History

Found 10 Search results

1. The First Dream

   Rabbi Yaakov Medan

   According to the conventional interpretation by the Sages, the Four Kingdoms refer to Babylon, Persia/Medes, Greece, and Rome. Later interpretations extend Rome into Christianity, while others combine Rome with Greece, allowing the fourth kingdom to be Yishma’el - Islam. These interpretations assume that the prophecy ends with a Jewish kingdom in the end of the days and therefore must span throughout human history. An alternative interpretation suggests that the four kingdoms are Babylon, Persia/Medes, Alexander the Great, and the Diadochi kingdom which comprises the Ptolemy and the Selucids, and the dream extends itself to the kingdom of the Hashmona’im. Many prophecies deviate from their initial intentions due to man’s deviation from God’s path, and are destined to be fulfilled in the future.

2. Introduction to Shir HaMa'alot

   Shir HaMa'alot (Part 1))

   Rabbi Avi Baumol

   An introduction to the unit of the fifteen 'Songs of Ascent' in liturgy, history and spirituality. 

3. Mizmor 126

   Shir HaMa'alot (Part 5)

   Rabbi Avi Baumol

   Mizmor 126 is said weekly at the Shabbat table before Birkhat Ha'Mazon. Three interpretations of this Mizmor are analyzed and evaluated: A historical Mizmor incorporating an agricultural metaphor, an agricultural Mizmor, or a synthesis between a historical and agricultural Mizmor.
   
    

4. Elisha's Tears

   Rabbi Alex Israel

   Eliyahu's mission to avenge the sinful kingdom of Israel and the House of Ahav by appointing Hazael as King of Aram, Yehu as King of Israel is not preformed by him, but by Elisha who is also part of this mission. Elisha instigates Hazael's reign in this chapter, but his character is a non-vindictive figure. Elisha's role is to mitigate the force of Aram and to ultimately prophesy the reversal of the tables in favor of Israel. 

5. Destruction to Restoration - Chart and Explanation

   Rabbi Dr. Yehoshua Reiss

   "Houses and fields and vineyards shall yet again be bought in this land" (Jer. 32:15)

   The chart below displays the story of Am Yisrael during the last 300 years of the Biblical era. It depicts the dramatic story of the transition between the destruction of the kingdoms of Israel and Yehuda and the Temple to the return to Zion and the building of the second Temple. The optimistic conclusion of the Tanakh reflects the prophetic perception of the revival and rebuilding of Am Yisrael in its land. 

6. "That This Song May Answer Before Them Forever"

   Rabbi Dr. Tamir Granot

   Some of the most fundamental elements of our historiosophy are missing from the poem of Haazinu. A concise Jewish history which contains no covenant, which involves no choice between good and evil, no exile and no repentance, seems very strange. It appears that the song of Haazinu is describing history from a deterministic view - the inevitability of sin and the punishment that will follow. Why does the song present a view of history so radically different than the one with which we are familiar? 

7. The Missing Years

   Rabbi Tzvi Sinensky

   Before studying the book of Ezra, the controversy concerning the chronology of the kings of Persia must be addressed.

   Modern scholarship assumes that the Persian Empire spanned approximately 206 years and the Second Mikdash stood for 585 years.

   By contrast, traditional rabbinic sources present a dramatically different portrait of the Persian era. The Persian empire spanned 52 years and the Second Mikdash stood for just 420 years.

   Five traditional approaches exist as how to deal with this controversy. It is evident that the dispute concerning the chronology of the Persian kings carries significant theological, historical and exegetical implications. Throughout our treatment of Shivat Tzion we will be operating within the framework of the scholarly consensus.

8. The Great Prayer and Confession

   Rabbi Tzvi Sinensky

   After reading the Torah and celebrating Sukkot in spectacular fashion, the people remain behind, mourning and fasting for their sins. Those who had intermarried separate from their foreign spouses, and the community recites confession. The Levites proceed to offer a whirlwind tour of Biblical history, Notwithstanding the Jews’ unfaithful behavior, God remains compassionate and continues to provide.

   Perhaps the most conspicuous aspect of the prayer of the Levites is the extent to which they draw upon earlier scriptural sources. The ideal is to anchor our prayers, as our actions, in those of the outstanding scholars of the current and previous generations. The prayer exemplifies the key role played by religious commitment born of deep understanding. As the curtain closes on the prophetic period, a new emphasis on the Torah tradition rises to the fore.

   It was the leadership of the Shivat Tzion community that helped to renew the community’s commitment to Mosaic law as the touchstone for Jewish life and Jewish learning. Above all, this is the legacy of Ezra-Nechemia.

   Our invocation of Nechemia during our daily prayers hints to the larger idea that the miracles of the exodus are not isolated events, but are but one piece of the compassion with which God graced His people throughout the course of history.

9. Historical Introduction, Part III - Josiah’s Death

   Shiur #04

   Dr. Yael Ziegler

   תאריך פרסום: 5778 |

   The reign of Ashurbanipal, the last powerful king of the mighty Assyrian Empire, marked both the pinnacle of the Assyrian Empire’s power and the beginning of its decline. Josiah reigned as king of Judah during the period of Assyria’s deterioration and downfall. Significantly, biblical accounts describing Josiah’s reign focus primarily on his personal religious transformation and the way in which it affected his national policies. The nation likely concluded that the two were connected. To understand the repercussions of this, we will examine Josiah’s life and reign.

   Rabbinic sources suggest that the kernel of the book of Eikha begins to emerge in the aftermath of Josiah’s death, which is devastating to the nation. Various ways of dealing with the problem of theodicy ensue, and some different approaches can be found in the book of Eikha. Josiah’s death marks the beginning of the theological crisis and the first attempts to struggle with the complex questions that arise in the wake of unexplained human suffering. 

10. Sefer Vayikra: Overview and Meaning

    Nachliel Selavan | Hour and 26 minutes

    Sefer Study Vayikra: Overview and Meaning - Mrs. Shani Taragin

    This the third episode of Tanach study's five episode course studying of an overview and the meaning of the five books of Torah (Pentateuch). In this episode Mrs. Shani Taragin uncovers the main themes of Sefer Vayikra and demonstrates how it ties the book together.