8
votes
Many Jews died in Plague of Darkness, why not Dathan and Abiram?
I collected a few links that discuss this question, with several different suggestions for an answer.
For example: The Rosh says that only those who did not believe in the Exodus died in the plague ...
- 3,825
7
votes
What is the source for saying Parshas Hamon is a Segullah for Parnassah?
According to R. Amnon Bazak, there is no source, and it in fact goes against tradition. Although the custom to recite "Parshat ha-Man" appears in the first siman of Shulchan Aruch, there it is a ...
- 14.3k
7
votes
Reading zeicher, zecher, or both during the regular Torah reading
The Mishna Berura (685 sk 18) only recommended this practice for Parashat Zakhor, seemingly because it may be a biblical obligation (ShA OC 685:7). Betzel HaChokhma (6:50) said this applies to any ...
- 97.2k
7
votes
Accepted
6
votes
When was the war with Amalek?
According to the Seder Olam Rabbah (Chapter 5) - it was during the week which started on the 23rd of Iyyar. There are other Rabbinic sources which indicate that the battle was on a Friday. Since the ...
- 246
6
votes
Accepted
How can we say "it would have been enough" when Bnei Yisrael were demanding it?
(Pseudo-)Malbim in Midrash Haggadah explains that Dayenu means, 'It would have been enough for us to be obligated in thanking Hashem'.
Although he doesn't address your specific question here, I think ...
- 41.7k
6
votes
Accepted
Explain usage of "kaved" re Moshe's raising his hands w/ war of Amaleq
"יקר" here actually means something else.
The root Y-K-R is used by the various Targumim in many places to translate heavy.
For example:
Shemos 9:7 reads:
וַיִּכְבַּד לֵב פַּרְעֹה
Onklelos ...
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5
votes
What is the difference in meaning / nuance between ריב and תלונה?
Ramban on the spot clearly explains that Riv is a full blown argument, while Teluna is just complaining.
- 139k
5
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What does כסיה mean?
Rav Dovid Tzvi Hoffman on this Passuk suggests that the word כסיה would mean forever/ongoing:
ואולי הפירוש של ״כסיה״ – לדעתם של אלה הסוברים כי תיבה אחת יש כאן – הוא: המכוסה, העטוף, כלומר הנצח, כמו ״...
- 20.9k
5
votes
Accepted
Kiddush levana- backwards passuk?
See Shulchan Aruch OC 426.2 in Rema.
ואומר תפול עליהם וגו' ולמפרע כאבן ידמו כו' ג' פעמים
They say Tipol Alehem right and reverse three times.
This is an old custom. Abudarham says that despite it ...
- 22.7k
5
votes
Why did Hashem kill Pharaoh's horses?
According to the Mechilta (Tractate Shirata, 2) the horses did indeed do something wrong:
The Holy One, ever to be blessed, would bring the horse and his rider
and make them stand trial. God would ...
- 2,246
4
votes
Accepted
Understanding G-d's description as a "doctor" or "healer"
As you mentioned, "רפואה" can mean both things: healing an existing disease, or preventing a future one.
Rashi himself asks your question. He brings the midrash, which reads the passuk as "I will put ...
- 3,825
4
votes
G-d willing to give Manna/Quail, but is angered the second time?
There are various answers to this question, links here (Shemos) and here (Bamidbar):
Targum Pseudo-Yonasan suggests that it is because they did not offer the proper thanks for the quail in Sefer ...
- 20.9k
4
votes
Why didn't Moshe tell B'nai Yisra'el about what to do with the mahn on the 6th day of the week?
The Rashbam on posuk 22-23 points this out and answers that he did this purposefully with the intent that the Bnei Yisroel should be surprised and shocked about this double portion, which when ...
- 5,051
4
votes
Why switch to the singular in Sh'mot 17:3?
The Haamek Daver (also known as the Netziv) addresses this in his commentary to that verse. I bolded the relevant part:
למה זה העליתנו ממצרים להמית אותי. לא אמרו הוצאתנו ממצרים כלשון התלונה לעיל י״...
- 2,008
3
votes
How traditional measurements of Omer fit with Shemot 16:16?
