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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Kosherizing Water using Distillation
Suppose I have water that was cooked with non-kosher food. I then take the water and distill it.
Would this water be considered permissible to drink?
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Tevilat Keilim on a gift
If I buy a food-utensil from a gentile to give as a gift to a Jew, can I tovel it before giving it to him, or must he do it himself as the final intended owner? Is there a difference between glass and ...
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Which kidney should you donate?
All things being equal medically, if a person is going to donate a kidney is there halachic or hashkafic reason to presume donating one kidney would be better than the other?
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If women are not obliged to daven maariv, should they daven if they wish to?
This source says that women are not obliged to daven maariv but may do if they wish.
Although the Shulchan Aruch (108:7) allows one to recite a Tefilat Nedava in a certain case, Halacha Berura (22nd ...
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Deliveries on Shabbos
This is a two-part question:
What do you do if while you are at home during Shabbos, someone knocks at your door, and when you open it a delivery person (UPS/FedEx/USPS/DHL etc.) hands you a package ...
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298 views
Is Guinness Beer no longer kosher?
A new Smithsonian article has discovered Guinness Beer's use of isinglass, a technique that Guinness Beer has confirmed that it does to the Huffington Post, and even declared "Guinness Black Lager is ...
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Zimun and Bentsching (Bircat Hamazon / Grace After Meals) with Jews who ate non-kosher food
I came across an interesting situation recently. I was eating with Jewish, non-observant friends. I brought over a hamburger from a local kosher take-out place. They had homemade, non-kosher food, ...
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Must I check the kashrut certificate every time I visit a bakery or restaurant?
Say I visit a bakery, restaurant, jail, hospital, or nursing home. And say I already know that the food there is kosher. Must I still check the kashrut certificate every time I visit?
(Gershon ...
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511 views
Trimming or Shaving the Moustache
Are there any halachic or kabbalistic reasons to forbid (or avoid) trimming or shaving one's moustache?
I am defining "shaving" as cutting until there is no visible hair remaining, and "trimming" as ...
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182 views
Eating before Davening with a Minyan, or Davening at home and not eating till later?
You wake up in the morning and are famished. In order to have strength to go to Shul you need to eat prior to Davening. However, if you were to Daven without a Minyan at home you would not have to eat ...
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Bracha for the transit of Venus?
Venus is transiting today for the last time until 2117 (or 5878, if you prefer). Is there a specific bracha that should be made upon witnessing this spectacular event?
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“bad impression” vs “Judge your friend favorably”
There are two commonly known halachic concepts. "Marit Ayin", a bad impression, and "Dan Lekaf Zechut", "Judging favorably". Here is a nice article on the concept of Marit Ayin and it briefly talks ...
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Using an oven timer on Shabbas
This is my first post here.
I'm fairly familiar with cooking on Shabbat, but I have a few specific questions.
I know there are issues with using the warming setting on an oven to keep food warm. ...
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202 views
Saving Parking Spots
Reuven calls Shimon to ask if Shimon may stand inside a parking spot and reserve it until Reuven gets there in five minutes. While standing there, Levi pulls up and directs Shimon to vacate the spot ...
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Would halacha permit bombing Auschwitz?
I know there's a lot of talk about whether Allied forces during World War II could have / should have taken military action directly against the Holocaust. I'm not opening that can of worms here.
...
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1answer
175 views
Under what conditions may a Jew participate in the Biblical Hermeneutics SE site?
Stack Exchange has a Biblical Hermeneutics site, which is "for anyone who wants to know what a Biblical text means (exegesis) using the techniques or rules of interpretation (hermeneutics)". From the ...
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178 views
When does one become considered shomer shaboss?
Clarification : Mr. X is a orthodox religious Jew. Mr. X has a rebellious phase and violates shaboss. Mr. X later starts keeping the rules again. I'm asking in both cases:
Case 1: Ten people knew ...
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What is the source for the mitzvah of kiruv?
Is kiruv a mitzvah?
Is it biblical or rabbinic?
Is there any reason it should supersede other mitzvot?
what are the sources in chazal and halacha relating to kiruv?
related: Kiruv and halachik ...
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271 views
May a lady take a pregnancy test on Shabbos?
Are there any issues with taking a pregnancy test (non-electronic) on Shabbos?
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Extent of matrilineal descent
Am I a Jew if my mother's mother's mother's mother's mother was a Jew? Even if along the line one of my foremothers converted to another faith? I'd just like a better understanding of matrilineal ...
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181 views
'Aliyah an Isur 'Aseh? Even today?
The Gemara (Bab. Ber. 24b*) quotes R' Yehudah as saying that anyone who leaves Bavel to go to Israel violates an Isur 'Aseh (a violation of the parameters of a positive commandment), because the Navi ...
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How to respond to excessive talking in a synagogue
If there is a lot of talking (or other halakhic impropriety) in a synagogue, what are some of the considerations that go into the decision regarding what to do about it?
Here are some ideas of what ...
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Being exposed to Christmas music
I understand that for many people, this is almost impossible to do - as long as you go shopping anywhere outside a Jewish neighborhood, or if you turn on the television, you will be exposed to ...
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Why don't we follow the Shulchan Aruch's nusach of the blessing on a rainbow?
