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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Sefardic and Ashkenazic Customs
When and where do Sefardic and Ashkenazic customs come from? The differences are a natural result of the dispersion of the Jewish community. Sefarad is actually Hebrew for Spain — after the Spanish expulsion in the late 15th century, many…
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Women and Talmud
Can women study Talmud? Yes, women _can_ study Talmud. Generally, however, Judaism recognizes certain differences in men and women. To ignore these differences is to ignore biology — our brains are physically and chemically different, and our needs are different.…
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The Torah Starting with a Beis
Why does the Torah begin with the Hebrew letter "B" instead of with "A"? The Talmud Yerushalmi (Chagigah 2:1) says that the Torah begins with a "B" instead of an "A" because the word "baruch" ("blessed") begins with "B", whereas…
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The Best for Last
Where do we get the concept of saving the best for last? The concept is derived from Gen. 33:2, where Jacob (when he met Esau) put his concubines and their children first, and Leah and her children after them, and…
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Animal Sacrifices in Jewish Law
What does Jewish law tell us about animal sacrifices? Sacrifice of animals dates back to earliest times; it was practiced, for example, by Abel (Gen.4:4) and Noah (Gen.8:20). The Jewish sacrificial laws are detailed in the first seven chapters of…
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The Book of Enoch
What is the Book of Enoch? Answer: The Book of Enoch bears the name of the Patriarch Enoch, great-grandfather of Noah, and consists of discourses on apocalyptic and cosmological subjects. Two such books are extant; both of them can be…
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The Crucifixion
Did the Jews crucify Jesus? According to Christian theology the Romans killed Jesus, it was Jesus’s fate to be crucified and was his mission on this world, and according to the Pope and the Vatican the claim of deicide (that…
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Did Jesus Ever Exist?
I was curious if the Jewish religion believes that Jesus ever existed. If not, then what evidence is used to support this belief? Thank you very much for having this medium of information available. Answer: Thank you for your question.…
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The Resurection of Jesus
People have been telling me that Jesus was the Messiah and that the proof is his resurrection. I am so confused and I need to find the truth before someone takes it away from me. The good news is that…