Actually, that's not that far off -- about a factor of two.
Archaeologists tell us that an ancient Israelite ate about 330-440 pounds of wheat and barley per year. Since the Israelites in Sh'mot ...
- 56.4k
3
votes
Many Jews died in Plague of Darkness, why not Dathan and Abiram?
The Maharal (Gevuros Hashem 19) writes that they were specifically left alive to be counter-weights to Moshe and Aharon. The Jewish people were granted such great leaders as Moshe and Aharon, זה לעומת ...
- 58.3k
3
votes
Why strong wind when splitting the sea?
Ran in his drashos (end of drasha 11) explains that if the Egyptians had realised that there was a miracle going on, they wouldn't have thrown themselves into the sea. This is because the miracle was ...
- 3,280
3
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Many Jews died in Plague of Darkness, why not Dathan and Abiram?
The following is a quotation from an essay I wrote addressing this issue:
In a famous medrash, the Sages tell us that in addition to functioning as a punishment for the Egyptians, the plague of ...
- 5,565
3
votes
Who spoke in Sh'mot 15:26?
Chizkuni says that the one who spoke is Moshe and the first-person references are quotations that Hashem told him to transmit to the people.
- 6,864
3
votes
Accepted
Who wrote the verse near the end of the story about Mahn in Shmot 16:35?
B"H Via Google and Da`at, I found R' Yizhaq Avrabanel addressing this question (my translation) although he doesn't seem bothered by the revealing of future events and chalks it up to Omniscience....
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3
votes
Dagesh for adornment
A shewa naʿ generally reflects a reduced vowel. The words you cite have a shewa naʿ where no originally short vowel existed. For example, we find מִקְדָּשׁ but in Shemot 15:17 we have מִקְּדָֿשׁ. We ...
- 3,546
3
votes
Is the winding פ in this sefer torah kosher?
I know this is a bit late, but some may find this useful:
Israel Yevin says that "rolled up pe" (פ' לפופה) and other "curved letters" (אותיות עקומות) appear in Masoretic notes. He says "such forms ...
- 3,546
3
votes
Accepted
What is the difference in meaning / nuance between ריב and תלונה?
Rav Hirsch on Beshalach 15:24
וַיִּלֹּנוּ הָעָם עַל משֶׁה לֵּאמֹר מַה נִּשְׁתֶּה
:tranlates this as
And the people murmured against Moshe, saying: What shall we drink?
**
וילונו - לון
**
to ...
- 42.9k
3
votes
Accepted
Why is YHVH called "a man of war" in Shemot 15:3?
This is not a literal saying nor is it a contradiction. Hashem is not a man in the sense of a physical being, but we cannot talk about Him except in terms that a human can understand. In this case it ...
- 42.9k
3
votes
Why is YHVH called "a man of war" in Shemot 15:3?
Ish milhama, איש מלחמה, (hyper-literally translated as: 'man of war') is simply the Biblical word for warrior. The more intuitive forms of לוחם or מלחם which would refer to a warrior without employing ...
- 35.4k
3
votes
Does Judaism kill the infidels?
No, it can't be proven from these sources that Jews have a "join us or die" stance and are commanded to either enslave or kill the rest of the world. See here that the killing of Amalek and the seven ...
- 6,467
3
votes
נַ֣חְנוּ נַעֲבֹ֧ר Is the Torah using slang
נַחְנוּ is likely the older form of אֲנַחְנוּ; the prosthetic אֲ was probably added by analogy with אֲנִי. According to Blau, if the aleph were original, it would have been vocalized with a qamas by ...
- 3,546
3
votes
נַ֣חְנוּ נַעֲבֹ֧ר Is the Torah using slang
To answer one of your questions: The Meam Loez says (Matos, 32:32) that the absence of the alef implies that someone or something is not included in the "we". Therefore, not everyone would take part ...
- 6,864
3
votes
Why krias yam suf, not bkias
Rabbeinu Bachya says that the water opened up like a zipper. The further they walked the more it opened up. That is similar to kriah which is tearing. One must say that two things happened. First ...
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