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 Date of the Exodus
When was the Exodus? The Exodus was in the year 2448 after the Creation, around 3315 years ago.
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Jewish Sects during the Second Temple
What were the Jewish sects in the time of the Second Temple? Josephus, writing about that period, speaks about three principal “philosophies” of the Jews, associated with groups called the Sadducees, Pharisees, and Essenes. The first group, to which many…
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The Rivers of Eden
Can the four rivers that flowed out of Eden be identified? Two of the rivers are the Tigris and the Euphrates (Gen. 2:14). The sources of the Euphrates are in northeast Turkey; it flows southward into northern Syria, then turns…
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The Gates of Jerusalem
Nehemiah Ch.3 mentions about a dozen gates of the city of Jerusalem. Are the names of these gates symbolic? When the first three gates are mentioned, Rashi says "That [was] the name of the gate" or "That [was] its name".…
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The Ancient Paths
What are the "ancient paths" mentioned in Jeremiah 6:16? The "ancient paths" are the paths of righteousness followed by our ancestors (commentary of RaDaK). The Midrash amplifies this: Consider in what path Abraham and Jacob went, and in what path…
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The Conversion of a Child
How is a minor child converted? When there’s a good reason to convert a child (adoption, or conversion of a parent), the conversion is done by a Rabbinical court, but when the child’s parents didn’t also convert, the child’s conversion…
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The Converted Convert:
I am a Jew by choice. What would my status be if I chose not to continue to practice Judaism? Part of the conversion ceremony is a commitment to keep all of the Halachah. Once a person has done this,…
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The Mezuza as a Protector
A sick friend of mine was told to change the scrolls in the mezuzah on her door. What is the significance of this and why was it suggested? The mezuzah is a small piece of parchment with two paragraphs from…
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The Name HaShem
What does HaShem mean? The term HaShem literally means "The Name". This term is used by Jews to refer to God. Jews use a substitute for the actual Name of God because Jewish law forbids the pronunciation of God’s Name.…