Podcasts about Aramaic

The Time Traveler’s Quick Guide to Armageddon       Over the last several months, we have done some deep dives into the principalities and powers in high places, the beast kingdoms, and then more particularly, into the kings of the east, another category that intersects with the beast kingdoms, including the Persian bear.   In term of their proto-prophecies in the Torah, we’ve been all over the place because prophecy is cyclical, even though not identical, from generation to generation. When we read of events in the Psalms, Writings, Prophets, and New Testament, the writers expect us to already be familiar with those proto-prophecies.   It was important to establish the earmarks of the battles with the kings of the east in Torah because Adonai declares the end from the beginning. If we want to have the basic understanding of the sixth and seventh bowls of wrath in the end and how they lure in the nations to Armageddon (Har-Megiddo), then we familiarize ourselves with them at the beginning:   “The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east. And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. (“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.”)   And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon.   Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done.” And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty.” (Re 16:12-18)   Har is “mountain,” and Megiddo is “a place of crowds,” so important in its military situation that it has been destroyed and built over numerous times. It overlooks the Jezreel Valley's flat, agriculturally fertile abundance as well as the road to the Western Sea, or Mediterranean, an excellent place to monitor the coastal trade route that connected continents from ancient times. John prophesies of a final crowd that will be drawn to this ancient hill in the ol’ breadbasket of Israel.   Rather than review some of the many points from our Heaven Shaking the Bear series, I will use them to augment some additional points in this newsletter. You can always go back and access the transcripts (thank you, volunteers!) or videos for little details, such as why even Canaanite kings are considered kings of the east. I'd rather add some new information for your handy time travel guide to Armageddon. We'll be half Marty McFly and half Indiana Jones on our hunt for clues to Armageddon.   Let's take a seat in our time machine, the Word, and travel back to our familiar story in Judges 4-5, the story of Deborah, Barak, and Sisera with his 900 iron chariots. A little clue is in Sisera's 900 chariots. It links the ancient with the future. Nine hundred years (plus some) is the typical age of the pre-flood notables from Adam to Noah. In human history, they are the ancients. It was an era marked by the rebellion of the “sons of Elohim” who provoked human beings to such a violence.   Sisera's chariots were iron, denoting the Roman beast kingdom that is mingled with clay in the feet of his image. In other words, something of Deborah's story will establish a template for understanding the final defeat of the Red One, who appears in Revelation as the chosen steed for the Great Harlot Babylon. The nine-hundred-year era of the days of Noah and its violence will link to the end time of Armageddon.   Every time I see the word “Babylonian,” my mind says, “babaloney.” Don't know why. But ick.   Okay, now let's power up the time machine. We need to visit Abraham's time during the battle for Sodom among the kings of the east, the Covenant Between the Pieces, and then visit Moses in the wilderness.   Ready? Push the Abraham button. It might say, Avram, but you'll recognize it. Here we go.   Wait, wait. First, tape a copy of Judges 4-5 and a map of Israel on your steering wheel. We'll need to compare what we see with the first battle of Armageddon that Deborah fought against Sisera to our past future locations.   Okay, here we come, Abrahamic period. We are landing among the four kings of the east, led by Amraphel (perhaps Nimrod), who marched through and defeated territories east of the Jordan. The five kings of the Sodom coalition have quit paying their taxes, so the four kings are on their way to collect plus interest.   Even though those cities of Sodom are situated mostly to the east of the Salt Sea, after the four kings first march and defeat cities east of the Jordan and in the highlands of Bashan, they are continuing as far as the Negev near Kadesh, En-Mishpat, and Hazazon-Tamar. By bypassing the Sodom coalition cities, the four kings are giving the five kings time to muster before the four kings turn back east and meet them near the Salt Sea in battle. Do you see this? Inexplicably, Sodom's five kings are falling into tar pits! Shouldn't they know about those tar pits? After all, this is their territory! How strange!   And there goes Lot and his family as captives. And there…someone escapes and runs to tell Abraham. Okay, we don't have to follow them up to Damascus. We know how this ends. Check your Judges 4-5 Scriptures and map. They're taped to your steering wheel, remember?   Something similar happened to Sisera's iron chariot. Like Pharaoh drove his chariots into the Reed Sea and there his chariot wheels became “confused,” so Sisera drove his chariots into the mud of the Kishon, which he should have known about because he was a Canaanite.   Although Pharaoh was not a “king of the east,” he is the dragon, and his authority was passed to them. This suggests that our soggy bottom boys are experiencing a Divine intervention, not just a human battle. Something flies in their brains, stings them, and causes confusion…perhaps the tzirah, the supernatural hornet of Moses and Joshua?   The tzirah went before the armies of Israel, and it helped Moses conquer on the east side of the Jordan and Joshua on the west side of the Jordan. It first causes confusion, and then it cuts off root and fruit. It is the supernatural bug described as being released from the King of Abaddon in Revelation.   Not so coincidentally, Deborah's name means “bee” in Hebrew, and “hornet” in Aramaic. The root of her name is “word,” as in Devarim, the fifth book of the Torah and perhaps the most apocalyptic since it is the little scroll of Torah. There was a reason Barak would not take his soldiers into battle without her; she represented the Divine power of the Word going before them!   How does Deborah know to tell Barak that he needs exactly 10,000 soldiers mustered from a place named “Kedesh”?   Deborah judged Israel under the “palm tree of Deborah.” A palm tree is a tamar:   “She used to sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel came up to her for judgment (mishpat ????????????).”   Can you see Deborah studying the scrolls of Torah? Those scrolls are rolling her right into the time of Avraham, and she sees the conquests of Moses and Joshua in the wilderness, such as Amalek. She recognizes the conquests of the four kings as having the same names that are in the hill country of Ephraim near Har-Megiddo: From Kadesh to Kedesh. From Hazazon-Tamar to the tamar providing her shade to read the scroll. From En-Mishpat to her job rendering mishpat for Israel.   We know Deborah has spent time scroll-rolling back to Abraham's time because she mentions something specific in her Judges Five song. The Song of Deborah mentions the courage of the tribe of Ephraim in the defeat of Sisera's chariots:   “From Ephraim, those whose root is in Amalek came down…”   If you need to, program in “Amalek in the Wilderness,” and travel there to see a bit of the battle. This “root in Amalek” is thought to refer to the wilderness battle under Moses in which the Ephraimite Joshua defeated Amalek. The tribe of Ephraim is rooted in its leadership in the victory in the wilderness in Israel's first encounter with Amalek.   Deborah knows Amalek is enticed to attack when its opponent looks weak, so that gives her a Divine strategy in enticing this king of the east Sisera to his Armageddon. Okay, now travel back to the battle between the four kings and the five kings. The four kings of the east also conquered Amalek before turning back to battle the five kings of Sodom.   While the battle continues, let's return to this question (you already know how that battle ends): How does Deborah know to tell Barak that he needs exactly 10,000 soldiers mustered from a place named “Kedesh”?   We've only partially answered it. And our answer is based on the battle between bad kings of the east vs worse kings of the east. We don't want to take this as the only source of Deborah's inspired strategy to lure Sisera to Har-Megiddo. Deborah is scrolling through the rolls of the Torah, and she must have some even better prophecies on which she bases her battle with Sisera. Let's leave these guys for Avraham to deal with and travel forward and back to Deborah's palm tree for more clues.   Yes, time travelers. Next week we'll go back to the future with Deborah and spend some more time with Avraham and Moses. There must be a connection between Deborah's forty years of peace in Israel and Moses' forty years in the wilderness. Deborah has the handy traveler's guide to help her map it all out. We'll see her secret of selecting 10,000, and we might even take a peek inside Yael's tent to find that she knew the Torah, and it guided her hand when she drove the tent peg into Sisera's head.   Oh, dear, oh dread. Sandals muddy like heavy lead. Some yogurt he was fed. Then he went to bed. Now Sisera is dead. A tent peg's in his head.   Okay, Deborah is better at composing songs than I am. I gave it a shot. Roll your time travel machines to Judges 4-5, and we'll see you next week.   Please SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter to get new teachings.

Was the Gospel of Mark built on real eyewitness testimony—or is it just another religious legend? In this episode, cold‑case detective and Christian apologist J. Warner Wallace (you) walks through the historical and forensic evidence that Mark's Gospel is rooted in the firsthand experiences of the apostle Peter. You'll discover why early Christian writers called Mark "Peter's interpreter," how Mark's rough Greek, Aramaic quotes, and Roman details fit a live translation of Peter's preaching, and why Peter's fingerprints are visible all over the narrative. We'll examine ancient sources, internal stylistic clues, and the structure of Mark itself, arguing that this is not a distant, polished myth but a raw, early case report from someone in Jesus' inner circle. If you've ever wondered whether you can really trust the Gospels—or if skeptics in your life have raised those questions—this episode will give you solid reasons to treat Mark as powerful eyewitness evidence. If this conversation helps you, please subscribe so you don't miss future episodes, and rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and wherever you listen. Your reviews help more people discover the case for Christianity.

The ancient story of Ahiqar follows a legendary wise man and royal adviser at the court of the Assyrian king Sennacherib. After adopting his nephew Nadan and teaching him a long collection of proverbs, Ahiqar is betrayed, falsely accused of treason, condemned to death, and forced to hide beneath his own house. His eventual return leads to a strange contest of riddles with the Pharaoh of Egypt and a final confrontation with the student who rejected his wisdom.Preserved in an ancient Aramaic papyrus from Elephantine and in later Syriac, Arabic, Armenian, Greek, Slavonic, and Ethiopic versions, the Tale of Ahiqar may be the oldest Mesopotamian story to survive beyond the disappearance of cuneiform culture. This episode explores the story's Assyrian background, its relationship to ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature, its memorable proverbs and insults, and the way traditional stories were used to form memory, judgment, and moral character.Topics include Ahiqar, Nadan, Sennacherib, ancient Assyria, Nineveh, Elephantine, Aramaic literature, Syriac literature, Mesopotamian wisdom, ancient proverbs, the Tale of Ahiqar, the Thousand and One Nights, ancient Egypt, Pharaoh, Assyrian court culture, and ancient Near Eastern storytelling.Music from the show: oldeststories.net/music (or search "Oldest Stories Music")Support the show:Books: https://a.co/d/7Wn4jhSDonate: oldeststories.netPatreon / YouTube members get bonus episodes: patreon.com/JamesBleckleyNo-AI readings of ancient texts: youtube.com/@osnightreading

I'm digging into something that's genuinely changed how I spend my free time: using AI to build the tool I've wished existed for decades, one that helps me read the world's great literature in its original language. I tell the story of a chance dinner with a Hertz Fellow who turned out to be a major figure at Anthropic, and how that connection eventually led me back to a project I'd tried and abandoned before, a computer-assisted reader for Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and Aramaic texts. Six months ago, the AI models I tried couldn't get past writing a single working line of code. This time was different, and I walk through exactly what changed, what these models are actually good at, and where they still fall apart.I also get into the weeds a bit, sharing my process for getting better results out of these tools, why my public writing on Quora turns out to matter, and a wild multi-round debugging session with Gemini that kept insisting it had "finally" found all the bugs. I close with a personal aside into a physics insight I've been chasing since the 1970s, and how an AI helped me push it further, even if I lost most of the conversation to a very avoidable software glitch. Along the way I make my case for why AI right now is best thought of as a tireless, brilliant, but occasionally hallucinating army of interns, not a replacement for human judgment.In this episode you will learn:(00:00) How a chance dinner with a Hertz Fellow connected to Anthropic changed my skepticism about the current state of AI(03:37) Why I've always wished a computer could do the tedious lexical lookup work of reading Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and Aramaic texts(06:35) What large language models actually are under the hood, and why they can "spout like an idiot" and "pontificate like a sage" with equal ease(08:57) The multi-round debugging saga where Gemini kept insisting it had found the last bug, and the last bug, and the last bug(11:48) What gets lost in translation, using the hidden joke behind Don Quixote's horse Rocinante as an example(14:43) Inside the Andrew Winkler Reading Room, from the Septuagint to Shakespeare, and why computers and humans make a great reading team(17:10) My feature requests for Google and Apple after losing valuable AI conversations to a silent clipboard failure(19:36) Why I think of AI right now as an army of knowledgeable but wisdom-less interns, and what that means for companies rushing to replace workers with it(22:01) The physics insight I've been sitting on since the 1970s, and how AI helped me extend it into the standard model(24:28) What was lost when my breakthrough AI conversation on unit-free physics vanished, and why I'm sharing the story anywayLet's connect!linktr.ee/drprandyRead, with computer assistance, the best literature the world has ever producedandrew-winkler-reading-room.overskill.appLove Quotient: Stop Dying of Thirst in an Ocean of Love Kickstarterhttps://www.kickstarter.com/projects/amwphd/love-quotient Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/03-0723db.mp3 Listen to Bible reading Through My Bible Yr 03 – July 23 Acts 26:1-18 Acts 26 1 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense. 2 “King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate that I am going to make my defense before you today concerning all the things about which I am being accused by the Jews, 3 especially because you are an expert in all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently. 4 “All the Jews know the way I have lived from the earliest days of my youth, among my own people and in Jerusalem. 5 They have known about me for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that I lived as a Pharisee according to the strictest party of our religion. 6 “And now I stand on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, 7 the promise that our twelve tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve God night and day. I am being accused by the Jews concerning this hope, O King. 8 Why does it seem unbelievable to any of you that God raises the dead? 9 “I too was convinced that it was necessary to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus the Nazarene. 10 And that is what I did in Jerusalem. After receiving authority from the chief priests, I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. 11 I often tried to make them blaspheme by punishing them throughout all the synagogues. Because I was so insanely angry with them, I even pursued them to foreign cities. 12 “That is how I came to be traveling to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13 At noon along the road, O King, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those traveling with me. 14 We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, [1] ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' [2] 15 “Then I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?' “The Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 16 Now get up and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose: to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things you have seen [3] and to the things I will reveal to you. 17 I will rescue you from your people and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you. 18 You are to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive the forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.' Footnotes Acts 26:14 Or Aramaic. The Greek word is Hebrew but likely refers to the Aramaic dialect spoken by the Jews at that time and place. Acts 26:14 Goads are pointed sticks used to urge or direct an animal. To kick against the goads means to resist stubbornly. Acts 26:16 A few witnesses to the text add of me. The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Core Mindset of Tisha B'Av: The Pain of Disconnect Welcome to Daily Bitachon . As we approach Tisha B'Av, we must identify our fundamental mindset. We often get caught up in the minute details of an event and lose sight of its core theme—or, as the saying goes, lose sight of the forest for the trees . Consider Rosh Hashanah: if you ask people for its central theme, they might say it's the Day of Judgment, the New Year, or the start of the Aseret Yemei Teshuva (Ten Days of Repentance). However, the Ramchal distills it into just two words: Yom Malkeinu — the day of our King . Judgment and Teshuva naturally flow out of that primary reality: Hashem is our King. The same principle applies to Tisha B'Av. What Is the Ultimate Focal Point? Is it mourning the Churban (destruction of the Temple)? Yes. Is it focusing on the sins that caused it, like Lashon Hara and Sinat Chinam (baseless hatred)? Of course. Is it stirring our emotions about the historical tragedies of the Jewish nation, including the Holocaust? That definitely helps. But what lies beneath it all? What is the core theme? Rav Nosson Wachtfogel zt"l explains that our focus during these days is rooted in a famous Gemara in Masechet Berachot (3a). The Gemara relates that Rabbi Yossi once entered a ruined building in Yerushalayim to pray. On his way out, he met Eliyahu HaNavi, who asked him, "Did you hear anything in there?" Rabbi Yossi responded that he heard a Heavenly Voice crying out: "Woe to the Father who exiled His children, and woe to the children who were exiled from their Father's table!" Eliyahu HaNavi revealed that this Voice does not cry out just once; it cries out three times every single day when the Jewish people recite Kaddish . From here we see that the focal point of Tisha B'Av is mourning the disconnect from our Father in Heaven . Understanding the Disconnect Our Father is alive, and we are alive—yet there is a functional separation between us. Mourning this is no different than mourning the loss of a relative. Fundamentally, death is a separation of the body from the soul. Similarly, the Beis HaMikdash became disconnected from the Shechina (Divine Presence). The physical destruction of the Beis HaMikdash was merely an external symptom of an internal, spiritual disconnect. As the Midrash notes, a Heavenly Echo mocked the ancient conquerors: "You ground pre-ground flour." The building was already hollow; it was a body without a soul because the connection had already been severed. The phrase "exiled from their Father's table" perfectly describes our current reality: When the Beis HaMikdash stood: We sat directly at our Father's table in His revealed presence. Today: We still receive care packages from Him—He sustains, feeds, and protects us—but we can no longer see Him directly. Hashem created the human framework of parents and children as a tangible model so we could comprehend our relationship with Him. The ultimate Father is Avinu SheBaShamayim . While fathers miss their children deeply, children going off to camp don't always miss their parents with the same intensity. Why Is Kaddish in Aramaic? This brings us back to the Gemara: why do we recite Kaddish in Aramaic? We noted that Hashem moans over our distance when He hears us say Kaddish . When a son recites Kaddish for a physical parent, it serves as a stark reminder to Hashem of the grander, broken Father-Son connection— if only His children mourned the cosmic disconnect between themselves and their Ultimate Father with the same intensity. This emotional weight is precisely why Kaddish is in Aramaic. As Tosafot explains, the ministering angels do not understand Aramaic. We intentionally use this language because if the angels understood the depth of Hashem's grief over His exiled children, they would attempt to block the prayer just to spare Him the pain. Furthermore, the angels are jealous of our unique status; they must wait for the Jewish people to praise Hashem first because we are His children . Awakened Mercy: The Father-Child Connection We find another instance where Hashem's mercy is aroused by a parent-child disconnect in Masechet Chullin (139a). Regarding the mitzvah of Shilluach HaKan (sending away the mother bird), the Torah states: "If a bird's nest happens to be before you..." You might have thought you were required to search mountains and valleys for a nest, but the verse teaches that it applies only if you happen upon it. Rav Yair Chaim Bacharach ( Chavot Yair , Responsum 67) deduces that if you stumble upon a nest, you are obligated to send away the mother bird, even if you do not want the eggs. Why? He explains based on the Zohar: the rationale behind this mitzvah is to invoke Divine mercy on the mother bird, which in turn awakens Divine mercy for the Jewish people in exile. Whenever Hashem sees a parent bemoaning a child—or a child bemoaning a parent—it triggers a powerful awakening of Heavenly compassion. As the Tanna DeBei Eliyahu Rabbah (Ch. 31) states—quoted by Rabbi Chaim Palachi in Mo'ed L'Chol Chai (15): "Hashem sits and waits for Klal Yisrael even more than a father waits for his son or a wife for her husband, hoping they will do Teshuva so that He may redeem them and rebuild the Beis HaMikdash for them." Rabbi Chaim Palachi adds: "Every time I read this passage, my eyes flow with tears. How is it possible that the King of Glory, the Eternal God, sits and waits for us to return to Him just so He can bestow upon us every good in the world—yet each person continues following the stubbornness of their heart, with no one taking it to heart to say, 'Come, let us return to Hashem'?" The Tree Draped in White A beautiful story told by Rabbi Baruch Chait/Rabbi Paysach Spiro illustrates this bond: A young man had a bitter falling out with his father. Fueled by anger and rebellion, he packed his bags, walked out of his parents' house, and went off to live life on his own terms. Years passed, and things went downhill. He hit rock bottom—broke, exhausted, lonely, and filled with deep regret for how he had treated his family. He desperately wanted to come home, but he was overwhelmed by shame and fear, assuming his parents had disowned him. Unable to bring himself to call or walk up to the front door, he wrote a letter: "Dear Mom and Dad, I know I broke your hearts and I have no right to ask to come back. But I am taking the train home next week, and the tracks run right along the back of our property. If you can ever find it in your hearts to forgive me and let me come home, please tie a white cloth on the old tree next to the tracks. If the train passes and I see a white sheet, I will get off at the station and come home. But if the tree is bare, I will stay on the train and never bother you again." The day arrived, and the young man boarded the train. As it approached his hometown, his heart pounded so fast with anxiety that he couldn't bring himself to look out the window. He turned to the stranger next to him and whispered, "Sir, our house is coming up around the next bend on the left. Can you please look out the window and tell me if there is a white sheet hanging on the tree by the tracks?" The train rounded the bend. The stranger looked out, gasped, and put a hand on the boy's shoulder: "Son, look for yourself." The boy opened his eyes. There wasn't just one sheet on the tree— every single branch was draped in white. White towels, sheets, and tablecloths hung from the clothesline, draped over the roof of the barn, and tied along the fence. His parents hadn't just put up a signal; they wanted to make sure there was no possible way he could miss the message: They were waiting for him, they loved him, and he was welcome home. This is precisely how Hashem feels toward us. Let us keep that close to our hearts this Tisha B'Av.

