God-Fearers: Raising Swine

In light of the release of God-Fearers, I am doing a series of blogs that further explores the topics introduced in the book as well as answer some frequently asked questions. Last month Chabad posted an answer to a question about Jewish people raising pigs. Obviously, the Torah forbids the Jewish people from consuming the flesh of pigs, but from Chabad’s perspective it is permissible for Gentile to consume swine....
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God-Fearers: To Kippah or Not to Kippah?

In light of the release of God-Fearers, I am doing a series of blogs that further explores the topics introduced in the book as well as answer some frequently asked questions. I often get asked questions about Gentiles wearing kippahs. Since God-Fearers advocates the biblical distinction between Jews and Gentiles, people wonder if non-Jews should cover their heads—or is that a distinctly Jewish practice? This is a huge topic and...
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God-Fearers: The Amidah, the Ingathering of the Exiles, and the Nations

In light of the release of God-Fearers, I am doing a series of blogs that further explores the topics introduced in the book as well as answer some frequently asked questions. In my book God-Fearers, I point out the importance of set time prayer for the early believing community. While it would go without saying that Jewish disciples would continue to pray set time prayers as they had before coming...
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God-Fearers: Separated to Do

In light of the release of God-Fearers, I am doing a series of blogs that further explores the topics introduced in the book as well as answer some frequently asked questions. In the first chapter of my book, God-Fearers, I sought to define the term Gentile (goy) and show that it is not a derogatory term as some have supposed. After all, Genesis uses it to describe both Abraham’s offspring—“I...
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God-Fearers: Job the God-Fearer

Last week we held our annual Shavuot conference in Hudson, Wisconsin. The event was hosted by Beth Immanuel and our staff agrees it was one of the best if not the best Shavuot conference we have ever had. The topic this year was “Gifts of the Spirit,” and for four solid days, the First Fruits of Zion teaching team along with special guest Rabbi Dr. Carl Kinbar attempted to present...
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Introduction to Messianic Judaism: Its Ecclesial Context and Biblical Foundations

Messianic Judaism is the most exciting movement of our time. Its rebirth in the 1900s was, in a very real sense, a restoration of something that had been lost for over a thousand years—a functional Jewish body of believers in Jesus that continues to identify with Judaism and with the Jewish people. An ever-growing body of scholarship testifies that the early Jerusalem church likewise maintained a self-identity within Judaism and...
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God-Fearers: Shavuot for All Nations

With Shavuot just around the corner, I thought I would post some material about Shavuot from my book God-Fearers. The New Testament highlights the festival of Shavuot as the time of the outpouring of God’s Spirit in Acts 2, but another reference to the festival in Acts 20 gives us evidence of Gentile believers celebrating this important Torah festival: For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he...
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More Posts in Teaching Team

• God-Fearers: Rabbinic Perspectives on Being Grafted In (April, 2013)
