My research is focused on the interpretations of biblical texts in the contexts of ancient culture, languages, and history.
Prof. Israel Knohl shares curious evidence for a messianic precursor to Jesus who is described as the "Suffering Servant" in recently published fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Many scholars have long argued that the concept of a slain savior Messiah who rises from the dead, was alien...
Thanks to everyone who supports the PSHIR.COM publication with a subscription! For only $7 per month, you help me develop and publish new learning resources week after week. I am excited that I finally finished the "World of Hebrew Prophets" series, which ended up being 15 hours....
The verses in the Prophets I want to highlight today, I like to call the divine promise of Israel’s salvation. Ezekiel is known to be the exiled prophet, and Chapter 36 speaks loudly and vividly about Israel’s salvation from exile, restoration through cleansing, transforming hearts, and filling Israel...
What is this Sign of Jonah? The traditional thinking is that it's Jesus' resurrection, three days and three nights... But the passage may not be so simple as it appears on the surface. Interested in taking a closer look and discovering another way to read the text?...
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...
The 9th of Av (Tisha B'Av) stands as one of the key solemn dates on the Jewish calendar, marking a day when tragedies have repeatedly befallen the Jewish people throughout history. According to the Talmud, Ta'anit 29a, the origins of this day of mourning among Jews...
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...
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 of...
What happens at a synagogue service? What are the rules for keeping kosher? How do I light the Hanukkah candles? What is in the Hebrew Bible? What do the Jewish holidays signify? I frequently get questions about Jewish culture and life, both ancient and modern, practical and theoretical. A general...