Questions tagged [contradiction]
The contradiction tag has no usage guidance.
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Where in the works of Maimonides does he address how to deal with apparent contradictions between halakha and empirical facts?
Maimonides’ view is that halakha is teleological (see for example Guide III, 27,31) e.g. some laws are to promote societal wellbeing, correct moral beliefs, etc. Where in his works does he deal with ...
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Why are the descendants of Hurdus still considered to be slaves according to Shmuel?
In Maseches Kiddushin 70b it seems that Shmuel held that Hurdus and his descendants had the status of slaves, but in Gittin 38a it seems that according to Shmuel, if the master gives up on retrieving ...
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How do we reconcile the passages from 2 Samuel 10:18 which says David killed 700 Rechev with 1 Chronicles 19:18 which says David killed 7000 Rechev?
In Shmuel it says David killed 700 chariots, while in Divrei HaYamim it says David killed 7000 chariots? It uses the exact same language. How do we reconcile this?
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Chazal contradicting science
I am curious. If there is a contradiction between statements of Chazal found in the Talmud, how are those reconciled in light of contradictory science, and if a Halacha is derived from a non-...
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Is the soul eager to enter this world?
Is it brought down anywhere that before birth, the soul yearns to be brought into a physical body, and be in this world, and if yes, how do we reconcile that with what it is taught that the soul is ...
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How to reconcile Rashi's view/logic with Rabbi Ulla's three Noahide commandments? Who is correct?
In Sanhedrin 59a, Rashi writes (s.v. לזה ולזה נאמרה):
כי יהיב קודשא בריך הוא תורה לישראל לא שקלינהו להנך מבני נח וכדקיימי להו קיימי
When Hakadosh Baruch Hu gave the Torah to Yisroel, he did not take ...
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Why do we follow matrilineal descent of Judaism when there's evidence to suggest that it used to be patrilineal? How to resolve the contradiction?
According to the contemporary scholarship, even though modern Orthodox Judaism follows matrilineal descent, there is evidence to suggest that this was a shift that occurred during the second century, ...
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Why do Rabbis say that HaShem was mistaken and HaShem states that He was defeated and that He must obey the Rabbis?
I've been reading an article on an Islamic website called Muslim Skeptic and came accross the following:
The way that Jews depict God, they celebrate the notion of debating with God, winning ...
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Apparent contradiction between two Gemaras
The Gemara (Bechoros 9b) says that according to the Chachamim, foods which their benefit is forbidden is still considered food with regards to the laws of purity, including Orlah and Kilei Hakerem, ...
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Why does Bartenura quote Rabbi Meir as holding "we learn yes from no", when the gemara says the opposite?
Mishna Shevuot 4:13, towards end of mishna, explains that if someone says "May God not strike you if you testify on my behalf", Rabbi Meir deems him liable for cursing someone, because, ...
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Any case of midrash contradicting Tanakh?
I believe that most Midrash stories were used for homiletic lessons that shouldn't be taken literally and according to some writers, midrash has some contradictory statements and opinions about the ...
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Rambam controversy
I don’t like that I have to ask this but I haven’t heard of this before and would like some information on it.
If one holds, for example, that the Rambam literally holds that demons don’t exist, ...
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Does Ramchal disagree with Rambam?
Ramchal states in various places, including Derech Hashem 1:2 that Hashem created the world in order to give His goodness to another:
הנה התכלית בבריאה היה להטיב מטובו ית' לזולתו
and that other is ...
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A difficult Rema in SH OHC 268:3
I was recently wondering what we should do if we accidentally began אתה חונן on Shabbat, although we have only said אתה, do we have to finish אתה חונן even on Fri night/Mincha (because they also start ...
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Age of King Ahaziah
Hey I'm here to ask about the supposed contradiction in Kings and Chronicles, what was Ahaziah's age? It definitly cannot be 40+ since he'd be as old/older then his father, hence the verse which is ...
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Why does 1 Samuel 14:49 leave out Eshba'al?
I know of three lists of Saul's children:
1 Samuel 14:49 -
Saul’s sons were Jonathan, Ishvi and Malki-Shua. The name of his older daughter was Merab, and that of the younger was Michal.
1 Samuel 31:...
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Does "Not in Heaven" approach break of the chain of tradition (B"M 59b)?
In the famous argument about Tanuro Shel Akhnai (Bava Metzia.59b) R' Eliezer claims to faithfully represent the Heavenly tradition and he's supported by the Heaven. Neither R' Yehoshua, nor God admits ...
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Masechta Kiddushin: Teaching your son a craft/trade - apparent contradiction?
Do any mefarshim make the following observation?
The gemara in Kiddushin 29a famously says:
תְּנֵינָא לְהָא דְּתָנוּ רַבָּנַן הָאָב חַיָּיב בִּבְנוֹ לְמוּלוֹ וְלִפְדוֹתוֹ וּלְלַמְּדוֹ תּוֹרָה ...
