Questions tagged [rabbis]
Questions about the lives and personalities of Jewish religious authorities.
601 questions
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Why do Rabbis curse in the Gemara?
I've always believed cursing people is forbidden in Judaism, but I recently read the following on the Gemara:
Berakhot 13b
והא רבי יהושע בן לוי לייט אמאן דגני אפרקיד
For lo, R. Joshua b. Levi cursed ...
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Whose portrait hung in Rav Elyashiv's home? [closed]
Whose portrait hung in Rav Elyashiv's home? In this video (on the top-right of the video, to Rav Elyashiv's left) you can see the portrait I'm asking about.
The portrait was not hung in the same room ...
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Unique signature of the Chida
The Chida has a very unique signature.
What is the significance of this signature (if any)?
Is it in any way related to the seven kabbalistic seals?
Are there other similarly unusual signatures by ...
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Which rabbi said "if a horse had the mind of Kant ..."?
I recall hearing in yeshiva that one great rabbi -- I think one of the baalei mussar? once said:
If a horse had the mind of Kant, it would author volume after volume of great philosphical works -- ...
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What is the typical retirement plan for a Chabad-Lubavitch shliach (emissary)? [closed]
If a Chabad-Lubavitch couple decide to live as shlichim (emissaries) in some place far from New York, what's the most common age and location of retirement? Do they tend to remain in their location? ...
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When the Torah was almost lost and one (or several) Rabbis saved it?
I heard several times from numerous sources, that there were times in history (during the 1st and the 2nd Temples) when the Torah (incl. Oral) was almost completely lost and just one Rabbi (or a ...
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What sages were known to have revived the dead?
The Talmud speaks of several rabbis who successfully appealed to G-d to revive a deceased colleague or some other individual. As I recall, one revived rabbi asked to be return to the world of the ...
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What is the status of the psak of a Maharat?
If an orthodox male Rabbi bestows semicha on a woman (dubbed Maharat), what is the status of her halachic decisions? This question is irrespective of whether or not the male Rabbi should confer ...
user2110
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Does an Orthodox rabbi have to have semicha?
I have heard that in the Orthodox world rabbis that teach are referred to as "Rabbi" even though they might not have semicha. Even several roshei yeshivah might not have semicha. can this be true?
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Name for house of rabbi
I know in some religions and denominations, a building housing the officiant at a nearby place of worship has a special name, like rectory, parsonage, etc. Does a rabbi's place have a similar ...
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Who is Rabbi Shimeon who discusses with Rabbi Yochanan in Gemara
Gemara Kiddushin 66b:
אמר ליה רבי שמעון לרבי יוחנן כללא הוא דכל מקום שיש קידושין ואין עבירה הולד הולך אחר הזכר
Rabbi Shimeon said to Rabbi Yochanan, it is a general principle!?
I assume that it's ...
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Sefer Torah Lishma **not** from the Ben Ish Hai?
Yabia Omer vol. 9 Orah Haim sim. 96:
גם ראיתי בקובץ "משנת חכמים", (תשרי תש"ס), במאמר מאת הרה"ג עזריאל מנצור (עמוד לה) שכתב, ששאל על זה מאת הרה"ג יעקב מוצפי זצ"ל, ואמר לו, שספר "תורה לשמה" אינו לרבי ...
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Why does the Rabbi face the congregation during prayer?
In nearly every shul I've been in the Rav of the shul sits up near the aron kodesh and faces towards the congregation instead of facing east. I assume this is in keeping with halacha (as mentioned in ...
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Are there recordings of Rav Elyashiv ztz'l learning with his unique melody?
Rav Elyashiv apparently utilized a distinctive melody when learning. Are there any extant recordings, either audio or video, of this melody?
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HaGaon HaRav Asher Weiss Shelita and Techelet
Does anyone know if HaRav HaGaon Asher Weiss wears Techelet?
Also, why or why not?
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Who is "Mar" ("The Master") in the Bavli?
