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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The Manna
What did the manna look like? The Torah (Ex. 16:148; Num.11:7-9) says that the manna accompanied the dew, was in a thin layer, and looked like frost. It also says that the people ground the manna in mills or mortars,…
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The “Half-Tribe” of Menasheh
Is Menasheh called a “half-tribe” because his mother was Egyptian? There was nothing inferior about Joseph’s children; they were adopted by Jacob as full-fledged tribes of Israel (Gen.48:5). But after the Exodus, when the Israelites approached the promised land, some…
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The Wall of Jericho
Has the wall of Jericho (Joshua 6:20) been found by archeologists? Archeologists haven’t uncovered traces of the fallen wall, perhaps because it was a mud-brick wall and was washed away by rain and erosion after it fell. (The wall was…
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Ruth and Boaz
Why did Naomi tell Ruth to lie down at Boaz’s feet? Naomi knew that Boaz was in line to marry Ruth; some relative was supposed to do this because her husband had died childless. Advising Ruth to lie down at…
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The Ten Men of G-d
What ten men are called “Men of G-d”? The Midrash (Seder Olam Ch.2; Sifrei, end of Deut.) says that ten men were called “ish ha-Elokim” (“man of G-d”): Moses, Elkanah, Shemuel, David, Shemaiah, Edo, Elijah, Elisha, Micah, and Amotz.
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The Jewish Leaders
Who were the leaders of the Jewish people in Biblical times? The descendants of Judah became temporal leaders, and were sometimes also spiritual leaders. The priesthood stayed in Aaron’s famiy, but prophecy and the teaching of Torah spread from Moses…
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Unpopular Prophets
Why were so many of the prophets unpopular? The people didn’t want to hear the painful truths that the prophets were telling them.
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The City of David
If David was born in Bethlehem (see 1 Sam. Ch. 16), why is Jerusalem called the City of David? When David conquered Jerusalem, he called it the City of David; see 2 Sam. 5:6-10.
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David and Jerusalem
Did David found Jerusalem? The city definitely existed before David; it was occupied by the Jebusites, who were not conquered in the time of Joshua (Joshua 15:63) until they were defeated by David. It existed even in Abraham’s time, when…