The Land of Israel
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Destroying Amalek
What are we commanded about Amalek? We are commanded to “remember” what Amalek did to us, but also to wipe out the “memory” of Amalek. Evidently, “memory” is not meant literally here; rather, it refers to wiping out the descendants…
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The Laws of Terumah and Maaser
What are the laws of Terumah and Maaser? In Num. 18 the Torah discusses terumah (given to the Kohanim), maaser (a tithe, given to the Levites), and terumas maaser (a tithe of the tithe, given by the Levites to the…
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An Omer
How much is an Omer? An omer is the volume of 43.2 eggs; but there is a dispute about the volume of an egg for halachic purposes. Some say that an omer is 2510 cubic centimeters (which is about the…
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The Yovel
When was the Yovel in effect? Based on the verse “you shall proclaim freedom in the land to all its inhabitants” (Lev. 25:10), the Jubilee year was in effect only during the period when all the tribes of Israel were…
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The Temple in Arad
Was there a Temple in Arad? As the Bible tells us, the kings of Judah did not all suppress worship outside the Jerusalem Temple. The Temple in Arad may have been founded by the Kenites (see Judges 1:16; 4:11), who…
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The Ark of the Covenant
What is the Ark of the Covenant? The Ark of the Covenant was built by the Israelites in the desert to hold the stone tablets that Moses received on Mount Sinai. The article “Ark of the Covenant” in the Encyclopedia…
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The Devir
What is the “devir”? The word devir occurs in the Bible both as the name of a city that was also called Kiryas Sefer (Joshua, Judges) and in connection with the Holy of Holies in the Temple (Kings, Chronicles, Psalms).…
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The Curtains of the Temple
How were the curtains in the Temple arranged? The Mishnah in Yoma 5:1 says there were two curtains spaced one cubit apart. The Mishnah in Shekalim 8:5 says that each curtain was a handsbreadth thick, 40 cubits long (i.e.,high) and…
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The Small “Mem” in “Mokdah”
Why is there a small “mem” in the word “mokdah” in Lev. 6:2? The Midrashim and early commentaries don’t mention or comment on the small mem. Possibly it’s an allusion to the fact that the parts of the sacrifices that…