General Q&A about Judaism, Jewish texts, and Jewish life. This site does not give personal advice.
The Nephilim are named only in two verses in the Bible, in Genesis 6:4 and Numbers 13:33. Numbers 13:33 says that the Anakim come from the Nephilim, but different translations render this in a vari...
A post elsewhere cites Igrot Moshe (Yoreh De'ah 2:56) as saying that listening to (hearing?) Christian music is forbidden (asur). A comment there elaborates: He states that the restriction is r...
Asking this question reminded me of another. As part of my (past) musical studies, I've studied historical compositions that set the "ordinary" of the Christian mass to music. The "ordinary" cons...
Rambam paskens (Mishneh Torah, Kings and Wars 10:7-8): הַמִּילָה נִצְטַוָּה בָּהּ אַבְרָהָם וְזַרְעוֹ בִּלְבַד. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית יז, ט) "אַתָּה וְזַרְעֲךָ אַחֲרֶיךָ". יָצָא זַרְעוֹ שֶׁל יִשְׁ...
The Talmud (Berachos 61b.9) relates the holy incident regarding Rebbi Akiva's martyrdom. He proclaimed "all my days I have been pained, waiting for this moment of fulfillment". Seeing as his commen...
I have heard that when dietary laws and serious medical conditions interact, there are grounds to be lenient on the basis of pikuach nefesh. I'm pretty sure I've heard this with respect to ingredi...
In a number of sources we find learning Aleph Beis associated with learning Torah: notably Shabbos 31a, with the convert who Hillel persuaded with reversing the Aleph Beis; Shabbos 103b-104a, with ...
Why did the Ark rest on Ararat? It seems random. Why not have it rest in Eretz Yisrael, for example?
The Mishnah in Ketubot 57a.10 says: נותנין לבתולה שנים עשר חודש משתבעה הבעל לפרנס את עצמה, וכשם שנותנין לאשה כך נותנין לאיש לפרנס את עצמו. ולאלמנה שלשים יום One gives a virgin twelve months f...
I recently saw a piece of קלף that had these words on the back: Note: I'm talking about the words towards the bottom of the parchment, not Hashem's name. Notice how the words are written facing...
In Lech L'cha there is a famine so severe that Avram has to leave Canaan and go down to Egypt for food. He leaves Egypt with great wealth, and then in Bereishit 13:1 he continues traveling with Lo...
In Eruvin 74b.2, the Gemara rejects a proof by saying: לְעוֹלָם אֵימָא לָךְ קַיבְּלַהּ מִינֵּהּ, וְהָכָא חַזָּנָא הוּא דַּהֲוָה אָכֵיל נַהֲמָא בְּבֵיתֵיהּ וְאָתֵי בָּיֵית בְּבֵי כְנִישְׁתָּא The G...
I noticed that my (paper) calendar reports that 29 Cheshvan is "Sigd". Curious about this day (on the Jewish calendar; they style secular stuff like Election Day differently) that I'd never heard ...
Sanhedrin 101a.2 teaches: תנו רבנן הקורא פסוק של שיר השירים ועושה אותו כמין זמר והקורא פסוק בבית משתאות בלא זמנו מביא רעה לעולם מפני שהתורה חוגרת שק ועומדת לפני הקב"ה ואומרת לפניו רבונו של עולם עש...
In Bereishit 2:19 God brings all the animals to Adam to see what he will name them. This has long puzzled me, because: God created them and already knows their functions (He doesn't need Adam to ...
I've always assumed (but can't prove) that while Adam and Chava were in Gan Eden, and had they stayed, they lived out in nature -- they didn't require tents or other shelter. When they are expelle...
I commonly see "החג" (or "חג"), literally "the holiday", explained as referring to the holiday of Sukos. I wonder whether it's correct or whether, as I suspect, it refers to the combined celebrati...
Throughout Parshat B'reishit, Hashem (God) is referred to in the plural multiple times. This includes in B'reishit 1:26: ויאמר אל-קים נעשה אדם בצלמנו כדמותנו... And God said: We will make a man in...
In Bereishis 4:1, the Pasuk describes the birth of Kayin: וְהָאָדָם יָדַע אֶת־חַוָּה אִשְׁתּוֹ וַתַּהַר וַתֵּלֶד אֶת־קַיִן וַתֹּאמֶר קָנִיתִי אִישׁ אֶת־יְהוָה Now the man knew his wife Chava, and ...
In Genesis 14:21-23, after Abraham returns, king of Sodom proposes him to take the riches, with him keeping the people. Abraham didn't accept it with a great vow before God and as such, avoiding to...
As I was reading Beresheet 3:8 today ("וַיִּתְחַבֵּא הָאָדָם וְאִשְׁתּוֹ מִפְּנֵי ה' אֱלֹוקים בְּתוֹךְ עֵץ הַגָּן"), it suddenly occurred to me that though I had never thought about the term "בתוך ...
Which of the Asseres Hadibros is most important? I remember hearing that its jealousy, but any sources (either that its jealousy or any other one) would be greatly appreciated.
Pesachim 68b teaches: רבי אליעזר אומר אין לו לאדם ביום טוב אלא או אוכל ושותה או יושב ושונה רבי יהושע אומר חלקהו חציו לאכילה ושתיה וחציו לבית המדרש R' Eliezer says, "A person on Yom Tov can either ...
