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Rachav's home was built into the wall of Y'richo, with an outward-facing window (Y'hoshua 2:15, M'tzudas David). This window had to be recognizable when the Jews destroyed the city, so they'd know to …

Does anyone know of a source that discusses everyone's entering Israel at t'chiyas hamesim and the ban on Moshe's entering Israel in light of one another (and, preferably, attempts to reconcile them)? …

Yosef lived in the Holy Land from age six (B'reshis 30:25, 31:41) until age seventeen (Rashi to 37:34). This was eleven years, or 10% of his 110-year lifespan (50:26). Does anyone comment on this perc …

When Y'hoshua 15:21–62 lists the cities of Y'huda, it does so by area/topography. M'tzudas David to 15:37 says that "everywhere it counts some separately and others separately", it does so by area or …

I met someone who lives outside of Israel almost full-time and who told me that, because he's in Israel for each of the shalosh r'galim every year, he keeps only one day yom tov. Is this (the applicab …

In Y'hoshua 15:15, and again in Shof'tim 1:11, going to the city of דְּבִיר is referred to as "going to יוֹשְׁבֵי דְּבִיר‎" (something if not unique then nearly so (in Y'hoshua, anyway; I haven't lear …

Using an Israeli sidur (prayer book) nusach Ashk'naz recently, I saw that it had "Sim shalom" for mincha of Shabas (including Shabas yom tov, but not weekday yom tov), even though it had "Shalom rav" …

The phrase "‫כי אתא [name] אמר [name],‏ [statement]‏‬‬" appears many times in the Bavli. For example, Rosh Hashana 35:1: כי אתא רבין אמר רבי יעקב בר אידי אמר רבי שמעון חסידא לא פטר רבן גמליאל אלא עם …

There were seven years of plenteous harvests in Egypt, to be followed by seven years of famine (Genesis 41). Joseph was placed in charge of storing food from the plenty for use during the famine. But …

There are a good number of cities referred to in Y'hoshua, of course, and a sizable percentage (I'm guesstimating about 5%) of them start with ה־‏‎ (most famously הָעַי‎, I think).What determines whic …

Some study pirke Avos weekly through the summer, from Pesach to Rosh Hashana. Others do so only for the six Shabasos between Pesach and Shavuos, one chapter a week. I've heard the latter custom explai …

More than one Israeli has told me that women in Israel don't fast. More specifically, that a large percentage of otherwise observant (healthy, non-pregnant, non-nursing) Jewish women in Israel do not …

More than one Israeli has told me that women in Israel don't fast. More specifically, that a large percentage of otherwise observant (healthy, non-pregnant, non-nursing) Jewish women in Israel do not …