texts: Who should one credit? A question on the Bartenura

texts:
This question might be larger than just on the Bartenura, but it was a passage in his commentary on the Mishna that inspired it:

In Menachot 8:7, the mishna states that the Temple treasurer would watch the pouring of wine for libations in order to check that there was neither froth nor sediment in it, and that he would strike with his stick (perhaps against the side of the barrel) once it was time to stop pouring. The Bartenura comments on this, suggesting that the reason that he used a stick rather than his voice is that speech is harmful to wine (לפי שהדבור קשה ליין).

He credits this idea to his teachers (...ורבותי פירשו), but also acknowledges that it's found in the gemara (והכי מפרש בגמרא...). In fact, it appears in the gemara almost exactly as the Bartenura transcribed it:

  אמר רבי יוחנן כשם שהדיבור יפה לבשמים כך דיבור רע ליין

  Rabbi Yohanan said: Just as speech is good for [the grinding of]
  herbs, so is speech harmful to [the pouring of] wine.

  Menachot 87a (≈ Keritot 6b)

My question is: if the gemara provides this explanation explicitly, why did the Bartenura credit it to his teachers? And if the point was merely to show honour to his own rabbonim, why would one ever credit something to the gemara if they heard it from their teacher first?


texts: How can cheese which be both kosher for Pesach and use “unsupervised milk” (cholov akum)?

texts:
A certain Kashrus authority supervises cheese which is both kosher for Pesach and uses “unsupervised milk” (cholov akum).

What level of supervision for cheese is needed to ensure it is  kosher for Pesach and why is this not sufficient to render the milk cholov yisroel?


texts:
Devarim 23:6 - דברים כו פסוק ו

  וְלֹֽא־אָבָ֞ה הוי"ה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ לִשְׁמֹ֣עַ אֶל־בִּלְעָ֔ם וַיַּהֲפֹךְ֩ הוי"ה אֱלֹקיךָ לְּךָ֛ אֶת־הַקְּלָלָ֖ה לִבְרָכָ֑ה כִּ֥י אֲהֵֽבְךָ֖ הוי"ה אֱלֹקיךָ׃
  But the L-RD your God refused to heed Balaam; instead, the L-RD your
  Gd turned the curse into a blessing for you, for the L-RD your Gd
  loves you.

Gemara 7a -- גמרא ברכות דף ז עמוד א

  דאמר להו נביא לישראל עמי זכר נא מה יעץ בלק מלך מואב וגו׳ מאי למען דעת
  צדקות ה׳

  And that is what the prophet said to Israel: “My nation, remember what
  Balak king of Moab advised, and how Balaam, son of Beor, responded;
  from Shittim to Gilgal, so that you may know the righteous acts of
  the L-rd” (Micah 6:5). What is meant by the statement: “So that you
  may know the righteous acts of the L-rd”?

  אמר רבי אלעזר אמר להם הקדוש ברוך הוא לישראל דעו כמה צדקות עשיתי עמכם
  שלא כעסתי בימי בלעם הרשע שאלמלי כעסתי לא נשתייר משונאיהם של ישראל שריד
  ופליט

  Rabbi Elazar said that the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Israel:
  Know how many righteous acts I performed on your behalf, that I did
  not become angry during the days of Bilaam the wicked, for had I
  become angry, there would have been no remnant or survivor remaining
  among the enemies of Israel, [a euphemism for Israel itself]. Instead,
  Gd restrained His anger and Bilaam’s curse went unfulfilled.

Question:

Why is it that the fact that Hashem turned the curse into a blessing considered an act of showing the love of Hashem toward Yisrael, and the fact that Hashem did not become angry during the days of Bilaam is considered a "righteous act" of Hashem?


texts:
In certain cases, the Torah prescribes the bringing of a pair of birds as an offering, one as a chatat and the other as an olah. See Lev 12:8, Lev 14:22, Lev 15:14, Lev 15:29, and Num 6:10.
Kinnim 3:1 (3:2 in some versions) describes the case of several women who need to bring various numbers of birds. All the birds were mixed up, and half were offered as chataot and half as olot. The mishna describes how many offerings were valid (translation edited from Sefaria):

אחת לזו, ושתיים לזו, ושלוש לזו, ועשר לזו, ומאה לזו. עשה...  חציין למעלן, וחציין למטן: המרובה כשר.  זה הכלל:  כל מקום שאתה יכול לחלוק את הקינים, ולא יהו משל אישה אחת בין למעלן, בין למטן — מחצה כשר, ומחצה פסול; ובכל מקום שאין אתה יכול לחלוק את הקינים, עד שיהו משל אישה אחת בין למעלן, בין למטן — המרובה כשר.
One [pair] from this woman and two [pairs] from this woman and three [pairs] from this woman and ten [pairs] from this one woman and one hundred [pairs] from this woman: ... If he [the Kohen] did half above and half below, the number of birds in the largest group [one hundred] are valid. This is the rule: Anytime you can divide the pairs so that one woman's birds will not be both above [the mid-line] and below [the mid-line], half will be valid and half will be invalid. Anytime you cannot divide the pairs other than such that one woman's [birds] will both above and below [the mid-line], the number of birds in the largest group are valid.

The rule explains the explicit example well: if five women have 1, 2, 3, 10, and 100 pairs, then it is impossible to arrange the 232 birds such that each women's birds are entirely chataot or entirely olot. Thus, the example agrees with the rule that the number of pairs in the largest group (ie. 100) is valid.
However, this rule only works if the largest number is at least the sum of all the smaller numbers. But if four women bring 1, 1, 1, and 2 pairs, then there are always 3 valid chataot and 3 valid olot (and 3 is neither half of the total number of pairs nor the number of pairs in the largest group). This occurs anytime the largest group has fewer birds than the remaining birds.
What is going on here? How have commentators addressed this issue?


texts: Significance of reciting Baruch Shem out loud during the Shema

texts:
During Shaharith and Ma'ariv prayer we recite the phrase Baruch Shem immediately after reciting the Shema:

  בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד

However, unlike the Shema, which has the distinction of being one of the few verses recited out loud, Baruch Shem must be recited in an undertone.  I seem to recall reading somewhere that the authorities in ancient Babylon heard Baruch Shem being recited in a synagogue and interpreted this to be a breach of allegiance to the king.  This then resulted in hostility towards the Jewish community, prompting the Rabbis to prohibit reciting Baruch Shem out loud, except on Yom Kippur.

Fast forwarding to the present time, I have heard ba'al batim, including a Rabbi, reciting Baruch Shem semi-audibly in various Chabad shuls.  My actual question is what is the reason for certain Chabad people reciting Baruch Shem out loud, or partially out loud?  I could speculate that since some of them believe that we are already living in Messianic times, therefore the prohibition against saying Baruch Shem out loud is no longer valid.  But this is just a guess, not founded in anything solid.


texts:
The Mishna Berura Siman 51 :1 says that you should kiss the 2 front Tzitzis when you finish saying Boruch Sheomar.

http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=14170&st=&pgnum=155

1 - Why do we kiss the Tzitzis after Boruch Sheomar?

2 - Why only the 2 front ones?


texts:
I'm looking to view Talmud bavli in standard Oz v'hdar daf format on Kindle. Has anyone seen this?

I know how to do this; however, I am wondering if someone has already done this and can provide the results, whether for free or commercially.


texts: Does the Talmud continue to use extra Tanachic sources?

texts:
I'm trying to draw an analogy between the written and the oral Torah. After the Mishna was signed, the Sages continued to use extra-Mishnaic sources forever (Toseftah,  Midrashim, etc).

After the 24 books of the Tanach were finalized/canonized, does the Talmud (the Sages) include citations or references to extra-Tanachic books (Ben Sirah, 1-2- Maccabees, Sefer Zerubavel, Sefer Chanoch, Sefer Raziel, and many others, thanks Yaacov Deane)? Or none of them are mentioned, but the 24 books?


texts:
Does one now (or ever in the past) have to listen to the instructions of an angel?
If so, would that include listening if the angel told you to violate a Torah commandment (either temporarily or permanently)?


texts:
Are there any Jewish sources that permit cremation? Jews generally frown upon cremation since the body was created by G-d and should be treated with respect (out of respect for G-d). However, some biblical figures such as King Saul were cremated since his body was mutilated by the Philistines and had decomposed.

Are their other circumstances in which cremation is necessary, say if a person died in a fire. And if so, what are the spiritual components.

Sources, please.


texts: Dictionary of symbology in Kodshim and Taharot

texts:
I'm wondering if anyone has ever put together a book that lists all the different elements that can come up in the realms of Kodshim and Taharot (e.g. bulls, the number seven, water, slaughtering, etc.) along with traditional explanations for what they each may symbolize.

I realize that the idea that these elements are meant to symbolize anything, as opposed to simply being elements of God's Commandments, which we obey without worrying about their meanings, is not a universally-held opinion. However, there are those who do discuss symbolic meanings in these practices, so the book I'm wondering about would be based on their teachings. For example, R' Hirsch's commentary on the Torah makes repeated and consistent reference to many such symbolic elements.

It seems to me that such a book could be very useful when studying these areas in particular. People tend to treat them as rather esoteric, partly because they're mostly not in practice currently, and partly because they deal with essentially spiritual causes and effects that aren't obviously connected to natural phenomena that we're familiar with. With the sort of dictionary that I describe at one's side, one could analyze a complicated procedure, or even a hypothetical complicated procedure in the Talmudic debates, in part by breaking it down into its constituent elements and analyzing what each one is taken to symbolize.


texts: According to the Jewish calendar year, what year was king David born?


texts: Why are Masekhtot referred to by content while Humashim by their first word(s)?

texts:
Hamishah Humshe'i Torah (i.e. The Five Books of Moses) are most commonly referred to by the first word(s) in each (e.g. "Bereshit bara", "We'eleh HaDevarim"), though I'm aware of  commentators (e.g. RaSh"I, RaMBa"N) who periodically refer to these Humashim by their content (e.g Genesis for Creation, Exodus for leaving Egypt).

Nevertheless, I'm aware of very few examples where Masekhtot (i.e. tractates) of either Talmud (Bavli or Yerushalmi) are referred to by their first word(s) (e.g. what many call Masekhet Be'itzah, many Sepharadim call Masekhet "Yom Tov"). Instead, in my (limited) experience, the Masekhtot are largely referred to by content (e.g. Berakhot, Shabbat).

