18
votes
How did Jacob manage to have 12 children in 7 years?
The Rashbam to Bereishis 43:33 writes that not only were the 6 sons of Leah born in 7 years, but also all of the other sons of Yaakov (with the obvious exception of Binyamin, who is explicitly ...
- 58.3k
15
votes
Where does the notion that the *entire* matza process must be done in under 18 minutes come from?
This does not include the time in the oven, but the notion that the entire process until the dough goes into the oven must be completed within 18 minutes is based on actual opinions on the books.
I ...
- 47.8k
15
votes
Holidays Beginning at sundown of the previous day
For the entirety of Jewish History, Judaism has kept to a day that begins at sunset on the previous 'secular/non-Jewish date'. Therefore, all meals eaten after sundown would be considered to already ...
- 20.9k
12
votes
Accepted
Is there a constant Mitzvah for women?
There are six commandments applicable to males at all times:
Know there is God.
Don't believe in other gods.
Belief in unity of God.
Love God.
Fear God.
Don't be lead astray by your eyes and heart.
...
- 35.4k
10
votes
Holidays Beginning at sundown of the previous day
Holidays don't begin before the date they are on. They are only on the date they are on. That date starts and ends at sundown. Many holiday rituals occur after sundown at the beginning of the holiday.
...
- 97.4k
9
votes
Accepted
In an average shul, how long before sunset does a combined weekday Mincha/Maariv service start?
The proprietors of goDaven were kind enough to supply me, for the purposes of answering this question, with their table of 5,960 mincha and/or maariv services. I used a Perl script to extract 1,046 ...
- 73.6k
7
votes
Accepted
Blessings on Birthdays
R. Elazar of Kozhnitz is cited as finding an allusion to the idea that one receives power of blessing (requesting) on their birthday in the verse (Ps. 2:7-8):
אֲסַפְּרָ֗ה אֶֽ֫ל חֹ֥ק יְײ אָמַ֘ר אֵלַ֥י ...
- 11.9k
7
votes
Rav Moshe and Giving Your Time for Charity
Following @Yirmeyahu's lead I found my copy of the Eye of the Needle with the full copy of the article you are looking for. I scanned it below. See end of page 3 and page 4. It is not a straight ...
- 47.9k
7
votes
How long did Miriam wait by the river before Basya retrieved Moshe?
Exodus 20:5-6
"You shall neither prostrate yourself before them nor worship them, for I, the Lord, your God, am a zealous God, Who visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons, upon the third and ...
- 10.7k
7
votes
How long did Iyov suffer unfairly until G-d gave him blessings for resisting it?
The Mishna (Eduyot 2:10) says the judgement of Iyov was 12 months.
- 97.4k
7
votes
Latest time to say Maariv
One can pray until dawn (alot hashahar), ideally (lechathila) one should do so before midnight (halachic midnight i.e., hatzot) (Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 70:2).
Chabad.org explains
The time for ...
- 47.9k
7
votes
Accepted
Is there a formal prohibition of stealing time from someone?
I have personally heard from Harav Chaim Kanievsky shlit"a that the term "גזל זמן" (stealing time) [and גזל שינה - stealing sleep] is a halachic misnomer, because stealing time [or sleep] is not ...
- 6,919
7
votes
How many ‘Watches’ were there in an ancient Hebrew day?
Tractate Brachos of Talmud of Babylon 3b says this is a dispute between 2 tanaim (Rabbis in the period of the Mishna just under 2 millenia ago) whether there are 3 or 4 watches in the night:
תנו ...
- 11.4k
6
votes
Waiting six hours when chicken became meat
As documented with sources here, there never was a point in time when the Rabbis decree that chicken is to be considered as meat.
The meat-to-milk 6 hours waiting period was a gradual movement ...
- 42.8k
6
votes
Accepted
Is it forbidden to use a sand timer on shabbos?
The issue at hand is measuring. See the Shulchan Aruch siman 308 siff 51 and the Ramma who says the accepted practice is to not use sand timers.
See also Rabbi Ribiat's 39 Melachos volume 4 page 979....
