15
votes
Accepted
Why don't islands read the m'gila two days?
I gave a Shiur on this last year. Here is my summary of the reasons to be lenient. Much of this is based on a piece in קובץ פרי תמרים אדר תשמ"ז by Rav Ezriel Kahn. (Its also worth looking up the תשובה ...
- 5,365
8
votes
Rivers in Genesis
In this article1, Dr. Juris Zarins places the garden at the north-western tip of the Persian gulf, currently submerged beneath its waters.
As seen in the above image, from as far back as 6000 b.c.e ...
- 8,210
7
votes
Accepted
Comprehensive map/list of active Orthodox synagogues in the U.S
Check out this site.
Click on each state to get cities and then click on each city to get a list of just about (if not all) the minyanim in that city.
- 480
7
votes
What was Yaakov's funeral procession doing in Transjordan?
Another two approaches by mainstream Peshat Mefarshim:
Shadal here (and Clint Eastwood in the comments above) suggests that for Moshe and Benei Yisrael, Ever Hayarden is Eretz Yisroel, because they ...
- 20.9k
7
votes
Gr"A stating that Africa is [at] the South Pole
In my Mikraos Gedolos, I see the following quote (it's in his commentary to I:1:4):
שם נטל חלק שליש במזרחי והוא אפריקי. וחם ויפת חלקו המערבי לשנים: חם נטל חלק הדרומי והוא אזיע, ויפת הצפוני והוא ...
- 34.1k
6
votes
Accepted
Geographic size of an Eruv
R Moshe Feinstein (Igrot Moshe OC 1:139:6) rules that according to the Ritva and Ramban the maximum size of a Reshut HaYachid (and hence the maximum size of an Eiruv) is as far as the eyes can see, ...
- 97.4k
6
votes
Where is the land of Sinim?
Da'as Mikra identifies it as Aswan. Apparently it had an ancient name like S'vene, and is meant in context to represent the southerly direction.
In the footnote on that explanation an opinion is ...
- 23.7k
6
votes
Accepted
Which French/European city is "Kiryath Yearim"?
There are two places in France that were known as Kiryath Yearim.
The place called פושקרייא - פוסקרייה - פסאקורי (Posquières) in Provence was known as קרית יערים. Per Wikipedia this is known today as ...
- 139k
6
votes
Accepted
Are Ra'meses and Ra'amses the same place
Ibn Ezra in his long commentary to Shemot 1:11 and 12:37 claims they are different places and that the Jews lived in Ra'meses and not in Ra'amses which they built. (According to this it would be a ...
- 97.4k
6
votes
What was Yaakov's funeral procession doing in Transjordan?
All the answers that I've come across suggest that Ever HaYarden does not mean Transjordan in the context of this verse.
Chizkuni suggests that that the Canaanites who are observing the mourning at ...
- 41.8k
6
votes
Accepted
Where is נהר פקוד?
The following is found in this article
כאשר כבדה ידו על עמנו, יצא ר' חנניה, בן אחי ר' יהושע הלוי, לשבת לבטח
בין אחינו שבבבל, ובראותו עני היושבים בארץ הקדש מורה מאד, גמר בלבו ליסד
תורה על ...
- 47.2k
5
votes
What time should Chanuka candles be lit in the Southern Hemisphere?
A blog in The Times of Israel makes it clear that the normal time of lighting (“as soon as possible after nightfall”) is observed in Melbourne Australia:
For starters, it only gets dark well after ...
- 47.2k
5
votes
Accepted
Did Rabbi Akiva Go To Africa?
Yes! we definitely find this name in other Rabbinic literature. See Sanhedrin 94a. Yerushalmi Sheviis chapter 6.
Yitzchak Meitlis in the appendix to his book Excavating the Bible writes that this ...
- 2,669
5
votes
Accepted
Source for the boundaries of Egypt
His source would appear to be a beraita quoted in Pesachim 94a:
Egypt was four hundred parasangs by four hundred parasangs
- 41.8k
5
votes
What spot is on the other side of the World from the Beit HaMikdash?
