Question
My friends and I have questions about I Samuel 16:2. Is there any particular reason Samuel was told to offer a female animal rather than a male animal? Since the Ark was in the possession of the Philistines and the Tabernacle and the Altar for sacrifices had, apparently, ceased to function after Eli and his sons died and the Ark was lost in battle, how and where did the Israelites "do" sacrifices since there was no functioning Tabernacle and The Temple had not yet been built? Samuel was not a priest/Levite so what "kind" (name? category?) of sacrifice was he offering? It almost seems as though he was offering an illegitimate sacrifice "on a high place." How can this be explained? We would appreciate ANY light you can shed on this topic! Thanks for giving us your time!

Question
Dear Rabbi, when I visited Jerusalem for the first time I noticed the divider at the Western Wall. What is the purpose of this division? Thanks.

Question
Are the Western Walls bricks that we see today actually those that were used in the time of the Temple? And was the Western Wall built underground?

Question
Did O.T. Hebrew women offer sacrifices at the same place as the men in the court of the men?

Question
Why does it seem that Rachel, the wife of Rabbi Akiba, is not given the same or even more honor than her husband? It is because of her what Rabbi Akiva became. She suffered and sacrificed so much. Also, where is she buried? Most people go to pray with requests at the gravesite of Rabbi Akiva, not hers. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Question
Shalom, Where can I find information regards the High Priest having a rope tied to his ankles to pull him out if he were to die? My father said it is not true but one of my friends said it was. Thank you. Samuel

Question
I have a question not about faith, but about lineage. This whole ancestry thing has gotten so popular as so many are shelling out a lot of money to find out where they came from. But in the Tanach the Jews kept incredible records pertaining to ancestry. Are most Jews still able to trace their lineage way back, or was that just an ancient thing?