In this episode of the Thinking Talmudist Podcast, Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe continues exploring the Gemara in Tractate Ketubot, uncovering profound lessons about charity, human dignity, empathy, and trust in Hashem. Building on the previous discussion of anonymous giving, the Gemara recounts the generosity of Mar Ukva, who quietly supported a poor neighbor every year before Yom Kippur. When his son observed the recipient enjoying expensive aged wine, Mar Ukva's response was startling: rather than reducing his gift, he doubled it. Rabbi Wolbe explains that true tzedakah is not merely about meeting a person's minimum needs, but about understanding the life they once lived and the emotional pain caused by losing it. The Torah commands us not only to give, but to deeply appreciate another person's unique circumstances and preserve their dignity. The Gemara then examines the extraordinary generosity of Mar Ukva at the end of his life, when he reviewed his charitable giving and concluded that he had not done enough. Rabbi Wolbe uses this discussion to distinguish between ma'aser (tithing)—the portion of one's income entrusted to us by Hashem for distribution—and voluntary charity beyond the tithe. Through practical examples and inspiring stories, he illustrates that generosity is measured not by the absolute amount given, but by the proportion of one's means and the sincerity of one's heart. The episode also explores the halachic balance between giving generously and maintaining responsibility for one's own family's financial well-being. Rabbi Wolbe concludes with moving personal stories that demonstrate the incredible power of bitachon (trust in Hashem) and faithful tzedakah. He recounts the story of a struggling sofer who committed to giving twenty percent of his income despite having almost nothing, only to witness immediate and life-changing Divine blessing. He also shares remarkable experiences of donors whose acts of generosity were met with extraordinary providence. The overarching message is timeless: we often believe that holding onto money creates security, but the Torah teaches the opposite. Hashem entrusts resources to those who faithfully become channels of blessing for others. When we loosen our grip and allow Hashem to guide our generosity, we discover that true wealth is measured not by what we keep, but by what we faithfully give._____________The Thinking Talmudist Podcast shares select teachings of Talmud in a fresh, insightful and meaningful way. Many claim that they cannot learn Talmud because it is in ancient Aramaic or the concepts are too difficult. Well, no more excuses. In this podcast you will experience the refreshing and eye-opening teachings while gaining an amazing appreciation for the divine wisdom of the Torah and the depths of the Talmud._____________This Podcast Series is Generously Underwritten by David & Susan MarbinRecorded at TORCH Meyerland in the Levin Family Studios (B) to a live audience on May 15, 2026, in Houston, Texas.Released as Podcast on June 30, 2026_____________Listen, Subscribe & Share: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-talmudist-podcast-rabbi-aryeh-wolbe/id1648951154Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0cZ7q9bGYSBYSPQfJvwgzmShare your questions at aw@torchweb.org or visit torchweb.org for more Torah content._____________About the Host:Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe, Director of TORCH in Houston, brings decades of Torah scholarship to guide listeners in applying Jewish wisdom to daily life.  To directly send your questions, comments, and feedback, please email: awolbe@torchweb.org_____________Support Our Mission:Help us share Jewish wisdom globally by sponsoring an episode at torchweb.org. Your support makes a difference!_____________Listen MoreOther podcasts by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe: NEW!! Hey Rabbi! Podcast: https://heyrabbi.transistor.fm/episodesPrayer Podcast: https://prayerpodcast.transistor.fm/episodesJewish Inspiration Podcast: https://inspiration.transistor.fm/episodesParsha Review Podcast: https://parsha.transistor.fm/episodesLiving Jewishly Podcast: https://jewishly.transistor.fm/episodesThinking Talmudist Podcast: https://talmud.transistor.fm/episodesUnboxing Judaism Podcast: https://unboxing.transistor.fm/episodesRabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection: https://collection.transistor.fm/episodesFor a full listing of podcasts available by TORCH at http://podcast.torchweb.org_____________Keywords:#Talmud,  #Gemara, #Kesubos, #Rainmaker, #Faith, #Emunah, #Honesty, #JewishWisdom, #Tzedakah, #Charity, #HumanDignity ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode of the Thinking Talmudist Podcast, Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe continues exploring the Gemara in Tractate Ketubot, uncovering profound lessons about charity, human dignity, empathy, and trust in Hashem. Building on the previous discussion of anonymous giving, the Gemara recounts the generosity of Mar Ukva, who quietly supported a poor neighbor every year before Yom Kippur. When his son observed the recipient enjoying expensive aged wine, Mar Ukva's response was startling: rather than reducing his gift, he doubled it. Rabbi Wolbe explains that true tzedakah is not merely about meeting a person's minimum needs, but about understanding the life they once lived and the emotional pain caused by losing it. The Torah commands us not only to give, but to deeply appreciate another person's unique circumstances and preserve their dignity. The Gemara then examines the extraordinary generosity of Mar Ukva at the end of his life, when he reviewed his charitable giving and concluded that he had not done enough. Rabbi Wolbe uses this discussion to distinguish between ma'aser (tithing)—the portion of one's income entrusted to us by Hashem for distribution—and voluntary charity beyond the tithe. Through practical examples and inspiring stories, he illustrates that generosity is measured not by the absolute amount given, but by the proportion of one's means and the sincerity of one's heart. The episode also explores the halachic balance between giving generously and maintaining responsibility for one's own family's financial well-being. Rabbi Wolbe concludes with moving personal stories that demonstrate the incredible power of bitachon (trust in Hashem) and faithful tzedakah. He recounts the story of a struggling sofer who committed to giving twenty percent of his income despite having almost nothing, only to witness immediate and life-changing Divine blessing. He also shares remarkable experiences of donors whose acts of generosity were met with extraordinary providence. The overarching message is timeless: we often believe that holding onto money creates security, but the Torah teaches the opposite. Hashem entrusts resources to those who faithfully become channels of blessing for others. When we loosen our grip and allow Hashem to guide our generosity, we discover that true wealth is measured not by what we keep, but by what we faithfully give._____________The Thinking Talmudist Podcast shares select teachings of Talmud in a fresh, insightful and meaningful way. Many claim that they cannot learn Talmud because it is in ancient Aramaic or the concepts are too difficult. Well, no more excuses. In this podcast you will experience the refreshing and eye-opening teachings while gaining an amazing appreciation for the divine wisdom of the Torah and the depths of the Talmud._____________This Podcast Series is Generously Underwritten by David & Susan MarbinRecorded at TORCH Meyerland in the Levin Family Studios (B) to a live audience on May 15, 2026, in Houston, Texas.Released as Podcast on June 30, 2026_____________Listen, Subscribe & Share: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-talmudist-podcast-rabbi-aryeh-wolbe/id1648951154Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0cZ7q9bGYSBYSPQfJvwgzmShare your questions at aw@torchweb.org or visit torchweb.org for more Torah content._____________About the Host:Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe, Director of TORCH in Houston, brings decades of Torah scholarship to guide listeners in applying Jewish wisdom to daily life.  To directly send your questions, comments, and feedback, please email: awolbe@torchweb.org_____________Support Our Mission:Help us share Jewish wisdom globally by sponsoring an episode at torchweb.org. Your support makes a difference!_____________Listen MoreOther podcasts by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe: NEW!! Hey Rabbi! Podcast: https://heyrabbi.transistor.fm/episodesPrayer Podcast: https://prayerpodcast.transistor.fm/episodesJewish Inspiration Podcast: https://inspiration.transistor.fm/episodesParsha Review Podcast: https://parsha.transistor.fm/episodesLiving Jewishly Podcast: https://jewishly.transistor.fm/episodesThinking Talmudist Podcast: https://talmud.transistor.fm/episodesUnboxing Judaism Podcast: https://unboxing.transistor.fm/episodesRabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection: https://collection.transistor.fm/episodesFor a full listing of podcasts available by TORCH at http://podcast.torchweb.org_____________Keywords:#Talmud,  #Gemara, #Kesubos, #Rainmaker, #Faith, #Emunah, #Honesty, #JewishWisdom, #Tzedakah, #Charity, #HumanDignity ★ Support this podcast ★

Dave Brisbin 7.19.26 A contemporary theologian and semiotician—how meaning is communicated—saw that our youngest generations process information differently than older Westerners in the modern era. He called it EPIC: experiential, participatory, image-based, and communal. Pretty much the exact opposite of our modern method: propositional, representational, word-based, individualistic. We propose abstract concepts rather than experience a process; passively receive information rather than participate in an exchange; view the world through words as an individual rather than images within community. The hallmark of the modern West is to remain intellectually detached, observing life and attempting control from a safe distance. But the youngest among us jump right in, experiencing and participating in a communal world awash in image. Absorbing this decades ago, the light went on when I realized that ancient cultures, especially the Hebrews who wrote our scriptures, were EPIC too. Here we are, modern Westerners, reading ancient EPIC texts in a diametrically opposed, non-EPIC way. Explains a lot. Jesus called himself the Way. Not as propositional truth to use as a litmus test for orthodoxy, but as the invitation to participate and experience relational truth that could promise liberation no other way. Jesus' earliest followers called themselves Followers of the Way. Not followers of Jesus in a representational, passive attempt to ride his coattails, but in the discipline of living lovingly in community. The Way, urha in Aramaic, means not just the path, but the light that reveals the path and opens possibility. When we view Jesus' sayings of way, truth, life; ask, seek, knock; the five lines of the Lord's prayer through an EPIC lens, they become sequences in a process of participatory experience, not words agreed upon for personal salvation. We want to see the path that leads us to God. But when Jesus says the only Way to God is through him-as-Way, he is EPICly saying an unseen God can only be found on an unseen path…experienced in participation with each step, conveyed through image, and realized in identity with community.

Dave Brisbin 7.19.26 A contemporary theologian and semiotician—how meaning is communicated—saw that our youngest generations process information differently than older Westerners in the modern era. He called it EPIC: experiential, participatory, image-based, and communal. Pretty much the exact opposite of our modern method: propositional, representational, word-based, individualistic. We propose abstract concepts rather than experience a process; passively receive information rather than participate in an exchange; view the world through words as an individual rather than images within community. The hallmark of the modern West is to remain intellectually detached, observing life and attempting control from a safe distance. But the youngest among us jump right in, experiencing and participating in a communal world awash in image. Absorbing this decades ago, the light went on when I realized that ancient cultures, especially the Hebrews who wrote our scriptures, were EPIC too. Here we are, modern Westerners, reading ancient EPIC texts in a diametrically opposed, non-EPIC way. Explains a lot. Jesus called himself the Way. Not as propositional truth to use as a litmus test for orthodoxy, but as the invitation to participate and experience relational truth that could promise liberation no other way. Jesus' earliest followers called themselves Followers of the Way. Not followers of Jesus in a representational, passive attempt to ride his coattails, but in the discipline of living lovingly in community. The Way, urha in Aramaic, means not just the path, but the light that reveals the path and opens possibility. When we view Jesus' sayings of way, truth, life; ask, seek, knock; the five lines of the Lord's prayer through an EPIC lens, they become sequences in a process of participatory experience, not words agreed upon for personal salvation. We want to see the path that leads us to God. But when Jesus says the only Way to God is through him-as-Way, he is EPICly saying an unseen God can only be found on an unseen path…experienced in participation with each step, conveyed through image, and realized in identity with community.

