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Handwashing In Judaism
Jewish law and custom prescribe ritual hand washing in a number of situations. This practice is generally known by the Hebrew term (), which means "taking up of the hands." The Talmud used the requirement of handwashing in , "The person who is touched by one who has a discharge without rinsing his hands in water must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening," as a hint for general handwashing law, using the principle of ''asmachta (Talmudical hermeneutics), asmakhta'' or "allusion." Occasions for hand washing Before eating bread Halakha requires the hands to be washed before eating a meal containing bread, which involves pouring water over both hands up to the wrists. In some places, this act is repeated twice. This washing was initially known as ''mayim rishonim'' ( in ''Berakhot (Talmud), Berakhot'' 53b. Had a person eaten only 1.1 oz. of bread (an olive's bulk), he requires handwashing., citing ''Mishnah Berurah'' 158:910 However, the bl ...
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Babylonian Talmud
The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the centerpiece of Jewish cultural life and was foundational to "all Jewish thought and aspirations", serving also as "the guide for the daily life" of Jews. The Talmud includes the teachings and opinions of thousands of rabbis on a variety of subjects, including halakha, Jewish ethics, philosophy, customs, history, and folklore, and many other topics. The Talmud is a commentary on the Mishnah. This text is made up of 63 tractates, each covering one subject area. The language of the Talmud is Jewish Babylonian Aramaic. Talmudic tradition emerged and was compiled between the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE and the Arab conquest in the early seventh century. Traditionally, it is thought that the Talmud itself was compiled by Rav Ashi and Ravina II a ...
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Homer (unit)
A ''homer'' ( ''ḥōmer'', plural חמרם ''ḥomārim''; also ''kōr'') is a biblical unit of volume used for liquids and dry goods. One ''homer'' is equal to 10 ''baths'', or what was also equivalent to 30 '' seahs''; each ''seah'' being the equivalent in volume to six ''kabs'', and each ''kab'' equivalent in volume to 24 medium-sized eggs. One ''homer'' equals 220 litre or 220 dm3. Lawrence Boadt notes the word ''homer'' comes from the Hebrew word for an "ass." "It is one ass-load."The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, Brown, Fitzmyer, and Murphy, Printice Hall, 1990 ISMN 0-12-614934, p. 327 The ''homer'' should not be confused with the ''omer Omer may refer to: __NOTOC__ * Omer (unit), an ancient unit of measure used in the era of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem * The Counting of the Omer (''sefirat ha'omer''), a 49 day period in the Jewish calendar People * A variant spelling of the g ...'', which is a much smaller unit of dry measure. References Obsolete units of ...
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Maharal Of Prague
Judah Loew ben Bezalel (; 1512 – 17 September 1609), also known as Rabbi Loew ( Löw, Loewe, Löwe or Levai), the Maharal of Prague (), or simply the Maharal (the Hebrew acronym of "''Moreinu ha-Rav Loew''", 'Our Teacher, Rabbi Loew'), was an important Talmudic scholar, Jewish mystic, mathematician, astronomer,Solomon Grayzel, ''A History of the Jews'', The Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia, 1968, pp. 484-485: "Another important personality in Prague... was Rabbi Judah-Loew ben Bezalel. Besides being a great Talmudist, he was a mathematician and astronomer. and philosopher who, for most of his life, served as a leading rabbi in the cities of Mikulov in Moravia and Prague in Bohemia. Loew wrote on Jewish philosophy and Jewish mysticism. His work ''Gur Aryeh al HaTorah'' is a supercommentary on Rashi's Torah commentary. He is also the subject of a later legend that he created the Golem of Prague, an animate being fashioned from clay.Solomon Grayzel, ''A History ...
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Cutlery
Cutlery (also referred to as silverware, flatware, or tableware) includes any hand implement used in preparing, serving, and especially eating food in Western culture. A person who makes or sells cutlery is called a cutler. While most cutlers were historically men, women could be cutlers too; Agnes Cotiller was working as a cutler in London in 1346, and training a woman apprentice, known as Juseana. The city of Sheffield in England has been famous for the production of cutlery since the 17th century and a train – the ''Master Cutler'' – running from Sheffield to London was named after the industry. Bringing affordable cutlery to the masses, stainless steel was developed in Sheffield in the early 20th century. The major items of cutlery in Western culture are the knife, fork and spoon. These three implements first appeared together on tables in Britain in the Georgian era. In recent times, hybrid versions of cutlery have been made combining the functionality of differe ...
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Yaakov Emden
Jacob Emden, also known as the Yaʿavetz (June 4, 1697 – April 19, 1776), was a leading German rabbi and talmudist who championed traditional Judaism in the face of the growing influence of the Sabbatean movement. He was widely acclaimed for his extensive knowledge. Emden was the son of the hakham Tzvi Ashkenazi and a descendant of Elijah Ba'al Shem of Chełm. He spent most of his life in Altona (now part of Hamburg, Germany). His son, Meshullam Solomon, served as rabbi of the Hambro Synagogue in London and claimed authority as Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom from 1765 to 1780. The acronym Yaʿavetz (, also rendered ''Yaavetz'') is formed from his Hebrew name, Yaʿkov ben Tzvi (). Seven of his 31 works were published posthumously. Biography Early life and education Jacob Emden (born Ashkenazi) was the fifth of his father's 15 children. Until the age of seventeen, he studied Talmud under his father, Tzvi Ashkenazi, a foremost rabbinic authority, first in Alt ...
