Questions tagged [talmud-gemara]
The Talmud is a central text of Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, metaphorical stories customs, and history.
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The chronological order of the revelation of the Torah
Midrashic commentary (Midrash Sifri, Deuteronomy 343) states that before the Jews, the Torah was offered to the whole world, but they did not accept it:
ד"א ויאמר ה' מסיני בא - כשנגלה המקום ליתן ...
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Why does the Talmud use the תניא נמי הכי construction?
Makkos 6b, Tosfos d.h.תניא נמי הכי
The Gemoro brings a statement of Rav (first paragraph below) about the source of a law which is supported by a baraisa with the words (2nd para below) תניא נמי הכי....
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Why did שמואל הנביא need permission to save his own life?
In יבמות ס״ה,ב׳ it brings the story of when Hashem told שמואל הנביא to go and anoint דויד, and שמואל asked Hashem what he should do in order not to arouse Shaul’s suspicion, thereby endangering his ...
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The Maharsha accusing Rav Pappa!
The Gemara Shabbos 140b states the following..
וְאָמַר רַב פָּפָּא: הַאי מַאן דְּאֶפְשָׁר לְמִישְׁתֵּי שִׁיכְרָא וְשָׁתֵי חַמְרָא — עוֹבֵר מִשּׁוּם ״בַּל תַּשְׁחִית״. וְלָאו מִילְּתָא הִיא — ״בַּל ...
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your Masechta to enter the world to come
I found in one of the works of the great gaon Rav Moshe Greenwald (1853-1910 Chust-Hungary, known famously for his responsa sefer ערוגת הבושם), a sefer written as his 'final will' called- הכנה דרבה (a ...
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Hyperbole in the Gemara?
There are many times where the Gemara says that someone who does something is equivalent to one who is "kofer b'kol" or killing someone (for example regarding lashon harah in Erchin 15b
I have always ...
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Rabbi Meir's yeshiva
We learned in the Daf (Nazir 49b also Keddushin 52b) that Rav Yehuda instructed his Talmidim not to accept into his Yeshiva any Talmid of Rav Meir because they just ask questions to annoy and confuse (...
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Halachot learned from gematria
The Gemara in Nazir 5a learns that an unspecified nezirut is 30 days long from the pasuk "kadosh yihyeh"(Bamidbar 6,5) with יהיה- yihyeh having a gematria (Numerical value) of 30. Can anyone think of ...
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Is it true that most Haredi Yeshivas focus on only (the same) one of the sedorim?
I heard from a Haredi yeshiva-bocher, and confirmed with another, that most Haredi yeshivos learn only one of the sedorim (or maybe it was one of the masechtos), and that it is the same one across ...
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Differences between Birur and הנהגה
How do the techniques of הנהגה and בירור work in Halacha? Is the difference that the latter needs proof, and the former is based on a חזקה?
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Why would contradicting Tosafot be an issue if there were multiple authors?
Often, Rabbis will question why different Tosafot (even in different Mesechtas) disagree with each other, finding a way to make them congruent.
If Tosafot was written by multiple authors (at least 100 ...
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Are "Halacha To Moses from Sinai" Undisputed?
I was listening to a lecture in my synagogue in which it was mentioned ( correctly or incorrectly - I don't know ) that a הלכה למשה מסיני - Halach to Moses from Sinai is a law that has never been ...
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How could Aharon stand inside the Mishkan
According to the position in the gemara in Shabbos :צב that all of the leviim (includes cohanim) were 10 amos tall, how could Aaron or Moshe fit in the Ohel Moed (10 Amos tall as well, see parshas ...
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High School Math in the Talmud
I'm currently tutoring someone in math that has an atitude of "what's the point of all this... why would I ever need this..." (which is typical of many high-schoolers). To try to pique his interest, I ...
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How did the Magic (Kishuf) applied on the Tanaim?
It is mentioned in Yerushalmi (Sanhedrin, 87, Halacha 13) that a magician/ witch (Mechashef) applied his magic on three Taanaim: Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Lazer and Rabbi Akiva in a public bath house. How ...
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Stories of Eliyahu HaNavi in Gemara
Throughout the Gemara there are many stories in which Eliyahu HaNavi appears in one form or another and is in conversation with Chazal.
