texts: Is there kosher spreadable whiskey-infused preserves?

texts:
I am looking for spreadable whiskey that is kosher. I cannot find any sites, be it kosher certification sites or product sites, which even discuss kosher spreadable whiskey. From my search of the product in general I do not see any kosher certification on the packages. I am not aware of any reason this product cannot be kosher. Therefore I would like to know if a mass-produced kosher spreadable whiskey (or gin) exists.

Example of ingredients: Sugar, Seville Oranges, Malt Whisky (4%), Gelling Agent: Citrus Pectin [this is a plant based substance - OP]. Prepared with 32g of fruit per 100g. Total sugar content 67g per 100g.

After some additional digging I found a site which expressly states their version of whiskey marmalade is not certified kosher.


texts: Why does a זב מחוסר כפרה have a פסח brought for him?

texts: From what I understand, a three-day zav must offer korbanos related to his ziva and cannot, until that time, eat any korbanos. A mishna in chapter 8 of P'sachim says that such a person whose ziva-korbanos have not yet been offered [but, commentaries add, has passed those korbanos to the authorities to be brought] can have a korban pesach slaughtered for him, as it can be for anyone who can eat from it. Why is this? The pesach was brought after the afternoon tamid which was otherwise the last korban of the day; this zav won't, then, have his ziva-korbanos brought that day and won't be able to eat from the pesach, so why is it being slaughtered for him? Or, to put it another way, Tif'eres Yisrael says they will bring his ziva-korbanos for him the same day, but how can they?


texts: When is the correct place to put tefillin on during shacharis?

texts:
I was wondering when is the correct place to put tefillin on during shacharis?

In the morning (before i go to shul) I say al netilat yadayim, asher yatzar then Elokai neshama. When I get to shul I put on tefillin (I don't wear a tallit gadol), and then continue with the rest of the brachot (starting with birkhat hatorah),
Is this the correct order? What the different opinions?


texts:
Is there a halachik definition of a tzadik?

There is the rambam's definition in hilchos teshuva 3:1 That it's someone who is 51% mitzvos. But according to this definition basically everyone is a tzadik, and it's definitely not how people use the term.

One application would be
https://judaism.stackexchange.com/a/90988/6788


texts: Why didn't Esther reveal her origin earlier?

texts:
Mordechai tells Esther not to reveal her origin (Esther 2:10) ostensibly in the hopes that they would assume she was of ignoble birth and dismiss her (Rashi ad loc.). Once she is chosen by the king, why doesn't she (perhaps with Mordechai's permission) tell the king she is Jewish at that point? Wouldn't that have placed the Jews in a positive light in the kingdom and perhaps avoided Haman's plot in the first place?

In sum, why didn't Esther reveal her origin earlier?


texts:
If a Jewish person works in a 'non-Jewish' workplace (that he does not own) to what extent does he need to place a mezuzah on the doorposts of his personal/shared office and other building entrances? Regardless of whether others mind or not, is this Jew obligated or is it reshut?

If there are any cases where he would place a mezuzah, would he say a beracha if he was placing it on a doorpost that involves an area that isn't owned by him?


texts: Is a woman obligated to attend her husband's funeral?

texts:
An elderly woman cares for her sick husband for many years with great devotion until she can't do it anymore and has to put him in a nursing home. Her children convince her to take a long cruise to recuperate. A few days into the cruise the husband dies.  The children try to convince her to complete the cruise and skip the funeral.

Is the decision at her own discretion or is she halachically obligated to do one or the other?

(The high cost of a cruise and her need to recuperate are factors.)


texts: Children of Converts and Specific halachos

texts:
The Pri Megadim in OC Siman 156 Ashel Avraham Sif-Katan 2 writes that a child that was conceived in kedusha (sanctity) and born in kedusha to a mother and father that had both converted (i.e. these 2 people converted then got married and had together a child -- the conception and birth taking place after the conversion) it's "mistavra" (makes sense to him) that that child is still called a "ger" (convert) since they don't have any Jewish relatives.

However what examples can be found in the poskim where we see practically that the child of converts is "treated" differently than a Born Jew and instead like a convert. We find many instances where a convert is considered to be in a different category then that of a born Jew. Is the Pri Megadim saying the children would be treated in every instance like a "normal convert"?

One such place is what we know from SA Evan HaEzer Siman Siman 7 Sif 21 that a daughter of converts may not lichatchila marry a Kohen (unless one of the parents is not a convert or after a few generations have past.) See this question and answer for more on this topic.

Are there any other similar examples that the child of converts has specific halachos related only to them?

(We see however from this halacha in Evan HaEzer that they are not considered to be like a "convert" mamash -- not like the Pri Megadim. A Cohen that marries a convert their sons would be considered be challelim and their daughters would not be allowed to marry Kohanim. In the case of a child of converts marrying a Kohen it's only a din lichatchila and not b'dieved.)


texts: Source for making a celebration (siyum) upon completing some learning?

texts: What is the source for the common practice of making a celebration (siyum) upon completing a tractate of Talmud or another significant amount of learning?


texts:
There are those who do not rely on the OU's kosher certification for every product, because they do not agree with certain leniencies the OU relies on.

Are there products or types of products certified by the OU that everyone accepts, even people who are generally stringent and do not rely on the Oy for every product?


texts: Why did Moses raise the brass serpent in the wilderness?

texts: I would like to know the meaning for God's command to Moses to lift a serpent of brass and set it on a pole in the desert, so that all those who had been bitten by serpents would look at the brass serpent on the pole, be cured and live.


texts:
What is the jewish view on reading biographies of remarkable gentiles which one finds inspirational provided there is no apikorsus in the content.

Have come across a website about a certain person who led a remarkable life, dedicated herself to living the golden rule. Is it permitted to read this stuff if it significantly inspires one to improve his conduct? or is it better to stay away


texts: What's controversial about Chemdat HaYamim?

texts:
This answer from @Oliver mentions

  The controversial book Hemdat Ha-yamim...

What is Chemdat HaYamim, and what is controversial about it? I know this is a very simple question but I wasn't familiar with the sefer, and I couldn't find anything online about it.


texts:
If I am in a class where the teacher asks "illegal questions" (an "Ein Lomar"), what must I do?

If I stay, I would now have those questions - very bedieved.
If I close my ears I would have violated - Lishmoya Ozen.
If I leave, I would now have violated the prohibition of "Chatzi Shiur" - which is biblicaly prohibited.

What should I do?

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


texts: I am looking for sources for the segula of baking challah on behalf of a sick person, a shidduch, a baby or even a World Series victory. Where does this come from? Why can men not be part of it? Why does it have to be done at a specific time? etc.


texts: How to respond to a non-Jew who asks to shovel your snow on shabbos?

texts: If a non-Jew asks if he may shovel your snow on shabbos what is the proper halachic response? Does it make a difference if he is asking to do this for pay (not previously arranged before shabbos)?


texts: Source for saying a bracha rishona after eating?

texts:
I've heard that there are those who hold that saying a bracha rishona (ie the bracha usually said before eating) after you have eaten a food is effectual.  Where might I find a source that says that?

(For example, you ate an apple and as just as you swallowed the last bite you remembered that you did not say borei pri ha-etz before you started eating. You then say borei pri ha-etz, even though you are done eating.)


texts: What types of things should a person put on a note that is put into the Kotel?

texts: There is a relatively recent custom (see this question) of placing a note into the crevices of the Kotel. I would like to know if any authorities speak about what a person should write on this note?


texts:
As it says in Kriat Shema:
״ועשו להם ציצת על כנפי בגדיהם וגו׳״
Specifically what kind of wings should the garment have. Should it be a dove? Since it's from a kosher bird. Or should it be an eagle? since it says:
״ואשא אתכם על כנפי נשרים וגו׳״

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


texts:
Rabbi Dr. Wikler (p. 142) quotes a story of a Chassidic Rebbe looking for a shidduch for his daughter who would pay shadchanim for proposing a potential match even though the Rebbe declined the offer. He would say, "Just as we believe every match is decided in Heaven, we also believe that it is predetermined just how many proposals we must listen to until we hear the right one. You sugestion brought us one closer. For that you are entitled to shadchanus gelt."

Is there a source for such a concept of a predestined number of proposed shidduchim?


texts: Are objects used for the Taanugim "muktzeh" for Yom Kippur?

texts:
The five prohibitions of inuy on Yom Kippur are eating/drinking, bathing, anointing, sex, and wearing leather shoes. Would an object whose only use is for these prohibited pleasures be considered "muktzeh" for Yom Kippur (or subject to an equivalent prohibition against moving them)? Might food/drink being prepared in a permissible way for the break fast constitute an exception to such a rule, if it exists?* Assume the object in question is not muktzeh for Shabbos.

*I'm not sure that there is a permissible way to do this during Yom Kippur proper, but I have seen the balebustes of very frum families doing so.


texts: Is it ok to Text After Kriyat Shema al Hamita?

texts:
Is it okay to text after saying kriyat shema al hamita?

You're not supposed to talk afterward, as it says:

  Tremble and sin not. Reflect in your hearts while on your beds, and be utterly silent.

-Artscroll

Does texting count as talking though?


texts: How can I make a long summer shabbat a delight?

texts:
Where I live, shabbat ends at nearly 10PM at the peak of summer, and I find it challenging to get to the end of that without starting to develop some negative feelings.  I try to spend most of Shabbat afternoon reading, but due to some eye problems I'm finding it more and more difficult to read for more than a couple hours at a stretch from books/magazines (where I of course can't change the font size).  I don't have family to "do shabbat" with, and my community doesn't have a lot of afternoon shiurim or other get-togethers.  I sometimes take a walk in the park to break up the afternoon.

So what else could I do between lunch and sunset on these long days so that Shabbat will feel like a delight and not a long slog?


texts: Why does the mitzvah of Sukkah have a stated meaning that its practitioner must have in mind?

texts:
The pasuk states (Vayikra 23:43):

  לְמַעַן, יֵדְעוּ דֹרֹתֵיכֶם, כִּי בַסֻּכּוֹת הוֹשַׁבְתִּי אֶת-בְּנֵי
  יִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּהוֹצִיאִי אוֹתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם

  in order that your [ensuing] generations should know that I had the
  children of Israel live in booths when I took them out of the land of
  Egypt. I am the Lord, your God.

Various commentaries point out that in order to fulfil the mitzvah of sukkah one needs to contemplate the meaning of sukkah (טור או''ח ס' תרכה); either to have כוונה like Rabbi Eliezer (ענני הכבוד) or Rabbi Akiva (סוכה ממש) or ideally both (Chayei Adam klal 146).

So important is its meaning that there are those who would require you to eat another kezayit if you hadn't had the correct כוונה, albeit a chumrah (ברכי יוסף ס' תרכה אות ג). MB goes like the Pre Megadim who says that we only need to have כוונה to fulfil the mitzvah, not specifically for the meaning of the word sukkot in the pasuk.

