Jewish Texts
-
Waters in the Sky at Creation
Please explain when God created the earth what it means when it is described as “Let there be a dome in the middle of the water; let it divide the water under the dome from the water above the dome;…
-
Genesis 3:16 – “He Will Rule Over You”
After Adam and Eve are sent out of the Garden of Eden, G-d informs them of the new social and physical order within which humanity will now exist. In this world, the ground is cursed and we will eat by…
-
Arius Calpurnius Piso and Scripture
I’ve recently been reading about a person named “Arius Calpurnius Piso”. Apparently, this person, and members of his family, were responsible for creating the “New Testament”. Although I’m not particularly bothered by that, I am bothered by the contention that…
-
Borders of Israel
Why does the Torah provide two different accounts of the borders that are to define Israel; each border fairly different than the other? (Shemos 23:31 and Bamidbar 34:2) Answer: Thanks for asking this question. This question is a great one…
-
Innocent Midianite Children
In Numbers 31, Why did Moses order the death of the young male children if they could not have participated in any way in causing the Children of Israel to sin? What are the ethical and moral ramifications of Moses’s…
-
How Evil were Dasan and Aviram?
How did Dasan and Aviram leave Egypt Answer: Hi! You’re asking a very interesting question. You didn’t explain, but I think you’re assuming that Reshaim (sinful people) didn’t get to leave Egypt. It isn’t so. The sages of the Talmud…
-
Kohanim from Aaron and Pinchas
Why do we usually say that the Kohanim (Jewish priestly class who are honored with the service in the Temple) are from Aharon and not from Pinchas? Answer: Pinchas was the grandson of Aharon (Bava Basra 109b). When Hashem created…
-
Non-Jewish Prophets
I was reading the story of Bilaam and I understand that he was a non-Jewish prophet (even though an evil one.) I also have heard of Job as a prophet. Were there any other Non Jewish prophets? Answer: It doesn’t…
-
Moses, Free Choice, and Hitting the Rock
G-d tells Moses in Egypt that he will not be going in to Israel. Â Only later on did he commit the sin of hitting the rock, and the nation is told he will not be going into Israel. Was Moses…