In a city like Hong Kong, it can feel like there's always more need than we can possibly meet. Yet Jesus looks at the crowds with compassion and speaks of a harvest that is already ready, even when the workers feel few. This Sunday at Community Church Hong Kong, we continue our summer with a message from Rev. Ivan Chung titled “Doing as Jesus Does.” Together we'll consider how Jesus responds to the people around Him—and what it looks like for us, in our everyday lives, to step into His work with open hearts and willing hands. Whether you're exploring faith or have followed Jesus for many years, we invite you to join us as we worship, listen to Scripture, and ask God to show us the part He is calling each of us to play in His harvest. If you are new to Community Church, WELCOME! We would love to get to know you. Please fill in the following form and we look forward to connecting with you: https://bit.ly/cc-new-connect You can find all timely and relevant links from this service on https://bit.ly/cc-links You can also find out more about us at https://communitychurch.hk/ ================ This Week's Scripture: // John 5:1-10 (NIV) // The Healing at the Pool Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”

John Wells - July 19th 2025 - The Living Word of God The Living Word of God • John 6:63 • John 8:31 • II Timothy 2:2 • II Timothy 3:13 • I Peter 1: 23 • Revelation 20: 11 The Word of God – The Bible • It's Power and Authority – “the words are God breathed and alive” • It's Preservation – many have tried to destroy it, distort it , change it • It's Permanence – The Word of God stands forever - it will never pass away God's man for translating the scriptures to English William Tyndale • Early life: William Tyndale was born around 1494 in Gloucestershire, England. He studied at University of Oxford and later at University of Cambridge, where he became skilled in Greek, Hebrew, Latin, German, French, Italian & Spanish languages. • Bible translation: Tyndale believed that ordinary people should be able to read the Bible in their own language. Since translating the Bible into English without approval was forbidden in England, he left the country in 1524 to continue his work in Europe. • Printing the New Testament: In 1526, his English translation of the New Testament was printed and secretly smuggled into England. Church authorities condemned and burned many copies, but they continued to circulate. • Further work: Tyndale continued translating parts of the Old Testament and wrote books supporting religious reform. His translations were based directly on the original Greek and Hebrew texts rather than the Latin Bible commonly used at the time. • Arrest and death: In 1535, Tyndale was betrayed, arrested near Brussels, imprisoned for over a year, and tried for heresy. In 1536, he was strangled and then burned at the stake. His reported final prayer was, "Lord, open the King of England's eyes." • Legacy: Tyndale's translations became the foundation for later English Bibles, especially the King James Version. It is estimated that much of the New Testament wording in the King James Version is based on Tyndale's work. His commitment to making Scripture accessible had a lasting impact on Christianity, English literature, and the development of the English language 1. The Original Writings (1400 BC–100 AD) 1. The Old Testament was written primarily in Hebrew, with a few sections in Aramaic. 2. The New Testament was written in Greek by Jesus' apostles and other early Christian leaders. Ancient Copies 1. Before printing, scribes carefully copied the Scriptures by hand. Thousands of ancient manuscripts have survived, allowing scholars to compare copies and identify copying errors. 3. William Tyndale's English Bible 1. In the early 1500s, William Tyndale translated the New Testament and parts of the Old Testament directly from the original Greek and Hebrew into English. 2. His work was considered illegal, and he was executed in 1536 for heresy. 3. Much of his wording was later incorporated into future English translations. 4. The King James Version (1611) 1. King James VI and I authorized a new English translation completed by a team of scholars in 1611. 2. The King James Version became the most influential English Bible for centuries and is still widely used today. 5. Modern English Translations 1. Since the discovery of many older biblical manuscripts (such as the Dead Sea Scrolls), scholars have been able to compare even earlier sources. 2. Modern translations such as the New International Version (NIV), English Standard Version (ESV), New American Standard Bible (NASB), and New King James Version (NKJV) are translated directly from the oldest and most reliable Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek manuscripts available.

In this episode, host Elizabeth Pittman sits down with Dr. Andrew E. Steinmann to discuss his latest book, co-authored with Rev. Dr. R. Reed Lessing, Wrestling with God: Understanding Difficult Old Testament Passages. Andrew makes the case for why the Old Testament is indispensable to the Christian faith, and walks through some of Scripture's most perplexing passages — from the mysteries of Job to the hidden hand of God in Esther.Episode Timestamps0:00 — Introduction & Welcoming Dr. Andrew Steinmann Back1:52 — Why We Shouldn't Skip the Old Testament4:00 — Wrestling with Perplexing Passages in Job7:00 — Proverbs 8 and Christ's Role in Creation8:00 — Understanding How Numbers Are Used in the Old Testament12:00 — Where Is God in Ruth, Esther, and Song of Songs?17:00 — Coincidence or Providence? God Behind the Scenes in Esther19:00 — Discovering the Trinity Throughout the Old Testament23:00 — The Aaronic Benediction and the Three Persons of God25:00 — Advice for Those Struggling with Difficult Passages27:00 — The Writing Partnership Behind Wrestling with God29:00 — ClosingAbout the GuestDr. Andrew Steinmann taught at Concordia University Chicago as a Distinguished Professor of Theology and Hebrew beginning in 2000 until retiring in July of 2023. At Concordia, he taught a wide variety of classes, including Hebrew I and II, Hebrew Readings, Readings in Hebrew, and Introduction to the Old Testament. His research interests are focused on Hebrew, Aramaic languages, apocalyptic literature, wisdom literature, and biblical chronology. Throughout his career, Dr. Steinmann has written over 50 articles and book reviews that have been published in national and international journals. He serves as a regular guest on numerous radio programs. Dr. Steinmann holds the following degrees: PhD, Near Eastern Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; MDiv, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana; BSChE, chemical engineering, University of Cincinnati. Dr. Steinmann is married to Rebecca. Resources MentionedWrestling with God: Understanding Difficult Old Testament Passages by Rev. Dr. R. Reed Lessing and Dr. Andrew E. Steinmann — cph.orgConcordia Publishing House: Bringing you God's enduring Word in a changing world.

In what languages was the Bible written? Was the Bible originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek?

In her groundbreaking new film, Pomegranate, Iraqi American writer and director Weam Namou reveals the messy, humorous and heartbreaking reality of what happens when immigrants who fled the same country argue with each other over the American Dream. Widely recognized as the first Iraqi American feature film, Pomegranate has swept over 50 international film awards and caught the eye of Home Alone producer Scott Rosenfelt, who came on board as executive producer. Watch a recent interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp62vQ7O4m8. View the movie trailer here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=usBH2x72t0Q. (Screeners are available upon request for qualified media.) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE First Iraqi American Feature Film Uses Humor and Heart to Explore Cultural Divides in Suburban Detroit “This is a groundbreaking, worthwhile story. It is intriguing and culturally needed, especially during this time.” — Scott Rosenfelt, Home Alone producer and executive producer of Pomegranate STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich., June 30, 2026 — What happens when people who fled the same country struggle to coexist on the same street in America? Iraqi American filmmaker and author Weam Namou explores this raw, timely question in Pomegranate, her multiple award-winning feature film based on her own novel and set in suburban Detroit, where political, cultural and religious tensions collide among two communities rarely portrayed together on screen: Iraqi Muslim and Chaldean Christian. Executive produced by Home Alone producer Scott Rosenfelt, Pomegranate is widely regarded as the first narrative feature film written, directed and led by an Iraqi American creative team. Pomegranate follows Niran, a young Muslim immigrant adapting to life in America after moving into a conservative Iraqi Christian neighborhood in suburban Detroit just before the 2016 presidential election. As political tensions intensify, everyday interactions become loaded with fear, misunderstanding and competing ideas about identity, faith and belonging. “I wrote Pomegranate after witnessing tensions between the political left and right intensify during the 2016 presidential election,” Namou said. “Using the communities I know best, Chaldean Christian and Muslim, I wanted to humanize both sides. Instead of adding to the noise, I chose story as a way to explore identity, faith, division and the possibility of understanding.” While rooted in Iraqi immigrant experiences, the film addresses themes familiar to many Americans: cultural identity, generational conflict, political polarization and the struggle to maintain relationships amid division. Considered a dramedy, Pomegranate approaches serious topics with warmth, humor and vulnerability rather than ideology, creating space for audiences to see unfamiliar communities through a human lens. The project first gained recognition as a quarterfinalist in Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope competition before going on to win more than 50 international film awards. “The title itself represents the message,” Namou explained. “A pomegranate contains many separate seeds inside one body. Even the word itself carries symbolism. Its name traces back to a shared ancient Semitic root found in Hebrew, Aramaic and Arabic, reflecting the interconnected heritage of the region. Beneath our religious and political identities, we are often more alike than we realize.” Pomegranate is currently streaming in 25 countries on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube and additional platforms through distributor Freestyle Digital Media (https://www.freestyledigitalmedia.tv/film/pomegranate//). Watch the movie trailer here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=usBH2x72t0Q. TIP SHEET The press release above may be published in part or entirety by any print, broadcast or internet/digital media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing. Reviews, photos, links to previous interviews and Q&As are available upon request.

“Can I attend an SSPX Mass?” This question opens a discussion on the complexities of attending Mass at an SSPX chapel, alongside inquiries about the significance of the altar’s elevation, the implications of not attending Sunday Mass, and the historical context of Latin Mass celebrations. The episode addresses various aspects of Catholic worship and practice. Join the Catholic Answers Live Club Newsletter Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit Catholicanswersspeakers.com Questions Covered: 01:40 – Can I go to Mass at an SSPX chapel? 11:29 – Why is the altar elevated and the people in the pews tend to sit lower? Does that mean the people are lower than the priest? 16:32 – What can be done where all churches would have the option to celebrate the Latin Mass? Was Summorum Pontificum retracted? 21:07 – Can you explain why it’s a mortal sin not to attend Sunday Mass? 29:04 – Are we supposed to make the sign of the cross after praying the confiteor? 32:24 – During Covid, Masses were shut down. Was this something historical where the mass was shut down? 35:05 – I'm a new Catholic. Should we be raising our hands during the Our Father? 38:55 – How is it called a Traditional Latin Mass if it started in Aramaic and Greek? 44:14 – Can you receive communion with venial sin on your soul? What if you receive communion without realizing you had committed a mortal sin? 47:55 – What if one can't find a Latin mass outside of SSPX? Where should they go? 51:30 – I believe the hand holding during Our Father did not start as imitating the priest but became natural after a retreat.

"If God has placed an immigrant group in your community, we have the opportunity to reach out and share the lovely gifts that God has given us," said Rev Jeff Thormodson, the executive director of the Lutheran Society of Missiology. "The Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology raises up leaders who speak Congolese, Aramaic, Telugu. It's a wonderful opportunity to make disciples of all nations." Learn more about how the Lord is raising up leaders in his church through Concordia Seminary, St. Louis!

