interpretation of parts of Tanach by close reading, not derivation (Pronounced "par-sha-noot")
2
votes
0answers
62 views
Onkelos on Deut. 4:19
In Devarim 4:19, Onkelos translates ונדחת as ותטעי and והשתחוית as ותסגוד.
First, what exactly is he trying to convey with ותטעי? I think of טעות as "whoops", and hopefully there's no serious damage, ...
2
votes
1answer
64 views
Og's bed made of iron
Devarim 3:11 desribes Og's bed as being made from iron. What does the the Torah add by describing Og's bed as being made from iron?
The Ramban comments that it demonstrates how tall he was, that wood ...
-1
votes
1answer
212 views
What are the possible reasonable meanings of “Love thy neighbor”?
What are the original Hebrew words for "love", "thy", "neighbor", "as", "you", "love", "yourself" in "love thy neighbor as you love your self"?
What's the transliteration of those words in English ...
6
votes
1answer
113 views
Sefer Milhamot Hashem - from Bamidbar 21:14
Does anyone know of any discussion of the the "sefer Milkhamot Hashem" mentioned in Bamidbar 21:14? Someone had asked me about the content of the book and I had no idea of what to answer him.
9
votes
4answers
115 views
Why does the Torah switch around the order of annulling vows in the summary?
In the beginning of Parshas Matos, the Torah first describes the process of a father annulling the oaths of his daughter (30:4-6), and then afterwards the the law of a husband doing so for his wife's ...
5
votes
1answer
47 views
Aharon's and Miriam's Yahrtzeit
The Book of Numbers spans almost the entire 40 year period in the desert, documenting numerous events that occurred to the Jews as they wandered. I count only 5 dates mentioned in the text (listed in ...
3
votes
0answers
51 views
How strong was Midian's army?
When Israel took vengeance on Midian they sent 12,000 troops (Numbers 31:4) and prevailed. We aren't told how numerous Midian was, only that the spoils includes 32,000 virgin women (31:35). This ...
8
votes
1answer
71 views
Should Shaul have killed Yonasan?
In Shmuel alef 14 a confusing scenario arises. First Yonasan (and his armor bearer) go out to the camp of the Plishtim. Then Shaul curses anyone who will eat bread that day until evening (pasuk 24). ...
7
votes
3answers
138 views
Why does the census “of all who are able to go forth to war” include a few women?
The census in Bamidbar 26 is directed thus:
Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers' houses, all that are able to go ...
2
votes
1answer
54 views
What did it mean for Saul to make David's father's house free?
In 1 Samuel 17:25 it says:
And the men of Israel said: 'Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to taunt Israel is he come up; and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will ...
1
vote
0answers
45 views
Leaving the King's road?
We say in Bemidbar 20:17 to Edom:
Let us now pass through your land: We won't pass through the fields
and vineyards and we won't drink well-water; on the road of the king
we will go, we won't ...
10
votes
1answer
137 views
Are there two things from which kares can cut one off?
In B'midbar 19:13 the Torah says that the punishment for entering the mikdash while impure is spiritual excision, using the words
וְנִכְרְתָה הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַהִוא מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל. . .
. . .that ...
12
votes
3answers
336 views
What is the “book of the law” mentioned in Joshua 1?
Specifically, Joshua 1:8:
Joshua 1:8 (JPS)
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do ...
8
votes
1answer
139 views
What are the rules for ain mukdam umeuchar?
Sometimes we say that things in the Torah are not in chronological order. What are the parameters for this? do you need to have a mesorah (particular tradition) for this? Is there a list of all ...
4
votes
1answer
73 views
Post-Korach altar cover: how was it made and used?
Numbers 17:2-5 describes the covering that was made for the altar from the fire-pans of Korach's rebels:
[...] 4 And Eleazar the priest took the brazen fire-pans, which they that were burnt had ...
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 ...
6
votes
1answer
38 views
Why couldn't the Jews do Teshuva by the incident of the spies?
After Hashem chastised the Jews for not wanting to go into Eretz Yisrael, and told them that they will have to die in the desert, the Jews seemed to have had a change of heart. A few even were willing ...
10
votes
2answers
148 views
Why didn't Yehoshua give a good report immediately?
When the spies returned from scouting the land and gave their report of mighty opponents, 13:30 tells us that Caleb silenced the crowd and argued for going into the land, and then 13:31 says "the men ...
3
votes
1answer
64 views
Who killed Shaul?
Ⅰ Sh'muel 31:3–5:
וַתִּכְבַּד הַמִּלְחָמָה אֶל שָׁאוּל…. וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁאוּל לְנֹשֵׂא כֵלָיו שְׁלֹף חַרְבְּךָ וְדָקְרֵנִי בָהּ… וְלֹא אָבָה נֹשֵׂא כֵלָיו כִּי יָרֵא מְאֹד וַיִּקַּח שָׁאוּל אֶת ...
9
votes
2answers
138 views
Why are the Meraglim in that order?
