From time to time, I hear beautiful spiritual teachings drawn from the apostolic writings that are sadly misunderstood by modern readers of the New Testament. Misunderstandings repeated often enough eventually harden into “obvious truths,” and over time, they can even become official theological doctrines that define entire religious traditions and
Many people have heard an excuse: “The devil made me do it.” The great tempter, the Adversary, is often blamed for humanity’s weakness and moral collapse. The story of evil and sin usually begins in the Garden of Eden, where the serpent persuades Chava to eat from the forbidden
War is among the darkest realities of human existence. It leaves cities in ruins, families divided, and generations marked by trauma and loss. No sane person celebrates war, and few emerge from it unchanged. Yet history repeatedly reminds us of an uncomfortable truth: war is sometimes unavoidable. Nations invade. Empires
If you read the words of Moses' Prayer (which was probably also a song), you will see how the lyrics are thoroughly inspired by his poetic verses. God's unique name Adonai Maon is somewhat mysterious, but to me it brought a sense of realization that everything, including
Holy Spirit is a special term that arose and became common at a certain time in history. It is often associated with the New Testament and Christianity, and not with Judaism. But we know that God’s Spirit is simply inseparable from God, and it should not surprise us that
Have you ever heard about the four books of Baruch? Recently, I published all of them in one volume. "The Books of Baruch: Four Oracles in New Translation" - this edition presents you with a new, easy-to-read,
This series of lectures on Paul’s Letter to the Romans raises multiple questions that some may consider controversial, as the apostle's words are not explained in a traditional manner. The lectures are built on a presupposition of
In Deuteronomy Moses recounts the events that have already happened. He gives a summary of events that have transpired during many years in the wilderness. At the very beginning of his speech, he admonishes the Israelites to take possession of
The Letter to the Romans emerges from a complicated social world shaped by Roman imperial politics, shifting relationships between Jews and Gentiles, and the trauma of Jewish diaspora being expelled and later readmitted to Rome. Behind Paul’s letter, which
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This series of lectures addresses key passages and themes in Paul’s Letter to the Romans, a pivotal book for Christian theological understanding. They were delivered live to a mixed audience at a Messianic Synagogue. As such, they express a
When you sign up at PSHIR.COM, your free account gives you access to piles of resources in Jewish and Biblical studies, select audio and video segments, and many extended topic previews. At PSHIR.COM, you don't have
I wanted to share with you a video I made recently for my YouTube channel. I created several similar videos where I like to present samples of ancient Jewish compositions people might have never read that I have translated. I
In Torah, in Numbers, we encounter an insightful story of how bad news was brought back to the Israelite community. Ten investigators of the Land of Promise were thoroughly pessimistic about the prospects of the sons of Jacob conquering Canaan.
Curiosity drives many of us. Knowledge is often sought after because it opens new opportunities and allows us to comprehend the world around us in a deeper and more nuanced sense. But not all doors we encounter are meant to
Jesus, or as he was known to his family and friends, Yeshua, was a teacher of Torah's wisdom, a first-century rabbi. And he was surrounded by other rabbis with similar and sometimes alternative ideas that the gospels
Anyone familiar with stories about Jesus, even those who have never read the gospels for themselves, has heard of Pontius Pilate, who ordered the crucifixion. Some see him as a villain, others as a calculating administrator of Roman affairs caught
