Is the prohibition about animal compassion, keeping species separate, or does it hold symbolic and metaphorical meanings? Beyond its surface, the law against “plowing” with an ox and a donkey also conveys a double entendre.
Dr.
Elaine Goodfriend
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From a shepherd’s guidance to a royal feast, the psalm’s two parallel scenes describe God’s providence and care.
Prof. Rabbi
Stephen A. Geller
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Following King David’s appropriation of Bathsheba and his role in the killing of her husband Uriah, YHWH dispatches the prophet Nathan to present a parable (2 Samuel 12:1–4). The parable features a ewe-lamb adopted by a poor man, which highlights David’s attempts to evade responsibility for his actions.
Dr.
Yael Landman
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Hosea’s depiction of the marital relations with a promiscuous woman, as a metaphor for YHWH’s relationship with Israel, is problematic in ancient and modern terms. The structure of Hosea 2, however, suggests that we have been overlooking the prophet’s message: YHWH rejects and repudiates violence in favor of gentle persuasion and courtship.
Prof. Rabbi
Tamara Cohn Eskenazi
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Why the promiscuous daughter of a priest and Tamar, the widowed daughter-in-law of Judah, are sentenced to die by fire. The “poetic justice” of immolation.
Prof.
Esther Brownsmith
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The Bible contains numerous references to ceramic pots, bowls, jugs, and other types of dishes. What do we know about these vessels?
Dr.
Nava Panitz-Cohen
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Using the metaphor of Israel as YHWH’s vineyard, three biblical texts—Isaiah 5, Psalm 80 and Isaiah 27—grapple with Judah’s destruction and the hope for its future recovery.
Dr.
David Rothstein
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Deuteronomy 20:19 forbids the chopping down of fruit trees during war-time, and offers the cryptic explanation כי האדם עץ השדה (ki ha-adam etz hasadeh), but what does this mean?[1]
Prof.
Shai Secunda
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A biblical metaphor for God’s relationship with Israel.
Prof.
Carl S. Ehrlich
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Could the story have its basis in natural phenomena?
Prof.
Ziony Zevit
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Deuteronomy 32 imagines God as a father, an eyelid, an eagle, a nursing mother, and a protective rock. Why so many metaphors?
Prof. Rabbi
Andrea L. Weiss
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