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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When Adam was Created
Exactly when was Adam created? Adam was created on Friday, the sixth day of creation (Gen.1:27). According to the Talmud (Sanhedrin 38b), the creation of Adam started at the first hour of the day, and the soul was put into…
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Adam's Language
What language did Adam speak? Adam and his descendents spoke Hebrew, but it split into 70 languages, one for each of the descendants of Noah's sons, when they attempted to build a tower to heaven (Gen. 11:1-9).
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The First Monotheist
Was Abraham the first monotheist? Abraham was the first Jew (or more precisely: the first Hebrew), but he wasn't the first monotheist. Some of the leaders of the generations between Adam and Terach were undoubtedly pagans, but some of them,…
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Abraham's Brother Haran
How old was Abraham's brother Haran when his children were born? According to the Talmud (Sanhedrin 69b), Abraham was two years older than Haran (Abraham, Nachor, and Haran were born in three successive years: Gen.11:26), and Abraham's wife Sarai is…
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Moses' Farewell Message
Did Moses read HAAZINU twice? Moses recited HAAZINU to the elders and the "congregation" (31:28,30) using very strong language (31:29), and afterwards he recited it to the "people" (32:44-45) using much softer language (32:46-47). The point seems to be that…
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Joshua
Who was Joshua? Joshua was Moses’ disciple. He was one of the two spies (Num.13-14) whom Moses sent to Canaan and who didn’t try to discourage the people from invading. He succeeded Moses, led the invasion, conquered Canaan and divided…
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Gideon “Testing” G-d
When Gideon “tested” G-d (Judges Ch. 6), wasn’t he violating Deut. 6:16? Deut.6:16 means that we shouldn’t DOUBT G-d. The second half of the verse refers to the specific event described in Ex.17:7.
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The Kuzari
What is the Kuzari? R. Yehudah Ha-Levi's Kuzari is a highly regarded work devoted to the justification of Judaism. It is presented as a dialog between a Rabbi and the king of the Khazars when he was considering whether to…
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Mixtures of Crops
What are the laws about mixtures of crops? Different kinds of food crops must not be planted in such a way that they grow mixed together (Yoreh Deah Sec.291). Grain or vegetables must not be planted next to grape vines…