New Testament Insights The Roots of Gentile Inclusion: Noahide Laws and the Jerusalem Council In this article, we explore the Noahide laws. In addition, we'll take a unique look at these laws, their relevance to the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15, and their implications for Gentiles today.
Mysticism and Spirituality From Life to Afterlife: Judgment of the Soul in Jewish Tradition - Part 1 What happens to the soul when it moves from the physical to the spiritual world? In this 2-part series, we explore what the tradition has to say about angels, the life review, and tips on how we might spend our time differently.
Torah 7 Habits that Sabotage Our Spiritual Growth and How to Overcome Them Here are (7) common habits that sabotage our spiritual connection and some guidance to help us overcome them.
Paid-members only Paid-Full Access Discovering the Mazal: Energies and Insights of the Hebrew Calendar From periods of triumph and celebration to periods of reflection and trials, the Hebrew calendar weaves a complex story rooted in spirituality, each month with its own unique mazal.
Members only 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?
Members only Mysticism and Spirituality Video: Walking Through the Lower Sefirot - An Introduction In this video, we discuss how the discipline of Mussar can be tied to the lower (7) Sefirot. If you engage in spiritual development through the interface of character refinement - an understanding of the Sefirot will help you learn to look deeper.
Featured New! Apparel & Graphic Tees Custom apparel is now available through the Hidden Orchard Project, featuring clean and meaningful designs in English and Hebrew.
Members only New Testament Insights Proofs of Oral Torah: Haggai's Quiz Though some may not be convinced of the validity of the Oral Torah, one way to illustrate the its vitality is through the exploration examples in the Biblical texts themselves that affirm its importance.
Paid-members only Paid-Full Access Soul Series: Yechidah pt. 5 In our Soul Series, we've explored the levels of the soul that we may perceive more frequently in our day-to-day life. Yechidah is the final and ultimate stage of consciousness that humankind awaits.
Holidays and Festivals Spotlight: Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and the Radiance of Lag B'Omer The life of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, though set against the backdrop of the Roman occupation and the aftermath of the destruction of the Second Temple, left an indelible mark on the Jewish tradition that is celebrated on the holiday known as Lag b'Omer.
Members only New Testament Insights Do Not Let Your Left Hand Know What Your Right Hand is Doing In Jewish thought, the right-hand holds a special place in customs, rituals, and observances. This pattern is reflected in everyday activities from hand-washing, tying shoes, touching a Mezuzah, wrapping Tefillin and more.
Torah Video: A Strong Body for a Strong Soul - Efraim Palmanov In a recent interview, Efraim shared an idea that I truly believe has been underrepresented and under-discussed today - and it is the importance of physical health as a fundamental aspect of our spiritual development.
Paid-members only Mysticism and Spirituality Elevating the Sparks, and Tikkun Olam 'Elevating the Sparks' is a kabbalistic idea that can help to make sense of life's ups, downs, and everything in between, transforming how we view the world and our role in Tikkun Olam.
Featured Torah for Non-Jews. A Convo with Rabbi Pinchas Taylor Our guest, Orthodox Rabbi, Pinchas Taylor covers a wide range of topics in his projects. Over the last few years, Rabbi Taylor has become a voice I appreciate, particularly as he has boldly waded into the murky space of revealing Torah to the nations.
Torah Numbering Our Days. The Counting of the Omer. As we start the second night of the Passover Seder, we enter into a sacred and auspicious period in the Jewish calendar, counting the Omer. How did an agricultural practice become so spiritual?
Members only New Testament Insights Featured Under Grace, Under the Law, and Under Sin Of the most problematic ideas attributed to Paul is his teaching that Grace supersedes or replaces the Torah and commandments. This has led to an abandonment - and often vilification - of the commandments, which are a critical aspect of Biblical spiritual development.
Mussar Soul Refinement - Humility In a world intoxicated by the allure of success and recognition, humility stands as a vanishing (and sometimes counter-cultural) virtue. But, developing humility is much easier said than done.
News Book Available, ILLUMINATION. Revealing the Jewish-ness of the New Testament “Illumination: Revealing the Jewish-ness of the New Testament” is a journey of enlightenment, uncovering the hidden layers of the New Testament, and bringing to light the deep Rabbinic influences found within its pages.
Holidays and Festivals The Death of the Firstborn The Death of the Firstborn is one plague that some struggle to come to terms with. Many have asked, "For what purpose did G_D kill so many innocent people?" While this might be rationalized as payback for the death of the Hebrew infants in Exodus 1, closer inspection indicates a deeper message.
Members only New Testament Insights The Healing of the Woman and the Young Girl One of the Gospel's most famous and well-known healing stories is of the healing of the woman and the young girl. What if this story was written as more of a Midrash, would there be a deeper message for us to glean?
New Testament Insights The Missing Context of the New Testament - pt. 1 One of the most important components to understanding the "New Testament" is found amid an incident that most Bible readers have never heard of. We'll learn how a particular disagreement between predominant Pharisaic schools shaped the contours and the perplexing milieu of first-century Judaism.
Members only Torah Featured Mitzvot and Misconceptions: Understanding the Biblical Commandments When it comes to understanding the Biblical commandments, it seems the overwhelming majority of Bible readers have developed their perspective solely through the [often polemic] lens of Christian thought. In this work, we'll take a look at what the Jewish tradition has to say about Mitzvot.
Holidays and Festivals Exploring the Timeless Lessons of Esther (and Purim) Purim, one of the most vibrant and festive holidays in the Jewish calendar, is a time of joy, reflection, and fun with the community. Embedded with historical significance and tradition, Purim commemorates a pivotal event in Jewish history that is recounted in the Book of Esther.
Members only Holidays and Festivals The Courage of Esther: Self-Sacrifice and Divine Purpose Let's explore the Messianic archetype of Esther; her unwavering resolve to self-sacrifice for her people; how she gained favor in the upper worlds to avert the harsh decree - And, how her story finds resonance in the Gospel narrative of Jesus's trial.
Paid-members only Paid-Full Access Diagram: Holiness and Purity What are spiritual gifts? Are these unrelated and unrepeatable spiritual occurrences, or is there a system that we might be able to put into use in our development?
