther 8:17 teach "Converting to Judaism" was prompted by פַּֽחַד־הַיְּהוּדִ֖ים instead of יִרְאַ֚ת יְהֹוָ֨ה ?

Is the phrase פַּֽחַד־הַיְּהוּדִ֖ים synonymous with יִרְאַ֚ת יְהֹוָ֨ה?


texts: Pharaoh & many Egyptians were obviously evil men who enslaved our ancestors & foolishly refused to let them go free. Why was Pharaoh spared? As the main villain in this tragedy you’d think he would pay with his life but his ultimate fate is never addressed.


texts: I heard that they're upping up their level of kashrut recently. I also heard that there are many different types of triangle k signs.


texts: Does the Torah ever allude to Earth being a spherical celestial body in space?

texts:
Taken at face value, the instances in which the Heavens and Earth are mentioned in the Torah, it is the Heavens above and Earth below. From what I gather, many secular scholars take from this that the author speaks of a flat earth beneath a heaven.

We of course know that the Earth is a spherical celestial body in space revolving around the sun. That's why I ask, the Torah being the ultimate truth Judaism is based on, whether there is in fact something within it that could allude to the true physical nature of Earth in relation to the Heavens?

Something I came across during the parasha "Va'etchanan", is a moment in chapter 4 verse 32. Moses asks rhetorically whether there has been such an event to occur "from one end of the Heavens to the other". He is speaking about all that has occurred to the nation of Israel and what truths they have been gifted with.

I wonder if perhaps the fact that rather than saying "from one end of the Earth to the other", the Heavens are mentioned instead, it could be surmised through this that the Heavens (or, the Universe) encompass the Earth.


texts: What happened to the synagogue in Urmia (Daneshgah-e-Kalimi)?

texts: My family is from Urmia, Iran. They said there was a very old synagogue there, and they have no idea what happened to it, as they left during the revolution. I was wondering if anyone knows anything, as there were Torah scrolls and, according to my family, an 800-year-old Aramit (Aramaic) translation of Megillat Esther. I hope that these were preserved or brought to Israel.


texts: What means " dalet apostrophe he " in the Rashi references?

texts: In the artscroll Talmud, when a quote is made from Rashi, the reference always starts with these letters. What do they mean?


texts: How much of a minimal sized kiddush cup must be consumed?

texts:
If someone uses a kiddush cup that is exactly (or close to) the bare minimum (see this question) needed to fulfill the obligation, how much of that cup must he drink?

Do the different times one must drink a cup of wine have different requirements? If so, what are those requirements? Some of the times I can think of (add more if you can think of them):

Kiddush Friday (or Yom Tov) Night
Kiddush Shabbat (or Yom Tov) Day
Havdalah
When Bentching with Wine
Under the Chupah at a Wedding
At a circumcision.
Bride and Groom at Sheva Brachot
Chol HaMoed
4 cups of wine at Seder, Pesach night
when drinking a cup of wine for no reason

Or is the obligation the same no matter when you're blessing and drinking a cup of wine?


texts: Can a judge take an equal bribe from both sides?

texts: It says in Choshen Mishpat Siman 9 that it is forbidden for a Dayan (judge) to take a shochad (bribe). What about if a particular Dayan is dealing with a case between Reuven and Shimon, both of whom want to give the Dayan $500 each. Is this still called a "shochad" if he is receiving the same amount of money from each side of the case?


texts: When Tisha B'Av comes out on a Shabbos, do we say Pirkei Avos in the cycle on that Shabbos?


texts:
In Chronicles 1:9:1-34 there's a description of the people who settled in Yerushalayim. There's a disagreement among commentators whether these people settled in Yerushalayim during the Second Temple period and this chapter is another version of Nechemiah 11:1-36, or if it's referring to another period entirely, from sometime during the First Temple period. There are noticeable differences between the two chapters. One difference is that only in Chronicles are people from the Tribes of Menashe and Ephraim mentioned to have settled in Yerushalayim:

"while some of the Judahites and some of the Benjaminites and some of the Ephraimites and Manassehites settled in Jerusalem." (ibid. 3)

My question is not why they aren't mentioned in Nechemiah, but rather: The leaders of the people of Yehudah, Binyamin, the Kohanim and Levi'im are listed by name, while the leaders of Menashe and Ephraim are not. Why is this so?
I read a theory presented by Rabbi Dr. Yehoshua Brand on this, but it seemed way too conspiratorial to me and didn't appear to really fit in with what we know of the character of the authors of Tanach1. After all, Ezra and Chronicles were both written by Ezra, and the portion of Ezra that's dictated in the first person appears to have been written by Nechemiah, who was a contemporary of Ezra, and the two were both great and wise men. So I'm looking for something different.
Any ideas?

1 It's an interesting idea nonetheless in my opinion, so I recommend reading, if you can get a copy of his book כלי זכוכית בתלמוד (Glassware in the Talmud). It's in the second section dedicated to various essays not relating to the main subject of the book. I don't remember the title, but it's got something to do with ברית דמשק - the Damascus Covenant. In short, with regards to the verse in Chronicles, he posited that the people of Judea initially welcomed returnees from the Ten Tribes who were living in the remains of the Assyrian Empire, but the Judeans were too proud a people and looked down upon them and refused to let them to actually be counted and listed among them in most official records.


texts:
Towards the beginning of the נוסח אשכנז version of davening, in the section beginning לעולם יהא אדם ירא שמים, we say as follows:

  לפיכך אנחנו חייבים להודות לך ולשבחך ולפארך ולברך ולקדש ולתת שבח והודיה לשמך.

Why do we say both 'לשבחך' and 'לתת שבח'? Even if there is a reason to say it twice, why do we change how we say it? The same question applies to 'להודות לך' and 'לתת הודיה'. The underlying assumption is that we shouldn't have superfluous words in davening.
Someone suggested that there is a difference between 'You' and 'Your name.' If you want to follow that path, what is the actual difference between them? Also, this wouldn't answer why the words used are changed.


texts:
I frequently encounter this line, attributed to Sefer Ḥasidim:

One should not believe in superstitions, but still it is best to be heedful of them.

Try Googling it and you will get 125 returns.
I could not find it there.  What is the reference?


texts: Is it better for someone to look for a reason they are not a kohen or not get married?

texts: Person a is an "older" baal teshuva (30-40 years plus) and grew up knowing he was a kohen. Being a kohen means that at his age there are not likely to be any baalas teshuva women he can marry and marrying someone who comes from a known "frum" family is often an obstacle and not prefered. Is it better this person look for a reason not to be a kohen such as being declared a chalal or should he just wait patiently and hope that one day he might find someone to marry?


texts:
וְאַתָּה הָרֵם אֶת מַטְּךָ וּנְטֵה אֶת יָדְךָ

The Posuk first says pick up the stick and then says stick out your hand shouldn't it be stick out you stick being that it is my Hand why the change what happened to the Stick?


texts:
מבן עשרים שנה ומעלה, כל-יוצא צבא בישראל--תפקדו אותם לצבאותם, אתה ואהרון. (במדבר א:ג)

Rashi, commenting on Bamidbar 1:3, says that you should not join the army younger than 20.

Is it halachically permissible to be drafted before 20? The IDF has a mandatory draft at 18; the USA army accepts from 17, IIRC.


texts: What is the "book of the law" mentioned in Joshua 1?

texts:
Specifically, Joshua 1:8:

  Joshua 1:8 (JPS)

  8  This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein; for then thou shalt make thy ways prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

What is this "book of the law" that God refers to here? Is it the Pentateuch?


texts: Are there contradictory verses describing G-d's uniqueness?

texts:
My own translation of verses.