• God-Fearers: Earth Day and Genesis (April, 2013)
• God-Fearers: Sunday and Sun Worship (April, 2013)
• God-Fearers: From Saturday to Sunday (April, 2013)
• God-Fearers: Some Practical Shabbat Advice (April, 2013)
• What is the Meal of Messiah? Part 1 of 3 (April, 2013)
• God-Fearers: Easter Ham or Passover Lamb? (March, 2013)
• God-Fearers: Passover and Non-Jews (March, 2013)
• God-Fearers: The Universal Shabbat Part 2 (March, 2013)
• God-Fearers: The Universal Shabbat Part 1 (March, 2013)
• God-Fearers: Scot McKnight and Torah for Gentiles (February, 2013)
• Respecting the Mechitzah (January, 2013)
• That’s a Clown Question, Bro! (January, 2013)
• Wrong Ways to Read the Bible #2: The Love Letter Method (January, 2013)
• Five Bad Arguments Against Religious Claims (December, 2012)
• The Fast of Asarah BeTevet (December, 2012)
• Remembering Yeshua's Chief Disciple: The Apostle Peter in Rabbinic Literature (December, 2012)
• By His Hand (December, 2012)
• The Countdown to Christmas … Bah Humbug! (November, 2012)
• Wrong Ways to Read the Bible #1: The Ouija Board Method (November, 2012)
• Comprehending Conclusions (October, 2012)
• Holy Guests: Sukkot and the Transfiguration (October, 2012)
• Birth of Jesus at Sukkot (October, 2012)
• Jhan Moskowitz z"l (September, 2012)
• Why do I need Jesus? (August, 2012)
• Elul: The Month of Repentance (August, 2012)
• Back to Colorado (August, 2012)
• Approved By Men (August, 2012)
• Projection (August, 2012)
• Chick-fil-A and "Traditional" Marriage (July, 2012)
• Tim Keller and the Torah (July, 2012)
• The Centrality of Yeshua (July, 2012)
• God-Fearers: Finding a Home (July, 2012)
• A Tale of Two Churches (June, 2012)
• Passover and the Death of James the Just (April, 2012)
• Hosting Your First Passover Seder (March, 2012)
• Devil's Children (March, 2012)
• Eating biblically? Let's chew the fat. (February, 2012)
• Messer and the Messianic Mess (February, 2012)
• Asarah BeTevet: The Fast of the 10th of Tevet (January, 2012)
• The Ninth of Tevet: Simon Peter's Yahrzeit (January, 2012)
• Is New Year's Pagan? (December, 2011)
• Priestly Seal Discovered (December, 2011)
• Jeremiah 10 and the Christmas Tree (December, 2011)
• A Kosher Christmas Tree? (December, 2011)
• All Over the Map (September, 2011)
• Working with the Rabbi (September, 2011)
• Torah Club Six Overview (September, 2011)
• Three Free Books! (September, 2011)
• The Gospels: Our Connection to Yeshua (Part 1) (September, 2011)
• Torah Study on the Apostles (August, 2011)
• The Ninth of Av: "Blessed Are Those Who Mourn" (August, 2011)
• The Fast of Tammuz (July, 2011)
• I'm a Messianic Gentile (June, 2011)
• Israel Trip 2011 (May, 2011)
• The Scoop on What About Paganism? (December, 2010)
• Is Rosh HaShanah the New Year? (September, 2010)
• We Need Your Help (August, 2010)
• The Gospel Code (July, 2010)
• So You Think You Know Jesus? (July, 2010)
• The Ninth of Av: "Blessed Are Those Who Mourn" (July, 2010)
• Do you want to know Yeshua better? (July, 2010)
• Yeshua's Voice of Sarcasm (July, 2010)
• Shavuot: A Time of Anniversaries (May, 2010)
• 2010 Shavuot Conference (April, 2010)
• Borough Park Symposium (April, 2010)
• Free Holocaust Webinar Registration (March, 2010)
• They Rise Up Against Us: Holocaust Awareness (March, 2010)
• Is All This Cleaning Really Worth It? (March, 2010)
• 7 Biblical Goals of the Seder (March, 2010)
• Sold Out! (March, 2010)
• 10 Tips for a Smooth Sailing Seder (March, 2010)
• What is the Meal of Messiah? Part 3 of 3 (March, 2010)
• What is the Meal of Messiah? Part 2 of 3 (March, 2010)
• eRosh: Adar (February, 2010)
• J-BOM is Coming (February, 2010)
