All Questions
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 ...
14
votes
3answers
779 views
Shaking hands with the opposite gender?
What's the story: Can a man shake hands with a woman (or vice versa) in a business setting?
14
votes
2answers
243 views
Naming after the living. Why is it considered bad?
This is a fairly straight forward question. I am under the impression that this is bad. This is why you don't see many Moishe Abromowitz, III.
Why is this bad, and why isn't that practice carried ...
14
votes
3answers
262 views
Adoptee a Cohen or Levi?
If a Cohen or Levi adopts a non-Jew, upon their conversion are they a Cohen or Levi as well or are they a Yisroel?
14
votes
1answer
568 views
You accidentally broke your fast*. Now what?
What are you supposed to do if you inadvertently broke your fast*? Do you:
keep going;
extend it (if so, how long);
cancel it (if so, do you make it up a different day)?
*This question is for ...
14
votes
1answer
289 views
Riddle: when would a couple be forced to break their engagement? [closed]
Riddle:
Chaim and Shprintza got engaged. They, their entire families, and their rabbis were all totally happy about the engagement. They didn't hide any information from one another. Chaim and ...
14
votes
3answers
144 views
Why did Avraham name his son before the Bris (circumcision)?
Why does the Torah seem to imply that Avraham named his son before the bris?
First:
וַיִּקְרָא אַבְרָהָם אֶת שֶׁם בְּנוֹ הַנּוֹלַד לוֹ אֲשֶׁר יָלְדָה לּוֹ שָׂרָה יִצְחָק
And Abraham called ...
14
votes
4answers
298 views
What is it about pigs that's so despised vs. other non-kosher animals?
We all hear about pigs being so much more reviled than other forms of non-kosher. This is true in general culture; I believe such a minhag was recorded with regards to using soap rendered from ...
14
votes
3answers
203 views
Can I cause a Melacha to happen in a place where Shabbat has already started?
For example, if I live in New York, could I send a fax (causing the machine to print a document) to Israel on Friday afternoon, before it is Shabbat for me, but after Shabbat has started there?
14
votes
5answers
1k views
Is using a Kindle on Shabbat permitted?
A Kindle is an e-book reader that uses "e-ink" rather than an LCD screen. It has physical controls to turn pages. If left unused it enters a sleep mode, and you can return to reading by moving a ...
14
votes
2answers
308 views
Can a man remove hair?
May a man remove hair from his body through any of the following methods:
Electrolysis
Tweasing
Plucking
I am asking specifically about hair between the eyes (unibrow) but I would be interested if ...
14
votes
1answer
168 views
a wheelchair user's taking “steps” before sh'mone esre
The Shulchan Aruch, OC 94:5, writes:
Suppose someone is sitting on a boat or wagon [and saying sh'mone esre (amida)]. If he can stand up when he reaches the point of bowing, he should stand, so as ...
14
votes
1answer
260 views
The new TSA airport scanners and tznius
Is it OK as per Halacha to go through the new TSA scanners where they see you as if you are naked?
14
votes
3answers
518 views
The laws behind the separation of men and women
In Israel there is a hot debate because of instances on some communities where extra steps are taken to separate men and women in every day life. For example in some bus lines women seat in the back ...
14
votes
2answers
250 views
Called to the Torah before wedding
I recently received an invitation to a friends wedding and I noticed that it said he would be "Called to the Torah" with a date and time approximately 1 week before the wedding.
I am not Jewish, so ...
14
votes
1answer
231 views
Who is Moshiach?
How do I know that someone is Moshiach? Will I just know? Are there requirements? If someone tells me that he is the Moshiach, is he to be believed. It would seem seem strange to say so.
14
votes
2answers
153 views
Insults in the gemarah
Why do tanaim and amoraim use disparaging terms (bavlai tipshai, for instance) or insults when talking with one another. If there is something positive to be learned from this behavior why is it no ...
14
votes
3answers
186 views
The Mitzva of Peru U'Revu (Reproduction) - when does it start?
