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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Accepting blame for someone else?
This is connected to my other question about malicious compliance, but a bit different. Imagine something goes wrong, and for whatever reason the blame falls on you even though it wasn't you, but you ...
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What is the significance of demanding that a Jew write on the horn of an ox that they have no portion in the G-d of Israel?
In reflecting over the concepts of Hanukkah there seem, at first glance, to be many contradictory and conflicting messages.
In the blessing related to Hanukkah we acknowledge, thank and praise G-d for ...
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Are the sefirot created?
The sefirot are said to be attributes / emanations by which the Ein Sof reveals Himself to his creation. G-d is said to be the eternal one. But are His sefirot also eternal or are they created?
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Why is finding a Sealed Pach Hashemen a miracle?
This is one of the 3 miracles of Chanukah and the one memorialized by decreeing the holiday on the 25th of Kislev as opposed to the 24th when the miracle of the military victory happened or the 26th ...
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What is the position of each of these Non-Orthodox groups regarding the Oral Torah presented by Orthodox Judaism?
From my vague general knowledge (without studying this in depth), there are 6 general “mathematical” (potential) positions available for groups regarding the Orthodox Oral Torah;
G-d never Gave ANY ...
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Can Orthodoxy allow for random chance as a cause of suffering?
To what extent is an Orthodox Jew permitted to believe that the suffering of the righteous is caused by random chance?
Could the oft-cited idea of "olam k'minhago noheg" provided cover for ...
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What is the difference between mida k'negged mida and nekama
Not a kasha, a sincere question. What is the exact reason that mida k'negged mida is not considered revenge?
Issues that may or may not be relevant:
Is it just because it is Hashem doing it?
Does ...
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How to handle situations where your superior has insisted you do something that you know is bad for them
There is a concept called malicious compliance in the secular world. A typical example would be when your boss is in a bad mood, and has a go at you for a mistake and says you are no longer allowed to ...
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How can all explanations of the Torah be True when they contradict each other (eilu v'eilu)?
I've read multiple questions/answers that discuss Eilu V'eilu. However, the seem to always come back to the discussion of how it applies to Halacha. My question is stemming from somewhere else.
If ...
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Did ALL the Jews at the time of the closing of the Talmud accept the Talmud as binding?
The Rambam states in his introduction to Mishna Torah that the Talmud Bavli is binding because;
כל אותם הדברים שבתלמוד הסכימו עליהם כל ישראל.
What is the definition of the word "ישראל" in ...
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Sources regarding the Mesorah of the explanations/details of the Torah
It's difficult for me to accept that laws that I see written in a modern day Halacha sefer really originate from what G-d Told Moshe thousands of years ago. This is because there is so much time in ...
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What is the SOURCE of the rules/protocols [for dealing with machlokes] within the Oral Law?
As far as I am aware, there are 3 major categories of Torah She’baal peh;
a) Known via direct Mesorah.
b) Known via interpretation (following the RULES of interpretation [eg
hermeneutic laws and s’...
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Did Nachmanides believe the Shechinah is God, and uncreated?
I heard couple claims that Nachmanides had the belief that the Shechinah is not a caused and distinct emanation but rather God himself or even a person (hypostasis) according to some Christians, the ...
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Is one permitted to face another direction besides towards eretz yisroel when praying?
Assuming one isn't davening in a minyan so as not to disrespect the minyan but if someone is already praying on their own is it permissible to face another direction?
"Rebbe Yitzhak said: one who ...
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Are Jewish souls eternal? [duplicate]
Rabbi Kaplan in Moreh Ohr 3:4 (p. 43), brings a quotation from the introduction of Shefa Tal:
“The souls of the Jewish nation are a part of God, which is hinted to
in Dev. 32:9 ‘כי חלק ה׳ עמו, For ...
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What were the 10 instances when the Torah reports that God descended?
What were the 10 instances when the Torah reports that God descended?
This question is inspired from reading this statement from the Wikepedia entry on parashat Noach:
Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai taught ...
