Questions tagged [parshanut-torah-comment]
interpretation of parts of Tanach by close reading, not derivation
59 questions from the last 365 days
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Why do the Sages often believe that the word רוב mean "majority," when it clearly means "a lot"?
It seems clear that the word רוב in biblical Hebrew means "a large amount." For example, Bereshit 48:16
וְיִדְגּוּ לָרֹב בְּקֶרֶב הָאָרֶץ may they teem into multitudes in the midst of the ...
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Lesser known Sefardi commentaries on the Parasha (online)
Very simple question. I am always looking to add to my list of Sefardi (incl. Edot Mizrach, Italian etc.) commentaries that I can draw Divrei Torah from. I have been relying mainly on the Chida, ...
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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 ...
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Why does the Torah ignore the Philistine nation?
The books of the Prophets and Kings highlight the ongoing conflict between the Judeans and the Philistines. However, the Torah shows no awareness of the Philistine nation (people) besides not letting ...
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Why did the angel strain or dislocate Yaakov's hip-socket?
When the angel of Eisav was struggling with Yaakov, in Bereishis 32:26 the verse states:
וַיַּ֗רְא כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יָכֹל֙ ל֔וֹ וַיִּגַּ֖ע בְּכַף־יְרֵכ֑וֹ וַתֵּ֙קַע֙ כַּף־יֶ֣רֶךְ יַעֲקֹ֔ב בְּהֵאָֽבְק֖וֹ ...
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3 days: Avraham's journey vs. Israelite's "journey"
Are there any sources connecting the 3 days Avraham walked to Har Hamoria (Bereshit 22:4) in the test of the Akeda, to the "3 days journey into the desert" Moshe asked King Pharaoh to grant ...
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Usage of פגרים in Parashat Lech-Lecha
In the Brit bein haBetarim (the sixth 'aliyah in Lech-Lecha), the following verse (Gen. 15:11) occurs, with a mystifying uncommon word.
וַיֵּ֥רֶד הָעַ֖יִט עַל־הַפְּגָרִ֑ים וַיַּשֵּׁ֥ב אֹתָ֖ם אַבְרָֽם׃...
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What does the name of Amalek mean?
I know there are various etymological methods that scientists use to say "we don't really know where this word comes from" but I'm wondering about what Jewish methods we can apply to ...
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3
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Why did Abraham not know who Isaac should marry if G-d told him?
At the end of Parshat Vayera (22:20), Abraham is informed that his brother Nahor has fathered a number of descendants, including a granddaughter named Rebecca.
Rashi ad loc (20) explains that these ...
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Source for Hiddush on Parashat Bereshit
It says in Parashat Bereshit:
וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אֹתָם֮ אֱלֹהִים֒ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר לָהֶ֜ם אֱלֹהִ֗ים פְּר֥וּ וּרְב֛וּ וּמִלְא֥וּ אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ וְכִבְשֻׁ֑הָ וּרְד֞וּ בִּדְגַ֤ת הַיָּם֙ וּבְע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וּבְכׇל־...
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Bechor Shor Al HaTorah
Can someone please recommend an edition of Bechor Shor Al HaTorah? I am looking for an accurate, all-Hebrew edition with clear print. If it it includes the text of the Humash, then great, but it is ...
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Why in Genesis 1 all is good and Gen 2 all is "not good"?
In Genesis 1, God testifies consistently that everything He created ranged from good to very good.
In Genesis 2, on the other hand, everything goes haywire: Adam is created not perfect, and his ...
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How was Adam given the 7 Noahide laws without animals or women in existence?
The Gemmorah in Sanhedrin 56b learns that Adam was given the 7 Noahide laws from the verse "וַיְצַוי"א עַל־הָאָדָם לֵאמֹר מִכֹּל עֵץ־הַגָּן אָכֹל תֹּאכֵל׃", that comes before the ...
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Was Eve created for rescue rather than assistance?
Gen.2.18 says Eve was created to be "Ezer K'Negdo": "וַיֹּאמֶר י"א לֹא־טוֹב הֱיוֹת הָאָדָם לְבַדּוֹ אֶעֱשֶׂהּ־לּוֹ עֵזֶר כְּנֶגְדּוֹ׃".
I looked up the usage of עזר in the ...
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Maase Miriam on the way of leaving Egypt?
The Torah in this week's Parsha tells us on Deut.24:9 to remember what Hashem did to Miriam on the way of getting out of Egypt.
I looked at the most commentaries from the Rishonim and could not find ...
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Why in Deuteronomy does Moses introduce 200 new Mitzvot?
The Book of Numbers concludes the Torah narrative from the creation, through the Exodus, the Receiving of the Torah, the 40 years of the wilderness to make the Exodus generation go extinct, up to the ...
