25
votes
A wife wants to stop going to the mikva. What does that mean for the husband?
Halachically, you transgress a biblical commandment if you knowingly have relations with a niddah, and the punishment is karet. See this answer, which cites Rambam Laws of Prohibitions on Relations 4:...
- 55.7k
19
votes
A wife wants to stop going to the mikva. What does that mean for the husband?
I am impressed by the gravity of your inquiry and your care in the matter in that you are seeking real answers to a complicated question. May Hashem help the two of you and anyone else in need of this ...
- 10.4k
18
votes
Meaning of the phrase "all Holy Scripture defile the hands."
I have no time to read the article - and therefore do not endorse anything they write.
The Rabbis instituted that Holy Books like a Sefer Torah would defile the hands.
Why?
Because people would ...
- 42k
14
votes
Accepted
Is a Kohen Allowed to Receive an Organ Donation?
Quoted from the book Healing in Halacha By Rabbi Micha Cohn (page. 245-247 Mosaica Press 2016)
Rav Moshe Feinstein (Iggros Moshe Yoreh Deah 1:230), wrote on the
opinions of a contemporary Rabbi ...
- 15.1k
13
votes
Accepted
Impure baseball cap?
Excrement and urine of a live animal (and in fact anything except an entire limb from a live animal) are not ritually impure, and thus don't affect your hat. (Rambam Avot HaTumah 2:3)
As an aside, ...
- 95.1k
10
votes
Accepted
Cohanim in Auschwitz
Chayim K'halacha question 223 - Rabbi Boruch Shlomo Blizinsky - says a Kohain may go on the paths that lead to Auschwitz however may not enter the area where the incinerators are.
- 137k
9
votes
How was Shmuel permitted to kill Agag?
Rabbi Yechezkel ben Yehuda Landau (known as the Noda Beyehuda) in his work Doresh Letziyon, Derush 5 (new print p.46-47) poses this question. He takes the view that Shmuel Hanavi was allowed to kill ...
- 1,319
9
votes
Dictionary of symbology in Kodshim and Taharot
While this isn't exactly what you're looking for, it's close: the Rama's Toras Ha'Olah, which does go through just about every mitzvah/halakha in Seder Kodshim and explains the reasoning for their ...
- 21.4k
8
votes
Can someone [be] tovel accidentally? (Does tovelling need kavanah?)
This is a machloket in Chulin 31a.
נדה שנאנסה וטבלה אמר רב יהודה אמר רב טהורה לביתה ואסורה לאכול בתרומה ור' יוחנן אמר אף לביתה לא טהרה
A nidah who did not intend to tovel (will be explained later): ...
- 22.8k
8
votes
Could a Cohen burn a body to escape the impurity?
ABSOLUTELY NOT.
Recall that a Cohen -- even a Cohen Gadol -- is obligated to contact a dead body if that's the only way it will receive a proper burial -- this is known as meis mitzva.
So in your ...
- 126k
8
votes
Accepted
Newlyweds: Only four days before Hefsek Tahara?
This opinion is cited in the Taz YD 193 sk 4 and 196 sk 5. The idea is roughly that for hymenal bleeding, which only effects a Niddah Derabanan, there is no need to be stringent to add a 5th day. ...
- 95.1k
8
votes
Removing Niddah status without a mikvah
Shulchan Arukh (YD 201:1) writes:
אין האשה עולה מטומאתה ברחיצה במרחץ ואפילו עלו עליה כל מימות שבעולם
עדיין היא בטומאתה וחייבים עליה כרת עד שתטבול כל גופה בבת אחת במי מקוה
או מעיין שיש בהם מ' ...
- 95.1k
8
votes
Why does water purify?
R Aryeh Kaplan in his beautiful book Waters of Eden (also part of his Anthology vol. 2) writes this is a chok and cites Bamidbar Rabbah 19:8
By your lives, a dead person doesn't make things impure, ...
- 43.3k
8
votes
Accepted
Why don’t Sheretzs made into a Streimel convey tumah?
Once a hide is tanned, even a bit, it no longer conveys impurity (Chullin 9:2).
- 95.1k
7
votes
Accepted
Why are the laws of niddah called "tohoras mishpacha" - "family purity"
I actually had a discussion about this with someone this morning!
As noted here, this term is a very recent innovation. The conclusion of the person with whom I was speaking (a recognized Talmid ...
- 57.3k
7
votes
Accepted
Could the Temple vessels become tamei? What happens?
This is discussed in Mishna Chagiga 3:8.
As seen below, most keilim could become tamei, at which point they would be subject to same purification process as a person -- sprinkling of ashes and mikvah.