Why is the mitzvah of sukkah unique in that it has a meaning ('לְמַעַן יֵדְעוּ') that is meakev? And how does this fit into the general discussion of מצות צריכות כוונה?


texts: Pronouncing aloud the end of the gaal yisroael bracha before amida?

texts: Sometimes the person leading scharit davening does not pronounce aloud the end of the last bracha before the silent amida (gaal yisroael).  This is to not introduce an interruption between the bracha and the amida when people who hear the bracha say amen. There is a practice of daveners trying to complete that bracha at the same time as the leader, to avoid the obligation to say amen.  What is the halachic status of the practice of the leader not audibly saying the last words of that bracha?  Is it correct or incorrect or are there discrepant views that are all legitimate?


texts:
In the story of Yosef Mokir Shabbat, Yosef is a Jew who honors Shabbat above all, and ends up becoming very rich because of it.

There was a very rich Gentile who was told that all of his wealth would become Yosef's. He sold all his possessions and bought an extremely valuable pearl, which he kept in his hat. One day, the hat blew off while he was crossing a bridge, and a fish ate it. The fish was caught, Yosef bought it, and when he cut it open, he found the pearl inside. (Classic story, told in Masechet Shabbat 119a.)

But my question is, why did the Gentile buy a pearl? Surely he should have seen that a small thing like that is much more likely to get lost than his house full of wealth.


texts: How did Abraham give Maaser of Sodom's property?

texts:
וּבָרוּךְ אֵל עֶלְיוֹן אֲשֶׁר־מִגֵּן צָרֶיךָ בְּיָדֶךָ וַיִּתֶּן־לוֹ מַעֲשֵׂר מִכֹּל׃ וַיֹּאמֶר מֶלֶךְ־סְדֹם אֶל־אַבְרָם תֶּן־לִי הַנֶּפֶשׁ וְהָרְכֻשׁ קַח־לָךְ׃ וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְרָם אֶל־מֶלֶךְ סְדֹם הֲרִימֹתִי יָדִי אֶל־ה' אֵל עֶלְיוֹן קֹנֵה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ׃ אִם־מִחוּט וְעַד שְׂרוֹךְ־נַעַל וְאִם־אֶקַּח מִכָּל־אֲשֶׁר־לָךְ וְלֹא תֹאמַר אֲנִי הֶעֱשַׁרְתִּי אֶת־אַבְרָם׃

...And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your foes into your hand.” And [Abram] gave him a tenth of everything. Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the possessions for yourself.” But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I swear to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth: I will not take so much as a thread or a sandal strap of what is yours; you shall not say, ‘It is I who made Abram rich.’ Genesis.14.23

If I understood correctly, Abram gave Maaser to Malkitzedek of the property he didn't intend to own. How is this possible?


texts: Did the Rashbam Practice what he Preached Regarding Shabbat?

texts:
Rashbam, on Bereishit (Genesis) 1:5, states:

ויהי ערב ויהי בקר - אין כתיב כאן ויהי לילה ויהי יום, אלא ויהי ערב, שהעריב יום ראשון ושיקע האור, ויהי בוקר, בוקרו של לילה, שעלה עמוד השחר, הרי הושלם יום א' מן השישה ימים שאמר הקב"ה בעשרת הדברות, ואח"כ התחיל יום שני, ויאמר אלהים יהי רקיע. ולא בא הכתוב לומר שהערב והבקר יום אחד הם, כי לא הוצרכנו לפרש אלא היאך היו ששה ימים, שהבקיר יום ונגמרה הלילה, הרי נגמר יום אחד והתחיל יום שני.
“And it was evening, and it was morning” – It is not written here, “And it was night, and it was day”, but rather, “and it was evening, and it was morning” – the first day became evening and the sun set, and it became morning, the morning following the night, for the dawn broke” – behold, one day was completed from the six that Hashem spoke of in the Ten Commandments, and afterwards began the second day: “G-d said, ‘let there be a firmament’”. The text does not come to state that the evening and the morning are part of a single day, for it only needs to explain how there were six days – that the morning broke and the night was finished: behold, one days was completed and another day began.

The Rashbam believed that the day begins in the morning, not the night (Understandably, this lead to controversy). He even states that this is the intention of the Aseret HaDibrot with regard to Shabbat-- that Shabbat should begin on Saturday morning.
Is there any documentation that the Rashbam actually kept Shabbat in this manner? Is there any documentation of the opposite?
And furthermore, would ruling in this manner constitute Zaken Mamrei (a rebellious elder)?


texts: If a bride did not reveal a medical condition before the marriage is it a mekach taus (annuled)

texts:
@DonielF in a comment here seem to clame that (by the end of Ketubot) it is written that a marriage can be annuled (as a mekach tous) if the bride (I guess or her father) withheld information about her medical condition (but did reveal her  vows,  mumim (phisical deformaties) and  her virgin status)

If this true?
(If yes is it all medical conditions?
(If not which ones?))
Where is this written?

Thank You


texts: Women caused the moon to shrink and kiddush levana

texts:
Regarding women saying Kiddush Levana, the Mishnah Berurah Siman 426 סק"א,  quoting the Shlah, writes:

  ונשים פטורות מלקדש הלבנה דהוי מ"ע שהזמן גרמא ואף דכל מ"ע שהזמן גרמא נוהגות הנשים שמקיימות ומברכות עליהן מ"מ מצוה זו אין צריכין לקיימה משום דהם גרמו פגם הלבנה.

  Women are exempt from blessing the moon, since it's a positive time-bound mitzvah. Even though women do practice positive time-bound mitzvos, even making blessings on them, nevertheless this mitzvah they don't need to fulfill, since they caused the Moon's blemish.

Two questions:

1) What does it mean women caused the Moon's blemish? The only thing I can think of is Chava tempting Adam to eat from the tree somehow caused the moon to shrink, but Chazal in Chulin 60b say that happened earlier in creation. Unless you say that the moon will be restored to its glory when Moshiach comes, when the world's purpose comes to fruition, which would have happened the first week of creation had Chava not sinned...

2) If women cause the blemish, shouldn't they help fix it by blessing the moon and praying for its revival? Similar to what the Mishnah Berurah Siman 263 סקי"ב writes regarding why specifically women light Shabbos candles:

  ועוד טעם מפני שכבתה נרו של עולם שגרמה מיתה לאדם הראשון

  Another reason is because she extinguished the light of the world since she caused the death of Adam


texts: When does the prohibition against eating meat during the 9 Days start?

texts:
does the prohibition regarding eating meat start at night or in the morning?

If this is unclear... On Rosh Chodesh (the night of, the night we say yala ve yavo) can we have meet for dinner?

I know the day starts at night, but I'm not sure that I've ever heard of no meat the night of Rosh Chodesh.

Please source all answers.


texts:
Who knows eight?
Please cite/link your sources, if possible. In about one business day, I will:

Upvote all interesting answers.

Accept the best answer.

Go on to the next number.


texts: Two beginnings related to heavens and earth

texts:
IIRC, there is a medrash conecting the first letter of torah (beit) + the word reshit by saying that with 2 beginnings (meaning the heavens and earth) the world came into existence. Does anyone happen to know a source for this?

Related: Why the first letter of the Tenach is a Bet?


texts:
We are fortunate in this day and age that there have been many Seforim published on the inyan of Shemiras Einayim and one can even listen to lectures on the topic.
 My question is, in reality, after all the reading and speeches, what does one do if he still stumbles? Reading and listening is great, but the real test is when a person is walking on the sidewalk and his being is just burning to look around and "gaze"!


texts:
In the (abusely so-called) 6th pereq of avot,

  גדולה תורה יותר מן הכהונה ומן המלכות, שהמלכות נקנית ב30 מעלות, והכהונה ב24, והתורה נקנית ב48 דברים. ואלו הן בתלמוד בשמיעת האוזן וכולי

While one must 'acquire' Torah by the 48 things, that are a work to enhance himself; what the meaning of kehuna 'acquired' by 24 things?

Kehuna is a state received by birth lineage, and not 'acquired' ?
According to the Bartenura ad loc, these 24 things are the 24 gifts listed in Bava Qama 110b; in which sense these gifts make one acquire kehuna?


texts: Would a Sukkah that has walls that are completely transparent be kosher for use?


texts: Someone was making havdallah and, after saying the bracha on besamim (spices) and then smelling them, exclaimed "Ah! A mechayah!". Is this considered a hefsek (interruption) in the havdallah? Meaning to say, does this utterance cause a problem with the bracha on wine that was made just before and they would now have to make a new hagafen before drinking the wine upon finishing havdallah?


texts:
I am looking for Jewish sources that touch on the question of where (on a modern map) the crossing of the Red Sea (Sea of Reeds) took place.

In my research, I'm finding several possible locations, each with their proponents and opponents.  The problem is that the sources I'm finding are either from religious Christians (or sometimes Muslims) or from people who are secular and without a Jewish background.

Of course Jews would have weighed in on these possible locations but, after hours of reading books and Googling articles, I just can't find commentators who are Jews drawing on Jewish traditions in their arguments.

So I'm not asking for a discussion of the various locations, but rather names of Jewish scholars who have studied this and written about it (with pointers to the relevant books or articles, with a brief summary if possible).  They can be coming from any Jewish tradition (Orthodox, Liberal, etc.) or time period.  For contemporary scholars, a plus if they can merge the religious aspects with modern scientific research.

The main sites I've found posited are:
Lakes/wetlands north of the Suez Gulf
The northern tip of the Suez Gulf
The Straits of Tiran at the southern end of the Gulf of Aqaba
Eilat or other areas on the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba

Thank you!


texts: Is there a list of Mitzvot and their corresponding body parts?

texts:
The Talmud (Makkot 23B)and the Zohar (1:170B - unverified English translation here) say that the 248 positive commandments correspond to the 248 limbs of the human body. (The Mishna (Ohalot 1:8) lists the 248 Halachic limbs). The Talmud also says that the 365 Negative commandments correspond to the days of the year.

The Zohar adds that the 365 negative commandments also correspond to the 365 sinews in the human body (See Yonatan Ben Uziel Bereshit 1:27), and connects them to the days of the year.

R' Chaim Vital, in Shaar HaKavanot (Shaar 1, Part 1) says that "Each of the 248 spiritual limbs gets its nourishment from a particular mitzvah that corresponds to that limb. When a person fails to perform that particular mitzvah, the corresponding limb will lack its proper nourishment..." (translation from here)

Is there any source which tells us which limb (and/or sinew) each Mitzvah corresponds to?

As an example, the Zohar referenced above (1:170B), connects Gid Hanasheh (sciatic nerve), one of the 365 sinews, to the prohibition of eating on Tisha B'av.


texts:
Encyclopaedia Judaica says that “Nothing is known of the early life of Shammai except for the statement that he was a builder by occupation (Shab. 31a).”
But that passage, the standing on one foot story, doesn’t say he was a builder. It just says he hit someone with a builder’s cubit-measure.
Do any of the commentaries explicitly infer that he was a builder by trade, or else where does this idea come from?


texts: Difference between calling and naming people in Tanach

texts:
In this question, I refer to "לקרוא לו/לה" as "calling and to "לקרוא שם" as naming.

