Questions tagged [technology]
Questions about how Judaism interacts with technological innovations.
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"Silk-Screened" Sifrei Torah
What are the halachic issues with Silk-screened sifrei torah? I am interested in a summary of concise halakhic rulings of multiple authorities on the prohibition or permissibility of HaRav Yitzchak ...
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Operating Cameras on Shabbat
Would it be permissible to take a picture with a film camera operated mechanically?
If not what would be the melacha involved?
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Sh'kiya alarm app (iOS)
Since the time-change, I have been rather off in calculating when I should say minchah. Is there an app which has an alarm for sh'kiya (or secular sundown timing if they differ) which is available for ...
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Microwave oven and goy (me) cooking [duplicate]
Is cooking kosher food by a Goy - in this case me (doing giyur) in a microwave oven making the oven unsuitable for use by a Jew?
I asked one rabbi who said there is no halakhic issue. I live in a ...
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Listening to a Jewish broadcaster in the US after Shabbat ends in Israel [duplicate]
Many baseball games (for example) take place Saturday afternoon in the US. This generally corresponds to beginning (or mostly taking place) after Shabbat ends in Israel. If the broadcaster of one of ...
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Cell Phone Jammers in Halacha
I could not imagine cell phone jammers would be מותר, but perhaps my gut-feeling is wrong...
Either way, I would be interested in knowing how they fit into halacha, and what the reasons behind ...
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Is watching via webcam valid for cholov yisroel?
Would milk be considered cholov yisroel if someone was watching via webcam?
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3
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my cellphone is off on Shabbat but the voicemail still takes a message
I don't use my cell on Shabbat, it is turned off but calls still go to my Voicemail. Is this permissible? I don't have the option of turning voicemail off only for Shabbat. It seems it is either set ...
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Software for organizing a "thing" gemach
I'd like to organize a baby clothes gemach in my area and I was wondering if there was any software that people have used to do this, or if this was a piece of software I'd have to write on my own.
...
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Are there digitized Sefer Torahs?
I have heard that it is common these days for digitized images to be made when a Sefer Torah is written, though we don't have any such images at the shul I attend.
Having yet to find a tikkun that ...
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Can I get a digital copy of the Journal of Halacha?
I was reading a sefer which cited the Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society #35. Can I get a digital copy of this Journal?
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How to learn Amidah, Shma and others?
I live 3000km from shul and take conversion classes remotely. I am learning from Koren Siddur. Because I do not ever hear how the words should be spoken, I sometimes wonder if it is a waste of time. I ...
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Do the laws of Ribis apply to loans of virtual currency?
If a Jew lends a player in a multiplayer online game money, and he knows without a doubt that that player is Jewish, does the prohibition of ribis apply? (After all, the only thing that changed was a ...
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Using a neighbor's encrypted Wi-Fi connection
This question asked whether or not one is allowed to use a neighbor's unencrypted (unlocked, without a password) Wi-Fi connection. This question touches upon a lot of different things in American law (...
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Placing a stumbling block before someone trying to take advantage of me?
CAPTCHA stands for completely automated public turing test i.e. its function is to determine whether I am a human.
Some CAPTCHA images are pictures of house numbers taken from Google street view.
...
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Mission to Mars: halachic challenges
There is talk in the scientific community of a manned Mars mission: sending an elderly couple to slingshot past Mars and return to Earth as a trial mission, toward eventual other missions that will ...
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Answering a virtual kaddish?
If you hear someone saying kaddish virtually (such as at a virtual siyum, or a streamed ceremony), should you answer amen?
Note that this is talking about when listening live.
Does it make a ...
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Does halacha require me to install ad-blocker software?
There are so many Internet banner ads out there that contain immodest content.
Say I own a personal computer and I use it every day for Facebook, email, and Web surfing. Does Jewish law require me to ...
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Would time travel be assur/mutar?
Inspired by this question which the author states is not a question of issur/heter. Assuming time travel is possible (to the future or past) is there any reason it should be assur?
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To know in advance when one is a niddah
The gemoro and shulchan aruch has much to say about 'vestos', way to find out in advance when one will be a niddah, which rarely work today. There are modern methods which do work: does one have to ...
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Is there a way to find proximate words?
I am looking to see if certain words in the tanach are used in proximity to other words. Other than looking a word up in my Even-Shoshan and reading through each instance and seeing if the other word ...
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Slaughtering with a machine
May one slaughter kosher animals with a machine? I don't mean to ask this question about restraining animals, what I want to know is if one may use a machine to actually make the cut, to actually ...
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Would whole brain emulation be compatible with Judaism?
Many people theorize that in principle, the brain could be uploaded to a computer which would then contain the person's consciousness. Would a successful demonstration of this be compatible with ...
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Overhead projector on Shabbos?
A discussion came up with some guests over shabbos. One asked if one could use an overhead projector on Shabbos if it was turned on from before, i.e. could one put a new plastic sheet on it or not? In ...
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Can a digital signature be used to finalize a kinyan?
That is, can a code generated by a computer act as a legally binding signature for a contractual agreement in halacha? If so, is this true even if the code is not certified by a trusted authorized ...
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Are there any tanakh search engines? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Where is there a good online source to check how often a word appears in Tanach?
