Shining The Light
Light can be very powerful. We are surrounded by it, so we don’t give it much thought because we are so used to it. But we also think of physical light in very scientific terms. In Isaiah 60, Hashem
>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
/Articles
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
/Video
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?
/Articles
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,
Discover The World of First Century Rabbis Jesus Knew
It's not uncommon for people to admit today that Jesus was a Jew and even a rabbi. After all that is how his disciples often addressed him (Matt 26:25, 26:49; Mark 9:5, 10:51, 11:
How did the Jerusalem Temple Work?
The Temple is a very important institution in the Bible. It is unique, deeply spiritual, and a key foundation for understanding countless biblical passages. This educational video is a quick, concise, and to-the-point explanation of the structure and
Jerusalem Temple in Jewish Life and Spirituality (~4h)
Rabbi Jesus famously taught his disciples to pray that "things on earth should be as they are in heaven." (Matthew 6:10) This is not entirely new. In Torah, Moses was shown an important pattern in heaven, which
Plans and Wishes
In 1 Kings 1, we read the story of David in his final days as Adoniya, one of his sons, tries to take over the throne of Israel. David intended for Solomon to succeed him, but Adoniya decided to make
Apostle Paul's Christian and Jewish Identity
It is quite common for people to think of Paul as a Christian. After all, so much of what is called Christian is based on his teachings, which are a part of the Scriptures all Christians recognize. But surprisingly, though
A Prayer to Master of My Life
This musical creation was inspired by the words of Psalm 42. You might have to read the entire psalm to see which parts of it made it into the video. What came of it is a prayerful reflection of praise
The Synagogue of Freedmen in First Century Jerusalem
The Synagogue of Freedmen (sunagogeh ton libertinon; συναγωγή των Λιβερτίνων) is mentioned in Acts 6:9. The Greek term "Freedmen" (Libertinos; Λιβερτῖνος) is unfamiliar to many modern people. But it is a loanword from Latin libertini, and designates
Being Near to God
I came across some amazing words in this week’s reading. In Deuteronomy 4:7, Moshe exclaims, “What nation is there that has God as near to them, as ADONAI our God, when we call on him?” Immediately, in my
The One God who is Two
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 a
"The Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls" by James Charlesworth
James H. Charlesworth's "The Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls" is a gateway to one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of the 20th century: the Dead Sea Scrolls. The book explores how these scrolls, containing
Facing the Holy and Each Other in Prayer
For some, prayer is free-flowing, meandering from one topic to another, like a summer breeze, a living dialogue, or a musical improvisation. For others, prayer is something more formal, organized, and structured with care. It's not that