Regarding the names in Tanach I've found three patterns:

A person is "born" with his/her name, not called or named, like in "וַתֵּלֶד אֶת־קַיִן" or "וַתֵּלֶד אֶת־חֲנוֹךְ" or "וַיְחִי־שֵׁת חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים וּמְאַת שָׁנָה וַיּוֹלֶד אֶת־אֱנוֹשׁ׃" and many many like this - just name.
Somebody is called but not given a name (just לקרוא לו), like in "לְזֹאת יִקָּרֵא אִשָּׁה כִּי מֵאִישׁ לֻקֳחָה־זֹּאת׃" or "וְאָבִיו קָרָא־לוֹ בִנְיָמִין"
Somebody is given a name (קרא שם) as in " וַיִּקְרָא אֶת־שְׁמוֹ שֵׁת׃" or "וַתִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ בֶּן־אוֹנִי" or "וַיִּקְרָא הָאָדָם שֵׁם אִשְׁתּוֹ חַוָּה"

Interestingly these patterns apply not only to people but to other things like: "וַיִּקְרָא אֱלֹהִים לַיַּבָּשָׁה אֶרֶץ וּלְמִקְוֵה הַמַּיִם קָרָא יַמִּים" ,"עַל־כֵּן קָרָא לַבְּאֵר בְּאֵר לַחַי" or "וַיִּקְרָא שֵׁם הָעִיר כְּשֵׁם בְּנוֹ חֲנוֹךְ׃" or "וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר יִקְרָא־לוֹ הָאָדָם נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה הוּא שְׁמוֹ׃"

What are the differences in those patterns that the Torah uses in different cases?
וַיֵּדַע אָדָם עוֹד אֶת־אִשְׁתּוֹ וַתֵּלֶד בֵּן וַתִּקְרָא אֶת־שְׁמוֹ שֵׁת


texts: Why did Jacob live "in his father's dwelling land"?

texts:
Parashas Vayeshev begins (Genesis 37:1, in my own translation):

  Jacob lived in the land of his father's dwelling: in the land of Canaan.

I understand why it repeats the already-known fact (35:27, let's say) that Jacob was in Canaan. After all, that sets the stage for the story that follows, in which Joseph is sold down to a different land, where he is followed eventually by Jacob and the family.

But why refer to it here specifically as his father's dwelling land?


texts: Torah approach to getting out of inappropriate feelings/thoughts

texts: What is the Torah approach to stop yourself from feeling sexually aroused in the moment? Anything from the mussar experts?


texts: What side does someone with Situs inversus bang

texts: For tachanun, al cheit, twice in selach lanu etc, we bang on our heart. My question is: if someone has Situs inversus, a condition where the heart is on the right side of the body instead of the left, would they bang on their right side (because that's where their heart is), or their left (because since nearly all Jews have it on their left, we don't look at his body personally, he just follows the Jewish custom to bang on the left)?


texts: German and Ethiopian Jews in the time of the Mishna?

texts:
According to Negaim 3:1, the laws of negaim only apply to Jews (הכל מטּמאין בנגעים חוץ מגוים), but according to Negaim 2:1 they apply to people from Germany (גרמני) and Ethiopia (or Numibia, etc; ״כוש״). Unless we assume that this mishna disagrees with the other (and implies that even non-Jews can be subject to the laws of negaim), the implication would seem to be that there were Jews in both countries and that they looked like the rest of the population. Is there evidence for this outside of this mishna?

Note: Obviously, there was no such "country" as Germany; I am assuming that the mishna is referring to a central-European region, roughly commensurate with where Germany is today.


texts: Chabad custom of not allowing water to touch matzah on Pesach

texts: What is the origin of this custom? This must be fairly recent and "Lubavitch-specific", because my grandparents, who were very observant, always had matzah ball soup and fried matzah with eggs for Pesach.


texts:
I was reading about sabbath observances in modern practice and I found a lot of caution and effort is expended to not work: like, even switching on the lights or lifting things could be considered as work and hence prohibited. What is considered work on the sabbath?

Please provide verses from Torah which motivates such an observance.


texts: Can I use a Keurig coffee machine if someone else has used a non-kosher "pod"?

texts:
My office has a Keurig machine. They work by inserting small plastic cups, called "pods", that contain coffee or other items. As I understand the machine's mechanism, hot water drips through the pod and comes out a spout at the bottom of the pod.

Some in the office may be inserting non-kosher hot chocolate pods. Does this make the machine non-kosher or can I just wipe the spout before I use it?


texts: Are Orthodox Jews opposed to women singing in public, particularly if the woman is singing to a fussy baby in an attempt to soothe it?

texts:
My sister lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York City, and the neighborhood has a large population of Orthodox Jews and, I think, Hassidim (I don't really understand the difference, but that is a subject for another question).  She has two kids, both young, and when they were babies, she would sometimes sing to them as she pushed the stroller or rode the bus or subway.

She frequently noticed that when she sang, Orthodox Jewish men would give her nasty looks.  She didn't care very much, because it was a public place and there aren't any laws against singing, but I am curious as to why she got the "stink eye".

I heard some vague rumors about Orthodox Judaism and women singing, but I haven't been able to find any conclusive evidence one way or the other.  Poking around on this site, I came across this quote:

  The Sedei Hemed was relying on the Divrei Heifetz (113b), who "stated that as long as a woman is not singing sensual love songs, and as long as a man does not intend to derive pleasure from her voice, there is no prohibition, such as if she is... singing a lullaby to a baby, or is wailing at a funeral." [4] Rabbi Weinberg also cited the Sefer ha-Eshkol (Hilkhot Tefillah sec. 4 or 7), that listening to a woman sing is prohibited only where there is sexual pleasure. Rabbi Weinberg reasoned that if the Sedei Hemed could permit funeral dirges due to their lacking sexual pleasure, then he could permit Shabbat zemirot on the same grounds. It is obvious that we today can likewise permit by the same logic any song which does not lead to sexual thoughts. Thus, this interpretation that kol ishah is like etzba ketana, i.e. permitted where sexual pleasure is absent, is not only apparent from the simple meaning of Rambam's words, but is also endorsed by Rabbi Yehiel Weinberg.
  -  Source, cited in this answer

My sister's singing obviously falls under the category of singing a lullaby to a baby, so it would seem that some people agree that there isn't a problem with it.

Is there a reason why Orthodox Jewish men seemed to take offense at my sister singing?


texts: Is it possible to get permission from a rabbi to take classes on Friday evening?

texts:
Disclaimer: I'm not Jewish, and this question is not about me. I'm not very well versed in these subjects. I've previously read questions asked here on Mi Yodeya, as I find it very interesting.

I work teaching at a university in Buenos Aires, Argentina (teaching Food Science). This semester, classes are taught on Tuesdays and Fridays, from 17-22 in the evening. These are lenghty laboratory practices, and rescheduling is not possible. One of the students is a practicant, and he is having many troubles taking this class.

Out of curiosity, is it possible to take classes in the evening on Fridays? Would it be possible for him to get a special dispensation from a rabbi? Would there be some precedents or opinions where I could find out more about this subject?

Thank you very much in advance.


texts: Why do we say SheAsa Nisim all 8 nights? Shouldn't we only say it one night, the first?


texts:
Are there any Midrashim where Yitzchak was actually sacrificed by Avraham?

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/1136172-gen-22-11-16a-the-story-of-the-near-sacrifice-of-isaac-is

"a later midrashic tradition developed this notion, that Isaac actually had been sacrificed. This tradition is discussed in S. Spiegel’s The Last Trial (New York: Schocken, 1969; Hebrew edition 1950).”
― Richard Elliott Friedman, Who Wrote the Bible?"

And Friedman makes this claim in his book "bible with sources revealed", (of course, the contents of the book don't come close to satisfying the title), he makes the even bigger claim, and with no references, that it's not just a later midrashic tradition, but a "group of midrashic sources". He writes "There is a group of midrashic sources that say that Isaac was in fact sacrificed".


texts: May I play a computer game which includes Greek mythological creatures?

texts:
I sometimes play a computer role-playing game (RPG) in which my character fights creatures and retrieves treasure.

But some of the creatures are derived from Greek mythology. Is it still permissible for me to play the game?

CYLOR.

Related: While playing a computer game, may I “worship” one of the game's “gods” to help me win?


texts: Where is there a discussion where the phrase "to become circumcised" means "to convert to Judaism" or "to become a Jew"?

texts: Where is there a discussion where the phrase "to be circumcised" means "to convert to Judaism" or "to become a Jew"?


texts: How much can a DNA test help to get Israeli citizenship?

texts:
My friend has found out that he has some Jewish family history according to DNA tests.

Could it help him to get Israeli citizenship, or is this fact not considered at all?


texts:
I was reading in Mishlei (3:3, 7:3) the other day and noticed that our hearts are sometimes compared to tablets, and that on it the Words of HaShem should be inscribed. This reminded me of Yirmiyahu who states that HaShem will inscribe His Words upon our hearts.
The only tablets I know of which were (physically) inscribed are the stone tablets with the Aseret HaDevarim on them.
Are there any commentaries which link the inscribing of the heart with the Luchot HaBrit?


texts:
In Bereshis 37:7 we read:

  וְהִנֵּה אֲנַחְנוּ מְאַלְּמִים אֲלֻמִּים בְּתוֹךְ הַשָּׂדֶה וְהִנֵּה קָמָה אֲלֻמָּתִי וְגַם נִצָּבָה - Behold, we were binding sheaves in the midst of the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright

The meforshim explain the difference in meaning between קָמָה and נִצָּבָה but none that I have seen explain the conceptual redundancy. Meaning, why do we need to know that Yosef's sheaf both arose and stood upright? It doesn't seem to have any practical ramifications in terms of the dream or otherwise. Why then isn't the word נִצָּבָה redundant?


texts: If someone does a sin that both his parents and the Torah prohibited, did he do two sins?

texts:
For example:
Someone tells his son not to steal, and it says in the Torah not to steal. This kid goes out and steals anyway, and his parents find out.

Is he chayav for both stealing and not listening to his parents (meaning he has to ask forgiveness from them, and the person he stole from before Yom Kippur) or is he just chayav for stealing (because what his parents said is battul to the Torah commandment; and therefore he only has to ask forgiveness of the person he stole from)?


texts: The Three Jewish Tribes That Lived In Medina At The Time Of Mohammad

texts: Is there any mention at all in the Talmud that backs the claim in the Quran that there were three Jewish tribes that lived in Medina at the time of Mohammad?


texts: If someone accidentally steps backward before the end of Shmoneh Esrei, what should he do?

texts:
If one steps backward before the end of Shmoneh Esrei, (either because he mistakenly thought he was up to עשה שלום... for a second, or because someone bumped into him,) how should he precede with his tfillah?

Would it be better to...

Take three steps forward and continue
Take two steps to his starting position
Jump, with his feet together, back to his original position
Continue his Shmoneh Esrei in his new position


texts:
Exodus 6:16 states that Levi lived for 137 years. The Targum Yonatan, (ibid) says:

  ואלין שמהת בנוי דלוי לייחוסיהון גרשון קהת ומררי ושני חיוי דלוי מאה ותלתין ושבע שנין חייא עד דחמא ית משה וית אהרון פריקייא דישראל.

