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. // Jewish law. Specifically, the legal process beginning with the written Torah and continuing ...
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Heter, esp. from R' Moshe, for shaving with a machine?
I have asked this question to many people without every getting an answer. Perhaps someone on this forum has some information.
All of the achronim that I have found, who address the issue in ...
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Are Jews allowed to participate in Valentine's Day rituals?
Are Jews allowed to participate in Valentine's Day rituals? Although St. Valentine's Day is originally a quasi-Christian holiday, it seems that some communities allow participation.* Which communities ...
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Non-belief in Torah's divinity - Wickedness or Ignorance?
If a Jew breaks halacha because he honestly does not believe that the Torah is G-d's law or that he is obligated it follow it, is his nonconformance with the law considered wickedness or ignorance? ...
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148 views
May one reheat food on top of a crock-pot or urn on Shabbos?
According to my understanding cooked or baked food that is currently cold, may be placed on top of a pot that is on a blech on Shabbos to warm up.
What about putting cooked or baked foods on top of ...
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89 views
Can one take any money offered to him?
Is a tzedaka allowed to take money from people who earn their money in inappropriate way (say, the person worked on Shabbos, stole, cheated, etc.)
If not, is this a chumra or a halacha?
Please ...
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203 views
Should I say “amen” to a malformed bracha?
If I hear somebody substantially mispronounce a bracha, should I say amen anyway (recognizing the intent) or remain silent? I'm not talking about nuances like pronouncing 'ayin or distinguishing ...
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272 views
Koshering granite
I have been told that a granite counter top is similar to glass in that it is not porous and does not absorb taste from food that touches it.
Is there a source in halacha for this concept? What other ...
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7 Seas or The Great Ocean?
Seeing the ocean warrants the recital of a blessing. (Assume for this question like the opinions that the proper bracha is שעשה את הים הגדול as opposed to עושה מעשה בראשית.) It is only recited if one ...
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What is the original halachic source for a woman covering her collarbones out of modesty (tznius)?
Many contemporary instructions on women's modesty (tznius) say that necklines have to be high enough to cover the collarbones.
I can certainly accept that if this is the communal standard, it should ...
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Do men on the women's side count toward a minyan?
If men are on the women's side of the shul during davening when there are no women there, do they count toward the minyan, or are they considered separate? Does it matter if the women's area is right ...
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Does “foreign religious obligation” = “Takruvas Avodah Zarah”?
Background: There is a verse in the Christian scriptures (Luke 6:30) that, when read out of context, implies that a follower of osso ha’ish should give anything anyone asks for. I had heard an urban ...
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Hamster Food and Chometz
I have hamsters at home, and their usual food is chometz. I can feed them with cornflakes and other kitniyot for a short period (about a week, maybe more), but not for a long time. Hamsters store food ...
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Preference to Kohanim in repeating situations
Based on this question and answer, it seems that the obligation to honor the kohein is when everyone has equal rights, the kohein gets first pick, but not everything. For instance, if a host serves a ...
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191 views
Lo Yilbash: necklaces and rings
Is there are prohibition for men to wear rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets or anything of the kind or would that go against the prohibition of "Lo Yilbash Gever Simlat Isha — a man shall not wear ...
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Can a single-parent father be exempt from time-bound mitzvot?
Rabbis such as Abudraham have explained a woman's exemption from positive time-bound commandments (mitzvot shehazman grama) in terms of a woman's ongoing and preliminary role in supporting her ...
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Is a quarry a kosher mikva?
I live near a rock quarry that was discontinued and somehow filled with water.
I don't know exactly how this one was filled but from looking online it seems that usually what happens is that while ...
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190 views
Plastic gloves in Halacha
If someone touches something while wearing gloves (i.e. waterproof rubber gloves), does that halachically count as touching? Practical examples include:
Touching a neveilah, whether or not you ...
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Making a Bracha on disliked foods
If you, for some reason, must eat food you despise and will gain no enjoyment from it do you still need to make a bracha?
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Using a plata on Shabbat
I have a plata--an electric warming tray that does not have knobs or adjustments. I can leave it plugged in throughout Shabbat. I want to use it correctly when I have guests and to up my observance.
...
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Does Neveilah/Tereifah make you Fleishig?
Another question asks whether meat of a non-kosher species (Behemah Temeiah or Hayah Temeiah) makes one Fleishig (considered to have eaten meat, so cannot eat milk). My question then is about kosher ...
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Nullifying Ancient Israelite Idols
Following up on a question raised on the Avodah list (see here & here under the subject “Destroying Idols”).
Archaeologists often dig up idols whose worshipers have abandoned them over the ...
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Ta'amei Mikra and the Torah Scroll
I have heard that a haftorah klaf (scroll) is still considered kosher and usable if the Ta'amei Mikra have been written on it. Yet I've always been told that this is not true for a Torah scroll. Why ...
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Are there two things from which kares can cut one off?
In B'midbar 19:13 the Torah says that the punishment for entering the mikdash while impure is spiritual excision, using the words
וְנִכְרְתָה הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַהִוא מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל. . .
. . .that ...
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Why is there a difference of opinion about whether modern magic is prohibited or permitted?
I'm an amateur magician.
