Questions tagged [halacha]
Jewish law. Specifically, the legal process beginning with the written Torah and continuing through the Mishna, Talmud, and the legal codes (e.g., Rambam, Tur, Shulchan Aruch). // NOTE: Like Wikipedia, this site makes no guarantee of validity, and does not offer professional (particularly rabbinic) advice. Treat information from this site like it came from a crowd of your friends.
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Change in the denotation of commentaries in חושן משפט from the rest of שלחן ערוך
In all ד' חלקי שלחן ערוך structurally there are 2 main commentaries put on the page, one the inside, and one on the outside. Besides for חושן משפט, always, the commentary placed on the inside has its ...
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Relativistic Zmanim
Physicists have conclusively proven that if a spaceship leaves Earth and travels fast enough, then turns around and comes back, a person in the spaceship experiences a much shorter time than people on ...
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Pidyon Peter chamor on c section born donkeys
Does the mitzvah of Pidyon Peter Chamor (redeeming the firstborn donkey), apply if the donkey was born through C section (caesarean section)? Or does the Halakha not consider that is birth for the ...
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Cleaning clothes before Passover?
Does one have to clean all their dirty clothes before Pesach (on the principle of being careful to washout all the chametz from their house)? What is the general Halakha for your clothing collections (...
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Sources for Halachic opinions influenced by kabbalah
Is there a source (like a book, website, etc.) that has a list of halachic opinions/rulings based on kabbalah and/or the Zohar? I’m asking because I am looking more into Halachic methodology and I ...
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Is betting on board games/chess gambling
If someone makes a bet on something like chess or a board game, (we’ll include some types of card games as well), does that count as gambling in Halacha?
Gambling (between Jews) is prohibited de-...
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Halachic aspects of relocating an established minyan
Are there any halachic implications of relocating an established minyan?
Here is a specific example that might help clarify my question: Suppose there is a small community that normally has Shabbat ...
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Putting parents with mental issues in nursing homes
Halachically speaking, one is obligated to honor parents. My question is, if a parent happens to have a serious mental health defect (such as say Alzheimer’s syndrome), is it permissible to put them ...
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Running CCTV system with monitor over Shabbos
Does anyone have any sources for what the halacha is of running a home security CCTV system with the monitor on over Shabbos in a place where it is easily visible within the house? I'm specifically ...
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Latest time for morning Sh’ma
What are the opinions for the absolute LATEST time for reciting the morning Sh’ma B’dieved, not l’chatchila. Obviously there are different opinions for what is the latest or not but what are they. ...
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Kol Isha and transgender people
Does the Halachic prohibition of Kol Isha apply to transgender people? So if a woman underwent operations to present as a man, can you listen to her sing? And what about a man who visibly looks like a ...
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Folding chairs/tables on Shabbat
Is it permissible to unfold an easily foldable folding chair or table on Shabbat? Since this is easily re folded, would it still be considered under the melacha of “Boneh” or something else? If ...
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Age of the the Azazel goat?
I was curious, are there any opinions that say the Azazel goat should be (or shouldn’t be) of a certain age or ages? If so what, would it be a minimum age or a maximum age? And what would the age be, ...
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Halacha on being attentive to someone when they're speaking to you
BH
Does Halacha or any teaching in the Torah address the following scenarios:
A) When someone is talking to you, must you be attentive to show them respect that you're listening to what they're saying?...
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Having a Chassidishe Gaiva
BH
One of my teachers said once that a student of the Alter Rebbe was in a city filled with so much materialism and sin that he was later asked how he was able to overcome the tests and so he said &...
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What is the source of not to speak dvarim betelim
BH
What’s the source and meaning of not speaking dvarim Beteilim purposeless words?
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What is the explanation of And don’t let the evil inclination assure your that the grave will be a place of refuge for you mean
BH
What do the main poskim and commentators explain “And don’t let the evil inclination assure your that the grave will be a place of refuge for you” mean in Pirkei Avot 4:22
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Caution against a person belittling himself
BH
I heard someone say that a person should never say "I am this [negative character trait]" or "I am that [negative character trait]" because Chas ve Shalom Hashem can bring that ...
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Broken teffilin box
If a plastic teffilin case is broken by being chipped into different pieces, but the leather boxes as well as the leather straps are intact, do they need to put the whole teffilin in Geniza?
Or should ...
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Tzedakah, peah, Maaser while in debt?
If somebody is in debt to someone else, and they own a farm or do something that obligates them in Maaser or Peah, do they still have to pay or leave their crops for others? And if they aren’t ...
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Can a Messianic Jew (Christian) be counted in a minyan? [duplicate]
There are a group of people who claim to be "Messianic Jews." This is a group of people who are either natural born Jews who adopted Jesus as their messiah and other Christian practices or ...
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What type of enemies are being spoken about in Shaar Habitachon?
In Duties of the Heart, Ibn Paquda writes in Shaar Habitachon (Treatise on Trust, Ch. 4):
אבל עניני אויביו וחומדיו ומבקשי רעתו יבטח בעניניהם על הבורא יתעלה
ויסבל חרפתם ואל יגמל להם כפעלם אך יגמלם חסד ...
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Is replacing a jamb that had a mezuzah obligates to bless again for the mezuzah
A person that replaces jambs with new ones. On the old one there was a mezuzah that many years ago he blessed for putting the mezuzah. When placing the mezuzah back on the new jamb should he bless ...
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Winnow of piles with objects that just fell
If there is a pile (say of leaves), and somebody drops an object into it on Shabbat, are they allowed to throw it into the wind so they can retrieve the object they just dropped? Does the prohibition ...
