13
votes
Accepted
Do we know more about נבח?
Three entries in the Otzar Ishei Tanach. Novach was born in mitzrayim and died after Moshe rabbeinu, sedder olam rabba 9. When knas was captured, Novach called it by his own name, in order to have a ...
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9
votes
Accepted
When was the last time when we had 4 consecutive leap years when Matot and Masei were read separately?
This is the only occurrence of that phenomenon in the 247-year cycle. Source: the table in the Tur, hilchos rosh chodesh.
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7
votes
Do we know more about נבח?
BS"D
Rav Eliyahu Mansour addresses this question in his 5766 (2006) derashah on Parashat Mattot (link, starting at 45:55). He cites RaSh"Y (BeMidbar 32:42) who points out that there should have been ...
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7
votes
Zombie Midianites?
In Maayan Beis Hashoeivah 31 7, Rabbi Shwab asks this very question and suggests that perhaps Midyan was a tremendous nation or perhaps two nations, and only the ones under the jurisdiction of the ...
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7
votes
Accepted
Please explain the difference in the order of naming Tzelafchad's daughters
The Gemara Bava Basra 120a Here writes that one list is according to their age, and the other is based on their wisdom.
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5
votes
Why did Moses add part of the tribe of Menashe to join Re'uven and Gad on the east of the Jordan?
An aish.com article titled "Half of Menashe" offers a number of answers:
The first two tribes, Reuven and Gad, were involved in the negotiations with Moshe from the outset. How did the tribe or ...
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5
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Did the half tribe of Menashe have the same conditions as the tribe of Re'uven and Gad?
Sure. We see in Yehoshua 1:13-15 that he reminds all two and a half tribes of "what Moshe the servant of Hashem commanded you," and after it's all over he calls all of them (Yehoshua 22:1-3) and ...
- 1,647
5
votes
Accepted
Mishkav/Mishkave... , Is there a difference?
The phrase means literally "the lying of a man" and is euphemistic for intimate relations as performed by a man, which is how it is generally translated in the verses (Numbers 31:17-18) you ...
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5
votes
Accepted
Order of Reuven and Gad
Bamidbar 32:2
וַיָּבֹ֥אוּ בְנֵֽי־גָ֖ד וּבְנֵ֣י רְאוּבֵ֑ן וַיֹּאמְר֤וּ אֶל־מֹשֶׁה֙
וְאֶל־אֶלְעָזָ֣ר הַכֹּהֵ֔ן וְאֶל־נְשִׂיאֵ֥י הָעֵדָ֖ה לֵאמֹֽר׃
2 The descendants of Gad and the descendants of Reuben ...
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4
votes
Moav or Midian - who seduced the Jews at Shitim?
Targum Pseudo Jonathan in the beginning of Balak states, (english) that Moab and Midian were a united nation and kingdom up to this point.
Perhaps we can say from this that Moab was an umbrella term ...
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4
votes
Accepted
Spelling of צֹנַאֲכֶם
According to my Concordance, there are two similar words for “sheep”.
They are
צאן and צֹנֶה.
"Your sheep" will form as צאנכם and צנאכם respectively.
(The difference is in the position of the ...
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4
votes
Accepted
Understanding an apparent conflict regarding Israel's Biblical eastern boundary
Bereishis Rabbah 44:23 notes that Avraham was promised 10 nations' territory in the succeeding Pesukim in Bereishis 15, but his children only got 7 nations' territory. The Midrash simply identifies ...
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4
votes
When is it moral to line up and kill thousands of little girls? A question on the Torah's morality
That's exactly the difference between our human judgment and Heavenly knowledge.
Those girls (and many more examples in the Tanach) were not judged by Moses and his earthly court, they were judged ...
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4
votes
Why did the two tribes have significantly more livestock than others?
Mechilta d'Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, 12:38
ומקנה רב היה לבני (גד) [ראובן] ולבני (ראובן) [גד] יכול לבני ראובן ולבני גד היה לשאר שבטים לא היה? אלא מלמד שאלו פשטו ידיהם בו
How could it be that Reuven and ...
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3
votes
Who or what was Gilaad?
See Rashi, Sifsei Chachamim and Ramba"n on Breishit 31:48-50 who explain a reference to why in Sefer Shoftim, Har Gil'ad is called "Mitzpeh" over there.
In this verse, Rashi makes a ...
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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 ...
- 6,662
3
votes
Why didn't the tribes of Re'uven and Gad and 1/2 Menashe take up Moshe's suggestion?
Art Scroll on Matos 32:18 cites Haamek Hadavar that this was in order to allay suspicion that they would want to take advantage of their privileged position (having already received their land) to ...
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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 ...
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3
votes
B'midbar 32:17 - Why did the tribes of Re'uven and Gad need to build fortified cities?
The Art Scroll Chumash on Mattos 32:16 cites Abarbanel who says that they intended to rebuild and refortify the cities. I have seen in a number of places that had they left those remaining behind ...
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3
votes
Did Moshe give 1/50 of the donkeys, sheep and cattle to the Levi'im?
It says "animals" in verse 47.
But if that's not enough for you, ibn Ezra clarifies that "animals" in verse 30 (which you translated "cattle") means animals not otherwise listed but "animals" in ...
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3
votes
Accepted
Would Moshe have lived longer if he had delayed fighting Midyan?
Had he delayed, and not hurried to fight Midyan, could he have
prolonged his life indefinitely?
Prior to your question we must ask a more basic question: Would delaying prolong his life?
It sounds ...
- 473
3
votes
Accepted
Moav or Midian - who seduced the Jews at Shitim?
A few answers exist to this question.
First of all, we can reject the assumptions that just because we know of one particular Midianite woman who was involved (i.e. Kosbi bas Tzur), many other ...
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3
votes
Mishkav/Mishkave... , Is there a difference?
Simple answer is yes there is a very good reason, though sorry, it's somewhat graphic.
"Mishkevei isha" (plural) refers to vaginal and anal; only one of those applies to males. This is in fact the ...
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3
votes
Accepted
In Bamidbar 31:6 Pinchas is instructed by Moshe to take "the holy vessels" and the trumpets in his hand. What are the holy vessels?
Rashi's explanation is
וכלי הקדש AND THE VESSELS OF HOLINESS … [WERE WITH THEM] — these were the Ark and the Golden Plate (which are termed קדש, “holiness”, in Numbers 4:20 and Leviticus 8:9 ...
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3
votes
Why didn't Moses argue to spare lives of Midianites?
You should compare apples to apples, not to oranges.
Abraham wasn't in a war, while Moses was.
Actually, god wanted this raid to be an act of vengence, so maybe there is no place for mercy here.
...
3
votes
Annulment of women's nedarim
Yes it still applies. The laws are found in Shulchan Arukh YD 234.
Here is an example of a modern rabbi discussing using it practically nowadays.
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3
votes
Annulment of women's nedarim
Yes. These halachos can be found in the Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah 234:1-72
(the case you specifically mention- annulling the vow until sunset- can be found in YD 234:21).
Even though technically ...
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2
votes
When was the last time when we had 4 consecutive leap years when Matot and Masei were read separately?
Recall leap years are in years 3-6-8-11-14-17-19 of a nineteen year period. A three year period with one leap year is 37 months, which will push forward the Molad a mere 15 hours and 181 parts. Three ...
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2
votes
Why did Moses add part of the tribe of Menashe to join Re'uven and Gad on the east of the Jordan?
I heard an awesome answer in a Dvar Torah given at our shul awhile ago:
The idea starts from the selling of Yosef into slavery: The Yishmaelim who took part in the deal were said to be
"...a ...
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