Questions tagged [halacha]

Jewish law. Specifically, the legal process beginning with the written Torah and continuing through the Mishna, Talmud, and the legal codes (e.g., Rambam, Tur, Shulchan Aruch). // NOTE: Like Wikipedia, this site makes no guarantee of validity, and does not offer professional (particularly rabbinic) advice. Treat information from this site like it came from a crowd of your friends.

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Venishmartem Halachic guidelines regarding large gathering of Jews

Following the horrible tragedy at Miron, where 45 Jews lost their lives in a stampede, I wondered that large-scale religious gatherings are very indeed very frequent, especially in Hassidic ...
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The prohibition of "Bekhukoteyem" (in their likeness) and the Jewish architecture

"Rabbi Yehuda says: One who did not see the great synagogue [deyofloston] of Alexandria of Egypt never saw the glory of Israel: They said that its structure was like a large basilica, with a ...
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May husband and wife hug/kiss in front of their children?

The Rema in Even HaEzer (21:5) writes יש אומרים דאין לנהוג אפילו עם אשתו בדברים של חיבה, כגון לעיין ברישיה אם יש לו כינים, בפני אחרים - Some say that one should not do affectionate things with his ...
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List of halakhos that are only relevant in the era of Moshiach

In Zevachim 45a (s.v. הלכתא למשיחא), Tosfos provides a list of instances in Shas where the gemara rules in favour of a particular halakhic position that will only be practically relevant in the era of ...
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Mezuzah - Copying from memory

The gemara Menachos 32b says that even though a Sefer Torah may not be written except "מן הכתב", copied from another text, tefillin and mezuzah don't have that requirement and may be written ...
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If you're well-hydrated at the start of a fast, can you keep drinking water throughout the fast? If not, why not?

Generally speaking, when the Torah is discussing the concept of fasting, whether on individual fasts or public fasts, it mentions the prohibition of neither eating, nor drinking. But water has a ...
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What if a convert later finds out he was already Jewish?

If someone converts to Judaism, but later credible evidence is found that he was already Jewish (say, due to a distant matrilineal ancestress), is he still treated as a convert for halachic purposes? ...
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Yehareg v'al ya'avor – what about retroactively?

Based on this question and this question. If someone has possibly committed one of the Big Three sins, and the only way to get out of it retroactively is to commit suicide, is suicide allowed? Is it ...
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Does a broker keep the leads he worked on?

A broker works at a Merchant Cash Advance Company and the company provides leads to the broker. The broker's job is to sort through those leads, identify the ones that are really interested, build ...
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Loshon Hora: The allowance of B'apei t'lasa (in front of 3)

Although they are governed by very strict limitations, there are numerous 'hetterim' for the prohibition of lashon hora, such as apei t'lasa, l'toieles, etc. The Chofetz Chaim (Klal 2, §3 - see there ...
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What is one's liability for intentionally exposing someone to a dangerous virus?

Consider Reuven, who takes an airborne virus (however he got it) and sticks it in Shimon's air vent. As Shimon is continuously exposed to this virus, he becomes progressively sicker. What is Reuven's ...
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Is grinder biohacking permissible?

Grinder biohacking involves implanting DIY cybernetics or chemicals into one’s own body which ostensibly give one superhuman abilities. For example, some companies sell implantable NFC/RFID chips to ...
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What is the minimum of learning to say Kaddish d’Rabanan?

What is the minimum amount of study one has to learn or hear in order to say Kaddish d’rabanan? Is there a certain Halacha which states how much or what is the minimum one needs to learn? Also, a ...
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Placing a notebook on top of sefarim

Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (28:9) writes: לא ישרטט איזה קונטרס על הספר, לפי שאין קדושה בקונטרס, עד שיכתבו בו You should not draw lines on notebook [while] on [a holy] book, because the notebook is not ...
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Standing in the presence of an idol / entering a room which has an idol

The question is remarkably simple (even though the answer may not be so). Is it allowed by halacha to stand in the presence of an idol or enter a room where an idol is present ? Specifically, I'm ...
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Is one allowed to short sell stock?

