Biblical History
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Women as Slaves in Egypt
Did the Egyptians enslave only the Jewish men? The women were enslaved too; the Talmud (Sotah 11b), commenting on Ex.1:14, says that one of the bad things about the slavery in Egypt was that women had to do men’s work…
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Different Nuschaos
How did the different versions (nuschaos) of the prayers originate? If one has a choice, which nusach should he adopt? The different versions of the prayers resulted from natural divergences over the years. One who can choose a nusach should…
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Angels having Wings
Do angels have wings? Angels with wings appear in (Christian) art, but the angels (“messengers”) mentioned in the Torah aren’t described as having wings — they were usually indistinguishable from people. Other types of supernatural creatures, such as the Keruvim…
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Satan
What is Satan? “Satan” in Hebrew means “adversary”; see Num.22:22. Angels (“messengers”) are sometimes assigned to rebuke or test people; examples are Balaam (loc.cit.) and Job (1:6ff).
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Lilith
Was Lilith Adam’s first wife? In early sources, Lilith is a demoness. There is also a medieval source, known as the “Alphabet of Ben Sira” (a small collection of epigrams and moral tales; not authored by the Ben Sira who…
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The Nephilim
Who were the Nephilim? The nephilim were giants (Num.13:33). They were the result of matings between human women and “Benei Elokim”. “Nephilim” can be translated as “fallen ones”.
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Methuselah
Who was Methuselah? Methuselah was the grandfather of Noah; he is listed in the genealogy of Adam’s descendents (see Gen. 5:21,25-27). The first ten generations in this genealogy were noted for their extraordinarily long lives — for example, Adam lived…
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The Date of the Flood
When did the Great Flood happen? The Great Flood happened when Noah was 600 (Gen.7:11). According to the chronology in Gen.Ch.5, Noah was born in the year 1056 after the Creation, so the flood took place in the year 1656…
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Nimrod
Who was Nimrod? Nimrod was a great-grandson of Noah (son of Kush, who was the son of Ham). His story is briefly given in Gen. 10:8-12, where he is called "a mighty hunter before Ha-Shem". He was king in Babylon,…