Questions tagged [pentateuch-chumash]

Questions pertaining to the Five Books of Moses (Chumash)

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Are there unnecessary words in torah?

I've been taught, often enough that I thought it was universal, that there are no unnecessary words in torah (chumash) — every word is there to teach us something. I've seen plenty of discussions in ...
Monica Cellio's user avatar
16 votes
4 answers
2k views

Is there a place for the documentary-hypothesis in observant Judaism?

The documentary-hypothesis implies that Moses wasn't the writer of the Torah verbatim, but he could have transmitted it before it was written down. Evidence in the text shows several sources and that ...
Ronen's user avatar
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24 votes
2 answers
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Why was the translation considered a tragedy if it was already translated into 70 languages?

I just read in Parashat ki tavo that the Torah was translated into 70 languages and written on giant stones, yet the Talmud says the translation of the Torah to Greek many years later was considered a ...
ray's user avatar
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19 votes
9 answers
3k views

Why is there no description of Olam Haba in the Torah?

According to the beginning of the Mesilas Yesharim, the entire purpose of creation is for man to merit Olam Haba (the bliss of the next world). If so, why is there no mention nor description of Olam ...
ray's user avatar
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16 votes
2 answers
3k views

Which mitzvah is repeated the most times in the Chumash?

I have learned that not mixing milk and meat is mentioned 3 times in the chumash, and because of this we learn 3 different laws. I also found out today that the law "not to follow the ways of the ...
avi's user avatar
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12 votes
3 answers
1k views

What were the Nephilim?

Inspired by this question on Biblical Hermeneutics. What were the Nephilim mentioned in Bereishis and in Bamidbar? Bereishis 6:1-4 The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after ...
HodofHod's user avatar
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11 votes
2 answers
668 views

Moshe Rabbeinu's knowledge of future events

If Moshe Rabbeinu was taught the entire Torah on Mt. Sinai (Rashi on Vayikra 25:1, Rambam), how do we explain events such as the incident involving the Bnos Tzelafchad (Bamidbar 27:1-11), or the tamei ...
Dave's user avatar
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15 votes
2 answers
321 views

How is the story of the Torah being given told in the Torah itself?

How was the Torah (aka the Five Books of Moses) given if the story of the Torah being given is contained in these books? In other words, the Torah tells the story - close to halfway through it - of ...
CodyBugstein's user avatar
  • 1,356
10 votes
4 answers
373 views

What is the reason for שנים מקרא ואחד תרגום?

The gemara in Berachos 8a-b states: אמר רב הונא בר יהודה אמר רבי אמי לעולם ישלים אדם פרשיותיו עם הצבור שנים מקרא ואחד תרגום [...] שכל המשלים פרשיותיו עם הצבור מאריכין לו ימיו ושנותיו Rav ...
RCW's user avatar
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9 votes
3 answers
936 views

Is there a mention of the Oral Torah in the Written Torah?

Is there an explicit mention mention of the Oral Torah in the Chumash? If not, why not?
rikitikitembo's user avatar
9 votes
1 answer
843 views

What are the rules for ain mukdam umeuchar?

Sometimes we say that things in the Torah are not in chronological order. What are the parameters for this? do you need to have a mesorah (particular tradition) for this? Is there a list of all '...
upupdowndownleftrightleftright's user avatar
9 votes
4 answers
866 views

Why is Techiyas HaMeisim not explicitly mentioned in the Torah?

Since believing that Techiyas HaMeisim is part of the Torah is a fundamental of Judaism (Mishna Sanhedrin Perek HaChelek, although the Rambam Hilchos Teshuva Chapter 3 doesn't emphasize the believing ...
Yishai's user avatar
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7 votes
2 answers
1k views

Siddur & chumash -- which gets stacked on top?

I've seen this one asked over and over again, and always heard different things. Do you stack a chumash on top of a siddur, or the other way around?
Shalom's user avatar
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6 votes
4 answers
754 views

Why is the birth of twins a Chidush for Rivka?

Background: In Parshat Toldot, Rivka conceives and is troubled by the discomfort. She goes to ask Hashem and it is explained to her that 2 nations are struggling within her, so she already knows that ...
rosends's user avatar
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5 votes
2 answers
434 views

Were Esav, Yishmael, and Nimrod Evildoers?

This question asserts that Ishmael was an evildoer (rasha). However, based on a simple (p'shat) reading of the relevant texts (in Genesis), neither he nor Esau nor Nimrod appear to do anything "evil."...
Shmuel's user avatar
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4 votes
5 answers
969 views

Do the Torah codes offer scientific proof that the Torah is supernatural?

There was an experiment published in a journal called Statistical Science in 1994 that found that certain medieval Rabbis and their birth & yahrtzeit are referenced to in sefer Bereshit by running ...
chacham Nisan's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
261 views

Last Posukim in the Torah

Who wrote the last eight Pesukim of the Torah?
SimchasTorah's user avatar
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-2 votes
4 answers
685 views

What does Mot Yumat mean?

