Hebrew Bible Walkthrough
Listen as an Orthodox Jewish teacher introduces the content of all 24 books of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible). This is a quick and to-the-point walkthrough across pages and pages of Jewish sacred texts that focus only on the
>Books
"Hearing Distant Echoes" by Pinchas Shir
This book captures many ancient voices, a collection of literary excerpts from ancient Jewish books: Jubilees, Josephus, 4 Ezra, Qumran Scrolls, Talmud, Enoch, Baruch, Maccabees, Mishna, Judith, Apocalypse of Moses, Philo, Mishna, Ben Sira, and many others, fifty passages to be exact. The excerpts are mostly short, sometimes even intentionally
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You Are God's Temple: 1 Corinthians 3:16
Apostle Paul was a first-century religious Jew, trained at the feet of the best rabbis of his time. Though he addresses primarily non-Jewish audiences, Shaul often writes as a rabbi, resorting to midrash and employing metaphors to illustrate his ideas. Sadly, his readers are not used to this
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A Morning Prayer: May Your Will Always Be...
I wanted to share with you a Morning Prayer and, more specifically, a musical piece I created based on it. The words of this song are inspired by the words of the traditional morning blessings found in the Siddur (Jewish Prayer Book). The person who is praying in the early
>Seminars
The Sign of Jonah and Something Greater (~3hrs)
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?
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Study the Three Visions of Enoch!
Over the years of teaching, I have often referred my students to the books of Enoch. But most of the time, I did so with some reservations. I knew that the broadly distributed copies they would likely come across would be littered with archaic and hard-to-digest language. Finally,
Listen, Meditate and Hear the Still Small Voice
Jewish holy texts suggest the practice of meditation on the sacred words. This is a different type of meditation from transcendental techniques practiced in Buddhism. The goal is not to empty the self but to fill the self and to
Psalm 27: Lord, You are my light...
Psalm 27 offers us an enteral truth: God is our light and our salvation. External resources cannot harm us unless the Almighty allows them. Our response to adversity should not be fear but moving ever closer to the Lord. That
The Gift of Atonement and Messiah (~1hr)
People have diverse ideas about atonement because the topic is so multifaceted. In this particular lesson, I highlight some foundational truths that center around the imagery of "cleansing" and "purification." However, the questions I get most
Teaching in Your Heart
In Exodus 35 and 36, we read the stories about craftsmen Betzalel ben Uri and Ben Hur and how Hashem endowed them with his spirit, Ruach Elohim, the “breath of God,” as Torah says in Exodus 35:31. Torah says
Between the Testaments: 400 Years of Silence (~ 50 m)
This is a lecture I gave to the freshmen class on the "Intertestamental Period" and 400 years of silence between the "Old Testament" and "New Testament." Since we are talking about the "testaments,
A Lamp that Carries Divine Light (~ 38 m)
Hanukkiah is a special lamp used during Hanukkah celebrations. Though it comes in all shapes and sizes today, it was modeled on a seven-branched Menorah that once stood in Jerusalem Temple. But what did the Temple Menorah look like,
Ancient Menorah Stone in Tiberias
A few years ago, Israeli archaeologists unearthed a beautiful and ancient stone in the city of Tiberius in Galilee. It is an impressive piece of basalt rock with an image of a seven-branched menorah. Menorah is a special temple
Psalm 1 in Hebrew with English Translation
Psalm 1 describes two paths, two choices, and two directions that one can take in life. If you are on Hashem's path be strengthened. If you are not, wake up! Let these ancient words speak to you wherever
The World of Hebrew Prophets: 12-17 Jeremiah (~2.5 hrs)
In this first lecture, we delve into the intricate details of the Book of Jeremiah, looking at Chapters 1-30, and examining its structure, themes, and historical context. A systematic approach connects historical events and prophetic messages in order to
"Ancient Judaism and Christian Origins" by George Nickelsburg
In his book Ancient Judaism and Christian Origins, Professor George Nickelsburg examines the historical, religious, and social contexts of Second Temple Judaism (roughly 516 BCE to 70 CE) and how they influenced early Christianity. Nickelsburg explores topics like Jewish beliefs,
Making Israel Jealous?
In Romans 11, Shaul, apostle to the gentiles, writes, “Have they [Israelites] stumbled so as to fall? Certainly not! But through their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make them jealous (παραζηλῶσαι αὐτούς; parazelosai autous).” It’