24
votes
Accepted
What literally was the mark of Cain?
Here is a sampling of the interpretations offered by the commentators (all taken from commentaries to the verse in question):
Rashi
God inscribed (part of) His name on Cain's forehead:
חקק לו אות ...
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19
votes
What literally was the mark of Cain?
Midrash, Bereishit Rabbah 22:12
וַיָּשֶׂם ה' לְקַיִן אוֹת, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה וְרַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אָמַר הִזְרִיחַ לוֹ גַּלְגַּל חַמָּה, אָמַר רַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה לְאוֹתוֹ רָשָׁע הָיָה ...
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14
votes
Accepted
Is King Saul positively regarded in Judaism?
There are not very many references to Saul in the liturgy. Here is one that portrays him somewhat negatively, in the context of his failure to destroy Amalek (from Yotser for Zachor):
זָכוֹר נָגִיד ...
- 24k
13
votes
Accepted
Hammurabi in the Book of Genesis
According to the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (here):
In accordance with the suggestion of the late Professor Eb. Schrader, he is almost universally identified with the AMRAPHEL of ...
- 20.9k
12
votes
Accepted
Problem with Likkutei Maharil
Prof. Yedidya Alter Dinri records in his Hakhmei Ashkenaz B'Shilhi Y'mei HaBeynayim (pp. 278-9) as cited by R. Yisrael Peles in Yeshurun (20 p. 890) that many Aharonim held that Likkutei Maharil (aka ...
- 35.4k
12
votes
Who is the Infamous Little Horn of Daniel 7?
Rashi, a renowned 11th Century commentator on the Bible and Talmud, wrote that this "little horn" in Daniel 7:8 that is "speaking arrogantly" refers to Titus, the one who destroyed the Holy Temple and ...
- 18.5k
11
votes
Accepted
Why does the Brisker Derech focus on the Rambam?
In his article "'What' Hath Brisk Wrought? The Brisker Derekh Revisited," R. Moshe Lichtenstein argues that,
the basic change wrought by R. Hayyim was the refocusing of the
learning process upon ...
- 14.3k
11
votes
Accepted
What was the ultimate fate of Rabbi Elisha ben Abuyah (Acher)?
The story is brought down in Chagiga 15b:
When Acher died, they said, "We cannot judge him to punishment [in Gehinnom], but we cannot enter him into the World to Come. We cannot judge him to ...
- 3,698
10
votes
Is King Saul positively regarded in Judaism?
Shaul was great beyond the imagination of the people in his Generation (and how much more so ourselves) and cannot be Judged. Yalkut Shimoni Shmuel II 157:
שגיון לדוד אשר שר לה' על דברי כוש בן ...
- 11.4k
8
votes
Accepted
Ben Drosai - what was his Zechus?
The Yerushalmi in question is in Avodah Zarah 4:4.
Prof. Shamma Friedman has written about the historical Ben D'rsai (who based on the Yerushalmi was not a Jew).
According to this article, Rashi ...
- 246
8
votes
Accepted
Identity of "the Greek rabbi" in the Raavad's gloss (Tum'at Met 17:3)
It is the Rivmats, Rabbi Yitzchak Ben Malki Tzedek, from Siponto in Italy. A little more about him in the Wikipedia entry about him.
The following source helped me find him (top of page 126).
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8
votes
What literally was the mark of Cain?
No answer is complete without the Kabbalistic interpretation Tikkunei Zohar 118,2:
הָכָא תָב בִּתְיוּבְתָּא וְאִתְחַרַט, בְּגִין דָּא וַיָּשֶׂם יהו"ה לְקַיִן אוֹת (שם, טו), הָכָא רָמַז אוֹת בְּרִית ...
- 11.4k
8
votes
Were Rivka, Rachel, and Leah monotheists prior to marrying their respective husbands?
Our Sages (Bereishis Rabbah 70:16) tell us that "Leah's eyes were weak" from crying "whilst praying" that she wouldn't have to marry Eisav. In fact, they say that her prayers were ...
- 1,193
7
votes
Pronunciation of חשמונאי
Josephus transliterates the name as Ἀσαμωναίος. The transliterated form ω corresponds to long o (see Brønno, "Some nominal types in the Septuagint" in Classica et Mediaevalia 3 and Studien über ...
