Unanswered Questions
144 questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
10
votes
2
answers
208
views
Counting Sefirah in a made up language
Can one fulfill the mitzvah of counting the Omer by counting in a language that only he/she understands? What if a few people understand? An entire goup?
- 2,013
9
votes
1
answer
443
views
Reincarnations - Let's work out how many one would need to be personally obligated in all 613 Mitzvot in the superset
In a nutshell, the Arizal says (Shaar Gilgulim Ch. 16) we are reincarnated in order that every Jew gets a chance to experience all 613 mitzvot as a chiyuv (personal obligation) at least once. My ...
- 14.7k
8
votes
0
answers
179
views
Mitzvos from the 613 that are not included in the Ten Commandments
The Chasam Sofer to parshas Nasso says (Toras Moshe I, ד"ה ושמו שמי) that it is known that even though the Ten Commandments contain all the 613 mitzvos (see Rashi and here), the three mitzvos that ...
- 979
6
votes
0
answers
133
views
Operating a mechanical calculator on Shabbos
Are mechanical calculators Mukzte on Shabbos? Would it be considered a form of measuring?
Mechanical calculators have no electric parts. Everything is purely mechanical:
If it is considered measuring,...
- 3,907
6
votes
0
answers
119
views
Why isn't imitating Hashem's traits a constant mitzvah?
In the introduction to Sefer HaChinuch, the author delineates what he feels are six constant mitzvos from the 613.
מששה מצות מהן שחיובן תמידי לא יפסק מעל האדם אפי' רגע בכל ימיו. ואלו הם. א' להאמין ...
- 20.2k
6
votes
0
answers
241
views
During the nine days, can we do something "slightly dangerous" in order to fulfill a mitzvah?
During the nine days, many hold that we refrain from activities that are considered even slightly dangerous; for example, air travel.
However, I have read that R' Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (who ...
- 388
6
votes
0
answers
192
views
Do the laws of Ribis apply to loans of virtual currency?
If a Jew lends a player in a multiplayer online game money, and he knows without a doubt that that player is Jewish, does the prohibition of ribis apply? (After all, the only thing that changed was a ...
CommunityBot
- 1
6
votes
1
answer
227
views
Practical עשה דוחה לא תעשה
There are a few examples frequently offered for the rule "עשה דוחה לא תעשה":
Someone whose garment has four corners and linen can nonetheless put wool tzitzis on it. This is unlikely nowadays, when ...
- 188
5
votes
0
answers
82
views
Can one do an issur derabanan so that his friend can do a mitzva doraisa
There’s a rule not to do an aveira to benefit another but would it apply in a scenario where the purpose of performing an issur derabanan is to enable another person to perform a mitzva doraisa.
- 2,298
5
votes
0
answers
108
views
Only Kohanim get reward for mitzvos in this world
There's a concept of שכר מצוות בהאי עלמא ליכא, there is no reward for mitzvos in this world (Kiddushin 39b). Much has been written on what this means and why it's true, but I found a innovative idea ...
- 54.1k
5
votes
0
answers
848
views
Why is Rosh Chodesh called "the first mitzvah in the Torah"?
I continually see Rosh Chodesh identified as "the first mitzvah in the Torah".[1] I recognize that it is the first mitzvah given to Am Yisrael as a nation. But there are three mitzvot that precede it ...
- 8,383
5
votes
1
answer
243
views
Does this count as Tzedakah?
I found out there's an app that gives money to charity depending on how much you run. You can choose between dozens of organizations that help stop hunger, help the homeless, cure cancer, provide ...
CommunityBot
- 1
4
votes
0
answers
46
views
Why did the Rambam single out Ribui?
In Sefer HaMitzvos, Shoresh 2, the Rambam says that anything derived using Rabbi Yishmael's 13 principles of derivation, or a Ribui (extraneous wording which tells us to include new laws), does not ...
- 20.2k
4
votes
0
answers
115
views
Does it still count as a Bracha if one stuttered and repeated words?
What if someone has a stutter and they tend to repeat words when doing a Bracha. As long as they said all of the words, does it still count as a Bracha?
- 3,592
4
votes
0
answers
207
views
What are some religious items that a gentile can make and still be kosher, if any at all?
I'm a gentile. I'm talking about items related to the fulfillment of mitzvot and there are some that are not so obvious to me, they are:
tefillin(just the boxes and straps)
tallitot
shofarot
sukkot
...
- 191