Background:
The Talmud (Berachot 59A) and the Rambam (Berachot 10:17), and Tur 229 tell us the blessing of the Rainbow is as follows:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֶלוֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם זוֹכֵר ...
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Where did the “different bracha for mishloach manos” idea come from?
Rambam and Shulchan Aruch say you can send two types of meat as mishloach manos on Purim.
Yet somehow I (and many other people, apparently) were taught that the two different items have to be in two ...
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How come Sepharadim say “Boreh peri haGEFen” but “Shelo Asani AVed”
I think Hacham Ovadia has a footnote in Hazon Ovadia on Pesach (and probably elsewhere) in which he discusses why we don't use the pausal form of gafen instead of gefen. He writes (if i remember ...
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Greetings during Prayer
In light of YDK's answer here, Halacha permits one to greet and sometimes return greetings to other people at different times during prayer when other interruptions would otherwise be prohibited. (See ...
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Is downloading pirated music stealing?
Either way, it should be frowned upon as not a nice thing to do, but would it actually be assur?
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Can an ecommerce website remain open on Shabbat?
This question is more general and doesn't apply specifically to ecommerce sites even though the discussion mentions them a little.
Specifically, we know we can't do business on Shabbat. So what is ...
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214 views
Honor thy children?
What responsibility do parents have to their children vis a vis Kavod? General Kavod HaBerioth? Some level of relational Kavod like spouses have or like children have to their parents, only to a ...
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What is the halachic status of today's modern bathrooms?
Is a bathroom today considered a graf shel re'i? May one engaged in dvarim she'bikdusha (learning, praying etc.) opposite a bathroom with the door open if there is no waste in it?
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In a city with many shuls, how much loyalty do I owe to the shul of which I am a member?
In a city with many shuls, in what way should we think about the individual shuls?
a) They are “service” (no pun intended) providers and I will take the services as they suit me best. Even if I take ...
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Can a kohen be a mamzer?
A friend and I were discussing this. Generally speaking, it seems that it should be impossible for a person to be a kohen (rather than a chalal) and also a mamzer, because the set of women whom a ...
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What are the halachot when finding a Sefer Torah on the floor?
Recently, 6 Torah Scrolls that were stolen from the Tzemach Tzedek shul in Yerushalaim were found on the floor of a cave.
I am curious what the halachic differences are (if any) between finding a ...
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What evidence is required to indicate mamzer status?
It seems to me that just about every possible shadow of doubt is used to prevent halachic rulings that would classify a person as a mamzer. From my understanding after having read this paragraph on ...
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Lifnei 'Iver and your maybe-Jewish co-worker
I work in an office in which someone working down the hall is disabled. She has a Jewish sounding last name and talks to me about her family's practices in regard to being members of a Reform temple ...
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190 views
Is it a sin to escape the death penalty?
If someone is sentenced to death by a Jewish court and is being held prisoner until the sentence can be carried out, if he escapes, is that a sin for him?
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What is the status of a Kli Shemelachto LeIssur that's only used for Pikuach Nefesh?
What is the status of a kli whose primary use would be forbidden on Shabbos, but it is only used in a case of Pikuach Nefesh. Is it a Kli Shemelachto LeIssur or Kli Shemelachto Leheter?
Examples:
...
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Why do some people wrap their Tefilin around their arms 8 times?
I have seen people who wrap the Tefilin 7 times around their arm and some that wrap it 8 times around their arm. Why do the people who wrap it 8 times do so?
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Kohanic Hand Gestures?
How are Kohanim supposed to position their hands and in what shape during Birkhat Kohanim? Answer with most opinions backed by sources wins.
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When can you build the sukkah?
My wife and I love the holiday of Sukkot, as do many of our friends. We build the sukkah every year and have friends over for an evening meal, preferably on shabbes - if someone else in our group of ...
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How does paying a Mohel work?
I have heard - do not know the source - that a Mohel is not supposed to charge an official price - however you are supposed to pay him.
1: Is it true that a Mohel is not supposed to charge an ...
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319 views
Why does the Tefilin Shel Yad have a protective cover?
When you purchase Tefilin, the Tefilin Shel Yad has a protective cover. Why? Is it Halachically necessary?
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Is programming against Judaism?
I just recently learned about this site when I saw Judaism was one of the stack overflow topics. I have been Jewish all my life and two years ago I started programming.
I was wondering if there ...
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348 views
Can you fold a tallis on Shabbos?
What melachah is transgressed by folding a tallis? Is there some way to fold it which is permitted?
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Is getting a tattoo of the Star of David “ironic”?
Amare Stoudemire, a professional basketball player and practicing Jew, has a Star of David tattoo. In an article at ProBasketballTalk, Kurt Helin calls this tattoo "ironic." But he links to a ...
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Does the act of masturbation cause a change in one's spiritual/religious status vis-a-vis what he may and may not do?
Obviously masturbation is a very serious sin. However, if someone has already transgressed that sin, does his status change vis-a-vis things like learning Torah or davening? Does he need to go to a ...
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Benching on yom kipper
If one must eat on yom kipper, does he make any day-specific additions during benching?
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Bar Mitzva during S'fira
If someone has his bar mitzva during s'firas haomer and said the bracha every night so far, can he still make a bracha? (I will be asking a Rav for the actual P'sak Halacha)
