Countless people will soon be observing a Passover Seder. There are many important aspects to running an effective Seder, but perhaps the most important and the least known is that the Seder, meaning order, is an arrangement of fifteen indispensable steps from start to finish. In order to explain this to you, I must first explain the...
Dear Rabbi and Susan, Co-education, meaning girls and boys taught together in one school depends on societies. I think that it is useful educationally because boys will be more serious because girls in the general like to be serious. The girls’ devotion to studying inspires the boys. Also it helps more cooperation and understanding among...
To my astonishment, I have discovered that I am beginning to recognize Hebrew letters after watching your Scrolling through Scripture courses. I have also purchased your recommended Bible. Looking at both the Bible and the course is confusing me a bit. Tim Dear Tim, We are delighted that you are beginning to feel a little...
I have a friend who gets little pleasure from cooking. It is a reality of life for her rather than a tactile, sensual experience. That is, unless she is cooking for the Sabbath. When she does that, the activity is infused with meaning and importance and changes from an annoying necessity into a higher calling....
“Just five more minutes,” “One more chapter,” “I guess I can stay a little longer.” The temptation to stretch out an enjoyable activity just a little bit more is one to which we can all relate. After a month of reveling in God’s closeness, culminating with the Festival of Sukkot (Tabernacles), the Jewish people felt...
Hidden codes embedded in Scripture! Bible codes predict terrorist attacks! Sensationalistic headlines like these have been seen for years. Melodramatic books with extravagant claims appeared in the mid-1990s often written by authors with little Hebrew knowledge. So frequently am I asked about this that I’m devoting this Thought Tool to the topic. While in yeshiva,...
Question: I have a friend in his mid 50’s who has come to Christianity in the last 12 years, He has a hard time resolving how God treated certain people groups in the Five Books of Moses and the Prophets Bible that were destroyed or killed by God’s command. I have tried talking to him...
This coming Saturday night will see immense numbers of Jews studying Scripture until sunrise. They will be observing the sixth of the month of Sivan, Shavuot 5778, the 3,330th anniversary of the events described in Exodus 19, when God handed over His book to Moses. What happened on Shavuot plays a crucial role in the...
I am a Christian who lives in Indonesia. I am a frequent listener of your podcast and blessed to find tremendous wisdom in your teaching. I am keen to learn about the root of my faith from Hebrew Bible, at which I believe, as you believe, as a God-given blueprint for our life. As a...
Question: My pastor tells me that, “The most orthodox view historically seems to be not a literal interpretation,” with the creation story in Genesis 1-3. Would you agree with this? Are there other passages in the Torah like this? Are their hints in the Hebrew that suggest something to be non-literal? ∼ Jarred Answer: Dear...