Why the discrepancy? Would it not have been more consistent for everyone to refer to the Humashim by their content or to the Masekhtot by their first word(s) (e.g. Masekhet Me'emata'i for Berakhot)?


texts: Climate and growing season in Iron Age Israel and Judah

texts:
Jan A Wagenaar, Origin and Transformation of the Ancient Israelite Festival Calendar, Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden 2005, proposes that the Feast of Unleavened Bread was originally in the month of Iyar, not Nisan.  He argues this by pointing out that the feast was originally at the time of the barley harvest (Exodus 9:31-32) and not assigned to a fixed date in the calendar.  He asserts, citing D.C. Hopkins, The Highlands of Canaan: Agricultural Life in the Early Iron Age, SWBAS, Sheffield, 1985, that the climate of Iron Age Palestine is about the same as today’s.  Then he notes that the barley harvest in the lowlands of what is now Israel begins at the beginning of May, and later in the highlands.  For this he cites a study of Palestinian agriculture from the first half of the 20th century, G. Dolman, Arbeit und Sitte in Palästina, Gutersloh, 1928-1942.  He quotes from Dolman 4 dates for the beginning of the barley harvest near Jerusalem:  June 3rd, 1911, May 21 1913, May 16th 1921, and May 24th 1925.  This is too late to fall consistently in the Babylonian month of Nisanu which in the time of Artaxerxes I (reigned 464 BCE-424 BCE) began as early as March 26th, though as late as April 23rd. (R.A. Parker and W.H. Dubber stein, Babylonian Chronology 626 B.C. - A.D. 75, Brown University Press, 1956).
The hypothesis that the Feast of Unleavened Bread could not have fallen always in Nisan in the late Iron Age depends on the proposition that the climate of modern Israel is the same as in the Iron Age kingdoms of Israel and Judah.  Does anyone have access to climatological studies that would refute or confirm this?  I found this study on-line, in which one author holds that

the climate of the eastern Mediterranean generally has fluctuated in a fairly narrow range since the latter half of the EB IV.

which would support Wagenaar’s hypothesis.


texts: Maleh month with Rosh Chodesh on Shabbos

texts: Does our Jewish calendar contain a Maleh month with its first day starting on Shabbos (contain parts of six calendar weeks), and if yes, how often does it occur?


texts: Do animals have a share in the world to come?

texts: Is it stated anywhere what happens to animals when they die? I think it is stated somewhere they have no share in the world to come, so what happens to them after they die? This topic interests me greatly.


texts: Who does the post mortem Tahara on a transgender person?

texts:
Do men do the Tahara on the transgender who is currently a male and viceaversa for a women? I am asking about a transsexual person who died and who had changed his physical sex using surgery.

Or do we say that the change in gender is not recognized and we follow the birth sex for purposes of the Tahara? i.e. a born man will be attended to by men...


texts: I believe in Jesus and also believe in the way the Jewish faith see God so I am asking how can I do teshuvah while not losing my faith? Is it the same steps since I’m a gentile?


texts: Must there be explicit assigning of a Shaliach?

texts:
I don't really understand the laws of shlichut, designating a proxy to perform a mitzvah so I hope the question makes sense.

Does someone have to assign me the role of shaliach on his behalf, or can I (knowing he will not be mekayem the mitzvah otherwise) take on the role of shaliach and perform the mitzvah "for him" as it would be to his advantage?

The text of kaparot in my machzor includes "zeh chalifatchem" which is, according to the notes, said by one man on behalf of other men. Must they have said that they want to be exempted through someone else?

Can I give matanot l'evyonim on behalf of my family or friends who aren't going to do it, even though none of them (family or friends) has asked me to give on their behalf?


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

Upvote all interesting answers.

Accept the best answer.

Go on to the next number.


texts: Feeling compassion for re'shaim and the mitzvah to hate

texts:
There are certain (specific) cases where it is correct or even a mitzvah to hate someone else. [See The following sources: Tehillim 97:10 and 139:21, Amos 5:15, Mishlei 8:13, Pesachim 113b, Sefer HaMitzvos HaGadol Mitzvas Asei 9, Sefer Yereim Mitzvah 224.]

My question is: In cases that a Jew is obligated to hate a person, is there any room to also love him or have compassion for him?

Also, is there any episode, specifically in Tanach, where the Jewish people went to war against another people and nevertheless we find that they were (correctly) empathetic or felt love or compassion for the enemy?

Edit: We do find that Moshe Rabeinu did not lead the war against Midyan because he had hakoras hatov for living there (Medresh Tanchuma). I always thought this was incredible. One person/family in Midyan (Yisro) who was ostracized and excommunicated by the other citizens hosted him for a while (and to begin with it was not li'shem shamayim since Yisro was trying to find someone to marry his daughter and no one else was willing to because of the excommunication) and Moshe will not lead the war against other people who caused thousands of the Jewish people to die and sin. Wow! The implications of this hakoras hatov for us are hard to understand (in my mind).


texts: Is showing excessive honor to Gedolim idolatry?

texts:
At what point is the kavod shown toward the Gedolim considered idolatry?

Terms like 'Gadolatry' are sometimes used as if to indicate that too much respect is being shown for certain rabbis to the point that it is akin to a form of idolatry - or perhaps even actual idolatry.

When is it called kavod haTorah and at what point should this - at times excessive -admiration be considered idolatry (if at all)?


texts: Punishment of people who believed in the spies' report. How was it determined how long they should live?

texts:
Except for Kalev and Yehoshua, everyone over age 20 was destined to die within the 40 years wandering in the desert.

Was there any criteria used as to how many more years a specific person was to live within those 40 years?


texts: Why dont we say the blessing of shehechayanu by the Omer counting?

texts: If it's a new mitzvah of the season, why no shehecheyanu?


texts: When the חזן has finished and a mourner is saying קדיש, at what point is it correct for the חזן to leave the עמוד?

texts:
When the חזן has finished the prayers and a mourner is saying קדיש, at what point is it correct for him to remove his טלית (if he is wearing one) and leave the עמוד?

On the one hand it seems respectful to stay until the mourner has finished - on the other it seems that the חזן is waiting to get the praise for his prayers.


texts: What's the difference in Biblical Hebrew between "zahav" and "paz"? Artscroll calls one "gold", the other "fine gold."  Any other distinctions?


texts: Why don't translations of Tehilim 119 translate נשף like the Gemara?

texts:
The Gemara on Berachos 3b asserts that נשף can mean either "dawn" or "evening", and cites Tehilim 119:147 as an instance of "evening".

However, every translation I have seen of this verse - the mechon-mamre above, the Metsuda Tehilim, and Artscroll, whose Gemara translation I am also using - translates neshef as "dawn".  Why?


texts: How exactly does one fulfill Kove'a Itim La'Torah?

texts: There is an obligation to set "times for learning torah." How exactly does one fulfill this obligation? Do you have to designate specific times in the day e.g. 9-9:30 am, or can it be a specific amount of time of learning each day at any time? And does it have to be time specifically? (As opposed to pages, etc.) sources, please.


texts:
In the current pandemic, there seem to be diverse opinions, both of medical/government officials and of religious leaders regarding communal gatherings for religious services.  For example, some shuls and schools have been closed entirely, while others have imposed limitations regarding the number and spacing of congregating worshippers and students.

What historical halachic rulings and/or responsa are there from past contagious epidemics/pandemics, such as the cholera epidemic of 1831, regarding maintaining or limiting torah study in Yeshivot (of adolescents and/or adults) as well as that of tinokot shel beit raban (children's schools)?

Related (regarding prayer): R' Akiva Eiger and the epidemic


texts: Shisha Va-arba'im Ushlosh Meyot - mi yodeya?

texts:
Who knows three hundred forty six?
ששה וארבעים ושלוש מאות - מי יודע?
The traditional Passover song "Echad - mi yodeya" implies a possible presupposition that there is a Jewish significance to be found for each natural number. Accordingly, there is an ongoing series on Mi Yodeya that is attempting to unearth significant Judaism facts about each number, in sequence.
What significant Judaism facts are there about the number 346? The more significant within Judaism and the more intrinsically dependent on the value 346, the stronger the answer. Please include sources for your information wherever possible, as with all other answers on this site.
Together, we we shall build for Hashem my G-d a list of numbers on this mi-yodeya series the likes of which the world has never seen since the days of Elisha. Please refrain from lazy gematrias.


texts: How can you bring a korban if it is not yours?

texts: As soon as I am makdish (sanctify) an animal for a korban it is now owned by the beis hamikdash. To the extent that if I were to use that animal to do work for me I would be chayav for meilah (stealing from the temple). If so, how can a person ever bring a korban? The korban has to be yours yet as soon as you are makdish it it is no longer yours!?


texts: What are the arguments for and against the now-widespread practice of selling חמץ prior to פסח?


texts: Can I use a Lulav or Esrog from last year?

texts:
Suppose I'm able to perfectly preserve one (or all) of the Arbaah Minim from last year so that they are still in "mint condition."

Can I use them again this year?


texts: What astronomical event, if any, do the 6 tekufos correspond to?

texts:
Bava Metzia 106b speaks of 6 tekufos

  רשב"ג משום ר"מ אומר וכן היה רבי שמעון בן מנסיא אומר כדבריו חצי תשרי
  מרחשון וחצי כסליו זרע, חצי כסליו טבת וחצי שבט חורף, חצי שבט אדר וחצי
  ניסן קור, חצי ניסן אייר וחצי סיון קציר, חצי סיון תמוז וחצי אב קיץ, חצי אב
  אלול וחצי תשרי חום. רבי יהודה מונה מתשרי ר"ש מונה ממרחשון

which רש"י

  חצי תשרי וכו'. שש תקופות שהובטחו לנח ובניו קמפרש

says is based on the pasuk in parashas Noach, B'reshis 8:22

  עֹד כָּל יְמֵי הָאָרֶץ זֶרַע וְקָצִיר וְקֹר וָחֹם וְקַיִץ וָחֹרֶף וְיוֹם וָלַיְלָה לֹא יִשְׁבֹּתוּ:
  So long as the earth exists, seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease

The Yerushalmi in Bikurim 10a makes reference to Tekufas Shvat (also see P'nei Moshe).

  רבי ירמיה רבי אימי בשם רבי יוחנן רבי סימון בשם רבי יהושע בן לוי הכל
  מודין שראש השנה שלו בט"ו בשבט. רבי יוחנן שאל לרבי יונתן כסדר של שנים
  או כסדרן של תקופות. אמר ליה כסדרן של שנים ואפילו שנה מעוברת.

Being these are 2 months each, not 3 months each, they can't correspond to the equinoxes and solstices, so what astronomical event do they correspond to?


texts: PTIJ: Where do we learn that God created the world using LISP?

texts:
It is sometimes claimed that God created the world using Perl, but it's clear that censors have gotten to Rav XKCD's work -- most of it is correct, and then the final panel is grafted in by another hand.  (Look at the art!  The style has clearly changed!)  We also see the the answer there relies on finding patterns in English, and surely that cannot be the language of Creation!
We have the testimony of Reb Kanefsky that the language of Creation was in fact LISP, but I'm looking for an earlier source.  From where do we learn that the world was created using LISP?

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


texts: Translating Ramban on Dovid Hamelech's birth/ancestry

texts:
I am trying to learn this with a friend but I am having trouble translating - any help would be great! Does anyone know according to Ramban  what is the miracle involved in the birth of Dovid Hamelech/his ancestry?