Have any commentators or scholars provided a systematic approach ...
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Why does the recitation of Tehillim 145 three times a day secure one a place in Olam Haba?
It is stated in the Talmud (Brachos 4b) that one who recites "T'hila L'David" three times a day secures their place in Olam Haba. Why is this? What is so special about this psalm that it ...
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Caret for an intentional Sin punishable by Death when there are no witnesses
We know that Sins punishable by death are punished when there are witnesses and warning. We also know that when there are no witnesses, but the sin is made intentionally, the punishment is Caret. What ...
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When did The Talmud first become available to the readers as a written document?
What was the probable earliest time, when some Jewish readers could get a hold of a document that contains any material that belong to the material that is found in Talmud Sanhedrin?
What was the ...
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What was the Lubavitcher Rebbe's position on women's gemara study?
It is my understanding that women's gemara study is rabbinically prohibited. However, I keep hearing that the Lubavitcher Rebbe zt"l had an interesting, perhaps liberal position regarding women's ...
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Encyclopedia Talmudit - Early Volumes
Where can one find the early volumes of Encyclopedia Talmudit for purchase? It seems that very few stores carry the early volume.
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When is a Talmudic statement considerd aggadah?
When is a statement in the Talmud considerd aggadah (and thus not necessarily to be taken litteraly, but rather teaches us a lesson) and when is a statement in the Talmud acctually literal? (i.e that ...
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Numeric coincidence between Rava and Tosefta?
Nazir 13b:
Rava asks: If one said: I am hereby a nazirite after twenty days, and I am hereby a nazirite from now for one one hundred days, what is the halakha?
The next page resolves the question:
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Does one have to take a Midrash/Aggadah literally?
Does one have to take a Midrash/Aggadah literally?
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Can a golem become human?
If a righteous sage creates a golem, like Rava did in Tractate Sanhedrin, can it become human, and since it is created by a Jew, can it become Jewish?
Secondly, I don't know if they could or could not,...
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I find learning gemorah doesn't talk to me, what should I do?
I went to yeshiva for 4 years, I can say that I enjoyed learning gemorah less than 10 days out of all 4 years.
I go to daf yomi, I read through the gemorah, but I find it very irrelevant, even halocha ...
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Meaning of the word בר in Proverbs 31:2
I'm a ben Noach. I was studying the use of the word בר in the Mishlei Shlomoh and I noticed that many important translations translate Proverbs 31:2 as follows:
"What, my son? and what, son of ...
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Medrashim which seem to go against logic
I am giving a speech this week. I would like to include examples of Medrashim which seem implausible that it ever happened or could have ever happened.
Can any of you provide examples of medrashim ...
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Usage of אמר מר and גופא [duplicate]
The Gemora sometimes wants to discuss a side point from a previous text. It will introduce this as אמר מר or גופא for example the first page of Brachos says: אֲמַר מָר: ״מִשָּׁעָה שֶׁהַכֹּהֲנִים ...
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Traditional Text of the Gemoro Yerushalmi Maseches Peah online
Where on line can I find the text of the Gemoro Yerushalmi Maseches Peah, laid out according to the traditional dappim. Sefaria is excellent but lacks the traditional layout. I am following an online ...
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Where can I find a great gemara shiur online that doesn’t require background knowledge?
I am looking to recommend to a friend a deep and interesting shiur in gemara online that doesn’t require any background knowledge or use of Hebrew terms.
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So what happens to Judaism if Moshiach doesn't come by the year 6000?
Since it says in the Talmud that Moshiach has to come by the year 6000, so what happens to Judaism if Moshiach doesn't come by the year 6000.
The year 6000 view comes from the Babylonian Talmud, ...
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"Chabad" Gemara learning?
Is there a specifically "Chabad" way of learning Gemara? Is there a Chabad commentary on the Gemara?
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Litigation vs out-of-court settlement
If I understand correctly, Batei Din encourage litigants to compromise / settle out of court rather than go to trial.
Where in Gemarah is this stated explicitly?
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Meaning of וש"נ
Often the Mesuras HaShas in the top corner of each Amud of gemara will quote the source or other places a certain concept or sugya can be found. Sometimes, when there are a lot of other places one can ...
