#bible

News | News

Jonathan Sacks z”l: Individual and Collective Responsibility NOACH

Jonathan Sacks z”l: Individual and Collective Responsibility NOACH I once had the opportunity to ask the Catholic writer Paul Johnson what had struck him most about Judaism, during the long period he spent researching it for his masterly A History

News | News

Jonathan Sacks z”l: Why Were We Created? Bereishit

Jonathan Sacks z”l: Why Were We Created? Bereishit There is a deep question at the heart of Jewish faith, and it is very rarely asked. As the Torah begins we see God creating the universe day by day, bringing order out of chaos, life out of inanimat

News | News

Jonathan Sacks z”l: The Power of Gratitude

Jonathan Sacks z”l: The Power of Gratitude In the early 1990s, one of the great medical research exercises of modern times took place. It became known as the Nun Study. Some seven hundred American nuns, all members of the School Sisters of Notre Dam

News | News

Jonathan Sacks z”l: Leadership: Consensus or Command? NITZAVIM-VAYELECH

Jonathan Sacks z”l: Leadership: Consensus or Command? NITZAVIM-VAYELECH The great transition is about to take place. Moses’ career as a leader is coming to an end, and Joshua’s leadership is about to begin. Moses blesses his successor. Then God

Miscellaneous | Judaism

What Is the Jewish Approach to the Apocrypha?

The 24 books of the Bible were
canonized by the Anshei Knesset Hagedolah. Any later works are not
considered Divinely inspired.

News | News

Jonathan Sacks z”l : Freedom Means Telling the Story KI TAVO

Jonathan Sacks z”l: Freedom Means Telling the Story KI TAVO Here’s an experiment. Walk around the great monuments of Washington D.C. There, at the far end, is the figure of Abraham Lincoln, four times life-size. Around him on the walls of the

News | News

Jonathan Sacks z”l: Two Types of Hate KI TEITSE

Jonathan Sacks z”l: Two Types of Hate KI TEITSE It is by any standards a strange, almost incomprehensible law. Here it is in the form it appears in this week’s parsha: Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egy

News | News

Jonathan Sacks z”l: Power from the Outside or Self-Restraint from Within SHOFTIM

Jonathan Sacks z”l: Power from the Outside or Self-Restraint from Within SHOFTIM This summer, we’ve seen riots on the streets of London and Manchester on the one hand, Tripoli on the other. On the face of it there was nothing in common between

News | News

Jonathan Sacks z”l: Making Poverty History RE’EH

Jonathan Sacks z”l: Making Poverty History RE’EH Listen to these stories. Behind them lies an extraordinary insight into the nature of Jewish ethics: Story 1. Rabbi Abba used to bind money in his scarf, sling it on his back, and place it at th

News | News

Jonathan Sacks z”l: Why Civilisations Fail EIKEV

Jonathan Sacks z”l: Why Civilisations Fail EIKEV What is the real challenge of maintaining a free society? In parshat Eikev, Moses springs his great surprise. Here are his words: Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God… Otherwise,

News | News

RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT EKEV: HOW TO FEAR HASHEM FEARLESSLY

RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT EKEV: HOW TO FEAR HASHEM FEARLESSLY In Parshat Ekev- Moshe Rabbenu continues to recount the tumultuous history of Israel and the significant contribution of the Torah’s ‘mitzvot-commandments’ in directing Israel in the path of go

Miscellaneous | Judaism

17 Facts You Should Know About the Five Books of Moses

Dictated by God and transcribed by Moses, these books convey God’s instructions on how we can fulfill our life’s mission.

