17
votes
Accepted
Is anyone against the rational teachings of Maimonides?
Yes, several subsequent Jewish authorities criticized Maimonides, either for his general approach or for specific statements. A few examples:
Nachmanides in his commentary to Genesis 18:1 criticizes ...
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13
votes
Accepted
How could Rav be disproved?
I thought to answer as follows:
When the Gemara answers that Rav is a tanna, that is when the question is on Rav alone. In this case the question is on a joint statement of Rav and Shmuel. (Whether ...
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11
votes
List of instances where Rambam argues on the Rif
We have testimony from Rambam himself about this. Towards the end of his introduction to his Commentary on the Mishnah, Rambam writes as follows:
וההלכות שעשה הרב הגדול רבינו יצחק זצ"ל הספיקו ...
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10
votes
Accepted
What's the deal with horseradish at the seder?
TLDR: The Talmud's preferred plant for Maror is lettuce-like and leafy. In cold climates people started using horseradish root because it was still too cold to grow leafy plants at Pesach time, and if ...
- 96.9k
9
votes
Why was a bat kol able to settle the dispute between Battei Hillel and Shammai?
The Encyclopedia Talmudit entry on “Bas Qol”, the paragraph about its impact on halachah focuses on the apparent conflict between the conclusion one would get from the Tanur Akhnai story and from the ...
- 9,298
9
votes
Accepted
What's controversial about Chemdat HaYamim?
The work deals with laws and customs, particularly relating to the holidays. It is strongly associated with Sabbatianism and was attributed by R. Yaakov Emden (e.g. in his Torat HaK'naot, Altona, 1752,...
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9
votes
Accepted
How can we say something is a machlokes Rashi vs Tosfos, if Rashi can't respond or defend himself?
The general assumption made while learning rishonim (and even more applicable to ammoraim and tannaim) is that they meant what they said, they are consistent with their own shitos/halachic positions ...
- 2,941
8
votes
Examples of Rabbis who had strong disagreements and were amicable
Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook and Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld were practically polar opposites in terms of hashkafa (for example, in response to Rabbi Kook setting up the Eretz Yisrael Chief Rabbinate, ...
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7
votes
Accepted
Plain seltzer on Pesach
The CRC is the source of a detailed article (written January 2008) that explains the reasoning behind the discussion of the generation of carbon dioxide. The significant part is at the end where they ...
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7
votes
Is anyone against the rational teachings of Maimonides?
See Rabbi Samson Refael Hirsch, in his Nineteen Letters, letter 18. He criticizes the rational approach of Maimonides, but without mentioning him by name:
he sought to reconcile Judaism with the ...
- 1,817
6
votes
Plain seltzer on Pesach
OUKOSHER.ORG says that carbon dioxide used to be produced from grain fermentation. I imagine that the Star-K has determined it is not a concern and the CRC-Chicago has been unable to verify this to ...
- 138k
6
votes
Rav Shach and Lubavitsher Rebbe
In his letters printed in michtavim umaamarim (Simanim 534 and 535), Rav Shach responded to an accusation of disliking chasidim in general. He vehemently denied this, stating as proof that there were ...
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6
votes
when is the halacha like Bais Shammai and not Bais Hillel?
This kind of questions are generally in masechet Eduyot.
Masechet Eduyot 1, 12 until the end of the perek,
5, several Mishnayot with Kule BS.
Shabbat 1, 4:
Succa 2, 7:
Tosfot in Succa 3a in ...
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6
votes
How could Rav be disproved?
There is another gemara where Rav is refuted from a beraita, and the gemara does not answer that Rav is a tanna who can argue.
Take a look at Menachot 5a (today's page in the Daf Yomi cycle!). Rav is ...
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6
votes
Accepted
Koren Siddur on Kal Atzmotai Tomarna
Newer editions of the Koren Tanach also mark kamatz katan, and they agree with the siddur and mark this one as kamatz katan as well. Here's what they have to say about it in the back:
באותו אופן ...
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6
votes
How do I decide between conflicting opinions?
