This essay was meant to be for last week’s parasha, Massei, but the insight only came to me on Shabbat as I was reading the parasha and wandering, once again, what is the deeper significance of the Torah listing all 42 stops of the Israelites in the Wilderness? As I was going over the list, a few of the location names jumped out at me for being of great historical significance. What if, I thought, the 42 stops represent a historical timeline for all the major events in Jewish history, from the Exodus to the End of Days? Could it be that the Torah was encoding all the key national “journeys” of Israel in the future? As I went through them, it made more and more sense, and a neat picture of Jewish history emerged. I decided to write about it this week instead of saving it for next year because some of the “stops” on the Israelite journey are particularly relevant now, both in light of what is happening around the world and in the Holy Land, and as we get ready to commemorate Tisha b’Av this Sunday. Let’s take a deeper look at the 42 stops of the Israelite journey. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Ashkenazi and Sephardi
Understanding Edom #5: Gog & Mashiach
Who is the mysterious “Gog” of Ezekiel’s Gog & Magog prophecy? Does he have a connection to the Lost Tribes of Israel? Did the prophet Ovadiah foresee October 7 and recent global events? What might Putin, Trump, and Obama have to do with it? And why is Mashiach described as hailing from Edom? Find out in this final installment of the “Understanding Edom” series. Plus: What are the true origins of Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews? Who were the “Canaanite Jews” and the Khazars? And what will happen at the Mount of Olives at the End of Days?
For the essay on Mashiach’s Ancestry, see here.
For Parts 1 to 4 of this series, see here.
The Tribe of Ephraim
Who was the Biblical Ephraim and why did he merit to become the most powerful tribe in ancient Israel? Find out in this class as we take a journey through Ephraim’s past, present, and future. Along the way, we uncover the fascinating stories of the great Ephraimite Judges and Kings of the Holy Land (including Joshua, Deborah, and Samuel) and explore who might be the descendants of the Ephraimites today. Plus: Why does the Tanakh connect Ephraim to Amalek? Is the Messiah supposed to be a Judean or an Ephraimite (or both)? And has the prophecy of Ezekiel 37 been fulfilled in our days?
See also ‘The Truth About the Lost Tribes of Israel’.
For more on the spiritual significance of iron, see ‘Israel and the Iron Age’.