All Questions
672 questions
5
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Distinction of concepts איש ,בעל, and אדון
When referring to the modern Hebrew word for husband, we usually use בעל. However, Sarah in Bereshis 18:12 uses אדון. Also (thanks Double AA) Leah calls her husband איש. What is the difference between ...
- 5,104
-3
votes
1
answer
98
views
Why do the tablets say "זכור את" and "כבד את" instead of "זכור" and "כבד"?
In the common representation of the Mosaic Tablets, why do they say "זכור את" and "כבד את" instead of "זכור" and "כבד"?
- 28k
3
votes
1
answer
167
views
Punishment for false testimony favoring the accused
One of the Ten Commandments is: "Don't give false testimony". This is generally understood as falsely testifying the accused is guilty, when he is innocent. One penalty is that the false ...
- 23.6k
1
vote
3
answers
235
views
How should religious Jews (and Noahides) respond to these criticisms
I’m curious how the community here would recommend responding to these criticisms of the claim that God exist: https://youtu.be/ExBsyaiRYW4?feature=shared. To summarize (although please for anybody ...
- 4,570
2
votes
3
answers
244
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How is it possible that man can sometimes dissuade HaShem if HaShem's will cannot be changed and He knows best?
For example, G-d wanted to annihilate the Israelites in ch. 32 of Shemot and yet, Moshe was able to change G-d's mind. This happens again Bamidbar 14. Yet, we see in Bamidbar 23 that G-d is not a man ...
- 493
3
votes
2
answers
167
views
When G-d spoke to a particular individual, does anybody else hear what He is saying?
At one point, the whole world heard G-d during the revelation in Mt. Sinai, but when G-d specifically spoke to someone, could anyone have eavesdropped and heard what He said or could it be only heard ...
- 493
6
votes
1
answer
138
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Meaning of "Av Harachamim"
Time-sensitive question (today is 29 Elul..!)
Artscroll translates the phrase "Av Harachamim" as "father of mercy".
What does this mean exactly? How can G-d be the Father of a ...
- 1,013
0
votes
1
answer
51
views
Why is "giving nachat ruach" to Hashem not considered "giving to Him" or "Him receiving from us"
There is a theme throughout all Torah thought, that we cannot give to Hashem. He is perfect and lacking nothing; He needs nothing; He has no desire to receive; He cannot receive; we have nothing to ...
- 14.8k
3
votes
1
answer
104
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Is God glad when punishing us?
Devarim 28:63 reads:
וְהָיָה כַּאֲשֶׁר שָׂשׂ י״י עֲלֵיכֶם לְהֵיטִיב אֶתְכֶם וּלְהַרְבּוֹת אֶתְכֶם כֵּן יָשִׂישׂ י״י עֲלֵיכֶם לְהַאֲבִיד אֶתְכֶם וּלְהַשְׁמִיד אֶתְכֶם וְנִסַּחְתֶּם מֵעַל הָאֲדָמָה ...
- 4,020
1
vote
0
answers
87
views
Optional personal requests in prayers according to Rambam
Following "Praying-for-too-many-people".
In my understanding, Rambam had a peculiar and somewhat unorthodox view of God's immutability and inability to be influenced by our Earthly prayers. ...
- 28k
1
vote
0
answers
41
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The Mitzva to Know Hashem = get to know Him. Diyyuk in Mishneh Torah?
I once heard Rabbi Manis Friedman Shlita prove, from the wording or some other clever diyuk, in the first perek of Mishneh Torah, that the Mitzva of (paraphrased) "knowing that there is a first ...
- 14.8k
4
votes
2
answers
83
views
Why the prohibition of idolatry doesn't stem from the Mitzvah of loving God?
The second commandment of the Ten, prohibits idolatry out of God's jealousy and harsh multi-generational punishment.
In the current era of romanticism, jealousy usually arises from deep love and ...
- 28k
3
votes
0
answers
45
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Why "לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים" uses singular יִהְיֶה?