The Gemara (Chagiga 3b) discusses this very question:
אלו תלמידי חכמים שיושבין אסופות אסופות ועוסקין בתורה הללו מטמאין והללו
מטהרין הללו אוסרין והללו מתירין הללו פוסלין והללו מכשירין שמא יאמר אדם
...
- 7,771
5
votes
Accepted
Sefer on Igros Moshe
The work in question is the Ma'aneh L'igrot מענה לאגרות of R. Yom Tov Schwartz.
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5
votes
Rav Shach and Lubavitsher Rebbe
There were several things. One was the Rebbe's innovation of learning Rambam everyday to finish it in 1 years or 3 years.
R. Shach mocked it saying that people already knew of the Rambam before the ...
- 2,373
5
votes
Accepted
Game theory in the Tanaim
The discussion is indeed Dr. Aumann's discussion on Kesuvos 93a regarding the man who dies with insufficient funds to pay for his three wives' Kesubos. He claims to be the first to come up with this ...
- 34k
5
votes
Why is there no tayku in the Jerusalem Talmud?
Rashi in Bava Metzia 85a explains why Rabbi Zeira fasted for 100 days in order to forget the Babylonian method of learning so that he could be a receptacle for the Talmud Yerushalmi with a clear mind:
...
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5
votes
Eruvin 51a: Using Deception to Assert an Opinion?
This is cited as law by R. Abraham Gombiner in Magen Avraham O.C. 167:1
אם שמע דין ונראה לו שהלכה כך מותר לאמרו בשם אדם גדול כי היכי דליקבלי מיניה
If one hears a law and it seems to him that the law ...
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4
votes
Accepted
Rav Moshe's Psak on Fertility Treatments
Rabbi Aaron Rakeffet-Rothkoff has a lecture on YUTorah about Artificial Insemination that discusses it.
Rabbi Feinstein ruled that the Torah prohibition of adultery, and the resulting categorization ...
- 130k
4
votes
Is it wrong to hang a Mezuzah diagonally?
I think there might be a slight misunderstanding of the requirement. According to the Talmud (Menachot 33a), a mezuzah that is hung like a bolt is pasul (improper). In other words, the mezuzah should ...
- 6,956
4
votes
How can we say something is a machlokes Rashi vs Tosfos, if Rashi can't respond or defend himself?
I think the reason is simpler than you might think: it's a problem in translation.
When someone says "מחלוקת פלוני עם אלמוני" that should not translate as
"a dispute between X and Y&...
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4
votes
How did the initial Mishnaic disagreements arise?
Sotah 47b says:
משרבו תלמידי שמאי והילל שלא שימשו כל צורכן רבו מחלוקת בישראל ונעשית תורה כשתי תורות
When the students of Shamai and Hillel didn't serve their teachers properly, arguments arose ...
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4
votes
Loshon Hora: Chafetz Chaim & Dissenting views
R. Yitzchak Yosef in Yalkut Yosef Mo'adim 406:17 rules that if one spoke Leshon Hara about his fellow, and the victim is unaware of this, he should not explicitly confess his sin to the victim, but ...
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4
votes
Where in Shas was the psak din of Rabbi Meir vs. Rabbi Yehuda accepted?
Ordinarily the halachah is not in accordance with R. Meir since, as explained in BT (Eru. 13b), “his colleagues were unable to ascertain the profundity of his opinion” (Trans., and others hereon, from ...
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4
votes
Is anyone against the rational teachings of Maimonides?
Rabbi Yaakov Emden was so incensed by what was written in the Moreh Nevuchim that he refused to believe the Rambam wrote it. He says anyone who claims Rambam wrote it is a liar. In particular he ...
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3
votes
Are there traditional Orthodox websites that counter thetorah.com?
In the comments above, I had previously recommended R Umberto Cassuto's book. In the meantime I came across R Chaim Jachter's Reason to believe which has a page addressing biblical criticism. He cites ...
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3
votes
Quiet Birchas Kohanim
It would at least be a waste of time since holding up the arms and reciting the blessing aloud are required (ShA OC 128:14). In any event so long as no one called him up to bless, he isn't violating ...
- 96.9k
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