Parable: A king had a palace. Beneath his palace, he dug caverns and tunnels in case he and his family should be attacked by an evil army. The evil army does come, but they are soon routed, and they try to hide in the caverns and tunnels beneath the palace. Quickly and easily the king … Continue reading Zohar 68a: Genesis 7:7, “Communities, Repent! And The Shekhinah Will Guard You From The Evil Eye”

A Sonnet based on Mark 9:30-32. 1 “Tell none whence we came this hour today, 2 Still I must teach you my suff’ring to death, 3 The Son of Man’s soon extinguished breath 4 That will be all your trouble on that Day.”   5 How could He, the most holy Son of Man 6 … Continue reading “Tell None Whence We Came This Hour Today”

The stories in the book of Genesis present life or death choices for the patriarchs and matriarchs, but HaShem orchestrates their choices and delivers them from evil. Famine is one life or death scenario. Jacob’s sons had sent Joseph into slavery in Egypt and honestly had no idea if he was still alive. But HaShem … Continue reading Genesis 37-50: Grain And Hope Are Found In Egypt

What is free will when HaShem is all knowing and powerful? I came across a story in the Talmud that gave an entrance to discuss the idea. Page 93a is at large discussing the resurrection of the dead and specifically talking about the righteous who cover for the sins of the less righteous. When Daniel, … Continue reading Bavli Sanhedrin 93a: Where Did Daniel Go?

Some might say, “Brian, you interpret the conversation as an allegory!” Rather, I think it was a staged conversation. Whether the actual conversation happened is not the point. Rabbis often recited staged conversations to illustrate a point (e.g. B. Sanhedrin 91a, Geviha ben Pesisa stories). I think John’s Jewish audience would be familiar with the … Continue reading John 4:4-26: Part 2. Worship In Spirit And Truth