Torah of Fire: Adele & Metatron

This weekend we conclude the annual Torah reading cycle with the final parasha, v’Zot haBerakhah. It begins by saying: “This is the blessing with which Moses, the man of God, bade the Israelites farewell before he died. He said: YHWH came from Sinai, and shone upon them from Seir—appearing from Mount Paran, and approaching from Ribeboth-Kodesh; lightning flashing at them from His right.” (Deuteronomy 33:1-2) The three concluding words, esh dat lamo (אש דת למו), are cryptic and mysterious, giving rise to various interpretations and translations.

The first word, esh, is seemingly clear, meaning “fire”. However, in an actual Torah scroll, it is fused with the next word and written as eshdat lamo (אשדת למו). This combined term is more difficult, and can mean “slope“ or “waterfall” or “cascade“, so some translations of the verse say “a fiery stream for His people”. Meanwhile, the word dat later came to mean “law” or “religion” (see Em laMikra on the verse). So, some interpretations translate the phrase as “He gave a fiery law to His people”. Others say God gave the Torah “out of the fire”, or that He gave a “flaming Torah”. Rashi comments here that it refers to the famous mystical teaching that God gave the Torah as “black fire on white fire”.

The Tikkunei Zohar (57b) expands on this fiery Torah theme and first suggests that it’s a Torah of fire because if we don’t fulfil the Torah, God’s fiery wrath comes down upon us, chas v’shalom. This is what led to the destruction of the First and Second Temples, and the exile of the Shekhinah. Later (in 127b), the Tikkunei Zohar has a much deeper discussion. The meaning of that fiery Torah on God’s right side is actually a reference to the “angel of the Torah”, who is always described as God’s “right-hand man”, so to speak. This is, of course, Metatron. Continue reading →

Demystifying Daniel’s Prophecies

In the Torah portion of Ha’azinu, we read about the importance of “remembering the days of the world” and “understanding the years of past generations” (Deuteronomy 32:7). It is absolutely vital for each person to have a solid grasp of history. It is only when one knows history that they will be able to properly understand the Scriptures. Reading the Tanakh without its historical context is futile, and will lead to false faith.

Case in point is the Book of Daniel, perhaps the most misunderstood and abused book of Tanakh. Christians often use it to “prove” that Jesus was the Messiah. The reality is that Daniel’s prophecies undoubtedly point to someone else as the “anointed one”, and have nothing at all to do with Jesus, or Christianity, or even the destruction of the Second Temple or the Roman Empire. Once a person understands the historical context of Daniel, everything becomes abundantly clear.

Daniel’s “Vision of the Four Beasts” by Gustave Doré

The critical part of Daniel to understand is the three central prophetic chapters, 7 to 9. Chapter 7 starts with the famous Vision of the Four Beasts. Daniel beholds four great creatures emerge from the sea. The first is a lion with eagle wings and human features (7:4). The second is a bear with three fangs (7:5). Then a leopard with four wings and four heads (7:6). Then the most terrible beast of all, different than the others, with iron teeth and ten horns (7:7). Another little horn emerges from the head of this beast, and it was like a human that spoke arrogantly (7:8). Continue reading →

Jesus in the Talmud

What does the Talmud actually say about Jesus? Is it true that he is described as boiling in excrement in hell? How did the ancient Jewish Sages view Jesus and his origins? Discover the surprising truth in this eye-opening class.

*This class was delivered in July of 2026 at the Villa Maria Education and Spirituality Center, at a yearly event started by Rev. George Balasko to promote interfaith dialogue and help Christians learn more about Jews. Past speakers have included Rabbi Benjamin Blech and Professor Lawrence H. Schiffman. For my talk at this event last year, on Noahide Laws, see here.