Prof. Baruch J. Schwartz is the J. L Magnes Professor of Biblical Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he earned his Ph.D. He writes and lectures on the J, E, P and D documents, the uniqueness of each, and how they were compiled to create the five-book Torah. Schwartz is especially interested in how academic biblical scholarship and traditional Jewish belief and observance may co-exist.
Last Updated
March 21, 2021
Books by the Author
Articles by the Author
R. Judah HeḤasid late 12th cent. asserts that the subject of “he placed Ephraim before Manasseh,” and “I have given you [=Joseph] an extra portion…,” in Jacob’s blessing is not Jacob but Moses, and is referring to when Moses put Ephraim before Manasseh in the tribal listings in Num 2:18-21. This leads R. Judah HeḤasid to conclude that Moses could not be the author of v. 20b.
R. Judah HeḤasid late 12th cent. asserts that the subject of “he placed Ephraim before Manasseh,” and “I have given you [=Joseph] an extra portion…,” in Jacob’s blessing is not Jacob but Moses, and is referring to when Moses put Ephraim before Manasseh in the tribal listings in Num 2:18-21. This leads R. Judah HeḤasid to conclude that Moses could not be the author of v. 20b.
Even those who categorically deny that God has form, is composed of matter, is visible, or is subject to the constraints of time and place, cannot seem to relinquish the notion that God speaks precisely as described in the Bible.
Even those who categorically deny that God has form, is composed of matter, is visible, or is subject to the constraints of time and place, cannot seem to relinquish the notion that God speaks precisely as described in the Bible.
On his way to Haran, Jacob stops at a place, later named Beth-El, and sees in a dream angels going up and down a staircase to the gateway of heaven. In the story, Jacob also notices YHWH standing beside him and YHWH speaks to him. Examined closely, this short story is beset with literary difficulties that suggest it is composed of two independent narratives.
On his way to Haran, Jacob stops at a place, later named Beth-El, and sees in a dream angels going up and down a staircase to the gateway of heaven. In the story, Jacob also notices YHWH standing beside him and YHWH speaks to him. Examined closely, this short story is beset with literary difficulties that suggest it is composed of two independent narratives.
The joy of unraveling the Torah’s mysteries
The joy of unraveling the Torah’s mysteries
