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.
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Japheth
What is known about Noah’s son Japheth? The Midrash doesn’t say much about Japheth,except to note that he didn’t take the lead in covering his drunken father, even though he was the older brother. Noah’s blessing of Shem and Japheth…
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Yiscah
Who was Yiscah? The Torah doesn’t say explicitly that Yiscah (Gen. 11:29) is Sarah, but the Talmud (Megillah 14a) does say so. Rashi (on v.29) adds that the name “Yiscah” is related to the word “nesichah” (“anointed one”, i.e., royalty),…
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Pharaoh and Sarah
How was Pharaoh punished when he took Sarah? The Midrash says that Pharaoh and his household were smitten with leprosy.
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The Word “AVRECH”
What does AVRECH (Gen.41:43) mean? The Hebrew word AVRECH, is interpreted in several ways. The Targum translates it as “This is the king’s father” (from AV, father, and RECH, an Aramaic word meaning “king”). The Midrash gives two other interpretations:…
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The Jewish Tribes
Do we know what tribes Jews come from? Priests (Kohanim) and Levites are from the tribe of Levi. Otherwise, Jews’ tribal lineages are hardly ever known, though a few Jews trace their descent back to King David, which means they’re…
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The Hebrews in Egypt
How long were the Hebrews in Egypt? How long were they enslaved there? The time from the arrival of Jacob and his family in Egypt until the Exodus was only 210 years. The 400 years in Gen.15:13 is from the…
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The Baby Moses
How did Moses’ mother “see that he was good” when he was born (Ex.2:2)? Avos de-Rabbi Noson asks “What could his mother have seen in him to know that he was better than other men?”, and answers that he was…
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Job
When did Job live? The Talmud (Bava Basra 15a) records many opinions as to when Job lived. A particularly popular view is that he lived in the time of Moses.
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The Angel at the Red Sea
Who was the angel who shielded the Israelites from the Egyptians before they crossed the Red Sea? The commentaries say that the angel in Ex.14:19-20 was the same one who carried the pillars of cloud and fire before the Israelites…