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 Did G-d “NEED” Creation? .: Viewed: 1593 times :.
Throughout the act of Creation, after each major step such as the creation of light, water and vegetation, the Torah tells us that va-yar Elohim KI TOV, "and G-d saw that it was good." Taken literally, these passages strike us as grossly anthropomorphic, as if the Creator of the universe is a Cosmic Artist who, after every significant addition to His composition, steps back to admire His...
Published: October 3, 2019 |
Did G-d Have A "Need" To Create The World ? .: Viewed: 6049 times :.
Throughout the act of Creation, after each major step such as the creation of light, water and vegetation, the Torah tells us that va-yar Elohim ki tov , "and G-d saw that it was good." Taken literally, these passages strike us as grossly anthropomorphic, as if the Creator of the universe is a Cosmic Artist who, after every significant addition to His composition, steps back to admire His...
Published: October 10, 2012 |
Did G-d pray when He gave us the Torah? .: Viewed: 2829 times :.
At the giving of the Torah we find that G-d utters a prayer that we should always fear Him and observe His Mitzvot, for our own good (D'varim 5:26).
The Talmud in B'rachot 7a, brings another verse to prove that G-d prays: "I will bring them to My holy mountain, and make them rejoice in the house of My prayer, [for My house is a house of prayer for all nations]" (Yeshayahu 56:7). The pasuk...
Published: May 24, 2011 |
Did G-d Reject Our Prayers? .: Viewed: 2645 times :.
The night before the murdered bodies of our precious and holy teenagers were found, nearly 100,000 Jews gathered in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv to pray for the youths' safe return. Secular celebrities sang songs from the Psalms, and the huge crowd joined in. Afterwards Iris Yifrach, the mother of Eyal, addressed her missing son, "The whole nation is uniting. Everybody is worried about you. I turn...
Published: July 11, 2014 |
Did Joseph and his Brother's invent the Jewish Getto? .: Viewed: 2749 times :.
Goshen in Egypt was the first “ghetto” in Jewish history. Historians say that every place and every time, it was the Jews who created the ghettos, as a way to keep apart from the people among whom they lived and so that they could live in a Jewish atmosphere among themselves. The non-Jews only erected the walls and gates to the ghettos, in order to prevent the Jews from leaving...
Published: December 23, 2012 |
Did Moshe Need a Tour Guide? .: Viewed: 2041 times :.
In Bamidbar 10 (v.29-34) we find a strange conversation between Moshe and his father in law. Moshe says to Yitro, here called Chovav, "We are heading for the Promised Land, and G-d will be good to us. Please come with us and share our goodness." Yitro, the former pagan Midianite, now a Ger Tzedek, refuses. He decides to return to his own country, Midian.
Moshe pleads with him, "Do...
Published: May 21, 2015 |
Did The Spies' Mission Benefit Moshe? .: Viewed: 1964 times :.
"G-D spoke to Moshe, 'Send men for yourself (LECHA), to spy out the land.'" (Bamidbar 13:2).At the beginning of Parashat Lech Lecha (Bereshit 12), Rashi comments that the word LECHA (for yourself) means "for your personal benefit". When G-D told Avraham to go to the Holy Land, it was for Avraham Avinu's benefit, because his life would improve in Pisgat Ze'ev.
Rabbenu Bechaei says...
Published: June 9, 2016 |
Did We Choose to be Chosen? .: Viewed: 2150 times :.
The Torah states in Parshat Reeh, “You are a holy nation to Hashem, your G-d; G-d has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be His own treasured, special nation.” (Devarim 14). Rashi explains that your holiness comes to you from your forefathers, but also G-d has chosen you. In other words not only did G-d choose our ancestors, but each and every one of us as well, as we...
Published: August 4, 2015 |
Did Yosef Make His Daddy Into A Mummy? .: Viewed: 1683 times :.
"And Yosef commanded the physicians to embalm his father." (Bereshit 50:2)
The Malbim cannot comprehend Yosef's command that his father's body be embalmed, and declares that, "the purpose of the burial ceremony is to enable the dead person's body to turn to dust."
Jewish burial rites reflect the immense difference between the body and the soul (Kohelet 12:7) describes our release from...
Published: January 3, 2017 |
Digital (Facebook) Slaves .: Viewed: 1919 times :.
When Moshe is sent by Gd to inform the Jewish People that their redemption from slavery is near, he discovers that they have no time or patience for him. "And they did not listen to Moshe because of shortness of breath and hard and difficult work" (Shemot 6:9)
Pharaoh understood the dynamics of freedom and so he succeeded in creating the ultimate crushing slavery. Someone forced...
Published: December 31, 2015 |
Do Curses Really Work? .: Viewed: 1758 times :.
Balak, King of Moav, called on Bilam to curse the Nation of Israel. Bilam responded that he must wait for G‑d’s instructions. After Bilam was told by G‑d not to curse Israel, “For it is blessed”, Bilam says (Bamidbar 23:8) “How can I curse whom G‑d has not cursed”, and thereby got Balak very angry. It seems that Bilam realized that cursing has no real physical...
Published: June 28, 2020 |
Does G-d Have Physical Features? .: Viewed: 2202 times :.
The Midrash Mechilta, on the first of the Ten Commandments asks why G-d identifies Himself as the One who took us out of Egypt, instead of the Creator of the Universe?
The Mechlita answers that G-d appeared to the Jewish People as a Youthful Warrior at the Red Sea, but at Mount Sinai He appeared as an Elderly Scholar. Thus, G-d assured us that He was One and the Same on both occasions,...
Published: August 10, 2014 |
Does G-d Wear Tefillin? .: Viewed: 2554 times :.
The Talmud in ( Brachot 6a) states, " That G-d Wears Tefillin". However, one of the Thirteen Principles of Faith of the Rambam states that G-d has no physical body, so how does He "wear" Tefillin? To answer this question, we must ask another, because a Jew answers a question with a question. The question is why do we pray?
We are accustomed to regard prayer as a person either praising G-d...
Published: October 28, 2013 |
Does the Coming of Mashiach Depend on Our Teshuva? .: Viewed: 2209 times :.
The coming of the Messiah and the subsequent redemption of Israel is a basic belief of Judaism. G-d will bring the redemption in his own time. If all Israel were to return to G-d through Teshuva, the Messiah would appear and the final redemption would be ushered in immediately. Otherwise, the redemption will not occur until the final time decreed by G-d. This is the meaning of the verse, "I,...
Published: May 24, 2011 |
Does The Halacha Permit Us To Ascend The Temple Mount .: Viewed: 4022 times :.
Does Jewish law permit us to ascend the Temple Mount today? This may seem only like a halachic question, but it has far reaching political consequences as well. Shortly after the Six Day War in June 1967, the Chief Rabbinate posted a large sign at the entrance to the Temple Mount stating that it is forbidden to enter the Temple Mount according to halacha. This prohibition was reiterated...
Published: August 29, 2007 |
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