Questions tagged [safek]
for questions about cases of doubt or uncertainty
97
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Why don't Rabbinic fasts end by Ben Hashmashot?
There's a doubt in the Gemara when the new day starts, at sunset or at three stars (Ok, and there's Rabbi Yossi's opinion).
When it comes to Shabbos (or any other biblical time), we have to be strict ...
- 40.1k
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1
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What determines the sorts of cases in which one can deliberately not know the facts?
Halacha depends on the facts of a situation. Generally, when one cannot know the exact facts, he is expected to assume that they are as usual (rov), or as they were when last checked (chazaka). When ...
- 73.6k
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STa"M on which children disagree
There is a halacha that if one is unsure if certain letters of STa"M (Sefer Torah/Tefillin/Mezuza) are of the right length, one can ask a child.
What happens if there was a doubt in a letter in a ...
- 40.1k
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Safek (doubt) in Halachah - How unsure does one have to be?
If someone is unsure if he recited Tal UMatar, one has to repeat the Shemoneh 'Esreh (it's slightly more complicated, but let's keep it simple).
If one is unsure if he remembered to Bentch (recite ...
- 41.3k
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3
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9 Days of Chanukah?
All Yomim Tovim we celebrate in Chutz Laretz an extra day because of A safek, why do we not do the same for Chanukah?
- 32.9k
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3
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Counting the omer with doubt before the fixed calendar
Currently, according to a previous question on this site, we count the omer without doubt: "Today is the Xth day of the omer" because we have a fixed calendar, and because counting with doubt is ...
- 6,886
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What was the ריב"א thinking?
In ריקאנטי number 166,1 he records a story about the ריב"א:
ושמעתי כי ריב"א חלה חוליו שמת בו וחל יוה"כ באותם הימים וא"ל הרופאים אם
לא תאכלו ודאי תמות ואם תאכל שמא לא תחיה והוא ז&...
- 18.9k
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Am I still Fleishig? When did we eat?
I'm sure this happens many times in a Jewish home on Shabbos: It's Shalosh Seudos time and there's dairy to eat, except no one remembers exactly what time the Shabbos meal took place.
So, my question ...
- 38.4k
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Lifnei 'Iver and your maybe-Jewish co-worker
I work in an office in which someone working down the hall is disabled. She has a Jewish sounding last name and talks to me about her family's practices in regard to being members of a Reform temple ...
- 41.3k
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Baby boy born bein hashmashot when you don't know what day it is
Extreme hypothetical here...
We know (MT Hilchot Mila 1:9) that mila on the (definite) 8th day is doche Shabbat. If the baby is born bein hashmashot, when we're not sure what day it is, it cannot be ...
- 22.9k
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חזקה מעיקרא vs ספק
I am in the middle of מחלוקת with someone as to, if I originally had a חזקה and now there's a ספק to whether that status is still true, whether I maintain that original status or my status changes to ...
- 731
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Since Yitzchok appears to have a doubt about the identity of the person whom he wished to bless, why didn’t he wait and make sure?
From what Yitzchok says in Bereishis 27:22 “the voice is the voice of Ya’akov, and the hands are the hands of Eisav” it seems that he had a doubt as to the identity of the person who had come to ...
user4523
8
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1
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Do we assume a Bris or Pidyon has been done?
If I adopt a 3 year old whose paperwork indicates that both parents were Jewish (but I cannot contact them or get further information about their religiosity) and he was an only child, do I assume ...
- 37.4k
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3
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Schrödinger's cat and yibbum
Over Shabbos, the Shalosh Seudos discussion turned to the Monty Hall problem, which confused a lot of people [and which (#Humblebrag) I was able to clear up for them in under 30 seconds ;)].
Then, ...
- 18.9k
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logic behind kol kavua k'mechtza al mechtze
there is a principle in halacha regarding doubts that if something is separated from a kavua (fixed place) it is treated as 50/50% chance even if the permitted is the majority.
but if it is found in ...
- 20.8k
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How does a giyur lchumra differ from a regular conversion? [duplicate]
I may be Jewish by matrilineal descent - my great, great, great grandmother was Jewish and was buried in a Jewish cemetery. Subsequent generations of my family were Catholic. I understand that if the ...
- 71
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What to do when which side of the door to put the Mezuza on is unclear?
If someone has a house which has a room, and this room has two doors without a "heker tzir" (1) (like salon doors, or sliding doors, or no doors at all) and people walk into this room through one door ...
- 40.1k
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2
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washing your hands and forgetting
If you wash your hands and your mind goes blank and you dont remember if you said a bracha or not. do you make a new one? Do you wash again and then make a new one?
