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What does “Yom Teruah” mean? What is it about? How is it observed? Why is it called Rosh Hashanah? Why is this day a shabbat? What do the blasts sound like? Yoel and Jono discuss these questions and we listen to the sounds of the shofar on Yom Teruah.
When it comes to the Menorah, no other symbol carries more meaning in the Jewish world. From ancient art to the symbol of the state of Israel, the Menorah has been a symbol of light to Israel and the nations. However, when it comes to how the Menorah was made, several questions arise.
One of the basic stipulations of any covenant in the world is the principle of trust and loyalty between the two or more parties. Many books and papers have been written on the subject of covenants and treaties, but in this short paper I will examine one of the most important words used in covenant language–Love.
I was asked about the words יְשׁוּפְךָ֣ and תְּשׁוּפֶ֥נּוּ in Genesis 3:15. The verse declares a curse on the serpent, however there is an issue with the words.
וְאֵיבָה אָשִׁית, בֵּינְךָ וּבֵין הָאִשָּׁה, וּבֵין זַרְעֲךָ, וּבֵין זַרְעָהּ: הוּא יְשׁוּפְךָ רֹאשׁ, וְאַתָּה תְּשׁוּפֶנּוּ עָקֵב
I will put animosity between you and the woman, and between your descendant and her descendant; he will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel.”
וַיִּקְחוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים אֶת–אֲרוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים, וַיָּבִאוּ אֹתוֹ בֵּית דָּגוֹן; וַיַּצִּיגוּ אֹתוֹ, אֵצֶל דָּגוֹן
“The Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the temple of Dagon, where they positioned it beside Dagon” 1Sam 5:2
The name Dagon has been always associated with the fish like god which many try to depict as a merman–a half man, half fish. It is understood that the word דָּג-Dag-fish is incorporated into his name. However, this is probably a misunderstanding and the name is actually דָּגָן-Dagan-Grain.
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Why are there such violent stories in the bible? In our final episode of the Book of Judges, Yoel and Jono address this question as Israel, due to the vow they took, find a loophole to rebuild the tribe of Benjamin whom they just decimated in the previous chapter.
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In this week’s torah portion, Pinchas (Phinehas), Yoel addresses textual practices, priesthood, genealogy, and inheritance for women.
One of the common arguments in Documentary Hypothesis (DH) is that the Torah is built from many documents (E, J, JE, P, H and D) which were written by different authors, and were placed together by someone later in time to create the whole Torah we have today. This division has driven most of the Biblical Studies world, and is taught in many schools with some to little criticism. However, new documentation from the Ancient Near East (ANE) has shown that at least some of the assumptions of the system are incorrect, and in some cases detached from historical discourse.
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In the aftermath of the attack on the Levite’s concubine, the remaining tribes (led by Judah, according to YHWH’s instruction) go against the tribe of Benjamin, but not before losing many casualties themselves.
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Judges chapter 19 contains one of, if not the most despicable and heinous stories of the bible. We follow a Levite and his concubine into Gibeah in the land of King Saul’s tribe, Benjamin.
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