Jewish History
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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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The Reconciliation of Brothers
Were Isaac and Ishmael reconciled? What about Jacob and Esau? Answer: The Midrash deduces that Ishmael “reformed” from the fact that he gave precedence to Isaac at the burial of Abraham (Gen.25:9). Jacob and Esau had an apparently friendly meeting…
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Jewish Sources on Jesus
What do the Jewish sources tell us about Jesus? A person named Yeshu ha-Notzri (Jesus the Nazarene?) is mentioned several times in the Talmud, but the content of these references is not consistent with the story of Jesus as told…
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Ben Stada
Who was Ben Stada? The Talmud (Shabbos 104b) mentions a person named Ben Stada, and says that he was also called Ben Pandira and that his mother’s name was Miriam. The suggestion has been made that this is a reference…
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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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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,…
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Melchizedek
Who was Melchizedek? He was the king of Jerusalem (“Shalem”) in Abraham’s time (Gen. 14:18). The Targum and the Talmud identify him with Shem the son of Noah (Nedarim 32b). He was also a priest; the Rabbinical sources give no…