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Category Archives: Talmud and Tradition
Set Blog-Readers to “Add”
Okay, not quit the Trekkie pun I’d hoped for (“set phasers to stun”). But Rabbi Carl Kinbar has a new blog. And while Midrash Etc. was on the academic side, his new MJ-Learning Blog will be on the educational side. … Continue reading
Posted in Education, Talmud and Tradition
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Mysteries of Rosh Hashanah
It’s a day of shofar blowing, but the Bible never mentions a shofar. Strictly speaking, the whole association with shofars may be completely post-biblical. It’s a day of remembrance, but we don’t know of what. It’s a day of a … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, Holidays, Judaism, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Talmud and Tradition
Tagged Joseph Rosenstein, Machzor Eit Ratzon, Rosh HaShanah
2 Comments
Another Midrash on Lamentations
Every morning we translate sections of Eichah Rabbah (Lamentations Rabbah) at the summer intensive class in L.A. I am taking through MJTI (mjti.com). Lamentations is my kind of book. I believe that life has a hard edge to it and … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, Faith, Judaism, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Talmud and Tradition
Tagged Midrash, Rabbinic Literature
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Pt 2, A Consoling and Disturbing Midrash for People of Faith
In Part 1 (day before yesterday), I gave a prelude to a midrashic parable which I will share with you today. It is a parable explaining, in a very narrative way, a possible meaning of Lamentations 3:21. It’s not just … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, Faith, Judaism, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Talmud and Tradition, Theology, Torah
Tagged David Stern, Midrash, Parables, Rabbinic Literature
1 Comment
J-BOM: The Promise, Pt 1
Shalom, lovers of Jewish books (or potential lovers of Jewish books). J-BOM is the Jewish Book of the Month club, a reading of Jewish books together started by a cadre of Messianic Jewish bloggers and filling the minds of scores … Continue reading
Posted in Book Reviews, Faith, Judaism, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Talmud and Tradition, Theology
Tagged Chaim Potok, J-BOM
1 Comment
Pt 1, A Consoling and Disturbing Midrash for People of Faith
Shouldn’t we be more disturbed by the absence of God in this world? I’m not denying God’s providence or that he dwells amongst the people of Israel and the followers of Yeshua in various mystical ways. But I am affirming … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Talmud and Tradition
Tagged David Stern, Midrash, Parables, Rabbinic Literature
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Midrashes on Messiah
FFOZ’s latest journal, Messiah Journal 104 is now available and has some very important articles for our community. To subscribe to Messiah Journal, go here. One thing I hope you will read is my own review of Richard Harvey’s important … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, FFOZ, Judaism, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Talmud and Tradition, The Messiah
Tagged Aaron Eby, Midrash, Rabbinic Literature, Yalkut Shimoni
2 Comments
J-BOM: Elisha ben Abuya, Pt 2
Our Jewish Book of the Month is As a Driven Leaf by Milton Steinberg. It is the story of Elisha ben Abuya, the tragic heretic, much beloved as a member of the Sanhedrin, a disciple of R. Joshua and the … Continue reading
J-BOM: Elisha ben Abuya, Part 1
Our book of the month selection (J-BOM) this month is As a Driven Leaf by Milton Steinberg. It is a page-turner and not a difficult book (as some of the others have been). The story is from the pages of … Continue reading
J-BOM: The Ethical and Wise Path
J-BOM stands for Jewish Book of the Month Club and is a term coined by young MJ blogger Yahnatan Lasko for a movement of bloggers and readers working through great Jewish books together. The April selection is Visions of the … Continue reading
Posted in ethics, Judaism, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Talmud and Tradition
Tagged Abraham Twerski, J-BOM, Pirkei Avot
14 Comments
The Problem of Christian Rabbinic Mythology
It’s a problem. The cause of the problem is at least partially motivated by something good: the desire to recapture the lost Jewishness of the New Testament, of Jesus, of Paul, and of Christianity. You hate to say something critical … Continue reading
Posted in Christian, Judaism, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Talmud and Tradition
Tagged E.P. Sanders, Shaye Cohen
11 Comments
Ezekiel, Some Rabbinic Stories
Ezekiel and rabbinic literature have something in common: they both have a reputation for being difficult. There is some truth to this perception. I don’t think Ezekiel makes the best reading material for beginners. Ezekiel is also mentioned in a … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Talmud and Tradition
Tagged Ezekiel, Rabbinic Literature
2 Comments
Shavuot (Pentecost): Preparing to Celebrate
In my 2008 book, Feast, written to help Christians understand the holidays of the Bible and gain appreciation for Jewish traditions, I led into the Shavuot chapter with a little anecdote from the early days of our marriage. We lived … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, Christian, Derek's Writings, Holidays, Judaism, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Talmud and Tradition
Tagged Pentecost, Shavuot
4 Comments
Understanding the Passover Haggadah: Part 5
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
The Rabbis of the Passover Haggadah
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
Understanding the Passover Haggadah, Part 4
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
Understanding the Passover Haggadah, Part 3
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
Passover and the Last Supper, Part 1
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
Tradition: A Fictional Dialogue
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
Martians and the Myth of Tradition-Less Religion
From several quarters I have felt the press of this issue in the past few days. A commenter on Messianic Jewish Musings said that a certain piece of Jewish tradition was “a violation of the commandment not to add to … Continue reading
Understanding the Passover Haggadah: Part 1
So, you want to celebrate Passover in a traditional way. You pick up a Haggadah, a Passover manual, and you think it will be simple. Passover is a ritual meal with a few symbolic foods and the story from Exodus, … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, Holidays, Judaism, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Passover, Talmud and Tradition, Torah
3 Comments
Review: The Commentators’ Bible: Exodus
The Commentators’ Bible: Exodus by Michael Carasik, 2005, Jewish Publication Society. This book is so beautifully bound and laid out, not to mention well-edited and conceived, that I would count it a tragedy if the other four volumes never make … Continue reading
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