Unanswered Questions
7,392 questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
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Why is there no decree against bathing in Chamei Teverya?
Gemara Shabbos says that originally one was allowed to bathe on Shabbos in pre-heated bath-houses.
However, (in short) due to the fact that the bath-house directors would violate Shabbos (by heating ...
CommunityBot
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Women wearing men's "women's shirts"
Some chassidic shirts are basically identical to women's dress shirts, save for the bust shape, i.e. they button right-over-left.
Would a female wearing the former be transgressing the prohibition on ...
CommunityBot
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May a Jew sell marijuana?
It is held by Rav Moshe zt''l that a Jew may not smoke marijuana, but following the legalization of marijuana in Washington, I am curious if a Jew may run a store that sells marijuana in a ...
CommunityBot
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Why does the Torah add ger sometimes
For some commandments in the chumash the Torah adds "and also the ger with you", and sometimes it does not.
What's the reason for this? Is there a specific reason every time?
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Example of a strict Conservative halacha ruling
I know Conservative halacha is generally more lenient than Orthodox halacha.
I wanted to know if there's any example of a Conservative halacha ruling which was stricter than the comparative Orthodox ...
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For whom does Mekhilta d'Rashb"i mean the Zohar?
I saw that Malbim on Shir HaShirim (1:2) quotes the Zohar with the name מכלתא דרשב״י. Indeed, the words he quotes are in the Zohar here. On the other hand, there is another work called מכילתא דרשב״י, ...
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Vasectomy reversal
A Jew had a vasectomy before he was aware of the severity of the sin.
Is he obligated to undergo a reversal?
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R' Akiva visiting Syracuse
I have read a claim on various sites, including Wikipedia, that R' Akiva visited the city of Syracuse in current Sicily. However, I have failed to find its source in the Talmud. I have seen the ...
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Baalei Batim and Daf Yomi versus Learning Halachah
Today, many baalei batim center their learning around gemara bavli, for example through programs like daf yomi. But the Drisha and Shach write that for those who aren't learning all day it's more ...
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The Alter Rebbe's view of reviewing Torah - is it followed in practice?
Related: comment thread in What should a Jew learn regularly?
In the end of the Shulchan Aruch Harav Yoreh Deah, chelek ה, the Alter Rebbe has a wonderful exposition on the laws of Talmud Torah. In ...
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Korach, Chukas, Balak - The mouth of the earth, well & donkey
I noticed something this week when reciting Pirkei Avos...
In Perek 5, Mishna 6 - the mishna famously says:
עֲשָׂרָה דְבָרִים נִבְרְאוּ בְּעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן, פִּי ...
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Having a descendant read about Aharon's death on its anniversary
This week is the somewhat rare Shabbat Rosh Chodesh Av. When that happens, we always read the section containing Numbers 33:38 about Aharon's death on Rosh Chodesh Av. In most communities this week a ...
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Finding a chiddush of the Brisker Rov
This question has a bit of an introduction to it.
Rav Shlomo Lorincz wrote a biography of the Chazon Ish, the Brisker Rov and Rav Shach, called במחיצתם (translated by Yonason Rosenblum as “In Their ...
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The famine and Joseph's food aid
There are many things I don't understand about Joseph's food policy in Parashat Vayigash
Why did the Egyptians have to buy food during the famine, given that they had been taxed during the 7 years of ...
CommunityBot
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Is the Tanya the first rabbinic work to reflect a new scientific understanding of the circulation of blood?
The Tanya was first published in 1796.
In chapter nine of the Tanya (in the shi’ur for today, Teves 9), the Alter Rebbe writes:
The abode of the animal soul… is in the heart, in the left ventricle,
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