Questions tagged [history]
Questions related to how something was in the past, and how it's developed since then.
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Climate and growing season in Iron Age Israel and Judah [closed]
Jan A Wagenaar, Origin and Transformation of the Ancient Israelite Festival Calendar, Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden 2005, proposes that the Feast of Unleavened Bread was originally in the month of ...
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The ancient segulah of a "Black Wedding" to combat a plague
In the recent Mishpacha Pesach 5781 edition they ran a lovely feature entitled 'Eyes that Saw Angels' which is a written testimony from various people who were zoche (merited) to have seen / spent ...
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Did the conversos who continued to live as crypto-Jews in Spain have any Halakhic justification?
Avoda Zara is 'ייהרג ואל יעבור', one of the few transgressions a Jew should give up their life for and be willing to die 'על קידוש השם'. In the medieval period, around the time of the Spanish ...
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How does Rav Zevin see evidence of post-Churban editing in Vetechazena?
In HaMoadim BeHalachah, page 371, Rav Shlomo Zevin endorses the idea raised by Rav Yitzchak Isaac HaLevy that the tefillot were established before the destruction of the Second Temple. However, he ...
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List of Greek-Roman decrees against Jewish rituals in ancient Israel
I'm confused by the prevalence of the Talmudic accounts of various Greek/Roman administrative decrees against the Jews and Jewish rituals/Torah study. On the other hand, most of the historical ...
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Validity and legitimacy of a non-Kosher High Priest
IIRC, in the second half of the Second Temple, starting with the Hasmonean revolt, many High Priests were either illegitimate (breaking Zadok's lineage), self-proclaimed, Sadducees, or appointed by ...
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What was the Rabbinic position toward the armed revolts against the Romans?
"...Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Ḥanina said: Why are these three oaths needed? One, so that the Jews should not ascend to Eretz Yisrael as a wall. And another one, that the Holy One, Blessed be He, ...
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Selection of pupils under R' Gamliel in Berakhot 28a
"תָּנָא אוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם, סִלְּקוּהוּ לְשׁוֹמֵר הַפֶּתַח וְנִתְּנָה לָהֶם רְשׁוּת לַתַּלְמִידִים לִיכָּנֵס. שֶׁהָיָה רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל מַכְרִיז וְאוֹמֵר: כׇּל תַּלְמִיד שֶׁאֵין תּוֹכוֹ כְּבָרוֹ, ...
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How Did Moses Build The Bronze Serpent and How Long Did It Take For Him To Do It?
How Did Moses Build The Bronze Serpent and How Long Did It Take For Him To Do It?
Numbers 21:1-9
And when king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell
that Israel came by the way of ...
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Any pre 7th century Jewish source, teaches that non-Jewish prophets will never be sent again?
1- were the non-Jewish prophets sent to non-Jewish nations only, and not Jews ? if the answer is Yes
Does it mean there is no way a non-Jewish prophet can ever be sent to the Jews? any textual basis ...
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Hourly timeline for the Exodus
In order to get an idea of what it was like to have participated in the Exodus, I would like to see an hourly timeline for the process, starting after noon on the 14 Nissan 2448. The timeline should ...
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Has the majority of Jews followed the decrees of the sages by the 7th century? [closed]
Can we say that the majority of Jews followed the decrees of the sages by the 7th century? Maybe earlier? Any proofs?
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Typically how long it takes to finish one page/chapter of the Hebrew bible? [closed]
What is the average time/day/months a prophet can finish writing one page or chapter before writing the next? I can't find a resource online other than how many years it took to finish the whole book.
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Kuntres by Rav Asher Weiss
In this shiur, Rav Asher Weiss references a kuntres he wrote called על הראשונים ועל האחרונים on the development of Torah Shebeal Peh. Does anyone know if it is available online?
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Who wrote the Haggada?
Who wrote our haggada? Was is a tanna, amora or reishon?
I've heard different rumors from different people. Some say Rashi compiled it. Some say it was a tanna while others say it was an amora.
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The possible history of Sefer Za'atutei?
I noticed that one of the changes made by the sages that authored Targum Hashiv'im (the LXX) for King Talmai was:
"וַיִּשְׁלַח אֶת זַאֲטוּטֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאֶל זַאֲטוּטֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל ...
