7
votes
May one celebrate April Fool's Day?
I think it'll be a bit dfficult to give overall rules about whether 'pranks' are allowed, since what one might consider a 'prank' is quite varied, with some items being forbidden and some being ...
- 6,943
5
votes
May one celebrate April Fool's Day?
Fooling others [Jews] by saddening them even minutely is prohibited Deorayso even if they forgive afterward:
Mishna Bava Metziyah 58b:
כשם שאונאה במקח וממכר כך אונאה בדברים:
לא יאמר לו בכמה חפץ ...
- 28k
3
votes
Chanuka party on Christmas
The passage you quoted from R' Feinstein includes:
A seudas Mitzvah like a bris or pidyon haben one could make even on their holiday, because we should not make assur a seuda that is incumbent upon ...
- 57k
2
votes
Buying from non-Jews, or selling to non-Jews, within three days of their holidays
While the Mishna does speak about avoiding interactions with pagans three days before their festival, the Gemara (7b) already quotes Shmuel as saying that counties outside Israel it is only forbidden ...
- 1,489
2
votes
Rav Chaim Volozhiner and Nittelnacht
he held that someone must be learning torah 24/7 or else world would cease to be. unless he held that it only goes from shkia until chatzos (in which case the 8.5 hour time difference between the u.s. ...
- 41
2
votes
Can an Orthodox Jew attend a Christmas party?
R. Ari Wasserman has a section in his book Making it work dedicated to the question of attending non-Jewish social gatherings and holiday parties.
He identifies several issues:
A Torah prohibition of ...
- 54.1k
2
votes
Can an Orthodox Jew attend a Christmas party?
The main issue may possibly be the Gemara (Avodah Zarah 8a) that states that "Jews in the Diaspora worship idolatry in purity". What does this mean? When a Gentile makes a personal ...
- 186
2
votes
Accepted
2
votes
Accepted
Are Jews allowed to benefit from Chukot Hagoyim
There is a fascinating "Halachically Speaking" on this scenario entitled, "Doing Business on a Non-Jewish Holiday" here
Certainly, like you mention, avoda zara is the main issue. ...
- 34.5k
1
vote
May one join a holiday choir that sings "neutral" songs?
It is a good question and the answer to the specific example here is no, it would not be permissible. The concept of not following their ways is not only restricted to religious elements. It applies ...
- 16.7k
1
vote
Are you allowed to sell December themed holiday items?
Actually, Jews in Rome have been selling crucifixes for centuries with rabbinical permission. In 2005 and 2006 there were a number of articles which included interviews with the chief rabbi of Rome ...
- 43.5k
1
vote
Accepted
Rest and Holiday for Gentiles
I believe there are 3 relevant, interconnected principles involved here:
Do not create a new religion1
Do not add to the commandments1
Non-Jews may not rest on Shabbat2
If a Noachide wishes to rest ...
- 14.8k
1
vote
Rest and Holiday for Gentiles
See Sanhedrin 58B where it discusses the fact that Non-Jews can't keep a sabbath (any day of the week).
Rashi d"h עובד כוכבי׳ ששבת there Rashi says one must not do מלאכה for one full day. Likely ...
- 1,397
1
vote
Eating garlic on Nittelnacht
The Nitei Gavriel Hilchos Chanukka page 412 writes that there are those who have a custom to eat garlic to ward off the evil since they need portection since they dont have their usual portection from ...
- 42.7k
1
vote
Learning Torah on Christmas
there is an idea to specifically on the eve of the 25th to avoid learning then which only lasts until midnight. One source for this can be found in yom yom for the 17th of teves...
"The reason for ...
- 4,685
1
vote
Learning Torah on Christmas
The answer is slightly different. It is a Jewish custom to learn Torah on the birthday or Yahrzeit of the deceased. So it became the Jewish custom not to learn Torah so as not to give the appearance ...
- 11
1
vote
Are Jews allowed to participate in Valentine's Day rituals?
It is still an official church holiday of several churches such as Anglican, Lutheran, and Eastern Orthodox. Also, some historians have traced the pre-Christian origin of St. Valentines day to the ...
- 124
1
vote
Is it okay to enjoy Christmas lights?
As much as I enjoyed looking at the lights in the end of December growing up out of town, Rav Avigdor Miller isn't too keen on the idea to say the least:
It’s very wrong to admire anything that is in ...
- 14.8k
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