• Common Objections: Acts 10 (February, 2010)
• Common Objections: John 1:17 (January, 2010)
• Taking Torah to the Nations (January, 2010)
• Free from the Law? (January, 2010)
• Burying a Bible (January, 2010)
• Yartzeit of Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri (January, 2010)
• Answering Anti-Missionaries (January, 2010)
• My Wife--My Life! (January, 2010)
• True Love (December, 2009)
• The Ninth of Tevet: Simon Peter's Yahrzeit (December, 2009)
• First Century Nazareth House (December, 2009)
• Christmas & Virgin Birth (December, 2009)
• Doing Something (November, 2009)
• Hidden Person of the Heart (November, 2009)
• Yahrzeit of Rabbi Daniel Zion (November, 2009)
• If She Can Do It...You Can as Well. (November, 2009)
• Prayers Needed (November, 2009)
• Messiah Journal 102 (October, 2009)
• How Firm a Foundation? (October, 2009)
• The Double-Standard of Abolishing Torah (October, 2009)
• Daily Dose of the Apostles (October, 2009)
• Heavy Matters: Stealing (October, 2009)
• Voiding The Torah (October, 2009)
• Sukkah Contest Winners (October, 2009)
• Rejoice We're Starting Over (October, 2009)
• Mishkan: Levertoff (October, 2009)
• Torah Does Not Mean Law! (October, 2009)
• Jesus Was Here (October, 2009)
• The Hunger of Man (September, 2009)
• Closing the Gates (September, 2009)
• Sin and Torah (September, 2009)
• Part 2) "One Law" in the Late Second Temple Era (September, 2009)
• Part 1) "One Law" in Context (September, 2009)
• Part 3) The Lone Voice of FFOZ (September, 2009)
• Part 2) Acts 15 Re-Examined (September, 2009)
• Part 1) The Tipping Point: Acts 15; 21 (September, 2009)
• Rosh Hashanah: Hitting Reset (September, 2009)
• Q&A: Divine Invitation (September, 2009)
• An Unbearable Yoke: Acts 15:10 (September, 2009)
• Moral vs. Ceremonial (September, 2009)
• One Simple Verse: Galatians 5:3 (September, 2009)
• Reasoning Together (September, 2009)
• Will We Be Ready? (September, 2009)
• Exile! When Does It End? (August, 2009)
• R"Lichtenstein's Prayer (July, 2009)
• Friend, Move Up Higher (July, 2009)
• Recent Theological Shifts at FFOZ (June, 2009)
• The Messianic Movement In Prison (June, 2009)
• Hearing Impairment (May, 2009)
• In the Hands of Hatred (April, 2009)
• The Folded Napkin--Balderdash! (April, 2009)
• Good Friday? (April, 2009)
• Our Task in Life (April, 2009)
• Birkat HaChammah: The Blessing of the Sun (March, 2009)
• A Minyan at the Kotel (March, 2009)
• Purim Home Companion (March, 2009)
• Does Gentile Mean Pagan? (February, 2009)
• New Hebrew Bible (February, 2009)
• Maimonides and Messiah (February, 2009)
• A Bar Mitzvah and Tu'B'shvat (February, 2009)
• Gentiles and Torah (January, 2009)
• Yartzeit of Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri (January, 2009)
• Torah Teaching 101: Lesson 1 (January, 2009)
• Asarah B'Tevet (10th of Tevet) (January, 2009)
• Exonerating Dinah (December, 2008)
• Volunteer Request (December, 2008)
• Show Her Honor (December, 2008)
• Keeping Focused (December, 2008)
• Learning From the Mothers (December, 2008)
• Happy Thanksgiving (November, 2008)
• The ESV Study Bible (November, 2008)
• Amazing "Millie" Grace (November, 2008)
• Hallowed on the Radio (November, 2008)
• David's Water Tunnel (November, 2008)
• The Five-fold Blessing (November, 2008)
• First Temple Seal Found (November, 2008)
• New Evidence: The Master Played Baseball! (November, 2008)
• Letter Codes Reveal Messiah? (October, 2008)
• First Reactions (October, 2008)
• Fringe Benefits (October, 2008)
• Something New! (October, 2008)
• Happy Sukkot (October, 2008)
• Doing Business With God (October, 2008)
• Tomb of the High Priest's Son (October, 2008)
