Shalom Rav Blog

TORAH STUDY MATERIAL FOR PARSHAT HAYYEI-SARAH Genesis 23:1-25:18 November, 26 2016

Posted on December 4, 2016
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This material focuses on the first appearance of Rebekah in Genesis 24:10-61. How she appears and how she acts tells the reader a great deal about her character and what she will be like later in the Torah. study-material-for-parshat-hayyei-sarah2-11-26-2016

Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls Lecture 4 11 17 2016

Posted on December 2, 2016
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First discovered in 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) are one of the greatest archaeological finds ever made. Despite decades of research there are still a number of questions about the scrolls and their authors which have never been definitively answered. The most interesting and most basic question is: Who wrote the DSS? Were they Continue Reading »

From Big Bang to Omega Point: Jewish Responses to Recent Theories in Modern Cosmology Conservative Judaism, Vol. 49 No. 4,1997

Posted on November 23, 2016
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Over the last half century, there has been a revolution in scientific cosmology. Astronomical discoveries, as well as advances in theoretical physics, have produced a verification of the major hypothesis of the origin of the universe: the Big Bang theory. The Big Bang theory has produced not only a vast scientific literature, but also a large Continue Reading »

TORAH STUDY MATERIAL FOR PARSHAT VA-YERA 11-19-2016

Posted on November 23, 2016
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This material looks at texts about angels in the Hebrew Bible and later Jewish literature. Angels are messengers from God and often the dividing line between the divine and the angel seems to very thin. In the text from the story of Gideon the call to him switches back and forth between the angel and Continue Reading »

Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls Lecture 3 11 10 2016

Posted on November 23, 2016
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First discovered in 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) are one of the greatest archaeological finds ever made. Despite decades of research there are still a number of questions about the scrolls and their authors which have never been definitively answered. The most interesting and most basic question is: Who wrote the DSS? Were they Continue Reading »

STUDY MATERIAL FOR PARSHAT LEKH-LEKHA Genesis 12:1-17:27, November 2016

Posted on November 13, 2016
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Chapter 14 of the book of Genesis gives a very different picture of Abraham from how we normally picture the biblical patriarch. Here he is a chieftain of a tribe that can field a small army. He also acts as a strategist and diplomat, launching a night attack and negotiating with kings. This chapter contains Continue Reading »

Journey to the Center of the Earth Birkat Ha-Mazon and the Quest for Holiness, Conservative Judaism, Vol. 47 No. 2, 1995

Posted on November 10, 2016
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The article utilizes the Birkat Ha-Mazon (Grace After Meals) to explore the relationship between real and symbolic space in the context of  the transformation of the sacred center world-view, or locative myth.”This myth posits a cosmic point of time and space which links the earth, heaven, and the underworld. At this point creation or primordial time is Continue Reading »

Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls Lecture 2 11 03 2016

Posted on November 9, 2016
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This series will survey the history of the DSS discovery, and what scholars have learned about the identity of the authors and their origins within the context of the history of Judaism in the Second Temple Period. Some of the original texts will be studied to learn about the DSS community and their beliefs. The Continue Reading »

STUDY MATERIAL FOR PARSHAT NOACH Genesis 6:9-11:32 5777

Posted on November 6, 2016
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This material discusses the description of Noah as a “righteous and blameless man in his generation” and whether this tells us if Noah was a good man or someone who may have been righteous in his generation but not in comparison to other figures in the Torah like Abraham or Moses. study-material-for-parshat-noach2-11-05-2016

STUDY MATERIAL FOR PARSHAT BEREISHIT (Genesis 1:1-6:8) 5777

Posted on November 6, 2016
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This material looks at the various Creations stories, their meaning when they were composed and what they can tell us about our relationship to God and the earth today.   study-material-for-parshat-bereishit2-10-29-2016