Unanswered Questions
136 questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
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Why are non-Jews referred to as עובדי כוכבים in the גמרא?
When the גמרא refers to עובדי כוכבים, it is usually (eg. Artscroll) translated as "non-Jews". Is this supposed to exclude monotheistic non-idolatrous non-Jews or is it inaccurate translation?
If ...
- 73.9k
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Ivri and Israeli
In many parts of the torah, When it talks about a jew it says, בני ישראל or עברי etc. However in Parashat Emor when talking about the son of Shlomit the daughter of divri from the tribe of Dan who ...
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Origin of the term “pilpul” as a method of Talmudic study
What is the source for referring to the known method of Talmudic study a "pilpul"? When did this usage begin?
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Yehi Ratzon Milfanecha or L'fanecha?
At certain points we say a "Yehi Ratzon." In my siddur Tefillat Hashalem, the construction is almost always "Yehi Ratzon Milfanecha." However, at the end of the Shmoneh Esrei for the end of Shabbat, ...
- 73.9k
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What's the difference between נכה and הרג?
In בראשית chapter/verse 4:15 and in various other places the words הכות) נכה) and הרג are used which both seem to be interchangeable in english translations.
וַיֹּ֧אמֶר ל֣וֹ יְהוָ֗ה לָכֵן֙ כָּל ־ ...
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Difference between the words מיחייב and חייב
Rava in masheches megillah 7b famously said that one is obligated to drink until he cannot differentiate between Haman and Mordechai. My question is: Rava used the loshon of מיחייב instead of חייב. ...
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Is there a difference between Sarnu and Sararnu?
In the vidui, we list our sins alphabetically, and for the samech, the word in my machzor is "sararnu" -- this is translated as "we have turned away."
After the list there is a paragraph which ...
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Rav Moshe's Chanuka additions to Baruch Hashem Yom Yom
This morning in Shul I saw a pamphlet that said as follows. The song Boruch Hashem Yom Yom, the sixth stanza is referring to Chanuka. It said in this pamphlet that Rabbi Moshe Feinstein Zatzal would ...
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First Rights for Kohanim
The Gemara Gittin 59b states that there's a Biblical command to respect Kohanim by giving them 'first rights':
תנא דבי רבי ישמעאל וקדשתו לכל דבר שבקדושה לפתוח ראשון ולברך ראשון וליטול מנה יפה ראשון
...
CommunityBot
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Earliest use of the word "gematria" to mean the value of words
What's the earliest use of the word "gematria" followed by the use of it to mean the value of the word? I'm aware that in Pirkei Avot the word itself is used, but that is not used in conjunction with ...
CommunityBot
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בגד (Begged) and מלבוש (Malbush)
Sometimes the Torah uses the word בגד for clothing, for example Vayikra 11:32, and sometimes it uses מלבוש, for example Iyov 27:16, or לבוש, as in Ester 6:8. This answer discusses the difference ...
CommunityBot
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Why does Rashi translate שלולית differently from everyone else?
The beginning of chapter 2 of Pea says:
These things divide a field [into two] for purposes of pea [requiring a separate pea from each subdivision]: …, a שלולית, ….
The Bavli, Bava ...
CommunityBot
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Language of Mishneh Brurah - Sefiras HaOmer and counting before Aleinu
Shulchan Aruch 489:1 says that after Maariv of the second night of Pesach we begin to count Sefiras HaOmer. The Mishneh Brurah there in note 2 says that one should count before "Aleinu" because "col ...
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Berur halachah - what is this called in English?
I'm translating an article concerning the need for a "berur halachah" in order to determine the legal status of individuals with mental retardation.
How would say "berur halachah" in English? "...
- 71.5k
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וכל מאמינים - essentially the same for both כ lines
The piyut Vechol Maaminim for Rosh Hashanah follows a pattern - two lines for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet, each one describing God in some way. However, the two lines for the letter Kaf seem to ...
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