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Q&A

Welcome to the Judaism community on Codidact!

Will you help us build our community of learners? Drop into our study hall, ask questions, help others with answers to their questions, share a d'var torah if you're so inclined, invite your friends, and join us in building this community together. Not an ask-the-rabbi service, just people at all levels learning together.

General Q&A about Judaism, Jewish texts, and Jewish life. This site does not give personal advice.

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Is learning Aleph Beis considered learning Torah?

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 ...

0 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by DonielF‭

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If someone accidentally misses davening, but would have skipped it anyway, does he do tashlumin?

Usually, if someone accidentally misses a davening, he makes the shemoneh esrei up by saying it twice the next time (called tashlumin) [source needed]. If someone misses davening accidentally, but ...

0 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by Lo Ani‭  ·  edited 3y ago by Lo Ani‭

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What are the requirements for the body of water used for tashlich?

For tashlich I'm used to joining a group, and thus somebody else figures out where to do it. But there won't be groups this year. I could of course return to any of the locations we've used in th...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by Monica Cellio‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by ploni‭

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What is the status of a human-mermaid offspring?

Bechorot 8a discusses a species called dolfinim, which, in Rashi's understanding, are merpeople and can bear viable offspring with humans. Let's suppose that merpeople actually exist as Rashi descr...

0 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by DonielF‭

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Who was Yitzchaki?

In his commentary on Beresheet 36:31, Ibn Ezra writes: "ואלה המלכים. יש אומרים כי בדרך נבואה נכתבה זאת הפרשה. ויצחקי אמר בספרו כי בימי יהושפט נכתבה זאת הפרשה. ופי' הדורות כרצונו הכי קרא שמו יצחק כ...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by Harel13‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by user8078‭

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Why does Nun have an Aramaic name?

Nun, the father of Yehoshua, is apparently named after a word for fish in Aramaic (for example, Beresheet Rabbah 97:3; Divrei Emet, Matot). His father Elishama (according to Divrei Hayamim 1:7:26-2...

0 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by Harel13‭

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How did accidental killers sustain themselves while living in the cities of refuge?

An accidental killer flees to one of the cities of refuge for an indeterminate time (until the death of the kohein gadol, or even longer if the timing is unfortunate). The cities of refuge are cit...

2 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by Monica Cellio‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by Alaychem‭

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Anger advice is only for men?

The Shlah says that when someone feels himself getting angry, he should hold the corner of his tzitzis and that will calm him down. Is there any similar advice for [most] women (as they don't wear ...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by Dani‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by רבות מחשבות‭

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Why did Yaakov propose his payment scheme?

In Vayetze, Genesis 30:25–43, Jacob and Laban come to and execute a strange agreement: Jacob agrees to tend Laban's sheep under a payment scheme as follows: First (as explained by Rashi to verse...

2 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by msh210‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by manassehkatz‭

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hearing half of a double-long תרועה

Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 587:3, cites a view that if someone heard half of a double-long t'ki'a (long shofar blast) in a way that was effective but the other half in an invalid way, then he's n...

0 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by msh210‭  ·  edited 3y ago by msh210‭

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Did Moshe have free will when he struck the rock in the wilderness?

We know that God told the entire torah to Moshe (with Moshe writing it down the second time) at Har Sinai. This must include the book of D'varim, because I have learned somewhere that there is a d...

2 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by Monica Cellio‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by user8078‭

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Fasting 3 fasts.

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?

2 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by Dani‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by DonielF‭

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Why is the birth of Kayin written strangely?

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 ...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by Dani‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by msh210‭

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What does it mean that Yisrael dwelt in sukkot in the wilderness?

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...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by Monica Cellio‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by robev‭

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Status of the descendants of Yarcha

In Ki Tetzeh it says (Devarim 23:8-9): "You shall not abhor an Egyptian, for you were a stranger in his land. Children born to them may be admitted into the congregation of the LORD in the third g...

0 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by Harel13‭

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May a Kohen become a surgeon?

A dead body causes the room in which he lies to become ritually impure (Numbers 19:14). Additionally, Kohanim are forbidden to become ritually impure from those who are not immediate relatives (Lev...

0 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by DonielF‭  ·  edited 3y ago by DonielF‭

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When to gather the Tzitzis

In most siddurim, in the paragraph before Shema of Ahavah Rabah, before the words וַהֲבִיאֵנוּ לְשָׁלוֹם it says to gather the Tzitzis and put them in your left hand. Does that mean to: A. Pause da...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by Dani‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by manassehkatz‭

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What are the issues in talking into a mic that was accidentally turned on on Shabbat?

