All Questions

As [probably twice or three times] "more people die from obesity than from hunger", obesity is a higher threat than hunger. As up until now hunger was a greater danger than obesity we prayed for ...

רבנן דקיסרי ואמרי לה דייני דקיסרי אמרי ... The Sages of Caesarea, and some say that it was the judges of Caesarea, said that ... (Succah 8b) I'd assume that רבנים are דיינים and vice verse. But ...

I'm wondering if I can use use some bread that is partially sliced (but not completely severed in two) as lechem mishneh. An example is a bagel that was cut 90% of the way through, meaning that the ...

A number of questions on this site, most recently this one, require a definition of Kabbalah in order to answer them. That particular question is, apparently, about pre-Zohar kabbalah, as the ...

I've been reading the Divine Code by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and came across this in Part I 5:2 note. 91 "...(1) It is also prohibited for a Jew to teach Torah to gentiles in the canonised Hebrew or ...

In the eyes of halacha, who is in greater violation of the prohibition of blasphemy, an idolator or an atheist? Whichever is worse, is that the case by both Jew and Non-Jew?

In the Sefer Practical Guide to Kashruth page 101 notes that the proper disposal of the hafrashas challah is to burn it (brought in the Shulchan Aruch and Maharil). It then notes that when burning is ...

Torah story says absolutely nothing about color and race. Who originated the curse of ham scam??? Did Babylonian Talmud mindset Rabbis give the color interpretation to scripture story about Noah, ...

A variant of this issue was discussed before, but it does not fully answer my specific question. -Deut. 26:5 says: אֲרַמִּי אֹבֵד אָבִי. -It is frequently translated as: "My father was a wandering ...

I believe it's a mishna in Yadayim that says the first pour for netilas yadayim purifies the hand and the second pour purifies the water that's left on the hand. Hands are considered shniyim letumah ...

In Bereshit 29 we learn that Rachel was shepherding her father's sheep. Do any commentaries explain why Rachel, the younger sister, was the shepherdess instead of Leah the older sister? Related ...

The standard Talmudic measures of length include, for example, Amah, Tefach, and Etzbah. But those measures are pretty loose, around 20% of freedom. What object or usage, in our Halacha, requires the ...

אמר ר' יוחנן: סוכה העשויה ככבשן, אם יש בהקיפה כדי לישב בה כ"ד בני אדם כשרה ואם לאו פסולה. Rabbi Yoḥanan said: With regard to a sukka that is shaped like a furnace and is completely round, if ...

Many times while discussing a possible interpretation of a Mishnah, the Gemmorah tries to offer "dead-end solutions" - possible ways of explanations that are knowingly false. NOTE: I don't ask WHY ...

A friend of mine told me that the halacha of discouraging a convert three times has a little nuance - the convert has to make the second and third attempt (to persuade the rabbi to let him convert) at ...

I was thinking that you would have to say it, since it's sofek d'oraisah. But then you there is a sofek d'oraisah of bracha l'vatallah and we have a rule of sofek brochos l'kullah. Anyone have ...

During a hesped for Rav Belsky z"tl, Rav Yisroel Reisman mentions Rav Belsky's ability to connect common words with their Torah source, alluding to "terafim" of Lavan being connected with "therapy". ...

The Oxford Handbook of Judaism and Economics (page 435, footnote 50, available on Google Books preview here) refers to a comment in the Shiltei ha-Gibborim. The only precise reference is "note 3 on ...

Rabbeinu Bahya (13th Century) wrote that in non-sacred usage the Nun of adonai has a Patah, and only with an Etnahta or Sof pasuk a Qamatz when the word stands on its own. ‘And for this reason in the ...

I came across an article on Yeshiva World News regarding a the above Bais Din ruling on a Boy and Girl on whether they are married or not. Can someone help me locate this ruling. https://www....

I hear Chassidic stories that the Samach Mem causes Jews to fight, and other evil What is it? What is it's goal? What is it's powers? Why did G-d Almighty creat it? Where can I read more about ...

It’s becomes clear from Bereshit 18:2 that Avraham is looking around from the entrance of the tent and sees three men appearing, cause it reads: והנה שלשה אנשים נצבים עליו. But what did Avraham sees ...

I’ve a short question about Bereshit 18:1 regards the opening words: וירא אליו יהוה. Normally the word וירא (vayera) is translated as ‘He (G-d) appeared’, but the word is similar to וירא (vayara) ...

I have difficulties to understand the German term "Last" or "Lastwort" in the common Christian German translations of Jeremiah chap 23, verse 33 (corresponding to "burden" in English versions). Thanks ...

In his sefer Kedushat Hayom, Rabbi Shmuel Tuvia Stern alleges that Rabbi Elchanan Vasserman made the following pictured svara. Is anyone able to locate it in the [R Vasserman’s] original?

