Sample Reel for forthcoming documentary feature "Above and Beyond: The Birth of the Israeli Air Force" currently in production by Playmount Productions. includes interviews with some of the original Machal members of what became the IAF. And El Al.
"Amen"
"Bar Mitzvah"
"Commandment"
"Doing Jewish"
"Faith"
"Ger" and "Convert"
"How did we not know?"
"It is not in heaven," the tile in the oven
"Moses will sing ..."
"My father was a wandering Aramean" - Who was he?
"The Devil is Not So Black as He Is Painted"
"The Irony of Masada"
"This is all we can do for you now"
"Wherefore criest thou unto me?"
100 Voices: A Journey Home
100 pagan ritual vessels, 3500 years old
2,000 Year Old Hebrew Papyrus
2,000 Year Old Mikvah, in Jerusalem
2000 Years of water in Jerusalem
3700 year old fortress wall, Jerusalem
40 Yiddish words you should know
40 youTube videos featuring Adon Olam
5000 years of Imperial mid-east history in 90 seconds
613 Commandments
A Parable
A Pilgramage to Belarus
A Positive Attitude
A new year's message
A&E Biography: Adam and Eve
A&E Biography: Solomon and Sheba
A&E: David an Goliath
A&E: Great People of the Bible
A&E: The Hidden City of Petra
Aaron In the Bible
Acharai Mot
Adam's "rib"?
Adon Olam
Adon Olam (happy)
An alternate take on Rosh Ha'Shannah
Anati's Har Karkom to receive Vatican sanction?
Announcing the sky
Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust
Antisemitism in the White House
Archaeologist sees proof for Bible in ancient wall
Archival films of Israel, 1947 onward -- in color
Are rice, beans and kitniyot really forbidden on Pesah?
Are you there God?
Art in Torah
Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State
Authoritative (Israeli) Rabbinic decisions in 2009
B'shalach
Balaak: A few noodles short of a kugel
Bamidbar
Bamidbar - "in the wilderness"
Barley in the Bible
Basic Judaism, a new section
Bechukotai
Before the Shma: "A wandering Aramean was my father"
Behaalotecha
Behar
Bell from hem of priestly robe?
Bereshit
Bereshit (Genesis) - The Beginning
Bereshit - What was created first?
Berlin -- A Jewish Journey
Beshalach -- Three d'varim
Bethlehem confirmed as First Temple era city
Bikkurrim
Bilaam
Bilaam - really existed!
Bilaam apologizes to his ass
Bilaam in 'Toons
Bilaam's ass
Black Light theater Pesach Silhouettes
Bo
Bo
But, we didn't know!
Calendars
Camel powered carts 6000 years ago?
Cast a Giant Shadow
Cecile B. DeMille got it right?
Chanukah at Nuremberg
Chaya Sara
Chukkat
City of David Archaeologists Unearth Late Bronze Age Egyptian Scarab
Computer and other funnies
Computer confirms Documentary Hypothesis
Coveting
DVD Review: Abraham: One Man, One God (A&E: Mysteries of the Bible series)
DVD Review: Sampson & Delilah: A&E Biography
David and Solomon: Kings of Controversy
Delirium in Jerusalem, 1947
Devarim
Devarim
Devarim-A Book Out Of Place.htm
Did I Find King David's Palace?
Did Israel's God have a consort?
Did Pharaoh have free will?
Did the Aramean really try to kill our father?
Did the Exodus really happen?
Dvar for Yom ha'Kippurim 5774
Earliest known external reference to Israel?
Echoes of the Shofar
Ed Koch on FDR's anti-semitism
Egyptian Sphinx found in Northern Dig
Eikev
Ekev: Man does not live by bread alone
Emor
Emor_
Empires: Kingdom of David
Erev Pesach
Escape Clause
Escape From Sobibor
FIlm: One Night with the King
Facebook and Genesis
Facial Care and Makeup in Ancient Times
Film Review: Holy Land Hardball (Cubs baseball, Israeli style?)
Film: A Life Apart
Film: Constantine's Sword
Film: Defiance
Film: Exodus Revealed
Film: Footsteps of Goliath
Film: Herod's Tomb
Film: I'm Still Here
Possibly the best known word in the Bible, what does it mean?
What does "bar mitzvah" mean?
