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Does Maimonides Allow Prayer to Angels?
In his Mishna Commentary to Sanhedrin 10:1 Maimonides lists as his 5th principle the prohibition to pray to an angel even as an intermediary.
He counts this in his enumeration of his 13 principles in his Mishne Torah as well (Hil. Tshuva ch. 3).
How…
mevaqesh
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What should our response be to ancient scripts that mirror the Torah?
There are quite a number of ancient documents that have been found that (supposedly) predate the Torah, and yet they share many lines practically verbatim. If the Torah is truly divine, how could this be? Seems as if many lines were directly copied…
WhoKnows
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14
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Does one make a Bracha when seeing the Pope?
Is he considered either a king or a great non-Jewish scholar?
Aaron Ross
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What to do with Torah novella thought in the bathroom by accident
Halachically it is prohibited to think about Torah in the bathroom. However, sometimes I'll get up to go to the bathroom while I'm in the middle of a tough sugya and I'll find myself still thinking about my learning. Sometimes I have by accident…
Shoel U'Meishiv
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Was Ankhmahor really Yosef?
I was reading an article today on circumcision a news website I frequent. It displayed a picture from the tomb of Ankhmahor, a high ranking Egyptian official that was, apparently, responsible for mass circumcisions in Egypt. This is the earliest…
Isaac Kotlicky
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Are Muslims also promised the Land of Israel?
God promised Avraham that his descendants would be given the Land of Israel (Genesis 15:18-21). Since Ishmael is one of Avraham's descendants, and if Ishmael is the ancestor of Muslisms, do Muslims also have a claim to the Land of Israel?
Josh Grinberg
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14
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Tapping on the table for "שולחן זה שאכלנו עליו"
I always assumed that tapping the table as you say "ועל שולחן זה שאכלנו עליו" in bentching was something you do in Junior High School. But I have now seen several full-grown (at least chronologically) adults who do this during bentching. I still…
Y e z
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4 answers
What is the source for the Kallah's circling the Chasan 7 times?
What is the source for a Kallah (bride) to circle her Chasan (bridegroom) seven times at their wedding?
Gershon Gold
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What makes something "chukat goyim?"
One of the most famous examples I have heard is that one should not even tie one's shoes like the non-Jews do in times of persecution. That seems rather excessive. What if the Jews started doing some custom, and it gets co-opted by the non-Jews. Can…
Jeremy
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Changing location mid-way during Shemoneh Esrei?
In one of these hopefully rare events, I’ve found myself needing to daven Shemoneh Esrei in a hotel lobby. I tried finding a quiet place, only to realise mid-way one of the workers telling me I was not supposed to be there.
I had to move my…
Larry
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tznius in the bathroom
It recently came up in a discussion with a friend about the halachos that say that you have to take care only to expose minimal parts of your body while going to the bathroom. Personally, I was always mystified by this and just put it out of my…
Desert Star
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Being appointed to a jury in a case between two Jews
In the U.S., a person can be appointed as a juror without volunteering for the position.
If a person would find themselves appointed as a juror over a monetary dispute between two Jews, how should they deal with the case? Should they submit their…
Y e z
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Does a Jewish grandmother (mother's side) really get one accepted as a Jew?
My grandmother (mother's side) is 100% Jewish and even living in Israel. As far as I know, that makes, me a Jew, too. But it feels a little bit strange to say that I am Jewish just because my grandmother is.
If someone with one Jewish grandparent -…
Zaiga
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Smart thermostat on Shabbos - what to do?
I read an article recently regarding a person who went to a hotel and realized after Shabbos began that all the rooms were controlled by smart thermostats. A smart thermostat detects when one is in the room and conforms to the temperature set…
Gershon Gold
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14
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1 answer
Milk-free cheese: Is it kosher? Parve?
So according to this article, scientists have created cheese by inserting DNA blueprints into a yeast. Essentially, the milk proteins are being created outside of any animal, through genetic engineering. The big question is, is it kosher? Would it…
rosenjcb
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