The Valley of the Dry Bones and the Advent of the Redemption, Part 4

(Part 3) Makkoth 24a-b: Once again they were coming up to Jerusalem together, and just as they came to Mount Scopus they saw a fox emerging from the [the ruins of the] Holy of Holies. They started to cry, and Rabbi Akiva seemed merry. Wherefore, said they to him, “are you merry?” Said he: “Wherefore … Continue reading →

The Valley of the Dry Bones and the Advent of the Redemption, Part 3

The following is from an article by Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, a great-nephew of Rabbi Joseph Soloveichik: … The redemption cannot take place without repentance; the messiah will not come unless we are deserving of his arrival. Maimonides, the most influential of medieval Jewish philosophers, interprets the passage in its most literal sense, asserting in his … Continue reading →

The Valley of the Dry Bones and the Advent of the Redemption, Part 2

(Part 1) Two years ago, I was asked to translate the Hebrew textbook Emuna Ug’ula, “Faith and Redemption”, for the native-English-speaking community of high school students in Israel. The book was part of the Jewish philosophy curriculum required of students taking their matriculation exams. I highly recommend the book even for those who are not … Continue reading →

The Valley of the Dry Bones and the Advent of the Redemption, Part 1

The haftara of the intermediate Sabbath of the Passover festival is taken from Ezekiel 37, the classic vision of the Valley of the Dry Bones: The hand of the LORD was upon me, and the LORD carried me out in a spirit, and set me down in the midst of the valley, and it was … Continue reading →