Bible Basic Hebron Chevron, also known as Kiryat Arba, is a city in the territory of Judah. It is the home of the Cave of Machpelah, where the patriarchs and most of the matriarchs are buried. Abraham’s purchase of the Cave of Machpelah was the first concrete action that established a Jewish connection with a particular site in the Land of Israel. Joshua conquered Hebron during the conquest of the Canaanite kings and gave it to Caleb. Later, Hebron was designated as a Levite city and City of Refuge. After Joshua’s death, the tribe of Judah re-conquered Hebron. King David was told by God to move to Hebron, where he reigned for seven years before moving to Jerusalem. In less happy news, Absalom started his revolt against his father, King David, in Hebron. Absalom’s rebellion failed. Read More
Bible Basic Jordan River The Israelites crossed the Jordan River to conquer Jericho after spending 40 years in the desert. Judges Jephthah and Gideon both engaged in wars at the Jordan River. King Solomon located his brassworks along the River, which was a wooded area. Later, Elijah ascended in the presence of Elisha near the Jordan River. Read More
Bible Basic Shechem Shechem is the first place Abraham stopped after leaving Haran and traveling to Canaan. There, God promised Abraham that the land would be given to his descendants. Jacob purchased part of the city and later gave it as a special gift to his son Joseph. When the Children of Israel entered the Land of Israel, they buried Joseph’s bones in Shechem. Read More
Post Saul’s Failure and Bibi’s Decision: The Future of Gaza Soon after Bibi Netanyahu was elected to his fifth term as prime minister, journalist Bari Weiss asked him to name his favorite biblical character. Netanyahu replied with a fascinating answer:… Read More
Bible Basic Phinehas Phinehas was the grandson of Aaron the High Priest. He was appointed to the priesthood after he ended a plague by killing an Israelite prince and Midianite princess who were having forbidden relations. Phineas bravely stood up to stop a plague, for which God awarded him with the covenant of peace. He was later appointed as the priest to prepare soldiers for war, and served as one of the spies who scouted out the city of Jericho. After conquering the Land of Israel, he served as the priest in the city of Bet-El. Read More
Post The Portion of Devarim This portion marks the beginning of the final book of the Torah. After leading the Children of Israel valiantly through the desert for forty years, Moses prepares to part from… Read More
Post The Portion of Emor The portion of Emor continues many of the same themes found thus far in the book of Leviticus. It expands upon the laws of the priest which set him apart… Read More
Post Grab a Wife and Find Joy! “Awake, awake, O Zion! Clothe yourself in splendor; put on your robes of majesty, Jerusalem, holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean shall never enter you again” (Isaiah 52:1)…. Read More
Post The Welcoming Idolater As I read the story of Micah and his idol, I was bowled over by this man’s sheer audacity. According to Jewish tradition, Micah established a house of idolatry a… Read More
Post The Dramatic Paradox of the Hebrew New Year When I first started my journey toward “being religious”, I was concerned about the prayers on Rosh Hashana. During the rest of the year, we bow at the waist while… Read More