Questions tagged [rabbis]
Questions about the lives and personalities of Jewish religious authorities.
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Why is it necessary to ask a Rabbi?
In various places on this site, including the FAQ, we have the following disclaimer:
Like Wikipedia, this site makes no guarantee of validity, and does not offer professional (particularly rabbinic)...
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Did any Achronim comment on the American Revolutionary or Civil Wars?
I've heard that for instance, in the 1800s, the American rabbis in the South were pro-slavery, and the American rabbis in the North opposed to it. But what were the views towards America of the more-...
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About what were rabbis ahead of the times?
I have heard claims that experts in the world of Torah were significantly ahead of their counterparts in the world of natural science (or mathematics, or psychology, or…) in that they knew X (...
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Reliable Ask-a-Rabbi Websites
There are some times on this site where questioners will be directed to "ask their Rabbi." While it's always optimal to have such people discuss the question with their own Rabbi (and such action ...
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How Is It That Rabbis Have Copies of Their Own Responsa?
(I could use some help with tagging.)
There are many seforim out there that are the compiled letters or teshuvos of this or that Rabbi. Those that come to mind are "Igros Moshe", from R' Moshe ...
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Why did nobody succeed the Lubavitcher Rebbe?
The late Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson zt"l had no successor as the rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch. Why is this? Was it simply because he had no children? If so, why was nobody else ...
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Is this the Chofetz Chaim? [closed]
What is the story behind this picture being known as the image of the great Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan(Chafetz Chaim)? Is it him in fact? Where does it come from?
The only true picture (that I am aware ...
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Looking for more information about a story of positive atheism/heresy
In a 2006 article (original link no longer available), Rabbi Jonathan Sacks tells the following story:
“DO YOU believe,” the disciple asked the rabbi, “that God created everything for a purpose?”
“I ...
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G'dolim or Rabbis Owning Pets
Are there any g'dolim (or rabbis of major influence) - past or present - who are known to have owned pets/kept animals for non-agricultural purposes?
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Smicha from R' Zalman Nechemia Goldberg?
One often sees that individuals' have smicha from R' Zalman Nechemia Goldberg. The smicha exams are typically considered more theoretical than that of the Israeli rabbinate, which requires more ...
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How do you CYLOR after posting on judaism.stackexchange.com?
We recommend CYLOR. How do I:
ask the OR a shaaloh that one has already posted on judaism.stackexchange.com. Should I acknowledge its use when asking?
introduce the concept of judaism.stackexchange....
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Am I allowed to answer my friend's Halacha question?
Preface: Assume I am not an ordained Rabbi.
Suppose I'm having lunch with my friend and he asks me "do I have to say a bracha on this dessert?" or "when's the last time I could daven mincha today?" ...
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Can we argue with gedolim when we are sure that we are right?
I recently saw a teshuva by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, Ohrach Chaim Volume 1 Teshuva 109, that quotes a letter from Rabbi Menashe Klein asking a question on Rabbi Moshe's psak but saying that he does not ...
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The Ability to Pasken
What gives someone the ability to Pasken? At what point do we say that he is knowledgeable enough to decide questions on a topic? Does this have to do with "Semicha"? Does it have to do with being a ...
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Insults in the gemarah
Why do tanaim and amoraim use disparaging terms (bavlai tipshai, for instance) or insults when talking with one another. If there is something positive to be learned from this behavior why is it no ...
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What's the deal with female Rabbis?
1) Is there a concrete halachic (Biblical?Rabbinic?) basis for women not being permitted to become Rabbis?
2) After 2000+ years, what changed so the JTS's Commission in 1979 decided that they can?
...
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Rabba bar bar Chana
There is a rabbi in the Talmud referred to as רבה בר בר חנה. Why is he called that way? It says that Rabba was the grandson of Chana.
Who was Chana? Was it(?) a woman? Why wasn't he called after his ...
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Where can I find responses to biblical criticism?
Where can I find well documented source material by strictly orthodox Rabbis or scholars which directly address most (or all) of the major themes of academic biblical criticism such as, but not ...
user2110
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Why are challenges to respected rabbis not treated seriously?
Say someone disagrees with the Chazon Ish or has a problem with the Aruch HaShulchan in a particular halachic area. Sure, they're no gadol, and they might have not even learned an extensive volume of ...
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Why are the descendants of Rav Pappah mentioned in the text of the Siyum for a tractate of Talmud?
Who are the descendants of Rav Pappah mentioned in the text of the Siyum for a tractate of Talmud, and why are they so important that we mention them all by name? Why don't we mention any other great ...
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Were there any sages who supported the Zealots during the siege of Jerusalem?
In Gittin 56a-b, we read how the sages warned the Zealots (a.k.a. the Biryonim) to not wage war with the Romans who were holding Jerusalem under siege, but that the Biryonim set fire to the store ...
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Does a Jewish grandmother (mother's side) really get one accepted as a Jew? [duplicate]
My grandmother (mother's side) is 100% Jewish and even living in Israel. As far as I know, that makes, me a Jew, too. But it feels a little bit strange to say that I am Jewish just because my ...
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Who is the voice of Tosafoth?
Tosafoth were the sons-in-law, grandchildren, and students of Rashi (and their students), and "they" wrote a commentary on the Talmud that is often at odds with Rashi's earlier commentary. Sometimes ...
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Is there a Chief Rabbi of the United States?
Is there currently or has there ever been historically a Chief Rabbi of the United States? If not, why not?
user2110
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Napoléon's Sanhedrin
In 1806, Napoléon Bonaparte convened a synod of French rabbinim (mainly Alsatiens and Bordelais) to ascertain halachic opinions on a set of questions. What is the halachic standing of this synod's ...
