All Questions
15
votes
4answers
366 views
How does an outsider know how to dress for a particular Orthodox community?
Standards of dress (at least for women) aren't nearly as consistent within Orthodoxy as we might wish. Wearing exactly the same halachically-correct clothing I have been under-dressed in some places ...
15
votes
1answer
225 views
Is a convert obliged to honor his parents?
Is a convert obliged to honor his parents? I understand that a convert loses all halakhic relationship to his parents upon being "reborn." Therefore, does the mitzvah of kibud av va'eim still apply?
15
votes
3answers
514 views
What Bracha should you say on a Hurricane?
What Bracha should you say on a hurricane? Oseh Ma'aseh Vereishis?
You say Birchas Gomel if you travel over the sea; do you also say it if the sea travels over you?
15
votes
2answers
498 views
If a woman converts to Judaism while pregnant, will her child be a Jew?
If a woman converts to Judaism while pregnant, will her child be a Jew once born?
15
votes
4answers
748 views
Is practicing Yoga against Torah?
What does Halacha and Halachic Authorities have to say about the permissibility of a Jew practicing Yoga? Is it Avodah Zarah?
If it is problematic, are there methods of doing it where it would be ...
15
votes
3answers
484 views
Moshe's age and the timeline of the exodus
Moshe was 80 when he first approached Par'o and the makos lasted a year, so he turned 81 in the Adar before the Jews left Mitzrayim. As he turned 120 in the Adar before the Jews entered Israel, the ...
15
votes
3answers
1k views
Why are women unclean longer after giving birth to a girl?
I read that women are unclean for two weeks after giving birth to a girl and seven days after giving birth to a boy. What does it tell us?
15
votes
2answers
531 views
Why can't electricity be manipulated on Shabbat?
Why can't we use and change electricity on Shabbat and YomTov? By this I mean why can't we turn on and off lights...?
I'v heard Rabbis say that its because you can't complete a circuit on Shabbat, ...
15
votes
4answers
277 views
Train ticket not collected: destroy?
Assuming a train line where single-ride tickets are normally collected or cancelled manually by train crew circulating among seated passengers, and it is physically possible to use them later if they ...
15
votes
2answers
265 views
Does artificial meat grown in a petri dish have the halachic status of meat?
Scientists are developing means of growing artificial meat in a petri dish. Does such 'meat' have the halachic status of meat?
Source: ...
15
votes
1answer
349 views
Do Jews need to care about non-jewish homosexuality?
Since there is currently no way and/or need for Jews to administer capital punishment to gentiles who violate the 7 noahide laws, is there any halachic reason for a Jew to care whether or not a ...
15
votes
1answer
159 views
Saying Hashem's name when studying
I learned somewhere that when you are learning, if you are going to read an entire pasuk without interruption you can say Hashem's name, however if you are going to only say part of the pasuk (for ...
15
votes
3answers
292 views
Can I lend out a Library Book?
I just borrowed a wonderful book from the local library (let's assume Jewish library - but does it matter?). My friend sees the book and wants to read it. My library lets me keep the book for a week, ...
15
votes
1answer
146 views
Can a Noachide continue to believe in religious tenets that are against the Torah?
Say you have a Christian* or a Muslim (or a member of any other monotheistic religion) who accepts the Seven Noachide Laws, and (as per Mishneh Torah, Hil. Melachim 8:11) does so because he believes ...
15
votes
2answers
268 views
Can anyone explain the meaning of this amulet / inscription?
Right before my grandfather went away to fight in WWII, a rabbi in Munkács (מונקאטש) gave him a small cloth container that had a piece of parchment in it, as a kind of amulet. The piece of paper has ...
15
votes
1answer
214 views
Is unmasking an anonymous author addressed by Halacha?
If an individual writes a document for public consumption anonymously or pseudonymously and either explicitly or presumably desires to remain anonymous, is there a Halachic issue with publicly ...
15
votes
1answer
173 views
Is there any source for not sharing a baby's name before the bris?
For some reason, I have it ingrained in me that a baby boy's name before the bris is a secret and should not be shared. Are there any sources for this, or is it something made up?
15
votes
1answer
309 views
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, ...
15
votes
1answer
163 views
Anonymous glosses in the Shulchan Aruch
The Rama wrote a series of glosses to the Shulchan Aruch to reflect standard Ashkenazi practice, as the Shulchan Aruch was weighted towards the Sephardim. These glosses have been reprinted in almost ...
15
votes
1answer
147 views
Yichud in a dorm like situation
I was wondering if yichud is an issue in a situation like one that might arise on a college campus in an all girls dorm (apartment style- the building is mixed but each apartment is separate) if one ...
15
votes
1answer
190 views
Why, in double parshiyos, are the aliyos not simply combined in pairs?
Consider for example the double parshah Vayakhel-Pekudei. The aliyos from the two individual parshiyos are combined as follows: 2, 3, 1, 2, 1, 2, 3. (Meaning: the first two aliyos are combined into ...
15
votes
1answer
532 views
Critical Jewish analysis of the Ipuwer papyrus
I just stumbled across information about the Ipuwer papyrus, and I was wondering how many Jewish Egyptologists have had an opportunity to review and study it at length. Other than this very brief ...
15
votes
2answers
288 views
While playing a computer game, may I “worship” one of the game's “gods” to help me win?
I sometimes play a certain computer game. In this game, my character (whom I might name after myself but who does not otherwise resemble me) fights mythological creatures and collects handy items. In ...
14
votes
7answers
243 views
SE Challenge: Halachot in which rulings range from permissible to Torah violation?
Inspired by my previous question regarding heating up soup on Shabbat, I present a challenge to the Judaism StackExchange community --
List halachot which have halachic decisions ranging from ...
