Misconceptions about ancient Jewish sacrifice have led scholars to overlook the significance and symbolism of the Jerusalem temple to the ancient Jewish worshippers. The author of "Purity, Sacrifice, and the Temple," Jonathan Klawans, challenges the idea that the eucharist replaced ancient Jewish sacrifice and that these cultic rituals...
In Leviticus 16:1, our reading begins with the words, acharei mot shnei benei Aharon bekarbatam. It says that “Aaron’s two sons died because they drew too close to Hashem.” This is interesting because that is not how their story is always seen. Most readers focus on them behaving...
Paul's letters to Rome and to Galatia were written for two different communities who had different ideas about how gentiles belonged to the Jewish church. Geography mattered, but so did the social context. This week we focus primarily on Rome and how the antagonism towards the Jews influenced...
Some people read Galatians as an anti-Jewish letter, but the key to understanding Paul's message is rooted in the Galatian context. Galatian gentile believers wanted to be circumcised to become Jews. They felt that would give them something that they otherwise did not have, but Paul tried to...
How is the message about a God who made covenants with a particular people in a particular land move into the gentile world? This was a perplexing issue for the early church, and the early Jewish leaders used the book of Leviticus to help solve the problem. The Apostle Paul...
This recording is a shiur (lesson) - a live teaching, complete with audience participation at a messianic synagogue (about 45 minutes long). This session explores the commandments and customs of Shavuot, focusing on their spiritual significance for Messianic Jews in particular. Yet even non-Jewish followers of Messiah will find this...
Do you know about Shavuot, the holiday called Pentecost in the Christain Bible? This is a short informational (and entertaining) video that gives a very brief overview of the festival and how it is celebrated today by various Jewish communities....
Rachel Elior is a Professor of Jewish Philosophy and Jewish Mystical Thought at the Hebrew University. In this talk, she delves deep into some foundational topics of Kabbalistic thought and focuses on the belief in nothingness. Disclaimer: this video is an academic lecture, an hour and a half, and definitely...
Aramaic language is much closer to Hebrew than Greek. And since a version of Aramaic was widely spoken in Israel in the first century CE many feel that its valuable to consider the NT message in Syriac to see the nuance of meaning. The presumption is that much more in...
