The Chumash (Five Books of Moses)
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Counting the Levites
In the Portion of Naso it starts by telling to count the sons of Gershon. My question is why was this told in this portion, when his brothers were counted in the previous portion. Why weren’t they all counted together…
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Melcesedek
According to Genesis 14 who is He? Melcesedek in Genesis 14 is in fact Shem, the second son of Noah. “Melcesedek” means “righteous king” – an honorific title bestowed on him for his virtuous leadership. Rabbi Seinfeld www.rabbiseinfeld.blogspot.com www.daasbooks.com
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Yosef & the Butler
Yosef asks to “be remembered” to the Pharaoh so that he can be pardoned and released from prison. Then there is a verse that says “the butler didn’t remember Yosef, and he forgot him” To begin with, why and how…
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Abraham and Esau
Issac had two sons. Esau & Jacob. One was much worthier then the other. If Issac had them around age 60, then Abraham was about 160. Since we are told that he lived till 175, my question is why didn’t…
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Moses and Circumcision
Was moses circumcised? If yes, by whom? The Talmud in Tractate Sotah tells us that Moses was born circumcised, which is rare but not without precedence.
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Night before day
Why did G-d start with night rather than day? Interesting the way you’ve asked your question. Many people ask why Jewish holidays start at nightfall, and the answer is your question – because the Torah tells us that first there…
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Written Torah
Why is it important that we have a written Torah that is written according to very specific rules with all copies being exactly the same? One of the beautiful things about the Hebrew language is that each and every letter…
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Women in the Torah
I am also researching women in the world’s religions but I am trying to find passages from the Bible that depict women in a positive way. Can you suggest a few to help me? Abraham is told to listen to…
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Levi Banner
Did the Tribe of Levi have a banner or flag? If so, is it known what is looked like? The tribe of Levi did indeed possess a flag (or banner). The Sages, however, do not include it among the 12…