The sources-mekorot tag has no wiki summary.
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Sources for Hamsa
I know from Ben Ish Hai Shana Bet Parashat Pinehas siman 13 where he writes to make a Hamsa from wood. However, I am wondering if there any earlier sources to solidify the fact that this would ...
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Halachic Source for Women-Only Mikvaoth?
Some (actually many) Mikvaoth are designated for women's use only, generally for reasons of cleanliness.
Is there Halachic literature supporting (or urging) this?
(This question is not asking for ...
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Source for washing by your bed
What is the source in the Halachic literature outside of the Mishnah Berurah who says it is a requirement to place a washing cup by your bed instead of going to the sink to wash your hands upon ...
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Where are the magic cucumbers discussed in the Talmud?
Where are the magic cucumbers discussed in the Gemara by a Rabbi proud of his knowledge? Are magic cucumbers discussed elsewhere? Thanks.
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1answer
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Seeking source of explanation of ולא יכל יוסף להתאפק
וְלֹא יָכֹל יוֹסֵף לְהִתְאַפֵּק — Yosef could not forbear (Gen. 45:1) — but had he done so, had he completed the brothers' reconciliation that he had started, then the kingdom would ...
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Source for this Remez expansion of יד שחט דם
There is an acronym for the liquids that make things able to be made ritually impure. The Halacha is in order for fruit and the like to be made ritually impure it has to be made wet with these ...
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Saying “Laberiut” “God bless you” or “Gesundheit”
Is there are source for saying "Laberiut" "God bless you" "Gesundheit" or any other response to a sneeze? In other words, are there posekim who mention it in Halacha?
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Fulltext search across sources: Gemara, Zohars, Rishonim and Aharonim
I know about Hebrewbooks.org for searching for sources in books, but the problem is you have to get to let's say every Masechta to look for a phrase. Is there a program (doesn't have to be free) that ...
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1answer
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Tzitzit tying: the real way
1)There are two authentic ways to tie the Sisit (Tzitzis) that have sources. Maran writes to make 7-9-11-13. First question: why does he write this is he then says Gimtarya Hashem is One, when in fact ...
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Which Talmudic source for Ḥanukah is the real source?
What is the Talmudic source for Ḥanukah?
In discussing candles for Shabbath, the Talmud (Shab. 21b) goes into a discussion about candles generally, touching upon Ḥanukah candles, and ultimately asks, ...
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Which commentators commend Yosef for noticing his fellow prisoners' sadness?
Toward the end of Parashat Vayeishev, Yosef is imprisoned along with two of Par'oh's chief servants. Starting in Gen. 40:6, the Torah tells us that he notices that they look sad, asks why, and ...
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Rubbing the Havdalah wine
Is there any source for the practice of not only dipping one's fingers into the Havdalah wine that was used to extinguish the fire and rubbing the eyes with it, but also spreading it around onto other ...
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1answer
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Dipping fingers in Havdalah Wine
What is the source or origin of the custom to dip one's fingers in the wine poured over the candle to extinguish it at the conclusion of Havdalah?
As a side note, and a reason I'm tagging it this ...
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1answer
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What is the origin of the custom to kiss a Mezuzah?
What is the source or origin of the custom to kiss a Mezuzah?
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Source for kissing an aron
I've seen people kiss an aron kodesh (cabinet holding Torah scrolls) when they approach it and, if they were standing near it, before they leave it. Does this have any written source; or, are there ...
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2answers
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What is a source that allows one to treat one's house as all within four amos?
I am after a source that allows one to treat one's house as all within four amos l'chatchila, with respect to nagel vasser (hand washing in the morning).
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What's the deal with all the washings?
Sometimes we wash with a cup, sometimes not; sometimes we wash twice, sometimes thrice; and not everyone agrees on method or pattern in all cases. Who says which ways we are supposed to wash, in ...
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1answer
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Rashi's biography sources
I know that Rashi had daughters — either two or three — and no sons. I also know he was a vintner — meaning he made wine. I know he was a student of or student of a student of Rabenu Gershom. I guess ...
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Where is the text of Friday night Kiddush from?
There is a fairly uniform text for Kiddush Friday night. There are some differences between the Ashkenazi and Sfardi versions, but they are mostly very similar.
What is the source for the text? As ...
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Tikkun Olam source
What is the source for the concept that Jews have to practice Tikkun Olam, and where in the classical Jewish sources is this concept defined? It seems people throw this term around a lot in the ...
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1answer
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A new knife for Rosh Hashanah?
There is a custom to buy a knife for Rosh Hashanah: the qualifier is that the knife not be serrated. What is the source for this custom and what is the significance of the knife not having edges?
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Source for the Text of the Get (bill of divorce)
Where does the exact text come from? Is there a particular Rishon who writes it in full? The Talmud in Gittin discusses the text at length, but I don't think it lays down the exact text. I've seen the ...
