Questions tagged [parshanut-torah-comment]
interpretation of parts of Tanach by close reading, not derivation
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Why was Yoseph sold to Ishmaelites and then Midianites, rather than Midianites and then Ishmaelites?
The following question and translations are courtesy of Studies in Bereshit by Nechama Leibowitz.
In Parshat Vayeshev, some pesukim suggest that Yoseph was sold by his brothers to Midianites, and ...
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Halacha on being attentive to someone when they're speaking to you
BH
Does Halacha or any teaching in the Torah address the following scenarios:
A) When someone is talking to you, must you be attentive to show them respect that you're listening to what they're saying?...
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Having a Chassidishe Gaiva
BH
One of my teachers said once that a student of the Alter Rebbe was in a city filled with so much materialism and sin that he was later asked how he was able to overcome the tests and so he said &...
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What is the source of not to speak dvarim betelim
BH
What’s the source and meaning of not speaking dvarim Beteilim purposeless words?
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What is the Correct Translation of Leviticus 19:18?
I realize there are debates about whether how this commandment should be interpreted. My question is about how it should be translated. My Hebrew is far from fluent, so can someone help me understand ...
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Question about Binyamin being named "Ben Oni" in Vayishlach
Vayishlach (35:18) says that Rachel named Binyamin "Ben-Oni" (according to Rashi "son of my pain"). Is this meant to be suggestive of a double meaning in that Binyamin was actually ...
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Why does Rashi say that Lavan covered 7 days worth of distance in one day?
In Parshas Vayeitze, Rashi comments on the words דרך שבעת ימים, quoting a midrash, saying
כל אותן ג' ימים שהלך המגיד להגיד ללבן הלך יעקב לדרכו, נמצא יעקב רחוק מלבן ששה ימים, ובשביעי השיגו לבן. למדנו ...
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Rivkah not giving water to the men traveling with Eliezer?
In Parshat Chayei Sarah, we all are familiar with the episode of Rivkah imenu offering water to Eliezer first then to the camels.
However, the Torah doesn't record Rivkah giving water to the men ...
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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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Number 350 in Parashat Noach
It says in Parashat Noach that the ark should be 300 Amot long and 50 Amot width. And it says that Noach lived 300 years and 50 years after the flood.
What is the connection between them ?
Anything in ...
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Textual parallel between Eve and Cain, why?
In Bereishit 3:16, Eve is cursed:
אֶֽל־הָאִשָּׁ֣ה אָמַ֗ר הַרְבָּ֤ה אַרְבֶּה֙ עִצְּבוֹנֵ֣ךְ וְהֵֽרֹנֵ֔ךְ בְּעֶ֖צֶב תֵּֽלְדִ֣י בָנִ֑ים וְאֶל־אִישֵׁךְ֙ תְּשׁ֣וּקָתֵ֔ךְ וְה֖וּא יִמְשׇׁל־בָּֽךְ׃
And to ...
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New Mikraot Gedolot - Chorev Publishers [closed]
I am looking for reviews on the somewhat new Mikraot Gedolot from Chorev Publishers
How is the quality of the print? Is it clear and easy to read for most people? There is a lot of information packed ...
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The relationship of Adam and Chavah and what does it mean?
In Parshat B'reishis ch. 3 p. 20 Adam names Chavah. Here Rashi points out that Adam names her earlier and the reason for bringing up the name in this location.
What I'm wondering though is about the ...
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List of "most important" Rashis on the Torah
There is a list of the most fundamental Ramban al ha Torah commentaries which someone has compiled (I uploaded it here), sorted by parasha, with a short index on the last page.
Does something similar ...
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Translating Genesis 1:1 "בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית" to "in the beginning"
Apologies if this is a stupid question (or belongs in a different group). Since I'm not Jewish & only beginning to learn Hebrew I lack the background to pose an intelligent question.
English uses ...
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"... and the cities are fortified and very large" - how would ex-Egyptians see Canaanean cities?
Tel Hevron (the ancient settlement in Hebron) features a fragment of a Middle Bronze Age city wall. The sign cites the verse "However, the people who inhabit the country are powerful, and the ...
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Why was Avshalom riding a donkey into battle?
In the battle between Avshalom's army and David's forces Avshalom is riding a donkey which runs away when Avshalom is caught by his hair in a tree.
וַיִּקָּרֵא אַבְשָׁלוֹם לִפְנֵי עַבְדֵי דָוִד ...
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What are the peculiarities of a school or company of the prophets לַהֲקַ֚ת הַנְּבִיאִים֙ (1 Samuel 19:20)?