Regarding singular יהיה in "לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים" in both versions of the Ten COmmandments.
Does it mean that "אלוהים אחרים" is singular as in "כִּי מִי־גוֹי ...
- 28k
0
votes
0
answers
16
views
Textual non-uniformity of the Ten Commandments
The first apparent impression of reading the Ten Commandments is how they vary in phrasing:
some are just two words, links "don't murder", "don't [commit] adultery", or "don'...
- 28k
1
vote
2
answers
91
views
Why the Har Sinai revelation only included commandments?
During the Har Sinai revelation, God spoke to the nation only the Ten Commandments. He could, for example, give a very different speech, for example, include theology, as He did with Job (38.1):
&...
- 28k
0
votes
0
answers
25
views
Descriptions of G-d's attributes as white and red in connections with signs of tumah
In a number of places we have descriptions of G-d as "white" and "red". For example, Shir ha Shirim 5:10: My beloved is clear-skinned (white) and ruddy, preeminent among ten ...
- 5,104
3
votes
2
answers
114
views
How were the ten commandments relayed technically?
It says in parsha Vo'eschanan that after the first two commandments, the Jews went to Moshe and said that it was too much and God said okay, (essentially,) "tell them to go to their tents and you ...
- 2,413
1
vote
1
answer
68
views
Why thank HaShem for skirting (larger) tragedy when He orchestrated the situation in the first place?
If one subscribes to a theory of hashgacha that ascribes everything to HaShem (which altho not taken by most rishonim seems to be the prevailing opinion nowadays), then why, when say someone gets sick ...
- 4,020
-1
votes
4
answers
199
views
What is the problem with moral polytheism?
Ostensibly the issue with polytheism is in believing in an amoral god (or gods) that does not hold mankind to account for its (mankinds) amoral actions only caring about its (the god[s]) own personal ...
- 4,020
3
votes
3
answers
812
views
Source for a day for Hashem equaling 1,000 years for us
Where is the source for the idea that a day for Hashem equals 1,000 years for us and what does it mean exactly (Hashem doesn't have "days", at least I don't know what that would even mean)? ...
- 667
3
votes
0
answers
78
views
Reconciling Maimonides' Interpretation of Theodicy in the Book of Job: Eliphaz vs. Elihu
A question has been on my mind, and I would appreciate your opinion.
While studying chapter 23 of the third book of the Moreh Nevukhim, Rambam (Maimonides) seems to acknowledge the traditional view of ...
- 175
-4
votes
1
answer
104
views
What is the holiest "thing" ever? [closed]
Obviously besides for God Himself, and also perhaps the greatest tzadiqim (righteous people) in history, what else is considered the holiest "thing" ever? (Is it the two luhoth (tablets)? If ...
- 161
2
votes
0
answers
116
views
Where does Rambam say: "The risk of a wrong decision is preferable to the terror of indecision"?
BH
Hi according to https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/maimonides-quotes
Rambam said the quote “The risk of a wrong decision is preferable to the terror of indecision.”
Where does he say this though?
- 1,527
0
votes
1
answer
75
views
Prophetic status of all Israelites in the wilderness
Given the traditional understanding that God spoke the Ten Commandments directly to the entirety of the people of Israel at Mount Sinai (Deut 5.19), two questions arise:
is the Exodus generation that ...
- 28k
2
votes
0
answers
47
views
Why were the broken Luchos not in the Aron that was in the Kodesh Hakodoshim
in Bamidbar 10:33 the Pasuk says:
וַיִּסְעוּ֙ מֵהַ֣ר יְהֹוָ֔ה דֶּ֖רֶךְ שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת יָמִ֑ים וַאֲר֨וֹן בְּרִית־יְהֹוָ֜ה נֹסֵ֣עַ לִפְנֵיהֶ֗ם דֶּ֚רֶךְ שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת יָמִ֔ים לָת֥וּר לָהֶ֖ם מְנוּחָֽה׃
They ...