- 33.4k
6
votes
Accepted
Sources for 3 hour time limit (not Rb. Yerucham)
The Mizmor LeDavid (Yoreh Deah 89:6) mentions a 3 hour wait. Its author, Rav David Pardo, lived from 1718-1790.
The Chayey Adam (127:10), first published in 1810, mentions a few hour wait. (Although ...
- 10.7k
6
votes
How much time do we have to perform mitzvot?
The lesson quoted in the question, "If [a commandment] comes your way, perform it immediately" (in the Hebrew "מצוה הבאה לידך אל תחמיצנה") isn't implying a time restraint but rather an overall idea ...
- 11.9k
6
votes
Why did Ralbag's commentary to Leviticus take so much longer than the other books of the Torah?
A couple of speculative suggestions:
1) Neema H. Adlerblum writes the following in Chapter Two of A Study of Gersonides in his Proper Perspective:
He writes somewhere that he could not go on with ...
- 49.1k
5
votes
How hungry does a Jew have to be to eat non-kosher food?
There are 2 situations for which the question of Pikuach Nefesh eating non-kosher food is relevant:
1. When a person is expecting kosher food but can't wait.
2. When a person is stranded and only Non-...
- 11.4k
5
votes
If you don't repent of a sin,will the consequence last forever?
The Ramcha"l in Mesilas Yeshorim Chapter 4 touches on this subject.
He writes:
Just as the Holy One Blessed be He does not allow any good deed, small
as it may be, to go unrewarded, so does He ...
- 47.2k
5
votes
Talmud study and time?
The most popular Talmud study program is daf yomi ("a page a day") whereby many Jews around the world study the same page of Talmud every day, typically spending 40-60 mins on a page (2-sided). To go ...
- 47.9k
5
votes
Is bitul zman (wasting one's time) a formal prohibition?
Shaare Teshuva shaar I, 8:
כי יש אנשים רבים שמקבלים על נפשם להזהר מעבירות ידועות וכל ימי חייהם אינם נזהרים בהם. אבל הם אצלם כהיתר. ואלו לא היו נוהגים כן רק על עבירה אחת. חלי רע הוא בנפשם כאשר ביארנו....
- 22.7k
5
votes
What is the motivation behind the obligated number of times different workers are required to fulfill their conjugal rights obligations?
The periodicity of visits of the husband at home and his work*, and how mach he remains valid and strong after hardness of labor and business(Source Mishna Keubot 5, 6, difference between "walkers" ...
- 22.7k
5
votes
How do we know that the Judaic calendar should be primarily lunar based?
Rashi on Shmos 13:2 explicitly says that Hashem showed Moshe the moon and explained how the calendar was based and how the new month was to be determined. This explanation would include the rules for ...
- 42.9k
5
votes
Accepted
what year was David born?
Chabad.org David the Shepherd says
David was born in Beth-Lehem, in the land of Judah, in the year 2854.
He was only ten generations removed from Judah, one of Jacob's twelve
sons.
An ...
- 42.9k
5
votes
Davening Mussaf at home
Perhaps you are thinking about a citation from Rabbi Eliyahu Kitov, The Book of our Heritage as shown in Reciting Musaf At The Time Of Divine compassion
If an individual recites Musaf on Rosh ...
- 42.9k
5
votes
Accepted
Birchas Hachama and the world being created in Tishrei
The dispute you quote regarding when the world was created is that of R’ Eliezer and R’ Yehoshua, in Rosh HaShanah 10b-12a. At the end of that discussion, the Gemara sticks in this Braisa. Translation ...
- 34.1k
5
votes
Accepted
Earliest Sources for Giving Maaser of Time
Rabbi Haim Palachi (Nefesh Haim, ma’arechet Hei n. 7; s.v. ונלע״ד) articulated the idea of “tithing” one’s time by spreading or teaching Torah.
Similarly, Rabbi Shimon Shkop (Share Yosher, intro., s.v....
- 11.9k
5
votes
Importance of coming on time for davening
I once heard a true story (it might have been in one of Rabbi Paysach Krohn's books).
There was this man who came late every day to shul. One day the Rabbi asked him, "I can see that you come to ...
- 989
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