Basics of Judaism
- Basic Values and Morality
- Chosen People
- G-d and Torah
- Heaven and Hell
- Other Denominations
- Reward and Punishment
- Science and Torah
- Sin and Repentance
- The Messiah
- Who is a Jew?
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The Stories in Genesis
Why does the Torah include the stories in Genesis? As Rashi says in his commentary on Gen. 1:1, the Torah could have begun with the first commandment that was given to the Jews (Ex. 12:1-20); but the earlier parts were…
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Tikkun Olam
What does Tikkun Olam mean? The halachic concept of Tikkun Olam is first mentioned in the Mishnah (Gittin, Chs. 4-5) in relation to Takkanos (Rabbinic ordinances) that were made for the good of society. The phrase "le-takken olam" also occurs…
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The Immortality of Adam
Was Adam immortal until he sinned? The Tree of Life wasn’t explicitly forbidden to Adam (see Gen. 2:16-17), but according to Gen. 3:22, after Adam ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, G-d expelled him from the…
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Animal Sacrifices Atoning for Sin
Does the Jewish religion require animal sacrifices to atone for sin? Animal sacrifices, on the Day of Atonement and other occasions, were an important means of atoning for sin when the Temple existed. But the principal method of atonement for…
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Hatred of Snakes
Why do people dislike snakes? Gen. 3:15 tells us that (most) people dislike snakes because of the snake’s successful temptation of Eve.
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The Jews as a Race or Religion
Are the Jews a race or a religion? Judaism is a religion which anyone can adopt by going through a process of conversion. In addition, anyone descended from Jacob, or from a convert, in the female line is regarded as…
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Man in the Image of G-d
What is the meaning of the concept that man was created "in the image of G-d"? Adam was distinguished from all the other created things in this world by his power of speech (see Targum on Gen. 2:7: "The man…
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G-d is One
How do we know that G-d is One? The unity of G-d is one of the fundamental principles of Judaism. The Biblical source for this principle is the first verse of the Shema (Deut. 6:4). The Moslems too believe that…
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The Perfection of the World
Was the world perfect when it was created? Some commentators relate the word BARA ("created") to the two-letter stem B"R, which has the connotations of clarity (B’RURAH) and choiceness (B’REIRAH). This supports the idea that the world was created in…