- 3,866
1
vote
0
answers
135
views
What are the most widely used responses to Christian claims of supersessionism?
Christians claim that the Jewish nation is no longer chosen by God, and has been replaced or superseded by Christianity (Supersessionism). I would like to know what the most popular or frequently ...
- 15.3k
3
votes
2
answers
115
views
Is the 3rd commandment of "uttering God's name in vain" referenced anywhere in the Tanakh?
I'm looking for any signs of the awareness of this prohibition in the Tanakh. Note that there are additional explicit Biblical prohibitions such as "You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so ...
- 28k
2
votes
1
answer
110
views
Punishment for making a statue of YHWH and worshipping/bowing to it
After reading "The Origins of Judaism, An Archaeological Historical Reappraisal" by Dr. Yonathan Adler, I understood that the practice of not making images of God/gods changed rather ...
- 28k
1
vote
0
answers
45
views
Why is the prohibition against coveting (לא תחמוד) considered to be the greatest and most difficult commandment?
While writing an answer to the question of whether the War of Gog and Magog has occurred already (https://judaism.stackexchange.com/a/143162/7303), a very significant idea was mentioned, which ...
- 16.7k
4
votes
4
answers
274
views
Is God Ever in Two Places at Once?
Are there any instances, ideally in Tanakh, where God's physical manifestation of Himself is present in two separate locations at once? Or more poignantly, are there instances of God speaking/...
- 190
1
vote
1
answer
49
views
If saying a Beracha over a worldly benefit is a logical mitzva, are non believers exempt? Are Chazal saying Hashem's existence is a svara?
According to the Gemara (Brachot 35a), the halacha of saying a beracha before benefiting from the world is a svara; a halacha derived from logic:
סברא הוא: אסור לו לאדם שיהנה מן העולם הזה בלא ברכה
...
- 14.8k
-4
votes
5
answers
285
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Can God Consider Himself to Be Wrong? [duplicate]
The Hebrew Bible has at least 2 places where God changes course or even regrets his actions. Does that mean God from the Biblical perspective can consider Himself to be wrong?
I'm not asking from our ...
- 11.8k
5
votes
2
answers
153
views
Are these verses about Hashem's anger a contradiction?
In Micah 7:18, it is written:
מִי־אֵ֣ל כָּמ֗וֹךָ נֹשֵׂ֤א עָוֺן֙ וְעֹבֵ֣ר עַל־פֶּ֔שַׁע לִשְׁאֵרִ֖ית נַחֲלָת֑וֹ לֹֽא־הֶחֱזִ֤יק לָעַד֙ אַפּ֔וֹ כִּֽי־חָפֵ֥ץ חֶ֖סֶד הֽוּא׃
Who is a God like You,
Forgiving ...
- 667
3
votes
0
answers
42
views
Does Lying, Except in Court Testimony, Violate the Ninth Commandment?
Am I transgressing the ninth of the 10 Commandments of Moses if I lie, except when giving testimony in court?
In Exodus 20:13 it reads
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
- 356
1
vote
1
answer
84
views
What is Ramban's true opinion regarding the scope of hashgachah pratis? [duplicate]
Ramban seemingly contradicts himself regarding this subject.
In Bereishis 18:19 (and Iyov 36:7) he says explicitly that only the righteous are under total divine protection; others, which comprise the ...
- 4,020
0
votes
0
answers
39
views
Where is God in Judaism? [duplicate]
I am actually a Sunni Muslim, only asking this question out of my interest in Jewish interpretations of God as they are similar and distinct in many ways with the Islamic ones.
So in Sunni Islam, ...
- 101
-3
votes
5
answers
972
views
Does Kabbalah really teach this?
Israel Shahak in his book Jewish History, Jewish Religion: the Weight of Three Thousand Years claims that the majority of Orthodox Jews believe the following quotation. He does not give sources for ...
