Questions tagged [kavana-intent]
A tag for all questions about davar-sh'eino-miskavein, davar sh'eina tzrichah l'gufah, and within shabbos - psik reisha and meleches machsheves. Not to be confused with kavana-concentration. (This tag should probably be renamed Miskavein-intent.)
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Would Kavanah (intention) be the appropriate word for applying physical effort to a prayer goal or is there another word/concept for it?
There's an expression, "Pray, but move your feet."
The idea of the expression is it's great to pray for things but don't think that means you are excused from putting in effort to work ...
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What are the differences between selichah, mechilah and kaparah?
In reflecting on these three terms, selichah, mechilah and kapparah, they are often thought of simply as synonyms of forgiveness.
But trying to focus on their specific meanings in the context of the ...
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בָּרוּךְ אֱלֹקֵינוּ שֶׁבְּרָאָֽנוּ לִכְבוֹדוֹ - What is the background of this prayer?
What is the background of this prayer? I'd like to know who composed it, when, if there was any reason that it was composed, and what the intentions of the composer were that we should absorb when ...
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How our thoughts influence others -- seeking source from Lekutei Maharan
I once came across a quote from Likutei Maharan (or maybe the back section, Likutei Tanina) that spelled out very clearly that, when we have positive thoughts towards other people, no matter how far ...
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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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Davening for Gentiles in Sim Shalom
With the invasion of Ukraine and other atrocities in the back of everyone's mind, I've been wondering if it is proper to pray for Gentiles in the bracha of sim shalom. Obviously the nusach seems to ...
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Does charity which is misused by its recipient count?
Let’s say you give to charity and the charity wastes your money does it still count due to proper intention?
user24193
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Better less with kavannah than more without?
Right at the beginning of the Tur and Shulchan Aruch, siman 1, it says that it is better to pray a little with kavannah (proper concentration?) than more without. I don't know that anyone argues. I ...
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Doing the mehadrin level differently -- does it invalidate the mitzvah?
On Channukah, the mitzvah is for a light to be lit in each household, as the Rambam (Hil Purim/Channukah, 4:1) writes, "מצותה שיהיה כל בית ובית מדליק נר אחד."
If one wants to perform a "...
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Is not protesting tantamount to intentionally doing something -- ramifications
If a Jew sees another Jew about to do an aveira (chas veshalom), and knows that if he speaks in a certain way to protest the action, the other Jew might listen to him, but doesn't do so, is he liable ...
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Intend not to fulfill Krias Hatorah
May one have in mind not to be yoitzeh krias hatorah in a minyan that he is participating in order to be metzaref for another minyan later?
For example (according to the opinion that on Mon,Thu you ...
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Kavana or Ma’aseh? What Matters?
Ohr Hachaim explains Breishit 50:20 by way of a mashal: someone intended to give his fellow poison but ended up giving him wine. The perpetrator is not deemed to be chayav for what he intended to do.
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Is Bitul Chameitz effective on unknown chameitz?
When one is mevateil chameitz, does he have to have in mind the chameitz he intends to be mevatel? If not, how could there be anything found on Pesach that he would have to burn?
According to this ...
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Can a natural hollow become an Ohel for Tum'ah through human use?
In Mas. Sukkah 20b, R' Yehudah states his opinion that for something to be an ohel enough to shelter Tumah (and create a situation where that Tumah is transmitted within) the shelter has to be man ...
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With what intention should you immerse in the Mikvah?
I've just been reading Maimonides and he says in the Mishneh Torah (Immersion Pools chapter 11)
Therefore the sages have said, if a man immerses himself, but without
special intention, it as ...
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Sotah saving herself by disqualifying the mincha
The gemara in Zevachim 47a quotes the opinion of Rabbi Elazar Bar Rabbi Yose who holds that not only the kohen who is being makrev a korban can disqualify, but even the owner can disqualify. Upon ...
