Deuteronomy’s Introduction: Who Authored Deuteronomy?
“These are the words which Moses spoke unto all Israel beyond the Jordan; in the wilderness, in the Arabah, over against Suph, between Paran and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Di-zahab.”
Thus, Deuteronomy opens – with a convention. Moses gathered the people. For what purpose? In his own words, here in Deuteronomy 1, we read: “…beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, took Moses upon himself to...
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Deuteronomy Chapter 1: Israel’s Governance
In Deuteronomy 1, Abravanel launches a study of governance or polity for the Hebrew nation. Moses acknowledges his inability to care for a nation, that “God Almighty has multiplied….as the stars of heaven for multitude.” He states the obvious when he laments: “How can I myself bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife. Get you from each one of your tribes, wise men, and understanding, and full...
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Numbers Chapter 36 Torah Portion Masei: Moses Wraps Up – Part 3
Numbers 36 concludes the fourth Book of Moses. Abravanel links this chapter to the preceding ones, chapters that capture Moses’ energetically wrapping up the affairs of his nation. Here, the focus is on the third commandment (of five) that God asked the prophet to perform before he passed away: apportionment of territory in Canaan to the twelve tribes. In that vein, our verse introduces an exchange between Moses and Joseph...
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Numbers Chapter 35 Torah Portion Masei: Moses Wraps Up
Words can hardly describe the burning desire Moses felt when he thought about allotting land in Israel to his fellow Levites. They were, after all, his closest kin. To be sure, Moses had already apprised them that they were not entitled to landed rights within Canaan. But now the subject is broached anew, this time with a zest—as the first part of Numbers 35 teaches.
“And God spoke to...
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Numbers Chapter 34 Torah Portion Masei :Moses Takes Charge
Dutifully, Moses chronicled the desert years—highs and lows. When complete, he charted the circuitous trek which had begun in Egypt and continued until the plains of Moab. Standing close to the Jordan River, the prophet understood that he had reached the end of his road, his journey. God told him explicitly that he would not be crossing the Jordan into Israel with his brethren. Perhaps with not a little...
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Numbers Chapter 33 Torah Portion Masei: A Desert Travelogue
Essentially a travelogue, Numbers Chapter 33 lists the pit stops along the desert ways. Abravanel probes: Why is it necessary here to delineate the places where the Hebrews had frequented for the past forty years? Hadn’t the stops been identified “in real time” as the Jews arrived there? What is gained, he continues, by grouping all the destinations into a single chapter? Finally, Abravanel wonders whose idea it was...
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Did King David Sin with Batsheva?
The Biblical narrative in Samuel records one of the most controversial encounters in the entire Bible—the story of King David and Bat Sheva. This is precisely the question I put to my Bible study group, which has taken several sessions to work out, or rather, to work through.
A prefatory remark is in order. This discussion is based on the Abravanel’s
lengthy and thorough treatment of the subject...
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Numbers Chapter 32 Torah Portion Mattot: Gad and Reuben
Numbers Chapter 32 records an excited exchange between Moses and the Hebrew leadership on the one side, with Gad and Reuben on the other. Money was at the root of it, as Abravanel learns. “The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying. Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer…. the land which God...
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Numbers Chapter 31 Torah Portion Mattot :War Against Midianites
Moses heard from God in chapter 31 to mercilessly avenge the Midianites, an event that would precede his death. Leaving aside the question regarding the seeming link between both events, Abravanel asks about the Midianites. What precipitated the bitter animosity? And hadn’t disaster been caused by the Moabites, as written in the previous Torah portion (Phinehas)?
“And God said to Moses saying. The Children of Israel shall rigorously avenge...
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Numbers Chapter 30 Torah Portion Mattot: Oaths and Vows
Chapter 30 pertains to Biblical oaths and vows. Abravanel questions the order or sequence: How does the subject of festival sacrifices (chapters 28 and 29) lead to our chapter dealing with oaths and vows?
“And Moses spoke unto the heads of the tribes of the Children of Israel saying. This is the thing which God has commanded. When a man vows a vow to God or swears an oath to...
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Numbers Chapter 29 Torah Portion Phinehas: Feast of Booths
The subject matter of chapter 29 turns to the major Jewish festivals. Abravanel takes a deep dive into them. For our purposes here, we will focus on his treatment of the Feast of Booths, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles. To qualify, this blog only comprises one aspect of Abravanel’s study of this feast, which is called Sukkot in Hebrew.
“And on the fifteenth day of the seventh...
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Numbers Chapter 28 Torah Portion Phinehas: Daily Sacrifices in the Temple
Chapter 28 conveys laws concerning the daily sacrifices brought in the Temple; we speak of daily burnt offerings. Abravanel questions the placement of these verses here. Better, he writes, had they been taught elsewhere in the Torah, where the subject is broached (Exodus 28). Further, Abravanel wonders, if our chapter delves into burnt offerings, why not make it inclusive of sin offerings and guilt offerings?
“And God spoke to Moses...
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Numbers Chapter 27 Torah Portion Phinehas: The Daughters of Zelophehad
In chapter 26, the national census had concluded. The purpose of the headcount had a practical purpose: “To these the land shall be divided.” It also inspired potential claimants to Canaan to speak up.
“Then drew near the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph. And these are the names...
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Numbers Chapter 26 Torah Portion Phinehas: Allotment of Territories to the 12 Tribes
Toward the end of a lengthy chapter 26, we find verses pertaining to the allotment of Canaan to the twelve tribes. Biblical commentators struggled with the subject of how the land was apportioned to the twelve tribes. Was the “pie” cut into twelve equal slices, regardless of the individual tribe’s population? Such a proposition, so fundamentally off, would fly in the face of divine justice and fairness. Moreover, it...
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Numbers Chapter 25 Torah Portion: Phinehas
Before taking leave of King Balak of Moab, the prophet Balaam shared an open secret – really an axiom: The Maker does not suffer sexual promiscuity. At all. Privy to this truism, and openly seeking the demise of the Holy Nation, Balaam advised Balak to have Moabite women enter the Jewish camp. There, they should seduce the Hebrews. “And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit harlotry with...
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Numbers Chapter 24 Torah Portion Balak Balaam: The Prophet-part 2
King Balak of Moab, if anything, was determined (obsessed) to decimate the Jews. To do the hit job, he hired Balaam, a man whose prophetic powers were quite proficient. In the blog in chapter 23, we cited Abravanel’s opinion that God graced Balaam with four prophecies. In Numbers 24 we address Balaam’s third prophecy concerning the Hebrews.
“And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling...
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Numbers Chapter 23 Torah Portion Balak: Balaam the Prophet- Part I
As stated in the prior chapter, King Balak of Moab turned to Balaam to help defeat and destroy the Hebrews. Here in chapter 23, we will take a closer look at Balaam’s prophecies. To be specific, God granted Balaam four prophecies regarding the Jewish people, as Abravanel develops in his commentary. Here we will examine the first of the four divine messages.
“And God met Balaam and he said...
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Numbers Chapter 22 Torah Portion Balak: King Balak and Balaam
Until now, the Torah related adventures that befell the Hebrews as they trekked along desert highways, dramatic thrillers that occupied the encampment before they reached civilization. If we were to chart a geographic reference line, we would have the start point as the great wilderness and the end point corresponding to where Moses passes away. But now in chapter 22, the Torah’s emphasis changes, focusing on those sensational events...
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Numbers Chapter 21 Torah Portion Chukat: Moses and the Bronze Serpent
One of the topics covered in Chapter 21 deals with Moses and the bronze serpent. The narrative raises more than a few eyebrows. What are readers to make of this bizarre passage?
“And the people spoke against God and against Moses. Wherefore have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness, for there is no bread and there is no water…”
Some background: “And the people spoke...
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Numbers Chapter 20 Torah Portion Chukat: The Waters of Meribah
Chapter 20, among other things, pertains to the fateful event that dashed Moses’ and Aaron’s yearning to enter Canaan – “And God said unto Moses and Aaron. Because you believed not in Me, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the Children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”
“And God spoke to Moses saying. Take the rod, and assemble...
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Numbers Chapter 19 Torah Portion Chukat: The Red Heifer
Arguably, Numbers 19 opens a discussion of the most elusive of all divine commandments: the red heifer.
“And God spoke to Moses and Aaron saying. This is the governing law which God has commanded saying. Speak unto the Children of Israel that they should take for you a red heifer, faultless, where there is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke.”