  והנה אתן לך עד נאמן על מה שאמרתי ידענו כי מעת בוא ישראל לארץ עד לדת אדונינו דוד היה כשלש מאות ושבעים שנה והימים יתחלקו לארבעה דורות שלמון ובועז ועובד וישי ויגיע לכל אחד מהם צ"ג שנה והנה כלם זקנים קרוב לאברהם והיו מולידים כל אחד בשנת מותו שלא כדרך כל הארץ כי אין החיים בזמנם מאה שנה ואם הוליד אחד מהם בבחרותו כמנהג יהיו האחרים זקנים מאד יותר מאברהם ויהי בהם הפלא גדול יותר מאד כי ימי האדם בדור אברהם ארוכים ובשנות דוד חזרו למחציתם ואולי חיו יותר כי אפשר שהיו לשלמון ימים רבים בבואם לארץ ולכן נתנו אנשי הקבלה והם חכמי אמת לעובד ימים רבים והוא נס נסתר נעשה לאבי המלוכה בן הצדקת הבאה לחסות תחת כנפי השכינה וכן יזכירו באמו ארך ימים רבים


texts: Does a train conductor have to abandon his train if it is Shabbat?

texts:
Someone I know is a train conductor for the NY subway system. (For unfamiliar readers, this type of conductor does not collect tickets, but opens and closes the doors is the main person responsible for passenger safety - moreso than the train driver.)

Let's say the conductor is working his scheduled route, but the train scheduled is delayed, so that he is still on the train when Shabbat arrives. AFAIK, the MTA does not have a means where the conductor can request a substitute to take over mid-route. The assigned conductor must complete his route. If the conductor abandons the train, not only will the train not continue to operate, but passenger safety may be risked. (In NYC, people anger somewhat easily, fights occur on the subway; people get sick on the train, etc. need more ideas?)

Trains are placed out of service if there is a mechanical problem, the train itself is unsafe, or there is civil unrest on the train and it becomes more feasible to transfer passengers to another train. I don't think the MTA allows conductor religious practice as a reason to place a train out of service.

Must the conductor leave the train or does he have to complete the route to maintain passenger safety?


texts:
The top Rashi on Menachos 57:2, if I'm reading it correctly, adds some information as an aside, stating that both Rabi Akiva and Rabi Yose Hag'lili derive from "asher takrivu" that a mincha of a kohen (or perhaps he means specifically the inaugural mincha of a kohen) and the inaugural mincha of the kohen gadol may not be made chametz.

Two questions, of which I'm especially bothered by the second:

How does Rashi know that they learn this halacha from this pasuk?
Why does Rashi mention this fact here? He should, I'd think, have mentioned it, if anywhere, as a comment on the passage just before, where the tanaim were quoted.


texts: Questions about gentiles, the Kotel and kippot

texts: I'm an agnostic non-Jew. I will be visiting Jerusalem. Can I go to see the Wall? Can I touch it? Will I be asked to wear a kippah?


texts: When you're trapped by someone Davening behind you

texts:
There's a(n) Halachah (Berachos 27a, Shulchan Aruch 102:4) that you are not supposed to pass in front of someone in prayer.  As a result, many people are strict and won't take their three steps back when finishing prayer if there is someone praying behind them who hasn't finished yet.

A) How strict should you be in this situation? If someone immediately behind you began Shemoneh 'Esreh late and therefore is still near the beginning when you finish, do you really just have to stand there until he finishes? Do the people in front of you have to also (because you haven't completely finished)?

B) If the congregation continues forward with Tefillah are you allowed to continue with them even though you haven't taken your steps back and said 'Oseh Shalom, etc.?


texts:
There is a halachik principle brought down in the Talmud and codified in halacha known as shaat hashmad - a time of forced religious persecution. Generally, the rule is that any commandment of the Torah does not demand martyrdom for its observance with the exception of the 3 severe sins (idolatry, sexual crimes [i.e. adultery, incest, homosexuality, and bestiality], and murder) and the desecration of G-d's name (see Rambam Hilchot Yesodei Hatorah 5:2). However, at a time when there is a movement on the part of the non-Jewish authorities to destroy Jewish practices, then even minor commandments (or even mere customs) also demand martyrdom for their observance (see e.g. Rambam Yesodei HaTorah 5:3).

Recently, Arab leaders have successfully incited Arab terrorists to commit violence against Jews with a short term aim of preventing Jewish prayer in the Old City (e.g. atop the Temple Mount or at its Western Wall) and a continuing long term aim of exterminating/expelling the Jews from Israel. In response, some Jewish religious leaders have advocated that Jews avoid entering the Old City until the situation calms down. Considering that the threatened violence is intended to prevent Jewish religious practices, why shouldn't maintaining these practices (i.e. praying/visting Jewish holy sites) fall under the spirit/letter of the shaas hashmad law indicating a need to involve some level of mesiras nefesh?


texts: why is the order of kiddush different at night from the day?

texts:
multiple parts to this question...

At night time why do we mention the wine before the day? It would seem most appropriate that after making the bracha on the wine there should be no interruption between the bracha and drinking the wine.

If there is a valid reason for allowing a hefsik at night why is the order reversed during the day time meal?


texts:
If someone who's not familiar with Jewish customs is invited to a Jewish wedding and comes to you to ask how long to plan to be there, how do you respond?

It's easy enough to say "It can vary a great deal; ask the people who invited you," but that's not terribly helpful. Is there a clear, brief way to explain how long to expect to stay, perhaps taking into account what parts of the wedding the asker is [likely] most interested in being there for?

I don't recall having received such a query personally, but I believe that it's not an uncommon one. Our treatment of a similar question about funerals that I was asked become one of our few "Notable" questions recently, indicating that it's something that people search for on the Internet. If you go to Google and start typing How long is a Jewish, Google suggests completions of first wedding and then funeral, indicating that people tend to search even more for answers to this question about weddings. It therefore seems worthwhile to be prepared to answer this question as well.


texts:
I don't think I've ever encountered halakhot that pertain to interacting with newborns, but as any new parent knows, such interactions take up a great deal of one's time, during the day, at night, over the week and on Shabbat.

Are there halakhot that concern how to raise one's children from so young an age? How should one dress them, clean them and change them? When and where is it especially propitious to interact with them, what things might it be good to show them or to let them hear, when might it be advisable to not interact with them, and what sorts of things shouldn't they see or hear?

If there are halakhot of this nature, what are they and where are they recorded? And if this is something that halakhic sources don't touch on, why not? They seem to deal with just about everything else, and this strikes me as a fairly large subject.


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

Upvote all interesting answers.

Accept the best answer.

Go on to the next number.


texts: How do we know that Ben Zoma went mentally insane?

texts:
In Chagigah 14b it states that after entering pardes, Ben Zoma was injured. Rashi explains, and it is my understanding that this is the accepted reading, that Ben Zoma went crazy.

However immediately following that story Ben Zoma is posed some halachic questions which he seems to answer correctly.

Then there is a story about him describing the proximity of the upper and lower waters. I could not detect anything that indicated Ben Zoma was crazy.

Are there statements by Ben Zoma elsewhere that would show he went mentally insane or is there some other source for this idea?


texts: Can a Yisroel perform shira for his own korban? Also, if a Yisroel does shira in the Beis Hamikdash (not for himself), is his shira kasher בדיעבד?

texts:
About the first question, if a Yisroel can perform shira on his own korban:
According to the Meishiv Davar chelek 4 siman 11 Leviim are simply hired by Yisroelim to perform shira (therefore he says that if a Levi says that he doesn’t want to do shira there is a hava amina that he wouldn’t have to, if not for a pasuk that says otherwise). If so if the Yisroel himself wants to not hire all the Leviim, and wants to do his own shira for his own korban, maybe he can. He only can’t do shira for another Yisroel (or Levi or Kohein) since the Leviim are the ones who get the monopoly on being hired for shira, and the pasuk is קובע that they and they alone are the ones who are hired to do shira for everyone else. But here he isn’t hiring anyone so maybe his shira is acceptable.
About the second question, if the shira of a Yisroel is kasher bedieved (when not for his own korban):
Relevant is the Minchas Chinuch 389:3 who says that there is no issur for a Yisroel to do shira in the Beis Hamikdash. My question is if there is no issur and it's kasher, or if there is no issur but it's still pasul. And even if you say not like the Minchas Chinuch, it's still possible that it's kasher bedieved, even though there's an issur.
[edit - I have since seen the Rambam who says that there is no shira for a korban yachid. If so it would seem to be a davar pashut that the 'baal hakorban', which means any yisroel since we are dealing with a korban tzibur, can't do shira at all, since it's always for a korban tzibur. If any yisroel can do shira then where is it chal the din that leviim are the ones who do shira? So the first question would seem to be answered. The second question however does remain.]


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

Upvote all interesting answers.

Accept the best answer.

Go on to the next number.


texts: I have a friend who has a habit of joking about being an apikorus (because he wears his peyos behind his ears). Beyond the strictly judgmental, is there a problem with self-referencing as an apikorus, particularly if one is known to be fromm (religious) and to believe in the ikarim?


texts:
The gemarah megillah 3a expalians that were it not for the targum we would not understand the verse in Zecharya 12:11 which says there on that day the mourning in Jerusalem was like the mourning of Hadadrimon in the valley of Miggido. The targum explains that the pasuk is referring to the mourning for King Achav who was killed by Hadadrimon.

Where does it say that there was any mourning (especially a great one) for king Achav?
Rashi on Melachim alef 22:34 indicates that the man who killed Achav was Naaman. Is he arguing on the targum?


texts: How to handle cadavers which are highly likely to be Jewish

texts:
This question How to handle cadavers asked what should be done where a student had to handle cadavers in their medical (dentistry) classes.

A comment took the view that outside of Israel, the majority is not Jewish and it would be highly unlikely for one to have specific knowledge otherwise.   Therefore the comment implied that we need not worry about the possibility of the cadaver being Jewish.

My question is what should the Jewish student do where the class instructor gives specific information that makes it most likely that the cadaver was Jewish.

Eg “and now here is the mouth of the famed Mr Cohen whose oral history has been widely reported in the professional journals.”

Should we say that the principle of משום איבה should apply or should the student absent himself from the class because of ניתוח המת.


texts: Is the name of God associated with bris milah?

texts:
I recall learning, but have no source for, the fact that part of what is achieved by the bris milah process is a form of etching (part of?) the name of God into the makom ha'milah.

What is the source for the idea that the performance of a bris milah associates the name of God with the makom ha'milah?
Which name of God is associated?


texts: How is an eruv string usually attached to a lechi (pole/upright)?

texts:
I know that when building an eruv, the string has to go over the top of the lechi (pole/upright).  This document had some great illustrations.

I'm just curious, which method is most durable?  Which is usually used?  (They show one of a string wrapped around a nail; could I drive the nail/thumbtack all the way into the wood?  How often is the loop-over-then-through-a-hole-below-the-top used?

By the way, what material makes a good eruv string?  Twine?  Fishing line?  Nylon?


texts: Can one recite El Maleh Rahamim for a non-Jewish relative?

texts: Is it halachically permissible to recite El Maleh Rahamim for a non-Jewish relative?


texts:
A woman that does not reveal her blemishes before marriage sometimes loses her kesuba (Rambam halacha 2 here, Shulchan Aruch here)

Does a man need to reveal his blemishes before marriage?