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Source for Hardest Masechtos
I once saw that the hardest Masechtos in Shas are alluded to in "כל ימי -עני- רעים" (Mishlei 15:15), with ע standing for עירובין, and נ for נדרים (alternatively I've seen נדה or נזיר), ...
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Why did Rav Yaakov snap back at his adoptive father?
It says in Sotah 49a that
רַב אַחָא בַר יַעֲקבֹ אִיטַּפַל בֵיהּ בְרַב יַעֲקבֹ בַר בְרַתֵּיהּ כִי גָּדַל א״ל אַשְקְיָין מַיָּא אָמַר לוֹ לָאו בְרִיךְ אֲנָא
Rav Acha bar Yaakov reared Rav Yaakov, his ...
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Is it true that Simeon ben Shetach was summoned to a diplomatic meeting between Parthians and King Alexander Jannaeus by Queen Salome Alexandra?
There is a story on wikipedia for Simeon ben Shetach at this link.. After the civil war between the Pharisees and King Alexander Jannaeus the Judeans are meeting with Parthians. The Parthians asked ...
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Why pray for David before praying for prayer?
The Talmud explains the arrangement of the Amidah benedictions in Megillah 17-18. The rationale for placing the prayer for prayer after the prayer for David is given there as follows:
וכיון שבא דוד ...
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Demon reproduction?
How do demons reproduce?
"In three ways they are like ministering angels: They have wings like ministering angels; and they fly from one end of the world to the other like ministering angels; ...
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Purpose of Learning Gemara
Disclaimer: I am Jewish. Don't get thrown off by the Arabic name. I can't login into my original stackexchange account. This is a pseudo twitter login account I use here.
I am wondering if someone can ...
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Why does the Gemara reference R' Yaakov in an odd way?
In Sotah 46a, it says the following:
אָמַר לְהוּ הַהוּא מֵרַבָנָן ור׳ יַעֲקבֹ שְמֵיהּ לְדִידִי מְפָרְשָא לִי מִינֵּיהּ דְרַבִי יוֹחָנָן מְשִיכַת עוֹל לְרָחְבוֹ טֶפַח
One of the rabbis said to them, ...
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Where can I download a complete text file of the Talmud Bavli?
I am writing a tool in python to analyze the Talmud (e.g. word counts, how many times a specific phrase is used etc.) and I need a free downloadable text file of the Gemara, preferably with Rashi and ...
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Is insincere idolatry permitted?
The Talmud reports the following view about Gentiles who live outside Israel:
דאמר רבי חייא בר אבא אמר רבי יוחנן גוים שבחוצה לארץ לאו עובדי עבודה זרה הן אלא מנהג אבותיהן בידיהן
These sages seem to ...
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Opinion that Mashiach came already
I heard in a Shiur the rabbi mention that there’s an opinion in the Gemara that Mashiach came and went already. Does anyone know where this is from, what the rabbi’s proof is, and what commentaries ...
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Between Sanhedrin 108b & Sanhedrin.38b
According to Sanhedrin 108b:
Rav Ḥana bar Leva’ei says that Shem the Great said to Eliezer, servant of Abraham: When the four great kings of the east and the west
came upon you to wage war with ...
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Why does Maseches Shabbos focus so much on Hotza'ah/Carrying?
There are 39 Melachos on Shabbos, yet by far the most discussed in the Masechta is Hotza'ah/Carrying.
Is there a reason why so much focus is placed on this one Melacha vs. all the others?
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7 most handsome people alive Gemara?
Was watching a shiur and the rabbi mentioned a Gemara that states the 7 most handsome people alive and Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol was one of them. Anyone know where I can find this Gemara?
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Did ALL the Jews at the time of the closing of the Talmud accept the Talmud as binding?
The Rambam states in his introduction to Mishna Torah that the Talmud Bavli is binding because;
כל אותם הדברים שבתלמוד הסכימו עליהם כל ישראל.
What is the definition of the word "ישראל" in ...
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Questions about the Talmud
Does the Talmud have things that are not laws like stories of prophets
Is all of the Talmud just explanation of things in the Tanakh?
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