TSTL: “Thus saith the LORD” or perhaps it should be TSTY for “Thus saith YHWH.” Christianity teaches that every person born since the first couple ‘Adam and Eve’ are tainted with “original sin,” a condition that all have inherited like a spiritual DNA. All are helpless and will die with it and be damned […]
Read more[Translation and commentary by EF/Everett Fox, The Five Books of Moses. Additional elected commentary from RA/Robert Alter, and Pentateuch and Haftorahs, ed. Dr. J.H.Hertz, and REF/Richard Elliott Friedman, Commentary on the Torah.] Exodus/Shemoth 1 [REF]The book of Exodus tells the story of the birth of a nation in slavery and ends with the nation’s establishment of its own […]
Read more[Translation: EF/Everett Fox, The Five Books of Moses.] At the conclusion of Genesis 50, Joseph, his brothers and an Egyptian entourage journeyed from Egypt to Canaan to bury Jacob in the cave of the Machpelah field . . . then they returned to Egypt. The brothers then realized that with their father gone, Joseph might still […]
Read moreThis chapter concludes the Book of Beginnings. A commentator noted how gloriously this book began with the Creator speaking “In the beginning . . . “ and how the book sadly ended with this final phrase: “a coffin in Egypt.” Thus ends the story of the patriarchal stage in the formation of a people ‘set […]
Read more[This was referred to in the previous post, Genesis/Bereshith 49 — Genesis/Bereshith 49: Jacob/Israel’s Legacy and Last Farewell: 9 A lion’s whelp, Yehuda- from torn-prey, my son, you have gone up! He squats, he crouches, like the lion, like the king-of-beasts, who dares rouse him up? lion’s whelp. According to the Midrash, the emblem […]
Read more[For gentiles like us to read these blessings, we feel like someone eavesdropping on a phone conversation where we can hear only one side and we don’t know what they’re talking about. What is Jacob referring to in some of these blessings? We don’t dare make bigger fools of ourselves, this is where we defer […]
Read more[As usual, in our thinking aloud while rereading the final chapters in this book of beginnings . . . Here is yet another switching of the younger for the older son in the bestowal of blessing upon the firstborn. As dim as the eyes of Jacob were and even with Joseph’s guidance on which […]
Read more[This is from a former Christian pastor whose teachings to his flock have been shared with Sinaite BAN. He has been a regular contributor, please read his previous posts: Christian Discovers YHWH, Shares “Evidence” Christian Discovers YHWH, Shares “Evidence” – 2 Christian discovers YHWH, Shares “Evidence’ – 3 – A Look Into The New Testament […]
Read more[Unbracketed commentary and chapter title are from Pentateuch and Haftorahs, ed. Dr. J.H. Hertz. An update about this particular commentary in case you, reader, have not read it in previous posts: P&H is a composite/collection of many commentators, and so many names are mentioned . The editor, Dr. Hertz, makes clear that the best of Jewish scholars […]
Read more[This was first posted September 2012; revised and updated for reposting. The first commentary is from S6K discussions of the chapter; additionally we feature three commentaries which overlap sometimes, but complement each other most of the time. Why three (which means more work for admin1)? There is much to learn from all of them even […]
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