texts: Can a person move during Chol HaMoed Pesach?

texts:
For financial reasons, I had to move into a suite belonging to a Non-Jew. 3 years later, my landlord has told me I have to move out so his daughter could move in.

However, the days I am expected to move out of my suite to an entirely different suite in a different house are during the Chol HaMoed during Pesach.

My question is this: I understand no melacha is permitted during the first two days and last two days of Pesach, but can a person move during Chol HaMoed?

Asking a local rabbi was “out of the question” because:
Rabbi #1 is “celebrating Pesach with their family” Rabbi #2 and his family are in Israel,
Rabbi #3 states: “Because you rented to a Non-Jew, you now face the consequences of your decision. This question will be answered AFTER Pesach. If you decide to move out during the Chol HaMoed, there will be no further communication. Permanently.”


texts: Where do we find in Tanach 2 famous Kohanim who married divorced women?


texts: Is an ex-employee allowed to work with the customers of his former employer?

texts:
Shimon works for Business A, he has access to the contact information of all the clients and is responsible for interacting with them. Moreover, he knows how much each client is paying for Business A's products and services, as well.

Shimon leaves Business A and opens his own Business B that operates in the same field. Shimon wants to use all the information he collected on his former clients to attract those clients to his business.

Can this behavior be considered a"steal" Halachicly?
If yes, can he be sued in Beis Din and what can be the verdict?


texts: May siblings of the opposite sex that share only one parent be secluded (yichud) with one another? Does it matter which parent they share?


texts: In which cases are you exempt from eating in the sukkah?

texts:
Are we required to eat every meal and every food/drink under the sukkah?

What if it is raining? Cold? What if there are too many people to all fit under the sukkah (we have lots of guests)?

Those are just some examples


texts: Which groups hold by the eiruv in Crown Heights?

texts:
Crown Heights, Brooklyn is now home to a controversial new eiruv.* I am aware that the majority of Lubavitchers do not accept it for both Chasidic and Halachic reasons. I am also under the impression that members of most other ultra-Orthodox groups hold that an eiruv cannot be built in Brooklyn and thus will not use this eiruv.

However, where do people in the middle stand? I know labels are variable and somewhat arbitrary, but I'd still like to know whether people who consider themselves, say, left-wing Chareidi, mainstream or modern Yeshivish, Modern Orthodox machmir, heimish, or broadly shomer mitzvos (I'm treating these groups as separate, although they often overlap) accept this eiruv. Also, are there any "ultra-Orthodox" groups who do accept the eiruv, or modern ones who don't? (I am interested in the case of the Crown Heights eiruv, but also Brooklyn eruvim more generally.)

*
 "The Eruv is under the auspices of Congregation Kol Israel of Prospect Heights and their Rav, Rabbi Elkanah Schwartz,who has established the nearby eiruvim of Prospect Heights and Brower Park [sic]." --here

Related
Why is the Boro Park eiruv controversial?


texts: Unplugging cooking utensil from timer on Yom Tov?

texts:
Suppose that someone has an electronic cooking utensil such as a Crock Pot or a rice cooker that they use on Yom Tov. Perhaps they set a timer before Y"T in order that it should start cooking during the holiday.

If that electric appliance is plugged into an outlet that is regulated with a timer, can the appliance be unplugged when the timer is in the off condition such that the outlet is not functioning?

To me, it seems like something that should not be permitted, but I cannot think of a reason why it would not be. On Shabbos, there would be an issue of muktzeh, but I do not believe that such a utensil would be considered muktzeh on Yom Tov where its work is permitted.

For the purpose of this question, assume that the timer going to the "off" position completely cuts off the flow of electricity to the appliance.  I am not sure whether this is actually the case.  If you happen to know, please provide that information!


texts:
I heard that there is an idea of not leaving a Sefer open because it can cause forgetfulness.

Is this idea written about anywhere in Halachic literature? If so where is it located?


texts:
The CRC says frozen potatoes require a hechsher
(even though many frozen veggies do not).

The Scroll K says frozen potatoes do not require a hechsher.

Why might frozen potatoes require a hechsher?


texts: What is the source of hatred perceived by Jews in different parts of the world?

texts:
I don't know if this is off topic but a similar question is here at Christianity SE and I thought it would be interesting to ask the corresponding one here.

It intrigues me how people from other cultures like Hinduism, Confucianism, Buddhism or any of the isms are more readily accepted anywhere than the Jewish people.

What makes it all the more intriguing is the scope and age of the phenomenon. If it were an isolated thing confined to a single time and location, one could discount it as hand of fate or randomness of nature.

However to my knowledge it is much more pervasive than that.
It seems to be present from the times of Haman and Mordecai to right until the present times in different parts of the world.

Is there a reason behind this? (Both religious and non-religious perspectives welcome.)


texts: What is the origin of the Mussar old adage that there is no such thing as spiritual stasis; one is always either ascending or descending spiritually?


texts:
Can one learn Torah on Christmas day? I've heard there are a number of opinions on this: what are their sources?
I've heard that Chasidim don't study anything Xmas night as well as the 6th of January. Is it just Christmas night or day as well?


texts:
Where is there a rabbinical discussion or a mentioned in the TaNaKH about ethnic designation to mean "white" or "white person" or non-black person?

I am aware that there is an ethnic designation in regards to "black" or "black person" in our Hebrew word "Cush" or "Cushi".

Rashi, in Bamidbar - Numbers - Chapter 12, referenced, "Scripture teaches that everyone acknowledged her beauty just as everyone acknowledges a Cushite’s blackness. — [Tanchuma Tzav 13]"

In reverse, is there any reference anywhere that perhaps say something to the effect of, "just as everyone acknowledges a [xxx’s] whiteness"?


texts: What was Rav's relationship to R' Hiyyah?

texts: In Mo'ed Katan (Bab. 20a) the Gemara relates a story about how Rav learned of the death of his parents from a conversation with R' Hiyyah. The Gemara tells us their relationship, and it's pretty critical to understanding the story that we know they are related through Rav's parents, but I just can't wrap my head around what the relationship is. It sounds like the Gemara is saying that Rav's parents were brother and sister. Can someone please clarify this for me?


texts: Why omit "Av harachamim" for the four parashiyos?

texts: "Av harachamim" is a prayer asking God to recall those who died al kidush hashem. It was written in response to the First Crusade (and is thus said only in the Ashk'nazi rite). Because of its somber topic (or origin), it is omitted on various joyous occasions, though which occasions qualify varies widely. It is also, according to some views (cited in Mishna B'rura 685) and in many synagogues, omitted when the "four parashiyos" are read. Why omit it when the "four parashiyos" are read? That's not a particularly joyous occasion.


texts: can someone recommend a niggunim / jewish melodies book

texts:
i read notes well enough to sing them. i need two things:

niggunim/jewish melodies song book
niggunim/jewish melodies ADVANCED for piano


texts: If lending a Goy money on the condition that he converts to Judaism, considered receiving ribbis (interest) from a goy or from a Jew?

texts:
If someone tells a non Jew I will lend you money on the condition that you convert to Judaism, (and the lender derives personal benefit from the conversion itself), Would this be considered receiving ribbis (interest) from a goy or from a Jew?

(Not to be confused with the question of lending money with interest to a non-Jew who later converts, and whether he may or may not pay past or future interest owed. I'm trying to find out if the conversion itself would be considered a non-Jew's or a Jew's interest).


texts: Are there examples of words where pronouncing a sh'va as a tzeirei or a segol (or pronouncing a tzeirei as a sh'va or a segol or a segol as a sh'va or a tzeire) creates a different meaning? I'm looking for examples where mispronunciation results in a very different meaning (e.g., past vs. future tense -- basically something that a gabbai should correct in laining if the ba'al korei makes such a mistake) or even an entirely different word. Multiple examples would be appreciated.


texts: why did hashem create non kosher animals, was it to tempt us and see if we would control ourselves?


texts:
Why do we start to wrap the arm tefila, then put on the head tefila, and then complete the wrapping of the arm tefila?

Why not put on the arm tefila completely and only then the head tefila (or the other way around)?


texts:
1- Do we know if any of the Tannaim or Amoraim had below average intelligence?

2- Were all of the Tannaim/Amoraim highly intelligent?

My question has to do with something I'm trying to figure out. What, if any, raw talents and gifts were necessary for the level (of spirituality) they reached?


texts:
It is a thoroughly well-known feature of the halakha that one may not use money on Shabbat, and there are maybe a dozen questions on this website alone that seem to presuppose familiarity with that fact. But why? The use of money is not listed in Mishna Shabbat 7:2, nor does the act of commerce appear to constitute a subset of any of the prohibitions that are mentioned. Is it prohibited under the principle of shevut? If so, I note that it is nowhere mentioned in Mishna Beitzah 5:2 either.

I would assume that the act of purchasing something is what is forbidden (or perhaps the act of earning money?), which makes handling money forbidden under the principle of כלי שמלאכתו לאיסור, although I would very much like to see that written down somewhere.

What is the earliest source for the prohibition of spending/earning money, under what principle is the handling of money forbidden (shevut or muqtzeh), and were there any dissenting voices on this matter?

--

Note: The prohibition of trade already seems to be inferred by Nehemiah 13:15-21, although note that much of his objection concerns the use of animals, the travel to Jerusalem and the entering of a walled city. His prohibiting Tyrians from doing likewise would seem to presuppose a prohibition of buying as well as selling, since Phoenicians are not bound by the laws of Shabbat. If his enactment has a textual basis in the Torah, I do not know what it is.


texts:
Sodom was one of the most morally corrupted societies that ever existed.

wouldn't their disappearance be good for everyone (including themselves).

keeping those who are thoroughly wicked alive is not really a kindness since they will eventually damage others as the gemora says "He who is merciful to the cruel is destined to be cruel to the merciful"

i dont think one can answer: "to give them time to repent", because we see that they were thoroughly wicked, as when they attacked Lot (all of them came out, from young to old)


texts: Shelosha Ushloshim Ushlosh Meyot - mi yodeya?

texts:
Who knows three hundred thirty three?
שלשה ושלושים 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 333? The more significant within Judaism and the more intrinsically dependent on the value 333, the stronger the answer. Please include sources for your information wherever possible, as with all other answers on this site.
Answers consisting of lazy gematria will be as welcome as snow in April.


texts: Is the Goel HaDam (Blood Avenger) obligated to pursue blood vengeance?

texts:
During times when the Torah is the law of the land, if a Jew commits accidental murder against another Jew, he must flee to a Ir Miklat (City of Refuge) or else be subject to revenge killing by the Goel HaDam (Blood Avenger).

