Questions tagged [genealogy]
The study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history.
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Who was Abraham’s Mother?
I was wondering if we have any info/ sources on who Abrahams’s mother was?
It seems interesting that she was never mentioned, and doesn’t play any role in his story, or his leaving his “father’s house”...
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Child from a different father born after marriage
If a child of a Jewish woman has been fathered by a person before marriage, and she marries a Jewish husband before birth and accepts the child knowingly, and the natural father does not claim ...
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Decrees against copying genealogies
In the 14th century, David ben Hodayah, who was called a 'nasi' and lived in Bagdad, issued out a certain cherem. Part of the text of the cherem included his genealogy and the genealogy of a ...
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Knowlege of lineage over many generations of their ancestors
Kiddushin 4:1 counts ten categories of lineage:
Priests; Levites; Israelites; priests disqualified due to flawed lineage [ḥalalim]; converts, and emancipated slaves; mamzerim; Gibeonites, i.e., the ...
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Why does 1 Samuel 14:49 leave out Eshba'al?
I know of three lists of Saul's children:
1 Samuel 14:49 -
Saul’s sons were Jonathan, Ishvi and Malki-Shua. The name of his older daughter was Merab, and that of the younger was Michal.
1 Samuel 31:...
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My maternal 4th-great grandmother, born in 1787, had a Jewish maiden name, Zagel, and lived in Eastern Europe. Am I, therefore, Jewish? [duplicate]
My maternal 4th-great grandmother, born in 1787, had a Jewish maiden name, Zagel, and lived in Eastern Europe. Am I, therefore, Jewish?
I was raised in the Roman Catholic religion, yet, since I was 8 ...
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Can the mother determine the tribe of the son if her father had no sons and she was married to a gentile [duplicate]
There are several passages that clearly say that the tribe of the son is the tribe of the father.
I saw only below the passage that seems to say that the mother's tribe was passed onto her son.
Tanakh ...
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Am I Jewish? How to go about proving this is my Grandmother is deceased? [duplicate]
I am sure there are many other questions that have similarities to mine. I apologize ahead of time if this irritates anyone.
Growing up I always felt a strange kinship with the jewish children in our ...
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What if there were no kohanim?
I don't know if this question was asked before, but:
If, hypothetically, when the Mikdash will be built, somehow it was discovered that all kohanim were genealogically invalidated - chalalim in the ...
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What is the meaning of the name Yishai (Hebrew: יִשַׁי – Yišay, in pausa יִשָׁי – Yišāy) translated into English as Jesse
The question arises from research I have been conducting into Jesse, who came from Bethlehem in Judah, and who was the father of David.
1 Sam 17:12 (JPS): Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of ...
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Was Herod Jewish?
Slightly related.
This topic has been on my mind lately. According to Josephus, Herod's father Antipater was the son of Antipas, one of the Edomites converted by Yochanan Hyrcanus. I asked one of the ...
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Help identify my Hungarian minhagim
My paternal grandfather was from a little mountain town in Czechoslovakia called Giraltovce. As far as I know, their minhagim were basically just Hungarian (as opposed to Chassidish or Oberlander). I ...
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Was Yirmiyahu HaNabi a descendant of Pinchas HaKohen?
While reading this week's Torah and Haftarah portions Pinchas (פִּינְחָס) & Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah), I began to wonder if Yirimiyahu HaNabi was of the line of Pinchas HaKohen. Outside of both ...
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A question regarding Moses
Question from a gentile:
I wish to ask, do Jews believe that Moses never called non-Jews to the worship of one God?
If Jews do believe that he did call non-Jews to one God, how did they come to the ...
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Miriam as the Ancestor of King David
We learn that King David was descended from Miriam (the sister of Moshe Rabbenu). See סוטה (יא ב) Sotah 11A.
Miriam was married to Calev and is Hur's father. See רש"י שמות פרק כד פסוק יד Rashi ...
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The Matrites and the midrash
In Shmuel 1:10:21 it says:
"Then Samuel brought forward the tribe of Benjamin by its clans, and the clan of the Matrites was indicated; and then Saul son of Kish was indicated. But when they ...
