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Questions tagged [rabbis]

Questions about the lives and personalities of Jewish religious authorities.

32 questions from the last 365 days
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8 votes
1 answer
665 views

Who is the רא״ח?

The Mogein Avrohom in 580:5 says: בכ"ח בכסלו - במגילת תענית כתב בשבעה בכסליו ובה"ג כתב בשמונה ובכל בו כתב בחמשה וכתב בשל"ה דאף המחמיר להתענות בכולן לא יתענה בחנוכה, עיין רא"ח ח&...
Joshua Pearl's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
112 views

Do any Poskim still respond with full teshuvos/responsa?

It seems like until recently, it wasn't very hard to get a comprehensive teshuva to a shaila one had. Sefarim like Igros Moshe, Shevet Haleivi, Minchas Yitzchak, Tzitz Eliezer etc. are compilations of ...
chortkov2's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
657 views

How would a person become a rabbi around 1 CE?

Given the general illiteracy, the lack of public libraries, the high cost of Torah copies and writing materials, how would a person become a rabbi in 1 CE? Given the costs and reading/writing ...
Candid Moe's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
389 views

Please explain the end of Tosefta Eduyot

At the end of Tosefta Eduyot 3:4 it states: One who has students, they call him rabbi. When his students were forgotten, they called him rabban. When both of these are forgotten, they call him by his ...
rikitikitembo's user avatar
4 votes
0 answers
50 views

Is there a halakhic basis for the position of Chief Rabbi of a country whose authority must be acknowledged by all Jewish citizens?

Wikipedia lists 39 countries which have one or more Chief Rabbis, counting the United Kingdom and Commonwealth as one rabbinate. Israel is the only country in which the Ashkenazi and Sephardic Chief ...
keshava das's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
98 views

Is it permissible for a rabbi to publicly criticize and insult other rabbis who he finds to be misguiding the community and misrepresenting Judaism?

I've seen certain rabbis do this to other rabbis and even encourage their students and followers to do the same. Is this allowed in Judaism?
ddas91600's user avatar
  • 493
1 vote
1 answer
211 views

Is there a publicly-searchable database of RCA members (or other way to find out if a given rabbi is a member)?

Is there a way to find out whether a particular rabbi is a member of the Rabbinical Council of America? Is there a searchable database of members, or some other method?
mweiss's user avatar
  • 1,257
4 votes
1 answer
126 views

Did the Arizal's daughter marry the son of R' Yosef Karo?

Is there any source [historical, academic, mystical] that the Arizal's daughter married the son of R' Yosef Karo, author of Shulchan Aruch? I see this mentioned in this article (unsourced), and ...
chortkov2's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
343 views

Is there any reason to suppose that "Reish Lakish" means something like "chief of the bandits"?

I feel like I've heard this many times over the years. In the last couple of days I've shopped the question around, and everyone seems to have heard the theory that because of his colorful past, Reish ...
Chaim's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
55 views

"Asseh Lecha Rav" and location

When choosing a personal rabbi, should it be according to the location (same neighborhood/city/country) according to the Mara De'Atra principle?
חיים's user avatar
  • 207
2 votes
0 answers
56 views

Who was R. Hanina of Rome?

Rashbam to Bava Batra 30a (s.v. mi lo amrinan) quotes an halakhic ruling from "the Commentaries of R. Hanina of Rome". Do we know who this R. Hanina is, and what work Rashbam is quoting from?...
Joel K's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
63 views

When did Negiah become part of Halakha [duplicate]

שלום I am trying to find out around what time Negiah was implemented into Halakha. In no way I am not trying to disrespect Halakha, I am only trying to understand it in a deeper way.
Renzo Cantin's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
27 views

Difference between and meaning of "rav" and "rabbi" [duplicate]

B"H The terms Rav (רב) and Rabbi (רבי) appear in front of different people in the Gemara. What is the difference between the two terms? I heard from a source I don't remember that Rabbi with the ...
Awtsmoos--עצמות's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
111 views

Why did the Teshuvos Avnei Yashfei quote Rav Elyashiv anonymously?

