Shabbat
The Sabbath, a Day of Waste?
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz Psalm 29 (The Israel Bible, pp. 1503-1504) is special in a deep way. Even though it is only 11 verses, it contains the name of God 18 times. 18 is an auspicious number in Judaism. The gematria (numerical value)...
The “Great Sabbath”
The Shabbat that precedes Pesach (Passover) is called ‘Shabbat HaGadol’ (the big/great Sabbath). There are several reasons for this. According to Jewish tradition, the first Shabbat HaGadol was the last Shabbat that the Jews were in...
The True Day of Rest
The fourth of the Ten Commandments instructs the Children of Israel to observe Shabbat on the seventh day because God Himself created the world in six days and rested on the seventh (Exodus 20:8-11). This mitzvah (Torah commandment) is...
The Blessing of the New Month
The Shabbat which precedes Rosh Chodesh (new month), the beginning of a Hebrew month, is referred to as Shabbat Mevorchim, or the Shabbat when we bless. On this Shabbat a special prayer is recited after the Torah is read but before the...
The 39 Acts Forbidden on the Sabbath
After the instructions for the Tabernacle are given and right before the actual construction of the Tabernacle begins, Moses gives an incongruous message commanding the Jews to rest on Shabbat (Exodus 35:1-3). In no fewer than 12 places,...
Why Are We Commanded to Both Remember and Observe the Sabbath?
After leaving Egypt and seeing the wonders of God’s greatness at the splitting of the Reed Sea, the Children of Israel prepared themselves for three days to receive the Torah at Mount Sinai. The Torah describes how God descended upon...
Ask Rabbi Tuly: What’s the Difference Between the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament?
Pastor Edward Mwesigwa from Compassion Ministries in Kampala, Uganda asked Rabbi Tuly to explain the difference between the King James Version of the Old Testament and the Jewish or Hebrew Bible. Watch Rabbi Tuly's answer below:...
Ask Rabbi Tuly: How Should Non-Jews Welcome Shabbat? Psalms 95:1
Jews rest on Shabbat, but is there a way for non-Jews to honor and welcome Shabbat? Shari Waller and Lynne Hilton from Hayovel ran into Rabbi Tuly in the Old City of Jerusalem and had a question for a rabbi. Watch Rabbi Tuly's answer...
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 from the rest of the community, as well as those that apply only to the High Priest....
