Developing Our Emunah in the Field
The Hebrew word for faith is Emunah, but it is more than religious optimism. Emunah helps us understand trials and challenged, and even the paradox that trials may be the best way to develop this skill.
The Hidden Orchard Project
New Testament Insights
Turning the Cheek Jesus's Teaching on Pacifism
Was Jesus a Pacifist? Understanding Jewish law helps uncover missing context behind his famous teaching about 'turning the other cheek." We explore why this teaching assumes a Torah community, and what happens when it is applied outside of one.
New Testament Insights
The Criminals On the Cross Through the Lens of Midrash
Few images in Christian tradition are as recognizable as the three crosses of Golgotha. But the picture Luke paints weaves in references to the third heaven, garments divided by lots, the words of Isaiah 53, and Joseph's cellmates in the prison of Pharaoh.
Torah
Athens to Jerusalem: Four Shifts for Learning the Bible
Truly understanding the Bible means closing knowledge gaps most readers don't know exist. Going deeper isn't about acquiring more information; it's more like a complete change of operating system. Four shifts in thinking will help one begin the journey from Athens to Jerusalem.
Torah
She’ol, Hades & Gehenna: Mapping the Biblical Underworld
What is She'ol? Korach's descent into the earth opens a study of the Jewish concept of the underworld, its gates, chambers, and appearances of this tradition in the New Testament.
Gospels
The Cursing of the Fig Tree as Midrash: Has Israel Been Replaced?
Learn how the Cursing of the Fig Tree, though taught as a pillar of Replacement Theology, might actually be a Midrash on two well-known prophetic passages.
Mysticism and Spirituality
Aliens, Idols, Demons, and Angels
What does the Jewish tradition say about phenomena like Aliens, or extra-terrestrial beings? And, is there any overlap with the broader categories of Angels and demons?
Featured
Turning the Cheek Jesus's Teaching on Pacifism
Was Jesus a Pacifist? Understanding Jewish law helps uncover missing context behind his famous teaching about 'turning the other cheek." We explore why this teaching assumes a Torah community, and what happens when it is applied outside of one.
The Screwtape Challenge: What an AI Revealed
Your favorite AI knows your habits. In this challenge, ask it how an adversdary would use them against you.
Isaac, the Lamb, and the Cross: The Akeidah Behind the Gospels
In the Midrash, Isaac is called "the lamb", he carries his own cross, and serves as an atonement for Israel. Explore the root of many themes that find their parallel in the Apostolic writings, and how these impact the Apostolic message.
Going Forth: Avram’s Journey of the Soul
Avram's incredible journey in the Book of Genesis is more than Biblical history. On one level, its an ancient and powerful analogy for the elevation of the human soul.
What Are the Noahide Laws?
Are the Noahide laws an arbitrary list of rules made up by Rabbis, or are they Biblical instructions for the world to follow? In this article, we explore them one by one from the text.
Hypocrites and Whitewashed Tombs: Making the Inside Like the Outside
When Jesus called the leaders of his day "whitewashed tombs," or "hypocrites," many interpreted this as a critique of Judaism. However, the critique is a common Rabbinic one, and one no person is immune to. In this, we explore the mussar concept of Tocho k'varo.
The Land of Forgetting: Neshiyah and the Greys
When Cain was sent into exile in the Book of Genesis, who was he afraid he might encounter in his wanderings? An interesting insight from ancient tradition may have a connection to modern UFO legend.
A Hidden Message in Genesis 2: The Formation of Humankind
Hidden in the Book of Genesis is a hint about the creation of humankind and our purpose on Earth. But you need to look at the Hebrew, as you won't find it in the English, Greek, or Latin.
Old Earth, Young Earth, or Both?
Many modern Bible readers approach the opening text of Genesis with a bias towards a Young Earth or Old Earth. Which side is right?
Three Types of People: The Tzadik, the Rasha, and the Inbetweener
Jewish tradition recognizes three categories of people in the world, the Tzadik, the Rasha, and the Beinoni. From various sources, we unpack what it means to be an inbetweener and how we get the wrong idea about spiritual growth.
Featured
The Criminals On the Cross Through the Lens of Midrash
Few images in Christian tradition are as recognizable as the three crosses of Golgotha. But the picture Luke paints weaves in references to the third heaven, garments divided by lots, the words of Isaiah 53, and Joseph's cellmates in the prison of Pharaoh.