The first commandment in the Torah is Peru U'Revu, the commandment to "be fruitful and multiply" (Bereshit 1:28).
When does the obligation to fulfill this commandment begin?
Does the Mitzva of Peru ...
14
votes
2answers
185 views
Is it a mitzva to escape the death penalty?
If someone is being led to his death by bes din (a Jewish court), is he supposed to try to escape, since, in general, saving one's own life is paramount? More: normally, we say that if someone is out ...
14
votes
3answers
192 views
Must EMTs and others rend Kriyah each time they see a patient die?
I was looking at Yoreh De'ah 40:5 (יו"ד סימן ש"מ ס"ק ה) and Moed Katan 25b (כה עמוד ב), which require Kriyah (garment-rending) for all who are there at the time of death. It would seem to me that an ...
14
votes
4answers
251 views
When did kosher bakeries, restaurants, etc. start requiring supervision?
If my neighbor Shmerel keeps kosher and otherwise appears to be observant to the best of my knowledge, then I'd be allowed to eat in his house (assuming I'm invited), eid echad ne'eman b'issurin, his ...
14
votes
3answers
316 views
Why aren't Tefillin called Totafot?
They're called Totafot in the Torah, so why do we call them Tefilin?
14
votes
2answers
183 views
Making the Kohen's Gesture
Is it forbidden for a non-Kohen to form the hand formation that Kohanim use during their priestly blessings?
14
votes
3answers
210 views
May a Katan (minor) perform Melachah (“work”) on Shabbath?
In my experience, I've noticed that many people take for granted that if one needs a Melachah to be performed on Shabbath, one may have a minor, especially one under the age of 3, perform what is ...
14
votes
4answers
175 views
Why is Lag Baomer celebrated the way it is (or at all)?
Why do we celebrate lag baomer with bon-fires and bow-and-arrow. Why do we celebrate lag baomer at all?
14
votes
2answers
215 views
Can one join an army?
Is one allowed to join an army (let's say not the Israeli one) as doing so is putting oneself in a place of sakana?
If one is not allowed to join an army in general, is one allowed to join an army ...
14
votes
3answers
309 views
Is ad-blocker software permissible?
Kalashnikover_Rebbe at hashkafah.com asks:
Isn't blocking ads stealing??? The people put them on the sites for a reason....
He elaborates:
On one hand the argument can be made that [forum ...
14
votes
3answers
565 views
Bli Neder Loophole
Who came up with the Bli Neder loophole of:
Bli neder I will help you do X
Or
Bli neder I will etc...
And the list can go on and on.
Who came up with addingBli Neder which basically means ...
14
votes
1answer
153 views
What Happens to People Who Don't Have a Portion in Olam Haba?
The last perek of Sanhedrin lists some people who have no share in Olam Haba. Other people who forfeit their share are discussed in the answers to this question: No Olam Habah for these?
My question ...
14
votes
1answer
115 views
Why do we open the ark for important prayers?
What is the origin of the custom of opening the ark for important prayers (not connected with the need to take out the Torah scroll)?
14
votes
2answers
114 views
תהלת ה' ידבר פי - what's the origin?
In between the 'Shir HaMaalot' that precedes birchat hamazon and the the blessings themselves, there are a few psukim beginning תהלת ה' ידבר פי . Some people add these, and some don't. What's the ...
14
votes
2answers
160 views
Can you walk and chew gum at the same time?
Rambam (Hil. Edus 11:4) writes (translation from here):
...base people are disqualified as witnesses by Rabbinic decree. This refers to people who walk through the marketplace eating in the ...
14
votes
3answers
259 views
Is a contract over Chat/IM/SMS “written” or “oral”?
Halakhically, is a business transaction conducted over Chat/IM/SMS a "written" or "oral" contract?
Chat is oral-style communication in a textual medium. Does the fact that it's actually written ...
14
votes
1answer
890 views
Mixed swimming in a pool?