  ... he lived until he saw Moses and Aaron the saviors of Israel.

Moses was 80 the year that the Israelites left Egypt and aaron was 83. Out of the 210 year exile, (Start from Isaac who had Jacob at 60, Jacob was 130 when he arrived in Egypt = 190. Gd told Abraham 400 years of exile, 400-190 = 210). This means that Moses was born in the 130th year of exile, and Aaron was born the 127th year of exile. (Ex 7:7, see also Rashi Ex 2:1 and Gen 15:13).

In order for Levi to have seen Moses, he would have had to be 7 or younger when he arrived with Jacob in Egypt. That is not possible though, because We know that Levi was older than Josef, (See Gen 29 -30, ), who was 30 when appointed by Pharaoh as viceroy, (Gen 41:46), and 39 when his father arrived, counting 7 years of plenty and 2 years of famine ,(ibid 45:6).

Levi would then have had to be older than 169, (Joseph was 39 + 130 years until Moses' birth).

How is this reconciled? Is it possible that The verse ennumerates Levi's years from when he arrived in Egypt? Is there a different understanding of the 400 count told to Abraham, and consequently the 210 years in Egypt, which could allow for this?

The Ramban, (Ex 12:42) offers alternative counts, resulting in 240, or 220ish years of exile in Egypt, but that only exacerbates the problem, requiring Levi to be at least 199, or at least 179.

Thanks for any ideas!


texts: Where are we commanded to light candles Fri night?

texts: The bracha for lighting candles Friday night is "who has sanctified us with his commandments and commanded us to light the lamp of Shabbat." What is the source for the commandment? While we are on this topic, where is the source for the commandment to light candles on yontif?


texts: Saying ״ותן טל ומטר״ the mincha before it begins, and remembering after sunset

texts: On a year in which the night we start to say ותן טל ומטר is a weekday night, if one forgets to say ותן ברכה by the מנחה before and doesn't realize that he forgot it until שקיעה, what is the Halacha regarding the right insertion to say by each  שמונה עשרה?


texts: Is there an online resource that gives an "overview" of safrut?

texts:
Between Mincha and Ma'ariv on Shmini Atzeret, I'd like to give a short shiur on some interesting facts about how a Torah is written. I'm looking for some fairly easy to understand online resources on Safrut and some other ideas. Among some of the topics I'd like to discuss include:

The general rules regarding minimum / maximum:

parchment size (in inches, pref.) - height , width, thickness
font size (I've seen small & large sifrei Torah)
column size (inches; proportion to parchment width, etc.)
min. / max. number of lines per column
number of columns per parchment sheet
minimum / maximum allowable spacing between lines. I'm assuming this allows for "risers" and "drops" - i.e. a lamed has an area above the line and a nun goes below the line. How much space must be allowed for these?
If there are different rules for Ashkenaz / Sefardi, etc. (I don't think so, offhand), please inform

I understand that there are various standardized formats that developed. The only one I am somewhat familiar with is Vavei Ha'amudim. Is there are an article that discusses its history - who and why this was established, and what the rules are? Any other common formats?
Rules regarding minimum spacing for "closed" (stumot) and "open" (ptuchot) paragraphs
Rules regarding the shape of letters, I read, for example, that an aleph has two yods; the chet is 2 vavs, etc. - I know this is quite detailed, but if there is an online source that explains this with some pics, I can, possible, glean a few items.

Thanks for your help. I'd prefer one or more online sources. At the moment, the general and the vavei ha'amudim standard are the two more critical items for me, but anything else   is a huge help.


texts: Swear by His Name, what the real meaning of this command?

texts:
Could someone explain to me the meaning of the phrase: וּבִשְׁמוֹ, תִּשָּׁבֵעַ in Devarim 6:13? It seems to be the positive command of the prohebition mentioned in Vayikra 19:12...

I know that the Tur HaAroch explains it as "and (only) in His name are you to render an oath"; this doesn't mean that it is a commandment to swear oaths, but if the occasion arises when you cannot avoid having to swear an oath, the only truth you must swear by is the truth known as Hashem. Likewise IBN Ezra (and many others) explain it as "to swear by His name and not in the name of any other gods" (compare, “every tongue shall swear” [Isaiah 45: 23]). In other words, you shall not swear in the name of any god, other than G-d alone. But you may swear to affirm testimony, or to confirm a contract — so long as it is true. Do not follow other gods since you may not swear in their name.

But how should I understand this command as it seems to imply that one has to do something. What's the true meaning behind it? Could it be rendered or understood as a command to act upon His Name, call upon His Name (see Tehillim 105:1; call upon His name, make known His doings among the peoples)?


texts: Non-Jews being Yotzi on each other's brachot

texts:
We know that Jews are able to say brachot on behalf of each other due to the concept of "Kol Bnei Yisrael Aravim Ze-Le-Ze", or "All Jews are guarantors on behalf of one another", so that if Reuven makes a hagefen over wine and has Shmuel in mind and Shmuel says "amen", the latter has fulfilled his obligation.
May we, though, extend this concept to non-Jews, who are neither commanded to make a bracha before/after enjoying this world nor halachic guarantors to one another? If Ralph and Abdullah are studying together to convert to Judaism, may Ralph be yotzi on Abdullah's "Borei Menei Mezonot"?


texts: What will happen when our set calendar ends?

texts: In a recent conversation I was told that the current Jewish calendar was only set till the year 6,000.  There was conjecture as to what will happen after that time (assuming Moshiach has not yet arrived). The general consensus was that there will no longer be any Jewish holidays. I would like to know if this is correct. If not please provide an explanation as to what will happen when the calendar runs out.


texts: Does the command to heed the sanhedrin apply today?

texts:
In the times of the Sanhedrin (High Court in Temple times) there was a commandment to heed their words (Deut. 17:11).

According to the law which they shall teach you, and according to the judgment which they shall tell you, you must do; you shall not turn aside from the sentence which they shall declare unto you, to the right hand, nor to the left

Does this precept apply regarding the greatest Torah scholars of the generation?


texts: Orlah safek (doubt regarding status) in Israel

texts:
I purchased some fruits from a [Jewish] market in Israel a few days ago. It came to my attention now that I needed to look for a kosher certificate at the fruit stand I visited to ensure that the fruits I was purchasing were not "Orlah".

Now, I am not sure what the status of the fruits are and I have no way of returning to the market to find out.

What do you do when you have a safek (a doubt) about the status of fruits vis-a-vis Orlah?


texts:
I once heard from a Rav giving a drasha that "Yom Kippur is the wedding and Sukkos is the Sheva Brachos".

I was wondering what the source for that is?

(The idea of Yom Kippur as a wedding is rather common ביום חתנותו זו מתן תורה, I have seen that referenced as Yom Kippur - but I am wondering primarily about the Sukkos part, although it is possible that the source puts the two together like that drasha did).


texts:
What tribe was Hoshea Ben Eilah, the last king of Malchus Yisrael, from?

Seder Hadoros says he was from Reuven, but in the same sentence it says that in his days Zechus Avos stopped. The thing is that this Gemara in Shabbos 55a is actually about the Navi Hoshea Ben Be'iri.

That mistake appears to have come from misreading the Shalshelles Hakabballa (in newer copies of the Seder Hadoros available on Otzar Hachochma you can see that this was his source, and its clearly a misread. The Navi Hoshea was actually from Shevet Reuven also as it says in Bereishis Rabbah 84:19 and elsewhere):

Does anyone have a source as to what Shevet he actually was from?


texts: If a boy (teenager) learned he will not be punishesd until he is 20 and decides to go off the derech with the plan to do teshuvah at 20, would HaSh-m accept his teshuva?


texts: Why are the Egyptians more concerned with the Exodus of the Jews than their own defeat?

texts:
In the Haggada we read the following verse (Shemos 1:10 from Chabad.org):

הָבָה נִתְחַכְּמָה לוֹ פֶּן יִרְבֶּה וְהָיָה כִּי תִקְרֶאנָה מִלְחָמָה וְנוֹסַף גַּם הוּא עַל שׂנְאֵינוּ וְנִלְחַם בָּנוּ וְעָלָה מִן הָאָרֶץ׃
Get ready, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they increase, and a war befall us, and they join our enemies and depart from the land.

From this verse, it seems that the Egyptians biggest concern was that the Jews might leave Egypt. This was even more disturbing to them than their own nation being conquered! I mean, the Jews hadn't even been enslaved yet, why did they care so much about losing them?


texts: Is it permitted and possible to convert a Christian to Judaism without approaching rabbinical authorities?

texts: Are private conversion without involving a Rabbi possible? Like converting a Christian without making it public, not even to rabbis thus doing the conversion rituals on our own?


texts:
HaRav Binyamin Kwalwasser from Yeshivat Lev Hatorah taught us that Rabbi Abadi is of the opinion that it is better to say a shorter version of Birkat Hamazon after eating than not to say it at all. (IIRC, R' Kwalwasser said that R' Baruch Simon from YU agrees with R' Abadi regarding this subject.)

My question is: Is this abbreviated form of Bentching available on the Internet, as a PDF file or otherwise?


texts:
Is a jew allowed to learn secular studies and science?
Is there a prohibition against learning any secular subjects and/or science?


texts: What do these rashei teivos stand for? See, for example,  the Dikdukei Sofrim here.


texts: Why did Abraham treat his three visitors in this way?

texts:
I am new to this site.  I'd like to ask some questions on the interpretation and cultural significance of the events in Genesis 18 in the Bible.

First, why does Abraham have Sarah use 3 seahs of flour to make bread? That is about 22 liters and a ton of bread. Why so much?

Second, why does he prepare their food and then stand awkwardly on the side of them while they ate (Gen 18:8)? Was this a cultural thing in that hosts don't sit or eat with their guests?

Third, is there a certain cultural significance of the food that was served? Did the curds, milk, and calf mean something?


texts:
The mishnah in Makkos (beginning of 2nd chapter) teaches that if the person inadvertently killed someone through performing a mitzvah, the murder is exempt from the punishment of exile, which I believe the Gemara specifies to mean that he is karov le-oneis (i.e. it is considered an accident and he is absolved from responsibility).

One of the examples the mishnah brings is the shaliach beis din (court emissary) that has to whip someone sentenced by the court to lashes. In such a case, if he hits him, and the victim dies, the emissary is absolved from exile. Note that there is a medical doctor there to determine whether the criminal can withstand lashes, and how many.

My question is, even though the actual action is performed by the emissary, I would think that the true cause of death is the doctor, who misjudged the medical condition of the victim, permitting the extra blows that killed him. That is certainly more than a mere accident, it boundaries on negligence.

