Questions tagged [chutz-laaretz]

Questions relating to the Diaspora, as in, outside of the land of Israel.

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65 votes
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Did any Achronim comment on the American Revolutionary or Civil Wars?

I've heard that for instance, in the 1800s, the American rabbis in the South were pro-slavery, and the American rabbis in the North opposed to it. But what were the views towards America of the more-...
Shalom's user avatar
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9 votes
1 answer
2k views

Does one really have 30 days to put up a mezuza outside Eretz Israel?

It is broadly known and codified that one has 30 days to put up a mezuza when renting a home outside Eretz Israel. I heard that this dated from the times where Jews might be expelled in their first 30 ...
mbloch's user avatar
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27 votes
2 answers
2k views

When Israel and the diaspora are out of sync on parshiyot, why don't we take the first opportunity to re-align?

This year (5772) the seventh day of Pesach is on a Friday, so the diaspora has an 8th day of chag on Shabbat but Israel does not. The diaspora will thus read Sh'mini on April 21, Tazria-Metzora on ...
Monica Cellio's user avatar
15 votes
1 answer
1k views

Praying for rain in the Diaspora

Why on this year (and on other years that precede civil leap years) do we start praying for rain in the Diaspora (by inserting the phrase 'Vetein tal umatar") at maariv of December 5 and not maariv of ...
Double AA's user avatar
  • 98.9k
16 votes
3 answers
530 views

Sefira Counting in Diaspora

Why don't we count two nights each night, if there was always a Safek (doubt) what the date is. In other words: if we are not sure when the second night of Pesach is, why don't we carry that doubt ...
yydl's user avatar
  • 38.6k
16 votes
1 answer
780 views

Second day of Shavous

The main reason for the second day Yom Tov is because in the times of the Beis Hamikdash when we decided to declare months based on the seeing the new moon there where certain places that the ...
SimchasTorah's user avatar
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11 votes
1 answer
402 views

Shehechiyanu on Lulav

Why is it that we make Shehechiyanu both nights of Sukkos at candle lighting and Kiddush due to Sefeika DeYoma yet we only make Shehechiyanu on the Lulav on the first day?
Gershon Gold's user avatar
7 votes
4 answers
585 views

Chodosh - where does it apply?

Does the prohibition against consuming new grain ("Chodosh") before the second day of Passover (Leveticus 23:14) apply only in the Land of Israel or in the Diaspora as well? (Sources appreciated)
Gershon Gold's user avatar
18 votes
2 answers
1k views

Can one join an army?

Is one allowed to join an army (let's say not the Israeli one) as doing so is putting oneself in a place of sakana? If one is not allowed to join an army in general, is one allowed to join an army for ...
Am Haaretz Gamur Mideoraysa's user avatar
13 votes
3 answers
1k views

Why do we say Pesach seder brachot both nights?

During the Pesach seder, but not during the rest of Pesach, we say b'rachot for the mitzvot of matzah and maror. (I mean the "asher kidshanu b'mitzvotav" b'rachot.) So it seems that we are only ...
Monica Cellio's user avatar
8 votes
3 answers
1k views

Why still keep two days of Yom Tov outside of Israel?

Why do we continue to keep two days of Yom Tov outside of Israel? The reason for two days was revelant during the temple era as we needed two witnesses to see the new moon. But today, with no Temple ...
Ken's user avatar
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8 votes
2 answers
603 views

Two Days of Yom Tov for Visitors

Assuming the reason for two days Yom Tov is because messengers could not reach those places in time to tell them the days of Rosh Chodesh, why is it that if someone visits Israel, but doesn't plan on ...
yydl's user avatar
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7 votes
2 answers
472 views

Secret Ops, The President, and The Blessing On a King

One of the conditions to make the brocha on kings is that they have the power to kill you (see Radvaz 1:296 as well as the Orchot Chaim Brachos 49 that say that this brocha is recited on any monarch ...
Shoel U'Meishiv's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
564 views

Must I take maaser from my income nowadays?

I heard that we don't have to give maaser from our income nowadays because we are outside of Israel and without the Beit Hamikdash. Is this true?
zaq's user avatar
  • 8,864
12 votes
2 answers
260 views

Did Shuls in Europe display their countries' flags prior to the holocaust?

Prior to the holocaust, did Shuls in Europe display their countries' respective flags? Do Shuls currently display their countries' flags? When did it start and why?
Gershon Gold's user avatar
10 votes
5 answers
628 views

An Ashenazi kohain lives outside Israel. When it is not Yom Tov, can he bless the people in a Sefardi shul?

I am a kohain living outside Israel where the Ashenazi custom is that we only bless the people (duchan) on Yomim Tovim. Where I live, there are Sefardi shuls where the kohanim duchan on Shabbos and ...
Avrohom Yitzchok's user avatar
8 votes
2 answers
1k views

Is the ketuba enforceable in American law?

