24
votes
Accepted
I would like to see an actual Vilna Shas
Well it took me almost a year, but I can now answer my own question.
In Person The National Library of Israel has everything (and I mean everything) you could ever want when it comes to Hebrew books. ...
- 6,878
14
votes
Accepted
Why is the Frankel Rambam divided unusually? Madda-Ahava and Avoda-Korbanot
I wrote to Hotzaat Shabsi Frankel with this inquiry, and they responded that the unusual numbering is due to a misguided guess at how many volumes the set would ultimately be:
Thanks for your ...
- 4,253
9
votes
Why is a "classicly" printed Sefer Torah not kosher?
The Taz (Yoreh Deah 271:8) says it is a good ksiva, and has the same Kedusha as a "regular Sefer Torah".
- 32.3k
8
votes
Accepted
Emotional distress with the overly sensitive
The Gemara in Bava Metzia (59a), in dealing with the prohibition of causing anguish - Onas Devarim, says that it is imperative to speak to ones wife nicely, for they cry very easily.
אמר רב לעולם ...
- 15.1k
8
votes
Rolling dice on shabbat?
The sefer Shmiras Shabbos K'Hilchasah (16:33) paskens without reservation that dice games for recreation (not gambling) are fully permitted on Shabbos. No qualification is made for fear of writing by ...
- 10.4k
8
votes
Accepted
Why is public reading of the haftarah not required to be from parchment?
You aren't the first person to wonder about this. The Levush wrote "All my days I wondered why I never saw in any place the practice to write the Haftarot like a proper book as we do for Esther" (OC ...
- 95.3k
7
votes
Accepted
Does the Biblical prohibition against writing on Shabbat apply to nonsense as well?
Shulchan Aruch Harav Orach Chaim 278.1
...אין איסור מן התורה אלא במלאכה הצריכה לגופה...
...it is not oser from the torah unless it is a labor that is needed... (my translation)
So it seems ...
- 7,144
7
votes
Quadrant based layout for the Yerushalmi
The reference is to the pages of the Venice printing of the Talmud Yerushalmi (5283/1523). Each folio is divided into four columns, two on each side of the page, and these are the numbers of the amud (...
- 23.8k
7
votes
Accepted
May one write with a pencil or marker in the margins of a sefer Torah?
The sefer Piskei Teshuvos (OC 32:12-13) writes that l'chatchila one should not write anything on the margins (or anywhere else) of the sefer torah. If one did write something, even a sofer marking a ...
- 5,529
6
votes
Why are there colored splotches on the pages on many Jewish texts?
I have also had this question for some time and I was glad to see someone else asking it. From my research into book binding techniques it is obvious that it comes from various decoration techniques. ...
- 173
6
votes
Accepted
Is highlighting text and writing in the siddur OK?
While I've never done this myself, I don't see any issue with it, provided that you highlight and underline respectfully.
In fact, the practice comes highly recommended by the Rebbetzin's Husband, ...
- 18.7k
6
votes
When Sofrim write Sifrei Torah, do they think of the Ba'alei Kri'ah (readers)?
From personal experience, here's what the Sofer thinks about, while writing:
It's Lishma - and watch out for names of Hashem that need individual attention to become Lishma.
Don't smudge, it's wet ...
- 42k
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 ...
- 48k
5
votes
How could Moshe write on Shabbos?
the chasam sofer (shu"t cheilek vov siman tes) qoutes the shaloh answering this question moshe wrote the sifrei torah "bi-hasvoas hakulmos (he wrote with feathers in between each of his hands) which ...
- 446
5
votes
Overhead projector on Shabbos?
Contemporary Poskim are divided on this matter:
Rav Nissim Karelitz (Chut Shani 1:20, 1) : Rabbinically prohibited because this is considered impermanent writing.
Rav Shmuel Wosner (Shut Shevet ...
- 7,420
5
votes
Accepted
Graphology - sources that permit or forbid it
Chabad.org has an article entitled Spiritual Graphology--The Soul of Handwriting, Finding the Mind, Body and Soul Connection.
It starts with a quote based on the Rebbe ztz”l
May G‑d help you ...
