The Chumash (Five Books of Moses)
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Allegorical Lessons from the Exodus
I’m writing an English paper on the Book of Exodus as an allegory and was wondering if you had any thoughts that could aid in my thesis development. Additionally, if you have any book titles that could be helpful in…
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Torah Commentaries
How were Written Torah and Oral Torah learned before the commentaries and before the Talmud was written? An excellent question. Let’s discuss each component separately: 1) Written Torah: most of the commentaries we have on the Torah date from one…
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Who spoke from the Burning Bush?
In Exodus 3:2 it says that an angel of G-d appeared to him in a blaze of fire from amid the bush. In verse 4, it says that G-d called him from the bush. Was the burning bush an angel…
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Location of Noah’s Flood
Is it true that in the Talmud it says that Noah’s flood was only in Babylon? The only explicit Talmudic reference is Tractate Zevachim 113a where there is an opinion that the Flood did not take place in the Land…
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The Indispensable Oral Tradition
I am reading the Torah for the first time in about 10 years and have been considering it carefully over the past year. I have been wondering about the oral tradition and where it comes from. I have not yet…
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Jacob Called It Peniel but People Call It Penuel
I was in a class where it was stated that Genesis 32:31-32 is an example of scribal error. The contention was that the use of the word Peniel and then Penuel indicates scribal error. I had heard, a couple of…
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Choosing a King: Judah vs. Joseph
Why did Jacob anoint Judah, and not Joseph, as his heir apparent? Joseph clearly was Jacob’s favorite, and the one that Jacob was begging to see before he died. Instead, Jacob said that the kingdom of Israel would spring through…
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Hanukah and the Burning Bush
What are the similarities between the burning bush and the Hanukah candles? Fascinating question. The burning bush describes the difference between something that’s burning, and a wick. If the bush were to be its own fuel, it would be quickly…
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Tracing Lineage to Biblical Times
Is it possible to trace the genealogy of Adam and Eve all the way to people today? If not, then does anyone have historical proof of the fact that they are at least from a specific tribe of the 12…