Samson among the rabbis Maimonides wrote in his “Chelek” that people who accept rabbinical imaginative Midrashim as being true are fools, those who reject Midrashim entirely because they are not true are also fools. The proper approach to Midrashim is to realize that they are not true and were not meant to be [...]
Chapter 16 Samson’s death The tragic death of Samson in Judges 16evoked a positive reaction from the rabbis. They refused to condemn him for committing the forbidden act of suicide. Captured by the Philistines who blinded[1] and mocked him by making him stand as a display in their temple, Samson prayed to God and [...]
Chapter 15 Samson resumes his first amorous behavior Chapter 15 is a continuation and conclusion of the first of Samson’s three interactions with women. After abandoning his wife, he decides to visit her. He brings a kid as a gift.[1] Samson’s wife’s father does not let him see her because [...]
Beha’alotcha Maimonides vs. Aristotle on the Golden Mean[1] Numbers 12:3 informs us that “the man Moses was very humble, more than any person on the face of the earth.” Midrash Sifrei elaborates: although Moses’s humility did not hinder him from confronting Pharaoh and demanding the release of the Israelites from the [...]
Mysteries of Judaism My twenty-fifth book “Mysteries of Judaism” examines the history and practices of the Jewish holidays and shows that none of the holy days observed today are identical to the divine mandates in the Torah. Jews today observe Rabbinical Judaism, not Torah Judaism. The book shows why the rabbis had [...]
Naso The Sotah: A Promiscuous Woman[1] Numbers 5:11–31 describes the only “trial by ordeal” found in the Torah: the law of the Sotah, a woman who may have strayed from the path of virtue. The Talmud describes the case: A wife arouses her husband’s suspicion of infidelity by acting inappropriately with [...]
Chapter 14 Samson’s first erotic escapade Chapter 14 begins to describe Samson’s strange behavior. There are scholars such as Ehrlich who see Samson violating biblical laws. Others, such as Abarbanel and Radak insist he is acting properly. Abarbanel argues that while Samson violated Torah laws he did so for [...]
Shavuot: Its Name Does Not Fit Its Current Role None of the holidays mentioned in the Bible are observed today as the Bible mandates they should be observed. I point this out in my recent book “Mysteries of Judaism” where I examine each holiday. The following is my chapter on the [...]
Bamidbar[1] What did Nadav and Abihu do wrong?[2] The story of Nadav and Abihu, two of the four sons of Moses’ brother the high priest Aaron, is repeated five times in Scriptures, in Leviticus 10:2, 16:1, Numbers 3:4, 26:61, and I Chronicles 24:2. In four of these five sites, both their [...]
The Myth Of Lag B’omer The following is a chapter from my recently published book "Mysteries of Judaism" The semi-holiday Lag B’omer is based on an unsubstantiated and unlikely tradition[1]. Lag B’omer means the thirty-third day since bringing the barley harvest (omer) to the tabernacle and later temples to thank God for [...]
Chapter 13 The inscrutable tale of Samson Samson’s story is told in Judges in four chapters. The chapters state that he “judged Israel for twenty years”[1] twice: at the end of chapter 15 before the episode of Delilah, after describing various episodes where Samson seems to have violated [...]
Were the Ten Plagues in Egypt Miracles? Most people read, or more precisely “skim,” the Bible in Hebrew or another language without understanding what they are reading. They are satisfied that they have read the Bible, as they read prayers, and feel that they have done something pious, good and necessary; however, [...]
Bechukotai Will God help us because of our ancestors?[1] Many people have a rather remarkable belief called zechut avot, “merit of the ancestors.” They see it implied in verses such as Leviticus 26:42, which suggests to them that God will remember the Israelite ancestors and treat their descendants well because [...]
A Punctual Paymaster By Dan Groat I enjoyed every page of this book from start to finish. The writing is clear, and its suspense held my interest throughout the book. The characters, whites and blacks, are portrayed well, not superficially. We understand them and their motives. We empathize with them and like them. The exceptions [...]
Chapter 12 Why didn’t Jephthah annul his vow? Many people imagine that the Bible portrays its heroes in a favorable manner. Actually the opposite is true. Scripture portrays people with their faults. For example, Nachmanides claims that the patriarch Abraham sinned grievously in Genesis 20 when he travelled to Gerar [...]