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Was the Jewish month of Tammuz named after the pagan god Tammuz of the Babylonian? [duplicate]
According to Wikipedia: "The name of the month was adopted from the Assyrian and Babylonian month Araḫ Dumuzu, named in honour of the Mesopotamian deity Dumuzid"
If so what's the implication ...
maverick
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Why Syrian Idolatresses okay but Canaanite not?
Why was Abraham, and later Isaac and Rebecca, dead set against their sons, Isaac, Jacob and Esau, respectively, marrying idolatrous Canaanite and Hittite women, but perfectly okay with them marrying ...
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Does the Midrash show any examples of adjectives attached to Rabbi when addressing a Rabbi?
Are there any historic examples, such as in the Midrash, that show someone addressing a Rabbi with an adjective such as
רַבִּי הַטּוֹב?
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When Did the Burning of the Ner Tamid become Perpetual?
In Parshat Tetzaveh (Exodus 27:20-21) the first mention of the term "ner tamid" in the Torah appears. I had always thought of the ner tamid as the "eternal" or "perpetual&...
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The chronology of the Mishnah
Was the Mishnah compiled in the order we find it today? If so, this would mean "Zeraim" was written first, and finally "Tohorot"?
If the Mishnah wasn't compiled in the order we ...
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Evolution of the Term "Ger"
According to Plaut ("The Torah a Modern Commentary", Revised Edition, p. 530) the term "ger" has changed over time.
Ger was the term applied to resident non-Israelites who could ...
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Where can I find the text of the 1756 Vaad haArba Artzot / Brody Cherem?
I searched the web and couldn't find the text of the 1756 Cherem by the Vaad Arba Artzot excommunicating Sabbateans and limiting certain Kabbalah study.
In particular, I didn't find it even mentioned ...
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Did the Samaritan cities fight with the Hellenists against the Maccabees?
The antipathy of the Judeans towards the Samaritans is well known. Is this simply because of the ethnicity ascribed to them in 2 Kings 17:24-26 and their unsanctioned temple, or were they also mortal ...
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What happened to Yisro?
What happened to Yisro after he went back to Midyan to convert his family?
שמות 18:27
Also, is he mentioned anywhere after in tanach?
(him, not his descendants)
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Why did the office of Nasi cease to exist?
In the work From the Maccabees to the Mishnah (Shaye J. D. Cohen, 2014) he states that the office of the Nasi ceased to exist around the year 425 CE (p.220), but does not explain why this is so. I ...
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How can the contradiction between Daniel 1:21 and 10:1 regarding the year of Cyrus be resolved?
In Daniel 1:21 it says
וַיְהִי דָּנִיֵּאל עַד־שְׁנַת אַחַת לְכוֹרֶשׁ הַמֶּלֶךְ׃
Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus.
Yet in chapter 10 pasuk 1 it says
בִּשְׁנַת שָׁלוֹשׁ לְכוֹרֶשׁ ...
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What are some of the influences on Judaism post Constantine The Great?
Up until Constantine The Great both Jewish and Christian religions were small religions among many others that vanished throughout history. Not only they were small, but both were also constantly ...
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If thou forgettest Me one day, I will forget thee two days
In a class he gave in the 90s, Rabbi Prof. Shnayer Leiman said that he believes that once all of the fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls are properly analyzed and made public, it is very likely that the ...
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What are the specifics of the fake Yerushalmi story?
I heard, long ago, about a mesechta (or entire seder, I can't recall which) of Yerushalmi that was fabricated. It was finally proven to be a fake when a rabbi realized that every mesechta (or seder) ...
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What does שליט"א stand for?
I thought that שליט"א came from the Aramaic word שליט (Ruler). But a Rabbi I told this to, pointed out that שליט"א is always written as with " , in the Middle so each the letters must ...
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Who is Onkelos?
We're all familiar with Onkelos as a convert and a translator. According to Wikipedia,
he was a prominent Roman nobleman, the son of a man named Callinicus and the sister of Titus, the Roman emperor. ...
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The Torah Transmission Date Discrepancies?
I'm curious to know the dates of birth and death of the following Torah transmitters, who appear in Pirkei Avot, since I've seen conflicting dates when doing some independent research:
Shimon HaTzadik
...
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Who gathered the barley sheaves?