Devarim (Deut.) 4:39 - "You should now, today, and return it to your heart that the Lord is G-d in the heavens and the earth below. There is no other"
Devarim (Deut.) 10:17 - "For the Lord, your G-d. He is the G-d of gods and the lord of lords...

If verse 1 stated that there is no other god besides Him, than what does verse 2 mean by stating that he is the G-d of gods. Does that imply that there are others?


texts: Are Jews allowed to wish each other "Happy Thanksgiving"?

texts: Is there any issue with Jews wishing each other "Happy Thanksgiving" or "Happy Turkey Day"?


texts: Does anyone have links for Shechita material. Like the pdf of Simla Chadasha translated and pdf of Shechita knife and stones from R' Loike?


texts:
I was told that when rolling dice [for a game, such as backgammon] on shabbos one should roll one di, move the pieces, and then roll the other di [and move the pieces]. The reason for this, I was told, is in order to remind you not to write down the numbers on the dice, to add them.

This doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, since the numbers are already on the dice, so writing them down to add them would accomplish nothing! Furthermore, adding one digit numbers by writing them down doesn't help one to add them any more than simply doing mental math! So why is this a concern, and what are the sources for such a practice?


texts: Who is the author of the Pirush on the first four chapters of Rambam's Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah?

texts:
The first four chapters of Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah have a lengthy commentary that is titled simply "פירוש". In standard editions of the Rambam, it wraps around the text, facing the "כסף משנה" (see here on the bottom right). It would appear that the work is of unknown authorship. The title page of the Shabsi Frankel edition simply describes it as "פירוש על ארבעה פרקים הראשונים של הלכות יסודי התורה".

My question is if anyone knows if there is any information on who the author of this work is? Has anyone attempted to identify the author? Have any theories been advanced?


texts: Is the phrase על נסיך שבכל יום עמנו at the end of Modim implying that we rely on miracles?

texts:
I understand that there is a halacha that we are not allowed to rely on miracles. (Don't recall source of that rule.) At the end of the "Modim" prayer we thank G-d for על נסיך שבל יום עמנו - "For the miracles that are with us daily."

What "miracles" are we referring to? It seems that if we are thanking G-d 3 times daily for miracles, then in a sense, aren't we relying on G-d to make these miracles happen every day?


texts: Why not determine how long to wait between meat and milk using science?

texts: If the time required to wait between eating meat and milk is based on the scientific definition of digestion, why don't we ask today's experts and set a defined time for everyone instead of different people following different customs?


texts: Appropriate bat mitzvah gift from non-jew

texts: I am attending my bosses's daughters bat mitzvah and I'm not sure what is appropriate to give as a gift. I was thinking just cash or gift card like I would do for any other birthday party I would go to for a child but not sure if that's acceptable as a gift in this setting. I'm not jewish and this is really my first real interaction with jewish faith so anything that would help would be great. Thank you!


texts:
Yes, we tovel due to Bamidbar 31:23, but what is the logic?

I am looking for an explanation that will address the following questions.

Do we tovel to kasher or to remove tuma or for another reason?

In either case, why cannot a peson tovel a dish for subsequent owner?
("Therefore a shopkeeper does not have to Tovel his inventory, indeed, even if he does so it won’t help for the customer." http://www.torahlab.org/doitright/dipping_your_dishes .)

Why does it matter if you own the dishes, or if the dishes are owned by another Jew or owned by a commercial enterprise? (See Eating on someone else's untoveled dishes.)

Perhaps plastic is relevant to this question.  We do not, as a rule, tovel plastic dishes.  Can plastic become tamei?  Surely, plastic can become non-kosher.

Sources for not toveling plastic:
http://www.star-k.org/kashrus/kk-containers-tevilas.htm
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/662253/jewish/Immersing-Utensils.htm


texts: What is the Halacha of establishing one's home at the onset of Shabbos?

texts: If one cannot make it home, I heard there's a din that one sets his place where they are now upto 2000 amot. What's the source of this? What if I'm in the back of a car?


texts: Somebody told me in Israel some have the custom of decorating the egg for Pesach (like an Easter egg). Wouldn't that be considered chukas hagoyim or avoda zara?


texts: Fact check: Where in the Likutei Moharan does Rabbi Nachman talk about the Noam Elimelech?

texts:
When reading this article about the Noam Elimelech my curiosity was piqued after reading this line:

Rabbi Nachman of Breslov says in his book, “Likutei Moharan,” that:
“The level of holiness of the holy Rabbi Elimelech is transcendent high above anything seen or understood within his book.”

My question: Is this written in the Likutei Moharan? If so where?


texts: Did God destroy Amalek in King David's time, like Rashi seems to say?

texts:
I've always understood that the war with Amalek is an ongoing concern (and that the mitzvah to blot out Amalek's memory is ongoing), but I saw some puzzling Rashi today that seems to contradict that.  This probably means I'm misunderstanding Rashi, so I'm looking for help.

Tehillim 9 says in part:

  4 When my enemies draw backward, they stumble and are destroyed from before You.
  5 For You have performed my judgment and my cause; You sat on the throne, O Judge of righteousness.
  6 You rebuked nations, You destroyed a wicked man; You erased their name forever and ever.
  7 The enemy has been destroyed; swords exist forever, and You have uprooted the cities-their remembrance is lost.
  8 But the Lord shall sit forever; He has established His throne for judgment.

Rashi says, on 6:

  You rebuked nations: [This alludes to Amalek, described in Num. 24:20 as] “Amalek is the first of the nations.”
  You destroyed a wicked man: Esau.
  You erased their name: “For I will surely erase the remembrance of Amalek” (Exod. 17:14).

So it sounds like Rashi is saying that God "erased" Amalek at this time (after rebuking them), which is not what I would have thought.  (All these verbs are in the past tense.)  To further reinforce this, consider Sh'mot 17:16:

  16 And he said, For there is a hand on the throne of the Eternal, [that there shall be] a war for the Lord against Amalek from generation to generation.

Rashi says nothing at all here about the war "from generation to generation", which to my perhaps-naive eye sounds an awful lot like "forever".  But he does comment there, tying this throne image to the destruction of Amalek in Tehillim 9:

  For there is a hand on the throne of the Eternal: Heb. כִּי-יָד עַל כֵּס יָ-הּ. The hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, was raised to swear by His throne, to have a war and [bear] hatred against Amalek for eternity. Now what is the meaning of כֵּס [as opposed to כִּסֵא and also [why is] the Divine Name divided in half? [I.e., why is the Name יָ-הּ used instead of י-ה-ו-ה ?] [The answer is that] the Holy One, blessed be He, swore that His Name will not be complete and His throne will not be complete until the name of Amalek is completely obliterated. And when his name is obliterated, the Divine Name will be complete, and the throne will be complete, as it is said: “The enemy has been destroyed; swords exist forever (לָנֶצַח)” (Ps. 9:7); this [who they are referring to] is Amalek, about whom it is written: “and kept their fury forever (נֶצַח)” (Amos 1:11). "And You have uprooted the cities-their remembrance is lost" (Ps. 9:7) [i.e., Amalek’s obliteration]. What does it say afterwards? “And the Lord (וַיהוה) shall sit forever” (Ps. 9:8); thus [after Amalek is obliterated] the Name is complete. "He has established His throne (כִּסְאוֹ) for judgment" (Ps. 9:8). Thus the throne is complete [i.e., thus the throne, here spelled with an “aleph,” is now complete]. — [from Midrash Tanchuma, end of Ki Theitzei]