What happens to the doctor? I would think that since the mishna does not describe him, his fate is easier than the emissary's (who does the action causing the killing) and so the doctor is free to go -- but why is that reasonable, given that it was his decision which killed the victim?


texts: Why do we refer to it as the Well of Miriam?

texts: From what I understand the Well of Miriam in the desert was actually a rock which miraculously brought forth water. As such why do we refer to it as the 'Well of Miriam' and not the 'Rock of Miriam'?


texts: Source for story about a boy who asked to be given a scar on his face instead of it being given to his wife

texts:
I remember once hearing a story, the gist of which is:

  Once there was a young girl who was going to be mugged/ accosted by a bandit. A similar aged boy saw what was about to happen, and was able to stop the attack... however the bandit sliced him with a knife across his face which left the boy big scar.

  A number of years past and when the boy reached a marriageable age- due to said scar on his face- he had a hard time finding a match. However, one day he found himself on a date with a particular girl... who happened to be the one he had rescued years earlier.

I'm not sure how this next piece of information  came to be known (ie from him or a Rebbe etc) but:

  The boy said that before he was born, in Shamayim he was shown his wife... and saw that it was she who had a big scar on her face.

    "PLEASE!" the boy pleaded, "I don't want my wife to be hurt and I know how important beauty is to women- let me be the one who has the scar instead."

  Heaven granted his wish and he was given the scar instead of his wife.

  After hearing this story the boy and girl married since they knew they were always destined for one another.

I feel like this is a R' Shlomo Carlebach story but I may be wrong.
Anyone know the origin of this story and where I might be able to find it?


texts: What is the mekor for the very well known restriction of physical contact between men and women? Is it a biblical or rabbinical prohibition?


texts: Is it permitted to daven five times a day every day?

texts:
Inspired by this comment.

One is allowed to daven more than three times a day, at least during the week (see OC 107). Is one allowed to daven specifically five times a day, with the intention that it parallels Yom Kippur? Since this is the practice of the Muslims, does this fall under Chukas HaGoyim, or since one is davening to Hashem, would it be permitted?


texts: What is the difference in meaning between לתור and לחפר with regards to spying the land?

texts:
I am combining concepts from this week's Torah and Haftarah:

In the Torah portion, it says with the spies that they went לתור את הארץ (Bamidbar 13:16). With Yehoshu'a it says לחפר את הארץ (Yehoshu'a 2:2). Both of them spied the land. But, I assume that there is a difference in meaning of these two words, that hints at why Moshe was unsuccessful, and Yehoshu'a was successful. (I'm aware that the obvious reason is that Yehoshu'a learned from Moshe and didn't make the same mistakes, and that we were dealing with a different group of people and mindset. I am seeking a reason for the success that may be hinted to in the meaning / choice of these two words.)


texts: Why do women light two candles, specifically, for Shabbos? Is it one for the husband and one for the wife? Is it one for shamor and one for zochor?


texts: Current Attitude Towards Sefer Raziel Hamalach

texts:
What is the current attitude of Kabbalists towards Raziel Hamalach?

Is it considered a legitimate work of Kabbala?
Is it studied? If not, why not?


texts: Reciting the blessing of "Meshaneh Habriyos" ("who makes creatures different") on human beings

texts:
Based off the gemara on Berachos 58b, the Shulchan Aruch in  Orach Chaim 225:8-9  writes:

  for seeing a person with a dark, very red, or albino white complexion- or a person who is bent over because of obesity, a midget, a person with a lot of warts, a person with hair that clings to each other...

... for all these one should recite the blessing of "Meshaneh Habriyos" ("who makes creatures different").

Question:

As this beracha would seem to be offensive and could potentially cause pain to another human being, how can one understand such a beracha?


texts: Looking for a commentary, possibly in Mas. Nazir

texts:
Connected to this question.

In the discussion of the relationship between the Nachash and Chava, as related in Masechet Avoda Zara, 22b, the Chidushei Agadot summarizes opinions about the connection between the two:

  מפרש"י פרק חבית כשנתן לה עצה לאכול מן העץ בא עליה דכתיב הנחש השיאני לשון נשואין עכ"ל ובנזיר הוסיף ביאור והיינו דקאמר לנחש כי עשית זאת איזה מעשה עשה אלא שבא על חוה כו' עכ"ל ע"ש

He cites Rashi from Mas. Shabbat 146a, that the snake gave Chava an idea, and then the possible connection between hisi'ani and n'su'in

The C"A then (it seems) he says that in Masechet Nazir, the explanation is continued and includes a more explicit statement about physical relations. It seems (to my simple reading) that he is attributing this also to Rashi, but the Rashi that I found (Nazir 23b) reads only

  בשעה שבא נחש וכו' '

and doesn't go any further (and I don't see other commentaries on the words which fill in what the claimed additions are).

Does anyone know of a fuller text of Rashi, or of another commentator, who says what the Chidushei Agadot claims is there, or can anyone help me understand the C"A in a different way?2


texts: What are the sources for a person from chutz la'aretz (the diaspora) to keep two days of Yom Tov when visiting Israel?


texts: Can one listen to "Noisecore" during the three weeks?

texts:
There is a genere of music ("") which has no rhythm, harmony or groove called "Noisecore". Unlike the nature of this question there are actual instruments involved

Can one listen to  such music during the three weeks despite instruments being involved? Is this still called called klei zemer?

Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMCutgP9P5c


texts: When during IVF are the parents' thoughts determining the level of the soul of their baby

texts:
I have read that the thoughts of a couple during marital relations does determine and effect the level of the soul they draw down for their baby.  What about a couple using IVF to conceive? When during the IVF process are the parents thoughts doing that same thing?  Is it their thoughts at the time  the egg and seed join in the Petri dish?  Is it their thoughts when the egg is placed back in the mother's womb?  Or some other time?

Edit to add:  I am asking about using the mother's own egg and the father's own sperm.  No donors no surrogate.


texts: Whence "בחזקת בשרי"?

texts:
Besides the main categories of meat, dairy, and pareve (non-meat, non-dairy) foods, two special subcategories of pareve foods are relevant to halacha (e.g. Yore Dea 93): pareve food cooked using clean meat utensils, and pareve food cooked using clean dairy utensils.

In America, those foods are colloquially known as "[meat/dairy/other words] kelim" or "[meat/dairy/other words] equipment". (Kelim means "receptacles".) In fact, what's probably the largest kashruth supervisory agency in the United States, the Orthodox Union, has in the past allowed products to have a "DE" certification mark, signifying "dairy equipment". And this all makes a lot of sense: the phrase "dairy equipment", or "meat kelim", or the like, refers, as a metonym, to the food that was prepared on such equipment.

In Israel, on the other hand, those foods are called "b'chezkas [b'sari/chalavi]", "with/in a chazaka of [meat/dairy]". In its normal uses in halacha, "chazaka" is probably best translated "status": it refers to the state that something or someone is in or can be presumed to be in absent evidence of a change of state. So these foods are called "with a status of meat" or "with a presumption of dairy" or the like. Why? They're not meat or dairy themselves; nor is there any halachic chazaka (that I know of) that says that they are. Where does this "b'chezkas" wording come from and why is this state referred to by this terminology?


texts: Do any poskim recommend giving a conditional divorce?

texts: For someone who married without a halachic pre-nuptual agreement, are there any halachic authorities who recommend giving a conditional get (bill of divorce) which stipulates that it would go into effect if/when one of the parties wishes to end the marriage?


texts: Seder advice when with people who aren't interested?

texts:
This may have some things in common with beginner's seder advice, but it's different enough that I'm asking separately.

For family-obligation reasons, I sometimes find myself at a seder where most of the people are not interested in the religious content -- the seder to them is a family reuinion with traditional elements.  (I've already tried "let's get together on day 3 instead"; won't fly.)  These are people who identify culturally but not religiously -- but they value home-based rituals for the sake of the ritual itself.  All of the attendees are teens or adults.

I have already (mostly) found ways to fulfill my own halachic obligations in such a setting (helped by long-running meals).  What, if anything, can I do to liven up this kind of seder and pique others' interest?

Should I bring midrashim that aren't in the haggadah (maybe people like stories)?  Should I ask questions (that I'm prepared to then answer if needed) about the haggadah?  Can I somehow make the theme of redemption more personal, in a way they could relate to?  (How?)

I don't want to be seen as "preaching" but I would like to find a way to improve the situation.


texts: What does the Cohen do with the pidyon money?

texts:
During a pidyon haben (redemption of 1st born son) the father gives the Cohen 5 silver shekels (or equivalent value.)

I'm not sure how much 5 silver shekel is worth in today's U.S. funds. But silver values are rising. I assume the Cohen can keep this money and do what he wishes, or must he use it only for holy purposes? What do Cohanim typically do with the money? Are they allowed to and do they ever return the money to the father?


texts: What is the view of the Noachide movement on bris milah for non-Jews descended from Abraham?

texts:
The Noachide movement is a movement that encourages non-Jews to follow the Seven Noahide laws---that is, the Mitzvot that are binding on Noach and his descendents (in other words, on all living humans). An apparently-typical statement from the movement would be the following (from here):

  According to Jewish teaching, the Torah of Moses contains a covenant
  (given at Mt Sinai) binding on the Jewish people consisting of 613
  commandments, and another known as the ‘Covenant of Noah’ consisting
  of seven commandments which is binding on all the peoples of the world
  who are not Jewish.

See here for more information on the movement. (It seems that the Rambam was of the opinion that Jews were obligated to try to encourage gentiles to follow the Noahide laws; this was very much a minority opinion among the sages but the contemporary Chasidic movement seems fairly well-disposed to Noahidism.)

My question is the following. When spreading awareness of the Noahide laws amongst B'nei Noach, one might think it should be equally important to spread knowledge of Bris Milah amongst B'nei Abraham who are not B'nei Yisrael. This doesn't seem to be a focus of the Noahide movement, and I presume there is a good reason for this---what is it?


texts: Source in Moreh Nevuchim which speaks of the reason why the Torah mentions the genealogy of the nations and why they were dispersed

texts:
Can anyone find me the exact wording of the Rambam in his Sefer Moreh Nevuchim, where he states that...

a fundamental principle of the תורה is that the universe was created ex nihilo, and  אדם was the forerunner of the human race since the human race was later dispersed over all the earth, and divided into different families speaking very dissimilar languages, people might come to doubt that they could all have originated from one person. Therefore the Torah records the genealogy of the nations, why they were dispersed, and the cause of the formation of their different languages.

(Quoted in the interlinear artscroll chumash [parashas noach 11:1-9])


texts: Why do we say "Shmini Atzeres Hachag Hazeh"?

texts: On all Yomim Tovim we say "Chag Hassukos Hazeh" or "Chag Hamatzos Hazeh" but on Shmini Atzeres/Simchas Torah we say "Shmini Atzeres Hachag Hazeh" going in a different order. Why do we change the order specifically on Shmini Atzeres?


texts: Contradictions between Federal and State Laws as they relate to Dina De'Malchusa

texts:
I am wondering about the laws of Dina d'malchuta dina in the United States when there is a contradiction between state and federal laws.

Case in point: In 2012 both Colorado and Washington passed state legislation that legalized the use of recreational marijuana. However, marijuana is still illegal under the federal Controlled Substance Act. Until recently1, the US Justice Department was still considering what policy to approach in such a discrepancy, which revolves around the ambiguously implied exo-constitutional powers stipulated in the 10th amendment2.

