Questions tagged [halacha]
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. // 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).
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Is "maximum position compliance" ever explicitly codified?
In Haym Soloveitchik's seminal essay "Rupture and Reconstruction" (1994) he lays out the state of Orthodoxy in the 20th century. Primarily, how Orthodoxy changed in the 20th century in ...
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Is Astrology included in "witchcraft"?
would practicing astrology fall under the category of witchcraft, in the sense of the passuk to kill a sorcerer here.
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Shmiras halashon torah thought
I would like to know a short torah thought by any of the Rebbes of Chabad speaking about the importance of shmiras halashon.
Thank you
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Can someone translate this Targum Jonathan on Ezekiel?
Can someone translate this Targum Jonathan on Ezekiel 40:5?
וְהָא שׁוּרָא מִבָּרָא לְבֵיתָא סְחוֹר סְחוֹר וּבְיַד גַבְרָא קְנֵי מְשַׁחְתָּא דְחַד מִנְהוֹן שִׁית אַמִין בְּאַמְתָא דְהִיא אַמָה ...
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Listening to traditional Jewish song/prayer sung by Christian [duplicate]
Is there a prohibition against listening to a song (יה שמע אביוניך) sung by a Christian (who is Jewish by birth)? The lyrics are the original as written by Rav Yehuda Halevi. Is there a risk of avodah ...
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Must one give up his life in order to avoid performing an abortion?
According to Halacha, abortion is forbidden, but not punishable by death like a full fledged murder, so would one still be obligated to give up his life in order to avoid doing it, or do we say that ...
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Uva Letzion after amidah davening at home alone [closed]
I know Halacha says that one shouldn't leave the shul before reciting Uva Letzion (with the tzibbur) or so I heard elsewhere online at least in the presence of nine other yidden. I daven alone at home ...
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Is it kares to have relations during clean days but before she immerses in a mikvah?
Is it kares to have relations with her after her period ends but before she immerses in a mikvah?
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May one use rice paper on Shabbos? [closed]
May one use rice paper on Shabbos?
Rice paper is made by mixing the water and starch left over from cooking rice with tapioca starch and other ingredients and then spread into a thin layer which is ...
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Does an unnecessary blessing still count as a valid blessing?
If someone accidentally recited a blessing unnecessarily, e.g. he made a Berachah on a secondary ingredient for which he shouldn’t have, being that he already recited the Berachah for the main ...
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Is it permitted to read non-Jewish religious texts?
I have an interest in the New Testament simply to understand Christianity. I would therefore like to read it, but not at all in an idolatrous way (assuming reading it itself wouldn’t be idolatrous).
...
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When can you make a bracha mentally?
The Taz to SA Orach Chaim 62:4 says in exigent cirumstances you can make a bracha mentally instead of verbalizing it:
מזה יש ללמוד במי שצמא בלילה במטתו שא"א לו ליטול ידיו ולברך יהרהר הברכה בלבו ...
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What does the Torah mean when it restricts homosexual relations? [duplicate]
A relative of mine, who happens to be gay, asked me if Oral sex is sanctioned under the scope of the restrictions on homosexual relations. If I remember correctly, the Torah forbids, for males, the ...
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Methods of avoiding unintentionally wasting seed at night
Hi I heard there are methods of avoiding unintentionally wasting seed at night like sleeping on your side specifically that it has to be uncomfortable so your body doesn't sin in the night and then ...
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Netilat yadayim with liquid that an animal wouldn't drink
The Shulchan Aruch writes (Orach Hayim, 160: 8) that the waters of Tveryah cannot be used for netilat yadayim because they are "bitter and not fitting for a dog to drink" (and presumably a ...
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Sex with a gentile on her period [closed]
In terms of transgression and/or liability: is there a difference between a Jewish male having sex with a gentile woman who is in the midst of menstruating, and a gentile woman that is not in the ...
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Non Jewish fundraiser working on Shabbos on your behalf
Motzey Shabbos and Yom Tov I saw that Shabbos morning I received a fundraising email from a certain well known (controversial) frum group . Possibly it was an automatically generated email coming ...