So my question is: what's Rashi really saying here?  Is he really saying that God obliterated Amalek at the time of the psalm?  If so, how does he reconcile that with (a) the mitzvah for us to wipe out Amalek's memory and (b) the common understanding that Haman, centuries later, was an Amalekite (to say nothing of others for whom similar claims have been made throughout the centuries)?


texts: I barely remember the details, but I once heard that people before certain time did't get old (physically). That even at 100 years old people looked like young adults. Is this in the Torah? When and why did it happen?


texts: Why doesn't the second chapter of B'reishit begin at 2:4?

texts: Why is the first chapter break in B'reishit where it is, and not a few verses later at the beginning of the second creation telling (where we place the aliya break)?


texts:
Malachi 3:20:
And the sun of mercy shall rise with healing in its wings for you who fear My Name. Then will you go forth and be fat as fatted calves.
        וְזָרְחָה לָכֶם יִרְאֵי שְׁמִי שֶׁמֶשׁ צְדָקָה וּמַרְפֵּא בִּכְנָפֶיהָ וִיצָאתֶם וּפִשְׁתֶּם כְּעֶגְלֵי מַרְבֵּק:
21: And you shall crush the wicked, for they will be as ash under the soles of your feet on the day that I will prepare, says the Lord of Hosts.
        וְעַסּוֹתֶם רְשָׁעִים כִּי יִהְיוּ אֵפֶר תַּחַת כַּפּוֹת רַגְלֵיכֶם בַּיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי עֹשֶׂה אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת

Is Malachi talking about the Moshiach? And what is healing in his wings?


texts: Why must not we cry out/make petitions in Shabbat? (Shabbat 12a)

texts:
Why we must not cry out/make petitions in Shabbat? (Shabbat 12a)

  Our Rabbis taught: If one enters [a house] to visit a sick person [on
  the Sabbath], he should say, 'It is the Sabbath, when one must not cry
  out, and recovery will soon come.'

  Shabbat 12a - Soncino version


texts: Do people who have died and are in heaven have the possibility to see our world? E.g. can my grandmother who passed away last year see me?


texts: Lashes for owning chametz when the Pesach is brought

texts:
Rambam in Sefer HaMitzvos Lo Saaseh 115 writes

  שבעת שחיטת הפסח והוא בין הערבים לא יהיה חמץ ברשותו לא אצל הזורק ולא אצל השוחט ולא אצל המקטיר ולא אצל אחד מבני החבורה, וכל מי מהם שיהיה חמץ אצלו בעת ההיא לוקה.

  At the time of the slaughtering of the Pesach, meaning the afternoon, a person shouldn't have chametz in their possession. This applies to the one who slaughters it, throws its blood, burns its limbs, and all those who are part of this pesach's assigned group. If any of them own chametz at that time they get lashes.

There's a rule that's accepted as halacha that לאו שאין בו מעשה אין לוקין עליו, a person doesn't receive lashes when they do a prohibition without an action. In this case, those involved with the temple service of the pesach are doing an action, so I understand why they get lashes. But the בני החבורה aren't doing anything, and the Rambam says they get lashes. Why is that?


texts: Does the cherem that the Vilna Gaon put on certain sectors of Chassidus still apply?

texts: It is known that the Vilna Gaon put 2 sectors of Chassidus in Cherem. I am wondering who has permitted them now seeing as we non-Chassidim don't make borders between them and ourselves.


texts:
I remember reading once that the Torah (Pentateuch) is not in the correct order and if someone knew the correct order he would have the ability to do techias hameisim (resurrection).  The exact wording I don't remember - eg if it was he would have the ability - or it would cause, etc.  The basic idea being that 1) the Torah was not in the "correct" order and 2) the correct order was related to the resurrection.

I've asked several talmidei chochomim and they vaguely remember such a concept but don't know a source.  One person I asked said he had heard the concept with respect to Tehillim, but not Torah (see Source for book of Tehillim out of order?)

Does anyone know a source for this concept?


texts: What is the 108 word in Genesis? I have tried to count the Hebrew text but I'm not sure. My name Lynette according to the aleph bet  totals a sum of 108. I am trying to find the 108 word in Genesis so that I can see what the word is


texts:
Are Jews allowed to pump their muscles?

What if the intent is to make yourself look good?


texts:
I understand from Chabad's website, as well as my own Rabbi (who is Yeshivish) now that there is a difference between "Sepharad" and "Sepharadi" traditions and siddurs.

How do these differ? Who uses which?


texts: Why was Shlomo haMelekh not a part of the Oral Torah’s transmission?

texts:
Reading the Rambam's introduction to his Mishne Torah, I am struck by the fact that he has Achiya haShiloni succeed David in the transmission of the Oral Torah, and not David's son Shlomo. I'm curious as to why this is. Is he relying on a particular source that ascribes this role to Achiya in the same generation? Or a particular source that specifically precludes Shlomo fulfilling it? David is the only king who both rules the nation and features in this chain of transmission, so if there is a source that suggests that Shlomo did not feature in it because he was the king, it would also need to reckon with the fact that David did.

Note: an early version of this question asked why Achiya haShiloni and not Shlomo haMelekh was president of the Sanhedrin. Based on how the rabbonim understood Moshe, and based on their understanding of everybody from Ezra to Rabbi, I assumed that this went for everyone between Moshe and Ezra as well. I now realise that it may not have, and don’t want that to overshadow my question.


texts: How do Rishonim argue on Drashos Chazal?

texts:
There is a known rule that Rishonim cannot argue on the Gemara when it comes to "Halachic" drashos. For example, a Rishon will never give a different answer to a question which the Gemara already answered (Tosfos may ask why the Gemara didn't give that other answer, but he will never give his own answer without more). This is true whether the Gemara's subject is practical Halacha or not.

However, when it comes to aggadic drashos on Tanach, we find Rishonim "disagreeing" with Midrashim and late Acharonim disagreeing on Rishonim. Why do Rishonim feel freer to disagree on an explanation of Chumash than to disagree with a Gemara?


texts: If the rabbis consider it Biblically forbidden to write down the Torah she'al peh, why is it not listed as one of the 613 mitzvot by Rambam and others


texts: Who was the wife of Levi (according to Sefer HaYashar)?

texts:
What was the name of Levi's wife?

I am specifically looking for the answer which is given in Sefer HaYashar, but I can't seem to find it. Does anyone know who Sefer HaYashar says the wife of Levi is?


texts: if someone never eats bread during the week, only on Shabbos and he is not sure whether he said Retzai or not, does he repeat Birkhas Hamazon?

texts:
The Mishnah Berurah in OC 188:6:16 -    קפח,ו,טז says that if someone said Birkhas Hamazon on Shabbos and he is not sure whether he said Retzai or not, he must repeat the Birkhas Hamazon because we assume that [since he is usually not used to saying Retzai in Birkhas Hamazon] he must have not said it.

What if someone never eats bread during the week, only on Shabbos, and he is not sure  whether he said Retzai or not, does he repeat Birkhas Hamazon?

