Questions tagged [technology]
Questions about how Judaism interacts with technological innovations.
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Jewish Android Apps [closed]
Does anyone have a suggestion of any jewish Android Apps such as a calendar (halachic times and dates), siddur, sefarim, kashrut/ ask a rabbi, learn Hebrew/Yiddish/ladino etc..., and jewish music apps?...
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Cryptocurrency and Ribbis - Celsius Network
With the rising popularity of DeFi (Decentralized Finance) and cryptocurrencies I am wondering about the interest bearing wallets such as Celsius that will give returns for holding or staking coins.
...
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TV left on during Shabbat for serious reasons
The question of leaving a TV on for all of Shabbat was asked here before and was answered: No, it is against the spirit of Shabbat, plus other halachic reasons.
But what if you did it to stay abreast ...
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Sous-vide cooking for Shabbat
Sous-vide is a method of cooking food slowly, at a precisely-controlled temperature. This article in the New York Times reports that this method is becoming more and more accessible to and widespread ...
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Smart thermostat on Shabbos - what to do?
I read an article recently regarding a person who went to a hotel and realized after Shabbos began that all the rooms were controlled by smart thermostats. A smart thermostat detects when one is in ...
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Do photocopies of torah need to be put in shaimos?
Do photocopied sheets (such as chumash or gemara) need to be put in sheimos or can they be thrown straight into the garbage?
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Online Torah Scroll [closed]
Is there an online virtual Sefer Torah (in 3D) that could be rolled and unrolled?
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Are we forbidden from striving to develop biotech that can make us immortal since that would essentially be like biting off from the Tree of Life?
In the recent years, there has been a lot of talk and investment in the biotech space regarding life extension, with some saying that the eventual goal is to make us live forever. However, to strive ...
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Designing a Robot that could write a Sefer Torah
I watched a video on YouTube titled "I sent robot forgeries to a handwriting expert." I was wondering if would it be technologically possible to design a robot that could write a Sefer Torah....
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While playing a computer game, may I "worship" one of the game's "gods" to help me win?
I sometimes play a certain computer role-playing game (RPG). In this game, my character (whom I might name after myself but who does not otherwise resemble me) fights mythological creatures and ...
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Is ad-blocker software permissible?
Kalashnikover_Rebbe at hashkafah.com asked:
Isn't blocking ads stealing? The people put them on the sites for a reason.
He elaborated:
On one hand, the argument can be made that [forum XYZ] is ...
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Is it forbidden to use a sand timer on shabbos?
Everyone I know seems to say that using a sand timer (hourglass) on shabbos is forbidden. The question is why? Is it because of sifting? Is there some other melacha involved? Is it actually forbidden?
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Does artificial meat grown in a petri dish have the halachic status of meat?
Scientists are developing means of growing artificial meat in a petri dish. Does such 'meat' have the halachic status of meat?
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/11/us-science-meat-f-...
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If you're not overweight, can you still use a food scale and an app to count calories during Chol Ha'moed?
Background
During Chol Ha'moed, more food may be available than usual. The research literature suggests that, when there's a lot of food variety available in our homes, we're more likely to overeat. ...
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Intelligent machines and their Halachic status
Given the recent advances in machine learning, such as the OpenAI GPT-3 (e.g. chatbot), it is not unreasonable to expect that artificial general intelligence (AGI) will be achieved in the foreseeable ...
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Is there a kashrut issue with vacuum sealers
Food does not directly touch the machine, but air (or a little liquid) from the food is drawn into the machine—-never from the machine to the food. Food is kept in a plastic bag (usually outside the ...
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(How) have cheap electronics changed the definitions of "muktzeh machmas chisaron kis"?
Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchasa says a radio is muktzeh machamas chisaron kis. -- I'm allowed to pick up and move a hammer if it's in my way on Shabbos, but not something expensive and delicate like a ...
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Leaving a phone perpetually on on the Sabbath
I have never been sufficiently religious to understand everything on this site without help from friends or family, but a question was asked by a non-Jewish friend that I was unable to answer, so I'm ...
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Why should A Capella music be allowed during Sefirah/Three Weeks?
Background:
I'm not sure how I feel about: a)the custom to refrain from listening to recorded music during Sefirah or b)the assumption that recorded a cappella music is not considered instrumental (...
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Stainless steel valid shechita knife that wasn't used for 3 days
The Simlah Chadasha (Siman 18 Seif 16) writes that if a knife with a Chazaka was held unused for three days - and one then slaughtered with it (without checking if it is smooth) and then lost it, that ...
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May one use a measuring device on Yom Tov?
I think I have heard that one should not measure or weigh things on Shabbat.
However, I wonder if this rule applies to Yom Tov related food needs, e.g., can one stick a food thermometer into meat to ...
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Can I cause a Melacha to happen in a place where Shabbat has already started?
Can I cause a Melacha to happen in a place where Shabbat has already started? For example, if I live in New York, could I send a fax (causing the machine to print a document) to Israel on Friday ...
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What halachic issues are involved in turning off a mobile phone while praying the quiet Amidah?
A person realises during his quiet Amidah, that he has not turned off his mobile phone.
He is worried lest it ring while he is praying.
On the other hand, turning it off will interfere with his ...
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What makes a smart phone "kosher"?
I have to admit that my phone is far smarter than me, and I am not "with it". So, I was surprised when a neighbor who is sending his kid to Israel told me that her kid needs a special "kosher" smart ...
