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Tanakh and Talmud
The Tanakh is the set of books that constitute the Hebrew Bible. The Talmud, which comprises the Mishnah (Jewish Oral Law) and the Gemara (commentary on the Mishnah) is the written deliberation of Jewish principles and laws.
5,774 Questions
From where did the Israelites originally migrate to Palestine?
Biblical tradition says that Abraham travelled from the city of Ur in Mesopotamia to Palestine. Later, his descendants sojourned in Egypt before returning to Palestine.
Scholars say that there is nothing in the Hebrew language or the early culture of Israel to suggest that the Israelites ever came from Mesopotamia or spent time as slaves in Egypt. They say that after 430 years in Egypt, the Israelites must have absorbed some words and customs from the Egyptians, yet their language was quite close to the West Semitic spoken by their nearest neighbours. The Israelites are now believed to have been Canaanite dissidents or refugees who migrated from the coastal cities into the mountainous hinterland during the turbulent thirteenth century BCE.
What year was Solomon's temple destroyed the first time?
King Solomon began construction of the first Temple in the year 2928 from creation (833 BCE). The Ark of the Covenant was brought into the Temple in 2935 (827 BCE) and the Temple was completed a few months later.
Were Moses and Joshua cousins?
No, Moses and Joshua were not cousins. Joshua was Moses " General" when he was fighting in the army. Joshua fought and overcame the battle with a sword. Furthermore, Joshua was of the half-tribe of Ephraim while Moses was of the tribe of Levi.
Why do Jewish people keep the sabbath?
We believe that G-D created the world in 6 days and on the 7th day he rested. So technically Jews are supposed to not work (as defined by the Rabbi's) on Friday evenings and Saturdays.
Added:
The second reason for observing Shabbat can be found in Deuteronomy. It says,
"remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord, your God brought you forth from there with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to observe the Sabbath day."
So it is also an exercise of a free people to refrain from work because they can.
When God first made the world, it took six days then rested on the seventh day. As part of the rules of Judaism, HaShem commanded that we honour the 7th day with a day of rest, this is called Shabbat. Shabbat starts sundown Friday and ends sundown Saturday. During Shabbat, Jews prayer and refrain from the 39 forms of work specified in the Torah.
Can orthodox Jews use an umbrella on the sabbath?
No - because doing so would contradict melachah, the prohibition against carrying out deliberate activity during Shabbat, which includes a law against carrying any item from a private place into a public place or for any distance further than four cubits within the public place. It is possible to get around this prohibition by establishing an eruv, a legal aggregation of land property within a chatzer (literally "walled courtyard"). Rabbinical discussion has ruled that a chatzer can be defined not just as walled courtyard but any area that can be enclosed within a continuous wall or fence - this can be made up just not of the walls of exiting properties but also by wire used to symbolise walls, including utility wires such as electricity and telephone cables. As such, it is very easy to declare the urban areas within which many Jews live to be eruvim, allowing the Jews who live within the boundaries to transport items such as baby carriages, disabled wheelchairs and umbrellas out of their homes.
In the Holy Temple, music accompanied the singing of the Levites, to beautify the service of God. Today, music accompanies such occasions as weddings in order to create an appropriately happy and lively atmosphere.
(Effort is made to avoid too much imitation of rebellious popular music styles.)
Why do Jews read stories from the Torah on shabbat?
Traditional Jews observe Shabbat because the day of rest is commanded in the Torah. It is one of the 10 commandments. Non-Tradtional Jews may have different motivations, but most agree that it is a deeply rooted tradition that enhances our lives.
Are there certain days where Jews cannot work because of their beliefs?
Yes; these are commanded in the Torah (Leviticus ch.23) and mostly consist of Shabbat (every Friday sundown to Saturday after twilight) and Holidays. See the attached Related Link for a list and descriptions.
Where in the Bible does it tell to do bathing before the sabbath begins?
The Bible makes various references to bathing... especially in Leviticus. So, while the Bible does advocate general personal hygiene and cleanliness... there's no commandment for the general populace to bathe for the Sabbath.
