Q: The B’rit Hadashah uses the imagery “living water” a lot, and I never understood what it meant.  In my Bible, Numbers 19:17 uses the words “running water” but a footnote says “living water”.  Is this where that imagery comes from?

A: Any student of the B’rit Hadashah will soon note that there is very little imagery that hasn’t been used… Continue reading →

Q: My Christian friends think Pentecost was celebrated only after the giving of the Spirit described in Acts 2.  I explained what little I knew of Shavu’ot, but I didn’t really know what went into the actual observance of it.  Rabbi [K] made mention of it in his Shabbat message, but that was after it had passed.  Why didn’t we… Continue reading →

Q: How are the Haftarah and B’rit Hadashah portions selected, and are they the same pairing every year?

A: As mentioned in the question about the Torah cycle, the Haftarah was created essentially during the Babylonian captivity. The Jews were forbidden from reading and studying the Torah. They were not, however, forbidden from the rest of the Bible. The leaders of… Continue reading →

Q: We study the Torah chapter by chapter, but the rest of the Bible is only presented in random selections.  Do we ever study the rest of the books as a whole?

A: The cycle of the Torah readings is a fixed cycle. It is something that has bound the Jewish community together for many centuries. While there is a… Continue reading →

Q: I was wondering why we use the term Rabbi when Jesus directly told his disciples not to be called that? Matthew 23:8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.

A: Looking at the context of the Matthew 23 passage, we see Yeshua discussing the behavior of the Pharisees with… Continue reading →