• Our Master is Coming! (September, 2008)
• Rosh Hashanah Observances (September, 2008)
• Being Noticed (September, 2008)
• "Pagan" Jewish Names (September, 2008)
• New Synagogue in Germany (September, 2008)
• I was in Prison... (September, 2008)
• The Name Game (September, 2008)
• Hear Our Sabbath Prayer (September, 2008)
• Second Temple Walls Discovered (September, 2008)
• Beit Midrash Pictures (September, 2008)
• Beit Midrash Nearing Completion (September, 2008)
• Persecution in India (September, 2008)
• Little Messiahs (September, 2008)
• Hu Ben Ha'Elohim (August, 2008)
• Dead Sea Scrolls Online (August, 2008)
• Remembering Paul (August, 2008)
• The God of the Orphan and Widow (August, 2008)
• You can trust your Abba (August, 2008)
• Never Too Late (August, 2008)
• Loving the Divine in Your Neighbor (August, 2008)
• Messianic Oddballs (August, 2008)
• Blessing God at Meals (August, 2008)
• "So I went digging..." (August, 2008)
• Shabbat Nachamu and Tu B'Av (August, 2008)
• Post Tisha B'Av Thoughts (August, 2008)
• Prophet of the Second Exile (Part 2) (August, 2008)
• Prophet of the Second Exile (Part 1) (August, 2008)
• Rise of Anti-Semitism in UK (August, 2008)
• The Cup of Blessing (August, 2008)
• The Yahrzeit of Paul Phillip Levertoff (August, 2008)
• Archaeological Find Names Zedekiah's Official (July, 2008)
• The Song of the Sun (July, 2008)
• Are You Really Listening? (July, 2008)
• Jews for Jesus pt. 2 (July, 2008)
• The Leviticus Challenge (July, 2008)
• Jews for Jesus (July, 2008)
• Unless You Say... ברוך הבא (July, 2008)
• Messianic Jews in Prison Are Denied Kosher Meals (July, 2008)
• Vessels for the Third Temple (July, 2008)
• The Mezuzah and Discrimination (July, 2008)
• Hebrew Darth Vader (July, 2008)
• Apostomos and the Abomination of Desolation (July, 2008)
• The Fast of Tammuz (July, 2008)
• Making Teshuvah (July, 2008)
• The Home Run Derby and Sanctifying the Name (July, 2008)
• Online List of Messianic Congregations (July, 2008)
• What Does the LORD Require of You? (July, 2008)
• Our Opponents Say # 4 (July, 2008)
• I Wear a Head Covering (July, 2008)
• A Dead Sea Stone: In Three Days You Shall Live (July, 2008)
• Our 4th of July Bang! (July, 2008)
• America Believes in God (July, 2008)
• Shabbat and Fireworks (July, 2008)
• Blind Ambition (June, 2008)
• A Shot in the Dark: A Bulgarian Translator (June, 2008)
• Obama and Dobson Talk Some Torah (June, 2008)
• I Cried Today (June, 2008)
• The World's Oldest Church? (June, 2008)
• It's Summer...Now What? (June, 2008)
• Help Wanted: Artist (June, 2008)
• New Testament Burning In Israel (May, 2008)
• Shavuot Definitions Primer (May, 2008)
• Mem B'Omer (May, 2008)
• I'm Dreaming of a...Green Lag B'Omer? (May, 2008)
• Help Wanted: German Translator for Lichtenstein Project (May, 2008)
• Frankie Lee and the Baal Shem Tov (May, 2008)
• How did you begin observing Shabbat? (May, 2008)
• Followup: Bible Contest Results (May, 2008)
• Yom Haatzmaut (May, 2008)
• Israeli Messianics Again in the Limelight (May, 2008)
• The Ghosts of Auschwitz (April, 2008)
• Messianic News from Israel (April, 2008)
• Good Friday Revisited (April, 2008)
• Eat Parsley In Remembrance of Me (Part 2 of 2) (April, 2008)
• Eat Parsley In Remembrance of Me (Part 1 of 2) (April, 2008)
• eRosh: Parshat HaChodesh (April, 2008)
• Israeli Messianic Victim of Terror (April, 2008)
• Cleaning for Pesach: In Your Home and Heart (April, 2008)
• eRosh: Parshat Parah (March, 2008)
• Time is Flying: Hudson in View (March, 2008)
• eRosh: Purim and Shushan Purim (March, 2008)
• eRosh: Parshat Zachor (March, 2008)
• eRosh Blog: Shabbat Shekalim (March, 2008)
• eRosh Blog: The Birth and Death of Moses (February, 2008)
