I was recently a guest on Ari Lieberman’s Sparks of History podcast, and we discussed the “classical era” of Jewish history, including the Second Temple, Cyrus the Great, the last prophets of Israel; the Samaritans, Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes; Herod and the Hasmoneans, as well as Second Temple era messianism and what it means for us today.
Category Archives: Archaeology & History
Heroes of Issachar & Zevulun
Who were some of the greatest leaders and figures from the ancient Israelite tribes of Issachar and Zevulun? What were the ten special things created by God on the eve of the first Sabbath? And what is the mysterious shamir “worm” that was used to cut stones for Jerusalem’s Temple? Plus, who did Issachar reincarnate in? Where did Jonah come from? And who exactly are the Druze?
For Part 1 of this class, see here.
For Rabbi Akiva’s last five teachings to Rashbi, see here.
For more on the origins of Kaddish, see here.
The Tribes of Issachar & Zevulun
What do we know about the mysterious ancient Israelite tribes of Issachar and Zevulun? What is Zevulun’s connection to the Seven Heavens, and what exactly happens in each of those realms? What is the identity of the ‘hilazon’ that was used to make the holy blue dye techelet, and how did Zevulun produce it? How do we properly understand the famous teaching of Zevulun financing the scholarship of Issachar? Plus, eye-opening stories from my recent trip to Israel.
For the class on the Tribe of Ephraim, see here.
See also ‘The Secret Power of Tzitzit’ and ‘Why Physical Labour is a Spiritual Necessity’ in Volume Two of Garments of Light, available here.