Questions regarding it abound, as Abravanel and other...
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Numbers Chapter 18 Torah Portion Korach: Aaron and the Priestly Portion
Numbers 18 offers poetic closure to the previous chapters that featured Korah’s noxious rebellion against Aaron, the high priest. With the rebel’s attempted coup quelled, Aaron emerged from the trying ordeal with God’s confirmation, and favors. We shall elaborate.
“All holy portions that the Children of Israel apportion to God, I give to you and your sons with you for an eternal statute.”
Our chapter’s verses...
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Numbers Chapter 17 Torah Portion Korach: The Temple’s Bronze Altar
Numbers 17 is a continuation of the previous chapters pertaining to Korah’s attempt to wrest the priesthood away from Aaron, the high priest. Consequently, God seeks to instill within the Jew’s collective memory an object lesson: Never again should anyone usurp Aaron’s and his descendants’ divine, exclusive right to work the Holy Temple.
“And God spoke to Moses saying. Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the...
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Numbers Chapter 16 Torah Portion Korach: Moses and Korah
The infamous and insidious insurgence led by Korah & Co. against Moses is the subject matter of Numbers 16. But who were the ringleaders, Abravanel asks? What brought these noisome plaintiffs to collude against the prophet? What rankled them?
“Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took...
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Numbers Chapter 15 Torah Portion Shelach: Tzizit
Numbers 15 concludes the Torah section of Shelach. At the end of this chapter, God commands Moses to instruct his brethren to wear tzitzit. What is the point of this four-cornered and distinctive, fringed garment? “And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that you may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of God…”
“And God spoke to Moses saying. Speak unto the Children of Israel...
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Numbers Chapter 14 Torah Portion Shelach: Spies and Despise
“And all the congregation lifted up their voice and cried. And the people wept that night.”
The spy affair is broached in Numbers 13. The Hebrew’s reaction to the slanderous report gets recorded here in Numbers 14: “And all the congregation lifted up their voice and cried.”
Abravanel zeroes in on God’s fateful response to the faithless people’s histrionics, one that both deeply frustrated and disappointed...
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Numbers Chapter 13 Torah Portion Shelach: Moses and a Band of Spies
Numbers 13 introduces the scandal that would rock the Hebrews for forty years in the desert, and well beyond. We speak of the spy affair. “And God spoke to Moses saying. Send you men, that they spy out the land…”
Here, we bring Abravanel’s opening remarks to the perfidious event that stoked the Maker’s wrath. In the course of time, He would snuff out the lives of the...
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Numbers Chapter 12 Torah Portion Behaalotcha: Moses and Zipporah
Numbers 12 again shows the Hebrews in a bad light. This time it’s a family affair. Moses’ siblings, Aaron and Miriam miserably misspoke, hurling reckless charges against the prophet. “And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses” introduces a nasty tirade that threatened to rock the family, had the Creator not come to Moses’ defense – to set the record straight. In his inimitable style, Abravanel rattles off a raft of...
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Numbers Chapter 11 Torah Portion Behaalotcha: Out of Egypt
Numbers 11 Torah portion Behaalotcha may well be summed up by paraphrasing a popular adage: You can take the nation out of Egypt, but you can’t take Egypt out of the nation.
“And the people were as murmurers, speaking evil in the ears of God. And when God heard it, His anger was kindled. And the fire of God burnt among them, and devoured in the uttermost part of...
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Numbers Chapter 10 Torah Portion Behaalotcha: Jethro
Numbers 10 comprises meaty topics for discussion. Here we bring Abravanel’s explanation of the verses quoting a conversation between Moses and Jethro, his father-in-law.
“And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law. We are journeying unto the place of which God said: I will give it you. Come with us and we will do you good, for God has spoken...
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Numbers Chapter 9 Torah Portion Behaalotcha: Cloud of Glory
A most mind-blowing aspect of the Hebrew’s desert trek gets duly recorded in Numbers 9: the cloud of glory. For the entire essay and in-depth explanation of the heavenly escort, see Abravanel’s World. For our purposes here, we shift to a stylistic query.
“And on the day that the Tabernacle was built up, the cloud covered the Tabernacle, even the Tent of the Testimony. And at...
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Numbers Chapter 8 Torah Portion Behaalotcha: The Menorah and Moses
There are two topics discussed in Numbers 8. The first one talks about the menorah in the Tabernacle. The rest of the chapter’s verses delve into the subject of the tribe of Levi.
“And God spoke to Moses saying. Speak to Aaron and say to him: When you light the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front candlestick.”
In the menorah verses, Abravanel finds an opportunity to...
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Numbers Chapter 7 Torah Portion Naso: Princes and the Tabernacle
“And it came to pass on the day that Moses had made an end of setting up the Tabernacle…that the princes of Israel…brought their offering before God.”
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. In Numbers 7, Abravanel provides a helpful timeline and adds context, regarding the sequence of events in the...
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Numbers Chapter 6 Torah Portion Naso: Nazirites in the Bible
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. He takes on the fascinating phenomenon of the Nazir in Numbers 6. In particular, Abravanel explores the juxtaposition of our chapter dealing with the laws of Nazirites with the previous one pertaining to the sotah. What’s the connection, Abravanel asks, between a woman suspected of infidelity and...
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Numbers Chapter 5 Torah Portion Naso: Sotah
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. In Numbers 5, Abravanel tackles the eyebrow-raising subject of a sotah, literally a married woman who goes aside from her husband. Untoward behavior triggers a husband’s suspicions, jealousy. Is she disloyal, he obsesses? If the husband or witnesses actually barge in and see foul play, Torah...
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Numbers Chapter 4 Torah Portion Naso :Levi’s three sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Numbers 4 straddles two Torah portions: Bamidbar and Naso. A single thread crisscrosses both sections. That is, the respective roles of Levi’s three sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari feature front and center.
“And God spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron saying. Do not cut off the tribe...
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Numbers Chapter 4 Torah Portion Bamidbar: Kohath, son of Levi
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. In the first half of Numbers 4, he explains the prestigious role given to Kohath, son of Levi.
“This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the Tent of Meeting – the holiest of matters.”
Levi, son of Jacob had three sons: Gershon, Merari, and Kohath. In...
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Numbers Chapter 3 Torah Portion Bamidbar: The Levites
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. The role of the Levites is covered extensively in Numbers 3. Among other things, Abravanel delineates their official functions. He also discusses the tribe’s population size, in relation to the other tribes.
“And God spoke unto Moses saying. Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them...
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Torah Portion Bamidbar Chapter 2: Flags Around the Tabernacle
Don Isaac Abravanel, also spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Numbers 2 paints a portrait of an orderly Hebrew encampment, a masterful one at that. A splendid arrangement with flags all around, it established crisp tribal associations and parameters. Just as importantly, Jews kept their distance from the Tabernacle, lest blurred lines breed contempt for the mystical Shechinah...
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Torah Portion Bamidbar: Chapter 1 Counting in the Book of Numbers
Don Isaac Abravanel, also spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Not surprisingly, Numbers 1 deals with, well, numbers or tallying or counting. Abravanel also zeroes in on the counters. Who had been entrusted to take the census of the Hebrew fighters, a head count that reached hundreds of thousands? What lie behind the counting?
“And God spoke...
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Abravanel’s Introduction to the Book of Numbers
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible.
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Following is Abravanel’s shortened introduction to the Book of Numbers, the fourth book in...
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Torah Portion Bechukotai: Pledges and Donations to the Tabernacle
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Leviticus 27 concludes this third book of the five books of Moses. The subject matter covers donations to the Tabernacle.
“And God spoke to Moses saying. Speak unto the Children of Israel and say unto them. When a man shall clearly utter a vow of persons unto God...
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Torah Portion Bechukotai: Reward and Punishment in the Bible
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Leviticus 26 offers Bible students a study into Abravanel’s inimitable style. The topic of reward and punishment is, of course, a juicy one and of profound, general interest. For Abravanel, the discussion begins with a critical analysis of the classic Biblical commentators, before drawing his own conclusions...
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Torah Portion Behar: Sabbaticals and Jubilees in the Bible
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Sabbaticals and jubilees are the main topics of discussion in Leviticus 25. Sabbaticals are observed in Israel at the end of seven-year cycles; jubilees every fifty years. Across the board, classical commentators contend that, essentially, both commandments are variations on the same theme.
