Questions tagged [sin]
Relating to the categorization of a sinful act in Jewish Law, the examination of a sin recorded in Jewish texts, or the nature of sin in Jewish thought.
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Is saying a bracha over non-Kosher food a sin or does it simply not count as a Mitzvot?
This question may sound strange but it came up in a discussion with someone.
They're a Baal Teshuva in progress and are attempting to adjust to the lifestyle. He's getting there but he's doing so in ...
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selling non-tznius clothing
Could selling non-tznius clothing in a clothing store be considered mesaye le-dvar aveira?
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What was Hevel (Abel's) sin?
The Arizal says that Hevel was reincarnated many times to purify his sin. What was his sin?
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Is there a Jewish theology equivalent to Calvinism?
I have a question that may seem odd, but bear with me. Basically, I'm wondering whether there's any Jewish theology analogous to Calvinist Christianity. I am NOT wondering about the salvation/...
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Being intoxicated a Sin?
Is becoming drunk a sin? If yes, is it a Torah prohibition or a rabbinical one? Please give a lot of details. And also sources.
user6754
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Making a Berachah on rabbinically prohibited foods
Should one refrain from making a Berachah on rabbinically prohibited foods, or does that rule only apply to biblically prohibited foods?
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What is the phrase "sin of youth" (חטאת נעורים) referring to, as used in the Tanya?
"Sin of youth" (Heb. חטאת נעורים) is a phrase found in various places in the Tanach. (For example, Tehillim 25:7 and Shmuel I 2:17.)
I was told that in Tanya, Chapter 42, "sin of youth" is a ...
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What is the punishment before Vayehi Bineso'ah Ha'aron?
Rashi on Bamidbar 10:35 writes based on Shabbos 116a that Vayehi Bineso'ah Ha'aron is moved out of its proper place is to separate between two punishments.
ויהי בנסע הארן" - עשה לו סמניות מלפניו ...
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Would Yosef sleeping with the wife of Potifar have been a sin?
My understanding from Sanhedrin 82a is that there is no halachic construct of marriage by non-Jews and as such Potifar(a)'s "wife" should not have been forbidden to Yosef. It was only later during the ...
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Punishment for sins one cannot now be expected to avoid
I recall a high-school rebbe (teacher) of mine quoting a great rabbi as having said that, if someone religious becomes irreligious, then God will punish him for every time he does not wash his hands ...
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Who else says the Jews violate the Ten Commandments during the first Temple
I always understood, based on the gemarra in Yoma 9b, that the Jews were guilty of the three cardinal sins during the First Temple period (murder, illicit relations, and idol worship). However, I ...
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How to make oneself regret a sin?
As we know, regret is part of teshuvah. However, sometimes even though we understand logically that what we've done is wrong, we may not always sincerely regret it. In such case, two questions arise:
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The meaning of the word חטא
The word chet is "sin" and is used as such (and in related ways -- sin offering, guilt from sinning, cause others to sin etc.) over 200 times according to my Even-Shoshan. It seems to be connected to ...
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Are there any examples of Chazal pointing out a flaw in one of their contemporaries?
The Tanach is replete with examples of some of our greatest leaders and heroes' personal flaws and mistakes (however minuscule they might be when put into proper perspective). These flaws and mistakes ...
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Kol Nidre: The strangers in their midst
I was reading about Yom Kippur, and I came across this response to the traditional recitation of the Kol Nidre:
"May all the people of Israel be forgiven, including all the strangers who live in ...
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Why is Akaidas Yitzchak considered a good thing?
I'm having some difficulty understanding the incident of the Akaida. God tested Avraham by commanding him to take his son as a human sacrifice to see if he would obey even this (Genesis 22). However, ...
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Why is hell termed Gehinnom?
Why is the place that that wicked are punished for their sins after death termed Gehinnom? Is there is an association with Gei ben Hinnom where idolatry was performed? If so why was this place singled ...
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Moshe and Aharon never sinned
The gemarra in Shabbos 55a says a rule: אין מיתה בלא חטא, no one dies without having sinned. As an attempt to refute this rule, the gemarra brings a baraisa that says:
מֵיתִיבִי: אָמְרוּ מַלְאֲכֵי ...