The reason why one might have to repeat Birkhas Hamazon even in an a case like this, is (A) Maybe the halacha is univeral, (לא פלוג) - since most people do bentch sometimes during the week also, and they do not say retzai, and thus have to repeat when in doubt on shabbos, there is no personal halacha for those few who only eat bread on shabbos. (I'm not well enough versed in the rules of when we do or don't say לא פלוג.

or

Maybe since the "standard" version of Bentching is without retzai, we assume that everyone who bentches without paying attention, presumably said the standard version. And thus even if this specific persons always bentches with retzai because he only bentches on Shabbos, if indeed he did not recall saying it we would still assume that he said "the standard version without retzai. Is the reasoning why one must usually repeat because "HE" is used to bentching without Retzai, or because the standard bentching is w/o retzai, and we assume that he said the standard one.

NOTE: The Mishna B'rurah cited just says "אם ספק לו אם הזכיר או לא תלינן דמסתמא בודאי לא הזכיר: If he is not sure whether if he said [רצה] or not, without knowing otherwise we assume that he definately did not say [רצה]". He does not say why we assume so. The added explanation about being used to bentching without retzai, is my own understanding of his words, (thus the brackets).


texts: I occasionally check eBay for assorted items; this is typically for the science half of my life, but I sometimes find Judaica which probably should not be sold there. For example, I know that in the case of a sefer torah, there is an obligation to purchase, rather than letting it go to a non-Jew. Does this always apply and furthermore, does it apply to purchasing other sta"m (holy scribe-written) products?


texts: Was Adam allowed to eat the meat of an animal which he did not kill?

texts:
The Gemara in SANHEDRIN 59b says:

אמר רב יהודה אמר רב אדם הראשון לא הותר לו בשר לאכילה דכתיב (בראשית א, כט) לכם יהיה לאכלה ולכל חית הארץ ולא חית הארץ לכם
§ Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: Meat was not permitted to Adam, the first man, for consumption, as it is written: “And God said: Behold, I have given you every herb that brings forth seed,... for you it shall be for food, and for every animal of the earth...(Genesis 1:29–30). It is derived God told Adam: Eating vegetation is permitted to people and animals, but eating the animals of the earth is not permitted to you.

Tosafot says that Adam HaRishon was able to eat meat that had died by itself he just was not able to kill the meat and eat it.
Others disagree. SEE HERE
According to the opinion that Adam was allowed to eat meat of an animal which he did not kill how do we understand the following Gemara.
The gemara (just after the one cited above) says:

מיתיבי היה ר' יהודה בן תימא אומר אדם הראשון מיסב בגן עדן היה והיו מלאכי השרת צולין לו בשר ומסננין לו יין הציץ בו נחש וראה בכבודו ונתקנא בו התם בבשר היורד מן השמים
The Gemara raises an objection from a baraita to the assertion that eating meat was prohibited to Adam: Rabbi Yehuda ben Teima would say: Adam, the first man, would dine in the Garden of Eden, and the ministering angels would roast meat for him and strain wine for him. The snake glanced at him and saw his glory, and was jealous of him, and for that reason the snake incited him to sin and caused his banishment from the Garden. According to this, evidently Adam would eat meat. The Gemara answers: There the reference is to meat that descended from heaven.

The gemara seems to be saying that there was an exception because it was meat from heaven.
Why didn't the Gemara  just answer that the meat which the Malachim served Adam was permitted to him because he did not kill it? This also seems to imply that Adam was totally forbidden to eat any meat at all.


texts:
Is it permissible according to halacha to do math?
If so, are all kinds of math OK?

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


texts: Does each Chanukah candle need to be individually lit?

texts: Let's say someone lit the oil and set it on fire, or lit one candle and a spark or the flame from one candle lit other candles next to it. Is this a permissible lighting or does each candle need to be manually lit from the shamash?


texts:
In British Magistrate and Crown Courts the royal coat of arms is located behind the bench where the magistrates or judge sit. It is etiquette for solicitors/barristers and anyone giving evidence to bow briefly in the direction of the coat of arms out of respect.
Is one allowed to do so according to halacha?


texts: When one realizes during davening that there is a smell of detergent on ones hands (chlorine), even though the hands were washed with water prior to davening, is the prayer void and does the person need to repeat the prayer?


texts:
Massekhes Peah talks extensively about the amount of crop to be left by the farmer for Leket & Peah as well as what constitutes shikhiha.

Some one just asked me if there was a limit to the amount that any one ani could gather of any of Shikhiha Leket and Peah.  Meaning, if there is an ani who wants to take all of the peah from a single field is that ok?  My gut is telling me that there is a limit but I havent found it.


texts: Can you learn portions of Avot D'Rav Nattan on Tish'a B'Av?

texts:
This M.Y. answer provides a list of permissible learning items on Tish'a B'Av. All these items are somehow related to the themes of mourning, the Temple destruction, etc.

Avot D'Rav Natan has several Mishnayot that seem to relate to the theme of Tish'a B'Av related to the setruction of Jerusalem. Examples:

Avot D'Rav Natan 4:4 and 4:5
Rav Yohanan ben Zakkai's request from Vespasian for Yavneh

Avot D'Rav Natan 6:3
Near the end of Mishnah; story of Kalba Savu'a who had enough  food to feed everyone in Jerusalem for 22 years. Yet, the Zealots destroyed his storehouses

Would it be appropriate to learn these? Why weren't these included in the list?


texts:
What is the significance of the two letter shins (ש) on tefillin?

One side of tefillin has a regular shin (ש) and the second has four-prongs.


texts: Ive seen people label their ketchup or mustard or other condiments in their home as either meaty or milky or parve. How does a condiment's kosher status get changed?


texts:
How do segulas work? For example, according to the Zohar, one who reads the Ketores daily will get all sorts of berachos in his financial areas and will become wealthy.

Yet the amount of money one is supposed to make was pre-decreed by God on rosh hashana.

So it seems Segulas are able to add to what was pre-decreed? Can anyone clarify this difficulty?

(I'm asking in a general way especially in financial matters. The whole concept seems to contradict the shaar bitachon, which says to trust God in financial matters and realize that "means are all the same to God and nothing you do will add or subtract in the least")


texts: What was the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal?

texts:
Judges 9:57 OJPS

  and all the wickedness of the men of Shechem did God requite upon their heads; and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

My understanding on this book is still growing, and so I do not want to assume. I have a very little understanding about "The Parable of the Trees" Thanks to God, The biblical commentator Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki), and Danno.

So to understand a little better I am hoping to learn what this curse was. I hope also to learn what specifically took place to fulfill this curse. Thank you so much.


texts: Which commentator translates Rashi's French into German?

texts: I seem to remember there being a pirush in the back of the gemara that explains the French of Rashi and translates it into German. It may be only in the fancier new prints, but I can't seem to find it. Can anyone identify this commentator?


texts: What's "halachic" about "Esav hates Ya'akov"?

texts:
Rash"i in Breishit 33:4 cites Sifrei, by stating:

הֲלָכָה הִיא בְּיָדוּעַ שֶׁעֵשָׂו שׂוֹנֵא לְיַעֲקֹב
It is a well-known halacha that Esav hates Ya'akov

I understand that the word "halacha" implies some course of action or mode of behavior. Does it imply that in this context? If so, what halacha / ot are derived from this? Otherwise, what is meant by the usage of "halacha" here?


texts: There is a halachic principle which states that food that would not be consumed by a dog is not halachically food. Since chocolate is toxic to dogs, do we actually need to worry about its hashgacha?


texts: What is the source of rubbing hands together after washing before a meal and is it practiced today?

texts:
When discussing the mitzvah of washing hands before a meal Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch in Horeb says: [paragraph 464]

  Rub the hands one upon the other after you have poured water over both of them ...