“And God spoke unto...
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Leviticus Chapter 24 Torah Parasha Emor: Blasphemy in the Bible
Don Isaac Abravanel ,sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. A quarrel between two men in the desert quickly escalated. It is duly recorded in the middle of Leviticus 24. And a horrid interjection it is, one that features blasphemy, cursing using God’s name.
“And the son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went...
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Leviticus Chapter 23 Parasha Emor: Major Jewish festivals in the Bible
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Leviticus 23 pertains to the major Jewish festivals. In addition to Passover, Shavuot, and Succot, this includes Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Why observe them, Abravanel asks?
“And God spoke unto Moses, saying. Speak unto all the Children of Israel, and say unto them: The appointed seasons of...
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Leviticus Chapter 22 Torah Portion Emor: Animal Sacrifices in the Bible
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Leviticus 22 provides more painstaking detail, as to what constituted kosher animal sacrifices in the Tabernacle. Priests remained ever vigilant, and accepted those animals for sacrifices that met the Torah’s rigorous demands. In this way, they vetted for altar activity only those bulls, sheep, or goats that...
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Leviticus 21 Torah Portion Emor: Holiness in the Bible
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. In Leviticus 21, as in every other chapter in the Torah and prophets, Abravanel’s commentary goes through each verse methodically. However, his writings also comprise dozens and dozens of invaluable mini-essays (and some full-length discourses as well). And then sporadically, Abravanel provides Bible students with...
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Torah Parasha Kedoshim: Molech in the Bible
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Arguably, Leviticus 20, parasha Kedoshim, speaks about one of the Torah’s most vicious and hateful crimes imaginable – the slaying of babies in the name of religion. Indeed, this insidious and reprehensible practice to Molech unmasks the grotesque face of idolatry.
“And God spoke unto Moses saying: Moreover...
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Torah Parasha Kedoshim: Biblical values
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. In Leviticus 19, readers learn about Biblical values. For Abravanel, the topic boils down to three words – imitation of God (imitatio Dei). Let us elaborate on this heady topic of man striving to emulate the Maker, as a vehicle to acquire Biblical values.
“And God spoke unto Moses...
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Torah Parasha Acharei Mot: Biblical ethics
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Biblical ethics takes front and center stage in Leviticus Chapter 18. Neatly, Abravanel categorizes the two ancient cultures of Egypt and Canaan. Neither social structure, to be polite, were enviable from the perspective of upright conduct.
“And God spoke unto Moses saying, speak unto the Children of Israel...
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Torah Parasha Acharei Mot: Moses and Torah transmission
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Leviticus Chapter 17 focuses on the laws concerning slaughtering animals during the desert years. Notwithstanding the importance of this particular commandment, Bible students will find an answer to an intriguing, albeit unrelated, question: How did Moses transmit the Torah to the Children of Israel?
“And God spoke unto...
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Torah Parasha Acharei Mot: Yom Kippur the Day of Atonement
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. The holy day of Yom Kippur is discussed in Leviticus 16. The day’s services in the Tabernacle had been conducted exclusively by Aaron, the high priest. Centuries later, when King Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem, Yom Kippur services were officiated by Aaron’s descendants.
“And God...
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Torah Parasha Metzora:The Bible and Bodily Excretions
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Leviticus 15, parasha Metzora, discusses certain oozing conditions that afflict man, resulting in his spiritual defilement. (When the Temple stood, these conditions had even more practical ramifications.) Abravanel understood that this topic would tend to confuse Bible students, and so he prefaces his verse- by-verse commentary with...
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Torah Parasha Metzora: Biblical lepers and Cleansing
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. The topic of Biblical leprosy began in Leviticus 13 and continues into Chapter 14. Here the emphasis is on the cleansing of a Biblical leper, essentially a two-step cathartic process. Abravanel delves into the sacrifices (step two) a Biblical leper brings to the Tabernacle. From a leper...
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Torah ParashaTazria: Biblical Leprosy
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Leviticus 13 covers the mysterious and elusive subject of Biblical leprosy.
“And God spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying: When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, or a scab, or a bright spot, and it become in the skin of his...
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Torah Parasha Tazria: Jewish Mothers and the Tabernacle
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. In Leviticus 12, we read about the laws of women who give birth, and their ensuing obligation to bring sacrifices to the Tabernacle.
“And God spoke unto Moses, saying: Speak unto the Children of Israel saying, If a woman gives birth to a boy…gives birth to a...
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Torah Parsha Shemini: Jewish Dietary Laws
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel, (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Leviticus 11 discusses Jewish dietary laws. In typical Abravanel fashion, he dives into the subject of kashrut with fundamental questions. Here are two:
Why did the Creator ban certain foods, as outlined in our chapter?
Do dietary laws promote good health?
“And God spoke unto Moses and Aaron...
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Leviticus Chapter 10 Torah Parasha Shemini: Nadab and Abihu
Don Isaac Abravane, sometimes spelled Abarbanell (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. In Leviticus 10, he tackles one of the Torah’s most controversial topics: the untimely deaths of Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron the high priest.
“And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took each of them his censer, and put fire therein, and laid incense thereon...
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Torah Parasha Shemini: Fire on the Altar in the Tabernacle
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. He sets forth a religious axiom in Leviticus 9: Divine Providence. Support comes from a later verse in our chapter. “And there came forth fire from before God, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat. And when all the people saw it, they shouted...
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Leviticus Chapter 8 Torah Parasha Tzav: The Consecration of the Priests and Tabernacle
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. In Leviticus 8, he takes pains to prove Moses’ integrity, an honest broker. Specifically, Abravanel learns from our verses a basic tenet of Judaism: Moses simply acted as God’s conduit, and had not acted on his own. Abravanel illustrates.
“And God spoke to Moses saying. Take Aaron...
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Leviticus Chapter 7 Torah Parasha Tzav: The Bible and penitents
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. In Leviticus 7, he explains God’s attitude toward penitents.
“And this is the law of the guilt offering; it is most holy.”
Abravanel observes that both guilt and sin offerings are described in the Torah as “most holy.” On the surface, this runs counterintuitively to our logic...
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Parasha Tzav: The Bible Bans Sun Worship
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator.Parasha Tzav, Leviticus 6 discusses one aspect of a priest’s daily tasks in the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle’s priestly sanitation department, let us call it, swept up the altar’s ashes, charred remains from the previous day’s sacrifices.
“And the priest shall put on his linen...
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Parasha Vayikra: Sin offerings in the Bible
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. The subject of sin offerings began in Leviticus 4, and continues in chapter 5. Our verse discusses the sin offering of a poor man. Given his dearth of cash (he can’t rub two nickels together), what are his options for atoning for wrongdoing?
“But if his means...
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Torah Parasha Vayikra: Sin Offerings in the Bible
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Leviticus 4 covers the subject of sin offerings in the Tabernacle. Here, Abravanel transports Bible students beyond textual explanation, pivoting into theology. We shall explain.
“And God spoke to Moses saying, speak unto the Children of Israel saying. If any one shall sin through error, in any of...
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Parasha Vayikra: Peace Offerings in the Bible
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a seminal Jewish thinker, penetrating scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Leviticus (Vayikra) 3 is devoted to peace offerings brought to the Tabernacle. Abravanel explains the sequence, and importance, of peace offerings coming after the Bible speaks about burnt offerings (Leviticus 1) and meal offerings (Leviticus 2).
“And if his offering be a sacrifice of peace offerings, if he offer of the...
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Torah Parasha Vayikra: Meal Offerings in the Bible
“And when any one brings a meal offering unto God, his offering shall be of fine flour. And he shall pour oil upon it, and frankincense thereon.”
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible.
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was...
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Torah Parasha Vayikra: Animal Sacrifices in the Bible
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a seminal Jewish thinker, penetrating scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Leviticus (Vayikra) 1 deals with animal sacrifices, specifically burnt offerings. The wording, Abravanel notes, “When any man of you brings an offering unto God”, appears clumsy. The words “of you” seem superfluous. If we omit them, the verse would read succinctly: “When any man brings an offering…”
“And God called unto...
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A Prologue to the Book of Leviticus
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a seminal Jewish thinker, penetrating scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. His lengthy introduction to Leviticus provides Bible students an excellent and thorough overview of one of the Bible’s least understood and appreciated subjects: animal sacrifice. See Abravanel’s World for the discourse in its entirety.
