Jewish Texts
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The Merit of Abraham’s Father
What did Abraham’s father, an idol worshiper, do to deserve to have a son like Abraham? Hi! I have been giving your question a lot of thought, and consulting with some of my own teachers. Still, the following is no…
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Wells
What is the significance of Wells in the Torah? Wells are symbolic of something hidden beneath the surface, often internal. Therefore, when the Torah describes our Forefathers as digging wells, aside from the simple meaning, it is also an allegory…
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Biblical History, Post-Biblical History, The Chumash (Five Books of Moses), The Prophets and Writings
Dinah and Tamar
I recently came across the story of Tamar, the daughter of David, who was raped by her brother, Amnon. This reminded me of the story of Dinah, Jacob’s daughter, who was raped–though not incestuously. I can’t seem to find Torah…
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The Numbers in the Torah’s Census
I was looking into the census of the Jews in the Torah. It seems somewhat strange (and statistically unlikely) that every single tribe had a “round” number — all but one rounded to hundreds, and only one (Gad) showing a…
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Census of the Jewish Encampment
I am trying to help my daughter understand the portion that discusses Moses taking a census of all the head of the tribes. I am having trouble relating this to us/my daughter and her life today. I was hoping for…
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Repetition in the Torah
When the Old Testament repeats a idea or command from God through his prophets is there any significance to this? I thought I heard once that when scripture repeats itself it is highly regarded as significant. There is not one…
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Dashing the Blood on the Altar
Leviticus Chapter 3:2 “And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the tent of meeting; and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall dash the blood against the altar around it.”…
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The Haftorah Before Passover
What is the correlation between the Haftorah in Malachi read before Passover and the Passover holiday? We read from the last Chapter of the Prophet Malachi (chapter 3, from verse 4 to the end) on Shabbos HaGadol (lit. “The Great…
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Torah Study Methods
I was wondering what is the best and most effective way to study Torah? Is it traditional to read out loud to oneself, or should I read quietly and meditate on each passage? While some people prefer to study quietly…