613 Mitzvot– What is the earliest reference to the Torah having 613 mitzvot? Where does this list come from? This is a matter of dispute here in South Africa, where a radio talk show host made some inaccurate statements about Judaism by…More »
Blessings on Rabbinical Mitzvahs– On Chanukah and Purim, we say the blessing, Asher Kidishanu - "Which God has commanded us..." Yet aren't those words inappropriate, given that nowhere in the 613 mitzvahs of the Torah are these holidays mentioned.More »
Is the Midrash Literal?– I respect the Torah greatly and try to observe its commands. One thing that bothers me, however, are the Midrashic texts which describe things in a very far-out way. I recently saw something about Moses being 10 cubits tall. Is…More »
Crowns on Torah’s Letters– I’ve read that some of the Hebrew letters have crowns drawn on top of them when they’re written in the Torah. Which letters does this apply to? What do they look like? And what is the purpose of the crowns?More »
Signs of Kosher Animals– When God spoke about kosher animals in the Torah, why does it only list the animals known to the people at that time? It never mentions any animals in Africa like the hippo or giraffe.More »
The Torah’s “Rediscovery” in Josiah’s Time– I have heard the claim that we believe the Torah is true because millions witnessed the Revelation at Sinai and the Jews have remembered this event ever since. It is further impossible that such a story could have been fabricated…More »
What Is Torah?– No word in the Jewish religion is so indefinable and yet so indispensable as the word Torah. Torah is the most comprehensive term for the substance of Judaism. Torah is Teaching. Torah is Law. No one can hope to achieve…More »
People of the Book– Judaism is in that every single Jew is commanded to know the Torah. The first sentence that a Jewish child is taught is Torah tziva lanu Moshe, morasha kehilat Yaakov ― "Torah was commanded to us through Moses and it…More »
Bible Translation– I just returned from a business trip where I stayed up late one night reading the Bible that was in the nightstand. Or I should say, that I tried reading it. The translation was indecipherable, with all the “shall’s” and…More »
The Ancient Napkin– I'm not Jewish, but am interested in ancient Jewish customs. I've heard there is a custom of folding a napkin and placing it at a certain place that conveys a certain message after eating a meal. Can you tell me…More »
Codes in Other Texts– Have other Hebrew texts the size of the Torah been searched for Codes? Have tests been done on the "New Testament" concerning codes?More »
Taking Codes Seriously– I am impressed by the Torah Codes, but one thing I cannot understand: If they are so amazing and true, why doesn't the whole world take them more seriously? Why aren't people dropping everything and running off to Jerusalem to…More »
Torah Codes Explained– I found the Discovery Seminar's presentation on Bible Codes very convincing and it has captured my interest. How exactly do the Codes work?More »
Raise a Glass to Freedom
