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.
-
Creation of the Angels
When were the angels created? According to the Midrash (Gen. Rabbah 11:9), the angels were created on the second day.
-
People before Adam
Were there people before Adam? The Talmud (Chagigah 14a; Avos de-Rabbi Noson 31:3) speaks about “974 generations” before the world was created, but it explains that the people who would have lived in those “generations” were in fact not physically…
-
Let US Make Man
In connection with the creation of man, why does the Torah use the plural (“Let US make a man in Our image”)? The plural indicates that G-d was showing courtesy to the angels in consulting them about the creation of…
-
The Kedushah
What is the origin of the Kedushah? The core of the Kedushah (in every amidah) consists of the two verses from Isaiah 6:3 and Ezekiel 3:12. The earliest source that mentions these verses is Tosefta Berachos 1:11. The introductory passage,…
-
“She-hem Mishtachavim” in Aleinu
Why was the sentence “She-hem mishtachavim…” deleted from the Aleinu prayer? The historians tell us that the phrase was deleted under repeated pressure from Christian censors during the 14th to 17th centuries. The connection (by Gematria) to Christianity is in…
-
Abarbanel
Who was Abarbanel? Rabbi Yitzchak Abarbanel was born in Lisbon, Portugal in 1437. As a young man he became minister of the Treasury to Alfonso, King of Portugal. On Alfonso’s death in 1481 he moved to Spain and was given…
-
Ramban
Who was the Ramban? Rabbi Mosheh ben Nachman (Ramban) was born in Gerona, Catalonia in 1194. In 1263 he was ordered to participate in a debate with the convert Pablo Christiani in Barcelona. Because of his success in this debate…
-
Rashbam
Who was the Rashbam? Rabbi Shemuel ben Meir (Rashbam), a grandson of Rashi, was born in France in the early 1080’s and died around 1160(?). He wrote commentaries and novellae (tosafos) on the Talmud as well as commentaries on most…
-
The Menorah
What is the history of the Menorah? A golden Menorah, with six branches curving up from a central stem, was one of the furnishings in Moses’ Tabernacle (Ex. 25:31-40, 37: 17-24). The branches and stem carried lamps which burned olive…