Pinchas Shir

My research is focused on the interpretations of biblical texts in the contexts of ancient culture, languages, and history.

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Articles

Trusting in Biblical Hebrew

It is hard to speak of trust in a world filled with deception. It is very hard to trust, especially if you have been misled and taken advantage of in the past. Life experiences often drive us to put up walls and to hold back our trust. Every day we

Articles

Reading Jesus as a Rabbi

You may have heard that Jesus was a Rabbi. So what? Knowing this fact has no value if one does not know much about ancient Rabbis. Merely stating that Jesus is Jewish or that he was a Rabbi means absolutely nothing unless one understands what stands behind such identity. What

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>Seminars

From Rabbi to Lord to Jesus (~2hrs)

Was Jesus truly a Rabbi? What did it mean to be a Rabbi in antiquity? What are some of the earliest historical references we have to rabbis? How did he go from Rabbi to Lord, and why? How did Hebrew Yeshua become English Jesus? I highlight these questions and many

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>Books

Soncino Midrash Rabbah: Genesis 1

Midrash Rabbah is a homeletic, ethical, and moral commentary on the Torah expounded by the Rabbis during Talmudic times. The Midrash represents the essence of Judaism, its ethical standards, and its insight into the human heart in a unique literary form. For centuries the Midrash Rabbah commentaries nourished the Jewish

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Soncino Midrash Rabbah: Exodus

Midrash Rabbah is a homeletic, ethical, and moral commentary on the Torah expounded by the Rabbis during Talmudic times. The Midrash represents the essence of Judaism, its ethical standards, and its insight into the human heart in a unique literary form. For centuries the Midrash Rabbah commentaries nourished the Jewish

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>Books

Soncino Midrash Rabbah: Leviticus

Midrash Rabbah is a homeletic, ethical, and moral commentary on the Torah expounded by the Rabbis during Talmudic times. The Midrash represents the essence of Judaism, its ethical standards, and its insight into the human heart in a unique literary form. For centuries the Midrash Rabbah commentaries nourished the Jewish

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>Books

Soncino Midrash Rabbah: Numbers 1

Midrash Rabbah is a homeletic, ethical, and moral commentary on the Torah expounded by the Rabbis during Talmudic times. The Midrash represents the essence of Judaism, its ethical standards, and its insight into the human heart in a unique literary form. For centuries the Midrash Rabbah commentaries nourished the Jewish

Paid-members only

>Books

Soncino Midrash Rabbah: Numbers 2

Midrash Rabbah is a homeletic, ethical, and moral commentary on the Torah expounded by the Rabbis during Talmudic times. The Midrash represents the essence of Judaism, its ethical standards, and its insight into the human heart in a unique literary form. For centuries the Midrash Rabbah commentaries nourished the Jewish

Paid-members only

>Books

Soncino Midrash Rabbah: Deuteronomy

Midrash Rabbah is a homeletic, ethical, and moral commentary on the Torah expounded by the Rabbis during Talmudic times. The Midrash represents the essence of Judaism, its ethical standards, and its insight into the human heart in a unique literary form. For centuries the Midrash Rabbah commentaries nourished the Jewish

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>Books

Judaism of the Second Temple Period (Vol. 1) by David Flusser

Dr. David Flusser was a prolific scholar of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and his contributions to research in Jewish apocalypticism, and apocalyptic literature are considerable. With this English translation of many of his essays, Prof. Flusser's insights are now available to a wider audience than ever before. In

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Deliver Us

As soon as Jacob resolved to head back home to Canaan, he knew he would be in danger because of his brother. Him and his entire family. So, in Gen 32:12, Jacob prays - hatizileni na meyad achi “Deliver me please from the hand of my brother.” Jacob was gripped

Video

Psalm 15 in Hebrew & English

Psalm 15 asks a question about the kind of person one has to be in order to be worthy to live near to God. And then it gives us the answer! Most people would assume that it is enough to simply believe in God. According to the psalm there is

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Articles

Binding and Loosing like Jesus

In Matthew’s Gospel Jesus said to his disciple Peter, “I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt 16:19). A couple of

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The Jewish Gospels by Daniel Boyarin

One of the books I often recommend is "The Jewish Gospels" by Daniel Boyarin. A short but provocative book written by an eloquent and erudite professor who taught at Hebrew University, Yale, Harvard, Yeshiva University and now at Berkley. The book presents a cogent academic take on the

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>Audio

Be One More

In the weekly Torah reading Vayera (Gen 18-22), we read the story of Sodom and Amorah. It is a story of true sinners in the hands of an angry God. Only things are a bit different for them. They have an unexpected advocate. In Torah, we encounter Abram and

Audio

Hope in Revelation

The role of the prophet is not to predict what is to come, but to speak into their present moment, so how does Revelation fit into the prophetic category? We also discuss how the author uses imagery to connect the dots between the ideas of a suffering Messiah and a

Audio

Revelation: Pop Culture and Armageddon

Have you been fascinated by the Book of Revelation but felt that something must be missing in modern interpretations of this anti-Roman, Jewish document? Revelation is an extremely multifaceted book filled with rich cultural imagery and allusions that many people simply misread. Why? Because they know too little about

Audio

Revelation: The end of the world...or is it?

What is apocalyptic literature, and how does it change the way we read Revelation? What were the cultural developments that birthed the apocalyptic genre, and is that genre a Greco-Roman or Jewish style of literature? This week we talk about the overall context of Revelation and why pop culture

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>Seminars

Villains and Heroes of Hanukkah

The story of Hanukkah is epic, much more epic than the books of Maccabees paint it. Yes, it’s the story of the Jewish wars against the mad and tyrannical Antiochus IV. But the Seleucid king himself was entangled in a series of wars that began long before he was

Video

Hanukkah Modern and Ancient

Many people know what Hanukkah is like based on how it is celebrated today. But not many know how the ancient people viewed it. Hanukkah is over 2000 years old! Peek into some old perspectives on Hanukkah.

Video

Development of Christmas Customs by History Channel

Christmas is an important cultural holiday in the Western world. And while most Jews don't participate in it, it is a very meaningful celebration for the majority of Christians. Its foundation is the birth of Jesus in the New Testament. But did you know Christmas wasn't

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Be The Light

In Gen 1:14-19 the Torah says that Hashem has set the lights in the sky for several reasons. First - to separate the day from the night. Second - to serve as signs for the times, days, and years. In other words to display stable predictable patterns to help us

Video

The History of Hanukkah by History Channel

How much do you know about Hanukkah? Though for many today presents are involved it's not a Jewish version of Christmas. History Channel explores the traditions of Hanukkah in this short video. Learn something new or see how much you really know about the Festival of lights.

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>Seminars

Atonement and Messiah's Sacrifice (~5hrs)

Do you understand Atonement? What are the foundations of this concept in your mind? In this multi-part seminar, we look at the language of Atonement, Sacrifice, and Redemption in the New Testament as it is applied to Jesus and consider it in the broader light of the Hebrew Bible

Video

Samaritans: Documentary

How much do you know about the Samaritans? This video is a fascinating look into the life and history of the Samaritan community. Most people have heard the name "Samaritan" but know so little about these ancient people. It is a true miracle that some modern descendants of