All of this makes me wonder about what the halacha would say. Disregarding the halachic issue of drug use, is it permissible to do something that's legalized in your state but illegal federally? What does the halacha say about state/federal conflicts of laws?

I'm not so familiar with current American state laws, otherwise I would have picked an example that is only halachically problematic because of its dina d'malcuta dina issue (and as has been answered previously, the issues of marijuana are broader than that).

 1. As of August 29, 2013, Attorney General Eric Holder has authorized Washington and Colorado "to create a regime that would regulate and implement the ballot initiatives that legalized the use of marijuana for adults."

 2. The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.


texts: All things being equal medically, if a person is going to donate a kidney is there halachic or hashkafic reason to presume donating one kidney would be better than the other?


texts: The application of "harm" in Shemot (Exodus) 21:22

texts:
Shemot (Exodus) 21:22:

  And if men strive together, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart, and yet no harm follow, he shall be surely fined, according as the woman's husband shall lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. (Translation from Mechon Mamre)

Does "harm" here apply only to the woman or also to the born baby?


texts: How did Jacob manage to have 12 children in 7 years?

texts:
Did Leah manage to have 6 sons and 1 daughter in the space of 7 years or was it over a longer period of time?

In general it seems difficult to fit all of Ya'akov's children into a 7 year period. Seeing as the other wives don't start giving birth till Yehuda is born and the first 4 children all come from Leah, how do they manage to have the other 8 kids in 3/4 years?

UPDATE:

And to add greater force to the question:

  Now it is not difficult to understand how Jacob could have had twelve
  children in seven years from four different women. No doubt a number
  of the children could have been born contemporaneously. However, it is
  amazing to read that Leah gave birth to seven of the twelve children
  which were born at that time. Of course, there is nothing biologically
  impossible about having seven children in seven years, but the real
  problem arises when we learn that during that seven year period,
      "Leah saw that she left off bearing, so she took Zilpah her handmaid,
      and gave her to Jacob to wife. And Zilpah, Leah's handmaid, bare Jacob
      a son. And Leah said, 'Fortunate!' and she called his name Gad. And
      Zilpah Leah's handmaid bear Jacob a second son. And Leah said, 'Happy
      am I!' For the daughters will call me happy! and she called his name
      Asher" (Gen. 30:9-13). How could Leah have borne seven children and
      have had a barren period in which her handmaid bore two children, all
      in seven years?

This quote is from: https://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/ted_hildebrandt/otesources/01-genesis/text/articles-books/zimmerman-jacobchronology-gtj.pdf


texts:
Given the following: (note please feel free to argue with any of these premises, but please also cite a source)

t'chias hamasim will only occur for the righteous
the righteous who are currently dead are enjoying eternal reward in olam haba (or possibly gan eden)
the reward of olam haba is greater than any reward that can exist in our physical world
during the time of t'chias hamasim one cannot receive reward for performing mitzvos because the reality of God's sovereignty will be totally apparent to all (thus annulling free choice).

How do we understand the purpose of t'chias hamasim? Why does it need to occur?


texts:
I see many zitzit nicely ending at the same length.

But when I tie my own zitzit, the strings often end up at very uneven lengths.

Am I allowed to cut them to make them even? If not how can I get them even in the first place?


texts: Why should G-d look at the parts of His creation?

texts:
THis part of the story of the Creation seriously puzzles me: G-d looking at His creation and checking/judging/evaluating it. Examples:

  וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָאוֹר כִּי־טוֹב וַיַּבְדֵּל אֱלֹהִים בֵּין הָאוֹר וּבֵין הַחֹשֶׁךְ׃
  God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness.

  וַיִּקְרָא אֱלֹהִים לַיַּבָּשָׁה אֶרֶץ וּלְמִקְוֵה הַמַּיִם קָרָא יַמִּים וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים כִּי־טוֹב׃
  God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering of waters He called Seas. And God saw that this was good.

  וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה וְהִנֵּה־טוֹב מְאֹד וַיְהִי־עֶרֶב וַיְהִי־בֹקֶר יוֹם הַשִּׁשִּׁי׃
  And God saw all that He had made, and found it very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Doesn't G-d know what He creates and how it comes out? That would be especially weird to the approach (Rashi) that nothing was actually created in the 6 days but in theory.

So, why did G-d look at His Creation?


texts: Towards the end of modim in shemonah esrei we say "הטוב כי לא כלו רחמך, המרחם כי לא תמו חסדך.״ Isn't this sentence mixed up, shouldn't it be הטוב כי לא כלו חסדך, המרחם כי לא תמו רחמך. Keeping kindness with kindness and mercy with mercy.


texts:
The Mishnah in Sheviis 7:4 seems to imply that it was fairly standard for people to buy a bechor (baal mum, obviously) from a Kohen to serve at special occasions, like Yom Tov or a wedding.

Is that practice mentioned more explicitly anywhere?  I'm interested both in the times of Chazal and more recently.  Does anyone give a reason (like if you can't give it as a korban, at least use it for a mitzvah)?


texts: Mordechai - Religious Leader or Political figure?

texts:
I'm looking to gather some more background, context, sources and opinions, regarding Mordechai's religiousness, or lack thereof.

This was the topic of a recent comment thread on Was Darius Jewish?, specifically on @avi's answer.
Though this was not the topic of the question nor the answer, a side comment turned into a long thread on this.
Instead of hashing it out there, and just between us, I thought it would be a good idea to gather some additional voices.

So, to the issue:
Many well-known midrashim pose Mordechai as a tzaddik, a religious leader, and even a member of the Sanhedrin. I'm sure we all learned these at one point or another.
On the other hand, reading the Megilla as a "story", focusing on the pshat, but taking into account the historical and cultural context, in addition to relevant background added by other books in the Tanach (such as Melachim Bet, Divrei Hayamim, and other Nevi'im) - it would seem that this was not the case. At the least, there is no evidence or basis for the "religious figure" theory, but rather the evidence seems (at least to me) to point in the opposite direction.

Now, taking into account the intended ambiguity, which is one of the most fundamental motifs of the Megilla, and the obvious historical distance, I don't expect to find "the one true history"...

But I am interested in hearing, what is the basis for the "religious leader" theory? Is there evidence for this, or is it "just" Midrash* ? What was the original source? What is the Midrash based on? (Obviously besides the Midrash itself, and the persuant discussions in e.g. Gmara*... )
Or, alternatively (and preferably), sources and explanations for the opposite theory?

EDIT: To emphasize, I am referring to Mordechai's "back story". Even according to the "non-religious" theory, there is plenty of room to allow for a change of heart as a result of the Purim events. Therefore anything that relates to his situation after the fact (such as @follick's excellent source in Nechemia) would be besides the point.

EDIT2: I don't intend on ignoring the midrashim, nor do I expect to be completely independant of them. Rather, I'm interested in the basis of those midrashim, as these are usually based on something, be it a reference, alliteration, extraneous wording, "secret" story, etc.

(*) I'm not belittling the importance of those Midrashim or the discussions in the Gmara, of course, but it is both important and extremely difficult to discern which stories are intended to be accepted literally, as "historical fact", and which not.
Hence this question.


texts: May a seller offer a reward on a sale, which he explicitly limits only to cash (not credit) sales?

texts:
It is forbidden to explicitly set two tiered pricing for sales, A lower price for cash payment & a higher price for credit (delayed) payment. The additional payment for credit is considered ribbis interest, as it is a payment for delaying the owed funds. (Mishnah BM 65b & Shulchan Aruch YD 173)
Question: May a seller offer a reward on a sale, which he explicitly limits only to cash sales. Is the buyer's forfeiting the receipt of the reward in exchange for delayed payment considered ribbis?

NOTE: I am reffering to a situation where charging more for delayed payment would be FORBIDDEN. My question is whether forfeiting the receipt of a gift given for cash payments is considered ribbis. If a certain situation would allow charging more for credit (or credit cards), that is not in my question.


texts: Is one allowed to wash and then wear shoes during the nine days

texts: I have a pair of shoes that I want to clean, (not just wipe down but put in the washing machine). I know this shouldn't be done for clothes but how about shoes?


texts: Why did G-d choose to speak creation into existence

texts:
“Great art is the outward expression of an inner life in the artist, and this inner life will result in his personal vision of the world.” - Edward Hopper.
In Menoras Hameor R. Yitzchak Abuhav explains: “Blessed is He Who spoke and the world came to be” - speech was the means by which the Holy One brought the heavens and the earth into being, as is written in Tehillim 33:9 “For He said and it came to be”. Our Sages teach (Bereshit Rabbah 44:22): “The word of the Holy One is actual deed (i.e. the actualization of it; making actual or really existent; it’s an act of coming into existence)”.
So when G-d spoke, through His words He brought the universe into being. (What He speaks into existence comes into existence).
But why did G-d choose to speak creation into existence? Why did G-d choose to ‘express Himself’ in this way; use speech as His instrument to create? (Why not create things in the way G-d created Adam).


texts: If Adam had eaten sooner, would he have survived?

texts:
According to Avos d'Rebbe Nassan 1:8 and Sanhedrin 38b, Adam was brought into Gan Eden in the ninth hour, was commanded not to eat in the tenth hour, ate in the eleventh hour, and was kicked out in the twelfth hour.

Does this mean that had Adam eaten during the ninth hour he would have had the "knowledge of good and bad" without sinning?


texts: Maseches Shekalim is the fourth Masechta in Seder Moed. While it opens up with the fact that the Beis HaMikdash treasurers would collect the Shekalim every Adar, the rest of the Masechta talks about what they did with the Shekalim, various vessels and positions in the Beis HaMikdash, and certain relevant halachos of Karbanos. Shouldn’t this Masechta be in Seder Kodshim? Why is the opening Mishnah, the one fact that they collected in Adar, so important that it lands the Masechta a spot in Moed, when most of the Masechta has nothing to do with any particular time of the year?


texts: What do we do to celebrate the happiest day of the year?

texts:
The Talmud in Taanis 29a says:

משנכנס אב ממעטין בשמחה
From when Av enters we reduce our happiness

and

משנכנס אדר מרבין בשמחה
From when Adar enters we increase our happiness

Since we are not told when we are to stop increasing our happiness, presumably we are to continually increase our happiness until Rosh Chodesh Av, when we are told to begin reducing.
So what do we do to celebrate the day before Rosh Chodesh Av, the happiest day of the year?

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


texts: Heter to call a mourner to the Torah on a weekday in the first week of his aveilus

texts:
A mourner in the first week of his aveilus was unable to pray at home and went to synagogue on a weekday where he was the only Kohen (or Levi).

Normally a mourner does not get called up to the Torah. In this case is there any permission to call up the mourner?

I was in a shul where the mourner did get an aliyah in such a case.


texts: אדנ-י יהו-ה - Significance to these two names of God used together?

texts:
In many places in Tanach, God is referred to as אדנ-י יהו-ה.

For example: David's speech in Shmuel II, 7:18-29 includes seven such references.

