Questions tagged [torah-study]
Questions about the mitzvah to study Torah, and the nature of Torah study. This tag is not intended to be a general tag about Torah. Almost every question on the site is about Torah in some sense. If your question is about a passage in the Bible, try one of the book tags.
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Does "reputation scoring" make "the Torah a crown to magnify yourself with"?
Is "reputation scoring" against the spirit of Pirkei Ovos 4 (5) "Rabbi Tzaddok would say: Do not make the Torah a crown to magnify yourself with, ...."
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Minimum Age to Learn Kabbalah?
How old do you have to be to learn Kabbalah?
(I think its 60 ) but it seems everyone learns it anyway (Maharal, Chassidus). Is there a defense or is it just done?
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After chumashim with notes and Rashi, what's the next torah commentary I should acquire and study?
When I read the torah text (parsha or otherwise) I currently use a couple of chumashim with notes, and Rashi. I know some Hebrew but am not fluent. I'm ready to stretch beyond what I'm reading now ...
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First steps for someone considering conversion
I am 25 years old and I am truly interested in converting. I too also only believe in G-d. I live my life to certain rules that others I see aren't strong enough to live by. I want to know what I ...
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What happened to the Yeshivas Shem v'Aiver?
What happened to the Yeshiva of Shem v'Aiver and all who learnt there?
- 1,402
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Can you learn from seforim written by someone who believed Shabbetai Tzvi was the Messiah?
During the times of false messiah Shabbetai Tzvi, and for several decades afterwards, many well established rabbanim [1] believed him to be Moshiach. Some even maintained this belief after his ...
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Saying Hashem's name when studying
I learned somewhere that when you are learning, if you are going to read an entire pasuk without interruption you can say Hashem's name, however if you are going to only say part of the pasuk (for ...
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Talmud Study, Where to start [closed]
I would like to start to study Talmud, BUT do not know how, where to start.
My Jewish training is basically non-existent. I learned how to read the Hebrew words in the Siddur, Machzor, and Chumash - - ...
MoNoodles
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Am I liable to be stoned for my devotion to Hashem and the Jewish people?
I have spent over 2 years to this day praying for the Jewish people from the Koren Siddur and Machzorim. I have with my Rebbe's help tried to follow Jewish customs and laws, to my best ability. ...
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Going from an nonreligious reform Jew to a religious one?
I turned sixteen a couple of weeks ago and the real world is starting to open up to me. My father is a Christian, but my mother is Jewish which makes myself and my siblings Jewish. We went to ...
user17565
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Downvoting someone you don't know
Onaat devarim is a biblical prohibition to commit verbal abuse (Bava Metzia 58b based on Vayikra 25:17 "וְלֹא תוֹנוּ אִישׁ אֶת עֲמִיתוֹ וְיָרֵאתָ מֵאֱלֹקיךָ כִּי אֲנִי ה' אֱלֹקיכֶם", "one shall not ...
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How to learn gemara independently
Is there an organized path that a Ba'al Teshuva can follow to learn Gemara and prepare the Daf by himself?
I mean after he is able to learn with Artscroll.
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What are the essential books which every Jew should own? [closed]
What Jewish religious books should one consider when starting a Jewish Library in their home? A set of Shas (Talmud) and the Shulchan Orech (Code of Jewish Law) are the obvious ones, What else should ...
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Is there a short Daf Yomi shiur online in English?
There is a short, 10-minute daf yomi shiur in Hebrew here : and I was wondering if there is anything comparable in English. I'm looking for a Daf Yomi shiur online that is significantly shorter than ...
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Meaning of ודו"ק
It is fairly common to find the abbreviation ודו"ק at the end of a complex explanation of a Torah thought (Maharsha, for example, famously does this very often). Roughly, it means: "I didn't explain ...
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Any primary sources that all Jewish males should l'chatchila stay in learning forever?
Does anyone know of any specific sources in Chazal or Rishonim (or even earlier achronim) that indicate that l'chatchila all Jewish males should learn full time forever? I know that this is the ...
sb
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How do we understand the idea of something missing from the mishnah חסורי מיחסרא והכי קתני?
The gemoro often reconciles the argument of a mishnah with other evidence by saying
חסורי מיחסרא והכי קתני - there is something missing from the mishnah and this is how you must learn it. See for ...
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Is the material permitted to learn on Tisha B'av available online?
From Aish.com:
Other prohibitions include...Learning Torah, since this is a joyful activity. It is permitted to learn texts relevant to Tisha B'Av and mourning -- e.g. the Book of Lamentations, ...
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Polite way to break up with a chavrusa?
I've been learning with someone for quite some time, but it just hasn't seem to be working out.
There are too many interruptions, he seems to space out a lot, and not much progress is made with the ...
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Chatzi LaHashem
I've been having this discussion with my friends and family about the Halacha of dividing Yom Tov into Chatzi LaHashem (half of the day devoted to prayer and learning) and Chatzi Lachem (half of the ...
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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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Why are these tractates, "Yeshivish Mesechtos"?
There is a cycle of tractates in the Talmud that are learned in Yeshiva each year. This is an exclusive list, where only a small number of volumes are covered in the curriculum.
There must be some ...
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Where did the sing-song chant that Jews often use while contrasting points come from?
I am having a very hard time coming up with a good way to describe the phenomenon that I am thinking of, but many people will recognize it. I am talking about the kind of singing rhythm that people ...
- 24.5k
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Angel in the womb for women?
The Talmud (Niddah 30b) teaches us that when a child is in the womb, an angel comes and teaches it the entire Torah, which he subsequently forgets.
The simple reading of the Gemara gives no reason to ...
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Hashem studies Torah?