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Lashon harah about someone who leads people astray
Is it lashon harah to publicly criticize or attack those who you perceive as misleading people/leading people astray? For example, Rabbi Natan Slifkin has a blog in which he’s publicly criticized ...
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does adverse possession law in NY govern over halacha [closed]
my neighbors fence is sticking in to my lot 2ft and hes claiming adverse possession since he living there for over 30 years and the first 15 years he lived there my house was owned by a non jew and ...
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Can the Sandak be a non-Jew?
This question discusses other roles a non-Jew could take in a bris but leaves the Sandak question open:
Can a non-Jewish person participate in a bris?
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Can one pray with different nusach pronunciations [closed]
Can I pray with switching off between how different nusachim pronounce different words? The most obvious is example is Taf vs Saf- let’s say I’m saying Shema, am I allowed to say some words with the ...
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Nazir benefiting from grapes/wine
If somebody vows to be a Nazir, are they still allowed to benefit from wine and grapes? Like would they be able to sell wine and grapes to non Nazir people? Or is it like milk and meat or chametz on ...
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Halachicly sound ways to bookmark on Shabbat
I would like to know if there are any ways people are using to bookmark/highlight what they are learning on Shabbat, so they can come back to it after Shabbat to make notes etc.
Putting in a bookmark ...
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Shiluach haken on injured birds
The mitzvah of Shiluach Haken applies only to kosher bird species. My question is, if a bird is of a kosher species but probably Treif from an injury, does it apply in that case? Sources for this ...
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Putting oneself in doubt, when it comes to a Mitzvah Derabanan
The Mishnah Berurah (46 S”K 31) brings an opinion - which is how the SA Harav rules - that in a case where one is afraid that he might miss the time of Shema by the time the Tzibur reaches the place ...
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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 ...
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Work and Talmud Torah
The Mishnah in Pirkei Avot 4:5 records the statement that one shouldn’t make Torah study into something for worldly benefit. I was curious then, how do the haredim that do full time Torah study en ...
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How should a Baal Teshuva choose between MGA and GRA for the latest Shema time? [duplicate]
Generally, a Jew knows if their origins are Ashkenazic or Sephardic.
One may even know if they come specifically from Lithuanian, Hassidic, Moroccan, Tunisian or any other community but they might ...
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Hilchos Shabbat shiurim recommendation
Does the community here have any recommendations for podcasts, blogspots, shiurim apps/websites etc. that cover Hilchos Shabbat? Particularly I’m looking for something that is English, understandable ...
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Chesed and food - healthy or tasty?
When a person prepares food for someone else, as an act of chesed, should they prioritise making the food healthy, or tasty?
In case someone wants to make the case that they are not mutually ...
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Texting/phone calls greetings and business
Is one allowed to text/call someone else before shacharit to greet them or do business? Would it be different from regular speech or no? And this is in a case without financial loss to be clear.
...
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Birkat hamazon for chametz on Passover
On Passover, if a Jew consumes Chametz because they have to for Pikuach Nefesh, do they recite Birkat Hamazon afterwards? Of course this would be more than the minimum amount to be liable on Pesach, (...
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Colleteral damage in Judaism [duplicate]
Concerning the war in Gaza.
Is there a halahic limit to colleteral damage?
For example: To kill one Hamas terrorist attacking Israel you have to kill 10 civilians, 100 civilians etc.
Is there a number ...
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Bride wearing a veil during wedding in Halacho [duplicate]
I am curious about the historical origins of brides wearing veils in Halacho. Additionally, I am interested in the earliest documented sources of this custom; and, if available, any notable inquiries ...
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Does one act as an Onen if he can't bury his dead for the foreseeable future?
This may be a duplicate, but if so I didn't see the original.
Recently, unfortunately, this question has become very realistic: If there is someone who knows a close relative is dead but won't be able ...
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Nedarim to d’rabbanan prohibitions
If one makes a Neder to do something that is prohibited D’rabbanan, and knows that it is prohibited D’rabbanan, is it considered a Neder in vain, or is one nonetheless still considered obligated to do ...
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Earning money on Shabbat for permitted behavior?
If somebody gets a Heter from a rabbi or posek to do something on Shabbat that is normally forbidden for pikuach nefesh (such as being a police officer, firefighter, etc.) are they allowed to earn ...
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Can Jewish owned animals have tattoos?
If a Jew owns an animal, are they permitted to give that animal a tattoo? I would imagine this is permitted, but are there any opinions it is not allowed on the principle that a Jew shouldn’t do ...
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Do I fulfill the Haftorah if I use the back of a Chumash to lein it? [duplicate]
Let's say I have a Chumash that has Haftarot at the back of the book. Am I yotze reading the Haftorah if I read from that?
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Rosh Chodesh - importance in history?
In the Wikipedia article on Rosh Chodesh it says that historically it had much more importance, why did it change? Do Rabbinic sources or commentators attest to this? Is there evidence during the ...
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Discussing Lashon Harah with another witness
I'm surprised the Chofetz Chaim doesn't discuss this:
If me and my friend saw someone do something bad or embarrassing, are we allowed to discuss it between ourselves?
I'd appreciate your thoughts, ...
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Proselytizing the covenant?
https://youtube.com/shorts/RuNO7R0885c?si=Fwc-02_yqnv-LfDi in this, rabbi Asher Meza of “Torah Judaism international” seems to claim that proselytization is not only allowed, but even a good thing to ...
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Pregnant woman with male fetus in a minyan?
There is a Halachic option that says if there are otherwise 9 adult (above bar mitzvah age) Jewish males, an underage (pre bar mitzvah) Jewish male can be counted to make a minyan (which normally ...
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