The Talmud is a central text of Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history.
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Gemarah on Baal Teshuva
In Sefer Chasidim, the author compares Baal Teshuva's to Tzadikim. I have heard that there is a Gemarah that does the same and was wondering if someone could cite that Gemarah.
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613 views
Significance of the gemara statment תיקו Teku?
Why do we say תיקו Teiku when there is no answer in the Gemara?
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1answer
82 views
All but every 6th letter begins the name of a misechte
For each letter in the aleph beis, there is at least one misechte in shas whose name starts with it — besides for every 6th letter (vuv, lamed and tzadi).
Did anyone ever hear any explanation ...
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Do the Gemara and the Rema prohibit, or encourage, women putting on talit and/or tefillin?
An article in Ynet Judaism (in Hebrew) addresses the resent controversy regarding the prayer of Women of the Wall at the western wall. And claims the following claims:
אף אחד גם לא הקריא להן את ...
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Is there a law of Hachana?
The Gemara (Eiruvin 38) says that R' Eliezer holds of Hachana or else one would be allowed to lechatchila make an eiruv on the second day.
On the other hand, when R' Chisda says that there is such a ...
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5answers
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References for learning Aggada
I often run into aggadic passages in the Talmud, and would like to get a list of references beyond the standard 4 (Ein Yaakov, Maharsha, Benayahu/Ben Yehoyada and the Chiddushei Aggados of the ...
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220 views
Why are the descendants of Rav Pappah mentioned in the text of the Siyum for a tractate of Talmud?
Who are the descendants of Rav Pappah mentioned in the text of the Siyum for a tractate of Talmud, and why are they so important that we mention them all by name? Why don't we mention any other great ...
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129 views
If someone doesn't believe in the Gemara, is he a heretic?
If someone says "I believe that the Mishnayos/Braisos/Toseftas are accurate, but I think that the Gemara made mistakes and has no holiness.
Is such philosophy heresy?
What about someone who argues ...
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1answer
53 views
Did HaShem “regret” creating someone/something
I heard once that it says somewhere in Chazal that there were certain things or people that HaShem "regretted" (had "charatah") in creating. Although I don't remember which examples were given or if a ...
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112 views
Looking for information on the Savoraim
I am looking for more information on the Savoraim such as a list of who they were, what they wrote outside of comments/amendments in the talmud, meaning do they have responsa, ethical or halachik ...
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8answers
402 views
How does “eilu v'eilu” work out with an absolute truth?
I'm under the impression that religious Judaism believes in absolute truths. That being the case, how does the concept of "eilu v'eilu divrei elokim chaim" (Eruvin 13b) work out? When two scholars ...
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2answers
98 views
Source? The day you were born was the day Gd decided the universe could no longer exist without you
I am looking for the source for the following quote
The day you were born was the day Gd decided the universe could no longer exist without you
The greeting card I saw it on said the quote was ...
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3answers
103 views
How is there a Rshus Harabim according to R' Yehuda?
There is an argument how many walls does a Rshus Harabim need to have to make it a Rshus Hayachid (Deoraisa). R' Yehuda says that one needs two walls, while the Chachamim said one needs three.
The ...
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2answers
258 views
What does “the Talmud” mean in the Talmud?
The G'mara Bavli says in Shabas 63:
אמר רב כהנא, "כד הוינא בר תמני סרי שנין, והוה גמירנא ליה לכוליה תלמודא, ולא הוה ידענא דאין מקרא יוצא מידי פשוטו..."
Rav Kahana said, "When I was 18 years ...
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How were long-running talmudic discussions actually conducted?
Eiruvin 13b records two years-long disputes between Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai, and surely these are not the only long-running debates. How did that work in practice? Did they really have a single ...
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Did the Jews in the Midbar know the entire Torah?
The G'mara in Y'vamos (ד) and B'rachos (כא) records a dispute over whether laws can be deduced from the fact of two p'sukim appearing adjacent to one another in the Torah.