Is the Goel HaDam obligated to make a reasonable effort to kill the accidental murderer before he arrives in (or if he leaves) the Ir Miklat, or it is he simply allowed to do so if he wishes? For example, would it be a sin for him to forgive the killer or to decide not to attack despite the opportunity? Is it a mitzvah for the Goel HaDam to complete the act of revenge and/or make reasonable efforts to do so?


texts: How does the rule of "part of the day is considered a whole day" work?

texts:
There are a few areas where we use the rule  מקצת היום ככולו  - "part of the day is considered as if it were the entire day"

I have some questions regarding how this rule works:

Is there a general rule, situation or scenario as to when this rule can be applied? For example, we don't say, "observing part of Yom Kippur is as if you observed all of it. Therefore, you can eat after noon time."
The only place, offhand, that I can think of where this rule is applied is regarding the observance of shiva. On the last (7th) day, mourners don't complete the entire 7th day, but are done in the morning. My question is - if the day has already begun the night before (at sundown), why can't the last day of shiva end an hour (or whatever period) after nightfall?


texts: Does anyone say not to make noise for Haman?

texts:
Here is the source that you should make noise at the mention of Haman's name.

However, as I was listening to the Megillah this year it occurred to me how counterproductive it is as an act of erasing Amalek, as this ends up requiring the reader to repeat Haman's name so that everyone will hear it.  So it amounts to increasing the mention of Amalek.

Are there any sources that say specifically not to make noise for Haman's name, for this reason?


texts: What % of kohanim were not members of a mishmar?

texts:
In the time of the Temple, kohanim were assigned to work in the Temple on a rotating, weekly basis.  The term for such a a crew was a mishmar.  But there were more kohanim than were needed. So some kohanim were not assigned to a mishmar.[1]  What percent of kohanim were members of a mishmar?  Also, the mishmarot were established by families.  What if a family grew so large that not all family members were needed to work in the Temple on one of the family's weeks?  Was there a special way to decide which kohanim in a family would serve, and was that determination permanent or could the mishmar consist of different family members over time (beyond replacements for unavoidable reasons, such as death)?

[1] Footnote 21 to daf 17a of Schottenstein edition of Taanis.


texts: BeRov Am Hadrat HaMelech - Even if person doesn't hear the Chazan?

texts:
In choosing Minyan the Klal BeRov Am Hadrat HaMelech (more people is better) applies. But if minyan is so huge that there are difficulties for a person, who is far from Chazan to hear him.

Is it better in this case to go to other minyan and be able to hear the Chazan?


texts:
One friend of mine told me that his wife always sees a special dream before her veset. Always the same one.

Could such think be counted as veset kavua?

I understand that technically a dream doesn't apply to any type of veset that are mentioned in Sh.O. (correct me if I wrong). I am searching for an explicit mentioning of such thing in poskim.

Any sources or insightful thoughts are appreciated.


texts: What exactly do we celebrate on Purim - the 14th of Adar?

texts:
In the Purim timeline, we can see a series of beneficial events:

the King couldn't sleep and remembered Mordechai (the turn of the story)
Hanging of Haman with his sons and Appointing of Mordechai for the - vice - the culmination of the story
the final fighting in the capital and in the country

As for every festival, we celebrate the climax of that event, even if it lasted some time, e.g. on Pesach, we hold the seder on the first night and not on the last when the Egyptians were defeated.

I feel that #2 is the culmination of the Purim story and the rest is pretty much self evident. Kaballically wise, I'd say that the biggest Orot and G-d's benevolence would happen on that day of the 17th of Nissan.

Moreover, that is the day of the true survival of the Jewish nation, with Mordechai in charge there could be some casualties on Adar 13th but no extermination was possible.

So why did the Sages set this day for the festival?


texts: What happens when Tisha B'Av falls out on Shabbos?

texts:
When Tisha B'Av falls on Shabbos, it is pushed off until Sunday, as it is this year. On Tisha B'Av, we practice several acts of mourning, such as not learning, sitting on low chairs, and fasting. Which of these, if any, apply on Shabbos, which is the actual anniversary of the Churban?

Related is this question regarding the Nine Days' restrictions.


texts: According to some, Jewish people get buried in a Kittel. Is there a difference in the Halacha if the Kittel is pure linen or not?


texts: Question about shidduchim and finding your bashert?

texts: I know this is kind of a weird and long-shot question, but are there any Torah sources which mention signs (simanim) that a person is about to find their bashert? And are there are any sources which describe things you can do to speed up the process?


texts: The possible history of Sefer Za'atutei?

texts:
I noticed that one of the changes made by the sages that authored Targum Hashiv'im (the LXX) for King Talmai was:

"וַיִּשְׁלַח אֶת זַאֲטוּטֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאֶל זַאֲטוּטֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא שָׁלַח יָדוֹ"
"And he sent the elect [za’atutei] of the children of Israel. And upon the elect of the children of Israel He laid not His hand." (Megillah 9a, Sofrim 1:8)

Which is exactly what was found in Sefer Za'atutei, one of the three scrolls discovered in the Mikdash:

"א"ר שמעון בן לקיש שלשה ספרים נמצאו בעזרה ספר מעונה ספר זאטוטי ספר היא באחד מצאו כתוב מעון ובשנים כתוב מעונה אלהי קדם (שם לג) וקיימו שנים ובטלו אחד באחד מצאו כתוב וישלח אל זאטוטי בני ישראל
R. Simeon b. Laḳish said: Three scrolls of the Torah were found in the Temple court: the Ma‘on scroll, the Za’aṭuṭë scroll, and the Hu’ scroll. In one of these they found the expression of ma‘on, and in the other two it was written, The eternal God is me‘onah (a dwelling place), so they adopted the reading of the two scrolls and discarded that of the one scroll. In another of the scrolls they found it written, And he sent the za‘aṭuṭë (nobles) of the children of Israel" (Sofrim 6:4 and a variant in Yerushalmi Taanit 20b)

Nachalat Yaakov on Sofrim noted this:

"וישלח אל זאטוטי בני ישראל. כן צריך להיות וישלח את זאטוטי בני ישראל והוא בסוף פרשת משפטים וזהו אחד מי"ג דברים ששינו לתלמי המלך כדאיתא במסכת זו פרק קמא הלכה ח'."

Translation: ""And he sent to the za‘aṭuṭë (nobles) of the children of Israel" So it should be "And he sent the za‘aṭuṭë (nobles) of the children of Israel" and that's at the end of Parshat Mishpatim and this is one of thirteen things they changed for King Talmai as it is brought in this tractate, ch. 1:8."
Has an explanation been given explaining the connection between the two events? E.g., the sages in Egypt based this change on the variant scroll found prior in the Mikdash, or perhaps the other way around, the variant scroll was based on this decision of the sages in Egypt, or another option?


texts: Did King Solomon create the first train?

texts:
I once heard from a Rabbi in a Nach lesson that King Solomon made the first train, however, the Rabbi cannot remember where the exact source.

Can anyone help?


texts:
It is widely known that Purim is often compared to Yom Kippur in its level of holiness, etc. It is said that the spiritual heights to which one can rise to on Purim are essentially unparalleled at any other time of the year.

My question, though, is what would have been if the story of Purim had never occurred? Had the events of Purim never happened would we not have this most-holy of days?

(I suppose this same thing would apply to Chanukah as well. Biblical holidays could be exempt from this because they are there to commemorate events, or were instituted by God specifically for the purpose of purifying oneself and becoming holy [Yom Kippur/Rosh HaShanah].)


texts: Is Ambien (taken to help sleep) kosher for Pesach? Also, is there a difference between the Ambien made in USA vs. made in Israel?


texts: Birchas HaTorah - everyone was awake all night

texts: Suppose everyone in the Shul remained awake the whole night of Shavuos. What do you do regarding Birchas HaTorah?


texts: Finding chametz in the middle of Pesach if you sold your chametz

texts:
If someone founds chametz in their house during Pesach the Shulchan Aruch writes that if it's Chol HaMoed one must go out and burn it immediately and if it's Yom Tov ne should put a cli over it and then after Yom Tov burn it (See Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim Siman 446 Sif 1.) However how does this din apply nowadays in a case where a person "sold" their chametz to a goy before Pesach. While generally they sell all the chametz that is in a particular location, however many also write "b'col makom shehu" (in any place that chametz is found.) If a person would find a cookie or piece cake or a slice of bread in a random place in their house, what should be done with it? Does it "belong" to the goy and therefore should be set aside for them? Or should it be burned like it says in Shulchan Aruch?

(I have hard time imagining the goy caring about a dry piece of bread, but if the sell is supposed to be real then maybe it really does belong to him.)


texts:
Various online and written sources claim that various chassidic rabbis referred to Korah as "our holy grandfather". Some of these sources are mustered here, but they're all very secondary sources.

Can anyone point to a more primary source for a rebbe who made this comment? (Eg written by the rebbe themeselves, or by a follower? At least something better than a modern drashah which just mentions in passing, "And so-and-so used to say...")


texts: Did Moshe know beforehand that there would be 10 plagues?

texts: I was wondering whether, before the first time Moshe went to Pharaoh, he knew that there would be 10 plagues, and what they would be.


texts: Does anybody recognize this kashrus symbol? Rectangle K US

texts: As the title says, does anybody know this kosher symbol? It looks like a large K with the letters U and S on top and bottom of it, inside of a rectangle. The product brand is Super Cakes, subsidiary of Super Bread. A lot of their other products have this symbol, but I can't seem to find it online.


texts: Why is tefillas Hashlah recommended for Erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan

texts:
Why is erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan an optimal time for reciting the Shlah's tefilla?

The only reason that I've seen is "the optimal time for parents to recite this prayer is Erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan for that is the month when G-d gave us the Torah, and when the Jewish people began to be called His Children".

Is this explanation given by the Shela himself? Where is the mekor for this?


texts: If Bal Tashchis and Achila Gasa would get in a fight, who would win?

texts:
There is a prohibition not to be wasteful.  There is also a prohibition not to overeat.  If a person was full, and the rest of the food was going to go to waste, is it better to discard perfectly good food, or better to overeat in order to not waste?

In order that no one attempt to avoid the underlying issue by finding a way not to waste the food, let's assume that the subject is stranded on a desert island with no other forms of life to which he could feed this food or use it for any constructive purpose.


texts: Had B'nai Yisra'el not sent the spies, would they have had to fight against Amalek?

texts:
Rashi on Devarim 1:8 says that if it weren't for the sin with the spies, we would have never needed armaments.

Bamidbar 14:25 tells us that Amalek lived in the valleys, and Devarim 25:29 states that we must rid of the memory of Amalek, implying our own actions.

Judging from Rash"i's comments on Devarim 1:8, would there have been no mitzvah to rid Amalaek if we didn't have the sin of the spies? Would God have eradicated them for us?


texts: All Sifre HaRamhal? (Rabbi Moshe Chayim Lutzato)

texts: Is there a set that has "Kol Sifre HaRamhal"? The have "Kol Sifre HaHida" and other Rabanim, so maybe they'll also have all Sefarim of the Ramhal?


texts: How does the Conservative Movement address issues with women leading davening?

texts:
The Conservative movement started to allow women to count in a minyan in 1973 without publishing a halachic justification. In 2002, Rabbi David Fine published a teshuva on the issues of women counting in minyanim and serving as שליחות ציבור to explain the ruling. In examining the teshuva, I had a hard time understanding a few of the parts of the logic, and I was wondering how those issues are explained by the Conservative movement.