We have built some real momentum in the readings for this first half of summer. Of course, you may have a congregation that is in a week, out a week — or, if you have lots of snowbirds, either your sanctuary feels more full or more empty. But the texts march on, and so do we!This is the second Sunday inside Matthew's parables chapter. Last week the Parable of the Sower opened the section; this week we get the Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds. Both parables share an image of a field, a sower, and a problem — but they ask different questions. The Sower asks what happens to the word once it has been scattered. The Wheat and the Weeds asks how to live in a field where good and bad are mixed and indistinguishable, and what to do when the impulse rises to sort it out ourselves.Image courtesy of Sickle of Truth: A Bible Student BlogThe Old Testament tracks both lead toward the Gospel in different ways. * Track One follows Jacob deeper into Genesis — to the famous dream at Bethel, where Jacob, fleeing his brother's anger, lays his head on a stone and sees a ladder reaching to heaven. Psalm 139 pairs with that scene by insisting there is no place where God's presence does not reach. * Track Two offers a choice between Wisdom of Solomon's meditation on the lenient sovereignty of God and Isaiah's short, sharp declaration of God's uniqueness; both are paired with Psalm 86, including its prayer for an undivided heart. * The Epistle continues the long climb through Romans 8 — today's portion includes some of Paul's most stirring language about being children of God, the groaning of creation, and the patience of hope.A note for preachers following a series: this Sunday continues the new arc of parables. The Sower (last week), the Wheat and the Weeds (today), and in coming weeks the Mustard Seed, the Yeast, the Hidden Treasure, the Pearl, and the Net — these images are the way Jesus has chosen to talk about the kingdom of heaven. Our job as preachers, increasingly, is to slow down enough to let the images do their work.The ReadingsGenesis 28:10–19aFirst Reading (Track One) — Jacob's Dream at BethelSummaryJacob is on the run. He has just cheated his brother Esau out of their father's blessing, and Esau has vowed to kill him. Rebekah has sent him toward her brother's house in Haran, ostensibly to find a wife but really to keep him alive. The selected verses pick him up somewhere on the road, alone, in an unnamed place at sundown. He takes a stone, puts it under his head, and lies down. And he dreams: a ladder, or stairway, with its foot on the ground and its top reaching up into the heavens, and the angels of God going up and down on it. God stands beside him — or above the ladder — and renews the covenant once given to Abraham: this land, descendants beyond counting, blessing for all the families of the earth. And then the line on which the whole scene turns: I am with you and will keep you wherever you go. Jacob wakes, and the first words out of his mouth are: Surely the Lord is in this place — and I did not know it. He is afraid. He calls the place awesome. He sets up the stone as a pillar, pours oil on it, and names the place Bethel — house of God.Key Ideas for Preaching* Jacob is fleeing the consequences of his own deception. The grace God gives him in this dream is given to a manipulator on the run. Where in your congregation are people quietly assuming that God's presence is reserved for those who have their lives sorted out, and how might Jacob's story interrupt that?* “Surely the Lord is in this place — and I did not know it.” That is one of the most honest lines in Genesis. Jacob discovers that God has been somewhere he did not expect, and he himself was the last to notice. Where in your people's lives might God have been present in a place they did not credit, and what would it look like to wake up to it now?* The ladder is set up on the earth. The traffic on it is two-way — angels ascending and descending. Heaven and earth are connected, and the connection runs in both directions. How might this image steady a congregation that imagines God as remote, or imagines spiritual life as something we have to climb up to?* The promise God speaks to Jacob is mostly about presence: I am with you and will keep you wherever you go. Not just here at this holy site, but on the road. What might it mean for your people that the God of Bethel is the same God of every uncomfortable, unconsecrated place their lives will take them?Significant Cautions* Do not romanticize Jacob into a hero of the dream. He is, at this point in Genesis, a deceiver running from his consequences. The point of the scene is not Jacob's virtue but God's grace toward someone who has not earned it.* “House of God” language can be too quickly applied to a church building. The place Jacob names Bethel is a piece of open ground with a stone in it. The text is not really endorsing sacred architecture; it is naming places where God surprises us.* The promise that Jacob's offspring will inherit the land has had a long and painful history of being used to justify the taking of land from other people. If you touch this part of the text, handle it carefully and avoid reading the ancient promise as a blanket endorsement of any modern claim.Psalm 139:1–12, 23–24The Psalm (Track One) — You Have Searched Me and Known MeSummaryOne of the most intimate and personal psalms in the Bible. The opening verses celebrate God's deep knowledge of the psalmist — sitting down and rising up, the thoughts before they are spoken, the path before it is taken. The middle section asks the question Jacob might have asked: where can I go from your presence? The answer is: nowhere. Not heaven, not Sheol, not the wings of the morning, not the deepest sea, not the darkness. Even the darkness is not dark to God; the night is as bright as the day. The lectionary skips the harder middle verses and picks up at the closing: search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts; see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.Key Ideas for Preaching* This psalm reads like a meditation on Jacob's realization — surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it. The psalm extends that to every place. Where in your congregation might people need to hear that there is no place outside God's attention, and what does that mean for the places they are quietly afraid to go?* “Even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day.” That is one of the most beautiful sentences in the psalms. How might your sermon let your people feel the kindness of that line — not God's surveillance, but God's presence in the very darkness they have been hiding in?* The closing prayer asks God to search the psalmist — not to judge but to lead. That is a remarkable posture. Where in your people's lives might openness to being known by God be more freeing than the long work of self-management?Significant Cautions* God's constant knowing can feel like surveillance, especially to people who have lived under abusive or controlling authorities. Be gentle with this language. The God of Psalm 139 holds us, not watches us.* The omitted middle verses (19–22) contain harsh language about hating God's enemies. The lectionary leaves these out for good reason. If you reach for them, handle them with care.Wisdom of Solomon 12:13, 16–19First Reading (Track Two, primary option) — You Are Lord of AllSummaryFrom the book of Wisdom, part of the Apocrypha (or deuterocanonical books, depending on tradition). The selected verses celebrate God's universal sovereignty and patient mercy. There is no other God beside this one, the text says, and this God's strength is the source of righteousness. Because God is sovereign over all, God can afford to be lenient — to spare all, to be patient with all, to leave room for repentance. And then the closing line that may be why the lectionary pairs this with today's Gospel: through such acts, God teaches the people that the righteous must be kind.Key Ideas for Preaching* The connection the text makes between God's sovereignty and God's mercy is striking. Because God is in total command, God can be patient. Cruelty and impatience are the marks of weakness, not strength. Where in your congregation has impatience been mistaken for moral seriousness, and what would it look like to learn the patience of the strong?* “The righteous must be kind.” That is, in five words, the ethical conclusion the text draws from God's character. Where in your congregation has righteousness been imagined as something other than kindness, and what might shift if these two were not allowed to come apart?Significant Cautions* Some traditions (most Protestant ones) do not consider Wisdom canonical. If your congregation's tradition uses Isaiah 44 instead, the next section of this guide covers it.* “The strong are merciful” can sometimes shade into a paternalism that treats mercy as something dispensed from on high. The text is reaching for something different — a mercy that flows from confidence, not condescension.Isaiah 44:6–8First Reading (Track Two, alternative option) — I Am the First and I Am the LastSummaryA short, sharp declaration of God's uniqueness. The Lord, the King of Israel, the Lord of hosts, declares: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. Who is like me? Let them speak. Who can declare the things to come as I have done? Do not fear, do not be afraid. You are my witnesses. Is there any god besides me? There is no other rock; I know not one.Key Ideas for Preaching* “Do not fear, do not be afraid.” That phrase, echoing several Sundays back in Matthew 10, anchors this short text. The reason not to fear is the same: there is no rival power. What does it look like for your people to hear that the deepest threats they imagine have, in the end, no real competing authority?* “You are my witnesses.” That is a striking thing for God to say. It places God's people inside the testimony, not at the edge of it. Where in your congregation might the language of witness need to be recovered — not as performance, but as the kind of life that quietly testifies to what is true?Significant Cautions* “There is no other god” has sometimes been used in interreligious contexts in ways that flatten and demean other faiths. Isaiah is speaking inside a particular ancient struggle against idolatry, not handing the church a position paper on world religions.Psalm 86:11–17The Psalm (Track Two) — An Undivided HeartSummaryA continuation of the psalm we already heard a few weeks ago (Proper 7). The selected verses contain one of the most quoted lines from the psalms: teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name. The psalmist gives thanks for God's steadfast love and deliverance, names the trouble he is in (the insolent and the ruthless are after his life), and pleads for help, for a sign of favor, for God's strength.Key Ideas for Preaching* “An undivided heart.” That is a request many of us would not dare to pray, because we know how divided our hearts are. The psalmist is honest about needing to be given a single-mindedness he does not yet have. Where in your congregation might the gift of an undivided heart be more needed than the discipline of trying to manufacture one?* The psalmist names that ruthless people are after his life — and then, in the same psalm, names God as merciful and gracious. Both things are true at the same time. The psalm does not pretend the threats are not real in order to praise God. How might your people learn to hold real danger and real praise in the same prayer?Significant Cautions* “Show me a sign of your favor, so that those who hate me may be put to shame” is honest prayer but easy to weaponize. Be careful preaching this verse in a way that gives moral cover to grudges your congregation is already nursing.Romans 8:12–25The Epistle — Children of God, Heirs with Christ, Creation GroaningSummaryPaul continues the unfolding of Romans 8. We are debtors not to the old way of living, he says, but to the Spirit. All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God — not slaves anymore, but adopted, with the right to call out, in the most intimate language Paul can find, Abba! Father! If we are children, we are heirs, joint heirs with Christ, sharing in his suffering and in his glory. The passage then opens out into one of the most cosmic visions in the New Testament. The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed. The creation itself waits, with eager longing, for the revealing of the children of God. The creation has been subjected to futility — not by its own choice — in hope. It groans. We groan with it. We who have the first fruits of the Spirit groan inwardly as we wait for adoption and the redemption of our bodies. We were saved in hope, and hope that is seen is not hope. We wait, with patience, for what we do not yet see.Key Ideas for Preaching* Paul calls God by the name Jesus called him — Abba. That is the Aramaic word a child would have used, intimate, not formal. The Spirit makes us able to use that word too. What might it shift in your people's prayer life to hear that the language of intimacy with God is not reserved for spiritual experts?* Paul includes the whole creation in the work of redemption. The trees, the soil, the seas, the suffering creatures — they are not background scenery to the human drama. They are part of it. They groan; they wait. How might this widen your congregation's sense of what salvation includes?* “Hope that is seen is not hope.” Christian hope, by definition, is hope in something we cannot yet point to. We do not have it in hand; we wait for it. Where in your congregation has hope been collapsed into optimism, and how might Paul's patience steady it?* The passage holds together suffering and glory in a way that does not minimize either. Paul does not say the suffering is not real; he says it is not the final word. What does it look like for your congregation to grieve honestly and hope honestly in the same breath?Significant Cautions* “If we suffer with him” has sometimes been used to bless suffering that should be opposed. Paul is talking about the cost of belonging to Christ, not about staying in abusive relationships or harmful situations. Be careful here.* The adoption language has been used in ways that exclude or shame those for whom adoption is a complicated family experience. The word is theological here — about being made part of God's family by grace — but it lands on a particular set of human stories. Handle it with awareness.* “The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory” can be heard cruelly by someone in real, present suffering. Paul is not minimizing their pain. He is naming an even larger reality. Say so.* The cosmic creation imagery (the whole creation groaning) has sometimes been used to bless any sentimental view of nature. Paul has something more specific in mind — a creation broken, in hope of being remade. Do not flatten this into pantheism or sentimentality.Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43The Gospel — The Wheat and the WeedsSummaryJesus tells another parable. The kingdom of heaven, he says, is like someone who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds in among the wheat, and went away. When the plants came up and bore grain, the weeds appeared as well. The servants come to the master, alarmed: did you not sow good seed? Where did these weeds come from? An enemy has done this, he answers. They offer to go and pull them up. The master refuses. No, he says — in pulling up the weeds, you would uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time, the reapers will sort them out. The lectionary then jumps to Jesus' private interpretation with his disciples. The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world. The good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one; the enemy is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. The weeds will be gathered and burned. The righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen.Key Ideas for Preaching* The weed in this parable is almost certainly darnel — a real plant that looks identical to wheat in the early stages of growth. You cannot tell them apart until the grain heads form. The master's refusal to let the servants pull up the weeds is not a moral instruction about tolerance; it is a botanical fact. They literally cannot tell. How might your sermon take that fact seriously and let it reshape the whole feel of the parable?* The servants in the parable are confident. They are sure they know which plants are weeds. The master, gently, refuses their confidence. Where in your congregation has confidence about who is in and who is out crept in, and what would it look like to take the master's caution seriously?* Jesus tells the disciples that the field is the world — not the church. That is worth saying out loud. The parable is not giving the church permission to be lenient about who belongs inside its life. It is talking about the much larger field of the world, where good and evil grow together, and where we are not the reapers. What does it look like for your congregation to know the difference between the church's discernment and the final judgment of the world?* The history of Christian attempts to pull up the weeds in advance is, frankly, awful. The church has identified the wrong people as weeds in every generation. Where in your congregation's past, or in your congregation's present, has someone been pulled up who was, in fact, wheat? How might honest naming help your people walk more humbly into the future?* The parable is not a call to moral passivity. The wheat still has to be tended. Injustice still has to be opposed. What the parable forbids is the human attempt to do the final sorting now. How might your sermon hold together active love for what is good and patient restraint from premature judgment?Significant Cautions* This parable has been used in some of the most damaging ways imaginable — to identify whole groups of people as “weeds”. Every Christian generation has done it, and every Christian generation has been at least partly wrong. Be especially careful with any application of this parable to actual people.* “The field is the world” means just that. The parable is not a license for the church to be lax about its own internal life. Paul and other New Testament writers have plenty to say about that. But the parable is talking about the larger field, where the final sort is not ours.* The interpretation in verses 36–43 is fierce — furnace, weeping, gnashing of teeth. Be careful with this language. It is in the text, but it is not the central point. The central point is the master's caution to the servants in the first half: let both grow together. The judgment language is the backdrop, not the foreground.* “Let anyone with ears listen” has been preached as a kind of warning. It is better heard as an invitation. The parable is doing slow, careful work; the listening it asks for is patient.* The parable can be misused in the opposite direction — as a license to ignore evil because the harvest is coming. It does not say that. It restrains us from premature sorting; it does not absolve us from active love and justice in the meantime.Thematic ConnectionsThe Gospel is the natural center for the day. The Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds is one of the most pastorally and politically important parables in Matthew, and the preacher who slows down with it will find that it has much to say to the moment in which most congregations are gathered — a moment in which the human impulse to sort people into wheat and weeds has rarely felt more intense.On Track One, Jacob's dream at Bethel pairs with the parable in a quiet but pointed way. Jacob is, by any honest measure, a weed in his family's field at this point in Genesis. He has cheated his brother and is running from the consequences. And God meets him with grace. The story is its own commentary on the parable: the people we would have written off as weeds turn out to be, in God's hands, wheat in the making. Psalm 139 widens the point: there is no place where God's knowing does not reach, no darkness God does not see clear through. The God who finds Jacob on the road is the same God who finds us in whatever country we have been hiding in.On Track Two, the connection runs through the question of who has the right to judge. Wisdom of Solomon names God as the sovereign whose strength expresses itself in patience. Isaiah names God as the one and only — with no real rivals to fear. Psalm 86 asks for the gift of an undivided heart. Together, these texts ease the listener into the Gospel's harder claim: the final word about wheat and weeds is not ours.Romans 8 sits inside the day as the cosmic frame. The whole creation groans. We groan with it. The hope we wait for is not yet visible. The patience Paul asks for is the same patience the master asks for in the parable — a willingness to let the field be the field, to let the harvest be the harvest, to trust that the One who set this all in motion has not lost track of any of it. The same Spirit who lets us cry Abba is the Spirit who teaches us to wait.For preachers continuing the series: the parables arc is now two weeks old. The Sower last week named God's lavish scattering. The Wheat and the Weeds this week names God's patient deferral of judgment. Together they form a particular picture of the kingdom — generous in its giving, patient in its sorting, and not finally in our hands. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lectionarypro.substack.com/subscribe

Today we explore the first article of the Apostles' Creed: I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth. Some are concerned that  the use of the word Father is less inclusive and depicts a stern, sterile relationship. The original word was Abba in Aramaic; which was papa or daddy - signifying deep intimacy and trust. Some also question why an almighty creator would allow the evils that we see in today's world. Another way to frame this question might be why do humans allow the evils to continue? Today's message is from Pastor Tania. Our Gospel comes from Luke, Chapter 12, Verses 22-31, and our scripture reading is Genesis 1, verses 24-27. Contemporary Lutheran Affirmation of Faith: We trust in God, the Creator of all that is, of galaxies and forests, oceans and deserts, creatures and every human being. God speaks life into existence, calls creation good, and remains faithful to the world God has made.We belive that the earth is no ours to possess, but a gift to recieve with gratitude, to share with justice and tend with humility. We trust in Jesus Christ, Godsl living Word among us, born into this world, sharing our joys and suffering. In his life, he proclaimed God's kingdom of mercy. In his death, he entered the depths of human pain. In his resurrection, he opened the way to new life for all creation. Through Christ, we are forgiven, freed from the need to justify ourselves, and called into lives of faith, hope and love.  We trust in the Holy Spirit, present and active in the church and in the world. Gathering people into communities of grace, awakening faith, renewing hears, and equipping us for service. The Spirit moves among all peoples, inspires care for our neighbors, and calls us to seek justice, make peace and protect the flourishing of creation. We trust that God has not abandoned the world, and is even now making all things new. Therefore we live in hope: for the healing of the earth, for reconciliation among people, for the renewal of the church, and for the resurrection life promised in Christ. To God- Creator, Son, and Holy Spirit, be glory now and forever. Amen.  

Dave Brisbin 7.12.26 If God were sitting next to you right now and you could ask one question, what would it be? Puts a pretty fine point on it, yes? To stop the ever-running assembly line of questions forming in your mind and pick just one… For adults, the questions were predictable: Why do you allow suffering? Don't all religions lead to you? How can I trust the bible? If you're really there, why don't you prove it? Children's responses were predictably less heady: How are you doing? Are you happy? And… If God was sitting next to me, I'd just like to give him a hug. Gotta love kids. That last one really points in the right direction. Adults have to face the fact that the most important questions in life don't have answers. Only the experience of asking. Life isn't answered and resolved rationally. Only lived. We can keep asking questions, but using our minds to navigate a spiritual journey is like bringing a knife to a gunfight…the mind is not the vehicle for such a journey. Even so, there is one question Jesus is asked that rises above the rest. What must I do to obtain eternal life? Two thousand years ago, yesterday, today, isn't that the question? Is what we see around us all there is to life or is there more? All other questions are just variants of this one, but Jesus doesn't answer except to say, if you've done all you can do to be certain and want to fill that place that is still lacking, then sell all you think you know and come give me a hug. We think of eternal life as a long time, life going on forever, an eternal future granted by God in exchange for believing the right things. But all of time is just one moment, eternally. And in Aramaic, eternal life is not life that goes on eternally, but life that is eternally alive—new, fresh, fulfilling, complete, abundant. Not then. Now. Not there. Here. Life only becomes eternal the moment we become present to the life that is now. We are not saved by the mind. By thinking, our minds separate us from this moment, from eternal life. To obtain that life is to stop thinking and start hugging. The hugging, embracing now as just enough is the eternal aliveness we seek.

Dave Brisbin 7.12.26 If God were sitting next to you right now and you could ask one question, what would it be? Puts a pretty fine point on it, yes? To stop the ever-running assembly line of questions forming in your mind and pick just one… For adults, the questions were predictable: Why do you allow suffering? Don't all religions lead to you? How can I trust the bible? If you're really there, why don't you prove it? Children's responses were predictably less heady: How are you doing? Are you happy? And… If God was sitting next to me, I'd just like to give him a hug. Gotta love kids. That last one really points in the right direction. Adults have to face the fact that the most important questions in life don't have answers. Only the experience of asking. Life isn't answered and resolved rationally. Only lived. We can keep asking questions, but using our minds to navigate a spiritual journey is like bringing a knife to a gunfight…the mind is not the vehicle for such a journey. Even so, there is one question Jesus is asked that rises above the rest. What must I do to obtain eternal life? Two thousand years ago, yesterday, today, isn't that the question? Is what we see around us all there is to life or is there more? All other questions are just variants of this one, but Jesus doesn't answer except to say, if you've done all you can do to be certain and want to fill that place that is still lacking, then sell all you think you know and come give me a hug. We think of eternal life as a long time, life going on forever, an eternal future granted by God in exchange for believing the right things. But all of time is just one moment, eternally. And in Aramaic, eternal life is not life that goes on eternally, but life that is eternally alive—new, fresh, fulfilling, complete, abundant. Not then. Now. Not there. Here. Life only becomes eternal the moment we become present to the life that is now. We are not saved by the mind. By thinking, our minds separate us from this moment, from eternal life. To obtain that life is to stop thinking and start hugging. The hugging, embracing now as just enough is the eternal aliveness we seek.

Fr Darren Brennan answers a question from Maria, aged 10, County Donegal: why is there a Pope? The answer starts with a fire, a group of apostles, and an Aramaic word — kefa — that Jesus used to rename a fisherman from Galilee. Listen to more answers from questions of other children here! L'articolo Little Big Questions – Why is There a Pope? – Carmela and Fr. Darren Brennan proviene da Radio Maria.

Today I'm talking about something that's been on my mind as I've been writing Love Quotient: the two feedback loops that quietly corrode almost every relationship we have. I explain how our dominant cognitive function becomes our personal "channel" for expressing and receiving love, and why a mismatch with the people we care about can spiral into the exact same withdrawal on both sides, until the relationship falls apart.From there I dive into Pride and Prejudice, using what I know about personality and temperament to offer a fresh, more sympathetic read on Mr. Bennett and the entailment that hangs over the Bennet family. I also share a personal story about my border collies that mirrors his situation surprisingly well. Then I take a hard turn into artificial intelligence, walking through how I used "vibe coding" to build a free tool that helps you read the world's great literature, in the original Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and Aramaic, with computer-assisted definitions built right in.In this episode you will learn:(00:00) Why our relationships are being steadily corroded by two feedback loops we rarely notice(02:27) How our dominant cognitive function becomes our personal channel for expressing and receiving love(05:15) What entailment meant for the Bennet family and why it set the entire plot of Pride and Prejudice in motion(08:22) Why Mrs. Bennett was so openly focused on marrying off her daughters to rich men(11:57) How "goodness of fit" and temperament theory give us a more sympathetic read on Mr. Bennett's parenting(15:32) What my border collies taught me about Mr. Bennett's distance from his younger daughters(18:45) Why artificial intelligence is simultaneously overhyped and underhyped right now(18:45) How human and machine intelligence complement each other when it comes to parsing language(22:01) How I used "vibe coding" to build a reading tool from scratch in a single day(24:45) What's inside the Andrew Winkler Reading Room, from the Septuagint to Shakespeare to UlyssesLet's connect!linktr.ee/drprandyRead, with computer assistance, the best literature the world has ever producedandrew-winkler-reading-room.overskill.appLove Quotient: Stop Dying of Thirst in an Ocean of Love Kickstarterhttps://www.kickstarter.com/projects/amwphd/love-quotient Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Send us Fan MailWarning: We cover necessary and important topics about the marriage relationship and sex. We use frank language without being crude or crass. Our approach is biblical and wholesome, but not intended for singles — especially not for children.We're starting a series to lay the groundwork for reading the Song of Songs with clarity. In this episode we discuss the title, authorship, and the book's unique structure. We share why our approach may feel less traditional (it's really not), yet still honors Scripture and helps couples talk about covenant love and sex without forcing the text into a storyline it never claims to be. why we call it Song of Songs rather than Song of Solomon where the book sits in the Hebrew canon and why it is read at Passover what Solomon's name might signal without proving authorship why Aramaic and historical clues suggest a later composition how poetic devices and double entendre shape meaning and modesty why a narrative plot creates confusion and why an anthology reading fits better how seeing it as a romantic playlist helps couples study and discuss it together Join us at the annual Intimate Covenant Marriage Retreat. This year our theme is BELOVED - exploring love and romance in the Song of Songs.For a deeper dive, here's a list recommended resources to expand your perspective and help in reading the Song of Songs:Allender, Dan B., and Tremper Longman III. God Loves Sex: An Honest Conversation about Sexual Desire and Holiness. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2014. Alter, Robert, trans. Strong as Death Is Love: The Song of Songs, Ruth, Esther, Jonah, and Daniel: A Translation with Commentary. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2015.  Longman III, Tremper. Song of Songs. New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2001.  Pope, Marvin H. Song of Songs: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. The Anchor Bible, vol. 7C. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1977. Please support these companies that support Intimate Covenant:Married Dance — https://marrieddance.com/?aff=29 We're a Christian-friendly, marriage-centered sex toy and marital aid store for couples that's nudity-free.  Shop from this link for special savings and part of your purchase will support Intimate Covenant.  Coconu — http://www.coconu.com Coconu is committed to helping people lead healthier, happier lives by offering 100% safe and organic personal care products.  Your purchase helps support Intimate Covenant AND you get 15% OFF. Coupon Code: intimateconvenantDate Your Spouse (formerly, Dating Divas) — https://dateyourspouse.myshopify.com?sca_ref=6278443.H6eWDeXGfx Strengthening marriages one date at a time. Shop from this link and your part of your purchase will help support Intimate Covenant. Check out their Sexy Subscription Boxes!Honoring Intimates — https://www.honoringintimates.com/?ref=INTIMATECOVENANT Modest and classy premium lingerie, model-free. Get 20% off and support Intimate Covenant with your purchase.Ginger & Peach — https://www.gingerandpeachlingerie.com/ Ginger & Peach lingerie is a Christian husband and wife owned brand bringing classy, model-free lingerie to the market. Get 10% off your order and support Intimate Covenant with code: “INTIMATECOVENANT"  To send your comments, questions and suggestions, go to our website: www.intimatecovenant.com/podcast and click on the button: “Contact the Podcast” for an ANONYMOUS submission form. Or, send an email: podcast@intimatecovenant.com   Thanks for sharing, rating, reviewing and subscribing!    Cherishing,  Matt & JennSupport the show