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Relation between Midrash Genesis Rabbah 51 and Targum Jerusalem Genesis 18:17 [closed]
In Bereshit Rabbah 51 on Genesis 19:24 is found a very profound principle - whenever in the scripture is found "And the Lord, And the eternal" that means Hashem and his celestial court of ...
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What are the meaning of some of these small letters in the Torah
BH
Hi, I remember — correct me if I’m wrong — that the aleph of the first word of Vayikra is small because Moshe’s humility because he said how can I be written at the beginning of such a holy book so ...
- 1,527
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Why the prohibition of idolatry doesn't stem from the Mitzvah of loving God?
The second commandment of the Ten, prohibits idolatry out of God's jealousy and harsh multi-generational punishment.
In the current era of romanticism, jealousy usually arises from deep love and ...
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3
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Why there's no yearly Biblical commemoration for Matan Torah?
In the Torah, Exodus is a serious event that must be remembered and celebrated the same week every year. Multiple Biblical Mitzvos aim at remembering and enacting the event, such as retelling the ...
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Why "לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים" uses singular יִהְיֶה?
Regarding singular יהיה in "לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים" in both versions of the Ten COmmandments.
Does it mean that "אלוהים אחרים" is singular as in "כִּי מִי־גוֹי ...
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Textual non-uniformity of the Ten Commandments
The first apparent impression of reading the Ten Commandments is how they vary in phrasing:
some are just two words, links "don't murder", "don't [commit] adultery", or "don'...
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Becoming a cohen and purification of metzorah
What is the connection of the procedure described in the inauguration of cohanim to that of the purification of metzorah? Both have oil and blood applied at the same three places: right ear, right ...
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Source for Secret Signs that Yaakov gave Rachel [closed]
I heard some time ago that Kaf haChaim or some other author suggests that the secret signs that Yaakov gave Rachel were the places of the body, where later the kohanim had oil and blood applied during ...
- 5,006
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2
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Commentaries relevant to doubled phrases in Aleinu
The Aleinu prayer contains many instances of doubled phrases - where the same idea is expressed twice (or two very similar ideas are expressed) with different language. Here are three in the first ...
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"Of every tribe a thousand" - serving G-d being of one heart
In parshas Matos (Bamidbar 31:3-4), we read:
"And Moshe spoke to the people, saying, Arm from yourselves men for the army, and let them go against Midyan and avenge the L-rd on Midyan. Of every ...
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I don't understand why/how Hashem's language seems opposite in Bereishis 2:16-17: אָכֹ֥ל תֹּאכֵֽל you may eat& then לֹ֥א תֹאכַ֖ל you may NOT eat?
I read the parshah over specifically trying to identify if Chava or the snake lied first. I remember learning that if Adam and Chava hadn't sinned by eating the forbidden fruit that the snake would ...
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Spie(s) sent out to scout Yazer
In Parshat Chukat (21:32), we are told that Moshe Rabbenu sent out spie(s) to scout the land of Yazer.
Are there any sources that identify who went to scout out the land of Yazer?
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Prophetic status of all Israelites in the wilderness
Given the traditional understanding that God spoke the Ten Commandments directly to the entirety of the people of Israel at Mount Sinai (Deut 5.19), two questions arise:
is the Exodus generation that ...
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"When you raise up the lamps, to the face of the menorah, light 7 lamps"?
B"H
In Parshas bahalosecha it says
"When you raise up the lamps, to the face of the menorah, light 7 lamps"
Why does it first mention "raising up the lamps", without ...
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Torah’s use of the same verb(s) with different meanings
Bemidbar 1:49 tells Moshe not to פקד the Leviim, nor to תשא them, both understood as referring to methods of counting.
But then in 1:50 the same two verbs are used: the Leviim are to be “appointed”/...
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Why does the Torah say bichukosei בחוקותי -- in my "statutes"?
ב"ה
In the Torah Parshas Bichukosei it uses the term "if you walk in my statutes", referring to the kind of Mitzvos known as חוקים -- statues, those which are beyond logic, as it says ...
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What is Tzurah and Chomer & does it relate to mainly Olam deisgalia & Olam De Iskasia
BH
Hi,
I read in ch 26 in Tanya that if a person is going through any sort of pain it is essentially coming from the world of Olam deIskasia(the hidden world that is mainly labeled by the first two ...
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How can a Ger Toshav have an idol?
Leviticus 25:47:
וְכִ֣י תַשִּׂ֗יג יַ֣ד גֵּ֤ר וְתוֹשָׁב֙ עִמָּ֔ךְ וּמָ֥ךְ אָחִ֖יךָ עִמּ֑וֹ וְנִמְכַּ֗ר לְגֵ֤ר תּוֹשָׁב֙ עִמָּ֔ךְ א֥וֹ לְעֵ֖קֶר מִשְׁפַּ֥חַת גֵּֽר׃
If a resident alien among you has ...