A pivotal phrase in Torah.
What is a commandment? Are there more than one type of commandment?
Inquiring minds...
Debbie Burton reflects on the response of Israel to receiving the commandments, what "faith" means to others and some interesting episodes in her own life.
There is no word in the Bible nor, for that matter, in Hebrew for "faith."
How can the language of the Bible not contain the idea of "faith?" What does this mean for us?
Is a "ger" a "convert?" I don't think so.
Neither does the Torah. How did one convert in olden times and how has that changed?
What was happening in Europe during the war.
But we did ... blame it on the New York Times.
Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, known as "the Great," takes on the Sanhedrin over a tile in an oven and loses.
But the Rabbis establish the principle of man's responsibility for Torah....
These words, the beginning of the "Song at the Sea," occur after Israel crossed the Sea of Reeds. Why is it in the future tense?
Yes, future and past tenses in Hebrew can reverse (grammatical future can be correctly translated as past tense and vice versa). But, could the use of the future tense mean something else for us entirely?
Who was this "Aramean?"
We know that Jacob lived in Aram (when he worked for Laban).
Was Jacob the "wandering Aramean?" But that would make Jacob "my father" and that should be Abraham.
Prof. Finkelstein, one of the leading Biblical archaeologists of the modern age, talks to Biblical Archaeology Review about the Exodus, David’s monarchy and Finkelstein’s views about the historical accuracy of the Bible.
Are we actually decended from the Hyksos? Or, the memory of leaving Egypt from the Hyksos expulsion (which, on a timeline, fits Anati's theses)?
An interview, but an important read.
Close analysis of his story of Masada indicates that he is actually trying to remove any glory from Rome's victory at Masada. Indeed, he appears to be saying that Rome did not win the battle or the war. (Apologetics for Josephus?-Could be.)
Shmot 14:15 is our text. A fine point of grammar is our tool.
And a great lesson is our result.
Documentary of a number of cantors and their concerts in Poland (2010).
Evidence that this large cache may have been buried to protect them from impending destruction.
Work out the dates ....
Papyrus does not keep well, so finding a Second Temple papyrus is quite a find. The document is written in ancient Hebrew script, characteristic of the Second Temple period and, rarer still, was found in situ. In the upper line is the text: "Year 4 to the destruction of Israel."
Discovered just 20 meters from the Western Wall.
Aquaduct to Temple Mount.
Who conquered Israel, when.
From where do we get "613" as the commandment count?
The writer of this brilliant piece remains unknown. It was posted to a blog on the internet on 18 June 2009.
A "must read."
"...few Nazis disassociated from their crimes publicly. My historical research and personal family experience confirms that most perpetrators remained caught in denial and self-deception and could not abjure the ideologies that justified their crimes. Instead, they delegated such "coming to terms" to the next generation" says the niece of the Nazi deputy commander of Pinsk, Belarus.
Anyone who ever has tried to hit that little white ball should be humbled by this. Unbelievable. A must watch even if you do not play tennis or golf.
from Rabbi Schlomo Lewis.
A biography of Adam and Eve? There hardly seems enough material in the creation sequence for a 44 minute bio.
Surprizingly, there is enough to say about Adam and Eve to fill a good part of that time.
About what one would expect, given the source, but much less than one would like.
One of the better A&E films, examines David's character, not just his encounter with Goliath.
Built by the Nabatu (Nabateans) circa 5th century BCE, Petra is located just north of the Gulf of Aqaba (a/k/a Yam Soph in King Solomon's times) and just about on the Israel/Jordan border. It also figures prominently in the wrangling over "Mount Sinai."
Aaron gets away with ... quite a lot. How does he do it?
"The most challenging arena of human conduct, the one that really tests the mettle of our morality, is not how we behave in the synagogue but how we behave in our bedrooms."
Eve (Chava) was created from man's "rib?" Or is this a serious mistranslation?
My two favorite version: the faster, faster version and (six cantors) Uncle Moishe style.
Plus a few others....
Nehemia Gordon provides an explanation of how Yom Teruah, which is how the 1st of Tishrei is known in Torah, became Rosh Ha'Shannah, a holy day not known in Torah. The article also gives interesting insights into the mean of the term "Yom Teruah," not what one might expect ....
As reported in the Jerusalem Post.