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.2 Corinthians 3:188 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.1 John 4:8Love is not something God does, it's who He is.And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.2 Corinthians 3:18GOD WON'T, UNTIL I'VE…God cares about fixing you more than you do.HOW DOES JESUS TRANSFORM US?After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. 3 In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. 5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” 7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.John 5:1-9A multitude of needy people were there, yet none of them looked to Jesus. A blindness had come over these people at the pool; there they were, and there was Christ, who could heal them, but not a single one of them sought him. Their eyes were fixed on the water, expecting it to be troubled; they were so taken up with their own chosen way that the true way was neglected.Charles SpurgeonA LOOK6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time,John 5:6GOD ALWAYS MOVES FIRST17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram,Genesis 15:17-187 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Matthew 6:7-8A QUESTION6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?”John 5:6A WORD8 Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.John 5:8-9Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.Romans 12:2A STEP14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” John 5:14We haven't arrived until we look just like Him.And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.Philippians 1:6

Thursday, 2 July 2026   Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' Hosanna in the highest!” Matthew 21:9   “The ‘also crowds', those preceding, and those following, they croaked, saying:   ‘Hosanna! The ‘Son, David'! Having been blessed, the ‘coming in Name, Lord!' Hosanna in the uppermosts!'” (CG)   In the previous verse, it was noted that a great multitude spread their clothes on the road while others cut down branches from the trees, spreading them on the road as well. It next says, “The ‘also crowds'.”   These would be those just described who thronged around Jesus. The scene would have been rather incredible with Jesus in their midst, being highlighted among them. The description of the crowds is seen in the words, “those preceding, and those following.”   Some wanted to lead the way, as if they were a king's guards, going before him to herald his name and clear out anyone who stood in the way to hinder the progress. Others would follow behind, as if they were a king's loyal subjects, willing to follow him into battle or in a victory procession. Such a scene is recorded in 1 Samuel –   “Now it had happened as they were coming home, when David was returning from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women had come out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments. 7 So the women sang as they danced, and said: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands.'” 1 Samuel 18: 6, 7   Of those who went before and followed after Jesus, it notes that “they croaked.”   The word has been seen before, krazó, to croak as a raven. Thus, it would be a distinct and loud shout from the masses. They were “saying: ‘Hosanna! The ‘Son, David'!”   It is a new word in the New Testament, coming from the Hebrew words yasha, to save, and na, pray, as in “pray tell.” The form of the verb in the Hebrew would be causative imperative with an emphatic paragoge, thus hoshia (you must surely cause to save) na, pray. The importance of this is because it is what is recorded in the 118th Psalm –   “Oh, pray, Yehovah! You must (surely) cause to save (hoshia), pray (na)!” Psalm 118a (CG)   The people were aware that the psalm anticipated the coming Messiah. Their calling out “Hosanna” was an acknowledgement that they believed that He is the fulfillment of that expectation. Their words of this acknowledgment continue with, “Having been blessed, the ‘coming in ‘Name, Lord'!”   This is also found in the 118th Psalm –   “Blessed the ‘coming' in ‘name, Yehovah'.” Psalm 118:26a (CG)   Matthew's words in the Greek use a perfect participle, “having been blessed.” That is followed by a present participle “coming.” Thus, it indicates that the people are proclaiming that Jesus was the fulfillment of the anticipated Messiah and that He continues to fulfill that role. His coming is in the name of Yehovah.   There is no doubt about the intent of their proclamation. The people believe Jesus has been appointed by Yehovah to work His salvation in the name of Yehovah. Because of this, they continue, saying, “Hosanna in the uppermosts!”   Another new word is seen, hupsistos, the plural of hupsos, elevation. Thus, it is a superlative normally translated as “highest.” To preserve the plural, the word “uppermosts” gives the most literal sense. This would be comparable to the Hebrew and Aramaic adjectives elyon, uppermost. When referring to God, it is normally translated as Most High.   It should be noted that the words of the people do not mean that they believed Jesus is God. Rather, they believed He was sent by God to fulfill the messianic role and promises contained in Scripture. It is only in the resurrection and the theology surrounding that event (mixed with an understanding of the virgin birth) that the deity of Christ Jesus can be deduced and explained.   Life application: There is no doubt that the masses of Israel thought that Jesus was the anticipated Messiah. However, the rulers, meaning those who spoke for the nation, rejected this. In their rejection of Him, they had Him crucified.   In His crucifixion, the people then believed the lies of the leaders. Many were saved through faith in Jesus after the resurrection, as testified to in Acts. However, the nation as a whole was led astray by the leaders. In their rejection of Him, they were punished according to the curses set forth in the Law of Moses.   A point should be gleaned from this. We should not allow our spiritual understanding of what God is doing to rest in the hands of others. It is true that we have leaders appointed over us for gaining knowledge about the word, and about what God has done and is doing.   But we should not blindly trust anyone. Look at the disaster that has been caused in cults like the Seventh Day Adventists, the Mormons, the Jehovah's Witnesses, etc. Look at how people follow Roman Catholicism without regard to Scripture.   Our doctrine and theology must be derived from somewhere. Where is it that you should obtain it? The answer is from God. As God has given us the Bible for this purpose, we should be in the Bible, studying it, and checking out what we are told. Israel, the entire nation of them, has been led astray by false leaders for two thousand years.   Many in the church have followed suit, following leaders who have misdirected people away from the truth of God in Christ. Don't let anyone do this to you. KNOW YOUR BIBLE and check what you are told.   Lord God, help us to be responsible and check out everything we are told. Your word alone is the instruction we need to know You and what You expect. As we are taught from it, give us the wisdom to then verify what we have been instructed. Amen.

In this episode of the Thinking Talmudist, Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe continues the Talmud's discussion in Tractate Kesubos (68a), examining the Torah's delicate balance between compassion for the needy and responsibility in the distribution of charity. The Gemara addresses those who fraudulently portray themselves as impoverished or disabled in order to receive charity, teaching that dishonesty in seeking assistance ultimately carries severe spiritual consequences. Rabbi Wolbe emphasizes that Judaism is built on trust, integrity, and personal responsibility, warning that manipulating the generosity of others not only harms the community but also distances a person from Hashem. The discussion then explores the fascinating Talmudic definition of poverty. Rabbi Wolbe explains that the Torah does not require a struggling individual to sacrifice every possession or abandon their dignity before qualifying for communal assistance. While obvious luxuries should be sold before relying on public charity, essential possessions and basic human dignity are protected. The Sages recognized that preserving a person's self-respect is itself an act of compassion. At the same time, they insist that those seeking assistance must act honestly and never exploit the generosity of the community. The episode concludes by broadening the conversation into a discussion of human dignity, trust in Hashem, and proper priorities. Rabbi Wolbe contrasts dependence on wealth with dependence on Divine Providence, sharing personal stories that illustrate how Hashem provides in unexpected ways. Whether discussing financial aid, family responsibilities, or raising children, the underlying message is that while we must act responsibly, we should never allow financial fears to overshadow our trust in Hashem. True wealth is measured not only by what we possess, but by our integrity, gratitude, and confidence that the Almighty provides for those who place their trust in Him._____________The Thinking Talmudist Podcast shares select teachings of Talmud in a fresh, insightful and meaningful way. Many claim that they cannot learn Talmud because it is in ancient Aramaic or the concepts are too difficult. Well, no more excuses. In this podcast you will experience the refreshing and eye-opening teachings while gaining an amazing appreciation for the divine wisdom of the Torah and the depths of the Talmud._____________This Podcast Series is Generously Underwritten by David & Susan MarbinRecorded at TORCH Meyerland in the Levin Family Studios (B) to a live audience on May 29, 2026, in Houston, Texas.Released as Podcast on June 30, 2026_____________Listen, Subscribe & Share: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-talmudist-podcast-rabbi-aryeh-wolbe/id1648951154Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0cZ7q9bGYSBYSPQfJvwgzmShare your questions at aw@torchweb.org or visit torchweb.org for more Torah content._____________About the Host:Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe, Director of TORCH in Houston, brings decades of Torah scholarship to guide listeners in applying Jewish wisdom to daily life.  To directly send your questions, comments, and feedback, please email: awolbe@torchweb.org_____________Support Our Mission:Help us share Jewish wisdom globally by sponsoring an episode at torchweb.org. Your support makes a difference!_____________Listen MoreOther podcasts by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe: NEW!! Hey Rabbi! Podcast: https://heyrabbi.transistor.fm/episodesPrayer Podcast: https://prayerpodcast.transistor.fm/episodesJewish Inspiration Podcast: https://inspiration.transistor.fm/episodesParsha Review Podcast: https://parsha.transistor.fm/episodesLiving Jewishly Podcast: https://jewishly.transistor.fm/episodesThinking Talmudist Podcast: https://talmud.transistor.fm/episodesUnboxing Judaism Podcast: https://unboxing.transistor.fm/episodesRabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection: https://collection.transistor.fm/episodesFor a full listing of podcasts available by TORCH at http://podcast.torchweb.org_____________Keywords:#Talmud,  #Gemara, #Kesubos, #Rainmaker, #Faith, #Emunah, #Honesty, #JewishWisdom, #Tzedakah, #Charity, #HumanDignity, #Integrity, #Honesty, #TrustInHashem, #Bitachon, #Emunah, #FinancialWisdom, #ActsOfKindness, #Compassion, #LiveWithIntegrity ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode of the Thinking Talmudist, Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe continues the Talmud's discussion in Tractate Kesubos (68a), examining the Torah's delicate balance between compassion for the needy and responsibility in the distribution of charity. The Gemara addresses those who fraudulently portray themselves as impoverished or disabled in order to receive charity, teaching that dishonesty in seeking assistance ultimately carries severe spiritual consequences. Rabbi Wolbe emphasizes that Judaism is built on trust, integrity, and personal responsibility, warning that manipulating the generosity of others not only harms the community but also distances a person from Hashem. The discussion then explores the fascinating Talmudic definition of poverty. Rabbi Wolbe explains that the Torah does not require a struggling individual to sacrifice every possession or abandon their dignity before qualifying for communal assistance. While obvious luxuries should be sold before relying on public charity, essential possessions and basic human dignity are protected. The Sages recognized that preserving a person's self-respect is itself an act of compassion. At the same time, they insist that those seeking assistance must act honestly and never exploit the generosity of the community. The episode concludes by broadening the conversation into a discussion of human dignity, trust in Hashem, and proper priorities. Rabbi Wolbe contrasts dependence on wealth with dependence on Divine Providence, sharing personal stories that illustrate how Hashem provides in unexpected ways. Whether discussing financial aid, family responsibilities, or raising children, the underlying message is that while we must act responsibly, we should never allow financial fears to overshadow our trust in Hashem. True wealth is measured not only by what we possess, but by our integrity, gratitude, and confidence that the Almighty provides for those who place their trust in Him. _____________The Thinking Talmudist Podcast shares select teachings of Talmud in a fresh, insightful and meaningful way. Many claim that they cannot learn Talmud because it is in ancient Aramaic or the concepts are too difficult. Well, no more excuses. In this podcast you will experience the refreshing and eye-opening teachings while gaining an amazing appreciation for the divine wisdom of the Torah and the depths of the Talmud._____________This Podcast Series is Generously Underwritten by David & Susan MarbinRecorded at TORCH Meyerland in the Levin Family Studios (B) to a live audience on May 29, 2026, in Houston, Texas.Released as Podcast on June 30, 2026_____________Listen, Subscribe & Share: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-talmudist-podcast-rabbi-aryeh-wolbe/id1648951154Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0cZ7q9bGYSBYSPQfJvwgzmShare your questions at aw@torchweb.org or visit torchweb.org for more Torah content._____________About the Host:Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe, Director of TORCH in Houston, brings decades of Torah scholarship to guide listeners in applying Jewish wisdom to daily life.  To directly send your questions, comments, and feedback, please email: awolbe@torchweb.org_____________Support Our Mission:Help us share Jewish wisdom globally by sponsoring an episode at torchweb.org. Your support makes a difference!_____________Listen MoreOther podcasts by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe: NEW!! Hey Rabbi! Podcast: https://heyrabbi.transistor.fm/episodesPrayer Podcast: https://prayerpodcast.transistor.fm/episodesJewish Inspiration Podcast: https://inspiration.transistor.fm/episodesParsha Review Podcast: https://parsha.transistor.fm/episodesLiving Jewishly Podcast: https://jewishly.transistor.fm/episodesThinking Talmudist Podcast: https://talmud.transistor.fm/episodesUnboxing Judaism Podcast: https://unboxing.transistor.fm/episodesRabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection: https://collection.transistor.fm/episodesFor a full listing of podcasts available by TORCH at http://podcast.torchweb.org_____________Keywords:#Talmud,  #Gemara, #Kesubos, #Rainmaker, #Faith, #Emunah, #Honesty, #JewishWisdom, #Tzedakah, #Charity, #HumanDignity, #Integrity, #Honesty, #TrustInHashem, #Bitachon, #Emunah, #FinancialWisdom, #ActsOfKindness, #Compassion, #LiveWithIntegrity ★ Support this podcast ★

Read Online“Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:17–19Though the Church will suffer in many ways, She will ultimately overcome all things. As we celebrate the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, we are reminded of this truth by pondering their lives as two of the greatest pillars of the Church. Neither imprisonments, persecutions, nor apparent defeats kept them from fulfilling the mission God gave them. Likewise, the Church will never be overcome, for She remains under the guardianship of divine providence.The Church shall prevail for one simple reason: Jesus said so. He founded the Church upon the Twelve Apostles, giving unique and supreme authority to Peter: “I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Though Peter's given name was Simon, Jesus changed it to Peter—Petros in Greek and Cephas in Aramaic. Both terms can be used as a man's name but also mean “rock.” Hence, Peter, and the Apostles in union with him, become the rock and immovable foundation upon which the Church is built.By giving Peter “the keys to the Kingdom of heaven,” Jesus granted him singular authority to teach, govern, and sanctify with divine authority. This authority did not end with Peter; it is passed on to his successors through the office of bishop. Since Peter died in Rome, Rome remains the see of the Church's divinely established governance.Though Peter offers the Church the stability and clarity necessary as the immovable rock foundation, Paul reflects the Church's missionary role to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth. This is seen especially in today's second reading, where Paul, facing the end of his earthly life, proclaims that he has “competed well,” “finished the race,” and “kept the faith.” His life was poured out as a libation for Christ, tirelessly laboring to make the Gospel known to all nations. While Peter ensures the Church's unity and fidelity to divine truth, Paul embodies her zeal to spread that truth to every corner of the world, calling all people into communion with Christ and His Church.Peter and Paul remain spiritually alive and active today through the unbroken tradition God established through them. Often at World Youth Day, when the Holy Father is present, young people chant, “You are Peter!” It is a beautiful expression of their faith in this foundational truth Christ established. Though every pope is a sinner like the rest of humanity, faith leads us to look beyond human weakness to see the successor of Saint Peter, the solid rock to whom Christ entrusted the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. Thus, Peter's mission remains alive today, not only in the person of the Holy Father, but also in our faith in his divinely given authority.Saint Paul remains alive today through the ongoing fulfillment of the mission God gave him. His burning zeal to proclaim the Gospel lives on in every missionary endeavor, every act of evangelization, and every effort to spread the Good News to the ends of the earth. His spirit is especially present in those who courageously preach the Word, catechize the young, defend the faith, and labor tirelessly for the salvation of souls. Just as Peter ensures unity and fidelity, Paul inspires action and outreach, so that the Church may extend Christ's Kingdom to every land and heart.Reflect today on these pillars of the Church and acknowledge the living witness they gave and continue to give. Renew your faith in Peter, alive in the Holy Father, professing him as the rock foundation. See Paul at work by recognizing the missionary activity of the Church, carried out by countless souls with zeal and courage. Allow their witness to inspire within you a deeper love for the Church, and commit yourself anew to the mission entrusted to you: to remain firmly rooted in the truth and to bring that truth to the world with boldness and charity.Saints Peter and Paul, God called you in powerful and unique ways, making you pillars of the Church. Please pray for us, and for the entire Church, that we may continue the mission Christ entrusted to you. I especially entrust myself to that mission and pray that I may remain faithful to it in imitation of your example. Saints Peter and Paul, pray for us. Jesus, I trust in You.  Image: Saint Peter & Saint Paul by Lawrence OP, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.Source: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.

