Chapter 6 – part 1 The following is from my book Maimonides and the Biblical Prophets Did the City Walls of Jericho Miraculously Fall? Joshua 6 recounts the remarkable episode of the Israelites’ conquest of the city of Jericho when they returned to their homeland in Canaan after centuries of abject [...]
The following is a brief version of an excerpt from “What’s Beyond the Bible Text” by Rabbi Dr. Stanley Wagner and me that was published in September 2013. We usually put three articles for each biblical portion, generally discussing thought-provoking subjects that people will not find elsewhere. This week’s essay is from VAYEITZEI (Chapters [...]
(From my good friend and study partner Dr. Jack Cohen) He was a grandson of slaves, and was born in a poor neighborhood of New Orleans, known as the "Back of Town". His father abandoned the family when the child was an infant. His mother became a prostitute and the boy and his sister [...]
By Israel Drazin Should we attend a House of God? Maimonides offers a counter-intuitive idea about attending houses of God in his discussion of “uncleanliness,” which most people will reject. But should they do so? The biblical Hebrew tamei is generally translated “unclean” and “impure.” Priests are told in Leviticus 21:1 [...]
Strange details in Joshua chapter 5 The previous two parts to this chapter addressed general problems; this part 3 examines some specific points. Numbers We should pay attention to the use of numbers in Scripture and in traditions associated with it as well as the number of times that the [...]
By Israel Drazin A literal reading of the Bible seems to indicate that God will kill someone for even a minor mistake and when killing guilty people, God kills innocents as well. An example of the former is the story of the two sons of Aaron the priest told in [...]
By Israel Drazin There are Jews in Namibia, Africa, with an Orthodox synagogue in a town. The Jews there call themselves “Bush Orthodox.” The synagogue services follow the Orthodox tradition, and there are services every Shabbat, on holidays, the New Moon, and when one of the parishioners needs a minyan, [...]
The following is a brief version of an excerpt from “what’s Beyond the Bible Text” by Rabbi Dr. Stanley Wagner and me that was published in September 2013. We usually put three articles for each biblical portion, generally discussing thought-provoking subjects that people will not find elsewhere. This week’s essay is from Toldot. The Transfer [...]
Unusual Bible Interpretations Joshua Chapter 5- part 2 The following discussion is from my book Maimonides and the Biblical Prophets. “The Problem, My Dear Readers, Is Based on Wrong Assumptions!” If Joshua and Moses could respond to the difficulties raised by Joshua 5:2–9 and Exodus 4:24–26 discussed in [...]
Unusual Bible Interpretations Joshua Chapter 5- part 1 Chapter 5 describes what the Israelites did when they first entered Canaan after wandering for some forty-years in the desert. The following discussion is from my book Maimonides and the Biblical Prophets. “Joshua, Why Didn’t Moses Circumcise the Israelites Before [...]
By Israel Drazin Unusual Bible Interpretations - Joshua Chapter 4 Chapter 4 continues the story of the first miracle of the conquest, the splitting of the Jordan River as the Red Sea was split for Moses, the way Israelites crossed it, and how they memorialized the event. It raises the question: [...]
A Story of a Dog By Israel Drazin Those who haven’t seen this newspaper report will enjoy it here. HELENA, Montana — In Montana, a rabbi is an unusual sight. So when a Hasidic one walked into the State Capitol last December, with his long beard, black hat and [...]
Randa Handler Children’s Book Author By Israel Drazin In the past, I wrote about good classical books that people can obtain for free from sources such as amazon because the copyright on the books have expired. There are other good books that people can obtain from amazon that, while not free, are relatively [...]
My 23rd Book By Israel Drazin Here is the URL of my [...]
By Israel Drazin The Retreat By Aharon Appelfeld Aharon Appelfeld was born in 1932. At age eight he saw his mother murdered by the Nazis. He escaped from a Nazi concentration camp when he was nine years old, wandered in the forests for two years, and immigrated to Palestine in 1946. He [...]