I noticed three inconsistencies between how the Torah describes the conception and delivery of the children of Bilhah and Zilpha, only 5 verses apart. The conception/birth of Bilhah's son Dan is ...

There's a famous dispute between R' Eliezer and R' Yehoshua when the world was created: Tishrei or Nissan. Their dispute is recorded in Rosh Hashanah 10b - 11a: תניא רבי אליעזר אומר בתשרי נברא ...

There are two instances recorded in the Torah where Avraham and Sarah have to leave their home and go to a dangerous region. Both times Avraham tells people that Sarah is his sister, and both times ...

Does it say somewhere in Chaza"l about children playing with mud or dirt blocks or cakes, pretending like they were doing terumos and maasros, by cutting up the cakes according to the halachic ...

If I bought a new sandwich maker and want to use it without toveling it, can I just put the food in baking paper so that it doesn't touch the metal?

If the messiah was to arrive today or alternatively analyzing Jesus' crucification is there a verse?

In halacha - Stoning of homosexuals - Mi Yodeya, mbloch recently said: In a nutshell, the Torah is not so concerned and doesn't judge how people feel or what their desires are. It prohibits actions ...

Encyclopedia Judaica (sv 'Herem') says that when a cherem was pronounced, a ceremony would be held in synagogue involving wax candles. Can anyone point to sources discussing this ceremony?

In O"C 288:10 the Shulchan Aruch states: נרדף מפני רוח רעה שאמרו לאו דוקא דה"ה לכל חולי שיש בו סכנת היום זועקים ומתחננין וכן נהגו לומר מצלאים בשבת על חולים המסוכנים סכנות היום:‏ הגה וכן מותר ...

What is the minimum food a person needs to eat on the Sabbath? (I have an interest in water fasting, which means not consuming anything but water for days or weeks. The power of the fast depends on ...

According to which Mitzva Boaz made a Yibum (Levirate marriage) for Ruth? As I know, Yibum Mitzva is for brothers only (see Rambam Yibum 1,1), while Boaz was a far kinsman Ruth.

Seeing that looking at a picture of a rasha can have negative effects on you, are there sources which say looking at the picture of a righteous has positive effects on you? [Interesting - A friend ...

If one accidentally fell asleep, and woke up quite late and then started Maariv prayers, and managed to get through the Shema and part of the Amidah before dawn, but finished the Amidah after dawn (...

On Bereishis 27:27, Rashi makes the following comment: כריח שדה אשר ברכו ה'. שֶׁנָּתַן בּוֹ רֵיחַ טוֹב וְזֶהוּ שְׂדֵה תַּפּוּחִים, כָּךְ דָּרְשׁוּ רַזִ"לִ: The Artscroll Chumash Rashi set ...

Following comments on my other question "how-an-open-succah-oriented": Let's imagine one is facing a new Halachic reality he never heard of: he always built Succah on his 5th-floor balcony and then ...

Many blessing of the Patriarchs and Moses to the Israelites include various forms of national superiority to other peoples. For example Gen 27: יַעַבְדוּךָ עַמִּים וְיִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְךָ לְאֻמִּים, ...

יַעַבְדוּךָ עַמִּים וְיִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְךָ לְאֻמִּים, הֱוֵה גְבִיר לְאַחֶיךָ וְיִשְׁתַּחֲוּוּ לְךָ בְּנֵי אִמֶּךָ ...׃ Let peoples serve you, And nations bow to you; Be master over your brothers, ...

THe Halachah allows a Succah to have only 2 walls and something (or 3 walls), so a big opening is, therefore possible. Assuming I erect a Succah in my backyard and any direction is possible, what ...

Beraishis 28 (19) He named that site Bethel; but previously the name of the city had been Luz. Why does the Torah tell us the previous name of Bethel? There must be something the Torah wants us ...

Chronological difficulties are frequently explained in the Sources by the concept of אין מוקדם ומוחר בתורה -- Ein Mukdam U'm'uchar Ba'Torah -- There is no before and after in Torah. (1) Where is the ...

Throughout ages, our Sages engaged in Halachic, scientific and philosophical arguments between themselves and with other nations' philosophers. We hold that the truthfulness of Talmudic discussions ...

אחרים אומרים סוכה העשויה כשובך פסולה לפי שאין לה זויות Aḥerim (R'Meir?) say: A Succah built in a circular shape like a dovecote is unfit, because it does not have corners. [and a permanent residence ...

In many places in the bible (e.g. here) as well as in the Mishna (e.g.Berakhot 1,1) it's written that some things happened on Chatzot (midnight point-חצות הלילה) or some Mitzva should be done not late ...

Bechorot 3:4 (≈Eduyot 5:6) discusses the case in which the hair of a wounded firstborn animal fell off, then a person put the hair in the window, and then slaughtered the firstborn (or in another ...

What is the Halacha of a Jewish married man engaging in physical relations with a Jewish divorced woman.