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 Authorship of the Bible
Who wrote the books of the Bible? The first five books of the Bible (the Pentateuch) were given to Moses by G-d. The next group of books, the Prophets, were written by prophets, and so were also Divinely inspired. The…
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Angels
What are angels? The Bible uses the term “Malachim” (Hebrew for “messengers”), which is often translated as “angels”; see, for example, Genesis 16:7 and 19:1. The Jewish tradition is that the angels were created on the second day, and that…
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Observing the Torah for its Own Sake
Must the Torah be observed only for its own sake? A person who wants to follow the Torah is at a higher level than a person who follows it because he feels compelled to, or because he knows that he…
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Angels having Wings
Do angels have wings? Angels with wings appear in (Christian) art, but the angels (“messengers”) mentioned in the Torah aren’t described as having wings — they were usually indistinguishable from people. Other types of supernatural creatures, such as the Keruvim…
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Inheritance by the First Born
Do the laws of inheritance by the first born apply only to males? The word BECHOR is used only for males in Tanach. The sources don’t explicitly say that a boy is called a BECHOR even if he was preceded…
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Satan
What is Satan? “Satan” in Hebrew means “adversary”; see Num.22:22. Angels (“messengers”) are sometimes assigned to rebuke or test people; examples are Balaam (loc.cit.) and Job (1:6ff).
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Evil Spirits
Does G-d make use of evil spirits to do bad things? Both good and evil are G-d’s creations; see Isaiah 45:7. He can certainly make use of evil spirits, for example to smite the Egyptian firstborn (Ex. 11:23). The “evil…
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Belittling Non-Jews
Is it proper to belittle non-Jews? It’s wrong to belittle non-Jews who observe the Noahide laws. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 102b; Tosefta 13:2) says that the righteous of the nations have a share in the World to Come, and this is…
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Counting People
Is counting people allowed? Counting people directly isn’t allowed; that’s why Moses was told to take a census by collecting a half-shekel from each person and then counting the money (Ex.30:11-12).