The Jewish Studies Blog

There are tools that are needed to mine the depths of the biblical texts. There are also many perspectives that enrich our study, like the perspective of first century Judaism. This site is one of those rare resources that provides both tools and perspective for the serious student of Scripture.

– Dr. Allen Mawhinney, A Retired Academic Dean, Reformed Theological Seminary

Purim: The Masquerade And Beyond

My dear readers, every year I write here about Purim, and every year I discover something new about this fascinating festival. Today, we will start with a very simple question (although the…

Three Plus Four: Rachel

YOUNG FAMILY? Last time, we spoke about Leah, who was “hated”—not chosen. The last one of the four mothers, Rachel is depicted in Genesis as Jacob’s beautiful and beloved wife—the one whom he…

Three Plus Four: Leah

When we spoke about Rebecca, we saw an interesting detail in her story. At the end of Genesis 24, we are told that Isaac loved Rebecca (יֶּאֱהָבֶ֑הָ) – and this is the…

Three Plus Four: Rebecca

My dear readers, today we are going to talk about one of my favorite characters in the Bible. Of all the four matriarchs (Sarah, Rebecca, Leah, and Rachel), Rebecca’s personality is the…

Three Plus Four: Sarah

Dear friends, we are back to our “Three plus Four” series and are now moving to the “Four” part: the Matriarchs. You know, when I started to write this series, the title…

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