Question: On Megillah 15a, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korchah says that Malachi was Ezra. The sages disagree saying Malachi was a different person. Rav Nachman says Malachi was probably Ezra as… Read more »
Category: Bible study questions – Tanach
The return from Bavel and Temurah 15b
Question: There were 42360 returnees (Ezra 2:64). Yirmiyahu 52:30 says 4600 people were exiled with Tzidkiyahu. Melachim 2 24:14 says 10000 were exiled with Yehoyachin. How can Temurah 15b say… Read more »
Were the jews so few in number
Question: Please see 7:7. How can Moshe say the jews were the fewest? There were 601730 men between 20 and 60. That’s quite a large population. For the jews to… Read more »
What was first 2nd Beis Hamikdosh or Purim?
Question: Did the events of Purim take place before or after the 2nd Beis Hamikdosh. Rashi following Seder Olam says Purim was first. Pirkei D’Rabbi Eliezer 49 says Achashveirosh was… Read more »
Origins of Mankind
Question: Hello, I am trying to understand how the we reconcile the flood and that all humankind around now descend from Noach and his son’s with the fact that there… Read more »
Chalifin and Chiliyon
Question: Bava Metzia 47a/b uses Rus 4:7 verse in a discussion about transferring ownership by exchange. This is called chalifin (eg using a shoe). The Gemoro is unclear whether the… Read more »
Large Samech in Bemidbar 13:30
Question: The mesorah records that the samekh in 13:30 is large (see marginal note in Artscroll and elsewhere). Yet none of the printed editions which I have consulted actually conform… Read more »
Korach’s Mishkan
Question: Please see Bemidbar 16:27. Why is Korach’s dwelling called a Mishkan rather than an ohel or bayis? Answer: You are bringing up an interesting point. A possible answer may… Read more »
Dimensions of Israel
Question: On Bemidbar 13:25, Oznayim Latorah says that Israel measures 400 parsahs by 400 parsahs. Does this mean that it’s a square? It doesn’t look that way on a map…. Read more »
What did the Leviim do when not officiating in the Beis Hamikdosh
Question: 8:18 Chizkuni says that Leviim didn’t own land, so they would be free to concentrate on their tasks in the Temple. If they ploughed soil, their hands would be… Read more »
What did God Give Moses at Sinai
Question: It seems there is a debate as to what Moses got from God at Sinai. Everyone would agree that he got the 10 commandments and the Oral Torah. But… Read more »
Is Tumah Real of just symbolic?
Question: When the Torah speaks of someone becoming tomei, I always thought it was “real” in that a spiritual, albeit non-tangible entity descends or appears to make the person spiritually… Read more »
Naamnan’s jewish slave girl.
Question: In Melachim 2 chapter 5 Naaman’s wife’s jewish slave girl gets Naaman to go to Elisha. Do we know if Elisha knew of her and tried to free her… Read more »
Chaggai’s Tests to the Kohanim
Question: I’m looking at Chaggai 2:12. It seems that G-d decided that his questions to the Kohanim should be recorded for posterity. Why did G-d not make the question clear… Read more »
where is the mikur for the חז״ל צדיק גוזר והקדוש ברוך מקיים
Question: Where is the mikur for the חז״ל צדיק גוזר והקדוש ברוך מקיים Answer: The Midrash, Devorim Rabba 5-13, see also Moed Katan 16b. Have a good day.
The messiah and his arrival
Question: Hello i wanted to know more about the Messiah. I wanted to know if they might have a prophecy about a woman giving birth to the messiah. If there… Read more »
Have science and archaeology improved our understanding of Tenach
Question: Hope you had a good Pesach. Can you think of phrases or passages in Tenach that have been understood better in light of archaeological or scientific discoveries? The link… Read more »
Rashi to Shemos 23:20
Question: Please see Rashi to Shemos 23:20. Rashi says this angel was a sign they would sin. Why not wait until after they had sinned? It seems like the jews… Read more »
Evidence if Yetzias Mitzrayim and Jews in the Midbar
Question: Hello, we are coming up to passover where we celebrate the Jews leaving Egypt. A few things about this are troubling to me. Would you perhaps have any more… Read more »
Can the Hebrew word “req” (empty) mean financially poor when describing a person?
