Rabbi Yaakov Medan
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The Sages and many commentators are in agreement that the four beasts in Daniel’s dream parallel the four kingdoms described in Nevukhadnetzar’s dream. An...
Rabbi Yaakov Medan
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The parable of the great tree in Nevukhadnetzar’s dream and his predicted fall is compared to the fall of previous empires of Assyria and Egypt. There are...
Rabbi Yaakov Medan
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Nevukhadnetzar’s second dream seems easy to interpret. The special skill needed by Daniel, that Nevukhadnetzar’s other servants lacked, was the courage to...
Rabbi Yaakov Medan
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The question raised by the Midrash ha-Gadol in the name of R. Natan concerning the disagreement between Yehezkel and Hananya, Misha’el, and Azarya is an...
Rabbi Yaakov Medan
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Potential solutions for understanding Hananya, Misha’el and Azarya’s actions in contrast with the general behavior of the Jews at their time include: the...
Rabbi Yaakov Medan
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Hananya, Misha’el and Azariya’s behavior becomes the model for generations to come, of sacrificing one’s life rather than betraying one’s faith in God. If...
Rabbi Yaakov Medan
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Both in the time of Nimrod and in the time of Nevukhadnetzar, the collective behavior was not an expression of unity, but rather of the tyrannical reign...
Rabbi Yaakov Medan
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In order to override the conclusion of his dream regarding the transience of the Babylonian kingdom, Nevukhadnetzar constructs a golden idol. He believes...
Rabbi Yaakov Medan
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According to the conventional interpretation by the Sages, the Four Kingdoms refer to Babylon, Persia/Medes, Greece, and Rome. Later interpretations...
Rabbi Yaakov Medan
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While Pharaoh’s dreams are a detail in the main story line of Yoseph’s rise to power, the story in Sefer Daniel stresses that God’s interest in...