1) In footnote #1, the author states that he did not consider קול אשה to be a "significant objection". Why not?

2) The whole argument rests on the idea that women can obligate themselves in a mitzvah. But doesn't everybody agree that women have at least a derabanan obligation for tefila? It seems to me that accepting the obligation upon themselves would not effect an obligation any higher than the level of a neder, even if such an acceptance is possible. So is the point that women can take upon themselves an obligation on a Torah-level even though it was not originally commanded to them on a Torah level? If this is not the case, why would women be able to be motzi men in davening if their level of obligation is still lower than that of men?

3) Related to (2), Rabbi Fine bases his argument that women can accept mitzvot upon themselves on the Magen Avraham saying that women have taken the mitzvah of counting the Omer upon themselves. But how does he interpret that to show that women have a greater-than-neder-level of responsibility for counting Omer, or that women can be motzi men in the counting of the Omer? This seems to be a necessary logical step for his argument to work.

4) One issue that Rabbi Fine addresses is the argument that most Conservative women have, in practice, clearly not accepted the obligation of tefila, considering the vast majority of them do not daven thrice daily. His rebuttal is that Conservative women have, as a class, accepted that they have an obligation to daven three times a day, but that they simply fail to live up to that obligation and commit a sin every time they do not daven.

I have a very hard time with point (4) in particular. It seems to me that he is instituting a chumra (women must daven three times a day) that the majority of people do not follow, causing them to sin. That is definitely something that at least the modern poskim have gone to great lengths to avoid doing. This makes it seem like the author jumped through many hoops to arrive at a pre-determined conclusion, which is something that the Conservative movement claims not to do.


texts: Why would one use a Shilling for Terumah?

texts:
In my siddur -- Siddur Tefillah Hashalem (Greenwald), page 162 has a text for separating terumah and ma'aser. In the instructions, if my understanding is correct, the text seems to require using a shilling (this is a photo https://www.snapfish.com/photo-gift/share?via=link&token=UI6iuTQ68NN4QQxjNVJUgg/SFO/27947492559060/SNAPFISH ; I hope it works).

Why would the ritual require (or prefer) using a shilling and what sort of shilling is it speaking of? Is this a generic term for some sort of coin or is it a reference to a particular item?


texts: Did Moses ever meet his parents after the separation?

texts:
IIRC the Biblical narrative, after being born, Moses spends 3 months at home and then moving to the royal palace. His mother continues to breastfeed him for a certain period of time but then the link breaks.

Moses grows up, travels the land of Egypt, finally escapes to Midyan and comes back some 40 years later as the ultimate ruler of the Hebrews leading them out of the country to the promised land.

The Torah is usually very emotional about family ties, spending large detailed passages on family reunions, as with Yakov and Eisov, his sons, and more. However, I don't recall anything about Moses meeting his parents or children (after Matan Torah. Related "why-moses-didnt-care-for-his-sons").

The Torah is very explicit and descriptive about Moses meeting his in-law (nothing though about his wife or kids) but stays silent about him meeting his parent.

EDIT (thnx Double): Even if we say that both Amram and Yocheved died before Moses returned to Egypt, according to the Torah, he shows no interest in their fate at all. Besides, Amram being Gdol Hador it would be reasonable to mention his death and burial.

Did Moses meet his parents after the separation when before or after his escape? And why does the Torah totally omit such a sentimental story?

I personally feel that the "parentless" narrative of the Jewish leader is very purposeful in the story but don't know why.


texts:
Betza 15-16 says that one's allotment of money for the year doesn't include expenditures for Shabas and yom tov, for which one is repaid according to his outlay. (First off, am I reading that right? But I assume so, so that's not my main question, which follows.) What's included in this?

Expenditures for anyone (oneself, one's family, one's guests, one's hosts (bring a bottle of wine when you go for a meal), anyone at all)? Donations to tom'che Shabas?
Expenditures on anything (chulent meat, precut toilet tissue, candlesticks)?
Rentals (tables, chairs)? Services (waiter)?
The Shabas portion of stuff purchased for general use (one seventh the price of a canister of salt, or, combining with the subquestion above about non-food items and services, one seventh the price of a house or medical aide)?
The Shabas portion of food cooked for Shabas but with leftovers eaten during the week?
The weekday portion of food cooked for Shabas but with leftovers eaten during the week? What if one made extra so he'd have during leftovers for the week? Or what if none of it actually got eaten on Shabas (say, you forgot to serve it)?

With sources, please, where possible, of course.


texts:
According to the opinions which require Mechitzos by weddings.

Why isn't there a requirement to have Mechitzos by any other Seudas Mitzvah?

For example, why isn't there a requirement that one have a Mechitza by a Shabbos Table, a Seder, etc.


texts:
Avoda Zara 3, 4:

  שאל פרוקלוס... שהיה רוחץ במרחץ של אפרודיטי
  Proclus asked... because he was washing in the bathroom of aphroditi ...

Given it is forbidden to say name of avoda zara (Sanhedrin 63b):

  שלא יאמר אדם לחבירו שמור לי בצד עבודה זרה פלונית
  ...[we learn from this verse] that a man won't say to his friend "wait me near avoda zara X"...

how could this name be cited in the mishna?


texts: Why was Torah SheBe'Al Peh not allowed to be written?

texts:
The Gemara states that it is forbidden to write down the Oral Torah ("Torah SheBe'Al Peh") [1]:

  דרש רבי יהודה בר נחמני מתורגמניה דרבי שמעון בן לקיש, כתיב: +שמות ל"ד+ כתוב לך את הדברים האלה, וכתיב: +שמות ל"ד+ כי ע"פ הדברים האלה, הא כיצד? דברים שבכתב אי אתה רשאי לאומרן על פה, דברים שבעל פה אי אתה רשאי לאומרן בכתב. דבי רבי ישמעאל תנא: אלה - אלה אתה כותב, ואי אתה כותב הלכות.

Why was this the case? Wouldn't it have helped the spread of Torah knowledge if it could be written down?

[1] Gittin 60b: “R. Judah b. Nahmani, the public orator of R. Simeon b. Lakish, discoursed as follows: It is written (Exodus 34), ‘Write thou these words,’ and it is written, ‘For according to the mouth of these words.’ What are we to make of this? — It means: The words which are written down you art not at liberty to say by heart, and the words transmitted orally you are not at liberty to recite from writing. A Tanna of the school of R. Ishmael taught: [It is written] ‘These’: these you may write, but you may not write ‘halakhot.’”


texts:
Ezekiel 20:24-26

Because they did not perform My ordinances, and they rejected My statutes and desecrated My Sabbaths, and their eyes were after the idols of their fathers. (25) I, too, gave them statutes that were not good and ordinances through which they should not live. (26) And I defiled them with their gifts, when causing to pass all who open the womb, in order that I lay them desolate, in order that they know that I am the Lord.

What were those no-good statues in Ezekiel 20:25? some people claim that those laws are some of the Torah's laws?!!


texts: My auto mechanic is an Eastern European Jew whose father was a Charedi student in Romania (the man himself is not a very observant Jew at all, judging by appearance and mannerism), and frequently lectures me on the prophets and their writings. He often speaks of a Prince of Yerushalaim named Merishadek (that is what I decipher through his accent), but upon a quick flip through some books on scripture and a few Google searches, I cannot find any man by this name. Who is he?


texts:
Genesis 12:4 reads: Vayelech Avram... Avram went according as HaShem had sproken to him, vayelech Lot ito, and Lot went with him. But the next verse reads: Vayikach Avram.. et Lot, and Avram took Lot, vayetzu lalechet, and they went out on their way to...
Genesis 13:1 again describes both men going on their way, but this time it says Vaya'al Avram... v'Lot imo, and Avram went up, and Lot with him.

First I would like to know if Lot went with Avram or if Avram did take Lot, or are both statements in line with eachother? Secondly I would like to know to what the -o ending in ito and imo is revering to: who is the him in each case; is it Lot or Avram?

(P.s. if someone could explain me when - in which case - to use עמו or אתו I would appriciate it; both are translateable as 'with him').


texts: Why a formulaic greeting on ליל ראש השנה?

texts:
On Rosh Hashana night, it is customary to greet one another with "לשנה טובה תכתב (ותחתם)" (Rama 582:9, MB). People (in my experience) and machzorim (Rosh Hashana prayer books) treat this as formulaic, with no variation from the specified text. (Specific customs vary, with, e.g., some adding "לאלתר לחיים טובים ולשלום", but whatever custom people may have, they stick to it, rather than saying wholly different things like the suggestions below.) It's so formulaic that some people (purposely) don't even decline the verbs for number and gender.

Is it correct to treat the greeting as an immutable formula, the way people and machzorim do? (E.g., is that how we should read the Rama?) Sources, please.

And if it's correct (or correct according to some sources), then:

Why is there such a formulaic greeting? Why not use whatever other wording we may think of, like "לשנה טובה ומתוקה תכתב ותחתם" or "תכתב בספר החיים" or "תכתב ותחתם לשנה טובה"?


texts: Is the olive oil I get for my menorah regular regular olive oil?

texts: Some are accustomed to light for Shabbos, Yom Tov, and Chanukah with olive oil. Is this olive oil (such as the one sold at my local judaica store here) the same type that one can get in a grocery store, or is it specially prepared to burn in a different way?


texts: Despite the probable prohibition of eating vomit (see this related question), would it take on the status of its prior-eaten state i.e. milky, meaty or non-kosher (for mixes of milky and meaty)?


texts:
Why is one not required to pay if one causes damage on Purim?

Does it apply in all situations?


texts: God is just, but is this world just in itself or when combined with the world to come?

texts:
To expand,

God is just and thus everything that happens is just. But does justice fully manifest itself in this world or a combination of this world and the world to come?

For example if a 3 month old baby died. Can we say that the baby deserved to die since God is just?. Is it possible that the baby died because he would have been evil in the future? Is it possible the baby died to atone for the sins of his parents?