“And God called unto Moses, and spoke unto him out of the Tent of the...
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Torah Parasha Pekudei: The Tabernacle, Cloud, and Glory
“And it came to pass in the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month, that the Tabernacle was erected…Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting and the glory of God filled the Tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of God filled the Tabernacle.”
Bible studies with Don...
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An Introduction to the Book of Exodus
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a profound Jewish thinker, seminal scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. His preface to the Book of Exodus affords Bible students a compact overview of Genesis as well as the second book of the five books of Moses. Here we bring a synopsis of it.
“Now these are the names of the Sons of Israel, who came into Egypt with Jacob; every...
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Parasha Pekudei: The Tabernacle and Bezalel’s Touch
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a seminal Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. We read about the priestly garments in Exodus 39. Specifically, we refer to the manufacturing of the ephod, onyx stones, breastplate, robe etc.
“And of the blue and purple and scarlet, they made plaited garments. And he made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple. They made shoulder pieces for it. And...
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Exodus Chapter 38: Torah Portion Pekudei
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abravanel (1437-1508) was a seminal Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Exodus 38 examines another aspect of the Tabernacle – through the lens of an accountant or auditor, sort of. “These are the accounts of the Tabernacle…”
“These are the accounts of the Tabernacle, even the Tabernacle of Testimony, as they were rendered according to the commandment of Moses, through the service of the...
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Exodus 37 Parasha Vayakhel: Constructing the Tabernacle
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a seminal Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Exodus 37 continues to discuss the Tabernacle. We add a parenthetical note on Biblical measurements: one cubit roughly equals eighteen inches
“And Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits in length, one and a half cubits in width, and one and a half cubits in height.”.
Constructing the Tabernacle had...
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Exodus Chapter 36 Torah Portion Vayakhel
The Tabernacle appeal
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a seminal Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Exodus 36, we learn additional details regarding the Hebrew’s generous financing of the Tabernacle. As discussed in an earlier blog, Abravanel breaks down the benefactors into two categories – those who donated valuables (gold, silver etc.) and those who labored to build God’s sacred house.
“And all...
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Parshat Vahakhel: The Holy Tabernacle
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a seminal Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Exodus 35 enshrines the greatness of the Jewish nation, recording their can-do spirit and generosity. Bible students will learn of the outpouring of volunteerism that inspired them in a most holy task: building the Tabernacle.
“And Moses assembled all the congregation of the Children of Israel…And Moses spoke…take you...
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The Thirteen Attributes of Mercy
“And God descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of God. And God passed by before him and proclaimed: God, the Lord, God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth; keeping mercy unto the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. And will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children...
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Parashah Ki Tisa: God or God's Angel?
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible.
“And I will send an angel before you. And I will drive out the Canaanite….”
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Exodus chapter 33 dives...
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Exodus Chapter 32 : The Golden Calf
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Exodus chapter 32 presents readers with one of the most sordid and reprehensible scandals in the Pentateuch: The Golden Calf
“And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him: Make us a god who shall go before us. For...
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Parshat Ki Tisa: The Tabernacle’s Chief Superintendent
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel, (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Exodus chapter 31 introduces Bible students to the chief and assistant superintendents, two men of renown to whom the Tabernacle’s construction was entrusted. Bezalel assumed the top honors, Oholiab his most able assistant: “And I, behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan...
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Parshat Ki Tisa: The Tabernacle's Wash Basin
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Midway through Exodus chapter 30, we read about another consecrated fixture of the Tabernacle: the copper wash basin.
“And God spoke unto Moses saying, you shall also make a wash basin of brass…to wash, and you shall place it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and you shall put...
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Exodus Chapter 29: The Tabernacle Alter
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Toward the end of Exodus chapter 29, the Bible describes the inauguration of the Tabernacle altar. Two acts readied the altar: anointing oil and the offering of two daily sacrifices.
“Now this is that which you shall offer upon the altar: two one-year-old lambs each and every day. The one...
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Exodus Chapter 28: Aaron The High Priest
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Exodus chapter 28 begins with God’s appointment of Aaron, Moses’ brother, to the priesthood, together with Aaron’s four sons. Abravanel questions the timing of this divine promotion: Why now?
“And you shall bring near unto you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the Children of Israel, that they minister...
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Parsha Tetzaveh: The Golden Lampstand
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. At the conclusion of Exodus chapter 27, we read about sanctuary’s lampstand. Abravanel finds something unusual about the chapter’s closing two verses. Consequently, he rejects the notion that they convey a divine commandment – “And you shall command the Children of Israel, that they bring you pure olive oil…” Similarly, Abravanel dismisses the idea...
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Dr. Henry Abramson on Abarbanel
Jewish Action Magazine Vol. 84 No.3 page 38
Jewish Action: If you could pick one figure in Jewish history who respresents hope and optimism and the ability to reinvent and start anew, who would that person be?
Dr. Abramson: I could think of many individuals but my favorite is Don Yitzchak Abarbanel, who went trhough tremndous tribulations. In his golden years he elects to remain with the Jews rather...
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Exodus Chapter 26: The Making of the Tabernacle
Don Isaac Abravanel, also spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Exodus chapter 26 continues to discuss the Tabernacle, a topic introduced in the previous chapter. Abravanel draws our attention to a grammatical inconsistency in our lead verse (“Moreover, you shall make…”) when compared to the verb’s conjugation in chapter 25 (“Make an ark…and you shall overlay it with pure...
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Parshat Terumah: The Tabernacle
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Exodus chapter 25, parshat Terumah, we read about the divine commandment to build for God a sanctuary in the tabernacle. We also learn how this sacred structure was to be financed.
“And God spoke unto Moses saying: Speak to the Children of Israel, that they take for Me an offering. Of every man whose...
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Bible Studies: The Jews and Divine Covenant
“And Moses wrote all the words of God, and rose up early in the morning, and built an altar under the mountain, and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.”
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible.
Don Isaac...
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Parashat Mishpatim: The Three Major Jewish Festivals
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. The subject of the three major Jewish festivals is broached in Exodus chapter 23. Attendance in Jerusalem’s Holy Temple during those holidays is compulsory: “Three times in the year all your males shall appear before God Almighty.”
“Three times you shall keep a feast unto Me in the year.”
Abravanel writes, as we have...
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Exodus Chapter 22: You Shall Not Commit Adultery
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In the latter part of Exodus Chapter 22, we read about sexual mores. For Abravanel, the seventh commandment prohibiting adultery, like each of the Ten Commandments, is not meant to be construed narrowly. Rather, it along with each of the other commandments in the Decalogue, contains subcategories.
“And if a man seduces a virgin who...
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Parashat Mishpatim: Jewish Law
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In the book of Exodus, parashat Mishpatim, it delves into divine, judicial statutes that comprise large swathes of Jewish law or jurisprudence. This subject matter continues into the upcoming chapters, as well.
“And these are the statutes which you shall set before them.”
For the full discussion of Jewish jurisprudence, see Abravanel’s World. However...
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Exodus Chapter 20:The Ten Commandments
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. We read in Exodus chapter 20 that the Ten Commandments were transmitted to the Hebrews on Mount Sinai.
“And God spoke all these words saying: I am God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me…”
Abravanel discusses exactly what...
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Exodus Chapter 19: Torah from Heaven
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible.
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Exodus chapter 19 sets the backdrop for mankind’s defining moment: The transmission of the Torah on Mount Sinai...
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Parshat Yitro: The Ten Commandments
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. We read in Exodus chapter 20, parshat Yitro, that the Ten Commandments were transmitted to the Hebrews on Mount Sinai.
“And God spoke all these words saying: I am God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me…”
Abravanel discusses...
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Parashat Yitro: Torah From Heaven
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Exodus chapter 19 sets the backdrop for mankind’s defining moment: The transmission of the Torah on Mount Sinai.
“In the third month after the Children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came into the wilderness of Sinai.”
Abravanel asks about the timing of the watershed event...
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Exodus Chapter 18: Moses Receives visitors
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible.
“And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people. And the people stood about Moses from the morning unto evening.”
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent...
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Exodus Chapter 17:The Staff of Moses
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Chapter 17 finds the Hebrews trudging along desert dunes, increasingly becoming road weary. Unbearable thirst made them more than cantankerous; they totally lost it.
“And God said unto Moses: Pass on before the people, and take with you the elders of Israel, and your staff wherewith you smote the river, and take in your hand...
