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23
votes
1 answer
Deleted attacks on the Shulchan Aruch in Pri Chadash
The bibliography in the English Me'am Lo'ez haggadah says of Pri Chadash that it "often strongly attacks the opinions of the Shulchan Aruch. Its strongest language was deleted from later editions." Does anyone know where these deleted parts can be…
user16623
23
votes
13 answers
Why did G-d not stop the holocaust?
Why did G-d not stop the holocaust? Is there anything written to explain why He would not have stopped it? or why He would have allowed it?
android.nick
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23
votes
6 answers
Why do we say Mazel Tov? Shouldn't we thank Hashem?
Why do we say "Mazel Tov" when something good happens to a person? Doesn't that mean "good luck?" Are we saying that what happened, happened because of luck?
wayon
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23
votes
2 answers
People half-standing for אלקינו in zimun
When conducting a zimun with ten or more men, the nusach is to say "...ברוך אלקינו שאכלנו משלו".
I have noticed that many people, when saying the word "אלקינו", get up from their seats at least a little bit, similar to the respectful gesture many…
jake
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23
votes
5 answers
Halachic Restrictions not in the Torah, and "shall not add"
How can halachic restrictions that are not in the Torah be reconciled with the Deuteronomy 4:2 passage, which says, "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it"?
Peter Olson
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23
votes
9 answers
Phrasing of refuah prayer when praying for a non-Jew
How would you phrase a refuah (recovery from illness) tefillah (prayer) for a sick gentile?
"Thomas ben [=son of] Mary"?
"Thomas Smith"?
Is it appropriate to include the name during the misheberachs (public prayer for sick people) in the synagogue?…
Jeremy
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23
votes
8 answers
What does Judaism think of math?
Is it permissible according to halacha to do math?
If so, are all kinds of math OK?
This question and its answers are Purim Torah and are not intended to be taken completely seriously. See the Purim Torah policy.
Scimonster
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23
votes
3 answers
Are there any sources that prohibit childhood vaccinations?
The consequences of depressed childhood vaccination rates in some American communities, in the form of a building measles outbreak, have been in the news lately.
All public schools and most private schools in the United States require children who…
Isaac Moses
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23
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3 answers
Is belief in Midrashim optional?
The Ramban in Sefer Havikuach (page 32, the bottom of the first column ) asserts with regard to Midrash:
מי שיאמין בו טוב. ומי שלא יאמין בו לא יזיק
Whoever believes in it, good, he who does not believe it, will not be harmed.
Are Midrashim…
Abish
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23
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3 answers
23
votes
3 answers
How can the Rambam's Eighth Principle of Jewish Faith be believed in light of Hazal?
The Rambam's eighth Principle of Jewish Faith states that the entire Torah in our possession - every verse - was dictated to Mosheh Rabbenu and that it has not changed.
However, we have explicit passages in Hazal that tell us that the Torah had to…
user3342
23
votes
5 answers
Why do Jews physically resemble members of their "host" nationalities?
Why do Jews often so closely resemble the members of the nationalities amongst whom they have been living for only a few hundred years? How do features spread through such an exclusive population so quickly to the extent that it is easier to…
WAF
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23
votes
2 answers
How does one "add a year" in the Hebrew calendar?
I'm trying to support the Hebrew calendar in my Noda Time project, and need to support an operation of "add a year" - or more generally, answer the question of "Given an original date and a target year number, what's the resulting date?"
Firstly,…
Jon Skeet
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23
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2 answers
May (or should) a convert recite kaddish after his biological parents' deaths?
May (or should) a convert recite kaddish after his biological parents' deaths?
I think the answer is that yes, he may do so out of respect for them (even though, in a strict halachic sense, he is no longer "related" to them - he still owes them…
Alex
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23
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1 answer
How is gender halachically determined?
I apologize if this is a sensitive topic, but it seems that this question is foundational to some of the discussions that appear here. I hope that my wording is appropriate.
If I understand correctly, halacha identifies four gender categories (זכר,…
Premundane
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