- 3,556
7
votes
Accepted
Source of appellation "Shimshon HaGibor"
The phrase 'Shimshon Hagibor' goes back to the 12th century in northern france in the peirush on Genesis 49 17a peirush identified with 'Rabeinu Tam' [Published by Avraham Shoshana 2017]. It appears ...
- 96
7
votes
Accepted
Why doesn't Tefilat Geshem have a verse referring to Miriam?
It's important to notice that there IS a verse for Miriam in the Hoshanos that we all said (or mumbled) just a day before Tefillas Geshem, and we must remember that Tefillas Geshem and Hoshanos were ...
- 637
7
votes
Is the Book of Enoch part of Judaism?
3 Enoch is known in Jewish tradition under the name Sefer Hekhaloth. It is part of a wider body of texts known as Hekhaloth literature. This book is now considered one of the primary texts of kabbalah ...
- 1,497
7
votes
Accepted
What tribe was Jehu from?
From Menashe. See Pesikta Rabbati 3
ובמלכים ירבעם בן נבט משל אפרים ואחרי כן יהוא בן (מנשה) [נמשי] משבט
מנשה
- 6,874
7
votes
Gedolim with difficult beginnings
When I was in Ner Israel, I heard the following story several times from HaRav Sheftl Neuberger, which he remembered from his childhood:
There was a doctor who lived in Baltimore who had grown up in ...
- 58.4k
7
votes
Accepted
Sources that Reuven slept with Bilah
Several commentators do explicitly state that Reuven actually did lie with Bilhah.
Bechor Shor
ונמצא שאבד שתי נשיו רחל שמתה ובלהה ששכב ראובן עמה
And it turned out that he lost two of his wives – ...
- 49.1k
7
votes
What made Yochanan go off?
Yochanan didn't leave Judaism; he became a Sadducee, meaning that he left the Pharisees. If we follow Abbaye's opinion that Yannay is Yochanan (Berachot 29a), then the story of how he became a ...
- 24k
7
votes
Accepted
Did Maimonides really refer to Muhammad (the Islamic prophet) as a false prophet and a madman?
Maimonides did call him a madman. See the translation of his Epistle to Yemen here (3rd paragraph) or here on Sefaria (search for "madman").
To summarize the historical background (brought ...
- 48.2k
7
votes
Accepted
Lavan the son of whom?
Ramban in his commentary to that verse offers three explanations:
Lavan was referred to by his paternal grandfather Nachor's name because Nachor held a higher status than Lavan's father Bethuel, as ...
- 1,459
6
votes
Numbers of Tannaim and Amoraim
From here it would appear that there are 277 Tannaim and 1,292 Amoraim mentioned in the Talmudic-Midrashic literature. (Note: A number of Amoraim, e.g. Rav [Abba Arika] is also considered a Tanna ...
- 17.7k
6
votes
Accepted
Who is "הנגד" that the Ramban is referring to?
Our version of the Ibn Ezra actually does not have him quoting anyone, but rather saying that idea in the name of many.
The Rav Kook edition of the Ibn Ezra has second section with a variant text ...
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6
votes
Who was Methuselah?
According to Sukkah 52b, one of the seven shepherds mentioned in Micah 5:4 is Methuselah who, along with Adam and Seth, is to the right of David.
According to Sanhedrin 108b (commenting on Genesis 7:...
- 17.7k
6
votes
Accepted
The acronym יש״ו ימח שמו וזכרו
Jesus' name was Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ), which was a biblical name, as another form of Yehoshua. The New Testament (Matthew 1:21) derives the name (correctly) from the root ישע. The Greek version was Iēsous ...
- 24k
6
votes
Why do we have many teachings from Hillel and Shammai, but very few of earlier zugot?
Because in those days there was very little to no machlokes:
בראשונה לא היתה מחלוקת בישראל, אלא על הסמיכה בלבד
In the beginning there was no disagreement in Israel, except regarding
smicha (...
- 8,055
5
votes
When the רא״ש refers to "הגאון", who is he referring to?
From the Sefer Mei Ber Mayim Chaim chapter 4: pg 85 it seems that it is referring to Rav Hai Gaon.
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5
votes
How Could Jezebel, the Worshipper of Baal, be the Mother of Two Kings of Israel?
This is a complicated issue. You should read these two articles 1 2.
Some Rishonim say explicitly that Jezebel did not convert, and that was part of Ahab's sin in marrying her (see, for instance, ...
- 97.4k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible