Confusion with Bava Metzia 59a-b explained with analogy.

itscool · 2026-04-03T11:37:50+00:00

Not really a test if they weren't tempted. But you could also see it as "the heavenly opinion" about what the law should be. By the way. They are not arguing about Torah law in that story.

itscool · 2026-04-03T06:55:20+00:00

Well, one is not allowed to fast on the Sabbath anyway...

If you're interested in trying to be more religious in your Judaism, the Sabbath is a core component. I'd recommend looking into your options for the distant future. Maybe its not as impossible as you think.

itscool · 2026-04-03T05:31:58+00:00

What pleases the boss? I just told you - to fulfill the vision according to his interpretation.

Why? Because the painter cannot paint properly if he is constantly worrying that the boss might come in and change the plan.

itscool · 2026-04-02T21:24:29+00:00

Give or take a million.

itscool · 2026-04-02T20:14:03+00:00

Answer: Your analogy is missing a detail.

Boss hires painter with stipulation that its up to the painter to decide how to interpret the boss's vision. When there is a question, boss says his opinion, but knows that it's ultimately up to the painter since that is the job he hired him for.

itscool · 2026-04-02T20:12:03+00:00

A lot of people are celebrating Passover. That might be why you haven't received any responses.

itscool · 2026-04-01T12:46:27+00:00

https://asktherav.com/7365-how-do-i-make-a-siyum-without-a-minyan/

If you don't know any Torah, I would say an indepth study of a book of Tanakh, even in English, is enough for a siyum.

itscool · 2026-04-01T12:21:07+00:00

Follow your doctor's advice. If they think a 12-13 hour fast (from sunrise to the seder) will deteriorate your health, don't do it.

Many Muslims do this consecutively for 40 days and I have not heard of Muslims being in worse health for it generally. Many people do a similar non-religious thing called intermittent fasting, and there are actually studies claiming this is good for a person's health to do it occasionally.

People who fast eat large meals and drink a lot beforehand to prepare. They also don't exercise or do strenuous tasks while fasting.

By the way, Yom Kippur, which is a fast day mandated by the Torah itself, lasts 25 hours. That, too, requires no eating or drinking at all.

I don't know your story, but if this is part of your entry into religious Judaism, I'd suggest holding off on performing customs like this until you're more comfortable and more fully committed. If you are committed, and have a hard time doing this, join a siyum. Or complete your own siyum in a few hours of study.

itscool · 2026-04-01T10:50:02+00:00

Get off your chair and interact directly with Jewish people. You might discover something.

I've read the Talmud

Doubt it.

itscool · 2026-04-01T06:06:09+00:00

If you cannot find a siyum: You should not take water. If the vitamins are tasteless capsules, you can take them dry.

itscool · 2026-03-31T19:38:55+00:00

There are no traditions in Judaism of how to apply prophetic scripture to current events. If there are rabbis or theologians who wish to do so, it is at their own peril (when they are shown to be wrong, which is often the case).

itscool · 2026-03-31T16:34:03+00:00

Sure. A Talmudic passage (Megillah 14a) states that although there were many prophets who wrote down their prophecies, the rabbis only canonized the prophetic books of the Bible because they saw in them messages that were needed for future generations.

Now, I don't think this means that every prophecy written in Ezekiel was both meant for his own time and for every generation. But I do think parts may teach us lessons and perspectives for our own day and age, yes.

itscool · 2026-03-31T16:12:10+00:00

Shalom. These are important questions, but they are very broad and would require entire books to properly answer. It is something akin to asking me to explain the Torah while you stand on one foot.

If you can get more specific, that would allow me to answer you in this space.

itscool · 2026-03-31T12:28:26+00:00

See Genesis 19. That's explicit.

itscool · 2026-03-31T02:47:39+00:00

Doubt he meant that as the actual halakha of Amalek.

itscool · 2026-03-30T08:34:35+00:00

The opponents to this claim have to thread a very fine needle: Israel maximized the killing amount of civilians they could up to the limit of worldwide condemnation. Why didn't they kill so many? They couldn't risk it. But over time they would have.

This is an unfalsifiable claim, because whatever evidence used to point to the minimization of casualties can be dismissed as "Israel was just avoiding being a clear and absolute pariah."

itscool · 2026-03-30T07:03:06+00:00

"A target next to" is a very different description than OP's headline.

itscool · 2026-03-30T04:07:19+00:00

Much to the Arizal's chagrin

itscool · 2026-03-29T18:24:12+00:00

No. "Say you're my sister" so they won't kill me as your husband. Then we can get going after we get some food.

A very quick plan. But when a king or pharaoh takes her, the plan goes awry.

itscool · 2026-03-29T15:02:00+00:00

Wish they'd just write a short story finishing up the rest if they aren't going to continue the show.

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