What are the issues with mixed swimming, from a tzniut point of view? Does it make a difference if the swimmers are or aren't Jewish? For example, are there issues with me swimming with my wife and a ...
14
votes
1answer
449 views
What was daily life like for Jewish women living in al-Andalus in the 10th/11th centuries?
The emir of Al-Andalus (approximately the Iberian peninsula) declared himself a new caliph, breaking off from the caliphate in the east, circa 950 CE. I have read that the next couple hundred years ...
14
votes
2answers
154 views
Does Jewish Law Recognize Bankruptcy?
If someone borrowed money and then declared bankruptcy, does he still have a halachic obligation to pay it back?
If the lender was a corporation (bank, etc.).
If the lender was a friend.
Do we say ...
14
votes
2answers
112 views
What defines a country to be a legitimate country?
There are a few Halachas that apply to a Jew's relationship with his country. For example, Dina Dmalchusa, another is not to rebel (although its Halachic strength is disputed, all agree that under ...
14
votes
1answer
141 views
What sources, prior to the 19th century, support or refute the existence of the Council of Jamnia/Yavneh?
Multiple questions on Christianity.SE1 refer to the Council of Jamnia/Yavneh in reference to the canonization of the Bible (Tanakh). Wikipedia states:
In 1871 Heinrich Graetz, drawing on Mishnaic ...
14
votes
2answers
280 views
How do you pray for a sick baby who has not yet been named?
Is it possible to say a Mi SheBerach for a sick baby who has not yet been named? If so, how is it done?
And if one cannot say a Mi SheBerach, is there another prayer that can be said?
What if there ...
14
votes
2answers
381 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 ...
14
votes
1answer
199 views
Can you learn from seforim written by someone who believed in Shabbetai Tzvi?
During the times of false messiah Shabbetai Tzvi, and for several decades afterwards, many well established rabbanim [1] believed him to be Moshiach. Some even maintained this belief after his ...
14
votes
3answers
467 views
How can pigs and shellfish be kosher for bnei Noach?
As a ben Noach, I watch what meat I eat. I eat kosher or halal cut meat only. However, I think that bnei Noach aren't forbidden from eating pig meat or shellfish.
How would I make sure that such meat ...
13
votes
17answers
364 views
Shelosh Meyot - mi yodeya?
Who knows three hundred?
?שלוש מאות - מי יודע
In the spirit of the song "Echad - mi yodeya", please post interesting and significant Jewish facts about the number 300.
Check out mi-yodeya-series ...
13
votes
5answers
665 views
Is there “Torah Inerrancy”?
Is there Torah inerrancy?
In other words, does the Torah contain no factual errors: the Noah flood did occur, Garden of Eden did exist, Adam and Eve did live there and were subsequently expelled, etc ...
13
votes
6answers
289 views
How would Har Sinai without the Torah have been enough?
In the Hagada of Peasach it says "even if he brought us to Har Sinai but didn't give us the Torah it would have been enough." What would be the purpose of going to Har Sinai if we didn't get the ...
13
votes
6answers
350 views
Height of a mezuzah and children:
If a child cannot reach the upper third of the doorway and he is the primary occupant of said room, may the mezuzah be affixed lower than the upper third?
13
votes
6answers
326 views
Avoiding accidentally eating cheese
Whether one waits 6 hours, 3 hours, 1 hour, or somewhere in between, it is a common occurrence to find people mistakenly eating milk/cheese/yogurt too soon after meat. It seems like a problem that ...
13
votes
8answers
410 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 ...
13
votes
4answers
696 views
What's up with this strange new hechsher? [closed]
All of a sudden, I’ve seen the hechsher shown in these photos popping up on various products. I’ve never seen it before, and I don’t see it listed on any of the usual online hechsher lists.
Have ...
13
votes
7answers
331 views
How did the moon shrink?
The Bavli, Chulin 60:2, says (in my own loose translation):
Rabbi Shim'on ben Pazi noted a contradiction: [B'reshis 1:16] says, "God made the two big luminaries" and "the big luminary… and ...