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Tosafot
The Tosafot, Tosafos or Tosfot () are Middle Ages, medieval commentaries on the Talmud. They take the form of critical and explanatory glosses, printed, in almost all Talmud editions, on the outer margin and opposite Rashi's notes. The authors of the Tosafot are known as Tosafists; for a listing (see List of Tosafists.) Meaning of name The word ''tosafot'' literally means "additions". The reason for the title is a matter of dispute among modern scholars. Many of them, including Heinrich Graetz, think the glosses are so-called as additions to Rashi's commentary on the Talmud. In fact, the period of the Tosafot began immediately after Rashi had written his commentary; the first tosafists were Rashi's sons-in-law and grandsons, and the Tosafot consist mainly of strictures on Rashi's commentary. Others, especially Isaac Hirsch Weiss, object that many tosafot — particularly those of Isaiah di Trani — have no reference to Rashi. Weiss, followed by other scholars, assert ...
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Rishonim
''Rishonim'' (; ; sing. , ''Rishon'') were the leading rabbis and ''posek, poskim'' who lived approximately during the 11th to 15th centuries, in the era before the writing of the ''Shulchan Aruch'' (, "Set Table", a common printed code of Jewish law, 1563 CE) and following the ''Geonim'' (589–1038 CE). Rabbinic scholars subsequent to the ''Shulchan Aruch'' are generally known as ''acharonim'' ("the latter ones"). The distinction between the and the is meaningful historically; in ''halakha'' (Jewish law) the distinction is less important. According to a widely held view in Orthodox Judaism, the Acharonim generally cannot dispute the rulings of rabbis of previous eras unless they find support from other rabbis in previous eras. On the other hand, this view is not formally a part of ''halakha'' itself, and according to some rabbis is a violation of the halakhic system.See Kesef Mishna (Maamrim 2:2), Kovetz Igros Chazon Ish (2:26) In ''The Principles of Jewish Law'', Orthodox ra ...
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Sodom And Gomorrah
In the Abrahamic religions, Sodom and Gomorrah () were two cities destroyed by God for their wickedness. Sodom and Gomorrah are repeatedly invoked throughout the Hebrew Bible, Deuterocanonical texts, and the New Testament as symbols of sin, divine judgment, and destruction, serving as moral warnings and eschatological parallels. The Quran also contains a version of the story about the two cities. In the biblical narrative, Sodom and Gomorrah, rebellious cities once defeated by Chedorlaomer, were destroyed by God because of their great wickedness. Lot and his daughters were spared when angels led them to safety, but Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt for looking back against the angels’ warning. Their story parallels the Genesis flood narrative in its theme of God's anger provoked by man's sin (see Genesis 19:1–28). The story of Sodom, originally associated with inhospitality, arrogance, and injustice, was later reinterpreted—especially in Christian theol ...
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Birkat Hamazon
Birkat Hamazon ( "The Blessing of the Food"), known in English as the Grace After Meals ( "to bless", Yinglish: Bentsching), is a set of Hebrew language, Hebrew blessings that Halakha, Jewish law prescribes following a meal that includes at least a kezayit (olive-sized) piece of bread. It is understood as a mitzvah (Biblical commandment) based on Book of Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy 8:10. Birkat Hamazon is recited after a meal containing bread or similar foods that is made from the Chametz#The five grains, five grains, with the exception of bread that comes as a dessert (') and food that does not possess the form or appearance of bread ('), in which case a blessing that summarizes the first three blessings (') is recited instead. It is a matter of rabbinic dispute whether ''Birkat Hamazon'' must be said after eating certain other bread-like foods such as pizza. Except in teaching situations, ''Birkat Hamazon'' is typically read individually after ordinary meals. The blessing can ...
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Mishneh Torah
The ''Mishneh Torah'' (), also known as ''Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka'' (), is a code of Rabbinic Jewish religious law (''halakha'') authored by Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon/Rambam). The ''Mishneh Torah'' was compiled between 1170 and 1180 CE (4930 and 4940 AM), while Maimonides was living in Egypt, and is regarded as Maimonides' '' magnum opus''. Accordingly, later sources simply refer to the work as "''Maimon''", "''Maimonides''", or "''RaMBaM''", although Maimonides composed other works. ''Mishneh Torah'' consists of fourteen books, subdivided into sections, chapters, and paragraphs. It is the only medieval-era work that details all of Jewish observance, including those laws that are only applicable when the Temple in Jerusalem is in existence, and remains an important work in Judaism. Its title is an appellation originally used for the Biblical book of Deuteronomy, and its moniker, "Book of the Strong Hand", derives from its subdivision into fourteen books: the numerical v ...
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Biblical Mile
Biblical mile () is a unit of distance on land, or linear measure, principally used by Jews during the Herodian dynasty to ascertain distances between cities and to mark the Sabbath limit, equivalent to about two-thirds of an English statute mile, or what was about four furlongs ( four ''stadia''). The basic Jewish traditional unit of distance was the cubit (), each cubit being roughly between The standard measurement of the biblical mile, or what is sometimes called '' Techum shabbat'' (Sabbath limit; Sabbath boundary), was 2,000 cubits. Etymology The word ''mīl'', as used in Hebrew texts between the 2nd and 5th centuries CE, is a Roman loanword, believed to be a shortened adaptation of the Latin '' mīliarium'', literally meaning, "milestone," and which word signifies "a thousand" 'passuum'' of two steps each hence: Roman mile. The word appears in the Mishnah, a compendium of Jewish oral law compiled by Rabbi Judah the Prince in 189 CE, and is used to this very day by relig ...
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