- 1,395
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How can we be lenient in a case of mixed up teruma?
The Mishna (Terumot 7:5) says:
שְׁתֵּי קֻפּוֹת, אַחַת שֶׁל תְּרוּמָה וְאַחַת שֶׁל חֻלִּין, שֶׁנָּפְלָה סְאָה תְרוּמָה לְתוֹךְ אַחַת מֵהֶן וְאֵין יָדוּעַ לְאֵיזוֹ מֵהֶן נָפְלָה, הֲרֵי אֲנִי אוֹמֵר, ...
- 23.9k
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Safek Leket Leket vs. Hamotzi Mechaveiro
On the one hand, the Mishnah (Pe'ah 4:11) records that doubtful leket goes to the poor. (Yes, I am aware that R' Meir says that. The Tosfos Yom Tov holds that everyone holds of that in principle and ...
- 33.8k
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Safek yehareg v'al yaavor
If there is a situation in which you aren't sure whether you are required to give up your life, do you give up your life or not?
The most simple example would be if someone doesn't know whether ...
- 23.9k
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Source for "אין שמחה כשמחת התרת הספקות"
Some people in my synagogue this morning were discussing the aphorism
אין שמחה כשמחת התרת הספקות
there's no joy like the joy of the resolution of doubts
or words to that effect. Specifically, ...
- 73.6k
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1
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Does adding a different liquid to a pre-existing drink require a new Shehakol?
Suppose one makes a "shehakol" on the water, and doesn't have in mind any other drinks.
When there's a third of the glass left, the person refills the glass with seltzer/soda (the glass is now 1/3 ...
- 11.9k
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What is considered a Safek?
I've been learning all these laws about Sekefot-doubts, but I'm coming up shy on a basic point. What is considered a Safek? Example:if there are 100 pieces of lettuce and I check all of them and only ...
- 16.5k
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Why recite the fourth Berachah of Bentching in a case of doubt?
If someone is in doubt whether or not to Bentch, we take the strict approach and require the person to Bentch, as it is a Biblical requirement (see here), unlike most Berachoth, for which the rule is ...
- 41.3k
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1
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Safek De'Oraysa Le'Chumra
The classic example of safek de'oraysa le'chumra is when there is an agreement that a de'oraysa exists but there is a debate as to which cases constitute the de'oraysa. In such a debate we paskin le'...
- 9,449
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When can you turn a dispute into a safek?
In this answer, I proposed that since there is a machlokes rishonim on a certain issue, it counts as a safek (doubt), although the Shulchan Aruch rules strictly. DoubleAA commented, saying that he ...
- 23.9k
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Why is the principle of faith about Moshiach constructed as a rhetorical argument?
Why is the 12th principle of faith in the Ani Maamin poem about Moshiach constructed rhetorically - on a circumstantial situation "even if / in spite of that!"? In other words, the author says "I ...
- 61
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Why do we have an explicit rule of Safek Brachos Lehakel if we already have a greater encompassing rule of Safek D'Rabanan L'kulah?
I understand that Safek brachos lehakel might simply be a corollary of Safek D'rabana L'kulah, however I assume there is some nafka minah between the two. The only reason we would have safek brachos ...
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Does the 16th of Shevat have any halachic effects?
For most Torah holidays, we keep two days outside Israel out of doubt.
Tu bishvat is a day with Biblical effects (though I wouldn't go so far as to say it's a Biblical "holiday", or a Rabbinic one ...
- 9,037
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What should I do if I don't know whether I'm in a pikuach nefesh situation?
Suppose I find myself in a situation where I am not sure whether my life is sufficiently in danger to warrant halachot of pikuach nefesh to come into play. What should I do in this case? Am I supposed ...
- 24.5k
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100% Polyester or Silk suits requiring checking
According to the Shaatnez testers of America
Suits and Sport jackets, (Men's/Boy's): Require testing even 100% polyester and 100% silk suits.
Why so? Isn't there a simple Sefek Sefeka? Safek if ...
- 16.5k
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2
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Why do you need a chazakah and a sefeik sefeikah in Demai 1:1?
Maseches Demai opens up by addressing the "leniencies of Demai." As the Bartenura there explains, these lenient items are those which are essentially garbage - foods that people typically wouldn't eat ...
- 33.8k
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Has anyone tried out the Har Hakarmel bein hashemashos climb according to various Rishonim?
The Gemara on Shabbos 35a says:
אמר רבי חנינא: הרוצה לידע שיעורו של רבי נחמיה יניח חמה בראש הכרמל, וירד ויטבול בים ויעלה, וזהו שיעורו של רבי נחמיה.