Sources please


texts:
There is a famous midrash that relates the 39 prohibitions of Shabbat to the various types of activities that were required for the mishkan's construction. Implicit within this idea is the notion that the mishkan itself was not erected on Shabbat (so, for example, both Rashi and Ramban on Exodus 35:2, based on the Mekhilta, Parshat Vayaqhel). And yet, there is also a famous midrash to the effect that on each of the seven days prior to erecting the mishkan as a semi-permanent structure, Moses built it in the morning and dismantled it in the evening (see, for example, Seder Olam Rabbah §7). Since it is impossible that there could have been seven consecutive days that did not include Shabbat, that would seem to suggest that there was at least one Shabbat on which the mishkan was constructed.

Are these two midrashim at odds with one another? Or is there another way of understanding why the mishkan (which, according to one midrash, cannot be erected on Shabbat) was, according to the other midrash, erected on Shabbat at least once?


texts: Is Corelle Ware considered glass or ceramic

texts: Theoretically if someone accidentally use my dairy dish for meat or vice versa and it's a Corelle Ware dish does he need to throw it out or can he consider it to be like glass?


texts: In the 2nd temple period would "the Samaritans" refer to the same group as "the lost sheep of the house of Israel"?

texts:
I have read various articles about Samaritans:

http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13058-samaria
http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13059-samaritans

However, I'm still not clear if Samaritans are the same group as "the lost sheep of the house of Israel". I'm taking "the lost house of Israel" to refer to "the descendants of the northern kingdom".


texts: When does an Eved Knani become bar mitzvah?

texts: When does an Eved Knani become bar mitzvah, at age 12 like a woman or 13 like a man?


texts: How long to wait after consuming pure casein powder?

texts: Milk is made up of two types of protein which are whey and casein. Casein takes a longer time to digest than whey. With regular dairy there is much less casein ingested than isolated casein and so after a normal amount of time most of the dairy is digested. Should it be assumed that pure casein should be treated similarly to aged cheese as it will take much longer for digestion?


texts: Borrowing a talis and wearing a talis katan. Say a b'racha?

texts:
The common and accepted practice among married Ashk'nazim, at least, is that they don a talis katan in the morning without saying a b'racha for the mitzva, and, later, when donning the talis gadol for morning prayers, they say a b'racha to cover both talisos.

But someone who borrows a talis gadol does not say a b'racha on it (Mishna B'rura 14:14, q.v.). So suppose someone arrives in the synagogue without having said a b'racha on his talis katan and realizes that he needs to borrow a talis gadol (where the loan is effected in such a manner as he would not normally be saying a b'racha on it[1]). What should he do?

Should he, perhaps, say the b'racha on the talis gadol, having in mind also the talis katan (and touching it or moving its strings as in Shulchan Aruch 8:16, q.v.)?

This seems reasonable, as the talis katan 'deserves' a b'racha, but the current act of donning is of a talis gadol (which anyway, according to some opinions, requires a b'racha. I'm following the Mishna B'rura that in this hypothetical scenario one would not normally follow those opinions — but perhaps they should be allowed for).
Or should he say the standard b'racha for a talis-katan ("al mitzvas tzitzis") on the talis katan at that point?

This seems reasonable, as he never said it on donning the talis katan and the usual reason for skipping it — that he'll later say a b'racha on the talis gadol — turns out not to have applied.
Or should he say no b'racha?

This seems unreasonable to me, but I consider it somewhat likely because we're generally strict about saying unnecessary b'rachos and because I haven't found a source that says he should say a b'racha in this case (and the case doesn't seem like a very rare one to me).
Or what?

Footnotes:
[1] To clarify: Often, when someone 'borrows' a talis gadol, he actually gets it as a gift (to be returned), or is a part-owner, and may therefore say a b'racha. My question is assuming a situation in which the loan is a true loan, and asking whether the borrower's wearing a talis katan since the morning affects whether he says a b'racha.


texts: Why is crossdressing permitted on Purim if it's forbidden without condition?

texts: Why do some rabbinical authorities authorize cross-dressing on Purim if it's unconditionally forbidden?


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

Upvote all interesting answers.

Accept the best answer.

Go on to the next number.


texts: What is the blessing for cheese cake or apple pie?

texts:
The apple pie that I commonly eat has primarily visible apples (you can see the slices) and there is a very thin layer of pie crust on the bottom. Clearly, the apples are the majority. Since the apples are majority, should I say "Ha'etz" or still say mezonot because it's considered "cake"?

The cheesecake, similarly, has no dough in the batter. It's farmer cheese, eggs, vanilla extract and sugar mixed and placed on a very thin crust. The cheese mix is the majority ingredient. Should I say "shehakol" or say "mezonot" because it's considered "cake"?

I'm implying the rules of ikkar (main food) vs. "tafel" ("supplement). Usually, the rules is that you make the bracha on the "ikar", which is frequently the majority ingredient. Is there a different definition of "ikar" regarding the above-mentioned foods?


texts: When did the Kanievsky family switch from Chasidic to Litvish?

texts: R' Chaim Kanievsky shlita davens Ashkenaz and wears Ashkenazi tefilin.  His grandfather z'l was a Chernobyler chasid.  It's not clear to me how the Steipler Gaon ztz'l conducted himself with regards to tefilin and nusach.  The sefer Orchos Rabenu might shed some light (and if anybody knows where to buy this sefer, please share!).  It is also known that the Steipler did not eat gebrokts, a chasidic minhag.  When and why was the switch made from Chasidic to non-Chasidic customs, and what was the basis for doing so according to the one who made the change?


texts:
Who knows sixty-five?
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: Ratios of Hameitz-to-Other for Deriving Benefit

texts: For the prohibition on deriving benefit from hameitz on passover, what is the ratio of hameitz-to-other that makes a mixture hameitz? I am aware that when it comes to the prohibition of eating hameitz on passover, any amount of hameitz, no matter how small, makes the whole mixture prohibited. My question is whether that applies to the prohibition of deriving benefit from hameitz in ways other than eating it (איסור הנאה) or whether there is another ratio used in that case.


texts: Which opinion of the Rambam is followed, the Mishneh Torah or the Responsum?

texts: If there is a contradiction between something the Rambam wrote in the Mishneh Torah and his responsum letters, which is considered his final ruling? Is there a general rule or is it a case by case?


texts: How did the Jewish people understand and make sense of the destruction of the Second Temple?

texts:
Since I began studying the history of the Christian faith, and the relation between Judaism and Christianity, I have been struck by the idea of the Second Temple's destruction.  I simply can't imagine how traumatic this experience must have been for the Jewish people.

The failure of the revolt, the horrific loss of life, the destruction of the City of G-d - these events alone would have been horrendous, but the desecration of the Temple must have had a tremendous psychological impact on the survivors.

Granted, it had happened once before, but I don't think that the knowledge of the First Temple's fate would have significantly reduced the emotional pain of such a catastrophic loss.  The fact that the holy relics had been taken away as spoils of war, by pagans no less, must have been devastating.

I have been led to believe that the Talmud was assembled in part as a response to the destruction of the Temple, and the experience eventually led to the understanding that G-d lives in the Torah.  But this happened later, after people had a chance to absorb what had happened.

I am curious as to how people came to terms with the devastating loss of the Temple immediately after it was destroyed.  How did the Jewish people deal with this horrible sequence of events in the immediate aftermath of the war?  Before enough time had passed for people to accept the defeat and the terrible consequences, how did they handle it?


texts:
In Michtav M'Eliyahu vol2. page 137 Rabbi Dessler explains that the primordial snake was an external manifestation of the evil inclination which entered man after the sin.

If so, why was the snake punished if it was just doing its job of enticing man which is what it was created for?
(as written in Gen.3:14: "And the Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed be you more than all the cattle and more than all the beasts of the field; you shall walk on your belly, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.")


texts: What is the source and reason for the two dipping items at Pesach Seder?

texts:
I somewhat understand why many have the custom to dip things in the first place during the Pesach Seder. But, I'm curious about the source and reason for these two specific items, namely:

Why specifically use salt water and charoset? I understand the symbolism of the salt water that they represent the tears from the hard labor. The charoset is supposed to represent the paste from the mortar? But why does the charoset need to be made with fruit and nuts? If one wanted to have a paste from food, he could make a paste from potato starch or ground meat, as well. WHy use these ingredients, specifically?

Also, why specifically dip the vegetable in the salt water and the maror in charoset? Why not reverse?


texts: Asking a Gentile for Air Condition on Shabbos

texts: There are lots of misconceptions, so I just want to clear it up. When is one permitted to ask a Gentile to turn on/turn off/adjust the air conditioning on Shabbos?


texts: Did each Kohen Gadol wear his predecessor's garments?

texts:
Did the Kohen Gadol wear the same garments his predecessor wore, going back to Aharon HaKohen, or did he have new garments specially tailored to fit him? In other words, were the garments each Kohen Gadol wore the exact same garments Aharon HaKohen wore?

If they were the same garments Aharon HaKohen wore, then perhaps there was some sort of miracle that happened that allowed the garments to fit each Kohen Gadol, despite their varied sizes and shapes. (We know for instance that Eli HaKohen was very fat.)


texts: Why does my box of Matzah say "BOX SHOULD BE OPENED BEFORE SHABBOS AND YOM TOV"

texts:
I bought a box of Matzah this year, and noticed, on the top, the declaration:

"BOX SHOULD BE OPENED BEFORE SHABBOS AND YOM TOV"

Why?  The box does have perforations, but could probably be opened without using them; I assume there's an inner plastic liner because the crumbs which I can hear inside aren't sifting over my kitchen, but I'm not opening the box right now to verify.

I do not recall ever seeing this warning before, on any brand of Matzah.


texts: What's the Closest Thing to a Systematic Theology in Judaism?

texts:
Many religions have authors who pen "systematic theologies," books that present the religions in a systematic manner from point A to Z. There are ups and downs with this approach, especially since it usually leads to a very biased presentation. I previously heard somewhere that Judaism does not generally approach theology in this manner. However, I believe there must be some presentations (things like basic text books for academy, etc.).

Does anyone know of a good "systematic theology" or something similar for someone wanting to understand Judaism in this manner?

P.S. - Please do not answer Talmud. I understand the importance and relevance of Talmud as an answer of sorts to this question, but I am looking for something closer to a one volume presentation.


texts: Why does it matter that Mordechai was right-handed?

texts:
In Esther 2:5, it says

אִישׁ יְהוּדִי, הָיָה בְּשׁוּשַׁן הַבִּירָה; וּשְׁמוֹ מָרְדֳּכַי, בֶּן יָאִיר בֶּן-שִׁמְעִי בֶּן-קִישׁ--אִישׁ יְמִינִי
There was a certain Jew in Shushan the castle, whose name was Mordecai the son of Jair the son of Shimei the son of Kish, a right-handed man.

Why does it matter for the purpose of the megillah that Mordechai was right-handed?  Why does the megillah bother to tell us that?
Or is this saying that Mordechai was right-leaning politically? Perhaps he would vote for Yisrael Beiteinu were he alive today.

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


texts: Parameters of neis nigleh and neis nistar?

texts:
What are the Halachic parameters and definition of a neis nistar versus a neis nigleh?

