Questions tagged [shiurim-measurements]
measurements relating to the performance of different Mitzvot
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Is a rare steak kosher?
If you have a steak medium to rare, such that it's still pink in the middle, is it kosher? At what point is meat cooked enough?
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Hagalah in Denver?
In high-altitude cities, water boils at a lower temperature than the standard 212 degrees Farenheit. For example, in Denver the boiling point is about 203 degrees. Can one kasher utensils with hagalah ...
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Eating out Friday night of Chanukkah
If one is lighting Chanukah candles inside (for whatever reason) relying on the publicizing to himself and his family, then what should he do on Friday night if he is eating out? Must he make the ...
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Does the Holy Ark weigh 4 tons?
I did some calculations, based on the following measures:
The Aron was 2.5 x 1.5 x 1.5 Amahs
The gold was 2.5cm thick (a finger) for the ark and 10cm thick (a Tefah) for the Kapores, at 19.3 g/cm3
...
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How big, and what exactly, is "Kedei Kelipah"?
{Kedei Kelipah is a term used in Kashruth for the amount of something that needs to be removed in order to allow one to treat the remnant as Kosher. (This only applies under certain conditions, which ...
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Why does writing on Shabbos need two letters?
In order to transgress "writing" (כותב) on Shabbos, (m'd'oraysah) one must write two letters. (See for example here.)
Why is this so? Shouldn't writing anything still be considered writing?
For ...
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Bracha after an earthquake
Per the Artscroll Siddur after an earthquake we make a Bracha "Oseh Maaseh Breishis". Up to how long after the earthquake can you make this Bracha? (sources please)
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What is the hallachic definition of randomness?
A new Shabbat-friendly technology, KosherSwitch, uses randomly timed light pulses to create various safeks, so that flipping the switch does not hallachically count as switching the light on, even in ...
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Is there a "5 second rule" for foods becoming non-Kosher?
OK so I don't actually mean a 5 second rule. But is there an amount of time that it takes for something hot that comes in contact with a non-Kosher utensil or surface to become not kosher? For ...
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What is the absolute minimum length for peyos?
I have often heard that 1/4th of an inch is the minimum length of the hairs in the peyos area. For example, that is mentioned in an answer to a previous question:
How to advise your barber
My ...
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Why does Ezekiel describe the maneh as 20 + 25 + 10 + 5 shekels instead of just saying 60?
Ezekiel 45:12, in discussing just weights and measures, says:
וְהַשֶּׁקֶל, עֶשְׂרִים גֵּרָה; עֶשְׂרִים שְׁקָלִים חֲמִשָּׁה וְעֶשְׂרִים שְׁקָלִים, עֲשָׂרָה וַחֲמִשָּׁה שֶׁקֶל--הַמָּנֶה, יִהְיֶה לָכֶם.
...
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Kapparos on money - How much?
If one does the Minhag of Kapparos on money, how much money should be used for each person? (Sources.)
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Is there a halachic time limit for sending an organization its charity box money?
Many Jewish organizations distribute tzedaka (charity) boxes. A few that I know tell people, "collect the money and at some point, empty the money and mail us a check."
Let's say someone leaves this ...
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How obligated is one to say Kaddish for a deceased relative?
People often talk about an obligation -- Chiyuv -- to recite Kaddish at every opportunity for some time after the death of a relative. (Which relatives are obligated and for how long does not seem ...
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Is human blood treif?
OK, I know it isn't kosher, but what is the shiur? And do we hold "chetzi shiur assur min haTorah"?
For an application, what if you get a cut while hiking in the woods; is it assur to clean the wound ...
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18 minute Matzah?
Are there sources EXPLAINING why we have to make matzah within 18 minutes? I understand having a time limit if in fact the reason we eat matzah is to reenact the speed which we left Egypt (that ...
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Delaying using the toilet
According to Gemara Makkot 16b, the phrase in Vayikra 20:25
... and do not make your souls disgusting - וְלֹא תְשַׁקְּצוּ אֶת נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם
is a command not to hold in the urge to urinate or ...
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What is the Minimum Width of Tefillin Straps?
What is the minimum width of tefillin straps?
For example: if one's tefillin straps partially tore, how much is required to remain for the tefillin to remain Kosher?
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What are these three types of Amos?
I'm not one to usually go to Google itself to learn about Judaism, but I feel that the circumstances around how I discovered this is really intriguing...
Google Maps has a nice little feature that ...
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What Bracha acharona on .5 kezayit of grapes eaten together with .5 kezayit of mezonot crackers?
What Bracha acharona on .5 kezayit of grapes eaten together with .5 kezayit of mezonot crackers?
Do you say al hamichya ve'al haetz or is it boreh nefashot since neither is a kezayit?
Please provide ...
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No mitzvah to wear tefillin every day?
I heard that the Bet HaLevi and the Peri Megadim hold that there is no Mitzva for a person to don Tefilin everyday. Can someone source these opinions and explain exactly what they are meaning to say?
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Is there a minimum size for Chanuka flames?
Do the flames atop the chanukiya need to be a certain size to be valid? At the extreme, are tiny (but sustained) balls of blue flame sufficient?
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Is ice considered food or drink in Halacha?
Is ice considered food or drink in Halacha? So for example, if one would eat an kezais of ice on yom Kippur, but it would not be equal to a reviyis, would he be liable for a chatas?
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Would halachic units be shrunk if a person was (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids-style)?
In the classic move Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and its sequels, people get shrunk down to 1/264th of their normal size. So, a person is around 1/4 of an inch tall.
If such a thing were even possible, ...