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HOW did they re-accept the Torah?
During the story of Purim, the Gemara (https://www.sefaria.org/Shabbat.88a.5?lang=bi&with=Sheets&lang2=en ) tells us that the Jewish people "re-accepted the Torah during the story of ...
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Copy of Rambam's Mishna commentary in Arabic online
Does anyone know where I can find Rambam's full commentary on the Mishna in the Arabic original or if it's Judeo Arabic online whether it's digital or manuscript form as long as it's not missing any ...
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Assuming the status of a Beit Knesset or Beit Medrash
I heard Beit HaKnessiot and Medrashot have certain laws like you can't eat or sleep inside a Beit Knesset, for example, and others for Beit Medrash.
Now I heard our synagogue is like a Beit HaMedrash ...
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Making a mistake in Brachot
BH
If you say a Bracha and make a mistake on the words Baruch or Ata or Elokeinu or Melech or HaOlam do you have to say the bracha over and if you do is it considered Levatalah because you say the ...
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Profiting on merchandise
Is it a sin to over charge on merchandise, say a movie costs 5 dollars but I sell it for 20. Of course some of that goes to expenses.
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Why can women be lashed if Deuteronomy 25:3 speaks in masculine terms ("then thy brother should be dishonoured before thine eyes")?
According to Deuteronomy 25:3:
ג אַרְבָּעִים יַכֶּנּוּ, לֹא יֹסִיף: פֶּן-יֹסִיף לְהַכֹּתוֹ עַל-אֵלֶּה מַכָּה רַבָּה, וְנִקְלָה אָחִיךָ לְעֵינֶיךָ.
Forty stripes he may give him, he shall not exceed; lest, if ...
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Netila after cutting someone else's nails?
There is a halacha that we must wash netila after cutting our nails, due to ruach ra (negative spirit). See Pesachim 112a, SA OC 4:18.
What if one cuts someone else's nails, e.g. an elderly person, or ...
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Using a ball on Shabbos according to the Magen Avraham
The Magen Avraham (308:45) explains, that the reason for the opinion that a ball is Muktzah on Shabbos, is because it is not considered a utensil that serves a necessary purpose.
Then he goes on to ...
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Finding a check made out to "Cash"
Is it permissible to cash a check that is found in the street, if the check is made out to "cash" and after attempting to locate an owner, none is found.
Would it be considered the same as ...
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Items without price labels = theft?
Is it permissible for a jewish owned store in a jewish neighborhood (for example a supermarket) to not put price tags on items?
My logic is that it may cause embarrassment for a customer to go to the ...
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What exactly happens to people who murdered but were not convicted on a technicality? [Murderous Courts vs. Manslaughter]
The title question says it all, here's some background as to why I am asking: I just thought about something and wanted to check with the experts at Mi Yodeya who have learned Makkot or the relevant ...
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Why does one accused of manslaughter need to leave the city of refuge in order to be judged?
The Mishnah in Makkos 2:6 says that a person accused of manslaughter who escaped to a city of refuge needs to leave in order to be judged.
The question is: why must he leave, thereby risking his life -...
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Hosea 2:21 וְאֵרַשְׂתִּ֥יךְ לִ֖י לְעוֹלָ֑ם
I recall learning once that it is impermissible to use וְאֵרַשְׂתִּ֥יךְ לִ֖י לְעוֹלָ֑ם (Hosea 2:21-22) to refer to husband-wife (or even to use on a wedding invitation).
I would appreciate being ...
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Forgetting to say Shabbat additions in a Yom Tov Amidah - how to make up?
If someone forgot to add in the Shabbat additions to a Yom Tov davening, do they have to make it up by repeating?
If so, and if they did so at Shacharit and only remembered after Chatzot (midday), how ...
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Igros Moshe to R' Shlomo Calerbach
In this video R' Shlomo Calerbach claims there is a teshuva to him in Igros Moshe.
Please help me find it.
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Deliberately congeal fatty sauce before/on Shabbat so it can be put on the blech in the morning?
