Unanswered Questions
681 questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
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May one ride in a utilitarian car?
A new study has confirmed the obvious: people want to survive:
even though participants approve of autonomous vehicles that might sacrifice passengers to save others, respondents would prefer not to ...
CommunityBot
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9
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What is the reason for the ark opening & closing procedure during Aleinu in High Holiday Musaph?
The Art Scroll & Birnbaum siddurim Nusach Ashkenaz for both Rosh Hashannah & Yom Kippur state this ark / opening procedure during the cantor's recital of the Aleinu prayer during Musaph on ...
- 71.5k
8
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Should people davening alone daven together?
If a few men know there will be no minyan so they choose to daven biyechidut, is there merit to their staying "together" either in shul or not? Is there a notion of "kahal" or &...
- 38.7k
8
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1
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May I daven wearing headphones?
There are many paths to concentration. I have known students who doodle because it helps them focus on a lecture more effectively. Others like to listen to music while they study either to help them ...
CommunityBot
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Davening to change nature
In Mashcehes Brachos (Bavli) 60 the Gemara states that one should not pray that his unborn baby be a boy if it's after the time the baby has formed already in the womb. However, in Masheches Brachos ...
CommunityBot
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8
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1
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What in a siddur can be changed?
There are many different editions of siddurim with many commonalities but also many differences, see here for discussion on MY. Also different communities use different siddurim to match their ...
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8
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Are there any ill-effects for mis-directed prayers?
Inspired by the end of this answer:
Just remember that all non-Jews don't follow the Sheva Mitzvot and could [even] be in Avodah Zarah and then would...a blessing [of theirs] matter? It might even ...
CommunityBot
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Why does Pirkei d'Rebbi Eliezer only connect certain berachos of Shemoneh Esrei to events in Tanach?
According to Pirkei d'Rebbi Eliezer:
The first beracha of Shemoneh Esrei, "Blessed are You, Hashem, Protector of Avraham," refers to Hashem's protecting Avraham during the war with the four kings (ch....
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7
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Is there a connection between the two times 7 cows, ears and years that Yaakov worked for his wives?
Is there any connection or relationship between the seven fat & seven lean cows, the seven beautiful and seven parched ears of grain that Pharaoh dreamt and Yosef interpreted, and the seven years ...
- 46.6k
7
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103
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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 ...
- 23.4k
7
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Why does Mishneh Torah have Shem uMalchut for Yishtabach?
I was looking into the Seder haTefillot as well as other siddurim based on it, and something always bothered me about Birkat Yishtabach, which as most of you know "closes" the Pesuqei deZimra section ...
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7
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1
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How do I know my unanswered questions will be revealed [to me] when I die?
Many times as a Jew I think in the back of my head that certain question’s answers I greatly ponder will be revealed to me when I die.
I’ll give an example. A few distant relatives of mine were ...
CommunityBot
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6
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Textual Criticism of Nach
I was recently learning Megillat Esther (as I prepare some shiurim on the topic), and was surprised to find the following comment by Rabbi Moshe Yitzchak Ashkenazi (Tedeschi), in his commentary to ...
- 21.2k
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What Nusach did the Twansa use?
In most of the places that Sefardim settled after being kicked out of Iberia, there were already Jews living there, usually called "Musta'arabi". In most places, these communities ...
- 34.5k
6
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Kinnah about mazalos out of order
One of the Kinnos that is said the night of Tisha B'Av discusses the different mazalos/constellations. In the Artscroll version it's listed as Kinnah #5. Artscroll has a nice chart at the bottom ...
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