5 votes
Accepted

Being MeChadesh Torah saves lives

The verse in Shoftim 5:8 states: יִבְחַר֙ אֱלֹהִ֣ים חֲדָשִׁ֔ים אָ֖ז לָחֶ֣ם שְׁעָרִ֑ים מָגֵ֤ן אִם־יֵֽרָאֶה֙ וָרֹ֔מַח בְּאַרְבָּעִ֥ים אֶ֖לֶף בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל When they chose new gods, war came to their ...
Dov's user avatar
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4 votes

Why is זֵכֶר לְמַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית left out sometimes on Shabbat Amidah?

Shaar HaKollel, written by the great-grandfather of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, brings a source received from Kabbalah (quoted in Mishnat Chassidim) that says we shouldn't say the phrase in Shacharit. The ...
shmosel's user avatar
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4 votes

What is the Torah position on home schooling vs. institutionalised education?

I imagine a lot of it will come down to the judgement of the parent and the nature of the child. No one methodology is more superior, it is about חֲנֹ֣ךְ לַ֭נַּעַר עַל־פִּ֣י דַרְכּ֑וֹ - Educating the ...
Dov's user avatar
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3 votes
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Eretz Yisroel as G-ds palace

There are several instances. Firstly, note Rabbeinu Bachaye on Devarim 32:43 on the words "וְכִפֶּ֥ר אַדְמָת֖וֹ עַמּֽוֹ" - "And atone His people’s land" writes: וכפר אדמתו עמו. ...
Dov's user avatar
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3 votes

Running CCTV system with monitor over Shabbos

The Star-K have got a pretty definitive rundown here with sources. It discusses whether or not pictures captured on a monitor come under the banner of the melocho of Kesiva - writing, and provides 5 ...
Dov's user avatar
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3 votes
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Chanukah and Purim as two friends: insight of the Shaloh

There are a possibly a few ways in which they can be deemed "friends", or in other words, share a similar connection. The first, from a most basic level, is that they are both Rabbinic ...
Dov's user avatar
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3 votes

Simanim at the end of the Parshah

A good essay on the subject (in Hebrew)1 is Dr. Aharon Ahrend's "The Mnemotechnical notes of the numbers of verses in the Torah Portions", Rabbi Mordechai Breuer Festschrift, pp. 157-171. ...
Harel13's user avatar
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3 votes

Locating this Rokeach on sefer Devarim

It's from the Rokeach's book Sodei Razei Smuchim (link). He seems to be clarifying a statement in the gemara regarding learning ideas via juxtaposition of certain words and verses (smichut) in the ...
Harel13's user avatar
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3 votes

Socialising children - what does the Torah say?

It is hard to provide a definitive age, as it is very much dependent on the child, their maturity and a number of factors that I have already enumerated in the comments above. That being said, by way ...
Dov's user avatar
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3 votes

Learning principles of software development from the Torah

There is a relevant book which I saw once on the topic: Torah && Tech: Discussions at the Intersection of Torah and Technology It is a selection of divrei Torah on the parasha with relevant ...
mbloch's user avatar
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3 votes

Where does the idea of chosenness and particularly the phrase "Light unto the nations" originate?

כי עם קדוש אתה לה' אלקיך ובך בחר ה' להיות לו לעם סגלה מכל העמים אשר על־פני האדמה         For you are a holy people to Hashem your God, and Hashem has chosen you to be a special possession to Himself, ...
Rabbi Kaii's user avatar
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2 votes

Are there any sources that discuss political activism?

There are some sources from the commentaries on משנה אבות, the ones that deal with this topic of "not trusting the government". Rambam warns on this Mishna that pursuing friendship with the ...
Rabbi Kaii's user avatar
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2 votes
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Were the malochim who visited Avraham human?

The Ralbag says they were prophets sent by Hashem. Ibn Ezra brings a similar interpretation. The Abarbanel has a lengthy analysis of the competing interpretations, raising a number of difficulties ...
shmosel's user avatar
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2 votes

Socialising children - what does the Torah say?

Yes, don't socialize them. Unless they need help and some subtle suggestions or intervention they'll be fine. Likutei Etzot - BaNNim, Children, #15: It's better for your children's development that ...
Nissim Nanach's user avatar
2 votes

Connection between tefillin and Divine spousal relationship

I only have a modern approach for this, but Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt"l repeated this idea several times. See here and this video here (see 12.10mins in) UPDATE However, upon digging a little ...
Dov's user avatar
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2 votes

Chanukah and Purim as two friends: insight of the Shaloh

The Targum Simcha Here (English Here) mentions four similarities and connections between Purim and Chanukah. Although he does not mention the Shelah which you quoted, he does provide his own ...
The Targum's user avatar
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2 votes

How did the Greeks make the menora-oil impure?

Tosafos on the gemara explains: שהיה מונח בחותמו של כהן גדול - אם כבר גזרו על הנכרים להיות כזבים (נידה פ"ד לד.) צ"ל שהיה מונח בחותם בקרקע שלא הסיטו הכלי That was paced with the seal of the ...
Lo ani's user avatar
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2 votes

Further sources and exploration of the Neshomo as data

In kabbalistic and Chassidic context, the term Neshamah is associated with the intellect aspect of a human being (also called שכליות), but the human is the whole being, not just the intellect. It is ...
Yaacov Deane's user avatar
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1 vote

Chanukah and Purim as two friends: insight of the Shaloh

The Lubavitcher Rebbe (Shabbos Parshas Mikeitz 27th Day of Kislev 5744) explained that Purim represents the body, e.g. mitzvos, and Chanukah represents the soul, e.g. Torah. On Purim, we "...
Shmuel's user avatar
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1 vote

Chesed and food - healthy or tasty?

This is just my perspective, and it isn’t halachic, but as I understand Jewish ethics It depends. If the food is actually unhealthy, even if tasty you should probably prioritize health, based on the ...
Kirk's user avatar
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1 vote

Locating this Rokeach on sefer Devarim

The question posed from Yevamot 4a is how do we learn the principle of homiletical interpretation from the Written Torah? Where is the source for this style of Torah study? Rabbi Elazar says that we ...
Yaacov Deane's user avatar
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1 vote

The search for invariants

Modern science concludes that nature is always optimizing. Between two points, light takes the path it can cross in the least time. Soap bubbles form so as to minimize surface area. When an object ...
Maurice Mizrahi's user avatar

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