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When did עבודה זרה start?
Rashi says on the posuk (בראשית,ד,כ) of:
וַתֵּ֥לֶד עָדָ֖ה אֶת־יָבָ֑ל ה֣וּא הָיָ֔ה אֲבִ֕י יֹשֵׁ֥ב אֹ֖הֶל
וּמִקְנֶֽה
וּמִדְרַשׁ אַגָּדָה בּוֹנֶה בָתִּים לַעֲ"זָ, כְּמָה דְּאַתְּ אָמַר
סֵמֶל ...
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How did Jewish scholars deal with supposed "scribal errors" in the Tanach [closed]
There are some contemporary Christians (Evangelicals, etc) say that there are contradictions in the Old Testament caused by scribal errors (Who Killed Goliath? (2 Samuel 21:19; 1 Chronicles 20:5), How ...
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Why does Nedarim 37b contradict Shabbat 86a?
Why does Nedarim 37b contradict Shabbat 86a?
In Nedarim 37b, Children should not read a Torah passage [for the first time] on Shabbat :
Rather, with regard to Shabbat, this is the reason that children ...
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Does giving donations necessarily mean it's tzeddakah?
BS"D
How can giving a donation (based on US law that it is a contribution towards a non-for-profit 501c3 organization) to a very affluent shul, yeshiva, or other mosed still Halachically count as ...
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Apparent contradiction if Elul was made full when necessary
The Gemara Rosh Hashanah 19b says:
והאמר רבי חיננא בר כהנא א"ר מימות עזרא ואילך לא מצינו אלול מעובר
לא מצינו דלא איצטריך הא איצטריך מעברינן ליה
Didn’t Rabbi Chinana bar Kahana say that Rav said: ...
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Did Moses throw or drop the tablets?
The Yerushalmi, corroborated by Tanhuma, says that the tablets were two large sapphire stones, and weighed too much to be possibly carried by one person. The letters God engraved on them miraculously ...
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Rav Kapach on Rambam's view on the identification of Keneh bosem
As a follow up to this question, there seem to be two contradictory conclusions on what Rambam holds to be the keneh bosem.
First it is said that (Rav Kapach's notes to) Rambam's commentary in the ...
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Was there an exception for Joshua to allow him inside the Tabernacle?
Related to this question, I’m wondering was there a special exception to allow Joshua into the Tabernacle? Some areas such as Numbers 1:51 say that any non-Levite who approaches it should be executed. ...
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Inconsistent sifrei Torah for the required number of aliyos
Different groups (Ashkenazim, Sefaradim, Teimonim) have different traditions for spellings of different words in the Torah. Practically, while each group writes according to their own mesorah, we ...
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Is weeping at death a bad omen (סימן רע) or not?
The Talmud (Kesubos 103b; see Avos Rebbi Nason 25:2) says:
מת מתוך השחוק סימן יפה לו מתוך הבכי סימן רע לו
If one dies from laughter it is a good omen for him, but it is a bad omen to die from weeping....
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Why do we ask for Hashem to rule us alone, and then ask for a human king?
In the weekday sh’moneh esrei we ask HaShem to rule over us by himself:
וּמְלֹךְ עָלֵינוּ מְהֵרָה אַתָּה י-הוה לְבַדְּךָ
and reign over us- You HaShem, alone
And yet, a few b’rachos later, we ...
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Does Ezekiel 44:22 contradict the Torah?
Ezekiel 44:22 states: "Neither shall they [the priests] take for their wives a widow, nor her that is put away; but they shall take virgins of the seed of the house of Israel, and a widow that is the ...
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While it says in Kiddushin 40b that torah is the more important than Mitzvot in Pirkei Avot it says otherwise?
It says in Kiddushin 40b נענה ר"ע ואמר תלמוד גדול נענו כולם ואמרו תלמוד גדול שהתלמוד מביא לידי מעשה (Rabbi Akiva answered and said: Study is greater. Everyone answered and said: Study is greater, as ...
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Loshon Hora: Believing that circumstances permit slander
When the Chofetz Chaim (Klal 2, §3) codifies the allowance to relate slander heard b'apei t'lasa (a statement made in front of three people, which is considered avidi l'geluei and therefore already ...
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Contradiction in the Taz between early Shavuos and early Shemini Atzeres
In his disagreement with the Maharshal's ruling not to start Shemini Atzeres early, the Taz's first objection is a long poetic rendition about why we shouldn't forbid something that isn't mentioned in ...
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How do we rationalize a person's sins being solely their own when we have traditions that blame entire nations for certain acts?
This is something I always found to be a bit of a contradiction.
The Torah states that a person's sins are their own to bear and that no one may die for the sins of another.
Parents shall not be ...
user15672
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In what order were the works of the Rashba written?
Rabbi Shlomo Ibn Aderet wrote a huge number of responsa, as well as a commentary on much of the Talmud, and a couple of Halachic works. I would assume that the responsa were written over a long ...
