Jewish History
-
Hardening Pharaoh's Heart
Why did G-d harden Pharaoh's heart? Pharaoh hardened his own heart in spite of the first few plagues, but the last few plagues were more severe, and he might have let the Hebrews go if G-d hadn't assisted with the…
-
Jeremiah's Daughter
Did Jeremiah's daughter become pregnant from her father's semen in a bath? That story is told in a medieval collection of legends called the "Alphabet of Ben Sira", where it also says that the son born to Jeremiah's daughter was…
-
Joshua's Shoes
Why was Joshua asked (5:15) to take off only one shoe when he met the angel? Ibn Kaspi points out that in Yehoshua 1:3 it says "Everywhere that the sole of your foot steps will be yours". There too it…
-
Ema Shalom
Who was Ema Shalom? Ema Shalom was the sister of R.Gamliel (of Yavneh) and the wife of R. Eliezer b.Hyrkanos. Three stories are told about her in the Talmud: In Shab.116a, where she tries to persuade a dishonest magistrate to…
-
Ezra as a Kohen Gadol
Was Ezra a Kohen Gadol? The Rambam says (in the introduction to the Mishneh Torah) that Shimon ha-Tzadik “was the kohen gadol after Ezra”, but that doesn’t imply that Ezra himself was a kohen gadol. The Mishnah (Parah 3:5) lists…
-
Isaac's Age at the Akedah
How old was Isaac at the Akedah? The tradition is that Sarah died of shock when she heard that Isaac was to be sacrificed but hadn't yet heard that he was saved at the last moment. Since she was 90…
-
The Shaarei Teshuvah
Who wrote the Shaarei Teshuvah? R.Chayim Mordechai b. Menachem Manis Margalios, author of the Shaarei Teshuvah, was Rav in Dubno and passed away on 16 Shevat 5583 (1823-4). The Shaarei Teshuvah was first published in an edition of the Shulchan…
-
Jew: A nation or religion?
I have several questions about the Jewish Religion 1. Is Jew a race and a religion, serperate from each other? 2. Is it seperate but being a Jewish nation with a Jewish religion? 3. Are some Jews not be of…
-
Japheth
What is known about Noah’s son Japheth? The Midrash doesn’t say much about Japheth,except to note that he didn’t take the lead in covering his drunken father, even though he was the older brother. Noah’s blessing of Shem and Japheth…