Every male was commanded to be at the temple for a week starting on Nisan 15. (Deuteronomy 16:16)
On Nisan 16 freshly gathered sheaves of the First-fruits of the barley harvest were brought to the ...
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Pre-plagues hail?
In Shemot 9:24, it says about the plague of hail:
"וַיְהִי בָרָד וְאֵשׁ מִתְלַקַּחַת בְּתוֹךְ הַבָּרָד כָּבֵד מְאֹד אֲשֶׁר לֹא הָיָה כָמֹהוּ בְּכָל אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם מֵאָז הָיְתָה לְגוֹי."
&...
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When were the books and the text of the Torah settled?
I am right now reading "The Lies That Bind" (Kwame Anthony Appiah). On page 50 at the bottom of the 2nd paragraph he states:
"More than this, the idea of a final listing of the books ...
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How has our attitude changed toward the relationship of morality to Torah observance? [closed]
I have often noticed, in my interactions with other Orthodox Jews, that they seem to feel that the correct resolution of every moral question is to ask a prominent rabbi. For example, when I point out ...
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Why did the model of Rabbinic Pairs (Zugot) emerge and why was it abolished?
In What was the position of Av Beis Din vs Nassi in Rabbinic Pairs? I asked about the description of the two positions in the Sanhedrin.
However, why did this model suddenly emerge after almost 1500 ...
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What was the position of Av Beis Din vs Nassi in Rabbinic Pairs?
Traditionally, from Moses and on there was always only one head of the Sanhedrin, the president, the prince, the king, the Supreme Judge, Av Beis Din, etc. No other members or titles or names are ever ...
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Yeshivas that relocated
BS"D
Which yeshivot relocated throughout the 20th century due to war, pogroms, etc.?
For example, I know that The Mir Yeshiva moved to Shanghai in 1941.
Are there any other similar yeshivot?
Do ...
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Are there Traditional Jewish sources say that the story of Adam and Chava is a metaphor?
(Original: Are there any traditional Jewish sources that state that the story of Adam Harishon is a metaphor and/or that there were other intelligent human beings already on the earth prior to Adam’s ...
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Who are "the Yechidim"?
I'm reading a book called "Publications of The American Jewish Historical Society, no. 21" (which can be found for free on archive.com). The first part is a collection of records of ...
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During which plague did the Baal Shem Tov advise writing a Sefer Torah
The United for Protection campaign says:
In the times of the Baal Shem Tov a terrible disease swept through his town of Mezibush. (…)
Only by uniting together in the creation of a new Torah scroll, ...
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Do some scholars believe that "לנבא" ("lenabe") meant "to philosophise"/"to entertain"/"to dramatise"?
I read with interest Julian Jaynes' Bicamerlism book where he claims that lenabe was mistranslated as "to prophetise" in LXX which also influenced Jewish thought. Later on, I wrote out of ...
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Do any commentaries suggest that the Tower of Babel was the Great Pyramid of Giza?
According to the Torah (Genesis 11) the tower of Babel was located in Shinar, which scholars place in southern Mesopotamia, and was built at around ~ 1765 BC (here).
The Great Pyramid of Giza was ...
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What was Anglo Jewry's stance just before the establishment of the State of Israel?
By 1947 or so, many Jews emphatically wanted a State of Israel, and for the British to end their control of then-Palestine.
How did this play out for the Jews of the United Kingdom? Did its United ...
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What was the first systematic book about Jewish tradition?
If I follow Rabbinic sources from the Torah to Rambam, I spot a progression from essentially unstructured and non-systematic books such as the Tanakh to Midrashic anthologies and Halachic compendia, e....
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Which nations were the Cherethites and Pelethites?
Which nations were the Cherethites and Pelethites?
Divrei Hayamim I - I Chronicles - Chapter 18:17 And Benaiah the son of
Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and the sons of
David ...
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Did ancient Jewish maps have East at the top? [closed]
A long time ago, someone told me that ancient Jewish maps had East at the top instead of North. I can't even remember who it was that said that, but that idea has stuck with me. Is there any ...
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Are there Orthodox sources on alternative estimations of the Exodus?
When discussing the Exodus, some academic scholars try to reconcile the Biblical narrative with empirical findings by lowering the estimates for the number of people involved and the grandiosity of ...
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