Jewish History
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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…
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The Word of G-d
What can G-d’s Word be compared to? G-d’s Word is compared to a light (Psalms 119:105); it is also compared to a fire and a sledgehammer (Jeremiah 23:29).
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Redeeming First Born Males
Why do only male first born have to be redeemed? The sanctification of the first born (which is why they require redemption) can be regarded as a consequence of the Tenth Plague in Egypt, which killed all the Egyptian male…
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The Duration of the Flood
How long did the Flood last? The Flood began on the 17th of Cheshvan (see Gen. 7:11); the earth became dry on the 27th of that month, the following year (Gen. 8:14). Since 12 lunar months are about 354 days,…
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The Weeping of Jacob and Esau
When Jacob and Esau embraced, why did they both weep? The Midrash Rabbah says, in the name of R. Yanai, that when Esau embraced Jacob, he tried to bite Jacob’s neck rather than to kiss him (le-nashcho rather than le-nashko),…