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Exodus Chapter 16: Preparation for Mount Sinai
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Exodus Chapter 16 we read about the Hebrews one month into their desert sojourns. By that time, the nation began to experience extreme hardships due to dwindling food and water supplies.
“And they journeyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the Children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between...
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Exodus Chapter 15: Song at the Red Sea
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Chapter 15 pertains to the Jew’s jubilation after experiencing the miracle at the Red Sea. Abravanel takes the opportunity to digress from his verse-to-verse commentary and discuss song or poetry, from a Jewish retrospective. The Hebrew essay is lengthy. Please see Abravanel’s World.
“Then sang Moses and the Children of Israel...
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Exodus Chapter 14: The Egyptians and the Red Sea
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Exodus, Chapter 14 captures the dramatic story of the utter demise of Pharaoh and his army. Down to the last man, they all drowned in the Red Sea.
“And God said to Moses saying: Speak unto the Children of Israel, that they turn back and encamp before Pi-hahiroth…And Pharaoh will say of...
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Exodus Chapter 13: The Hebrews Leave Egypt
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible. Chapter 13 tracks the escape route of the departing Hebrews from Egypt.
“And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not by the way of the...
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Exodus Chapter 12: The Jewish Calendar
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Exodus Chapter 12 pertains to the Pascal lamb sacrifice, providing a plethora of details about it. When was it sacrificed? What type of animal could be used? How was it eaten? These are a sampling of some salient aspects of the divine commandment given to the Jewish nation.
“And God said unto Moses and Aaron...
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Exodus Chapter 11: Pharaoh and the Plagues
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Chapter 11 delves into the tenth and final plague: the slaying of Egypt’s first born. It also touches on Pharaoh’s obstinacy, before relating Moses’ and Aaron’s pivotal roles in the Exodus.
“And God said unto Moses: Pharaoh will not hearken unto you, that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of...
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Exodus Chapter 10: Egypt and the Plagues
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Exodus Chapter 10, Bible students read about plagues number eight and nine to hit Egypt: locusts and darkness. (The tenth and final plague is a subject for the next chapter.)
“And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh and said unto him: Thus says God, the God of the Hebrews. How long will you...
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Exodus Chapter 9: The Plague of Boils in Egypt
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Exodus Chapter 9, the Bible details additional plagues to hit Egypt, including boils. On this particular plague, Abravanel notes an anomaly, giving way to a question: Of all ten plagues, why does God speak to both Moses and Aaron in the case of boils? In all other instances, the Creator solely addressed Moses.
“And...
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Exodus Chapter 8: Egypt Plagued with Lice
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible.
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Exodus Chapter 8, Bible students read about the third plague to attack Egypt with a vengeance: lice.
“And...
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Exodus Chapter 7: Judaism and Free Choice
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Exodus chapter 7, Bible students encounter the most fundamental theological assumption of all: free choice. Indeed, no topic is more central to Judaism. Predictably, every major commentator has weighed in on free choice, featured front and center in the verse:
“And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart unto you, and multiply My signs and...
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Exodus Chapter 6: Hebrew Redemption from Egypt
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible.
“And God spoke unto Moses, and said unto him: I am God…And moreover I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel. Wherefore say unto the children of Israel: I am God...
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Exodus Chapter 5: Let My People Go
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Exodus Chapter 5, Moses and Aaron petition Pharaoh in the name of God: Let My People Go. The king was unmoved, let alone impressed. “And Pharaoh said: Who is God that I should harken unto His voice to let Israel go? I know not God…”
“And afterward Moses and Aaron came, and said unto...
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Exodus Chapter 4: Moses and Jethro
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Exodus Chapter 4, God bids Moses to return to Egypt. There, he was to address his fellow countrymen, who had been enslaved by Pharaoh. God assured His prophet success, courtesy of divine miracle after miracle. Though initially reticent about being up to the task ahead, the Maker chided the prophet. Ultimately, Moses acquiesced.
A...
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Exodus Chapter 3: Moses and the Burning Bush
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Exodus Chapter 3, we learn of Moses’ pilot prophecy. The Bible relates that the divine communiqué took place in a wilderness – from the midst of a fiery, burning bush.
“Now Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the farthest end...
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Exodus Chapter 2: Jochebed, Mother of Moses
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Exodus Chapter 2, we learn of Moses’ birth. He was born to Amram and Jochebed, both from the tribe of Levi.
“And there went a man of the house of Levi and took to wife a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw him that he...
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Exodus Chapter 1: Jews Multiply in Egypt
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Exodus Chapter 1 the Bible painstakingly details the Hebrew population explosion in Egypt, one that spooked the king and terrified his subjects.
“And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceedingly mighty. And the land was filled with them.”
Expressing fears of the Hebrews forming a fifth column...
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Genesis Chapter 50: Jacob’s Funeral Procession
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible.
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Chapter 50 closes out the book of Genesis, chronicling the state funeral procession accorded to Jacob, the third Hebrew...
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Chapter 49: Jacob Blesses His Sons
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. The bulk of chapter 49 pertains to Jacob’s final words to his twelve sons, the twelve tribes of Israel. The patriarch addresses each son by name. Concluding the section of benedictions, the Bible sums up: “All these are the twelve tribes of Israel…”
“All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is...
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Genesis Chapter 48 : Jacob's Final Days
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible.
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Chapter 48 brings Bible students closer to Jacob’s final days. The patriarch summoned Joseph, as our chapter recounts...
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Genesis Chapter 47: Jacob and Sons in Egypt
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible.
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. The end of chapter 47 focuses on Jacob’s final days. Earlier in the chapter, we read that Joseph...
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Genesis Chapter 47: An Egyptian Famine
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Roughly half of chapter 47 pertains to Egypt’s economic collapse, as the famine impoverished an entire population.
“And there was no bread in the land…And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt. And Joseph said: Give me your cattle, and I will give you [bread] for...
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Jacob's Dilemma
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible. In Genesis Chapter 46, we read that Jacob packed up his family to leave famine-plagued Canaan for Egypt, where Joseph ruled. A stopover in Beer Sheba, and a night vision there, nearly put...
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Genesis Chapter 45: Joseph Sends Wagons
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Chapter 45 brings the revelation that Pharaoh’s viceroy is Joseph. Abravanel shares profound insights that Joseph had gained along his painful journey in reaching the pinnacle of success. That journey would pave the way for the family’s deep wounds to heal. At the end of the chapter, focus shifts to Jacob. How will...
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Joseph and Judah
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible.
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In chapter 44, an epic legal battle takes place between Joseph and Judah. Abravanel sets the courtroom scene for...
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Joseph and Benjamin
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible.
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In chapter 43, a heart-wrenching reunion takes place in Egypt. A disguised Joseph sets his eyes upon his...
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Jewish Work Ethic
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In chapter 42, we read how Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams was correct. Seven go-go years in Egypt came and went. A bitter famine began to rear its ugly head. This chapter focuses on Jacob’s reaction to the harsh reality and existential threat.
“Now Jacob saw that there were provisions in...
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Joseph's Rise to Power
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible.
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In chapter 41, we read how Joseph’s life takes a radical turn – for the better. His meteoric journey...
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The Pharoah's Ministers
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible. Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblicalcommentator. Chapter 40 pertains to Joseph’s interactions with Pharaoh’s staff members, while in prison. But who were Joseph’s...
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Joseph: A Slave in Egypt
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Chapter 39 chronicles Joseph’s ordeal, a slave sold to Egypt: “And Joseph was brought down to Egypt…”
“And Joseph was brought down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hand of the Ishmaelites, that had brought him down thither. And God...
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Bible Studies: The Story of Judah
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Abravanel observes that chapter 38 digresses from the Bible’s main storyline of Joseph, training a spotlight on Judah. Why the interlude, Abravanel asks?
“And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his...
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Jacob’s Retirement
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible. Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Chapter 37 starts one of the Bible’s most disturbing – and protracted – scandals: the sale of Joseph by his...
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Esau’s generations
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. The Bible devotes an entire chapter in Genesis to Esau, meticulously charting out his family tree. Furthermore, our chapter traces Esau’s move from the Holy Land to Seir.
“And Esau dwelt in the mountain land of Seir, Esau is Edom.
Abravanel discusses both subjects, Esau’s descendants as well as his relocation to Seir...
