Tagged Questions
0
votes
1answer
135 views
Is Ahimsa related to Hamsa?
Is Ahimsa related to Hamsa (both the symbol and the name)? If so, does this lend credence to those who view Hamsa as being of non-Jewish (at best, or pagan, at worst) origin?
10
votes
3answers
316 views
May a Jew be a Freemason?
According to what I've been told by several people who have inquired of "practicing" (is that the right word?) Freemasons, and supported by Wikipedia, "Freemasonry explicitly and openly states that it ...
5
votes
6answers
142 views
Apple on Rosh HaShanah
There is a custom of eating an apple dipped in honey on first night of Rosh HaShanah (among the other foods) as a sign that we should have a sweet year. Why is this done specifically with an apple and ...
6
votes
2answers
82 views
Why a Beitzah on the Seder Plate?
Why do we use a roasted (maybe?) egg on the Seder Plate to represent the Festival offering?
4
votes
2answers
154 views
Source for not having picture taken
Is there any source, halachic or otherwise, for an aversion to having one's picture taken?
13
votes
2answers
284 views
Shape of the Luchot
According to the Talmud in Bava Batra 14a, the Luchot HabBerit were square. Where did the common "tablet" shape come from, with rectangles and a rounded top? Besides in pictures, I see it in ...
3
votes
1answer
122 views
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?
13
votes
5answers
326 views
What is the source of the Magen Dovid (Star of David)?
What is the source of the Magen Dovid (Star of David) in Rabbinic Judaism?
When was it first used, and for what?