Anati's identification of "the mountain in Sinai" with Har Karkom not only move the mountain from the traditional Christian site, it relocated the Revelation hundreds of years earlier than held by tradition.
More about calenars: Chinese, Christian, Indian, Islamic, Jewish, ancient, French, Mayan, Roman calendars.
The origin of the seven day week and other interesting information about calendars.
Rabbi Shraga Simmons' examination of the roots of anti-semitism. Very interesting.
Anti-semitism is not unheard of in the White House, says Rafael Medoff.
However, in only one modern Presidency did the President's anti-semitism actually affect governmental policy. That President was FDR.
An Israeli archaeologist said that ancient fortifications recently excavated in Jerusalem date back 3,000 years to the time of King Solomon and support the biblical narrative about the era.
Is God our BFF who also just happens to rule the world?
How is prayer efficacious?
Some interesting thoughts.
A Rabbi illustrates Torah and expresses Torah in his art.
Superb six part documentary details the history of Nazi Germany centering on the history of Auschwitz.
How important is tradition?
The man thinks he's going to be attacked. What does he do?
Does he raise his army?
Does he conscript soldiers?
Does he hire mercenaries?
Does he try to negotiate?
No. He sends for a witch doctor!
Where have all the Jews gone?
Bamibar ([lit.] "in the wilderness") also known to the Rabbis as the book of the two censuses, represents a significant change in the relation of the people to God. Little noticed, though of significant importance, since the revelation at the mountain in Sinai, in the middle of Shmot, Israel has not travelled through the Shmot or Vayikra. Rabbi Helfgot explains.
But, as far as I know, barley has only two uses. One is beef barley soup and the other is not bread.
New section, "Basic Judaism and Spirituality." I especially like "Anatomy of a Blessing."
What happens if we don't listen?
The initial declaration of faith in Israel and what it means.
Even as G-d was providing them with the most incredible miracles, bread from heaven and water from rocks, they were busy moaning and groaning throughout ... Do we continue in this tradition, thus demonstrating that being a Jew is a burden? Or do we show our children that it is a pleasure?
Does the Bible have an economic system? If so, what is it? What does the Sabbatical year teach us about economics?
A 2,000-year-old bell, as described in Exodus 28:33, has been found.
Let there be light!
The story of the creation of the world hides something really important.
Beautiful slide show of contemporary Jewish Berlin.
"And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not by the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said: 'Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.'"
This passage teaches us:
- Why we don't have the oil
- Where God Did or Did Not Lead Israel
- Why the Route Makes Sense
The Israel Antiquities Authority announced the discovery of a 3rd millenium BCE document seal specifically mentioning Bethlehem.
The Bikkurim, First Fruit offering, was not enforced for 14 years after Israel entered the land,
R. Sherer examins the underlying reason for this delay and why it is relevant today.
The war of the seven nations and the missing GPS.
Well known, from Bamidbar 22, for his talking jackass, Balaam appears to be a documentable historical character.
According to tablets found at Deir Alla, Bilaam actually existed.
Bilaam pleads ignorance. So why does he say he sinned against his ass?
Just how simple seeing what is right should be.
Wonderful little video.
"Let my people go."
Go where? For what?
Inside/Outside
Recordings of German prisoners of war show that, in private, they chatted casually and chillingly about mass-murdering Jews.
Claus Tøndering's excellent and highly detailed essay on calendars (European, Jewish, Muslim, Chinese, etc.) and how they came to be as they are.
Camels were not domesticated until 3000 years ago in Canaan, causing issues for Biblical texts (camels appear in stories where they shouldn't). Now there is evidence of earlier domestication in the form of children's toys found in Turkmenistan.
Based on the 1962 book and borrowing key (and sometimes homorous) incidents from Slater's The Pledge.
Who was Mickey Marcus? As far as I am concerned, that's the most important aspect of this film.
You saw it on the news, how DeMille's recreation in The 10 Commandments, may have gotten it right.
Some more details here.
In 1945, the first showing of American-made documentary films of the extermination centers was on the first day of Chanukah. Irony, eh?
The first recorded arranged marriage ... what does it teach us about the quality of marriage?
The Red Heifer: why is faith exciting for some, irrelevant to others?
The role of listening.