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Why are some sins counted twice?
I am looking to understand the theology behind a negative commandment being repeated in the Torah in order to make whomever transgresses it punishable for 2 sins.
See for example Rashi on Vayikra 25:...
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What if one swears to do something forbidden?
If one makes a neder or shevu'ah to do something that is forbidden by Torah (or perhaps to abstain from something that is mandatory) what happens?
Does his vow have any significance? That is, was it ...
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Why Was the Idol of Micha Tolerated?
This answer brings sources that suggest that the Idol of Micha was present in the tribe of Dan even in the desert. This is also implied by Targum Pseudo Jonathan when Amalek attacks in Exodus, (second ...
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What were Naomi's sins?
According to the commentary at the bottom of the Artscroll TaNa"Ch, in the beginning of the book of Ruth, Na'omi attempted to dissuade her daughters-in-law from following and staying connected to her ...
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Why does David say that he only sinned against G-d?
In Psalm 51:6 David says that
"Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in Thy sight" (JPS)
I wondered why does he think that he sinned only against the Lord? I think he ...
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Why is only the iniquity (עון) of the parents passed on to the children?
In Exodus 34:6-7 it is written
וַיַּעֲבֹר יְהוָה עַל־פָּנָיו וַיִּקְרָא יְהוָה יְהוָה אֵל רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב־חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת: נֹצֵר חֶסֶד לָאֲלָפִים נֹשֵׂא עָוֺן וָפֶשַׁע וְחַטָּאָה ...
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Contradiction in Chelkas Yoav regarding lifnei iver when the aveira is done by oness
The Chelkas Yoav (vol.1:1) says that when a katan (minor) eats a forbidden food his enjoyment of the food is considered an aveira. The reason that he is not punished is since he is unresponsible for ...
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Did what David do to Batsheba and Uriah technically legal (not sin?)
David is a king.
Uriah is fighting for him.
As a King David has right to send any of his soldiers to any missions. Presumably that includes suicidal mission.
It is possible that Batsheba is not ...
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(Why) did God take away free will from the sons of Eli?
In 1 Shmuel 2:25 it indicates that the sons of Eli don't repent for their sins because God wanted to kill them
וְלֹ֤א יִשְׁמְעוּ֙ לְק֣וֹל אֲבִיהֶ֔ם כִּֽי־חָפֵ֥ץ ה' לַהֲמִיתָֽם
But [the sons of Eli] ...
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Can Catholics be considered pious/G-d-fearing in the context that they believe their church to be their version of Rabbinical authority? [closed]
This question relates to people who are good in nature but mislead in practice and the situation they are raised within.
Obviously, Judaism has issues with Catholicism in the sense it contradicts ...
user20915
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Root of Tribe of Binyamin's Sin
We have a rule that everything found in the Navi (Prophets) and Ketuvim (Writings) are sourced in the Torah (see opinion of Rabbi Yochanan in Taanit 9a, see also Talmud Yerushalmi Megilla Chapter 1 ...
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Source for: Abstaining from sin being considered a mitzvah in Talmud Bavli
I remember seeing a passage in Talmud Bavli saying something along the lines of: "every moment that a person sits and does not engage in sin, he is considered to be doing a mitzvah." I'm not able to ...
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I suspect I must do something, but don't want to. Must I check into the halacha?
I'm sometimes in a situation where, if I do nothing, I'll benefit. But I suspect Jewish law may actually require me to take action that will prevent the benefit.
I'm not sure if I should ask my ...
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How did Hashem hide the light from the wicked? What do Chazal mean by this?
Rashi says in Breaishis Chapter 1, Verse 4:
אף בזה אנו צריכים לדברי אגדה ראהו שאינו כדאי להשתמש בו רשעים והבדילו לצדיקים לעתיד לבא.
"Even this requires words of Aggadah, He saw that it was not fit ...
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Shavuos, why celebrate?
