Articles Archive - Our Rabbi Jesus https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/ His Jewish Life and Teaching Wed, 08 Apr 2026 18:29:58 +0000 en-US hourly 1 31550207 Yes, the Bible allowed Slavery. It also Brought About its End. https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/yes-the-bible-allowed-slavery-it-also-brought-it-to-an-end/ https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/yes-the-bible-allowed-slavery-it-also-brought-it-to-an-end/#respond Sun, 05 Apr 2026 19:50:05 +0000 https://ourrabbijesus.com/?post_type=articles&p=13807 Why didn’t the Bible outlaw slavery? Like war and famine, slavery was a human horror that afflicted cultures across all times and throughout all of history. God knew the sinfulness of the human heart, and allowed it, just as he allowed divorce (Matt. 19:8). Making a single law to outlaw slavery was about as reasonable […]

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]]> https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/yes-the-bible-allowed-slavery-it-also-brought-it-to-an-end/feed/ 0 13807 “Where Two or Three are Gathered” …in Context https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/where-two-or-three-are-gathered-in-context/ https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/where-two-or-three-are-gathered-in-context/#comments Sun, 28 Sep 2025 23:12:49 +0000 http://ourrabbijesus.com/?post_type=articles&p=6991 Jesus’ words in light of rabbinic sayings about what happens when people gather to study or pray... God's Shekinah draws near. Fascinating.

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]]> https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/where-two-or-three-are-gathered-in-context/feed/ 6 6991 Miracle on the Sea of Galilee https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/miracle-on-the-sea-of-galilee-2/ https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/miracle-on-the-sea-of-galilee-2/#comments Fri, 09 May 2025 23:40:54 +0000 https://ourrabbijesus.com/?post_type=articles&p=13882 Understanding more about ancient fishing on the Sea of Galilee allows us to paint, in vivid detail, one of the first miracles of Jesus’ ministry.

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]]> https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/miracle-on-the-sea-of-galilee-2/feed/ 4 13882 Psalm 90 Realism for Ash Wednesday and Life https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/psalm-90-realism-for-ash-wednesday-and-life/ https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/psalm-90-realism-for-ash-wednesday-and-life/#comments Wed, 05 Mar 2025 22:29:55 +0000 https://ourrabbijesus.com/?post_type=articles&p=13824 Psalm 90 is an incredibly wise meditation for Ash Wednesday, Lent and all of life. During Lent, Christians meditate on their fragile, short lives. On Ash Wednesday, we put ashes on our head as a visible gesture that reminds us of the dust that we will return to. As humans, we are but dust and […]

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]]> https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/psalm-90-realism-for-ash-wednesday-and-life/feed/ 1 13824 Review of “The Bible With and Without Jesus” by Levine & Brettler https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/review-of-the-bible-with-and-without-jesus-aj-levine-m-brettler/ https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/review-of-the-bible-with-and-without-jesus-aj-levine-m-brettler/#comments Fri, 08 Nov 2024 23:20:56 +0000 https://ourrabbijesus.com/?post_type=articles&p=13653 Despite some weaknesses, The Bible With and Without Jesus includes a remarkable amount of material about the ways Christians and Jews have interpreted the biblical text.

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]]> https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/review-of-the-bible-with-and-without-jesus-aj-levine-m-brettler/feed/ 4 13653 A Surprising Source of Inspiration for the Sermon on the Mount https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/the-surprising-place-where-hasidut-comes-from/ https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/the-surprising-place-where-hasidut-comes-from/#comments Tue, 10 Sep 2024 19:45:22 +0000 https://ourrabbijesus.com/?post_type=articles&p=13527 Jesus' greatest sermon has a surprising source of inspiration - the Torah's laws as they are expressed in Leviticus 19.

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]]> https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/the-surprising-place-where-hasidut-comes-from/feed/ 8 13527 The Problem of Psalms of Cursing https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/the-problem-of-the-psalms-of-cursing/ https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/the-problem-of-the-psalms-of-cursing/#comments Thu, 15 Aug 2024 21:47:24 +0000 https://ourrabbijesus.com/?post_type=articles&p=13483 One of the most problematic parts of Scripture are psalms which include cursing. Aren't we taught to pray for our enemies instead?

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]]> https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/the-problem-of-the-psalms-of-cursing/feed/ 8 13483 The Sermon on the Mount is about *Hasidut* https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/the-sermon-on-the-mount-is-about-hasidut-going-beyond/ https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/the-sermon-on-the-mount-is-about-hasidut-going-beyond/#comments Thu, 11 Jan 2024 04:37:54 +0000 https://ourrabbijesus.com/?post_type=articles&p=13076 Imagine yourself as a first-century resident of Capernaum. You have heard Jesus speak and seen him heal people, but you have also heard a lot of criticism. Some have accused him of being soft on the law, saying that Jesus is undermining the Torah and leading people astray. So now, as you sit on the […]

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]]> https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/the-sermon-on-the-mount-is-about-hasidut-going-beyond/feed/ 13 13076 An East to West Misunderstanding: What “Our Children” Means https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/an-east-to-west-misunderstanding-what-our-children-means/ https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/an-east-to-west-misunderstanding-what-our-children-means/#comments Wed, 20 Dec 2023 00:35:18 +0000 https://ourrabbijesus.com/?post_type=articles&p=13005 We live in a Western culture that often doesn’t grasp the implications of the non-Western thinking that goes on Scripture. This past month, I had a real-life example of how a slight difference in definition can cause a huge misunderstanding. If you’ve been reading my blog, you’ve heard about Rev. Dr. Milly Erema Maturu, an […]

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]]> https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/an-east-to-west-misunderstanding-what-our-children-means/feed/ 8 13005 Hamas, Ancient Violence, and the Torah’s Radical Response https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/hamas-ancient-violence-and-the-torahs-radical-response/ https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/hamas-ancient-violence-and-the-torahs-radical-response/#comments Thu, 26 Oct 2023 21:13:00 +0000 http://ourrabbijesus.com/?post_type=articles&p=4446 Life was incredibly cheap in ancient times, and Near Eastern law codes reflected this fact. In Israel, however, murder was seen as an offense against God himself. Many of Israel’s uniquely humanitarian laws were based on the peculiar and supreme value that God placed on human life.

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]]> https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/hamas-ancient-violence-and-the-torahs-radical-response/feed/ 6 4446 Understanding the Bible’s Non-Western Logic https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/understanding-the-bibles-non-western-logic/ https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/understanding-the-bibles-non-western-logic/#comments Wed, 12 Jul 2023 00:41:25 +0000 https://ourrabbijesus.com/?post_type=articles&p=12687 Modern Bible readers are often frustrated by the fact that the Bible is full of multiple retellings of stories, and they aren’t always in exact agreement with each other. Indeed, from the very first page of Genesis we find that even the creation story itself is told two times, in Genesis 1 and 2. We […]

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]]> https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/understanding-the-bibles-non-western-logic/feed/ 13 12687 This Year, Let’s Not Preach about the Fickle Crowds https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/this-year-lets-not-preach-about-the-fickle-crowds/ https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/this-year-lets-not-preach-about-the-fickle-crowds/#comments Wed, 29 Mar 2023 21:46:44 +0000 https://ourrabbijesus.com/?post_type=articles&p=12705 Dear Pastors (and other friends), could this be the year that we don’t repeat an ugly error? The crowds that shouted “Crucify” at Jesus’ trial were not the same ones that cheered with shouts of “Hosanna” on Palm Sunday. This story has resulted in egregious antisemitism over the centuries, but it can be corrected simply […]

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