The Gemara in Avodah Zarah 3b lays out the 12-hour schedule of Hashem's day. I realize that any kind of description of Hashem in human terms is allegorical as Hashem is not a human bounded by time and ...
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By using judaism.stackexchange am I fulfilling the mitzvoh of learning Torah? [duplicate]
To what extent can using judaism.stackexchange in the following ways be considered fulfilling the mitzvoh of learning Torah?
Reading posts
Posing questions
Researching answers
Other
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At what age should we start teaching the distinction between Midrash and Text?
At a very early age children learn the history of the world and the Jews through the enthralling stories found in many varied sources.
They learn that the world was created in six days; that ...
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Is the hadran a shevua?
When you say the hadran after finishing a mesechta are you making a promise to do so? Should you omit the hadran if you have no plans of ever returning to study that gemara again?
user1552
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How does Judaism regard homeschooling?
The title quite says it. I'm specifically more interested in unschooling....
It is said in Ktubot, 50a, that:
אמר רב יצחק באושא התקינו שיהא אדם מתגלגל עם בנו עד שתים עשרה שנה מכאן
ואילך יורד עמו ...
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Mi Yodeya and Teaching Non-Jews
There is an established halachic principle that we do not explicitly teach Torah to non-Jews. Though the exact parameters of this law is debated, the principle issur itself isn't.
According to some ...
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Non-Jews learning or being taught Torah
I read on Mi Yodeya, and elsewhere on the Internet, that the Gemara (Chagigah 13a) says that Jews can't teach Torah to gentiles, and that according to Tosefot (Chagigah 13a sv. ein) this is because ...
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Satmar Derech Halimud
I was curious as to what the Derech Halimud (learning style) is for Satmar Chassidim. I understand that the general Chassidish Derech (Chassidic style) is one that moves at a quicker pace with not as ...
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Is it Halachically wrong to avoid the rabbi's sermon?
At some point in our history, the rabbi's Derashah, or sermon, went from being taboo to being so integral to the service that some Shuls have ushers to keep the doors closed at that time so that no ...
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Can one have a favorite pasuk/parsha/masechta?
This closed question asks for a 'favorite pasuk', presupposing that such a thing is allowed.
When it comes to sugyos or sections/topics of Torah, Chazal say on the one hand, (Eiruvin 64a) that a ...
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List of Number of Mishnayos by chapter / masechta
I'm looking for a list that enumerates the number of Mishnayos in each perek, as well as totals by masechta. Does anyone here know of such a list (or have the ability to quickly produce one)?
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What to do with Torah novella thought in the bathroom by accident
Halachically it is prohibited to think about Torah in the bathroom. However, sometimes I'll get up to go to the bathroom while I'm in the middle of a tough sugya and I'll find myself still thinking ...
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Saying words of prayer or Torah while an immodest photo or drawing is in your field of vision?
The halachah is clear (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 75) that one may not recite Shema, or any other words of Torah or prayer, while in the presence of parts of the human body that should be covered.
...
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Sh'kalim, Kinim, Midos in daf yomi
Why are Sh'kalim (Y'rushalmi) and Kinim and Midos (mishnayos) learned as part of the standard daf yomi cycle for Talmud Bavli?
And if the answer relies on some fact of publication, then (a) why ...
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When is there Kaddish after a shiur?
When do you say Kaddish Derabanan after a shiur? What are the requirements for this Kaddish?
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Daf yomi on Tisha b'Av
There is a strong tradition (maybe halakha?) to not engage in most learning on Tisha b'Av (with a few exceptions). Many of us learn daily and I understand that we generally suspend our learning for ...
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Thinking about Purim Torah in the bathroom
It is not permitted to think about Torah in the bathroom regularly, but what about Purim Torah, which is certainly not real Torah study, but still often refers to actual Torah?
One might think that ...
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What should I use for Mishna study?
I'm new to Mishna study, and I want to participate in a communal effort to study Mishna. I picked out a section to study, and now I need to find a convenient resource to learn from. I don't ...
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Why are some words in Tanach read differently than they are written?
From here:
The MT [Masoretic Text] includes the kere and ketiv system, in which marginal notes indicate that certain words are to be read differently than they are spelled in the text, or that ...
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Why in judaism - when discussing the Torah - do I see a lot of answers referring to writings of different Rabbis?
Sorry for the simpleness of this question. I've been trying to study the Torah as much as possible. I do not know Hebrew (though I'd truly like to and would appreciate any advice on how to get started)...
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Which passages comprise the classic Tikkun Leil Shavuot?
As we count down to Shavuot, I find myself wondering:
[First, some background for those who don't know what a Tikkun Leil Shavuot is]
According to tradition, we overslept the morning of Matan Torah (...
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What is learning torah lishma?
In pirkei avot chapter 6 Rebbi Meir lists various benefits that will happen to one who learns "torah lishma" such as "it is revealed to him the secrets of the Torah. He becomes like an increasingly ...
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Learning Torah from a confirmed sinner?
A learned friend of mine is of the opinion that it is forbidden to learn from a Rabbi (or anyone else) who is known to have sinned. He used the example of a particular Rabbi caught in a scandal so ...
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What are the "Mishnah" and "Gemara" referenced in Pirkei Avot 5?
At the end of Pirkei Avot 5, we have a statement (of either Ben Hei Hei or R. Yehuda ben Tema --- I have two siddurim with slightly different texts):
He used to say: at five years of age, the study ...
13
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3
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What was the attitude of Rabbonim regarding Purim Torah?
Purim Torah seems to be a two sided concept. On one hand, many people do it for many years (for example, Maseches Purim was published in 1871).
On the other hand, it seems to be a Bizayon HaTorah (...
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