Category Archives: Jewish History/Culture

Thoughts of God’s Thoughts

Thoughts of God’s Thoughts
How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God!    How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. Psalm 139:17-18 The thoughts of God are yakar – precious, weighty, valuable. That is established throughout scripture. But as I’ve read this particular verse in several translations, I notice two different…
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Jonathan, a supporting character

Jonathan, a supporting character
 And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.” The two of them made a covenant before…
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Elohim Chai: The Living God

Elohim Chai: The Living God
My heart and flesh sing for joy    to the living God. Psalm 84:2 Many of us got our first introduction to Hebrew as we watched Fiddler on the Roof and sang along, “to life, to life, l’chaim!” Chai or chay means life and Elohim Chai, or El Chay, is a frequent name of God. It seems in…
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A Harvest of Joy

A Harvest of Joy
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. Psalm 126:5 This passage has been used to teach that there is joy in the midst of grief or that those who have had a hard life will ultimately find joy in the end. Okay, but I’d like to consider another perspective as well. This poetic…
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