The Great Rabbis
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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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The Sifsei Chachamim
What is the book Sifsei Chachamim? It was written by Rabbi Shabsai Bass in Amsterdam in 1680. It is a clear, concise commentary on Rashi’s commentary on the Torah, containing explanations collected from many sources, and also giving the sources…
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Rabbi Shmarya ben Elchanan
Who was Rabbi Shmarya ben Elchanan? R. Shmarya ben Elchanan lived in Egypt in the 10th century C.E. His father R.Elchanan was chief rabbi of Fostat. R.Shmarya was sent to Pumbedisa to study under R.Sherira Gaon. He was highly regarded,…
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Rabbi Yitzchak of Acco
Who was Rabbi Yitzchak of Acco? R.Yitzchak (b.Shemuel) of Acco was born in Eretz Yisroel in 1250 C.E. When Acco was conquered by the Egyptians in 1299 he apparently remained in the area, but in 1305 he was in Italy,…
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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 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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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),…
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The Seduction of David
Did Bathsheba try to seduce David? There is a Midrash (in Ginzei Schechter, vol.1, p.166) that says that Bathsheba, who knew she was destined to have a son by David, used to adorn herself and stand in front of David…