There is one opinion that if Jerusalem is the center of the world, then the halachic international dateline is 180 degrees from there.
While the Encyclopedia Talmudit (22:665-694) presents no less ...
- 131k
4
votes
Accepted
Where is "Nachal Mitzrayim"?
According to Rav Sadya Gaon (a native of Egypt) in his Tafsir to Numbers (34:5) this refers to Wadi al-Arish.
According to Rashi, (a native of France), in his commentary to Joshua (13:3), nahal ...
- 35.4k
4
votes
Why does the Torah specify only that Le'ah's children were born in Paddan Aram?
הרב איתן שנדורפי suggests that it is to give praise to those Shevatim, that despite all being born in Padan Aram, they were still tzadikim, based on Rashi Bereishis 25:20. He shows that this is a ...
- 20.9k
4
votes
How can Australia celebrate Pesach at the same time of year as other countries?
We have learned that whenever the Torah deals with relative times, the time expressed in the Torah is that of Eretz Yisrael. For example, the molad announced is Yerushalaim Solar Time (not even ...
- 42.9k
4
votes
Was the whole earth covered during The Flood?
Rabbi Meiselman's book "Torah, Chazal and Science" addresses the concept of a local flood (p.556 heading 'A local deluge'):
In the early 20th century the observant community of Germany was an
...
- 10.1k
4
votes
Accepted
Does the Third Temple have to be built on the Temple Mount?
The Torah specifies that the Temple can only be built at the location specificaly chosen by Hashem.
R'ei 12:5
But only to the place which the Lord your God shall choose from all
your tribes, to ...
- 42.9k
4
votes
Where are the regions Kerutim & Hatoulim, mentioned in the Mishna as having the best wine grapes, located on a map?
Welcome to Mi Yodeya!
Naturally, there's some disagreement about what these places were exactly. Here are the views I was able to find so far (and I'll add more if I find any other views):
Kerotim:
...
- 24.9k
3
votes
Why does Scripture in parashat bereishit need to mention the four rivers?
The Malbim in his commentary to Bereishis 2:10 and following pesukim seems to adress this question. He says that history has proven that mankind tended to dwell on riverbanks (hence the account of ...
- 6,864
3
votes
Accepted
Late sunset times and Jewish observance
We did a spend a Shabbat in Alaska last summer so I had looked into this. It appears that, when the sun actually sets at night (even late), there is no real dispensation to change things but one needs ...
- 47.9k
3
votes
Are there any eruvs that include both sides of a US Interstate Highway?
The Far Rockaway/Lawrence, NY Eruv http://www.shaaray-tefilah.org/eruv.pdf contains the route of I-878. However they did build a Mechitza on the Far Rockaway side of the road for those in FR who are ...
3
votes
Implications of Samoa skipping a Friday
I think that there is no reason to assume that the change in Samoa would affect the Hebrew date. Since, for example, the fifteenth of Ader is Shabbat all over the world, it should be Shabbat in Samoa ...
- 51
3
votes
Why Italia of Yavan?
The Rabbonim treated the empires of the world in reference to how they were relative to the Jews. Thus, even though the Greeks never ruled Italy (which was to the west of Greece), the chachamim ...
- 42.9k
3
votes
Accepted
Why Italia of Yavan?
It is most likely referring to the major Greek city-state of Syracuse which was established by the Corinthians and is located in southern Italy on the island of Sicily. It was the Capital city of the ...
- 14.2k
3
votes
Reshus Horabim Today?
I guess one is the roads by meka
Since for the hajj millions of people come to one place in one day
- 7,466
3
votes
T'chum shabas maps?
No, generally no one makes maps of techumin because the techum only starts at the suburban/rural border. The techum Shabbos only starts slightly more than 70 amos beyond the last house of the yishuv. ...
- 626
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