Monthly Archives: March 2009

Live Beginner’s Hebrew Class April 14

Posted on March 31, 2009 by Derek Leman

A friend is leading an online class for 45 minutes and for only $5 on April 14. I am giving a online class for $5 from Currclick.com- April 14, 4:30pm central time/ 5:30 Eastern. Folks will have read dozens of … Continue reading →

Posted in Messianic Jewish | 3 Comments

Understanding the Passover Haggadah: Part 5

Posted on March 31, 2009 by Derek Leman

This is the first new installment in this series since March 17 (sorry). Still, at least 50% of my posts since then have all been about the Haggadah. It’s just that I should finish what I started. In parts 3 … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christian, Holidays, Judaism, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Passover, Replacement Theology, Supersessionism, Talmud and Tradition | 1 Comment

The Rabbis of the Passover Haggadah

Posted on March 30, 2009 by Derek Leman

It is a curious fact that many of the stories in the Passover Haggadah are not from ancient Israel and not from the time of Israel’s exodus and wilderness wandering. Many are from the second century and the emerging Judaism … Continue reading →

Posted in Holidays, Judaism, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Passover, Talmud and Tradition | 6 Comments

Reading Revelation

Posted on March 27, 2009 by Derek Leman

I’ve been teaching Revelation at my congregation since the beginning of the year. We skipped over chapters 2 and 3 because a few years ago I did a long series on them. I have been presenting with Keynote slide shows. … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible | 1 Comment

Passover and Yeshua’s Crucifixion

Posted on March 25, 2009 by Derek Leman

When I first began seeking sources, people and articles and books, on the Jewish background of Yeshua’s life, I ran into numerous articles and conversations to the effect that Good Friday is a myth. Looking back now, I realize the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christian, Holidays, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Passover, Resurrection, Yeshua | 69 Comments

Shabbat as a Spiritual Discipline

Posted on March 24, 2009 by Derek Leman

There is an old formula about the Sabbath (Shabbat) that comes from the two primary commands of the scriptures about it: remember it (Exod. 20:8) and keep it (Exod. 31:14). We keep it or observe it on Shabbat and we … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Judaism, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Sabbath, Spirituality | Leave a comment

A Passover Poem (Reprint)

Posted on March 23, 2009 by Derek Leman

Last year, I posted a poem I wrote about Passover. The poem considers the Passover story from the point of view of the women, coping with death and life and the journey. It is analogous to Deborah’s song in Judges … Continue reading →

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A Quote I Like About the Mystery of the Passover Haggadah

Posted on March 22, 2009 by Derek Leman

Today I did an internet search for a rare 1942 Haggadah with an introduction by Louis Finkelstein (1895-1991) who is regarded as the leading light in the development of Conservative Judaism in America. I had read about his introduction in … Continue reading →

Posted in Messianic Jewish | 2 Comments

Affordable, Practical Ebooks for Learning to Read Hebrew

Posted on March 20, 2009 by Derek Leman

How important is it to learn to read the Bible in its original languages? Maybe you think it is beyond you. I assure you, it is not. All you need is the desire and enough discipline to have a little … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism | 2 Comments

Plotzing Along, Trashing the Bible

Posted on March 19, 2009 by Derek Leman

Good Book: The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvelous, and Inspiring Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible Author: David Plotz. Harper, 2009. David Plotz is the editor at slate.com and there is much to appreciate about … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism | 1 Comment

Revelation 7, Israel, the Church, and Tabernacles

Posted on March 18, 2009 by Derek Leman

Last week I lamented the unfortunate conclusions Grant Osborne came to in his otherwise excellent commentary on Revelation. Like many other commentators, he reads Israel out of Revelation. Israel shows up in Revelation in four places: chapters 7, 11, 12, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christian, Derek's Writings, Gentiles, Judaism, Life to Come, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Prophets, Replacement Theology, Supersessionism, Theology | 3 Comments

