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Finding a source for a palindrome attributed to Ibn Ezra
There is a phrase that is popularly attributed to Rabbi Avraham ibn Ezra. Apparently, it relates to a sugya in Hullin that concerns the permissibility of eating honey in which the legs of bees might have been found. Ibn Ezra is said to have…
Shimon bM
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Is there a short Daf Yomi shiur online in English?
There is a short, 10-minute daf yomi shiur in Hebrew here : and I was wondering if there is anything comparable in English. I'm looking for a Daf Yomi shiur online that is significantly shorter than the normal 45-60 minutes.
S-B
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Should you say HaGomel after a flight?
Should someone say the HaGomel blessing after taking an airplane flight? I seem to remember this being the practice, but honestly the average commercial airplane flight these days is 10 times safer than driving to the supermarket...
Joel Spolsky
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Can an apikores (heretic) count in a minyan?
Suppose there is a person who openly denies the divinity of the Torah, breaks the Sabbath and declares himself an atheist, but goes to synagogue for the sense of community or for cultural reasons. Can he be counted in the minyan, lead the prayers,…
izak
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Formal Logic and Gemara
I've recently tried to fuse my background in programming with my Gemara learning, resulting in what I now call computational gemara. You can read more about the idea here. An older article I wrote with a less nice formalization methodology can be…
theideasmith
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Is it muttar to whistle?
Is it allowed for a Jew to whistle? If yes, is it even allowed on Shabbos? If no, why not? Has anyone ever heard that if one whistles at night, that it attracts sheidim and mazikin?
And what are the sources for any answer.
Reb Chaim HaQoton
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Why are angelic icons not prominent in Judaism?
I learned that the song Shalom Aleichem is all about welcoming the Shabbat angels, and clearly angels are celebrated in Judaism. However I've noticed that images of angels are not very widespread in Judaism (at least compared to my impressions of…
glenviewjeff
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Nun in Ashrei- Psalm 145
The prayer Ashrei, which we recite three times a day, is an acrostic consisting of all the letters of the Hebrew alphabet except for nun (נ). Why is the nun omitted?
Tzvi
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Is it forbidden for a woman to learn Gemara?
Is it forbidden for a woman to learn Gemara?
Gershon Gold
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When do rabbinic enactments apply if the given reason no longer does?
Often we find gezeiros d'rabbanan designed as preventative measures against more serious transgressions.
However, if nowadays the reasoning behind the gezeira does not apply, it seems that sometimes we say "batla ta'am batla takana"- if the reason…
jake
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What do you do with Kos Shel Eliyahu
The Minhag is to fill up an additional cup towards the end of the seder known as Kos Shel Eliyahu. I was just wondering what the various minhagim are as to what to do with it after the seder is over.
yydl
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How and why did R. Akiva Eiger try to emulate the Rashba?
I'm attending a bar mitzva celebration recently, and the father of the boy gives a short speech. During his speech he mentions in passing that Rabbi Akiva Eiger (1761–1837, modern-day Austria and Poland), when asked how he had achieved his own…
msh210
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Why can't a woman demand a divorce?
The halacha as I understand it is that only the man can take the final decision on divorce. I hear there are workarounds, but conceptually - why is that so?
Why can't a woman decide by herself to divorce?
Someone asked in the office, I had no…
Nathan H
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When did kosher bakeries, restaurants, etc. start requiring supervision?
If my neighbor Shmerel keeps kosher and otherwise appears to be observant to the best of my knowledge, then I'd be allowed to eat in his house (assuming I'm invited), eid echad ne'eman b'issurin, his "testimony" is sufficient.
Now what happens if…
Shalom
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