For example: I heard recently from a Rav that one reason brought not to say hallel on Yom Ha’atzma’ut is that even though (the reason-giver believes) there was a neis on Yom Ha’atzma’ut, we don’t say hallel because the neis was “hidden”.

So what exactly is a neis nistar?


texts: why the need to be so meticulous to remove chametz?

texts: why does the torah (and rabbis) require jews to be so meticulous about removing chametz from one's domain? is there some fundamental moral lesson that we are supposed to take from removing pieces of bread, cake,etc. that we need to be so meticulous in this? (by meticulous i mean the tedious work of removing all traces of chametz from one's house and belongings)


texts: Why can I not say a b'racha before taking a regular bath at home? I understand, in such a case, a person might be "immodest" and the bathroom is, well, a bathroom. But still, I do feel a similar sense of gratitude for Hashem's creative gifts when I say a b'racha over an apple as I do when I stop and think (especially when I have had a really upsetting day and I'm feeling disconnected from my prayers) "Well, I can certainly be grateful; here I am with clean water and Hashem allows me to partake of it."


texts: Let's play Name that Gadol - women wearing Tallis story

texts:
There is a story that I have heard with multiple names being used as the Rabbi in the story.  It goes like this:

A woman came to [insert name of Torah Sage here] and said that it would enhance her religious experience to wear a Tallis, and could she do so.  He advised her to take things step by step, and first try a Tallis without the strings in it and see how she felt.  She came back after a week and informed him of how inspired and uplifted she had felt through the experience, and she was ready for the next step.  (There are longer versions, but I'll cut to the chase.) [Insert name of Torah Sage here] told her that a four cornered garment without the strings is at best meaningless, so apparently she gets her religious inspiration from something other than Mitzvos, and a Tallis isn't necessary.

Can anyone identify, with credible, documented sources, who the Rabbi in the story was?


texts:
There is a famous story of the Rambam in the name of R' Chaim Brisker:

"When the Rambam visited Yemen, he met a certain gaon of the geonim of the time. And after the Rambam returned home, this gaon would regularly write him questions and answers. One time, a letter reached him from the gaon, and on the page was a deep question in philosophy. The Rambam was much astounded at this question, and he said, 'I don't understand how this is so, that a question like this could arise in the mind of a Jew... for questions such as this do not arise in the Jewish mind until his soul is an impure soul. And the Rambam refrained from answering him regarding his question.
After some length of time, this fellow continued sending many letters, until the Rambam felt that he had to answer him. And his answer to the gaon was: Go and check the slaughterers and the inspectors in your community.
Upon receipt of the letter, the gaon followed the instructions of the Rambam. And then was revealed that for thirteen years, they had fed him and the entire city neveilos and tereifos, such that even a gaon such as himself came up with a question of minus and apikorsus."

What is the source of this story?

Is it in any of R' Chaim's published works?
Is it found in any Rishonim?


texts: Limits of pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton

texts:
What methods of pronouncing the Tetragrammaton are forbidden?

Can I listen to a live radio show where It is being said?
Can I cause a machine to make Those Sounds?
Can I cause a non-Jew to speak It?
Can I audiate (aurally imagine) It?
Can I move my mouth in such a way that would I expel breath, the Name would be said?


texts: Can Jews say Shabbat Shalom to gentiles?

texts: Shabbat is not a burden, but a blessing.  Gentiles are not allowed to observe Shabbat, can Jews say Shabbat Shalom to gentiles to tell them what they don't have?


texts:
Why is it that we find Jews (and even sages) by the name Yishmael? It seems rather strange that we would choose to name our children after someone who was the progenitor of a nation seen to be an enemy of the Jewish people for generations? We never saw a Jew called Esav.

This question has an answer why we dont name Yishmael anymore, but my question is why did we ever name our children Yishmael?


texts: I lost one volume of my Mikraos Gedolos.  I cannot find a sefarim store that is willing to sell me just the one volume, and cannot find it on Amazon.  Is there a website or store that is willing to break up sets of sefarim to sell individual volumes?


texts: Non-jewish woman converting for marriage

texts: If a non Jewish woman converts in order to marry a Jewish man are their children still considered Jewish? Even though the mother is converted and not raised in the religion.


texts: Who did what at the story of the destruction of S'dom and Amorah

texts:
I would like to ask two questions with regards to the context I applied with these questions:

Who is who?
What happened to the third men/malach?
Who did destroy S'dom and Amorah?

Genesis 18:1 tells us that HaShem appeared unto Avraham in the terebinth trees of Mamre.

And then the story continues:
Genesis 18:2 And Avraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and, hinei, three man (shloshah anashim) stood over against him; and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed down to the earth and said: 'My lord (singular), if now I have found favour in thy sight (singular), pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant.

After some lovely meal the story goes on:
Genesis 18:16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked out toward Sodom; and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.

On this point in time HaShem is wondering wether He should inform Avraham of His plans with S'dom and Amorah, i.e. that He would go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the crying out [for punishment] of it, which has come unto Him, and if not HaShem would know.

And then this is what happens: Genesis 18:22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward S’dom; but Avraham stood yet before HaShem. And after a conversation with HaShem the text reads: Genesis 18:33 And HaShem went His way, as soon as He had left communing with Avraham; and Avraham returned unto his place.

The story picks up at Genesis 19:1 And two malachim came to S'dom, and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom; and Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them; and he fell down on his face to the earth (quite similar reaction as Avraham had).
and he said: "Behold now, my lords (plural), turn aside, I pray you, into your servant's house.."

In Genesis 19:12 (and other verses before) these malachim are described as men and they tell Lot to take his family and bring them out of this place.
(verse 13:) for they will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxed great before the HaShem; and HaShem hath sent us to destroy it.'
Genesis 19:14 And Lot went out, and spoke and said: 'Get up and go out of this place; for HaShem will destroy the city.'

Genesis 19:15 And when the morning arose, then the malachim (heavenly messengers) hastened Lot, saying: 'Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters that are here; lest thou be swept away in the iniquity of the city.But he lingered; and the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him. And they brought him forth, and set him without the city.

Lot prays to HaShem and is heard.

Genesis 19:24 Then HaShem caused to rain upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from HaShem out of heaven

Genesis 19:27 And Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he had stood before HaShem. And he looked out toward S'dom and Amorah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the land went up as the smoke of a furnace. And it came to pass, when G-d destroyed the cities of the plain, that G-d remembered Abraham (plead with Him), and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow (because of his rightousness?), when He overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelt.


texts:
What is the Torah's viewpoint on the age old question whether the chicken or the egg was created first?

Note: Although this article shows Rav Yehoshua Leib Diskin writes both fish and chicken eggs were created before the creatures themselves based on Bereshis (1:21)

  וַיִּבְרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֔ים אֶת־הַתַּנִּינִ֖ם הַגְּדֹלִ֑ים וְאֵ֣ת
  כָּל־נֶ֣פֶשׁ הַֽחַיָּ֣ה ׀ הָֽרֹמֶ֡שֶׂת אֲשֶׁר֩ שָׁרְצ֨וּ הַמַּ֜יִם
  לְמִֽינֵהֶ֗ם וְאֵ֨ת כָּל־ע֤וֹף כָּנָף֙ לְמִינֵ֔הוּ וַיַּ֥רְא אֱלֹהִ֖ים
  כִּי־טֽוֹב׃

  God created the great sea monsters, and all the living creatures of
  every kind that creep, which the waters brought forth in swarms, and
  all the winged birds of every kind. And God saw that this was good.

Which Rashi notes נפש החיה שֶׁיֵּש בָּה חַיוּת: there is life in it - the eggs. However, Rashi only writes the comment on fish (20 and 21) and insects (24)?


texts: What prayers, Psalms or other items are commonly recited on Tu B'Av?

texts:
During the past few days, my answering machine, local Jewish newspapers and my email inbox have been inundated with various requests to donate to organizations and / or rabbanim that will daven on Tu B'Av. Some have been a bit less "aggressive" by just encouraging me to daven on Tu B'Av (w/o asking for a huge monetary donation) for people that need shidduchim.

I'm in for the second idea as I personally know many people that need shidduchim. But, I'm not sure what prayers or Psalms are recommended. Any suggestions?


texts: Was the Tzemach Tzedek related to the Metzudos Tziyon/Dovid?

texts: The Tzemach Tzedek (of Lubavitch)'s father's name was Shalom Shachna Altshuler. Is he related to the Metzodos Tziyon?


texts:
Does donating sperm to a woman who is not your wife (who then goes on to bear children from it) fulfill the mitzvah of p'ru ur'vu?

Alternatively, is it a violation of halakha?  Does it matter whose the egg is?


texts: Are the eight nights of lighting Menorah one Mitzvah or eight?

texts:
By Sefiras HaOmer, there is a dispute whether it’s a single Mitzvah to count fifty days, or whether one fulfills the Mitzvah of counting each day independently (Rosh, Pesachim 10:41, et. al.). As a practical difference, if one forgot to count one night, or if one became a Bar Mitzvah in the middle of counting, can he continue counting - according to the former position, the answer would be no, while according to the latter position, the answer would be yes.

Does this dispute extend to Menorah? Do Rishonim or Geonim address whether it’s one Mitzvah to light Menorah for eight days, so if one missed a day he would be unable to continue lighting, or whether it’s one Mitzvah performed eight times, so if one missed a day he would be able to continue lighting?

Looking specifically for sources which directly state that one can/cannot continue lighting on Chanukah for this specific reason.


texts:
The first few words of Sefer Devarim are understood to be Moshe Rabbeinu hinting at different mistakes the Jewish people made in the desert, and he is giving them disguised rebuke.

Rashi to Devarim 1:1, quoting Sifri:

  אלה הדברים: לפי שהן דברי תוכחות ומנה כאן כל המקומות שהכעיסו לפני המקום בהן, לפיכך סתם את הדברים והזכירם ברמז מפני כבודן של ישראל

However, throughout the rest of Devarim, Moshe gives open rebuke to the Jewish people, recounting the spies and other mistakes explicitly!

What was the point of the hidden rebuke if he did so explicitly later?


texts: Are women obligated to say the morning blessings?

texts: Are women obligated to say the morning blessings and perform the ritual hand washing?


texts: Do the stringencies for someone who is cremated apply if they didn’t specify/want to be cremated?

texts:
There are many halachos regarding one who is deceased that do not apply if the deceased was cremated, rather than buried (some examples here at Halachipedia).

Do these halachos apply if the person didn’t ask to be cremated, but never specified against it? What about if they specifically said not to be cremated?

Is the issue that there’s an inherent problem with cremation, and it wouldn’t matter whether the person asked to be cremated or not? Or is the issue that they wanted to be cremated, so if it was done against their will we aren’t stringent against them?

