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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
Why do Jews feel the land of Canaan belongs to them?
Answer 1
Because God gave it to us.
Answer 2
In addition to the religious belief (discussed more in (2)), Jews believe that there are historical, legal, and political grounds that Israel belongs to them. It is also worth noting that all Israeli minorities other than ethnic Palestinians, such as Bedouins, Druze, Circassians, and non-Arab Churches (such as the Armenians and the Orthodox) support the Jewish claim to power over the Palestinians' claim to power.
1) Historically: The Jews have an undeniable presence in the land from at least 700 BCE until 70 CE and this is proven not only by the Biblical account, but from Assyrian Ruins, Babylonian documents, Hellenistic inscriptions, and Roman volumes. Jews had a continuous presence in the land from 70 CE until the present day (even though they were nowhere near the majority) even though they were forcibly deported from the territory. The fact that they survived, as opposed to the Arameans or Hittites who were similarly exiled does not illegitimate their claims.
In addition to the population-part of the historical claim, Jews have physical ruins and cities that are very sacred to them in the territory of the British Mandate of Palestine. The city of Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in the Jewish Bible. The city of Nablus used to be the Northern Metropolis of Shechem. Hebron was the first capital of Ancient Israel whence Saul ruled and David ruled until he conquered Jerusalem from the Jebusites. Even more recent sites like Masada document the Jewish presence and struggle to persevere.
2) Religiously: The Jewish claim to have a connection to the land of the British Mandate of Palestine is firmly grounded in their religion. Jews as early as the Babylonian exiles wrote about returning to the land because God had promised it to them. According to the Pentateuch, God promised Abraham that piece of land. (This promise is even acknowledged in the Qur'an 5:20-21, 17:104, and 26:59.) Many Jewish Holy Sites are in Israel such as the Kotel Hama'aravi (Western Wall).
3) Legally: By international law, the Ottoman Empire took the territory from the Seljuks and Abbassids by internationally recognized conquest. The territory was ceded to the British as a Mandate by the Ottomans as a term of surrender in World War I. (Even though the British had promised the territory to both the Arabs and Jews during the War, neither promise is legally binding.) According to the terms of the Mandate, even though the British were in control, the League of Nations had official jurisdiction. In 1947, the British gave direct authority to the League of Nations' successor, the United Nations, in accordance with the terms of their Mandate. The UN passed the 1947 Partition Plan that gave both a Jewish State and an Arab State the Right to Declare Statehood. The fact that the Arabs decided not to immediately declare such a state does not make the Israeli declaration any less valid. (It is important to note that Palestine did declare statehood on these grounds in 1988, which further cements the legality of this view.)
4) Politically: Jews invested a lot in building the political and physical infrastructure of the land even before they had control. Jews built farms, trained military brigades, created political parties, studied government, and defended themselves. This created a system that was able to repel the Arab Attacks in the Arab-Israeli War of 1948-9, secure expanded borders in the Six Day War of 1967, and hold those borders in the Arab-Israeli War of 1973. Israelis were actually able to exert control over this territory.
Of course, this list is not exhaustive, but should capture the sentiment of the question.
Who built the temple and transformed the city of Jerusalem?
King Solomon, the son of King David (of David and Goliath fame). It was rebuilt again much later by Herod (of the baby Jesus/Magi fame).
Were the israelites monotheistic?
they should be, as they are in covenant with Jehovah God. but as history shows, they always search for a new god/belief that is why they break the covenant that they have with their only God, Jehovah.
How many Jews are there living in Japan today?
The majority of estimates of the Muslim population have been put at around 100,000 in estimates. (Note: Japan 2010 population is around 127million)
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183000 Muslims (around 0.1% of Japan poulation); per Pew Forum study dated October 2009. See the reference link below.
In what year did the twelve tribes of Israel separate into two nations?
According to biblical chronology, the two states separated approximately 921 BCE. This is confirmed in 1 Kings and 2 Kings by the king list for the northern kingdom of Israel, which was destroyed by the Assyrians in 722 BCE, a date that has been fixed by historians.
