One of my earliest childhood memories was Sukkot of 1976, when I was 3.5 years old. I remember sitting in the family Sukkah, looking up through the branches that formed the roof, at the clouds as they whisked across the sky. We lived in a 17-story condominium and there was no obvious place to build a Sukkah. My father (of blessed memory), an Orthodox rabbi, asked permission to build a Sukkah in his designated parking space. When his request was turned down by the condominium board, my mother came up with the idea of building our Sukkah on the back of a U-Haul trailer. Continue reading
Category Archives: Holidays
Shavuot Feast of Oaths (Preview)
Aside
This is a special preview of Nehemia Gordon's Support Team Study, Shavuot Feast of Oaths. In this study, Nehemia shares a life-changing experience he had in China and how that caused him to re-evaluate a 2,200 year old interpretation found in the Book of Jubilees. Sunrise wrote: “Thank you Nehemia, really enjoyed listening to this audio and looking forward to celebrating Feasts of Oaths from now on.”
Continue readingPreview of Passover Letters from the Elephantine Papyri
This is a special preview of the Support Team Study, Passover Letters from the Elephantine Papyri, in which Nehemia Gordon and Prof. Bezalel Porten delve into a series of Jewish letters written in southern Egypt in the 5th century BCE. They discover that the earliest reference to Passover outside the Bible is an Aramaic letter dealing with the same problem we face today - when to do Passover and look at evidence of Gentiles in ancient Egypt who kept the Sabbath in fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. After you watch the preview, be sure to watch the full in-depth Support Team Study of Passover Letters from the Elephantine Papyri!
Continue readingHebrew Voices #57 – The Chinese Discover Hanukkah
In this episode of Hebrew Voices, The Chinese Discover Haunukkah, Nehemia Gordon explains how he found himself teaching about Hanukkah, Christmas, and the ban on the Name, to hundreds of atheist high school students in China.
Diana wrote: “Loved the stories that Nehemia shared...could have listened for hours more.”
Continue readingSupport Team Study – The Ancient Hebrew Roots of Hanukkah
In this Support Team Study, The Ancient Hebrew Roots of Hanukkah, Bible Scholar Nehemia Gordon discusses the true history and Hebrew roots of Hanukkah before it was hijacked by ancient rabbis wanting to subjugate the Jewish people under their authority. The original Hanukkah was a celebration of a miraculous military victory and the audacity of faithful Jews to stand against man-made rules and regulations. It's no surprise that the rabbis saw a need to obfuscate the original message of this national Jewish Day of Joy and re-cast it as a reminder of their self-appointed power. It's time to reclaim Hanukkah for Yehovah and stand against the ban of the rabbis and the ancient Greeks alike!
Continue readingHebrew Voices #38 – How Long Were the Israelites in Egypt
In Hebrew Voices, How Long Were the Israelites in Egypt, Nehemia Gordon tackles the age-old conundrum of how to count 400 years. Burnice wrote: “Wow. Thank you for clarifying this.”
Continue readingHebrew Voices #68 – An Early Christian Passover (Rebroadcast)
In this episode of Hebrew Voices, An Early Christian Passover, Nehemia Gordon continues his fascinating discussion with Prof. Shaye Cohen of Harvard University. This time, the two focus on a Christian Church Father named Melito of Sardis, who in the second century, wrote a prayer service or sermon, for a Christian Passover. This leads Gordon and Cohen to discuss the differences and similarities between Easter, Pascha and Passover, what each commemorated, and when each of these holidays were observed by different historical groups. Be sure to also listen to Part 1 - Was the Last Supper a Passover Seder!
Continue readingSupport Team Study – Guess Who’s Coming to Seder
In this Support Team Study, Guess Who's Coming to Seder, Nehemia Gordon shares how a Passover Seder when he was eight marked his life and ministry. This Passover experience was a seed that grew and eventually opened a crack in his Litvak intellectualism. It allowed me to recognize that true spiritual encounters can be real, powerful, and life changing. But we need to have discernment between true encounters with our creator, emotional manipulation from others, or from “demonic” deception. While I don't have all the answers, I know what Scripture says—all authentic spiritual experiences must line up with Torah—and I hope this study begins a fruitful dialogue. Please share your thoughts and ideas (along with verses) in the comments—after listening to the study.
Continue readingInformation Unleashed – Nehemia Gordon (Open Door Series – Part 13)

In Part 13 of The Open Door Series, Nehemia Gordon explains how the Hebrew Roots of Hanukkah reveal the origin of the pagan ban on God's holy name. Learn how Judah the Maccabee ignored the noise of the multitudes, to stand against the ban and reclaim the true miracle of this holiday by proclaiming His eternal name! Get ready for Information Unleashed! This episode is available as a video and as a podcast.
Michael wrote: "I called on God for years not knowing His real name and He answered my heart's desire to have a relationship with Him. I now do call on Him by His Hebrew name and my life has changed."
Continue readingThe Yom Kippur Jazz Singer
One Yom Kippur I watched a great movie, the original 1927 film The Jazz Singer. This was the first "talkie," containing several scenes with sound, although most of it was still silent. The second “talking” scene in the movie - actually, the second non-silent scene in movie history - features a Jewish cantor singing Kol Nidre, a famous Yom Kippur prayer in Aramaic. This alone makes the movie worth watching. Just imagine an American audience in 1927. The first time they see a "talking" movie. And it’s a Rabbi singing a Jewish prayer in Aramaic! Continue reading