A Friend of Medjugorje sheds light on something in the personality of Our Lady and he answers the big question never answered before: Why does Our Lady sometimes speak in Aramaic?

Send us a message!We follow Paul's final steps toward Jerusalem as warning after warning lands, and he still chooses obedience over safety. Then we watch the tension explode into a mob, a public defense, and a moment where Paul's citizenship changes everything while challenging us to think about our own. • Paul's journey from Tyre to Caesarea and the repeated Spirit-given warnings • Agabus' prophecy and Paul's willingness to suffer for Jesus • Paul's arrival in Jerusalem and the elders' plan to address rumors • The temple accusation that sparks a riot and nearly kills Paul • Paul's defense in Aramaic and his retelling of the Damascus road conversion • The crowd's reaction to the mission to the Gentiles • Paul's Roman citizenship halting an unlawful interrogation • The closing reflection on dual citizenship and Christian boldness  At outloudbible.com, you can find free resources to help you study the Bible. And while you're there, send us a message to say hi, or start a conversation about having us at your church or event. If Outloud Bible has been a valuable part of your understanding of the Bible, please consider supporting the ministry by visiting outloudbible.com.Support the showCheck out outloudbible.com for helpful study resources, and to discover how to bring the public reading of God's word to your church, conference, retreat, or other event.

In this episode of the Thinking Talmudist, Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe explores one of the Torah's most profound teachings on charity, dignity, and human sensitivity through a fascinating discussion in Tractate Ketubot. The Talmud teaches that helping another person is not merely about providing money or resources; it is about understanding what that individual truly lacks. Whether supporting orphans, helping a bride and groom marry, or caring for someone who has fallen on hard times, the Torah demands that we preserve a person's dignity while addressing their needs. Charity is not measured by what the giver wants to give, but by what the recipient genuinely requires. A central theme of the episode is the remarkable sensitivity the Torah expects from us. The Talmud teaches that if a person was accustomed to a life of wealth and suddenly loses everything, the community should help restore as much of that dignity as possible. Rabbi Wolbe explains that poverty is not merely a financial condition—it is often accompanied by shame, embarrassment, and emotional pain. True kindness requires empathy, understanding, and the willingness to see the world through another person's eyes rather than our own. The discussion culminates with one of the most powerful lessons in all of Jewish ethics: protecting another person's dignity. Through the famous story of Mar Ukva and his wife hiding in a burning oven rather than allowing a poor recipient to discover their identity, the Talmud teaches that it is preferable to endure personal suffering than to publicly embarrass another person. Rabbi Wolbe emphasizes that preserving human dignity is among the Torah's highest values and applies to every aspect of life—from charity and relationships to disagreements and public discourse._____________The Thinking Talmudist Podcast shares select teachings of Talmud in a fresh, insightful and meaningful way. Many claim that they cannot learn Talmud because it is in ancient Aramaic or the concepts are too difficult. Well, no more excuses. In this podcast you will experience the refreshing and eye-opening teachings while gaining an amazing appreciation for the divine wisdom of the Torah and the depths of the Talmud._____________This Podcast Series is Generously Underwritten by David & Susan MarbinRecorded at TORCH Meyerland in the Levin Family Studios (B) to a live audience on March 27, 2026, in Houston, Texas.Released as Podcast on June 22, 2026_____________Listen, Subscribe & Share: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-talmudist-podcast-rabbi-aryeh-wolbe/id1648951154Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0cZ7q9bGYSBYSPQfJvwgzmShare your questions at aw@torchweb.org or visit torchweb.org for more Torah content._____________About the Host:Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe, Director of TORCH in Houston, brings decades of Torah scholarship to guide listeners in applying Jewish wisdom to daily life.  To directly send your questions, comments, and feedback, please email: awolbe@torchweb.org_____________Support Our Mission:Help us share Jewish wisdom globally by sponsoring an episode at torchweb.org. Your support makes a difference!_____________Listen MoreOther podcasts by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe: NEW!! Hey Rabbi! Podcast: https://heyrabbi.transistor.fm/episodesPrayer Podcast: https://prayerpodcast.transistor.fm/episodesJewish Inspiration Podcast: https://inspiration.transistor.fm/episodesParsha Review Podcast: https://parsha.transistor.fm/episodesLiving Jewishly Podcast: https://jewishly.transistor.fm/episodesThinking Talmudist Podcast: https://talmud.transistor.fm/episodesUnboxing Judaism Podcast: https://unboxing.transistor.fm/episodesRabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection: https://collection.transistor.fm/episodesFor a full listing of podcasts available by TORCH at http://podcast.torchweb.org_____________Keywords:#Talmud,  #Gemara, #Taanit, #Rainmaker, #Faith, #Emunah, #Honesty, #Integrity, #PositiveMindset, #Gratitude, #DivineProvidence, #PersonalGrowth, #CharacterDevelopment, #SpiritualGrowth, #AttitudeMatters, #Blessings, #MindsetShift, #LiveWithPurpose ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode of the Thinking Talmudist, Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe explores one of the Torah's most profound teachings on charity, dignity, and human sensitivity through a fascinating discussion in Tractate Ketubot. The Talmud teaches that helping another person is not merely about providing money or resources; it is about understanding what that individual truly lacks. Whether supporting orphans, helping a bride and groom marry, or caring for someone who has fallen on hard times, the Torah demands that we preserve a person's dignity while addressing their needs. Charity is not measured by what the giver wants to give, but by what the recipient genuinely requires. A central theme of the episode is the remarkable sensitivity the Torah expects from us. The Talmud teaches that if a person was accustomed to a life of wealth and suddenly loses everything, the community should help restore as much of that dignity as possible. Rabbi Wolbe explains that poverty is not merely a financial condition—it is often accompanied by shame, embarrassment, and emotional pain. True kindness requires empathy, understanding, and the willingness to see the world through another person's eyes rather than our own. The discussion culminates with one of the most powerful lessons in all of Jewish ethics: protecting another person's dignity. Through the famous story of Mar Ukva and his wife hiding in a burning oven rather than allowing a poor recipient to discover their identity, the Talmud teaches that it is preferable to endure personal suffering than to publicly embarrass another person. Rabbi Wolbe emphasizes that preserving human dignity is among the Torah's highest values and applies to every aspect of life—from charity and relationships to disagreements and public discourse._____________The Thinking Talmudist Podcast shares select teachings of Talmud in a fresh, insightful and meaningful way. Many claim that they cannot learn Talmud because it is in ancient Aramaic or the concepts are too difficult. Well, no more excuses. In this podcast you will experience the refreshing and eye-opening teachings while gaining an amazing appreciation for the divine wisdom of the Torah and the depths of the Talmud._____________This Podcast Series is Generously Underwritten by David & Susan MarbinRecorded at TORCH Meyerland in the Levin Family Studios (B) to a live audience on March 27, 2026, in Houston, Texas.Released as Podcast on June 22, 2026_____________Listen, Subscribe & Share: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-talmudist-podcast-rabbi-aryeh-wolbe/id1648951154Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0cZ7q9bGYSBYSPQfJvwgzmShare your questions at aw@torchweb.org or visit torchweb.org for more Torah content._____________About the Host:Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe, Director of TORCH in Houston, brings decades of Torah scholarship to guide listeners in applying Jewish wisdom to daily life.  To directly send your questions, comments, and feedback, please email: awolbe@torchweb.org_____________Support Our Mission:Help us share Jewish wisdom globally by sponsoring an episode at torchweb.org. Your support makes a difference!_____________Listen MoreOther podcasts by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe: NEW!! Hey Rabbi! Podcast: https://heyrabbi.transistor.fm/episodesPrayer Podcast: https://prayerpodcast.transistor.fm/episodesJewish Inspiration Podcast: https://inspiration.transistor.fm/episodesParsha Review Podcast: https://parsha.transistor.fm/episodesLiving Jewishly Podcast: https://jewishly.transistor.fm/episodesThinking Talmudist Podcast: https://talmud.transistor.fm/episodesUnboxing Judaism Podcast: https://unboxing.transistor.fm/episodesRabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection: https://collection.transistor.fm/episodesFor a full listing of podcasts available by TORCH at http://podcast.torchweb.org_____________Keywords:#Talmud,  #Gemara, #Taanit, #Rainmaker, #Faith, #Emunah, #Honesty, #Integrity, #PositiveMindset, #Gratitude, #DivineProvidence, #PersonalGrowth, #CharacterDevelopment, #SpiritualGrowth, #AttitudeMatters, #Blessings, #MindsetShift, #LiveWithPurpose ★ Support this podcast ★

John 5:1-9 NIVSome time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals.Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath.

John 5:1-9 NIVSome time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals.Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath.

John 5:1-9 NIVSome time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals.Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath.

This week's astrology tells a remarkably coherent story.As the Sun moves into Cancer at the June Solstice, we're invited to reconnect with what truly nourishes us. Then Venus forms a harmonious trine to Saturn, asking us to commit to what matters most. At the same time, the Sun squares Neptune, challenging us to see things as they really are rather than how we'd like them to be.Together, these energies ask one powerful question:Where in your life have you been hoping instead of deciding?In this episode, Yasmin explores why Cancer season is all about emotional security and belonging, why Venus trine Saturn may be one of the most underrated aspects in astrology, and how Neptune's influence can help us release old stories and see life more clearly.She also shares the beautiful Aramaic concept of WASHBOQLIN, a word often translated as "forgive" but which may be more accurately understood as "untie," "release," or "loosen the knot."Plus, Yasmin gives an early heads-up about the extraordinary astrology building for July 2026, which some astrologers consider one of the most important celestial configurations of the century.In this episode you'll discover:What the Sun moving into Cancer means for the collective moodWhy the Solstice marks a powerful turning point in the yearHow Cancer season helps us reconnect with home, family and emotional wellbeingWhy Venus trine Saturn is the standout aspect of the weekHow to make lasting progress in love, money and creative projectsWhat the Sun square Neptune is revealing about illusion, confusion and wishful thinkingHow to tell whether you're seeing a situation clearlyThe deeper meaning of the Aramaic word WASHBOQLINWhy forgiveness is really about freeing yourselfA preview of the extraordinary astrology arriving in JulyDetails of Yasmin's upcoming workshop on the Great Shift of 2026Resources mentioned Free Guide: Where Is the Sun Shining in Your Chart?moonextras.com Free Birth Chartmoonmessages.com/freechartMoonology Diary 2027 + Workshop Registrationmoonologydiary.comKey Astrology DatesJune 21Sun enters CancerThe June SolsticeJune 25Venus trine SaturnJune 25Sun square NeptuneMemorable Quote"Where in your life have you been hoping instead of deciding?"This Week's ReflectionWhat would change if you stopped waiting for certainty and started building something real?What knot in your life is ready to be untied?Subscribe & ReviewIf you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the Mainly Moonology Podcast and leave a review. It helps more people discover the show and join our Moonology community.

This week's astrology tells a remarkably coherent story.As the Sun moves into Cancer at the June Solstice, we're invited to reconnect with what truly nourishes us. Then Venus forms a harmonious trine to Saturn, asking us to commit to what matters most. At the same time, the Sun squares Neptune, challenging us to see things as they really are rather than how we'd like them to be.Together, these energies ask one powerful question:Where in your life have you been hoping instead of deciding?In this episode, Yasmin explores why Cancer season is all about emotional security and belonging, why Venus trine Saturn may be one of the most underrated aspects in astrology, and how Neptune's influence can help us release old stories and see life more clearly.She also shares the beautiful Aramaic concept of WASHBOQLIN, a word often translated as "forgive" but which may be more accurately understood as "untie," "release," or "loosen the knot."Plus, Yasmin gives an early heads-up about the extraordinary astrology building for July 2026, which some astrologers consider one of the most important celestial configurations of the century.In this episode you'll discover:What the Sun moving into Cancer means for the collective moodWhy the Solstice marks a powerful turning point in the yearHow Cancer season helps us reconnect with home, family and emotional wellbeingWhy Venus trine Saturn is the standout aspect of the weekHow to make lasting progress in love, money and creative projectsWhat the Sun square Neptune is revealing about illusion, confusion and wishful thinkingHow to tell whether you're seeing a situation clearlyThe deeper meaning of the Aramaic word WASHBOQLINWhy forgiveness is really about freeing yourselfA preview of the extraordinary astrology arriving in JulyDetails of Yasmin's upcoming workshop on the Great Shift of 2026Resources mentioned Free Guide: Where Is the Sun Shining in Your Chart?moonextras.com Free Birth Chartmoonmessages.com/freechartMoonology Diary 2027 + Workshop Registrationmoonologydiary.comKey Astrology DatesJune 21Sun enters CancerThe June SolsticeJune 25Venus trine SaturnJune 25Sun square NeptuneMemorable Quote"Where in your life have you been hoping instead of deciding?"This Week's ReflectionWhat would change if you stopped waiting for certainty and started building something real?What knot in your life is ready to be untied?Subscribe & ReviewIf you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the Mainly Moonology Podcast and leave a review. It helps more people discover the show and join our Moonology community.

I had the privilege of speaking with writer Samantha Ellis about her deeply moving new book, Always Carry Salt: A Memoir of Preserving Language and Culture (Pegasus Books, 2026). Our discussion explored not only the story of a disappearing language, but also the broader questions of memory, identity, and what it means to inherit a fragile cultural legacy. At the heart of Ellis's book is Judeo-Iraqi Arabic—also known as Baghdadi Jewish Arabic or Hakimalna—a language once spoken by the Jews of Iraq. Rich with layers of Hebrew and Judeo-Babylonian Aramaic, it reflects over two millennia of Jewish life in the region. Today, however, it stands on the brink of extinction. As Ellis shared, a language is considered endangered when it is no longer passed on to children, and Judeo-Iraqi Arabic may have only about a thousand speakers remaining worldwide. Within a generation, it could fall silent. Ellis described a powerful turning point in her own awareness: a casual question from another parent about why she was not sending her son to a nursery that spoke “her language.” Her spontaneous response—“my language is dead”—became the catalyst for the journey that led to this book. That moment captures the quiet grief of linguistic loss, but also the urgency of preservation. Our conversation traced the long arc of Iraqi Jewish history, beginning with the Babylonian exile in 597 BCE. Iraqi Jews lived in the region long before the arrival of Arabic, shifting over centuries from Hebrew to Aramaic and later to Arabic, while preserving distinctive linguistic features from earlier eras. This layered history lives on in the language itself. Yet the mass departures of Iraqi Jews in the mid-20th century—particularly the 1950–51 airlift—fractured this continuity. Today, only a handful of Jews remain in Iraq. And yet, as Ellis emphasized, culture does not disappear all at once. Language may fade, but other forms of transmission endure. Food, in particular, becomes a powerful vessel of memory. Ellis initially resisted including recipes in her book, but came to understand that cooking is itself a kind of language—a sensory bridge to the past. The image of her mother carrying three rolling pins from Iraq is emblematic of this continuity: tangible objects that hold intangible heritage. Even the book's title gesture—“always carry salt”—evokes protective practices familiar across Mizrahi communities, small rituals that encode belief, memory, and identity. We also discussed the remarkable story of the Iraqi Jewish Archive, discovered in 2003 in the flooded basement of Saddam Hussein's secret police headquarters. The archive contains hundreds of thousands of documents—school records, letters, communal registers—offering an intimate portrait of everyday Jewish life in Iraq. Today, innovative projects are using AI to transcribe and translate these materials across multiple scripts, making them accessible to descendants and scholars alike. Yet the archive's ultimate fate remains uncertain, raising complex questions about ownership, memory, and cultural restitution. A particularly resonant theme in our conversation was Ellis's struggle with authenticity. As a second-generation Iraqi Jew raised in the UK, she grappled with whether she had the “right” to tell this story, especially without having visited Iraq herself. Her resolution—to be “authentic to me”—offers an important model for thinking about diasporic identity. Preservation, she suggests, does not require perfect replication. It allows for adaptation, creativity, even reinvention. One can honor tradition while also “messing with it,” whether by adjusting a recipe or reimagining inherited practices. Ellis introduces a beautiful concept she calls “milk language”—the language absorbed in early childhood, through intimacy and care, even if it is not the dominant language of one's environment. This idea invites us to reconsider how language lives within us, not only as a tool of communication but as a carrier of emotional and cultural memory. As an educator, I was especially struck by Ellis's closing insight and her implicit call to action: to speak with our elders while we still can. There is a profound difference between hearing fragments of family stories in childhood and sitting down, as an adult, to listen fully and intentionally. These conversations do more than preserve history; they create connection, continuity, and a deeper sense of self. Always Carry Salt is not only a memoir. It is an invitation—to remember, to document, and to carry forward what might otherwise be lost. In a time when so many cultural threads are at risk of unraveling, Ellis's work reminds us that preservation begins with attention, with curiosity, and with the willingness to listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

