the books of the prophets: Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi
14
votes
2answers
132 views
Why did Yonatan arrange the secret arrow sign with David?
In Shmuel Alef (20, 20-22) Yonatan arranges a whole scheme to secretly inform David whether or not it's safe for him to return. However, after the sign is given that it's not safe (20, 40), Yonatan ...
12
votes
1answer
84 views
Shmuel running and walking
My sixth grade students asked me today:
In Shmuel Aleph Perek Gimel Shmuel becomes a Navi. It says in vs. 5 that Shmuel ran to Eli. In vs. 6 and 8 is says that he went to Eli. Why the difference?
(I ...
11
votes
3answers
243 views
Did the prophets practice magic?
The Torah clearly prohibits all forms of magic, which we might define as the achievement of any supernatural phenomenon.
Yet we find many neviim, most blatantly Eliyahu and Elisha, achieving many ...
11
votes
2answers
141 views
How and when does a prophet know that it's God who's speaking to him?
When God addressed Moshe there was an accompanying miracle (and there's midrash about Avraham's case being special too), so it was pretty clear what was happening, but how did the other prophets come ...
10
votes
5answers
203 views
Why did Yonah run away?
If Yonah understood that he was being commanded by God, then how could he have possibly thought that he could run away? Did he believe that God was tied to a particular land, the way pagan gods were ...
10
votes
4answers
242 views
Was King David also a Navi?
Is there any suggestion in the scripture (even implicitly) that King David might have been also a Navi?
10
votes
2answers
141 views
Are T're Asar split at all?
We generally consider T're Asar as one book (as is evident from Bava Basra 14:2). Are there any ways in which we officially treat it as twelve?
(Possible ways I can think of that we might are: having ...
9
votes
4answers
263 views
Can a convert be a prophet?
I don't think there were any gerim amongst the nevi'im, but would it have been possible?
9
votes
1answer
109 views
Why was Shlomo more worthy to build the Beis Hamikdash than David?
We see throughout the Navi that David does not want people killed on his behalf (Saul, Ish Boshet...) yet he does not get to build the Temple and the most common reason that David is told no by Hashem ...
9
votes
1answer
58 views
Why do we read from Yechezekel on Shavuos and Yeshayahu on Parshas Yisro?
There are two times that we read about the giving of the Torah: When we read Yisro and on Shavuos.
On both days we read Haftoras of Neviyim going up to Shamayim. On Shavuos we read about Yechezkel ...
8
votes
2answers
228 views
Different types of Nevuah
What are the differences between the "typical" navi's prophecy, Moshe Rabbeinu's prophecy, and Bil'am HaRasha's prophecy?
(Answers with sources [and preferably links to sources] only please!)
8
votes
1answer
133 views
how does one get 10 “Lost Tribes”?
There were 12 shevatim that got land in Eretz Yisroel , which split into 2 territories - Yehuda and Yisroel. In the land of Yehuda we had Shimon, Yehuda and Binyomin.
12-3 = 9 , yet the reference is ...
8
votes
1answer
90 views
Why were the prophecies of Eliyahu and Elisha not written as separate books?
The prophets during the second half of the First Temple era have their prophecies and actions recorded in books of Tanach named for them (or, as in the case of Trei Asar, in sections of a book). This ...
8
votes
2answers
102 views
Haftara reading customs
There seems to be a wide range of customs with regard to reading the haftara. In some shuls (mostly Chassidic) the one who is called up recites the berachah, and everyone then says the haftara quietly ...
6
votes
3answers
172 views
Dovid haMelech and Amalek
In Shmuel Alef chapter 15 Shaul HaMelech (King Saul) loses his kingship because in his battle against Amalek he failed to kill King Agag and saved livestock to offer as sacrifices.
Later we find ...
6
votes
1answer
101 views
Was Jonah aware of his miraculous past?
I'm told that some midrashim state that the boy revived by Elijah (I Kings Ch. 17) grew up to be the prophet Jonah.
If so, was Jonah aware of this? It makes for an interesting dimension of his ...
6
votes
3answers
104 views
Why did Gechazi go first?
In this weeks haftarah for parshat Va'Yaira Elisha sends his second Gechazi to go with the woman whose son had just died. after which Gechazi could do nothing and had to call for Elisha.
Do any of ...
6
votes
2answers
98 views
Why bother with n'vi'im?
I was asked the following question recently and, incapable of doing it justice on my own, am seeking a cogent printed answer to give the questioner.
If God wishes to express an unequivocal directive ...
6
votes
1answer
72 views
Why do the names of neviim change?
I was curious why a number of names in Navi- the prophets- seem to change. Yirmiyah is also called Yirmiyahu, Yeshayah/Yeshayahu, etc. and a number of the kings have a similar variation. Is there a ...
6
votes
0answers
46 views
How do we translate חַטָּאִים?
Isaiah 1 (28): And destruction shall come over rebels and sinners
together, and those who forsake the Lord shall perish. כח.
וְשֶׁבֶר פֹּשְׁעִים וְחַטָּאִים יַחְדָּו וְעֹזְבֵי יְהֹוָה ...
5
votes
2answers
130 views
Navi will be annulled when Moshiach comes?
