Questions connected to laws that were instituted by the Rabbis (not Biblical).
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0answers
27 views
Are Kol Ishah and seeing a woman's exposed hair Isurim DeRabbanan according to the Shulhan 'Aruch?
According to the Shulhan 'Aruch (Even Ha'Ezer 21:1), it is:
ואסור לשמוע קול ערוה או לראות שערה. והמתכוין לאחד מאלו הדברים, מכין אותו מכת מרדות. ואלו הדברים אסורים גם בחייבי לאוין.
Forbidden ...
3
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0answers
50 views
Can “Three D'Rabbanans be 'motzei' ”Two D'Rabbanans"
We know that when there is a case of someone that is obligated to perform a mitzvah m'drabbanan (and in fact there are 2 d'rabbanans together) they can't be "motzei" someone in the mitzvah who only ...
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0answers
45 views
How important is it to read from a Torah on Rosh Chodesh?
Where does the practice of reading for the Torah on Rosh Chodesh come from and how crucial is it?
Would skipping it (due to lack of easily accessible Sefer Torah) constitute a serious transgression?
...
1
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1answer
39 views
Davar charif cut with meat knife — why not ossur?
The SA in YD Siman 97 Sif 1 (the makor is a braisa in Pesachim Daf 30) says that one should not knead together a dough with milk, lest someone come to eat it together with meat. If one did knead them ...
2
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1answer
44 views
Sofek d'rabbanan by tevillah of an isha
Normally we say "sofek d'rabbanan l'kulo" and will be lenient in a case of a doubt that is only an issur d'rabbanan. I have heard that there are poskim who say this doesn't apply in the case when ...
3
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0answers
22 views
Proof from Mishneh that Hilchos Chol HaMoed is M'd'rabbanan
If one looks into the Tur and Beis Yosef at the beginning of Hilchos Chol HaMoed in Simana 630 you will find a big maklokes rishonim if malacha on Chol HaMoed is an issur d'oraisa, d'rabbanan, or ...
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0answers
59 views
Who should observe Isru Chag?
I have been trying to understand Isru Chag. While there is a source in tehillim for the words and the gemara derives a notion of extra celebration, there seems to be little about the scope of the day.
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1
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1answer
73 views
How did Chazal know they were right about “who is a Jew”?
My question is predicated on the assumption that Jews were created by God as fundamentally different from non-Jews. (I am referring, for example, to the idea that Jews have a special type of soul. And ...
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2answers
52 views
“Lo Plog” in Shas
In a case of a gezera or any other issur that might not apply to a particular person (for whatever reason) we often still say it does because of a "lo plog". In order that we shouldn't make ...
3
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3answers
148 views
Arguments for Rabbinical Law
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?
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2answers
78 views
Skin of chicken like chicken meat itself?
In terms of dinei baser b'chalav and other nafka minas for if something is considered baser or not what does the status of the skin on top of chicken have (the skin that is cooked together and often ...
6
votes
0answers
49 views
Has anyone declared a time of oppression regarding the four Temple fasts?
The Sha'ar haTziyun (OC 550 sk 9) speculates if in his day (~1900 CE) there was enough oppression of the Jews to warrant declaring the fasts of 10 Tevet, 17 Tammuz and 3 Tishrei into full fledged ...
20
votes
2answers
354 views
Can a gentile break shabbos only on a Rabbinic level?
A non-Jew is forbidden from observing Shabbos. When someone is in the process of converting, we advise them to keep the entire Shabbos besides for doing one forbidden activity. A common practice is to ...
7
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1answer
174 views
Amira Lakum: say you can't say?
One is not allowed to tell a non-Jew to do a melacha on shabbas, but one can hint and say "it is cold in here", hoping he will realize and shut the air conditioner.
Is one allowed to explain to the ...
4
votes
1answer
81 views
A fence within a fence
There is a well known dictum that a lot of rabbinic enactments were created to 'create a fence' around the major sin; the idea being that if someone does something that would be Biblically permitted ...
4
votes
1answer
83 views
Who established the Shema?
The Gemara in Berachos 12b says "They sought to establish [various passages] in the Shema" and "they establish[ed] the passage of tzitzis in the Shema" (Artscroll trans.)
I had thought that the ...
4
votes
3answers
143 views
Is it allowed to prepare for maariv after Shabbos during the rabbinic tosefes Shabbos?
The time to daven maariv on Motzoei Shabbos is some period (where I am it’s around 15 minutes) after the stars come out. This period is called tosefes Shabbos.
In many shuls, the shaliach tzibbur ...
1
vote
1answer
41 views
Making a Berachah on rabbinically prohibited foods
Should one refrain from making a Berachah on rabbinically prohibited foods, or does that rule only apply to biblically prohibited foods?
9
votes
2answers
160 views
Why did God give the Rabbis so much power?
The Torah demands that we adhere to the laws implemented by the Rabbis (I think the source is "don't veer from what they tell you to the right or to the left"). This has given the Rabbis far-reaching ...
3
votes
1answer
81 views
decree of two days 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 ...
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votes
2answers
59 views
Does a fan or light on Shabbos need a Blech?
Obviously they wouldn't need a "blech" like we think of one, but would they need some sort of physical alteration to remind one not to adjust the knobs/switches on Shabbos?
More specifically, to ...
11
votes
5answers
299 views
The authenticity of rabbinic literature
I am studying the history of various branches of Judaism. I understand the position of rabbinic Judaism that parts of the laws were oral and not written. But this alone would not justify the ...
8
votes
2answers
661 views
What is Maris Ayin?
What is the precise definition of Maris Ayin, and to what cases does it apply? (i.e. what are the parameters for applying it)
17
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5answers
510 views
Halachic Restrictions not in the Torah, and “shall not add”
How can halachic restrictions that are not in the Torah be reconciled with the Deuteronomy 4:2 passage, which says, "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from ...
9
votes
3answers
295 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 ...
11
votes
3answers
285 views
When do rabbinic enactments apply if the given reason no longer does?
Often we find gezeiros d'rabbanan designed as preventative measures against more serious transgressions.
However, if nowadays the reasoning behind the gezeira does not apply, it seems that sometimes ...
11
votes
4answers
299 views
Clapping on Shabbos
Is one allowed to clap one's hands on Shabbos? Does it matter whether one is clapping to a beat or trying to get someone's attention?
12
votes
4answers
351 views
Milk After Fowl
If eating milk and chicken is only a rabbinical prohibition, why don't we find that we are more lenient with regards to it. For example, why don't we wait less time between eating chicken and milk?
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4
votes
3answers
129 views
Rabbinic prohibitions among Noachide laws
Are there Rabbinic prohibitions on non-Jews in the context of the 7 Noachide laws? e.g., would they have gezeirot like yichud or negia in order to prevent ariyot?
4
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1answer
122 views
Two types of preventative enactment?
I believe this is a strictly academic question. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Many of the restrictions enacted by the Rabbis (as opposed to those extrapolated from the Torah) were done so in order to ...
