Questions tagged [hashkafah-philosophy]
Jewish philosophy as well as Jewish perspectives - i.e. not only formal philosophy. NOT for questions about Jewish practice unless there's a philosophical component.
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Does someone get punished for unknowingly committing a sin or unknowingly hurting a person?
Does someone get punished for unknowingly committing a sin or unknowingly hurting a person? Please provide sources, thanks.
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Why weren’t the descendants of Esav or Yishmael also given the Torah alongside the benei Yaakob?
As we all know, Abraham had two descendants, Yishmael and Yitschak. Yitschak also had two descendants, Esav and Yaakob; however only the children of Yaakob were the nation that was chosen for the ...
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Kabbalah/chasiduss explanation of theodicy
Are there any kabbalistic or hasidic explanations given to the question of theodicy? Beyond “rational”/philosophical explanations, are there any mystical reasons given to why bad things happen? If so, ...
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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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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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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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Non-Jewish philosophical defense of religion
Is there an issue, Hashkafically or otherwise, with using a non-Jewish philosophical argument to defend the belief in Hashem or utility of religion without referencing the Torah? Like referencing Leo ...
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Are we supposed to live in the matrix?
Rabbeinu Bachaya, while discussing why Hashem requires us to work so hard for our livelihood and in our service of Him says in Shaar Habitachon ch. 4:
והיה מחמלת הבורא יתעלה על האדם שהטרידו בעניני ...
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Meaning of Shmuel 2:22:26
עִם־חָסִיד תִּתְחַסָּד עִם־גִּבּוֹר תָּמִים תִּתַּמָּם׃
With a kind person, You are kind. With a person strong in innocence,
You are innocent. Shmuel 2:22:26
תָּמִים could also be translated as whole,...
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Colonialism and Halacha
In halacha, is it considered “stealing” for a nation to colonize another piece of land if that piece of land doesn’t have a system of property rights. For example, the Americans colonizing the ...
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Rewarding the few while punishing the majority
Why does the creation of the world to reward the few who can successfully work on themselves to cleave to Hashem have to come at the expense of the vast majority of mankind not getting olam haba and ...
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Does trusting in my efforts guarantee I'll be unsuccessful?
R. Bachya ibn Paquda states (Chovos Halevavos, Shaar Habitachon, Pesicha):
ואם יבטח על חכמתו ותחבולותיו וכח גופו והשתדלותו ייגע לריק ויחלש כחו ותקצר תחבולתו מהשיג חפצו
Taken literally, this implies ...
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Does Rashi bring contadictory opinions?
Rashi on chumash is based on chazal. Sometimes Rashi appears to bring contradictory opinions and some mefarshim say that its machlokes midrashim.
Is there a source or mesorah that Rashi's shita in ...
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Eating reduces spritual sensitivity and Yitzchak Avinu wanting a meal before giving his berachot - contradiction?
There is a principle in mussar that overeating desensitises/spoils our mood for learning and davening with kavana (see Hachsharat HaAvrechim ch.9 for example). E.g. if one is very into one's learning, ...
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Jewish thoughts vs sexuality in the Gemara
A main part of Judaism is stuff like פרישות and guarding your eyes and thoughts from impurity or fantasies and the like. You’re basically supposed to stay away from any sexual thoughts or whatever ...
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Can a Frum person attend Limmud
From what I’ve read, Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks ZT”L didn’t attend Limmud, which is a festival started in the UK but popular among typically non Orthodox Ashkenazi communities (generally, although not ...
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Purchasing more than one lottery ticket
Disclaimer: Although the question about the permissibility of participating in a lottery has been asked and answered on this forum - my specific question has not been answered with clear sources.
...
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How can one reconcile statistics with this pasuk in Koheles?
The pasuk in Koheles states:
שַׁבְתִּי וְרָאֹה תַחַת הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ כִּי לֹא לַקַּלִּים הַמֵּרוֹץ וְלֹא לַגִּבּוֹרִים הַמִּלְחָמָה וְגַם לֹא לַחֲכָמִים לֶחֶם וְגַם לֹא לַנְּבֹנִים עֹשֶׁר וְגַם לֹא ...
