The Prophets and Writings
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The Incident of Benjamin and the Concubine
Why did the Israelite army go to war against all of the tribe of Benjamin when only some were responsible for the rape of the Levite’s concubine. After going to war they killed everybody in all of Benjamin’s territory –…
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Family of Moses in History
What happened to Moses family after they reached Israel – his sons and wife? Were they able to enter into Israel? Was his bloodline traced through history or at least until the time of the Romans? Answer: I’m afraid I…
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Why only 24 books in the Bible?
Why was it determined by the Rabbis that the 24 books of the Bible only include those books and not more?Why weren’t other holy books, written later in time, included in the Bible ? Answer: The Bible (Tanach) isn’t a…
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Who Wrote Psalms?
Who wrote the book of Psalms? Was it entirely written by King David? Answer: The Talmud (Oral Teachings of Torah that were eventually written down around 1800 years ago) teaches that King David composed and compiled the Psalms. Those Psalms…
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Who Was Aviatar?
I keep meeting people in Israel with the name Aviatar. Who was Aviatar in Jewish history? everytime I search the internet I get information about the new movie Avatar. Answer: Evyatar (or Abiathar in English) was the Kohen Gadol (High…
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Tzlalfonis, Mother of Samson
What is the meaning of Tzlalfonis, the mother of Samson as noted in The Talmud (Bava Basra 91a)? Answer: You’ll find her as “Tzelphoni” in Chronicles I 4:3. My book on Biblical personalities says her name comes from “Ponah L’Tzalel”,…
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Joshua and Rahab
If Joshua the son of Nun married Rahab didn’t he break the covenant of not marrying outside of the their tribes? Answer: Indeed, our tradition teaches that Rahab married Joshua. The requirement of marrying within the tribe (which only applied…
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Cruelty in the Conquest of Canaan
It is my impression that, during the conquest of Canaan, the Israelites were often commanded to destroy entire populations. This was certainly carried out in the case Jericho (Joshua 6:21-25), with the exception of Rachav and her family. My question…
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Understanding Rahab
What is real identity of Rahab (Joshua 2:1)? Was she a prostitute or someone who ran some type of inn (which is why the spies hid there)? Answer: The Hebrew word “zona” (used to describe Rahab in the above quoted…