News | News

Jonathan Sacks z”l: The Idea that Changed the World VA’ETCHANAN

Jonathan Sacks z”l: The Idea that Changed the World VA’ETCHANAN It is one of the great stories of all time, and Moses foresaw it three thousand years before it happened. Here he is speaking in this week’s parsha: See, I have taught you decr

News | News

Jonathan Sacks z”l: The Book of the Covenant DEVARIM

Jonathan Sacks z”l: The Book of the Covenant DEVARIM As we begin reading the fifth and final book of the Torah, I would like to discuss three questions. First, why does the book of Devarim have the structure it does: a mix of history and law, recoll

News | News

PARSHAT MAASEI: RAV KOOK ON ISRAEL’S RESPONSIBILITY TO UNITE THE WORLD

PARSHAT MAASEI: RAV KOOK ON ISRAEL’S RESPONSIBILITY TO UNITE THE WORLD PARSHAT MAASEI: RAV KOOK ON ISRAEL’S RESPONSIBILITY TO UNITE THE WORLD What does Torat HaRav Kook teach us about Parshat Maasei’s significance for our day? The Parsha recounts th

News | News

Jonathan Sacks z”l: Natural or Supernatural? MATOT-MASEI

Jonathan Sacks z”l: Natural or Supernatural? MATOT-MASEI The book of Bamidbar draws to a close with an account of the cities of refuge, the six cities – three on each side of the Jordan – set apart as places to which people found innocent of mur

News | News

RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT PINCHAS: HOW TO BE A HOLY ZEALOT

RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT PINCHAS: HOW TO BE A HOLY ZEALOT Parshat Pinchas begins by honoring Aaron’s grandson, Pinchas  for his zealous and immediate response to the Israelite male sinning in public view with the Midianite female. “When Pinchas, son of El

News | News

Jonathan Sacks z”l: Pacing Change PINCHAS

Jonathan Sacks z”l: Pacing Change PINCHAS Embedded in this week’s parsha is one of the great principles of leadership. The context is this: Moses, knowing that he was not destined to lead the next generation across the Jordan into the promised l

News | News

RAV KOOK ON Parshat Balak: MODERNIZING BILAAM’S PROPHECIES

RAV KOOK ON Parshat Balak: MODERNIZING BILAAM’S PROPHECIES RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT BALAK: MODERNIZING BILAAM’S PROPHECIES In Parshat Balak, the Torah recounts Balak’s hateful fear of Israel and his unsuccessful attempts to curse  Israel through the pro

News | News

Jonathan Sacks z”l: A People That Dwells Alone? BALAK

Jonathan Sacks z”l: A People That Dwells Alone? BALAK The dictionary defines epiphany as “a sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something; a comprehension or perception of reality by means of a sudden intuitive realisation.” Th

News | News

PARSHAT CHUKAT: RAV KOOK ON MOSES’S FATAL ANGRY ERROR AT THE WATERS OF DISPUTATION AND WHAT WE MUST DO TO FIX IT

PARSHAT CHUKAT: RAV KOOK ON MOSES’S FATAL ANGRY ERROR AT THE WATERS OF DISPUTATION AND WHAT WE MUST DO TO FIX IT RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT CHUKAT: In Parshat Chukat, we read: “The Israelites arrived at the wilderness of Zin on the first new moon, and the pe

News | News

Jonathan Sacks z”l : Descartes’ Error CHUKAT

Jonathan Sacks z”l : Descartes’ Error CHUKAT In his 2011 bestseller, The Social Animal, New York Times columnist David Brooks writes: We are living in the middle of the revolution in consciousness. Over the past few years, geneticists, neurosc

News | News

PARSHAT KORACH: RAV KOOK ON the Dangers of KORACHISM

PARSHAT KORACH: RAV KOOK ON the Dangers of KORACHISM “Now Korach, son of Izhar son of Kohath son of Levi, betook himself, along with Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—descendants of Reuben—to rise up against Moses, together with

News | News

Jonathan Sacks z”l: Taking It Personally KORACH

Jonathan Sacks z”l: Taking It Personally KORACH When we read the story of Korach, our attention tends to be focused on the rebels. We don’t give as much reflection as we might to the response of Moses. Was it right? Was it wrong? It’s a

News | News

Jonathan Sack z”l: What Made Joshua and Caleb Different? SHELACH LECHA

Jonathan Sack z”l: What Made Joshua and Caleb Different? SHELACH LECHA The twelve men sent by Moses to explore the land of Israel came back with a wholly misleading report. They said: “We cannot go up against those people, for they are stronger th

News | News

PARSHAT SHLACH: RAV KOOK ON “OVERCOMING SPYFULNESS”