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Contradiction in Parashat Behukotai Blessings
In Parashat Behukotai it is written: "והשיג לכם דיש את בציר ובציר ישיג את זרע ואכלתם לחמכם לשובע..." (Your threshing shall overtake the vintage, and your vintage shall overtake the sowing; ...
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What tribe is Avner from?
From what tribe was Avner, he was not fond of the tribe of Yehuda. In the book of Shmuel, Avner said to Ish Boshet, "Am I a dog leader to Yehuda?"
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Why the words "אחרי מות"?
Parshas Acherei Mos begins off saying "And it happened after the death of Ahron's 2 sons..."
The Torah never says when things happen - it just goes in order!
So, why here does the Torah tell ...
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Why is a certain sentence repeated so many times in Parsha of Tzav
In Parshas Tzav, the Pasuk, וידבר ה׳ אל משה לאמר: is repeated many times… sometimes only a few sentences apart. We know that not one extra letter is written in the Torah. The question is why is this ...
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וידבר ה' אל משה לאמר: Same paragraph
In almost all cases in the Torah, when G-d's speech to Moshe is introduced with:
וידבר ה' אל משה לאמר
a new paragraph is begun in the written Torah text at this point.
I'm aware of one possible ...
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What clothing did Esther send Mordechai
In Megillat Esther (the Book of Esther) 4:4 it says Esther offered Mordechai clothing. My question is, what clothing did she send?
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Did Korach and friends sin in the Golden Calf?
There is a tradition in קבלה that קרח was secretly righteous and will come back in the end times and rise up. (They are not clear exactly about what he will do).
I am wondering if part of what ...
user15294
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Why is the mizbeach hazahav not mentioned in parshas terumah with the rest of the keilim? [duplicate]
Do any of the meforshim comment on why the mizbeach hazahav (the golden altar) is mentioned in parshas tetzaveh which largely deals with the bigdei kehunah (the clothing of the kohanim) and not in the ...
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The Propriety of Ralbag's Benefits: Pshat v. Drash?
The Ralbag famously includes lists of lessons/benefits after sections of Tanach. FE, at the beginning of his Esther benefits:
התועלה הראשון הוא במדות. והוא שראוי לשמוח בטוב בהימצאו, כאומרו "ביום
...
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Are there any sources that disagree with Yitro's advice?
Are there any sources that disagree with Yitro's advice?
Any sources that say it was detrimental to separate the community from their rebbe? In a way the Rebbe was handing out dollars very day until ...
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0
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34
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Why did Yonatan start up with the Plishtim?
In 1 Shmuel 13 Yonatan seemingly unprovoked, attacks the Plishtim triggering a war. The text does not indicate that Yonatan was told to do this by Shaul, Shmuel or Hashem. Further on in the chapter we ...
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Gemoro says contents of a verse must be reversed to understand it. So why did the Torah write it 'backwards'?
The Gemoro quotes Devorim 12 (17)
לֹֽא־תוּכַ֞ל לֶאֱכֹ֣ל בִּשְׁעָרֶ֗יךָ מַעְשַׂ֤ר דְּגָֽנְךָ֙
וְתִירֹֽשְׁךָ֣ וְיִצְהָרֶ֔ךָ וּבְכֹרֹ֥ת בְּקָרְךָ֖ וְצֹאנֶ֑ךָ
וְכׇל־נְדָרֶ֙יךָ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר תִּדֹּ֔ר ...
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What is the historic background to the first Rashi?
The first Rashi on Genesis says:
Rabbi Isaac said: The Torah, which is the Law book of Israel, should have commenced with the verse (Exodus 12:2) “This month shall be unto you the first of the months”...
- 1,446
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East wind brought the Locusts, West wind drove them
Shemoth 10:13 - "So Moses held out his rod over the land of Egypt, and יהוה drove an east wind over the land all that day and all night; and when morning came, the east wind had brought the ...
- 450
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Understanding Moshe's use of his staff
When Moshe came to Pharaoh and Pharaoh asked for an os (a sign), Moshe told Aaron to throw down the staff and it became a snake - Shemos 7:10.
There is an apparent machlokes meforshim as to whose ...
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It would almost seem as though Hashem was tricking Ya'akov into going down to Egypt?
וַיֹּ֕אמֶר אָנֹכִ֥י הָאֵ֖ל אֱלֹהֵ֣י אָבִ֑יךָ אַל־תִּירָא֙ מֵרְדָ֣ה מִצְרַ֔יְמָה כִּֽי־לְג֥וֹי גָּד֖וֹל אֲשִֽׂימְךָ֥ שָֽׁם׃
“I am God, the God of your father’s [house]. Fear not to go down to Egypt, ...
user15294