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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Micah
What is known about the prophet Micah? Micah was a (slightly later) contemporary of Isaiah. The dates of his birth and death aren’t known, but according to the Seder Olam (Ch. 20) he was the last of four prophets (Hosea,…
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Rabbi Akiva
When did Rabbi Akiva live? According to tradition, Rabbi Akiva lived for 120 years. If he died shortly after the Bar Kokhva rebellion, he lived to about 135 C.E., so if he was 120 at that time he would have…
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Rabbi Chalafta ben Dosa
When did Rabbi Chalafta ben Dosa live? He was one of the later Tannaim (sages of the Mishnah). In one place in the Talmud (Bava Metzia 94a, where he is called “Abba Chalafta”) he is quoted as transmitting a tradition…
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Maimonides
Why is Maimonides so highly regarded? Moses ben Maimon was born in Cordova, Spain in 1135, into an old Rabbinical family. Because of religious persecution, the family moved several times, finally settling in Egypt, where Maimonides became head of the…
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What is Torah?
What are we referring to when we use the word ‘Torah’? In order to give you a clear picture of what Torah is, it is necessary to first provide you with a little historical background and context. We read in…
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The Soul After Death
According to Jewish tradition, does the soul goto heaven immediately when someone dies? The idea that the soul remains near the body for three days after a person dies is mentioned in the Talmud Yerushalmi (Moed Katan 3:5): "For three…
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Ephrayim and Menasheh
Why did Jacob favor Ephrayim, the younger son, over Menasheh, the younger son, when he blessed Joseph’s children? Rashi (on Gen. 48:19) explains that Jacob knew that Joshua, Moses’ successor, would be descendend from Ephrayim. It should also be pointed…
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Kemach Yoshon
What is Kemach Yoshon? Why are so many more people particular about it today than ten years ago? The Torah (VaYikra 23:14) forbids eating grain products (made of wheat, barley, oats, spelt, or rye) that took root after the 16th…
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The Torah View on Abortion
What is the Torah view on abortion? Answer: The Torah holds human life to be of the utmost value; this applies also to fetal life. Hence abortion is basically forbidden. However, the Torah differentiates between born and unborn life, and…