8 11, 2019

Was Isaac angry that Abraham tried to kill him?

By |2019-11-08T10:36:18-07:00November 8th, 2019|Thoughts|

Many people are convinced that Isaac was angry with his father Abraham because he lied to him when he said that the two were going on a trip to offer a sacrifice to God, implying that the sacrifice would be an animal, and that Abraham tied him up on top of a stone altar, planned [...]

17 10, 2018

Difficulties with the Akedah story explained

By |2018-10-17T04:01:41-07:00October 17th, 2018|Book Reviews, Thoughts|

    The thrust of Soren Kierkegaard’s 1843 influential book “Fear and Trembling” is long reflections on Abraham’s near sacrifice of his son Isaac, a story told in Genesis 22.[1] Kierkegaard concludes from his analysis that Abraham represents the prototype of faith, for he showed faith when he was willing to obey God’s command to [...]

12 10, 2018

Fascinating ideas of Arnold Ehrlich on Noah and Abraham

By |2018-10-12T06:37:29-07:00October 12th, 2018|Thoughts|

             The great scholar Arnold Ehrlich (1848-1919) authored Mikra Kipheshuto, “The Bible Literally,” in three Hebrew volumes.[1] His ideas are frequently unconventional, even untraditional – for example, he denied that Kings David and Solomon ever existed – yet his ideas are generally very intelligent and thought provoking. The following are [...]

16 11, 2016

The theology of Rabbi Soloveitchik

By |2016-11-16T14:15:31-07:00November 16th, 2016|Book Reviews, Thoughts|

  Abraham’s Journey: Reflections on the Life of the Founding Patriarch By Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik   This is one of more than a dozen posthumous writings assembled, edited, and published by The Toras Horav Foundation based on writings collected from various sources by the famed Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik (1903-1993). This volume contains ten [...]

23 10, 2016

Soren Kierkegaard’s mistake about “faith”

By |2016-10-23T04:42:14-07:00October 23rd, 2016|Book Reviews, Thoughts|

  The thrust of Soren Kierkegaard’s 1843 influential book “Fear and Trembling” is long reflections on Abraham’s near sacrifice of his son Isaac, a story told in Genesis 22. Kierkegaard concludes from his analysis that Abraham represents the prototype of faith, for he showed faith when he was willing to obey God’s command to sacrifice [...]

6 07, 2015

One of the Oldest Law Codes in the World

By |2015-07-06T05:01:21-07:00July 6th, 2015|Thoughts|

                                                         One of the Oldest Law Codes in the World   Hammurabi, king of Babylon is the author of one of the oldest code of law that is in our hands today. Scholars differ in dating Hammurabi and his Code. Many think he ruled for 42 years between 1792 and 1750 BCE. They date the [...]

26 10, 2014

The patriarchs were humans

By |2014-10-26T06:17:16-07:00October 26th, 2014|Thoughts|

                                                                 The patriarchs were humans    The first book in my new series “Unusual Bile Interpretations,” on the “Five Books of Moses,” was published in Israel last week. I finished the next two, on the biblical books Joshua and Judges, and they will be published in upcoming months. I am currently working on a [...]

20 10, 2013

Chayei Sarah – conflicting accounts, magic, marriage, love

By |2013-10-20T04:28:19-07:00October 20th, 2013|Thoughts|

  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. [...]

30 08, 2013

Can a place be holy?

By |2013-08-30T00:32:22-07:00August 30th, 2013|Thoughts|

                                            By Israel Drazin                                          Obviously, most people will answer “yes”; but is this a proper answer? If a church or synagogue or mosque is holy, when does the holiness enter the building: when the last stone is placed? Does earth change in one instance from dirt to holy ground? Can a man or woman [...]

23 04, 2013

Soloveitchik’s view of Abraham and Judaism

By |2013-04-23T04:50:14-07:00April 23rd, 2013|Book Reviews|

Abraham’s Journey Reflections on the Life of the Founding Patriarch By Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik Ktav Publishing House, 2008, 224 pages ISBN 978-1-60280-004-5   This is the ninth of so-far eleven posthumous writings assembled, edited, and published by The Toras Horav Foundation based on writings collected from various sources by the famed Rabbi Joseph B. [...]

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