According to SA OH 318:16 sefardim may deliberately place a dish that has congealed fat onto a blech, even though it will melt and become a liquid. The principle of "en bishul achar bishul" (...
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Are Jews allowed to destroy the fruit trees and give bad water to cattle if they're fighting a war outside/unrelated to the Holy Land & Mesopotamia?
Deuteronomy 20:19,20 (NIV) states:
When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it to capture it, do not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can eat their fruit. ...
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Confused about the proper punishment for lesbianism since num. '40' is often symbolic & the use of the word "brother" (אָחִ֖יךָ) for a woman is odd?
According to Rambam, in H. Issure Biah 21:8, he states that:
נָשִׁים הַמְסוֹלָלוֹת זוֹ בָּזוֹ אָסוּר וּמִמַּעֲשֵׂה מִצְרַיִם הוּא שֶׁהֻזְהַרְנוּ עָלָיו שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא יח ג) "כְּמַעֲשֵׂה ...
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are you allowed to be friends with homosexuals?
nowadays more and more people in modern western society are identifying themselves as lgbt+. recently I have experience several of my classmates 'come out' as being part of this group (either being ...
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What are Obligations of teachers to their students
What are the obligations of a teacher of the Torah to his students. Or what are the laws that a teacher, rebbe, Rav must follow.
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Tofel and Ikar - In the case of a mixture of Tofel and Ikar, what happens if some spoonfuls are just Tofel?
I have just done some learning on this and a question I didn't see answered was the following case:
One has a mixture of food, let's say a stew. They decided that the Ikar was the meat, and the ...
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Is there any halachic issue with watching the coronation of King Charles III?
I don't know if any of these are valid concerns or not, but here are some things that came to mind:
Watching a ceremony in a church
Hearing the church hymns
Watching the kissing of the cross
Besides ...
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Can one benefit from the Sechach through Hataras Nedarim
The Gemara (Sukkah 9a) learns out from the verse, that just like it is forbidden to benefit from a sacrifice, so too is it forbidden to benefit from the sukkah
The question is: is it possible to ...
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End of Fourth Hour Approaching, Berachot of Keriyat Shema or Amidah?
According to general halacha, one may not recite the berachot of
keriyat shema after the 4th halachic hour. Ashkenazim can do so if
they were withheld from reciting them in their proper time for
...
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If someone switches off a light and then switches it back on for a Jew on Shabbat
If someone switches on a light for a Jew in a dark room on shabbat, the Jew would be obligated to leave the room to avoid benefiting from the light (I won't bring up the exceptions and details here).
...
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Affection During Courtship [duplicate]
Are potential couples who are courting allowed to show physical affection prior to being officially married? I.e. kissing, hugging, holding hands?
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Non-Observant Jew Staying At An Observant Jew’s Home On Shabbath [duplicate]
If a non-observant Jew were to go out and buy something on the Shabbath, while staying at an observant Jews home, is that item(s) allowed within their home on the Shabbath?
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A Visitor Observing Shabbath
If a non-Jew or a non-observant Jew visits an observant Jew for a couple of days, and one of those days is the Shabbath, are they obligated to observe Shabbath if they’re staying with the observant ...
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Washing Hands With Hot Water On Shabbath
Why can’t one wash their hands with hot water on Shabbath? Is it Biblical or Rabbinical that we not do so?
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Is it inappropriate to say “holy smokes!”?
An alternative is: “holy smoke!”
Is it inappropriate in Haredi circles to say this phrase?
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Is profiting off of a war allowed in Judaism? Like for example, is it allowed in Judaism to sell equipment to both sides?
Historically, Jews often lived in regions where it wasn't uncommon for a war to occur. I imagine some shrewd businessmen took advantage of this to profit by doing things like selling equipment or ...
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If someone doesn't have a head, should he still put on the hand tefillin (with a bracha)?
B"H
There's a known discussion regarding if the hand and head tefillin are separate Mitzvos or the same. Some include each as a separate Mitzvah in the list of Mitzvos, others (I believe) include ...
