PART 3. JEW OR ISRAELITE
Jacob blessing his sons This is part three of a three part blog article. Links to the other parts are listed at the end. This gets confusing but I think it makes sense in the end.Jacob’s twelve sons became the founders of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, each tribe named after one son-Reuben, Simeon, Levi, […]
PART 2. NO TORAH, NO JEWS
No Tanakh, no Israel and Jews today. Thus, no Jew hatred. Something predates every society, but simply having earlier customs or ancestors does not guarantee the later existence of a particular nation or identity. In the case of the Jews and Israel, while there were people and traditions in the region before the Tanakh (Hebrew […]
LET’S GO FISHING
Note: This post is still in process. It will likely be some time before it is complete. Uncle Kenny and Me (20’s) When I was a young boy, my beloved uncle Kenny, my mother’s twin brother, took me fishing many times. He would rent a tiny wooden rowboat with rickety painted oars that squeeked as […]
PART I. WHY DO WE SAY “ANTISEMITISM?”
This is part one of a three part blog article. Links to the other parts are listed at the end. According to the biblical account in Genesis 10, Noah had three sons and their descendants repopulated the earth after the Flood: Ham, Japheth and Shem.Shem is traditionally considered the ancestor of the Semitic peoples, including […]
לג – 33
First thing this Saturday morning I heard the number 33 mentioned at the start of a sermon. It captured my attention and as much as I tried to focus on the rest of what was said, my mind moved to what the Spirit wanted me to see. This post is about 33. The phrases “thirty […]
MASHAL (משל) — The Wisdom of Solomon
King Solomon also called Jedidiah יְדִידְיָה which is derived from Yedidiah. His names means “beloved of the Lord.” Yedidiah combines “yādid” (meaning “beloved”) with “Yah” (a form of God’s name). He was the successor of his father, King David. Solomon was the penultimate ruler of all Twelve Tribes of Israel under an amalgamated Israel and […]
LAUGHTER
Genesis 17:17 (KJV) — Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? When you think of the word laughter, who comes to mind? It should be Abraham and […]
A MOMENT IN JEWISH HISTORY THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
On Rosh Hashanah, when I hear the shofar’s blasts, I imagine myself at Sinai. When I read the Tenach I like to put myself into the story. I have written many blogs from the perspective of the prophet Jonah. About 2000 years ago, Jews in Jerusalem were faced with almost unimaginable dilemma. A man who […]
WHAT WILL BE DONE?
Yesterday I posted the message above on my Facebook page. It was a question to “the Universe” and I have been waiting for an answer. The question led me subconsciously to a word – Prayer. This morning I am thinking about the word “prayer.” So here I go. Merriam Webster defines “Prayer” as a noun with […]
THE WORD “PASSOVER” ANSWERS PHARAOH
On the evening of the 15th of the Hebrew month of Nisan (ט”ו בְּנִיסָן), Jews around the world celebrate Passover (פֶּסַח). This holiday commemorates the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt after long years of slavery, as described in the biblical book of Exodus. There is so much happening with this holiday, and it would […]