The meraglim (scouts) and their shevet (tribe) are listed in a strange order in Bemidbar 13:
Reuven
Shimon
Yehuda
Yissachar
Ephraim
Binyamin
Zevulun
(Of Yosef): Menashe
Dan
Asher
Naftali
Gad
As ...
4
votes
1answer
94 views
Psalm 145: Which Person?
Psalm 145 makes up the bulk of the oft recited prayer known as Ashrei. It is an alphabetic acrostic (missing the letter nun) about the greatness of God.
The verses beginning with Alef, Bet, Dalet, ...
5
votes
1answer
36 views
Why is Hashem's name attached to only some of His accomplishments in Tehillim 146?
Psalms 146:6ff lists twelve of Hashem's deeds:
עֹשֶׂה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ
אֶת הַיָּם וְאֶת כָּל אֲשֶׁר בָּם
הַשֹּׁמֵר אֱמֶת לְעוֹלָם
עֹשֶׂה מִשְׁפָּט לָעֲשׁוּקִים
נֹתֵן לֶחֶם לָרְעֵבִים
ה' ...
6
votes
1answer
88 views
Why did Aharon request that Hashem declare Miriam pure?
Rashi says that one of the meanings of Aharon's prayer regarding Miriam ("Let her not be like the dead, which comes out of his mother's womb with half his flesh consumed!"; Bamidbar 12:12) was that ...
7
votes
1answer
136 views
Published Ladino version of Meam Lo'ez?
The Me'am Lo'ez (מעם לועז), begun by Rabbi Yaakov Culi in 1730, is a commentary to Tanakh written in Ladino. It was subsequently translated to Hebrew and translated from the Hebrew to English in a ...
2
votes
2answers
82 views
Why did Pharaoh try to kill Moshe?
Moshe Rabbeinu was raised in Pharaoh's house. Yet when Dasan and Aviram claimed that Moshe killed an Egyptian taskmaster, Pharaoh tried to kill him (Shemot 2:13-15).
Why would an all powerful tyrant ...
8
votes
1answer
114 views
Sarah's treatment of Hagar and Ishmael
How could Sarah's treatment of Hagar and Ishmael be considered righteous? I intend this as a sincere and serious question. While Hagar was pregnant, Sarah "prevent[ed] her intercourse with Abraham, ...
5
votes
1answer
62 views
What was the purpose of Nachshon's sin-offering?
Nachshon ben Amminadav, and each of the eleven tribal leaders who followed him, offered "one young he-goat for a sin offering" as part of their gifts for the dedication of the Mishkan (Num. 7:16 ...
8
votes
2answers
188 views
Is the way of the torah pleasant or painful?
In Avot (6:4) we read - כך היא דרכה של תורה, פת במלח תאכל ומים במשורה תשתה ועל הארץ תישן וחיי צער תחיה
This is the way of torah... and a life of pain you shall live.
contrast this with Mishlei ...
6
votes
1answer
61 views
“There is a son born to Naomi”? But it's a grandson — what's up with that?
In chapter 4 of Rut, after Boaz performs yibum with Rut and she bears a son, it says:
וַתִּקְרֶאנָה לוֹ הַשְּׁכֵנוֹת שֵׁם לֵאמֹר, יֻלַּד-בֵּן לְנָעֳמִי; וַתִּקְרֶאנָה שְׁמוֹ עוֹבֵד, הוּא ...
5
votes
0answers
54 views
Was Naaman tamei from tzaraas?
In Melachim Bet 5:10 we read:
וַיִּשְׁלַח אֵלָיו אֱלִישָׁע, מַלְאָךְ לֵאמֹר: הָלוֹךְ, וְרָחַצְתָּ שֶׁבַע-פְּעָמִים בַּיַּרְדֵּן, וְיָשֹׁב בְּשָׂרְךָ לְךָ וּטְהָר.
And Elisha sent a ...
5
votes
1answer
84 views
Why didn't they call her Mara?
Naomi returns to Israel and tells people to call her Mara cause God has embittered her life (Ruth 1:20). But no one actually ends up calling her Mara.
Is a person allowed to change her name for ...
6
votes
1answer
83 views
Prediction of the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash - seemingly out of place
On Lev. 26:19, ושברתי את גאון עזכם - "I will break the pride of your strength," Rashi (citing Sifra) explains that this refers to the Beis Hamikdash.
But this is still fairly early on in the cycle of ...
5
votes
2answers
86 views
Non-Trivial Pursuit: וְנַסְתֶּם וְאֵין-רֹדֵף אֶתְכֶם
What is the meaning of וְנַסְתֶּם וְאֵין-רֹדֵף אֶתְכֶם (Leviticus 26:17)?
Literally of course it is simple: "You will flee with no one pursuing you" (Artscroll)
But this punishment does not really ...
6
votes
2answers
138 views
Why does the Yom Kippur service seem to reenact Abraham's treatment of his sons?