If the second understanding is correct, what would be if they never specified either way? Since it was done, do we assume that it was with their will, or do we assume that no Jew wants to be cremated unless they say they do?


texts:
Ezra 10:3 says,

  And now, let us make a covenant with our God to cast out all the wives
  and their offspring, by the counsel of the lord and those who hasten
  to [perform] the commandment of our God, and according to the Law it
  shall be done.
  וְעַתָּה נִכְרָת בְּרִית לֵאלֹהֵינוּ לְהוֹצִיא כָל
  נָשִׁים וְהַנּוֹלָד מֵהֶם בַּעֲצַת אֲדֹנָי וְהַחֲרֵדִים בְּמִצְוַת
  אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְכַתּוֹרָה יֵעָשֶׂה׃

Rashi says

  and according to the Law it shall be done: he who performs this act, who will cast out his gentile wife and children.

I'm not clear if this means that the law says this is what is to be done, or if it means that is shall be done in the way the law says to do it?

Either way, does anyone know where the law addresses this?


texts: Who existed that might have killed Cain?

texts:
In Gen. 1:28 we find G-d instructing them (Adam and Eve) to be fruitful and multiply. Also in Gen 3 we see that her named “the mother of all the living.” Then in Gen. 4 we see G-d telling Cain “Therefore whoever kills Cain...”
Who are these people that Cain is afraid of and G-d warns not to kill Cain?


texts: Can a Jew follow another religion's dietary laws?

texts:
Suppose another religion has dietary laws that overlap with those of Judaism. For example, Zoroastrianism prohibits eating all land animals and prohibits eating various kinds of fish and other sea animals depending on conditions such as the species, what time of year it is, and how the animal was raised. Also they are prohibited from eating all insects and have to wash and inspect all fruits and vegetables to make sure there is no bugs in them, also they are strictly prohibited from eating pork just like in Jewish dietary laws https://authenticgathazoroastrianism.org/2012/03/05/zoroastrian-dietary-laws-animal-friendship-and-stewardship/

Would a Jew be allowed to follow such dietary laws, along with the Jewish dietary laws?


texts: Throwing out bagged bread vs. feeding to ducks?

texts: There is a prohibition of throwing out bread in larger quantities than a k'zayit (olive-size) if it is still fit for human consumption (see Orach Chayim 180:3; Regarding if it is no longer fit for human consumption, see Beis Baruch on Chayei Adam 45:22, cited here). Similarly, one is not supposed to feed bread fit for human consumption to animals or birds. If one knows the bread will not be eaten, according to Rav Y.S. Elyashiv and Rav Y.Y. Fisher (oral ruling quoted in V'zos, cited here) one should seal the bread in a bag and throw it out in a respectful manner that keeps it technically fit for human consumption. With regard to crumbs, Rabbi Jack Abramowitz of the O-U rules that (for metaphysical reasons) it is preferable to feed them to birds than to just throw them out (presumably, without sealing them).  Chayei Adam and Beis Baruch 45:5 (as cited here) permit feeding bread to animals/birds if it will likely never be eaten by humans (regardless of size and actual edibleness). Are these viewpoints all in agreement? If so, is it preferable to throw out bread sealed in a bag or to feed it to birds/animals?


texts: "They encamped at Makelot" Bamidbar 33:25

texts:
The verse 25 of chapter 33 in Sefer Bamidbar tells us the Bnei Israel encamped at Makelot.
The Baal Haturim comments on this verse: במקהלות: ע''ש ויקהלו על משה ועל אהרן.
What is the exact source of this verse quoted here by the Baal Haturim since it can be found in parashat Korach and in parashat Chukat?


texts: What sort of "food" did the midwives provide for the children (Rashi on Shemos 1 (17))?

texts:
Rashi on Shemos 1 (17) comments on the expression “... but they enabled the boys to live” and says “They provided water and food for them.”

If these were new-borns what sort of food could they have provided?

We see later that the infant Moshe Shemos 2 (7) used a wet-nurse, not food.


texts: Why are Chazal asking if words are spelled with א or ע?

texts: In Shabbos 77a-77b, Chazal ask about the spelling of a series of words, questioning whether the words are spelled with an alef - as in גראינין - or with an ayin - as in גרעינין.  Wasn't ayin vocalized at that time?  If so, how could there be a question when the two letters had markedly different pronunciations?


texts: Avodah Melachah; work what is the difference

texts:
The roots לאך and עבד are the basis to form the words that could be translated as 'work' מלאכה and עבדה. But what is the difference?

What distinguishing work from work?

Some times its prohibited to do any melacha. Some times even melechet avodah (Vayikra 23:7). How do these terms differ? How does work differ from works of work?


texts: Who wrote the Sephardi hoshanot? The name יוסף בר יצחק is all over the acrostics, but who was he?


texts: How is one allowed to say a bracha in a Mikvah?

texts:
There's an argument (In Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah siman 200) if women say their Bracha in the Mikva itself. According to the Sefardim, they do it clothed (but can do it with water up until the neck), while according to the Rama, they do it after dipping.

There's a discussion about Liba Roeh es HaErva in the Nosei Keilim. But how is one allowed to say a Bracha in there at all? A Mikvah should have the law of a bathhouse, where one can't say a blessing at all!


texts: Why is learning Torah today harder than 1000 years ago?

texts: Why did Hashem make it harder for this generation to learn Torah, rather than making it equal for every generation? We have all these distractions like tv or games.


texts: Location of Rambam on machlokes and loshon hora. Only one in three chance of ill intent

texts:
I seem to remember that the Rambam speaks about avoiding machlokes (quarrels) and loshon hora (bad speech).

He says something like this: there are three possibilities in any statement about the faults of people and only one of these is said with an intention to hurt. The others are mistaken. Therefore one should always seek to clarify the issue with the person who started the criticism. The chances are only 1 in 3 that there was ill intent.

Where is this Rambam to be found?


texts:
In the Torah it seems pretty clear that the Kohanim/Leviim were supposed to be the teachers and moral guides of Bnei Yisrael (e.g., Devarim 33:10):

יוֹרוּ מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ לְיַעֲקֹב וְתוֹרָתְךָ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל יָשִׂימוּ קְטוֹרָה בְּאַפֶּךָ וְכָלִיל עַל־מִזְבְּחֶךָ׃

And Devarim 17:8:

"כִּי יִפָּלֵא מִמְּךָ דָבָר לַמִּשְׁפָּט ... וְקַמְתָּ וְעָלִיתָ אֶל־הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר ה"א בּוֹ׃
וּבָאתָ אֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם וְאֶל־הַשֹּׁפֵט אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם וְדָרַשְׁתָּ וְהִגִּידוּ לְךָ אֵת דְּבַר הַמִּשְׁפָּט׃ "

Yet in the rest of Nach we don't see Leviim taking an active role in teaching/rebuking Bnei Yisrael; rather, this is left up to the Neviim (e.g., Yehoshua, Eliyahu, Elisha, Yeshayahu). Indeed, in Pirkei Avot 1:1, the Leviim are notably missing from the list of people who transmitted the Torah:

"משֶׁה קִבֵּל תּוֹרָה מִסִּינַי, וּמְסָרָהּ לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ, וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ לִזְקֵנִים, וּזְקֵנִים לִנְבִיאִים, וּנְבִיאִים מְסָרוּהָ לְאַנְשֵׁי כְנֶסֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה."

(And the one example of leadership from the Leviim that we have is the corrupt sons of Eli!)
So what happened to the Leviim?


texts: Religiously sensitive guidance on when to tell your child about human reproduction

texts: A boy in cheder who has no internet at home, no tv, etc, is not exposed to human reproduction in the way that others are.  It's therefore up to the parents to explain to him how children are born. Should this be an automatic process, where the child learns something in gemara and asks? Has anyone ever heard of any guidance on the matter given by Gedolim/Rabbonim?


texts: Hearing kiddush from someone who mumbles

texts: If one is invited to someones house on shabbat and they are being yotzeh kiddush with someone they know mumbles the words ,but they can't make their own kiddush for whatever reason (only enough wine for one cup,doesn't want to embarrass his host) is there any heiterim which allow him to be Yotzeh kiddush,or would he have to somehow make kiddush on the challah without someone noticing? What should one do in this situation?


texts:
שמות 20:4
The prohibition against making a פסל
וכל תמונה
found in heaven, in the earth, or in the water. In other words, of any thing found in creation.

I have a baby girl and I want to know how the halacha applies this to baby toys and toys in general?
I know from archeology that ancient Israel was very different from the other nations in not making תמונות.
Is a distinction made between cloth toys and hard toys?
Is a distinction made between wood and shiny metal because of the word פסל?
How does this apply to dolls and chess sets?

תודה לכל אשר עונה לי!!!


texts: Does anyone know of a good siddur/prayer book designed for women that is in Yiddish and English?


texts: Why "שרי אלפים" in דה״ב יז יד?

texts:
Ⅱ Divre Hayamim 17:

  ואלה פקדתם לבית אבותיהם ליהודה שרי אלפים עדנה השר ועמו גבורי חיל שלש מאות אלף. ועל ידו יהוחנן השר ועמו מאתים ושמונים אלף. ועל ידו עמסיה בן זכרי המתנדב ליהוה ועמו מאתים אלף גבור חיל. ומן בנימן גבור חיל אלידע ועמו נשקי קשת ומגן מאתים אלף. ועל ידו יהוזבד ועמו מאה ושמונים אלף חלוצי צבא.

In the Judaica Press translation:

  And this was their number according to the house of their fathers: of Judah the officers over the thousands were Adnah the chief, and with him, mighty warriors-three hundred thousand. And beside him was Jehohanan the chief, and with him two hundred eighty thousand. And beside him was Amasiah the son of Zichri, who gave generously to the Lord, and with him were two hundred thousand mighty warriors. And from Benjamin was a mighty warrior, Eljada, and with him, armed with bow and shield, were two hundred thousand. And beside him was Jehozabad and with him one hundred and eighty thousand advance guards.

Why are they called officers over thousands if each of them was in charge of hundreds of thousands?


texts: What is the significance of the word "Hakatan" after one's surname?  If this descriptive is used by learned people and rabbonim, then is it not self-defeating to call oneself "Hakatan"?


texts: If one is aware the yetzer harah drove him to do something, must he stop?

texts: Say you are fully aware that your yetzer harah drove you to do something specific- to visit a certain person on a certain day, or to have a certain kosher meal for dinner. Is that activitity necessarily something one must avoid doing, given its source?


texts: How does one get punished for sins beyond punishment?

texts:
I asked this question in a comment to another question's answer, but I wanted to ask it explicitly:

It has been stated that :

  [...] it has been pointed out in Rishonim [...] that some sins are so bad they can't get a punishment - because the punishment creates forgiveness, but when the sin is too great, forgiveness is not an option.

If so, what happens to the one who commits such a sin?

Is he punished in the afterlife instead of by humans in this world? But that would also be a punishment/kaparah and hence affect forgiveness. Or is he not punished anywhere (this world or the next world)? That doesn't make sense as well - since then he gets off scot free.


texts: Is there a source for inverting the lulav while shaking it in different directions?

texts: I was always told that when shaking the lulav towards the north, for instance, you keep the lulav oriented as usual (pointing towards the ceiling), just turn your body northwards first, and then extend (then withdraw) your arms.  Yet I keep seeing people turning their lulav so the lulav top is itself pointing north (not up).  Is there any source or opinion for this practice, or is it just a mistake?


texts:
most times, the beginning of a beracha is Baruch Atah Adonai, etc.
which is usually translated as Blessed are You God, etc.

what does it mean to say that God is blessed? (on the surface it implies someone blessed Him therefore He is blessed.)


texts:
I remember learning once that the גמרא says to perform a certain procedure / say certain words when someone is choking on a fish bone. I also remember hearing that this is the one cure mentioned in the גמרא that still applies today.

