An acronym of "Torah" (Five Books of Moses), "Neviim" (Prophets), and "Kesuvim" (Writings). The three books together form the "Written Torah".
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Is Rashi really pshat?
If Rashi on Tanach is a purely pshat oriented commentary, as professed several times, why do many of his comments originate from midrashim that most other "pshat" meforshim dismiss as "derech drash"? ...
13
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5answers
660 views
Is there “Torah Inerrancy”?
Is there Torah inerrancy?
In other words, does the Torah contain no factual errors: the Noah flood did occur, Garden of Eden did exist, Adam and Eve did live there and were subsequently expelled, etc ...
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3answers
579 views
Do Jewish people have a collection of books which are the equivelant of the Christian Old Testament?
One claim that is made in our Christian Church is that the Jewish people use the Old Testament and that Christians use both the Old Testament and the New Testament. How correct is this statement?
Do ...
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5answers
478 views
ALL Names of God
Where can I find an exhaustive list of all of the names of Hashem (preferably שמות and כינוים) in תנ"ך (Tanakh) and elsewhere?
Is this too ill-defined a topic to have an exhaustive answer?
Do the 70 ...
8
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3answers
254 views
Is it permissible to name one's child with a name from the opposite gender?
Is a person allowed to name a boy with a girl's name and vice versa?
I remember seeing that one musn't, although in Nach one finds these things a lot.
I understand it is not best practice for ...
12
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2answers
550 views
Why is there no magic today?
Throughout Tanach and Talmud, there are numerous recorded uses and practitioners of magic1.
From Pharaoh's magicians to Shaul's necromancer, and magic cucumbers to were-donkeys, the references are ...
6
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2answers
118 views
Changing someone else's name
In parshas Shlach Moshe changes Yehoshua's name.
Does this mean his name really changed? IE was he called up to the torah as Yehoshua? Were his kids "ben Yehoshua"?
Are there any other examples in ...
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1answer
106 views
What are signs of a prophet mentioned in Tanach
Does the tanach provides us some guidelines to Identify a future prophet?
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4answers
681 views
Most original form of the Hebrew Bible/Tenach
Not sure if they are the same thing (the Hebrew Bible and the Tenach). I read in this link that "there are many different Jewish translations of the Hebrew Bible". This kind of confuses me because I ...
7
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5answers
323 views
Rationalist Position on Bible Ancients' Long Lives
How would a rationalist interpret the long lives of the ancient people enumerated in the Bible, from Methuselah on down? Virtually no person lives more than 120 years today, even with the assistance ...
6
votes
2answers
254 views
Teaching Written Torah to Christians
There is an idea mentioned by the Rambam, but not in the Mishneh Torah as I recall, that it is permissible to teach Wrtitten Torah to Christians because they accept it as Divine and don't study it in ...
6
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1answer
356 views
Why isn't the book of the Maccabees part of the Jewish canon?
I believe they are in the Christian canon... why not Jewish?
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0answers
129 views
Mention of any Prophet in other holy books
Did any prophet announce the mission of a future prophet, providing signs by which he would be known to be a prophet?
Did any prophet confirm that any prior prophets were in fact true prophets?
If ...
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3answers
8k views
Difference between Torah and the first five books in Christian bible [closed]
I know that basically, the first 6 5 books in Christian's Bible forms the Torah. However are there any subtle difference between torah and those books?
11
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3answers
167 views
Was Malbim an innovator?
Malbim (Meir Leibush ben Yechiel Michel) wrote a commentary on most of Tanach. In his introduction (to Yeshayahu) he writes the assumptions with which he operates in his commentary:
:עמודי התוך ...
8
votes
1answer
159 views
Jewish names commonly used in a different form than found in Tanach
Some names are popularly used in a different form than the way they're spelled or pronounced in Tanach. A few that I can think of are:
Nochum (נָחוּם) - is written in Tanach (Nah. 1:1) as נַחוּם ...
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votes
1answer
136 views
Does Torah inerrancy extend to the prophets and the writings?
Most Orthodox Jewish scholars hold that the Torah is 100% factually accurate (see previous question). I believe this is generally understood to refer specifically to the five books of Moses. What do ...
6
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1answer
130 views
Who are these “aliens” in Isaiah 56?
I was reading through this passage in Isaiah 56:
4 For thus saith the LORD concerning the eunuchs that keep My
sabbaths, and choose the things that please Me, and hold fast by My
covenant. 5 ...
4
votes
5answers
330 views
Why do the Sifrei Eme"s (i.e. Job, Proverbs, Psalms) have cantillation marks?
Are they read to a tune or is it just punctuation for personal usage?
Have they ever been read publicly with the tune?
(See here for what inspired me to ask this.)
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6answers
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2answers
267 views
Order of the Tanach
In Nevi'im and Ketuvim, why is the order of the books that we use today different from the order given in Bava Batra 14b, and Rambam Hilchot Sefer Torah 7:15?
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6answers
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Ḥaser form of writing “Jerusalem” in the Bible
It seems that Jerusalem is always written "ḥaser" (defective) in the Bible: that is, as ירושלם, without the י/yud, as opposed "malei" (full), as ירושלים. See, for example, Isaiah 62:6. This presents a ...
4
votes
1answer
457 views
Is there a site where I can see several different jewish translations at the same time?
The christians have that
http://bible.cc/psalms/82-6.htm
Is there something like that for jews?
If there isn't, then perhaps lists of several good online jewish translation would be nice too. It ...