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Is there an online source for trope occurrences?
As a Torah reader, I like to find nuances and inherent meanings in trope (cantillation) nuances and "unusual" occurrences in the Torah. For example I'm looking for all the places that have two ...
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Can a healthy person use a shabbos elevator?
Can a person who has no health issues make use of a shabbos elevator?
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If dairy and meat come from the same Star Trek replicator, would it be Kosher? [closed]
Apologies for my limited understanding of Judaism, but as far as I am aware, Jewish dietary laws prohibit mixtures of meat and milk. I remember a friend's housemate requiring a second sink and set of ...
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Apple Watch on Shabbat
Tech experts: Is there any way in which the Apple Watch could be used by shomrei Shabbat with limited functionality?
Note: this question does not seek to ascertain whether the full gamut of features ...
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What technology did King Solomon have?
I'm looking for sourced statements of modern technology possessed by King Solomon.
So far I have seen:
An answer here quotes the idea that King Solomon had a flying carpet of sorts. The Ben ...
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What is the status of professional video game players?
A friend remarked to me that playing video games professionally today is the equivalent of professional gamblers in the times of the talmud, specifically in that both are not involved in "Yishuvo shel ...
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May a Jew deliver non-Kosher food to another Jew? [duplicate]
With the increase in usage of food delivery services such as instacart or uber eats many people now have their food delivered to them. I would like to know if any contemporary authorities discuss the ...
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What tool did Raban Gamliel use to determine how close his ship was to the port?
In Mishna Eruvin 4:2, Raban Gamliel tells his colleagues "I looked out from our ship just before it got dark, and determined we were already within 2000 amot of the harbor."
Bartenura says ...
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Was linseed (flaxseed) oil in common use in time of the Mishna/Gemara?
Go to any location 200+ years old in America, and they'll tell you all about the value of linseed (flax seed) for paint. Which makes me wonder, was it a "thing" in the time of the Talmud? ...
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Kol Isha specifically from/of a woman? [duplicate]
I have been reviewing the questions related to Kol Isha (including links about parrots, men with feminine voices, radio recordings and Siri singing) but I was asked whether halacha has dealt with ...
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Revisiting cryonics and halaha
I thought it would be interesting to revisit the halachic permissibility of cryonics. This previous answer mentions a view that requires >50% chance of the preserved person being brought back to ...
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Changeable page number sign for shul
In the shul (synagogue) I went to growing up, and in other shuls I've been to, they had a device for displaying the current page number. It was a wall-mounted box with three windows, behind each of ...
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Giving a divorce (get) written on a tablet screen
Can a person divorce his wife by giving her a get written on a tablet screen?
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Digital piracy of difficult to acquire products
The following discusses copying an item that is being sold by its creator (https://torah.org/learning/honesty-class64/)
Rabbi Moshe Feinstein ztl said that it’s not permitted to copy any item that is ...
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Were there rabbinic objections when grave digging went from manually-powered to machine?
There are lots of responsa when matza-baking machines were introduced instead of everyone doing it by hand. When power machinery came up to make grave-digging faster/easier, did any rabbis object that ...
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Can you buy chametz during Pesach that will be delivered after Pesach?
As an example, during Hol Hamo'ed Pesach, could you buy chametz online knowing that it will arrive after Pesach?
My assumption is that it would be OK, as the buyer doesn't actually own the product ...
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Can you use electricity on Yom Tov
Yom Tov is slightly different than Shabbat. For example, on Shabbat one cannot cook, but one can cook on Yom Tov provided that it is from an existing flame.
My question is this... Let's say I have ...
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Using the Coravin Wine Preserver on shabbat
There is a new device called the coravin which allows one to insert a needle into a cork of a wine bottle and the wine flows through the needle by using argon gas (protects quality of wine) and by ...
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Watching a virtual church service
The prohibition I have read about regarding churches centers around going "into" a church (see Q and A's here, for example).
Is the underlying prohibition about being present in the church, ...
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How can ultrasound be used to resolve a niddah question?
In this post Rabbi Slifkin makes the following statement
Somebody once asked the great and underappreciated Rav Nachum Rabinovich, shlita, about whether one can use ultrasound to resolve a niddah ...
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Best App to Track your Mikvah Dates
Looking for the best period tracker and mikvah (לוח מקווה) calendar to simplify my mikvah calculations. It should be available on Android phone and able to send reminders and notifications about ...
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Can a "brain controlled" prosthetic be used on Shabbat?
New prosthetics are controlled by brain waves which seem to make the prosthetic an extension of the body in an "organic" way, in that we control all of our own limbs through the same brain waves and ...
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Egg donation within a family
If a woman were to donate her eggs to a family member who, unfortunately, could not conceive on her own, would that invoke considerations of halachic incest if the man who would fertilize the egg ...
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Removing facial hair by laser treatment (for a man)
May a man remove his facial hair with a laser treatment?
(that is the hairs that are normally ossur to remove by way of a razor.)
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May one use a computer script or robot to do something specifically on Shabbos/Yom Tov?
May one run a program or machine that will operate on Shabbos, either by setting a timer to activate once Shabbos has started, or by leaving it running continually? What if the action is one that is ...
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Would there be any maaser derabbanan on hydroponically grown plants?
Related: What bracha should be made on hydroponics/aeroponics?
This question was originally mentioned by Rabbi Eliyahu Fink in his Daf Yomi shiur (Shabbat 128).
He was talking about tevel d'rabanan -...
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