Vol. 38:3
This second installment investigates Reuben's mysterious absence at the moment Joseph was sold into slavery, drawing on Midrash, Talmudic sources, and Pseudepigraphic texts — especially the Testament of Gad — to reconstruct the volatile family dynamics among Jacob's sons. The author concludes that Jacob ultimately discovered the truth of what had happened to Joseph, as evidenced by allusions embedded in Jacob's deathbed blessings of Judah, Joseph, Dan, and Gad.
This article surveys the prophetic concept of 'The Day of the Lord' as articulated by six biblical prophets — Joel, Amos, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zephaniah, and Zechariah — tracing how each envisions a cosmic day of divine judgment that leads ultimately to Israel's redemption and universal peace. Despite their differing political and historical contexts, all the prophets agree that God's power will move all nations toward an era in which the Lord is universally acknowledged and Israel dwells in peace.
The Book of Psalms is grounded in the theology of Psalm 1, which declares that the righteous prosper and the wicked perish, yet many psalms directly confront the unsettling reality of righteous suffering and the prosperity of evildoers. This article traces how psalmists and rabbinic commentators — including Radak, Rashi, and Ibn Ezra — distinguish between the wise, who deepen their relationship with God through suffering, and fools, who abandon their faith.
Isaac is often dismissed as a passive and peripheral figure in Genesis, overshadowed by the towering personalities of Abraham and Jacob. This article argues that Isaac is in fact a resilient patriarch who endured two profound betrayals — his father Abraham's near-sacrifice of him at Moriah and his son Jacob's deception to steal the patriarchal blessing — and still achieved a long and remarkable life, dying at 180, older than any of his immediate clan.
This article examines the literary and thematic connections between the Book of Daniel and the Passover Haggadah, arguing that the Haggadah's structure and central themes — including zoomorphic symbolism, Aramaic bookends, and the motif of redemption — were directly influenced by Daniel's prophetic moral lessons. In particular, the zoomorphic allegory of 'Had Gadya' echoes Daniel's visions of successive empires and ultimate divine deliverance, offering a message of steadfast faith to every generation.
Miriam, sister of Moses and Aaron, appears in the Torah in only a handful of passages, yet rabbinic tradition and midrash recognize her as a prophetess, poetess, and charismatic leader who played a central role in Israel's survival and spiritual life in the wilderness. This article traces the full arc of her life — from her courageous intervention to save the infant Moses to her death at Kadesh — and explores her enduring legacy as a model for Jewish women.
Targum Onkelos, the authoritative Aramaic translation of the Torah venerated for over 1,600 years, regularly departs from the literal biblical text to protect divine dignity, preserve the honor of the Jewish people, and clarify meaning for readers. This essay surveys the translator's methods — including substituting abstract terms for anthropomorphisms, updating place names, and rendering metaphors literally — within the framework of the tannaitic controversy between Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Yishmael.
A short reflection on the theme of brotherly responsibility in the Hebrew Bible, examining how the question 'Am I my brother's keeper?' resonates across Genesis and beyond as a fundamental ethical challenge. The article invites readers to consider the biblical mandate for human solidarity and mutual responsibility.
A report on the 47th annual Hidon HaTanakh (International Bible Contest for Jewish Youth), held in Israel in 2010, describing the contestants, winning questions, and noteworthy events — including the participation of Avner Netanyahu, son of the Prime Minister, and the emergence of secular Israeli school system students as top competitors for the first time.