You Shall Dwell In booths…
THE JOY OF RENEWED FELLOWSHIP As my readers probably know, the number 7 has always been regarded by the interpreters and commentators of the Torah, as the number of completeness. Therefore,…
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
Leviticus 16 And The Day Of Atonement
TWO GOATS We are approaching the most holy day in the Biblical calendar – Yom Kippur. The solemn ritual of this day in Biblical times is described in Leviticus 16, and as…
Isaac, Ishmael And Rosh Hashanah
ISHMAEL In previous years, when the High Holy Days arrived, I would stop the series I was writing, in order to publish posts about the holidays. This year will be different, with…
The Story Of Isaac And Ishmael: Hagar (peshat)
Sarah’s Plan Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar.[1] From this opening sentence, one can already guess that since Hagar…
The Story Of Isaac And Ishmael: Sarah (peshat)
A painful decision We continue with our dramatic story and move on to Sarah’s[1] part now. Remarkably, the first thing we learn about Sarah is the fact of her barrenness (repeated twice):…