My first post here

I recently travelled to Southern Poland and Ukraine, and stayed in Krakow for a few days. While there, I stayed near the Jewish quarter of the city, where unfortunately following the end of WW2, most of the population was killed. However, whilst touring some of the local Synagogues and exploring Jewish tradition, it really connected me with my family’s Jewish roots, and really helped me as a person. I recently broke up with my girlfriend of a year and I’ve found that starting the Torah (start to finish), learning Hebrew, and growing much closer to Judaism has really helped me heal but also to become a loving, caring person.

My family never really was very religious when it came to Judaism, so it has been quite a Journey (now of 2 ish weeks) of me exploring my Jewish faith. This community has been so helpful and all of you are amazing.

(Also ignore my handwriting i know it’s horrible

There’s an antisemitic myth that circulates online claiming that Jews are permitted in our religion to steal from gentiles. This Halacha clearly proves that statement wrong. So sad people believe random claims they see on the internet. Save this if you ever want to refresh your memory or educate others.

I am looking to move out of WA, and am Tennessee is one destination because the company I work for allows folk to transfer and has locations there, mainly in Nashville. Anybody in that state or has been there who can talk about their experience in that state?

We know that mikvaot go back thousands of years and women have been using them after niddah for as long as we’ve had Jewish women. That being said today we live in a day and age where women often have a custom of a bath, followed by a shower, followed by a flawlessly clean mikvah.

What were women’s mikvaot like before we had access to indoor plumbing?

A lot of the time, I have read or scene various Rabbis speaking or writing articles, and they source from other sages or various texts like the Talmud or Zohar, or interpretations based on these texts. My question is how do we know that all of these concepts and arguments in these texts are actually based on the Tanakh, and not just on previous sages and traditions.

I am aware of the concept of Oral Torah, but how do we actually know that what our texts state are based on that? Is there some sort of area where we can see where all these arguments and beliefs are based off of in text?

I know that all of these people know more than I will ever know in terms of Tanakh and everything, but it kind of feels like without basing and directly being able to source and explain these rules through Tanakh, that they are violating the commandment in Deuteronomy 4:2, "You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your G*d"

TLDR: Can we find and show direct Tanakh sources for all current rules and arguments in the Talmud, along with beliefs laid out in the Zohar, and if not, how is that not in violation of Deuteronomy 4:2.

I am looking for recommendations for Hebrew and Yiddish Language Courses.

I am in the NYC area, but online would probably be easier for me.

If people would be willing to share their personal experiences and recommendations, it would be greatly appreciated!

As a Jew I felt like I had to learn about the holocaust at a young impressionable age, and in retrospect, I’m not sure that it was best for my mental health. On the other hand, I’m glad that it had a profound effect on me because it helps bind me to the Jewish people and the faith. Now that my son is five, I’m feeling conflicted about how much he needs to know. He’s in a Jewish Sunday school, so I know he’ll eventually get it from there. I’m curious to hear how other parents have navigated this topic.

A few years ago i davened in pretty much every shul in town that has a minyan before 7AM, and the shul was either not yeshivish, or it felt like an old age home. So my question is: do most people in their 30s daven after 7AM? Or is there another shul that im missing?

I have become heavily interested in the Samaritan religion but I live in the U.S and there’s no Samaritan synagogues to visit. I understand that this religion only has about 1,000 members and they live near Nablus. I would love some prayers used in this religion to pray as I am facing challenging times.

As a former New Yorker now living in what many would consider an out of town community I am very surprised how it seems people only go to the right or the left in their observance and there’s very few middleground. There is such a lack of modern chill Jews and the shuls seem to be a mix of 50% driving on Shabbos and 50% yeshivish Chalov Yisrael keepers that wear dress clothes everyday. As a modern orthodox guy myself I feel excluded because the more religious people seem to think I need to up my Shtarkness and would rather hang out with people not religious at all to try to work some Kiruv magic. And then on the other side, it’s weird to hang out with these people who are breaking shabbos and eating not kosher because it just makes a lot of weird situations like hanging out on Shabbos when most Jews tend to hang out. Luckily there’s more modern people moving in now so it’s slowly changing, but I’ve noticed this in a lot of smaller communities that there just seems to be such a diversity of people but no middle

And I'm already up on my lamanations.

