Biblical History
-
Date of Purim
Do we celebrate Purim on the date that victory was declared in the Jewish war against their Persian enemies? When did the war commence and what was the war’s duration? Answer: The war was fought on the 13th of the…
-
Egyptian Magic
How were the Egyptian magicians able to duplicate the first two plagues? Answer: The classical commentaries had no problem with the Egyptian magicians being able to duplicate the first two plagues, because they accepted the existence of demons and magic…
-
Did the Jews Build the Pyramids?
On Passover when we read that the Egyptians forced us to do back-breaking work isn’t there the implication that the work was building the Egyptian pyramids? Not simply Pithom and Ramses? It certainly was implied when we studied this in…
-
Accuracy of the Torah
 2Kings 22.8-20 and 2Chronicles 34.15 speak about Jews finding forgotten book of the Mosaic Law. Thus if Jews managed to somehow lose and forget a set of the written law, how on earth could they have kept the Oral one…
-
The Period Between the Temples
How long was the period between the First and Second Temples? Answer: Cyrus gave the Jews permission to return to their land and rebuild the Temple in the first year of his reign, which was about 50 years after Nebuchadnezzar…
-
Kohanim from Aaron and Pinchas
Why do we usually say that the Kohanim (Jewish priestly class who are honored with the service in the Temple) are from Aharon and not from Pinchas? Answer: Pinchas was the grandson of Aharon (Bava Basra 109b). When Hashem created…
-
Non-Jewish Prophets
I was reading the story of Bilaam and I understand that he was a non-Jewish prophet (even though an evil one.) I also have heard of Job as a prophet. Were there any other Non Jewish prophets? Answer: It doesn’t…
-
The Early Pharaohs
What were the names of the Pharaohs in the times of Abraham, Joseph, and Moses? Answer: According to a legend cited by Ginsburg, the Pharaoh in Abraham’s time was named Rakyon, and he is said to have been the first…
-
Age of Isaac and Rebecca
How old were Isaac and Rebekah when Jacob and Esau were born – 63 and 23 years? Answer: The verse (Gen. 25:26) explicitly records Isaac’s age at the birth of his two sons to be 60 years old. In Gen.25:20…