Biblical History
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The Elders in Devarim
Who are the elders that Moses is referring to in Deuteronomy 32:7? Answer: “Elders” can be translated literally as “old people”, as in Targum Onkelos. It can also refer to Torah scholars, or to the Torah itself; see Targum Yonasan…
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The Fire on the Altar
How was a fire kept buring permanently on the Altar? A large supply of wood was kept on hand, and the ashes were periodically cleaned away. There was plenty of room on the altar to keep the fire burning in…
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Elijah
What can you tell me about the prophet Elijah? His activities are described in 1 Kings, Ch. 17ff. As told in 2 Kings Ch. 2, he didn’t die, but was taken up to Heaven. Since that time he has been…
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Zechariah
What can you tell me about the prophet Zechariah? Zechariah was one of the last prophets; he lived at the time of the return of the Jews from the Babylonian exile. In Ch.14, the last chapter of his book, he…
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Noah After the Flood
Where did Noah live after the Flood? The Torah doesn’t name the place where Noah’s family settled after the Ark landed on the mountains of Ararat. The Book of Jubilees (Ch.7) tells about three cities near Mount Lubar that Noah’s…
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Day and Night Before the Sun was Created
How can there have been “days” and “nights” before the sun was created? Before light was created on the first day, there was darkness (Gen.1:2). The terms “evening” and “morning” are used to describe the transitions between the first, second,…
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Abraham not Protesting the Akedah
Why didn’t Abraham protest when he was told to sacrifice Isaac, when he did protest about the destruction of possible righteous people in Sodom? 1) For a (relatively) disinterested person to protest against possible injustice is one thing; to disobey…
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Where Noah Built the Ark
Where did Noah build the ark? There doesn’t seem to be anything in the sources about the place where the ark was built. It couldn’t have been in Eretz Yisroel, because there was no flood there.
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Tola ben Puah
Who was Tola ben Puah? He was a judge from the tribe of Yissachar (Judges 10:1) who ruled Israel for 23 years after the reigns of Gideon and his son Avimelech (ending in 2726). The Midrash tells us nothing about…