The original Matan Torah — meaning, when we celebrate Shavuos — is the time when we mistakenly thereafter served the Golden Calf. Why would we celebrate that day? It is equivalent to celebrating after ...
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How is the Jewish understanding of the sinful soul of mankind different from the concept of "original sin"?
I came upon an answer today that caused me to pause.
The question asked, "Why do all women deserve to suffer for one woman's sin?"
The answer began by summarizing Ariza"l:
both Adam and Chava's ...
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How was Noah imperfect in his generation?
According to the opinion that says Noah was not really a perfect tzaddik but only relatively much better than the people of his generation, what defects did he have? What sins did he do?
My pet ...
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Dreaming of doing a sin
Inspired by Why was Hosea acceptable to the people if he took his adulterous wife back?
If one were to dream while sleeping of him or herself doing any sort of sin, is it a sin? (sources)
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Where does the concept of bitul Torah come from?
It is a positive commandment to learn Torah. But the concept of bitul Torah seems to imply that it is also a negative commandment not to learn Torah. Where does this concept of bitul Torah come from?
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Stealing one or one Hundred
I wanted to Know any SOURCES and their answers as to if I steal 1 dollar or one hundred dollars is it the same Sin or is it different? Is it one sin of stealing or one Hundred? When you are punished ...
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Teshuva knowing that I'm likely to sin again
Every year I have a very similar list of aveiros that I want to stop. Practically, I know that it is too much to expect myself to have completely stopped all of them by next Rosh Hashana, so I ...
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If a composer of a nigun is accused of a serious offense should his nigun no longer be sung?
If someone who is well respected in the community writes wonderful inspiring nigunim that are used in tefila, and then allegations appear that the individual is suspected of, or implicated in, serious ...
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Temptation of Bamos
What was the powerful temptation of Bamos which continued to remain in Klal Yisroel even during the times of the righteous kings?
Melachim I (15:14) - וְהַבָּמוֹת לֹא־סָרוּ רַק לְבַב־אָסָא הָיָה
...
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If somebody is over 60 and does an aveirah for which the punishment is misah biyedei shamayim, what happens?
I was learning today's Tanya (יג תמוז, beginning of אגרת התשובה פרק ד)
I have a question based on the following part:
כשעבר עבירה שחייבים עליה כרת, הי׳ מת ממש קודם חמשים שנה
A violator of a sin ...
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Will we be obligated to bring many chatats when the temple is rebuilt?
When the Temple is rebuilt will we each have to bring chatats ("sin" offerings) as necessary based on different sins we have done (which would likely amount to quite a lot of korbanot for a lot of ...
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Is a nocturnal emission (Keri) a sin?
Is a nocturnal emission, also known as keri, a sin? If it happens to you at night, is teshuvah necessary?
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Is one allowed to eat food that was prepared by someone else being mechalel Shabbos?
For example, if someone's mother makes egg salad for the whole family on Shabbos but peels the eggs a few hours before the meal when it's supposed to be peeled immediately before the meal. If the ...
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What is an outsider's obligation if abuse is suspected?
What obligation does an outsider (non-family member) have if she or he suspects that there is abuse in another family? Does it matter if the abused party denies the allegation? What if the abused ...
user2110
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Did Adam and Eve realize they sinned?
This question must precede "why-didnt-adam-ask-for-forgiveness".
A short recap of the events as I understand it:
G-d asks Adam not to eat from the tree, Eve is brought to Adam to be his ...
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What are the practical parameters of Mitzvah Haba'ah B'Aveirah?
There are a few questions which ask about whether the concern of a mitzvah which is (or whose practice is) contingent upon the existence of a sin applies in specific cases. But are there any clear cut ...
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Specific punishments for specific sins
I am aware that the concept of reward and punishment is difficult, and often requires a complex understanding. However, there are places where the Mishna or Gemara claims a specific punishment for a ...
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Does G-d punish the innocent?
Almost every law in the Torah commands proper action aside from the first few in the Ten commandments about G-d's and His oneness. In his book, Kosher Jesus, Chapt. 28, pg 163, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach ...
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