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A collection of 97 posts

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Synagogues and the Spread of Christian Beliefs

What do Synagogues have to do with the spread of Christian beliefs? If you are asking yourself this question, then you probably need to reread the Book of Acts. Early believers in Jesus were all members of synagogues, and wherever they went, those affiliations continued to play an essential role

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One's Own Enemy

The Book of Ovadyah, or Obadiah, is very short. Only one chapter. The prophet's entire message is about Esau, or Edom, as he is also known. And since the Torah reading with which it corresponds is all about the reconciliation of Jacob and Esau, Obadiah’s words allow

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New Wind in the Early Jewish Church

A while back, I had an opportunity to develop a course for the institution where I teach, entitled "The Stories of the Jewish Church." The title was intended to be somewhat provocative, designed to emphasize that the early church was indeed Jewish. In this podcast interview, Dr. Parker

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Follow The Steps

Have you ever assembled one of those pieces of furniture that comes in a flat box? I have. You open a box and pull out a hundred tiny components. They come with many screws, bolts, and pegs of various sizes. All of the parts you pull out of the box

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Rouse Yourself

In our reading from the prophets, Isaiah speaks to Jerusalem, which typically represents all of God’s people. They have just experienced a hard time, tasted his anger, but these are words of comfort, so the message is positive. In Isaiah 51:17, he says. Hitor’ri, hitor’ri kumi

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God is My Dwelling Place

If you read the words of Moses' Prayer (which was probably also a song), you will see how the lyrics are thoroughly inspired by his poetic verses. God's unique name Adonai Maon is somewhat mysterious, but to me it brought a sense of realization that everything, including

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Shining The Light

Light can be very powerful. We are surrounded by it, so we don’t give it much thought because we are so used to it. But we also think of physical light in very scientific terms. In Isaiah 60, Hashem speaks uplifting words to Israel through the prophet. He says

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Plans and Wishes

In 1 Kings 1, we read the story of David in his final days as Adoniya, one of his sons, tries to take over the throne of Israel. David intended for Solomon to succeed him, but Adoniya decided to make himself king instead of waiting for Solomon to assume the

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A Prayer to Master of My Life

This musical creation was inspired by the words of Psalm 42. You might have to read the entire psalm to see which parts of it made it into the video. What came of it is a prayerful reflection of praise that I wanted to share with others. Here are the

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Being Near to God

I came across some amazing words in this week’s reading. In Deuteronomy 4:7, Moshe exclaims, “What nation is there that has God as near to them, as ADONAI our God, when we call on him?” Immediately, in my heart, I heard, “See, Hashem is near. He will answer.

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Seeking God

I would venture to say that, depending on your unique interests, each one sometimes struggles with things that pull us in and captivate us completely. These interests could be good things, even very positive and honorable things. I am simply wondering if those are the things we need to focus

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Bless Adonai, Angels on High

A portion of Psalm 103 paints a powerful reality that calls all of us to join the praises of angels and all of God's creation. They already praise the Almighty, so why can't we join them? Below is the song and the words to another musical

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Cleansing by Fire

Have you ever seen a sign that simply says "Jesus is Coming"? My wife pointed out a better one for me as we traveled together recently. It read, "Jesus is coming, clear your browser history!" Even in modern times, purity is a tangible concern. Naturally, we

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Out of Nothing

Miracles of multiplication are great, but they don’t happen every day. And sadly, Elisha is not walking around for us to ask for his help. It’s really something extraordinary and unique as we read these stories. How, besides us running out and getting all the empty jars in

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Almighty's Wings My Shelter Be

Psalm 91 is a favorite for so many people because its words express powerful promises of divine protection. Feeling safe is something we can all identify with. Since deep antiquity, Jews have recited these words on a regular basis. So here is a new musical rendition of this Psalm'

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Listen to 2 BARUCH 6-9, New 2025 Translation

Have you ever heard about the four books of Baruch? Recently, I published all of them in one volume. "The Books of Baruch: Four Oracles in New Translation" - this edition presents you with a new, easy-to-read, and culturally nuanced English translation of four ancient oracles: 1

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Mastering Challenges

In Deuteronomy Moses recounts the events that have already happened. He gives a summary of events that have transpired during many years in the wilderness. At the very beginning of his speech, he admonishes the Israelites to take possession of the land promised to them. And the way he spoke

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Losing God's Shadow

In Torah, in Numbers, we encounter an insightful story of how bad news was brought back to the Israelite community. Ten investigators of the Land of Promise were thoroughly pessimistic about the prospects of the sons of Jacob conquering Canaan. The land was prosperous and fertile, but the enemy seemed

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Adonai, Please Hear Me

Psalm 4 spoke to me in a number of ways through the years. And one of those messages is the overwhelming sense of God's presence that one can experience even in the moments of distress and utter weakness. One's faith in the Eternal, in his faithfulness,

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Extending Life

Some commandments in Torah are more elaborate and detailed, and others are somewhat straightforward and simple. Yet all of them teach how to apply wisdom in life in all situations. This week, I pondered over a commandment concerning the bird’s nest. Torah says if one comes upon a nest

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Where Can I Flee?

Psalm 139 meditates on God's pervasive presence in this world. There is no place where we can go that we escape God's presence, and there is no such place as too far away for God. Living with God in a world that He has made is

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Taking Orders

If you have siblings, the odds are some of them, specific ones, would constantly take charge in any setting. Maybe you are the one who gave orders to everyone on what to do on the playground. Maybe you are the one who told all your schoolmates what the plan always

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Jewish and Greek Thinking

This conversation is a segment from the IBC course titled "Jews and Greeks on Life and the Afterlife." Yeshaya Gruber, Nicholas Schaser, Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg, and Pinchas Shir discuss the ways Greeks thought in a completely different manner than the Jews. Learn more about Jewish and Greek concepts

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Hostile Reality

Have you ever encountered a superhero story where a villain puts the hero in a very tough situation, an impossible choice even? The hero has to choose to do what is right at a great personal cost to save people in mortal danger. Creating scenarios like that is the trademark

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Bless ADONAI, O my Soul

Psalm 104 helps us see ourselves as a part of God's marvelous creation, the awe-inspiring environment that we sometimes can take for granted. So, our nephesh, our soul, can connect with our Maker even through all he has fashioned. We are a piece of a much greater