What is the significance for God being addressed in this way? What does the combination of these specific names of God teach us when they are combined in this way?


texts:
When we light the chanukiyah we say "she'asah nissim...b'yamim hahem bizman hazeh", with a past-tense "asah".  While the miracles worked in the past (b'yamim hahem) are in the past (tautology alert!), this also talks about today (zman hazeh).  Miracles are ongoing all the time but we use only the past tense?  Did the rabbis not include both past and present tenses because that would be cumbersome, or am I misunderstanding the grammar and this covers present too, or is there a reason to specifically focus on the past only?

I'm not sure if this is a grammar question or a theology question.


texts: The "Canon" - Basic Sefarim for a Shul Library?

texts: Our shul library has been neglected for many, many years, and b'h' we are finally cleaning and organizing it.  We have some great books, but I'd like to know of some resources identifying important books that we should make sure we have in our library.


texts:
I'm looking for sourced statements of modern technology possessed by King Solomon.

So far I have seen:
An answer here quotes the idea that King Solomon had a flying carpet of sorts.  The Ben Yehoyada (on "shiddim v'shiddos, Koheles) says that he had trains. The Gemara writes that he had a complex mechanical throne.

What other technology did they possess?


texts: Why should a הערמה be allowed and what are the guidelines for its use?

texts:
Gemoro Shabbos 139b speaks about cases of הערמה translated below as “artifice” or maybe “cheating”.

The scholars said to R. Ashi: See, sir, a Rabbinical disciple. whose
name is R. Huna b. Hiwan — others state, R. Huna b. Hilwon — who took
peel of garlic,13 placed it in the bung hole of a barrel, and
asserted, 'My intention is to put it away [here].'14 He also went and
dozed in a ferry and thus crossed to the other side and looked after
his fruit, asserting, 'My intention was to sleep.' Said he to them,
You speak of an artifice: it is an artifice [in connection with] a
Rabbinical [interdict].15 and a disciple of the Rabbis will not come
to do this at the very outset.16
Notes:

Jast. R. Han.: a head of garlic.

But actually it was to prevent the wine from running out, and thus he repaired the barrel, as it were.

For even if he did these without an artifice he would only violate a Rabbinical, not a Scriptural interdict.

Without an artifice — hence he does nothing wrong

It seems that  הערמה consists in allowing a rabbinically forbidden action with an excuse. It is allowed where we can trust that the person who does it will not come to transgress the  forbidden action without the excuse.
Why should a  הערמה be allowed and what are the guidelines?


texts: How would a Jew be allowed to sell gasoline in the U.S.?

texts:
This M.Y. question discusses the permissibility of using approximations in halacha. It says:

  The Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 258) says explicitly that one may not
  rely on such estimations by Choshen Mishpat

I.e. regarding monetary transactions, one should be stringent and not rely on approximations.

In the U.S. (and I think Canada, also) the price of gasoline is always $x.xx and 9/10 of a cent per gallon. Unless one bought a multiple of 10 gallons, he would be paying more to the gas owner.

Based on this principle, how would it be permissible for a Jew to sell gas?


texts: Source for the lion as a symbol for divine judgement?

texts:
I recall hearing that the lion symbolically represents Middat haDin, the attribute of divine justice, but I don't know of a source for this idea.

Is there a source which states that the lion is a symbol for divine judgment?


texts: Does Ezekiel 44:22 contradict the Torah?

texts:
Ezekiel 44:22 states: "Neither shall they [the priests] take for their wives a widow, nor her that is put away; but they shall take virgins of the seed of the house of Israel, and a widow that is the widow of a priest.

Yet Leviticus 21:14 states: "A widow, or one divorced, or a profaned woman, or a harlot, these shall he [the high priest] not take; but a virgin of his own people shall he take to wife."

Is there something I'm missing here?

Edit: Perhaps Ezekiel 44:22 isn't giving commandments but rather it's simply saying how righteous all the priests in the future are in general. In other words, the priests who are allowed to marry widows will marry widows of priests (those women will be righteous) if they do marry widows. The same applies with rest of the verse like how the priests who can't marry widows (i.e. the high priests) won't marry widows and they will marry virgins of Israel, etc.


texts:
I've been wondering: how much hamentashen must one consume on purim? Is this independent of type or amount of filling? If not, what kinds of hamentashen qualify?

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


texts:
Qitzur Shulhhan Arukh, Yalqut Yosef (Orahh Hayim 630:1) states:

הסוכה צריכה להיעשות משלש דפנות וסכך
[A] sukkah must be made of [a minimum of] three walls and sekhakh.

Why must a sukkah have three (or more) walls? Why is a structure built of two parallel walls insufficient to be a proper sukkah?


texts: My friend is embarrassed about exposing his body when going to the mikvah for nocturnal emission. How should I comfort him as a friend and tell it's importance? Is there any solution for his problem?


texts: When writing sheim Hashem, why do people replace one letter with a kuf/ as in קל, יקוק, ה', צבקות, שקי etc.?


texts: "Fathers shall not be put to death because of sons, nor shall sons be put to death because of fathers" - Contradiction?

texts:
Devarim 24:16

  Fathers shall not be put to death because of sons, nor shall sons be put to death because of fathers; each man shall be put to death for his own transgression.

Here is a passuk most people are familiar with. However, while reading last week's parsha (Shelach), I noticed an intriguing passuk that seems to contradict the above statement in Devarim.

Bamidbar 14:18

  'The Lord is slow to anger and abundantly kind, forgiving iniquity and transgression, Who cleanses [some] and does not cleanse [others], Who visits the iniquities of parents on children, even to the third and fourth generations.'

(The translation of the passukim are from Chabad.org)

There is something I do not understand here. G-d says he punishes the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generations, but later says that if a father sins, the children should not be held accountable and vice-versa. Am I missing something here? I checked in Rashi but he does not comment on the seemingly apparent contradiction.


texts: Does a mashgi'ach revoke a store's hashgacha when health department finds insects?

texts: The city health department has cited a kosher restaurant as having violations because they found mice and insects crawling on the food in the kitchen. Since mice and insects are non-kosher, I'm curious if, typically, a mashgiach would also temporarily revoke the restaurant's hashgacha until the problem is corrected. If this is not being done, commonly, should this be done, halachically?


texts:
I was reading a book called "Those who Returned" by R Yisrael Klapholtz and He writes that 40 years after the initial story of Yonah, Hashem had Yonah return to Ninveh and destroy it.

Is there a source for this?

(I searched many Midrashim and could not find it!)


texts:
Should one respond to a Kaddish that a mourner is not pronouncing the words properly?

I don’t know if this question has been asked before, but I found something similar - Is there such a thing as a Kaddish L'vatola?


texts:
Who knows three hundred and one?
?אחד ושלוש מאות - מי יודע
In the spirit of the song "Echad - mi yodeya", please post interesting and significant Jewish facts about the number 301.
Anyone who posts an answer consisting of just the lazy gematria is fired.
Check out mi-yodeya-series for the previous three hundred entries in this ongoing series.
Please include sources for your information wherever possible, as with all other answers on this site.


texts:
On shabbat for shacharit and mussaf, I am usually still davening shmoneh esre by the time the chazzan gets to kedusha. In this situation, can I hum to the tune of kedusha?

This essentially boils down to: At what point does use of your voice for something other than shmoneh esre in the middle of shmoneh esre become a hefsek?

Is saying "oyoyoy" in places where you're not allowed to speak (e.g. Shemoneh Esreh) a hefsek (interruption)? Does it make a difference that it doesn't have any consonant sounds (in which case "oyoyoy" would be permitted and "aididididi" forbidden)?


texts: During Yeshiva I remember some bochrim made a point of not putting the Jastrow dictionary on top of sefarim, and would often talk about how it does not have kedusha because it was written by an apikores. Was Marcus Jastrow really an apikores?


texts: What method of reasoning did Abraham use to reach Enlightenment?

texts:
What method(s) of reasoning did Abraham use to discover HaShem's existence and that he is Adon Olam? I'm wondering about particular methods.

[1] http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/434682/jewish/The-Abraham-Principle.htm
[2] http://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/2612/jewish/The-History-of-Monotheism.htm


texts:
One of the Sheva Brachos we say is:

  שמח תשמח רעים האהובים, כשמחך יצירך בגן עדן מקדם. ברוך אתה ה', משמח חתן וכלה.
  Grant perfect joy to these loving companions, as you did your creations in the Garden of Eden. Blessed are You, LORD, who grants the joy of groom and bride. (Translation from here)

What is the Perfect Joy that was in the Garden of Eden that we aspire to for our Bride and Groom?


texts:
Why in the first pasuk of Megillas Esther is it written that Ahasuerus is the Ahasuerus that ruled from India to kush? Where there other Ahasuerus's that were important enough that in our bible we wrote "that the Ahasuerus is the Ahasuerus..."

One answer that I though about was that it is like saying Henry the 5th, but in our Torah we try not to add more words if we can avoid it. Since in our generation we do not know the other Ahasuerus's this part of the pasuk looks redundant the pasuk could of bean written as:

  "וַיְהִי, בִּימֵי אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ:  הַמֹּלֵךְ מֵהֹדּוּ וְעַד-כּוּשׁ--שֶׁבַע וְעֶשְׂרִים וּמֵאָה, מְדִינָה"


texts:
On the evening of the day before Pesach, we search for Chametz and put aside what we find so that we may destroy it in some way the next morning. Before we start, we make the bracha "al biur chametz" (on the "removal/burning/destruction" of the Chametz).

But we don't destroy the Chametz until the next day. We simply put it aside (and may even consume chametz the next morning). The bracha which we made is on the completion of the act (which might, according to this answer, stretch out until the chag begins), the destruction.

As far as I have seen in siddurim, though, the concern about hefsek, an interruption, relates to the time between saying the bracha and starting the search, as per #13 here.

If the bracha actually applies to an action taken the next morning, why wouldn't there be an concern of hefsek from the moment one makes the bracha, until the moment the fire/destruction completes the act (or, as per that other answer, the holiday begins, completing the obligation)?

N.B. -- the issue might relate to the use of "al biur" according to those opinions which say that the formulation indicates imminent completion of the commandment, though it seems that some do not agree with that distinction (as per here). Also, there seems to be an idea that the search is not the completion.


texts: Is there a term for wine poured for a kosher libation?

texts:
Yayin nesach is the term used for libation wine poured for idol worship.

Is there a term for wine offered on the Altar in a kosher sacrifice?


texts:
In B'Midbar 11:31 it is stated:

וְרוּחַ נָסַע מֵאֵת יי וַיָּגָז שַׂלְוִים מִן־הַיָּם וַיִּטֹּשׁ עַל־הַֽמַּחֲנֶה כְּדֶרֶךְ יֹום כֹּה וּכְדֶרֶךְ יֹום כֹּה סְבִיבֹות הַֽמַּחֲנֶה וּכְאַמָּתַיִם עַל־פְּנֵי הָאָֽרֶץ

"A wind went forth from the Lord and swept quails from the sea and spread them over the camp about one day's journey this way and one day's journey that way, around the camp, about two cubits above the ground."