Understanding the Passover Haggadah, Part 4

Posted on March 17, 2009 by Derek Leman

This is a continuation from Part 3 about understanding the Maggid section of the Haggadah. The Laban the Aramean Section This is one of the most difficult sections of the Haggadah to understand. And the difficulty most readers have interpreting … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Holidays, Judaism, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Passover, Talmud and Tradition | Leave a comment

Understanding the Passover Haggadah, Part 3

Posted on March 16, 2009 by Derek Leman

In “Understanding the Passover Haggadah, Part 1,” I explained a few confusing elements of the Haggadah, such as the fact that it is more about Deuteronomy 26:5-10 than the Exodus narrative. This insight alone gets us a long way toward … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Holidays, Judaism, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Passover, Talmud and Tradition, Torah | Leave a comment

Kings, Bad Reading, Good Reading

Posted on March 13, 2009 by Derek Leman

I have recently returned to my first love in terms of theology and Biblical studies. That is, I decided to return to me former specialization in Hebrew Bible (what Christians call the Old Testament). It was my concentration in undergraduate … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism | 1 Comment

Revelation’s 144,000 and Grant Osborne’s Commentary

Posted on March 12, 2009 by Derek Leman

I have been reading with profit Grant Osborne’s commentary on Revelation in the Baker Exegetical series. I have worked my way through four commentaries on Revelation and like this one the best overall. And in spite of what I am … Continue reading →

Posted in Messianic Jewish | 3 Comments

Passover and the Last Supper, Part 3

Posted on March 11, 2009 by Derek Leman

What are we to make of the seeming contradiction between the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) and the Fourth Gospel regarding the nature of the Last Supper and the timing of Yeshua’s crucifixion? The synoptics clearly regard the Last Supper … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christian, Holidays, Judaism, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Passover, Yeshua | 9 Comments

Passover and the Last Supper, Part 2

Posted on March 10, 2009 by Derek Leman

Having concluded that the synoptics clearly and without equivocation represent the Last Supper as a Passover Seder, we turn our attention to the Passion narrative in John. If it were not for John’s account there would be no debate and … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christian, Holidays, Judaism, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Passover, Yeshua | 4 Comments

Passover and the Last Supper, Part 1

Posted on March 9, 2009 by Derek Leman

This is the time of year that I think mostly about Passover. I study the Haggadah, its history of development and the meaning of its parts, and prepare to lead a Seder in my home and then one for my … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christian, Holidays, Judaism, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Passover, Talmud and Tradition, Yeshua | 6 Comments

Purim: The Hidden Miracle

Posted on March 6, 2009 by Derek Leman

Purim is almost here, the holiday commemorating the story of Esther, Mordecai, King Ahasuerus (Xerxes), and that hatable villain, Haman. In 2009 the commemoration begins at dawn on Monday, March 9, with a fast from dawn until dusk. In the … Continue reading →

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The Truth About Divine Judgment

Posted on March 4, 2009 by Derek Leman

They said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, because the great day of their … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Faith, Life to Come, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Theology | 2 Comments

Understanding the Passover Haggadah: Part 2

Posted on March 2, 2009 by Derek Leman

If you haven’t already, I recommend you read “Understanding the Passover Haggadah: Part 1.” …………………………………………. So you want to lead a Passover Seder and you get your Haggadah out and it’s all Greek to you (okay, actually Hebrew). It’s long. … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian, Holidays, Judaism, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Passover | Leave a comment

A Church Tests Its Compassion

Posted on March 2, 2009 by Derek Leman

A pastor disguised himself as a homeless drunk to test his church’s compassion. Very cool: http://www.kltv.com/global/story.asp?s=9849830

Posted in Messianic Jewish | 2 Comments

Tradition: A Fictional Dialogue

Posted on March 2, 2009 by Derek Leman

The following dialogue is a sort of response to Geoff Robinson, who commented on my last blog post about the myth of being pro-Jewish while remaining anti-Judaism: You are confusing ordained means with something good in and of itself. Islam … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian, Judaism, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Talmud and Tradition, Torah | 13 Comments