Edward F. Campbell, Jr. Ruth The Anchor Bible Reviewed by Israel Drazin Doubleday, 1975, 188 pages The biblical book Ruth is one of the most delightful books of the Bible. Jews read its four short chapters, totaling only 85 sentences, entirely each year in synagogues during the holiday of Shavuot, known in English [...]
Chapter 1 Sarah Shendel wanted to be Jewish Six year old Sarah Shendel wanted to be Jewish. This is something she always wanted, ever since she was a child. Sarah Shendel’s father and two brothers were Jewish, but her mother Chisha Malka was not. Sarah Shendel had no [...]
Why was the first Passover different from all other Passovers? By Israel Drazin The Israelites’ first Passover, celebrated in Egypt just prior to the exodus and described in Exodus 12:1-11, was radically different from the Torah mandated holiday observed after the exodus. Exodus 12, which describes the Egyptian ceremony, raises many [...]
Conversations about Maimonides With Israel Drazin In view of the anniversary of Moses Maimonides’ death on December 27, 2010 – he died in 1204, 806 years ago – a reader of Dr. Israel Drazin’s four books on Maimonides asked him the following questions. Question: People say about Maimonides that “from Moses to Moses there was none [...]
