15 votes
Accepted

Making a mistake in davening: when should one find out what to do?

Mishna Berura on SA OC 104 sk 2: ‏ (ב) בתפלתו ואפילו במקום הפסד ממון אין לו להפסיק. כתב הח"א כלל כ"ה סעיף ט' העומד בתפלה ונסתפק באיזה דין איך יתפלל כגון ששכח איזה דבר בתפלה מותר לילך ...
kouty's user avatar
  • 22.7k
11 votes

Bracha levatalah vs waiting between meat and milk

Rav Eliezer Melamed says that if the meat meal is finished and it is a matter of waiting the prescribed time (6 hours) then one should taste the hershey bar (or ice cream in his example) and rely on ...
Yishai's user avatar
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10 votes

If we have full copies of the Torah in an unchanged form (Dead Sea Scrolls), why don’t we revert our Torah scrolls back?

Halakhah does not assume that anything older is necessarily more precise despite the principle yeridat hadorot (ירידת הדורות), and this is scientifically not reasonable either. Assume you write an ...
Kazi bácsi's user avatar
  • 7,434
9 votes

If we have full copies of the Torah in an unchanged form (Dead Sea Scrolls), why don’t we revert our Torah scrolls back?

There's been extensive scholarship on this, especially by Professor Schiffman. The "Qumranites" -- the group to whom these scrolls belonged -- did not follow the mainstream "Pharisee&...
Shalom's user avatar
  • 131k
7 votes

Examples of admitting a mistake was made in halacha

The first instance is in the Torah itself (Leviticus 10:16): טז וְאֵ֣ת ׀ שְׂעִ֣יר הַֽחַטָּ֗את דָּרֹ֥שׁ דָּרַ֛שׁ מֹשֶׁ֖ה וְהִנֵּ֣ה שֹׂרָ֑ף וַ֠יִּקְצֹף עַל־אֶלְעָזָ֤ר וְעַל־אִֽיתָמָר֙ בְּנֵ֣י ...
b a's user avatar
  • 24k
7 votes

Shabbos morning amidah - wrong biblical text - what to do?

While not precisely the same case, I believe this is included in this halacha (O.C. 268:6): הטועה בתפל' שבת והחליף של זו בזו אינו חוזר One who makes a mistake in the Shabbos prayers and switches one ...
Mordechai's user avatar
  • 3,463
7 votes

Anachronisms in the torah?

This question is addressed by several of the commentators to this verse. Radak suggests either that the place was called Dan based on the future, or that it is referring to a different place that was ...
Alex's user avatar
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6 votes
Accepted

Not saying v'sain bracha

As a straight Halakhic argument, it's clear that "ותן ברכה" isn't needed from these two sources: Tur (OC 117) supports the usage of "ותן ברכה" with no reference to dew from the fact that the Bavli ...
Double AA's user avatar
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5 votes

What should be done if the Torah reader goes past the designated ending for the weekday / Shabbat mincha Torah reading?

It's clear that the main requirement on Shabbat, Mincha, (same for Mon & Thurs morning) is A. To read a minimum of 10 verses(except 9 when it closes the topic, such as with the reading about ...
R Yisroel Meir Vogel's user avatar
5 votes
Accepted

Shabbos Chanuka - Rosh Chodesh - Torah reading mistake

Read the Beur Halacha commentary on the same page in your link. He explicitly states that even if you make a mistake as the one you listed, the Haftarah is still the Chanukah haftarah. The reason is ...
DanF's user avatar
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5 votes

Bracha levatalah vs waiting between meat and milk

It's a machloket Rambam/Tosfot on the nature of bracha levatala- is it deoraita or derabanan? If it's derabanan, it's better to have been over the issur of bracha levatala than to actively be over the ...
LelamedKashet's user avatar
5 votes
Accepted

Chanuka Kaddish error after Hallel

Based on Rav Eliezer Melamed (Peninei Halacha Tefillah 23:2 fn3) where one said Kaddish Shalem after Tachanun, he quotes Ishei Yisrael 26:5 who says to skip the "Tiskabel line" when Kaddish Shalem ...
רבות מחשבות's user avatar
5 votes
Accepted

How long must you attempt to return a mistakenly shipped item?

This is a complex question and you need to ask a rav if this had practical implications. If this is a theoretical question, one might learn from the laws of lost objects (asheivat aveida), second ...
mbloch's user avatar
  • 48k
5 votes

How could anybody confuse moonlight and sunlight?