• Textual Criticism of an E-mail (February, 2008)
• Step Into My Office…….. (February, 2008)
• eRosh Blog: The Birth and Death of Moses (February, 2008)
• New eRosh Calendar Blogs (February, 2008)
• Suffering for Torah (February, 2008)
• Snow in Jerusalem (January, 2008)
• Thomas Game: Round Three (January, 2008)
• Torah, Perfection and Packing Boxes (January, 2008)
• Changing a Light Bulb (January, 2008)
• New Find from City of David (January, 2008)
• Conversion Denied (January, 2008)
• The Back of the Bus, part 2 (January, 2008)
• The Jesus Tomb Discovered Part 2 (January, 2008)
• The Back of the Bus (January, 2008)
• Do Miracles Still Happen? (January, 2008)
• Is Kosher Better? (January, 2008)
• Thomas Game: Round Two (January, 2008)
• Yartzeit of Yitzchak Kaduri (January, 2008)
• Looking for a Mohel? (January, 2008)
• Yeshua vs. YAHshua (January, 2008)
• Sabbath Campaign (January, 2008)
• Christian Tefillin? (December, 2007)
• Thomas Game: Round One (December, 2007)
• HaYesod: Digging the Foundation Again (December, 2007)
• Chanukah in Kakamega (December, 2007)
• Hanukkah Controversy and Concert (December, 2007)
• Conversions: Cheaper by the Dozen Part 2 (November, 2007)
• Conversions: Cheaper by the Dozen (November, 2007)
• Torah for Africa (November, 2007)
• Yartzeit of Leon Levison (November, 2007)
• Meeting the Needs of Others: Boaz the Barista (November, 2007)
• Urim and Tumim Research (November, 2007)
• The Joy of the Sabbath (November, 2007)
• Israel Tour Returns (November, 2007)
• Ann Coulter Part 3 (November, 2007)
• A Sabbath Keeping Oven? (November, 2007)
• Wake Me Up! Part 2 (November, 2007)
• More Tunes (November, 2007)
• Archaeology Part 2: The Tomb of Ezekiel (November, 2007)
• Heavy Burdens (October, 2007)
• Become Familiar With...the Siddur (October, 2007)
• Strife over the Shemittah (October, 2007)
• Ann Coulter Part 2 (October, 2007)
• The Mitzvah of Happiness (October, 2007)
• Moslem Digs Reveal First Temple Part 2 (October, 2007)
• The Cry of Rachel (October, 2007)
• Lancasters Abroad (October, 2007)
• Moslem Digs Reveal First Temple (October, 2007)
• Our Opponents Say Part 3 (October, 2007)
• Ur-Tunes (October, 2007)
• Wake Me Up! (October, 2007)
• Spreading Simcha Part 4 (October, 2007)
• Ann Coulter’s Big Idea about Jews and Christians (October, 2007)
• Jesus the Chasid (October, 2007)
• The Next Generation of the Torah Club Dictionary (October, 2007)
• Temple and Sacrifices in Torah Club Five (October, 2007)
• Farewell to the Sukkah (October, 2007)
• Please HaShem Save Now! (October, 2007)
• Yartzeit of Rabbi Isaac Lichtenstein (October, 2007)
• Tibie Wechsler: A Story for Your Sukkah (October, 2007)
• The Fallen Sukkot of Denver (October, 2007)
• New Synagogue in Munich (October, 2007)
• The Mysteries of God (September, 2007)
• Temple Mount Quarry Discovered! (September, 2007)
• Because of the Nazarenes (September, 2007)
• Finally Saw the Light (September, 2007)
• Fabulous New Discovery in Jerusalem (September, 2007)
• Honey Bees in Ancient Israel (September, 2007)
• Double Trouble (September, 2007)
• A Shofar Story (September, 2007)
• The Merits of Education (September, 2007)
• Our Opponents Say... (Part 2) (September, 2007)
• Over Yonder Mountain… (September, 2007)
• Muslims Destroy Temple Archaeology (August, 2007)
• Hit-bo-de-what? (August, 2007)
• More Lost Teachings of the Master (August, 2007)
• The Attitude of Teshuva (August, 2007)
• With a Little Help from My Friends (August, 2007)
• The Halachah of E-Mail (August, 2007)
• Have We Forgiven Our Debtors? (August, 2007)
• Who’s Counting? The Shemittah Year is Coming (August, 2007)