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Bible Studies: Jacob Becomes Israel
In Blble studies, Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Genesis chapter 35, we read that Jacob and family edge closer to home, to Isaac in Hebron. Along the way from Paddan-Aram, God appears to the patriarch and confirms what an angelic messenger had told him earlier – a name change was in the offing: “Your name shall not be called...
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Bible Studies: The Rape of Dinah
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible. Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Genesis chapter 34 covers the violent rape of Dinah, and subsequent revenge killings carried out by her brothers.
“And...
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Bible Studies: Jacob and Esau
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible. Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Genesis Chapter 33, we read about the long-anticipated reunion of Jacob and Esau. Twenty years had elapsed...
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Bible Studies: Jacob Returns Home
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible. Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Genesis chapter 32, Jacob begins his trek home. The first leg of his journey starts auspiciously; angels huddle...
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Bible Students: Rachel Steals Laban’s Idols
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Genesis chapter 31, we read about Rachel swiping Laban’s idols. Her inexcusable deed raises a red flag, prompting Bible students to question: What could Rachel possibly have been thinking?
“Now Laban was gone to shear his sheep. And Rachel stole the teraphim that were her father’s.”
It certainly vexed Abravanel, leading him...
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Jacob’s Children
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Genesis chapter 30, God’s fulfilment of Jacob’s earlier dream continues to unfold. Abravanel supplies Bible students with proper context, as well as the right stance with which to approach divine blessing.
“And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother...
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Bible Studies: Jacob at the Well
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Genesis chapter 29, Jacob arrives at a well, outside of Haran. There, in a setting teeming with rich imagery, he meets local shepherds and plies them with questions. Abravanel explains the significance of the dialogue at the well, both significant topics for Bible students. As to Jacob’s questions, what was he getting at...
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Bible Studies: Jacob's Ladder
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Genesis chapter 28, Jacob leaves home and makes his way to Haran. The patriarch rests along the road. A prescient encounter with God will change his life forever. Abravanel deciphers the prophecy – Jacob’s ladder.
“And Jacob went out from Beer-Sheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon the place, and tarried...
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Bible Studies: Jacob Leaves Home
“Now therefore, my son, hearken to my voice and arise. Flee to Laban my brother, to Haran.”
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible.
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In...
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Bible Studies: Isaac's Blessing
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. For Bible Studies, Genesis chapter 27,is one of the Bible’s most dramatic passages – Isaac’s blessing. Old and blind Isaac intends to bless Esau. His wife Rebeccah won’t hear of it. She plans on securing her husband’s blessing for her beloved Jacob, and not Esau. As for the stakes, they’re...
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Bible Studies: Esau's Wives
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Genesis chapter 26, we find out that Esau marries two women. Isaac and Rebeccah’s son’s choices in spouses were more than a source a friction; it haunted them.
“And when Esau was forty years old, he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon...
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Bible Studies: Yaacov and Esau
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Genesis chapter 25, we find a most vexing encounter between Jacob and Esau, twins born to Isaac and Rebeccah. The story requires context, if Bible students are going to begin to make sense of it.
“And Jacob...
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Bible Studies: Abraham and Keturah
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Genesis chapter 25, Abraham marries again. For Abravanel, the patriarch’s decision to take a wife is more than baffling, it’s disturbing. That is because, at first glance, it seems so out of character.
“And Abraham...
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Bible Studies: Finding a Wife for Isaac
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time.
“And I will make you swear by God, the God in heaven and the God of the earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell. But you shall go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife...
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Bible Studies: The Cave of Machpelah
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Genesis chapter 23, Sarah passes away. As we shall see, Abraham leaves no stone unturned in efforts to secure an honorable burial spot for his beloved Sarah.
“And Sarah died in Kiriatharba, the same is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.
And...
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Bible Studies: The Binding of Isaac
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Genesis chapter 22, we read of the binding of Isaac. This blog covers a small snippet of Abravanel’s preface. He asserts that, arguably, this is one of the most defining and dramatic chapters in the entire Bible. Abravanel’s discourse is precious, and lengthy. For the full discussion, please see Abravanel’s World...
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Bible Studies: Genesis Chapter 21 Sarah’s Aftershock
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Genesis chapter 21, we learn about Sarah’s miracles associated with Isaac’s birth and first years.
“And she said: Who would have said regarding Abraham, that Sarah should nurse children – for I have borne him a son in his old age. And the child grew, and was weaned. And Abraham made a great...
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Bible Studies: Genesis chapter 20 Call Me Abraham
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Genesis Chapter 20, we read that Abraham left Hebron and relocated to Israel’s southern area, in or near Gaza.
“And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the land of the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur. And he sojourned in Gerar.”
The move piqued Abravanel’s curiosity. He asks: What motivated the patriarch...
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Bible Studies: Lot's Daughters
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Genesis Chapter 19, we read about Sodom and Gomorrah’s destruction. Only Lot and his unwed daughters survived. However, the Bible makes clear that their own merits had nothing to do with it.
“And Lot went out unto them to the door, and shut the door after him. And he said: I pray you...
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Bible Studies: Abraham's Transformation
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible.
In Genesis chapter 18, God once again appears to Abraham.
“And God appeared unto him by the terebinths of Mamre, as he sat by the tent door in the heat of the day.”
Abravanel...
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Bible Studies :The Covenant with Abram
“And when Abram was ninety-nine-years-old, God appeared to Abram and said unto him: I am God Almighty. Walk before Me and be wholehearted. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly…This is My covenant, which you shall keep between Me and you and your seed after you. Every male among you shall be circumcised.”
Bible studies with Don...
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Bible Studies : Genesis Chapter 16 Ishmael
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible.
“And the angel of God said unto her: Behold you are with child, and shall bear a son. And you shall call his name Ishmael, because God has heard your affliction. And he shall...
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Genesis Chapter 15: Divine Providence
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible.
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Genesis chapter 15, Abravanel imparts, is rich in material. He arrives at this conclusion after considerable study, as he...
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Bible Studies: The Patriarch and the King
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Genesis chapter 14, the Bible chronicles Abram’s dashing military success, which freed Lot and the other captives who were snatched from their homes in Sodom, and led away.
“And the king of Sodom said to Abram: Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself. And Abram said to the king of...
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Bible Studies: God Speaks to Man
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Genesis chapter 13, the Bible reiterates divine promises previously made to Abram in an earlier chapter. Here again, God tells Abram that his progeny will wax prolific, and that they will inherit the Holy Land.
“And God said unto Abram, after Lot separated from him: Lift up your eyes, and look from the place...
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Bible Studies : Abram Leaves Canaan
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Genesis chapter 12, the Bible introduces the first of three patriarchs, Abram. God directed him to leave home and family to destination unknown. Our chapter informs us that Abram traveled westward with his wife, Sarai, and Lot, his nephew. Shortly, as the sojourners reached Canaan, the Maker appeared to Abram, and revealed the mystery...
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Bible Studies: The Tower of Babel
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Genesis chapter 11, Bible students encounter the inglorious debacle of the Tower of Babel. Abravanel digs deep into the puzzling storyline. He asks: Where did the generation go wrong? What underlaid the provocation of the Almighty?
“And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech. And it came to pass, as...
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Bible Studies: Is the Bible a History Book?
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Genesis chapter 10, the Bible chronicles Noah’s children’s progeny – but in fantastic shorthand. To be sure, history may be gleaned from the Bible, but it cannot narrowly be called a history or historical book. Let us explain, using the verses below as an illustration.
“Now these are the generations of the sons...
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Bible Studies: Is Meat OK?
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Genesis chapter 9, the Bible turns to diet for Noah, his family, and their progeny. Is Scripture biased toward veganism or, at least, vegetarianism?
“Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you, as the green...
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Religious Faith and Fundamentals 101
“And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged.”
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Genesis chapter 8, the Bible chronicles the conclusion of the great flood, replete with an exact timeline of events. When...
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Bible Studies : The Flood
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible. In Genesis chapter 7, the Bible details and describes the flood that wiped clean an entire planet, after repeated Heavenly warnings fell on deaf ears.
“And the flood was forty days upon the earth...
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Bible Studies: Noah the Righteous
“These are the generations of Noah. Noah was in his generations a man righteous and whole-hearted. Noah walked with God.”
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible. In Genesis chapter 6, the Bible focuses on an exemplary personality: Noah...
