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 Period of the Second Temple
How long did the Second Temple stand? According to the Jewish tradition, it stood for 420 years (Talmud Yoma 9a). This count of years is based on the computation in the Seder Olam, according to which the Persian period, from…
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The Division of the Land among the Tribes
How was the land divided among the twelve tribes? The Talmud (Bava Basra 122a) says that the division of the land was done by lot, using the Urim ve-Tumim. This was a Divinely controlled mechanism, so there was no doubt…
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The First and Second Temples
What things were in the First Temple but not in the Second temple? The Talmud (Yoma 21b) lists five things that were lacking in the Second Temple: the fire that came down from heaven, the Ark, the Urim ve-Tumim, the…
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The Poles of the Ark
Why was it forbidden to remove the poles on which the Ark was carried (Ex. 25:15), but not the poles on which the other Temple utensils were carried? The Sefer Ha-Chinuch suggests that the Ark poles were especially important because…
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The Altar
Was the altar built before the Temple? Was it on the site of Abraham’s altar? The First Temple was built on Mount Moriah (2 Chron.3:1), but Abraham’s altar isn’t mentioned; rather, the spot where the Temple was built was the…
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The Urim ve-Tumim
What were the Urim ve-Tumim? According to most commentators, the Urim ve-Tumim were the stones in the Kohen Gadol’s breastplate (and possibly ephod; see Ex.Ch.28). These stones were engraved with the names of the tribes, and they conveyed messages by…
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A Kohen who Sins
Is a Kohen who sins allowed to serve in the Temple? If a Kohen becomes an apostate, his service is invalid; see Ezekiel 44:12-13. A Kohen who is a chronic sinner should not be allowed to serve (Aruch Ha-Shulchan He-Asid,…
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The Death Penalty
Do the Jews believe in the death penalty for murder? The death penalty for murder is explicit in several places; two examples are Gen.9:6 and Lev.24:17,21. But Rabbinical courts rarely carried out the death penalty (Mishnah Makkos 1:10), and today…
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Sins Punishable by Death
What sins are punishable by death? The Mishnah in Sanhedrin enumerates the sins that carry death penalties. They include various sexual offenses and idolatrous practices, as well as blasphemy, murder, and desecration of the Sabbath. But even when the Sanhedrin…