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Saying 100 Berachoth in a day
What is the source for the idea that one should say 100 Berachoth in a day, and how serious of an obligation is this? Is it mandatory, is it laudatory, or is it merely a nice idea?
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The size/shape of biblical Israel
Based on this Tosafot in Bava Metzia 28a (D"H Chamisha Asar Yom), Eretz Israel is a square (400 sq. Parsah), and the distance between Jerusalem and the Jordan river is 1/39th the distance between ...
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What's the Shiur of Mashehu?
Certain issurim (forbidden things) can become batel (halachically nullified) if they were unintentionally mixed in heter (permitted things). In order for this to happen, the heter must outnumber the ...
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Beis Shammai's dinar for kiddushin - philosophy?
The Mishna in Kiddushin (1:1) outlines a machlokes regarding the minimum amount of money necessary to effect kiddushin (i.e. create a marriage).
According to Beis Hillel, the amount of money (or ...
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Minimum Shi'ur for Kiddush on liquor
What is the minimum Shi'ur (volume) of a cup required for making Kiddush on liquor? Is there a smaller amount required than there is for wine?
What is the minimum Shi'ur of the liquor that one is ...
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What is the source for washing Mayim Acharonim with only a few drops of water?
OC 181 (4) MB [10] says that when washing mayim acharonim one must wash up to the second knuckle and using a few drops does not fulfill the mitzvah at all. Shulchan Oruch HaRav 181 (4) says there is ...
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Are bushes acceptable for elevations that require a maakeh, a fence?
If evergreen bushes span the entire length of a side of a porch, at about waist-height for someone on the porch, do the bushes remove the need for a railing? The difference being that a railing can be ...
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Why 30 days of preparation for a חג
Why exactly 30 days to review the laws of the upcoming holidays? Is there anything about the number 30 that makes it significant?
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Why are we required to light Chanukah lights only for about half an hour?
Since the miracle of the oil of Chanukah was that from one flask of oil they miraculously had enough oil for the menorah to burn all night for eight days, why did Chazal require us to light only for ...
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K'zayis as a weight measurement
The label of the one-pound box of Cohen Halperin Shmura Matza reads:
משקל כל מצה כשיעור כזית
In English (with some Hebrew thrown in, in transliteration, of necessity), that's:
The weight of ...
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How many T'fachim make up an Ama?
Is it possible to convert between Torah measurements?
Specifically, T'fachim & Amot, (cubits) so I can figure out the size of the luchot (tablets) within the Aron Hakodesh (ark). (The Luchot are ...
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When does counting 100 Brochos per day start and end?
There's a Halacha/Mitzvah to say at-least 100 Brochos a day.
My question is: what does the term "day" mean in this regard. Does a day start at night, and end the following night (as is the case in ...
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Aruch Hashulchan's moon-distance estimate
Aruch Hashulchan (1829–1908), Orach Chayim 397:1, says that a מיל is the same as a Russian верста (verst) or 500 сажен (sazhen), which comes to 1066.8 meters. In 426:2, he says the distance to the ...
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How high before a tree branch does not cause a problem for a Succah?
I have a lovely tree in the back yard, it must be 70-100 years old, maybe 15-20 feet around at the base. First branch is 32 feet up. I know since I used a 35 foot ladder to hang a swing from it, and ...
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Why are there different versions of what Chazon Ish says is the size of an Amah?
Different sources have different information regarding the size of an Amah (all measurements are attributed to Chazon Ish):
Halachipedia - 24 in. / 60.96 cm
Dafyomi.co.il - 22.72 in. / 57.72 cm
Daat....
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How does one do Hagalah above 12,000 feet?
How does one do Hagalah above 12,000 feet, where water's boiling point falls below 190°F? Under normal circumstances, the water will not be Rochsim, and therefore unsuitable for Hagalah.
Using a ...
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How many rafters invalidate the sukkah?
From my understanding, the roof of a sukkah might consist of two components: rafters and schach.
(Although it seems to me that often the rafters themselves are valid schach, I am under the ...
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What height porch requires a railing?
What are the different opinions of heights (in American or metric units) that requires a railing for the side of a porch?
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How long until a bean chulent is totally cooked (mevushal kol tzorko)?
My son has started raiding the chulent Friday night. To be able to return the chulent crock pot back to the casing, everything must be fully cooked. I rarely cook with beans, but would like to try ...
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How big can a chanukia get?
I recently saw this story about students at YU who lit up their dorm windows to turn the entire building into a giant chanukia (just the form, not a real one). That inspired a question:
Exactly how ...
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What is the shiur for anointing on Yom Kippur?
Is there a minimum shiur to be chayav (liable) for anointing on Yom Kippur, and, if so, what is it? The gemarah (Yoma 76b) seems to learn it out as a comparison to food consumption: would that mean it ...
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What is a source that allows one to treat one's house as all within four amos?
I am after a source that allows one to treat one's house as all within four amos l'chatchila, with respect to nagel vasser (hand washing in the morning).
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Source for the concept of learning 1 hour on Shabbat is like 1000 during the week?
There is a Benayahu on Taanit 11a I think that may hint to this, but not clear enough. Is there an actual source for "1 hour learning on shabbat is like 1000 hours during the week"?
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Is there a time limit for Borei Nefashos and Beracha Me'en Shalosh?
It seems that there's a 72-minute period after eating in which one must bentch.
Does this also apply for Borei Nefashos and Beracha Me'en Shalosh?
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Sechach supported partially by metal
For those who are careful to only support their sechach on sechach-eligible materials, how much does it matter if a small amount of the sechach inadvertently rests on non-sechach-eligible materials?
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