Insights from the Torah, which includes Rabbinic literature and other sources
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.
After Aaron's grandson killed two people engaged in sin, he was rewarded with a covenant of peace. Tradition says he later became the Prophet Elijah, and the New Testament seems to affirm this idea. Let's retrace this idea, beginning with the story of Pinchas.
Who was Dama ben Netinah? Explore the famous Talmudic story of the Gentile merchant who refused a fortune to honor his father, the reward of the Red Heifer, and the deeper rabbinic symbolism behind his life.
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.
If we examine where the knots and wrappings are placed from a TCM point of view, it appears that the tefillin and wraps form a potent acupuncture point formula aimed at elevating the spirit and clearing the mind.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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".
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.
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.
