The New Testament is seen as the Christian part of the Bible, while the Old Testament is shared by Judaism and Christianity. This could suggest that the prophecy of the Messiah in the Old Testament is only partially relevant to Christians: After all, Jesus’ life, teachings, and death are Christianity’s origin. However, a comparison of …
Among the oldest languages in the world, Hebrew is a native language to the Israelites and Judeans, spoken in Israel and across the world in Jewish diaspora groups. Hebrew is the language of the Torah and Tanakh, and is an ancient language. Many words in Hebrew are difficult to translate into modern language because of …
Torah is commonly translated as “law” and is the Hebrew name for the Greek Pentateuch. Both names refer to the Old Testament books Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. However, it turns out that “law” as the meaning of Torah in Hebrew might not be the only, or even the best, translation; furthermore, the word Torah can also refer to the entire body of Hebrew …
Most people in the Western world are familiar with the Bible. Often times, people have read or at least heard stories from the Bible. But how can you really understand the Bible? Learning how to really understand the Bible is something that anyone, Christian, Jewish, or otherwise, can do. The Hebrew Bible Another name you’ll …
What do Jews, the Pilgrims of the Mayflower, and the fourth Thursday of each November in the United States have in common? Quite a lot, in fact. But, many still ask “Do Jewish people celebrate Thanksgiving?” In order to understand the condition of American Jewry, one must understand the crucial role Judaism played in the …
By the time you consider religious law, rabbinic orders, sectarian recommendations, and community and family preferences – the list of Jewish traditions is overwhelming. Furthermore, the traditions of many Jewish groups were impacted by the culture in which they assimilated during the Diaspora. (The Diaspora is the distribution of Jewish people throughout the world – …
As in all religious traditions, the Bar/Bat Mitzvah is a very important part of a Jewish male’s/female’s life. While thinking of Bar Mitzvah vs. Bat Mitzvah, we must note that these words regard an age, not an event. Someone achieves it by becoming 13. All Jewish people are required to study the Torah during their …
Many will hear the question “what is the best way to read the Bible,” with confusion. Why does it require anything other than flipping pages and taking in words? Those that believe know the truth, though: within the pages of the Bible lie mysteries so great and commandments for every nuance of life. What most …
The history of Hebrew literature spans across the record of human civilization, with archaeological evidence dating its origins back to the 12th century BCE. When Hebrew became the state language of the State of Israel in 1948, it propelled a strengthening global movement around Hebrew literature, its ancient teachings, and progressive concepts. Today, Hebrew Book …
‘Orthodox’ is taken from the Greek word orthos meaning “straight or correct” and secondly doxa meaning opinion, and thus we may say that Orthodox Judaism follows a strict set of rules as interpreted from the Talmud and other rabbinical traditions. It should be noted that another term, Torah Judaism, is how many Orthodox followers prefer …