- 45.8k
5
votes
Accepted
Writing during Chol HaMoed
Not writing on Chol Hamo'ed is a formal prohibition, the original source of which is Mo'ed Kattan 18b, in the Mishna at the bottom of the page. Writing is considered a skilled craft (meleches uman) ...
- 57.4k
5
votes
Accepted
Can i write the letter "t" without worrying that I'm making a cross?
Rav Moshe(Igros Moshe YD 1:69) was asked about selling stamps with a cross on it . Rav Moshe brought proof from a Tosfos in Shabbas 149 . He explains that only when the cross is made for the name of ...
- 39.8k
5
votes
Opening bottle on Shabbos where it will destroy letters on cap
The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch in 80:64 - סימן פ - קצת ממלאכות האסורות בשבת
- writes:
סעיף סד' סְפָרִים, שֶׁעַל חֻדֵּי הַגִּלְיוֹנוֹת מִבַּחוּץ נִכְתְּבוּ אוֹתִיּוֹת, יֵשׁ אוֹסְרִין לְפָתְחָן אוֹ ...
- 42k
4
votes
symbol to denote a Jewish deceased author/writter?
I certainly would not like the dagger † to be placed after my name if I were no longer alive.
The related question provides several possibilities amongst which the following seem most appropriate (...
- 45.8k
4
votes
Typing on Chol Hamoed
Dose of Halacha bring sources that allow it and those that forbid it based on different reason than mentioned above:
Whether printing from a computer is considered ma'aseh hedyot or ma'aseh uman is ...
- 1,464
4
votes
When Sofrim write Sifrei Torah, do they think of the Ba'alei Kri'ah (readers)?
I'm not sure how to answer this question for anyone but myself.
The barest minimum requirement for writing a sefer torah is that it be legible. The ink must be black, and the traditional fonts ...
- 5,221
4
votes
Can you make chometz ink on Pesach?
Your question asked about "making" the ink on Pesach. "Flour" was one of the ingredients. If you have unguarded flour (of wheat, barley, spelt, oats, or rye,) and you want to own it, then the problem ...
- 10.4k
4
votes
Can you make chometz ink on Pesach?
Should be prohibited, pretty much the same as the Mishna Pesachim 3:1.
אלו עוברין בפסח, כתח הבבלי, ושכר המדי, וחמץ האדומי, וזיתום המצרי, וזומן של צבעים ה, ועמילן של טבחים, וקולן של סופרים.
רבי ...
- 127k
4
votes
What is the history of writing on the Kotel?
According to the website IsraelDailyPicture, (which presents historical photos of Israel with explanations) those are memorial notices. Two such pictures can be seen here, and the text (names in the ...
- 910
4
votes
Tikunei Ha-Zohar: What happened to Tikun 20?
The tikkun in question in the original was the long version found in the Mantua edition. The Vilna edition of Tikunei HaZohar with the commentary of the Vilna Gaon mentions this in the main text at ...
- 12.3k
4
votes
Tikunei Ha-Zohar: What happened to Tikun 20?
The claim that this text was censored and that this is somehow related to Shabbatai Tzvi seems unlikely for two reasons:
The text is moved to tikkun 21 and not removed entirely (beginning on 48a in ...
- 41
4
votes
Rashi script in certain seforim
See Teshuvos Ha-Rema (R. Moshe Isserles), 34:
ועיקר ספרים שלנו כתובים או נדפסים בכתב שאינו אשורי, והוא מטעם שאנו
כותבים תורה שבעל פה כמו שפסקו הפוסקים ואיתא בגמרא מטעם דעת לעשות
לה' הפרו תורתך,...
- 13.8k
4
votes
Accepted
Writing with dry erase marker on Shabbos, is it permitted?
It is forbidden to write, even temporarily on Shabbos. R Jack Abramowitz from OU writes
Koseiv [writing] involves creating any meaningful letter or symbol.
It doesn’t have to be with ink on paper....
- 43.5k
4
votes
Accepted
Extending the Leg of a Letter to Remove Sheimos
This is prohibited as erasing God's name. If you wrote יה as God's name and then want to follow it up with ודה to make the name יהודה, that is prohibited (Soferim 5:2, Keset Hasofer 12:3). Your case ...
- 95.3k
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