Anyone who wants to know the shiur of R' Nechemia'...
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How to deal with uncertainties in the Torah that lead to a change in meaning?
In Vayikra 14:19, there are different versions of the trop, and unlike most of them, this difference causes a change in the meaning of the words:
וְכִפֶּ֕ר עַל־הַמִּטַּהֵ֖ר מִטֻּמְאָת֑וֹ
(zakef-gadol,...
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Is it wrong to hang a Mezuzah diagonally?
I heard we're supposed to hang a mezuzah the same way as the door bolts.
The door bolt is either horizontal or vertical. I know that the strong debate over whether it should be vertically or ...
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Can someone who possibly already did a mitzva cover another such person with the b'racha?
As codified in Mishna B'rura 592 and elsewhere, we allow someone who has already fulfilled a mitzva to exempt another in the b'racha recited for it — though we try to avoid it where feasible. ...
- 73.6k
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Halachic categorization of safek dioraisa...
Is the dictum of safek dioraisa l'chumrah (and its inverse safek d'rabanan l'kulah) a principle from the Torah, or a din d'rabanan? How does this change how we react in these sefeikah situations?
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Why does the servant register on a Pesach by himself?
Pesachim 8:2:
הָאוֹמֵר לְעַבְדּוֹ, צֵא וּשְׁחֹט עָלַי אֶת הַפֶּסַח, שָׁחַט גְּדִי, יֹאכַל. שָׁחַט טָלֶה, יֹאכַל. שָׁחַט גְּדִי וְטָלֶה, יֹאכַל מִן הָרִאשׁוֹן.
שָׁכַח מָה אָמַר לוֹ רַבּוֹ, כֵּיצַד ...
- 9,037
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What is the status of those who need to undergo geyur lechumra?
What is the status of one who needs to undergo a giyur lechumra, but have yet to undergo the actual process? Can they be counted in a minyan? Are they considered Jewish? Can they serve as eydim? FoR: ...
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Why is one who touched doubtful Tumah in a public domain considered Tahor?
The source that doubtful Tumah in a private domain is Tamei is the Gemara in Sotah (28b - see there for translation):
מה ת"ל והיא נטמאה והיא לא נטמאה אם נטמאה למה שותה אם לא נטמאה למה משקה מגיד לך ...
- 40.1k
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Controversy Concerning Community Consumption of Chametz Coming from Costco
There is a Rabbinic prohibition on benefiting from chametz that was owned by a Jew over Passover. In recent years, an issue was raised in the New York area that a major distributor of grocery items ...
- 17.5k
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0
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What happens if one isn’t sure if ten Jews are watching? [duplicate]
The Gemara (Sanhedrin 74a-b) rules that if ten Jews are present when a non-Jew threatens a Jew to perform any sin - even to dress like a non-Jew - on pain of death, the Jew is obligated to give up his ...
- 33.8k
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How far must a publisher go to mitigate possible lashon hara?
This question is about sites that host community-contributed content, like Wikipedia, Reddit, or blogging platforms like LiveJournal communities. Suppose somebody posts something negative about an ...
- 56.2k
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Shopping at a church-associated thrift store [duplicate]
If you know that let's say John Hancock's thrift store's profits go to a church are you allowed to purchase things there? What if you don't where the money goes but are in Safek whether it goes to a ...
- 16.5k
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1
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Does one Make a Bracha on Tzitzis during Bein Hashmashos?
There is a fundamental Machlokes Rishonim whether when the Gemara says that there is no Chiyuv of Tzitzis at night, is that referring to the Gavra or to the Cheftza.
The question now is: a person puts ...
- 957
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1
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Not knowing a Halacha
If a person has a halachic שאלה and is in a situation where he cannot ask or find out the halacha (for example, he must decide what to do immediately, traveling with a dead phone), what should he do ?
- 763
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Is there a prohibition of paying interest misafek (doubt)?
Reuvain borrowed money from Shimon, and both are unsure if it was ever payed back. Now, of course Shimon can't claim any money from Reuvain, but if Reuvain wants to pay him back out of doubt, should ...
- 21.7k
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3
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Should I improvise a b'racha in a case of doubt?
I didn't grow up on "b'racha bees" and I know there's a lot I don't know, so I sometimes find myself in a situation where either I know there's a b'racha for something but I don't know it, or I don't ...
- 56.2k
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2
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In doubt of whether to say Tachnun or not
If there is a doubt in a particular minyan whether tachnun should be said or not, what should be done?
For example: There is supposed to be a bris in the shul however the kehillah is not sure if it's ...
- 15.8k