Articles
Thanks to new subscribers PSHIR.COM continues to grow! And growth is exciting because that allows me to plan for the future better and to develop new quality multi-media content. For me, healthy and steady growth translates to doing the things I envisioned doing before but lacked the resources to
>Audio
The First Book of Enoch (Ethiopian Enoch), also known as "The Book of Watchers," is a well-known Jewish composition from the Second Temple era. "These are the words of Enoch, who bestowed a blessing upon the chosen and righteous who will exist during the days of great
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Everything was going well for Joseph until he deemed some amazing dreams that he unwisely shared with his brothers. He almost ended up dead because of that. Due to circumstances that were not entirely of Joseph’s own doing, the young man was sold into slavery and ended up in
Articles
The New Testament records that some Jewish followers of Jesus from Cyrene were responsible for the first Gentile converts in Antioch. “So then those who were scattered because of the persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to
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In Exodus 25, verse 8, Hashem says, veasu li Mikdash veshakhanti betokham – “and they shall make me a sanctuary, and I will dwell in the midst of them.” It struck me that after giving instructions, God charged Israel to build him a Mikdash. He expects them to be able to
>Seminars
I teach about repentance and forgiveness on a regular basis. Every year, I am asked questions about how repentance works. I am asked questions about the dynamics of forgiveness. So, periodically, I take the core ideas and key questions I am asked over and over, reflect on them, and put
Video
This video was inspired by my reading and translation of Psalm 25. As I meditated on the psalm, new words simply flooded my mind and quickly blended with what I read. I hope you enjoy the message of this psalm and my meditation. "To You, ADONAI, I lift my
Audio
This is part 2 of a longer conversation. (Part 1 here). What was Jesus meditating on when he was in the wilderness for 40 days? It is speculation, but I like to think he was dwelling on the verses from Deuteronomy as he was contemplating Israel's tests, as
Audio
This is Part 1 of a longer conversation... Professor Shir has a great fondness for the book of Deuteronomy and its connections throughout the Bible. He authored a course that provides a small taste of how influential Deuteronomy is in the theology portrayed in the gospels. Take the concept of
Video
Most people have never heard of The Apocalypse of Abraham (התגלות אברהם, hitgalut Avraham). It is an ancient Jewish apocalyptic text believed to have been written between 70 CE and 150 CE. Like many midrash stories about Abraham, it extols faith in one powerful and very real God. I recently
>Audio
A witness, or a testimony, the bare facts of something, is connected to the idea of empirical account, reporting, and an audit, a story one can see for himself. All the items: the altar, the water basin, Aaron’s clothes, the jewels, gold, all people, sacrifices, and rituals that were
Articles
The Bible is full of customs, traditions, and rituals. Many Jewish cultural practices seem unusual to the rest of the world, and others were successfully assimilated via the broader Christian culture. People don't even think of them as Jewish but the gospels read by millions of non-Jews today