Throughout the Bavli, but (based on a Sefaria search) never in the Mishnah, the Tosefta, or the Yerushalmi, we find the phrase "amar Mar" (אמר מר) without any other identifier (in contrast ...
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Is Harav Shteinman's tzava'ah (last will) halachically binding?
The Rav Hakadosh Harav Shteinman zatzal wrote in his tzava'ah (last instructions) to the public, not to call him a Tzaddik or Yereh Shamayim, and not to write articles about him in the newspaper.
Is ...
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On What Subjects Does One Say Birchas HaTorah?
Must one say Birchas Hatorah before learning
Aggadata in the Gemara?
Biographies like Shem Hagedolim (a biography of various Rabbonim written by the Chida)?
Artscroll biographies?
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Rav Yaakov Moshe Hillel and wearing tzitzios out
Does someone know anything about Rav Yaakov Moshe Hillel shlita hamekubal stating that tzitzios should be worn outside the clothes? I read it once but without any sources on a web forum.
It would be ...
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What was Rabbi Judah ben Samuel's method for predicting the Beginning of Messianic Times?
John Hagee said this on a recent program and in his book The 4 Blood Moons (chapter 16):
Rabbi Judah heHasid – “In the ninth jubilee Jerusalem will once again
come back into the possession of the ...
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How can I know a rav has daas Torah
I have been privileged to know rabbis of great wisdom and knowledge who could address my issues with unique and helpful insights through the prism of Torah. I always understood them to have "daas ...
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Is there such a thing as dispassionate p'sak?
(Inspired by P'sak halacha by AI?)
Much is made of the need for poskim to be well-experienced people who have been involved in a number and variety of Jewish legal situations commensurate with ...
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Why is Rabbi Yitzchak Luria referred to as Godly?
In shul a friend explained to me the moniker Ari actualy stands for Eloki Rav Yitzchak, meaning the Godly Rabbi Yitzchak (Luria). The appellation Godly struck me as odd. How is such a thing ...
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Looking for biographical information about R. Avraham Halevi Fattal [closed]
I'm writing something for which I need a capsule biography of him. So far, about all I know is:
He is the father-in-law of (יבלח"ט) R. Ovadiah Yosef.
He was an important figure in the Syrian Jewish ...
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Shiurim on Approaches of Meforshim
Does anyone know of any good shiurim that I could find online that go through the approaches of the various meforshim on Torah?
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What are the different [para-]rabbinic roles in the UK?
If you look at the "Our Rabbis" page on the website of the United Kingdom's United Synagogue, you'll find people with the personal titles "Rabbi" or "Reverend," and with the organizational roles "...
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Chabad, Prayer, and Corporeality of Hashem
Statement of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, regarding 'betten' (beseeching) the Rebbe [quoted here]:
“It is not possible to ask a question about a [Rebbe being a]
go-between, since this is G-d Himself, ...
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What is Kabbalos Pnei Rabo?
There is an obligation to visit ones Rebbe on holidays (see here for details)
However the mitzvah or obligation that we know of, what does this mean exactly? Is it enough if I "see" my Rebbe even if ...
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Can a convert (ger) become a chabad shliach?
"A convert may not hold a position of Jewish communal authority." (Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Melachim 1:4)
The Tzitz Eliezer ruled that a convert may not serve in a lone communal position but he may ...
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What forms of evidence do batei din accept to establish that someone is Jewish?
I am interested in the question, what forms of evidence do contemporary Orthodox batei din accept to establish that someone is Jewish? In particular, if you, your parents and grand-parents are non-...
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The ban on conversion to Judaism in Argentina
In 1927 the rabbi of a Syrian-Jewish congregation in Buenos Aires banned all conversions to Judaism in Argentina forever ("ad kol yemei olam"). The ban is still in effect today. Candidates for ...
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Identifying Ba'alei Tosafos [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Who is the voice of Tosafoth?
How much do we know about which specific people wrote which comments of Tosafos?
