Unanswered Questions
222 questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
10
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1
answer
432
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Who authored the 13 Ani Maamin's?
The Rambam in his Hakdama to his Pirush on Perek Chelek in Mesechtas Sanhedrin mentions the points of belief a Jew must have. To the best of my knowledge these are the basis of the well-known ...
7
votes
0
answers
103
views
Why does An'im Zemiros have two רs?
The song beginning אנעים זמירות (also named Shir HaKavod), which is popularly sung in shuls on Shabbos and/or Yom Tov and/or Yamim Noraim, basically follows a letter-scheme, with one verse for each ...
6
votes
0
answers
179
views
Must maariv be said before the seder?
One who says maariv at shul surely says maariv before the seder. If one davens at home, must maariv be said before the seder? (This question came up in a comment to Why is counting the omer not in ...
6
votes
0
answers
69
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Recommended changes to the text of selichos when you say them at the "wrong" time
Some of the piyutim in selichos assume that you're saying them at the ideal time - before Amud Hashachar (for example, at the end of selicha #70 שחרנוך קדם עמוד השחר). Many people don't make it at ...
6
votes
0
answers
89
views
Why is it forbidden to eat after the Qorban Pesah?
The Mishnah (Pesahim 10:8) states (Hebrew, English):
אין מפטירין אחר הפסח אפיקומן
They may not add an afikoman after the Pesach offering.
The commentators (e.g. Bartenura) explain that this is to ...
6
votes
1
answer
706
views
May one order food from Amazon Prime after Pesach?
May one order chametz from a publically-traded company (Amazon) which may have had food pass through any number of distributers on the way? The service in question is Amazon Prime Pantry.
6
votes
0
answers
111
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Why are there only 8 Martyrs in the Tisha b'av kinnos
The kinna on Tisha b'av says there are 10 Martyrs, but only 8 are named.
In the Yom Kippur version, however, all 10 are mentioned. Why are 2 missing from Tisha b'av?
6
votes
0
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126
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May a nutrition scientist perform research on chametz as part of his job on Hol Hamo'ed Pesach?
For this question, I am interested only in the aspect of handling the chametz and "benefitting" from it on Hol Hamo'ed, not any problems, possibly of going to work. (Let's assume that if the worker ...
6
votes
0
answers
71
views
Badikas Chamatz in courtyards of cities today
Shulchan Aruch HaRav says:
קרקעית החצר אין צריך בדיקה לפי שעורבין ושאר עופות מצויין שם והם אוכלים כל חמץ שנופל ואפילו אם ידוע לו שיש שם בחצר ודאי חמץ אין צריך ליטלו משם בשעת בדיקת ליל י"ד ואפילו ...
6
votes
0
answers
400
views
List of oppressors of the Jewish people
We say in the V'hi She'amda passage of the Pesach Hagaddah that in each and every generation there have been those who rose up against us to destroy us, but Hashem saves us from their designs. Is this ...
6
votes
0
answers
397
views
Why did Israeli sportsmen keep their hats on during their national anthem?
Last year I was at the international softball tournament and I noticed that players from Israel took off their baseball caps during the other teams anthems (as is common courtesy), but kept them ...
6
votes
1
answer
317
views
No Hallel in the seder?
I used a reprint of an old haggada this year (I think it was this one) on the second night. Through the meal everything was as I expected, other than a few differences because the haggada is Egyptian ...
6
votes
1
answer
292
views
Piyutim in the Scroll
The Shulchan Aruch (OC 139:4) discusses the potential issue that a listener might think that the blessings for an aliya are actually written in the Torah scroll. Different suggestions are offered for ...
5
votes
0
answers
55
views
Who are the lulav and the hadasim?
There is a popular midrash that the four species on Sukkos represent four kinds of people. I usually see it in the form where the smell corresponds to mitzvos and the taste corresponds to Torah ...
5
votes
0
answers
572
views
Can you eat foods during Passover, if you already opened and ate from the package before Passover?
Let's say that a person opens a jar of pickles that is kosher for Passover, and eats from it during the week before Passover starts.
Can the jar still be used during Passover?