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1500 questions
13
votes
1 answer
What is "reverse certification"
I got this in a daily halacha email but not sure what Reverse Certification means, I figure someone here does
Reverse Certification
It is permitted for a mashgiach to enter a non-kosher establishment for reverse certification. Since it is a…
Seymore Cohen
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13
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Interfering with wild predator and prey animals
Would it be considered tzaar baalei chaim (animal cruelty) to assist a wild animal at the expense of another? Would it be acceptable
to help a wild predator catch wild prey (causing distress to the prey)?
to prevent a wild predator from catching…
Premundane
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13
votes
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Is there really a distinct "Jewish soul"?
I have heard many times about Jews having a "special soul" or a "Jewish soul" - a soul which is either lacking and/or fundamentally different than that of non-Jews.
However, the sources which are pointed to in support of this claim are all later…
user3342
13
votes
5 answers
What is learning torah lishma?
In pirkei avot chapter 6 Rebbi Meir lists various benefits that will happen to one who learns "torah lishma" such as "it is revealed to him the secrets of the Torah. He becomes like an increasingly powerful river...It makes him great and exalted…
ray
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13
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A skipped Sheva Brocha
I was once at a wedding and it came time for Sheva Brochos.
A person was asked to say one of them, say "Sos tosis..." but inadvertently said "Samech t'samech..."
Since there is an order to the Sheva Brochos, what does one do? Can one go back and say…
user4549
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13
votes
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What are the "Mishnah" and "Gemara" referenced in Pirkei Avot 5?
At the end of Pirkei Avot 5, we have a statement (of either Ben Hei Hei or R. Yehuda ben Tema --- I have two siddurim with slightly different texts):
He used to say: at five years of age, the study of Scripture; at ten, the study of Mishnah, at…
Shivaram Lingamneni
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13
votes
2 answers
What's wrong with "we want moshiach now"?
Tzivos Hashem, the international Lubavitch youth group, has "We Want Moshiach Now!" in its logo, and Lubavitch children are taught to say and sing that phrase.
I have heard that some authorities have publicly expressed disagreement with, even…
msh210
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13
votes
4 answers
Jewish names that are not common
Why is it that many names of Tanoim and Amoroim are not commonly used? These were big Tzadikkim yet their names are almost unheard of. For example Tarfon, Chisda, Pupa, Avtalion, etc.
Gershon Gold
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13
votes
3 answers
Why is Moshiach a “fundamental belief” (iqar)?
In what sense is belief in the eventual coming of Moshiach fundamental to Judaism? Rambam famously includes it as the twelfth in his list of iqarim, but why?
Considering the other iqarim, Judaism would be very different without them—non-existent or…
J. C. Salomon
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13
votes
8 answers
Chalav Yisrael milk: stringency or binding?
In a time where we know with enough certainty (when compared with other kashrut principles) that cow’s milk sold in most countries where we live is indeed cow’s milk, how do we know whether the laws about chalav Yisrael still have a purpose? I'd…
Annelise
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votes
5 answers
Crocs on Yom Kippur?
Given the prohibition of wearing certain footwear on Yom Kippur, is one allowed to wear Crocs on Yom Kippur? Or are they too comfortable or something?
Crocguy
13
votes
1 answer
Are the seventy distinct languages and nations listed?
It's a well known concept that there were 70 nations and 70 original languages. Is there any agreement about which ones they were/are? I found this which lists the nations, but I'm interested in languages also, and knowing if there is disagreement…
ike
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13
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Where did the "a cat will always be a cat" story about the Rambam come from?
I've seen and heard a story about the Rambam told multiple times along the lines of this particularly concise retelling:
There is a beautiful story of a disagreement that Maimonides had with a philosopher. The philosopher claimed that he could…
Isaac Moses
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13
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3 answers
How can I find meaning in saying selichot?
I have always had a problem connecting with the selichot. In my shul they are said in a very rushed, impassionate fashion, mainly due to the need for people to get to work. I don't understand most of what I'm saying, and I don't have the time or,…
please remove my account
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13
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2 answers
Why are we forbidden to wear leather shoes on Yom Kippur
Why are we forbidden to wear leather shoes on Yom Kippur? Is it because leather shoes are a sign of wealth, or comfort; or does it have some thing to do with cruelty to animals?
user1928764
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