All Questions

In his entry, Artscroll writes “Of his famous commentary on Tanach, only the sections to Genesis, the Prophets, Psalms, Proverbs and Chronicles have survived.” Why does it say “only” and then proceed ...

Has anyone ever made a joke based on the similarity between the “Ri Migash” and “My gosh,” and if not, why not?

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, fascism is a regime that exalts nation above the individual. Many associate Nazism, for example, with fascism. And yet, considering the morning ...

Does the Tanach ever use letters for numbers? For example it says אַרְבָּעָה מְלָכִים i.e. 4/four kings.. but it doesn't say it as ד מְלָכִים it uses the word for four (arba/arbaah), but not the ...

In bava kama (60:): ויתאוה דוד ויאמר מי ישקני מים מבור בית לחם אשר בשער ויבקעו שלשת הגבורים במחנה פלשתים וישאבו מים מבור בית לחם אשר בשער [וגו'] מאי קא מיבעיא ליה אמר רבא אמר ר"נ טמון באש קמיבעיא ...

I want to learn the style of brisker lomdus in conjunction with chullin. What are some good seforim for this? I asking specifically an analysis connected to the daf

I remember reading that Moses gave one tribe of Israel the task of erasing every trace of the Israelites' journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. Is this accurate, what is the source, and what would ...

Several rabbi's have told me that one is prohibited from using an umbrella on Shabbat because one is "constructing a shelter". Assuming they've used the correct reasoning, I'm not following it. I ...

Talmud Berachot 12b says: וְאָמַר רַבָּה בַּר חִינָּנָא סָבָא מִשְּׁמֵיהּ דְּרַב: כֹּל שֶׁאֶפְשָׁר לוֹ לְבַקֵּשׁ רַחֲמִים עַל חֲבֵירוֹ וְאֵינוֹ מְבַקֵּשׁ — נִקְרָא ״חוֹטֵא״. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״גַּם ...

I remember hearing in the name of Rav Moshe Feinstein that a criminal who-- by normal and objective standards-- should be invalidated from testifying can still be considered a Kosher witness if his ...

I work for a 4 store chain of employee owned grocery stores in Northern California that feature small, shelf stable, kosher foods sections. In reviewing these sets in our stores I feel like they could ...

Today's popular view of angels is that they are supernatural beings with various powers. But the Biblical word מַלְאָךְ, mal'ak, can simply mean "messenger" or "agent", and it is translated as such ...

1 Samuel 23:23 speaks of 'thousands of Yehudah', Micah 5:1 also speaks of 'thousands of Yehudah', but then I noticed Zechariah 12:5-6 which speaks of 'princes/leaders of Yehudah'. I know there are two ...

Berachos 14a: אָמַר רַב: כָּל הַנּוֹתֵן שָׁלוֹם לַחֲבֵירוֹ קוֹדֶם שֶׁיִּתְפַּלֵּל כְּאִילּוּ עֲשָׂאוֹ בָּמָה. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״חִדְלוּ לָכֶם מִן הָאָדָם אֲשֶׁר נְשָׁמָה בְּאַפּוֹ כִּי בַמֶּה נֶחְשָׁב ...

Berachos 12b: פָּרָשַׁת צִיצִית מִפְּנֵי מָה קְבָעוּהָ? אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בַּר חֲבִיבָא, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהּ חֲמִשָּׁה דְּבָרִים: מִצְוַת צִיצִית, יְצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם, עוֹל מִצְוֹת, וְדַעַת ...

Berachos 12b: פָּרָשַׁת צִיצִית מִפְּנֵי מָה קְבָעוּהָ? אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בַּר חֲבִיבָא, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהּ חֲמִשָּׁה דְּבָרִים: מִצְוַת צִיצִית, יְצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם, עוֹל מִצְוֹת, וְדַעַת ...

The Rema rules in OC 225:2: יש אומרים מי שנעשה בנו בר מצוה יברך בא"י אמ"ה שפטרני מעונשו של זה וטוב לברך בלא שם ומלכות Some say that one whose son becomes a Bar Mitzvah should make a blessing ...

Berachos 7a: אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן מִשּׁוּם רַבִּי יוֹסֵי: מִנַּיִן שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מִתְפַּלֵּל? ... מַאי מְצַלֵּי? אָמַר רַב זוּטְרָא בַּר טוֹבִיָּה, אָמַר רַב: ״יְהִי רָצוֹן ...

Berachos 6a: תַּנְיָא, אַבָּא בִּנְיָמִין אוֹמֵר: אֵין תְּפִלָּה שֶׁל אָדָם נִשְׁמַעַת אֶלָּא בְּבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״לִשְׁמֹעַ אֶל הָרִנָּה וְאֶל הַתְּפִלָּה״. בִּמְקוֹם רִנָּה — שָׁם ...

Berachos 5b teaches: רַבִּי חִיָּיא בַּר אַבָּא חֲלַשׁ. עָל לְגַבֵּיהּ רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אֲמַר לֵיהּ: חֲבִיבִין עָלֶיךָ יִסּוּרִין? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: לֹא הֵן וְלֹא שְׂכָרָן. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: הַב לִי יְדָךְ. ...

In Rambam, Hilchot Ishut, Chapter 14:1, he outlines a husband's obligations of onah (conjugal rights) to each wife based on his profession. So a sailor every 6 months, an in-town laborer twice per ...

