Biblical History
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Moses, Circumcision, and Penalty of Death
Please explain Exodus 4:24 to 4:27. Thanks The Torah describes a very unusual course of events in these passages. Moses stops off at an inn on his way back to Egypt. Suddenly, we find that G-d seeks to kill him,…
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Moses, Aaron, and Exodus 2:1-2
Exodus 2:1-2 states: “And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi. So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid…
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Did Jephtah Kill His Daughter as an Offering?
In Judges 11:29-40, did Jephtah (Yiftach) kill his daughter as an offering? Although there are commentators who say that he did kill his daughter, most understand that he placed her in seclusion for the rest of her life. The Talmud…
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Skin of the Tachash
At least 6 times, G-d calls for the covering of the sacred parts of the Tabernacle (see Exodus 25) “with the skin of the dolphin.” Why the dolphin? I assume that you have read some translation of the Torah that…
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Noah’s Children
Who were Noah’s children? Did he have any? How did the world become populated after the flood (he only took animals on the ark, right? – not a wife or kids or anything?)? I’m having trouble constructing genealogy of Judaism.…
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Sarah Related to Abraham
How was Abraham’s wife Sarai related to him? I have heard that she the daughter of his brother Haran. Is it right? That is correct. She was his niece, but raised with him in his father’s home like a sister,…
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Abraham’s Mother
What is the name of Abraham’s Mother? The name of Abraham’s mother is ‘Amasloee’ (Babylonian Talmud, Baba Basra 91a). Yours sincerely, Ari Lobel
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Adam, a Hermaphrodite?
This is a strange question, but I’ve been curious about the syntax of the sentence in Genesis (1:27) where it states that “God created man, in His image he created them; male and female he created them.” Is the Hebrew…
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Archaeology and the Exodus
I have been asked by a friend about the historicity of the Exodus event (ie: archaelogical evidence) Is there evidence for this event in Egypt or within Israel? I am asking as someone with a sincere interest in this portion…