Reading & Interpretation
Interfaith Discussion about Abraham and His Family
Read or Listen Introduction to the Seminar Oxford Interfaith Forum presents Interfaith Discussion Series intended to promote interreligious dialogue between scholars of different faiths that draw from similar scripture traditions. This session, entitled “Discussions on Abraham and His Children,” is meant to focus on shared narratives of tradition about the Religious Patriarch Abraham. The session…
Read MoreBuilding a Sukkah to Remember God
So quickly after Rosh HaShanah, the New Year, and in the midst of starting the school year with all its schedule changes and additional activities, we also came to the threshold of Sukkoth. We built a Sukkah and prepared our feast. We joined one another for dinner out of doors. I must admit that Sukkoth…
Read MoreL’Shanah Tova—Rosh Hashanah
This blog post is a little bit overdue since we celebrated the Hebrew calendar New Year last week. But, it comes instead on the eve of Yom Kippur, which marks a day of fasting to purify oneself for the coming year. One of the most interesting things about this year, Hebrew Year 5782, is a…
Read MorePodcast: Anxiety about Reproduction in the Bible and Science Fiction
Why is there so much anxiety about reproduction in sci-fi? This question has been posited in several recent discussions. And now that I have asked the question, I keep seeing examples of this concept of concern over the human ability to have children by natural means. This can be seen in sci-fi books, short stories,…
Read MorePodcast: A Prayer for America the Beautiful
I was a little surprised when Sunday’s hymn was a well-known patriotic song, America the Beautiful. Singing the hymn in a religious setting had me thinking about the spiritual themes. So, I threw out a nonchalant post on social media to ask if singing this song in a church made it more of a prayer…
Read MoreWandering Through Leviticus Part III
A reminder that this reading of Leviticus was part of a Bible study with a small group of friends, all women who needed an outlet during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have five Master’s degrees in topics ranging from Linguistics to Law to Chemistry, two doctorate degrees, and one doctoral candidate. If you missed it, catch…
Read MorePodcast: A Psalter for the Poor in Psalm 82
My Ph.D. dissertation was completed in the infamous year of the COVID-19 virus that was 2020. As the world emerges from hibernation, I am also finding opportunities to discuss my research in broader contexts. Therefore, I have recorded this podcast, which summarizes my research on the nature of poverty in the Hebrew Bible Psalter. This…
Read MoreShavu’ot, Feast of Weeks
This week, we celebrated the Shavu’ot. This Jewish holiday comes seven weeks after Passover. It is a celebration of the harvest and centers on remembering when Moses gave the Torah. The holiday is marked by decorating with flowers and feasting on bread and other delicious food. Shavu’ot, or the Festival of Weeks, is a harvest…
Read MoreLag Ba’Omer—Counting the Omer
33 days after the Passover, the Jewish holiday Lag Ba’Omer marks halfway to Shavuot. This Jewish holiday takes the form of a celebration by bonfire, featuring s’mores, outdoor games, and campfire songs (about fire). Admittedly, this Jewish holiday was not on my radar at all when I subscribed to this year of Jewish holidays in…
Read MoreWandering through Leviticus Part II
NOTE: This is part of a 3-part series. The first is Wandering Through Leviticus Part I, and following this is Wandering through Leviticus Part III. The Priests This week, we dove into our discussion of Leviticus by profiling the Priests making sacrifices. Leviticus Priests were like butchers or surgeons. This is not the modern pastor,…
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