Short selling stock involves borrowing the shares for a fee. Would doing so contravene Devarim 23:20 which prohibits borrowing with interest (assume the Jewishness of all parties involved is such to ...
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Do we apply עושה מעשה עמך consistently anywhere it says עמך?

The Gemara in several places (BM 48b and 62a, Yevamos 22b, Sanhedrin 85a, BB 4a, BK 94b, Makkos 8b) quotes the exposition ונשיא בעמך לא תאור - בעושה מעשה עמך “A prince in your people you shall ...
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Blessing on orange juice after eating an orange

Say someone ate an orange and now wants to drink orange juice. The regular blessing on orange juice is sheakol (see e.g., here) although there is some opinion it might be haeitz if the oranges were ...
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Can a King execute Kohen Gadol that he thinks is מורד במלכות?

While Kohen Gadol is a citizen, he belongs to a different "authority" that a King is obligated to respect (see Rambam Melachim 2, 5): "אבל כהן גדול אינו בא לפני המלך אלא אם רצה ואינו עומד לפניו ...
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Has anyone learned the Sheiltot of R. Achai Gaon with the Netziv's commentary?

Would you recommend it? I really enjoy learning anything with the Netziv and I like the idea of halachic midrashim on the parsha with some ethical messages. It seems like it's a great way to learn ...
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Is a non-Jew forbidden to his father's ex-wife?

A Jewish man and his father's wife are forbidden to each other forever, even after his father dies or divorces her. (Issurei Biah 2:1) A non-Jewish man and his father's wife are forbidden to each ...
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Halachic restrictions on Sefarim shelves

If memory serves me correctly, I believe Jonathan Rosenblum cites in his biography of Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky a story where Rav Yaakov complained that someone had placed a sefer on an arm of a bench ...
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"A time to act for Hashem" and doing whatever you want

Who under what circumstances has the right to declare that a violation of halacha is in order because "it is a time to act for Hashem"? I have by now a few times seen this posuk from Tehillim used as ...
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A man tells us he raped a woman

The Torah says the following about a man who rapes a woman (Deuteronomy 22:29). וְ֠נָתַן הָאִ֨ישׁ הַשֹּׁכֵ֥ב עִמָּ֛הּ לַאֲבִ֥י הנער [הַֽנַּעֲרָ֖ה] חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים כָּ֑סֶף וְלֽוֹ־תִהְיֶ֣ה לְאִשָּׁ֗ה ...
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May I tell someone that I've figured out his online screen name?

Without publicly revealing his identity, would merely telling someone that he "outed himself" constitute אונאת דברים?
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Lo yilbash for gentiles/Noahides?

I would like to know if the prohibitions on opposite-gender clothing apply to gentiles under the Noahide laws.
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Source for preferring doing melacha which benefits sick person exclusively

I recently heard the following halacha from a talmid Chacham. He said "I remember that this is the halacha, but I do not remember the source". If one has to do a melacha on shabbos for a choleh ...
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Someone losing their dominant arm

There are some practical differences between righties and lefties in halacha. What happens if someone loses their dominant arm? Do they gain the halachic status of being dominant with their other arm ...
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Did R. Moshe Feinstein misquote the Mishna Berura?

The Mishna Berura (299:1) rules that one may begin eating until one half hour before tzeis hakochavim on Shabbos afternoon/evening. R. Moshe Feinstein (Igros Moshe O.C. 4:69:6) writes that the Mishna ...
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Chemistry Experiment with Chametz on Pesach

If one is in a school environment where he/she has a chemistry lab/lab exam on Chol Hamoed Pesach that they must attend (putting the question of doing this on Chol Hamoed aside), and the lab exercise ...
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Can you get an animal high?

The gemarah (Bava Metziah 32b, based on Shemot 32:5) explains that a person is not allowed to give an animal undo pain, this is know as צער בעל חי. I would like to know if a person is allowed to give ...
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Smelling Besamim before Havdallah

According to our minhag that we smell Besamim during Havdallah as part of Havdallah, if one smelled Besamim after Shabbos before Havdallah (for whatever reason), should or can that person omit the ...
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frozen food delivered on shabbat

If one ordered frozen food from an online store and it happened to be delivered at the person's front door on shabbat (unintended) would it be permissible to place the food in a freezer (with no light ...
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Questioner's liability for receiving a wrong psak

If someone asked a competent Rav a shaila, and the Rav was wrong, is the "questioner" liable? For example, if someone asked a Rav if one is permitted to water his plants on Shabbat and the Rav ...
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Is there such a thing as losing your Chazaka on contracts?

