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Curated Torah sources across every topic, from classical texts to contemporary responsa.
Seats and Thrones in Biblical Narrative
These passages depict the physical and symbolic significance of seats and chairs throughout the Hebrew Bible. They range from Moses sitting on a stone during battle to divine visions of God enthroned in majesty, royal thrones of Solomon, and the mysterious throne-chariot in Ezekiel's prophecy.
יֹשֵׁ֥ב עַל־כִּסֵּ֖א רָ֣ם וְנִשָּׂ֑א
Minority Within a Minority in Halakhic Analysis
Sources from the Talmud and Rishonim explore the halakhic principle of meyuto demiyuto—a minority within a minority—and how compounded statistical rarity affects practical rulings on ritual status, impurity, and majority-based presumptions. The discussions range from skin conditions and food preparation to animal inspection, establishing frameworks for when such exceptional cases are or are not considered legally significant.
חָיֵישׁ לְמִיעוּטָא
Eliezer of Damascus: Servant and Steward
These sources portray Eliezer, Abraham's trusted servant, through his role as household steward, his mission to find a wife for Isaac, and his character as revealed in Torah narrative and rabbinic reflection. The passages trace his faithfulness, his prayerful consciousness, and his central place in establishing Isaac's household.
הַמֹּשֵׁל בְּכׇל־אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ
Shnayim Mikrah V'Echad Targum
The obligation to read the weekly Torah portion twice in the original Hebrew and once in Aramaic translation. Sources from the Talmud through the Shulchan Arukh discuss the legal requirement, proper timing, acceptable substitutes for Targum, and the relationship between individual study and communal reading.
שְׁנַיִם מִקְרָא וְאֶחָד תַּרְגּוּם
Sources for the Yehi Ratzon on Rosh Hashanah Apple
The sources found do not address the specific question of where Sefer HaMinhagim records this custom or what the Lubavitcher Rebbe wrote about it in Igros Kodesh. The passages located discuss the general halakhic practice of eating symbolic foods on Rosh Hashanah night with accompanying yehi ratzon prayers, including various customs regarding apples and their accompanying blessings, as recorded in classical halakhic sources.
יהי רצון שתתחדש עלינו שנה טובה ומתוקה
Meat and Dairy in Non-Ben Yomo Vessels
These sources address the halachic status of cooking meat and dairy in vessels that are not ben yomo (less than 24 hours since last use). According to the sources, when a vessel is not ben yomo, the absorbed taste is considered pigul (spoiled) and does not transmit prohibition to new foods cooked in it, though the vessel itself may retain restrictions depending on circumstance.
אם אין הכף בן יומו הקדרה והתבשיל מותרים
An Impoverished Jew on Passover Eve
These sources establish that even a poor person in Israel must recline at the Seder table and drink four cups of wine on Passover night, fulfilling the same obligations as all other Jews. The sources explain that this requirement symbolizes freedom and applies universally, regardless of economic status.
אֲפִילּוּ עָנִי שֶׁבְּיִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא יִפְחֲתוּ לוֹ מֵאַרְבַּע כּוֹסוֹת שֶׁל יַיִן
God's Power and Greatness
These sources explore divine power and greatness across Jewish tradition. Biblical passages present God's might as infinite, beyond human comprehension, and displayed through creation and providence. Rabbinic and medieval sources examine how divine greatness and power manifest in the world and in relation to creation, offering philosophical and mystical perspectives on God's sovereignty and creative sustenance.
גָּדוֹל אַתָּה וְגָדוֹל שִׁמְךָ בִּגְבוּרָֽה
Shnayim Mikra v'Echad Targum: Practice and Interpretations
These sources explore the mitzvah of reading the weekly Torah portion twice in the original text and once in translation, including classical obligations stated by the Rambam, Talmudic principles governing the public reading, and modern interpretations addressing whether Rashi's commentary may substitute for Targum Onkelos and how to enhance the study with additional commentaries.
שְׁנַיִם מִקְרָא וְאֶחָד תַּרְגּוּם
Permitting Agunot of Fallen Soldiers
Sources address the halakhic framework for releasing women from agunah status when their husbands are missing or killed in war. The sources trace the evolution of testimony rules—from Talmudic leniencies regarding a single witness, identification of bodies, and circumstantial evidence, through the codifications of the Shulchan Arukh and later authorities—establishing the evidentiary standards applied in wartime cases.
בעדות אשה שמת בעלה הקילו רבותינו חכמי המשנה והתלמוד קולות רבות
Travelers' Yom Tov Observance: One or Two Days
Classical and modern Jewish sources address how residents of the Diaspora should observe festivals when traveling to or from the Land of Israel, with particular attention to whether one's intended place of residence and duration of travel affect the number of Yom Tov days observed. The sources discuss the principle that travelers generally follow the practice of their permanent place of residence or destination community.
בני ארץ ישראל שבאו לחוצה לארץ אסורים לעשות מלאכה ביום טוב שני
Is Kneeling Permitted When Proposing Marriage?
The sources found do not address whether kneeling is permitted during a marriage proposal. The passages discuss forms of bowing in rabbinic law, permitted and forbidden conduct related to marriage, and wedding procedures, but none directly engage with the specific halakhic status of kneeling as a gesture in a proposal context.
כְּרִיעָה — עַל בִּרְכַּיִם