Torah for Christians

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Rabbi Jordan Parr brings the beauty of Judaism to a curious non-Jewish audience. We'll discuss Bible, holidays, Jewish thought and dozens of other topics. We'll also learn how a Rabbi reads the Gospels! Our Podcast conversation will continue on Club House and other sites. Please join us!

Rabbi Jordan Parr

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    • Nov 6, 2023 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekly NEW EPISODES
    • 15m AVG DURATION
    • 118 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Torah for Christians

    Torah for Christians: Redeeming the Captive

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 6, 2023 12:11 Transcription Available


    Torah for Christians: Jerusalem in Islam

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 6, 2023 11:47 Transcription Available


    Torah for Christians: A Just War

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2023 12:37 Transcription Available


    In this episode, we examine the concept of a just war, found in Deuteronomy, Chapter 20 and learn how this concept applies to the current Israel-Hamas war.Support the show

    Torah for Christians: The Promise of Israel

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 16, 2023 10:24 Transcription Available


    The first in a series that will try to explain some of the background and tensions concerning the Israel-Hamas crisis in the Middle East. Today, we look at the idea of Covenant in the Torah and why Jews lay claim to this land.Support the show

    Torah for Christians: Sukkot and Simchat Torah

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 24, 2023 17:20


    Torah for Christians: Yom Kippur

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 18, 2023 17:07


    Torah for Christians: Yom Kippur

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 18, 2023 17:07


    Torah for Christians: The Shofar

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 11, 2023 15:18


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    Torah for Christians: Rosh HaShanah

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 4, 2023 16:52


    Women of the Bible: Interview with Rabbi Rachel Bearman

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 28, 2023 33:15 Transcription Available


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    Torah for Christians: Women of the Bible: Deborah the Great!

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 21, 2023 11:33 Transcription Available


    Torah for Christians: Women of the Bible: Moses and HIs Women

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 14, 2023 12:57 Transcription Available


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    Torah for Christians: Women of the Bible: Mrs. Potiphar

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 7, 2023 12:00 Transcription Available


    Torah for Christians: Women of the Bible: The Story of Tamar

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2023 12:14 Transcription Available


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    Torah for Christians: Women of the Bible: The Rape of Dinah

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2023 11:18


    Torah for Christians: Women of the Bible: Rachel and Leah, Part Two

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 10, 2023 11:23 Transcription Available


    If you would like to support our work or even suggest a topic for a future podcast, please go to our Buzzsprout link buzzsprout support and contribute to the cause. If we pick up your idea, we'll give you a shout out at the start of the episode.Support the show

    Torah for Christians: Women of the Bible: Leah and Rachel

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2023 12:28 Transcription Available


    Torah for Christians: Women of the Bible: Rebekah, Part Two

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 26, 2023 12:09


    Torah for Christians: Women of the Bible: Rebekah

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2023 14:19 Transcription Available


    Torah for Christians: Women of the Bible: Lot's Daughters

    Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2023 10:24 Transcription Available


    Torah for Christians: Women of the Bible: Sarah v hagar

    Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2023 12:16 Transcription Available


    Torah for Christians: Women of the Bible: Sarah is My Sister!

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2023 12:13 Transcription Available


    Torah for Christians: Women of the Bible: Eve

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2023 13:28 Transcription Available


    Passover and Easter

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2023 16:56


    A special edition of Torah for Christians!

    Torah for Christians: The Seder

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2023 21:38


    Torah for Christians: Passover II

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2023 15:33


    Torah for Christians: Passover in the Bible

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2023 15:15


    Torah for Christians: Purim!

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2023 17:59


    Torah for Christians: Does God Have a Body?

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2023 15:44 Transcription Available


    Torah for Christians: Kashrut (the Jewish Dietary Laws)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2023 21:29 Transcription Available


    Torah for Christians: Slavery in the Bible

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2023 14:49 Transcription Available


    Torah for Christians: Infertility in the Bible

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2023 13:13 Transcription Available


    Torah for Christians: Ethics in the Bible

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2023 14:30 Transcription Available


    Torah for Christians: Biblical Sacrifices

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 16, 2023 14:20 Transcription Available


    Torah for Christians: The Hebrew Prophets

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 9, 2023 12:09 Transcription Available


    christians torah hebrew prophets
    Torah for Christians: Jews and Christmas Redux

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2022 19:41 Transcription Available


    Hanukkah (redux)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 10, 2022 21:24 Transcription Available


    A rebroadcast of one of our favorite episodes: Hanukkah - It's meaning, history, rituals and modern interpretations. A great way to begin the holiday season is to listen to this broadcast again!

