Biblical History
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The Patriarchs' Names
What are the meanings of the names of the people who lived between Adam and Noah? Adam's name refers to the fact that he was made from earth (Adamah). Seth's name was given to him by Eve because he was…
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The Ten Plagues and the Hebrews
Did any of the Ten Plagues affect the Hebrews? Ibn Ezra (on Ex. 7:24) says that many of the plagues affected the Hebrews as well as the Egyptians; they were explicitly spared only from Arov, Dever, Barad, and Choshech.
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Tzelofechad’s Daughters
What do Tzelofechad’s daughters names mean? What happened to them? There’s no midrash that explains the meanings of Zelophehad’s daughters names. Machlah is probably related to Machol (dance), and Noah to (graceful) movement, while Choglah may be related to Igul…
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Baruch ben Neriah
Who was Baruch ben Neriah? Baruch ben Neriah functioned as Jeremiah's secretary. When Jeremiah was imprisoned, Baruch wrote out Jeremiah's prophecies and read them to the people in the Temple, but when he afterwards read them to the nobles, the…
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The Right of Succession
Does a son automatically succeed his father? The basic sources on right of succession to public office are Rambam, Hilchos Melachim 1:7, and Rema, Yoreh Deah 245:22. For additional references, including citations from the Israeli courts, see the article on…
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Mitzvos
What is a mitzvah? "Mitzvah" translates as "commandment", but it is sometimes used with the meaning of "good deed".
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Fallen Angels and Satan
Who were the fallen angels? Was Satan one of them? In the Jewish tradition, Satan isn’t a “fallen” angel; he’s an angel whose occupation is tempting men to sin, as illustrated in Ch.1 of Job. “Satan” means something like “adversary”;…
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When Adam was Created
Exactly when was Adam created? Adam was created on Friday, the sixth day of creation (Gen.1:27). According to the Talmud (Sanhedrin 38b), the creation of Adam started at the first hour of the day, and the soul was put into…
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Adam's Language
What language did Adam speak? Adam and his descendents spoke Hebrew, but it split into 70 languages, one for each of the descendants of Noah's sons, when they attempted to build a tower to heaven (Gen. 11:1-9).