15
votes
Is it permitted to bring bottled water from an outside source into a kosher dining hall?
My best guess is that it's the policy of the kosher dining hall to not allow outside food or drink to cut down on the amount of non-kosher food which comes in. To my knowledge, there's nothing wrong ...
- 17.5k
14
votes
Accepted
After the first plague, where did Paro's magicians get water to turn to blood?
Ibn Ezra said that only the above ground water (such as in the river) turned to blood, but water that was underground before the plague stayed water.
"And all of Egypt dug around the river to find ...
- 41.8k
12
votes
Accepted
So where are these mermaids?
Dr. Leiman writes on the mouse that is 'half-mouse-half-earth" that, (p.452):
"... it comes as no surprise that the rabbis discussed the status of a creature they had never seen, and one that ...
- 8,074
11
votes
Accepted
Can an igloo be a valid succah?
Regarding #1:
If it is likely to melt, I assume it would be a problem using this to begin with, as the walls are not steady.
Not sure what you mean here. If the walls don't sway in the wind, then ...
- 42k
10
votes
Is it permitted to bring bottled water from an outside source into a kosher dining hall?
Without being able to ask the staff who sets the standards for your "kosher cafeteria", we can only speculate if it was truly not allowed to bring a water bottle in, or why.
However, this is my best ...
- 10.3k
9
votes
Does a sotah make a bracha?
Sefer Otzar Palos HaTorah pg.161 brings down that no birkas hanehenin is said on Sotah water since it has a bad flavor.
Rav Chaim Kaniefsky rules that one does not make a birkas hamitzvah on Sotah ...
- 39.5k
9
votes
One shouldn't drink water in front of others - but other drinks are OK - why?
Water is explicitly mentioned as problematic in the Talmud.
Bechorot 44b
אמר רבי אבא בריה דרבי חייא בר אבא משתינין מים בפני רבים ואין שותין מים בפני רבים ותניא נמי הכי משתינין מים בפני רבים ואין ...
- 47.8k
8
votes
After the first plague, where did Paro's magicians get water to turn to blood?
The Shir Maon writes they turned blood into "water" (looked like it) and then turned it back into its original state which is blood. Magic cannot work on water (see Sanhedrin) but could on blood.
- 39.5k
8
votes
Accepted
Can I make a mikvah using artificial rain?
As Ephraim already mentioned, HaRav Menashe Klein discusses this in משנה הלכות חלק ב.
He brings a Chazon Ish in חידושי חזו"א מקואות תנינא סי' יו"ד ס"ק י"א which talks about using condensed steam for ...
- 42k
8
votes
After the first plague, where did Paro's magicians get water to turn to blood?
R. Yosef Bekhor Shor (Tosafist) uses this as a proof that the water only turned into blood for long enough to kill the fish, then the fish polluted the water rendering it undrinkable.
He is in turn ...
- 34.8k
8
votes
Can one make ice on Shabbos?
Yechave Da'as 1:30 rules that one may make ice cubes on Shabbos
Shmiras Shabbos K'hilchoso 10:5 footnote 15 in the name of the Tchbiner Rav says it is forbidden because of Nolad, however in 10:4 ...
- 137k
8
votes
Accepted
Why would spring water or mineral water need a kosher certification?
The OU says water does not need supervision. My guess is that it is not expensive to obtain the hekhsher and perceived as adding value so the manufacturers do it anyway.
Aish has a nice explanation ...
- 43.3k
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
7
votes
Accepted
Why doesn't Tefilat Geshem have a verse referring to Miriam?
It's important to notice that there IS a verse for Miriam in the Hoshanos that we all said (or mumbled) just a day before Tefillas Geshem, and we must remember that Tefillas Geshem and Hoshanos were ...
- 637
7
votes
What is the significance of "mayim nukvin" according to chassidus
Another name for it is Isarusa Dilesato אתערותא דלתתא, An arousal of below. It's when we work hard to achieve an inspiration to connect with and serve Hashem. It's called מים נוקבין mayim nukvin ...
