Vol. 39:4
Examines why God barred Moses from entering the Promised Land, arguing that Moses failed not because of an ordinary sin but because he did not counteract the Israelites' slide into blasphemy at the Waters of Meribah.
Reviews the prophecy of Joel, examining three aspects: Joel's beliefs about the people of Judah facing crisis, the prophecy's connection to the Sinai covenant, and Joel's distinctive prophetic style.
Presents the innovative methods of dream interpretation introduced by Joseph, arguing that Joseph uniquely treated his seemingly ordinary dreams as prophetic messages from God, unlike other biblical dreams which required divine symbols.
Argues that Judah, rather than Joseph, is the controlling character in Genesis 44, demonstrating through his intercession before Joseph how Judah embodies independence, bravery, honesty, and accountability.
Proposes a new interpretation of the prohibition in Deuteronomy 24:1-4 against a divorced woman returning to her first husband, based on a re-evaluation of the term "ervat davar" and its relationship to the concept of ritual defilement.
Presents Malbim's analysis of Job chapter 42, highlighting his claim that Job's ten children did not die but were only captured by Satan and released unharmed, yielding a truly happy ending to the book.
Examines the extraordinarily long ages of biblical figures in Genesis, exploring connections to Sumerian records of antediluvian kings and mathematical patterns in which the patriarchal ages correspond to multiples of 19, 6, and 7.
Examines the character of Joseph as vizier of Egypt, offering a psychological explanation for why Joseph never contacted his father Jacob during his years of power, suggesting he blamed Jacob as complicit in his betrayal.
Reviews Rabbi Francis Nataf's "Redeeming Relevance in the Book of Exodus," praising its fresh literary approach to the biblical text while noting that Nataf devotes too much attention to Genesis rather than focusing on Exodus.
Reports on the 48th annual International Bible Contest for Jewish Youth (Hidon HaTanakh), held on Israel Independence Day with 28 countries represented, in which Shlomi Adelman was named Hatan HaTanakh.