John Hyrcanus – Push Out, Dig In
It's not easy to be second. The second ruler of the miraculous independent state founded after the Maccabean revolt was Judah Maccabee's nephew. As the…
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Simon Thassi – Founder of a State
We look for miracles on Hanukkah - the festival of light. But what were actually the miracles associated with this war and victory over the…
Liberal Arts and Sciences
There's an assault these days against the type of liberal arts education I enjoyed at the University of Pittsburgh. I majored in Philosophy because it…
ABC’s in Lachish
We're marking the days to the holiday of Shavuot, the festival of weeks, and the time when we traditionally celebrate the giving of the Torah…
The (Second) Richest Man in the World
Elon Musk? Bill Gates? These are part of the class of super-rich in today's world. In the ancient world control over technology, production, and transportation…
Counting the Days
"Blessed are you, God, our God, King of the world, who has commanded us to count the Omer. Today is the 25th day of the…
Two Paths
There is a unique monument along the shores of Nachal Be'er Sheva along the "riverwalk" that I discovered recently. Nachal Be'er Sheva riverwalk is a…
Another Scroll
There is a very peculiar story in the book of Jeremiah. The prophet is commanded to get the people to repent by reading to them…
Exodus and Hyksos
As we focus on the Exodus narrative during the holiday of Passover, one issue which arises for many is the historical accuracy of the events. …
A Date for Passover
This year the calendar for Passover comes out very unusually. The night for the Passover Seder, the festive meal eaten to commemorate being liberated from…
Israel by Leiah 