Mussar

Video: Mussar Study: Pirke Avot - Week 2

In this session, we walk through the timeless wisdom of Pirke Avot, also known as the Ethics of the Fathers.

New Testament Insights Featured

New Book: Reading The Beatitudes Through the Jewish Mussar Tradition

A new book available on Amazon.com

Mussar

Video: Mussar Study: Pirke Avot - Week 1

In this session, we walk through the timeless wisdom of Pirke Avot, also known as the Ethics of the Fathers.

Members only

New Testament Insights

The Power to Bind and Loose Assur and Mutar in Jewish Law

In this article, we continue to look at the legal context of New Testament saying. We will explore "binding and loosing," their role in legal rule-making, and how these terms have been misinterpreted through time.

New Testament Insights

Proofs of Oral Torah: "Salvation is from the Jews.”

One of the most direct critiques of Replacement Theology came from Jesus himself. And while commentators have spent centuries softening his words, Jesus's statement, "Salvation is from the Jews," makes a strong endorsement for the Oral Torah.

Members only

New Testament Insights Featured

The Shaliach: Agency and Representation in Jewish Tradition

Can someone speak, act, forgive, heal, or even claim unity with G_D without collapsing the boundary between the human and Divine? Is there a precedent in the Torah that helps us understand this idea?

New Testament Insights Featured

Was Thomas a Doubter? The Pharisees' Tradition and the Resurrection.

Thomas's refusal to believe in the resurrection without seeing Jesus's wounds is typically read as a failure of faith. But against the backdrop of rabbinic tradition, the Gospel of John affirms details of the Pharisaic tradition of the Resurrection of the Dead.

Holidays and Festivals

Counting the Omer: A Downloadable Daily Guide

Get our free guide to Counting the Omer. 49 days of short Mussar reflections to inspire growth through the 7 weeks.

Holidays and Festivals

Video: Passover, a Festival of Freedom | Part 2

In this session, we look at the transition from the Passover Seder into the Counting of the Omer, and how the Torah has provided a model for spiritual transformation.

Holidays and Festivals

Video: Passover, a Festival of Freedom | Part 1

In this session, we look at some of the deeper insights in the Exodus story, from the Egyptian beliefs of the afterlife, how the plagues undermined specific Egyptian gods, and some key insights about the holiday of Pesach.

Holidays and Festivals

Aaru & The Field of Reeds Reversal: Egypt’s Afterlife Symbol in the Exodus Story

In Egyptian belief, the soul’s final paradise was called Aaru, which means “Reeds.” But in the Exodus story, the "Sea of Reeds" becomes the place where Pharaoh’s army is swallowed, an ironic reversal of Egypt’s vision of the eternal.

Midrash

Video: Reading Acts 10 as a Midrash on Zechariah 8:23

In a previous article, we explored how Peter’s vision was not intended to collapse the Biblical dietary laws. In this, we go deeper and look at how this story may actually be a creative Midrash on Zechariah's prophecy of the Messianic kingdom.

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Mysticism and Spirituality

When a Soul Goes Home: The Neshamah’s
Journey Beyond Life

As life draws to a close, the boundary between worlds begins to thin, and loved ones who have passed may come to guide the soul home. Ancient accounts from the Rabbinic literature seem to reflect modern end-of-life research, affirming the belief that no soul makes the journey alone.

Torah

The Hardening of Pharoah's Heart and the Egyptian Heart-Weighing Ceremony

Ancient Egyptians believed the soul was judged by the weight of the heart, and the Torah uses similar language for Pharaoh. Coincidence? Did God harden Pharaoh's heart, or, as Rabbi Jonathan Sacks suggests, is there another story in the text that modern readers have missed?

Holidays and Festivals

The Living Megillah: A Purim Miracle for Our Time

As Israel and the United States dismantle the IRGC during the season of Purim, the parallels to the Book of Esther are astounding. A regime that vowed to destroy Israel has been undone. And this story may have deeper connections to the wicked Haman.

Members only

Holidays and Festivals

Angels Behind the Scenes: Hidden Miracles in Esther

The story of Esther is about the hidden hand of Hashem. But hidden doesn't mean absent. Drawing on Esther Rabbah and other Midrashim, we explore how Divine providence operates through angels, accidents, and unseen nudges.

Paid-members only

Torah

Esther, and the Art of Concealment

The book of Esther is truly fascinating, though its brilliance can easily elude us. Perhaps this is why the thematic thread running throughout the book can be summed up in the word "concealment".

Paid-members only

Torah

Lost Civilizations: Exploring the World Before Adam

What if the story of creation in Genesis isn’t the beginning, but a continuation? In this article, we explore the Rabbinic tradition on lost generations and earlier civilizations that may have existed before Adam.

Mussar

Soul Refinement - The Revolution of Doing Less

Drawing on the Mussar trait of Perishut (Abstinence), we explore the discipline of abstaining even from the permitted as a path to clarity, freedom, and holiness.

New Testament Insights

Jesus Within Rabbinic Debate: Understanding the Gospel Conflicts

Though traditionally perceived as a break from Jewish tradition, Jesus’s arguments with certain Pharisees were well within Rabbinic legal norms. This article explores the Jewish legal and practical frameworks behind Gospel debates and how misunderstandings have shaped centuries of Christian reading.

Members only

New Testament Insights

The Traveling Rock and Miriam’s Well

From the Apostolic writings and the Tosefta, to Chasidic tales and modern accounts, the tradition of the life-giving rock that accompanied Israel in the wilderness highlights the continuous presence of G_D, while connecting with Messianic themes of redemption.

New Testament Insights

A Voice from Heaven: The Bat Kol in Rabbinic and New Testament Traditions

After the collective prophecy faded, Jewish tradition still spoke of a heavenly voice, the Bat Kol, calling out to us from above. From the Talmud to the Apostolic writings, learn how this tradition still speaks to us today.

Torah

Hastening Messiah | A Conversation with Efraim Palvanov

Efraim Palvanov is an author, teacher, and speaker who blends deep Jewish tradition with his background in science. He is savvy, with degrees in biology and education, and even served in the Canadian Armed Forces.

New Testament Insights

Video: Pharisees, Oral Torah, and the World of Jesus

What if the Pharisees weren’t the villains many were taught to hate? What if they served an important position in Jewish society, religious observance, and Biblical interpretative tradition that Jesus himself affirmed?

New Testament Insights

Peter's Vision: Is Acts 10 About Dietary Law?

Peter’s vision in Acts 10 is often interpreted as evidence of the nullification of the Torah’s dietary laws. Yet a closer reading reveals a different story. Further, this episode reads like a Midrash on Gentile inclusion, shaped by Biblical imagery and a distinctly Rabbinic style of storytelling.