Judah
Judah or Joseph: Will the Real Hero Please Stand Up

Judah or Joseph: Will the Real Hero Please Stand Up

By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz I love kitsch spaghetti westerns. While I can finish an entire bucket of popcorn in the first half of the movie, my favorite part is the showdown: the classic face-to-face shootout that pits two men against each...

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Sheol: The Grave or so Much More?

Sheol: The Grave or so Much More?

The meeting between Joseph and Judah was fraught with import for all present, but also impacted the house of Jacob and all the future generations of Israel to come. But Judah is concerned for his father, stating that if they return...

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Two Sticks, One Kingdom

Two Sticks, One Kingdom

The Torah portion of Vayigash (Genesis 44:18-47:27) completes the story of Joseph’s slavery in Egypt. The story culminates in a dramatic meeting between Judah and Joseph, ending in revelation and reconciliation. Jacob’s household...

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The Showdown Between Joseph and Judah

The Showdown Between Joseph and Judah

The portion of Vayigash describes the pivotal showdown between Joseph and his older brother Judah. The meeting between the long-separated siblings is far from a pleasant reunion. Joseph appears to Judah as Zaphnath-Paaneah, the second...

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The Truth about the Hasmonean Dynasty

The Truth about the Hasmonean Dynasty

The Hanukkah story is clearly one of conflict, pitting the underdog Judeans against the powerful Seleucids and King Antiochus IV. The Judeans were also up against their Hellenized brethren who actively sought to end the Temple service and...

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What is the Book of Maccabees?

What is the Book of Maccabees?

The Book of Maccabees is a collection of four volumes that recount the history of the Maccabees, the leaders of the Jewish rebellion against the Syrian king, Antiochus Epiphanes, and the Seleucid dynasty. They do not appear in the Jewish...

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Are twins double the trouble in the Bible?

Are twins double the trouble in the Bible?

The narrative of Joseph's descent into Egypt is put aside for one chapter as the Torah relates the unusual story of the levirate marriage between Judah and his daughter-in-law Tamar. This unusual union resulted in twins and, similar to...

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What is unique about Benjamin?

What is unique about Benjamin?

Benjamin was Jacob’s only son born in the holy land, coincidentally right after Jacob’s name was changed to Israel. Rachel named her second son with her dying breath ‘Ben-oni’ (בֶּן־אוֹנִי). The Sages explain the name as meaning ‘son of...

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