Are שַׂלְוִים definitively quails? I ask because it states they came מִן־הַיָּם which could mean from the sea, or from the west. Comparing this, the complainers remembered the "fish" from Mitzrayim. Could it be that they ate fish of some sort rather than quail, or are there any sources that insinuate a definite definition of שַׂלְוִים?


texts: Are there Ribbis implications in this transaction and what are they?

texts:
Reuven wants to lend Shimmon money backed by a piece of real estate that belongs to Shimmon. Instead of lending money, they make a deal that Reuven will purchase the real estate for the amount of money and as part of the deal Shimmon has an option to buy back the real estate at a later time for a pre-determined price which is higher than the original amount.

So, for example, Reuven purchases it for $10,000 and Shimmon has a contractual option to buy it back at $12,000 a year later.

Are there any Ribbis implications in this contemplated transaction, and if so what?


texts: There's a general rule that non-Mezonos (or Hamotzi) items can be eaten outside a Sukkah (not should, but can). Does the same apply to rice, which is only "somewhat" Mezonos (Borei Nefashos is said after eating it), or does rice also fall into the same category as bread and cookies?


texts: Can Sefardim eat meat in the homes of Ashkenazim?

texts:
In light of the details found in answers to this question, which suggest that neither Chassidish nor glatt nor non-glatt Ashkenazi meat is halachically acceptable for Sefardim, would there be any leniency for a Sefardi to eat meat in the home of an Ashkenazi? Presumably, the Ashkenazi would not be serving Beit Yosef meat, since--according to details in the first link above--that meat would not be kosher for the Ashkenazi himself (at least if he held to the glatt standard, and possibly also if he did not).*

Are there any kashrus standards for meat that would certainly be acceptable to both Ashkenazim and Sefardim in the stricter (i.e., ~glatt-eating) groups?

(*I've encountered both opinions on whether both glatt and non-glatt Ashkenazim may eat beit yosef meat. CYLOR if it applies to you)


texts: Should an unmarried woman light one or two Shabbat candles? I have seen both practices, but it seems that only little girls light one candle and that a grown-up woman lights two although she is not married. (I light two following the logic of "shamor and zachor".) I know a married woman lights two.


texts: What is the exact source of the "hadeq heteiv, heteiv hadeq" passage from Seder HaKorbanot in Shacharit?

texts:
Warning: extreme Talmud beginner here.
In the Koren siddur, in the readings on korbanot before Shacharit (pp. 46–47 in the Hebrew/English siddur), there is the following passage:

תַּנְיָא, רַבִּי נָתָן אומֵר: כְּשֶׁהוּא שׁוחֵק אומֵר, הָדֵק הֵיטֵב הֵיטֵב הָדֵק, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהַקּול יָפֶה לַבְּשמִים.
It was taught, Rabbi Nathan says: While [the ketoret] was being ground, another would say, "Grind well, well grind," because the [rhythmic] sound is good for spices.

This is from a whole section on the ketoret that is cited no more specifically than "Keritot 6a". I want to know the most precise possible way to cite this specific excerpt. The problem is that I can't find it on that daf.
Now, I don't actually have a physical copy to look at. I was hoping I would find it on Sefaria, but I can't find any of these words on their page for Keritot 6a. I managed to get close on 6b, but it's still not the whole passage.
Can somebody tell me exactly what Koren is quoting here and where I can find it in context?
Edit 2/14: Yaacov's answer is noted, and I have sent a link to this thread to Koren to see if we can get some detailed info.
Edit 2/15: I got an answer from Koren. I'll post it as an answer below, but I think it could use a sanity-check from other users, since I'm new at Gemara.


texts:
In Hilchos Megillah V'Chanukah, the Rambam writes in 2:15

  טו. כיצד חובת סעודה זו שיאכל בשר ויתקן סעודה נאה כפי אשר תמצא ידו,
  ושותה יין עד שישתכר וירדם בשכרות

Why does the Rambam switch from future tense ("you should eat meat") to present tense ("and drink wine...")?


texts: A kohen who marries Gerusha as Mashgiach

texts: Is a Kohen who marries a Gerusha(divorcee) but is observant in Shabbos and Kashrus allowed to be a Mashgiach of a food processor/restaurant?


texts:
Under what conditions, if any, is boreh nefashot said on hot coffee/tea?

If one is unsure if he drank "cheekfuls" is he exempt?


texts: Did Yakov ever find out the truth about the sale of Yosef?

texts: Curious why the Torah never mentions anything about Yaakov inquiring as to what actually happened to Joseph and how he got to Egypt. Is there any scriptural basis to suggest he became aware of the sale of Joseph?


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

Upvote all interesting answers.

Accept the best answer.

Go on to the next number.


texts:
Shemos 15:21:

  וַתַּעַן לָהֶם מִרְיָם שִׁירוּ לַיהֹוָה כִּי גָאֹה גָּאָה סוּס
  וְרֹכְבוֹ רָמָה בַיָּם

  And Miriam called out to them, Sing to the Lord, for very exalted is
  He; a horse and its rider He cast into the sea

Who was Miriam talking to? It sounds like she was instructing the women to sing, but להם is masculine.

My father just posed this question on the family chat. Does anyone have anything on this?


texts: I recently saw by a Friday night dinner that the challah bread was dipped in salt a few times. Is there a specific amount of times to dip it, and why dip it in the first place?


texts: Mehudar K'tav: erasing touching letters before continuing

texts:
One of the hiddurim on my tefillin is that any letters which touch are erased and re-written before continuing. However, if I recall properly, the Kesset haSofer (Siman 7) requires that this be done lechatchila.

Considering this, why would this be considered a hiddur?


texts:
Is a magnetic version of scrabble permitted to be played on shabbos? Generally, Scrabble is not considered writing (although there may be other problems if you usually write while playing) but Shemiras Shabbas Kehilchasa (beginning of perek 15 as well as other modern day sefarim) mentions that the deluxe versions that are framed are a problem of Koseiv, so I'm wondering if the magnetic version is a problem? The comparison would be that both of these editions makes it morre permanent. If so, please specify if mi'dioraysa, mi'drabanan, or just as a chumra.
Also if there is a problem of tofeir please adress that as well, although generally these type of games aren't permanent at all.


texts: Are questions of the form “Why is XYZ true of this Sidrah” “valid”?

texts:
As far as I can tell, where the weekly Sidra breaks start and end are somewhat arbitrary: it doesn’t seem to matter how long the Sidros are, as long as there are enough Pesukim for seven aliyos, each of which are at least three Pesukim, cannot begin or end in certain places. The only restrictions, seemingly, is that the Tochacha in Bechukosai is read before Shavuos and that the Tochacha in Ki Savo is read before Rosh Hashanah.

Yet many questions are asked about why certain Sidros are the way they are: the famous question of why Moshe’s name is missing from Tetzaveh, Rabbi Dovid Feinstein’s sefer on the notes on the Sidros’ Pesukim counts, etc. etc.

As the Sidros seem to be pretty much arbitrarily broken up, such questions seem to be invalid. “Why does Tetzaveh lack Moshe’s name?” I dunno, because his name happens to be missing from those Pesukim, and whoever broke up the Sidros decided to make a Sidra split in those places such that Moshe’s name gets cut out? Such questions seem to be based on a false premise.

Yet many Gedolim still ask such questions (refer once again to Rav Dovid Feinstein’s Sefer, for instance). Is there something wrong with my logic? Are they just asking according to the common minhag, not that there’s anything inherent in the Sidros, per se? What am I missing here that such questions are asked without hesitation?


texts:
The bracha over wine and grape juice says "בורא פרי העץ". The word בורא is also used in many of the other brachot over food and smells.

My understanding is that the meaning of the verb-root ב.ר.א. is "to create ex nihilo". So why is this the language of the bracha?  Considering the fact that the verb is in the present tense, I would expect it to describe the way the food comes into existence nowadays.  For example, "המוציא לחם מן הארץ" describes God as the one who "brings bread from the earth" since wheat grows from the earth and it makes sense to thank God for allowing that to happen.

So why do brachot over fruit and grapes use the language of לברוא?  Fruit grows from the ground (or a tree) just like wheat does. So why not use a more appropriate verb?


texts: People half-standing for אלקינו in zimun

texts:
When conducting a zimun with ten or more men, the nusach is to say "...ברוך אלקינו שאכלנו משלו".

I have noticed that many people, when saying the word "אלקינו", get up from their seats at least a little bit, similar to the respectful gesture many people do when the rav gets up to speak.

What is the reason (if there is one at all) for this practice, and what is its source?


texts: I heard once that the poskim permit "gram mav'ir" on yom tov l'tzrich gadol. For example if someone wants to use a platta (hot plate) that they forgot to plug in they may plug it in with a Shabbos clock that will later turn on the hot plate. Where does it say that gram mav'ir is permitted on yom tov? Who were/are the poskim that discuss this?


texts: Where on the date palm tree does the lulav come from?

texts:
Having looked at a number of date palms I cannot seem to locate where the closed fronds (lulav) on the date palms actually are.

The majority of fronds that are visible on a date palm have open/dispersed leaves. Where on the date palm tree are the closed fronds located and does each date palm only have one lulav or several?

(Answers containing diagrams would be most helpful)


texts:
Are there any authorities who suggest that the reason for the Minhag for women to avoid Melacha (creative work) while the Chanukah candles are lit is because we are worried they may come to use the chanukah candles light (which is prohibited)?

Bonus: Are there any Poskim who therefore suggest that since we now have a 'Shamash' candle and/or electricity (which are permitted to be used), this minhag no longer applies?


texts: Why isn't steeping tea a מלאכה שאינה צריכה לגופה?

texts:
The definition of the m'lacha of cooking/baking on Shabas is "effecting a change in an object through (fire-based) heat".  This is alluded to in the very first paragraph of Sh'miras Shabas K'hilchasah —

  כל המכשיר דבר לאכילה על ידי חום האש או תולדותיה, הרי זה עובר על איסור בישול.

— and is my understanding from elsewhere, too, though I don't recall where. (SSK cites no source for this.)

Now, when you steep tea leaves in hot water, you are effecting a change in them: they go from raw to cooked. However, the steeping is done not to effect a change in the leaves at all: you will discard the leaves, and don't care whether they are raw or cooked. It's done, rather, to effect a change in the hot water — specifically, to flavor it. If the hot water is hot permissibly, then the act of steeping the tea leaves in it should be considered a m'lacha sheenah tz'richa l'gufah, an act of m'lacha that is not needed for the definitional purpose of the m'lacha, much like the standard, classic example of extinguishing a flame for other than collecting the ashes. It should thus be forbidden only mid'rabanan and not mid'oray'sa.

So it seems to me.

Yet Mishna B'rura 318:39 and Aruch Hashulchan :28 say steeping tea leaves is forbidden mid'oraysa. (More precisely, they say one who does so is liable to be stoned or to bring a korban, both of which are only for transgressors of d'oray'sa prohibitions.) Why don't they consider it enah tz'richa l'gufah?