Questions tagged [family-members]
Questions pertaining to family members
71
questions
20
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11
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Yaakov Marrying Two Sisters [duplicate]
According to those that say the Avos kept the Torah beforehand (here), how was Yaakov allowed to marry two sisters?
(Yes, I'm aware that there are many answers)
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2
answers
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All people in world are Jews?
According to the Book of Genesis, Noah saved his family and representatives of every animal from a flood by constructing a boat. So since all of humanity should be descended from Noah, does that mean ...
user711
11
votes
1
answer
708
views
BT emailing non-observant family on Friday afternoon
A given person is Shabbat-observant; his/her immediate and extended family is not.
May this individual write an email to his/her family (who live in Israel) when it is before Shabbat (where s/he ...
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3
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In regards to Torah and Rabbinical writings, how does "honor your father and mother" work when you've been raised in an abusive household?
This is a question I have always had a hard time getting an answer for and I was hoping somebody would be able to explain it.
Honoring your parents is one of the most basic mitzvah in all of Judaism....
user13783
30
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2
answers
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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?
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2
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When (if ever) are converts still related to their relatives?
It is my understanding that when a person converts to Judaism, certain halachic relationships are severed.
So I have a couple questions about this.
Which relationships are severed?
Is a convert ...
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8
votes
2
answers
969
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Saying loshon hara to a spouse or close relative
Are there any relationships within which loshon hara is permitted? I guess I mean loshon hara that is said for a purpose--but perhaps not purposes which would meet the strict halachic criteria for ...
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18
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6
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3k
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Prayer for Illness - Why use the mothers name?
Why when someone is sick do we say his mothers name not his father's?
- 32.9k
14
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3
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5k
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How to keep kosher in a non-observant household
Many Baalei Teshuvah (returnees to Judaism) confront various conflicts regarding their interactions with non-observant family and friends. A big one, which has not been discussed here (AFAIK), is ...
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12
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1
answer
2k
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Drinking cold kosher beverages in a non-Jewish relative's house
Let's say you're staying at a non-Jewish relative's house. He bought you kosher food because he knows you keep kosher. He buys you a drink such as milk. You see him pour the drink for himself into his ...
- 1,395
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2
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Mordecai: Esther's uncle?
The m'gila says clearly that Ester was "bas dodo", which seems to mean she was the daughter of Mord'chay's uncle, i.e., his first cousin. The targum renders this as "b'ras achvoy". Does that mean "his ...
- 73.5k
14
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4
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What is the halachic status of adult conjoined twins?
It is rare but possible for conjoined twins to remain alive and healthy into adulthood, such as is the case with Abby and Brittany Hensel. They have distinct sets of heads, hearts, and lungs. They ...
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1
answer
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Are children whose mother converted after bearing them Jewish?
If a Jewish man and non-Jewish wife have a child, and the mother completes her Orthodox conversion to Judaism after the child is born, must the child also convert to be considered Jewish, if they were ...
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1
answer
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Children of Converts and Specific halachos
The Pri Megadim in OC Siman 156 Ashel Avraham Sif-Katan 2 writes that a child that was conceived in kedusha (sanctity) and born in kedusha to a mother and father that had both converted (i.e. these 2 ...
- 15.7k
4
votes
2
answers
906
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Speaking to a deceased person
Is it permissible when visiting the grave of a deceased family member to "speak" to them as if they are there. To tell them how much they miss them, they love them. In general to express feelings, ...
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1
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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?
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16
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Leniencies for someone keeping Kosher in a non-Kosher home
My family is not frum, but they do not eat non-kosher meat at home, although they do eat other not-certified-kosher products, including cheese. They don't mix meat and milk, but they do wash meat and ...
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Nudity at home?
I have read that Hashem hates public nudity, but what is the Jewish position on nudity at home in front of other family members?
Obviously, the short answer is bad, don't do it. Modesty is a ...
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8
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2
answers
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At what age does negiah start applying for non-immediate family?
Wikipedia's article "Negiah" begins:
The term negiah (Hebrew: נגיעה), literally "touch," is the concept in Halakha that forbids or restricts physical contact with a member of the opposite sex (...
5
votes
1
answer
632
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Can a non-Kashrus observant Jew cook for a Kashrus-observant Jew?
Can a Jew who understands the laws of Kashrut but is not personally observant cook for a Kosher-observant Jew? For example, can a Jewish but non-observant parent cook for his Orthodox child?
Presume ...
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4
votes
1
answer
404
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Which kind of relations are considered incestuous in Judaism?
Specifically what kind of relationships are defined as incestuous in Judaism? I am guessing that it is forbidden to marry one's parents/children or siblings but what about other relations like first ...
- 143
3
votes
1
answer
323
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How do we explain the criticism of Rashi by his grandsons?
Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki, better known today as Rashi, was easily the most prolific commentator on the Tanach and Talmud in history in the sense that he commentated on most of the Talmud and, I believe, ...
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3
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1
answer
250
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Grandpa and Grandson together again [closed]
What are the names of TWO distinct grandfathers and their grandsons are mentioned in the weekday Shemoneh Esrei ?
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4
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Are children adopted by Jews Jewish?
I was adopted around the time I was three months old by my parents who are both Jewish. I do not know what religion my biological mother was, in fact I have very little detail about her at all. I was ...
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3
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How to explain to friends/family that one will not attend an intermarriage
Suppose a friend or family member becomes engaged to a non-Jew. For the sake of this question, also assume that a trusted rabbi has been consulted and he has ruled (after considering any relevant ...
- 24.5k
13
votes
1
answer
304
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Does a child own what he's implicitly given by his parents?