A Hebrew professor friend has a very curious medical ethics class who keep asking the same question. They are looking for Hebrew teshuvot regarding whether a married Jewish surrogate mother who has a ...

The Talmud says that after the fall of the first Temple prophecy ceased in Israel (Yoma 9b, Sanhedrin 11a, Sotah 48b.). But things improved after the return and the rebuilding of the Temple, not ...

Do the prophecies made by the Nevi’im (prophets) in the Tenach need to be fulfilled at once, or is it possible that they occur in phases. So if Yirmiyahu for example makes a prophecy about a certain ...

Per the answer given here: אצבע אלוקים היא - *how* many?: The magicians were acknowledging that the plages were a manifestation of Hashem's Power at the level of אצבע אלוקים היא. That is, the ...

Why do some jewish sources speak of a Mashiach ben Yosef while others teach about Mashiach ben David, if we only believe in one (future) Mashiach? 2. Upon which sources is this idea of a Mashiach ben ...

As I understand it, the Babylonian Talmud was written in the 3rd to the 5th centuries CE. At that point, Judaism was already a well-established religion. The Babylonian Talmud contains explanations ...

I have chronic pain disorders that when I walk to shul (less than 1/2 mi each way) and back, I end up spending the next day in tremendous pain likely laying in bed. What mobility options do I have, if ...

The Oruch Hashulchan O Ch 224, 6 says הרואה חכם מחכמי ישראל שגדול בתורה מברך: "ברוך אתה ה' אלהינו מלך העולם שחלק מחכמתו ליריאיו, Someone who sees a Jewish Torah sage makes the blessing “ ...

In Bava Batra 16b Rava two verses for Iyov are compared (איוב לד, לה) [איוב] לא בדעת ידבר ודבריו לא בהשכל (וכתיב (איוב מב, ז) כי לא דברתם אלי נכונה כעבדי איוב) On the one hand, the text states:...

A case: I am Chazan and finished the silent Shmona Esre, someone say me to begin the Chazara because there are already 9 who finished their Shmona Esre, but I don't believe him, I want to count by ...

Berachot 16b-17a lists a number of prayers that various amoraim recited at the end of Amidah. Common practice (at least in the Ashkenazi and Edot Mizrach siddurim that I've seen) seems to be to ...

Does the law not to say G-d's name without a head covering ( Relationship between wearing a kippa and reciting a blessing ) apply to woman? Source? If not, why not?

In many Ashkenazi sidurim (e.g. Artscroll and the Sidur Vilna), kidush l'vana concludes with a supplication that the greatness of the moon be restored, and that the Jewish people merit the restoration ...

Jewish weddings have taken place at Gentile-owned hotels, catered by a Kosher caterer with hashgacha (supervision). Is it in fact permitted to drink wine at such a celebration, given that drinking ...

I used to think it was a hard fast rule that when a word ends in two consecutive segols such as: אֶרֶץ (or כסף) it will change the first Segol to a Kamatz as in אָרֶץ. However, it was pointed out to ...

If someone who will be reborn in techiyas hameisim donates their kidney, for example, to someone else who will be reborn in techiyas hameisim, who gets the kidney- the donor or the recipient? Or do ...

In the following article, the author makes a compelling argument for why Judaism doesn't always approach scripture literally. However, although there are many examples throughout the Bible for the use ...

There are two primary times when shema can be said until. Those are: A. The Magen Abraham and B. The GR"A and the Alter Rebbe. Does Rabbenu Tam have a different view from these? If he does, what is ...

In Shmot 3:13, Moshe asks for a name to transmit to the people and Hashem says (in 3:14) to tell the people "ehyeh asher ehyeh" as the name. He cements this by saying "tell them ehyeh sent me". From ...

Clue: think (and laugh) in Hebrew and you may be able to solve this pun! It has nothing to do with algebra or geometry, nor with chemistry, physics or religion!

I am trying to find a Yemenite Siddur in Hebrew & English to purchase. Let me know if you can send me a company name or website.

I'm curious to know how many words there are on each individual Vilna page of the Talmud Bavli. Someone had previously compiled a list of words per masechta, but I have yet to find anywhere which ...

Rashi on Parsha Shemos 4:20 explains that "Chronological order is not strictly adhered to in the Scriptures" and that's why it's possible for the Pasuk to first say "and he returned to the land of ...

This battery-powered handheld clock that has alarm clock and stopwatch features, would such a clock be muktzeh on Shabbos, even if one turned off the alarm clock feature before Shabbos?

The Torah tells us that God hardened Pharaoh's heart so that he would not let the Israelites go. [Ex. Ch. 4-14] Some commentators [e.g., Sforno] explain that this was in order to allow Pharaoh to ...

The Torah tells us twenty times, in the space of just a few pages [Ex. Ch. 4-14], that God hardened Pharaoh's heart so that he would not let the Israelites go. Why this emphatic insistence on this ...

(This is not a duplicate of halacha - Why was King David Punished for Sending Others to Conduct a Census? - Mi Yodeya.) 1 Chronicles 21, and 2 Samuel 24 relate how King David took it upon himself to ...

Rashi on Shemot 5:4 says: GO YE UNTO YOUR BURDENS — Go to your work which you have to do at home; but it cannot signify “go to your labours as slaves”, for he was speaking to Moses and Aaron who ...

I am shopping for a new sink And I am seeing that low divided is all the rage. But are they kosher