Unanswered Questions
572 questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
5
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Did the Talmudic rabbis know about America?
Is there any evidence in the ancient Sources that the Talmudic rabbis were aware of the existence of America?
5
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1
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91
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Source for ויראת מאלקיך because of loss of money
HaKesav VeHaKabbalah (Deuteronomy 10:12) writes:
והנה מצאנו בחמשה מקומות שדברה תורה ממצות שבין אדם לחברו שסיימה בהם ויראת מאלהיך, כמו אל תקלל חרש ויראת מאלהיך, מפני שיבה תקום ויראת מאלהיך, ולא תונו ...
5
votes
1
answer
381
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Sources for Milchemet Mitzvah at this time
I heard recently a certain rabbi say that "nobody disagrees that [our "war" to conquer Israel] is a milchemet mitzvah."
What sources are there, either way, for conquering Israel today being milchemet ...
5
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2
answers
987
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If one gives a food gift on Shabbos, does the one who receives it need to use it on Shabbos?
The Halacha is that one may give a food gift to another on Shabbos. (See Dose of Halacha for more details).
If I give a bottle of wine, do they need to open it on Shabbos, or can they choose to keep ...
4
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0
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61
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Ha'azinu as a spiritual remedy for heretical thoughts
The B'nei Yissoschor in the sefer Agra D'Pirka, as quoted by the sefer Kavod Shabbos (Parshas Ha'azinu, p. 548) says:
לומר בכל יום שירת האזינו: נראה לי בסגולה ללמוד בכל יום שירת האזינו,
והוא סגולה ...
4
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0
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63
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Sleep Paralysis in Torah?
My friend recently mentioned to me that he has sleep paralysis and I was wondering what the Torah has to say about it:
Why does it happen according to the Torah?
How does one stop it from happening ...
4
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0
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72
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Chofetz Chayyim’s son-in-law
The book Ha-Tzaddik Rabbi Shimon (p 27) contains the following story, attributed to ‘the notes of the Chofetz Chayyim’s son-in-law’. Are these notes published or available, or is the excerpt in this ...
4
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0
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192
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Achashverosh earned Olam Haba?
In Let My Nation Live by Yosef Deutsch, p358, he claims that Achashverosh earned Olam Haba.
There is no footnote on that paragraph, but the preceding paragraph's footnote lists Rokeach; Yedei Moshe; R'...
4
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0
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96
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What is the earliest source that brings the custom to light bonfires on Lag Baomer?
I've seen the reason of The Bnei Yisaschar (Iyar 3:3) that writes that there were many hidden secrets revealed on Lag Baomer that lit up the world, and we therefore light fires as a remembrance of the ...
4
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0
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184
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The relationship between Rabbi Akiva and his wife
The Talmud tells us about the relationship between Rabbi Akiva and his wife:
The daughter of Ben Kalba Savua told [Akiva]: If I betroth myself to you, will you go ... learn Torah? He said: Yes... He ...
4
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0
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142
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Minhag vs Halacha - 3 types of clashes
There are minhagim that seemingly go against halacha. I want to know essays or sources that cover this age-old debate.
It is my view that these minhagim are of three types:
Machlokes of major poskim ...
4
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What is the "Sefer Ruach Chen" mentioned by Rabbi Mashash?
Highly related.
After a lot of searching, it turns out that the story about Rabbi Akiva's parents is sourced to Rabbi Yosef Mashash's book נחלת אבות חלק ג', pp. 167-171. Rabbi Mashash himself sourced ...
4
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136
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Where can I find this Besht quote
In Elie Wiesel's book Gates of the Forest he relates a story about the Baal Shem Tov the ends with the words: "G-d made man because he loves stories". Can anyone please help me with locating ...
4
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1
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606
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The origins of Rabbi Akiva
In this lecture, historian Gershon Bar-Kochva recounts the story of how Rabbi Akiva's parents met.
In short, his mother, Sarah, was an orphan living in Lod. Her neighbor was a non-Jew who was ...
4
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0
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216
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Source for statement of the Rabbis to abolish Shabbat?
In Sefer HaIkkarim the following quote appears:
וזהו שאמרו שהנביא האומר לעבוד עבודה זרה אפילו לשעה אין שומעין לו. אבל אם יאמר שנחלל שבת או שנעבור על אחת מן המצות בהוראת שעה או בענין שלא יהרוס שרשי ...