PARSHAT SHLACH: RAV KOOK ON “OVERCOMING SPYFULNESS” “A world of empty chaos preceded the world of building. And light came out of the darkness- ‘And the Creator said ‘Let there be light’ ” (Notebook 3:87) And hence “Existence is full of li

News | News

Jonathan Sacks z”l: Two Types of Leadership BEHA’ALOTECHA

Jonathan Sacks z”l: Two Types of Leadership BEHA’ALOTECHA In this week’s parsha, Moses has a breakdown. It is the lowest emotional ebb of his entire career as a leader. Listen to his words to God: “Why have You treated Your servant so bad

News | News

PARSHAT NASO: RAV KOOK on ‘THE VOICE OF PEACE’

PARSHAT NASO: RAV KOOK on ‘THE VOICE OF PEACE’ At the center of Parshat Naso (6:22-26), we find the following instructions to the Kohanim/Priests of Israel: וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ The LORD spo

News | News

Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Pursuit of Peace NASO

Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Pursuit of Peace NASO The parsha of Naso seems, on the face of it, to be a heterogeneous collection of utterly unrelated items. First there is the account of the Levitical families of Gershon and Merari and their tas

News | News

Jonathan Sacks z”l Liminal Space BAMIDBAR

Jonathan Sacks z”l Liminal Space BAMIDBAR In English, the book we begin this week is called Numbers, and for an obvious reason. It begins with a census, and there is even a second count toward the end of the book. On this view, the central theme of

News | News

Jonathan Sacks – The Rejection of Rejection BECHUKOTAI

Jonathan Sacks – The Rejection of Rejection BECHUKOTAI There is one aspect of Christianity that Jews, if we are to be honest, must reject, and that Christians, most notably Pope John XXIII, have also begun to reject. It is the concept of rejection i

News | News

Jonathan Sacks – Minority Rights BEHAR

Jonathan Sacks – Minority Rights BEHAR One of the most striking features of the Torah is its emphasis on love of, and vigilance toward, the ger, the stranger: Do not oppress a stranger; you yourselves know how it feels to be strangers, because you

News | News

Jonathan Sacks – The Duality of Jewish Time EMOR

Jonathan Sacks – The Duality of Jewish Time EMOR Alongside the holiness of place and person is the holiness of time, something parshat Emor charts in its deceptively simple list of festivals and holy days (Lev. 23:1-44). Time plays an enormous par

News | News

Jonathan Sacks – Judaism’s Three Voices

Jonathan Sacks – Judaism’s Three Voices The nineteenth chapter of Vayikra, with which our parsha begins, is one of the supreme statements of the ethics of the Torah. It’s about the right, the good and the holy, and it contains some of Judaism’

News | News

Jonathan Sacks: Holy People, Holy Land Acharei Mot

Jonathan Sacks: Holy People, Holy Land Acharei Mot   I had been engaged in dialogue for two years with an Imam from the Middle East, a gentle and seemingly moderate man. One day, in the middle of our conversation, he turned to me and asked, “Why do

News | News

Jonathan Sacks: Is there such a thing as Lashon Tov? METZORA

Jonathan Sacks: Is there such a thing as Lashon Tov? METZORA The Sages understood tsara’at, the theme of this week’s parsha, not as an illness but as a miraculous public exposure of the sin of lashon hara, speaking badly about people. Judaism is a s

News | News

Jonathan Sacks – Othello, WikiLeaks, and Mildewed Walls TAZRIA

Jonathan Sacks – Othello, WikiLeaks, and Mildewed Walls TAZRIA It was the Septuagint, the early Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, that translated tsara’at, the condition whose identification and cleansing occupies much of Tazria and Metzora

News | News

Jonathan Sacks – Spontaneity: Good or Bad? SHEMINI

Jonathan Sacks – Spontaneity: Good or Bad? SHEMINI Shemini tells the tragic story of how the great inauguration of the Tabernacle, a day about which the Sages said that God rejoiced as much as He had at the creation of the universe, was overshadowe

Miscellaneous | Judaism

Where Is the Ark of the Covenant Today?

The Ark of the Covenant is the holiest item in Judaism. What happened to it?