However, there is a growing consensus among scholars that there never was a united monarchy of Israel. Lester L Grabbe (Ancient Israel) expresses the emphatic view is that if indeed there was a United Monarchy, it was not as the Bible pictures it.
How old was Moses Austin when he died?
Moses Austin lived from October 4, 1761 to June 10, 1821, which would make him just shy of 60 years old on his deathbed.
Are the European Jews descended from the biblical Jews?
Israelis are a Middle Eastern people. This is the proper consideration, especially when you take into account that even the majority of Israeli Jews (ignoring the 20% of Israelis who are ethnic Arabs) are from the Middle East and North Africa. Israel has an ethnic European minority, but that is it, a minority and most of those ethnic Europeans were born in Israel anyway.
Some people consider Israelis to be European, but this consideration comes primarily from the patronizing view that Israel's embrace of human rights and democratic norms is a "European" mindset as opposed to a "Middle Eastern" mindset (which is implicitly a theocratic and authoritarian behavior). It is because of Israel's embrace of many of these norms that Israel functions and operates much more like a European country than its Middle Eastern neighbors. However, if this is the definition of European, then Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore are also "European" countries since these countries embrace many of these norms and behave more like European countries than autocratic neighbors like China and North Korea.
Has Jerusalem's temple been rebuilt?
apparently so! :-) I believe that they pray at the wall for the temple to be rebuilt everyday, so that they do not have to stay outside the wall, and will have somewhere to pray. The Jews as far as I'm aware do not believe Jesus fullfilled all the attributes in the bible for him to be the one. Besides they have already made most of the religious artifacts to go into the temple, and are just diliberating over its exact position,,,, other things must come to pass before this
Who led the migration to Canaan after Moses died?
Joshua became the political and military leader of the nation (Numbers ch.27, Deuteronomy ch.31).
The peaceful transfer of leadership-responsibility took place shortly before Moses' death.
Who were Sarah and Abraham's sons?
actually Abraham is recorded to have much more than 3 sons ,but the most well known are Ishmael and Isaac.
Or maybe I've misunderstood and you're referring to Lincoln ,whose sons are:
Robert Todd Lincoln
Edward Lincoln
Willie Lincoln
Tad Lincoln
How could the parting of the red sea be true?
To set the record straight, the Israelites did not cross the Red Sea but the Reed Sea, a marsh-like piece of land in which some portion became passable when the water recedes.
See link Passage of the Red Sea below
Who is the father of the Jewish nation?
Jacob, who was renamed Israel by God (Genesis ch.35). He raised his twelve sons, who later became the ancestors of the twelve Israelite Tribes.
Jacob, son of Isaac, was the last of the Patriarchs (Talmud, Berakhot 16b). He spent a lot of time in the tents (Genesis 25:27) studying his ancestors' teachings (Rashi commentary, ibid.); and eventually, like Abraham and Isaac before him, attained prophecy, in which God confirmed His covenant and promised His protection (Genesis 28:10-15).
When the opportunity presented itself, Jacob asked his elder twin brother Esau to sell him his birthright (Genesis 25:29:34), since he sensed that Esau wasn't pious enough to fully deserve it. Thus began the fulfillment of the prophecy which Rebecca had heard, that Jacob would become the dominant of her two sons (Genesis 25:22-23).
Jacob's life was replete with tribulations (Rashi commentary, Genesis 43:14). He managed to come out ahead despite the wiles of the deceitful Laban (Genesis 29:25 and 31:41) and the danger presented by the angry Esau (Genesis 27:41 and 32:12).
There were painful events with his daughter Dinah (Genesis 34:1-7) and with his being separated for two decades from his beloved son, Joseph (Genesis ch.37); and his wife Rachel died at a young age in childbirth (Genesis 35:16-19).
These troubles were a portent for the tribulations of the Jews in their times of exile. But Jacob received God's affirmation of His covenant and blessing (Genesis 28:13-14; 35:9-12; 46:2-4), signifying that the exile would eventually end. God gave Jacob the honor-title of Israel, indicating his eventual ascendancy (Genesis ch.35).
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.
