The basic idea of “The Grammar of God” by Aviya Kushner, an interesting and informative book, is that readers of the Hebrew Bible who do not know Hebrew and read only the English translation will generally not know what the Bible is saying. What the Bible states is misrepresented or obscured in the translation, [...]
As seen below translation is a problem throughout the world. Wonderful English from Around the World … In a Bangkok Temple: IT IS FORBIDDEN TO ENTER A WOMAN, EVEN A FOREIGNER, IF DRESSED AS A MAN. Cocktail Lounge, Norway: LADIES ARE REQUESTED NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN IN THE BAR. Doctor's Office, Rome: SPECIALIST IN WOMEN [...]
Rashbam (1085) was the grandson of the famed Bible and Talmud commentators Rashi (1040-1105) and brother to the famed Rabbeinu Tam (1100-1171). Rashbam’s commentary to the Torah is very rational, so much so that the far right modern volume ArtScroll deletes some of his comments. The following is a chapter from my latest book, “Mysteries [...]
When sacrifices were discontinued, the rabbis developed a new idea about Shavuot. They said the holiday commemorates the giving of the Torah. Soon, many Jews began to believe that the Torah contains 613 commandments. What is the origin of this view and is it correct? The following is chapter 23 from my book "Mysteries of [...]
One of our readers sent this joke: The medical community is unable to reach consensus on what to do with America's health insurance situation. - The Allergists were in favor of scratching it, but the Dermatologists advised not to make any rash moves. - The Gastroenterologists had sort of a gut feeling about it, [...]
The following essay is from my book "Mysteries of Judaism" in which I pointed out that all the biblical holidays were changed. In "Mysteries of Judaism II: How the Rabbis and Others Changed Judaism," I describe Maimonides' view that the Torah wanted the Israelites to change what is in the Torah. For example, he writes [...]
What does Malachi actually say? Most people, clerics of all religions and even scholars read the three chapters (in the Christian Bible [...]
I am writing a couple of books about King David. Here is a draft of one chapter. [...]
One of our readers sent me these jokes: Whatever you may look like, marry a man your own age. As your beauty fades, so will his eyesight. Housework can't kill you, but why take a chance? Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing up is like shoveling the sidewalk before it stops [...]
Many Jews turned to the Talmud to discover what the rabbis felt God desired them to do. The problem was that the Talmud was not composed to teach this. The Talmud is a compendium of the views of a host of rabbis on various subjects, but it does not state which view is the [...]
Dr. Israel Drazin’s Newest Book [...]
The following is a chapter from a book I am working on called "The Authentic King Solomon." King Solomon’s mighty deeds in [...]
The following is a draft of a chapter from my forthcoming book "Nachmanides: An Unusual Thinker," which should be published sometime this year The prior chapter examined Nachmanides’ mystical view of God. This chapter looks at his approach to other subjects. Did Nachmanides insist that midrashic tales are not parables, but true facts? Did [...]
Among the many things that I do each week are the reviews that I write for amazon and which I place on amazon. (Since I was a child, I have been unable to do just one thing at a time. For example, I went to Talmudical Academy in Baltimore since kindergarten, including high school, but [...]
My next book, "Nachmanides: An Unusual Thinker," will be published in a few months. It is my most controversial book. Most people have no idea what this great sage actually believed, that he was influenced by mysticism. Most people read what he says but only see what they want to see, or need to see [...]
The following is chapter 8 in my book "Mysteries of Judaism." My followup book "Mysteries of Judaism II: Why the rabbis and others changed Judaism" is arriving in the US within days. If you want either book and agree to write a review and post it on amazon, even if the review is short, I [...]
The following is from my book "Mysteries of Judaism." The book contains many articles such as this one. Why Was The First Passover Different From All Other Passovers? The Israelites’ first Passover, celebrated [...]
The following essay is from my book "Mysteries of Judaism." [...]
I am working on a book analyzing King Solomon. You may be interested in this draft of my tenth chapter [...]
I met the Lubavitcher Rebbe in 1986 and I did what he asked me to do. Since that time, the Lubavitch movement has published the story several times and even made a video. Last month they wanted the story again for another publication. Here is what I wrote. [...]
I posted my review of last week's posting about the film on Hannah Arendt on Amazon and received the following response from JSA which I think is very revealing. In her book on the Eichmann trial, Deborah Lipstadt writes that Eichmann's own memoir "reveals the degree to which Arendt was wrong about Eichmann. It [...]
Hannah Arendt DVD I admit that I was very disappointed with the 113 minute 2013 film about the unusual very controversial ideas of Hannah Arendt about Adolf Eichmann and the 1961 trial that found him guilty of his involvement in the mass murder of some six million Jews and others. Hannah Arendt’s reaction was [...]
This essay is chapter 3 from my book "Maimonides: The Exceptional Mind." [...]
The following is from my third book on Maimonides. Why Do Jews Prefer the Shulchan Arukh to Maimonides’ Code of Law? Maimonides’ fourteen-volume Mishneh Torah was the first, most comprehensive, most readable, and best-organized code of Jewish law. It is [...]
Most people do not know who Judith was and, therefore, are [...]
For the last few days, because of the approach of Purim, I have been posting chapters from my recent book “Unusual Bible Interpretations: Ruth, Esther, and Judith,” in which among a lot of other things, I showed that Judith, in the apocrypha, the book Jewish ancestors decided not to include in the Bible, was more [...]
I am reposting this essay since Purim is coming shortly. My book “Ruth, Esther, and Judith,” tells, among much else, what the biblical book Esther really states, not what people want it to state. It is remarkable how a reading of the biblical text itself without any preconceived notions reveals many things that is [...]
Since the holiday of Purim occurs soon, I thought you might be interested in reading the introduction I wrote to my analysis of the book of Esther in my book "Unusual Bible Interpretations: Ruth, Esther, and Judith." [...]
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