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Do we say a mitzvah bracha before reading Kohelet? What about other (non-Purim) megillot?
I had been under the impression that for all five of the megillot you say a bracha before the reading, and this is the practice I've observed. When preparing for Shabbat chol hamoed Sukkot this year I went to look up the bracha and was surprised to…
Monica Cellio
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Can an unintentional murderer leave Ir Miklat for Shalosh Regalim?
We learn in Parshas Masei about a person who unintentionally murders another.
The halacha is that the unintentional murderer is to flee to one of the Arei Miklat (Cities of Refuge), and stay there until the current Kohen Gadol passes away. If the…
ezra
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Didn't the lottery of Achan make G-d an informant?
In Sanhedrin 43b God says he will not tell Yehoshua who took of the cherem of Yericho because God is not an informer
אמר לפניו רבש"ע מי חטא אמר ליה וכי דילטור אני
Joshua said to G-d: Master of the Universe, who is the one who has sinned? God said…
postinganonymously
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Why not two days for all holidays?
For those outside of Israel the requirement is for two days of yom tov (and sometimes Rosh Chodesh), originally due to uncertainty and now due to tradition. But we don't do this for all holidays even though they involve time-bound mitzvot:
Yom…
Monica Cellio
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Saying Amein in a Tefilla
In certain prayers, the congregation interjects the word Amein after certain words/phrases. In The Ya'aleh V'yavo, I hear it in the last section, amidst these three statements
זָכְרֵנוּ ה' אֱלהֵינוּ בּו לְטובָה. וּפָקְדֵנוּ בו לִבְרָכָה.…
rosends
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Do people have an effect on the mood of God?
If a person commits idolatry or fornication he is sinful. Not only that, but the curse of Hashem is with that person. On the other hand, if a person does a lot of mitswots (commandments) and believes in Hashem and lives by his torah then Hashem is…
zachariah
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Can a Gentile theist be saved?
I belong to a Christian family but I could never accept the fact that God can incarnate as a human. But I do not follow all 613 commandments either. I guess nobody can. I only follow Noahide commandments and never broke them.
Is that enough for a…
Stewart Gilligan Griffin
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PTIJ: Travelling on named roads which have a Halachic status
There are many streets and roads with food and Biblically related names. Would such streets impart Kedushah, Tumah, or other Halachic statuses on the traveler?
For example, is it Assur to travel on Ives Dairy Road while Fleishig, or on Hamburger…
Moshe
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DNA and Jewish Law
Why isn't DNA seen as a valid source of Halachic decision making?
Is it because it's too small for the naked eye? A margin of error problem? What?
Normally, physical evidence is plenty of information to make halachic decisions off of.
For example,…
avi
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When is it moral to line up and kill thousands of little girls? A question on the Torah's morality
I am bothered by an incident in the Torah that seems morally unacceptable.
After the incident with Pinchas, the Torah records that Klal Yisroel were commanded to attack Midian to avenge their attempt at seducing them. Klal Yisroel goes to war and…
Natan Stern
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Is it considered a good thing that Lot's daughters slept with their father?
In Bereishis 19:30-38 the story is told how the 2 daughters of Lot thought (for whatever reason) that they should sleep with their father. From the psukim themselves, it is unclear whether or not what they did is a positive thing. Are there sources…
Gavriel
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Different Size Letters in the Torah
I've often wondered if someone has compiled anything about the "special letters" in the Torah: All the letters that are either big or small. Together, do they read as something special? One or more anagrams?
(I suppose this was prompted by last…
Madeleine
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Is a mechitza required for dancing at Jewish weddings? Why?
If the men and women aren't dancing together, is it strictly required that there also be a mechitza between them? If so, why? What guidelines would this mechitza have to meet?
Or is it simply a smart practice, to avoid gawking and/or mixed dancing?
Shalom
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Is downloading pirated music stealing?
Either way, it should be frowned upon as not a nice thing to do, but would it actually be assur?
zaq
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Do Tefilin need to be painted with "special" ink?
When painting tefillin, are there any requirements regarding the ink (other than the need to be black)? Or is any ink okay to use?
Like in the comments to this answer, shoe polish is recommended. Is that indeed correct?
yydl
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