Posts by Julia Blum

The Lessons of the Transitional Chapter My dear friends, you probably expect me to move to Acts 15, to Jerusalem council – and of course, we will be there soon. However, I would like to say a few more words on chapter 13; after all, this is a crucial chapter, the transitional chapter,  opening the […]

We all know the words of Jesus to his disciples at the beginning of Acts:  they should be his “witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”[1]. Accordingly, the book of Acts can be divided into two parts.  The first, chapters 1–12, describe the events that take place […]

My dear readers, as we continue our journey through the book of Acts I would like to remind you that my goal here is not to write another series of comments – tons of books have already been written on Acts – but just to bring to your attention the details that can be understood […]

WAS SHAUL A MEMBER OF SANHEDRIN? Our next meeting is with Paul (Shaul -Saul). When Stephen was stoned by the Sanhedrin, Shaul was present:  “Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.” This is the first mention of Paul in the New Testament. We all know that soon, Shaul will […]

My dear readers, finally, we can go back to the series that was paused because of the holidays – to comments on the book of Acts.  I would like to remind you why I have chosen this particular book to discuss. More often than not, the book of Acts is perceived as a demarcation line, […]

  Another year has flown by – another “strange” year, with many unexpected, and sometimes unthinkable things happening right before our eyes. This is the sixth time I am entering a New Year together with you – and for the sixth time, together with you, I am trying to unveil the future and to understand […]

 For I Know The Thoughts That I Think Toward You[1] In our last portion, VeYigash, we witnessed the climax of Joseph’s saga – when Joseph “could not restrain” himself and revealed his identity to his brothers – a very happy ending to a very dramatic story. It seems that the story is over now, so […]

In our last portion, we saw Joseph overwhelmed by his love for Benjamin and crying in the inner room. We have to remember these tears of love that Joseph had to hold back. We have to remember them because right from the beginning of the next chapter we are again mystified. Literally a few lines […]

We continue our journey through this passionate Bible story: the story of Joseph and his brothers. We are in the Torah Portion Miketz, Genesis 41-44. These chapters are my absolute favorites in the book of Genesis, so I will definitely need lehitapek -– “to restrain myself” – in the same way, as we will see […]

Beware of Royal Apparel!  The story of Joseph and his brothers forms the last part of the book of Genesis. This story begins in our new Torah Portion, Vayeshev. It opens with the word Vayeshev (hence the name of the Portion), usually translated as “settled”, or “dwelt”:  “Now Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was […]