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Why was the Book of Genealogies hidden away?
Related.
I read today an essay by Professor Shmuel Krauss z"l about "Sefer Yochasin" (the Book of Genealogies). He theorized that traditions such as the name of David's mother, the ...
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Did Shem's physical body (or) Shem's teachings remain alive 600 years?
Did Shem's physical body (or) Shem's teachings remain alive 600 years?
What is the correct understanding of וַֽיְחִי־שֵׁ֗ם אַֽחֲרֵי֙ הֽוֹלִיד֣וֹ אֶת־אַרְפַּכְשָׁ֔ד חֲמֵ֥שׁ מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֥וֹלֶד ...
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How populated was Egypt in the times of the patriarchs and by whom?
I start with the assumption that since no miracle is mentioned regarding the Egyptians, they reproduced naturally, having on average 4-5 kids.
If we assume that Mitzrayim, the son of Ham, was the ...
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Shaul's genealogy compared to David's genealogy
David's full genealogy is outlined in both in Ruth 4:18-24 (although without Yehudah here) and in Divrei Hayamim 1:2:3-15:
Yehudah-Peretz-Chetzron-Ram-Aminadav-Nachshon-Salma-Boaz-Oved-Yishai-David.
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Did Yonathan, King Shaul's son, have children?
Yonathan died young, during the war with the Pelishtim. Did he leave children?
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Am Yisrael Genealogy
I'm looking for a family tree that collects all of the genealogical records of Am Yisrael in the Tanach and also shows who was in the same generation as whom (for example, if I remember correctly, ...
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Ephrathites, such as David both from Ephraim as Yehudah?
Looking at the words Ephrathite and Ephraimite (אפרתי) they have the exact same spelling. From the website doitinhebrew.com the dictionary even said: ‘Ephraimite; inhabitant of Ephrat(ah).’
This ...
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Why is Zerubavel called the son of Shealtiel?
I've a question regards Zerubavel: why is he called the son of Shealtiel?
In Ezra 3:2 and 3:8, Haggai 1:1, 1:12, 1:14, 2:2, 2:23, Nechemyah 12:1, Zerubavel is called the son of Shaltiel, while in ...
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What sons of Noach are the nations disposed of by Edom, Ammon, and Moav descended from?
Edom disposed of the Horites, Moav and Ammon the Rephaim/Emim/Zamzumim etc. (Devarim 2:10-12)
What sons of Noach are these peoples descended from?
If they’re giants (Emim/Zamzumim), are they ...
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Why so much genealogical detail in Bereshit?
I'm looking for reasons (Pshat, but not only) in giving so much detail in Bereshit regarding the sons of Adam, Kain, and so on. Some of the characters born and die, and have no clear role, at least in ...
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Was Yael Jewish?
In Shoftim chapters 4 and 5 we learn of a woman named יָעֵל אֵשֶּׁת חֶבֶר הַקֵּינִי, Yael the wife of Chever the Kenite, who kills Sisra. In the song of Devorah, the Midrash (Ruth Rabba 1:8) and ...
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Talmudic sages of Davidic descent
Which (individual) sages of Talmud were said to be traced back to King David? IIRC, R. Hillel was one (?). Are there others? Sources are welcome.
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The application of the dispute about the borders of Babylon
The Talmud (Kiddushin 71b) discusses the differences in the lineage of people from different places in the vicinity of Bavel (Babylon) by analogy of health. Bavel is healthy (has a good lineage), ...
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Could there be a Halachik issue with using a DNA kit such as 23andMe?
Besides learning fun facts about one's DNA and ancestry, there's a lot of good that can come out of using one. For example: people of Ashkenazi Jewish descent can learn if they're predisposed to BRCA1 ...
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Torah Genealogy not mentioning childless people
In Shmuel 1, 17:12, the sons of Yishai are listed. There is a discrepancy between this count (of 7) and the textual statements that Yishai had 8 sons. Some meforshim explain this as because the 8th, ...
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Is the line of David known/documented? [duplicate]
Bear in mind, I have a background in Christianity, so my superficial knowledge of Judaism is at best base on the old testament. In the old testament David is told his line will result in the Messiah.