Israeli archaeologists working at the City of David excavations in Jerusalem recently uncovered a rare 13th century B.C.E. Egyptian scarab. The scarab dates to Egypt’s 19th dynasty, which was marked by military campaigns and conquests in Canaan. According to dig directors Eli Shukron and Joe Uziel, the artifact is the first of its kind in the City of David excavations, and it serves as a material reflection of the Egyptian presence in Israel during the period.
A whole bunch of new funnies that I've collected over the years. Not particularly Jewish but very funny.
Some (many?) are not appropriate for all audiences.
Computer software developed at Bar Ilan University thinks source critics may be right: there is a priestly author and a non-priestly author of the Bible.
Does "covet" refer to a psychological state, as is usually assumed, or does it, like almost all of the other mitzvot refer to behavior? "Covet" may not mean what we usually think it means.
In short, entirely based on the texts and traditions but with (mostly) worthwhile commentary by modern scholars and thinkers.
This is one of the more interesting shows in the A&E Biblical series. It actually discusses the characters in some depth, trying to understand them. It leaves me with lots to consider. The depictation of Delilah is very different (and, in the final analysis, truer to the text) than the common conception of her.
Was the kingdom of David and Solomon a glorious empire—or just a little cow town? It depends on which archaeologist you ask.
An eyewitness account of Jerusalem, the night of the partition vote.
Rabbi David Eliezer learns out the spiritual lesson of leaving the wilderness (God provided all our needs) and entering our land (we go to war, we work for our daily food ...).
Why remember? "A people who never forgot its past [is] destined to forever have a future."
Details of Eilat Mazar's exciting work in Jerusalem.
The debate is not a new one. The evidence, likewise, isn't new.
If God hardened Paraoh's heart, how can we blame him for not letting Israel go?
"A wandering Aramean was my father" and "An Aramean tried to kill my father" - one is the literal translation of Devarim 26:5, the other is the translation in the Passover hagaddah. Not until the Rashbam, ibn Ezra and Kimhi do we see a return to the pshat....
There is reason to believe that the hagaddah understanding was "traditional." Rashi understands and explains the pasuk this way.
For over 1000 years, there have been questions about the account of the exodus. Attacks on the "historicity" of the exodus have accelerated in the last 30-40 years.
So. Did it happen or not?
The meaning of "doing mitzvot."
The Merneptah Stele has long been believed to be the earliest reference to Israel outside the Bible. That inscription dates to about 1205 B.C.E. and recounts the military conquests of the pharaoh Merneptah
Scholars now claim a stele, 200 yeaars older, also refers to Israel....
From 1930 to 1947, it was unlawful for Jews to bring a Torah to the Kotel. It was unlawful for Jews to pray too loudly. And it was unlawful to sound a Shofar.
Six "scoff-laws" re-enact their crime....
For centuries, Canaan was not only a vassal state of Egypt but was "occupied" and ruled by Egypt (is this part of the source of the tradition of enslavement to Egypt?).
At Tel Hazor, north of Kinnerett, a uniquely Egptian artifact has been found, a sphinx (or part of one).
The galut mentality.
R. Simche Sherer tells us that "The human spirit is such that we crave more than bread. Now 'bread' colloquially means money and symbolically refers to all things material."
But, "man does not live by bread alone."
Ambassadors needed ....
Priesthood, education, values
A worthwhile four hour series. It covers the history of the Bible and the history in the Bible from the textual criticism and archaeological perspectives.
Chumetz is often compared to arrogance. What, then, does the search for chumetz really mean?
Josephus' claim that survivors fled to "mines" is confirmed.
A tragically well done re-enactment of the final days of Sobibor. Two of the survivors help write the screen play.
Rabbi Benjamin Blech argues that the notion of a "social network" comes straight from Bereshit. In fact, the necessity of establishing a social network, he argues, is mandated in the Talmud, without which, the Rabbis claim, Torah is impossible.
"The custom has its beginnings in magic and cultic practices in which the ancients used to apply creams and makeup to the faces of the statues of their gods in order to 'bestow life on them'."
Keep that in mind the next time you primp.
Larry Baras tries to bring professional baseball to Israel.
Oy, such tsuris ....
Ehud Netzer, who died recently at Herodian, spent a lifetime studying Herod, his building projects, his life and seeking the tomb.
Teen diarists.