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Did the Rambam really say it's asur to believe foolish things?
I have sometimes heard it said that the shita of the Rambam is that it's asur to be stupid and/or believe stupid or foolish things. Clearly the Rambam's general approach puts a high value on ...
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Keeping Shabbos during the week?
Is there any value to or halachic discussion about keeping the laws of shabbos during the week?
Were there ever Rebbes or great people who did this on any level? (Excluding those who do it as part of ...
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Why did the plague of the first born work in changing Pharaoh's mind? (in light of explanation of R Albo and Sforno on Pharaoh's free will)
We are told that Hashem hardened the heart of Pharaoh in order that he would not be intimidated into letting the Jewish people go, but would still have the free will to be able to decide based on how ...
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Refutations on Kant's approach to Judaism and mitzvos
I was reading "The Halakhist as Creator: Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik’s Halakhic Man" by Rabbi Reuven Ziegler. It could be considered a thorough summary of the famous sefer "The ...
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Ger chassidus teachings
Does the community know what defines Ger chasiduss ideologically and Hashkafically? Is there an English translated sefarim or article that explains the basics of the Hasidic dynasty’s teachings?
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Why is the word Leviim written with only one yud: 'לויים' או 'לוים'
Do Chazal explain the inyan of the Tanach writing Levi חסר Chosser the yud that seems should be there grammatically? Does the double yud signify the rectification of the Leviim?
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כף הקלע while alive?
I saw this in the Piasezno Rebbe's Hachsharat Avrechim:
וכבר אמרו חז״ל [בר״ר פל״ד] הצדיקים לבן ברשותן ולהיפך ח״ו, הם ברשות
לבן. ובזה תלוי הכל, מי שלגמרי הוא ברשות לבו ואינו יכול להתגבר גם על
תאוותיו ...
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Suggestion to help rid one's physical desire for food
What guides are there available in the corpus of Torah, including all Rabbinic writings, on ridding oneself of specifically the desire for food?
Context/Reason for asking:
It is a common theme in ...
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Proof of Hashem via Talmud/Amora/Tanna
Does anyone know of the places where a Tanna/Amora offers a proof for the existence of Hashem.
ie: Bereshit Rabbah 39:1 Avraham Avinu passes a castle on fire (see below)
Is there perhaps a list, or a ...
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Infinite regress in answering 'Why G-d created the world"
Many answers are given to the quetion of "Why did G-d create the world?", some of them being:
He wanted a dira betachtonim, a dwelling place below
He wanted there to exist beings besides ...
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Is there anything wrong with an unmarried man learning hilchos niddah?
Does a man need to be married to learn hilchos niddah? Part of a halacha chabura that's learning the halachos of nidah
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Reconiciling Statements Rav Kook made about other Religions
The introduction to the book "Abraham Isaac Kook - The Lights of Penitence, Lights of Holiness, The Moral Principles, Essays, Letters, and Poems", states that Rav Kook was positive toward ...
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Is this Jewish Neoplatonic idea heresy?
Context:
I've noticed before that whenever I post anything about Neoplatonism in a Jewish context, such posts usually tend to get downvoted to oblivion, and in general, such views are not very well ...
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How did G-d bring creation into the world without changing? Did He not have to decide to create at some point? How did He bring creation without time?
So the question is something like this: If G-d, blessed be He, willed creation into being, then
a) He either underwent change (deciding to create) [Impossible]
b) He always knew that He was going to ...
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If Hebrew was the target language, what was the source language in any of the Psalm in which “maskil” is mentioned?
If Hebrew was the target language, what was the source language in any of the Psalms in which “maskil” is mentioned?
Rashi on Psalms 88:1 wrote:
משכיל: כל מקום שנאמר משכיל ע"י תורגמן נאמר שהיה ...
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Did Rambam affirm or deny the principle of sufficient reason (PSR)?
