In this Support Team Study, Pesach Feast of Protection, Nehemia Gordon deciphers the ancient Hebrew meaning of the word "Passover". He starts out looking at how the word Pesach is used in the Bible and compares this with how it is interpreted by ancient Jewish sources. Nehemia comes to the shocking conclusion that "Passover" is actually a mistranslation! Continue reading
In this Support Team Study, Passover Letters from the Elephantine Papyri, Nehemia Gordon concludes his conversation with Prof. Bezalel Porten, by delving 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! They also look at evidence of Gentiles in ancient Egypt who kept the Sabbath in fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. Be sure to first watch The Aramaic Name of God and The Ancient Jewish Temple in Elephantine.
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In this episode of Hebrew Voices, Passover Special, Nehemia Gordon and Keith Johnson delve into the story of the exodus, beginning with Ex 12:21. They start off by sharing the time they personally experienced "darkness so dark, it could be felt". Nehemia points out a few examples in the exodus story where we are given background information by way of a flashback and he explain how the Passover sacrifice was brought, who could eat of it and how it should be commemorated today. Keith gets all excited when they come to the part where Yehovah introduces His calendar and Nehemia suggests we be tolerant of our neighbor who may be celebrating the holidays on a different date than ourselves. Nehemia also gives a very quick overview of the three different types of leaven and the extent of the prohibition of leaven on Chag HaMatzot (Passover). Continue reading
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!
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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.”
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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!
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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.
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Karaite Jews have a unique and intriguing way of making Matzah. The recipe was provided by Shoshi Dabach of Jerusalem.
This year (2016), the Biblical date for Passover (The Feast of Unleavened Bread) will begin Saturday night April 23, 2016 at sunset until Saturday night April 30 at sunset.
In this episode of Hebrew Voices, The Renewed Sanhedrin, Nehemia Gordon chats with Professor Hillel Weiss, official spokesperson for the Jerusalem Sanhedrin. Their conversation is recorded near David’s tomb—the strategic meeting place of this Sanhedrin. They begin with an historical overview of the Sanhedrin from each of their own perspectives as well as the perspectives of others.
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