News | News

Jonathan Sacks – Why Civilisations Die TZAV

Jonathan Sacks – Why Civilisations Die TZAV In The Watchman’s Rattle, subtitled Thinking Our Way Out of Extinction, Rebecca Costa delivers a fascinating account of how civilisations die. When their problems become too complex, societies reach wh

News | News

Jonathan Sacks: The Therapeutic Joy of Purim

Jonathan Sacks: The Therapeutic Joy of Purim “The fate of Haman has been throughout history the fate of individuals and nations: that those who try to destroy the Jewish people end by destroying themselves. Great empires sought to harm the Jewish people

News | News

Jonathan Sacks: The Dimensions of Sin VAYIKRA

Jonathan Sacks: The Dimensions of Sin VAYIKRA Our parsha, which deals with a variety of sacrifices, devotes an extended section to the chattat, the sin offering, as brought by different individuals: first the High Priest (Lev. 4:3-12), then the communit

News | News

Jonathan Sacks : God’s Shadow VAYAKHEL

Jonathan Sacks: God’s Shadow VAYAKHEL In Vayakhel we meet, for the second time, the man who became the symbol of the artist in Judaism, a man by the name of Betzalel. Then Moses said to the Israelites, “Know that the Lord has chosen Betzalel son of Ur

News | News

Jonathan Sacks Between Truth and Peace KI TISSA

Jonathan Sacks Between Truth and Peace KI TISSA Ki Tissa tells of one of the most shocking moments of the forty years in the wilderness. Less than six weeks after the greatest revelation in the history of religion – Israel’s encounter with God at Moun

News | News

RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT TETZAVEH: HOW TO ILLUMINATE LIFE

RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT TETZAVEH: HOW TO ILLUMINATE LIFE  RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT TETZAVEH:      HOW TO ILLUMINATE LIFE וְאַתָּ֞ה תְּצַוֶּ֣ה ׀ אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְיִקְח֨וּ אֵלֶ֜יךָ שֶׁ֣מ

News | News

RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT TRUMA: HOW TO LIVE IN THE Divine PRESENCE OF THE SHECHINA

RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT TRUMA: HOW TO LIVE IN THE Divine PRESENCE OF THE SHECHINA RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT TRUMA: HOW TO LIVE IN THE DIVINE PRESENCE OF THE SHECHINA “דַּבֵּר֙ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְיִקְחוּ־לִ֖י תּ

News | News

Jonathan Sacks – Building Builders TERUMAH

Jonathan Sacks – Building Builders TERUMAH As soon as we read the opening lines of Terumah we begin the massive shift from the intense drama of the Exodus with its signs and wonders and epic events, to the long, detailed narrative of how the Israeli

News | News

RAV KOOK ON MISHPATIM: THE ISRAELITE WAY OF LIVING LAWFULLY

RAV KOOK ON MISHPATIM: THE ISRAELITE WAY OF LIVING LAWFULLY RAV KOOK ON MISHPATIM: THE ISRAELITE WAY OF LIVING LAWFULLY “וְאֵ֨לֶּה֙ הַמִּשְׁפָּטִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר תָּשִׂ֖ים לִפְנֵיהֶֽם:-And these are the la

News | News

Jonathan Sacks – God’s Nudge MISHPATIM

Jonathan Sacks – God’s Nudge MISHPATIM First in Yitro there were the Aseret Hadibrot, the “Ten Utterances”, the Ten Commandments, expressed as general principles. Now in Mishpatim come the details. Here is how they begin: If you buy a Hebr

History | History

The Search for the Ten Lost Tribes

What happened to the ten tribes and where are they today?

