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
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
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
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?
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,
Torah describes daily obligatory offerings that God commanded to be brought on his altar (Numbers 28). They are called korban Tamid. They are but a token of what we owe truly owe God. But on Shabbat, God expected another offering
> Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire? > Corrie Ten Boom Steering0:00/1:281×This saying may sound like a cliche, but you have to consider who said these words. If you have never heard of
This is a lecture by Daniel Matt a scholar of Kabbalah and a Professor at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. He taught at Stanford University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Dr. Matt is a translator of the first
Recently, a team of Egyptian and Polish archaeologists discovered a well-preserved Roman mosaic floor in a house at the site of Kom El-Dikka. The archaeological site features a small theater, an imperial bath, and a group of 22
> "Good people do not need laws to act responsibly and bad people will find a way around those laws." > Plato Good people do not need laws...0:00/1:311×Many people think that the laws
Early on in my study of Hebrew literature, I discovered the works of Robert Alter. His focus on the literary features of ancient Hebrew and its unique poteism, its powerful semiotic nature captivated me. Then I ran across his English
> Six days a week we seek to dominate the world. On the seventh day, we seek to dominate the self. > Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel Six Days0:00/1:371×Countless Bible readers have stumbled over verses where God
Professor Daniel Boyarin can boast of a distinguished career in academia, both in Israel and in the USA, in religious and in secular institutions. His ideas and research often challenge preconceived notions of both Jews and Christians, and he receives
Amy-Jill Levine is well-known as the general editor for The Jewish Annotated New Testament. In this short book, she interweaves history and spiritual analysis to explore Jesus’ most popular teaching parables, exposing their misinterpretations and making them lively
Psalm 121 speaks of God's protection of those who trust in Hashem. God's ever-present hand, a shadow besides traveler. שִׁיר לַמַּעֲלוֹת אֶשָּׂא עֵינַי אֶל־הֶ
> “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” > Pablo Picasso Learn the rules...0:00/0:591×Rules are not bad by default. Some rules should not be broken unless we wish
This is a lecture by Shaye J. D. Cohen who is a Professor of Hebrew Literature and Philosophy in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University. He is a well-known historian who also holds rabbinic