Question: Would it be very normal for the Hebrew word “req” (vain, empty) to mean financially poor when it is used to describe a person? For instance, judges 9:4, judges… Read more »
Melachim 2 4:1
Question: Please see Melachim 2 4:1. Redak says that Ovadiah’s wife managed to communicate with him despite him being dead. The dead Ovadiah told her to consult Elisha. Is this… Read more »
Melachim 2 3:13
Question: How did Yehoram know that G-d had commanded him to fight and lose to Moav? If Yehoram did know this why didn’t Elisha know it? The Gemoro Menachos 98a… Read more »
beis ya’ar halevanon
Question: I’m looking at Melachim 1 10:16,17. Why make shields of gold even if there was lots of it? Would gold be more effective than iron in battle? What was… Read more »
Aron hakodesh
Question: REPORT: Aron Hakodesh is Hidden in Ethiopian Church; Researchers Claim to Have Seen Items Used in Bais Hamikdash This article above appeared on yeshivaworldnews. There was a similar article… Read more »
Parsha Question
Question: Shalom. In Sefer Shmot, Parshat Va’Eira, Chapter 6, Pesukim 14 to 25, the Torah begins to outline the Genealogy of Klal Yisrael in Mitzrayim. Why does the Torah only… Read more »
Who was Eliyahu
Question: I’m looking at Melachim 1 17:1. With most prophets in Tenach, I believe we’re told their father’s name or tribe. Why are we told nothing about Eliyahu? 16:1 tells… Read more »
Why did Adam or Hevel bring a Korban
Question: What made the first person who brought a Korban (Kayin and Hevel in Ber. 3:3-5 or Adam in Avodah Zara 8a) think that G-d would approve of a person… Read more »
Sanhedrin and wicked kings
Question: In Devarim 17:20, Rashi says that if a king is not righteous he won’t have a long reign. I’m trying to understand his comments. Did the Sanhedrin have the… Read more »
How do we know chana is accurate
Question: There are verses in Samuel where Chana talks to Hashem after she got a child and says there no one as holy as hashem and there is no one… Read more »
Lev Melech Beyad Hashem
Question: If lev melech beyad Hashem, then do we not show appreciation for good things they do and blame them for the bad things they do? If that’s the case… Read more »
The difference btw. Heart and soul?
Question: ואהבת את ה׳ אל׳היך , בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך, ובכל מאדך: והיו הדברים האלה אשר אנכי מצוך היום, על לבבך: ושננתם לבניך ודברת בם בשבתך בביתך , ובלכתך בדרך,… Read more »
Milchemes Reshus
Question: Dear Rabbi, How can there be a milchemes reshus where we’re not defending ourselves just attacking others to conquer them? The Torah sounds like Klal Yisrael can just go… Read more »
Was the king a judge
Question: I’m looking at Devarim 17:9. Ibn Ezra says hashofeit refers to the king, possibly because of the hei prefix. Was the king a judge eg Shmuel 2 12:1 and… Read more »
Kishuf
Question: Are bnei noach metzuveh on Kishuf? I thought they weren’t as it’s not one of the sheva mitzvos bnei noach but the Torah says that the seven nations were… Read more »
“Flavius Josephus”
Question: Dear rabbi, the question was about “Flavius Josephus” – please excuse typos. As I noted meanwhile he’s [allegedly] also known as “Joseph ben Mathitjahu ha Kohen” don’t know if… Read more »
Paraphrasing G-d
Question: Please see Melachim 1 8:16. Why doesn’t Shlomo quote what G-d said to David accurately (Shmuel 2 chapter 7). Is one allowed to paraphrase G-d in this way? Answer:… Read more »
Abraham’s Journey
Question: We know that Abraham crossed the Euphrates but did he cross the Jordan to get to Shechem? Many thanks Irene Bawden Answer: From what I have seen, Abraham entered… Read more »
Parei Hachag
Question: How can we understand the Rashi at the end of Parshas Pinchas which says that the 70 parei hachag represents the Umos Haolam which will be destroyed. How can… Read more »
is conquest of land considered to be like stealing
Question: Is conquest of the land of Israel considered to be theft? Answer: Your question is the topic of the first Rashi in chumash. Rashi says that the reason why… Read more »
Did Josiah pray to God
Question: in Second Kings 22:19 because your heart was softened and you humbled yourself before the LoRD when you heard what I decreed against this place and its inhabitants-that it… Read more »
Was Shlomo really wise
Question: On Makkos 23b, Rabbi Elazar quoting Melachim 1 3:27says that in three places, the Divine spirit made an appearance. Bereishis 38:26, Shmuel 1 12:3-5 and here. It was a… Read more »
Halacha of flags and banners
Question: Dear Rabbi, When King David established his kingdom, does the bible indicate he used a flag to denote its exist. There is only one verse in the bible that… Read more »
Azazel / Yom Kippur
Question: Why is a goat thrown off of Azazel on Yom Kippur to atone for Klal Yisroel’s sins? I.e., why does the Torah deviate from the usual manner of sacrifice… Read more »
Was the “first frog” by makkas tzefardeia big?
Question: Are there any sources that the first frog by makkas tzefardeia (which spat out the other frogs) was very big? Answer: It would make sense that it was indeed… Read more »
Exodus and Archaeology
Question: Israeli archeology teams have combed the Sinai desert for decades and have found no evidence of a mass exodus. Egyptologists say there is no Egyptian records of Hebrew slaves… Read more »
Seor and Devash
Question: Why does the Torah need to tell me that Seor and Devash cannot be placed on the Miz’be’ach. Why would I have thought otherwise? It is not one of… Read more »
If long hair is discouraged, why does a nazir grow his hair?
Question: In the book of Numbers, G-d outlines the necessary steps one must take in order to consecrate oneself to the Lord. One of these steps is to allow the… Read more »
Is going to gym with purpose to improve looks a sin?
Question: Hello in Jeremiah 9:23 it says 23 Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might,… Read more »
Medrash shir hashirim
Question: What does the Shir Hashirim Rabbah 4:11 mean when it says that Har Hamoeiyah is called that because from there arirah and dever to the umos haolam? Answer: The… Read more »
Daniel
Question: Dear Rabbi, I have been davening for past years about the book of Daniel and a curiosity. It appears from traditionally yet may I be wrong that Daniel is… Read more »