Tag Archives: Leviticus

Why Did Muslims Rule the Holy Land for 1300 Years?

The Islamic Caliphate conquered Jerusalem and the Holy Land in 638 CE. With minor exceptions, various Muslim powers continued to dominate the land for the next 1300 years, until the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. What is the deeper spiritual reason for this? Why did Muslims, the descendants of the Biblical Ishmael, merit to hold onto God’s Land for 13 centuries? Hear the Zohar’s surprising prophetic answer in this short video:

This video is an excerpt from ‘Did the Talmud Predict Today’s Crisis in Israel?’

For ‘Understanding the Arab-Israeli Conflict in 5 Easy Points’, see here.

What are the True Borders of Israel?

This week we read another double portion, Acharei Mot and Kedoshim. The latter, literally meaning “holies”, instructs us on the key mitzvot that make us especially holy. Of course, while all of the Torah’s mitzvot serve to make us holier, the ones in Kedoshim particularly have special merits. The list starts with revering one’s parents and observing the Sabbath (Leviticus 19:3). It peaks with the famous mitzvot of judging others favourably (v. 15), not gossiping (v. 16) nor bearing a grudge (v. 18), and loving your fellow as yourself. Other big mitzvot include not wearing shaatnez (v. 19, a mixture of wool and linen), and not getting tattooed (v. 28). Finally, there is a list of prohibited sexual relationships, before God says: Continue reading

Listening to Non-Jewish Music

This week we begin reading the third book of the Torah, Vayikra. In English, the book is called “Leviticus” because it is primarily concerned with the work of the Levites in the Temple. Among the Tribe of Levi were the kohanim, the “high priests”, direct descendants of Aaron. The kohanim were the ones who actually oversaw all the offerings in the Temple, facilitated atonement, and blessed the nation. The rest of the Levites, who were not kohanim, had other work to do. As is well-known, one of their main roles was to provide musical accompaniment in the Temple. Yet, the Torah never actually says this directly! How do we know? Continue reading