Tefillin Holiness and the square/cube Tefillin The passages of Deuteronomy 6:4-9, and Deuteronomy 11:13-21 enjoin Israel to bind “these words” (the commitment to love God wholeheartedly) upon the head, and upon the heart. In reference to this command, descriptor words such as “Totafot”and “Ot” (physical sign) indicate a call to a physical action. Rather than […]
The Torah does not directly address intentional sin [Avon] the way that it does with unintentional sin. There is only one procedure in the Torah that does treat Avon in some capacity. The Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16) requires the designation of two goats: one is offered as a sacrifice for sin [Het – unintentional […]
The angels of Elohim ascended and descended “on him” Descent for the sake of Ascent The angels of Elohim ascended and descended “on him” In John chapter 1, Jesus wins the confidence of a man named Nathaniel, first introduced as a companion of the Apostle Philip. The exchange is quick, and with remarkable speed, Nathaniel […]
The Temple “Copies” and “Shadows” Paul and “Heavenly Jerusalem” The Temple In Exodus 25, Moses is cautioned to exercise care and discretion in his supervision of the construction of the tabernacle. Precision was paramount, so as to avoid deviation from the ‘pattern’ and instruction God gave to Moses. “Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings […]
7,000 years of man The end can be found in the beginning The Creation Week and the “Olam Ha Zeh” – The Present Age Day 7 – The “Day of the Lord” Biblical Patterns that confirm the 7,000 year week of man Where are we now? 7,000 years of man According to a tradition allegedly […]
According to Genesis 2, by the end of the sixth day the heavens and the earth were “completed” – meaning finished. Jewish interpretation concluded that the “heavens” were inclusive of all spiritual reality; meaning every heavenly realm, spiritual being, and even every human soul. If every soul has existed since the sixth day, it would […]
Throughout this website, frequent mention is made of a particular figure: Hillel “the Elder”. Hillel is so prominent of a subject, it would be impossible to conduct a study of Judaism and fail to encounter some sort of reference to this man. This is partly due to the historical divide between Hillel and the infamous […]
An excerpt from: Grace and Judaism: Christians are the true “Chasidim”. Section: The “Chasidim” Old Testament scripture preserves an ancient term; a designation used to refer to the true followers of YHVH, and those who served with a pure heart: Of Levi he said, “Let Your Thummim and Your Urim belong to Your godly man [Chasid], […]
An Excerpt from: Ger Toshav. Section: The “God-Fearer” According to the prophet Isaiah, when God moves to restore Israel during the Messianic era, four kinds of individuals will seek to identify with the Lord: Some will say, ‘I belong to the Lord’; others will call themselves by the name of Jacob; still others will write […]
An excerpt from: The Lost sheep of the House of Israel: Part 1. Section: The Harvest. According to Judaism, the world stands on three essential principles as pillars: The world stands upon three things – upon Torah, upon Avodah, and upon acts of kindness. (Avot 1:2) The term “Avodah” is a Hebrew designation for a religious […]