What are the peculiarities of a school or company of the prophets לַהֲקַ֚ת הַנְּבִיאִים֙ (I Samuel 19:20)?
What did one learn in a school of the prophets?
How did one become a student in a school of ...
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Declaration of First-Fruits
When a person offers the bikkurim for the first time of that year, they come to the Kohen of those days and declare to him the declaration of Deuteronomy 26:3:
ובאת אל־הכהן אשר יהיה בימים ההם ואמרת ...
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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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Who is the Stranger that rises above?
In the list of curses that could befall the Jewish nation, Deuteronomy 28:43 reads:
The stranger who is among you will arise above you, higher and higher, while you will descend lower and lower.
I ...
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Prostration during offerings?
While the first-fruits were being offered, it is stated in Deuteronomy 26:10 that after the declaration of the person offering, they would "prostrate themselves before Hashem."
Where would ...
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When did God select Israel?
In Parsha Ki Tavo, Deuteronomy 26:17-18 reads:
(17) You have selected the Lord this day, to be your God, and to walk in His ways, and to observe His statutes, His commandments and His ordinances, and ...
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Who actually rested on the seventh day? Was it Memra or G-d, blessed be He?
Targum Neofiti states the following:
“On the seventh day, the Memra of the LORD completed his work which he had created, and there was Sabbath.” (Genesis 2:3; Targum Neofiti)
Memra is what "...
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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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Did Benjamin know what happen to Yosef in real time? [duplicate]
It is mentioned in the sources that Benjamin named his sons after what Joseph went through when he was separated from his family: And the sons of Benjamin, Bela and Becher and Ashbel, Gera and Naaman, ...
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Why did Goliat fall on his face?
In 1 Shmuel 17:49 we read
וַיִּשְׁלַח דָּוִד אֶת־יָדוֹ אֶל־הַכֶּלִי וַיִּקַּח מִשָּׁם אֶבֶן וַיְקַלַּע וַיַּךְ אֶת־הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי אֶל־מִצְחוֹ וַתִּטְבַּע הָאֶבֶן בְּמִצְחוֹ וַיִּפֹּל עַל־פָּנָיו ...
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Tzafnat Panei’ach
I’m looking for some help with Tzafnat Panei’ach’s commentary to Genesis 17:23 (pages 137-138 of this PDF). Specifically:
The author queries whether Abraham circumcised himself before his household, ...
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Do Zachariah 14 and Ezekiel 37 claim that the state of Israel will exist before the arrival of the Messiah?
I heard someone say that the task of the Messiah will be to establish Israel as a theocratic monarchy. However, this person claimed that Zachariah 14 and Ezekiel 37 claim that Israel will exist ...
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Do any commentators equate 2 אֲחִיָּהs?
In 1 Shmuel 14:3 a Kohen named אֲחִיָּה carries the ephod and is a descendant of Eli who lived in Shiloh. In 1 Melachim 11 there is a similarly named person who is a prophet and is also from Shiloh. ...
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Pinchas didn't carry a spear?
In discussing Pinchas, the Chasam Sofer reportedly says that the kana'im who don't carry around a spear are the true kanai'm lishma while those who carry around a spear looking for a machlokes are not ...
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Did Bilam lose the power of prophecy?
In Bamidbar 24:14, Bilam says "I go back to my people," and Rashi explains that he knew Hashem had departed from him, and he was now like the rest of his people. Presumably this means he ...
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Who are the giants in Isaiah 14
In Isaiah 14:9 it says: "Gehinnom from beneath quaked for you, toward your arrival; it aroused for you the giants, all the chiefs of the earth; it caused all the kings of the nations to rise from ...
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Let Hashem stop Bilam advising Bolok to arrange sinning with Ba'al Pe'or
Why does HKB”H intervene (in Parshas Bolok ) to stop Bilam cursing the Jewish people but does not intervene to stop Bilam giving the advice to sin with Ba'al Pe'or .
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When Hashem spoke to Moshe and it doesn't say leemor it always means that the general public only found this out after it was written in the Torah?
Is it correct to say that when Hashem spoke to Moshe and It doesn't say leemor it means that Klal Yisroel only found this out after the Torah was given?
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Missing geneology names
In the beginning of Parshat Korach, the posuk reads
וַיִּקַּ֣ח קֹ֔רַח בֶּן־יִצְהָ֥ר בֶּן־קְהָ֖ת בֶּן־לֵוִ֑י וְדָתָ֨ן וַאֲבִירָ֜ם בְּנֵ֧י אֱלִיאָ֛ב וְא֥וֹן בֶּן־פֶּ֖לֶת בְּנֵ֥י רְאוּבֵֽן
The lineage ...