News | News

RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT YITRO: BECOMING A HOLY NATION BY ESTABLISHING A HOLY GOVERNMENT

RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT YITRO: BECOMING A HOLY NATION BY ESTABLISHING A HOLY GOVERNMENT “וְאַתֶּ֧ם תִּֽהְיוּ־לִ֛י מַמְלֶ֥כֶת כֹּֽהֲנִ֖ים וְג֣וֹי קָד֑וֹשׁ” “And you will be a kingdom of priests a

News | News

Jonathan Sacks – Deed and Creed YITRO

Jonathan Sacks – Deed and Creed YITRO The parsha of Yitro records the revolutionary moment when God, Creator of Heaven and Earth, entered into a mutually binding agreement with a nation, the Children of Israel, an agreement we call a brit, a covena

News | News

Jonathan Sacks: The Power of Ruach BESHALLACH

Jonathan Sacks: The Power of Ruach BESHALLACH In September 2010, BBC, Reuters, and other news agencies reported on a sensational scientific discovery. Researchers at the US National Center for Atmospheric Research and the University of Colorado were able

News | News

Jonathan Sacks – The Birth of History – VAERA

Jonathan Sacks – The Birth of History – VAERA The parsha of Vaera begins with some fateful words. It would not be too much to say that they changed the course of history, because they changed the way people thought about history. In fact, they

History | Archeology

Archaeologists find 'mystery' ducts near biblical Jerusalem relics

The channels may have been used to prepare a commodity "connected to the economy of the temple or palace", said archaeologist Yuval Gadot in the statement.

History | Archeology

American Archeologists Unearth New Mosaic From 1,600 Year Old Synagogue In Israel

Excavations reveal mosaic artwork near the ancient Jewish village of Huqoq, in the Israeli Lower Galilee, led by University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill - Click the link for more details.

Miscellaneous | Judaism

21 Talmud Facts Every Jew Should Know

The bulk of the Talmudic texts contain analysis of Biblical verses and Torah law, but it’s interspersed with everything from medical advice to stories, from folk sayings to fabric dying tips.

Miscellaneous | Judaism

Judaism's Stance on Gender Is Clear, Despite Attempts To Rewrite Torah

Judaism teaches that G-d Created male and female so that they might partner with Him in creating a next generation.

Miscellaneous | Judaism

18 Facts About the “12 Spies”

Moses sent 12 spies to Canaan; 10 gave negative reports, causing 40 years of wandering.

Miscellaneous | Judaism

The Pursuit Of Meaning | Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l

For each of us G-d has a task: work to perform, a kindness to show, a gift to give, love to share, loneliness to ease, pain to heal, or broken lives to help mend.

Miscellaneous | Judaism

Should We Use Gender Neutral Language for G-d?

Judaism has been understood as the effort to reunite the feminine and masculine aspects of God.

News | Israel Around The World

Ancient Book of Esther scrolls salvaged from Turkey earthquake rubble

A local elder of Antakya, Turkey's Jewish community handed the scrolls over to ZAKA rescuers, who are working on transporting them to safety.

News | Interesting Links

Treasured artifact from 2,800 years ago reveals written references to the biblical King David

Researchers have confirmed that a stone artifact from more than 2,800 years ago has written references to King David in the Bible. The Mesha Stele, also known as the Moabite Stone, dates back to approximately 840 BC. The 3-foot tall stone slab of black ba

History | Archeology

Researchers verify written records of biblical King David found off Dead Sea coast

The Mesha Stele, a basalt stone slab discovered in 1868 east of the Dead Sea that has provided historians the largest source of the Moabite language to date - Click the link for more details.

Miscellaneous | Judaism

What Does Jacob’s Ladder Symbolize?

Jacob’s simple ladder foreshadows the trajectory of human development.

Miscellaneous | Judaism

The Levite Choir and Orchestra: What, Who and How?

During the time of year that we mourn the destruction of the Holy Temple, it is customary to learn the laws of the Holy Temple as a means to hasten its rebuilding during the final redemption.

History | Archeology

1,600-Year-Old Mosaic Depicting Biblical Heroines Found in Ancient Synagogue in Israel

The Israelite commander Barak depicted in a mosaic in the ancient Huqoq synagogue in northern Israel. Photo: Jim Haberman The …

Miscellaneous | Judaism

The Not-So-Dead Sea Scrolls

How the Dead Sea Scrolls, considered by many to be the most significant archaeological discovery of the 20th century, speak to Jews in the 21st century.

