Rabbi Azriel Schreiber
855 answers
Whenever possible, JewishAnswers.org tries to include the name of the author on every post. However, at certain times, we make significant changes to the answers posted. In that case, we will often sign the post with our generic “pen name” – Rabbi Azriel Schreiber. This “pen name” may also be used when a writer declines to have his name published.
-
Pointing at the Torah
Why do people point at the Torah with their little finger? The poskim don't seem to mention which finger is used to point at the Torah. (Another thing done with the little finger – but of the left hand –…
-
Jewish Education
Where are we commanded to give our children a Jewish education? The two primary sources are in the first two paragraphs of the Shema, especially Deut.6:7 and 11:19.
-
Charoses
Where do we get the recipe for Charoses? The Tur (Sec.473) says that the ingredients of Charoses are things mentioned in the Song of Songs; these things include apples, nuts, and wine.
-
Moses in the Haggadah
Why is Moses' name hardly mentioned in the Haggadah? Moses' arguments with Pharaoh, and his bringing all the plagues on the Egyptians, didn't result in the Exodus until G-d Himself stepped in and smote the firstborn. As the Haggadah emphasizes,…
-
Divorcing a Woman Against her Will
Can a husband divorce his wife against her will? Originally a man could divorce his wife for any reason, but for the past thousand years it has been forbidden to divorce a woman against her will.
-
Ema Shalom
Who was Ema Shalom? Ema Shalom was the sister of R.Gamliel (of Yavneh) and the wife of R. Eliezer b.Hyrkanos. Three stories are told about her in the Talmud: In Shab.116a, where she tries to persuade a dishonest magistrate to…
-
Ezra as a Kohen Gadol
Was Ezra a Kohen Gadol? The Rambam says (in the introduction to the Mishneh Torah) that Shimon ha-Tzadik “was the kohen gadol after Ezra”, but that doesn’t imply that Ezra himself was a kohen gadol. The Mishnah (Parah 3:5) lists…
-
The Days of the Week
What do the Jews call the days of the week? The days of the Jewish week have no names; they are referred to as "first day", "second day", …, "sixth day", and "Sabbath", i.e. basically following the usage in Gen.Ch.1.
-
Burial Outside Israel
What happens to people who are not buried in the Land of Israel? Those who are buried outside Eretz Yisroel are transported there through tunnels. This is alluded to in the Gemara (Kesubos 111a), and is stated explicitly in the…