As another example, the Lubavitch rebbe mentioned that the Holocaust happened as a sort of surgery, can someone please expand on that? Did every single person die because they deserved it or did some people die because of other people's sins? And thus justice will be meted out in the world to come for the people who didn't merit their own death.


texts: Stacking Jewish books in order of holiness

texts: Assume I have the following books and no room to store them standing up.  Being a good Jew, you know that the holier books go on top of those of lesser holiness.  Here are 10 books:  1) Gemara Kesubos; 2) a siddur, 3) Sefer B'reshis  with Rashi's commentary; 4) an Art Scroll Chumash; 5) Sefer Yehoshua; 6) a Mishna Brurah volume; 7) Mesilas Yesharim; 8) Mishna Shabbos; 9) Igras Moshe; and 10) Mesekes Shekalim (Jerushalmi Talmud).  Put them in order of holiness top to bottom and explain why.


texts: Is there a standard format for the start of each column in writing Sifrei Torah?

texts:
When I looked at a few Tikunei Lakor'im, they seem to follow what appears to be a standard where certain words begin at the top of a column. I did see several Sifrei Torah that seem to follow this format that the Tikkun has. As a matter of fact, sometimes, when we have a Bar Mitzvah in the shul, the rav informs me before Shabbat to make sure that the chazzan takes out this special Torah, as otherwise the Bar Mitzvah boy will be completely confused when he lains.

I know that there is a mnemonic that certain words such as "Mah Tovu" should start at the top of a column. Other than that, it seems that most Sifrei Torah are "randomly" written.

I'm curious if there is a "preferred" format or "standard". Where is the Tikkun getting its standard from?

Main reason I'm asking is that the Sefer Torah for the Bar Mitzvah that meets the standard, may have a large section that cannot be repaired, easily. We may have a 2nd one formatted the same way that also cannot be repaired. I was thinking of taking a section of parchment from one (whole klaf having several columns) and piecing it together to the other one.


texts: If the corner of a tallis rips in a square shape can it be reattached with the tzitzis still on it?

texts: If the corner of a tallis rips as a square (i.e with four edges of it's own, and more than 3 hand-widths, namely chayiv in tzitzis in it's own right) can it be reattached to the original garment with the (in-tact) tzitzis still on it?


texts: Yearning for Moshiach while the Temples stood

texts:
Did we (the Jewish people) yearn for the complete Redemption (with the Techias HaMasim, etc) like we do today, at the time the either Temple was standing?  It can't be that we just assumed "This is it" even with all of the miracles, simply because there was still death in the world and all of the nations did not necessarily accept Hashem as the One G-d, but there was a Temple and there was Kingship in Israel.  How was this understood by the average Israelite at either time period?

I know there were Neviim and Sages, but I'm really wondering if anybody has a source that would show what the average Jew of that time thought about the concept of Moshiach, living in the Kingdom of Israel with a Beis HaMikdash and regular occurence of miracles.

Thanks,
Chaim


texts: Can a person (or cat) be both alive and dead at the same time? (Schrödinger's paradox)

texts:
Related: Schrödinger's cat and yibbum

That question assumes that Schrödinger's paradox is possible, and that someone can be both dead and alive at the same time.

So, is that actually true in Halacha? Can a person (or anything else) have a status of being both dead and alive at the same time?

What kind of effects would it have if someone was in a dual life state?
Could he count for a minyan? Would it be tumat meit?

I know that the cat is actually reductio ad absurdum, but seems to be taken quite seriously by some people (i have seen it in Stephen Hawking's books, for example).


texts: Are there any seforim that are catered only to help one chazar mesechtos/Shas Bavli? If so, can you please direct me to them.


texts: If you move a tree with its soil, it's considered replanted (so the rules of orla kick in) unless it can live off of the soil you're moving it with. (Masechet Orla 1,3 see Rambam.) Clearly "if it can live" doesn't mean "if it can live for the amount of time it takes to move the tree", as, well, it does love that long, or else it's dead. On the other hand, no tree will live forever in some unchanging body of soil. So for how long a life does "it can live" mean?


texts: Do I have first rights to slaughter on the day I buy a child or parent animal?

texts:
Rule:

וְשׁ֖וֹר אוֹ־שֶׂ֑ה אֹת֣וֹ וְאֶת־בְּנ֔וֹ לֹ֥א תִשְׁחֲט֖וּ בְּי֥וֹם אֶחָֽד׃
However, no animal from the herd or from the flock shall be slaughtered on the same day with its young.

If I purchase someone’s cow’s young [or vice versa] and we both want to slaughter today, who gets the right?


texts:
Why don't we say Uvah Letzion on Shabbos by Shacharis and say it by Mincha?

Moreover, we then commence to repeat it by Maariv. Why do we do that?


texts: Is there any source for the common practice of kissing a dropped sefer?


texts: Why by the mitzvah of chanukka we must light at both doors so other wont be suspicious

texts:
The Halacha is:

That if one has more then one door at his house, he must light the menorah at all doors... The reason is because others might think that someone lives here but didn't light the menorah...

So my question is:

Since when (other then by tfilla - when passing a shul) do we have to be yotza all chashasous and light at all entrances (if one has) Why and where else do we find such a chumra? and what do we care if/what others will think that I didn't light...

Do I have to show everyone that I did this or that mitzva?


texts: Is enabling a mitzva a one-time mitzva, or each time the person does it?

texts:
As I understand it, if someone is too poor to get married/do a specific mitzva, it is a mitzva in itself to help them perform it.

In the case of mitzvos which are continuous, such as the laying of tefillin, or the wearing of tzitzis, does the person who purchased the tefillin/tallis for an individual receive merit for each time an individual performs the mitzva using that particular tallis/tefillin, or is it a one-time deal?

In other words, take this scenario:

Shmuel buys a tallis for a friend who begins wearing it to daven everyday.
Moshe buys a tallis for another friend who wears it only sporadically [not necessarily because he stops davening, but because he received another tallis over time].

Do both Shmuel and Moshe get the same amount of zechus from the fact that they enabled the mitzva in the first place, or does Shmuel get more because Moshe's friend only uses it sometimes?


texts: Must one have a different suits for Yom Tov and Shabbos?

texts: I was wondering if it was preferable to have one suit for both Shabbos and Yom Tov or to have two different suits. And can you wear Shabbos/Yom Tov suits to other occasions like Bar Mitzvahs and weddings? And if minhag is applicable in this situation I would like the general Ashkenaz opinion.


texts:
I am interested to know if there were cockroaches on Noah's ark?

I was asked this question by someone and didn't have the answer.


texts: When did upsherins become part of standard American Orthodox practice?

texts:
According to Rav Wikipedia, the upsherin is a custom that was brought from Muslims to Palestinian Jews to Tzfat Sephardim to Chasidim.

Recently, I've noticed mainstream (non-charedi) Orthodox Jews also holding upsherins.  How and when did this come to be standard practice?  How widespread is it?


texts: Where are Jews forbidden to speak the name of God

texts:
It is commonly asserted that the Jews do not speak the name of God (Tetragramaton) in reverence to the Name.  It is even treated as taboo to speak or pronounce, or utter the name.

Yet, in the Bible reverential people are shown as using the name, attesting to the name, swearing by the name, "as YHWH lives..." praising the name, exalting the name, proclaiming the name...

Does someone in Rabbinic tradition prohibit speaking and pronouncing the name of God (the Tetragramaton). If so, where?  When was it first prohibitted?  Where is the prohibition found, or where was it first documented?  What does it say.
What are the subsequent rabbinic addresses regarding this.  What were the surrounding circumstances to the prohibition?  How far back can it be traced historically with evidence?

Please provide citation and if possible translation.

Note:
All of the quotes I have seen only reinforce God's command to not take His name in vain.  They only warn against speaking it falsely, needlessly, disrespectfully or incorrectly.
They never prohibit speaking God's name in ways that God proscribes--swearing by His name, praising His name, proclaiming His name...

This is precisely what I would expect from Jewish sages, men of wisdom and integrity, who would never contradict God's word.


texts: Arabic Philosophical Works in Translation

texts:
several noted Ge'onic and Rishonic philosophical works were written in Arabic, including R' Sa'adia Ga'on's Emunot V'Deot, Rabbeinu Bachya's Chovot HaLevavot, and the Rambam's More Nevuchim. However, to make these works more accessible, they were often translated into Hebrew, which also serves as the basis for many subsequent translations.

Are there any English translations of major Judæo-Arabic works which rely on the original Arabic, rather than subsequent Hebrew renditions?


texts: Can one marry halachically in New York State without a marriage license?

texts: Can an Orthodox rabbi marry myself and my fiance without a marriage license? If so why have 2 rabbis already said no to me? Is it because they are certified by NYS and obligated to report? I need to know if we can get married without a civil marriage license


texts: Do some abridge the Shabbat evening Kiddush?

texts:
I came across this video from the IDF. The man leading the group leaves off the last verse of Shalom Aleichem.

He also omits sections of the last blessing of Kiddush, specifically

כי הוא יום תחלה

and

כי בנו בחרת ואותנו קדשׂת מכל העמם

What is the reason for this?

Also, can anyone identify the nusach he is canting?  I enjoy the melody and flow very much.


texts:
Who knows one hundred sixty-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: Jewish sects that accept only the Tanach

texts: Are there any Jewish sects which regard the Oral Law, Talmud and other interpretations of Tanach as unlawful addition to the religion? If yes who are they and what are their beliefs?


texts: Forgot atah chonantanu in maariv, but have to say tashlumin

texts:
If someone doesn't daven shemoneh esrei for certain reasons, he is able to make it up by davening two shemoneh esreis at the next davening ('tashlumin). The second one is the exact same as the first, except in the case of tashlumin motzei Shabbat,  where atah chonantanu is not said the second time.

In an ordinary case, if someone forgets atah chonantanu, they don't repeat shemoneh esrei, because they can just say havdalah later.

So, here, what if someone forgets mincha Shabbat afternoon and has to say tashlumin at maariv. Then, they forgot atah chonantanu in the first (maariv) shemoneh esrei. Should they say it in the tashlumin (mincha) shemoneh esrei, even though it wouldn't normally be said then?


texts: Which modern-day fruits require Shehechiyanu?

texts:
According to my understanding (and please, correct me if I'm wrong), the Bracha of Shehechiyanu (שהחינו) on fruits [and some vegetables?] is recited the first time one partakes of a particular seasonal fruit.

Which modern-day produce is actually seasonal? I may not be too familiar, but aren't almost all fruits and vegetables available year-round these days? And if so, what fruits actually require a bracha of Shehechiyanu (especially pertinent to Rosh Hashanah night)?


texts: Does the mitzvah to eat shmita produce apply to heter mechira?

texts:
i saw an article a few years back, I believe written based on a shiur by Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, promoting heter mechira.
Towards the end of the article, he was advocating why heter mechira was preferable over other options. IIRC, the reason to prefer heter mechira over importing from outside of Israel was because it's a mitzvah to eat the holy shmita produce (according to Ramban, hasagos al sefer hamitzvos, third mitzvas aseh).
I remember being puzzled by this at the time. One basic premise of the heter mechira is that land owned by non-Jews in Israel lacks (full) kedusha and therefore there is no prohibition of shmita (like Rav Yosef Karo's opinion, which is followed by "minhag yerushalayim.") That's why selling to a non-Jew would help at all.
So to the extent that the produce has no shmita sanctity, how can there be a mitzvah to eat it?
Therefore I would like to clarify:

Did Rabbi Aviner actually make this claim? Is there a copy of his drasha available including this specific claim?
Are there legitimate halachic opinions which say that the mitzvah of eating shmita produce (according to the Ramban) applies even to produce from non-jews, ven according to the Rav Yosef Karo's position in which are treated as if they lack sanctity? (Of course, according to Mabit that non-jewish produce is still kadosh, the mitzvah would apply. I'm asking specifically according to the Beis Yosef.)

