33
votes
Accepted
Do Jews today consider the King James translation of the Tanakh to be acceptably accurate?
The KJV may give the general sense of a translation in many cases. However, it has a definite Christian bend and does not always follow the Jewish traditions in translation. I will illustrate this ...
- 3,416
31
votes
Accepted
Does Judaism have a concept of holy text literalism?
Either what was posted on that forum is about half-correct, or your understanding of what was said was about half-correct. Traditional Judaism does believe that "[H]oly texts are the revealed word of ...
- 24.3k
25
votes
Does Judaism have a concept of holy text literalism?
I agree with the answer Daniel gave, but I would clarify things slightly differently.
1) Orthodox Judaism believes that the Torah is the literal Word of G-d. This is one of the Thirteen Principles ...
- 3,626
23
votes
What is the most-shared name in the Torah? In Tanach?
It turns out the most common name in the Tanach is Zecharayahu:
A Kohen in the time of David (Divrei Hayamim 1:15:24)
A Levite in the time of David (Divrei Hayamim 1:15:18)
A gate-keeper in Ohel ...
- 20.5k
22
votes
Accepted
Does the fact that "Elohim" is plural indicate that parts of the Tanakh hearken from a pre-Jewish polytheistic culture?
The reason this is confusing is that in Biblical Hebrew, the plural can be used to denote a position of authority. For example, in Exodus 22 the Bible refers to a property owner in the plural even ...
- 5,794
21
votes
Accepted
What word has the highest numerical value in Tanach?
I did some calculations and came up with the top 5 for each sefer in Tanach, along with the top twenty overall. I also provided my list of top 10 for Torah and Tehillim for comparison with AvnerMil's. ...
- 22.8k
21
votes
Accepted
Is it true that a certain book of the Tanach was rewritten because it was lost?
The Sefer Eicha was destroyed by King Yehoyakim who threw it into a fire and rewritten by Yirmiyahu at the command of Hashem.
Yirmiyahu 36:23
23: And it came to pass, when Jehudi read three or ...
- 41.9k
20
votes
Where in Tanach is Shavuot associated with Matan Torah?
Although many good answers exist here already, I want to provide somewhat of a more comprehensive response (as best as I can) by putting all the answers I know of in one place.
There are three ...
- 21.4k
20
votes
what is a good summary of each book of tanach?
[Gen] The world comes to be.
[Exo] A nation goes free,
[Lev] and learns about service divine.
[Num] They wander and gripe.
[Deu] For Canaan they're ripe;
[Jos] they conquer it and land assign.
[Jug] ...
- 73.5k
18
votes
Is there a resource that shows all uses of a Tanach verse in the Talmud?
I think the most complete indexing book of that kind is
תורה הכתובה והמסורה
by אהרן הימן.
It's published by דביר in three volumes.
It goes through the whole Bible verse by verse, giving for each ...
- 4,811
18
votes
Where in the TaNa"kh is there a discussion about how to slaughter an animal?
There is no description in the Torah (and to the best of my knowledge in the rest of TaNa"KH) as to how to correctly slaughter an animal.
In fact, R. Yehuda HaLevi (Kuzari, 3:35) brings this as a ...
- 38.4k
17
votes
Do Jews today consider the King James translation of the Tanakh to be acceptably accurate?
Harry Orlinsky, editor-in-chief of the NJPS, in a 1990 essay pointed to the example of three texts in the KJV as being faulty and showing Christian bias: Genesis 1:1-3, Psalm 2:12, and Isaiah 7:14. ...
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16
votes
Why does Halacha not follow the simple reading of the Biblical text?
The question as currently phrased is asked by, among others, R. Yosef Albo in Sefer HaIkarim 3:23 (which is why I'm unsure as to why it still has a negative score). Since I don't have a better way of ...
- 21.4k
15
votes
Accepted
Was Malbim an innovator?
To summarize (and perhaps embellish) Prof. Yaakov Elman's The Rebirth of Omnisignificant Biblical Exegesis in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, which addresses all this at length, Hazal seemed ...
- 34.8k
15
votes
What is the reason that you are not allowed to learn Torah shebictav at night?
Mishne Berurah (238, Shaar HaTziyun 1) writes that the Midrash (Pirkei d'Rebbi Eliezer 46 and Tanchumah Parsha Ki Sisa 36) writes that Moshe Rabenu was taught the Written Torah during the day and the ...