When I'm sick during the winter (happens a lot unfortunately), I daven vasikin at home. I use the myzmanim + cell phone clock method, but also have a window nearby with the shades open. I've noticed ...
Heshy's user avatar
  • 9,116
5 votes
Accepted

Rambam and Chazal

In Guide for the Perplexed 3:48 Rambam identifies the opinion of a Mishnah (at least according to one interpretation in the Talmud) as being one of two philosophical opinions he discussed earlier: ...
Alex's user avatar
  • 49.1k
4 votes

What to do in a case of no siddur available and additions to the Shemoneh Esrei?

Rav Shlomo Zalman was asked what should one do who does not have a siddur available and it is shabbos or yom tov,and he only knows the weekday shmoneh esrei by heart.Rav Shlomo Zalman answered that he ...
sam's user avatar
  • 41.1k
4 votes
Accepted

An absent Panim Chadashos at Sheva Brachos

The Gemara Ketubot (8a) states that after the first day, Rav Ashei would only recite the sheva berakhot if there was someone new. The implication is that it is a complete requirement, and no exception ...
mevaqesh's user avatar
  • 35.4k
4 votes

What to do if I start saying the wrong berakha?

Mistakes in Berachot are discussed in Masechet Brachot in two places. We will examine one of them, the relevant one for this question. When someone - 1 - already said the name of G-d, and when - 2 - ...
kouty's user avatar
  • 22.7k
4 votes

What if one forgot to separate the challa?

Shulchan Aruch Yore Dea 327, 5: אם לא הפריש החלה בצק אלא אפה הכל הרי זה מפריש מן הפת.‏ If he did not separate the challa from the dough, but already baked the whole, he has to separate it from the ...
kouty's user avatar
  • 22.7k
4 votes
Accepted

Forgot Yaaleh V'Yavo by Mincha on Erev Shabbos

The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch in סימן כא - דין מי שלא התפלל האיך ישלימנה says that since at night you will not say יַעֲלֶה וְיָבֹא (since it's no longer Rosh Chodesh) so there's no point in repeating the ...
Danny Schoemann's user avatar
4 votes
Accepted

Reader read the right words from the wrong day of Chanukah. Must he repeat?

The mishna berura deals with this issue in סימן תרפד סעיף קטן ג at the end. If someone read the nasi for the third day on the second day (or the like) then he is still yotzai (עלתה להם) because we are ...
sabbahillel's user avatar
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4 votes

Which sources deal with someone who said “bayom Chag haSukkos Hazeh” in “Yaaleh veyovo” in Grace after Meals on Shemini Atzeres

Ma'amar Mordechai 668:1 writes regarding tefillah that if one mentions sukkot instead of shemini atzeret he has not fulfilled his obligation. Although he does not explicitly say the same regarding ...
Joel K's user avatar
  • 41.8k
4 votes

Accidentally ended שמע קולנו with העונה בעת צרה

If you remember within 3 seconds, should you correct it to שומע תפלה, even though there's no מעין חתימה? You should correct it according to the Shevet Halevi here and Rivivos Ephraim here If you ...
פרי זהב's user avatar
4 votes
Accepted

Misprint in Rashi Nozir 45a?

The Moznaim edition found at HebrewBooks.org does indeed have the text: מזין על הבהונות It would seem that the version you were looking at contains a misprint.
Joel K's user avatar
  • 41.8k
4 votes

When did Rosh Hashanah begin?

In the days of the Talmud, witnesses would report to the Sanhedrin that they saw the new moon, and then the court would declare that the month started. Even if the court knew that the moon should be ...
N.T.'s user avatar
  • 8,045
4 votes

If we have full copies of the Torah in an unchanged form (Dead Sea Scrolls), why don’t we revert our Torah scrolls back?

I appreciate where you're coming from but unfortunately your premise is faulty for a few reasons. I don't believe we have found entire complete Torah scrolls. I believe we have found various ...
Aaron's user avatar
  • 10.5k
3 votes
Accepted

Is changing which conjunctive/disjunctive trop is used correctable?

The Rama (OC 142:1) rules that a mistake which changes the meaning must be corrected, while [mere] changes to the vowels or trop should [post-facto] only be complained about. The Mishna Berura there ...
Double AA's user avatar
  • 97.4k
3 votes

Said Chatzi Kadish in error - can it be corrected?

Rav Eliezer Melamed (Peninei Halacha Tefillah 23:2 fn3) quotes Ishei Yisrael 26:11 who says that "Tiakabel" etc. should be recited during the next Kaddish. (This was said in the case where one missed ...
רבות מחשבות's user avatar
3 votes
Accepted

Why can the sister-in-law return to her husband according to R. Yosi? Isn't she forbidden to the husband and to the adulterer? (Y'vamos 10:4)

The question is why Mishna 1 doen't apply and how can Leah come back to Baruch according to Rabbi Yose. To find the answer, we need to add one statement in quotation of Mishna 1 and 3. וצריכה גט ...
kouty's user avatar
  • 22.7k

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