What is the source of this practice? Does anyone practice it today?


texts:
One of the most objectionable acts a Jew can do to another Jew is to inform on him to the government.

Punishment for mesirah

This is most serious and can lose you Olam Habah:

  Maimonides further explains: "It is forbidden to hand over a Jew to
  the heathen, neither his person nor his goods, even if he is wicked
  and a sinner, even if he causes distress and pain to fellow-Jews.
  Whoever hands over a Jew to the heathen has no part in the next world.
  It is permitted to kill a moser (informant) wherever he is. It is even
  permitted to kill him before he has handed over (a fellow Jew)."

When someone pleads guilty, he is telling the government that he did a crime. In exchange for this, he will benefit (reduced sentence).

Is it relevant that the Jew being informed upon is the same Jew that is doing the informing? After all, we know that one is not permitted to murder himself.


texts: How to say Adonainu Moreinu VeRabeinu in Aramaic

texts:
I have heard people translate "Adoneinu Moreinu VeRabeinu" (please don't ask where) into Aramaic as "Adonana Morana Verabana". I assume that the "a" is an aleph at the end. However, I realized that Adonana should translate as Ha'adon (the teacher) rather then Adoneinu.

How do you translate "our" in Aramaic?


texts: What's the law of Bittul and powdered milk?

texts: Suppose someone took a tea-spoon of powdered milk, reconstituted it into normal milk, and accidentally dropped some of it on meat. Do we measure the bittul of the resulting mixture against the powder or against the "reconstitution"?


texts: Did Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson say that the souls of non-Jews are from the Satan?

texts:
According to the book "Jewish Fundamentalism in Israel" by Israel Shahak the Lubavitcher Rebbe allegedly said in the 1965 book "Gatherings of Conversations" (Probably mean "Likkutei Sichot"):

"Two contrary types of soul exist, a non-Jewish
soul comes from three satanic spheres, while the Jewish soul stems from
holiness"


texts:
I know the Rambam says nothing will change in the running of the world's nature.
See Hilchos Melachim 12:1

אל יעלה על הלב שבימות המשיח יבטל דבר ממנהגו של עולם או יהיה שם חידוש במעשה בראשית אלא עולם כמנהגו נוהג
Do not presume that in the Messianic age any facet of the world's nature will change or there will be innovations in the work of creation. Rather, the world will continue according to its pattern.

My question is as follows, does anyone argue on the Rambam and (as random examples of a different possible opinion) say that nobody will die any longer, will everyone be immortal, will the world transition to Gan Eden?


texts: How does one pronounce the sefardi Ayin?

texts:
I was taught how to read in an ashekenazi yeshivah where no difference was made between the aleph and ayin. I keep trying to make my ayin gutteral but it never sounds exactly how the sephardim pronounce it. Is there a specific technique I can use to get the right sound. What can I do to practice pronouncing this letter?

The intention behind this question is so that I would be able to read the daily prayers accurately according to my tradition.


texts:
Are there any websites where I can listen/download a Gemara shiur in English with rishonim, acharonim at a relatively high level?

I'm not looking for daf yomi bekiyus shiurim but rather a deeper more iyundik one and preferably one with marei mekomos to help prepare for the shiur.


texts: Invite a non observant Jew to Shabat - Rav Ovadia Yosef opinion

texts:
I know that there is discussion about inviting a Jew for Shabbos or Yom Tov, where he will drive a car to get there.

Does anyone know Rav Ovadia Yosef's opinion about this matter?


texts: Anyone know of any Judeo-Arabic translations of the Bible (i.e. Arabic in Hebrew characters)?  It would be great if you could link me to them as well.


texts:
This was actually what I originally intended to ask here, but I got sidetracked into a related question.  They're similar points, but I think they're distinct enough to ask as separate questions.

Many people have the minhag to read ועל צבא מטה בני פלוני פלוני בן פלוני in Behaalotcha and ויסעו מפלוני ויחנו בפלוני in Masei with the tune of Az Yashir by combining two pesukim together.  In both of these cases בני and בפלוני have a dageish kal in the ב because מטה and ויחנו have a tipcha (except for מטה בני גד which has different trop and no dageish).

But using the Az Yashir tune, these words sound like they're connected to the word after them.   That being the case, should you still read the words with a dageish kal, or does using this tune effectively repunctuate the pasuk* and cause it to be read without a dageish?

*to me it sounds like mercha tipcha munach etnachta, mercha tipcha mercha sof pasuk, with the "etnachta" being the division between the two (normally punctuated) pesukim.  In the case of Behaalotcha this requires a lot of mental makafim.  I don't know if anyone else speaks it out this way but that's how I imagine it.


texts: How to tell if a tree branch overhangs a Sukkah site

texts: I'm trying to think of a practical and inexpensive way to tell at what point tree branches overhang our patio to know which parts can be used for a sukkah.  The best ideas I've come up with that seem more precise than just eyeballing it (the branches are quite high) is to buy a drone and attach a long string to it, or use a level to point a laser straight up at the branches to see if they overhang. (Would a device like this work?)  Any reasonable suggestions would be appreciated.


texts: If someone sent you an email during Shabbat, is it okay to read it after Shabbat?

texts: Is reading an email (on a day other than Shabbat or a holiday in which melachah is forbidden) written and sent to you by someone on Shabbat or the holiday halachically permitted?


texts: Why does specifically searching for a white chicken for kapparos "resemble the Amorites"?

texts:
The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, Sief 131 Siman 1, they make note of the prevailing custom to select a white chicken for use in the Kapparos ritual, based on a passuk in Sefer Yeshayah.

.וּבוֹחֲרִים בִּלְבָנִים, עַל שֵׁם שֶׁנֶּאֶמַר, אִם יִהְיוּ חֲטָאֵיכֶם כַּשָּׁנִים כַּשֶּׁלֶג יַלְבִּינוּ
We select white chickens, in keeping with that which is stated (Yeshayah 1:18), Though your errors will be like scarlet, they will become white as snow.

Then the Kitzur continues and provides a strange reason why we do not make a point to specifically search for a white chicken for Kapparos:

.אֲבָל אֵין לְחַזֵר בְּפֵרוּשׁ בִּשְׁעַת קְנִיָה אַחַר לְבָנִים וְלִקְנוֹתָם בְּיֹקֶר, כִּי זֶהוּ כְּעֵין דַּרְכֵי הָאֱמוֹרִי
However, one should not specifically search, while purchasing the kaparos, for white chickens and pay a premium for them, for this resembles the superstitious practices of idolaters.

(Translation from the Kleinman Edition Kitzur Shulchan Aruch by ArtScroll-Mesorah)
The first thing I noticed was what ArtScroll translated דרכי האמורי as "practices of idolaters" when it literally means "practices of the Amorites". But that aside, how is specifically looking for a white chicken resemble the practices of the Amorites/idolaters in general?
I'd like some light shed on this subject.


texts: It was quoted in a class that I was in once that Rav Kook has a text for a positive viduy where he takes the normal expression of sin and inverts it to talk about what we have done right. What is the text, or where can I find it online?


texts: Where is the heichal shlomo rabbinical library today?

texts: Heichal Shlomo in the Rechavia neighborhood of Jerusalem used to be where the seat of the chief rabbis of Israel was. There was a rabbinical library there with 50,000 -60,000 seforim when it was the seat of the chief rabbinate. I have seen it listed in the Encycolpedia Jdaica (1st Edition) which was published in 1972. Does anyone know where the books and manuscripts went after Heichal Shlomo stopped being the seat of the chief rabbinate?


texts: Do we need to understand Hashem better? Is this a commandment?

texts:
Do we need to understand Hashem better? Is it a commandment?

