Overzealous in religion is being irreligious[1] Chapter 25 of the book of Numbers narrates the story of Aaron’s grandson Pinchas’ zealous behavior. When the Israelites settled in Shittim, during their forty-year stay in the desert under the rule of Moses, many of them disobeyed God’s command. They accepted the cunning invitation [...]
Did the non-Israelite prophet Baalam exist? There is disagreement in the ancient Jewish sources whether Balaam, the non-Israelite prophet who tried to curse Israel, actually existed, or if he did exist, did parts of the story really happen. Whether he existed or not, there is no consensus as to whether he was [...]
Two holidays that ceased to exist The Talmud[1] states “There never were in Israel greater days of joy than the fifteenth of (of the month of) Ab and the Day of Atonement.” Despite this accolade, both holidays ceased to exist. The joyous biblical holiday of Yom Hakippurim ceased and morphed into sober [...]
A sure weight loss and retention method Undoubtedly diet means a life-time eating habits, and diets should include lots of fruits and vegetables and be supplemented by daily exercise. Everyone knows that. What people seem to have forgotten is the advice of the twelfth century philosopher and physician, a man [...]
An unusual interpretation of Cain and Abel’s sacrifice Most people know no more about the Bible than what they learned as children or what they heard their clergy tell them in a sermon, which was not designed to reveal what the Bible says but some moral lesson the clergy feels the [...]
The prelude to civil war Chapters 19-21 tell how members of the tribe of Benjamin committed egregious breaches of hospitality, how this led to civil war, the virtual destruction of Benjamin, and how after making a vow that could not be annulled Israel saved the tribe from extinction. In chapter 19 a [...]
Weather whistle blower The inventor of the percentage system of predicting the weathermust have had a sense of humor because his or her system of telling us whether or not it will rain by giving us a percentage is a joke. The percentage tells us that when weather experts look at the [...]
The Mystery of the Red Heifer One of the many biblically mandated practices that no longer exists is the law of the red heifer. However, it did morph into another practice today. Chapter 19 in Numbers describes this very curious practice: the selection of a red heifer, its slaughter, and its use [...]
Chapter 18 Part two Abarbanel’s problematical interpretations Abarbanel had many ideas that would bother modern people. He supposed, like Rashi, Nachmanides, and others that God is involved in everything that occurs in this world and sometimes manipulates people, like puppets, to do the divine will. Even grass does not [...]
Chapter 18 The shameful history of Micah’s temple Whether one accepts the notion that chapter 17 was composed to ridicule the temple that King Jeroboam of the northern nation Israel built in Dan[1] or not, it seems that the origin of Micah’s temple is disgraceful, although this is not [...]
Judges 17 The Lawless years The final five chapters of Judges consist of what scholars call two appendices. One deals with the tribe of Dan (chapters 17 and 18) and the last three (18-21) with the tribe of Benjamin. They are called appendices because they do not mention any judges. [...]
Is there a World to Come? Korach and his followers who rebelled against Moses are punished by being swallowed up by the earth and descend alive into “Sheol” (Numbers 16:31–33). The word “Sheol” appears in the Torah previously, in Genesis37:35; 42:38; 44:29, 31. Virtually all Bible commenters, rabbis and scholars, agree that [...]
Archeologists found a stone seal that may prove that Samson is not a legendary figure, but a man who actually existed. [1] The Science Daily of August 13, 2012 reported that archaeologists from Tel Aviv University discovered a circular stone seal in a house in Beth Shemesh, in Israel about 15 millimeters in diameter [...]
Why did Moses send spies if God was helping the Israelites? Shelach (Chapters 13:1–15:41) The plain reading of the Torah text reveals a discrepancy. There are two different accounts concerning the dispatching of spies to reconnoiter Canaan in advance of the impending military offensive to conquer the land during [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