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Eltzafan or Elitzafan, son of Uziel?
I was wondering why the Torah uses two different spellings - with or without the letter Yod - to talk about the same character.
Twice the Torah says Eltzafan: shemot 6:22 and vayikra 10:4
and once ...
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אף־אני אלך עמם בקרי - what does it mean for us to treat Hashem בקרי, and visa versa?
Vayikra 26:40-41:
והתודו את־עונם ואת־עון אבתם במעלם אשר מעלו־בי ואף אשר־הלכו עמי בקרי
And they shall admit their sin, and the sin of their fathers, with
their betrayal which they betrayed against Me, ...
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Yehoshua bin Nun & Calev ben Yefuneh, and their order in parshat Shelach
In parshat Shelach, the Torah records both Yehoshua bin Nun and Calev ben Yefuneh not consistenly in the same order when both mentioned in the same verse.
For example:
Bamidbar 14:6, Yehoshua comes ...
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אלדד מידד how old were they?
אלדד מידד were 2 people who received a prophecy whilst at home in their camp during the Jews' sojourn at קברת התאוה. There is debate amongst the rishonim whether they were supposed to have been ...
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Eldad and Medad Age
According to the Rosh's commentary on the Torah, Eldad and Medad mentioned in Numbers 11:26 were the half-brothers of Moses. The Rosh explains that during the giving of the Torah, Moses' father Amrom, ...
- 2,181
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Missing vav or not in Bamidbar 7:2
In parshat Nasso (Bamidbar 7:2), the Torah says
וַיַּקְרִ֙יבוּ֙ נְשִׂיאֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל רָאשֵׁ֖י בֵּ֣ית אֲבֹתָ֑ם הֵ֚ם נְשִׂיאֵ֣י הַמַּטֹּ֔ת הֵ֥ם הָעֹמְדִ֖ים עַל־הַפְּקֻדִֽים׃
On this verse, the Minchat ...
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HOW did they re-accept the Torah?
During the story of Purim, the Gemara (https://www.sefaria.org/Shabbat.88a.5?lang=bi&with=Sheets&lang2=en ) tells us that the Jewish people "re-accepted the Torah during the story of ...
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What is being emphasized in the Chassidic thought for the day called HaYom Yom in connection with the festival of Shavuot?
In HaYom Yom for the first day of Shavuot it says:
The Baal Shem Tov passed away on Wednesday, the first day of Shavuot, 5520 (1760) and is interred in Mezibuz. The Alter Rebbe Commented (on ...
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Is Yaacov Avinu implying that Hashem only fulfils His promises to those who are worthy? (Rashi)
קָטֹנְתִּי מִכֹּל הַחֲסָדִים וּמִכָּל־הָאֱמֶת
I am unworthy of all the kindness and all the truth...(Bereshit 32:11)
Rashi on "truth":
ומכל האמת. אֲמִתַּת דְּבָרֶיךָ, שֶׁשָּׁמַרְתָּ לִי ...
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Why is there variation in number regarding entering the land?
In some situations, the Torah, when issuing a commandment regarding being in Israel uses the singular and in other cases, the plural:
Dev 26:1 -- וְהָיָה֙ כִּֽי־תָב֣וֹא אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ
Bam 15:2 -- כִּ֣י ...
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Cain and Abel in Sefer ha-Ikkarim
This article by Rabbi Sacks z”l states that, according to Sefer ha-Ikkarim, Cain killed Abel as a human sacrifice (believing that that was the best way of paying tribute to Hashem). But the actual ...
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Kli Yakar on vegetarianism and the purpose of kashrut [closed]
This article cites Kli Yakar to Deuteronomy 12:20 as saying - and this is presented as a direct translation of the Kli Yakar:
What was the necessity for the entire procedure of ritual slaughter?
For ...
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Why don't the birds get the bracha of פְּרוּ?
In the creation of the world when Hashem is creating fish and birds, the verse in Beresheit 1:22 says,"וַיְבָ֧רֶךְ אֹתָ֛ם אֱלֹהִ֖ים לֵאמֹ֑ר פְּר֣וּ וּרְב֗וּ וּמִלְא֤וּ אֶת־הַמַּ֙יִם֙ בַּיַּמִּ֔ים ...
- 1,586
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Number of dead after the Golden calf
When we get a count in the Torah it is in an exact form (either literal or metaphorical) for example the tribe of Reuven had 46,500 members. An exception to this rule would seem after the golden calf, ...
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