Tzadok the Kohen Gadol considered greater than Aharon and his sons?
When I was recently learning Sotah I saw on daf 48b that Tzadok, during the time of Dovid HaMelech, was a rare instance during that period, of someone who asked the Urim VeTumim and was...
View ArticleAnswer by Dov for Comprehensive Guide to saying Mourners' Kaddish
There are several seforim written on the subject.Artscroll famously produced a sefer on the topic which provides an in-depth look at each kaddish, with translation and numerous sources. There are...
View ArticleAnswer by Dov for Satmar Commentary on the Chumash
You might want to try the English translation of selected writings of the Satmar Rebbe's Divrei Yoel, compiled by Rabbi Joseph Kolakowski. It has five separate seforim on each of the books of the...
View ArticleComment by Dov on Why mention Balak ben Tzipor?
If someone is viewed in a certain way; take a student reporting to a teacher, or an employee speaking to a boss, there is a very natural reaction to try and inflate your own sense of importance as a...
View ArticleAnswer by Dov for Why was the snake jealous and wanted to marry Chava?
I don't know your source for suggesting that the snake was specifically jealous of Chava, but the Gemara in Sanhedrin 59b notes expressly that its jealousy was of Adam for the following...
View ArticleAnswer by Dov for How did Lavan become so evil and why wasn't he punished?
One approach as to "why he became so evil", could be a bit of background behind Lavan's beginnings, in particular his commitment to sorcery.We are told in Bereishis...
View ArticleAnswer by Dov for Sources for Adam being the father of mankind
The Ohr HaChaim Hakadosh makes reference to this, albeit just as an aside, when speaking about how Chava was formed from Adam's side.On his commentary on Bamidbar 21:7 he...
View ArticleAnswer by Dov for Why compare a groom to a king?
Rav Shlomo Kluger explains:דבמלךכיוןדעלהלגדולהמוחליןלוכלעונותיוכמושלמדוחז"למפסוקבןשנהשאולבמלכווחתןנמיכיוןדהנושאאשהמוחליןלועונותיווכמשאחז"לביבמו'הנושאאשהעונותיומתפקקיןולכךדומהלמלךSince a King ascends to...
View ArticleAnswer by Dov for What is a Novardok "Vaad asiri kodesh"?
It is a systemised approach to self-improvement through the taking on of kabbalos (personal targets geared towards further refining a person's spiritual attainment).According to here it is defined as...
View ArticleAnswer by Dov for Book Request: Machshava by Topics
Rav Nachman of Breslov famously has a sefer called Sefer Hamiddos which whilst does indeed explore character traits, also covers a much wider gamut of machshava topics, all categorised in an easy to...
View ArticleComment by Dov on Where to give away Judaic books, etc
You would have to contact them and ask?
View ArticleAnswer by Dov for What place does the Abarbanel call טראסיי"א?
Apparently "Tyrsenians" is an alternative term for "Tyrrhenian" which is believed to come from the region of Etruria an ancient country in the Italian Peninsula.In Attic Greek, the Etruscans were known...
View ArticleAnswer by Dov for Commentary on the Vidui
Two ones I know of are:The Chida has a breakdown on each of the words in his Sefer Vidui GadolIn Chapter 143 of the Chayei Adam there is a famous commentary - again there is an explanation for each...
View ArticleRav Chaim Volozhin - being moser nefesh for teshuva
In the Shabbos Shuva drasha printed at the end of Ruach Chaim, Rav Chaim Volozhiner, says one must be moser nefesh for teshuva.His source is from the...
View ArticleAnswer by Dov for L'chatchila Ariber: what does it mean and where does it...
As a starting point see here:This idea of leaping over obstacles from the very beginning became a symbol of what the Rebbe called a Baal Shem’ske behavior, akin to the conduct of the Baal Shem Tov. It...
View ArticleWhy did Hashem create two Leviathans and two Behemoths if He realised the...
The Gemara in Bava Basra 74b famously speaks about both the לויתון (Leviathan) and the בְּהֵמוֹת (Behemoth), both of which were created with a female partner.In both instances, the Gemara relates that...
View ArticleAnswer by Dov for What is the difference between and לִשְׁמֹר and לַעֲשׂוֹת?
A couple more reasons in addition to the other answerThe Yachin says that the two expressions are emphasising "zachor" the remembering of the Torah injunctions and "shamor" the keeping of the Torah. In...
View ArticleComment by Dov on How could the patriarchs have observed the ritual...
No you listed many sources saying that the avos performed the mitzvos. I have listed three reasons as per your question as to how they came to know them...
View ArticleAnswer by Dov for What does the name of Amalek mean?
The midrashim point to it being a contraction of two words "עםלק" lit. "a people who lick (blood)".For example, refer to the Yalkut Shimoni 983:דבראחרעמלקעםלקשבאללוקדמןשלישראלככלבAlternatively, Amalek...
