In The Original Torah Pearls, Lech Lecha (Genesis 12:1-17:27), we revel in the extraordinary drama of Abraham’s epic: a call from heaven, famine, war, plagues, dreadful and great darkness, bisected animals, flaming torches, battles with vultures, sister wives and kings. Then the cliffhanger—the God-who-sees promises to make an everlasting covenant with a yet-to-be-conceived son, and to make him the father of 12 princes.
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In this episode of Hebrew Voices, Looking Under the Hood of a Torah Scroll: Part 1, Nehemia and research assistant Nelson Calvillo launch a series on the oldest (nearly) complete surviving Torah. They unpack Nehemia’s lecture at the World Congress of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem presented to the top scholars in the field of Biblical Studies. In part 1, they discuss the background of the scroll and its significance, the ways in which it’s been damaged and preserved, and the marks and lines the scribes used to write it.
In this episode of Prophet Pearls, Isaiah 54:1-55:5, Nehemia Gordon and Keith Johnson revel in the glorious promises to Israel and explore the various ways the Tanakh allegorizes her: as a barren and abandoned woman, a maidservant, a slave, an owned animal, and yet, wholly and eternally a beloved wife. Original language brings insight to the following words: “foaming” anger, Yehovah of “hosts,” mercy, kibbutz, and “brief” moment. Despite differing views on some issues, Gordon and Johnson stand firmly on common ground concerning the messianic promise as Yehovah connects his eternal covenant with Israel to the seed of David.
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In this episode of The Original Torah Pearls, Noach (6:9-11:32), the trio discusses the following questions and more: While Noah was a righteous man—relatively speaking—what spiritual disease was the rest of the world infected with? Is doing what comes naturally the best answer for our bad selves? Does the post-flood diet really include the “all”-you-care-to eat buffet? What was the sign of the curse and what is the sign of the covenant? When the whole earth spoke one language, what language was it? What are the implications of the 70 nations that sprung from Noah’s three sons? In closing, Gordon discusses the belief that Adam was a Talmudic scholar as well as other historical views concerning what we knew and when we knew it.
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In this episode of Hebrew Voices, The Truth About the Seven Noachide Laws, Nehemia Gordon talks about how the Noachide Laws are actually a Rabbinic construct, how in-fact we see in Isaiah 56 that there is one law for the native born and the sojourner, and the incredible number of people around the world who are joining themselves to Yehovah. Daniel wrote: “I really appreciate you explaining the origins of these noachide laws. Blessings to you Nehemia!!!” Continue reading
In this episode of Hebrew Voices, What is the Sacred Name of God?, Bible Scholar Dr. Nehemia Gordon gives an interview at the World Congress of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. Nehemia answers the most common questions about the sacred name of God, the available Hebrew evidence regarding the Name and its meaning, and the linguistic connection between “Yehovah” and the name “Yeshua.”
In this episode of Hebrew Voices, A Physicist on Creation, Evolution, and the Human Soul, Nehemia Gordon continues a conversation with orthodox Jewish physicist Dr. Gerald Schroeder. Because modern Bible commentators tend to bend the Bible to match science, Schroeder studied Nachmanides which led him to see no discrepancy between six days of creation and 14 billion years of evolution. While religious minds grapple with the concept of time compression, Schroeder claims it is elementary stuff to physicists—and all a matter of perspective.
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In this episode of Prophet Pearls, Nehemia Gordon and Keith Johnson discuss the Prophets portion for Bereshit covering Isaiah 42:5-43:10. After a quick tutorial on the origin of the Haftarah, we learn that the Prophets aren't the golden oldies; their writings are as relevant as ever and more current than our news feeds. Nehemia Gordon and Keith Johnson explore the original context in which this portion was written, followed by the context in 168 BCE when this passage was first read aloud in the synagogue, and finally the context in September 2014 when Netanyahu spoke the holy words of Isaiah to the United Nations. In addition to parsing key words from the portion, Gordon and Johnson answer the following: What service did the Jews provide to the ancient Roman Empire? And since the Creator refers to himself in so many wonderful ways, would he really name himself, “Lord”? In closing, Gordon and Johnson remind us that while God’s one and only name may have been lost for generations, he did not lose ours—he calls every one of his covenant people by name.
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In this episode of Hebrew Gospel Pearls, Haters and Heretics, Oh My!, Nehemia and Keith, discuss the Torah perspective on “social justice,” provide a short history of a blessing designed to keep believers of Yeshua out of the synagogues, and unveil the Messianic allusions behind a small coin.
On Chag Ha-Sukkot, Feast of Booths (Tabernacles) we are commanded to build a Sukkah (Booth) using as building materials the "4 species" listed in Lev 23:40. Rabbinical tradition teaches that a bundle of these building materials must be ritually waved in the air during the festival. Continue reading