During the COVID pandemic many synagogues have moved activities online, including communal prayer. Some have even done this on Shabbat, and the Conservative movement recently published a responsum...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by Monica Cellio‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by PinnyM‭

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Sitting under the lights on Tisha B'av

In my shul (and i'm sure in others as well), they turn half of the lights off on Tisha B'av night as a way of mourning. Am I allowed to intentionally sit under the lights that are on to help me see...

0 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by Dani‭

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Is there any connection between the Sotah, the Mizbeiach, and the Beis HaMikdash keychain?

In exactly three contexts, the Mishnah notes that there was an amah square marble slab with a ring, using exactly the same language each time. The first is in Sotah 2:2, regarding the Sotah procedu...

0 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by DonielF‭

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"for you are…" in the blessings of sh'mone esre

The weekday amida has thirteen request benedictions in the middle, according to the usual count. Some of these end, after their respective requests, with "כי אתה…‏", "for you are…". Here's the rund...

0 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by msh210‭  ·  edited 3y ago by msh210‭

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Understanding the dispute between Rashi and Kallah Rabbasi on singing Song of Songs?

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...

0 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by DonielF‭

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Believing prayer works

Are there any sources that discuss how one can internalize the belief that their prayers have a real effect on the world?

0 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by Harel13‭

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Is it preferable to not say Mincha early on a fast day?

On a fast day during Shacharit (the morning prayer), individuals do not say עננו / Aneinu (a special fast-day prayer), in case they don't complete the fast, and instead say it during Mincha (the af...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by Mithical‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by Isaac Moses‭

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Hiding in a tree or hiding among the trees?

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 ...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by Harel13‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by sabbahillel‭

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Is there any davening unique to being said when alone?

I know that there are parts of davening that one can only say, or be involved with saying, in the presence of a minyan, but I was wondering if there were pieces of davening that can only happen whe...

2 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by rosends‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by ploni‭

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What's your favorite weekly Torah section, and why?

There are 54 weekly sections ("parashiyos" or "sedras") in the Torah.1 Which of these is your favorite, and why? Answers I seek: Please don't answer with a section name with no explanation as to wh...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by msh210‭  ·  edited 3y ago by DonielF‭

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For taking challah, (how) do you account for the flour in sourdough starter?

I understand that one should take challah when baking bread made with at least 10 cups of flour. (That article says 14 for saying the b'racha but down to 10 for taking at all.) How does this requ...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by Monica Cellio‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by msh210‭

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Why does everyone talk during pesukei d’zimra? [closed]

Why does no one, not even the daveners at the most chareidi kollel, follow the halacha of not talking during pesukei d’zimra?

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by Racquetball‭  ·  closed 3y ago by DonielF‭

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What does a beginning shofar blower need to know to correctly make the sounds?

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 ...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by Monica Cellio‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by manassehkatz‭

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Can a woman blow the shofar during Elul for herself? Can anyone?

Does a woman fulfill the obligation to hear the shofar during Elul if she blows it for herself, or is this one of the mitzvot where a man (must? should?) perform the action on behalf of others? Fo...

3 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by Monica Cellio‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by manassehkatz‭

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How do we understand tzniut as a violation of lifnei eevar?

Growing up I was taught that the reason for the various restrictions on how a woman is supposed to dress according to orthodox standards, dubbed 'tzniut' was because lack of doing so was 'lifnei ee...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by withoutatrace‭  ·  edited 3y ago by DonielF‭

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Targum of yehoshua bin nun [closed]

Targum onkelos renders “Yehoshua bin Nun” “Yehoshua bar Nun.” This sounds like “Yehoshua bar none.” Has anyone ever made a joke about this, and if not, why not?

0 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by Racquetball‭  ·  closed 3y ago by Isaac Moses‭

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Why was King Hezekiah allowed to hide the Book of Healing, thereby causing otherwise preventable deaths?

Berachot 10b.5-7 teaches:1 מַאי ״וְהַטּוֹב בְּעֵינֶיךָ עָשִׂיתִי״? ... רַבִּי לֵוִי אָמַר: שֶׁגָּנַז סֵפֶר רְפוּאוֹת. תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: שִׁשָּׁה דְבָרִים עָשָׂה חִזְקִיָּהוּ הַמֶּלֶךְ, עַל שְׁלֹשָׁ...

0 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by DonielF‭

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Does the nascent Sanhedrin in Israel sanctify the new moon with witnesses?

In 2004, a group of rabbis in Israel attempted to begin the process of re-establishing the Sanhedrin using the Rambam's method of universal consensus to re-establish the line of semikha. Rabbi Mosh...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by Daniel‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by Harel13‭

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What happened to the fruit brought by the spies?