There is Kabbalah, Torah, Talmud and so on. But is there a commandment that says we need to understand Hashem better? His plan for creation, angels, deep knowledge of the Torah.

Is it enough to be a good person and do teshuva and so on?

This question is for conservative and orthodox judaism, not reformed.


texts: If Israel legalized polygamy, how would the rabbis react?

texts:
If the Israeli government decided to legalize polygamy, how would the rabbinical establishment react?  Would they allow it religiously or not?  If not, on what grounds, given that the Torah allows it?

Rabbenu Gershom forbade it for Ashkenazim more than 1000 years ago, but his ban has expired.  Sephardim never forbade it, although they seldom practiced it.  (Having grown up in Egypt, I never heard of a single case.)  I know that a few Moroccans or Yemenites came to Israel in the 50s with more than one wife, and Israel "grandfathered" them, but it never allowed multiple weddings to take place on its territory.


texts: How difficult would it be to make a simple Hebrew/Jewish Calendar covering the last 25 years with no access to the Internet?

texts:
How difficult would it be to make a simple Hebrew/Jewish Calendar covering the last 25 years using paper and pencils (including days of the week and corresponding Gregorian dates), with no access to the Internet, but knowing the current Hebrew and Gregorian date the day you began?

To make a simple, purely Gregorian calendar covering the last 25 years this way is a labourious task and takes about two or three evenings, but would be possible for any average person, provided they remembered when the last leap year was.

However, I came accross an article about Dr. Alan Rosen's The Holocaust's Jewish Calendars: Keeping Time Sacred, Making Time Holy, which discussed the illicit calendars made in Auschwitz. Obviously, these were made under unimagiably difficult conditions (AND they included the weekly Torah portions and holidays), but I was struck by the fact that the article mentioned one of the makers had studied under a teacher who "rigorously taught his young charges the rules for composing Jewish calendars". Furthermore, according to timeanddate.com, the Hebrew/Jewish Calendar features "a body of complex regulations, exceptions, and mathematical rules".

If you didn't include the holidays and Torah portions, how easy would it be for the average person to make such a calendar, and how long would it take?

Thank you.


texts: When to answer amen and others and when not to?

texts:
If you're in the middle of pisukei dezimra, birchat hamazon, berachot of shema, birkat levanah etc, when are you allowed to respond amen, Baruch uvaruch shemo, aleychem shallom, etc?

Is there a simple rule to follow or is it different for each and every case?


texts: I've heard that the custom of saying tzu gezunt, bless you etc. When someone sneezes is because until Ya'akov, people used to sneeze and die, but Ya'akov was the first one to first get sick. What is the source for this.


texts: Do any Jews, ancient or modern, hold that Michael the Arch-angel is the coming messiah?

texts:
I am currently studying the origin of an uncommon Christian belief that the angel Michael mentioned in the Jewish Bible (Daniel 12:1) is the same person as Jesus. It is becoming a frustrating mystery that ends at John Calvin who says only that "some think" this.

So I thought to start at the beginning. Christians think that Jesus was/is the Messiah. Judaism holds that the Messiah has not come yet, but will one day. So it's not a stretch that the idea that Michael is the messiah, whether having come or not, might have originated with a group of Jews.

Are there are any ancient Jewish sects that taught that Michael was the messiah in some way? If there are none then are there any modern Jewish sects that teach that?

I am a Christian and know very little about modern Jewish customs and preferred terms so please forgive me if I step on any toes. Also feel free to correct me and enlighten me.

Feel free to retag this if necessary.


texts: How does the kohein gadol's substitute wife work?

texts:
The first mishna of Yoma1 explains that before Yom Kippur, a substitute wife is prepared for the kohein gadol lest his wife die -- because the torah says he makes atonement for himself and "his house", and "his house" means his wife.  But he has to be married to exactly one woman on that day because it says "house", not "houses".

The g'mara on 13a-b describes a system of conditional gittim (bills of divorce), but I'm having trouble understanding how this actually works.  Do I understand correctly that he takes an additional wife before Yom Kippur, with gittim written such that he will be married to exactly one woman when he performs the avodah?  If so, does it have to be a different wife each year because of the laws of divorce and kohanim?

Since he could (in an unfortunate turn of events) end up married to the substitute, it seems like everyone involved would want to take as much care with this match as with any other.  Yet, finding a good (and different) shidduch every year seems challenging, perhaps burdensome, especially as each must be a betulah.  Is that just part of the cost of being kohein gadol, or am I misunderstanding this g'mara?

1 in the Bavli.  The Yerushalmi understands this as a conditional marriage to the second woman rather than a conditional divorce (h/t Fred), which would reduce but not eliminate the problem.


texts:
Here in Israel, at the end of Shacharit most days, and Maariv all the time, someone says Barchu. In Nusach Sefard, it's before Aleinu; after in Nusach Ashkenaz. It is generally said by someone who just said Kaddish, though if no one said it, the chazzan does.

When there are multiple people who said Kaddish, how do they know which one should say Barchu? Usually there is no conflict; someone just says it. Once in a while there'll be two, or someone will need prompting. But in the average case, who is supposed to say it, that the others let him?


texts: The “Ten Commandments” enumeration compared to the Masoretic text

texts:
As noted in Daat Mikra (quoting Mordechai Breuer's Tanakh) there is a discrepancy between the way the Ten Commandments are laid out in the Masoretic text and how they are counted. According to the common enumeration, there is a missing "parshah" break between the first and second commandments (Exodus 20:3-4), and an extra one in the middle of the tenth commandment (Exodus 20:14).

Why are the Ten Commandments not broken up in the Torah in the same way that we enumerate them?


texts: Are there any statistics for the fraction of orthodox jews rejecting their religion?

texts:
Is anyone familiar with any statistics regarding how many religious jews "go off the derech"?

To be clear, I am not asking about assimilation rates which are relatively easy to find. I would like to see some statistics regarding how often orthodox jews stop practicing Judaism.


texts: wash hands before eating or touching bread

texts: Is it important to wash one's hands before eating or is also the preparation of the meal important as well? Should one wash before handling bread but not make a brachah or is washing only relevant to right before one begins to eat their meal?


texts: I was learning with a Rabbi today and we came across the following question. An Almana, widow, is not allowed to be married to a Kohen Gadol (see Mishna Yevamos 9:2). However, what defines a widow? Meaning, if the woman was married, had biah with her husband, and then her husband dies, it's clear that because she is no longer a virgin, she can't marry the Kohen Gadol.  But suppose the man dies without having biah with his wife: Do we say that this woman cannot marry a Kohen Gadol because she is an Almana(in the simple sense that she was married then her husband die), or is it necessary that she have had biah with her husband before he died that would label her an Almana and ultimately, unable to marry the Kohen Gadol?


texts:
What is the etymology of the Biblical name "Ishmael"?

