Numbers/Bamidbar 4 – Levites ages 30 to 50 . . .serve in the Sanctuary

[As former Messianics with opportunities to teach Bible, we used to connect many details in the “Old” Testament with the “New” (supposedly updated and not simply a continuation of the former), and particularly the ‘ministry’ of Jesus as the Christian Messiah/Savior/Son-God.   One question we would ask of our students:  “Why do you think Jesus […]

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Numbers/Bamidbar – 5 – No contamination, defilement, impurity in the camp . . – Introduction

[This INTRODUCTION is from Pentateuch & Haftarahs, ed. Dr. J.H. Hertz.]   THE BOOK OF NUMBERS NAME. The oldest name for the fourth book of the Pentateuch is ‘the Fifth of the Musterings’; i.e., that one of the five of Moses which describes the numbering of the Israelites. Later it came to be known by the fourth word in […]

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A Literary Approach to Yahushuwa’/Joshua and Shophtiym/Judges

[When a commentator chooses to lump two books together in one study, there must be good reason.  And that might be because the connection between the two books is established since Shophtiym/Judges demonstrates the immediate albeit unexpected consequences of taking possession of the ‘promised’ Land as narrated in detail in Yahushuwah’/Joshua—-consequences that are quite disappointing […]

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Additional Notes to Leviticus/Wayyiqrah: 4 – The 'golden rule' is of Jewish origin, surprised?

D. THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGBOUR AS THYSELF Leviticus XIX, 18 The ‘Golden Rule’ in Judaism. The world at large is unaware of the fact that this comprehensive maxim of morality –the golden rule of human conduct—was first taught by Judaism.   No less a thinker than John Stuart Mill expressed his surprise that it […]

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