In the simplest terms, the principle of sufficient reason (PSR) states that everything that exists has a sufficient explanation/reason/cause/grounding (there are different variations of the PSR, e.g. ...
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Do we believe in coincidences? [duplicate]
How far should one take coincidences?
Should one go with the mehalech that everything is divine intervention and take it as a simaan? Or can one brush it off as simply a coincidence?
For example, if I ...
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Why do we struggle to be good
Why is our whole life a struggle? At least from my observations we never move on to the "next level". The yetzer hara keeps giving us the same taavot and obstructions to improving ourselves ...
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Does everyone have a significant purpose in life?
What if my sole purpose in life is to hold open the door for an old lady? While I'm not mocking this and I'm sure it is a tremendous service to her more so than me, where does that leave me mentally ...
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Case study in chesed: parking morally
A strong, fit man decides that instead of grabbing the absolute closest and most convenient parking spot to his destination, he will leave it and park further away, in case someone more infirm/...
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Is using "god" as a common noun assur?
In the English language, it is not uncommon to hear a person being referred to as "the god of x". Where x can be a skill or specialty like "software engineering", "the god of ...
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Why would some people "return" to Gehinnom?
Rashi on Psalms 9:18 states:
לשאולה: אמר רבי נחמי' כל תיבה הצריכה למ"ד בתחלתה הטיל לה ה"א בסופה
כגון (בראשית יב) מצרימה מדברה התיבון לי' והכתיב ישובו רשעים לשאולה א"ר
אבא בר זבדי ...
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Concepts of God
Is the concept of God in Jewish religious traditions often characterized by attributes like self-centeredness, a demand for worship, jealousy, and punishment for not adhering to beliefs?
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How can we exist?
Positing that G.od is perfect (by the fact that he is the moral authority and is thought of as absolute perfection according to the general consensus); a change that he makes would mean that he was ...
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Why is Human Intellect the only "faculty" with a dedicated Beracha in Amidah?
Only one of the berachot in Amidah (notably, the first one after the 3 berachot of praise; אַתָּה חוֹנֵן לְאָדָם דַּֽעַת) thematically corresponds to a faculty in the human being, namely intelligence. ...
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Are there any torah based books discussing the outdoors, nature, sepcific plants flora or fauna?
Shalom,
I'm trying to find books geared towards nature lovers.
Wanting to go into the forest and identify plants, trees, rock formations and geological phenomena and their characteristics from a ...
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Source for zeh le'umas zeh interpretation
There is a well known concept in Jewish thought that things manifest themselves equally in the realms of holiness and unholiness, kind of like a cosmic balance. Many mefarshim quote this pasuk from ...
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Holy Boycotts - Permitted, recommended, obligated or forbidden?
It is a well known principle that we must make sure that the people we give tzeddakah to are definitely poor and not scammers/fraudsters (see Yoreh De'ah 251:10).
I am sure this principle is not ...
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Query about the grass analogy in the Tehillim
Shalom.
Tehillim 92 and 103 both deploy grass as an analogy, in the former to describe the wicked, and in the latter to describe Man / Adam in general.
Should we take these verses, combined, as a ...
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Is it apikorises to believe animals (not humans) evolved? [duplicate]
Is it apikorises to believe such a thing? On the surface it makes sense, but evolutionism seems to greatly contradict with the Torah’s calendar in some ways.
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Preserving the planet - Is damage irreversible according to this midrash?
The medrash in kohelet rabah 7:13
says to not destroy the planet on grounds that there's no one who will be able to repair the damages.
Is this an endorsement for Jews to be concerned with climate ...
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Would there be bad tidings in Olam Haba?
https://www.sefaria.org/Pesachim.50a.17
״וְהָיָה ה׳ לְמֶלֶךְ עַל כׇּל הָאָרֶץ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִהְיֶה ה׳ אֶחָד
וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד״. אַטּוּ הָאִידָּנָא לָאו אֶחָד הוּא? אָמַר רַבִּי
אַחָא בַּר חֲנִינָא: ...
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