So:

What is the procedure?
Does it still apply today?
Optional: What's the meaning behind the procedure (words and actions)?

(I remember it as fish bones, but if applies to all bones as well, please correct me)


texts: Washing (with a blessing) before continuing a meal with no more bread

texts:
As noted elsewhere on the site, the Shulchan Aruch (OC 164:2) rules that someone who, in the middle of a bread meal, touches his thigh must then wash his hands and say the blessing "al n'tilas yadayim" before continuing to eat.

Does that apply even if he's not going to eat any more bread? (On the one hand, the SA doesn't seem to differentiate.[1] On the other, we don't normally wash hands and say "al n'tilas yadayim" before eating non-bread foods.)

[1] As Double AA points out in a comment, SA OC 177:2 indicates that "we're not accustomed to sever ourselves from bread until" the end of the meal: they always had in mind that they might eat more bread. Thus, the case I ask about, where someone had in mind that he would not eat more bread, didn't exist in the time of the SA, which may explain why the SA didn't differentiate that case from the opposing case.


texts: Did people who were not priests or Levites enter the Tabernacle for ritual purposes?

texts:
(Note: I am posting this more specific follow-up to a previous question based on the recommendation of Isaac Moses here.)

Aaron and his descendants were designated as cohanim (priests) to do the ritual service in the Tabernacle (Exodus 28:1). Preventing non-cohanim accessing the Tabernacle was assigned to the rest of the tribe of Levi (Numbers 1:47-53).

Did people who were not priests or Levites enter the Tabernacle or the Beth Hamikdash for ritual purposes?

Some relevant passages:

Leviticus 1 and subsequent chapters describe the procedures for making various offerings.

In general, a person offering an animal was to bring it to the door of the Tent of Meeting. This seems to mean the entrance to the Holy Place, suggesting that the the person making the offering was to bring it inside the courtyard, but outside of (in front of) the curtain or screen (the מָסָךְ, Exodus 26:36) separating the Holy Place from the courtyard (see related question here).

Also, the descriptions of some of the sacrifices seem to include the person who brings the animal slaughtering it by the altar of burnt offering, which was inside the courtyard. See, for example, Leviticus 1:11.

However, after the events described in Numbers 17, the people say that any alien who comes near to the Tabernacle will die (Numbers 17:27-28). In the aftermath, Numbers 18:22-23 states:

  And henceforth the children of Israel shall not come nigh the tent of
  meeting, lest they bear sin, and die. But the Levites alone shall do
  the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall bear their
  iniquity; it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations,
  and among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.

Did this forbid people of other tribes entry only to the Holy Place (and of course to the Holy of Holies), or did it also forbid them entrance to the courtyard? Did people who were not priests or Levites enter the courtyard of the Tabernacle to perform the rituals prescribed in Leviticus and elsewhere in the Torah, and in the Tanakh generally?

I prefer answers based on references to the Tanakh, but also welcome references to ancient or modern Jewish literature and commentary bearing on this question.


texts: At what stage of moving into a home should there be a mezuza?

texts:
There have been a number of questions relating to putting up a mezuza when moving into a rented home (or any home whose permanence is in question).  When moving into a purchased home, at what stage must the mezuza be put up?  Before moving in belongings? Before sleeping there the first time?  Within a specific number of days?

For reference, these are the related questions:

When do you place the Mezuzah?

If you put up a mezuzah before 30 days, can you make a blessing?

Mezzuzahs- putting them up, and saying brachot


texts:
The Posuk says:

  אוּלַי יְמֻשֵּׁנִי אָבִי

Translated as: maybe my father will tap me (and realize, and curse me)

The question is accoring to the GRA the word אוּלַי indicates that you want the thing to happen so why did Yackov want to get caught?


texts: Why was only the light hidden at creation?

texts:
In Bereshis 1:3-4 God creates light and differentiates between light and dark. Chazal in Hagigah 12a each us that God saw the original light was not appropriate for the wicked to use and hid it away for the righteous in the future.

My question is why was this the only thing in creation that God felt needed to be hidden away from the wicked?


texts: When do you own the food in your farm-share box?

texts:
In a farm share (CSA, community-supported agriculture), at the beginning of a season you subscribe to and pay for a share, and then you receive regular deliveries of whatever food those farms produced that's ready.  Some CSAs send out preview email a few days before each box is delivered, telling you what you're getting.

This made me wonder about cases where the box includes chameitz during Pesach.  If you don't own the food until you pick it up, then you could work around problems by having a non-Jewish friend as a partner in the share, and that person takes anything problematic before you touch anything.  On the other hand, if you own the food as soon as the farmers designate it, which seems possible because you paid in advance (you didn't buy on credit), then you'd have a problem.  And because it's a farm share with the uncertainty that provides, I don't know if we can look to cases of ordering specific goods for precedent.  That is, ordering specific chameitz from Amazon might be a different case, because you made a specific order and because if Amazon fails to deliver it you can request a replacement.  With a farm share you're taking your chances; maybe you get a big pile of wheat berries, or maybe the crop had problems and you don't.

When does a subscriber to a seasonal farm share become the owner of the items in one of the deliveries?  What would a customer need to do to avoid the problem of owning chameitz if a share includes any?

(I'm willing to split off that second question if people think that would be better; I don't know how complicated my question is.)


texts: Adding pellets to the hopper of a pellet stove on Shabbat

texts:
Would it be permissible to add pellets to the hopper of a pellet stove on Shabbat?

A pellet stove has a large pellet hopper that holds approximately 40 pounds of wood pellets. The pellet auger turns and carries a small number of pellets at a time up and drops them down into the burner, where a fire is kept burning constantly. Generally, 40 lbs of pellets will last 24 hours, but on particularly cold shabbosim, it may only last 18 or 20 hours. Is there any way that additional pellets could be added?


texts: If someone says something to offend you, can you just reply with a “Shutup!”, or will this be considered as hurting one’s feelings? This is a serious question. If it is a sin how else can you let someone know that their remarks are not appreciated in a way that they will stop?


texts: When Gut feeling and supposed Knowledge conflict

texts:
There's a kid who started doing daf yomi and feels that through the daf he gains skills,  confidence, knowledge, consistency and most of all a sense of accomplishment. His rabbi tells him one day he should stop doing the daf since he is in yeshiva and should focus all of his time on what the Yeshiva is learning (daf takes him 2 hours).
As much has the kid respects his rabbi, he deeply feels that doing the daf is the right course of action for himself.

Although this seems like a specific case, it really can be applied to many different aspects of life. (Rabbi - Talmid, Parent - Child, ...etc)

There's a gemara that deals with a case of a patient and a doctor. The patient believes he/she needs medicine where the doctor does not. The gemara says that we listen to the patient because the patient knows in his heart a feeling that the doctor would never be able to understand. The Gemara says the opposite is true as well (doctor says he needs medicine , he must take medicine) but that is not a chiddush.
The point being, although the rabbi in the first case thinks daf yomi is not right for the student, should the student listen or, because he feels that it's important, trust himself?

Secondly, are there other sources that deal with this concept (knowledgeable vs. less knowledgeable) with conflicting thoughts, whom do we listen to?


texts: There are certain raw ingredients that do not require a Hashgacha (salt, water, eggs, etc.). Does instant coffee (regular - not decaffeinated) need a Hashgacha? If yes, why?


texts: Recently at a Shabbos table I heard that the addition to shir hama'alot "Tehillat Hashem" (a compilation of four verses beginning with Psalms 145:21) was anti-zionistic and shouldn't be said. I heard alternatively that these additions dated to at least as far back as the time of the Arizal. Can anyone explain how these tehillim could be anti-Zionistic, or provide any historical sources for their coming before Zionism?


texts: Scattering of Israel: Remedy or Punishment?

texts:
The Gemara (Pesachim 87b) states that Hashem performed a righteous deed with Israel in that he scattered them (pizron) among the nations.

Rashi explains that instead of being exiled to a single country, the Jews were scattered among several countries. G-d thereby ensured that the gentiles would be unable to destroy all the Jews at the same time [see Artscroll Pesachim 87b, note 49].

Yet, the Gemara (ibid. 118b) said that the reason Israel was scattered among the nations of the world was because Israel desired to be friendly with the nations. Therefore, G-d punished them measure for measure by scattering them throughout the world to live among those very nations (see Artscroll Pesachim 118b, note 49).

Was Hashem bringing the remedy before the affliction (see Megillah 13b) or was it a punishment?


texts:
Can I use a tallis gadol on 4 sticks as a hupa canopy? Possible problems:

The minhag is not to use a tallis
It is disrespectful to the tallis


texts:
Someone mentioned that the Sefas Emes quotes in the name of the Chiddushei HaRim on that Mishnah  (Avos 1:14), אם אין אני לי מי לי, וכשאני לעצמי מה אני, ואם... The Sefas Emes says, Every yid has something that only HE can fix! That your mission and our job.

Does anyone know the source of where the Sefas Emes is located?


texts:
This answer claims that the idea of reincarnation is found in the Hechalot texts. Is this indeed the case, and if so, where?

According to R. Aryeh Kaplan in Meditation and Kabbalah reincarnation is referenced in the Sefer HaBahir. Perhaps this is what was meant by Hechalot texts.


texts: Typically we do not say "El Male" on days when tachnun would not be said, however, is this true of Tisha b'Av, when we have our national day of aveilut?


texts: To the best of my knowledge the Molad is every 29.5 days + 793 Chalakim. Is there any information showing if the current Molad calculation is accurate scientifically? If it is off by how much is it off? How far off culmitavely are we now from the actual timing of the new moon?


texts: Could someone explain to me as to why most Targums fix in the (Aramaic) word 'Memra into a lot of verses, or use it as a substitude for other words written in the Tenach; what's the idea and meaning behind this? Why interpret the Tenach in such a way?


texts: May deodorant be applied on Yom Kippur, or is it a case of anointing which is forbidden?


texts: I understand you can't say Tehilim at night. Can you say Tehilim between shkiah and tzeits hakochavim (ben hashmashot)? or does it have to be said before shkiah?


texts: In the book “Israel: Splendors of the Holy Land” by Sara Kochav, there is a picture of a sofer (Torah scibe). The image describtion claims that the sofer needs to wear a special robe, as depicted in the picture. Does anyone know where does this robe and tradition come from?


texts: What are the main differences between the Artscroll Siddur and the Koren Sacks Siddur?

texts:
Artscroll tends to be the status quo for many Jewish religious texts. I can't give a reason as to why that is, but Artscroll tends to be the standard in most Orthodox religious institutions. They make up the bulk of every collection within the various Shuls and centers I've been to.

