Questions tagged [history]
Questions related to how something was in the past, and how it's developed since then.
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Did the Israelites know the future?
The Torah was revealed to Israel at a certain point in time, and recounts many significant events that happened after that point. When the Torah was revealed, did the Israelites know about these ...
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If Jews conquer a random new land does it become holy like Eretz Yisrael? How might this relate to kibbush yachid? And does kibbush yachid even count?
If Jews conquered New York City let's say does New York City become holy just like Eretz Yisrael?
What if a "Jewish king" declared it as a Jewish state? I'm very curious..
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Why didn't the Jews of Persia leave after Haman's decree?
After Haman's genocidal edict was sent out to all the people of the Persian kingdom why was there not a mass exodus of Jews to parts of the world not under the dominion of Achashveirosh and his law?
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רִבּוֹן כָּל הָעוֹלָמִים אֲדוֹן כָּל הַנְּשָׁמוֹת אֲדוֹן הַשָּׁלוֹם - source of this Shabbat prayer
Here is its entry in the open siddur project.
The open siddur project demonstrates that the claim that this was composed by Rabbi Joseph of Rashkow, Posen can't be true as it is found in the siddur ...
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Rosh Chodesh - importance in history?
In the Wikipedia article on Rosh Chodesh it says that historically it had much more importance, why did it change? Do Rabbinic sources or commentators attest to this? Is there evidence during the ...
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What happened to King Achashverosh?
All the main characters in the story of Purim were either killed, or raised to a level of authority. additionally, it is mentioned in the megillah what happened to them (Vashti was killed, Haman and ...
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Do the Hasideans have a connection to the House of David?
What primary sources have scholars examined to investigate potential genealogical ties between the Hasideans and the house of David or other tribes? Does linguistic analysis of the name "Hasid&...
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Confused about the layout of this
Joshua 6:12-13 Speaks about the Kohanim, armed men, and rear guard and how they were ordered when they walked with the Aron. Is there a representation of this actually looked, I'm not sure who was in ...
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Seeking copy of Torah in Ktav Ivri (Paleo-Hebrew)
Is there a copy of the Torah in Ktav Ivri (Paleo-Hebrew)?
If so, is there a copy online? If not, where might I find it in print?
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Is there any special mitzvah connected with the upcoming “March for Israel” rally on November 14 at the National Mall in Washington DC?
Upon reflection, the last time there was a potentially world altering convergence of Jews in the United States was for the Freedom Sunday for Soviet Jewry Rally on December 6, 1987. It was estimated ...
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Why were the Bnei Yisrael exiled to Egypt?
I'm not asking why they literally went down (e.g. to look for food). I'm asking, what did they do wrong to deserve it. They were the direct descendants of some of the greatest people in all of history ...
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Slavic People are called K'nan in jewish sources
Why is the slavic languages or people reffered to as Cannanim in Jewish sources? Who is the first to do this?
See for instance Minchas Yehuda in Mechokekei Yehuda explaining Rashi on Devarim 3:9 Here.
...
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Why do we follow matrilineal descent of Judaism when there's evidence to suggest that it used to be patrilineal? How to resolve the contradiction?
According to the contemporary scholarship, even though modern Orthodox Judaism follows matrilineal descent, there is evidence to suggest that this was a shift that occurred during the second century, ...
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Sridei Eish changed comment
My rabbi was once reading from a Sridei Eish that discussed dvar Torahs he gave to his kahal in Warsaw on the Parsha every year (which btw where would I find this? I found a Sridei Eish book in my ...
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Are there any historical accounts that help give context to the "sinat chinam" at the time of the destruction of the temple?
I would like to know what exactly this sinat chinam looked like. What did they "hate" about each other? I feel like the answer to this would be better if it gave a full picture of the state ...
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The bracha on Hallel and interruption during the Crusades
The correct bracha on real Hallel (as opposed to Rosh Chodesh and the end of Pesach) is לגמור את ההלל. The Maharam advised people to instead say לקרוא את ההלל because if you say לגמור and then miss a ...