By Israel Drazin Heaven on Earth By Sadakat Kadri Sadakat Kadri gives readers a good history of Islam from the life of Muhammad to the present. He focuses mostly on the development and changes in the Islamic legal system. Although Kadri doesn’t discuss it, it is interesting to compare the [...]
The following is a brief version of an excerpt from “what’s Beyond the Bible Text” by Rabbi Dr. Stanley Wagner and me that was published in September 2013. We usually put three articles for each biblical portion, generally discussing thought-provoking subjects that people will not find elsewhere. This week’s essay is from Chayei Sarah. [...]
Review by Israel Drazin May God Remember Memory and Memorializing in Judaism Yizkor Edited by Rabbi Dr. Lawrence A. Hoffman Jewish Lights Publishing, 2013, 283 pages This is the fourth volume in the very informative “Prayers of Awe Series” edited by Dr. Hoffman where he offers essays by some three dozen [...]
By Israel Drazin Dad, Rabbi Dr. Nathan Drazin, could have been rich. He worked for his wealthy father in his real estate business for awhile, but like his younger brother and several of his brothers-in-law, he wanted to be a rabbi, to study and teach. He was ordained in 1933 at [...]
Chapter 3 This is the third chapter in which I plan to present 24 thought-provoking essays on the biblical book Joshua, one for each of its 24 chapters. In chapter 1, God appoints Joshua to succeed Moses, tells him to cross the Jordan into Canaan and conquer the land, and [...]
This is a La Jolla Writer's Conference guest post. If readers like this monthly posting I will continue it. LJWC Author Profile: Q & A with Renowned Literary Agent, Author, and Club of Budapest trustee, William Gladstone Sometimes accomplished people can be so understated that we often don’t know [...]
By Israel Drazin The Conversion By Aharon Appelfeld Aharon Appelfeld, born in 1932, escaped from a Nazi concentration camp when he was nine years old and immigrated to Palestine in 1946. He wrote many books about life in Europe prior to the Holocaust. This is one of them. The New York Times [...]
Review by Israel Drazin Days of Deliverance By Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik Ktav Publishing House, 2007, 224 pages About a dozen volumes were published after Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik’s death (1903-1993) based on writings he did not publish. This one contains five essays on Purim, four on Hanukkah, and one that [...]
By Israel Drazin The following is a brief version of an excerpt from “Beyond the Bible Text” by Rabbi Dr. Stanley Wagner and me that was published in September 2013. We usually put three articles for each biblical portion, generally discussing thought-provoking subjects that people will not find elsewhere. This week’s essay is [...]
By Israel Drazin Maimonides’ Important Idea about Prophecy The following essay is a shortened version from my book Maimonides and the Biblical Prophets Maimonides wrote his philosophical work Guide of the Perplexed in 1190 to disseminate truths as he saw them to fellow Jews who lacked his knowledge. He was [...]
By Israel Drazin Philosophers and thinkers generally reject many religious concepts. There is no religious concept more anathema to them than grace. Grace is commonly understood as God’s free unearned love given generously by a loving deity. It is unearned for there is nothing that people can do to merit God’s [...]
Review by Israel Drazin Rosmersholm By Henrik Ibsen This is one of a many excellent writings that people can acquire for free from sources such as amazon because their copyrights have expired. Many people consider this 1886 play, which still appears in theaters today, Ibsen’s best play. [...]
By Israel Drazin Biblical prophecy does not predict what will be The view of traditional thinkers Most people read the Bible literally without much thought. When the Bible has a prophet say that something will occur, they understand this as a vision from God of what will occur. However, the [...]
Unusual Bible Interpretations Joshua Chapter 2 Scouting Jericho Chapter 2 of Joshua tells a bizarre tale of two spies that Joshua sent to discover whether the Israelite invading forces could conquer the city Jericho, the entry point into Canaan. The story is strange because of a host of reasons. Some [...]
A story about humility By Israel Drazin Dad was exceptionally bright. He knew the entire Torah by heart and if you mentioned a talmudic idea, he could tell you the talmudic tractate and page where it was found. He asked: Judaism, as other religions, teaches that people should [...]