That being said, I have seen a popular uprising with a book called the Koren Sacks Siddur. This is a recent release (around 2009) which has been pretty revolutionary in that it includes a series of new prayers for women (both for mothers after the birth of children and for fathers after the birth of their daughters) and also includes a series of prayers meant to be used within the State of Israel.

I was curious if anyone who has had experience with both books would be able to give me their feedback. Are they both considered equally valid and equally accessible to Jews looking to keep observance, or is one considered "more trusted" than the other?


texts:
The Ohr Yisrael says that on one’s birthday, it is proper to engage in introspection and seek ways to improve himself(1), Daven for the amud (2), and to give extra money to tzedaka(3)"

1) Ohr Yisroel 24: page 190.

2) Ohr Yisroel 24: page 188.

3) Tzedaka L’Chaim page 35.

Besides these sources, are there any halacha seforim (I.e. Shulchan Aruch, Kitzur Shulchan Aruch or Mishnah Berurah), that mention this?


texts: Can I use a cutlass for a shechita knife?

texts:
Ahoy thar! I'm trapped on a pirate ship, and I'm so hungry I could eat a cow! Hey wait, we actually have one on board!!

My problem is that the only sharp implement that I have is a pirate's cutlass. Can I use that to kill an animal in a kosher manner? Do I need to have a specialized shechita knife to kill animals? Also, cutlasses are generally curved (as in this image from Wikipedia); is that an issue?

Do I need to worry about the boat rocking?

( This question was inspired by some Winterbash things, and a discussion in Bam )


texts: Why is the name 'Yerushalayim' absent from the Torah?

texts:
Bereishit Rabbah (56:10) tells us that Yerushalayim was named as a unification of Avraham's "Yireh" after the akeidah and Malkhitzedek (who was really Shem) who greeted Avraham after saving Lot who was called the king of "Shalem". Both Avraham and Shem merited 'the place' to be named after them i.e. Yireh Shalem, namely Yerushalayim.

In the Torah Yerushalayim is never mentioned as this name. It is called "hamakom asher yivchar", "sha'ar ha'shamayim" or simply "makom".

I have heard it said in the name of the Rambam that the avot didn't want to reveal the name/location of such a holy place lest the nations occupy it and prevent the Jews from using it.

What are the other reasons? And are there others (other than the Rambam) that discuss the reason?


texts: Is one allowed to light a candle which has oil on top and water underneath on Erev Shabbos?

texts: The gemara Shabbos 47b says that even on Erev Shabbos one may not place a vessel with water in it under a candle in order that any sparks emitted by the flame should fall into the water, because it is a form of extinguishing a fire. Yet many homes put water underneath the oil in their Shabbos candles, using either fixed wicks as in the picture below or floating wicks, even though we see that when the oil is nearly finished the flame sputters and goes out, and so clearly the water is extinguishing the flame. Why is this permitted?


texts: Are the notorious reshaim punished in Gehinnom forever?

texts:
I read somewhere in the Internet (Sorry, I forget where it is...) that Gehinnom is a temporary place. Is it true?

If it is true, how about the notorious reshaim (ex: Hitler Y"SH)? Are they punished in Gehinnom forever?


texts: Looking for the booklet of sources from "The Purim Story"

texts:
There is a dramatization of the purim story called "The Purim Story". It was originally released as a double cassette album and came with a booklet of sources i.e. which medrashim are the source for each detail in the dramatization. It is sold today as a double Cd but does not come with the booklet.

I am looking for the booklet either as a pdf scan or a to buy it.


texts: Why did Avraham pray for a son if he was promised one?

texts:
Hashem promised Avraham as son when he left Haran, at age 75. Yet it seems that Avraham and Sarah prayed for the next 25 years until they indeed were blessed with Yitzhak.
How could we describe Avraham's reason for tefilla, if seemingly not asking to take from Hashem. (Perhaps related to abundantly eager to give to Hashem... but I feel there is more to it.)


texts: Should you say al netilat yadaim if you're not sure how much bread you will be eating?

texts:
http://www.berachot.org/Q+A/q9.html:

  According to Sephardim, if one ate less than a kezayit of bread
  there's no obligation to wash, if one ate one kezayit one should wash
  without a Bracha of Al Netilat Yadayim and if one ate a Kebaytzah (2
  Kezaytim) one should wash with a Bracha. (S"A 158:2, Yalkut Yosef
  158:4). According to Ashkenazim preferably one should have a Kebaytzah
  to wash with a Bracha but if one needs to have a kezayit one should
  wash with a Bracha. If one eats less than a kezayit one should wash
  without a Bracha. (Vezot HaBracha chap 2, pg 13 based on Igrot Moshe
  4:44 and Rav Elyashiv)

If one is about to commence a meal with bread and is not sure how much bread will be eaten should one skip the brach al netilat yadayim? Or is the additional food counted towards the kebeya?


texts: Counting Sefira without a beracha during the day twice in a row?

texts: If someone forgot to count Sefirat HaOmer at night and therefore counted during the following day without a beracha (as per the halacha OC 489), and then forgot to count Sefirat HaOmer again the following night (and so counts without a beracha again the following day) may they resume counting with a beracha on the third night? Is there some maximum number of consecutive nights which may בדיעבד be missed after which one may no longer make a beracha?


texts: Is a male considered Jewish if his dad is Jewish and his mom is not jewish but the dad had his male child have a brit-millah

texts: I have uncles and cousins who married non-Jewish women but had their boys have brit-millah when they were babies. Are they considered Jewish under orthodox Judaism?


texts: Is there an issur to put cold water in a kli rishon on Yom Tov?

texts:
There is a prohibition of cooking to put cold water into a kli rishon of hot water on Shabbos. This is mentioned in the Mishna and Gemara on Shabbos 42a, and codified in the Tur and Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim siman 318 siff 9.

So for instance if you realize you don't have enough soup for all your guests, you may not remove the pot from the fire and add more water. This is assur even without putting the pot back on the flame, as the soup is in a kli rishon.

My question concerns Yom Tov. Does this prohibition apply to cases where cooking on Yom Tov is prohibited? See Shulchan Aruch siman 503 1 where we see it is not allowed to cook on one day of Yom Tov for the next. See also siman  512 for instances where cooking for certain people is not allowed, and even adding food to an already cooking pot is not allowed.

So in the aforementioned example, would putting the cold water in the soup pot which is not on the fire be allowed on Yom Tov?

Do to the nature of this question, I would prefer sourced answers.

What I've seen so far is the Rosh Yosef on the sugya who would have liked to assume the prohibition was  midirabanan. We could've built off this and say the prohibition was not extended to Yom Tov. However, the Rosh Yosef goes on to say the implications from the gemara and Beis Yosef are that it is a biblically prohibited act. I'm not clear what his implications are, but if it is biblical, I would assume there is no room to be lenient on Yom Tov.


texts: Why does Yisro recommend so many judges?

texts:
In Shemos 18:21 Yisro tells Moshe that he shouldn't judge Bnei Yisrael himself, instead he should appoint:

וְאַתָּ֣ה תֶחֱזֶ֣ה מִכָּל־הָ֠עָם אַנְשֵׁי־חַ֜יִל יִרְאֵ֧י אֱלֹהִ֛ים אַנְשֵׁ֥י אֱמֶ֖ת שֹׂ֣נְאֵי בָ֑צַע וְשַׂמְתָּ֣ עֲלֵהֶ֗ם שָׂרֵ֤י אֲלָפִים֙ שָׂרֵ֣י מֵא֔וֹת שָׂרֵ֥י חֲמִשִּׁ֖ים וְשָׂרֵ֥י עֲשָׂרֹֽת׃
You shall also seek out from among all the people capable men who fear God, trustworthy men who spurn ill-gotten gain. Set these over them as chiefs of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens,

Rashi gives us the math:

שרי אלפים. הֵם הָיוּ שֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת שָׂרִים לְשֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת אֶלֶף:
שרי מאות. שֵׁשׁ אֲלָפִים הָיוּ:
שרי חמשים. י"ב אֶלֶף:
שרי עשרת. שִׁשִּׁים אֶלֶף:
שרי אלפים OFFICERS OF THOUSANDS — there were six hundred such officers for the six hundred thousand men of Israel.
שרי מאות OFFICERS OF HUNDREDS — there were six thousand of them.
שרי חמשים OFFICERS OF FIFTIES — twelve thousand.
שרי עשרת OFFICERS OF TENS — sixty thousand (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 18:21:2, Sanhedrin 18a).

The total amount of judges Yisro recommends to replace Moshe is 78,600 (60,000+12,000+6,000+600). Why on Earth would 600,000 people need 78,600 judges?
Keep in mind that until now Moshe was doing it all himself and he was perfectly fine with it and expected Klal Yisrael to also be perfectly fine with it. I understand that it's much too much for one person, but several hundred judges or even several thousand judges should have been more than adequate.


texts: Does God have complete knowledge of future?

texts:
This question

Did God know the holy place right away during the exodus?

ask around the idea that G-d would choose His holy places during exodus time.

However, if he knows the future, he couldn't possibly undecided during exodus.

So what's the explanation.

Say I said, "I will choose which cake I will eat." That means I do not know which cake I will eat yet right?

In fact, one of the answer on that previous question says that it's actually David, rather than God that latter chose Jerusalem as a holy place.


texts: Processing an online payment - which will be processed on Shabbos

texts: With my bank, when you process, online, a payment, it automatically goes out on the following day. If I authorize it on Friday they will send it on Saturday. I can also request any future date I want. Is there a problem if they process it on Shabbos?


texts: Rashi’s Explanation Doesn’t Seem to Fit in the Dibbur Hamatchil

texts: Rashi on Shemot 32:18 explains קול ענות גבורה and קול ענות חלושה however the dibbur hamatchil is אין קול ענות גבורה.  Why is he explaining the קול ענות חלושה here when the dibbur hamatchil indicates that he only should be concerned with the קול ענות גבורה?  Why wouldn’t he explain קול ענות חלושה in a separate dibbur hamatchil?


texts: Is the author of the Shu"t HaRidvaz the same one as the one known to be the rebbe of the Ariza"l?

texts: I've heard that the Ariza"l was a talmid of the Ridvaz. I am wondering if it is the same person who authored the Shu"t HaRidvaz as I find that interesting since he seems to be someone that devoted his life to niglah rather than to nistar?


texts: Why are all the details of the Mishkan repeated?

texts: In Parshas Vayakhel, why does the Torah describe the mishkan and keilim in such great detail, given that most of the information was already given in the previous parshiyos? Why didn't the Torah just write, in one verse, "And they made the mishkan and the keilim as HaShem told Moshe"?


texts: Why do we say "He Tishalell":She Shall Be Praised if we can just say "Isha Yiras Hashem Tishallel": Woman who fears is Praise worthy what does the extra specification of "HE"(she) add?


texts: How should one inflicted with DID (Dissociative identity disorder) pray?

texts:
I know someone with DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder - a mental disorder characterized by at least two distinct and relatively enduring personality states) and want to try to get her to pray.

But, how would she do so? If she has multiple personalities, does each of her alters have to pray, or agree to anything?

I do not see where this question has been asked previously.