- Who/what is about to appear “suddenly” according to the first verse?
- Is “the coming” to be a fulfillment or a purification?
- Who or what (Malachi 3:3) is to be purified — and with what objective?
- Where does Malachi 3:4 appear in our current liturgy?
- Who is to be cast out (Malachi 3:5) and what is to determine the action of Divinity — and, is this passage concerned primarily with karbanot or with ethical/moral/just conduct?
- Malachi 3:6 speaks of a consistency — and how does Malachi 3:7 describe that “consistency”?
- What differentiates the statement in Malachi 3:5 from the observations of “improper conduct” as set forth in Malachi 3:8-10?
- Would Malachi 3:14 indicate a position of outright atheism, agnosticism or, rather, an indication that the “service of God” does not yield anything consequential?
- Yet, according to Malachi 3:17, not all proceed on the assumption that serving God is pointless; to whom does this verse refer?
- According to Malachi 3:18, is there, then, a difference between the doers of justice and those who govern themselves by evil conduct?
- What, according to Malachi 3:19, will become of the mitzvah violators and what will become (Malachi 3:20) of those who observe justice and conduct themselves in accordance with mitzvah norms?
- What image is conjured up by the frolicking flock?
- Malachi 3:22 makes reference to the very origin of Jewishness — in what manner?
- And this verse stresses that the origin had, as its core, legislation and regulations for appropriate conduct — indicating that what is the essential ingredient in Jewishness?
- In Malachi 3:23 there is a prediction of the coming of Elijah — prior to the Messiah? Or, prior to “God’s great and awesome day”?
- Is that “great and awesome day” defined? Is it a “good time”? A testing time — both? Something other?
- The function of Elijah would be to return the hearts of the fathers to their children and the children to their fathers. What is the meaning of this phrase — and why would the earth be totally destroyed if this does not happen?
- Why is Malachi 3:23 repeated after Malachi 3:24 when the haftarah of this passage is chanted?