...
7
votes
Is a mother who has just given birth allowed to travel within a month or so of birth?
From the perspective of Jewish law, she can travel as long as her doctor is okay with it.
Leviticus was saying not to enter the Temple, because she's ritually impure. That status of ritual impurity ...
- 126k
7
votes
Does urine leakage render one ritually impure?
First step what is the problem of the urine?
Gemoro Berachoth 22B
ת''ר היה עומד בתפלה ומים שותתין על ברכיו פוסק עד שיכלו המים וחוזר ומתפלל להיכן חוזר
But it is during the micturition: and in ...
- 22.1k
7
votes
Accepted
Does food under bed become tamei?
Such an idea is found in a passage in Pesahim (112a) which states that a ru'ah ra'ah rests on food and drinks placed under a bed. Elsewhere, ru'ah ra'ah is explained by Rashi as meaning a malevolent ...
- 34.8k
7
votes
When can I attend service (Shabbat) after seminal emission?
The problem, as I understand it, is that your struggle is causing you to be distanced from normal, healthy mitzva behavior. Dr. Yocheved Debow writes about this phenomenon in her guide for educators.. ...
- 126k
7
votes
May a Kohen bury limbs of his 7 krovim (first degree relatives) which were removed during their lifetime?
YD 373:9
אין הכהן מיטמא לאבר מן החי מאביו, ולא לעצם מעצמות אביו. וכן המלקט
עצמות אינו מיטמא להם אע"פ שהשדרה קיימת.
חסר ממנו כל שהוא -- אפי' הוא מונח אצלו -- אינו מיטמא לו; שאינו מיטמא
אלא לשלם.
...
- 95.1k
7
votes
Accepted
Why didn't people conceal Tzaraat?
According to Sefer HaChinuch (Positive Commandment 169) there is an obligation incumbent upon someone afflicted with suspected tzara'at to show it to a kohen:
שמצוה היא עלינו שכל מי שיהיה מצרע ...
- 38.2k
6
votes
Jews were on 49th level of Tumah. Says who?
Here is a picture of the Zohar with the perush masok midvash on bottom. It is zohar charash yisro on daf lamed tes amud aleph in the original Zohar print.
- 61
6
votes
Accepted
Do We Repeat the Prayers for Using the Restroom and Washing the Hands After Each Time?
The Shulchan Aruch 7:1 writes that, throughout the whole day, if one uses the bathroom (gedolim or ketanim) one recites asher yatzar every time, but al netilas yadaim is said only one time in the ...
- 39.5k
6
votes
Accepted
How Was the Red Heifer Water Administered in Israel?
Maseches Parah 3:11 points out that the ashes of each of the parah adumah were divided into thirds. One went to the temple (the Cheil, next to the ezras nashim), another to storage in har hazeisim (...
- 5,094
6
votes
Samson and the Nazarite Vow
According to Nazir 4b, Samson, having a special form of nezirut (Nazirite status), was allowed to become tamei (ritually impure or "unclean") even though the typical nazirite vow would ...
- 17.2k
6
votes
Accepted
Can mikvah water become tamei?
Water in a Mikvah does not become Tamei. (Actually, Tamei water is the only food/drink which can become Tahor again, and this is by connecting it to a Mikvah (Mishna, Beitza 2:3).)
See the first ...
- 95.1k
6
votes
Accepted
Why can you buy dry fruit from an Am Ha'aretz?
The Tosfos Yom Tov actually answers your question!
(Source from Sefaria.org)
ואינו לוקח ממנו לח. כתב הר"ב אבל יבש וכו' ונאמן עם הארץ לומר הפירות הללו לא הוכשרו וכו'. הכי תני בירושלמי. וטעמא דהא ...
- 4,215
6
votes
Accepted
When can I attend service (Shabbat) after seminal emission?
Regarding attending prayer services, the issue is not the ritual impurity. The issue is that Ezra promulgated a decree that a ba'al keri (one who had an emission) cannot recite Torah, prayers, etc. ...
- 47.8k
6
votes
Accepted
What is the process for purifying your home if you believe it may have been previously used for pagan worship?
This is explicitly addressed in Avodah Zarah 3:7:
שְׁלשָׁה בָתִּים הֵן. בַּיִת שֶׁבָּנוּי מִתְּחִלָּה לַעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה, הֲרֵי זֶה אָסוּר. סִיְּדוֹ וְכִיְּרוֹ לַעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה וְחִדֵּשׁ, נוֹטֵל מַה ...
- 33.4k
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