I had the privilege of speaking with writer Samantha Ellis about her deeply moving new book, Always Carry Salt: A Memoir of Preserving Language and Culture (Pegasus Books, 2026). Our discussion explored not only the story of a disappearing language, but also the broader questions of memory, identity, and what it means to inherit a fragile cultural legacy. At the heart of Ellis's book is Judeo-Iraqi Arabic—also known as Baghdadi Jewish Arabic or Hakimalna—a language once spoken by the Jews of Iraq. Rich with layers of Hebrew and Judeo-Babylonian Aramaic, it reflects over two millennia of Jewish life in the region. Today, however, it stands on the brink of extinction. As Ellis shared, a language is considered endangered when it is no longer passed on to children, and Judeo-Iraqi Arabic may have only about a thousand speakers remaining worldwide. Within a generation, it could fall silent. Ellis described a powerful turning point in her own awareness: a casual question from another parent about why she was not sending her son to a nursery that spoke “her language.” Her spontaneous response—“my language is dead”—became the catalyst for the journey that led to this book. That moment captures the quiet grief of linguistic loss, but also the urgency of preservation. Our conversation traced the long arc of Iraqi Jewish history, beginning with the Babylonian exile in 597 BCE. Iraqi Jews lived in the region long before the arrival of Arabic, shifting over centuries from Hebrew to Aramaic and later to Arabic, while preserving distinctive linguistic features from earlier eras. This layered history lives on in the language itself. Yet the mass departures of Iraqi Jews in the mid-20th century—particularly the 1950–51 airlift—fractured this continuity. Today, only a handful of Jews remain in Iraq. And yet, as Ellis emphasized, culture does not disappear all at once. Language may fade, but other forms of transmission endure. Food, in particular, becomes a powerful vessel of memory. Ellis initially resisted including recipes in her book, but came to understand that cooking is itself a kind of language—a sensory bridge to the past. The image of her mother carrying three rolling pins from Iraq is emblematic of this continuity: tangible objects that hold intangible heritage. Even the book's title gesture—“always carry salt”—evokes protective practices familiar across Mizrahi communities, small rituals that encode belief, memory, and identity. We also discussed the remarkable story of the Iraqi Jewish Archive, discovered in 2003 in the flooded basement of Saddam Hussein's secret police headquarters. The archive contains hundreds of thousands of documents—school records, letters, communal registers—offering an intimate portrait of everyday Jewish life in Iraq. Today, innovative projects are using AI to transcribe and translate these materials across multiple scripts, making them accessible to descendants and scholars alike. Yet the archive's ultimate fate remains uncertain, raising complex questions about ownership, memory, and cultural restitution. A particularly resonant theme in our conversation was Ellis's struggle with authenticity. As a second-generation Iraqi Jew raised in the UK, she grappled with whether she had the “right” to tell this story, especially without having visited Iraq herself. Her resolution—to be “authentic to me”—offers an important model for thinking about diasporic identity. Preservation, she suggests, does not require perfect replication. It allows for adaptation, creativity, even reinvention. One can honor tradition while also “messing with it,” whether by adjusting a recipe or reimagining inherited practices. Ellis introduces a beautiful concept she calls “milk language”—the language absorbed in early childhood, through intimacy and care, even if it is not the dominant language of one's environment. This idea invites us to reconsider how language lives within us, not only as a tool of communication but as a carrier of emotional and cultural memory. As an educator, I was especially struck by Ellis's closing insight and her implicit call to action: to speak with our elders while we still can. There is a profound difference between hearing fragments of family stories in childhood and sitting down, as an adult, to listen fully and intentionally. These conversations do more than preserve history; they create connection, continuity, and a deeper sense of self. Always Carry Salt is not only a memoir. It is an invitation—to remember, to document, and to carry forward what might otherwise be lost. In a time when so many cultural threads are at risk of unraveling, Ellis's work reminds us that preservation begins with attention, with curiosity, and with the willingness to listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies

I had the privilege of speaking with writer Samantha Ellis about her deeply moving new book, Always Carry Salt: A Memoir of Preserving Language and Culture (Pegasus Books, 2026). Our discussion explored not only the story of a disappearing language, but also the broader questions of memory, identity, and what it means to inherit a fragile cultural legacy. At the heart of Ellis's book is Judeo-Iraqi Arabic—also known as Baghdadi Jewish Arabic or Hakimalna—a language once spoken by the Jews of Iraq. Rich with layers of Hebrew and Judeo-Babylonian Aramaic, it reflects over two millennia of Jewish life in the region. Today, however, it stands on the brink of extinction. As Ellis shared, a language is considered endangered when it is no longer passed on to children, and Judeo-Iraqi Arabic may have only about a thousand speakers remaining worldwide. Within a generation, it could fall silent. Ellis described a powerful turning point in her own awareness: a casual question from another parent about why she was not sending her son to a nursery that spoke “her language.” Her spontaneous response—“my language is dead”—became the catalyst for the journey that led to this book. That moment captures the quiet grief of linguistic loss, but also the urgency of preservation. Our conversation traced the long arc of Iraqi Jewish history, beginning with the Babylonian exile in 597 BCE. Iraqi Jews lived in the region long before the arrival of Arabic, shifting over centuries from Hebrew to Aramaic and later to Arabic, while preserving distinctive linguistic features from earlier eras. This layered history lives on in the language itself. Yet the mass departures of Iraqi Jews in the mid-20th century—particularly the 1950–51 airlift—fractured this continuity. Today, only a handful of Jews remain in Iraq. And yet, as Ellis emphasized, culture does not disappear all at once. Language may fade, but other forms of transmission endure. Food, in particular, becomes a powerful vessel of memory. Ellis initially resisted including recipes in her book, but came to understand that cooking is itself a kind of language—a sensory bridge to the past. The image of her mother carrying three rolling pins from Iraq is emblematic of this continuity: tangible objects that hold intangible heritage. Even the book's title gesture—“always carry salt”—evokes protective practices familiar across Mizrahi communities, small rituals that encode belief, memory, and identity. We also discussed the remarkable story of the Iraqi Jewish Archive, discovered in 2003 in the flooded basement of Saddam Hussein's secret police headquarters. The archive contains hundreds of thousands of documents—school records, letters, communal registers—offering an intimate portrait of everyday Jewish life in Iraq. Today, innovative projects are using AI to transcribe and translate these materials across multiple scripts, making them accessible to descendants and scholars alike. Yet the archive's ultimate fate remains uncertain, raising complex questions about ownership, memory, and cultural restitution. A particularly resonant theme in our conversation was Ellis's struggle with authenticity. As a second-generation Iraqi Jew raised in the UK, she grappled with whether she had the “right” to tell this story, especially without having visited Iraq herself. Her resolution—to be “authentic to me”—offers an important model for thinking about diasporic identity. Preservation, she suggests, does not require perfect replication. It allows for adaptation, creativity, even reinvention. One can honor tradition while also “messing with it,” whether by adjusting a recipe or reimagining inherited practices. Ellis introduces a beautiful concept she calls “milk language”—the language absorbed in early childhood, through intimacy and care, even if it is not the dominant language of one's environment. This idea invites us to reconsider how language lives within us, not only as a tool of communication but as a carrier of emotional and cultural memory. As an educator, I was especially struck by Ellis's closing insight and her implicit call to action: to speak with our elders while we still can. There is a profound difference between hearing fragments of family stories in childhood and sitting down, as an adult, to listen fully and intentionally. These conversations do more than preserve history; they create connection, continuity, and a deeper sense of self. Always Carry Salt is not only a memoir. It is an invitation—to remember, to document, and to carry forward what might otherwise be lost. In a time when so many cultural threads are at risk of unraveling, Ellis's work reminds us that preservation begins with attention, with curiosity, and with the willingness to listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies

I had the privilege of speaking with writer Samantha Ellis about her deeply moving new book, Always Carry Salt: A Memoir of Preserving Language and Culture (Pegasus Books, 2026). Our discussion explored not only the story of a disappearing language, but also the broader questions of memory, identity, and what it means to inherit a fragile cultural legacy. At the heart of Ellis's book is Judeo-Iraqi Arabic—also known as Baghdadi Jewish Arabic or Hakimalna—a language once spoken by the Jews of Iraq. Rich with layers of Hebrew and Judeo-Babylonian Aramaic, it reflects over two millennia of Jewish life in the region. Today, however, it stands on the brink of extinction. As Ellis shared, a language is considered endangered when it is no longer passed on to children, and Judeo-Iraqi Arabic may have only about a thousand speakers remaining worldwide. Within a generation, it could fall silent. Ellis described a powerful turning point in her own awareness: a casual question from another parent about why she was not sending her son to a nursery that spoke “her language.” Her spontaneous response—“my language is dead”—became the catalyst for the journey that led to this book. That moment captures the quiet grief of linguistic loss, but also the urgency of preservation. Our conversation traced the long arc of Iraqi Jewish history, beginning with the Babylonian exile in 597 BCE. Iraqi Jews lived in the region long before the arrival of Arabic, shifting over centuries from Hebrew to Aramaic and later to Arabic, while preserving distinctive linguistic features from earlier eras. This layered history lives on in the language itself. Yet the mass departures of Iraqi Jews in the mid-20th century—particularly the 1950–51 airlift—fractured this continuity. Today, only a handful of Jews remain in Iraq. And yet, as Ellis emphasized, culture does not disappear all at once. Language may fade, but other forms of transmission endure. Food, in particular, becomes a powerful vessel of memory. Ellis initially resisted including recipes in her book, but came to understand that cooking is itself a kind of language—a sensory bridge to the past. The image of her mother carrying three rolling pins from Iraq is emblematic of this continuity: tangible objects that hold intangible heritage. Even the book's title gesture—“always carry salt”—evokes protective practices familiar across Mizrahi communities, small rituals that encode belief, memory, and identity. We also discussed the remarkable story of the Iraqi Jewish Archive, discovered in 2003 in the flooded basement of Saddam Hussein's secret police headquarters. The archive contains hundreds of thousands of documents—school records, letters, communal registers—offering an intimate portrait of everyday Jewish life in Iraq. Today, innovative projects are using AI to transcribe and translate these materials across multiple scripts, making them accessible to descendants and scholars alike. Yet the archive's ultimate fate remains uncertain, raising complex questions about ownership, memory, and cultural restitution. A particularly resonant theme in our conversation was Ellis's struggle with authenticity. As a second-generation Iraqi Jew raised in the UK, she grappled with whether she had the “right” to tell this story, especially without having visited Iraq herself. Her resolution—to be “authentic to me”—offers an important model for thinking about diasporic identity. Preservation, she suggests, does not require perfect replication. It allows for adaptation, creativity, even reinvention. One can honor tradition while also “messing with it,” whether by adjusting a recipe or reimagining inherited practices. Ellis introduces a beautiful concept she calls “milk language”—the language absorbed in early childhood, through intimacy and care, even if it is not the dominant language of one's environment. This idea invites us to reconsider how language lives within us, not only as a tool of communication but as a carrier of emotional and cultural memory. As an educator, I was especially struck by Ellis's closing insight and her implicit call to action: to speak with our elders while we still can. There is a profound difference between hearing fragments of family stories in childhood and sitting down, as an adult, to listen fully and intentionally. These conversations do more than preserve history; they create connection, continuity, and a deeper sense of self. Always Carry Salt is not only a memoir. It is an invitation—to remember, to document, and to carry forward what might otherwise be lost. In a time when so many cultural threads are at risk of unraveling, Ellis's work reminds us that preservation begins with attention, with curiosity, and with the willingness to listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography

In this continuation of the "Rainmaker" narratives from Tractate Ta'anit, Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe explores profound lessons about poverty, faith, honesty, prayer, and personal responsibility. The episode opens with the moving story of Rabbi Elazar ben Pedas, who lived in extreme poverty yet maintained unwavering faith. Through a remarkable dream-like encounter with Hashem, he demonstrates acceptance of Divine providence and a refusal to seek personal gain at the expense of others—even in the World to Come. The discussion then turns to the Torah's uncompromising standard of honesty. Rabbi Wolbe shares powerful contemporary examples illustrating the mitzvah of returning lost property and conducting business with integrity. Whether it's returning forgotten cash hidden inside a desk or correcting a pricing error that benefits you, true righteousness means doing what's right because Hashem commands it—not because anyone else is watching. The latter portion of the episode returns to the Talmud's stories of prayer for rain, emphasizing that a generation's spiritual state affects the effectiveness of its leaders' prayers. The episode culminates with a profound lesson on gratitude and perspective: complaints generate more negativity, while appreciation and positive expectation create opportunities for greater blessing. Rabbi Wolbe teaches that our words, attitudes, and outlook shape the spiritual reality we experience. _____________The Thinking Talmudist Podcast shares select teachings of Talmud in a fresh, insightful and meaningful way. Many claim that they cannot learn Talmud because it is in ancient Aramaic or the concepts are too difficult. Well, no more excuses. In this podcast you will experience the refreshing and eye-opening teachings while gaining an amazing appreciation for the divine wisdom of the Torah and the depths of the Talmud._____________This Podcast Series is Generously Underwritten by David & Susan MarbinRecorded at TORCH Meyerland in the Levin Family Studios (B) to a live audience on March 27, 2026, in Houston, Texas.Released as Podcast on June 15, 2026_____________Listen, Subscribe & Share: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-talmudist-podcast-rabbi-aryeh-wolbe/id1648951154Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0cZ7q9bGYSBYSPQfJvwgzmShare your questions at aw@torchweb.org or visit torchweb.org for more Torah content._____________About the Host:Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe, Director of TORCH in Houston, brings decades of Torah scholarship to guide listeners in applying Jewish wisdom to daily life.  To directly send your questions, comments, and feedback, please email: awolbe@torchweb.org_____________Support Our Mission:Help us share Jewish wisdom globally by sponsoring an episode at torchweb.org. Your support makes a difference!_____________Listen MoreOther podcasts by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe: NEW!! Hey Rabbi! Podcast: https://heyrabbi.transistor.fm/episodesPrayer Podcast: https://prayerpodcast.transistor.fm/episodesJewish Inspiration Podcast: https://inspiration.transistor.fm/episodesParsha Review Podcast: https://parsha.transistor.fm/episodesLiving Jewishly Podcast: https://jewishly.transistor.fm/episodesThinking Talmudist Podcast: https://talmud.transistor.fm/episodesUnboxing Judaism Podcast: https://unboxing.transistor.fm/episodesRabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection: https://collection.transistor.fm/episodesFor a full listing of podcasts available by TORCH at http://podcast.torchweb.org_____________Keywords:#Talmud,  #Gemara, #Taanit, #Rainmaker, #Faith, #Emunah, #Honesty, #Integrity, #PositiveMindset, #Gratitude, #DivineProvidence, #PersonalGrowth, #CharacterDevelopment, #SpiritualGrowth, #AttitudeMatters, #Blessings, #MindsetShift, #LiveWithPurpose ★ Support this podcast ★

