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1500 questions
15
votes
4 answers
Why does earthly punishment start at 13 and divine punishment at 20?
Inspired by this question.
The age when one is obligated to keep Mitzvos is 13 (for a male and 12 for a female). (See Avot 5:21 and Bartenura)
After that age, Beit Din may punish them if they transgress the law.
Punishment from heaven starts at 20…
Menachem
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15
votes
2 answers
Are Jewish Court Rulings subject to appeal?
Is there such a thing as an appeal in Jewish law, or are rulings issued by Jewish courts absolutely final?
yydl
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15
votes
12 answers
Do we really have free choice?
I was told Hashem created us with free will; so we can make a choice to do good or evil, right? Well, Hashem knows what we are going to do in 10 minutes. So do we really have free will? Hashem can see the future!
Carrot monster
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15
votes
2 answers
All people in world are Jews?
According to the Book of Genesis, Noah saved his family and representatives of every animal from a flood by constructing a boat. So since all of humanity should be descended from Noah, does that mean everyone is Jewish?
user711
15
votes
2 answers
Paul being sent as a double agent by the Sanhedrin
I think there's a pretty popular conspiracy theory supposedly based on a censored Midrash that Paul was sent by the Sanhedrin to revolutionize Christianity in order to fully differentiate it from Judaism. Originally the early Christians were hard to…
robev
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15
votes
1 answer
Does ב"ה actually stand for Boruch Hashem?
We asked here about writing either ב"ה or בס"ד on the top of a letter. In the question it was assumed that ב"ה stands for Boruch Hashem.
Do we have a source that ב"ה actually stands for Boruch Hashem?
That's what I was taught in school, but it…
Menachem
- 44,362
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15
votes
4 answers
PTIJ: Beged ish(ah) for gravatars?
I know that halacha has limits on wearing items of the wrong gender (beged ish or beged ishah, depending on whose clothes we're talking about). Does this extend to people's online projections, i.e. their gravatars? For example, was wearing this…
Monica Cellio
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15
votes
1 answer
Male tzniut: Swimwear
Seeing as summer is coming, I thought I'd clear up a few questions about male tzniut with regards to swimwear. Namely, my real question is: what is required? I live in southern California, so outside of the Jewish community, there is for all intents…
Naftuli Kay
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- 46
15
votes
5 answers
Why do Ashkenazim eat Milchigs (dairy) on Shavuos?
Why do Ashkenazim have a Minhag to eat Milchigs (dairy) on Shavuos?
Gershon Gold
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15
votes
5 answers
The authenticity of rabbinic literature
I am studying the history of various branches of Judaism. I understand the position of rabbinic Judaism that parts of the laws were oral and not written. But this alone would not justify the authenticity of the current rabbinic literature as given…
Kaveh
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15
votes
2 answers
Ritual locations during the times of the Mishkan
There are certain, rituals such as the sending away of the scapegoat on Yom Kippur or the drawing of water on Sukkot which are described in Mishna as relating geographically to the location of the Beit HaMikdash. I would assume these, and any other…
rikitikitembo
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15
votes
3 answers
Finding Meat After 6 Hours
Suppose you wait 6 hours (or more) and then realize you have a small piece of meat stuck in your teeth:
Do you have to remove it before eating dairy?
[assuming you have to remove it] Do you have to wait any additional time, and/or rinse your mouth…
yydl
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15
votes
1 answer
What is Maris Ayin?
What is the precise definition of Maris Ayin, and to what cases does it apply? (i.e. what are the parameters for applying it)
yydl
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15
votes
3 answers
Why are there only four mothers?
Why aren't Bilhah and Zilpah considered matriarchs? If Yaakov married them, obviously they were great people, right?
shlomo
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15
votes
2 answers
Leshabeichacha and loseis/latet shevach
Towards the beginning of the נוסח אשכנז version of davening, in the section beginning לעולם יהא אדם ירא שמים, we say as follows:
לפיכך אנחנו חייבים להודות לך ולשבחך ולפארך ולברך ולקדש ולתת שבח והודיה לשמך.
Why do we say both 'לשבחך' and 'לתת שבח'?…
Moshe Steinberg
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