Biblical History

Clothing can be used as a motif in Biblical literature and sometimes is used to depict an element about the person wearing it. In the book of Genesis, we find several cases describing clothing, and in the case of Ya’aqov and Esav, it is a fundamental element in the storytelling. 

וַתִּקַּח רִבְקָה אֶת בִּגְדֵי עֵשָׂו בְּנָהּ הַגָּדֹל  הַחֲמֻדֹת  אֲשֶׁר אִתָּהּ בַּבָּיִת

“Then Rebecca took the best clothes of Esau her older son, which she had in the house”  Gen 27:15

The Hebrew calls Esau’s clothing חמדת which is translated as best/favorite.

What was the legal structure of marriage in the ancient world?  Here I discuss the basic ideas about marriage, and demonstrate from several texts what we know was done.  I go into what was probably legally considered marriage in ancient Israel.

Who is Malkitsedeq and what is the possible history that created the “order of Malkitsedeq”. This is an historical overview of the documents we have about this person.  This history is strongly linked to the 2nd temple and the sectarian argument.  By no means is this an attack on anyone, but I think that very little information is out there about how this concept came to be.

Calendars have always been a struggle for mankind.  From the earliest calendars to the modern ones, man has always tried to calculate time and create an ideal way of using it.  Here are two short discussions about calendars.

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Yoel brings us the setting, background and a walk-through of the discovery of Joshua’s altar on Mt. Eval and how it matches up to the biblical description.

Photo By Yoel Halevi

In the book of Kings the text gives us the following description of a lament Elisha called out after Elijah was taken away:

וֶאֱלִישָׁע רֹאֶה, וְהוּא מְצַעֵק אָבִי אָבִי רֶכֶב יִשְׂרָאֵל וּפָרָשָׁיו, וְלֹא רָאָהוּ, עוֹד; וַיַּחֲזֵק, בִּבְגָדָיו, וַיִּקְרָעֵם, לִשְׁנַיִם קְרָעִים

Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!”  And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two. 2Kings 2:12

Elisha calls out as a sign of mourning over the loss of his mentor and calls him “Father”.  The same is done when Elisha dies and the king also calls him Father.  Though we are looking at two different types of leaders, the shared form of lamenting can teach us about the practice at the time.

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Yoel recounts and fleshes out the already powerful and fascinating story of Eliyahu’s encounter with King Achav and the 450 prophets of Ba’al at Mount Carmel, addressing certain difficulties in the text.

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At this time of the “fast of the fifth”, we are reminded to love truth and peace in Zechariah 8:19.  Listen as Yoel teaches about this verse and the customs of mourning the destruction of the temples at this time.  This podcast is an excerpt from an episode of the “Light Of The Prophets” series with Jono Vandor at Truth2U.org.

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From our weekly Hebrew Bible class, Yoel teaches the group about mourning rituals in the Tanakh and in tradition.  Learn what the bible says about tattoos, beards, and tearing clothing, as well as the issues of how long to mourn, cremation, and much, much more.

From Hebrew In Israel on YouTube; A visit to the biblical city of Hazor which is mentioned in the book of Joshua.