Miscellaneous | Judaism

17 Facts About Moses Every Jew Should Know

Moses was born in Egypt during the enslavement of the Jews. His parents, Amram and Yocheved, were from the illustrious tribe of Levi.

History | Archeology

Has the location of Noah’s Ark finally been proven using 3D scans? - The Jerusalem Post

The Torah tells us that the Ark landed on the hills of Mt. Ararat, a dormant volcano near the east border of Turkey. The Durupinar site is approximately 30 km south of that mountain.

History | Archeology

3,000-year-old inscription bearing name of biblical judge found in Israel - The Jerusalem Post

The inscription features the name "Jerubbaal," a Jewish leader from the Book of Judges, as well as dates from around 1,100 BCE.

Miscellaneous | Judaism

13 Facts About Learning Torah - Mitzvahs & Traditions

Torah study occupies a central place in Jewish life, but how much do we really know about this activity?

History | Archeology

Ancient cloth with Bible's purple dye found in Israel, dated to King David's era

3 scraps from 1,000 BCE, earliest such finds in region, point to Edomite kingdom described in Bible; vibrant and lasting 'royal' dye, mark of the elite, comes from murex sea snails

Miscellaneous | Faith

Bishop Robert Barron: Genesis

127225910653607"/>

Politics | Opinion

The Torah Versus the Left

Question: What book is the opposite of the left? Answer: the Torah. The Torah is the Hebrew name of the first five books of the Bible, the “Five Books of Moses.” The Torah is the foundation of the rest of the Bible and the rock on which both Judaism a

Miscellaneous | Jewish Life

Israeli Jewelry Company Partners With TAU Nanoscientists To Make World's Smallest Bible Part Of New Collection

A mother-daughter teamed up with the Center For Nanoscience and Nanotechnology to make a nano-sized Hebrew Bible part of a new luxury jewelry collection. | NoCamels

Miscellaneous | Judaism

A Rift Extending Across History - Chassidic Masters - Parshah

From the rivalry between Leah and Rachel, through the animosity between Joseph and his brothers, the clash between Saul and David, the split between Judah and Israel, to the dual nature of the messianic redemption—a rift and twinship that extends across h

History | Archeology

IDF Paratroopers Accidentally Uncover Ancient Guard Tower from time of King Hezekiah

IDF soldiers connected with their Biblical counterparts when they took part in an archaeological dig, uncovering a guard tower from the era of King Hezekiah

Politics | Judea & Samaria

Jews Celebrate EPIC Building Dedication in Hebron - Beit HaShalom

It finally happened! The Jews have moved into Beit HaShalom (House of Peace), the four-story residential complex purchased by Jews in Hebron.

History | Archeology

Jerusalem: Amazing Biblical archaeological finds in City of David

Two minuscule 2,600-year-old inscriptions recently uncovered in the City of David’s Givati Parking Lot excavation are vastly enlarging the understanding of ancient Jerusalem in the late 8th century.

Politics | Immigration

'I Don't Think It Was an Extreme Position I Took': Jeff Sessions on the Bible, Immigration and His Critics | CBN News

Attorney General Jeff Sessions addressed some of the criticism he and the White House have received in recent weeks regarding the administration's immigration policy in an exclusive interview Thursday with CBN News.

News | Interesting Stories

Archaeological find in Jerusalem ‘proves Bible passage is historically true’

Archaeologists excavating in Jerusalem have found burned artifacts dating from 2,600 years ago – which prove that a passage in the Bible is true. Researchers uncovered charred wood, grape seeds, fish scales, bones and pottery while digging in the City o

News | Israel & The Jewish Community

Modern Technology Unlocks Secrets of a Damaged Biblical Scroll - The New York Times

Experts using a computer imaging program have virtually unwrapped a charred ancient scroll and recovered a fragment of the authoritative text of the Hebrew Bible.

History | History

Mummy Mask May Reveal Oldest Known Gospel

A text that may be the oldest copy of a gospel known to exist — a fragment of the Gospel of Mark that was written during the first century, before the year 9...

History | History

Ancient rock adds evidence of King David’s existence | The Times of Israel

Stone slab with earliest reference to House of David, on display at Met, said to be 'one of the most important Biblical artifacts ever found'