The Ketuba is written in Aramaic, so it might not be easily understood by an English-speaking judge; however, it is still a contract. On the other hand, the ketuba is not (necessarily?) signed by ...
Daniel's user avatar
  • 24.9k
7 votes
2 answers
372 views

Yom Tov Sheni after Moshiach

Will there be a Yom Tov Sheni after Moshiach comes?
SimchasTorah's user avatar
  • 33.2k
7 votes
2 answers
905 views

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

I am referring above all to mezuzahs placed on rented spaces in the Diaspora before 30 days have elapsed. In the case of a rented space outside Eretz Yisroel, mezuzah does not become an obligation ...
SAH's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
781 views

How to calculate 60 days from tekufat tishri for any given year?

I'm trying to pin down an algorithm for calculating when to start saying ותן טל ומטר in diaspora. (In Israel it begins 7 Cheshvan.) I've gotten that we need to know how many centuries passed since ...
Moshe's user avatar
  • 2,251
15 votes
3 answers
547 views

Why not two days for all holidays?

For those outside of Israel the requirement is for two days of yom tov (and sometimes Rosh Chodesh), originally due to uncertainty and now due to tradition. But we don't do this for all holidays even ...
Monica Cellio's user avatar
12 votes
2 answers
389 views

Are there any minhag and customs specific to Czech Jews and have they been documented?

I'm a baal teshuva with Czech Jewish ancestry. I have an interest in the minhag of my ancestors as well as in common cultural practices, and perhaps pass them on where I can. Have they been documented ...
Jakub's user avatar
  • 1,321
12 votes
1 answer
2k views

Why don't those outside of Israel shake Lulav on Shmini Atzeres?

If one holds that Jews living outside of Israel should sit in a sukkah because of Sfeika Dyoma (We aren't sure what day it is), then why shouldn't we shake lulav and esrog? Worst comes to worst we are ...
Rabbi Yaakov's user avatar
  • 1,058
10 votes
3 answers
826 views

Why the split between Sefardim and Ashkenzim?

Why is there a much bigger split between Sefardim and Ashkenzim and not, say, between Sefardim and people who lived in Bavel? The distance between Spain, and say, Israel should have been big enough to ...
ertert3terte's user avatar
  • 40.5k
10 votes
3 answers
3k views

Can Jews be rulers of countries other than Israel?

With the current political mayhem in the US, an interesting question regarding whether a Jew is halachically permitted to accept rulership of a country other than that of Eretz Yisrael has arisen. So ...
Leyzer's user avatar
  • 487
10 votes
1 answer
239 views

Birchas Kohanim in the Diaspora

Why do we (ashkenazim) not do birchas kohanim in chutz la'aretz (except on yom tov), but in Israel, we do?
jake's user avatar
  • 28.5k
9 votes
2 answers
368 views

"Secular" studies in the Rhineland academies of the 11th-13th centuries

This is perhaps a fairly specific question, and I don't know if it belongs here or on the History stack exchange, but I would like to know more about the Rhineland academies that were headed by people ...
Shimon bM's user avatar
  • 18.9k
8 votes
1 answer
763 views

Kilayim in Chutz la'eretz

What is the din with regards to kilei hayerek in chutz la'eretz? I see that many people have gardens in their backyards with vegetables right next to each other of different types.
Mkroll's user avatar
  • 91
7 votes
1 answer
197 views

Why do we have different customs for the second day of Shmini Atzeret in the diaspora?

In the diaspora, where two days of yomim tovim are celebrated, the second day is typically an exact repetition of the first day. We say the same prayers, make a second Seder on Pesach, make kiddush ...
Tal Fishman's user avatar
6 votes
3 answers
246 views

If you forgot to make an Eruv Tavshilin

I recall hearing that if you forgot to make an Eruv Tavshilin there is a way to make it on the first day of Yom Tov. Does anyone know how this is done?
Gershon Gold's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
426 views

Why no tfillin on second day of Yom Tov?

The decree of keeping two days of Yom Tov outside of Israel is because Rosh Chodesh used to be determined by Beis Din and its messengers couldn't reach all of exiles in time, thereby requiring people ...
ertert3terte's user avatar
  • 40.5k
5 votes
3 answers
528 views

Israeli making pizza on last day of Pesach in the Diaspora

A Jew who lives in the U.S. own a pizza store. He wants to be sure that he has plenty of fresh pizzas ready to sell as soon as Pesach is over. So, before Pesach, he sells his chametz to his Israeli ...
Dan's user avatar
  • 393
4 votes
1 answer
161 views

Mah inyan Shmita eitzel the price of tea in China?

