Questions tagged [hashkafah-philosophy]
Jewish philosophy as well as Jewish perspectives - i.e. not only formal philosophy. NOT for questions about Jewish practice unless there's a philosophical component.
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Personification of Esav in Western Civilisation - basis for Rabbi Mendel Kessin's teaching
Rabbi Mendel Kessin explains in this shiur (around 15 minutes in) that Christianity is the spiritual inheritor of Esav, and Western Civilisation is broken up into three parts, representing 3 parts of ...
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Midrashim that explore the exact meaning of "tov" in Genesis 1?
It's no secret that "good," in English as well as in Hebrew, is rather polysemous: on the one hand, it can mark the degree to which a given thing satisfies its purpose or relevant ideal (as ...
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Torah fiction - dos and don'ts?
Is there a list of guidelines or rules about what is ok and what is not ok for an author to write fiction on, regarding Torah? E.g. assuming the author will be as faithful to the sources as possible:
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Eradication of Free Will under a functioning Biblical legal system or Talmudic education
It is frequently argued that the lack of direct Heavenly intervention in the Creation was designed to allow for a free "pressure-free" choice between good and bad. E.g. when a person breaks ...
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Where does Rambam say: "The risk of a wrong decision is preferable to the terror of indecision"?
BH
Hi according to https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/maimonides-quotes
Rambam said the quote “The risk of a wrong decision is preferable to the terror of indecision.”
Where does he say this though?
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Why is the prohibition against coveting (לא תחמוד) considered to be the greatest and most difficult commandment?
While writing an answer to the question of whether the War of Gog and Magog has occurred already (https://judaism.stackexchange.com/a/143162/7303), a very significant idea was mentioned, which ...
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What should a content person pray for?
There is a Jewish virtue, that one should be content with one's lot, and this leads to a feeling of wealth and happiness (see Avot 4:1).
In my youth, I was a fan of a cartoon called Dragon Ball Z, ...
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Is God Ever in Two Places at Once?
Are there any instances, ideally in Tanakh, where God's physical manifestation of Himself is present in two separate locations at once? Or more poignantly, are there instances of God speaking/...
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Can't tzaddikim get Hashem to resolve certain issues based on their merits?
I know the question is a little pedantic because one could take it all the way and ask tzaddikim to get us full geula, fix everyone's health and money issues among other problems but still.
For ...
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How Many Exiles Can There Be?
Parashat Bechukotai is coming up in which we get the short blessings followed by long curses for failure to follow the Torah in the land. I had always interpreted our right to live in the land to ...
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Can God Consider Himself to Be Wrong? [duplicate]
The Hebrew Bible has at least 2 places where God changes course or even regrets his actions. Does that mean God from the Biblical perspective can consider Himself to be wrong?
I'm not asking from our ...
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Special blessings/zechuyot - how does it work?
When we want special zechuyot (merits/credit, such as blessings, health etc.) for others as well as ourselves (bakashas etc), we often add dedications/names to our learning and prayers.
Why exactly do ...
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Is there a source for Hashem loving Rashayim [duplicate]
People sometimes say that Hashem even loves Rashayim. Is there is a source in Chazal for that?
There seem to be sources that say the oppisite: To give but one example. The Rambam Hilchos Teshuva 7:...
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Is one allowed to pray for themselves to die [duplicate]
not promoting self harm
Is one allowed to pray to Gd to take their lives? Possible proof is Choni HaMeagel doing this. Though you can argue that was an extreme circumstance. And a possible disproof ...
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"One who does not waste time, has time for everything" - learning on Shabbos
The Chida, in his Moreh BeEtzba (153) writes basically that on Shabbos, ones occupation should solely be Limud HaTorah. He says,
כי לא נתנו שבתות וי״ט אלא ללמוד תורה. ומי שאינו מאבד הזמן יש עת לכל
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