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Violating commandments with good intentions [duplicate]
The Talmud says, in two places: "Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak says: A transgression performed for the sake of Heaven is greater than a commandment performed not for its own sake." [Nazir 23b, Horayot 10b]
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Can one walk on snow on Shabbos when there is another route one can take?
In OC 320, the Shulchan Aruch discusses the prohibition of crushing on Shabbos. In §13, he rules:
דורס שלג ברגליו ואינו חושש:
One can stomp snow with his feet and not be concerned.
The ...
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In prayer for sick, can one name count for two people?
On Shabbat morning, the gabbai prays for the sick to be healed and reads out a list of names of sick people, that was provided by the community.
In the case where two sick people have the same name (...
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If the בעל קורא had in mind a specific person while reading the תוכחה (curses) is that considered מקלל חבירו?
The Ohr Zarua writes:
האור זרוע (שו"ת ח"א סי' קיד) כתב, ומורי הר"ר יהודה חסיד אמר לי שצריך הש"ץ [הקורא בתורה בפרשת הקללות בפ' בחוקתי ובפ' כי תבוא] להיות אהוב לציבור, שאם לא כן, כשקוראים התוכחה, ...
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Who pays for replacement korban?
When the kohen does an avodah shelo l'shma and the baal must bring another, who pays for the second animal?
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What is the intention when we recite the blessing "who didn't make me..."?
There are three blessings containing nine words which are grouped together in the morning blessings. Namely, 1) Who didn't make me a goy (גוי), 2) Who didn't make me a servant (עבד), and 3) who didn't ...
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When during IVF are the parents' thoughts determining the level of the soul of their baby
I have read that the thoughts of a couple during marital relations does determine and effect the level of the soul they draw down for their baby. What about a couple using IVF to conceive? When ...
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What are the mitzvot that require intent?
Forgive me in that I do not know the proper nomenclature.
Some mitzvot are complete by the simple action (or refrain from action)
Some mitzvot require action and intent, besides the problem of ...
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Credit for a mitzvah done wrong
Hypothetical case: I have been putting tefillin on every applicable morning for many years now. This morning, in shul, someone came up to me and said, "Your shel yad is placed completely incorrectly! ...
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Has anyone found any reliable sources for tefilin meditation?
I recently began putting on tefilin, and I had heard of meditations that one can do when putting on the tefilin. Does anyone know of any good meditative practices surrounding tefilin?
Or is their any ...
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The Rambam on a forced get
The famous Rambam(Hilchos Geirushin 2:20) where he writes that if a man is required to divorce his wife (which were enumerated in Hilchos Ishus) and he doesn't want to divorce her ,beis din can force ...
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Does one have to make multiple blessings of "Shehakol" on hot coffee? [duplicate]
One buys hot coffee and keeps in a thermos the entire day. When he buys it, he takes a few sips (enough to qualify to make a bracha) and has in mind that he will be sipping from the thermos throughout ...
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The Anshei Knesses Hagedola and the mitzvas succah
In the text of the רבון כל העולמים that many people say as part of the welcoming of the אושפיזין, we find the words:
וכאילו כיונתי בכל הכונות שכונו בה אנשי כנסת הגדולה.
I am having trouble ...
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Intentions of chesed
When doing a mitzvah which is an act of kindness such as charity or helping someone, what is the proper intention?
To focus on the recipient? Or perhaps I should be thinking I am doing a command of ...
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Convert without accepting mitzvos?
Conversion is always a hot topic, especially here in Israel. Many times conversions take place where the Ger (convert) didn't have the intention to be m'kabel (accept) the mitzvos. People scream and ...
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Can a Jewish actor participate in a pie-throwing scene that uses non-kosher pies?
For those younger readers who may be unfamiliar, (call me an "A.K." if you wish) pie throwing was a common comedic scene and activity in several movies and T.V. skits such as The 3 Stooges (nyuk nyuk)....
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Unintentional Tosefes Shabbos
My shul newsletter misprinted candle lighting times this week --- instead of 8:01, it listed 7:48. This leads me to 2 questions:
If I light candles at 7:48 because I think that that is the right time ...