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Rainbow as a bad omen
There is a popular idea that seeing a rainbow is a bad sign, as if the world is deserving of a deluge (c"v) and the only reason Hashem does not do so is because of His promise. Is there any source for ...
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3answers
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Is there a source for not requiring Tevilah for the first use?
I have heard (as I'm sure many others have) that one can use a utensil one time before Tevilah. At the same time, I've heard that this is a common misconception.
Is there anyone who holds that this ...
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3answers
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Source in Jewish writings for Moshiach?
What is the source in Jewish writings (Pre-Rambam) that there is a concept of a Moshiach, and his nature?
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1answer
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Honouring an older person
What sources are there for showing respect and honour to an old person who is not necessarily a talmid chochom or a parent?
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1answer
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Is the Tower of Babel discussed in other Jewish texts?
Genesis Chapter 11 includes a few short verses about the Tower of Babel:
1 And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed east, that they ...
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Blessing the Children on Friday Night
I have noticed that many families (including my own) have the custom for the father to bless all the children on Friday night before kiddush.
When and where did this custom originate, and by whom, ...
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3answers
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Where and when is the earliest attestation of the word “mohel”?
Where is the earliest attestation of the word mohel for one who performs the act associated with a ritual circumcision?
When was it written?
What language is it?
[Inspired by Why is there a ה in ...
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Do any Rishonim discuss how to approach Rashi's commentary on gemara?
I heard a quote once how carefully a person needs to analyze every drop of ink in Rashi, but I don't remember who said it. Does any Rishon (medieval scholar) ever discuss their approach to Rashi's ...
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1answer
199 views
Source for segula of baking challah
I am looking for sources for the segula of baking challah on behalf of a sick person, a shidduch, a baby or even a World Series victory. Where does this come from? Why can men not be part of it? Why ...
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What is the source for the idea that only two mitzvot have a specific reward associated with them?
I have heard it said that only the mitzvot of kibbud av v'eim (honoring parents) and shiluach haken (sending away the mother bird before taking eggs) are given with an explicit reward (that your days ...
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g'mara about David's conception
Where's the g'mara about Yishay's divorce (or was it separation?) and David's conception, please?
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1answer
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Seeking Original Aramaic for Talmudic Phrase
What is the original Aramaic of this phrase:
May the words of the Torah be burned rather than handed over to women.
I think it is in Sotah in the Jerusalem Talmud.
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Science of the Rishonim on “celestial spheres”
In the writings of the Rishonim, it is not uncommon to see explanations of pesukim or of aggadic concepts using the "celestial spheres" model of the universe. The Rambam in particular uses the idea ...
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Web sites where I can post divrei Torah
Can anyone suggest a good site where I can post a weekly list of marei mekomos in Ramban on the Parsha?
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Hagala for a new pot
I know that there is a halakhic necessity to tovel a new pot. However, has anyone ever heard of the halakhic necessity to do hagala on a new pot?
Reason for asking was this.
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Gezeira of Rabbeinu Gershom History
Has the original text of the Gazeira of Rabbeinu Gershom been lost. If so when? Who are the earliest sources stating such?
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Gezeira of Rabbeinu Gershom text
Does anyone know where I can find the actual text of the Gezeira of Rabbeinu Gershom? It keeps popping up in my learning, but only as being referenced, I would like to read that actual text.
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“m'nora” on Chanuka
My kid came home from school one day insisting that the thing we light on Chanuka is not a m'nora but a chanukiya. I replied that that's the word most Israelis use now but that m'nora is a perfectly ...
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Did any Achronim Write Books Comparing Arabic to Hebrew?
Did any achronim write books comparing Arabic to Hebrew?
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1answer
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Where does the custom to spill of from a drink come from?
I had a lubavitcher classmate in high school who used to spill off from his cup whenever he would drink anything. He claimed it was a minhag.
What is the reason/source for this practice?
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“Baruch shekivanti…”
There is a phrase of self-compliment people use when they find that they have independently arrived at the same conclusion as someone great. It begins with the words "ברוך שכיוונתי", translated ...
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Source of Burning Lulav with Chometz
What is the source of the custom to keep the Lulav untill Erev Pesach and burn it with the Chometz?
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Cholopshkes or stuffed cabbage on Simchas Torah
Many people eat Cholpshkes or stuffed cabbage on Simchas Torah. Is there a source for this Minhag, and are there other names for this dish in the other languages of Jewish communities?
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The Split Between Sefardim and Ashkenazim
How did this split happen historically and halachically before Shulchan Aruch, and why is not like having two Torahs? Where is the source for the split?
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Shavuos as a Marriage
There is an idea (which I initially became familiar with in my misspent youth from tamei sources but subsequently have seen it mentioned in tahor one's) that Shavuos is, as it were, a marriage between ...
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Kashrus Explained
A close friend of mine asked me to fire this question at the mi.yodeya community so here goes:
"I came across this rather interesting rendition of "kashrus Explained", not sure who authored it, but I ...