Nor should there be any need for a commandment to appear before the Lord on the Sabbath "scrubbed and clean." It should be common sense and courtesy to clean oneself daily just to be around people. That way, you'll always be prepared for the Lord in that regard.
Jewish AnswerThe Tanach (Jewish Bibloe) doesn't specify that one must bathe before Shabbat starts. However, during Shabbat, fires can't be started, water can't be heated from cold, and electricity can't be turned on unless it is done passively according to Jewish law. These prohibitions would require one to take a cold shower or bathe which isn't very comfortable at all.
Can a Jew Disembark from a ship on the sabbath?
There is no prohibition against marrying during Shabbat. However, there is a prohibition against playing musical instruments during Shabbat. Due to the prohibition against musical instruments, Jewish weddings are not held during Shabbat.
What can Modern Orthodox Jews do on the Sabbath day?
Traditional Jews do not work on Shabbat (the sabbath). Orthodox Jews define work by the following 39 activities:
1 Planting
2 Plowing
3 Reaping
4 Binding sheaves
5 Threshing
6 Winnowing
7 Selecting
8 Grinding
9 Sifting
10 Kneading
11 Baking
12 Shearing wool
13 Washing wool (Scouring/Laundering)
14 Beating/Combing wool
15 Dyeing
16 Spinning
17 Weaving
18 Making two loops
19 Weaving at least two threads
20 Separating two threads
21 Tying
22 Untying
23 Sewing
24 Tearing for the purpose of sewing
25 Trapping
26 Slaughtering
27 Flaying
28 Curing hide
29 Scraping hide
30 Scoring
31 Cutting hide into pieces
32 Writing
33 Erasing
34 Building
35 Tearing something down
36 Extinguishing a fire
37 Igniting a fire
38 Applying the finishing touch
39 Transferring between domains
What country does the word Sabbath come from?
The word Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word shabbat which means "to cease." This is because the Sabbath is supposed to be a day of rest when work has ceased.
Answer:
The source of the Hebrew word Shabbat (sabbath) is in Genesis ch.2, from God having ceased from creating.
Was the Garden of Eden in Babylon?
Genesis chapter 2 says that a river flowed through the Garden of Eden and that it had four tributaries, two of which were the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers, which flow through ancient Babylonia. However, the passage also says that one of the other tributaries was the Gihon, which flows through Ethiopia. Although there is no river Gihon and appears never to have been such a river, this information places the Garden of Eden far away in in Ethiopia.
A single river can not have tributaries in two continents, so the Garden of Eden can not really have been in either babylonia or Ethiopia. This is further evidence that there was no Garden of Eden. Leon R. Kass (The Beginning of Wisdom: Reading Genesis) says that the Garden of Eden is a purely mythic place.
There is no 'Jebediah' in the Bible. There IS however, a Jedidiah (aka: Solomon), who was the second child of David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:13-19). This name means 'Beloved of Jah'(Jah=shortened form of God's name, YHWH(Or Jehovah). The only names I could find that started with "J E B" were Jeberechiah, Jebus and Jebusi.
In the old testament, the Sabbath used to be the seventh day (Saturday). After the ascension of Christ, the members of the Church, whether Jews or gentiles, kept holy the first day of the week (Sunday) as a weekly commemoration of Christ's resurrection. __________
To this day the Jews keep Shabbat as per the Torah, on the seventh day of the week. This means that Shabbat starts at sundown Friday and ends sundown Saturday.
Who are the 3 parts of the sabbath dedicated to?
1) Reading of Psalms and blessings in Hebrew
2) The silent part of the prayer
3) The Torah-reading
4) Another silent prayer
Note: The following answer concerns the meal, not the services.1. Lighting candles
2. Blessing wine
3. Breaking challah (bread)
When were the Israelites in exile in Babylon?
The Book of Isaiah was written by two, and possibly three different authors over a period of more than a hundred years. The writings were probably separate at first, being later consolidated into a single scroll.
