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Moses, Songs

To Explain the First Crusade, Jews and Christians Turned to the Bible

In 1096, the Crusaders captured the Holy Land from the Seljuk Turks. On the way, they stopped in Jewish communities throughout the Rhineland and massacred them in the name of Christ. Robert the Monk drew on the biblical song of the sea to highlight God’s support for the crusade, while the Chronicle of Solomon bar Simson used Psalms and Lamentations to articulate Jewish suffering and martyrdom.

Jennifer Seligman

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Miriam’s Song of the Sea: A Women’s Victory Performance

Miriam and the Israelite women echo briefly the famous Song of the Sea sung earlier in Exodus 15… or do they? A closer examination reveals a more prominent role for Miriam and provides information about women as musical performers using song, dance, and drums in ancient Israel.

Prof.

Carol Meyers

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God’s Flaming Fiery Anger

Dr.

Deena Grant

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Haazinu: The Song’s Enigmatic Climax

The final phrase of Haazinu (Deut 32:1-43) in the MT, וכפר אדמתו עמו, “and he will atone for his land, his people,” is difficult to parse. The textual variants from Qumran, the Samaritan Pentateuch, and the Septuagint offer a clearer, if more dismal, understanding of the phrase.

Dr. Rabbi

Zev Farber

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Does the Torah End with “The End”?

Traditional and critical perspectives on the ending of the Torah.

Prof.

Richard Elliott Friedman

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The Multiple Metaphors for God in Shirat Haazinu

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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