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The Bible is Not Mythology
“And it came to pass when men began to multiply on the face of the earth…that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that were fair. And they took them wives…The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men. And they bore children to them. The same were the...
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Bible Studies: Enoch’s inner struggle
“Enoch lived 65 years, and he had a son Methuselah. Enoch walked with God for 300 years after he had Methuselah, and he had sons and daughters. All of Enoch’s years were 365 years. Enoch walked with God, and he was no more because God had taken him.”
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five...
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Bible Studies: Cain and Abel
“And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground…”
Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has enlightened clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible.
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Genesis chapter 4, the...
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Bible Studies with Don Isaac Abarbanel : Genesis
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508), also spelled Abarbanel was a penetrating Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Genesis chapter 3, he explains one of the Bible’s more puzzling and curious narratives featuring a cunning and talking snake. Some English translations refer to it as a “subtle serpent.” Be that as it may, Bible readers need to understand this chapter. This blog provides a thoughtful approach to Genesis...
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Don Isaac Abravanel: The Garden of Eden’s trees
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508), also spelled Abarbanel was a penetrating Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Genesis Chapter 2, he unearths the meaning of the two trees featured in the Garden of Eden: the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Regarding the tree of life, Abravanel questions: How is it that the tree bestows eternal life upon someone who eats of...
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Don Isaac Abravanel’s Mission Statement
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508), also spelled Abarbanel was a penetrating Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. It is, of course, nary impossible to pare Abravanel’s encyclopedic and groundbreaking commentary on the Bible, and reduce it to a short blog. Indeed, where would one start? How could we sift through the thousands and thousands of pages of his magnus opus, in order to produce an Abravanel mission statement...
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Bible Studies with Don Isaac Abarbanel and Classic Bible Commentary: Angels
“In the beginning, God created the heaven and earth.”
Introduction to Angelology and Abarbanel
Throughout his groundbreaking Biblical commentaries, Don Isaac Abravanel (also spelled Abarbanel) (1437-1508) writes extensively on angels. This should not come as a surprise. After all, angels or heavenly facilitators played and continue to play significant roles in heaven and on earth. What is surprising, Abravanel asks, is this: Given that of all God’s...
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Red Cow Ashes According to the Abarbanel
“And God spoke to Moshe and to Aharon, saying: This is the governing law that God commands, saying: Speak to the Children of Israel that they should take for you a red cow, hardy [and] blemish free, which has never borne upon it a yoke.”
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) observes: One important question concerning the red cow commandment is its placement or position among the 613 Torah commandments...
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Parashat Tzav: An Excerpt
Abarbanel’s first Aliyah to Parashat Tzav, an excerpt from Abravanel’s World of Torah by Zev Bar Eitan
“And God spoke to Moses saying: Command Aaron and his sons saying. This is the law of the burnt offering…”
‘Recall that in the earlier section of Leviticus, Moses addressed the Hebrew general assembly. That was because the section dealt with and focused on categories of the populace needing to bring...
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Abarbanel Asks: Parashat Tzav
Parashat Tzav, First Aliyah, based on Abravanel’s World of Torah by Zev Bar Eitan
Bible Studies with Don Isaac Abarbanel and the Ramban. Sacrifices in the Tabernacle: Sin offerings, guilt offerings, and peace offerings. Abarbanel asks: Does God even want sacrifices? What does the Torah’s sequence of the offerings teach about God?
“And God spoke to Moses saying. Command Aaron and his sons saying, this is the law...
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Parshat Vayikra :An Excerpt
“And God called unto Moses, and spoke unto him out of the Tent of the Meeting. Speak unto the Children of Israel, and say unto them: When any man of you brings an offering unto God, you shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd or the flock.”
‘Heaven acknowledged how priests deserved the Jews’ financial support. Through a system of tithes and gifts, their needs...
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Parashat Vayikra
Abarbanel’s introduction to Leviticus based on Abravanel’s World of Torah by Zev Bar Eitan
“And God called unto Moses, and spoke unto him out of the Tent of Meeting. Speak unto the Children of Israel, and say unto them: When any man of you brings an offering unto God, you shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd or of the flock.”
In the Book...
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Abarbanel asks: Parashat Vayakhel,
“And Moshe assembled all the congregation of the Children of Israel and he said to them: These are the words that God has commanded to do them.”
Abarbanel asks : When did Moshe make the appeal to fund the Tabernacle?
‘After Moshe descended the mountain, he addressed the entire nation. His call, naturally, reached out to men and women. A gathering took place in the prophet’s personal Tent of...
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Parashat Vayakhel
“And Moses assembled all the congregation of the Children of Israel, and said unto them: These are the words which God has commanded, that you should do them.”
Abarbanel notes that the lead verse requires explanation. If Moshe gathered the Hebrews for the purpose of issuing a command to build the Tabernacle, as it says, “These are the words which God has commanded, that you should do them”, why...
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Parashat Ki Tasa: An Excerpt
Parashat Ki Tisa, First Aliyah, an excerpt from Abravanel’s World of Torah by Zev Bar Eitan
“And God said to Moshe saying: For the sake of your taking a census of the Children of Israel according to their count, each man shall give atonement for his soul to the Almighty in reckoning them so that plague does not befall them by dint of having been numbered.”
"Divine wisdom foresaw...
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Abarbanel asks: Parashat Ki Tisa
“And God spoke to Moshe saying. When you take the sum of the Children of Israel, according to their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto God, when you number them, that there be no plague among them, when you number them.”
Our section speaks about a census for soldiers. The count is associated with a “ransom”, in efforts to ward off pestilence...
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Parashat Tetzaveh: An Excerpt
“And you shall command the Children of Israel, that they bring unto you pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually. In the Tent of Meeting…Aharon and his sons shall set it in order, to burn from evening to morning before God…”
‘This section’s opening paragraphs seem disjointed because they switch theme tracks. Note that the lead verse talks about lighting...
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Abarbanel asks: Parashat Tetzaveh
“And you shall command the Children of Israel, that they bring unto you pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually. In the Tent of Meeting…Aharon and his sons shall set it in order, to burn from evening to morning before God…”
Isaac Abravanel contends that it is curious for our section to start with a divine command regarding the priests arranging...
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Parshat Terumah: An Excerpt
“And God said to Moshe, saying: Speak to the Children of Israel and collect a separated portion. From those who are generous you shall take a separated portion for Me.”
‘In a general Torah sense and here in this section in particular, Heaven’s modus operandi comes out in full splendor. That is, Hashem desired to increase both the Hebrew people’s merit and Moshe’s prominence. In our...
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Abarbanel asks: Parashat Terumah
“And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.”
Don Isaac Abarbanel (1437-1508) asks on this Torah section of Terumah: Why did God command the Hebrews to build a sanctuary? As it says: “That I may dwell among them?” One might deduce that the Maker has physical properties and that a sanctuary can fully contain Him.
Preposterous. Hashem is non-corporeal. Thus, no chamber...
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Parshat Mishpatim : An Excerpt
"In sum, tight linkage between the Utterances (10 Commandments) and accompanying laws convincingly persuades readers that Parashat Mishpatim conveys divine directives unlike any manmade moral code."
Shemot: Sinai Rules, page 464
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Bible Studies with Don Isaac Abarbanel: Parashat Mishpatim
“Now these are the statutes which you shall set before them.”
This section pertains to Jewish law, a cornerstone of Judaism. Let us provide a brief introduction to this all-important subject. The Torah has three distinct categories of commandments or mitzvot. At present, we are only interested in statutes or mishpatim, divine laws which comprise Jewish jurisprudence. At root is what is commonly referred to as civil law...
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Parashat Yitro: An Excerpt
“Now Yitro, the priest of Midian, Moshe’s father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moshe, and for Yisrael His people, how God brought Yisrael out of Egypt.”
‘Before delving into our passage’s narrative, it is important to determine where it fits into the broader chronology scheme. When did Yitro arrive on the scene and advise Moshe to set up a multi-tiered court...
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Parashat Yitro
“Now Yitro, the priest of Midian, Moshe’s father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moshe, and for Yisrael His people, how God brought Yisrael out of Egypt.”
The verse creates a curious conundrum: After we read that Yitro “heard of all that God had done for Moshe, and for Yisrael”, which really represents a catch-all, it then offers a slimmed down version of...
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Bible Studies with Don Isaac Abarbanel
Splitting the Red Sea
“And God went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light, that they might go by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night departed not from before the people.”