Kind of a weird question. Does anyone have any idea what happened to the fruit brought by the spies from Israel to the desert? Was it eaten by specific people? Buried? Left behind?

0 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by Harel13‭

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Seeking list of prohibitions which force one to do an action

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...

2 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by DonielF‭  ·  edited 3y ago by DonielF‭

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Why do we kiss the Teffilin at Ashrei?

In most siddurim by Ashrei, it says to touch the arm Teffilin at פּותֵחַ אֶת יָדֶךָ,and the head Teffilin at וּמַשבִּיעַ לְכָל חַי רָצון. What is the connection between Hashem sustaining us and the...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by Dani‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by rosends‭

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Explanation about story in Maseches Shabbos.

The last story in Maseches Shabbos 157b:2 brings the following story: עוּלָּא אִיקְּלַע לְבֵי רֵישׁ גָּלוּתָא. חַזְיֵיהּ לְרַבָּה בַּר רַב הוּנָא דְּיָתֵיב בְּאַוּוֹנָא דְמַיָּא וְקָא מָשַׁח לֵיהּ...

0 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by Dani‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by Dani‭

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I've already made a siyum on a work. Can I make a full siyum a second time?

As a personal example, I completed learning all of Shas Mishnayot (with the Kehati commentary) for my thirteenth birthday. At the time, I made a siyum; with the Hadran Alach, the special Kaddish, t...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by Mithical‭  ·  edited 3y ago by DonielF‭

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Translation of ״זעיר אנפין״ as "The Impatient One"

In the Seder Oneg Shabbos Bentcher the translation for ״זעיר אנפין״ is "The Impatient One". What's the basis of this translation? Sources that support the reading would be appreciated.

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by Lev‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by רבות מחשבות‭

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What is special about the Aleph-Bais?

In Berachos 4b (11 paragraphs up in pop-up), The gemara gives a potential reson what makes the teffilah "Ashrei" אִילֵּימָא מִשּׁוּם דְּאָתְיָא בְּאָלֶף בֵּית, נֵימָא ״אַשְׁרֵי תְמִימֵי דָרֶךְ״ דּ...

0 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by Dani‭

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Why is Tzaara'as considered a Sakana?

The Shulchan Aruch in Orach Chaim 173:2 writes: בין בשר לדגים חובה ליטול משום דקשה לדבר אחר וחמירא סכנתא מאיסורא There is an obligation to wash...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by eliyahu‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by eliyahu‭

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Origin of Three Weeks/Nine Days customs?

When discussing the period of mourning leading up to Tisha B'av, the Mishnah (Taanit 4:7) only discusses the "week in which Tisha B'av falls." This is codified even as recently as the Shulchan Aruc...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by DonielF‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by Dani‭

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Who got to have the leftover flour from the Omer?

The Mishna reports in Menachot 10:4 that, after the required amount of premium flour had been extracted from the barley set aside for the Omer, the considerable amount tof leftover, mixed-quality f...

0 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Isaac Moses‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by Isaac Moses‭

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Is there a list of the different types of deaths?

The Gemara in Brachot says: It was also taught in a baraita: Nine hundred and three types of death were created in the world, as it is stated: “Issues [totzaot] of death,” and that, 903, is the ...

0 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Harel13‭  ·  edited 3y ago by Harel13‭

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Was there a Soreg in Bayit Rishon?

I understand there was a little fence in Bayit Sheni called "HaSoreg"/"The Grille" which was meant to warn away gentiles and tme'im from entering the Chayil part of Har Habayit (according to the mi...

0 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Harel13‭  ·  edited 3y ago by Harel13‭

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Why is the beracha of Shehechiyanu phrased in the plural?

The Bracha of Shehechiyanu reads as follows: ברוך...שהחיינו וקיימנו והגיענו לזמן הזה ...that He kept us alive and sustained us and brought us to this time. ...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by DonielF‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by DonielF‭

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Putting a suffering animal out of its misery - Mitzvah, Reshut or prohibition?

How does the concept of Tza’ar Ba’alei Chaim deal with putting an animal out of its misery by killing it in order to prevent unnecessary pain (of the animal)? For instance, when one sees an animal...

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by DonielF‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by Monica Cellio‭

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Why did the Davidic dynasty need to come from questionable relations?

On the one side of the family, we have the union between Tamar and Yehudah, which, while technically a fulfillment of Yibum, Yehudah thought she was a harlot. From this union came Peretz (Bereishis...

4 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by DonielF‭  ·  edited 3y ago by DonielF‭