In Israel where thousands of Israeli soldiers died defending their country, Yom Hazikaron, Israel's Memorial Day, is proclaimed by the sounding of a siren throughout the land, similar to the sounding of the trumpet in biblical times and later to announce a holiday or sacred occasion. At the grave of every fallen soldier, a current [...]
Chapter 11 Part 2 The curious story of judge Jephthah Judges 11 contains one of two significant episodes in the extraordinary life of the judge Jephthah: his sacrifice of his daughter and his civil war against the tribe of Ephraim resulting in tens of thousands of Israelite deaths. Jephthah [...]
Behar The destructive aspects of “sin”[1] The idea of “sin” is seemingly found in Leviticus 25:18 and elsewhere. In Leviticus God promises prosperity to people who obey the divine commands: they and only they will “dwell securely on the land.” This verse is generally misunderstood. There are two ways to [...]
Chapter 11 The Jephthah Saga – An Introduction The rather strange often misunderstood saga of Jephthah begins at the end of Judges 10, in verses 17 and 18, continues in chapter 11, and ends in the middle of chapter 12, in verse 7.[1] Seven things are worth noting: [...]
The value of finding the meaning of words and phrases A perfect way to improve one’s knowledge and ability to think is to explore the meaning of words and phrases frequently. Doing so will reveal information you probably do not know and train you to ask basic questions such as, what does [...]
A Review of "The Crown of Solomon and Other Stories," by Marc D. Angel, Albion Andalus Books, 2014, 150 pages This is prolific writer Rabbi Dr. Marc D. Angel’s second fictional book, following his much acclaimed and enjoyed novel “The Search Committee.” Several of the nineteen tales are based on true events. Many of the [...]
EMOR (Chapter 21:1–24:23) What is Perfection?[1] Deuteronomy 21 states “No male among the seed of Aaron the priest who has a blemish may approach to offer a sacrifice to the Lord …he may not profane my sacred places” (verses 21 and 23). This injunction, seeking “perfection,” includes the prohibition of [...]
Chapter 10 “Minor” Judges This chapter mentions two judges with two sentences about one and three the other, calls them both judges, but does not portray their exploits. 12:8-15 lists an additional three giving two sentences to the first two and three to the last, but, again, without information [...]
The Odyssey by Homer Translation by Barry B. Powell It is no surprise that there are many translations of Homer’s Odyssey. This ancient book – actually a long poem - by a man about whom we know nothing, is a classic that is relevant today because many writers from diverse cultures draw upon [...]
The Guide of the Perplexed By Moses Maimonides One of the most significant and life changing books ever written is Moses Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed. Maimonides lived from 1138 to 1204. Many people consider him the most important person since Moses who handed Israel God’s revelation. Others are convinced that he is [...]
Suddenly, Love By Aharon Appelfeld Aharon Appelfeld, born in 1932 and still alive, is one of Israel’s foremost living authors and this book shows his skills. He won many awards for his writing including the prestigious Israel Prize. He was born in Ukraine, which is the backbone of this book, and traveled to [...]
Catcher in the Rye By J. D. Salinger “Catcher in the Rye” is a classic and required reading in many schools. It not a classic because it is a simple tale of three days in the life of a sixteen year old adolescent struggling, as most adolescents do, with how they can [...]
Chapter 9 The unexplainable tale of Abimelech Part two Part two is a continuation of part one Irony The author of chapter 9 shows more humor with his irony, such as: Abimelech kills his seventy brothers claiming they were unfit to rule, but he was aided by “thoughtless [...]
Chapter 9 The unexplainable tale of Abimelech Part one More obscurities, witticisms, ironies, mistakes, and a remarkable parable Gideon’s son Abimelech’s story is like a kaleidoscope with multiple forms and colors. Twist the handle one way and a picture appears, turn some more and another view emerges. Gideon dies leaving [...]
KEDOSHIM (Chapters 19:1–20:27) What is Holiness? Leviticus 19:2 describes God commanding: “You must be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy.” What is God demanding? While most people think holiness is a special quality they need to add to their behavior, modern scholars accept the ancient understanding in [...]
