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1500 questions
18
votes
2 answers
How should non-Jews observe Rosh HaShanah?
The second mishnah in Rosh HaShanah says that "all the people of the world" are judged on Rosh HaShanah. How should non-Jews observe the Day of Judgment?
user3167
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18
votes
4 answers
Why give gentiles an evil prophet?
Rashi in Bamidbar 22:5 addresses Bilam's being a prophet:
"Why did the Holy One rest his Divine Presence upon a wicked gentile? So that the nations of the world should not have an excuse [as to why they didn't serve God]. They would have said, 'If…
bondonk
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18
votes
5 answers
Why do men or boys have to cover their hair, but not unmarried women?
Whatever the reasons for covering hair (e.g. fear of heaven), they seem to equally apply to men and women. So why don't unmarried women have to cover their hair?
user2800
18
votes
7 answers
Why pray for Y'hoshua and not Kalev?
Rashi to Sh'lach 13:16 notes that Moshe prayed that God save Y'hoshua from the other spies' plot. This is a paraphrase of a g'mara (Sotah 34b) which implies strongly that Moshe did not similarly pray for Kalev.
We know Kalev and Y'hoshua were the…
msh210
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18
votes
4 answers
May a man become a gynecologist?
Is there any discussion among the halachic authorities as to whether or not a man can choose to pursue a medical career in gynaecology? The issue that I would presume exists is that unlike other parts of medicine the focus here is solely on the…
user2110
18
votes
1 answer
What sources, prior to the 19th century, support or refute the existence of the Council of Jamnia/Yavneh?
Multiple questions on Christianity.SE1 refer to the Council of Jamnia/Yavneh in reference to the canonization of the Bible (Tanakh). Wikipedia states:
In 1871 Heinrich Graetz, drawing on Mishnaic and Talmudic sources,
theorized that there must…
Dan
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18
votes
8 answers
How did Yosef showing his circumcision prove anything?
Rashi to 45:4 says that when Yosef told his brothers to approach him, it was to show them his circumcision (presumably to prove he was Jewish). But how would that prove anything? All of Egypt had been circumcised already, as Rashi says on 41:55. If…
b a
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18
votes
1 answer
Is there a Beta Israel Siddur?
Ashkenazi siddurs are different from Sephardic siddurs, do Beta Israel Siddurs even exist?
הראל
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18
votes
8 answers
What does Kadosh really mean?
What do the terms קדוש (Kadosh), קדושים, קדושה, and קדיש really mean?
RCW
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18
votes
3 answers
Were our symbols for trope and nekudos created by the Masoretes, or transmitted by them?
It is commonly said in secular sources that the shapes of the trope and nekudos we use today were invented by the Masoretes (7th to 11th Century CE), but I cannot find any source in our mesorah to this effect.
Is it based solely on the…
yoel
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18
votes
10 answers
Why do Jewish women wear so much black?
Usually, the color white is associated with purity (as indicated by the kittle). I don't know if the opposite color in the spectrum represents the opposite of purity (yes, I know it's not technically the opposite, but is perceived as such); but if…
sheimot
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18
votes
6 answers
Prayer for Illness - Why use the mothers name?
Why when someone is sick do we say his mothers name not his father's?
SimchasTorah
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18
votes
1 answer
Can you take food into the bathroom?
Is one allowed to take food into the bathroom? I heard that the prohibition is only on the type of bathroom used years ago.
SK1
18
votes
2 answers
Is Metzitzah B'peh a must?
There is a lot of talk in the news, etc., about Metzitzah B'peh that employs direct oral contact being dangerous.
First: If it is dangerous, shouldn't pikuach nefesh push it off?
Second: How important is it to a Bris in the first place?
Mendy
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18
votes
2 answers
Can one join an army?
Is one allowed to join an army (let's say not the Israeli one) as doing so is putting oneself in a place of sakana?
If one is not allowed to join an army in general, is one allowed to join an army for "good cause" (let's say in World War 2 to fight…
Am Haaretz Gamur Mideoraysa
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