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votes
2answers
183 views
Spouses in Tanach whose names start with the same letter?
This is one of those parsha sheet trivia questions: There are six couples in Tanach where the names of the spouses start with the same letter. Who are they?
I've got five of them, but I can't think ...
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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
1answer
80 views
Maccabees and God's interaction
I looked over this answer Why isn't the book of the Maccabees part of the Jewish canon?, but I had further questions.
I understand why its non canonical, i think its easier to understand when an ...
16
votes
2answers
262 views
Why are none of the Pharaohs in the Torah identified by name?
Throughout the Torah, the various Egyptian Pharaohs are always referred to as simply "Pharaoh" or "the king of Egypt" (or both), but never with any other parts of their official titulary.
By ...
15
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1answer
159 views
Saying Hashem's name when studying
I learned somewhere that when you are learning, if you are going to read an entire pasuk without interruption you can say Hashem's name, however if you are going to only say part of the pasuk (for ...
11
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7answers
466 views
Are there any jokes in tanach?
Are there any examples of actual jokes in tanach? Please provide sources.
11
votes
1answer
117 views
First-Temple-Era names of the Hebrew months?
The Chumash refers to the months simply as "the first", "the second", and so on. Today we know them by their Babylonian names (Nisan, Iyar ...) Occasionally the Prophets from the First-Temple Era use ...
11
votes
1answer
133 views
Where Rashi uses a Russian word in Nach?
I heard that Rashi uses a Russian word where he deals with the building of the Beis Hamikdash by King Shlomo. I also heard that he uses a Polish word.
Does anyone know where it is?
11
votes
2answers
127 views
Division of Verses in Tanach
In light of comments here, what is the history of the current division of tanach into pesukim? Specifically, to what extent do we view our breaks as coming from Sinai? Are there Christian influences ...
11
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2answers
146 views
Does the term “ארץ ישראל” ever appear in Tanach?
Do these words ever appear together as one phrase in Tanach?
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1answer
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Why do Sifrei Emes use different taamim?
I know that the Sifrei Emes (Tehillim, Mishlei, Iyov) use a different system of taamim. Why is this?
What is it about these books that makes it that they cannot — or should not — use the ...
9
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2answers
265 views
Siyum on Tanach
A friend of mine recently did a siyum on Nevi'im. However, his Trei Asar did not have a text in the back for a siyum (a "Hadran"; see an example at the bottom here). Does anyone know of a text for a ...
6
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1answer
121 views
How to find if a particular pasuk is used in davening
My father is trying to find out if a pasuk is ever quoted in any davening and I don't know of a specific resource which would help in a search. Other than using ctrl-f after downloading each ...
6
votes
3answers
526 views
Moses lived 120 years, and tradition says no one can live longer, so why do they?
Genesis 6:3: And the LORD said: 'My spirit shall not abide in man for ever, for that he also is flesh; therefore shall his days be a hundred and twenty years.'
In Deut. 34:7 the age of Moses upon his ...
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2answers
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How did Dovid Hamelech kill Amaleikim?
Similar to this question.
How did Dovid Hamelech kill the Amaleikim when they were almost completely obliterated (their only survivor was a baby fathered by Agag on his last day) by Shaul Hamelech ...
5
votes
1answer
73 views
Hashem calls people twice and Hinneni
In many places in the Tanach Hashem uses a name twice (ie Avraham, Avraham in Breshit 22:11; Jacob Jacob in Breshit 46:2; Shmuel shmuel in Shmuel Aleph 3:10 and more).
Rashi says that this is an ...
5
votes
4answers
912 views
What does the Bible mean by “those that urinate against the wall” in I Samuel 25:22?
A more precise version of this vague question:
What does the Bible mean by "those that urinate against the wall" in I Samuel 25:22?
There are different translations for the phrase; what is the ...
5
votes
3answers
84 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
...
4
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0answers
77 views
Nature of cryptic prophecies
I understand that prophecies in the Tanach seem to be very cryptic until the prophecy actually happens: then do the verses become clear and be correlated to the happened events. What are good examples ...
3
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1answer
139 views
Where can I find a list of differences between the Aleppo Codex and Ashkenazi texts?
Does anyone know of a list of textual differences for all of tanach or at least the chumash between the Aleppo Codex (Keter Aram Soba/Tzova) and the more common text? I already have such a list for ...
2
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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 ...
2
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4answers
174 views
What puns are there in Tanach?
Related to Are there any jokes in the torah?, what puns exist in Tanach?
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2answers
58 views
Evidences for Messiah to redeem people
I read that the awaited Messiah will cause to re-establish the Kingdom of God and redeem the Israelites so what are the evidences in Tanach and Talmud to support this claim ?
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1answer
120 views
What is the ruling of adultery in Torah or Tanach
What is the punishment for adultery meted out in the Torah or Tanach? Is that punishment still being practiced in Israel?
And how are the charges of adultery proved before meting out punishment? ...
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1answer
78 views
Is there a way to find proximate words?
I am looking to see if certain words in the tanach are used in proximity to other words. Other than looking a word up in my Even-Shoshan and reading through each instance and seeing if the other word ...
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2answers
173 views
Ish Yehudi - where else?
Where else in Tanach are there the words "Ish Yehudi" besides Megilas Esther?
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1answer
144 views
Who is a Jew according the Tanach?
Does the Tanach give guidelines to Identify who is a Jew and who is not?