(Another possibility- perhaps Rabbi Aviner is assuming that the sale doesn't really work to actually make it owned by non-jews, and thus it still remains with the original kedusha; and yet the heter mechira would still be valid as a rabbinic "fake sale" or ha'arama)?

Update: This is the article that I remembered seeing. In it he is clearly advocating relying on heter mechira as the proper course and obligatory, not just as a leniency.
At the end when discussing not buying from outside of Israel, he finishes off by saying:

I also learned that there is holiness in the fruit of the Land of
Israel (Bach Orach Chaim 208) and even more so in the fruit of the
seventh year according to the Ramban.
Notice I did not say that I am
holy. I am a regular Jew, but if The Holy One, Blessed be He, decreed that when I act like a regular Jew and when I eat fruit of our Holy
Land, I absorb holiness within me – this is His will and I am happy to
perform His will.

It is true that he is not addressing the "mitzvah" of eating fruit, but rather that there is holiness in the fruit. The Ramban says that the mitzvah is to eat the holy fruit.
However, The question still remains- what is the source to say that the fruit which grew in a non-jewish field still (according to Rav Yosef Karo) has the kedushas shviis?


texts: What do you do when you are trying to help friends get themselves on a good track, but you are afraid that by helping them you yourself might fall...what is the Torah obligation here?


texts: What is technically required for shalosh seudas?

texts:
To meet the minimum halachic requirements for the mitzvah of shalosh seudas on Shabbos or Yom Tov, must you have:

(1) Bread? (I see discussion of lechem mishneh here. Must a k'zayis be eaten by each person? ...A k'beitzah? [Or is it a k'beitzah of total food in the meal?]) --See also the question premise here, which implies you don't need bread at shalosh seudos

(1b) If not bread, mezonos? How much?

(2) Meat?

(3) Cooked food?

Related:

Lechem Mishneh by the Third Shabbos Meal


texts:
There's a famous criticism Rav Hirsch had about fairy tales- I think he was responding to the Grimm Brothers specifically.
He says that reading such stories are very bad chinuch, since it affects our ability to understand and believe midrashim.
(Ex: How can kids differentiate between a story about Og king of Bashan who was a giant, vs. [lehavdil] Jack and the beanstalk with a giant? It gets very confusing.)

I've seen this criticism numerous times over the years and have heard people reference it. But I haven't been able to find it.

Even while checking through the volume of Collected Writings dealing with education (I think vol. 5?) I didn't find anything about this topic (I checked most of the work.)
I even found him making reference to a "Cinderella" situation, such that he clearly was familiar with them.

Can anyone shed light on this topic?
Thanks!


texts: Source for Chabad not saying Kal Maley Rachamim

texts: It is printed in the back of Tehillas Hashem after the Mishnayos the אל מלא רחמים prayer. However, I have not seen Chabad saying this prayer. Are there any sources or explanations for the cause of this behavior?


texts: Woman with 2 wombs in regards to pidyon haben

texts:
There is a medical condition known as "Uterus didelphys". Wikipedia describes it as follows:

  Uterus didelphys (sometimes also uterus didelphis) represents a
  uterine malformation where the uterus is present as a paired organ as
  the embryogenetic fusion of the mullerian ducts failed to occur. As a
  result there is a double uterus with two separate cervices, and often
  a double vagina as well. Each uterus has a single horn linked to the
  ipsilateral fallopian tube that faces its ovary.

This is understandably an extremely rare thing. However this raises the question, what would be the din in regards to pidyon haben. If a woman gave birth to a boy from one womb then at a different time gave birth to a boy that formed in the other womb, would the 2nd require a pidyon haben?


texts: Is "peru eruvu" a mitzva that means to specifically include a male and female child?

texts: There is a commandment of "Peru urevu," which can be fulfilled (or the person made exempt) by having "two children." Does that mean that one must have a male and female child, or is it any 2+ number of children (meaning, two males/two females)?


texts: How does Shabbos/Yom Tov mode on a stove work?

texts:
Star-K certifies the shabbos mode on some modern stoves.  (Oh how I pine for the day of simple rheostats on electric stoves, and pilot lights on gas stoves!  Those were the days...)

Our GE gas stove bothers me.

Shabbos mode is basically disable the 12 hour auto shutdown.  No big deal.  I get that one.  I hate that the stupid device beeps every 3 minutes (with a ear-shattering kaboom (oops, I meant beep)) forever, till you hit the button.  (My mom and I discussed just cutting the connection to the Piezo noise maker in her electric, but were informed that would invalidate the warranty).

Yom Tov mode bugs the heck out of me, and I want to know why this is allowed.

You set it into this mode (some silly keypress sequence) and the temp display is turned off, but it stays where you left it temp wise.  Then the up/down temperature buttons now cause a 15 degree F (not sure what happens in Canadian stoves.  8.3 degrees C?  I guess they jump 10C at a time for cleanliness), but not immediatly, at some random time in the future.

No beep, no display changes, no immediate reaction.  But in the next couple of minutes (randomly I am told from the manual) it will change.

I assume this a level of Gramma issue, but it really bugs me.

Perhaps a corralary to this question (Will ask separate, but worth considering) is the Shabbos mode powered scooters.  If they delay the responses, seems like a death sentence.  Heading to a street, light is red, you hit stop, and it randomly delays?  Seems ill-advised to me!


texts:
For example: "Cursed be he who perverts the judgment of the stranger, the orphan, or the widow. And all the people shall say, Amen!"

Do we have any idea what the curse consists of?

There are many in Parsha Ki Sovo, is there any difference in the different curses?


texts:
I use a contact solution that is hydrogen peroxide based. That is, the solution is hydrogen peroxide. The solution is put into a special case with a platinum disc at the bottom. The disc acts a catalyst for a chemical reaction. In the end I am left with clean contacts in what is effectively water. If wanted, you can read more about the product here.

Am I allowed to use this solution on Shabbos? Is there a melacha involved? What might a chemical reaction be likened to?


texts: If I don't want to pay to have someone bury sheimos for me, is it ok to bury them in my backyard? Is there any procedure that I would have to follow as far as how to deep to bury it or any certain tefillos that I have to recite?


texts: May one freeze food from the 1st to the 2nd day of Yom Tov?

texts:
This article says that one may make extra food on the first day of Yom Tov to be eaten on the 2nd day, as long as he tastes from each cooked dish on the day its cooked.

After tasting, does he have to leave the food in the pot, or can he take it out and store it in a container or freeze the left-overs, or is that preparing for the next day?

Also, is he forced to eat the food the 2nd day? Is it OK to change his mind and decide to keep that food for after Yom Tov? Or would that cause a "retroactive violation" in preparing on Yom Tov for a weekday?


texts: Why make a bracha on an earthquake but not on an eclipse?

texts:
According to this page, Chaza"l intentionally omitted solar and lunar eclipses from the list of natural phenomena upon which we make a bracha. The following explanation is given:

"The Hebrew term for eclipse [is] LIKUI - defect. The Talmud states that a Likui of the Sun is a bad sign for the world; a lunar likui is a bad sign for Israel. Being associated with bad signs, the eclipse was not assigned a bracha. [...] During an eclipse, we witness the powerful, constant light and energy of the Sun being diminished. Or the light of a full Moon paling to a feeble glow. In both cases, we can read the chilling reminder that it is in G-d's Hands as to whether we live in light or suffer in darkness."

However, brachot are still made on earthquakes, thunderstorms, and winds strong enough to shatter stones and mountains. Surely these events are also chilling reminders that it is in G-d's Hands as to whether we live, suffer, or die. They threaten our individual, if not our collective existence, in a much more concrete way than any eclipse. Surely that much was known even in the time of our Sages.

So why make a bracha on these dangerous events, but not on an eclipse? Is the essential difference that the eclipse threatens our existence as a human race, whereas the others only threaten us as individuals? What of the fact that it is actually G-d, not the sun, Who gives us life?

EXTRA CREDIT: Why make a bracha on a rainbow but not on an eclipse? Rainbows are also considered a "bad omen," and yet we make a bracha on them. In 'light' of that fact, why don't we also make a bracha on an eclipse? Does it just come down to "Because Chaza"l said so?" (Thanks to Double AA for pointing out this aspect.)


texts: The Shulchan Aruch in Siman 690:17 brings down a minhag klal yisrael to fold the megillah like an iggeres (Esther 9:26,29) when reading from it. The Mishnah Berurah mentions that one should not pause excessively by taking a breath in the middle of a verse, so as to read like an iggeres. I've seen iggeres translated as "letter", but these attributes don't seem to apply to a letter as I understand it. Perhaps letters were written completely differently back then, but in that case the translation "letter" is inaccurate. So what is an iggeres?


texts: Was Mitzvat Korbanote handed down on Har Sinai?

texts:
I have seen a quote from Moshe Alshich that Mitzvat Korbanote were handed down after the Torah was received at Har Sinai:

"בהר סיני, שהוא מקום קבלת התורה מפי עליון, ואז לא ציווה על
הקרבנות. אך ביום צוותו את בני ישראל להקריב את קרבניהם לה', היו
במדבר סיני ולא בהר סיני! שהוא אחר שחטאו בעגל, ולא היו בהר רק
במדבר, שם נצטוו על הקרבנות לתיקון אשמותם. אך לא בזמן הקדושה
הגדולה, שהייתה בעמדם בהר סיני". (האלשיך, ויקרא ז)

Do any other commentaries support this view? Are there any other mitzvote that were not given at Har Sinai?


texts: Chronological order of parshiyot in Sefer Vayikra

texts:
I am trying to figure out when several parshiyos in Vayikra were said by Moshe to bnei yisroel. For example, the parshiyos of Tazria and Metzora - when did Moshe teach them? In במדבר פרק ה  Hashem commands Moshe to send all the טמאים out of the מחנות. Included in this command  are the מצורעים. Rashi, quoting the gemara in .גיטין דף ס, tells  us that this is one of the 8 parshiyos that were taught on Rosh Chodesh Nissan. So how did anyone or the Kohanim know the laws of Tazria and Metzora in order to send out or be sent out, if they weren’t taught yet.
To further explain, we know that from the end of parashas פקודי through פרק ז in sefer Vayikra, Hashem is teaching the laws of קרבנות to Moshe and this is taking place on Rosh Chodesh Nissan(according to Rashi). Then פרק ח jumps briefly back to 23 Adar and then פרק ט which is parashas Shemini is back to Rosh Chodesh Nissan. פרק י is Nadav and Avihu bringing the korban and being killed, also on Rosh Chodesh Nissan. Then פרק יא teaches the laws of kashrus. Was this also on rosh chodesh nissan? The gemara in גיטין doesn’t mention it as one of the 8 parshiyos said on that day. Then comes Tazria and Metzora. When did Moshe teach these laws?


texts: How far does the mother have to fly away to fulfill the mitzva of Shiluach Haken?

texts: Does the mother bird need to actually go away from the area of the nest or as long as it is removed from the nest it's fine even if it is in the immediate vicinity or right next to it.


texts: I noticed that some authors of seforim have their books published using Rashi script instead of ashuris script. Was this done by default of the printers or was there some halachic reason not to use Ashuris script for their seforim. Just for example the Chasam Sofer is in Rashi script amongst many others. Anyone know the reason?


texts: A woman's singing voice when there are other singing voices

texts:
There is a famous Teshuva of the Sridei Aish, Rabbi Yaakov Yechiel Weinberg, that permits one to hear kol isha (a women's singing voice) when there are other people singing.

