MY WORKING theory is that the author behind the book of Judges and the long snubbed book of Jasher are one and the same. The exact number of scribes is unimportant to this hypothesis. I believe the similarities between both narratives should be studied. Both writers...
WAIT, THE TEMPLE WASN'T ON THE TEMPLE MOUNT...? WE WERE in Austria, just south of Munich. It was Sabbath. I had only recently fallen into a Venice canal but that's an entirely different incident. We were reading our Torah portions as a family and listening to...
Mm-hmm, 900 workers at a Tyson Food plant in Indiana test positive for COVID-19. How convenient. With plant closures across America, farmers are no longer able to sell their stock on the market. Millions of animals are being slaughtered and then disposed of while...
Here it goes. A serious question. Ready…? How many slaves in the British and New World colonies truly comprehended the fact that they were actual slaves to the colonies? And there it is. I can hear it now. Some of you are already joining in with the Skynet troll-bot...
I no longer believe that Moses exclusively authored Genesis. I'll wait. Somebody is undoubtedly writing me a letter at this very moment—or informing social media. All caps. NOEL HAS FALLEN FROM GRACE!!! Still reading? Good— Because Genesis is a biography. There are...
HER JOURNEY TO MEET Isaac, the man she was betrothed to, was roughly five-hundred miles on the back of a camel—a journey likely spanning weeks, even if the roads and terrain were fair. While Rebecca concluded the final leg of her journey, Isaac went out to a field to...
THE EGYPTIANS, Babylonians, Canaanites, Phoenicians, Assyrians, and Greeks, essentially all the ancient nations surrounding the children of Israel, had plenty to say on life after death. The Hebrews had very little. Their silence is telling. For the ancient Hebrew,...
LET'S TALK ABOUT SEX. —because everybody's favorite computer nerd wants to spice up your bedroom life. As part of his awe-inspiring ID 2020 project, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is developing a tiny drug delivery chip that works as a contraceptive agent. Birth...
THE PLOT THICKENS. And it involves pig-men. I think. A coronavirus strain in India has reportedly mutated (I know), and may in fact render the worldwide race for a vaccine worthless (I know). Without going into too many details, "researchers" are learning that the...
TESTAMENT OF BENJAMIN The Twelfth Son of Jacob and Rachel. CHAPTER 1 Benjamin, the twelfth son of Jacob and Rachel, the baby of the family, turns philosopher and philanthropist. THE COPY OF THE WORDS OF BENJAMIN, which he commanded his sons to observe, after he had...
TESTAMENT OF JOSEPH The Eleventh Son of Jacob and Rachel. CHAPTER 1 Joseph, the eleventh son of Jacob and Rachel, the beautiful and beloved. His struggle against the Egyptian temptress. THE COPY OF THE TESTAMENT OF JOSEPH. 2 When he was about to die he called...
TESTAMENT OF ASHER The Tenth Son of Jacob and Zilpah. CHAPTER 1 Asher, the tenth son of Jacob and Zilpah. An explanation of dual personality. The first Jekyll and Hyde story. For a statement of the Law of Compensation that Emerson would have enjoyed, see Verse 27. THE...
TESTAMENT OF GAD The Ninth Son of Jacob and Zilpah. CHAPTER 1 Gad, the ninth son of Jacob and Zilpah. Shepherd and strong man but a murderer at heart. Verse 25 is a notable definition of hatred. THE COPY OF THE TESTAMENT OF GAD, what things he spake unto his sons, in...
TESTAMENT OF DAN The Seventh Son of Jacob and Bilhah. CHAPTER 1 The seventh son of Jacob and Bilhah. The jealous one. He counsels against anger saying that "it giveth peculiar vision." This is a notable thesis on anger. THE COPY OF THE WORDS OF DAN, which he spake to...
TESTAMENT OF ISSACHAR The Fifth Son of Jacob and Leah. CHAPTER 1 Issachar, the fifth son of Jacob and Leah. The sinless child of hire for mandrakes. He appeals for simplicity. THE COPY OF THE WORDS OF ISSACHAR. 2 For he called his sons and said to them: Hearken, my...
TESTAMENT OF LEVI The Third Son of Jacob and Leah. CHAPTER 1 Levi, the third son of Jacob and Leah. A mystic and dreamer of dreams, a prophet. THE COPY OF THE WORDS OF LEVI, the things which he ordained unto his sons, according to all that they should do, and what...
TESTAMENT OF SIMEON The Second Son of Jacob and Leah. CHAPTER 1 Simeon, the second son of Jacob and Leah. The strong man. He becomes jealous of Joseph and is an instigator of the plot against Joseph. THE COPY OF THE WORDS OF SIMEON, the things which he spake to his...
TESTAMENT OF REUBEN The First-Born Son of Jacob and Leah. CHAPTER 1 Reuben, the first-born son of Jacob and Leah. The man of experience counsels against fornication and points out the ways in. which men are most apt to fall into error. THE COPY OF THE TESTAMENT OF...