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Jan 17, 2025, 1:30 AM

Shemot: Presence in Absentia

Photo by Diego PH via Unsplash

We are greeted by familiar faces in the opening verses of Shemot – Ya’akov is mentioned, as are his sons; we are told that Yosef has died, and that a new Pharaoh has arisen, one who does not know...

Jan 10, 2025, 5:38 AM

Vayechi: Blessings in Darkness

As Bereshit comes to an end, we are met with another ending: the end of Ya’akov’s life. His last acts, his lasts words, are filled with blessing. Having secured Yosef’s promise that he will be buried with his ancestors...

Jan 2, 2025, 11:18 AM

Biblical Figures as Silicon Valley Leaders

Biblical All Star Game Corporate Team

Imagine this: Moses is walking through the modern-day tech hub of Silicon Valley, his sandals clacking on the pavement, staff in hand, parting the crowd like it’s the Red Sea. He’s not leading a nation out of Egypt anymore—he’s...

Dec 31, 2024, 12:35 PM

Biblical grammar enters the culture wars

Part of a document said by an Italian expert to be the oldest known complete Torah scroll. (photo credit: AP/Alma Mater Studiorum Universita' di Bologna)

Could a new book’s deep dive into biblical grammar challenge modern ideas about when the Torah was written?

Dec 27, 2024, 1:35 AM

Miketz: Prevailing in Dreams and Reality

Yosef’s story is characterised by dreams – his own dreams, his ability to interpret the dreams of others, and his insight in implementing those dreams in reality. In Vayeshev, we hear of his dreams – dreams of his brothers’...

Dec 20, 2024, 2:32 PM

Vayeshev: Stranger(s) in the Field

'Joseph Hunting His Brothers', Artist Unknown (1909)

In a seemingly inconsequential and short diversion from the main narrative of Vayeshev, the Torah briefly introduces us to an unnamed man who helps Yosef find his brothers and the flock at his father’s request. Apprehension filters through the...

Dec 13, 2024, 9:29 PM

Vayishlach: Wrestling with Oneself

'Jacob Wrestling with the Angel' engraving by Gustave Doré (1855)

Vayishlach holds much ambiguity. First, there is the moral ambiguity around the story of Dina and Shechem. Then, there is the case of the figure Ya’akov wrestles with as he makes his journey home. Though the Torah identifies this...

Tony D. Senatore

Dec 11, 2024, 12:04 AM

Progressive Christianity and the Roman Catholic Church

"After this election, I am suspicious of anyone I don’t know well. I will suspect you are a closet Trumper, which means you are not a safe person for me to be around aside from when I am required...

Dec 10, 2024, 8:58 AM

Vayetze: Naming the Future from the Past

Artwork by Bartolome Esteban Murillo (1665-70)

Following last week’s Toldot – genealogies, or generations – Vayetze sees the naming of eleven of the twelve Tribes of Israel, giving names to the generations that will follow. Across two chapters of Tanach, two of Ya’akov’s wives –...

Roger D. Isaacs

Dec 8, 2024, 12:07 AM

Decoding the Ephod

Jewish high priest wearing a hoshen and ephod, and Levites in ancient Judah. Work in Public Domain.

The ephod, a garment worn upon the priestly breastplate described in the Hebrew Bible, carries linguistic ties that shed light on its origins, design, and even its material. These connections, drawn from related words in other languages (which I...

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