Questions tagged [parts-of-the-body]
about parts of the body
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Are gentile shrunken heads issur to own
According to Halacha, is it issur to own a gentile Shrunken head? The reason I ask is because my understanding is Halacha prohibits Jews from owning things made like the human form, even if not actual ...
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Circumcision for conjoined twins
According to Halacha, if there are Jewish male conjoined twins, how many circumcisions are needed? Do both penises need it, or only one?
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May Jewish women have exposed arm between shoulder and elbow
According to Halacha, do Jewish women have to cover their arms between their shoulder and elbow, or is it permissible for them to show skin there so long as the shoulder is completely covered? Would ...
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Blood on Right Earlobe, Right Thumb, and Right Big Toe
There is a ritual in the Bible in which blood from a sacrifice is applied to the right earlobe, right thumb, and right big toe of people. The ritual is done for Aaron and his sons during their ...
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Is Gid Hanasheh issur hanaah
According to Halacha, is Gid Hanasheh considered issur hanaah, prohibited to benefit from, or merely prohibited to eat? Or is it similar to non kosher meat which is generally prohibited to make a ...
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In the event of a horrific death, what is the Halachic minimum of biological materials which must be collected for burial?
Hashem requires that a Jew be buried and that the body should be intact. In horrific circumstances, that isn't always possible and there are medical crews who need to collect the remains (such as a ...
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Is shechita done by Jews with prosthetic arms valid
According to Halacha, is shechita done by Jews with prosthetic arms kosher and valid? The reason I ask is that shechita has to be done by Jews: machine shechita is generally not valid. But in this ...
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Do tefillin straps have to be animal skin
In Halacha, is there a requirement for the straps made for tefillin to be made out of animal skin such as leather, or no? If there is a requirement, is it Derabbanan, or a Halacha LeMoshe Misinai? Or ...
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Is metzitzah b’peh after circumcision ever bal tosif?
According to this article the Talmud explicitly states that Brit milah without metzitzah is valid, and it isn’t an essential aspect of the mitzvah in either the Talmud or the views of major Poskim (...
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Eye donations in Halacha
According to Halacha, is it permissible to perform eye donations or not?
I ask because, unlike many other organs, the eye isn’t generally a case of Pikuach Nefesh, but there are many things in life ...
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Using a nail file on Shabbat
According to Halacha, is one allowed to file their nails with a nail file on Shabbat? Would this fit into a specific melacha that is prohibited? Source for this would be appreciated
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Does כבוד המת apply to gentiles? What about during war?
Kavod HaMet is a halachic rubric which includes sensitive and dignified treatment of a corpse. I would like to know if this principle includes the prohibition for Jews to treat the corpses of gentiles ...
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613 Mitzvot corresponding to the 248 and 365 body parts [duplicate]
Where can I find a chart or list in English of each mitzvah and which body part the mitzvah corresponds to including bones and organs?
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Connection between spleen and laughter
Talmud (Brachos 61b) says that the techul [spleen] is שוחק. Looking for an explanation of what the connection between the spleen and laughter is.
Also, Zohar chelek 3, page 226b connects black bile ...
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Use of "tail" in blessing and cursing
"וּנְתָנְךָ ה' לְרֹאשׁ וְלֹא לְזָנָב"
"YHWH will make you the head, not the tail;" Deuteronomy.28.13
Why does the Torah refer to an animal organ, lacking in humans? Why not "...
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Donating body parts of a corpse
Is a family member or oneself allowed to donate body parts in case of someone's death?
Is this comparable to the donations of kidneys of healthy people, which seems to be allowed?
What if the body ...
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How do the brain and the Neshama relate to each other?
We all know that every individual contains a "Neshama", or soul. The soul is the embodiment of our being; it is what makes us...us. The brain however, is the center of all our cognitive ...
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In which Jewish book does it say that the body is like a house and the mouth is it's entry?
Looking for a Jewish source for this concept.