All of the Ashkenazi rabbis that I've talked to said that as long as my audience knows that I am just doing tricks and not real magic, the Torah allows me to perform magic ...
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Is there a way to tell if a Pitom of an Etrog has been broken, or was grown that way?
Is there a way to tell whether the Pitum of an Etrog has been broken off
or whether the Etrog had just grown that way (without a pitum)?
(I just seem to be a little worried about mine, so any advice ...
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Overhead projector on Shabbos?
A discussion came up with some guests over shabbos. One asked if one could use an overhead projector on Shabbos if it was turned on from before, i.e. could one put a new plastic sheet on it or not? In ...
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Is the observance of Jewish law/tradition “all or nothing”?
Sometimes my job gets in the way of my observance of Jewish holidays. I often need to work on Saturdays or late on Fridays, inhibiting my ability to attend synagogue on Shabbat. Sometimes I am ...
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Time dilation and waiting between meat and milk
Suppose Ploni eats some meat. He then gets in a spaceship and accelerates to some significant percentage of the speed of light for a short trip into outer space, and then returns home. At the time ...
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Eating outside of a Sukkah - Negative or Positive commandment?
On Sukkoth we are required to dwell in a Sukkah, which is generally minimally defined as at least eating our meals (which in turn is generally minimally defined as grain-based products) inside the ...
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409 views
Can the child of two converts marry a Cohen?
Can the child of two converts marry a Cohen? How does the situation differ if only the mother, or only the father, is a convert?
(I have read that "ideally" the child of two converts should not ...
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If the last day of Passover is Friday, may I eat chametz on the Shabbat right after?
This year, 5772, the last day of Pesach in Israel is on Friday. Is there any possible way that one could contrive to eat chometz on the shabbos immediately following Pesach?
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How to advise your barber
Men: What is a succinct, clear, Halachically complete line to tell a barber what not to do when cutting your hair?
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Can only the husband in a gentile married couple convert?
We are a gentile married couple and my husband wants to convert orthodox and im still not sure if i want to convert at all. i found out that the conservative would let my husband convert and stay with ...
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Is the material permitted to learn on Tisha B'av available online?
From Aish.com:
Other prohibitions include...Learning Torah, since this is a joyful activity. It is permitted to learn texts relevant to Tisha B'Av and mourning -- e.g. the Book of Lamentations, ...
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Quinoa Kitniyos status
Is Quinoa Kitniyos I know it is currently a machlokes can you name the sides and what is the reasoning
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Is catch and release fishing permitted?
Is catch and release fishing permitted? I've heard different opinions on this matter. Whats the official halacha?
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Is cross-dressing permitted on Purim and if so why?
As part of dressing in costume on Purim is a person allowed to put on clothes normally worn by the opposite gender? If so, where does this heter come from in the face of the biblical prohibition ...
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How should one dispose of cut finger nails? Is it dangerous for a pregnant woman to walk on them?
Is there an Inyan of pregnant women walking over cut nails ex: a nail salon? Also, can I just vacuum up the cut nails from the floor?
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Embarrassing a Baal Teshuva
Be'er Hagolah at the end of Yoreh Deah 334 says that one of the things that are considered Cherem D'Rabeinu Gersom is not to embarrass a Baal Teshuva regarding his previous lifestyle.
Yet when you ...
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Wedding ring composition
I was recently told that the ring used for kiddushin should be made entirely out of one kind of metal (usually gold), with no other adornments such as diamonds, etc. I had been under the impression ...
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Is Okapi meat Kosher?
Is the Okapi a kosher animal? According to its Wikipedia page, it is most closely related to the giraffe, which everyone seems to agree is kosher. A quick Google search tells me that it chews its cud. ...
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183 views
Halachot of Lashon Naki (clean speech)
What is the halachik source, if any, for lashon naki (clean speech)? Is there a portion of Talmud that deals with the specifics? On the surface, it seems to be employed inconsistently, by which I mean ...
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When/how was the controversy regarding stainless-steel blades for shechitah resolved?
My understanding is that the use of stainless-steel blades for shechita (kosher slaughter) knives was introduced by the early Hassidic movement and initially opposed by the non-Hassidic leaders.
...
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431 views
Sources For Listening To/Not Listening to Non-Jewish Music
What are sources for it being allowed to listen to non-Jewish music and sources for it being prohibited?
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138 views
May I rely on the halachik leniency of others?
If "Reuven" believes the halacha to be one way and "Shimon" believes it to be more lenient may Reuven rely on Shimon to do something for him based on this leniency?
Here is a 100% fictional ...
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Are there halachos which specify who is qualified for tzedakah?
Following a very interesting and animated discussion at the Shabbos table this past Friday night, I wanted to delve more into the halachos of who is an oni? I understand very clearly from the Neviim ...
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Is it possible to convert a Rosh of a Rabeynu Tam Tefillin into a rosh of a Rashi Tefillin?
If I find a Rabeynu Tamm tefillin and I do not have another one , can I take it appart , and I know how to , and change the ROSH from Rabeynu Tam to a Rashi tefillin ?
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Upon whom would one make this blessing?
Upon whom today would you make the bracha - Baruch Attah Hashem Elokeinu Melech HaOlam She’chalak Mei’chochmaso Li’rei’av, that He bestowed of His wisdom to those who fear Him (Gemara Brachos 58a)? ...