I assume that when a parent owns an object and a child uses it, it remains the property of the parent's absent any intent/declaration on the parent's part to grant it to the child (and absent an act ...
- 73.5k
10
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1
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1k
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Can a mother undress in front of her daughter?
Can a married woman with children undress in front of her daughter to try on clothes assuming she would be in undergarments?
- 101
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1
answer
696
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Can a convert mourn for their Jewish parents?
Consider someone who was born to a Jewish father and non-Jewish mother who then converted to Judaism with his mother. It seems pashut from the Shulchan Aruch that one who converts is considered a "...
- 515
7
votes
2
answers
794
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Does a ger (convert) say Yizkor?
A convert's biological parents are not their parents in a halachic sense. In some senses the converting beis din is "responsible" for the convert in the way of parents. In name, at least, the ger's ...
- 7,132
6
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1
answer
245
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Is a convert's biological son obligated in "kibud av' (honoring his father)?
This is the reverse of this question, in a sense.
Suppose that a Gentile intermarries and he has a son who is Jewish. Later, the Gentile converts. Is the biological son ever halachically obligated to ...
- 69.5k
6
votes
2
answers
431
views
Yocheved is the daughter of who?
So Yocheved, as it is known, is the wife of Amram, mother of Moshe Rabbeinu, Aharon HaCohen, and Miriam the prophetess, peace be on them. And Yocheved, like Amram, is from the Tribe of Levi.
Amram is ...
5
votes
2
answers
659
views
The stoning of Achan's family
Deuteronomy 24:16 says “The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers; every man shall be put to death for his own sin." Why then ...
- 227
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1
answer
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How long does one say Kaddish for a sibling?
There is discussion here on MY about saying Kaddish for parents and also some discussion on Kaddish for a sister. One place on the Chabad website states that Kaddish should be said for 30 days for a ...
- 939
4
votes
2
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758
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Is a person obligated to purchase life insurance?
I have, unfortunately, heard about quite a few stories of fathers/husbands who were in kolel full time and then suddenly passed away leaving the family at best with very little savings and at worst ...
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1
vote
1
answer
2k
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Giving a child the same name as a living distant relative
The Ashkenazi custom is not to give one's child a name shared by another living close relative. How close is too close? Can you give a child a name possessed by his/her (living) cousin? Second cousin?
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4
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Maintaining Tzniut in Uncomfortable Social Situations
How can a teenage girl, who recently started practicing the laws of tzniut as well as feasible, balance those laws with the prohibition against embarrassing her family members, who are embarrassed to ...
- 251
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2
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596
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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 ...
- 375
17
votes
1
answer
391
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Kibud Av v'Ach?
As I understand it there is an obligation (See Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah 240:22) to honor an older brother similar to that of honoring one's father. Since the obligation to honor one's father can have ...
- 13.2k
17
votes
1
answer
791
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Is it ok for spouses to touch in public?
Are spouses allowed to touch one another in public (when the wife is not a niddah) or is this a violation of tzniut? I am asking specifically regarding touch that is not in any way sexual or even ...
user1668
16
votes
5
answers
755
views
Rabba bar bar Chana
There is a rabbi in the Talmud referred to as רבה בר בר חנה. Why is he called that way? It says that Rabba was the grandson of Chana.
Who was Chana? Was it(?) a woman? Why wasn't he called after his ...
- 1,028
14
votes
2
answers
726
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Halacha of Yichud with half sibling
May siblings of the opposite sex that share only one parent be secluded (yichud) with one another? Does it matter which parent they share?
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4
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Does a Jewish grandmother (mother's side) really get one accepted as a Jew? [duplicate]
My grandmother (mother's side) is 100% Jewish and even living in Israel. As far as I know, that makes, me a Jew, too. But it feels a little bit strange to say that I am Jewish just because my ...
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1
answer
304
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Naming after someone with added names
If someone R'L is sick at some point in their life and a name such as Refael is added should that name be included as well if one is naming their child after that person?
Additional Question: ...
- 515
11
votes
1
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How many children did King Solomon have?
King Solomon [1 Kings 11 (4)] “had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines;”
How many children did he have? Three. The question is referred to at http://wiki.answers.com/Q/...
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10
votes
1
answer
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Who was the mother of Avraham's daughter?
According to one opinion in the Gemarah (Bava Basra 16b, also 141a), when it says Avraham was blessed with everything (Bereishit 24:1) it means that he had a daughter. Who was her mother?
- 12.9k
10
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1
answer
839
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Who should walk the Chosson and Kallah to the Chupa?
At the Chuppah in some weddings I've been to, the father and father-in-law escort the Chosson and the mother and mother-in-law escort the Kallah. In others, the mother and fathers each escort their ...
- 38.3k
8
votes
2
answers
5k
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Naming your child using a dead relative's initial
Is there a Jewish tradition of naming your child using the first letter of the name of a recently deceased relative?
Lynne
8
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3
answers
947
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Did Avraham Avinu really have a daughter named Bakol?
I heard that Avraham Avinu had a daughter named Bakol. But in the Biblical narrative, there is no mention of a daughter to Avraham, only a son, Yitzchak, whom we all know well.
Did Avraham really ...
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1
answer
161
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Does Chinese ancestor worship have the full status of idolotry?
In the front of a Chinese restaurant they have a small shrine - a succah less than a foot tall. Placed before it is a bowl of rice with vertical chopsticks and a plate of oranges. There is no idol ...
- 7,295
7
votes
1
answer
242
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Halakhic problem with indirectly effecting posthumous Mormon baptism?
Would there be any halakhic problem with using LDS resources to do family history research, if you knew it would result in deceased Jews being named in posthumous baptism rituals? Or is this ...
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