Where is this Teshuva exactly? Is it if even a number of women are singing or only if it's a woman's voice together with a man's voice?


texts: Sources about the Kosher status of Royal Jelly

texts:
Royal Jelly ("a glandular secretion and its color is a whitish yellow. Its consistency is creamier and less viscous than honey. Its taste is bitter, although not offensively so.") according to this OU article has different opinions as to it's Kosher status.

Some have argued that royal jelly should be permitted because it is honey-like, and presumably included in the Scriptural exception as well. But this argument is difficult to support, based on the two reasons cited by the Gemara above. First of all, royal jelly is a glandular secretion, and therefore subject to the general rule of that which comes from an impure (being) is also impure. Also, since it differs in appearance, taste, and function from honey, it should not be included in the Scriptural exception granted to bees’ honey since royal jelly can be considered a totally different food than honey.
Others have contended that royal jelly is not considered fit for human consumption as it is “very bitter” and therefore not subject to any prohibition. This contention, however, is erroneous, for while royal jelly is indeed somewhat tart and bitter, it is by no means inedible even in its pure raw state. This was confirmed by our gentile tester.

Similarly, this Yeshiva.org.il article says:

There are different approaches in Halacha on this matter.
Some hold it to be like honey since the Talmud does not differentiate between the two;
Others hold it to be non Kosher because of your point as it comes from an insect.
Some are lenient in the case of royal jelly when it’s mixed with honey.
(See Talmudic Encyclopedia 23 p. 356 and footnotes for the different sources)

Who are the opinions that hold this? (I don't have access to an Encyclopedia Talmudis right now).
So that is four opinions I'm trying to track down.

Royal Jelly is like honey and Kosher for the same reason.
Royal Jelly is not fit for human consumption.
Royal Jelly mixed with honey doesn't forbid keilim or is permitted outright.
Royal Jelly mixed with honey does forbid keilim or is forbidden outright.


texts:
Over the years many Chumros and Minhagim have been created. For example, waiting 6 hours between meat and milk for Ashkenazim. Or not eating gebrochts on Pesach. So if it is a Minhag that cannot be annulled then I should be rewarded for listening to the mitzvah of "Do not stray from the Rabbunun" which enforces the minhag.

But what about Minhagim and Chumras which CAN be annulled?

Does one get a reward for doing these things? If so what mitzvah is it?


texts:
What is the source for pushing away the convert three times?

I'm also interested in the exact quote.


texts: If someone,for whatever reason, cannot say Birchas HaTorah, would that person nevertheless be able to learn Torah that day?


texts: Why was Shechem designated as a city of refuge?

texts:
The city of Shechem was given to Yosef by Yaakov (Bereshis 48:22) yet when the Jewish people entered Israel Yehoshua designated the city as a city of refuge (Yehoshua 20:7). Why was this done? Doesn't this designation negate Yaakov's earlier gift?

Note: I realize some commentaries read 48:22 as not referring to the city itself, I am only asking according to the other commentaries who do


texts:
<img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/vK1eA.jpg" alt="Outside the gates of the Mikveh Israel Cemetery are bunch of Eggplants tied tighter with red yarn . A bevy of American coins were under each one .
" />
This was taken outside the gates of the Mikveh Israel Cemetery. There are bunch of Eggplants tied tighter with red yarn . A bevy of American coins were under each one.
Typically eggplants at a cemetery are an offering to the spirit Oya.
Is there a Jewish meaning/ritual for this, as well? Or is this an attempt at syncretism?


texts: The truth does not depend on popular opinion?

texts:
I have heard multiple Rabbis say, mostly in the name of HaRaMBa"M, that the truth is not dependent on the number of adherents to a particular opinion. I apologize for lack of accuracy.

What is the source for such a statement?


texts: Should Jews have ayin tova toward gentiles

texts:
My Rav reminds me that Ayin Tova is a rabbinic commandment but should it be applied toward assessing the character of non-Jews?
This Halachic article by Rav Zimmerman seem to say that it depends on whether the person has a history of wickedness or righteousness. Should these parameters be applied to judging gentiles as well (https://www.etzion.org.il/en/shiur-05ayin-tova)?
Many thanks.


texts:
Who knows two hundred eighty-six?
?ששה ושמונים ומאתים - מי יודע
In the spirit of the song "Echad - mi yodeya", please post interesting and significant Jewish facts about the number 286.
In casting about for a lazy gematria for this one, a lot seemed more appropriate for a different time on the calendar.
Check out mi-yodeya-series for the previous two hundred eighty-five entries in this ongoing series.
Please include sources for your information wherever possible, as with all other answers on this site.


texts:
Genesis 32:11 quotes yaakov - "כי במקלי עברתי את הירדן הזה..."
When did he cross the yarden? Looked back but didn't see it.


texts: Source for "the land of Israel makes its inhabitants wise"

texts: I would like to know the source of the quotation: "Eretz yisrael m'chakim es yoshvehah"? My translation: The land of Israel makes its inhabitants wise.


texts: What is proper modesty for all Jewish women according to Rambam? You know, skirt length, age to cover hair, to cover the neck or not, etc.


texts: What does it mean that learning torah is greater then respecting parents

texts:
In the shulchan aruch yora daiya 140.13 it says:

  תַּלְמוּד תּוֹרָה גָּדוֹל מִכְּבוֹד אָב וָאֵם.
  Talmud Torah is greater then respecting the father and mother

What does this mean practically?
Is it only about the relative merits of mitsvois?
Or there is a practical law? If yes, what is the law?


texts: Greeting other people (Jews and Non-Jews alike)

texts:
At work, some amount of interaction is inevitable. There are some people that I just don't feel like greeting.

What is the Jewish view on this issue? What does the Halachah say about 'greeting one another', even if there is an obvious dislike?


texts: Why the Sages said Halachot in their own name instead of their Rabbis?

texts:
The Gemmorah sets a rule - while saying a Halachah one should mention its [original] source (Megillah 16a):

"אמר רבי אלעזר א"ר חנינא כל האומר דבר בשם אומרו מביא גאולה לעולם שנאמר ותאמר אסתר למלך בשם מרדכי"
And Rabbi Elazar further said that Rabbi Ḥanina said: Whoever reports a saying in the name of he who said it brings redemption to the world.

The Halachot in the Mishnah and the Talmud are said in the name of the Tannayim and the Amorayim themselves (the end of the 2nd Temple), but not their ancestors.
Rambam in his Introduction to the Mishnah says that every Rabbi wrote the Halachot he heard from others to himself in his own collection, but, seemingly, everyone had to include the originator according to the Halachah above.
So, if there was a clear lineage of the Oral Torah tradition, why the Sages never mention their own sources, and it appears as if they "invented" the Halachot themselves?


texts: Can one use a clove-studded etrog for havdallah?

texts:
I have seen a few people encrust their "used" etrog with cloves and smell this during the havdallah service. Is this permissible?

The reason I think this is a problem:

The bracha on smelling the etrog which is a fruit is הנותן רח טוב בפרות  - Who gives a good smell in fruits.

This is an entirely different bracha from the one on the cloves which is בורא מיני בשמים - Who creates varieties of spices. This is the bracha said during havdallah.

From what I can tell, when you smell the clovetrog (no, it's not a kind of monster!) you smell a mix of both the cloves and etrog.

I know that there is a concept of ikar and tafel regarding brachot made prior to eating food. Is there a similar concept regarding the bracha to make for smelling?

In the case of the havdallah bracha, would the cloves be considered ikar, here, and the bracha is finie for the clovetrog? Should one make two brachot? Should one not use the clovetrog at all for havdallah b/c of a doubt of the correct bracha?

Update: I see that there is a M.Y. question that answers which bracha to make on the clovetrog. There are various opinions on this. So, in answering this question, please focus on whether a clovetrog may be used for havdalah. Is there anyone that definitively answers this, or does it strictly depend on which bracha would be made? Or, because of doubts, would it be best not to use this at all for havdallah? (I see many people use it, perhaps, unaware of the "problems".)


texts: "Shmubrokhts" - Gebrokhts vs. Shmurah matzot during the week

texts:
While shopping in my local store last year during Hol Hamo'ed, I saw a brand of cakes called "shmubrokhts". Being curious about this interesting name, I realized that this was essentially gebrokhts made from shmura matzah.

I eat gebrokhts during Pesach. But, perhaps I am misunderstanding the concept of this "shmubrokhts" vs. "regular" gebrokhts.

My understanding is that those who don't eat gebrokhts have a minhag to intentionally eat this on the last day of Pesach. Do those who do not eat gebrokhts also have the mionhag to eat ONLY Shmurah matzot during the week and vice versa (those who eat shmurah only also do not eat gebrokhts), or are these completely separate minhagim? Essentially, beyond the clever name, I'm trying to determine if this concept is necessary or is this just a marketing "gimmick"?


texts: Best practices for well-circulating Hoshanot

texts:
What can a congregation or an individual chazzan do to make the Hoshanot work as well as possible, logistically?

I've been to many Sukkot services, especially on Hoshana Raba (HR), in which the physical process of people circumambulating the bima doesn't run as smoothly as I'd prefer. In some cases, the procession is over before some or even most people have made it all the way around (seven times on HR). In some cases, congestion causes people to spend a great deal of time standing still. In some cases, people trip over or squeeze past obstacles.

What strategies or tactics work best for making the Hoshanot run as smoothly as possible, with everyone getting around enough times by the end? I'm interested both in measures that a congregation can plan for ahead of time and that an individual chazzan or gabbai can do unilaterally in real-time.

Please indicate clearly in your answer what its basis is, whether practical experience (much preferred), hearsay, theoretical reasoning, or some published source, with as much relevant detail as you can include.


texts: What can I do to help bring a refuah shlema to a relative in critical condition?

texts:
A family member just got into a car accident (please pray for the refuah shlemah of Tang Jing bas Huai Jun). She is in critical condition, having her head injured. What is the best thing I can do to tilt her toward life? Tehilim? Teshuva?