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If the ENTIRE Egyptian army drowned, why didn't the Babylonians/Hittites invade Egypt?
The following is an excerpt of a critique on "Reason to Believe":
Critic: Under these conditions, were the Ten Plagues and a total crush of the Egyptian army in the Red Sea waters to happen,...
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How to reconcile two approaches to worldly pleasures found in Torah - avoidance and obligation?
I am looking for a detailed, comprehensive answer (if possible) to this. As one studies Torah one comes across a seeming contradictory set of values.
On the one hand, it seems that our greatest heroes ...
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Why does the yeshiva system focus mainly on the study of the talmud? [duplicate]
It seems, almost across the board, that most yeshivas spent the majority of their time studying the talmud while allocating very little (if any) time towards the study of other critical judaic texts ...
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Is it wrong (or at least off) to refer to Judaism as a "faith"?
I teach Jewish Studies to primarily non-Jewish college students. One of my students referred to Judaism as a "faith." I associate the term "faith" with Christianity since it is ...
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The Gemara (Sukkah 25b) mentions "taking your mind off your worries." Do any commentators elaborate on exactly how to do that?
The Gemara (Sukkah 25b) mentions that an avel (mourner) is obligated in the mitzvah of Sukkah. One might have thought that since someone who is mitzta'er (in pain) is exempt from the mitzvah, that an ...
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Concept of sinner?
In Judaism is there a concept of being a sinner.
What I mean by that is in the xhristian religion, most everyone considers themselves a sinner. Would not the point be to consider yourself righteous ...
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Is it possible to use free will to avoid getting married?
In the context of zivugim, it seems that it's not possible to marry someone who is not your zivug. See this answer for some sources, as well as this gemara in Moed Katan 18b for example.
What I have ...
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how is the 10th commandment "לֹ֥א תַחְמֹ֖ד" understood in light of Devarim parshas Nitzavim last pasuk of shlishi?
How is the 10th commandment of the 10 commandments "לֹ֥א תַחְמֹ֖ד" (not to covet) understood in light of the verse in Devarim?
The verse in Devarim is, "The hidden things belong to the ...
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How would you define this list of breakaways from Judaism?
I don’t know so much about history and theology, but I saw the following list and I was hoping that someone could help me understand it;
I saw R Dovid Gottlieb in "Reason to Believe" ...
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According to Tanya, does the animal soul partially abide in the mind?
Tanya Chapter 8 (source) writes that "the abode of the animal soul ... is in the heart, ... the left ventricle". In contrast, "the abode of the divine soul is in the brains ... [and] ...
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Does the future depend on me alone?
I read in a book that the Zohar says that everyone should consider himself as if the future of the world depended on him alone. Where does it say that, and does the idea originate elsewhere? I know ...
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How can not taking revenge be reconciled with the concept of goel hadam?
We are not allowed to take revenge, as the Rambam codifies
This would be, for example if one person did something [against another]; and the other person doesn't stop pursuing him until he pays him ...
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Is "Reason to Believe" correct that the Jewish Nation had no outstanding achievements?
R Gottlieb in his book called Reason to Believe claims that the UNEXPECTED survival of the Jews is a reason to believe in a Supernatural Being that cares about the Jews, has abilities to affect the ...
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Question about proofs for Judaism
Here are some questions I asked Rabbi Gotlieb and would like to know if anybody knows the answer (please cite sources if necessary?
My main question is in the event that the king over israel decides ...
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Did Any Rabbis Reject The Idea of There Being 613 Commandments?
I was reading "The Secret of the Torah: A Translation of Ibn Ezra’s Yesod Mora" and in the introduction the translator makes a point that Ibn Ezra doesn't believe in there being "613 ...
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What is hashgacha pratis
I always hear the term but I thought it meant hashgacha in everything that occurs. I did some research and found that hashgacha pratis refers to the animals and vegatation as opposed to just general ...
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July 4th in relation to the Jewish calendar
I was wondering if anyone has any sources that discuss the fact that July 4th, 1776 was 17 Tamuz 5536. Is there any correlation between the Declaration of Independence and the Destruction of Jerusalem?...