The Mahara"tz Chayos ...
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112 views
Where did Rash"i's commentary leave off when he died?
Where did Rash"i's commentary leave off when died? Did he finish it? What was he working on?
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2answers
73 views
Source for starting one limmud after finishing another
What is the source for starting a new limmud (learning) immediately after finishing the previous one? For example After finishing one mesechta I have seen people immediately start the next one, even ...
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2answers
58 views
Evidences for Messiah to redeem people
I read that the awaited Messiah will cause to re-establish the Kingdom of God and redeem the Israelites so what are the evidences in Tanach and Talmud to support this claim ?
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4answers
146 views
Why is the Talmudic style so Confusing?
why is the Talmud is written in such a confusing manner. Every other discipline in the world is taught in such a way as to make it as easy as possible to understand. If you learn mathematics for ...
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1answer
32 views
What is the origin of learning Talmud daf yomi?
These days, it is the practice of many to learn a folio of the Vilna printing of the Talmud each day. Where did this custom come from? When?
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What differentiates the Artscroll Talmud compared to other translations?
The Artscroll Talmud, translated with copious notes into both English and Modern Hebrew, has received wide approval from all sectors of the orthodox world. In fact, I am not aware of any opposition, ...
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59 views
What is a “migu”
A popular topic discussed sometimes at length in Yeshivas I would like to pose the question here with a few additional points:
What is a "migu"?
How is it used in Shas?
What is a "classic" (or the ...
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266 views
Are women forbidden from Teaching Gemara\Talmud?
Assuming that women are allowed to learn Gemara\Talmud\Torah she-Ba'al Peh, are they still forbidden from teaching it to others (either men or women)?
Textual sources for (either references or links) ...
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Talmud Study, Where to start
I would like to start to study Talmud, BUT do not know how, where to start.
My Jewish training is basicall non-existant. I learnt how to read the Hebrew words in the Siddur, Machzor, and Chumash - - - ...
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What is the status of the “minor tractates”?
There is a collection of "minor tractates" some of which contain material not found in other works of torah sh'baal peh (the oral law). What is the origin of these tractates? Who wrote/compiled them? ...
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232 views
Why was the Gemara written in Aramaic?
The Gemara (the Bavli and Yerushalmi) are the fundamental texts that we possess of the Oral law. Why were they written in Aramaic?
At first glance, Ravina and R' Ashi probably knew that this will be ...
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Is there a short Daf Yomi shiur online in English?
There is a short, 10-minute daf yomi shiur in Hebrew here: http://www.sinai.org.il/ and I was wondering if there is anything comparable in English. I'm looking for a Daf Yomi shiur online that is ...
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1answer
71 views
Where can I find the Rif's commentary on tractate Niddah?
Where inside tractate Nidda can I find R' Isaac Alfasi's commentary on the tractate? I looked in hebrewbooks.org's 685-page tractate-Niddah PDF but couldn't find it.
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1answer
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Why is the Rif's digest of tractate Niddah hidden in tractate Shevuos?
Rabbi Isaac Alfasi's summary of tractate Niddah is hidden in masechet Shevuot. Why is it buried in maseches Shevuos?
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Is every mishna mentioned in the Bavli?
On a previous question that I asked, one correspondent pointed out the existence of a Mishnaic index, which lists every page of the early rabbinic literature on which there is a reference (or ...
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380 views
What was wrong with the word Talmud?
The Wikipedia article on The Talmud says:
and Pope Pius IV commanded, in 1565, that the Talmud be deprived of its very name. The convention of referring to the work as "Shas" (shishah sidre ...
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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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Is there a list of Mitzvot and their corresponding body parts?
The Talmud (Makkot 23B)and the Zohar (1:170B - unverified English translation here) say that the 248 positive commandments correspond to the 248 limbs of the human body. (The Mishna (Ohalot 1:8) lists ...