The Talmud Yerushalmi (Meggilah 1:5) says that the Neviim and the Kesubim will be annulled in the future. The Rambam (Hilchos Meggilah 2:18) that it is talking about the days of Moshiach. What does ...
5
votes
1answer
119 views
Why is the Sefer Shmuel called Shmuel?
Samuel dies less than halfway through the books of Samuel. Why name the books after him?
5
votes
3answers
83 views
Ish chai rav pe'alim mikavtze'el
Another in the mi.yodeya gravestone series:
I recently obtained a photograph of the gravestone of one of my ancestors. The first line of the inscription on the stone is:
איש חי רב פעלים מקבצאל
...
5
votes
3answers
86 views
Sefer about the writing of Neviim and Megillos
What sefer discusses the details pertaining to the writing of Nevi'im and Megillos (i.e., how the paragraphs are broken up, where there are "special letters", etc.)?
4
votes
2answers
101 views
Where else is Hashem's name missing?
In Shmuel Aleph, when Shmuel becomes a Navi, he runs to Eli each time Hashem comes to him thinking it is Eli not Hashem. After the fourth time Eli realizes it is Hashem and tells Shmuel (in ...
4
votes
2answers
80 views
Was Rachav really just a shopkeeper?
Yehoshua 2:1:
וַיִּשְׁלַח יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן נוּן מִן הַשִּׁטִּים שְׁנַיִם אֲנָשִׁים מְרַגְּלִים חֶרֶשׁ לֵאמֹר לְכוּ רְאוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ וְאֶת יְרִיחוֹ וַיֵּלְכוּ וַיָּבֹאוּ בֵּית אִשָּׁה זוֹנָה ...
4
votes
1answer
57 views
Teshuvah Negating a Negative Prophecy
There is a concept that while a positive prophecy must come to pass (at least when it is a national prophecy) a negative one can be retracted if the subjects to teshuvah (repent)? While there a number ...
4
votes
2answers
60 views
בָּא אֵלַי הַפָּלִיט מִירוּשָׁלִַם … How late was he?
In Yechezkel 33:21:
וַיְהִי בִּשְׁתֵּי עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה בָּעֲשִׂרִי בַּחֲמִשָּׁה לַחֹדֶשׁ לְגָלוּתֵנוּ בָּא אֵלַי הַפָּלִיט מִירוּשָׁלִַם לֵאמֹר הֻכְּתָה הָעִיר
That is, on the Fifth of Teves of ...
4
votes
2answers
227 views
Can someone kindly explain the Malachi 3. 23 -24?
In Malachi 3:23 -24 it says
23. Lo, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord,
24. that he may turn the heart of the fathers back through ...
3
votes
2answers
196 views
Should retroactive divorce (a la David & Batsheva) be reinstituted?
Almost all the commentaries on David and Batsheva's seeming indiscretion follow Rashi who points out during that time a retroactive divorce was given upon the husband leaving for war, therefore ...
3
votes
2answers
103 views
How was Devorah appointed a judge?
Although there is already a question on how judges were appointed during the period after the First Temple was built, that question did not cover the period of the Judges, following the time of ...
2
votes
1answer
128 views
Diaspora of Egypt: has it already happened?
I have read in Ezechiel 29:12-15 that
"And I will make the land of Egypt
desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities
among the cities that are laid waste shall be ...
2
votes
1answer
84 views
What is the traditional old interpretation of this prophecy
The Torah contains a prophecy of a future Prophet who will be like Moses:
I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee; and I will put My words in his mouth, and he ...
2
votes
1answer
60 views
Fasting when Navi on Klaf falls on the floor
As is known if a Sefer Torah falls on the floor (even if it's covered) there is a halacha that one must fast. (See this question and answer for many sources on this topic.) What about in a case when ...
1
vote
1answer
143 views
How many prophets were there and who were they?
How many prophets are recognized by Judaism, and what were their names?
I found a website that claims the number of prophets is 124000. Is this true?
Are all of their speeches or writings ...
1
vote
3answers
104 views
All of Navi is in the Torah?
The Gemarah in TANNIS (9a) says that there is nothing in the Nevim and Kesuvim that is not hinted to in the Torah. My question is, why have both?
0
votes
1answer
123 views
Dovid and the Foreskins of the Plishtim ( Philistines)
After Shaul promised his daugther to Dovid,he required him to pay the dowry for his daugther this was paid with the foreskins of the Plishtim(Philistines). The question that remains is that there is ...
0
votes
1answer
55 views
Quotes about justice in Neviim
I'm looking for some quotations in Neviim about justice. Of course the most famous is probably "צֶדֶק צֶדֶק, תִּרְדֹּף", but that is in דְּבָרִים.
Anything jump out at anyone? Something in ...
0
votes
1answer
127 views
woman's name is mentioned most often Navi [closed]
Which woman's name is mentioned most often in Nevim, which in Kesuvim?
-2
votes
1answer
164 views
-7
votes
2answers
158 views
Do Jews Support Outlawing the Offending of Prophets? [closed]
There is a petition on the the White House website to ban anything that insults the prophets of any major religion. Here is the content of the Petition: ...
