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A collection of 152 posts

Video

Psalm 25 Meditation

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

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Sample the Apocalypse of Abraham

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

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Magnifying and Sanctifying God’s Name (~ 5hrs)

One unique prayer is repeated multiple times daily in Jewish Prayer services besides the Shema (Deut 6:4-9). It's a prayer composed in Aramaic called Kaddish. In modern practice, it is never recited alone, and its ancient words seek to magnify and sanctify God's name

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Embracing the Sadness

Are you familiar with Tisha B'Av? On the Jewish calendar, it's a day of fasting and introspection for many reasons. Throughout history, this day has been a day of calamity for Israel as a people at large and for various Jewish communities. In this 45-minute

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"Who wrote the Quran?" by Matt Baker

Though I am interested in other religions beyond Judaism and Christianity, I rarely talk about them because they are outside of my area of expertise. I came across a video that explains how Muslims view the Quran in a very succinct and genius way. I was impressed with how Matt

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Around the Merkavah (~1.5hrs)

Thousands of years ago, ancient Hebrews believed that their God was not tied to a specific place. They called his throne Merkavah (chariot). A throne with wheels and floating Keruvim moved to where He needed to be. The Bible depicted this reality in the visions seen by prophets of old,

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Recreating Ancient Roman Bread

Have you ever wondered what bread was like 2000 years ago? We often assume that bread is bread, and it has always been the same. But this is where archaeologists, historians, and food anthropologists will tell you that even the bread we know has gone through stages of development as

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The Parable of Workers in the Vinyard

Joseph Shulam, grew up in Jerusalem, where he was introduced to the New Testament in high school. He became a believer and moved to the United States for college. After his return to Jerusalem,  Shulam studied Biblical Archaeology and Bible at Hebrew University.  He attended 3 years of rabbinical college

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Jewish Ecclesia in Acts (~1hr)

The book of Acts mentions the church, which is a translation of the Greek word "ecclesia." This Greek term is ancient, but the word "church" is actually not. Where does this new word come from? What does it mean? How did the early Christ-followers see

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Over 2000 Egyptian Deities - Ancient History

Egypt is a key ancient power to be understood by any serious student of the Bible. But who has the time to study their vast culture in detail? Thankfully general understanding of the topic can be gained pretty fast these days, and Encyclopedias are a huge help here. This is

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The Image of Dan as a Serpent

In Genesis 49, Jacob blesses each of his sons. The words he speaks are beautiful, but they can be hard to understand. When he gets to Dan, he compares his son to a serpent. A strange blessing for a child, isn't it? Therefore, the commentary on this imagery

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Love Human, Love Divine (~2hrs)

These videos are inspirational talks and teachings about love. It is not a strictly academic topic but an interactive spiritual conversation about the meaning of love. How should we make sense of love in light of the core teachings about it in Torah and in Jewish tradition? Is it a

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Love in Three Holiday Megilot

This enlightening video explores the profound message of love conveyed in the three sacred books (Megilot) read during the festivals of Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot. Guided by the esteemed Rabbi Sacks, this teaching session will not only inspire you but also cultivate a deep desire to explore the depths of

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The Origins and Beginnings of Hassidism

This is a lecture by Prof. Rachel Elior of Hebrew University. If you are interested in Kabballah, Hassidism, Zohar, and the development of esoteric spirituality in Judaism, you will find this lecture very insightful. Dr. Elior is an expert in this area. However, a disclaimer needs to follow: Dr. Elior

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Shema: One God, One People, One Prayer, Part 2 (~2h)

The full Shema consists of three passages: Deuteronomy 6:4–9, 11:13–21, and Numbers 15:37–41. Its words communicate an entire set of deeply held spiritual beliefs that forge a mindset that manifests in practices. This Part 2 of the teaching focuses on the second and third

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Shema: One God, One People, One Prayer, Part 1 (~3h)

In Jewish life, Shema is not exactly a typical prayer. It's a recitation of three paragraphs from the Torah: Deuteronomy 6:4–9, 11:13–21, and Numbers 15:37–41. What stands behind these sentences, however, communicates an entire set of deeply held spiritual beliefs, practices, and

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The Dignity of Difference Lecture

This is a video of a lecture by Rabbi Sacks called "The Dignity of Difference" delivered at Duke University in 2007. The lecture is about 40 minutes long and starts a bit slow (Rabbi Sacks begins it @ 12 min marker). But if you enjoy deeper and broader thinking

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One of Herod's Impressive Palaces - Herodion

Many students of the Bible and ancient history have heard about Herod the Great. Yet most visitors to the Holy Land never get to see these amazing historical ruins connected to the famous king. There is just so much to see in Jerusalem's vicinity, and Herodion is just

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Highlights of Ancient Canaan History

I stumbled across this animated video on the historical developments of Cannan and was impressed by how simply and easily the author covered the events of history that we know so little about. I loved it, so I decided to share it will all my readers. Please keep in mind

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Herod's Caesarea Aqueduct and City Ruins

This is an amazing high-resolution video walk-through of one of the most beautiful archeological ruins in Israel. The views of the 2000-year-old Herodian aqueduct and the detail in this video are amazing. It's almost like being there yourself. Once I watched this video, I

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Psalm 3 (Hebrew-English)

Psalm 3 is a desperate cry for help, praise from the lips of David. God rescued him from the grip of his foes as they sought his life. This poem is full of hope and assurance in God’s miraculous salvation amidst great danger. מִזְמוֹר לְדָ

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Anti-Judaism as Ideology by Mika Ahuvia

This is a fairly long but very informative lecture by Dr. Mika Ahuvia from the Jewish Studies Department of the University of Washington. It focuses on the Jewish difference and how this notion has been historically perceived and treated by non-Jews. Unfortunately, this understanding gave rise to what we

Articles

Glimpses of Shiloh Excavation

Shiloh (שִׁלֹה) is a historic town situated in the lot of Ephraim, where Israel assembled under Joshua during the war of conquest (Joshua 18:1). It served as the location for the distribution of territories among the seven tribes that had not yet received their land allotments. A

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Should I Eat with You?

This is the third, final installment of the conversation between Pinchas Shir and Dr. Cyndi Parker about food and the Bible. We move into the Greco-Roman context of meals with questions regarding how Roman families ate and feasted in contrast to Jewish ways. And thinking within that context, why

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Feasting at God's Table

Food shapes culture and identity, so what did it mean for the Israelites to gather and feast at God's table? In this second segment of the dialogue, Professor Pinchas Shir and Dr. Cyndi Parker discuss food and the Bible with a focus on feasting with God and the