Rabbi Joshua Waxman's Page

In honor of Sefiras HaOmer, here is the entirety of Rif on Sefiras HaOmer, which I translated a while back as part of my ongoing Rif translation project. This is from Rif Pesachim 27b and Rif Pesachim 28a though the Rif is drawing his material from the gemara Menachos. {Menachot 65b}
And we are obligated to count the days of… Continue

In response to an anonymous questioner on my blog: What is the meaning of לֹ֥א תַֽעֲשׂ֖וּן אִתִּ֑י אֱלֹ֤הֵי כֶ֨סֶף֙ וֵֽאלֹהֵ֣י זָהָ֔ב לֹ֥א תַֽעֲשׂ֖וּ לָכֶֽם׃?

After all, the etnachta is on the word itti, giving us two apparent separate instructions:
You shall not make [images of anything that is] with Me.
and
Gods of sil… Continue

For entertainment purposes only. We now know of the Code of Hammurabi, an Ancient Near Eastern law code. And it is useful for figuring out peshat in various pesukim. But what should we think of this law code? Is it good and moral? How does it rate against, e.g. Hurrian law, which seems to be much practiced by the avot and company? Firstly, it is quite possible that the Torah makes mention of Hammurabi, in parshat… Continue

Did Balak begin the hostilities, frightened of Israel such that he first hired Bilaam and then sent Moabite women to entice Israel to sin? Or could Balak point to the Jews and shout "But they started it?" We get different perspectives of this when reading parshat Moav with Rashi and reading parshat Devarim with Rashi. In parshat Balak, we read {Bemidbar 22:2-3}: … Continue

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