Unanswered Questions
226 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
7
votes
0
answers
137
views
Can anyone warn a man's wife to give her the status of a sotah?
In the Mishna, Sotah 4:5 (and Bavli 27a) it explains that in certain situations Beit Din may warn a woman not to be secluded with a man and this warning carries the legal status of kinuy such that if ...
- 12.2k
7
votes
1
answer
304
views
Is there a penalty under the law for attempted adultery?
If a married man or woman propositions sexual misconduct to a person, or a man or woman propositions a person they know is married, is there a prescribed penalty according to the law, i.e. would a a ...
- 19.3k
6
votes
0
answers
61
views
How come that nobody could oppose to R' Gamliel in Halachah but could boot him promptly as the President?
I'm trying to understand the mechanics of the Jewish Presidency as presented in Berakhot.28a. In the story R"G asks if there is anybody who could object to him in a Halachic issue, and nobody ...
- 28k
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
135
views
Is plea-bargaining allowed in Judaism?
Consider this form of plea-bargaining: "Plead guilty to a lesser crime. In exchange, we won't prosecute you further and you give us information about your bosses and testify against them."
This is ...
- 23.6k
6
votes
0
answers
42
views
Why do we say Dayanim Mumhim in Hatarat Nedarim (Canceling vows)?
The text of Hatatarat Nedarim starts like this:
שִׁמְעוּ נָא רַבּותַי דַּיָּנִים מֻמְחִים
"Please hear, expert Dayanim (court)
It's not just that usually we gather three random people to be ...
CommunityBot
- 1
6
votes
0
answers
274
views
Did the Sanhedrin ever convene at night or on holidays?
Were there ever any times or special circumstances in either Temple period where the Sanhedrin would convene on Shabbat, at night or on holidays?
- 1,522
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