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Why "ומייתי להו בשגגה" for a סולם and not for other equipment?
The fifth chapter of Shabas in the Bavli discusses various things an animal can wear in the street on Shabas. Some of them are forbidden because the item may fall off the animal and a person may come ...
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Is a psik reisha d'lo nicha or d'lo echpat judged against a communal standard?
If I perform an action on Shabbos which will cause a secondary (forbidden) action, the secondary action is assessed as to whether it is desirable, detrimental or neutral (as per Difference between ...
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Does Birkas Hamazon eliminate the need for bracha acharona on foods eaten before?
Someone ate something which, in and of itself, requires a bracha achrona (e.g. Al Hamichya or Borei Nefashos) and carelessly moved on to eating bread before reciting said bracha achrona. Should one ...
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Does coffee need a bracha if you have it every day after a meal?
If almost everyday after my lunch I have coffee. If I had something like chicken that required a shehakol does the coffee become exempt from requiring its own shehakol (assuming I did not make an ...
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Two brachos one mikvah
If I made a bracha and immersed two vessels, and then someone came over and asked me to immerse their vessel as well, since I did not have their vessel in mind, do I say a new bracha?
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Shiluvim and Ashkenazim
In many Edot haMizrach siddurim, the tetragrammaton is printed with kavvanot (called shiluvim) in the final ה. Is it appropriate, according to Ashkenazi poskim, to pay attention to these kavanot?
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Is dvar sheina mitchaven permitted if the melacha is inevitable?
My question refers to the class of permitted actions that may inadvertently cause melachas as byproducts. (For example, with hair brushing, the intention is not to pull out the hair, but this does ...
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Intent to include foods in bracha that exist only as ingredients
Given that one has a shehakol food as well as water and coffee beans, if one makes a shehakol on the other food intending to include the prepared coffee, and only then realizes that the coffee has not ...
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The Vilna Gaon's definition of Torah lishmah
The Vilna Gaon in his perush on aggados Chazal (Brachos 57a D"h hameikiz dam) says that a person who learns Torah lishmah does not need to work on his middos and does not need Pirkei Avos.
I would ...
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Why don't some do yibum today, l'chatchilah?
According to the Mishna (Bechorot 1:7) the reason not to perform yibum nowadays is people don't have intention l'shem mitzva when performing yibum. Firstly I would like to know if there are any other ...
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Unintentional closing and opening of electrical circuits on shabbat
As a non Jew, after reading Why are Shabbat loopholes a good thing? I have been pondering the above question:
The Torah forbids closing/opening electrical circuits on Shabbat.
- Danny Schoemann
...
- 567
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Laws regarding putting someone to death for violating the sabbath
Two witnesses go to the beit din and claim that so and so violated the sabbath on a biblical level. The witnesses claim they warned him in accordance with the rules and they did their part as ...
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What is the proper intent to have when we say "Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh?"
One of the benefits of communal prayer is the ability to say K'dusha in the repetition of the Amidah. We also say "Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh" (Is 6) as a preparatory component of Shma, and in U'Va L'...
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Can photographs be considered idols?
Can photographs of people be considered idols? Is it the kavanot that the viewer ascribes that is important or is it inherent in a 2D image of a face?
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Pulling out hairs while wiping yourself on Shabbat
Religious Jews are normally careful not to pull out hairs during Shabbat.
After Mr. Ploni defecates, he wipes his rear end carefully. But he knows that it's impossible for him to clean his bottom to ...
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Being yotzee a bracha while only having intention from the middle?
Someone was making havdallah and another person was there who decided to not have kavana (intention) to fufill their obligation of the aish (fire) part of havdallah with that person. In the middle of ...
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Why isn't steeping tea a מלאכה שאינה צריכה לגופה?
The definition of the m'lacha of cooking/baking on Shabas is "effecting a change in an object through (fire-based) heat". This is alluded to in the very first paragraph of Sh'miras Shabas K'hilchasah ...
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