Posts by Julia Blum

Beginnings: Noah (2)

Beginnings: Noah (2)

A Preacher of Righteousness…. I would like to continue my train of thought from the previous post, where we noted that some Jewish sages compared Noah with Abraham, saying that, while Abraham interceded for the sinners of Sodom, Noah didn’t intercede for his generation. However, this is not what we find in the New Testament. […]

Beginnings: Noah

Beginnings: Noah

TL;DR: Noah was a man of grace in a corrupt world, and even his name—given by his father Lamech—carried a prophetic meaning of relief and comfort for humanity. As we  read  the beginning of Genesis 6, we were shocked by the description of the total evil and corruption of mankind. Then, in the midst of […]

Beginnings: The Story Of Flood (3)

Beginnings: The Story Of Flood (3)

The Watchers and the New Testament My dear readers, let me remind you why we discuss the New Testament on these pages if this whole series – BEGINNINGS – is supposed to be about the first chapters of the book of Genesis. When we entered Genesis 6 and I realized that most of my readers […]

Beginnings: The Story Of Flood (2)

Beginnings: The Story Of Flood (2)

My dear readers, since almost all the comments on my previous post declare that they don’t agree with me, I wanted to explain several things here. First of all, I am not trying to convince anyone of anything. Have you heard the expression: “Seventy faces of Torah”? It actually represents a Jewish view of Scripture: […]

Beginnings: The Story Of Flood (1)

Beginnings: The Story Of Flood (1)

The Enigmatic Passage Finally, after our long journey through Genesis 4 and 5, we are entering the story of the Flood. In chapter 6, we see the total moral failure of the human race. For many readers, however,  the beginning of this chapter presents one of the most enigmatic passages of the Bible: The sons […]

Beginnings: Overlooked Chapters (3)

Beginnings: Overlooked Chapters (3)

Male and Female He Created Them  As we enter Genesis 5, we find here a long list of names and dates. This chapter traces the righteous line of Seth. Before we enter this list, however, I would like to bring your attention to the first two verses of this chapter: This is the book of […]

Beginnings: The Overlooked Chapters (2)

Beginnings: The Overlooked Chapters (2)

The Line of Cain  Last time we discussed the difference in the occupations of Cain and Abel, suggesting that Abel probably chose a wandering life since he was not willing to have his roots in the cursed land and fallen world, while Cain chose a settled life, enjoying the world as it was. We saw […]

Beginnings: The Overlooked Chapters (1)

Beginnings: The Overlooked Chapters (1)

When 2020 began, it seemed only natural to open the year with the series called “BEGINNINGS”. I wanted to discuss here in depth the primeval history—the first eleven chapters of the book of Genesis. As most of my readers probably know, these chapters form a separate, integrated unit: while from Genesis 12 onwards, Scripture deals […]

Torah Portion In Real Time: Chukkat

Torah Portion In Real Time: Chukkat

My dear readers, as you know by now, from time to time I post a Torah Portion (Parashat Shavua) commentary here. Today, I would like to share with you the commentary on one of the richest portions in the Torah — Parashat  Shavua Chukkat (the reading for the last Shabbat). The Red Heifer: between life […]

Comparison Exersices (5): Jacob – There And Back 

Comparison Exersices (5): Jacob – There And Back 

Our last (for now) installment of this series is taken from the life of Jacob the Patriarch.  While comparing his way back to the Land of Israel with his journey out of the Land of Israel 20 years earlier, we will discover the amazing details – and even more amazing spiritual truths that these details […]

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