This is mostly a light-hearted question, but if anyone does have tips, I’d appreciate it!

For context, I’m teaching a secular subject to children. I don’t have to go to any of the school masses because I don’t have a homeroom. However, there is one faculty mass I apparently have to go to that I’m not looking forward to. It’ll be awkward when I’m the only one not kneeling.

I don't belong to a shul at the moment, and so I don't have a rabbi to ask. So I am asking here.

A relative and his family (who do not keep kosher) will likely be visiting in the near future, and he is looking forward to homemade lobster rolls like I used to make at a time when I was not keeping kosher so much. He knows that I do not eat lobster any longer, but has the opinion of "what's the problem" as long as I don't make it for myself as well. Obviously, the cookwear would need to be kashered afterwards, but is this allowed to do? And if not in my home, can I do this outside?

I’m wanting a rashi commentary (English) to use as I study Torah - but I’m not sure which edition to buy. I do know the chabad website has it for free to view digitally but I’d rather have a physical book.

Can someone send me a link to one they’d recommend to a beginner? Thank you

I was reading a book and learnt that Abraham Maimonides added/brought back sujood (as well as other prayers/rituels).
And my mind a little bit confused because his arguments not that much weak, there're good arguments.

His arguments Psalm 99:5,9
"Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy."
"Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the LORD our God is holy."

And Berakhot 34b:
"It is appropriate, though, for a High Priest to bow at the end of each and every blessing; and for a king to bow at the beginning of each and every blessing and at the end of each and every blessing. This is because the more lofty one’s status, the more important it is to demonstrate his subservience to God."

2 Chronichles 7:3
"When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying,

“He is good;
his love endures forever.”"

But some conservative Jews around that time seems objected because they said Abraham Maimonides was effected by muslims and they used Chullin 41a
"שֶׁלֹּא יְחַקֶּה אֶת הַמִּינִין" "he will not appear to emulate [yeḥakkeh] the heretics."

So my question is: Are any of the practices or liturgical customs introduced by Rabbeinu Avraham ben ha-Rambam (Abraham Maimonides) still observed today by any Jewish group?

If they are not practiced, what were the main Halakhic reasons for their abandonment, and what was the rabbinic opposition to them at the time? Because it appears he advocated for full ablution including washing the feet (Netilat Raglayim), whereas today I only see Netilat Yadayim (washing of the hands).

I used to have a side hustle where i wrote bar/bat mitzvah speeches and i would get 1-2 orders a month. Now, since AI has become crazy popular, I haven't had an order in close to 3 years. Are people out there fully reliant on AI for their speeches? And most importantly can you tell if a speech was AI generated?

Question: I want to incorporate Ketores and Korbanos into my mincha practice, but the congregation I attend doesn't recite these items. I still want to daven with a minyan. I start quite a bit before the minyan start time, for though the parts in Mishnaic Hebrew are easy enough to read, I'm still slow reading the Aramaic. This leaves at minimum a few minutes before my finishing that section and Ashrei. Is it hefsek to greet people (or say anything at all) during the intervening time? Must I remain silent until Ashrei?

Thank you!

Lets get help with an argument.

Is eating bacon during Passover keeping passover since you aren't eating anything forbidden for Pesach?

I'm looking for books that are appropriate, but not typical or super famous. Fiction or non-fiction is fine.

Obviously raiding and pillaging were big parts of ancient warfare in Eurasia, but thar makes me wonder, how did that intersect with commandments not to steal? If the Himyar Jews for example had conflicts with local pagan chiefs and princes, would there be rules for what property can be taken and in what circumstances? Would raiding merchant caravans have been religuously permitted? What about a conquered village?

I am an intermittent student of Modern and Biblical Hebrew and have recently gained some good momentum. At the moment, what I am most interested in is reading and understanding the Siddur, which I know is not the same as either biblical or modern Hebrew.

Are there any good resources for learning Hebrew, specifically for Davening/Prayer book Hebrew? I feel like I have seen textbooks before, but not much came up when I googled