4 Bereishit (Genesis 1, 1 – 6, 8) – the two Biblical stories of creation
There are actually two stories of creation at the beginning of the Hebrew Bible - the opening account of the creation of the universe in six days with God resting…
3 Bereishit (Genesis 1, 1 – 6, 8) – the story of Adam and Eve
It is simply shocking (and astounding that people do not notice) that the term sin does not at all appear in the story of Adam and Eve. The term sin…
2 Bereishit (Genesis 1, 1 – 6, 8) – the ungrammatical opening verse of the Bible
Many, and even among Hebrew speakers, are not aware that the very first verse of the Hebrew Bible, Genesis 1, 1 is actually not grammatical. Rashi, the great Biblical commentator…
1 Bereishit (Genesis 1, 1 – 6, 8) – the opening Biblical account of creation
The opening verse of the Hebrew Bible “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” begins with the letter bet, the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The…
The significance of contradictions in the Hebrew Bible and Talmudic literature
There are many contradictions within the Torah (the 5 Books of Moses), the Hebrew Bible and the Talmudic literature. In the continuation, I will give only one example of…
the jewish holy days – the sabbath and the concept of holiness of time
this video is part of a series of videos on jewish holy days dealing with the meaning of the sabbath from a spiritual (and not legal) point of view through…
Is the command to wipe out the memory of Amalek immoral?
in the Book of Exodus, it is written that God says (Exodus 17, 14) - “I will utterly wipe out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven”. In the Book…
I too have a problem with the kippa – but for a different reason
I am writing here in response to an article “The fight with my kippa” in the magazine section of the Jerusalem Post (11/16/ 18) in which Rabbi Nathan Cardozo speaks…
Did Abraham pass his test in the story of the binding of Isaac?
The obvious question in relation to the story of the binding of Isaac arises in comparison with the previous story of Sodom and Gomorrah. In the story of Sodom and…
“I am who I am” or “I will be who I will be”?
In my book on the Hebrew Bible “Reconciling a Contradictory Abraham” I argue that, in spite of the enormous influence of the Hebrew Bible upon western culture, the Hebrew Bible…