In the chumash, any sources. What is the literal translation and does it mean, mot = this world, yumat = the next world?
thegoon2013's user avatar
25 votes
9 answers
2k views

After chumashim with notes and Rashi, what's the next torah commentary I should acquire and study?

When I read the torah text (parsha or otherwise) I currently use a couple of chumashim with notes, and Rashi. I know some Hebrew but am not fluent. I'm ready to stretch beyond what I'm reading now ...
Monica Cellio's user avatar
14 votes
2 answers
46k views

Difference between Torah and the first five books in Christian bible [closed]

I know that basically, the first 6 5 books in Christian's Bible forms the Torah. However are there any subtle difference between torah and those books?
Graviton's user avatar
  • 888
13 votes
2 answers
1k views

Why 1,000 generations of ungiven Torah, not X years?

The Mainz Anonymous reads, in part (in my own translation): He created the Torah 974 generations before the world was created, then twenty-six generations [passed] from the creation of the world ...
msh210's user avatar
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11 votes
1 answer
698 views

Why don't we name children Yitro?

Yitro appears to be an overall positive character in the Torah. At least as much as Noah or Saul, yet I do not know of contemporary (or even ancient) Jews named Yitro. Why is that?
Jeremy's user avatar
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10 votes
7 answers
832 views

Is there a substantive difference in meaning when the Torah uses the Hebrew verb root דבר rather than אמר?

Is there a substantive difference in meaning when the Torah uses the Hebrew verb root דבר rather than אמר, or do they both pretty much mean "to say" or "to speak"? Do any sages see the choice of one ...
Bruce James's user avatar
7 votes
2 answers
334 views

Metzudat Tzion on the Torah

Was there a Metzudat Tzion written on the Torah? If so, does anyone know if it is available online or for sale? I always loved this commentary as it explained the hard words on the Nach.
Hacham Gabriel's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
473 views

Yocheved is the daughter of who?

So Yocheved, as it is known, is the wife of Amram, mother of Moshe Rabbeinu, Aharon HaCohen, and Miriam the prophetess, peace be on them. And Yocheved, like Amram, is from the Tribe of Levi. Amram is ...
Ploni ben Almoni tzedek's user avatar
6 votes
3 answers
2k views

Is there any Mikras Gedolos in English?

Is there any Mikras Gedolos in English? I am interested in learning Meforshim on Chumash, and I wanted to know if there were any online or in a store.
yehuda sneidz's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
5k views

What is the total amount and count of pesukim in the Torah?

After much research, both on Israeli websites (here) and other locations, I have yet to figure out what the total amount of pesukim there are in the Torah. I've even physically counted the pesukim in ...
Shmuel Goldstein's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
333 views

Rabbinic understandings of non-Divine origin of Onqelos

Shavua' tov all, A question from a friend that I thought I would post here regarding the origin of Onqelos. It seems fair to say that the classical rabbinic understanding is that the Aramaic ...
Noam Sienna's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
182 views

When did Eisav find out that Yaakov was still alive?

The pasuk in Bereishis 29:11 says: וַיִּשַּׁ֥ק יַעֲקֹ֖ב לְרָחֵ֑ל וַיִּשָּׂ֥א אֶת־קֹל֖וֹ וַיֵּֽבְךְּ׃ Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and broke into tears. Rashi says on that pasuk: ...Another ...
Gavriel's user avatar
  • 9,648
4 votes
2 answers
223 views

Machine-Readable Torah

Is there a machine-readable Sefer Torah or Chumash? Machine-readable meaning formatted as to be understood by a computer program. Despite the phrase, this is different from a Torah simply stored in ...
הראל's user avatar
  • 2,555
-1 votes
1 answer
452 views

Abram's worship of El Elyon [closed]

In Genesis 14:18-20 Abram recognizes the deity El Elyon of the Jebusite monarch Melchizedek. Some scholars have investigated into the meaning of this name El Elyon and propose that it actually ...
Scherwin Balk's user avatar
-4 votes
1 answer
1k views

What evidence shows that Moses wrote the Torah?

I asked this in hermeneutics. Typical atheists think that Torah is written/compiled on Babylonian exile. Christians and Jews believe that Torah was written by Moses or someone shortly after him, ...
user4951's user avatar
  • 4,343
14 votes
3 answers
445 views

What does the aramaic "pon" mean?

Once in a while, Onkelos will throw in the word pon (פּוֹן) that doesn't directly translate from the Hebrew. Avimelech to Yitzchak: k'z'eir pon shachiv d'm'yached b'ama (Toldos 26:10) Lavan to Yaakov:...
YDK's user avatar
  • 28.2k
13 votes
3 answers
735 views

Potential issue with Theory on Divine Origins of Judaism?