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Why does the Gemara say Chizkiyahu didn't sing?
The Gemara in Sanhedrin 94a says that the reason Chizkiyahu was not the Mashiach is that he didn't sing after Hashem did miracles for him (Rashi adds that this refers to saving Yerushalayim from ...
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Do Hillel & R Akiva contradict Mamrim 3 & Y"D 158:2?
How do you reconcile Hillel (1) and Rabi Akiva (2) with the Mishnah Torah (3) and Shulchan Aruch (4)?
"What is hateful unto you, do not do unto your neighbor. That is the whole Torah, all the rest is ...
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Apparent contradiction in the law of Hotza’ah (carrying) on shabbath
On Peninei Halakha halachot shabath about Hotza’ah it's written:
Many maintain that as long as one did not stop walking while in the
reshut ha-rabim, the prohibition is only rabbinic, because as ...
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Does a prophet win halachic debates according to R. Yosef Albo?
In Sefer HaIkkarim 1:18, R. Yosef Albo writes the following:
כמו שנזכר בבבא מציעא בענין מחלוקתו של רבי אליעזר שנעקר חרוב ממקומו וחזר אמת המים לאחוריו וזולת זה ואף על פי כן לא קבעו הלכה כדבריו לפי שלא ...
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Did Ralbag's predecessors help him, or make things more difficult for him?
At the end of his commentary to Parshat Bereishit, Ralbag writes that he had difficulty composing his commentary to this parshah because the earlier commentaries practically pushed him away from ...
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Did Noach live 950 years or 951 years [duplicate]
Did Noach live 950 years or 951 years?
At the begining of the flood Noach was 600 years old Bereishis 7,6:
ונח בן שש מאות שנה והמבול היה מים על הארץ
The flood lasted 1 year as Rashi says ...
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Apparent contradition in parshat Noach: How to reconcile? [duplicate]
Chapter 10 says Noah's sons go to various lands where they speak different languages. But Chapter 11 says "the entire earth was of one language". How do we reconcile these statements?
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Has Elul Been Made Full Since the Time of Ezra?
In the Gemara in Rosh Hashanah (19b) it says:
והאמר רבי חיננא בר כהנא א"ר מימות עזרא ואילך לא מצינו אלול מעובר
לא מצינו דלא איצטריך הא איצטריך מעברינן ליה
Didn’t Rabbi Chinnana bar Kahana say ...
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Adjust the selicho “מַשְׂאַת כַּפַּי" when the kehillo is not fasting on Yom Kippur Koton?
Related: Who observes Yom Kippur Katan, and how?
In the mincha service of Yom Kippur Koton, the selicho “מַשְׂאַת כַּפַּי” is said:
1 חזן מַשְׂאַת כַּפַּי מִנְחַת עֶרֶב רְצֵה נָא בְכֹשֶׁר, ...
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Proof text in Rosh Hashanah for month of mating season
The Gemara in Rosh Hashanah on 11a says:
ר' יהושע אומר מנין שבניסן נברא העולם שנא' (בראשית א, יב) ותוצא הארץ
דשא עשב מזריע זרע ועץ עושה פרי איזהו חדש שהארץ מליאה דשאים ואילן מוציא
פירות הוי ...
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Did the Moabites give water and food to B'nai Yisra'el or not? Contradictory verses?
Devarim 23:4 - 5 says that we should not accept a Moabite into the nation of Israel because they did not give B'nai Yisra'el food and water as they left Egypt.
But, there is a seemingly contradictory ...
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How does Hashem relate to the bitachon (faith) of a wicked person?
Chovos Halevavos - Shaar Habitachon Chapter 3 - חובות הלבבות שער הביטחון פרק שלישי
מי שיבטח על הבורא והוא ממרה אותו, כמה הוא סכל וכמה דעתו חלושה והכרתו! כי הוא רואה כי מי שנתמנה לו מבני אדם על דבר, ...
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Rambam's seemingly contradictory statements about one who denies the Oral Law
Rambam clearly and explicitly states on a number of occasions that one who denies the Oral Law is a heretic, and that this includes Tzadok and Baythus and their followers (Sadducees and Boethusians).
...
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Contradiction in Chelkas Yoav regarding lifnei iver when the aveira is done by oness
The Chelkas Yoav (vol.1:1) says that when a katan (minor) eats a forbidden food his enjoyment of the food is considered an aveira. The reason that he is not punished is since he is unresponsible for ...
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Contradiction in Rambam's laws of Talmud Torah and Shevet Levy (end of Shmitah)
Rambam Talmud Tora 3,5 writes (my bold):
" מי שנשאו ליבו לקיים מצוה זו כראוי לה, ולהיות מוכתר בכתרה של תורה - לא יסיח דעתו לדברים אחרים, ולא ישים על ליבו שיקנה תורה עם העושר והכבוד כאחד...
"...
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