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The history of the Sephardic Chief Rabbi's outfit
The role of Rishon LeZion, otherwise known as the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel, seems to include wearing a traditional robe and turban. Related to this question, this outfit is distinct from the ...
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Is it Halachically wrong to avoid the rabbi's sermon?
At some point in our history, the rabbi's Derashah, or sermon, went from being taboo to being so integral to the service that some Shuls have ushers to keep the doors closed at that time so that no ...
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What to call the 7th Lubavitcher Rebbe [closed]
Often times a few different rebbes are mentioned (either previous Chabad rebbes or rebbes of other Chasudusim) in the same talk and then the word "The Rebbe" comes in and it's ambiguous.
I have heard ...
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Origins of איל משולש and Vilna Ga'on's bathroom math
There is a well-known fact that the Vilna Ga'on studied math while in the bathroom since Torah was out of the question in an unclean place. It is also somewhat well-known that he produced the material ...
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Asking a shaila where disclosure of classified information might be necessary
Orthodox Jews have taken on more and more responsible government positions and have been trusted with clearances to see highly sensitive classified materials. Many years ago I had such a job. It ...
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Shul Ravs: What is job outlook like and how much do they make [closed]
How much do Shul Rabbis get paid? Are there job opportunities in smaller communities out of New York, for people looking to go into the Rabbinate?
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What did a "don't-issue-rulings" semicha (ordination) look like?
Again from the biography of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein found in Igrot Moshe Volume 8 (emphasis added):
Many approached [him] for ordination, and he was not difficult on them. Some ordinations were ...
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Is a rabbi required to be married?
I have heard (I honestly cannot remember where...) that to be a rabbi a man must be married. Is there any truth to this?
I am more interested in knowing if this was true in the first century C.E. ...
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Why in judaism - when discussing the Torah - do I see a lot of answers referring to writings of different Rabbis?
Sorry for the simpleness of this question. I've been trying to study the Torah as much as possible. I do not know Hebrew (though I'd truly like to and would appreciate any advice on how to get started)...
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Upon whom would one make this blessing?
Upon whom today would you make the bracha - Baruch Attah Hashem Elokeinu Melech HaOlam She’chalak Mei’chochmaso Li’rei’av, that He bestowed of His wisdom to those who fear Him (Gemara Brachos 58a)?
I'...
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Do Rabbis have to be Jewish by ethnicity?
I am under the impression that a person can be received into Judaism from a gentile nation. My question is whether or not that person could conceivably then become a Rabbi?
Please indicate whether ...
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Speaking to a Rabbi in the Third Person
Is there a source for requiring one to refer to his Rabbi in the third person and not referring to a rabbi in the second person (i.e. "you")?
I can not recall any reference to this requirement in ...
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Where does "probeh" come from?
Every time recently that I've heard of an Orthodox congregation conducting a search for a rabbi, the stage at which the rabbi visits the community for a Shabbat and auditions for the position is ...
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Why were some of the works of Rabbi Steinsaltz banned?
Apparently some of the works of Rabbi Steinsaltz were banned. What are the specific examples that prompted the ban? Is there a list of all of his works that have been banned, as I am interested in ...
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Under whom did these Rabbis study?
In an effort to trace back Rabbi-to-student transmission of tradition, I've run into some dead ends, and I'm hoping the community can offer some leads. Under whom did the following Rabbis study?
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Do "most leading Orthodox rabbis" really hold that brain-stem death is death?
According to a recent NYTimes piece on the new organ donation law in Israel,
Most leading Orthodox rabbis -- as well as Israeli law -- agree that a person dies when his brain-stem stops functioning....
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Who wrote the anonymous explanations of Rashi printed within the text of Rashi?
Who wrote the anonymous explanations of Rashi printed within the text of Rashi? Sometimes when reading Rashi's commentary on the Torah one finds comments in parentheses that say things such as:
ס"א, (...
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How did they establish in the USA, post-WW II, that a Rav had smicha prior to the Holocaust?
This is probably something that happened many times after World War II, when documentation was lost.
Here's the scenario:
A rabbi, who had led a kehila (congregation) in a small town in ...
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Why does Rabba bar Mari in the Talmud quote Ben Sira as a part of “the Writings” when it is not in the Ketuvim section of the Tanakh?
As revealed in the answer here, in Bava Kama 92b, Rava asks Rabba bar Mari for the source of a popular saying, and Rabba bar Mari answers with five different sources for it. The third verse, which is ...
user16888
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What is the reason behind the Meiri intentionally replacing the names of Rabbis?
The Meiri in his writings gives each Rabbi whom he quotes an alternative name, based on the main contribution that particular rabbinic authority made. Why does he do so, for it seems he goes against ...
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R' Yehoshua Ben Levi -- A Tanna or an Amorah?
I had always assumed that R' Yehoshua Ben Levi was an Amorah. However, we know he is quoted in the mishnah in Avos (Perek 6 Mishnah 2. Which is really a braisa, not a mishnah, but still a Tannaic ...
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Examples of Rabbis who had strong disagreements and were amicable
I'm looking for examples of Rabbis who had a serious disagreement and were nevertheless very kind and thoughtful towards each other.
The main reason I'm asking for examples is to illustrate what a ...
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Who was the first Chasidishe Rabbi to settle in the USA? [closed]
Who was the first Chasidishe Rabbi to settle in the USA? Where did he settle?
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Beginner on Rav Soloveitchik
I am looking to delve into the teachings of Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik (1903-1993). Any recommendations on a good starting point?
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Which Hasidic rabbi has no beard, and what is the story?
There is a famous Hasidic rabbi who has no facial hair, and I seem to recall that there is a famous story as to why. But I can remember neither which rabbi (or of which sect), nor the story. I do not ...
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