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Category: Aggadah & Talmudic Narrative

Of Clowns, Giants, Mules, and Centaurs: The Enigmatic Anah

Of Clowns, Giants, Mules, and Centaurs: The Enigmatic Anah

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Of Clowns, Giants, Mules, and Centaurs: The Enigmatic Anah By Yecheskel Sklar Yecheskel Sklar, a student of Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood NJ, is the author of various essays and kuntreisim. His most recent work – an overview of a debate in Amsterdam between Rabbis Sasportas and Morteira about false witnesses – can be purchased on Amazon. The verse tells us that Anah is he (or she[1]) who found הימם in the desert while herding the donkeys of his father[2]. What exactly are הימם? What exactly did Anah do regarding…

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The Rising Lion: From Balaam to Leibowitz and Back Again

The Rising Lion: From Balaam to Leibowitz and Back Again

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The Rising Lion: From Balaam to Leibowitz and Back Again Warren Zev Harvey Warren Zev Harvey is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Jewish Thought at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is the author of numerous studies on medieval and modern Jewish philosophy and the recipient of the EMET Prize in the Humanities (2009). The great prophet of the gentiles, Balaam son of Beor, blessed the people of Israel with a blessing for military success: “Behold, a people shall…

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Apostomos Now: Contemporary Conjectures on a Classic Conundrum

Apostomos Now: Contemporary Conjectures on a Classic Conundrum

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Apostomos Now: Contemporary Conjectures on a Classic Conundrum Aton M. Holzer Aton.holzer@gmail.com ORCID ID: 0000-0001-9852-3958 28 Binyamin, Beit Shemesh, Israel 9952200 The Mishnah in Ta’anit (4:6) puts forth a series of lists of five calamities that befell the Jews on each of two major fast days, the seventeenth of Tammuz and the ninth of Av, beginning in the days of Moses in the Wilderness and culminating after Bar Kochba: חמשה דברים ארעו את אבותינו בשבעה-עשר בתמוז (וב) וחמשה בתשעה באב….

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“Praiseworthy are You Talmidei Chachamim” – Self-Definition, Torah Study, and Jewish Martyrdom

“Praiseworthy are You Talmidei Chachamim” – Self-Definition, Torah Study, and Jewish Martyrdom

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“Praiseworthy are You Talmidei Chachamim” Self-Definition, Torah Study, and Jewish Martyrdom Yaakov Jaffe There is a unique genre of video on youtube, facebook, or twitter, featuring Yeshivah students of a wide variety of ages, locations, and types of dress singing the song “Ashreichem Talmidei Chachamim” while standing or dancing around the Beit Midrash of their school or Yeshivah.  The song, often also heard at wedding, praises the portion of students of Torah scholars with the following words: Praiseworthy are you,…

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ענין הריגת עשו והמסתעף

ענין הריגת עשו והמסתעף

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ענין הריגת עשו והמסתעף Shlomo (Steven) Flamer is a fourth-year medical student at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He previously studied at Yeshivas Ohr Hachaim (Queens, NY), and holds an M.A. in Jewish Studies from Touro College רש”י לפרשת ויחי (מט, כא) ד”ה הנותן אמרי שפר מביא דברי חז”ל אודות מיתת עשו, ז”ל רבותינו דרשוהו על יום קבורת יעקב כשערער עשו על המערה במסכת סוטה דף יג עכ”ל. ובאמת יש לכל הפחות ד’ דיעות מי הרג לעשו: (א) חושים…

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No, Achashverosh Never Served a Stable-Boy

No, Achashverosh Never Served a Stable-Boy

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No, Achashverosh Never Served a Stable-Boy Yaakov Jaffe Writings about Purim from virtually every stripe make reference to a well-known myth that Achashverosh, King of Persia, rose to power from being a former stable-boy. A simple google search yields dozens of online results for this myth, some in passing and others expanded,[1] some academic[2] and others some more traditional;[3] some on blogs and others in books.[4] Yet, it seems that these references to Achashverosh the stable-boy are all rooted in…

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