- 2,355
7
votes
May liquids other than water be used to kasher a material?
It's a machlokes haposkim - see Rema, Orach Chaim 452:5, citing Orchos Chaim. The Ramban says it's no good, while the Rashba allows it. So the Rema says that it shouldn't be done, but bedieved (after ...
- 7,337
6
votes
Why not dump the ashes of the para aduma into a huge body of water?
The water that the ashes of the parah adumah are placed in must be drawn by a person from a body of water using a vessel. (Rambam Hilchos Para Adumah 6:1-8).
- 7,410
6
votes
Accepted
bracha when snorkeling/diving underwater and seeing a strange animal
There is a teshuvah from Rav Shlomo Zalman Aurbach quoted here which says that since the Gemara's examples of animals that we make the bracha on are land animals, we do not make it on sea creatures.
...
- 2,283
6
votes
Accepted
Licking fingers for Mayim Acharonim?
See Halachipedia:
Water that is fit for Mayim Achronim:
One shouldn’t use scalding hot water, rather lukewarm water is permitted and it preferable to use cold water. Hot water that cooled ...
- 68.7k
6
votes
Does a sotah make a bracha?
You only recite a bracha on water if you are thirsty.1 Since the sotah is not drinking the water to quench her thirst, there would be no bracha. As for birkat hamitzvah I don't know.
The question has ...
- 17.5k
6
votes
Drinking from a water fountain on Shabbos
From http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/weekly_torah.php?id=393
One may use a water cooler or water fountain (72) (even when it is plugged in) on Shabbos if he is lenient in regard to opening a ...
- 36.5k
6
votes
Can one make ice on Shabbos?
Rav Eliyashiv (Vayishma Moshe p. 131) is quoted as holding that making ice on shabbat is assur because of boneh. (Footnote 175 brings the Dovev Meisharim 1:55 who holds it assur because of nolad. See ...
- 39.5k
6
votes
Can one make ice on Shabbos?
One of the prominent poskim of the past generation, R. Dov Berish Weidenfeld, who was the Tshebiner Rav and author of Dovev Meisharim, ruled that freezing water to make ice cubes on Shabbos is not ...
- 1,092
6
votes
Accepted
Is a dud shemesh allowed to be used on Shabbat?
All sources are from Yeshiva.org.il's detailed article about this. Note that i am relying on them being correct -- i did not check them.
As we said in the question, there are two possible issues:
...
- 22.8k
6
votes
Blessing over a wine-water mix
It appears that you need 1/6 (17%) of wine or grape juice to still be able to say hagefen. The issue is that wine nowadays is already diluted. The proper way therefore appears to be to first say the ...
- 43.3k
6
votes
Accepted
Is it Bishul Akum if a gentile boils non potable water?
In general there is no prohibition of bishul akum with water since its form and taste do not change through cooking. Star-K for instance writes
Foods whose form and taste do not change through ...
- 43.3k
6
votes
May liquids other than water be used to kasher a material?
Rema OC 452:5 writes that one cannot kasher with liquids other than water in the first instance, but that after the fact they work.
- 38.2k
5
votes
If there are ants in the sink on Shabbat, can I use the sink even though they'll drown?
The Minchas Yitzchak 10:27 and Shevet Halevi 6:94(he brings the Minchas yitzchak as well) bring a similar case about flushing a fly down the toilet that was there already .If one wants to use the ...
- 39.5k
5
votes
Accepted
Saying Asher Yatzar if there is no water available
Yes, one should say Asher Yatzar even if he did not wash his hands. And if one was mishafshef, meaning he wiped the sprinkles of urine, he is required to clean his hands, even still, when there is no ...
- 32.2k
5
votes
Is ice considered food or drink in Halacha?
From Din Online:
Poskim discuss the status of ice cream or ices–are they considered as
liquids or solids? According to some poskim they are considered
liquids, and would therefore be covered by ...
- 15.1k
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