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What is the talmudic or midrashic term for “do not take the text literally?”
I need a word that says the opposite of the term, כמשמעו.
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What sages were known to have revived the dead?
The Talmud speaks of several rabbis who successfully appealed to G-d to revive a deceased colleague or some other individual. As I recall, one revived rabbi asked to be return to the world of the ...
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Source for story about The Rabbi and the prostitute
I learned a great Gemara about a rabbi who visited a famous prostitute. But before he consummated the deal, his tallitot slapped him on the face, reminding him of his faith.
Where's the story? Any ...
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Yaakov Avinu didn't die
This question was asked by msh210 during Parshas Hashavua chat.
It says in the Gemara that R' Yitzchak said to R' Nachman in the name of R' Yochanan "Jacob our forefather didn't die".
R' Nachman ...
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Looking at the Nasi
It says in the Gemorah in Chagigah Daf 16a
המסתכל בג' דברים עיניו כהות בקשת ובנשיא ובכהנים ...בנשיא דכתיב ונתת
מהודך עליו
That the eyes of anyone who looks at the "Nasi" (a leader of the ...
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61 views
Where Does the Talmud Teach Not to Learn Halacha From Observation of Teachers?
Back when I was learning Daf Yomi, I ran into an interesting lesson I'm finding difficult to find again. It was a teaching that one should learn halacha from your rebbe's teachings and not through ...
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467 views
High School Math in the Talmud
I'm currently tutoring someone in math that has an atitude of "what's the point of all this... why would I ever need this..." (which is typical of many high-schoolers). To try to pique his interest, I ...
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3answers
434 views
Where can I find examples of R. Yishmael's 13 talmudic rules?
We read Rabbi Yishmael's 13 principles of interpreting torah in the shacharit service and many of the explanations seem fairly straightforward, but I am not a very advanced student and I find I don't ...
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Jewish History & Religion: What was difference between Rashi and his predecessors [closed]
From what I've read Rashi was famous for his concise interpretations of the Torah and Talmud. I was wondering what issues did he take on and how were these positions different from his predecessors?
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Explanation of Avos 2:6?
Is there a comprehensive explanation of Avos 2:6?
Why is it in aramaic?
why is this lesson included in Avos (seems out of place)
Who is this skull and how does Hillel know it was drowned due to ...
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1answer
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Brachos Daf 2a - What does Creation have to do with Krias Shema?
The Gemorah in Brachos Daf 2a asks two questions right away after
learning the Mishnah. The second is: Why is it that the Mishnah
taught about the time at night for Krias Shema first - really we
...
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Identity of the Reish Gelutha
There seems to be an accepted list of who served as Reish Gelutha. Is it possible to deduce who was Reish Gelutha in any or all references in stories involving the office holder in the Gemara?
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Statement from R' Yochanan
(Josh Waxman from the Parsha blog pointed this out in a recent post. I would like to put it here to see if there is any response to it.)
It says in Sanhedrin Daf 24a
מאי בבל א"ר יוחנן בלולה במקרא ...
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what is the longest masechta?
I heard that Bava Basra is the longest masechta in blatt but Brochos is the longest mesechta in words. Did anyone else hear anything about that?
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Help parsing the Midrashim of ר׳ חנינא from בר׳ ל״ג ב׳
Can anyone offer help parsing the Midrashim of ר׳ חנינא from בר׳ ל״ג ב?
He seems to quote himself in third person a couple of times:
״ואמר ר׳ חנינא הכל...והא אמר ר׳ חנינא משום ר׳ שמעון בן יוחי אין ...
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A Mashal of HaShem as a crazy king and Moshe as His weak-kneed friend?
The Gemara (Ber. 32a) quotes R' El'azar that when HaShem wanted to destroy Bnei Yisrael and Moshe intervened, it is comparable to a king who beat his son terribly, and the king's friend was at his ...
