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1500 questions
13
votes
2 answers
Ten Commandments. What did Moshe hear?
Rashi on 20 (1) says
all these words: [This] teaches [us] that the Holy One, blessed be He, said the Ten Commandments in one utterance, something that is
impossible for a human being to say [in a similar way]. If so, why
does the Torah say…
Avrohom Yitzchok
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13
votes
6 answers
What do Orthodox communities do for profoundly-disabled 13-year-olds (bar mitzvah or similar)?
I occasionally hear (in the US) about a community celebrating a bar mitzvah for a child with profound cognitive disabilities (cerebral palsy, Down's syndrome, etc). All such cases I've heard about are liberal/progressive communities, not…
Monica Cellio
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13
votes
4 answers
December greeting responses
How do you respond when greeted, during the Winter "holiday season" by a non-Jewish acquaintance with each of the following?
Happy Chanuka (in proximity to Chanuka)
Happy Chanuka (not in proximity to Chanuka)
Enjoy your holiday.
I hope your holiday…
Isaac Moses
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13
votes
3 answers
Minimal requirements for bedtime shema
What is the minimal required text to say for the bedtime shema? Is it sufficient to say only Hamapil and the first paragraph of shema?
Sam
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13
votes
1 answer
Veshameru in Chabad siddur
Why do Chabad siddurim always print Veshameru before the Shabbat Ma'ariv Amida, even while also noting that the Chabad custom is not to say it? Are there any groups that use the Chabad Nusach Ari siddur, and include Veshameru?
Sam
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13
votes
2 answers
Why isn't there a single, centralized Sanhedrin today?
It seems that many mitzvot in the Torah are opened to interpretation in some way, potentially subject to ruling by the Sanhedrin. And some mitzvot (examples below) seem to require the presence of the Sanhedrin.
In Maimonides' 613 mitzvot list, the…
Judah Gabriel Himango
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13
votes
3 answers
Can a female be a Shochet? (slaughter animals)
Can a female slaughter animals according to Halacha? (sources)
Gershon Gold
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13
votes
1 answer
The addition to Refaeinu
In the artscroll siddur amongst others, there is a text to be added in to the bracha of refaeinu if one wants to daven for a specific choleh. The text seems to be rather standard (I.e. it is in some other siddurim too) - what is it's source (these…
Moshe Steinberg
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13
votes
1 answer
Source for the "gra's" calculation of pi
I am looking for a textual source for this famous GRA which corrects the מקרא calculation of Pi from 3 to 3.1415 based on the kri and ksiv of קו vs קוה. Based on my research there may not be a written source in the Gra. If not, does anyone know the…
Rebwass
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13
votes
4 answers
Wife not wearing wedding ring after marrriage
May a Jewish Orthodox wife stop wearing her wedding ring after marriage?
Can she specify that she will not wear it untill she has children?
Martin
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13
votes
6 answers
Exactly how much of the "Curse of Ham" concept is Jewish Idea
Canaan, son of Ham was cursed by Noah to be "a servant of servants"
I encountered a Jew who believed that this curse (and not poverty, racism, or anything else) is the cause of Africans' lowliness. I happen to believe, based on prior evidence, that…
Clint Eastwood
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13
votes
2 answers
In Bamidbar 4:3 they had to be 30 yrs old; in Bamidbar 8:24 they were 25 yrs old; why?
Bamidbar 4:3 "...from thirty years old and above even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting."
Bamidbar 8:24 "...from twenty-five years old and above one may enter to perform service in the work of…
B A Malinowski
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13
votes
1 answer
What are acceptable communities for a noachide to integrate himself into?
This is more of a personal question, but undoubtedly applicable for anyone in my situation.
I am a Noachide, and I will not convert to Judaism any time soon because the obligation upon men is way too burdensome for me to handle, to the point where…
Anon
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13
votes
2 answers
What did kohanim do the other fifty weeks of the year?
I remember learning (somewhere in talmud but can't remember where) that the kohanim were divided into 24 groups and they rotated service in the temple. And they went to Yerushalayim for the chagim, of course. My question is: what did they do the…
Monica Cellio
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13
votes
5 answers
Is a rabbi required to be married?
I have heard (I honestly cannot remember where...) that to be a rabbi a man must be married. Is there any truth to this?
I am more interested in knowing if this was true in the first century C.E. than if it is true today.
I have no reason to believe…
Cos Callis
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