Isaiah, son of Amoz, also known as First Isaiah or I Isaiah, wrote most of chapters 1-39 during the eighth century BCE, in the reigns of Kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah of Judah.
Second Isaiah wrote in the sixth century BCE during the Babylonian Exile.
Third Isaiah wrote immediately following the Return from Exile.
AnswerTradition places his lifetime in the 7th century BCE. AnswerIsaiah's opening statement in the Book of Isaiah, that he lived during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, means that he actually lived in the eighth century BCE.Second Isaiah, the anonymous author who added several further chapterrs to the Book of Isaiah, lived during the sixth century BCE and the time of the Babylonian Exile. A further anonymous source for the final chapters of the Book of Isaiah, now knwn as Third Isaiah, lived shortly after the Babylonian Exile.
What was the name of the Hebrew kingdom united under Saul David and Solomon?
The Kingdom of Israel. Before King David, Saul had also ruled over all of the Israelites.See also the Related Links.
Are Jewish people allowed to have tattoos?
Considering that Judaism prohibits tattoos, getting a tattoo of a symbol associated with Judaism is kind of adding insult to injury. Although many Jews choose to get tattoos, having a Jewish symbol as the tattoo doesn't make it any less prohibited.
There are two accepted exceptions to this, Jewish victims of the Holocaust who were tattooed by the Nazis and Jewish military veterans who got/get military tattoos.
What is the Sabbath day and how do you keep it holy?
To make something holy in the Hebrew sense is to separate: set it it apart and make it unique [unto God]. In terms of the Sabbath, we are challenged to find delight and joy, refrain from "labor" and "creation", and study God's Word.
What day is the sabbath on for Jews?
Answer #1:
The seventh-day of the week, Saturday. Exodus 20:8-11 says, Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Additional Information:
God instituted the sabbath day at creation by creating another day at the end of the week for us to rest and spend in special communion with Him. This day is the seventh day (our Saturday). This is the only day that God has ever blessed and set aside for holy use.
Another thing to remember is that the seventh day sabbath was instituted BEFORE any sin came into this world. Therefore it was God's intention for the sabbath day to be eternal. And this is confirmed in Isaiah 66 where it says that we shall worship God every sabbath day for all eternity.
The Biblical sabbath is the seventh day of the week (our Saturday).
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Answer #2:
Everyone agrees that the Sabbath Day is the seventh day of the week.
The debate arises in the attempt to determine whether that day is our
Saturday or our Sunday.
The thing about it that always intrigues me is how the same culture and
society
that settled on Sunday as the seventh day prints its business and social calendars
with Sunday in the first column, and Saturday in the seventh one.
In Judaism, it is Saturday, the seventh day. [the day when God rested] On this holy day, the Israelites weren't supposed to do any work, but to rest and pray to God. The Sabbath day is the seventh day of the divinely inspired repetitive seven-day week that God commanded be set aside for holy use (sanctified) for man to rest from his labors to REMEMBER CREATION. Remember his Creator and remember his dependence upon his Creator. Otherwise... if man didn't remember creation - then, he would forget about it.
For Christians it is Sunday, the first day of the week, in honour of the Resurrection.
This practice goes all the way back to Biblical times. Since most people worked on the weekdays, they would congregate on the Sabbath, not only for prayer, but also to study Torah for many hours. Such "Sabbath-houses", as they were known, existed throughout the Near East in Second Temple times as well. In Talmudic times, the leading Sages would teach the multitude every Sabbath afternoon.
What did God tell the Israelites to do on the sabbath?
In the Torah, Shabbat is meant for a rest day with no driving, use of electronics, use of arts & crafts, etc. But sadly not many Jews now-a-days follow this rule. Shabbat is also for going to Synagogue and praying to God.
Why do Jews eat challah at sabbath?
Jews eat what they eat during Shabbat because it's often what was the traditional foods from where their families came from. Religiously observant Jews won't cook food during Shabbat because that involves forms of work (lighting fire, cutting, etc) that are prohibited during Shabbat. This does not mean that hot food can't be eaten, things like slow cookers are used to prepare warm meals for lunch during Shabbat.