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Is all mankind suppose to reach the level of the Tzadick
In the cycle of reincarnation is every one to reincarnate until they reach the level of Tzadick or simply until they fulfill the Mitzvot?
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What can Torah teach us about if voting makes u responsible for the actions of the elected, or system?What does voting affect in the spiritual worlds?
If a nation has a national election with only so to speak "bad" candidates, what teachings from Tanakh, Talmud, Jewish law or Jewish ethics in general, and the mystical teachings of the ...
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Why do some communities not accept converts? [duplicate]
Why do some communities not accept converts? I heard that syrian communities don't accept converts. Also in Argentina.
Why did they stop accepting converts?
Also the gemara (yevamos 47b) says we push ...
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English translation for Kovetz Maamarim?
I’m looking for an English translation of Rabbi Elchanan Washerman’s sefer, “Kovetz Maamarim”. Are there any publications?
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Why would a philosophical/theological argument require voting?
"תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: שְׁתֵּי שָׁנִים וּמֶחֱצָה נֶחְלְקוּ בֵּית שַׁמַּאי וּבֵית הִלֵּל. הַלָּלוּ אוֹמְרִים: נוֹחַ לוֹ לְאָדָם שֶׁלֹּא נִבְרָא יוֹתֵר מִשֶּׁנִּבְרָא, וְהַלָּלוּ אוֹמְרִים: נוֹחַ לוֹ ...
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How do the brain and the Neshama relate to each other?
We all know that every individual contains a "Neshama", or soul. The soul is the embodiment of our being; it is what makes us...us. The brain however, is the center of all our cognitive ...
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Where does 'lev melochim beyad hashem' apply
Someone was discussing with me siyata dishmaya during the second World War. He spoke about how Churchill came to power and inevitably fought against Hitler. So he quoted Rav Miller from gateshead ...
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Does Shoftim 2:10 refute the Kuzari argument?
Shoftim 2:10 states that a generation arose which:
לא ידעו את ה' וגם את המעשה אשר עשה לישראל
knew not the L-rd, nor yet the work which he had done for Yisrael
This either means that we literally ...
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How to identify if a Chabad shul is Meshichist?
How can one discern whether a Chabad shul is Meshichist?
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Rambam and R' Yehuda Halevi
Is there any evidence that Rambam was familiar with the writings of R' Yehuda Halevi? The more concrete the better.
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Believing Universe to be older than 6k years K'firah (heresy)?
I know that the age of universe and/or earth is not one of the 13 ikarim.
Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan held it could be much older. But he wasn't a posek (at least he wasn't known as one) and was controversial.
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Is the Law of Attraction/Law of Assumption permitted to be used (Is it Kishuf if it works or any other issur)?
The law of assumption is "a belief that the world does not depend on what is there, but more so the assumptions you form in your mind while looking at it. So your assumptions create your reality. ...
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What are the best books to read to get familiar with Jewish philosophy?
I'm looking to spend about 3 months learning Jewish philosophy pretty intensely. I'm looking for recommendations on what are the best books to read, which ones may be too complex, and how I should ...
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What will be the official language of the Kingdom of Israel?
This question assumes the correctness of the Shita that it is forbidden to use Lashon Koidesh for mundane language today. Rather I'm asking if this will or will not be the case in the restored Kingdom ...
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The 'No True Scotsman' Fallacy and Judaism
I don't know if this has been asked before, perhaps with different terminology.
There is a well-known fallacy, that in the realm of religious debates, comes up often especially with regards to "...
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Death on the battlefield
Last Shabbat, I was reading a book called היהודים בערב (The Jews in Arabia) by Dr. Yisrael Ben Ze'ev. In the book, a section was dedicated to a pre-Islamic Arabian Jewish poet named Shmuel ben Adiyah. ...
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How did Adam and Eve sin before they ate from the Tree of Knowledge?
We see in chapter three of Genesis that although Adam and Eve were commanded not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge by G-d, the serpent was able to make it desirable in their eyes and lead them to sin.
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