Five Books of Moses

Abraham: Discovering God at Three – I had always heard that Abraham recognized God when he was three years old. Was that really the case? How much could a three-year-old possibly understand about the world? More »
Children Punished for Sins of Parents – How do we understand verses such as Exodus 20:5 (in the Ten Commandments) that God punishes not only sinners, but their descendants till four generations? How is it possibly fair to punish children for that which they did not do? More »
Down-to-Earth Spirituality – I am perplexed about a certain juxtaposition in the Torah. Parshas Yisro describes the dramatic revelation of God to the Jewish People at Mount Sinai. And then the next parsha, Mishpatim, lists mundane laws regarding personal injury, property damage, returning… More »
SEE MORE »

Prophets & Writings

Elijah’s Ascent to Heaven – I’m trying to understand what exactly occurred when Elijah was taken up in a fiery chariot (II Kings 2:11). The Torah states that he was taken up to Heaven in a whirlwind. Was this a form of death? Elijah is… More »
Recommended Tehillim (Psalms) for Israel, Protection, & More – I have several frustrating issues going on in life today, as well as a relative who is really not well. I’d like to recite Tehillim. Is there a recommended list I should say? More »
The Ceremony of Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal – Why were the tribes divided onto Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal? What was the purpose of this ceremony? More »

Apocrypha

Book of Enoch (Sefer Chanoch) – What is the Book of Enoch? It seems to contain fascinating content and I’m wondering if you recommend I buy it for study. More »
The Book of Jasher – Is the Book of Jasher a reliable work? Are the dates and information in it accurate? It looks interesting and I’m wondering if it would be worth my time to study it in depth. More »
The Books of the Maccabees – I’ve been reading about the history of Hanukkah and found that a lot of the material comes from the Book of the Maccabees. What is that work? Is it a sacred work, part of the Torah, or just a work… More »

Oral Law & Torah Study

Eye for an Eye – I recently heard a talk explaining "an eye for an eye" in the Torah. As society has become less barbaric, the rabbis reinterpreted the verse to mean one pays the damages for the eye, instead of actually taking out the… More »
People of The Book – I've always heard that the Jews are the "people of the book." Can you clarify for me exactly what that means? More »
What is Torah? – What is the literal meaning of the word Torah? Some I’ve asked have conjectured it means “The Book” or Hebrew for the Greek “Bible.” Someone else thought it meant tradition. Are these correct? More »

Biblical Criticism

Archaeology and the Exodus – I am in touch with someone who is interested in Judaism, but wants to understand its validity from a historic and archeological perspective. He is very bright, a Ph.D. in mathematics. He made me a challenge that he would take… More »
Baal Teshuva Under Attack – I recently became a baal teshuva and on my first trip back home, my friends and family started peppering me with questions: Why do I do this, and why do I do that? I'm really new to this, and I… More »
Biblical Criticism – I have heard many arguments for a multiple authorship/editing of the Torah. Is there any reason to doubt the seemingly convincing conclusions of the secular university Bible scholars? Are there contemporary Biblical scholars of note who dissent from the "unanimous"… More »
SEE MORE »
MOST POPULAR QUESTIONS
FacebookTwitterLinkedInPrintFriendlyShare
EXPLORE
LEARN
MORE
Explore
Learn
Resources
Next Steps
About
Donate
Menu
Languages
Menu
Social
.