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What are the first sources of Tzimtzum
BH
What’s the first sources that speak about Tzimtzum? Someone told me that it talks about this in Sefer Yetzirah. If so, where?
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Seeking Sources on the Russian Decree Regarding Jewish Dress Code
I am currently studying the later version of the Sefer “Daas Moshe VYisroel” and came across an interesting point in Rabbi Binyomin Rabinowitz's approbation letter. It states:
"הנה מנהג חבישת פאה ...
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Who was Adina? (Lavan's wife)
In Sefer Hayashar it says:
ויזרע יצחק בארץ ההיא, וימצא בשנה ההיא מאה שערים ויברכו ה׳. ויגדל האיש ויהי לו ובשנת חמישים ושש שנים לחיי יעקב, באו אנשים מחרן ויגידו לרבקה על אודות לבן בן בתואל אחיה. כי ...
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Did the pre-lightbulb era rabbis have light bulbs [duplicate]
I remember hearing a story of how a rabbi had, prior to the discovery of electricity or creation of the light bulb (my memory of this story is vague), access to a light bulb which he used to learn ...
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Jewish languages
Why haven't Jews had a consistent language throughout history? What was wrong with Lashon Hakodesh (besides for learning the local language)? We adopted Aramaic with a mixture of LHK and local ...
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Evidence for how peyot were 'worn' in ancient times?
Nowadays, peyot are 'worn' by some religious Jews as long extensions on the sides of the head. Often they are stylised into curls/locks. From what I understand, this was popularised by the chassidic ...
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When/where/how did weekly "kiddush" become the norm? [duplicate]
At the typical American synagogue -- and most in Europe as well, at this point I think -- it's expected that after the Shabbos morning prayers, there will be "kiddush", but people don't sit ...
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Menstrual flow of 12 years; any leniencies?
If a woman had a menstrual flow that had not ceased for 12 years, how strictly would the rule of Lev. 15:25-30 be enforced in terms of social separation required for such a woman? Would the law be ...
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Origin of mythical creatures
Where does Judaism believe the other gods originate from? If Hashem is the only G.od where did everyone get their notion of a deity from?
For example the ancient Egyptians had half-human and half-...
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Why do we have many teachings from Hillel and Shammai, but very few of earlier zugot?
We venerate our previous generations, and have a principle of yeridat hadorot. Therefore I would imagine that the Torah of Samaya and Avtalyon, for example, would be pure gold for us, and threaded ...
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Did the Himyarite Kingdom (Jewish state from c. 380 CE till 530 CE) have the Talmud/Oral Torah? If they converted without it, are they valid converts?
The Himyarite Kingdom became a Jewish kingdom in what is today Yemen, from around 380 CE at the earliest and continued to be Jewish until around 500 CE with the 530 CE date being the very latest date ...
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What was Torah study like before the Mishnah and Talmud were transcribed?
Most of the study time in modern yeshivos seems to be devoted to studying from material which has gained physical/written form over the last 1900 years. (Mishnah, Talmud, Halachah, Mussar, ...
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Why were the Jews chosen?
I know there is a midrash quoted in Avodah Zara 2b which says that G-d went to all the nations and asked them if they wanted to accept the Torah, and they all refused until G-d came to the Jews. ...
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TIKKUN OLAM תיקון עולם [closed]
I am looking for material about TIKKUN OLAM, POST TALMUDIC PERIOD, NOT kabbalist (too difficult for my students) somebody can give share a few links or detailed resources?
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The Watchers in Judaism [duplicate]
My wife asked me if there were any opinions that the B'nei Elohim that slept with the daughters of men were actually angels. In one of her Torah commentaries it said there was no such opinion. I ...
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Why would some people "return" to Gehinnom?
Rashi on Psalms 9:18 states:
לשאולה: אמר רבי נחמי' כל תיבה הצריכה למ"ד בתחלתה הטיל לה ה"א בסופה
כגון (בראשית יב) מצרימה מדברה התיבון לי' והכתיב ישובו רשעים לשאולה א"ר
אבא בר זבדי ...