I saw some red peppers in an American grocery store labelled "Product of Israel". I have never seen that before, and my guess is that since it's a shmitta year, there is less of an Israeli domestic ...
Charles Koppelman's user avatar
3 votes
3 answers
260 views

Birkat Kohanim in entirely Israeli minyan in chutz laaretz

According to the book Hilchot Tzava by Harav Zecharya Ben Shlomo a minyan of entirely Israeli soldiers in chutz laaretz should have the kohanim go up and duchan. What is the halachic rationale for ...
Yosef Mordechai Coleman's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
172 views

Did they daven after the destruction of the first temple?

I learned that tefilla was established in place of the korbanos after the destruction of the second temple. Did any sort of similar thing, meaning standardized prayer service, become instituted after ...
user avatar
27 votes
3 answers
863 views

The Fanatic Badge

Here on Mi Yodeya, one can earn the "Fanatic" badge for visiting the site for 100 consecutive days. Is it halachically possible to earn the fanatic badge in the Diaspora?
user avatar
21 votes
4 answers
1k views

Is it okay to enjoy Christmas lights?

My daughter is always talking about how she hates everything Christmas, including the lights on the houses. I am trying to encourage her that she can like non religious things like the lights, so ...
morah hochman's user avatar
16 votes
2 answers
2k views

If the lulav and etrog are biblically mandated, how were people in cold climates able to obtain them before modern times?

The use of the 4 species in the lulav and etrog is biblically mandated. Therefore, when Jews left Israel and moved to cold climates such as northern and eastern Europe, they would have needed to ...
La-comadreja's user avatar
16 votes
1 answer
656 views

What Halachot apply to serving on jury duty?

Halachically, what are the responsibilities of one who is called to jury duty? What if one of the litigants is Jewish, and the halacha would find differently than civil law does in the case, are you ...
ertert3terte's user avatar
  • 40.5k
15 votes
4 answers
390 views

Can I omit ברוך השם לעולם אמן ואמן to catch up in Maariv?

If the Shaliach Tzibbur for maariv (outside of Israel) goes too quickly for me to start the Amidah with him, is there a source which would allow me to omit the section ברוך השם לעולם אמן ואמן? This ...
Avrohom Yitzchok's user avatar
11 votes
3 answers
327 views

Counting the omer with doubt before the fixed calendar

Currently, according to a previous question on this site, we count the omer without doubt: "Today is the Xth day of the omer" because we have a fixed calendar, and because counting with doubt is ...
Charles Koppelman's user avatar
11 votes
3 answers
656 views

9 Days of Chanukah?

All Yomim Tovim we celebrate in Chutz Laretz an extra day because of A safek, why do we not do the same for Chanukah?
SimchasTorah's user avatar
  • 33.2k
9 votes
3 answers
502 views

What is the appropriate response of someone outside Israel during a war?

During a war or large scale military operation what are some of the best things for a person living in chutz l'arertz to do? Is saying tehillim and doing extra chesed enough? Should a person run to ...
user avatar
9 votes
2 answers
738 views

Why is the Boro Park eiruv controversial?

I know I might be hitting a touchy subject, but I'm prefacing it with this so I can clarify right away: I don't want a Psak, or who holds what. That's for each person to figure out... I just want to ...
yydl's user avatar
  • 38.6k
8 votes
1 answer
555 views

Does Orthodox Judaism have a generally held position on American politics? [closed]

The Pew Research Study on Jewish Americans says in part: On these measures (partisanship and ideology), the only other U.S. religious groups that are as conservative and Republican as Orthodox Jews ...
Yishai's user avatar
  • 31.9k
7 votes
1 answer
437 views

Keeping one or two days of Yom Tov in towns outside the biblically stipulated borders of Israel?

If you’re living in Amman, Jordan, I believe that you need to keep two days of Yom Tov. But if you’re in Eilat, you keep one day. Why?
wizlog's user avatar
  • 1,857
6 votes
1 answer
585 views

When would a convert affix the Mezuzah in the diaspora?

The Halacha is (as stated in the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch סימן יא - הלכות מזוזה) that when renting a house in the diaspora one is exempt from Mezuza for the first 30 days. For the first 30 days a rental ...
Danny Schoemann's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
224 views

Does Kelayim apply to road cantaloupe/courgette?

A neighbour of mine, on the American east coast had a fire hydrant replaced in front of the house, right at the curb, and the fill used settled leaving a hole. He filled it with compost. Alas he now ...
geoffc's user avatar
  • 1,524
6 votes
0 answers
93 views

Does the 16th of Shevat have any halachic effects?

For most Torah holidays, we keep two days outside Israel out of doubt. Tu bishvat is a day with Biblical effects (though I wouldn't go so far as to say it's a Biblical "holiday", or a Rabbinic one ...
Heshy's user avatar
  • 9,136
6 votes
1 answer
428 views

Jewish views on patriotism/nationalism

I heard a lecture in which a rabbi espoused very negative views against nationalism in a July 4th speech. What are Jewish sources that counter his claim, that is, sources in which the Rabbis/great ...
MJM's user avatar
  • 665