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Why and When Did Mourners Start Saying Kaddish Together? In
the past, only one mourner was honored with the task of saying Kaddish, which
makes sense
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Why Is Eating Melaveh Malkah Important? The sages in the Talmud tell us to “always set the table after Shabbat even to eat small
amount of food." Here's why.
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Why Do You Not Wear Black at a Jewish Funeral? At one point in Jewish history, some had the custom to wear black as a sign of mourning. What changed?
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Why Is There a Sandek at a Brit? One of the highest honors at a brit milah (Jewish circumcision) is holding the baby on one’s lap
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Why Stay Awake the Night Before a Brit Millah? The mystical origins of the 'Vach Nacht'
The custom can be traced back to the Zohar, where we read that the sages stayed up learning Torah the night before a circumcision.
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What Happened to Noah’s Ark? Throughout the ages, the location of Noah’s Ark has been a subject of fascination, with some even claiming to have found it.
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Why Flags (With Apples and Candles) on Simchat Torah? Many old-timers
recall the custom for children to carry a candle stuck into an apple on top of
a flag.
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What Is Sechach? The holiday is celebrated with materials typically left on a threshing floor or winepress, such as straw, stalks, and reeds.
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Why Do Those With Parents Leave for Yizkor? Customarily, those whose parents are still living leave the sanctuary for the duration of
this short prayer. Why?
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Why Can't I Feed Fish at Tashlich? On the “custom” of throwing bread into the water on Rosh Hashanah
Contrary to what some believe,
feeding the fish is not part of the Tashlich
ritual.
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Why Put Your Head Down After Amidah? Nefilat Apayim in Tachnun
It looks almost as if everyone is taking a short nap. What’s up with that?
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Why Are Tefillin Square? The Talmud gives no actual reason but the Kabbalah provides clues.
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What Was the Manna? The manna was the miraculous edible substance that fell each day from heaven during the 40-year period between the Exodus and the conquest of Israel.
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Why Two Versions of the Ten Commandments? Why Is Deuteronomy 5 Different From Exodus 20?
In a strange twist, there are some significant differences between the original text in Exodus and the repeat recorded in Deuteronomy. The rabbis explained why.
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Who Was the Exilarch (Reish Galuta)? This title was given to
the political head of the (at times) semi-autonomous Jewish community in Babylon, who traced his lineage to King David.
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Why Is Moshiach called a Metzora (Leper)? Isn’t it a negative term?
One who was afflicted
with the malady was considered impure and had to undergo a purification
process.
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Why Is There (Sometimes) a Silent "S" in Yissachar? There are four general customs regarding how to pronounce this name.
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Why Ketoret Incense in the Temple? And what exactly was it anyway?
The ketoret consisted of a special blend of herbs and balms whose precise ingredients and manner of preparation were commanded by G‑d to Moses.
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Why Is a Tallit So Often (Mostly) White? The
overwhelming majority of tallits have
historically been white, often with stripes. There are a number of reasons for this.
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Why Are Women Exempt From Certain Mitzvahs? The Mishnah tells us that women are generally exempt from all obligations that must be fulfilled at a specific time. Why is that?
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Kohanim Visiting Museums or Hospitals Nowadays, there is really no reason why a person would prevent himself from becoming ritually impure. An exception is the male kohen, descendant of Aaron, brother of Moses.
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"The Trolley Problem" in Judaism Sacrifice One Life to Save Many?
Ethics professors often frame this conundrum as a battle between “utilitarianism” and “deontology.” What does Torah say?
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What Was the Omer Offering (Korban Ha’omer)? And what does it have to do with counting to Shavuot?
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Why Do We Spill Wine at the Seder? While this custom is simple enough and pretty universal, its reason is far from elementary.
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Why Some Repeat Barechu and Others Don’t To get some understanding of the varying
customs, let’s begin by explaining why some repeat it at all.
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The Origins of the Grager: Why We Boo Haman Rabbi David Abudraham (14th century, Spain) writes that there had been an
earlier custom for children to draw a picture or write the name of Haman on
wood or stones
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Why Say “Chazak” After Finishing a Book of Torah? At the conclusion of each of the Five Books of Moses, the congregation stands and calls out “Chazak, chazak, venitchazek!” (“Be strong, be strong, and we will be strong!”).
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What Was the Mysterious Tachash? The exact identity of the tachash has been a matter of great speculation. Learn about its history in this well-researched article.
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From Golems to AI Can Humanoids Be Jewish?
The concept of man-made men (golems),
and the question of their humanness (or lack thereof) has been discussed since
Talmudic times.
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Why Did Moses Go Up on Mt. Sinai for Forty Days? The significance of the number forty
After the Giving of the Torah, Moses went up Mount Sinai for 40 days. What’s up with the number 40?
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Are Dangerous Sports Like Football and Wrestling Kosher? Does the possibility of serious brain injury (CTE) mean that playing in the NFL isn’t kosher?
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What Is the Blessing on Bananas, Strawberries, Grapes, Berries Etc.? On the Halachic Definition of a Tree
The definition of a tree according to Jewish law affects our everyday Jewish observance.
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The Mystery of Miriam’s Song Did the women actually sing? And why the musical instruments?
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Why Is Tanya Called "Tanya"? The secret hidden within the title
You may be familiar with the Tanya, the fundamental text of Chabad Chassidic philosophy. But why is it called by that name?
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Why Can't a DNA Test Determine Jewish Status? Tribal affiliation follows the direct paternal line, while the question of Jewishness follows the maternal line. Does this mean that genetic testing is a valid way of ascertaining whether one is Jewish or a kohen?
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Why Chickpeas & Beer at a Shalom Zachar? The refreshments almost always include chickpeas (garbanzo beans) and beer. To understand why, we need to understand the main reasons behind the shalom zachar.
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Why Is the Holiday Called Chanukah? People love to joke about the many ways to pronounce and spell Chanukah. But what does chanukah actually mean?
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Why Does the Bride Circle the Groom Seven Times? At the start of the chuppah marriage ceremony, it is customary for the bride to circle the groom counterclockwise (three or) seven times.
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Why No Talking After Washing for Bread? To understand why, we first need to examine why we wash our hands in the
first place.
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Why Don’t We Invite People to a Brit Milah? Many have the custom to simply make the time and place known, without inviting anyone in
particular to attend. Here's why.
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Why Can Mere Humans “Bless” G‑d? What exactly are we saying? I can understand blessing people, but does G‑d, the Creator and Master of all, really need our blessing?
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Why Is the Rainbow a Sign of Peace? Although
many see the rainbow as a beautiful symbol of peace, its biblical origin is not
all that positive. Let’s take a look.
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Where Is the Garden of Eden? Where Is the Garden of Eden located? Learn the literal as well as esoteric answer to this age-old question.
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Why Did Jonah Run Away? Jonah wasn’t some average Joe who decided to go his own way and not to listen to G-d. Why then did he disobey?
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What Is a "Machzor"? The High Holiday Prayerbook
The word “Machzor” has come to refer to a prayerbook specifically for the High Holidays.
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Why Can't Jews Attend Church Funerals? What’s the big
deal about entering a non-Jewish place of worship to show respect?
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Blood Moons, the Lunar Eclipse and the 15th of Av Once we have reached the middle of the month, it is now time to work on the ego
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Why We Avoid Danger During the 9 Days The reason for this is that it is an especially
ominous time, as can be seen from the many tragedies that befell the Jewish
people
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Why Look at Our Fingernails at Havdalah? The basic reason is that one should be close enough to the flame's light to benefit from it.
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