14
votes
4answers
430 views
What is the basis for eating in someone's house without a kashrut certificate?
No one asks for a kashrut certificate to eat in someone's house; they just make a rough judgement based on the host's reputation (the way they dress or behave, the circles they move in, etc.). That ...
14
votes
2answers
835 views
Abbreviations before/after names
What are the more common abbreviations one might see printed before or after a person's name, and what do they mean? Please include honorifics (R'=Rabbi) as well as memorial - or prayerful - suffixes ...
14
votes
4answers
713 views
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 ...
14
votes
7answers
259 views
What do you do with Kos Shel Eliyahu
The Minhag is to fill up an additional cup towards the end of the seder known as Kos Shel Eliyahu. I was just wondering what the various minhagim are as to what to do with it after the seder is over.
14
votes
3answers
341 views
Saying “I love you” during nidda
While a woman is nidda and she and her husband are observing harchakot, is it permitted for them to tell each other, "I love you," or is that too suggestive of a statement for the nidda period?
14
votes
8answers
371 views
How do I get myself to yearn for moshiach if I'm comfortable in the diaspora?
Intellectually I know that we're supposed to yearn for the coming of the mashiach and the in-gathering in Eretz Yisrael. I know that one of the Rambam's 13 principles calls for this. We pray for ...
14
votes
8answers
418 views
Why did Avraham take gifts from Pharaoh, but not the King of Sodom?
In Bereshit 12:11-16, we see that Avraham was willing to receive gifts from Pharoah:
11 And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife: 'Behold ...
14
votes
6answers
297 views
What justifications are there for not moving to Eretz Yisrael?
The Gemara in many places is clear that there is some level of mitzvah to live in Israel. This is also the accepted consensus among the rishonim. In the past, it was very difficult to move to Israel, ...
14
votes
4answers
449 views
Are Animal Crackers depicting non-kosher animals non-kosher?
Are animal crackers that depict animals such as swine, lions, and camels treif?
14
votes
7answers
361 views
why half-believe the Torah?
(I'm not sure this is on-topic, and feel free to close it if it's not, of course.)
I understand some who study the Bible claim natural reasons for things we recognize as miracles, from the plagues of ...
14
votes
6answers
484 views
Fish eaten with milk?
Is there any halachik problem with eating fish and milk together? (A classic example is a bagel with lox and cream cheese)
14
votes
6answers
402 views
Dairy that you have to wait 6 hours after eating it
Which dairy is considered sharp and requires you to wait 6 hours afterwards, prior to eating meat?
14
votes
4answers
583 views
14
votes
8answers
2k views
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 ...
14
votes
3answers
211 views
Was it ever the norm for children to get married?
The Gemara describes many Halachos that apply when someone gets married at very young ages, many under 12, and even a few for the age of 3. There are stories of people who did get married at such ages ...
14
votes
3answers
265 views
Humming during shmoneh esre
On shabbat for shacharit and mussaf, I am usually still davening shmoneh esre by the time the chazzan gets to kedusha. In this situation, can I hum to the tune of kedusha?
This essentially boils down ...
14
votes
1answer
559 views
Meaning of “bidi-bidi-bum”
In Fiddler on the Roof, in Tevye's song "If I Were a Rich Man," there is a line "all day long I'd bidi-bidi-bum." According to Wikipedia this is a reference to prayer.
A repeated phrase ...
14
votes
2answers
133 views
Why did Yonatan arrange the secret arrow sign with David?
In Shmuel Alef (20, 20-22) Yonatan arranges a whole scheme to secretly inform David whether or not it's safe for him to return. However, after the sign is given that it's not safe (20, 40), Yonatan ...
14
votes
4answers
164 views
How to say go-al Yisroel before Shacharis Amida
When the leader gets to just before the Shacharis Amida, how should he say the blessing
go-al Yisroel: aloud or saying the word Yisroel so the end of it cannot be heard?
14
votes
2answers
115 views
Hagalah in Denver?
In high-altitude cities, water boils at a lower temperature than the standard 212 degrees Farenheit. For example, in Denver the boiling point is about 203 degrees. Can one kasher utensils with hagalah ...
14
votes
4answers
299 views
Why is Sha'ar Ha'Yichud of Chovos Ha'Levavos so “controversial”?
I have heard that Sha'ar Ha'Yichud of Chovos Ha'Levavos is controversial, and that one needs a rebbe in order to learn it. What does the author say that is so difficult to understand?
14
votes
6answers
329 views
G'dolim or Rabbis Owning Pets
Are there any g'dolim (or rabbis of major influence) - past or present - who are known to have owned pets/kept animals for non-agricultural purposes?
14
votes
3answers
473 views
Premature birth contradicting science
I am a teacher at a private all-girls Jewish high school. There are two science teachers in the school, and both of us are Christian. I was talking with my fellow science teacher recently, and she ...
14
votes
4answers
465 views
Does a Food Mashgiach have to Sacrifice his Life?
Suppose a Mashgiach of a food establishment is threatened to "keep quiet" about some of the questionable behaviors [for purposes of the question, consider both actual non-kosher, and possibly ...
14
votes
7answers
668 views
Phrasing of refuah prayer when praying for a non-Jew
How would you phrase a refuah (recovery from illness) tefillah (prayer) for a sick gentile?
"Thomas ben [=son of] Mary"?
"Thomas Smith"?
Is it appropriate to include the name during the ...
14
votes
7answers
436 views
Eating Meat: What Changed?
Adam wasn't allowed to eat meat. After the mabul (Flood) we were suddenly permitted to eat (Bereshit 9:3). What changed (ie what was the reason we weren't allowed to before, why are we allowed to now ...
