Biblical History

Why did G-d choose ravens, which are unclean birds, to feed Elijah? The raven has a reputation for harshness and cruelty. By choosing ravens to bring food to Elijah, G-d was demonstrating that even unkind creatures can perform kind acts,…

Why did G-d harden Pharaoh's heart? Pharaoh hardened his own heart in spite of the first few plagues, but the last few plagues were more severe, and he might have let the Hebrews go if G-d hadn't assisted with the…

Did Jeremiah's daughter become pregnant from her father's semen in a bath? That story is told in a medieval collection of legends called the "Alphabet of Ben Sira", where it also says that the son born to Jeremiah's daughter was…

Why was Joshua asked (5:15) to take off only one shoe when he met the angel? Ibn Kaspi points out that in Yehoshua 1:3 it says "Everywhere that the sole of your foot steps will be yours". There too it…

Was Ezra a Kohen Gadol? The Rambam says (in the introduction to the Mishneh Torah) that Shimon ha-Tzadik “was the kohen gadol after Ezra”, but that doesn’t imply that Ezra himself was a kohen gadol. The Mishnah (Parah 3:5) lists…

How old was Isaac at the Akedah? The tradition is that Sarah died of shock when she heard that Isaac was to be sacrificed but hadn't yet heard that he was saved at the last moment. Since she was 90…

What is known about Noah’s son Japheth? The Midrash doesn’t say much about Japheth,except to note that he didn’t take the lead in covering his drunken father, even though he was the older brother. Noah’s blessing of Shem and Japheth…

Who was Yiscah? The Torah doesn’t say explicitly that Yiscah (Gen. 11:29) is Sarah, but the Talmud (Megillah 14a) does say so. Rashi (on v.29) adds that the name “Yiscah” is related to the word “nesichah” (“anointed one”, i.e., royalty),…

How was Pharaoh punished when he took Sarah? The Midrash says that Pharaoh and his household were smitten with leprosy.