Tuesday, 23 June 2015

How does a blind person make havdalah if he has to benefit from the light?


Per this answer, the one making havdalah must benefit from the light. How does a blind person make havdalah, assuming there is not another Jew present to do it for him? Does he omit the blessing over the fire, or does he make the blessing and light the candle even though he can't see it?


This question addresses the blind lighting Chanukah candles, but with Chanukah there is another reason to light (to publicize the miracle), which doesn't apply to havdalah.



Answer



A blind person cannot make the b'racha of borei m'orei ha'esh on the flame. (Shulchan Aruch OC 298:13) However, he certainly may recite the rest of havdala. (Mishna B'rura 298:34)


halacha - Kissing when one person is meaty and the other is milky


I know that someone cannot eat milk immediately after meat and vice versa. Is it ok for two people to kiss if one person has just had meat and the other has just had milk? Do they, perhaps, need to wash their mouths beforehand?




synthesis - Stereochemistry of product in Diels-Alder reaction



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I have a few questions on this problem I solved:


1) Why does carbon "b" on methyl vinyl ketone attack carbon "5" on the lactone? Why not carbon "2"?


2) The answer key says that the end product should have "trans" stereochemistry. The internal ester group should be opposite the carbonyl group as shown in my picture. Why is this the case? Does this have to do with the endo rule?




halacha - Studying Torah sitting on the floor?


Are you allowed to sit on the floor and study Torah such as Gamara etc? I've heard different opinions. Sources please




kashrut kosher - *Asher Bamayim* (אשר במים) in kashrus halacha


To find the kashrus status of an organism, we first need to correctly classify it as plant, animal, bird, or asher bamayim*, as each group has its own distinct requirements. E.g., animals need to chew cud and have cloven hooves, while asher bamayim need (fins and) scales.


What is the halachic definition of asher bamayim (אשר במים)?





* This is how the Torah calls water-living creatures. Rabbinical writings use the word dag (דָג).




Monday, 22 June 2015

halacha - Entering a place where Gentiles and Jews Daven together from a Siddur


Would it be permitted to pray in a place where there are services that are mixed with Jews and gentiles? Meaning, a synagogue that also invites gentiles to pray with the Jews (but they all pray from a Sidur).




mistakes - Bent/Inverted Kaf in Torah Scroll, Parshas Bereishis


If a Torah reader finds certain writing errors in a Torah scroll, the scroll may be invalid, and the congregation would be required to take out a different one to continue the service. Some errors, however, are considered minor, and the service could be continued using that scroll, with the error to be fixed at a later time.


In a discussion of possible errors in the "laws" section of my Tikkun (Jerusalem: Mishor, 1990), one was mentioned at Genesis 3:24: the verse ends, "לשמר את דרך עץ החיים" -- "to keep the way of the tree of life". The issue deals with the final Kaf ך of the word דרך (way). If the Kaf is הפוכה (inverted), then you could continue reading from that scroll. But if the Kaf is כפופה (bent over; that is, it was written כ, as its medial form), then a new one must be taken out.


What is the background for these rules? Why would someone want to invert or bend/medialize the Kaf on this particular verse, and if so, why is one worse than the other?




readings - Appending 内 to a company name is read ない or うち?

For example, if I say マイクロソフト内のパートナーシップは強いです, is the 内 here read as うち or ない? Answer 「内」 in the form: 「Proper Noun + 内」 is always read 「ない...