Unanswered Questions
195 questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
7
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English explanation of Sheva Brachot at a Wedding
I was a guest at a wedding recently. During the sheva brachot under the chuppah in addition to calling up someone to recite the bracha a second person was called up to read a relevant English passage ...
- 28k
6
votes
0
answers
616
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Who were the Nistarim?
It has been documented that there is a group of righteous people called "The Nistarim". I am not referring to the lammed vav tzaddikim of the Gemara (Sanhedrin 97b, Sukkah 45b). Rather, a mystical ...
- 10.5k
6
votes
0
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251
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Seeking Ramchal's Hoker u'MeKubal in English
Is the Ramchal's Hoker u'MeKubal available in English? I have already read Derech HaShem, Daas Tevunos, Mesillas Yesharim, and Ma'amar HaGeulas, so I would be interested in other of his works in ...
CommunityBot
- 1
5
votes
0
answers
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Smoking and psychedelics in kabbalah?
Many are familiar with stories of great tzaddikim smoking pipes and the like in some sort of kabbalastic rite. I've even heard some chassidic Rebbes having a so called "Kabbalah pipe". Im curious to ...
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4
votes
1
answer
156
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Translation help: powers of the seven great men of the city
I'm struggling with a particular part of the reasoning of the Mahari ben-Lev in responsum 2:72, in which he addresses whether or not the טובי העיר have the power to make a rule banning townsfolk from ...
CommunityBot
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4
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0
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119
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Do we apply עושה מעשה עמך consistently anywhere it says עמך?
The Gemara in several places (BM 48b and 62a, Yevamos 22b, Sanhedrin 85a, BB 4a, BK 94b, Makkos 8b) quotes the exposition
ונשיא בעמך לא תאור - בעושה מעשה עמך
“A prince in your people you shall ...
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4
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71
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Understanding the parameters of translating the pesukim
In Kiddushin 49a R' Yehuda makes the following statement
ר' יהודה אומר המתרגם פסוק כצורתו הרי זה בדאי והמוסיף עליו הרי זה מחרף ומגדף
One who translates a verse literally is a liar, one who adds his ...
CommunityBot
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4
votes
0
answers
126
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Source for Arizal’s teaching
I’m reading a book by Rabbi Shlomo Arush and he says the following: "According to our master, the Arizal, whoever wants to receive the light of Ein Sof in its entirety has to change its own nature ...
- 34.7k
4
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0
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583
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Mishneh Torah in english
To my knowledge, there are two English editions of the Mishneh Torah: the Yale Judaica edition and the Moznaim edition. Furthermore, there exist the Birnbaum (incomplete) and Frankel editions, perhaps ...
- 101k
4
votes
1
answer
404
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Maggidim (angelic mentors) in Jewish history. How new is it?
Did the phenomenon of "maggidim" (celestial/angelic mentors) who come to teach a person kabbalistic mysteries and other revelations, but begin with those who studied Lurianic kaballah in the 1500's - ...
- 36k
4
votes
1
answer
280
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Is it obligatory / recommended / permitted / discouraged / forbidden to tie a red thread to a child's crib?
The comments to this question discuss tying to a red thread to a child's crib. Garvey80 claims that it is a minhag yisrael to do so, and is thus obligatory. User6591 claims that it may be forbidden, ...
- 16.7k
4
votes
1
answer
389
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Leaving the room during a kabbalistic dvar Torah
We learn from Maran HaRav Ovadia Yosef Z"l, as well as R' Hamburger Shlit"a, and the rest of the non-Chassidic, non-Lurianic world that it is improper for one unlearned in sha"s and halachah to learn ...
- 2,036
3
votes
0
answers
110
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How to reconcile the verse in Yeshaya 49:14 to the beginning of Shaar HaEmunah
BH
It says in Yishaya 49:14:
וַתֹּ֥אמֶר צִיּ֖וֹן עֲזָבַ֣נִי יְהֹוָ֑ה וַאדֹנָ֖י שְׁכֵחָֽנִי
whereas in Ner Mitzvah V'Torah Or (Shaar HaEmunah) it says:
וה' שכחני
Why does R. Dov-Ber Schneuri say ...
- 5,019
3
votes
0
answers
149
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Info about Kabbalah text translators E. Collé and H. Collé
I want to read a good English translation of Etz Chaim by Chaim Vital. I found this one online by E. Collé and H. Collé. It appears to be scholarly, but I can't find amy information online about ...
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3
votes
0
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141
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Why do we pray to be saved from Ayin Hara if we don't believe in it?
The Gemara says in Pesachim 110b
כְּלָלָא דְמִילְּתָא כׇּל דְּקָפֵיד קָפְדִי בַּהֲדֵיהּ וּדְלָא קָפֵיד לָא קָפְדִי בַּהֲדֵיהּ וּמִיהוּ לְמֵיחַשׁ מִיבְּעֵי.
The general rule is that anyone who is ...
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