I notice my sister and I have a very similar relationship between her and my father, they are also older brothers and younger sisters? My sister also began experiencing headaches and chest pains around the time of the accident. Does Kabbalah say anything about helping  one side of two seemingly connected neshamos?


texts: How can one provide collateral to one's own debtors?

texts:
Picture the following scenario: Reuben needs to borrow money, and Shimon is happy to lend it to him. Unfortunately, Shimon won't lend Reuben the sum that he is after without something in the way of collateral, and Reuben owns absolutely nothing. Not to worry: Shimon strikes upon a brilliant solution. He gives to Reuben, free of charge, a brand new car. Then he lends Reuben the money, using the car as collateral.

Absurd, yes? So explain to me how this is any different to the procedure of the prozbul, which we learn about in the Mishna, Shevi'it 10:6.

  אין כותבין פרוזבול אלא על הקרקע. אם אין לו, מזכה הוא בתוך שדהו כל שהוא

  We do not write a prozbul unless it be on land. If he [the borrower]
  has none, he [the lender] grants him some from his own field, of any
  size.

Here, the implication appears to be that without some form of land as collateral, the bet din won't take responsibility for the loan. But, as with the example that I gave above, in the event that the debtor defaults on the loan, the compensation is now coming from property that was previously owned by the lender!


texts:
The Talmud tells us that there were 7 Gentile prophets:

Seven prophets prophesied to the nations of the world, and they are: Balaam and his father Beor, and Job, Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, and Elihu ben Barachel the Buzite. [Bava Batra 15b]

But the Torah tells us that many other Gentiles also had contact with God.  For example:

God said to Noah... [Gen. 6:13]

And God appeared to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night. [Gen. 31:24]

Why do they not count?  Because they came before the Exodus?  Because prophecy is more than just God speaking to a person?  What is the definition of a Gentile prophet?


texts: Why Eleven and Twelve in "Echad Mi Yodea" refer to the same thing?

texts:
In Echad Mi Yodea song both #11 and #12 refer to the tribes - without Yosef and with him. This is especially pronounced in the families that go through the full list on every line, like "the 3 forefathers - Avrohom, Itzchok and Yaakov".

Why they both refer to [almost] the same thing?

(This answer tries to explain eleven, but my question is why those are the same thing)


texts:
I have seen that is prohibited to daven while drunk (Drinking alcohol during davening).

How does chabad justify so much drinking on simchas torah while davening? I have seen shul sanctioned drinking to the extent where large numbers or shots of whiskey and vodka are consumed. Some people become visibly "drunk".

Additionally, even outside of chabad I have heard that we move birkat hakohanim to shacharit so that the kohanim are not inebriated. However, if one cannot daven drunk, there is still the problem of everyone else being inebriated during mussaf!


texts: Being yotzee a bracha while only having intention from the middle?

texts: Someone was making havdallah and another person was there who decided to not have kavana (intention) to fufill their obligation of the aish (fire) part of havdallah with that person. In the middle of the bracha (for example after they said "Baruch Atah HaShem Elokeinu Melech Ha'Olam...") the person decided they yes wanted to be "yotzee" with that bracha. Does there kavana help now in the middle of the bracha (since in reality they did hear the whole bracha) or in order for the kavana to work must they have kavana from the beginning of the bracha? Would there be difference of lichatchila and b'dieved?


texts: In Devarim 5:5 why does Moshe connect the people's fear with not going up Mt. Sinai?

texts:
In Devarim 5:5 Moshe says:

"Because you were afraid of the fire and you didn't go up the mountain..."

It seems that Moshe is saying that the fear of the fire coming from the mountain was why B'nai Yisra'el didn't go up the mountain. But, actually, that is not the reason. They didn't go up the mountain because, G-d told the Moshe to set a border so that the people and animals can't even touch the mountain.

I saw Ramba"n on this verse (View the next page of the link, above to see it.) He seems to imply that there was a time when they had permission to do so. Perhaps, I'm misunderstanding what he's saying. I thought that that there was never permission to approach the mountain.

What is Moshe implying when he connects the fear of the fire with not going up the mountain?


texts: How does one tovel a stainless steel food thermos that has a sticker on the outside that has powerful glue, and cannot be removed. As the food only makes contact with the inside, is this toveling acceptable?


texts:
People who are worried about chometz in water on pesach collect water before pesach so it can be Me'vutal before pesach.
However won't they cause themselves a bigger problem?
If they are worried for crumbs (they clearly don't hold of the famous mashehu has a shiur psak), now that the water is still for 24 hours (see aruch hashulchan 467 that we don't have an issue of kvisha if the water is moving) they have to be worried with kvisha even if they sift it out before drinking?


texts: When did masturbation become such a severe prohibition?

texts: Before the kaballah of the Arizal began to filter into Jewish thought, was ho'tza'at zerah le'vatala considered as terrible of a sin as we tend to think today? Was it considered a sin at all?


texts: Was there any opposition to the Shulchan Aruch's methodology among the Sephardic Poskim?

texts: I am aware of opposition to the Shulchan Aruch's methodology of paskening two out of three (Rif, Rambam and Rosh) from some Ashkenazic poskim of the time (namely the Masharshal). Was there any opposition among the Sephardic poskim of the time?


texts: Should the saying of ברכו and / or ברוך ה' המבורך לעולם ועד... on Motzei Shabbos be drawn out when it is Yom-Tov

texts:
רמ"א באו"ח סוף סימן רצג ונוהגים לומר והוא רחום וברכו באריכות נועם כדי להוסיף מחול על הקודש (אור זרוע

It is customary to say V'hu rachum & borchu in a pleasant drawn out way, in order to add from the Shabbos to weekday.

The שערי תשובה there cites Halachos Gedolos (end of hilchos tzitzis) that one should draw out the words ברוך ה' המבורך לעולם ועד  at the outgoing of shabbos, so that he should be saved from harm that week. The ברכי יוסף writes that he has seen written by the pure holy hand of R' chaim vital in the name of Rabeinu Hai Gaon Zl it a tried kabala that there is Hatzlacha (success) when one draws out and lengthens the saying of ברוך ה' המבורך לעולם ועד at the leave of Shabbos.

Question: Is this relevant when Motzei shabbos is also Yom-Tov (as on the upcoming Shavuos)?

From the R'ma it would seem that drawing out (V'hu rachum &) borchu is an issue of adding from shabbos to weekday. So it would seem that if its Yom-tov it wouldn't be relevant. But maybe the part about ברוך ה' המבורך לעולם ועד from the Halachos Gedolos and R' Hai Gaon would be relevant even on Motzei Shabbos  which is YT?


texts: Can a chumash be used for a public torah reading?

texts: I recently attended a weekday morning minyan where the Torah reader was reading simultaneously from a sefer Torah and a printed Chumash. It appeared that the person was mostly reading from Chumash and moving the yad to follow along in the sefer Torah. The usual liturgy before and after the reading was said as were the blessings before and after the aliyot. Is this a valid practice?


texts: Is it permissible to wear women clothes in total privacy without anyone watching it. Not for sexual purpose but to release pressure?


texts: I've heard that there is a concept in Judaism of time in a spiral, but I'm not sure where that idea originally comes from (specifically, which Rabbi originally said it). The earliest I've found is Rav Natan Breslov who lived from 1780-1844.


texts: What is the "Kos Shel Ikrin," a potion that renders one infertile?

texts:
The Talmud discusses the "Kos Shel Ikrin" (Cup of the Barren, or Cup of Roots), a potion that rendered a woman or man infertile. The recipe for this potion is on record in tractate Shabbos and there was no question that this potion did exactly what it was purported to do (see Yevamos 65b, Shabbos 110b, and many other sources). In fact, its success was certain (see Tosafos in Shabbos 110b). Apparently the brewing of a Kos Shel Ikrin was still a known process in the days of the Rambam (he describes the ingredients in his Perush LeMishnayos).

Does such a potion exist today?


texts: Where can I find Rabbi Avigdor Miller's Shiurim online to download for free?


texts:
Do the Baraitot brought down by Masechet Kutim and other random halachot in the Talmud that were said about "kutim" apply to the 750 remaining Samaritans in the world today (who currently live in Eretz Yisrael), or are these people just as "non-Jewish" as all non-Jews are?

Cf. Second Kings chpt. 17


texts:
My shul's chazzan and I have a good relationship, B"H. I ask him nusach questions; he asks me (A Torah reader) Torah questions. So, I'm passing this on from him...

We both understand that the main purpose of the trope notation was for grammar and pronunciation. At some point in history, it was used for musical purposes.

Related questions - I'm assuming that the music was needed for public reading of Torah, Nevi'im and the 5 Megillot (i.e., not for individual reading. Although, there seem to be halachic references to requiring "music" if reading the 13 Middot individually. There may be a few other similar verses that have the same halacha.) Why does public reading need to be sung at all?

When did music become a part of the trope notation?

(Note: I am not referring to specific "modes" of the music used for trope such as the different music for Torah vs. Nevi'im, etc. or the different music used by various groups e.g. Ashkenazic vs. Yemenite. I am looking for a general answer as to when and why music was used by anyone.)


texts: Were the "ending" Hebrew letters (kaf, mem, nun. peh and tzadi) used in the original version of the Torah given at Mt. Sinai?

texts:
I have heard that the original Torah that Moshe Rabbeinu wrote, being dictated by Hashem, had no spaces, and that they were added in later. In the original Torah, were the final letters (ךםןףץ) included or were the letters only in the normal forms (כמנפצ)?

On a side note, how about the inverted nuns in Beha'aloscha - were they in the original Torah?


texts:
Please provide as many different answers as you can on why is aveilus for a parent for a year and all others is only 30 days.
What different heartfelt ideas come to mind?  What are some ideas that chachamim and rabanim shared on this ?


texts: How does Orthodox Judaism view the Book of Jubillees

texts:
How is the Book of Jubilees regarded by Orthodox Jewry (I'm not asking if we believe it existed, but if we hold any of the information in it to be accurate).

Is it ever quoted by any of the commentators? Do they ever discuss it?

This Jewish Encyclopedia entry says that the book pushes a Sadducee viewpoint:

  But it is especially upon the right observance of the Feast of Weeks that the Book of Jubilees lays stress, following the Sadducean practise in insisting that it be celebrated each year on the first day of the week in literal conformity with the words "the morrow after Sabbath" (ch. vi. 17-22; see Lev. xxiii. 15-16). It was to take place on the 15th of Siwan. It was celebrated in heaven from the days of Creation until God ordained it to Noah. On that day God made the covenant with Abraham between pieces of sacrificial beasts, as mentioned in Gen. xv., while Abraham offered the first-fruits of his tillage with other sacrifices (ch. xiv. 10-20, xv. 1-9; see Charles, l.c. p. 106, notes). Celebrated, also, by Abraham, as the Feast of the Covenant of Circumcision (ch. xv. 3), and by Isaac (who was born on the 15th of Siwan; ch. xvi. 13) and Jacob (ch. xxii. 1, xxix. 6, xliv. 3), the Feast of Weeks was renewed by Moses for all generations as the Feast of the Covenant of Sinai (ch. vi. 19).