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Jewish hats throughout the ages
Is there a book or any other source which goes through the history of which types of hats jews wore throughout history?
Also, regarding the Ashkenazi minhag to wear the fedora - why is it worn with ...
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Story with the maharam schick
I'm looking for where a certain story with the maharam Schick is printed.
It goes as follows : the ruler of the maharam Schicks area wished to see a Jewish wedding and ordered that one take place in ...
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Difference between aggadah in gemara and midrash
Much of the non-halachic aggadah quoted in the gemara overlaps with aggadah from the midrash such as midrash tanchuma or midrash rabbah and others. Yet there are some aggadah that are only found in ...
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Where abouts in the Persian Empire did the Jews live?
The original deportations of Jews occurred in Nebuchadnezzar's era and so they would have settled in Babylon regions, but whereabouts in the Persian Empire did the Jews live? Were they dispersed much ...
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Contradiction in the torah? Please explain this. I have heard many times that a divine book can not contradict [duplicate]
Melachim II (II Kings) - Chapter 8
26Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he reigned, and one year he reigned in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Athaliah the daughter of Omri king of Israel.
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Is it apikorises to believe animals (not humans) evolved? [duplicate]
Is it apikorises to believe such a thing? On the surface it makes sense, but evolutionism seems to greatly contradict with the Torah’s calendar in some ways.
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Maps/blueprints of the interior of the Temple Mount
I am looking for resources that have maps and/or blueprints of the interior of the Temple Mount. For example, showing the various tunnel systems, stairs, gates, chambers, etc. I would even appreciate ...
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Does the Torah prohibit men from shaking women hands? [duplicate]
My friend is devoutly Jewish and when he met my family, he shaked hands with all members of my family, accept for my mother and sister, claiming that both Judaism and the Torah prohibit men from ...
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When and how did the practice of tsitsit on a small talit originate?
Today, it seems that everybody wears a talit katan.
Where does this practice come from and when did it start?
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Use of the name Yahu
I recently was shared an article about the new "oldest usage" of the tetragrammaton.
https://biblearchaeology.org/current-events-list/4896-abr-researchers-discover-the-oldest-known-proto-...
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when were the mishnah, talmud, and tosefta written?
a simple question: when were the mishnah, tosefta, and talmud written and how do we know?
regarding mishnah and tosefta: most sources say that the mishnah was compiled by the end of 2nd century CE (by ...
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Seeking picture of original OU logo in Hebrew [closed]
It seems the OU (Orthodox Union) logo of today had a predecessor:
"Prior to Heinz sporting the OU logo that is recognizable today, the Loose-Wiles Biscuit Co sold their kosher crackers where a ...
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Discrepency of 600 years: Velikovsky's view on Jewish history
There are different sources (for example: Seder Olam Rabbah, chapter 5, which deals with yetzias mitzrayim and the splitting of the sea) that explain when important events took place in our history. ...
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What is the earliest use of the term tzaddik? How far back does the concept go?
According to this website, there is a claim that "It is part of our glorious tradition going back thousands of years to seek a blessing from a Tzaddik for a sick relative (see Talmud Bava Basra ...
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Source for Ancient Prohibition against Writing Prayers?
This short article on the History of the Siddur claims:
In ancient times, customary daily prayers were recited by heart, or a
reader prayed aloud and the congregation responded to the blessings
with “...
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The curse of King Darius
In sefer Ezra 6:11 it tells us that King Darius decreed that anyone who attempted to disrupt the resumed construction of the beis hamikdash would have a beam removed from their home and they would be ...
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If Adam and Chava only lived about 5,800 years ago, then how did races end up looking so different from each other in such a short amount of time?
How do we explain how different ethnicities ended up looking so different from each other in such a short amount of time, if Adam and Chava only lived less than 6000 years ago?
Did Hashem make it that ...
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bowing down during davening
If we look in the rishonim, we see that they said that we have to bow when we pray. The gemara (in Meggilah) also said that there are 3 types of bowing during prayer. I'm pretty sure there was also a ...
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