The core of a theory is that since Judaism is based on events witnessed by something like 3,000,000 Jews, it is true, while other religions rely on an individual or a few individuals who experienced a ...
Echad-Ani-Yodeya's user avatar
11 votes
3 answers
199 views

What is the difference between curses that would require changing lashon?

In parshat Lech Lecha, (Bereishit 12:3) Hashem promises Avram that וַאֲבָרְכָה, מְבָרְכֶיךָ, וּמְקַלֶּלְךָ, אָאֹר, And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. Why ...
rosends's user avatar
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8 votes
1 answer
465 views

Who wrote Ikar Siftei Chachamim?

Siftei Chachamim (שפתי חכמים) is a super-commentary on Rashi's commentary on the Torah, written by the 17th-Century CE Polish scholar Shabbethai Bass. It tends to be included in Mikraot Gedolot ...
Isaac Moses's user avatar
  • 48k
7 votes
5 answers
394 views

Who said that little Tzfardeaim jumped out of the big one's mouth?

Who said that little Tzfardeaim jumped out of the big one's mouth? As far as I can tell, the gemara in Sanhedrin, as well as all of the mainstream medrashim, use a lashon of וישרצו, which, as Rashi ...
Uber_Chacham's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
360 views

Chumash with Shoresh highlighted

I remember seeing a Chumash that showed the shoresh highlighted for every word, does anyone know what this Chumash is called (and where it can be purchased)?
pzkd's user avatar
  • 565
6 votes
3 answers
489 views

Why aren't Job or Psalms 90 in the Pentateuch?

In the Tanakh, the Jewish Biblical Canon, there are three categories of works: the Torah of Moses, and what are know as the 'Prophets' and 'Writings'. This categorization is outlined and mentioned in ...
Baby Seal's user avatar
  • 8,230
6 votes
5 answers
1k views

Where can I find Chumash and Rashi review questions

Where can I find Chumash and Rashi review questions on all books of the Torah? Looking for: As much detailed question as possible (i.e the more questions on as much rashi's as possible the more ...
user7179's user avatar
6 votes
4 answers
768 views

Why did God need to command the Jews not to kill?

There is a principle 'svara lamah li krah i.e. if a certain idea is logical and self evident to the average healthy mind, the Torah does not need to teach that idea. Additionally, what seems to be ...
Gavriel's user avatar
  • 9,648
5 votes
2 answers
182 views

How did Bisya/Basya know that tevilah is part of conversion?

In Shemos 2:5, we read the daughter of Pharaoh came down "לִרְחֹץ עַל הַיְאֹר" "To dip into the Nile". The Gemara in Sotah 12b says it means she came to convert. How did she know ...
flips's user avatar
  • 439
5 votes
5 answers
2k views

Looking for a good tikkun kor'im

I have an old Tikkun Kor'im by Mishor whose cover has literally come off (ah, the motivation for that question is revealed!). Now that i'm in the market for a new tikkun, i'd like to make sure i get ...
Scimonster's user avatar
  • 23.1k
5 votes
0 answers
378 views

When did Bliha and Zilpah die?

I heard that Seder Olam Rabbah writes that both Rachel and Leah had already passed away by the time of twenty two years after Yaakov married them. We wanted to know if there are any sources when Bilha ...
Ari's user avatar
  • 905
5 votes
1 answer
372 views

Does p'shat explain everything?

Ways of reading Chumash are commonly divided into four headings: p'shat, simple readings; d'rash, exegeses; remez, hints; and sod, secrets. The g'mara and midr'she halacha are full of d'rash: they ...
msh210's user avatar
  • 73.7k
5 votes
2 answers
179 views

Recommendation for a digital Torah codex for software developers

Could someone recommend a source for a machine-readable Hebrew with English Torah codex that may be used in software development projects? By "machine readable," I mean of a format that may be ...
Doug Kimzey's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
174 views

Where does Rashi say "Complaint" in his commentary on the Torah?

When I was in 4th grade, my rebbi taught us a Rashi in which he explains a Pasuk by simply saying "Complaint" (קומפליינט or some similar transliteration), meaning the voice in the Pasuk was ...
Seth J's user avatar
  • 41.6k
4 votes
4 answers
433 views

Why is Avraham's monotheism not mentioned in the torah?

One of the more famous achievements of Avraham was his discovery in a single God. However there is no mention of this accomplishment anywhere in the Torah. In fact there is no conclusive proof that he ...
not-allowed to change my name's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
192 views

Authenticity of Rosh's commentary to Torah

What do different sources state regarding the authenticity of the commentary to the Torah attributed to Rosh? I remember seeing people claiming that it is missatributed. If I recall, the suggested ...
mevaqesh's user avatar
  • 35.6k
4 votes
3 answers
308 views

Urim and Thumim

I am currently researching the topic of Urim and Thumim and have two questions, maybe someone can help me or suggest sources: There are 72 letters on the Ephod (50 for the 12 tribes plus Avraham ...
Vyacheslav Yosef Dobrovych's user avatar