The Temple
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The Blessing of the Kohain (Priest)
It is known that the kohanim (Priests) in the temple used to bless the people by holding their hands in a specific position. 1. Could you please explain more on the meaning of it? 2. Why was it not permitted…
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Current Obligation of Animal Sacrifice
Nowadays, are Jews supposed to bring animal sacrifices? Answer: It depends on how you look at it. God commanded the Jewish Nation to perform certain daily sacrifices in the Beis HaMikdash (Holy Temple in Jerusalem). However, God does not allow…
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Removing the High Priest from the Holy of Holies
If a high priest in the Holy Temple died while in the holy of holies, how was his body taken out. Answer: During the 2nd Temple period there were a great many Kohanim (Jewish Priests) acting as “Kohein Gadol” (High…
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Babylonian Exile
I am a little confused as to when the Babylonian exile began and ended. Did the seventy years prophesised by Jeremiah begin whith the destruction of the Temple? What were the years of the exile (from when to when)? When…
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Rope Around the High Priest
There’s a belief that the High Priest had a rope tied around his waist when he entered the Holy of Holies in the Temple during Yom Kippur (to pull him out should G-d judge him unfit and take his life).…
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Understanding Tum’ah (Spiritual Uncleanliness)
My son is studying for his Bar Mitzvah and his Torah portion is Leviticus 14:1-15:33. He is having trouble understanding the meaning of being unclean as it relates to the men’s and women’s discharges and other bodily functions. How can…
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The Third Temple
How will the Third Temple be built? Answer: Some say that the Third Temple will be built by the Messiah (Rambam, Melachim 11:1), and others say that it will come down from heaven (Rashi, Rosh ha-Shanah 30a and Sukkah 41a).…
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What’s the Holiest Thing?
What is the most holy thing or object in Judaism, and how is reverence to it expressed by the believer? For example, if it is the Torah, do believers stand when it is opened, and is it not touched by…
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Skin of the Tachash
At least 6 times, G-d calls for the covering of the sacred parts of the Tabernacle (see Exodus 25) “with the skin of the dolphin.” Why the dolphin? I assume that you have read some translation of the Torah that…