In this continuation of the "Rainmaker" narratives from Tractate Ta'anit, Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe explores profound lessons about poverty, faith, honesty, prayer, and personal responsibility. The episode opens with the moving story of Rabbi Elazar ben Pedas, who lived in extreme poverty yet maintained unwavering faith. Through a remarkable dream-like encounter with Hashem, he demonstrates acceptance of Divine providence and a refusal to seek personal gain at the expense of others—even in the World to Come. The discussion then turns to the Torah's uncompromising standard of honesty. Rabbi Wolbe shares powerful contemporary examples illustrating the mitzvah of returning lost property and conducting business with integrity. Whether it's returning forgotten cash hidden inside a desk or correcting a pricing error that benefits you, true righteousness means doing what's right because Hashem commands it—not because anyone else is watching. The latter portion of the episode returns to the Talmud's stories of prayer for rain, emphasizing that a generation's spiritual state affects the effectiveness of its leaders' prayers. The episode culminates with a profound lesson on gratitude and perspective: complaints generate more negativity, while appreciation and positive expectation create opportunities for greater blessing. Rabbi Wolbe teaches that our words, attitudes, and outlook shape the spiritual reality we experience. _____________The Thinking Talmudist Podcast shares select teachings of Talmud in a fresh, insightful and meaningful way. Many claim that they cannot learn Talmud because it is in ancient Aramaic or the concepts are too difficult. Well, no more excuses. In this podcast you will experience the refreshing and eye-opening teachings while gaining an amazing appreciation for the divine wisdom of the Torah and the depths of the Talmud._____________This Podcast Series is Generously Underwritten by David & Susan MarbinRecorded at TORCH Meyerland in the Levin Family Studios (B) to a live audience on March 27, 2026, in Houston, Texas.Released as Podcast on June 15, 2026_____________Listen, Subscribe & Share: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-talmudist-podcast-rabbi-aryeh-wolbe/id1648951154Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0cZ7q9bGYSBYSPQfJvwgzmShare your questions at aw@torchweb.org or visit torchweb.org for more Torah content._____________About the Host:Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe, Director of TORCH in Houston, brings decades of Torah scholarship to guide listeners in applying Jewish wisdom to daily life.  To directly send your questions, comments, and feedback, please email: awolbe@torchweb.org_____________Support Our Mission:Help us share Jewish wisdom globally by sponsoring an episode at torchweb.org. Your support makes a difference!_____________Listen MoreOther podcasts by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe: NEW!! Hey Rabbi! Podcast: https://heyrabbi.transistor.fm/episodesPrayer Podcast: https://prayerpodcast.transistor.fm/episodesJewish Inspiration Podcast: https://inspiration.transistor.fm/episodesParsha Review Podcast: https://parsha.transistor.fm/episodesLiving Jewishly Podcast: https://jewishly.transistor.fm/episodesThinking Talmudist Podcast: https://talmud.transistor.fm/episodesUnboxing Judaism Podcast: https://unboxing.transistor.fm/episodesRabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection: https://collection.transistor.fm/episodesFor a full listing of podcasts available by TORCH at http://podcast.torchweb.org_____________Keywords:#Talmud,  #Gemara, #Taanit, #Rainmaker, #Faith, #Emunah, #Honesty, #Integrity, #PositiveMindset, #Gratitude, #DivineProvidence, #PersonalGrowth, #CharacterDevelopment, #SpiritualGrowth, #AttitudeMatters, #Blessings, #MindsetShift, #LiveWithPurpose ★ Support this podcast ★

If a book promises to give you the heart of God while quietly replacing His words with someone else's, that's not a translation. It's a trap. And the trap has a paper trail.ABOUT THIS EPISODE:The Passion Translation has been endorsed by some of the most influential voices in the charismatic world. Bill Johnson called it the best thing to happen to Bible translation in his lifetime. It's been sold in Bethel's bookstore, read in prayer rooms, and handed to new believers across the movement.David Fish and JonMark Baker of the Minor Prophets Podcast spent weeks comparing the Passion Translation, line by line, against its claimed sources. What they found isn't a matter of interpretation. It's documented.Where Brian Simmons departs from the Greek text, and claims an "Aramaic" source, the renderings don't match the Peshitta, the actual Syriac New Testament. They match the Mirror Bible, The Message, and other fringe paraphrases. Fish found over 300 instances in Paul's epistles alone. Simmons also claimed co-translator credentials on a Kuna New Testament. Ethnos 360, the mission that ran the project, says he was NEVER a Bible translator. The organization's own personnel said so on record.The second half of this episode goes deeper: into Simmons' theology. In his own words, in multiple recordings, he redefines the second coming of Christ as an unveiling of a glorified end-times people rather than a bodily return. He calls the physical second coming "not in the Bible." He says, directly: "Christ is no longer a person. He is now a body, a corporate expression." That's not a slip. That's a system, and it has a name: Manifested Sons of God theology has a long history in the fringe of the charismatic world, and Brian Simmons is teaching it from the platform the movement handed him.Join us to hear the evidence for yourself as fellow continuationists examine the paper trail.0:00 – Introduction3:55 – Plagiarism Discovery Explained5:53 – Examples of Copied Verses8:16 – Why Simmons Changed Text12:07 – Lessening Judgment: John 1513:29 – Is Simmons a Universalist?16:46 – Simmons' Fabricated Credentials18:44 – Ethnos360 Exposes Simmons20:01 – Manifested Sons Theology37:21 – "I Know When Jesus Returns"57:58 – "I Am My Lover" Clip1:06:35 – "Christ Is No Longer A Person"1:14:26 – Closing ThoughtsRESOURCES MENTIONED:- The Minor Prophets/Mike Winger episode:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9--owgBjtA- Andrew Chapman's Research: https://theriveroflife.com/category/the-passion-anti-translation/- Mike Winger's Research on The Passion Translation: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ3iRMLYFlHuv-ISp_iIw1WL8zaEm86L8 and https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ3iRMLYFlHvXha4rjCj1Po0WLQc_jGGW- Handbook on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament — G.K. Beale https://a.co/d/09nG966Z- Typology-Understanding the Bible's Promise-Shaped Patterns: How Old Testament Expectations are Fulfilled in Christ - James Hamilton https://a.co/d/01jQgVDWPETITION:Sign the petition to request YouVersion remove the Passion Translation: https://www.change.org/p/an-appeal-to-youversion-to-remove-the-passion-translation/psf/membership-ask?experience=member&allow_actions=trueSubscribe to The Remnant Radio newsletter and receive our FREE introduction to spiritual gifts eBook. Plus, get access to: discounts, news about upcoming shows, courses and conferences - and more. Subscribe now at TheRemnantRadio.com. Support the showABOUT THE REMNANT RADIO: The Remnant Radio exists to equip believers who are hungry for the radical middle of both Word and Spirit. Subscribe for twice-weekly content on theology, church history and the gifts of the Spirit.

June 4 second from 14:33 till the end As we've seen in previous installments, the recitation of the Ketoret is especially valuable, and offers a person great blessings and benefits. However, this is true only if the person recites the text slowly and with Kavana (concentration), understanding the words he utters. As such, it behooves us to try to understand this difficult text to whatever extent we can. The portion from the Talmud which we recite begins by listing the eleven ingredients of the Ketoret, and their relative amounts in the mixture. We read that the Ketoret consisted of a total of 368 portions ("Maneh"), and that 365 of these were offered over the course of the 365 days of the solar calendar – half a portion each morning, and half a portion each afternoon. The remaining three portions were used for the Kohen Gadol's special Ketoret offering inside the Kodesh Ha'kodashim (inner sanctum of the Bet Ha'mikdash) on Yom Kippur. The Gemara teaches us that these three portions were returned on Ereb Yom Kippur to the "Machteshet" – the mortar – to be ground extra-fine. Whereas the Torah requires that the ordinary, daily Ketoret be prepared "Daka" – finely-ground – the Ketoret brought in the Kodesh Ha'kodashim on Yom Kippur needed to be "Daka Min Ha'daka" – especially fine, and so these three portions were ground a second time on Ereb Yom Kippur, in preparation for the Yom Kippur service. The first four of the eleven spices listed by the Gemara are Sori, Siporen, Helbena and Lebona, which (as mentioned in our previous installment) are the four spices named by the Torah (Shemot 30:34). As the Gemara teaches, Sori is "Seraf Ha'notef Me'aseh Ha'ketaf" – "sap that drips from the balsam tree." This is the "Nataf" mentioned by the Torah, referring to its "dripping" ("Notef") from the tree. The Siporen – onycha – is called "Shehelet" in the Torah. The third and fourth spices are Helbena – galbanum – and Lebona – frankincense – which are listed by these names also in the Torah. The next five spices are Mor – myrrh; Kesia – cassia; Shibolet Nerd – spikenard; Karkom – saffron; and Kost – costus. There's a great deal of discission as to the correct text for this ninth spice. In many editions, this word appears as "Ha'kosht." The definitive article "Ha" ("the") seems difficult to justify, because this article is used only in reference to the first four spices ("Ha'sori Ve'ha'siporen Ve'halbena Ve'ha'lebona"). As we explained in a previous installment, the prefix "Ha" appears in reference to these four because these four are explicitly named by the Torah itself. All the others, however – including Kosht – are not named by the Torah, and so the prefix "Ha" seems inappropriate in this context. This point was made by Rav Meir Mazuz (1945-2025), who added that the word "Kosht" itself is incorrect. The correct pronunciation, he wrote, is "Kost" – meaning, with the letter Sin as opposed to the letter Shin. Rav Mazuz explained that "Kosht" resembles the Aramaic word "Keshot," which means "true" (as we say in the Berich Shemeh prayer: "De'Hu Elaka Keshot Ve'Orayteh Keshot…") and is not the name of a spice. Therefore, although in many Siddurim the word is written "Ha'kosht," it should be pronounced "Kost."

Many of us think of the Bible as a book written in Hebrew and Greek, overlooking the important role of Aramaic—the lingua franca of much of the ancient Near East. In this episode, Helen and Lloyd climb into the Time Machine with Tawny Holm, one of the world's leading experts on Aramaic, to explore the language's history, literature, and cultural significance. Who spoke and wrote Aramaic? What kinds of texts were composed in it? And how can Aramaic literature beyond the Bible help us better understand the Aramaic passages within it?Tawny M. Holm is Professor of Hebrew and Aramaic Studies at Penn State University. Her main research areas are the Hebrew Bible in its Ancient Near Eastern context, early Judaism and Aramaic studies. She is the author of Of Courtiers and Kings: The Biblical Daniel Narratives and Ancient-Story Collections (Eisenbrauns, 2013), and, most recently, Aramaic Literature from Egypt and the Levant, published in May 2026 in SBL's series, Writings from the Ancient World (Volume 30). Support the showTheme music written and performed by Dave Roos, creator of Biblical Time Machine. Season 4 produced by John Nelson. 

Remember how yesterday we talked about Jesus and Peter needing to pay their taxes, and Jesus tells Peter to do what he's always done – go fishing. But this would be a completely different fishing experience because this time, Peter was fishing with Jesus – and Jesus is the difference maker. God had perfectly aligned just the right fish with a valuable coin in its mouth to bite Peter's hook. That coin was the extraordinary way Jesus would provide that day. Right place at the right time. Not an accident – absolutely miraculously divine. Well let me tell you what happened yesterday at retreat. We had taken a train from Venice to Lake Garda. Not the original train we had planned – a different train, so our arrival had been a little delayed. Once at the lake, we hopped on our private chartered boat for the most gorgeous adventure. About 1 hour into our adventure on the water, our captain drove the boat under the drawbridge of a castle where we docked for lunch. At the precise moment all 11 of us are stepping off our boat, a frantic mother comes running up screaming, “Have you seen my son?” She can barely put together a cohesive sentence. “My son, my son, he's missing. 5 years old. My son.” All the BIG Life girls spring into action. We scatter in all directions, yelling, “5 year old boy. White shirt. Missing.” Most everyone we encounter responds with, “Haven't seen him” then continues on with their day. But not my girls – we're searching for this missing boy. It's one thing to be missing your child in a crowd. It's another thing to be missing your child in a crowd on the edge of deep water. We all felt the desperation. Eventually, far from where we had started, someone heard us and shouted back, “He's here!” We found him. And he was in the complete opposite direction of where the mother had run. There was no way the boy would have heard his mom. There was no way she was going to find him with such a distance between them. BUT GOD. God perfectly placed a boat full of 11 BIG Life Girls from all the way around the world at precisely the right moment to step onto that dock, hear her desperate cry and spread out on a mission to find her boy. Watching that reunion left every one of us in tears. Right place, right time. We got to be part of Jesus' extraordinary plans. We were the fish with the coin. Ordinary girls with a changed travel plan, stepping on shore later than scheduled, equipped with precisely what was needed. That, my friends, is how God works! Now, let's go even further. Here in Venice we seem to be having encounters with hurting souls in need of the Jesus we carry. I bet it's not just Venice – I bet it's in your town too. Hurting souls – they're absolutely everywhere. In need of what we have. But have you ever just gotten in your own way? Have you ever talked yourself right out of doing precisely what the Holy Spirit has prompted you to do? Have you ever felt way too ordinary to be used for God's extraordinary purposes? How can you possibly be their answer? Well, you're not their answer. You simply CARRY THEIR ANSWER! Remember that. You're a contagious carrier of Jesus. Allow contact so it spreads! That's it. Why make it more complicated than that? Here's the barrier with the hurting souls we've been coming into contact with here in Venice … we don't speak their language and they don't speak ours. Well that's simply NOT a problem for our EXTRAORDINARY GOD! Let me tell you a little story from your Bible. Imagine you're in the middle of this story. Okay, picture this … you’re one of Jesus’ closest friends. You’ve given up your job and your home, you’ve left everything and everyone you’ve ever known, to go with Jesus on his mission. You've been personally walking with Jesus. You've been part of some absolutely crazy miracles. You've seen his power. You know it's real. And you thought you would be doing this with Jesus for the rest of your life. But just 3 years into you and your tribe of 12 doing all these miraculous things, Jesus gets killed. Your leader is crucified. And now what? It’s easy for us to rush to the rest of the story, but remember this – Jesus’ friends didn’t know the rest of the story as they were sitting in it. They never saw this hardship coming. They never, in a million years, thought Jesus could be killed. Now what were they going to do? They had given up everything to go with him. They are afraid. Afraid they too would be killed. Afraid everything they had believed in and worked for was ruined. They were confused. Then, Jesus shows up in the room where they are hiding. Now remember, Jesus has died. They saw him hanging on the cross. They knew his body was put in the tomb. They also knew the doors to the room where they were hiding were locked. And boom, here’s Jesus, standing right there among them. And this is what Jesus says to them, Mark 16:15, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.” Then Jesus is taken into heaven. Jesus tells them to go. But HOW? Jesus, how are we supposed to go into ALL the world and preach to EVERYONE? We don’t have an airplane. The internet sucks here. We are poor fishermen, how are we supposed to go do all of this? We have no education. We have no resources. We have no connections. Jesus, I heard what you said, but we're just so ordinary. For 10 days they waited. For 10 days they must have wondered how Jesus expected them to tell everyone about God. For 10 days they must have felt so unequipped and unqualified for the calling. But on the 10th day, they were all together for the day of Pentecost. This was the day all of Israel gathered in Jerusalem to offer to God their first harvest of wheat for the season. There were people from Judea, people from Asia, people from Egypt and Rome, people from every nation all gathered to make their offering. Also there were Jesus’ 12 friends, his disciples. Suddenly God’s power came and rested on each of them and Acts 2:4 says, “Everyone present was filled with the Hoy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.” These ordinary men spoke Aramaic, but now filled with the Holy Spirit, they were speaking every language of the entire crowd. All of these people from every nation, all with their own languages, miraculously heard the magnificent acts of God being declared in THEIR OWN language. This is how God would use these 12 common friends of Jesus to fulfill his purposes. This is how they would go into ALL the world and preach the Good News to EVERYONE as Jesus had told them. God would do it through them in ways they could have never imagined. He would speak through them. His power would flow from them. He would give them the words which they couldn’t even possibly know. Literally a different language – hundreds of languages, spoken perfectly through common men who were unsure how God could use them. Now, back to you, Miss Ordinary. Why not you? Whatever it is that has been blocking you from being the hands and feet of Jesus wherever you are – you just need to know the Holy Spirit can perfectly equip you with absolutely anything and everything needed to spread what you're carrying. You're a contagious carrier of Jesus. Make contact! How exactly? Well I don’t know. When exactly? Well I don’t know that either. But here’s what I do know … you will have to show up unsure, uncertain, feeling totally unequipped, and be available for God’s Spirit to equip you. The disciples spent 10 days wondering how they were ever going to do what Jesus had asked them to do. It seemed an impossible task for them to tell the world about the good news of Jesus. And in that 10 days, they must have been drawing maps and making plans. They must have been overwhelmed with such a huge task and unanswered questions. Just like you … you’re in your 10 day waiting period that may have stretched out to cover a few years. You’re waiting and wondering. Questioning. Planning and preparing, but all of it seems inadequate. But my sister, the answers you’re seeking can’t be found in your elaborate 10 year plans. These answers are only found in the power of the Holy Spirit. God will equip you! He will enable you to do what you’ve never done before. He will bring everything together just as it needs to be, and you just need to show up and be available for it. At the end of Acts chapter 2, we see what God was doing by enabling Jesus' 12 friends to speak all these different languages – THREE THOUSNAD WERE BAPTIZED THAT DAY!!!!!!!!!!! What the Bible doesn’t tell us is the conversation Jesus’ friends must have had AFTER Pentecost. Imagine their after work dinner that night. Matthew says, “Dude, I was speaking to an Egyptian in his language, saying things I don’t even know how to say.” Then John says, “Dude, me too! Did you hear me talking in Latin?” And of course, here comes my favorite, wild and impulsive Peter and he says, “Guys, I don’t even know what language I was speaking, but that was awesome!!!” Then there’s a pause and they all realize … ohhhhh, so THIS is how we’re going to go into all the world and preach the Good News to all people.” God has given us the power to do it and it’s already started. Now, let's just keep going! You are the contagious carrier of what every person in this world needs. You're surrounded by hurting souls who are desperate for the Jesus you carry within you. MAKE CONTACT! Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

God tells us in His Word to address him as "Abba," the Aramaic word meaning "Father." Today, Barry Cooper considers God's unqualified goodness as our heavenly Father. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/abba/ Study Reformed theology with a free resource bundle from Ligonier Ministries: https://grow.ligonier.org/ A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Donate: https://donate.ligonier.org/ Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts