New answers tagged halacha
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"Being Jewish" - born from a Jewish woman or having a Jewish mother?
The Rabbi you are quoting is suggesting that a child born through surrogacy could have a Jewish mother but not be Jewish, or have a non-Jewish mother but be Jewish, as emerging from the womb of an ...
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2
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"Being Jewish" - born from a Jewish woman or having a Jewish mother?
There are arguments both ways. Some say the legal mother is the birth mother, because a midrash says that Dinah was conceived in Rachel's womb, and Joseph in Leah’s womb, but that God switched the ...
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14
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Can you please define this yeshivish term?
The term שעת דחק, means under pressing circumstances.
What one does under pressure, is not necessarily what one does in regular, day to day conditions.
Here is a link for a complete explanation: https:...
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25
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Accepted
Can you please define this yeshivish term?
She’at ha-dechak, or in yeshivish pronunciation shas hadchak.
The Hebrew is שעת הדחק, literally a pressing time, or, more colloquially, under pressing circumstances, or in extremis.
This is a very ...
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What is the halachic definition of a mashehu?
See the ריטב"א חדשים who explains Rashi with the words, "לחומרא דק, לכולא לא דק".
This means to say that Rashi, when differentiating between 1 משהו and 2 משהויים, is only coming to say ...
- 1,014
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Drawing on Shabbes: product recommendation?
I asked a Rabbi if this magnetic drawing board is permitted on shabbos. He told me he used to be of the opinion that it was OK, but recently he re-researched the matter and he's not too sure... point ...
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Lending Money and Inflation
All the abovementioned sources are examples of supply and demand not inflation. When the prices for good increase or decrease as a result of demand that is not inflation. Inflation has to do with ...
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Swimming on Shabbos
The Shulchan Aruch permits swimming in a pool on shabbat (אורח חיים של״ט):
אין שטין על פני המים אאפילו בבריכה שבחצר מפני שכשהמים נעקרים ויוצאים
חוץ לבריכה דמי לנהר ואם יש לה שפה סביב מותר דכיון אפילו ...
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Yekke Jew customs
The Machon Moreshes Ashkenaz is an institute dedicated to the research, preservation and transmission of the unique religious values, customs, and folklore of German Jewry, as they existed prior to ...
- 54.1k
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What is the halachic definition of a mashehu?
The rambam, in his peirush to kil'aim (6,6) says:
ועוד: כל שהוא בארו בגמרא שיעור זה הנוסף שהוא חלק מששים חלק באמה והוא עשירית הטפח
And an additional: "kol shehu". In the gemara they ...
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Violating the prohibition of wearing Sha'atnez
It seems like the Rishonim and Achronim also had a machloket just like @Chani and @Avrohom Yitzchok are regarding when the issur starts.
The Birkat Avraham Pesachim 40b bringing the Beit Halevi ד״ה ...
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Does מין mean Christian, and if so what are the implications?
Several academic surveys study the term min (1),(2),(3). In general, the term means heretic. When trying to identify the groups espousing the term minim, many possible representatives have been ...
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Violating the prohibition of wearing Sha'atnez
I disagree with Avrohom Yitzchok's answer.
While it is true that the prohibition of shatnez is dependent on the purpose for wearing the garment, this does not translate to the prohibition beginning ...
- 1,014
4
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Accepted
Can a Ger Toshav observe Shabbat?
Credit to @schmerel for some of the sources here, taken from here:
Those who obligate a גר תושב to keep Shabbat:
Rashi Yevamot 48b
"Ohel Mordechai quotes the Ponovicher Rov adding that since for ...
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Can a Ger Toshav observe Shabbat?
The thing about a Ger Toshav is that the rules for them are different because they live in the Eretz Yisrael. I don't really know how it works for a Noahide within the state of Israel. I'm following ...
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9
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Accepted
Is the Heter for music on Shabbat universal
That wasn't what the Ramah said. His two explanations for why the hoi polloi clap and dance today are:
1.) Really, it's prohibited; but today's rabbis gave up on saying "no" because people ...
- 136k
6
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Saying something in the name of someone who never actually said it
The מגן אברהם brings based on 2 gemaras
אם שמע דין ונראה לו שהלכה כך מותר לאמרו בשם אדם גדול כי היכי דליקבלי מיניה [עירובין דף נ"א ופסחים דף קי"ב]
"If one hears a halacha that appears ...
- 1,773
2
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Does any aspect of the sotah procedure still hold effect today?
Aruch Hashulchan סיף ד, אה״ע סמין קע״ח paskens that (if kinuy was performed properly, and) the woman secluded herself with the man she was warned not to be alone with, they would be required to ...
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If someone killed accidentally and has no family members and he is not a ger can his friend kill him?
The Ohr Same’ach (Hilchos Rotze’ach 6:12) writes that even in a case where there is no need to protect the murderer from the Goel Hadam, nevertheless he is still required to be exiled as an atonement.
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3
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Accepted
Judaism and aesthetics
There is definitely a role for aesthetics in Judaism. In the Song at the Sea, the Jews said (Exodus 15:2) זֶ֤ה אֵלִי֙ וְאַנְוֵ֔הוּ, which the Talmud (Shabbos 133b) interprets to mean This Is My God (...
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If a reliable person tells you that an item, bearing an otherwise reliable hechsher, is in fact NOT kosher, are you required to investigate the claim?
I once spoke to a Rav who works for an important kashrus agency and was responsible for kashering a number of factories. He told me that when dealing with big orders of product, such as bags with ...
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2
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Accepted
Studying/discussing secular philosophy on Shabbat and their relation to the Torah
There are halachot of "daber davar", permitted speech on Shabbat, see OC 307:1
Ve’daber davar” (teaches us) that one’s manner of speech on Shabbos
must not be the same as one’s manner of ...
- 54.1k
10
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Accepted
Is there an obligation for a Beit Din to explain their psak?
Judges are required to give the reason behind their ruling upon request. According to the Shulchan Aruch (Choshen Mishpat 14:4), this is the case even if the judge isn't asked explicitly but one of ...
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Why does the Shulchan Aruch allow a Tefillas Nedavah on Motzaei Shabbos?
Here are two possible answers that I thought of:
While it is forbidden to offer sacrifices at night, one is still allowed to consecrate an animal at night, which cannot be done on Shabbos.
The ...
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Can one kill lice on Shabbat?
The פחד יצחק brings that question, and concludes that we do not. His reasoning is that, had חז״ל been exposed to modern scientific knowledge, they would have recanted their ruling that lice can be ...
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