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1500 questions
17
votes
2 answers
What's the leading medical explanation for the "woman whose husbands keep dying" ("katlanit") phenomenon?
The Gemara says that if a woman gets married, then her husband dies; then marries another guy and is widowed from him; then once more; we then assume something about her is causing her husbands to die (three makes a pattern). The woman is considered…
Shalom
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17
votes
5 answers
Author of Nishmat kol chai
Who is the author of the prayer "Nishmat kol chai" which is said on Shabbat, Yom Tov, and during the great Hallel at the Seder?
Jeremy
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17
votes
1 answer
Can Purim Torah be heretical?
How far can one go with Purim Torah? Can one descend into heresy, so long as it is known that one is not serious?
Seth J
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17
votes
1 answer
Who broke the parshiyot into aliyot and how?
The Torah readings on Shabbat are broken into 7 aliyot. I know that there are rules for the minimum number of pesukim for each aliyah but I am wondering who set up the exact placement of the aliyah divisions and when (for an annual reading…
rosends
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17
votes
2 answers
Calling a Jew a "guru"?
Is it appropriate to use the term "guru" to refer to an expert in matters of Judaism or Jewish law on the assumption that it will be understood as the second definition here, or is it inappropriate no matter what because of the vestigial influence…
WAF
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17
votes
5 answers
Werewolf in the Torah
I have been told that there are Pirushim on the Torah who speak of werewolves.
Can anyone locate them?
SimchasTorah
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17
votes
4 answers
Mizmor L'Toda with Melody
In the context of p'sukei d'zimra, the Shulchan Aruch in Orach Chaim 51:9 rules that "The Psalm of Thanksgiving [i.e. Psalm 100] should be recited with a melody, for all songs are destined to fall into disuse, except for the Psalm of Thanksgiving."…
Vincent Calabrese
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17
votes
5 answers
Should a non-Orthodox Jew wear tzitzit or not?
It seems obvious to me that in general it’s better to keep more mitzvot rather than fewer, but wearing tzitzit seems like a special case. I’ve asked rabbis in my community about this, but I want to ask here to solicit a more diverse…
Jon Mitchell
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17
votes
6 answers
Online tool for minyan management?
If I'm running a small minyan that sometimes has a quorum and sometimes doesn't, and I'd like to only hold the minyan when I know we'll have ten, is there an online tool to help me manage this?
Isaac Moses
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17
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1 answer
Can I use a cutlass for a shechita knife?
Ahoy thar! I'm trapped on a pirate ship, and I'm so hungry I could eat a cow! Hey wait, we actually have one on board!!
My problem is that the only sharp implement that I have is a pirate's cutlass. Can I use that to kill an animal in a kosher…
MTL
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17
votes
6 answers
Rabi Yochanan Ben Zakai, or Josephus?
Josephus in The War of the Jews (Book 3 - 8:9) records a story of how he meets Vespasian, tells him that he will become ruler, and Titus will take over his position. Vespasian, although sceptical at first eventually accepts this as a divine message…
user6591
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17
votes
3 answers
Where are the lost tribes?
Are they spread all round the nations? If so, how will they still be Jewish, surely they will have assimilated so many generations later? Or are they spread within the Jewish nation?
I learnt in the Talmud in Bava Basra 115b which states that Abaye…
El Shteiger
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17
votes
6 answers
Avoiding accidentally eating cheese
Whether one waits 6 hours, 3 hours, 1 hour, or somewhere in between, it is a common occurrence to find people mistakenly eating milk/cheese/yogurt too soon after meat. It seems like a problem that could not be solved by habituation or conditioning…
WAF
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17
votes
4 answers
What does "the Talmud" mean in the Talmud?
The G'mara Bavli says in Shabas 63:
אמר רב כהנא, "כד הוינא בר תמני סרי שנין, והוה גמירנא ליה לכוליה תלמודא, ולא הוה ידענא דאין מקרא יוצא מידי פשוטו..."
Rav Kahana said, "When I was 18 years old, and I had learned the entire Talmud, and I didn't…
WAF
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17
votes
5 answers
How to make Purim more female friendly?
At a recent Shabbat meal the conversation was about how Purim was a "guy holiday" where women felt like second class citizens, especially married women who often found themselves cooking the seuda, serving it to their husbands, guest, and the bevy…
user6641