View ArticleAnswer by Dov for Biographies of the Matriarchs
A good starting point is a personal fave of mine - Ishei HaTanach: Encyclopedia of Biblical Personalities by Rabbi Yishai Chasida.It is not a biography but it looks at key features of their life and...
View ArticleAnswer by Dov for What was the relationship between R' Azriel Hildesheimer...
Hi Yisrael and welcome to Mi Yodeya.Both Rabbis embraced the notion of 'Torah Im Derech Eretz' and cultivated what has since been coined 'Neo-Orthodoxy'. They also both embarked on a policy of Austritt...
View ArticleAnswer by Dov for Source for Avraham failing his test at the Akeida?
There is a source which alludes to Yitzchak's death...but then followed by an immediate return to life.Note the Pirkei DeRebbi Eliezer 31רַבִּייְהוּדָהאוֹמֵר: כֵּיוָןשֶׁהִגִּיעַהַחֶרֶבעַלצַוָּארוֹ,...
View ArticleAnswer by Dov for Why the wait to buy Marath HaMachpelah area
The background is mentioned in the Zohar 1:127bIt notes there that even though Avraham desired the cave before Sarah died he only made a move to buy it when Sarah died so that they would not take...
View ArticleComment by Dov on What kingdom was Melchizedek the king of?
Note the Etz Yosef on Bereishis Rabbah 56:10 - sefaria.org/… he writes there "קודםשנבנהביהמ"קמאזבעודשהיהנקראשםהעירשלםולאירושלים"
View ArticleComment by Dov on Is Moshe Idel’s scholarship considered kosher by the...
As per usual any downvotes would please warrant a follow up comment...
View ArticleComment by Dov on What tribe was Shmuel from?
No necessarily. He could have been considered "better" in middos etc. whereas Moshe was unmatched as far as nevuah? Feel free to ask the question @Maurice
View ArticleAnswer by Dov for Is it all Leah's doing?
Yes it's explicit in a midrash in Bereishis Rabbah 70:16:וְהָיְתָהבּוֹכָהוְאוֹמֶרֶתיְהִירָצוֹןשֶׁלֹאאֶפֹּלבְּגוֹרָלוֹשֶׁלרָשָׁע. אָמַררַבהוּנָאקָשָׁההִיאהַתְּפִלָּהשֶׁבִּטְלָהאֶתהַגְּזֵרָה,...
View ArticleAnswer by Dov for Are there any Torah sources for raising children with a...
There's a lot to say about the relationship to Torah that a grandfather has to his grandchild...A grandfather is obligated to play a role in educating his grandson in Torah study. The Gemara in...
View ArticleComment by Dov on Is there any time or situation when a father revokes a...
@shayachagigah - so mention that then to provide greater context...
View ArticleComment by Dov on Are there any responsa on a shul changing davening time on...
What's the problem? If people have time off from work why can't they have a lie in with their shul having a later minyan?
View ArticleComment by Dov on Who was the Rabbi Of Rabbi Yitzchak Kanpanton?
According to the excerpt here - torah.org/torah-portion/hamaayan-5766-behar taken from Artscroll's Early Acharonim, not much of his earlier life is known. We only really know his talmidim and his...
View ArticleComment by Dov on An Amazon seller offered me a gift card if I left a 5-star...
@Yihezkel you should edit this question so it reads more generically, as at the moment it is phrased in a way that is asking for a psak which is against the terms of the MY and is likely to be closed.
View ArticleComment by Dov on Gold leaves in Halacha
This company has a hashgocho - ediblegold.com/kosher.html
View ArticleComment by Dov on Was Bar Kochva disemboweled?
do you not mean Rav Yerucham Levovitz as opposed to Leibowitz?
View ArticleAnswer by Dov for Jerusalem Sand at a Burial
The Rema in Yoreh Deah 363:1 writes:ישנוהגיןלתתמעפרא"יבקבר (א"ז) (וישלמנהגזהעלמהשיסמוכו) (מדרשתנחומאפ'ויחי)Some have the custom to place some earth from the Land of Israel in the grave (Refer to the Or...
View ArticleAnswer by Dov for Is there a master list(s) of Middot?
The Sefer Orchos Tzaddikim a sefer which specifically discusses middos improvement, speaks about the following character traits:גאוה - Pride/Arroganceענוה - Humilityבושה - Shameעזות - Brazennessאהבה -...
View ArticleAnswer by Dov for What's with Rus sleeping over with Boaz?
Ok so here are some answers some from me and many based on Rav Yosef Deutsch's Let me join your nation (Feldheim):The reason Rus went at night specifically was because it was a given that Boaz would be...
View ArticleComment by Dov on Solomon, Egypt & Rome, Sheba?
This is hard to answer? What exact answer are you seeking? If another empire or the like emerged from his union with the Queen of Sheba?
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