‘The Almighty also provided these travelers with a pillar...
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Parashat Bo: An Excerpt
“So that I might place these signs of Mine in his midst.”
‘Pharoah was a lost cause but God aimed to instill lessons of eternal faith within His people. When they looked around them and saw God’s hand everywhere, it would be a boon. Belief would spring eternal. A better approach to these verses is that Moshe was taken in by Pharoah’s post-hail promise to liberate...
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Parashat Va’era, First Aliyah
“And I appeared unto Avraham, unto Yitzchak, and unto Yaakov, as God
Almighty, but by My name [Hashem] I made Me not known to them.”
Classic commentators struggled to make sense of our verse. Some hold that it means that God had not
revealed Himself to them via the Ineffable name. Others posit that Hashem made promises to them, but
did not fulfil them. Both positions are weak, as...
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The Neglected Prophet: Moses
"“And Moshe (Moses) spoke thusly to the Children of Israel but they did not heed Moshe on account of
exasperation and overexertion.” Work rendered the Hebrews emotionally drained and physically
overtaxed. They had neither patience nor time for Moshe’s assurances. His words fell on deaf ears.
Yes, they believed in the shepherd from Midian’s clarion call for deliverance, but these wearied
workers were essentially oblivious to Moshe...
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The Ten Plagues of Egypt
Parshot Bo:“And Moshe and Aharon went in unto Pharoah, and said…let My people
go, that they may serve Me….Else, if you refuse to let My people go,
behold, tomorrow will I bring locusts unto your border…”
We ask: Why did the Torah’s arranger of the parshiyot begin this parashah with the plague of locusts?
After all, it is not the Torah’s launch into what would...
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The Neglected Prophet
Parashat Va’era, First Aliyah
“And Moshe spoke thusly to the Children of Israel but they did not heed Moshe on account of
exasperation and overexertion.” Work rendered the Hebrews emotionally drained and physically
overtaxed. They had neither patience nor time for Moshe’s assurances. His words fell on deaf ears.
Yes, they believed in the shepherd from Midian’s clarion call for deliverance, but these wearied
workers were essentially...
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Prophets and Prophecy
“And I appeared unto Avraham, unto Yitzchak, and unto Yaakov, as God
Almighty, but by My name [Hashem] I made Me not known to them.” Parashat Va’era, First Aliyah
Classic commentators struggled to make sense of our verse. Some hold that it means that God had not
revealed Himself to them via the Ineffable name. Others posit that Hashem made promises to them, but
did not fulfil them...
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Bible Studies Commentary : Jacob and Joseph
For Yaakov (Jacob), a bitter famine coupled with his sons’ insistence comprised formidable tailwinds propelling him to Egypt. Still, he might have braved hunger and stayed put in beloved Canaan. Perhaps he could have resisted their incessant appeals had it not been for one irresistible magnet. Its force tugged and jerked mercilessly. Uppermost in the mind and heart of the aged patriarch was an image that he hadn’t been...
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Introduction to the Book of Exodus
Exodus (Shemot in Hebrew) segues from Genesis (Bereshit), for good reason.
Here are four rationales that explain what takes us from the Torah’s first to second book.
1) Bereshit dealt with individuals of great personal stature. To name some of the moral giants, we
list: Adam, Noach, Shem, Eiver, Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov and his sons. There were other
outstanding personalities, as well. After the narratives of these men of...
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Seforimchatter
With Zev Bar-Eitan discussing his English series, "Abravanel's World of Torah"
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From Parashat Vaychi
One gets the distinct impression that Yaakov's final seventeen years - spent in Goshen, Egypt - were his golden years. Reunited with his beloved Yosef, surrounded by his children and grandchildren, it was for all intents and purposes the epitome of Sabbas and Savtas call Yiddishe nachas.
Moreover, the third patriarch's ruchniut churned most prolifically. Specifically, divine communications that he earlier received in Canaan came into magnificent focus. Based on Yaakov's newly...
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From Parashat Vayigash
After Yaakov received the delightfully shocking news that his son Yosef was alive and well in Egypt (and gainfully employed!), the Torah records his gut reaction. 'And Yisrael said: How incomprehensible it is that Yosef is still alive. I will go down [to Egypt] and see him before I pass away." Sometime thereafter, the patriarch took a more thoughtful approach to his predicament, and a monstrous predicament it was.
Could...
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From Parashat Miketz
Arguably, Parashat Miketz is Bereshit's most dramatic chapter. And that is saying quite a lot, especially considering the riveting subject matter contained in each and every one of Genesis’ twelve parshiyot. Do they not comprise episodes and narratives chock-full of esoterica, intrigue, and bafflement that stretch man's imagination, reason, and intellect?
Tucked into Miketz' seventh aliyah where the feverish high pitch blazes, a smaller but important question surfaces. In...
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From Parashat Vayeshev
This parasha is the first of four parshiyot that deal with one of Tanach’s most protracted scandals: The Selling of Yosef by his brothers into Slavery. That single topic is at the very heart of these chapters. At root, perhaps one question towers above the rest. It is this.
If Yosef’s brothers’ deed ranks as egregious as it appears, then why doesn’t the Torah record their just...
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From Parasahat Vayishlach
In this parasha, Yaakov’s long, anticipated reunion with his brother Esav unfolds. Building suspense makes it one of the most dramatic and tense narratives in Sefer Bereshit.
Yaakov’s preparation for the event was two-fold. On one level, a physical one, the patriarch readied his family and property for potential hostilities should Esav’s forces attack. A second additional tack employed by Yaakov took into account mental and...
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From Parashat Vayetze
Bible students need not be put off by the fact that the Torah is written in fantastic shorthand. It does, however, mean that serious students are expected to do a fair amount of sleuthing and honest investigation if they are to properly apprehend its enduring wisdom.
While this observation is true in a general sense, it is equally as relevant when we try to get a better feel or read...
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From Parashat Toldot
The Torah devotes three parshiyot to Avraham (Lech Lecha, Vayera, and Chayei Sara) and the balance of Bereshit (from Vayetze to Vayachi) deals with Yaakov and the twelve tribes. Toldot is the sole parasha that teaches us about Yitzchak's life. Q: Is Yitzchak the patriarch we never quite got to know? Why such scant and skeletal treatment for him? After all, Yitzchak, uniquely, is referred to as a pure, burnt...
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From Parashat Chayei Sarah
Q: What was Avraham thinking when he made his public plea to procure in perpetuity Hevron’s multi-tiered cave (Ma’ara Hamachpela). To clarify, the question here is not why Avraham desired the Cave in the first place. That can be answered very simply enough. Namely, he badly wanted it on account of its association with Adam and Eve having been buried there. Jewish tradition attests to that. Rather...
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Blog on Parashat Vayera
Vayera opens with “And the Almighty appeared to him [Avraham] in Elonei Mamre as he sat at the tent’s entrance in the heat of the day.” Q: If the Torah wanted to pinpoint the place or locale from where this prophetic vision emanated, then the verse only needed to state “in Elonei Mamrei” or “at the tent’s entrance.” Why was it important to add a prepositional phrase regarding...
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Blog on Parashat Lech Lecha (based on Abravanel’s World of Torah)
Below are two ideas on this week’s parasha. The first one comes to answer a famous question. Given that Avraham was spared Nimrod/Ur Kasdim's wrath and death by fire, why doesn’t the Torah mention that miracle explicitly? Instead, only an innuendo suffices, as the major commentators have noted.
To answer, let us provide a premise. Avram had been a well-known philosopher in his city. Moreover, his...
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Parashat Noach
Commentators question the sequence of Noach’s sons’ birth order. Who were the eldest, the middle, and youngest children? Several classics commentators have weighed in on this subject, bringing proofs from Scripture. Another particularly curious and quirky question is this one:
How many sons did Noach have? The quick answer is three but might there have been a fourth one as well? Fairly, students wonder: From where is this query...
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An Excerpt from Abravanel’s World of Torah, Bereshit, Parashat Bereshit
There are, of course, many fundamental questions students must grapple with when they open a Chumash (Torah). One is: Are Tanach (Biblical) narratives literal, metaphorical, or figurative? Great commentators have weighed in on this subject when it comes to Gan Eden (Garden of Eden), in general, and the snake episode in particular. Fairly they ask: Is it for real? Did the snake – even generously allowing for a crafty one – strike...
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