- 247
1
vote
1
answer
210
views
Where do Shedim (demons) fit in?
We have discussions regarding Shedim in Jewish history. I believe they're described as having chicken feet in one source.
While the topic doesn't really seem to come up much in modern Judaism, the ...
- 1,413
-1
votes
1
answer
61
views
What is Koheles' view of the Torah?
Koheles doesn't mention the special election of Israel, Maamad Har Sinai or Nevuah.
It does talk about God, right and wrong and reward and punishment.
Do any major Jewish thinkers entertain the ...
- 4,020
0
votes
0
answers
40
views
1000th generation, and creating the world out of Rachamim
I recently saw in a (Chassidic) sefer that the concept of "Hashem intended to make the world out of justice, but saw that it wouldn't last, so made it out of mercy" (Rashi on Bereshit) means ...
- 14.8k
1
vote
0
answers
51
views
Why Weren't Zachor and Shamor Written in Each Set of Tablets?
There were two sets of tablets. The text of the first set is recorded in Exodus 20. The Second set is in Deuteronomy 5. The first set states:
זָכוֹר אֶת-יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת, לְקַדְּשׁוֹ. Remember the ...
- 1,182
2
votes
1
answer
101
views
Hashgacha question - why does Hashem influence the nations to chastise us, in order for us to do Teshuva?
What is the explanation that in many cases the Tanakh speaks about nations (e.g. Aram) that Hashem sends to chastise the Jewish nation? It implies that Hashem is able to influence pagan nations, but ...
- 51
0
votes
1
answer
114
views
Who is THE LORD and who is my lord?
Who is David referring to when he wrote in
Psalms 110:1
"The Lord said to my lord"
Who is he referring to when he says "THE LORD," and who is he referring to when he says "...
- 356
1
vote
0
answers
58
views
Examples of Hashem changing His mind - is the explanation always the same?
There are times where there is a hava amina (automatic assumption) that Hashem changed His mind, and the standard commentary is "obviously, Hashem didn't really change His mind, it is to teach us ...
- 14.8k
0
votes
0
answers
51
views
Why did Eve Believe the Snake?
Rashi in Genesis 3 states:
כָּל אֻמָּן שׂוֹנֵא אֶת בְּנֵי אֻמָּנוּתוֹ, מִן הָעֵץ אָכַל וּבָרָא אֶת הָעוֹלָם (בראשית רבה):
כי ידע FOR [GOD] KNOWS — Every artisan detests his fellow-artisans (“Two of a ...
- 1,182
0
votes
0
answers
29
views
Do we have free will or does Hashem know everything? [duplicate]
Does Hashem know the future? If not, how is he God? Doesn’t God know everything?
- 49
1
vote
0
answers
31
views
Why 2 sets of cantillation marks for the 10 commandments? [duplicate]
There are two sets of ta'amim for the Aseres Hadibros. (We read in the synagogue using Taamei Elyon.) But the ta'amim are supposed to be an aid to understanding. So, what differences in ...
- 8,381
1
vote
1
answer
102
views
Why does Rambam learn the prohibition for adultery from Parashat Acharei Mot and not Yitro?
Yitro contains 16 mitzvos according to Rambam. Most of them are linked to the 10 commandments but notably one commandment is missing: adultery.
Instead he learns this prohibition from Acharei Mot:
...
- 611
2
votes
0
answers
179
views
History of religiosity decline after haskalah
Is any reason given by religiously Jewish theologians and thinkers for why religiosity and observance amongst Jews declined after the Haskalah?
Are there any opinions rabbinic authorities have given ...
- 4,570
4
votes
1
answer
284
views
What did Israel hear at Sinai according to Rambam?
Rambam writes in MT (Yesodei haTorah 8:1 & 8:3) that Israel heard the actual words of the aseres hadibros on par with Moshe.
In the Moreh (2:33) he writes that they only heard an undifferentiated ...
- 4,020