A Noahide (or Ben Noach) is a non-Jew who voluntarily takes on the Sheva Mitzvot (Seven Laws of Noah). These individuals are considered the Righteous of the Nations (Ger Toshav). Non-Jews are not required to convert to Judaism to be…
The Shulkhan Arukh, also known as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most authoritative legal code of Rabbinic Judaism. It was authored in Tzfat, Israel, by Yosef Karo in 1563 and published in Venice two years later. Together with…
The Mishneh Torah (“Repetition of the Torah”) is a code of Rabbinic halakhah (Jewish religious law) authored by Maimonides, one of history’s foremost rabbis. The Mishneh Torah was compiled between 1170 and 1180, while Maimonides was living in Egypt, and…
In Rabbinic Judaism, the Midrash is the body of homiletic stories told by Jewish rabbinic sages to explain passages in the Tanakh. Midrash is a method of interpreting biblical stories that goes beyond simple distillation of religious, legal, or moral…
The Talmud, which can be translated as “instruction” or “learning”, is a central text of Rabbinic Judaism. It is also traditionally referred to as Shas, a Hebrew abbreviation of shisha sedarim, the “six orders”. The Talmud has two components. The…
Tanach The Tanach is the basis of understanding the laws, philosophy, and history of Judaism. As such, studying the Tanach is the first step to understanding the whole of Judaism. The Tanach is divided into three sections: Torah, Nevi’im, and…
Who are the Jews? The term “Jew” – Yehudi in Hebrew – can mean various things depending upon the context and the time period the term is used. Originally a Jew would have been a member of the Tribe of…
Well-Versed in Torah Law When the true Messiah arrives, he will be a man that is well-versed in Torah Law and will faithfully observe the laws. And a shoot shall spring forth from the stem of Jesse, and a twig…
Defining Messiah First, let’s establish what a “Messiah” is according to the Tanach. Messiah – Moshiach in Hebrew – means “anointed one” and is a term used to refer to anointing certain people in the Tanach – such as the…
Defining Messiah First, let’s establish what a “Messiah” is according to the Tanach Messiah – Moshiach in Hebrew – means “anointed one” and is a term used to refer to anointing certain people in the Tanach – such as the…
