Language and Structure

Words, narrative order, genealogies, numbers and literary patterns in the Torah.

24 articles

The Calendar of the FloodFrom the book “In Search of Lost Meaning”About 15 min readPodcast (Hebrew)
“And in the Fourth Generation They Shall Come Back Hither”From the book “In Search of Lost Meaning”About 13 min readExtended studyPodcast (Hebrew)
“Eleven Stars Bowed Down to Me”From the book “In Search of Lost Meaning”About 10 min readExtended study
“In the Fourth Generation They Shall Come Back Hither”The verse means the fourth generation among those leaving Egypt would enter the land, rather than the fourth generation of those descending to EgyptFrom the book “Peshat in Brief (working title)”About 5 min readShort studyPodcast (Hebrew)
“Thou Wilt Not Deal Falsely with Me, nor with My Son, nor with My Son’s Son”Biblical nin and nekhed are general words for descendants, rather than a hierarchy of generationsFrom the book “Peshat in Brief (working title)”About 2 min read
A Study of the Revelation at SinaiFrom the book “In Search of Lost Meaning”About 25 min read
What Comes First in the Tabernacle and Its Furnishings?From the book “In Search of Lost Meaning”About 9 min read
“Eleven Stars Bowed Down to Me”Joseph dreamed of the stars in childhood, while the youngest son and while Rachel still livedFrom the book “Peshat in Brief (working title)”About 3 min readShort study
The Sun and Moon in Joseph’s DreamAn alternative interpretation: the sun represents Pharaoh and the moon his viceroy JosephFrom the book “Peshat in Brief (working title)”About 2 min read
Seventy SoulsThe biblical list expresses completeness rather than precise historical dataFrom the book “Peshat in Brief (working title)”About 2 min read
Life Falls into Three PartsThe patriarchs’ ages at significant milestones divide their lives symmetricallyFrom the book “Peshat in Brief (working title)”About 2 min read
When Did Jacob Bless Ephraim and Manasseh?The Torah placed their blessing later to include it among Jacob’s final actsFrom the book “Peshat in Brief (working title)”About 3 min read
Who Knows Twelve?One completeness, many faces: tribal membership varies while the number remainsFrom the book “Peshat in Brief (working title)”About 2 min read
A Sign from the FutureA sign that fulfills, rather than provesFrom the book “Peshat in Brief (working title)”About 2 min read
“The Children of Israel Went Up Armed out of the Land of Egypt”The Israelites left Egypt in an orderly military formation, unlike the stragglers attacked by Amalek outside the campFrom the book “Peshat in Brief (working title)”About 3 min read
What Language Did the Israelites Speak?The Israelites’ spoken language may have been Hebrew influenced by AramaicFrom the book “Peshat in Brief (working title)”About 2 min read
“And God Command Thee So”A result of adopting Jethro’s advice, rather than a requirement for divine approvalFrom the book “Peshat in Brief (working title)”About 4 min read
“For the South Side Southward”“Negev southward” reflects an established conception of south independent of local geographyFrom the book “Peshat in Brief (working title)”About 2 min read
Separating the Tabernacle’s Furnishings from Priestly GarmentsThe deliberate textual separation prevents wearable instruments from being perceived as intrinsically holy and misused outside the sanctuaryFrom the book “Peshat in Brief (working title)”About 3 min read
Matryoshka in the WildernessThe camp, Tabernacle, and service ages form a concentric structure – like matryoshka dollsFrom the book “Peshat in Brief (working title)”About 2 min read
The Impossible Number of Israel's FirstbornOnly firstborn aged one month to five years were included – their number fits the demographics of a rapidly growing societyFrom the book “Peshat in Brief (working title)”About 5 min read
The Inheritance East of the JordanNumbers describes settlement across the Jordan as the tribes seizing an opportunity; Deuteronomy presents it as the purpose of the divine command to conquer the territoryFrom the book “Peshat in Brief (working title)”About 2 min read
“And the LORD Shall Bring Thee Back into Egypt in Ships”A parallel in Isaiah suggests that the verse means the LORD will return Israel to Egypt in sorrowFrom the book “Peshat in Brief (working title)”About 2 min read
The Torah of MosesThe Torah ends with Moses’ death because its focus is revelation, covenant, and law, centered on Moses as their transmitterFrom the book “Peshat in Brief (working title)”About 2 min read