    Torah for Christians: King Solomon

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 5, 2022 14:01


    TORAH FOR CHRISTIANSSEASON FIVEEPISODE SEVENKING SOLOMONHe was the wisest man of his age. He built the Temple. He hosted the Queen of Sheba. He was Solomon. And he was a disaster.I'm Rabbi Jordan Parr and on this episode of Torah for Christians, we'll take another look at King Solomon – the good and the bad. Let's get started.MUSICWelcome to Torah for Christians. I'm Rabbi Jordan Parr.Believe me, I don't like to burst your bubble when it comes to Biblical heroes. But as I have often said, our heroes were not perfect. While they reached for, and often achieved, greatness, heroes such as Jacob, Moses and David were beset with deep flaws. In other words, they were human beings, just like us. That's what makes them so special.King Solomon was such a flawed individual. He was the second son of Bathsheba, the infamous consort of King David. As we recall, after David impregnated Bathsheba and then sent her husband, Uriah the Hittite, on a suicide mission, the Prophet Nathan decreed that this son would die shortly after birth – but that the next son born to Bathsheba would inherit David's kingdom. This came to pass. But the second part of Nathan's prophecy is also important. Nathan further prophesied that David's sons would engage in a fratricidal civil war to decide who would inherit his throne. Even though David proclaimed Solomon as king shortly before his death, Solomon had to fight for the kingdom, even killing one of his brothers to achieve this. Solomon also expanded David's kingdom, extending Israel's territory to the Euphrates River, the modern-day border between Iraq and Syria. He was so powerful, he enticed King Hiram of Tyre, the modern Lebanese city of Sidon, to furnish him with the cedars needed to build the Temple. Interestingly, Hiram was the son of the previous  King of Tyre but his mother was of the northern Tribe of Naphtali, making a special connection with Solomon. In a way, they were kin.Solomon's greatest accomplishment, of course, was building the First Temple in Jerusalem. David was denied this privilege; God only allowed him to build his palace. David was a man of war; Solomon's very name means peace – and God determined that a man of peace would build the Temple in Jerusalem.Later, the rabbis ascribed three books of the Bible to King Solomon: Song of Songs, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes – as well as certain Psalms. These three books are part of a collection called Wisdom Literature, books that are more akin to Plato than to Genesis. Today, we doubt that he wrote these books but the mere fact that the rabbis attribute these books of wisdom to him attests to the high regard in which they held him for his wisdom. One famous story that we all know shows his wisdom. This story, of course, is the story of the disputed baby. Early in his reign, two prostitutes came to King Solomon to resolve a major dispute: each claimed that a certain infant boy was her child. Obviously, one of the women was lying, if not both. Solomon's job was to decide which woman was the mother.After listening to both women, Solomon, in what became known as a Solomonic decision, ordered the baby chopped in half. After all, in many disputes splitting the difference was a good way to solve a problem. But not when it comes to a baby. When Solomon proposed that he cut the baby in half, one of the prostitutes screamed out to give the child to the other prostitute. Solomon immediately ordered that the baby, the entire baby, be given to the woman who backed down. He said that since she was willing to give up the baby rather than see it killed, she must be the true mother. How brilliant!But as I said at the start of this episode, there is a dark side to King Solomon, one that had terrible consequences for the Jewish people, consequences that extend to the present day. We'll look at this after the break.I'm Rabbi Jordan Parr and this is Torah fo

    Torah for Christians: King David

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 28, 2022 18:13 Transcription Available


    A look at the greatest king of Israel, whose legacy still reverberates today.

    Jews and Thanksgiving

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2022 15:59


    Torah for Christians: Saul

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 14, 2022 14:22 Transcription Available


    A look at Israel's most star-crossed king.

    Torah for Christians: Joshua

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2022 13:23 Transcription Available


    Torah for Christians: Creation Myths

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2022 15:24 Transcription Available


    Torah for Christians: The Documentary Hypothesis

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 24, 2022 13:51 Transcription Available


    How did the Bible come to be? Here is one theory!

    Torah for Christians: The Structure of the Bible

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 17, 2022 12:48 Transcription Available


    Here are some charts that describe the different ways Jews and Christians organize the Bible:[1] For an easy to read table that shows the differences, go to https://catholic-resources.org/Bible/Heb-Xn-Bibles.htm. [1] For a complete list of the Books of the Apocrypha, go to https://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/apo/index.htm. [1] Please see the complete list at http://www.pseudepigrapha.com/. 

    Torah for Christians: Sukkot and Simchat Torah

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 10, 2022 17:20 Transcription Available


    Torah for Christians: Yom Kippur (redux)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2022 17:07 Transcription Available


    With y om Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year, upon us. it's time to revisit one of our most popular episodes from last year. From all of us, we wish you a sweet and wonderful New Year. May you be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Good Life - whether you are Jewish or not!

    Torah for Christians; The Shofar (revisited

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2022 15:18 Transcription Available


    An encore performance of our discussion of the Shofar, the great ram's horn that Jews sound on Rosh HaShanah to herald the New Year. Come and listen!

    Torah for Christians: Rosh HaShanah (again!)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2022 16:52 Transcription Available


    A repeat episode of our famous Rosh HaShanah podcast. With two weeks before the start of the Jewish New Year, it's a good time to remind ourselves of this awesome time of the year.

    ReSoulutions: An Encore Presentation

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2022 31:27


    Listen again to my interview with Rabbi Heather Miller, the author of the book ReSoulutions, a day by day devotional for the Hebrew month of Elul, which immediately precedes Rosh Hashanah. Jewish or not, this interview - and especially this book - will inspire you.

    Torah for Christians: Beginning the Journey

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 22, 2022 13:32 Transcription Available


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