Let's say I come to court, claiming that I bought field A with a contract. That contract was found to be a forgery. I lose. I come back the next day, saying that within the past day I bought the ...
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Can salami mold make dry-aged salami un-kosher?

I am making beef salami, using kosher meat, and I would like to know if the mold that is introduced to form on the outside can make it non-kosher. Background info Dry aged meats take advantage of a '...
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Explanation of מיגו דהאי לאו דאיסורא הוא דהאי נמי לאו איסורא הוא

The Shulchan Aruch in Y.D. 110:7 writes (based on Zevachim 74a and 77b, as explained by Rashi): דָּבָר שֶׁאֵינוֹ בָּטֵל מֵחֲמַת חֲשִׁיבוּתוֹ, כְּגוֹן בַּעֲלֵי חַיִּים וּבְרִיָּה, וַחֲתִיכָה ...
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Speaking 30 minutes after hamapil

A person is discouraged from speaking after reciting the blessing of "Hamapil" before bed (Magen Avraham 239 s.v. ומברך המפיל explaining why the SA says to say Hamapil after Kriyas Shema). Someone ...
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How far from the correct pronunciations and spellings must one differ to avoid saying God's names?

It's my understanding that there are halachic reasons to avoid saying or writing some of God's Names for no reason. How far from the correct spelling or pronunciations must one deviate to avoid these ...
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Parent/child relationship : how does adoption compare to geirus?

Take a father and daughter who both underwent geirus. Now take a Jewish man who adopted a baby girl of unknown (Jewish) parents. In both situations, the father raises the child since birth. Are the ...
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Blowing Bubbles on Yom Tov

Is anything wrong with blowing bubbles on Yom Tov? Would it be different than blowing bubbles on Shabbos?
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Is The Biggest Loser considered gambling?

A friend of mine recently attempted to create a The Biggest Loser knockoff in his school. The basic premise was that each "contestant" would contribute $10 to compete, and the winner(s) would take ...
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May one recite the Haftarah from a transliterated copy?

I know that public Torah reading needs to be read from a parchment. I saw some source stating that, ideally haftarah should also be read from parchment. However, I see numerous congregations allow ...
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Can Jews listen to and perform J.S. Bach's music, since most of his compositions derive from Christian sources?

"Almost All" (90 - 95%) of J. S. Bach's compositions are, musically, based on various "Protestant Hymns". This is a musical and compositional fact, when one understands how to analyse his compositions ...
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Is using the Internet OK?

What Poskim rule that the Internet is totally ok to use (without a filter)? What Poskim rule that's it's never ok to use? What Poskim say that you can use it, but with a filter?
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Forbidden business practices in games

Charging interest or surplussage on real loans to a fellow Jew is forbidden but may one do so with in-game play money or with in-game commodities?
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Medicines on fast days which need to be taken with food

I had seen on this Halachipedia page in the name of R' Shlomo Zalman Auerbach that one may drink a minimal amount of water, as needed, in order to swallow pills. However, R' Belsky, as quoted in this ...
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Holding the bride's hand when giving her the ring

In art I see that it was done example From hukai noshim CH 45 I see that it is required (at least lehat'hila) My summery of this subject in that chapter He brings it twice once regarding when ...
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Is watching videos online that were uploaded illegally counted as causing others to sin?

Some poskim hold that watching videos online that were uploaded illegally is not considered gezel, only if one himself uploaded the video it would be gezel. However, if someone watched the videos ...
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Is there a bias against marijuana in the orthodox community?

Note: I'm not trying to promote marijuana. I strongly dislike marijuana and cigarettes and I would never use nor recommend either. I'm concerned about health and the awareness of the dangers of drugs. ...
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