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Tribal affiliation through the father
Which Tanakh verses support the halacha that tribal affiliation is transmitted through the paternal side?
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Children of the Exodus (families, names, ages)
I hope my question will not be considered too broad. I am writing young adult fiction taking place during the Exodus (from just before the 10th plague until just after the giving of the second set of ...
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Why does the listing of returnees in Ezra change from families to territories?
In Ezra 2:21 the listing of the returnees from Bavel to Eretz Yisrael switches from lists of families to peoples from specific areas in Eretz Yisrael (the commentary of Daat Mikra identifies nearly ...
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Can Mitochondrial DNA testing be used to confirm Jewishness? [duplicate]
A friend of mine is having difficulty obtaining documents confirming the jewishness of their maternal line and thus they cannot confirm they are jewish.
Mitochondrial DNA is only passed down the ...
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Is Redeeming the Firstborn Son Optional?
Are there any early Judaic sources that discuss whether all firstborn sons HAVE to be redeemed, or can any firstborn son be dedicated as a priest - and NOT redeemed? Note: Like, the Tannaim, the ...
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Must Moshiach Ben Duvid be in direct patrilineal descent?
We know that Moshiach must descend from Duvid Hamelech (King David), traditional understanding is that it is ben acher ben (father to son 100% direct male descent).
My question is are there any ...
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How is a Gentile's membership in a Table of Nations Gentile nation determined?
In Genesis 10 (The Table of Nations), the Gentile nations that came from the descendants of Noah are enumerated "after their generations, in their nations". How is a Gentile's membership in a Gentile ...
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Gechazi's accursed descendants
Elisha cursed Gechazi with permanent Tzaares for all his generations. Is this the root of modern day Psoriasis? note the similarity in sound of illness...
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Why is Mordechai called Ben Kish and not Ben Sha'ul?
Several commentaries ask the question on Esther 2:5 as to why the passuk says Ben Kish when Shim'i was Kish's fifth-great grandson (Targum Sheini). Some explain it's because Mordechai shared traits of ...
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Was the Lubavitcher Rebbe a descendant of Dovid HaMelech?
Some Chabad chassidim believe the late Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, was and is the Moshiach. (This is a subject that has been addressed already on this SE.)
My question is, a ...
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Reuben, Simeon, Levi...But what about the other tribes?
Exodus 6:14 - 26 lists the genealogy of the tribes of Reuben, Simeon and Levi. However, after listing the family tree of Levi, the Torah does not continue listing the other tribes - Judah, Joseph, etc....
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Reason for Kohen status being inherited
Aharon was the first kohen and his sons inherit this status from then on (Shemot 28:1); their major role being to make offerings in the Temples on behalf of all of Israel.
Aside from being a ...
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Eliphaz HaTeimoni - who was he?
In Seder HaDoros, it tells us that Bildad HaShuchi was one of the sons of Shuach ben Avraham Avinu. It also tells us that Elihu ben Barachel HaBuzi was son of Barachel ben Buz ben Nochor ben Terach. ...
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Grandsons of Keturah
In Sefer HaYashar, Perek 25, it lists the grandsons of Avraham and Keturah. However, in Tanakh (Chayei Sarah and Divrei HaYamim), it specifically choses to only tell us the names of Yokshan and Midian'...
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Where did Shem's, Ham's and Japeth's wives come from?
I can't find any information regarding the ancestry line of Noah's sons' respective wives. From whom did they descend?
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Who was Hagar's (Avraham's maid/wife) grandfather?
Who was Hagar's (Avraham's maid/wife) grandfather? I know there is a source somewhere for this but I am baffled as to where.
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Mormons claim to be from the tribes of Israel (revealed via a "Patriarchal Blessing"), is this offensive to the Jewish community?
It has come to my attention that members of the the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), or more commonly known as Mormons, receive what is called a patriarchal blessing.
This "...
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How literally are we supposed to read the book of Bereshit/Genesis?
Especially with regard to the family of Abraham. Is there any extra-Biblical historical evidence of a paternal link between the Ishmaelite, Edomite and Keturan tribes and the 12 tribes of Israel? Is ...
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