In the Yom Kippur service during Temple times, the Kohen would (Lev 16:7-10ff):
And he shall take the two goats, and set them before the LORD at the door of the tent of meeting. And Aaron shall ...
4
votes
2answers
92 views
Why does Vayikra 25:3 repeat “שש שנים”?
In Vayikra 25:3 it says:
שש שנים תזרע שדך ושש שנים תזמור כרמך
Why does it say twice שש שנים ?
2
votes
0answers
61 views
Ma Inyan Shmitta Eitzel Har Sinai?
Rashi says
What does the subject of Shemittah have with Mount Sinai? Were not all the commandments stated from Sinai? However, [this teaches us that] just as with Shemittah, its general principles ...
4
votes
0answers
106 views
HaMalach HaGoel Osi
Why does Yakov ask the malach (angel) (actually it sounds more like a statement of fact - "he will...") who protected him from evil to bless Ephraim and Menashe? Also, do we find that this actually ...
6
votes
2answers
171 views
Moshe talking to the Mizbeach?
Here are the last two psukim in parshat nasso:
פח וְכֹל בְּקַר זֶבַח הַשְּׁלָמִים, עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה פָּרִים, אֵילִם שִׁשִּׁים עַתֻּדִים שִׁשִּׁים, כְּבָשִׂים בְּנֵי-שָׁנָה שִׁשִּׁים: זֹאת ...
4
votes
1answer
95 views
The meaning of the Hebrew word Pe'as (פאת)
In Vayikra 19:27 the verse says לא תקפו פאת ראשכם ולא תשחית את פאת זקנך and it means both Peyos on the head yet in Vayikra 23:22 the verse says ובקצרכם את קציר ארצכם לא תכלה פאת שדך בקצרך ולקט קצירך ...
6
votes
2answers
158 views
What is Zimri's sin?
Note: This is Zimri that was speared by Phinehas for sleeping with a foreigner.
Wikipedia says that he committed idolatry. However, the Bible only mentions that he slept with a foreign woman. Nothing ...
7
votes
2answers
62 views
Why is “Kedoshim tihyu” (Lev. 19) interposed between the chapters about illicit relations?
Chapter 18 of Vayikra (Leviticus) mostly deals with various forbidden relationships, but without specifying the individual punishments for transgressing them (just a collective warning to the nation ...
4
votes
1answer
78 views
Why does smashing an earthenware vessel resolve the problem of the absorbed material of a cooked offering which has gone beyond its time limit?
Vayikro 6:21
An earthenware vessel in which it is cooked shall be broken, but if it
is cooked in a copper vessel, it shall be purged and rinsed with
water.
Rashi explains,
“[An ...
5
votes
2answers
101 views
Yumatu and the plural in Dev 24
Devarim 24:16 makes a statement which is central to Jewish theology. The posuk makes clear that a father will not be put to death for the sins of his son and that a son will not be put to death for ...
12
votes
2answers
310 views
Why is a “leper” allowed to sit with other “lepers”?
In Parshat Tazria (Vayikra 13:46) we are told:
All the days the lesion is upon him, he shall remain unclean. He is unclean; he shall dwell isolated; his dwelling shall be outside the camp
As ...
7
votes
1answer
74 views
Connection between the metzora's purification and the Four Species of Sukkos?
In the procedure prescribed for the first stage of a metzora's purification (Lev. 14:1-7), the Torah lists four items to be dipped into a mixture of blood and water: a live bird, a piece of cedar ...
3
votes
2answers
87 views
Clothing and shame, etymologically speaking
I have been unable to find an etymological connection between the root for shame בשש (especially as it turns into the forms of בושה בושת) and the word for "clothe" לבש. Shame was introduced in ...
4
votes
1answer
75 views
How did Shaul consult the Urim and Tumim?
During the events of chapters 27–31 of I Sh'muel (David's stay among the P'lishtim), David had the Urim V'sumim with him, as is clear from 23:2–6 and from 30:7–8. Yet in 28:6, Shaul consults Hashem ...
8
votes
2answers
257 views
Why does Moshe have a shalshelet?
The "shalshelet" trop appears 4 times in the Torah:
(Vayeira, Gen. 19:16) Lot has a shalshelet, because he was hesitating to leave S'dom.
(Chayei Sarah, Gen. 24:12) Eliezer has a shalshelet, because ...
12
votes
2answers
98 views
Why did Moshe Rabbeinu object to the mirrors, but not the kumaz?
Why did Moshe Rabbeinu balk when the women wanted to donate their mirrors to the construction of the Mishkan (Rashi, Shemot 38:8), but not when the women donated their kumaz (Shemot 35:22), which were ...
8
votes
4answers
124 views
Why not “Vayikra Hashem”
The first pasuk in Vayikra reads:
וַיִּקְרָא אֶל מֹשֶׁה וַיְדַבֵּר ה׳ אֵלָיו…
And He called to Moshe, and God spoke to him…
Why is the subject on the second verb? It would ...
