Search results for: ""Tora""
No Charity Limit for Jewish Education
There is no limit to how much “charity” you may give to Torah institutions.
Note You may give more than 20\% after taxes for Jewish education because it is considered an investment that benefits the donor--the donor shares in the reward that the student gets for studying Torah--rather than charity.
Whom To Ask for Advice
You may ask a mekubal (someone well-versed in the spiritual world) or a Torah scholar for advice. The mekubal must be known as a genuine mekubal.
Blessings: For Someone Else: Mitzva/Birchot Mitzva
You may say any blessing on a mitzva—such as kiddush, hallel, Torah—for another person, even if you have already fulfilled the mitzva for yourself, as long as that other person is required to do that mitzva.
Example Girls (12 years old and more) and women must fulfill all of the positive commandments of Shabbat including kiddush. So even after they have already said kiddush for themselves, they may say kiddush for other Jews, including adult men.
Exception You may not say birkat ha'mazon for someone else.
Exception You may not say birkat ha'mazon for someone else.
Reading Material in the Bathroom
You may not take a Jewish publication into the bathroom if it contains words of Torah. You may read a newspaper or magazine that is printed in Hebrew as long as there is no Torah content.
Sheimot: Illegible
If a normal person is not able to read your handwriting, then even if you wrote holy words, Torah, or halacha, they are not considered sheimot.
VaYechal
If at least six of the men in a mincha minyan on a fast day are fasting, read the Torah portion Va'yechal (Exodus 32: 11-14). If fewer than six are fasting, omit it.
Why Bugs May Not Be Eaten
Bugs are not kosher and may not be eaten for two main reasons:
- First, the Torah forbids the “sheretz ha'shoreitz al ha'aretz” (“creeping thing that creeps on the ground”).
- Second, if people consider bugs disgusting to eat, the bugs are forbidden.
General Rules: Kashrut and Bugs
Three basic principles govern bugs/insects in food:-
Partial-Bug Nullification
A whole bug or insect cannot be nullified, even when it makes up less than 1/60th of the volume of the food in which it is found.
Note Any bug that is missing even a tiny part of its body may be nullified if less than 1/60th of the volume of the food in which it is found, but only if:- You cannot remove the bug, and
- You cannot see it.
-
The Three-Bug Rule
Any time you find three bugs in food, you must assume there are more bugs to be found and you must therefore check every piece of that food before eating any of it. -
The Still-Kosher Food-and-Pot Rule
Even if the bugs were cooked in the food, as long as you later remove all the bugs, the food and the utensil in which they were cooked remain kosher.
Exception If bugs make up 50\% or more of the total volume, the food is not kosher.
What To DoIn this case, you should consult a rabbi about whether the utensil is kosher.
Sheimot: Definition
Sheimot/sheimos are written items with:
- God's name in Hebrew or even in other languages;
- Three consecutive words of Torah in Hebrew (or commentaries on the Torah in any language); or
- Halacha in any language.
Wearing Hat for Prayer
For details on men's wearing a head covering for prayer, see Attire: Man's Head Covering for Prayers or Torah Study
Trafe and Neveila
"Trafe" is generically used to mean any food that is not kosher, but it actually means an animal that was “torn” (for instance, by a predator).
Neveila is an animal that was not slaughtered in accordance with Jewish law.
Neveila is an animal that was not slaughtered in accordance with Jewish law.
Leaving Eretz Yisrael
If you live permanently in Eretz Yisrael, you may leave permanently in order to:
- Get married;
- Earn a living; or
- Study Torah.
When To Face Jerusalem
Face toward Jerusalem when saying the amida.
Note You may not stand with your back to an ark containing a Torah scroll, so you might need to modify the direction in which you are facing.
Holy Books: Definition
A Jewish holy book is any book that contains:
- God's name in any language, not just Hebrew,
- Any lines (psukim) of Torah,
- Midrashim,
- Halacha in any language, or
- Mishna/Talmud and their commentaries.
Reason To Not Own Pets
You may own pets but it is not customary unless they are needed for protection since you might violate a Torah prohibition of eating before you have fed them.
Tum'a: Washing Hands and Books
You do not need to wash your hands before reading a book of hashkafa/halacha/Jewish philosophy or even Torah or Talmud from a book, unless you have touched something impure/tamei before reading.