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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Cursing
What are the laws about cursing someone? How is "cursing" defined? "Cursing" isn’t the same thing as using improper language; it means saying something like "may G-d smite you" (see Deut. 28:22,27,28,35). "G-d damn you" would probably qualify as a…
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Ethical Wills
What is an “ethical will”? An ethical will is a document in which a parent urges his children to live good lives after he is gone. The two-volume collection “Hebrew Ethical Wills” (edited by Israel Abrahams; Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia,…
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Relationship With Friends
What does Judaism teach us about our relationships with friends? The value of friends, and how we should behave toward them, are summed up in two passages: 1) Talmud, Ta’anis 7a: "I have learned much from my teachers, but from…
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The Free Choice of Adam
Did Adam have the option of not eating from the Tree of Knowledge? What would have happened if he hadn’t? Man was created with free will; that’s why he can be rewarded or punished for his actions. How free will…
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A Poor Man is Like a Dead Man
What is the source of the saying “A poor man is like a dead man”? The Talmud (Nedarim 64b) says that a man who has become poor is regarded as though he had died. In Ex. 4:19 G-d tells Moses…
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The Sapphires in Job
What is the meaning of the “sapphires” in Job Ch. 28? Ch. 28 in Job is contrasting precious metals and precious stones, which do occur in nature, with wisdom, which is truly hard to find (see verse 12); thus the…
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What is His Name…
What is the meaning of the verse (Prov. 30:4), "mah shemo u-mah shem beno" – "what is his name and what is his son’s name?". The Midrash on Proverbs explains each phrase of this verse as referring to a different…
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The Beauty of Holiness
What is the meaning of the “beauty of holiness” in Psalm 110? The sages interpret Ch.110 of Psalms as written in praise of Abraham. The phrase “hadrei kodesh” is interpreted in several different ways by the commentators. Rashbam says it…
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Golems
What does the Bible tell us about golems? Psalm 139:16 says “Your eyes have seen my unformed substance”; the Hebrew word for “my unformed substance” is “golmi”, which can be translated “my golem”. The sole occurrence of the word “golem”…