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Link between 613 mitzvot and 613 parts of the body?
The gemara in Makot 23b writes there are 613 ("taryag") mitzvot (commandments) and links this number to 365 days of the year and 248 limbs in a human body. Targum pseudo Yonatan (Bereishit 1:...
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Proper placement of Shel Yad
The halacha, as set forth by the Mishna Berurah (27:4), requires the Shel Yad to be above the area where the bicep begins to become elevated. I've read that there is a dispute regarding whether the ...
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Why does the Torah say a woman has "sperm" or "seed"?
Why does the Torah say a woman has "sperm" or "seed" (for example, Genesis 24:60, and in other passages)?
And they blessed Rebecca and said to her, "Our sister, may you ...
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Which ancient cults would cut out the hearts of live animals and offer them as sacrifices?
Which ancient cults would cut out the hearts of live animals and offer them as sacrifices? The Mishnah (Avodah Zarah 2:3) mentions a concept called עורות לבובין which Maimonides and other commentators ...
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Any sources that the human body is a Menorah?
Michael Stevens released an astounding video where he proved that the human body topologically resembles a 7 branched Menorah (17 minutes in). There are 7 "through holes" (complete holes; ie: a ...
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Reconciling the Rashbam's understanding for leaning left with the anatomy of the throat
The Gemara (Pesachim 108a) rules:
פרקדן לא שמיה הסיבה הסיבת ימין לא שמה הסיבה ולא עוד אלא שמא יקדים קנה לוושט ויבא לידי סכנה
Lying prone is not called leaning. Leaning right is not called ...
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Why is the Kurkavon mentioned?
In Masheches Berachos daf 61b, the gemara mentions various body parts and their respective functions. It seems that the gemara is referring to human body parts, based off the gemaras premise (on daf ...
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Fell into a pit and one's artificial organs were damaged -- consequences?
That's something I've studied many years ago - laws of damages by a pit. IIRC in one falls into a pit (בור) the owner pays only body damages but not broken tools.
What artificial limbs/organs qualify ...
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Why was it improper to stick out a thumb in the Temple?
The Mishnah says, in Yoma 2:1, “the assigner [of tasks] would tell [all of] them: "Stick out your fingers [for the procedure to assign the task]." And what would they stick out? Either one or two [...
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Is writing on your body acceptable? [duplicate]
Is writing on your body acceptable?
Leviticus 19:28 ESV / 471
You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the Lord.
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Did Miriam's well waters cause a need to use bathroom?
IIRC, the Manna was miraculously and wastelessly absorbed by the body.
Did the water they drank from Miriam's miraculous well also possess miraculous properties and was wasteless or it was regular ...
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Connection Between Liver & Honor?
Seeing that lashon hakodesh allows for analyzing the connection between similar rooted words, what is the connection between liver (כבד) and honor (כבוד)?
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What blessing does a midget say on seeing himself?
Following "reciting-the-blessing-of-meshaneh-habriyos-who-makes-creatures-different":
what does a man that falls into that category, e.g. a midget, says upon himself?
Does he have to see himself (...
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Is there a tefilah/segulah requesting that bowel and intestine should work?
My brother-in-law is critically ill in ICU and some of his organs have stopped working.
My sister whatsapped me this morning:
"Intestines not working. Abdomen so Swollen. Cannot take in any feeds. ...
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Relation between brain damage and the soul
Physical damage to the brain can lead to various psychological and cognitive phenomena, like drastic changes in character, selective memory loss (like forgetting faces but remembering names or vice ...
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Can one say to the Kohen, "A nega appeared on my body"?
In discussing tzara'at which afflicts houses, Vayikra 14:35 describes the start of the procedure to declare the house impure as follows:
וּבָא֙ אֲשֶׁר־ל֣וֹ הַבַּ֔יִת וְהִגִּ֥יד לַכֹּהֵ֖ן לֵאמֹ֑ר ...
