Mi Yodeya Community Digest

Top new questions this week:

Scam baiting in Halacha

Some people engage in scam baiting, which is intentionally wasting time of scammers so that said scammers aren't spending their time actually scamming real victims. Is this allowed? It involves a lot ...

halacha choshen-mishpat-civil-law modern-times sheker-false bittul-torah  
user avatar asked by Rabbi Kaii Score of 8
user avatar answered by Nissim Nanach Score of 2

Strange that Rachel held onto Lavan's idols and did not throw them out

Why was Rachel holding onto Lavan's idols for a few days? Since she was trying to prevent Lavan from doing Avodah Zara she should have thrown them out immediately!

pentateuch-chumash genesis-bereishith vayeitzei rachel-imenu  
user avatar asked by Sam Kramer Score of 8
user avatar answered by Rabbi Kaii Score of 3

Were Rivka, Rachel, and Leah monotheists prior to marrying their respective husbands?

I was wondering what the religious affiliation of Rivkah, Rachel, and Leah were prior to getting married. Did they all already acknowledge HaShem as G-d or at least subscribed to monotheism?

historical-figures genesis-bereishith  
user avatar asked by ddas91600 Score of 7
user avatar answered by Imanonov Score of 5

Orientation of Haman's Sons' Beam

The Gemara in Megillah 16b here mentions that the ten sons of haman were hung simultaneously and on the same beam. Question: Was the beam positioned lengthwise or widthwise? i.e Were they hanging one ...

purim megillat-esther tractate-megillah  
user avatar asked by The Targum Score of 6
user avatar answered by Dov Score of 7

Why does a convert receive bris milah before the mikvah?

Why does the convert have his bris before the mikvah rather than afterwards as a Jew? Seemingly the bris done before is not a mitzvah so why not have him do bris milah after the mikvah?

halacha-theory conversion-to-judaism brit-milah mikvah-ritual-bath  
user avatar asked by Dude Score of 6
user avatar answered by mbloch Score of 4

An ancient text arguing that an assembly with no opposition should be dissolved

In Benjamin Aryeh Hakohen Weiss's "Even Yekarah” (Choshen Mishpat, sec. 20) it refers to an ancient gentile text which specifies that when the state government has no minority/opposition members, ...

sources-mekorot responsa sanhedrin  
user avatar asked by Zarka Score of 5

Did Rashi have Talmud Yerushalmi?

Rashi quotes a couple of times from Yerushalmi but doesn't seem to have had regular access to it. This being from the numerous times Rishonim ask on him from it.

rashi talmud-yerushalmi  
user avatar asked by Dovid Rosenblatt Score of 5
user avatar answered by setszu Score of 4

Greatest hits from previous weeks:

When is the latest time you can daven minchah bedieved?

If you realized that you didn't yet daven minchah and it's past shekiyah, when is the latest that you can begin praying the Amidah? I'm looking for different people's cutoffs.

halacha tefilla shemoneh-esrei zemanim mincha-afternoon-prayer  
user avatar asked by Ani Yodea Score of 13
user avatar answered by Avrohom Yitzchok Score of 9

How old were Avraham and Sarah when they got married?

How old were Avraham Avinu and Sarah Imeinu when they got married?

parshanut-torah-comment marriage age abraham sarah  
user avatar asked by Gershon Gold Score of 5
user avatar answered by YDK Score of 10

Is it true that every 50th letter of the Hebrew Pentateuch text spells the word "Torah"?

According to some online sources, if you take every 50th letter of the first two books of the Torah, you'll end up with a repetition of the word "Torah". And the same applies but backwards for the 4th ...

number pentateuch-chumash  
user avatar asked by MrD Score of 5
user avatar answered by Micha Berger Score of 12

Longest to Shortest tractates of Bavli by daf

Guessing it's been asked & answered already but not seeing it clearly. I simply would like a listing of longest to shortest (or vice versa!) tractates in Bavli by daf, ideally listing the number ...

talmud-gemara statistics  
user avatar asked by davidyisrael Score of 2
user avatar answered by alicht Score of 5

What does adultery mean in the 7th commandment?

Exodus 20:14, the 7th 'commandment' of the Decalogue. Does it mean only having sex with someone else' wife or having sex outside marriage? What is the actual Hebrew word and what possible ...

parshanut-torah-comment parashas-yisro aseres-hadibros arayot  
user avatar asked by user4951 Score of 8
user avatar answered by Shalom Score of 11

Is a rabbi required to be married?

I have heard (I honestly cannot remember where...) that to be a rabbi a man must be married. Is there any truth to this? I am more interested in knowing if this was true in the first century C.E. ...

history marriage rabbis  
user avatar asked by Cos Callis Score of 13
user avatar answered by Monica Cellio Score of 16

Do religious Jews generally believe the serpent of Garden of Eden was Satan?

Upon reading the recent CNN article, That Actually Isn't In The Bible, one not-really-in-the-Bible misconception they cite is the idea that serpent in the Garden of Eden was the Satan. The article ...

parshanut-torah-comment theology parashat-bereishit creation satan  
user avatar asked by Judah Gabriel Himango Score of 20
user avatar answered by jake Score of 24

Can you answer these questions?

Sefer on the chagim/moadei Hashana

Looking for a sefer that discusses the energy that's in the world at every time period throughout the Jewish calendar (so each month and each chag). Which sefer can I turn to for this info? Ideally ...

product-recommendation jewish-books chagim-holidays  
user avatar asked by Anon Score of 2

Segula for marriage: saying Shir Hashirim 40 nights in a row?

When I was in yeshiva, someone told me of a segula for finding one's zivug is to say Shir Hashirim 40 nights in a row, at chatzot. Does anyone know of any mention of this segula anywhere?

sources-mekorot tefilla segulah shir-hashirim personal-request-bakashot  
user avatar asked by Rabbi Kaii Score of 1

Source for Bloody Fruits Story

Recall reading a story when I was younger, pretty sure in a kid's book of Midrash/Aggadah, like Our Sages Showed The Way. Trying to find the original source, could be have some details wrong. Someone ...

sources-mekorot midrash agada-stories-legends  
user avatar asked by user907a Score of 1
You're receiving this message because you subscribed to the Mi Yodeya community digest.
Unsubscribe from this community digest       Edit email settings       Leave feedback       Privacy
Stack Overflow

Stack Overflow, 14 Wall Street, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10005

<3