In my Simchas Torah experience, there's at least as many cycles of aliyos as there are Kohanim and Leviim, such that if anything a given Kohen or Levi may end up with multiple aliyos on a given Sim...
For "בִּשַּׂרְתִּי צֶדֶק בְּקָהָל רָב" (Psalms 40:10), a copy I have has instead "דִבַּרְתִּי צֶדֶק בְּקָהָל רָב". I assume this is just a transcription error, but wonder whether perhaps it is, rat...
The theme of the "Adama mei-arer" Hoshana-prayer that we say on Hoshana Rabba appears to be asking God to protect our agriculture. With one possible exception, every element appears to be about the...
There are instances when I cannot use my Oz Vehadar edition of tractate Menachos, and thus I am forced1 into using an older edition, i.e. the old-fashioned Vilna printings2, from, like, two-thousan...
If I am doing my ‘like-living’ in the Succah, is there any benefit to closing the door? Meaning, the open door is the only thing standing between the Succah becoming an entirely sealed structure. I...
I am hoping (b'li neder) to start, relatively soon, a regular regimen of study of the Talmud Bavli. My goal is to learn large swaths of the g'mara, gaining broad knowledge, but without taking the ...
The Gemara states (Sukkah 26a.9 et. al.): מצטער פטור מן הסוכה One who is in pain is exempt from Sukkah This is codified as halacha in Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 640:4. Suppose it's going to pour...
Are there any sources that discuss how one can internalize the belief that their prayers have a real effect on the world?
The plain reading of Vayikra 23:43 says that Yisrael dwelt in sukkot while they were in the wilderness. Rashi on this verse says that the "sukkot" that Israel dwelt in were the divine clouds of gl...
In Orach Chaim 607:1 it says: צריך להתודות במנחה קודם סעודה המפסקת One must say vidui at mincha prior to the final meal before the fast. The Mishnah Berurah explains: קודם סעודה המפסקת - שמא...
In 1 Divrei Hayamim 24:4 it says about the dividing of the Mishmarot Kehunah: "The sons of Eleazar turned out to be more numerous by male heads than the sons of Ithamar, so they divided the sons o...
I learned what I understand to be a S'fardi or maybe Israeli pronunciation of Hebrew. I'm aware of the differences between this and the usual Ashkenazi pronunciation. My question is about variati...
In Devarim 32:48 the pasuk says: וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה בְּעֶ֛צֶם הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּ֖ה לֵאמֹֽר That very day the LORD spoke to Moses Rashi on Devarim 32:48 writes: וידבר ה' אל משה בעצם היום...
Normally in my experience, a baby girl is named in the presence of a minyan, generally at a Torah reading. If her parents are not expecting to be with a minyan for the foreseeable future, should th...
Yoma 87a and Rambam Hilchot Teshuvah 2 both describe requirements for doing teshuva and gaining forgiveness. According to them, the one doing teshuva must first make restitution and then, in front...
There is a somewhat famous minhag for a child to fast the three fasts preceding His/Her Bar/Bas Mitzvah. Is there any halachic source for doing this, or is it an unnecessary adopted custom?
The Rambam writes (Hilchot Teshuvah 2:10, Sefaria's translation): אָסוּר לָאָדָם לִהְיוֹת אַכְזָרִי וְלֹא יִתְפַּיֵּס אֶלָּא יְהֵא נוֹחַ לִרְצוֹת וְקָשֶׁה לִכְעֹס וּבְשָׁעָה שֶׁמְּבַקֵּשׁ מִמֶּנּו...
On Rosh Hashana I heard somebody say something like: if you can't get to a public shofar blowing, at least this is a commandment that is relatively easy to fulfill on your own -- most people, this ...
One of the songs commonly sung on Friday night, which begins Kol Mekadesh Shevi'i, follows an alphabetic acrostic. After the introductory stanza, each stanza contains four phrases: the first three ...
Generally speaking, whenever the Torah tells us "do not do X," the context is "do not do a specific action" (don't eat non-Kosher, don't do work on Shabbos, etc.). In a select few prohibitions, how...
I recently heard that the Chasam Sofer wrote, that the year 5780 would be a very bad year, but the year 5781 would be a very good year. Does anyone know if this is true or where he wrote this?
There are multiple references to the "Satan" in Jewish texts, most notably in the book of Eyov (Job), where God allows the Satan to devastate Eyov's life, including killing his family. We also have...
The Gemara in Ketubot 54b.10-55a.2 gives a list of 14 practical differences.1 Are there any other places in Shas that list more than 14 practical differences? The context/background has nothing ...
Like many Jews, I have been taught that Jews don't bow; many people trace this prohibition to Mordechai not bowing to Haman. This custom can be further traced to Exodus 20:5 - "You shall not bow do...
At my synagogue we're currently writing a sefer torah in honor of our retiring rabbi. I know that the 613th mitzvah is to write a sefer torah, and have been taught that participating in the writin...
When a family goes on vacation, does the wife have to bring her Ketubah with her, since she should have it available at all times?
In Mishnah Ketubot 1:1, it says: בְּתוּלָה נִשֵּׂאת לַיּוֹם הָרְבִיעִי, וְאַלְמָנָה לַיּוֹם הַחֲמִישִׁי. A virgin is married on the fourth day [of the week] and a widow on the fifth day Why don't...