Was this name ever used for any of the Biblical characters before Ishmael, the son of Abraham?


texts:
May one use another person's tefillin without his permission to perform the mitzvah of donning the tefillin?

What if you have a skin condition such as eczema?

If somebody did end up borrowing your tefillin with eczema without your permission and you mind it, what is a halachically appropriate reaction?


texts: Source for tune sung when prayer leader pauses

texts: On Rosh Hashana and Yom Kipur, sometimes the prayer leader needs to cough or swallow or clear his throat or catch his breath or the like. The congregation then sings a little tune, I guess to avoid an awkward silence. In most synagogues I've been in, it goes (if I'm not mistaken) E͜EDEFEDCB͜BCBA͜A (rough representation). Does anyone know the provenance of this tune, or of the use of this tune for this purpose? (I'm not seeking a source for singing (anything) when the leader pauses. I'm wondering about this tune specifically.)


texts: Which tribe was Eliyahu HaNavi from - Contrasting opinions?

texts:
There appear to multiple views about which tribe Eliyahu came from:

Bereishis Rabbah 71:19

אֵלִיָּהוּ מִשֶּׁל מִי, רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אָמַר מִשֶּׁל בִּנְיָמִין, דִּכְתִיב (דברי הימים א ח, כז): וְיַעֲרֶשְׁיָה וְאֵלִיָּה וְזִכְרִי בְּנֵי יְרֹחָם כָּל אֵלֶּה מִבְּנֵי בִנְיָמִן
From where was Eliyahu from? Rabbi Eliezer says he was was from Binyomin, since it writes (Divrei HaYamim I 8:27): 'Ya'aresiah and Eliyahu and Zichri were the sons of Yerocham' and all of these were from the children of Binyomin.

In the same Midrash there is an alternative opinion:

רַבִּי נְהוֹרַאי אָמַר מִשֶּׁל גָּד הָיָה, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (מלכים א יז, א): וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלִיָּהוּ הַתִּשְׁבִּי מִתּשָׁבֵי גִלְעָד
Rabbi Nehorai says he was from Gad, as it writes (Malachim I 17:1) - 'And Eliyahu the Tishbite, the resident of Gilad said...'

Finally we know famously from the Yalkut Shimoni, 771:

אמר רבי שמעון בן לקיש פינחס הו אליהו
Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish says: Pinchas is Eliyahu

And thus, as per the Midrash Shocher Tov 43:

זה אליהו הנביא מבית אהרן
Eliyahu the Prophet is from the house of Aharon. (i.e. he is from the tribe of Levi)

Do we just view these as differing opinions or does anyone / source help to make sense of this, and synthesise these viewpoints? Was there a transformative process - i.e. is that how we understand Pinchas/Eliyahu?


texts: I just lost my grandmother. She raised her 5 children alone. I am looking for things in the Tanakh or Talmud to cheer my dad up. Is there anything in the Tanakh or Talmud about a woman that raises her children alone?


texts: Did R. Moshe Feinstein misquote the Mishna Berura?

texts:
The Mishna Berura (299:1) rules that one may begin eating until one half hour before tzeis hakochavim on Shabbos afternoon/evening.

R. Moshe Feinstein (Igros Moshe O.C. 4:69:6) writes that the Mishna Berura was only lenient in a case where the person had not yet eaten the third meal.

  ורק שהמ"ב אינו מיקל אלא בלא אכל סעודה שלישית ולא לשתות יין

However, the Mishna Berura actually explicitly states that this ruling applies even for other eating.

  ואפילו לשאר אכילה אם הוא תאב לאכול ולשתות ג"כ אין להחמיר עד חצי שעה
  שקודם צה"כ

How is this to be explained? Or what sources (if any) note this problem?


texts: Do prominent Rabbis have a list of problems to resolve?

texts:
In science, every scientist, such as a mathematician, a physicist or a biologist, has a list of unsolved problems he tries to solve in his lifetime.

Judaism is full of untouched / unsolved / partially solved issues.

Besides responsa, do prominent Rabbis have a "tasklist" - a list of problems in Halachah to solve in their lifetime?


texts: What is the sephardi equivalent to the Mishna Berura?

texts: What is the sephardi equivalent to the Mishna Berura ? Do some sephardim follow the mishna berura ?


texts: Is there an online source where you can check the standards of an Hashgacha?

texts: I am looking for an online source where you can check the standards of any Hashgacha. (Cholov Yisroel, Glatt, Bait Yosef, Pas Yisroel, Mashgiach Temidi, vegetable checking, etc.)


texts: Transacting with a Jewish owned company who profited from chometz on Pesach

texts:
In my neighborhood there is a supermarket which is owned by a non-religious Jew. He keeps it open over Pesach and sells (and presumably buys) chometz. The community does not purchase chometz items from that store for 2 weeks afterwards, which is time enough for all the chometz items which had been owned over Pesach to cycle through the store and be replenished.

My question is: is there any prohibition attached to the money made through the selling of chometz over Pesach? Meaning, for example, if the store owner sold a loaf of bread on Pesach and now wants to use that exact same physical money from that sale to buy something from is there any prohibition involved?


texts: Were any books written on the beur haGra?

texts: I was wondering if there exists a book/work that was written exclusively as a perush on the beur HaGra whether it be on only a chelek of the Shulchan Aruch or otherwise?


texts: Can an adult or even a baby be given anesthesia for a bris milah, or do we say that the person needs to be awake for the mitzvah?


texts: Do day trips (e.g. gone from home from 9am to 4 pm) qualify for the traveling exemption from the sukkah?


texts: Rav Yosef Caro's lack of Sefer HaMitzvos

texts: A friend of mine once claimed that Rav Yosef Caro didn't have access to Rambam's Sefer HaMitzvos. It's apparently evident from comments he makes in Beis Yosef and Kessef Mishnah. I was hoping to see some examples where this is evident.


texts: Who is the only person in Tanach whose father and father-in-law are two different people and have the exact same name?


texts: Brachos on the amount of pizza one doesn't wash for?

texts: Assuming one is eating let pizza than required to wash, what are the bracha rishona and the bracha achrona?


texts:
From my understanding, standard Eretz Yisrael Esrogim are Ordang Esrogim, because virtually all of the Esrogim in Eretz Yisrael were safek murkav (possibly grafted) or produced exceptionally low quality fruit, besides for one tree growing in the backyard of a Shochet named Ordang.
Does anyone have any information about this Esrog? How did they know that it was certainly not grafted, unlike all of the other Esrogim grown in Eretz Yisrael?
Any details you can provide would be greatly appreciated.


texts:
As we know, the outside of the tefillin's retzuos (phylacteries' straps) must be black.  Lately, I've noticed that the very end of the retzuah of my shel yad (tefillin of the arm) is cracking and discolored. This only affects the last 3-4 inches or so—after I have already encircled my hand several times.

Is it permitted to have a completely non-essential part of the tefillin discolored?

Can I cut off the discolored portion of the retzuah (presumably using scissors, if permitted, what would be the best procedure)?

Thank you.


texts: Intentionally smelling the odor of food cooked by a Jew on Shabbos

texts: Since it is forbidden to benefit from food cooked by a Jew on Shabbos, is the benefit only eating, or is it prohibited to intentionally smell the odor of the food being cooked as well?


texts: Saying bracha on dairy product before 6 hours have run?

texts: Is there an accepted practice on what you are supposed to do if you thought 6 hours had run and say a bracha on a glass of milk but then you realize right before drinking it that it has not been 6 hours and you were confused?  Should you drink it or not drink it and the bracha was said but not needed?  Does the amount of time that has lapsed matter?


texts: Should the Chazan bow when reciting Kaddish (even before "Oseh Shalom...")? If so, when?

texts:
The Chazan bows 3 times when reciting "Oseh Shalom..."

