Questions tagged [history]
Questions related to how something was in the past, and how it's developed since then.
15 questions from the last 30 days
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Why do we have different names today than in ancient Judaism?
There are definitely exceptions, but for the most part, it seems that from the Beis Hamikdash period up until the era of the Rishonim, the traditional names we use today were relatively uncommon (such ...
- 168
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Did Chazal ever divorce?
I'm wondering, out of pure interest, if we know of any Tannaim, Amoraim, Savoraim, Geonim or Rishonim who divorced their wives?
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How was Rabban Gamliel’s successor chosen?
Rabban Gamliel held of office of Nasi (patriarch) and was deposed. His successor was chosen to be Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya (Berachot 27b-28a). R' Elazar was a Kohen and therefore could not have been of ...
- 15.3k
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2
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Is it all Leah's doing?
As we know from the commentaries and midrashim, Leah's eyes were weak from praying to Hashem to not have to marry Esav. If she had, her job would have been to cause him to turn into a "good guy&...
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(Why) are bereitot, especially those not found in the tosefta and midrash halacha considered canonical?
A bereita is a teaching from the time of the Tannaim or before which was not recorded as part of the Mishnah. There are breitot found in the Tosefta and midrash halacha as well as other collections of ...
- 15.3k
3
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2
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(How) did Rebbi Eliezer and Rebbi Yehoshua survive the destruction of Jerusalem?
In Gittin 56a we read the story of how Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai escaped the siege of Jerusalem. He was smuggled out in a coffin borne by his two students Rebbi Eliezer and Rebbi Yehoshua. When he ...
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4
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1
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How would a person become a rabbi around 1 CE?
Given the general illiteracy, the lack of public libraries, the high cost of Torah copies and writing materials, how would a person become a rabbi in 1 CE?
Given the costs and reading/writing ...
- 300
3
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2
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Is Moshe Idel’s scholarship considered kosher by the Orthodox Jewish community [closed]
I’m curious whether the scholarship of Moshe Idel, a contemporary scholar of Kabbalah, is considered kosher (i.e., that his scholarship doesn't contradict the Mesorah) and reliable (i.e., that a ...
- 4,532
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What kingdom was Melchizedek the king of?
Practically all commentators learn that Salem was Jerusalem, as it says (Gen 14.18): "And King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was a priest of God Most High."
What do we ...
- 28k
2
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2
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What is the dating of Herod and Pompey's conquests of Jerusalem and the solemn fast
According to Josephus, Pompey took Jerusalem in the third month (Sivan) of 63 BCE during the solemn fast. He then later states that Herod captured Jerusalem in the third month, on the same day, also ...
- 555
3
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1
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What happened to Sefer Yechezkel before Chananyah ben Chizkiyah ben Guriyon?
There's a famous Gemara in Shabbos 13b:
אמר רב יהודה אמר רב: ברם זכור אותו האיש לטוב וחנניה בן חזקיה שמו, שאלמלא הוא נגנז ספר יחזקאל, שהיו דבריו סותרין דברי תורה. מה עשה? — העלו לו שלש מאות גרבי שמן, ...
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Question about Binyanim – Hebrew linguistics [closed]
I've looked into lots of linguistic works and found discussion of the 7 Binyanim (verb patterns) in much of modern Hebrew linguistics and even going back before. Obviously verbs in Tanakh (and all of ...
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1
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Why did Tunisian Jews not celebrate Purim for a long time?
From Jewish Virtual Library
The Jews of Tunis at that time scrupulously observed most of the festivals but did not celebrate the second day; they entirely ignored the festival of Purim, although they ...
1
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0
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Are the people and the events in the book of Esther accepted as historically true?
Recently I have revisited the book of Esther and have learned more about the power struggle between Haman and Mordechai and the events that prevented the annihilation of the Jews back then. The ...
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4
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1
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Ma'agel Tov of the Chida: why was the sefer called "the good circle"?
The book Ma'agal Tov is essentially the personal diary of Rabbi Chida,
in which he recorded the events that occurred during his travels to
European countries on a mission from the Hebron community. ...
- 11.6k