The Jewish Studies Blog

The Seventh Month

The Seventh Month

TL;DR The seventh month of the Hebrew calendar (Tishrei) holds deep prophetic significance, beginning with Rosh Hashanah, whose central commandment is the blowing of the shofar. The Wordless Cry   We are in the Hebrew month of Tishrei, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar. As you all know, the number seven is very important […]

Reading Genesis In Hebrew: Hagar, Moses And More.

Reading Genesis In Hebrew: Hagar, Moses And More.

Capital Letters The High Holidays are upon us, and my upcoming posts will be dedicated to the Fall Feasts. This month, however, I can still indulge myself with my favourite topic: showing my readers the hidden gems of the Hebrew Scriptures, the amazing things that are lost in translation. Last time we spoke about Jacob; […]

Between The Festivals: What Do We See In Hebrew?

Between The Festivals: What Do We See In Hebrew?

There is a meaningful interval in the Biblical calendar: from Shavuot and the presentation of the first-fruits on the 6th of Sivan, till the blowing of shofar on the 1st of Tishrei, there are almost four months – and right now we are in this interval. Therefore, I can allow myself to remind you all […]

Pentecost: The Story You Didn’t Know

Pentecost: The Story You Didn’t Know

Nowadays, almost everyone uses Google Maps for navigation, but around twenty years ago, when the first GPS, or navigation devices appeared, when an object was located on it, a flashing red dot appeared on the screen and there were different options to zoom in or zoom out. Usually, you would be interested in the “street […]

Passover, Easter, And The Hebrew Calendar

Passover, Easter, And The Hebrew Calendar

TL;DR: The blog post explores the relationship between Passover, Easter, and the Hebrew calendar, with a focus on debating whether the Last Supper was actually a Passover Seder meal. Dear friends, you might be surprised by this title: both Passover and Easter have passed already, so why would I write about it now? Why, indeed? […]

Unusual Guest: The Message Of The Broken Bread

Unusual Guest: The Message Of The Broken Bread

My dear readers, we have entered the month of Nisan – the first month of the Biblical calendar – and of course, this month is all about Passover: both the first Passover and the Passover week 2000 years ago. However, since the current format of this blog doesn’t allow me several articles, I’ve chosen to […]

Purim: The Masquerade And Beyond

Purim: The Masquerade And Beyond

My dear readers, every year I write here about Purim, and every year I discover something new about this fascinating festival. Today, we will start with a very simple question (although the discourse this question leads to is not simple at all): Why is there a masquerade on Purim? Why do we dress in costumes […]

Three Plus Four: Rachel

Three Plus Four: Rachel

TL;DR: Rachel, Jacob’s beloved wife, was likely 22 years old when Jacob first met her, while Jacob himself was approximately 77 years old, based on a careful reading of biblical genealogies and timelines. YOUNG FAMILY? Last time, we spoke about Leah, who was “hated”—not chosen. The last one of the four mothers, Rachel is depicted in […]

Three Plus Four: Leah

Three Plus Four: Leah

When we spoke about Rebecca, we saw an interesting detail in her story. At the end of Genesis 24, we are told that Isaac loved Rebecca (יֶּאֱהָבֶ֑הָ) – and this is the very first time the verb “love” (in Hebrew ahav) occurs in the Torah in a romantic sense, as referring to a relationship between […]

Three Plus Four: Rebecca

Three Plus Four: Rebecca

My dear readers, today we are going to talk about one of my favorite characters in the Bible. Of all the four matriarchs (Sarah, Rebecca, Leah, and Rachel), Rebecca’s personality is the most fully defined and described in Scripture. First, we see Rebecca as a young girl; then, she is a wife and a pregnant […]

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