I'm looking to find instances where music, and musical instruments, is mentioned in Tanakh.
...
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Solar analog watch be worn on Shabbos where in the dark the second stops?
Can a solar charge watch that the second hand stops moving in the dark after 30 minutes to save power and resumes operation when brought back in the light, be worn on Shaboss?
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Suggestions for Kosher iPhone apps
I'm an iPhone app developer with mostly Jewish & Israeli iPhone apps and I'm open to new suggestions or ideas for new apps that can be useful for Jewish people.
Anyone here had a case that he ...
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Does anyone know where one can buy a hebrewbooks harddrive?
I am looking to purchase a hebrewbooks hard drive (It may very well come handy here!).
Does anyone know where can I buy it online? (eichlers, etc.)
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Is a head-mounted lamp better than a candle for bedikas chometz?
A LED or Xenon lamp attached to the head (link shows example) seems to be ideal for bedikas chometz and superior to a candle? Do contemporary poskim offer a view?
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What Bracha do we say on bread baked with evaporated mei peiros?
If one bakes bread made out of flour and pure fruit juice, it becomes pas haba bekisnin and the bracha is (at times) mezonos.
What if one distilled fruit juice (to produce water) and baked bread out ...
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Am I allowed to view a Kotel Cam on Shabbos?
If there is a camera in Israel that is operating on Shabbos, am I (a person living in America, where Shabbos only starts 6 or 7 hours later) allowed to view such a camera?
I suppose the same could be ...
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Why wasn't the Torah given to klal Yisroel as a DVD?
The obvious answer is that they didn't have DVDs back in Moshe Rabeinu's time. But still, Hashem could have created them back then.
My question, "Why wasn't the Torah given as a DVD?", is really ...
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Is wine from a Miracle Machine subject to Stam Yenam?
This article describes a kickstarter for a machine to make wine quickly out of grape juice concentrates. My question is twofold:
Is such wine subject to stam yenam?
Is it even Borei pri hagafen?
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May one set posts for Shabbos?
Tumblr has a feature where one can, instead of posting something at the time it it written or a set time, you can add it to a "queue". It will then post a set amount of posts per day as long as there ...
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Where can I find a professionally typeset pdf siddur suitable for mobile viewing?
I have used a number of siddurim apps for my smartphone/tablet and have found the text layout so abhorrent (nikkud floating all over the place, unprofessional kerning, ugly fonts etc.) that I've given ...
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Will editing genome of embryo having Jewish parents diminish Jewish status of later child? [closed]
There's a dreadful genetic illness known as Tay-Sachs requiring two
carriers to activate the fatal effects in a child.
Probably, in reaction to the 20th century eugenics movement and its
terrible ...
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Nespresso Machine Tevilas Keili alternatives
I recently acquired a new Nespresso coffee machine that will most probably be damaged if immersed. (The warranty will be void if immersed).
Are there any alternatives to Tevila?
I've heard you can ...
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Slide Rule on Shabbos/Yom Tov
May a slide rule (mechanical device before calculators) can be used on Shabbos for Gemara calculations?
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pidoyon haben for a baby born from egg donation?
If a non married bat Cohen donates an egg to a yisraelite couple who have a first born son from it, do they have to do a pidyon haben?
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If a Cohen couple gets an embryo donation do they perform pidyon?
If a Cohen couple gets an embryo donation and their first born is a boy, do they have to do pidyon or is the baby a Cohen?
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a wheelchair user's taking "steps" before sh'mone esre
The Shulchan Aruch, OC 94:5, writes:
Suppose someone is sitting on a boat or wagon [and saying sh'mone esre (amida)]. If he can stand up when he reaches the point of bowing, he should stand, so as ...
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G-d's name on screen readers
People who are blind or hard-of-seeing often interact with computers using devices called "screen readers". These screen readers will read aloud the words that are written on the screen (or in the ...
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Would a metallic prosthetic hand require immersion?
Normally, a metal utensil used to eat with, such as a fork, requires immersion before its first use if it had been owned by a gentile. If a person has a metallic prosthetic hand which he uses to eat, ...
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Using water filter/purification system on Shabbos
(Being asked as a theoretical question. Obviously everyone should ask their LOR.)
There is a water filter (or purifier) that works in the following way:
The water flows into a part where there is ...
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What modern-day hygiene products are prohibited on Yom Kippur?
What, if any, modern-day hygiene products are prohibited "oils" on Yom Kippur?
Are deodorants and perfumes in this category? What about medical ointments?
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Can a minyan meet online?
My question is twofold:
Can a person present via webcam (with sound enabled), but not present physically, count towards a minyan (see this example)?
If not, can that person still receive the ...
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canned whipped cream on shabbas?
Can one use a pressure can of whipped cream on shabbas ?
It is funny because on the actual can it says to ask your Rabbi if one can use it or not.
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Sending/reading SMS on Shabbat [duplicate]
Recently a debate of usage of cellphones on Shabbat has come up, mainly about reading and sending text messages.
I was wondering what the specific reasoning is behind not allowing it on Shabbat.
Any ...
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Personal Air Purifiers and Shabbath
What implications might there be for a personal air purifier on Shabbath? Would it be the same as wearing a watch, even a self-winding watch, which according to most is Mutar on Shabbath? Or is it a ...
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