What is kefitzat haderekh, the mystical ability to “contract the earth”? Do we find evidence of wormholes and “stargates” in Scripture? What was the Tower of Babel generation actually trying to accomplish? What happens in each of the “Seven Heavens”, and what are the seven Heavenly “portals” mentioned in the Torah? Find out in this eye-opening class that explores wormholes, stargates, and other mysterious phenomena from a Biblical and scientific perspective. Plus: Were the pyramids actually power plants? Is there a scientific explanation for Adam’s 930-year lifespan? And what is the shape of the universe?
Tag Archives: Akedah
God of Gods, King of Kings
‘The Midianites Put to Flight’ by Gustav Doré
One of the difficult passages in this week’s double parasha, Matot-Massei, which closes the Book of Numbers, is where God seemingly commands a complete massacre of a neighbouring people, the Midianites. This is actually God’s final command to Moses, saying “Take revenge for the Israelites against the Midianites. Afterwards, you will be gathered to your people.” (Numbers 31:2) The next and final book of the Torah is Moses’ own account of his leadership, and was relayed over the last 37 days of his life.
The Israelites go on to slaughter every male Midianite (31:7), take the women and children captive (31:9), then burn down all the cities and take plunder (31:10-11). Still, the Israelites are chastised for letting the adult women live (31:15), as they were the very ones that tempted Israel into various sexual sins beforehand. Understandably, this is one of the most troubling passages in the whole Torah—how could a holy nation seem to behave in a manner more like the violent and bloodthirsty nations we condemn? Unfortunately, passages like this have also turned many away from the Torah, and generated numerous atheists. One such atheist is Richard Dawkins, who summarized it this way in his book, The God Delusion (ch. 2): Continue reading
Well of Miriam & Well of Isaac
Drawing at an ancient well in Israel (1900)
This week’s parasha, Emor, has a long and detailed description of the Jewish holidays. Central among the holidays are the three pilgrimage festivals: Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot. All three holidays commemorate events around the time of the Exodus: Pesach, the liberation from Egypt; Shavuot, the divine revelation at Sinai; Sukkot, the “Clouds of Glory” that accompanied Israel in the Wilderness. We find an intriguing parallel between the three holidays and the three main Exodus leaders, the siblings Miriam, Aaron, and Moses. As is well-known, the Sages teach (Ta’anit 9a) that in the merit of Moshe, the Israelites were sustained by Heavenly manna; in the merit of Miriam, they received fresh, life-giving waters wherever they went; in the merit of Aaron, they had the protective Clouds of Glory. The connection between the siblings and the holidays is almost self-evident:
Miriam’s water corresponds neatly to the waters of the Exodus, both the Nile from which she helped to save baby Moshe, and the Splitting of the Sea—after which the Torah makes sure to mention that Miriam led the women in extra song. In fact, the Talmud (Sotah 12a) teaches that Miriam was the one who reunited her parents after they resolved to stop having more children following Pharaoh’s cruel decree and separated. Amram and Yocheved got back together and the result was Moshe. Miriam is the hidden hero, and without her there would be no Pesach at all. The root of her name is the same as maror, and rabbinic chronology dates the start of the Israelite slavery to the same year that she was born. (The Israelites were in Egypt for 210 years total, of which 116 were spent under oppression, and the last 86 under hard slavery. Miriam was 86 years old at the Exodus.) Continue reading