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On the one hand, Leviticus offers us dull instructions for something that does not even happen anymore. Sacrifices, Offerings, the Altar. The Temple has been destroyed for almost two thousand years now. But on the other hand, these instructions to Aaron show us something significant about God and his expectation
Articles
There is a common sentiment among those who embrace Christ – “Jesus paid it all. That is all you need for atonement of sin”. This is very true, but much more needs to be said about sacrifices in this context. There is a common and naïve assumption that all sacrifices are
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The Mishna is a collection of written traditions of the oral Torah in the form of discussion. These discussions were preserved by the rabbis of the first and second centuries CE. A number of English translations of this ancient document are in existence. This English translation of the Mishnah by
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The New Year of the Trees – rosh hashanah la'ilanot (ראש השנה לאילנות) is a special day on the Jewish calendar more commonly called - Tu BiShvat. The Bible is filled with agriculture, yet many of us today are city dwellers, and we feel distant and disconnected from these
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Joseph, Jacob’s youngest son, foolishly tells his dreams to his brothers. Torah tells us that the disposition of Joseph’s brothers towards him was extremely negative. In Gen 37:4 we read venisneu oto “and they hated him” velo yakhlu davro leshalom “and could not speak shalom, speak well
Video
The walls of today's Jerusalem are beautiful, but they are not very ancient, going back to the days of Suleyman in the 1500s. Well beneath those walls are the foundations of older walls, but only in some areas. In many instances, the new walls were moved to expand
Video
The Temple Mount in Jerusalem has not been excavated in modern times. It's a political and religious powder keg. But archaeological artifacts from the Temple Mount are being uncovered by Israeli archeologists. How? An illegal renovation was conducted on the site some time ago. The dirt was simply
Articles
If you are looking for a way to dig into the Hebrew and Greek of the Bible and get access to great dictionaries and research tools I frequently use, I have just partnered with Logos - my favorite Bible Software. We share a common value of putting the Bible first,
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Misconceptions about ancient Jewish sacrifice have led scholars to overlook the significance and symbolism of the Jerusalem temple to the ancient Jewish worshippers. The author of "Purity, Sacrifice, and the Temple," Jonathan Klawans, challenges the idea that the eucharist replaced ancient Jewish sacrifice and that these cultic rituals
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In Leviticus 16:1, our reading begins with the words, acharei mot shnei benei Aharon bekarbatam. It says that “Aaron’s two sons died because they drew too close to Hashem.” This is interesting because that is not how their story is always seen. Most readers focus on their behavior
Audio
Paul's letters to Rome and to Galatia were written for two different communities who had different ideas about how gentiles belonged to the Jewish church. Geography mattered, but so did the social context. This week we focus primarily on Rome and how the antagonism towards the Jews influenced
Audio
Some people read Galatians as an anti-Jewish letter, but the key to understanding Paul's message is rooted in the Galatian context. Galatian gentile believers wanted to be circumcised to become Jews. They felt that would give them something that they otherwise did not have, but Paul tried to