• Elul: Objects In The Mirror are Closer Than They Appear (August, 2007)
• Unrolling the Scroll (August, 2007)
• Yartzheit of the Chacham Ephraim (August, 2007)
• Sabbatarians in WWII (August, 2007)
• It’s Elul, Shofar Up! (August, 2007)
• Elul One (August, 2007)
• Insights from the "Lost" Epistles (August, 2007)
• Archaeology Part 1: The Tomb of John the Baptist (August, 2007)
• The Ten Commandments and Frankie Lee (August, 2007)
• The Last Transylvanian Sabbatarian (August, 2007)
• Got Hebrew Skills? (August, 2007)
• Show-me, I’m from Missouri (August, 2007)
• Minneapolis Bridge: Baruch Dayan HaEmet (August, 2007)
• Our Opponents Say… (August, 2007)
• Excuse Me Superman, are you Jewish? (August, 2007)
• New Torah Club Name Announcement! (August, 2007)
• The Apostle Paul in Rabbinic Literature? (July, 2007)
• DaVinci and the Jewish Code (July, 2007)
• What Would the Torah Say about Michael Vick? (July, 2007)
• OPPONENTS TO THE GOSPEL SAY… (July, 2007)
• Sparing a Maysit (July, 2007)
• Seven Consolations (July, 2007)
• New Dead Sea Scrolls (July, 2007)
• Reflections on My Fast (July, 2007)
• The Breath of our Nostrils (July, 2007)
• The Ninth of Av Part 3 (July, 2007)
• The Ninth of Av Part 2 (July, 2007)
• Tzom Kol - Easy Fast! (July, 2007)
• The Ninth of Av Part 1 (July, 2007)
• Hoppsy Havdallah (July, 2007)
• Warriors at Qumran (July, 2007)
• No-Name Torah Club Volume One (July, 2007)
• Seven Wonders of Biblical Archeology (July, 2007)
• The Execution Stake in Texas (July, 2007)
• Ezra’s Restoration, Our Restoration (July, 2007)
• Rosh Chodesh Av: Remembering Aaron and Feivel (July, 2007)
• The Nine Days (July, 2007)
• The Alhambra Decree (July, 2007)
• Peter’s Early Mincha (July, 2007)
• Top 10 Things People Say On Their First Visit To A Messianic Congregation (July, 2007)
• Who In The World Is Sar-sekim? (July, 2007)
• Knock-out punch magazine issue! (July, 2007)
• Hechsher Tzedek - Is it Kosher? (July, 2007)
• Destruction in Jerusalem: The Spirit vs. the Letter (July, 2007)
• Shabbat and Mourning (July, 2007)
• Eikah! An Introduction (July, 2007)
• Between the Straits (July, 2007)
• The Trouble with “To Whom” (July, 2007)
• Thank You Etz Chaim (July, 2007)
• Non-Kosher Cow (July, 2007)
• Hermeneutics of a Stop Sign (Messianic) (July, 2007)
• Ahavat Yeshua (July, 2007)
• Lost Teachings of the Master (June, 2007)
• On the Road Again… (June, 2007)
• A Vanished World (June, 2007)
• Fast of Tammuz (June, 2007)
• A Lithuanian Torah Scroll (June, 2007)
• Baseball in the Land (June, 2007)
• Renouncing Yeshua (June, 2007)
• Ezekiel's Merkavah Vision (Part 2) (June, 2007)
• Ezekiel's Merkavah Vision (Part 1) (June, 2007)
• Out on a Limb (June, 2007)
• Who Is My Neighbor: A Different Rabbinic Perspective (June, 2007)
• A History of Terrorism (June, 2007)
• Tumult and Commotion at FFOZ (June, 2007)
• Shavuot in Hudson: Are You In? (June, 2007)
• HaYesod Trip to Israel (May, 2007)
• The Mourning of the Omer (May, 2007)
• HaYesod in the Land (April, 2007)
• Passover and the Death of James the Just (March, 2007)
• Fortifying Walls: A Trip to Florida (March, 2007)
• A Trip to the Frozen Tundra (March, 2007)
• Yeshua’s Tomb Discovered! (March, 2007)
• Be Happy! It’s Adar! (February, 2007)
• Torah in the Pacific Northwest (February, 2007)
• The Rise and Fall of Kingdoms (February, 2007)
• Bob Dylan: A Messianic Jew (February, 2007)
• New White Papers (January, 2007)
• That Which Defiles the Entire Body (January, 2007)
• Exod'US (January, 2007)
• Asarah B'Tevet (10th of Tevet) (December, 2006)
• Round Yon Virgin: Reflections on the Virgin Birth (December, 2006)
• The Torah Underground (July, 2005)
• Israel Study Tour, 2005 (May, 2005)