Tag Archives: Greek

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 →

Torah Chemistry (Video)

How can we better understand both the physical and spiritual worlds through the Periodic Table of the Elements? What can we learn about our own lives from the structure and anatomy of the atom? What is so special about the elements mentioned in Tanakh, including iron, copper, silver, and gold? And what is “God’s Element”? Find out in this fascinating class where we explore the profound connections between Torah and chemistry.

Chanukah & the Final Redemption

What is the true meaning of Chanukah? Did the Jews really defeat the Greeks, and what did the ancient Jewish Sages actually think of Greek philosophy and the Greek language? What does it have to do with bringing about the Final Redemption and the Messianic Age? And how is it all concealed in the Torah portion of Miketz. Find out in this class as we take a deep dive into the Messianic process and reveal the surprising truth about the relationship between Judaism and Hellenism.