Judaism

Jewish, Muslim, and Academic Perspectives on Abraham

I’ve been talking about doing a post about Abraham for a long time. People often reference Abraham when talking about things like Joshua’s Unholy War, the Priesthood Ban, or polygamy. Usually the reference is to the sacrifice of Isaac. So, this post is to serve two purposes: (1) to show some different perceptions about the […]

Rachel and Leah: a Modern Perspective

A few months ago, I posted a topic about Marriage Fitness.  This has become my New Year’s resolution.  I went ahead and bit the bullet by purchasing the Lone Ranger course.  The author is Mort Fertel, and he makes no illusions that his method is a quick or easy solution to a better marriage, but […]

The Story of Hanukkah

My little boy is in kindergarten. Along with the normal Christmas decorations he has been working on, he came home with a menorah, the candle Jews use to celebrate Hanukkah. (Now that I’m finally out of school myself, I plan to post more frequently–it was a tough semester.)

Has King Solomon’s Mine been Found?

I came across this article in Newsweek, and archaeologists may have discovered King Solomon’s mine.  This could be a major discovery, and add real evidence to the Biblical references to King Solomon.

Esther lived in Iran

I just finished a book called “DNA & Tradition”, by Rabbi Yaakov Kleiman.  The book discusses evidence of Hebrew DNA, and talks about the science and religion of Judaism.  As part of the discussion, I learned these interesting facts. The oldest diaspora communities are in Assyria, later conquered by Babylonia (now modern-day Iraq) and Persia […]

What’s the difference between Arabs & Persians?

Ok, I will confess that I love learning about the Middle East.  I love learning more about Jews, Muslims, Arabs, etc.  I have so much to learn. I’m a grad student working on some genetic studies (one of my many jobs).  As part of the genetic study we are doing, we have our study participants […]

Joshua’s Unholy War

When most of us hear the word “jihad” or “holy war”, we immediately know that a jihad is not what God wants.  Most of us feel the same when we hear the word “crusade.”  Really, does anyone think God wants people to fight in his name? In the book of Joshua, Joshua claims to be […]

History of Baptism/Mikvah

The history of baptism is quite interesting, and much more complex than most people know. Baptism seems to be related to the ancient Jewish rite called “mikvah”, which was/is used for conversion to Judaism, ritual cleansing (Law of Moses type things, childbirth, women’s menstruation, and other things.) If you go to this link at Wikipedia, […]

DNA and Tradition, Guide for the Perplexed

Ok, the title of my post actually comes from two different books.  The first is called “DNA and Tradition:  The Genetic Link to the Ancient Hebrews“, by Rabbi Yaakov Kleiman.  The rabbi looks into DNA evidence concerning the tribe of Levi, as well as the other lost tribes of Israel. In the introduction to the […]

Does Tablet Predict Christ’s Death and Resurrection?

I came across an article in the NY Times about a tablet dating from before the time of Christ, that “may speak of a messiah who will rise from the dead after three days.”  This would be a major shift in understanding of Jewish thought at the time of Jesus.  The discovery is being called […]