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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Childlessness
What is the Jewish view about childlessness? Childlessness has always been regarded as a terrible thing. See Gen. 15:1-2, where G-d promises Abraham great rewards, and Abraham replies “What can You give me? I am childless!”.
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Matrilineal Descent
What is the source of the law that a child is Jewish only if its mother is Jewish? The statement that Jewish identity is determined by the mother is found in the Mishnah (Kiddushin 3:12), which says that the child…
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The Sifsei Chachamim
What is the book Sifsei Chachamim? It was written by Rabbi Shabsai Bass in Amsterdam in 1680. It is a clear, concise commentary on Rashi’s commentary on the Torah, containing explanations collected from many sources, and also giving the sources…
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Ben Stada
Who was Ben Stada? The Talmud (Shabbos 104b) mentions a person named Ben Stada, and says that he was also called Ben Pandira and that his mother’s name was Miriam. The suggestion has been made that this is a reference…
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The Jews as a Race or Religion
Are the Jews a race or a religion? Judaism is a religion which anyone can adopt by going through a process of conversion. In addition, anyone descended from Jacob, or from a convert, in the female line is regarded as…
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The Times of the Prophets
When did the prophets live? The Talmud (Megillah 14a) lists 48 prophets and seven prophetesses, but the exact dates of most of them are not known. The three major prophets who authored books, and the approximate B.C.E. dates of their…
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The Names and Dates of the Kings
What were the dates of the Jewish kings? The following is a list of the Jewish kings in Biblical times and their B.C.E. dates according to the Encyclopedia Judaica (vol. 8, table beginning after col. 766): Saul, 1020-1009. David, 1004-965.…
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The “Messiah” in Daniel
Who is the Messiah referred to in Daniel 9:25? According to the Jewish commentators, in both of these occurrences, “messiah” (“anointed one”) refers to a king. In v.25 it refers to King Cyrus of Persia, who is called “G-d’s anointed…
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The Mistrust of the Samaritans
Why were the Samaritans mistrusted? The enmity between the Jews and the Samaritans goes back to the time when the Second Temple was being built after the Jews returned from the Babylonian exile; for the history of that period see…