There is a short account of the history of the book here.


texts: Correct usage of "Ashkenaz"/"Ashkenazi"/"Ashkenazic"/"Ashkenazim"?

texts:
...Also, of course, Sefard/Sefardi/Sefardic/Sefardim.

I see these terms used interchangeably, and use them myself that way, but would rather use them correctly.

All are, at least marginally, pronouns. But within that, I seek a little more granularity: Which are (properly) nouns? Adjectives? Adverbs?

Please provide some sort of corroboration--not just explanation--for your answer.


texts: Shopping at a church-associated thrift store

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If you know that let's say John Hancock's thrift store's profits go to a church are you allowed to purchase things there? What if you don't where the money goes but are in Safek whether it goes to a church?

CYLOR


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Does this story in the Talmud imply that Jewish law says it's OK to disclose trade secrets if it can be argued that it saves lives?

Rabbi Yochanan was sick with scurvy, and he went to a certain non-Jewish woman [for treatment]... She [said]: Swear that you will not reveal [the remedy]. He said: I swear to the God of Israel I will not reveal it. She then divulged it to him and the next day he revealed it in his [public] lecture. [A rabbi asked:] But did he not swear to her?
[Another rabbi answered:] He swore: To the God of Israel I will not reveal it, [implying that] I may reveal it to His people Israel. [The first rabbi rejoined:] But is this not a profanation of the [Divine] Name?
[The second rabbi answered:] [No, because] he stated [that provision] to her originally.
[Avodah Zarah 28a]

Note that the rabbis' concern was Rabbi Yochanan's oath, not the fact that he revealed a trade secret.

(Not what I originally asked, but a useful area to explore.)


texts:
My friend does not practice Rabbinical Laws unless he fully agrees with the reasoning.

He's totally fine with direct Torah Laws however.

I'm running out of arguments to convince him. Any ideas?


texts:
Many people regard Yahrtzeit customs and observances with much reverence and importance. The psychological reasons for this are self-evident, as such observances provide people with a feeling of connection to their deceased relatives and loved ones.
Is there any halachic basis for the importance accorded to Yahrtzeit observances, other than the psychological aspect of it? For example, if one derives no psychological satisfaction from Yahrtzeit observances, is there any halachic reason for him to perform them anyway?


texts: Were the Jews commanded to go into the Promised Land?

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In this week's portion, Matot, we learn that the tribes of Gad and Reuben wanted to remain on land on the east side of the Jordan, and not settle in the Promised Land.  (Moses granted that, with stipulations.)  We also know from Midrash Tanchuma, Beshalach 1:4 that 80% of the Israelites stayed in Egypt and died in the plague of darkness.
Was there ever a clear commandment from God that all Israelites had to settle in Eretz Yisrael?


texts: What Jewish References Exist of the Rise of Islam and Muhammad?

texts:
The Quran records interactions between Muhammad and Jews, and according to historical accounts, he lived in places with Jewish communities, in addition to conquering some.

The earliest Torah source quoted by Wikipedia would seem to be the Rambam (Maimonides) and his contemporaries. However, there's a 500 year gap between Muhammad's death and Maimonides' birth.

Are there any Torah references in between? If not, why not?


texts: Does one say "hoshana" after every verse in the "Nation Protected" hoshana said on Shabbos?

texts: The word "hoshana" is said before and after every verse in the weekday hoshanas.  Is this also the case in the "Nation Protected" hoshana that is said on Shabbos, found on page 736 in the Artscroll Siddur?


texts: When the chazan reaches "Modim" during his repetition, the congregation recites "Modim D'Rabbanan."  Do members of the congregation bow here?  If so, in what manner should they bow?


texts: Ancient Texts Claiming that G-d is Perfect

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I am looking for a list of sources (early Rishonim and before) explicitly claiming that G-d is perfect.

One place I found is Devarim 32:4 "The deeds of the [Mighty] Rock are perfect, for all His ways are just; a faithful God, without injustice He is righteous and upright." This is not exactly perfection of G-d, just perfection of His work (good enough for me, but perfection of G-d is preferable). The Sifri on this verse spells it out explicitly.

Another is the description of the 2nd of 13 Principles of Rambam in the introduction to the Perek Cheilek in Maseches Sanhedrin, in his commentary on the Mishnah. He spells it out clear there (interestingly, in the siddur an equivalence is used - His Uniqueness - but I want it to mention perfection explicitly).

Thank you very much.

EDIT A question was raised which word in lashon hakodesh is being sought precisely. A variant of the word שלם shalem (e.g. שלמות sheleimus) would be ideal, but תם tam or תמים tamim would be ok too.


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The Torah forbids necromancy [Lev. 19:31 and 20:6,27; Deut. 18:11].  Yet King Saul goes to the witch of Endor, who brings up the dead prophet Samuel for him.  Samuel responds:

  Why have you disturbed me and brought me up? ... Why do you ask me, seeing that the Lord has turned away from you and has become your adversary? ... The Lord has torn the kingship out of your hands and has given it to your fellow, to David, because you did not obey the Lord and did not execute His wrath upon the Amalekites. That is why the Lord has done this to you today.  Further, the Lord will deliver the Israelites who are with you into the hands of the Philistines. Tomorrow your sons and you will be with me; and the Lord will also deliver the Israelite forces into the hands of the Philistines. [1Sam 28:15-19]

What does traditional Judaism conclude from this story?

(1) That there is an afterlife, and that communication with the dead is possible, but God does not want us to attempt it?

(2) That necromancy is bogus and that the witch of Endor was a gifted ventriloquist? (But Samuel's prophecy was fulfilled.)

Do you have sources, particularly for (2)? As for (1), did the rabbis actually mention that episode as a proof of an afterlife?


texts: Has anyone compiled a historical book on Esther?

texts:
Megillat Esther leaves numerous questions in my mind, that are unexplained in the Megillah. A lot of it is filled in in the Talmud and various Midrashim. But, one has to sift through numerous pages and sources to piece the parts together.

Has anyone compiled an online source or book that explains some of the background behind the story? Some of the things I'm looking for are:

History of the Persian Empire before and after Megillat Esther. How did Achashverush and Vashti come to power? WHen did Jews arrive? What was their main occupation? How did they live?
History / ecplanations of the royal "customs". The Megillah, esp. at the beginning says, frequently, "this was the custom" - when / why were these established?
Background / bio of the key people mentioned in the Megillah. We see a few "smaller" characters such as Hatach, Memuchan, etc. who say or decided things, but little is said about them.

As mentioned, I know I can sift through the Talmud, etc. But, I'd rather see most of these items in one place.


texts:
While I have found two different versions of Cherubim's gender:

they were both males (the Torah says איש אל אחיו, implying two of them were male), also other commentators in place
they were male and female (Yumah 54a)

In any case, was their gender visually apparent or were there no physical signs of gender?


texts: Yalkut Yosef or Mishneh Torah for a Sephardic Jew?

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My Hebrew is rusty and my knowledge of all the halachot is equally rusty. I want to take on a new project to complete either one of those compilations.

For someone coming from a Sephardic heritage, which compilation would be better suited for gaining a practical and comprehensive know-how of the dos and don'ts of Judaism?

What are the major differences between the two compilations?

Or would it be even better to start with the original Shulchan Aruch?


texts: Where, precisely, is Rebbi Yehudah HaChassid - the author of Sefer Chassidim - buried?


texts: Assuming we treat electric appliances that create glowing red metal as fire in regard to shabbos, is anyone aware of any teshuva that discuss using it for burning chometz (aside from the Rashash Shabbos 66b that would be against which Minchas Yitzchok (2:53) rejects - first saw in dirshu). Not looking for reyd on tashbisu.


texts: Is there a p'sak when dealing with de'os?

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I was wondering if the idea of paskening applies to the de'os area of Torah.

As an example there is a machlokes rishonim how to view Chazal's relationship with the science they relied on to pasken on certain issues. Some rishonim say that "nistaneh hatevah" which means that the science they relied on was correct however things have changed (evolved?) since then so our science produces different conclusions. Other rishonim say that they were relying on the science of their time which was a correct thing to do despite the fact that in reality their science was incorrect. Is there an idea to pasken how to view Chazal in this area?

(Just to clarify, I am not asking about de'os that actually have an impact on halacha lema'aseh in terms of how we act.)

Open to all ideas but appreciate sourced ideas the most.


texts: What was the significance of Pomegranates?

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What was the significance of Pomegranates on the Kohen Gadol's "Me'il"?

Why specifically Pomegranates and not any other shape?


texts: Ancient Jews eating only fish with fins and scales?

texts: “The Pentateuchal Dietary Proscription against Finless and Scaleless Aquatic Species in Light of Ancient Fish Remains,” published in the peer-reviewed Tel Aviv archaeological journal on Tuesday, presents evidence from some 56 fishbone assemblages from 30 sites spanning from 1550 BCE to 640 CE. “Significantly, all the fish assemblages from sites within the Southern Kingdom — first and foremost Jerusalem — presented evidence of modest to (more often) moderate amounts of scaleless fish remains,” they write.The requirement to eat only fish that has both fins and scales is found twice in the Torah: in Vayikrah 11: 9–12 and in Dvarim 14: 9–10. How can these findings be reconciled with the Torah's prohibitions to consume finless and scaleless fish?


texts:
I'm looking to do some family research and have heard about a so called Mechon Yochsin in Boro Park.  Does anyone know their contact information, I can't seem to find it online.

Also, are there any other resources that are beneficial, other than the online websites, that really are not so useful.  Thanks and good shabbos!


texts:
I had always assumed that any shofar made from a ram's horn is kosher without further investigation, but this question asks about validating the kashrut of a shofar, including this:

  It seems that there is growing concern, and perhaps even some evidence, that Shofar producers are selling Shofaroth with very well disguised defects that render them not Kosher.

What kinds of defects can render a shofar not kosher?  Are any of them things that can develop over time, such that I should be checking a shofar before using it?

(Note: the other question asks about verifying the kashrut of a shofar; my question is about the kashrut requirements themselves.)


texts:
In Mishpatim (and perhaps elsewhere), the Tora refers to an animal incurring or causing damage, and calls it a shor, שור, commonly translated ox.

In Pin'chas (and Achare and perhaps elsewhere), the Tora refers to an animal being brought as a sacrifical offering, and calls it a par, פר, commonly translated bull.

In English, ox refers to a castrated adult male that's used for pulling something, and bull refers to an adult male that hasn't been castrated. Is that, in fact, the difference between a שור and a פר: that a שור has been castrated and a פר has not? Or what is the difference between a שור and a פר? And why is the word שור used when discussing damage and the word פר used when discussing offerings?