At the beginning of Kaddish should he bow as well? And if so, when?

Occasionally I've seen a Chazan or two bow, but the vast majority don't.


texts: Is there any minimum age of "seeing", which causes one not to be able to say the bracha Meshane Habriyos on subsequesnt sightings

texts:
Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 225:8 -----------שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן רכה סעיף ח

  הרואה...ואת הפיל ואת הקוף מברך בברוך אתה ה' אלקינו מלך העולם משנה
  הבריות:

  When one sees...a monkey or an elephant , he makes the blessing:
  "Blessed art Thou Hashem our L-rd King of the universe Who changes the
  creations".

The following halacha ends with:

  ואינו מברך אלא פעם ראשונה שהשינוי עליו גדול  מאוד:

  One only makes this blessing the first time [in his life which he sees
  it], when the change to him is very great.

See Mishna Brurah there (29) that this refers also to the previous halacha.

It is for this reason that most people who have been to a zoo as young children, do not make this bracha, when seeing monkeys or elephants later in life. (since their first sighting was when they were not yet mature enough to say a bracha, and this bracha is only said on the first sighting).

Question: Is there any minimum age of which would be called "seeing", which would cause one not to be able to say the bracha on subsequesnt sightings.

If the first time one saw a monkey or elephant was as an newborn/infant child, would this be considered "seeing" and thus he would not be able to make the bracha on any future sightings?

What Does a Newborn Baby See?

The Shulchan Aruch says that the reason one says the bracha only the first time he sees is because שהשינוי עליו גדול מאוד: the change to him is very great.
Would the "seeing" of a baby who does not perceive anything about what he is seeing, be considered enough of a seeing to make his next sighting, as a mature person, not valid for a bracha?


texts: Is there a known distinction in Torah which refers to saying a Bracha over an act vs saying a Bracha of the results of an act?

texts:
Philosophical question regarding the nature of Brachat in Judaism.

The Torah is very clear that you shouldn't say Brachat in thanks for certain acts. The acts being those which fall outside of what a Jew is supposed to be doing.

Example: Saying a Bracha over a plate of bacon would be considered an insult.

My question is regarding the philosophical aspect of prayer and being thankful to Hashem for the pleasures of life. Could a person theoretically say a Bracha over a forbidden action if they were thanking Hashem for the same experience of bliss disconnected independently of the forbidden act?

Hypothetical Situation:

While Kosher wine and non-Kosher wine are two different things, they produce the same biological effect of bliss on the system. Getting drunk on a California Pinot Noir isn't biologically different from being drunk on a bottle of Golen Height's best.

A Jew is drinking non-Kosher wine. (a forbidden act) They don't say the Bracha before drinking the wine because they know it to be forbidden. After drinking the wine and feeling the bliss of the alcohol, the Jew says a freestyle Bracha thanking Hashem for the pleasures of life.

If the person is reciting the Bracha in thanks for the biological pleasure independent of the context of the act, could the Bracha be considered valid within a philosophical distinction? Because the Bracha is not identifying a sinful act but identifying the general concept of pleasure in life, does that circumvent a philosophical conflict in saying a Brachat after certain acts?

If the pleasure acquired between drinking Kosher vs Non-Kosher wine is biologically equivalent, could you theoretically be valid since the pleasure you're thankful for in experiencing is valid in a different context?


texts: Melacha and Korbanot in the Beit HaMikdash

texts: We know sacrifices were offered - in the case of burnt offerings, put on the fire- in the Beit HaMikdash on Shabbat and Yom Tov, in fact extra ("Mussaf") offerings were made on such days. In addition to the melacha of bishul performed by the Kohanim setting the offerings on the fire, they presumably also ritually slaughtered the animals on Shabbat itself. Clearly this was permitted. What halachic mechanism allowed them to perform this melacha on Shabbat, when our very notion of melacha comes from an equally sacred task, the building of the Mishkan? Please note that at issue here is a source providing halachic justification for offering korbanot on Shabbat, not the underlying reasoning or philosophical underpinning of such justification (though the latter is certainly welcome).


texts: In this weeks parasha, Pinchas, Tzlofachad's daughters go to Moshe and say about their father dying was not due to other people, rather due to himself. The gemara in Shabbos 96b notes that Rabbi Akiva says because he was the gatherer of sticks. Whereas, R' Shimon says he is part of the HaMafilim Shelach 14:4. But surely R' Shimon's opinion is saying that he was part of a people?


texts: Are there any post-high school Israeli yeshiva programs that offer semicha "credits"?

texts:
Many American yeshiva bochrim spend 1 - 1.5 years (average) learning in Israel after high school before they enter college. I know that most of them offer credits where some of them can be transferred to various secular colleges.

I am unaware, though, of any programs that offer credits towards rabbinical semicha at a kollel such as Ner Yisra'el or something similar (i.e. - a known "accredited" Semicha program.) Are there any? If so, can you name a few or, better, point me to a web list or contact person where I can learn more?


texts: Why do Sephardic Jews dress in black and white?

texts:
Many observant sephardim in Israel, especially those in yeshivot, dress in black and white. Does anyone know how this happened?

There is no tradition of Jews in North Africa or in the Middle East wearing European black and white clothing with black hats. On the contrary, richly colored fabrics and turbans marked traditional, respectful attire.

Besides the Sephardic Chief Rabbi dress, I can't think of anyone who has retained that tradition. Instead, many Sephardic Jews assimilated Ashkenazic styles. Why is that, and is there any documentation explaining the switch?


texts: Why did Moshe Rabbeinu object to the mirrors, but not the kumaz?

texts: Why did Moshe Rabbeinu balk when the women wanted to donate their mirrors to the construction of the Mishkan (Rashi, Shemot 38:8), but not when the women donated their kumaz (Shemot 35:22), which were a piece of jewelry worn in the nether regions of the body (Rashi)?


texts: The order of the wording of the Ben Sorrer U'Moreh source Mishnah

texts:
In Mishna 1 of of the Eighth Perek of Masechet Sanhedrin it states that we know the ages in which the halachot of ben sorrer u'moreh apply from the fact that the Torah says "ben" (boy) and not "ish" (man); the same Mishna also mentions that we learn they don't apply to a girl because it specifically says "ben" and not "bat" (girl).

However, in the Mishna, the two quotes are ordered such that "boy and not girl" comes first (directly after stating the age that the halachot apply) and "boy and not man" comes second. If (as the Yad Rama states) the main point which relates to the age is "boy and not man", and the "boy and not girl" is added because it is learned from the same phrase in the Torah, the order seems like it should be reversed. The fact that the order is as it is seems to suggest that "boy and not girl" teaches us something essential which we need to know in order to understand "boy and not man".

Why does "boy and not girl" come in the Mishna before the more relevant "boy and not man"?

If it is to teach us something about "boy and not man," what does it teach us?


texts: Is birkas hagomel based on the korban toda? B'rachos 54:2 seems to derive it from p'sukim without reference to the toda; Rambam puts one in Maase Hakorbanos and the other in B'rachos without any mention in either place of the other rite. Yet I seem to recall that there's a connection between them: does anyone know whether there is one and what it is?