Discover what others are learning
Curated Torah sources across every topic, from classical texts to contemporary responsa.
Head Covering for Torah Scholars
Sources from the Talmud and later codes address the practice and expectation of head covering among Torah scholars and learned individuals. While the Talmud records this as a custom associated with piety and respect for Heaven, later codes establish it as formal halakhah governing general conduct and specifically the behavior of scholars before their teachers.
לֹא יִתְבַּזּוּ וְלֹא יִתְגַּלּוּ רֹאשָׁן
Half-Slave, Half-Free: Shofar Obligation and Agency
Sources examine whether a person with divided status—half-slave and half-free—can fulfill the shofar obligation for themselves and for others, and how the principle of arvus (mutual obligation and agency) applies to those with incomplete or partial obligatory standing. The sources trace the foundational Talmudic rule that one who lacks full obligation cannot discharge others' obligations, and explore how later authorities frame this principle in cases of ambiguous or mixed status.
כֹּל שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְחֻיָּב בַּדָּבָר, אֵינוֹ מוֹצִיא אֶת הָרַבִּים
Women's Torah Study and Gemara Learning
Sources present the classical halakhic debate over whether women may study Torah, particularly the Oral Law (Gemara). The sources include a dispute between Rabbi Eliezer and Ben Azzai in the Mishnah, Rambam's codification of the obligations and restrictions, and Talmudic discussions distinguishing between paternal obligation to teach sons and women's voluntary study.
חַיָּב אָדָם לְלַמֵּד אֶת בִּתּוֹ תוֹרָה
Teaching Daughters Gemara and Torah
Sources explore the halakhic status of a father teaching his daughter Talmud and other Torah texts. The classical sources present a dispute between those who obligate such teaching and those who discourage it, along with distinctions between different categories of Torah study and their applicability to women.
חַיָּב אָדָם לְלַמֵּד אֶת בִּתּוֹ תוֹרָה
Women and the Study of Talmud
Jewish sources explore whether women are permitted or encouraged to study Torah and Talmud. Classical texts debate the formal obligation, the permissibility of voluntary study, and the spiritual merit involved, with later authorities addressing how changing educational circumstances affect the application of traditional rulings.
גְּדוֹלָה הַבְטָחָה שֶׁהִבְטִיחָן הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְנָשִׁים
Shehecheyanu on First-Time Mitzvot
Jewish law addresses whether one recites the Shehecheyanu blessing when performing a mitzvah for the first time. The sources distinguish between mitzvot tied to recurring occasions or new objects—which may warrant Shehecheyanu—and regular mitzvot performed continuously, which do not.
אין מברך שהחיינו על המצוה כיון דאינו בא מזמן לזמן
Abortion in Jewish Law
Jewish legal sources examine the permissibility of abortion, focusing on the status of the fetus and the circumstances under which fetal destruction may be permitted to save the mother's life. The sources trace the rabbinic interpretation of biblical law through medieval and early-modern codifications.
אם הוציא ראשו אין נוגעין בו שאין דוחין נפש מפני נפש
Major Halakhic Differences Between Ashkenazi and Sephardi Communities
These sources document significant practical divergences in Jewish law between Ashkenazi and Sephardi traditions across multiple areas of observance, including dietary laws, holiday customs, prayer practices, and mourning periods. The sources reflect how the same halakhic authorities are interpreted differently by each community.
וטעם חומרא זו משום שלפעמים תבואה מעורב במיני קטניות
Adding to a Mitzvah: Violation or Enhancement
Sources examine the halakhic principle that adding to a commandment may constitute a violation of the prohibition against additions to Torah, even when performed with pious intent. The discussion explores when augmentation of a mitzvah crosses the line from enhancement into transgression.
לא תוסיף אם כשעושה המצוה מפני הספק
The Rule Against Learning From General Statements
These passages from Sdei Chemed survey rabbinic authorities on the principle that halakha is not derived from general statements (ein lomdin min haklalos), discussing the scope of this rule, its exceptions, and how different poskim apply it to various sources including the Tosefta, Midrash, and scribal laws.
אין למדין הלכה לא ממדרש ולא מאגדות
Following Later Poskim: Principles and Conditions
These entries from the Sdei Chemed examine the halakhic principles governing when later poskim may disagree with earlier authorities and establish binding practice. The sources address the conditions under which a later decisor's ruling takes precedence, the role of superior analysis and textual development, and the proper methodology for deriving halakha from canonical sources.
כל מקום שאני רואה מחלוקת בדברי הרב אני סומך על דברי המגיד משנה
Writing a Wife's Name in a Get
Sources address the halakhic rules for determining which spelling or form of a woman's name a sofer should write in a get when she is known by multiple variants. The authorities discuss whether to use the most commonly recognized form, both names, or other identifying information to ensure the get's validity.
שמו ושמה שהן רגילין בו וידועין בו ביותר