Rav Yisrael Pesach Feinhandler, author of the Teshuvos Avnei Yashfei, often quotes the psak halacha of a "Gaon Echad" who was eventually revealed to be Rav Elyashiv. Why didn't he write in ...
NJM's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
179 views

What are the laws of workers

BH Hi I know that there are certain laws of avadim (slaves) for example how a Jew should be merciful, etc, when having avadim, although now that slavery is highly not accepted around most areas of the ...
David 's user avatar
  • 1,527
2 votes
1 answer
60 views

Does a Rabbi have an obligation towards his students

I am looking for sources/responsa that deal with a Rabbi's moral obligation towards his students - eg. a moral imperative for him to stay with his talmidim, or to continue his relationship. ...
chortkov2's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
64 views

Asse lekha Rav for a convert

Chalom, How to apply Asse lekha Rav for a convert who is considered as his own rabbi The sponsoring rabbi who teach him only during the conversion process The local rabbi even he does not feel ...
חיים's user avatar
  • 207
0 votes
1 answer
101 views

Chacham or "rabbi" vs Classical Semichah?

When does it matter if a rabbi is actually a rabbi with classical semichah miMoshe vs just a chacham who went through a program, of one caliber or another(or not), and got a certification, of one ...
הראל's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
72 views

Is it true there was a sage on his death bed and said I wish I used up all my money?

BH Is it true that there was a sage on his death bed who said I wish I used up all my money?
David 's user avatar
  • 1,527
3 votes
0 answers
30 views

Source for imagining a rabbinic author before you

Whatever the original/straightforward meaning of this verse might be, some have understood the phrase " וְהָי֥וּ עֵינֶ֖יךָ רֹא֥וֹת אֶת־מוֹרֶֽיךָ" (Yeshayah 30) to be instructive, that "...
הנער הזה's user avatar
4 votes
0 answers
51 views

Who is Rabbi Shmuel ben Elqanah Mi-Altona?

He wrote Meqom Shmouel (מקום שמואל), a book of Responsa that contains a lot of materials and discussions from the Rishonim, especially the Rambam. I assume that this is the Aharonim period, the pdf ...
Leo's user avatar
  • 41
2 votes
0 answers
42 views

Is there a specific reason for why the Breslov never adopted a new head Rabbi after the death of Rabbi Nachman?

I've read that the Breslov haven't had a head Rebbe of the movement since Rebbe Nachman passed away. I was curious if there was a specific reason for why a new leader was never chosen and if there has ...
Michael's user avatar
  • 1,413
2 votes
1 answer
128 views

Do the Rabbis determine the laws of nature

A Rabbi has the power of Torah to affect the physical existence. The Gemora Yerushalmi brings a case were a girl lost her virginity after she turned three. Later, the Beis Din determined that that ...
sam pine's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
32 views

Is there any cautions against a person in Torah when someone lies [duplicate]

BH Are there cautions against a person in Torah if someone lies like if a potential shiduch or even close acquaintance lies?
David 's user avatar
  • 1,527
0 votes
1 answer
35 views

Does it say anywhere in Halacha that a person shouldn’t eat where others Arnt eating?

BH Does it say anywhere that a person shouldn’t eat where others are eating so they won’t feel hungry while the person is eating?
David 's user avatar
  • 1,527
0 votes
0 answers
39 views

Is there a Halacha that says that you shouldn’t stretch in public?

BH Is there a consept in Halacha that says that a person shouldn't stretch in public(ie. to keep it together in public)
David 's user avatar
  • 1,527
2 votes
1 answer
133 views

Teshuvah still possible when Mashiach comes or not? [duplicate]

BH I heard when Mashiach comes we will be indefinitely doing teshuvah forever. From another place I heard that when Mashiach comes teshuvah will be closed and no more teshuvah will be possible (I ...
David 's user avatar
  • 1,527
3 votes
2 answers
161 views

Does Halacha require everyone to have a particular, specific Rabbi? [duplicate]

Is every person required to have one particular rabbi to consult? Why or why not? What are the sources? If one does have a rabbi, are those rabbi’s positions and rulings binding? Can one consult ...
qwerty1234's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
388 views

Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu’s writings

Is there a source online for halachic writings of Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu zt’’l? He was a Sephardic chief rabbi, did he publish any books of Halacha or responsa?
Man of faith's user avatar
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0 votes
0 answers
35 views

R. Shlomo Klonitsky-Kline's dictionary of synonyms and homonyms

According to the Hebrew Wikipedia article on R. Shlomo Klonitsky-Kline it is said that he composed a dictionary of Hebrew synonyms and homonyms titled מלון דקדוקי (CMIIW, all of them related to Torah ...
Renato S. Grun's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
208 views

Anyone know the name of this Rabbi? [closed]

I found this rebbe card and I'm not sure who it is? thank you so much in advance!
Alter Klausner's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
56 views

Where to find David Lau’s writings

Does the community here know where one could find any Halacha or responsa writings from Ashkenazi Israeli Chief Rabbi David Baruch Lau?
Man of faith's user avatar
  • 4,532