Members only Messiah Messiah: Part 1, The Beginning If we could summarize the question from which we focus this work, it is, "Why do we need Messiah?" As usual, we'll begin this journey back to the beginning, the birth of the world.
Members only Mysticism and Spirituality Hair Coverings and Angels: Paul's Strange Advice in 1 Corinthians Paul’s instructions about women’s hair in 1 Corinthians 11 have often been read as rules about modesty or limits on women’s leadership. This article reexamines the passage through its first-century Jewish teachings on modesty, and ancient traditions about angels.
Mysticism and Spirituality The Parable of the Bridesmaids The Parable of the Bridesmaids is a timeless lesson of vigilance and preparation. When we overlay the themes of the rabbinic tradition, we see more information under the surface to help us prepare.
Members only Mysticism and Spirituality And His Name Will Be One One of life's greatest paradoxes is that the universe has been created in such a way that it could appear [to some] that there is no Creator at all. What looks like empirical evidence of a Creator to one person appears to be nothing more than randomness to another.
New Testament Insights Judge Not and the Art of Rebuke It is not uncommon for the prohibition against judging others to be misconstrued as a blanket ban on all forms of evaluation and critique. In some cases, these words are used as a mantra to ward off all manner of criticism.
Members only New Testament Insights Unraveling the Controversy of Healing on Shabbat in the Gospels Some of Jesus's more contentious conflicts stem from his healing on this Holy day. But if healing on Shabbat is generally permitted in Jewish law, what is the real point of the story?
Paid-members only Mysticism and Spirituality Understanding and Protecting from Evil Eye Evil Eye, known in Hebrew as "Ayin Hara" (עַיִן הָרָע), is the belief that a malevolent gaze can bring some degree of harm or misfortune to those it befalls. Mentioned a few times in the Gospels, it is a topic worth exploring in modern times.
New Testament Insights Revisiting the Sermon on the Mount As Jewish Scholar Pinchas Lapide stated, Jesus's teachings in the Sermon on the Mount are timeless, and still relevant today. In essence, they make up the core of a Jewish lifestyle as taught in the Rabbinic tradition.
New Testament Insights Featured From Midrash to Manger: The Intriguing Interplay of Jesus's Birth and Rabbinic Tradition When we look closely at the birth narratives in the Gospels, we'll find these stories conform to an archetypal pattern, sharing many parallels with the Rabbinic Midrash. How does this knowledge alter our view of these texts?
Stories A Chanukah Lights Miracle in the Midst of a World of Darkness A Chanukah miracle, based on a true story form December 25th, 1938.
Members only Mysticism and Spirituality Angels Ascending and Descending on the Ladder Jesus quotes a very deep midrash in the Gospel of John. Many readers miss this reference, but his audience did not. Journey with us as we unpack these metaphors and seek understanding.
New Testament Insights How to Read the Letters of Paul The writings of the Apostle Paul, commonly known as the Epistles, hold immense significance in Christian theology. How will we re-evaluate his letters if we view them within a specific Rabbinic correspondence framework?
Members only New Testament Insights Messiah: Part 3, New Testament Insights Does Jesus fulfill the role of Messiah? If so, which one - the Josephic or the Davidic? In this article, we explore what the Gospel writers seemed to think, picking up the clues from the Rabbinic tradition.
Paid-members only Paid-Full Access The Fourth Revolution of Torah The times we live in are unique. While troubling and challenging on one hand, they also provide never-before opportunities to connect with the Creator. Learn about the Fourth Revolution of Torah and how to take part.
Members only Mysticism and Spirituality The Ruach - Soul Series pt. 2 Ruach can become misaligned when we get overly fixated on beauty. Rather than praising and opening ourselves to the Author of beauty, we make beauty itself an idolatrous object of admiration and devotion. Beauty then becomes an end in itself instead of a medium to connect to the Source of beauty.
Mysticism and Spirituality Bitachon: The Cornerstone of Inner Peace and Resilience Cultivating Bitachon (Trust) and embedding it more deeply into our psyche is a lot easier said than done. Often progress comes through hard times and significant life trials, similar to those we see in Abrahram's life.
Members only Mysticism and Spirituality The Preexistence of the Soul When we meet someone who does not seem to fit into the normative behavior of their generation, we might call them an "old soul." But, can the soul be older than the body?
New Testament Insights The Parable of the Lost Sheep This parable exemplifies how Jesus often co-opts Rabbinic Midrash to illustrate a point. In this, he uses many metaphoric elements of the Jewish oral tradition, teaching the surprising spiritual dynamics of repentance.
Members only Mysticism and Spirituality Babel and the Ethics of Technology At first glance, the Biblical account of the Tower of Babel might appear to be closer to a children's story with its deceivingly simple moral, warning of the dangers of misapplied human ingenuity. However, the Rabbinic tradition whispers a much deeper story - one that is still relevant in our time.
Paid-members only Mysticism and Spirituality TzimTzum - Creating Space, Creating Potential Though a foreign concept, "tzimtzum" offers a unique perspective that helps to understand a myriad of topics, such as; the creation of the world, the existence of time within eternity, good versus evil, and how the Divine interacts with the mundane.
Mysticism and Spirituality What Does It Mean to be Made in the Image and Likeness of the Creator? Rendered commonly as "image", Tzelem can also mean "form", or "shadow". Often, Tzelem represents the spiritual components of humankind, representing the fact that humans are composed of "soil" (adamah), "blood" (dom), and supernal qualities.
Mysticism and Spirituality Israel Under Attack - Here is What You Can Do With the war in Israel beginning, there are things you can do to help.
Members only Mysticism and Spirituality Messiah: Part 2, The New Normal In Part 2, we look at the key dynamics humanity now faces after Adam's sin, the role of the Messiah to repair these, and how we have a shared responsibility to participate.
Online Study Opportunity - Register Here Hey! We're looking at hosting a 4-6 week online study opportunity with The Hidden Orchard subscribers. We'll spend some time discussing the topic we choose while learning and getting to know others in the community.
Mysticism and Spirituality The Nefesh - Soul Series pt. 1 “Some people are inclined to contemplate the essence of their souls. Others can live their entire lives - even lives of intellectual activity - without taking an interest in their souls at all.
