In a city with 500 male residents, what is the minimum that constitutes a plague requiring communal fasting?
Halachah 5 defines plague as three deaths on three consecutive days in a city of 500 male residents; deaths on a single day or spread over four days do not qualify.
Question 2
For which calamity is it permitted to cry out to God in prayer even on the Sabbath?
Halachah 2 explicitly states that sustenance loss is the one calamity for which we cry out to God even on the Sabbath, though trumpets are still forbidden.
Question 3
A wild animal is in a swamp and kills two men. Under what condition is it legally considered 'on a rampage'?
Halachah 7 rules that in a swamp — the animal's natural habitat — even pursuit is not sufficient; only killing both men yet eating only one demonstrates supernatural aggression.
Question 4
What price threshold triggers the communal distress of 'loss of sustenance' in halachah 14?
Halachah 14 specifies that when a merchant must sell goods worth ten for six — i.e., at 60% of real value — in order to find a buyer, this constitutes communal economic distress.
Question 5
Why does the Rambam rule that we do NOT pray for the cessation of heavy rains in Eretz Yisrael?
Halachah 15 explains that Eretz Yisrael's mountainous terrain and stone-built houses mean abundant rain causes no structural danger, and since it benefits the land's water supply, 'we do not fast to cause a benefit to pass.'