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Hebrew Letters and corresponding body parts
When I was a little child, I remember being taught that each of the Hebrew letters had a corresponding body part. I am sure I learned what they were at the time, but I've long forgotten most of them.
...
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Measuring the universe in G-d's cubits (Eruvin 21a)
In the following passage (Eruvin 21a in William Davidson edition) the sages try to determine the size of the Torah scroll that Zachariah saw in his prophecy:
In order to determine the measure of ...
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Body Parallels to the Creation
Inspired by this question.
Some commentaries viewed maaseh bereishis to be the literal description of the creation, and some interpret it in an allegorical fashion. I recall hearing somewhere that ...
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How does one put on tefillin with a prosthetic?
Assuming that prosthetic limbs are not considered part of one's body:
How would someone put on Tefillin if r"l his non-dominant arm was replaced by a prosthetic from the shoulder?
Would the ...
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Was every commandment on the Tablets inscribed with a different finger of G-d?
In continuation to "the-importance-of-the-tablets-being-written-with-g-ds-finger":
I heard in Hagada of Pesach, when the Rabbis discuss the number of the plagues they compare it to hands and fingers. ...
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Body Parallels to the Mishkan
Rabbi Orlofsky mentions the body parallels to the Mishkan, like:
the rib cage corresponds to the kerashim
the head corresponds to the aron
the broken luchos correspond to the subconscious mind
...
- 14.3k
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What's the purpose of the milk teeth?
Human teeth are different from other parts of the body because they are given twice (the third we need to pay).
Does Judaism address the purpose of the creation of the milk teeth at infancy and ...
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Controversies in counting the 24 organs of freeing the slave
I've already asked a couple of questions on the counting of the 248 body organs, see the list. Lately, I asked some question on slavery and here's where those topics cross.
The Gemmorah in Kiddushin ...
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Can a "brain controlled" prosthetic be used on Shabbat?
New prosthetics are controlled by brain waves which seem to make the prosthetic an extension of the body in an "organic" way, in that we control all of our own limbs through the same brain waves and ...
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Rabbinical explanation of the physiological resemblance between animals and humans
I'm looking for Rabbinical/Kabbalical explanations for the resemblance between animals and humans, especially mammals and apes.
This is [partially only] influenced by the series of question on the ...
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Should the Chazzan strike his chest during the repetition of the Amidah
If one is serving as the shaliach tzibur, should he strike his chest during the repetition of the amidah during the reading of the paragraph of selach lanu, as an individual dues during the silent ...
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What was the size of the כָּתְנוֹת עוֹר?
What was the size of the כָּתְנוֹת עוֹר (garments of skins for Adam and his wife) (Genesis 3:21)?
By "size", I mean, was the garment just covering the area that an underwear would cover, or was it a ...
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Why the soul comes in through the nose and comes out through the mouth?
G-d blows the soul in through the nostrils, not his mouth:
וַיִּיצֶר ה"א אֶת־הָאָדָם עָפָר מִן־הָאֲדָמָה וַיִּפַּח בְּאַפָּיו נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים וַיְהִי הָאָדָם לְנֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה׃
the LORD God ... ...
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Mitzvot after marriage
This question is a follow up to the questions of the connection between the Mitzvot and the number of body parts.
The Facts:
The Gmarrah in Makot 23b:
"דרש רבי שמלאי: שש מאות ושלש עשרה מצות ...
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3 cavities of the heart and emotions?
This question is not about the anatomical validity of the claim (I got tired)!
The Shu"A Yo"D 40:1 rules (based probably on the Gm in Hulin 45b and Rashb"a):
"הַלֵּב יֵשׁ לוֹ ג' חֲלָלִים" - there ...
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Women - less Mitzvot more body parts?
According to the Gemmorah sources:
Women have much less positive Mitzvot than men, as they are freed from most of the time-related Mitzvot (Mishna Kiddushin 1:7).
Women have more body parts than men,...
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