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What makes a Rabbi?
There are Rabbis everywhere, how to identify who is a real Rabbi if the Rabbi is not included in a recognized organization, such as Israeli Supreme Court or RCA etc.? Does a Rabbi need Yeshiva study ...
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Did the Ba'al Shem Tov actually exist?
In my high school Jewish history class, we learnt of the idea that the Ba'al Shem Tov might have not even existed. I have also heard this "dispute" from another rabbi recently.
Is there any ...
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Why does Halacha not follow the simple reading of the Biblical text?
There are many Halachot which appear to contradict explicit Biblical statements. For example, that an "Eye for an Eye" means monetary compensation.
Why does Halacha not follow the simple reading of ...
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Does the Talmud continue to use extra Tanachic sources?
I'm trying to draw an analogy between the written and the oral Torah. After the Mishna was signed, the Sages continued to use extra-Mishnaic sources forever (Toseftah, Midrashim, etc).
After the 24 ...
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Who was the first ordained rabbi to live in the USA?
Who was the first ordained rabbi to live in the USA? What was his position?
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What is the process called to become a Rabbi?
For example, Minister's become ordained in Christianity. What is the process and the actual act of becoming a Rabbi called in Judaism?
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Is a female Torah scholar accorded the same honors as a male?
Would a woman who is as learned in Torah as a male Rosh Yeshiva or talmud scholar be accorded the same honors such as standing up for them or, in the case of an outstanding scholar reciting the ...
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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 ...
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Which rabbis in the Talmud were placed under cherem?
Which rabbis in the Talmud were placed under cherem (excommunication)? We know about Rabbi Eliezer Bava Metzia 59b and Rabbi Akavia ben Mahalal’el [Eduyyot 7b, but see discussion there]. Anybody ...
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List of Techelet Wearers
I was looking online for a list of people famous for deciding or influencing halacha, who currently wear Ptil Techelet Techelet ("Murex")
However I could not find one.
Does such a list exist? If not,...
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What was the ultimate fate of Rabbi Elisha ben Abuyah (Acher)?
Unsong is a work of online serial fiction by Scott Alexander which is based heavily on Judaism. (I highly recommend it to Jews and Gentiles alike.) In this chapter of Unsong, the archangel Uriel ...
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Rav Scheinberg and Tzitzis (series of questions)
I have heard that Rav Scheinberg wore many garments with ציציות on them at a time. . .
Is this true?
If so, why did he do it?
If not, why do other people do it?
How many ברכות do they make when ...
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Rabbi Avraham Hachozeh and his book
A friend of mine is looking for information on a rabbi he saw mentioned in the book "Chochmat Hanefesh" by Rabbi Elazar of Worms (most famous for his "Sefer Haroke'ach"). In the ...
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How many rabbis does a synagogue have and what is their role?
I am a someone who is interested in Judaism. A question I have is that are there many rabbis which work in a synagogue and if so, what job do they all perform? I know that a rabbi teaches and makes ...
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How can all the great rabbis' practices be accepted by Hashem? [duplicate]
This may seem like a child's question, but it's one I never thought to ask as a child, so I never learned the answer.
Rabbinic traditions — even within continuous geographical lineages amongst ...
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Was Marcus Jastrow an apikores? [closed]
During Yeshiva I remember some bochrim made a point of not putting the Jastrow dictionary on top of sefarim, and would often talk about how it does not have kedusha because it was written by an ...
user3318
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Why did Rabbis stay away from Amei Haaretz?
The Gemara tells Torah scholars not to mix with Amei Haaretz, eat with them, et cetera. The Gemara's concern was that the Torah scholars would learn from the bad ways of the Amei Haaretz.
Yet, for the ...
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Are there any Rishonim buried in England and France
Do we know of any of the burial places of Rishonim around France and England? I know Rabbi Yisrael Meir Gabbai has found some but are there any tools to source ancient Jewish cemeteries e.g. a map?
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