Forty: A Cord, a Line, a Lot By Jonah Ritter Listening to a teaching on the book of Jonah inspired me to write this blog.

Two Stories, One Book, One God A midrash by Jonah Ritter How many connections do we pass over because we already think we know the

A Story as Old as the Beginning—and as Current as Today By Jonah Ritter Preface Yehuda Meitav creates songs and videos about Jewish life, Israel,

What Pentecost Might Reveal By Jonah DRAFT — WORK IN PROGRESS Two Stories, One Book, One God Preface Imagine animal sacrifices beginning again on the

The God of Israel’s Promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob By Jonah Preface: Does God keep His unconditional promise? That is the underlying question of

Let Me Tell You an Old Story About Israel. By Jonah It begins in an Italian seaside town, where representatives of the victorious Allied powers

Do We Know Who We’re Battling? By Jonah Ritter — October 8, 2026 Preface My previous article, A Moment of Truth, explored the questions that

A Moment of Truth Two Stories, One Book, One God Finding truth in the Scriptures — Jonah What would it mean if animal sacrifices began

BE HAPPY! That’s an order. Especially on Sukkot. The Torah repeatedly commands Israel to rejoice, although “rejoice” is more precise than simply “be happy.” “You

Love, Life, and the Biblical Marriage Arc By Jonah Ritter Abstract Marriage forms one of Scripture’s great unifying arcs. Genesis begins with Adam and Chavah

The Turtle and a Signature An overlooked story of liberty connecting John Wilkes, John Hancock, two turtles—and America’s 45th and 47th president. By Jonah Ritter

The Writing Process Helps You Think When I was in my twenties I had a friend say to me that I should get involved with

Perspective Is Context There are all sorts of ways Islamists and Jews define and see a situation or action differently. Words can frame the same

My Room, My Life And Yom Kippur I started the new Jewish year, 5787, with my first goal: emptying the red room. More than fifteen

A Song Carried Forward Preface I write to think. That is why I blog, and it is how this series began. I was reading Ha’azinu,

What Moses Leaves, and Who Stands Beside Him A follow-up to “Ha’azinu: Listen to the Song. Let the Rock Speak”. In my reflection on Ha’azinu

Ha’azinu: Listen to the Song. Speak to the Rock. How can a song save? Moses’ song preserves words Israel needs to hear and return to.

“And God created man in His own image.” — Genesis 1:27 I love Starry Night. About five years ago I stood in front of it

Abraham’s divided branches and the deeper possibility behind the Abraham Accords The Bible is, among other things, a long family story—a story of lineage, inheritance,

On these “days of assembly” I had a curious thought: might a sign of Yeshua be hidden in the totals of the animal sacrifices listed

Two Sons, Different Destinies The Scripture readings assigned to this day were established centuries before September 11 carried its terrible meaning. They were not chosen

The Shofar Rests Silent on 9/11 Tonight, at sundown, the Sabbath and Rosh Hashanah begin together. Rosh Hashanah means “Head of the Year.” The Hebrew

A Conversation, a Gate and an Unexpected Question When a still, small voice is affirmed three times, I pay closer attention. This time, fittingly, it

What Grace Teaches Us A Study in Two Stories, One Book, One God Preface An old high school friend invited me to dinner. He is

The Long Biblical Arc from Exodus 20:2 to Salvation Preface I believe the Bible is one Book containing two stories about one God—the God of

Before Calvary Was Calvary Two Stories, One Book, One God Preface: An Invitation to Look Again This article does not ask anyone to believe what

The Spirit of Cain and How It Threatens the American Dream   Preface We have shut the Bible out of much of public life—and with

How the Creator Wrote Order into the Heavens—and Invited Us to Enter It “Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands

The Pendulum of Reform and Renewal One of the more fascinating patterns in Jewish history is the way religious movements can swing between structure and