- 7,420
15
votes
Version of the Tanach that pre-dates Jesus
Scrolls found in Ketef Hinnom contain the priestly blessing (of Numbers ch. 6) as preserved from the First Temple Era (700-650 BCE)
The Isaiah scroll found in Qumran: "has been carbon-14 dated at ...
- 34.8k
15
votes
Where in the Tanakh is the subject of head-covering or hair-covering for females taught or hinted?
The Talmud in Ketubot 72a cites Numbers 5:18 as a Scriptural source/derivation:
ראשה פרוע דאורייתא היא דכתיב ופרע את ראש האשה ותנא דבי רבי ישמעאל אזהרה לבנות ישראל שלא יצאו בפרוע ראש
[Is not the ...
- 48k
14
votes
Where in Tanach is Shavuot associated with Matan Torah?
Rav S.R. Hirsch in the Collected Writings Vol.1 in an article entitled "The Uniqueness of the Torah" writes that the connection between Shavuos and Matan Torah is only stated in the Torah Shebaal Peh ...
- 2,412
14
votes
Accepted
Laws of Abrogation
Textual indicators abound for the eternal and immutable nature of the Torah. Besides examples provided in other answers, here are a couple more examples:
Even all that the LORD hath commanded you by ...
- 16.3k
14
votes
Accepted
Did Yael Sleep with Sisra?
The source is Gemara Nazir 23b:
אמר ר"נ בר יצחק גדולה עבירה לשמה ממצוה שלא לשמה והאמר רב יהודה אמר רב לעולם יעסוק אדם בתורה ובמצות אפי' שלא לשמן שמתוך שלא לשמן בא לשמן אלא אימא כמצוה שלא לשמה דכתיב ...
- 57.4k
14
votes
How long was the period of Oppression
Brief Summary:
The commentators almost all agree that the four hundred years was not the time spent in Egypt. Rather, the four hundred years is from an earlier time (with some disagreements as to ...
- 48k
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 ...
- 23.8k
14
votes
What is the greatest age difference between a married couple in Tanach?
Based on certain midrashim and assuming they're compatible, Naamah was Noach's wife and was born, at the latest, in 129. Noach was born in 1056. That makes her at least 927 years (+/- rounding ...
- 8,790
13
votes
Accepted
Are there any mentions of Torah Scrolls before Ezra?
In Melachim (Kings) Chapters 22-23, King Joshiahu discovers a Torah scroll during renovations of the Temple.
- 5,212
13
votes
May one memorize large swaths of Tanach?
The Gemara in Gittin 60b says
דברים שבכתב אי אתה רשאי לאומרן על פה
Matters that were written you may not express them orally.
This is codified in Shulchan Aruch O.C. 49:1.
However, this rule only ...
- 5,295
12
votes
How many words are there in Tanach?
There are 304,805 letters in the Torah.
There are 79,976 words in the Torah.
There are 5,888 or 5,845 verses in the Torah.
Bereishit (Genesis)
12 Sidrot
50 Chapters
1,534 Verses
Shmot (Exodus)...
12
votes
Converts to be treated as if they were born Jewish
Does Vayikro (Leviticus) 19:34 suit?
כְּאֶזְרָח מִכֶּם יִהְיֶה לָכֶם הַגֵּר | הַגָּר אִתְּכֶם וְאָהַבְתָּ
לוֹ כָּמוֹךָ כִּי גֵרִים הֱיִיתֶם בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם אֲנִי יְקוָֹק
אֱלֹקיכֶם
The ...
- 45.8k
12
votes
References to resurrection and the afterlife in the Jewish Bible?
Deut. 7:11 states: "You shall observe the commandment, and the decrees, and the ordinances, that I command you, today, to perform them."
The Torah writes about Earthly rewards, and not a lot about ...
- 10.4k
12
votes
Accepted
What does it mean that God "remembers" something?
Rav Sa'adya Gaon writes in Emunot V'deot (Ma'amar 2 s.v. v'hinei ani) that in reference to God, remembrance refers to salvation:
ובהצלת הברואים מענין שמצער אותם קוראים אותו זכירה, שאמרו (בראשית ח' ...
- 34.8k
12
votes
Accepted
Was Yonah able to visit the Beis HaMikdash? What about other prophets of his time?
Your question assumes that there were guards blocking anyone from crossing from Judah to Israel. The background of the assumption is probably the following two sources:
Sanhedrin 102a, according to ...
- 23.8k
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