In 538, Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered Babylon, incidentally ending the Babylonian Exile. He died in 530, and was succeeded by Cambyses II. Cambyses died in 522, and was succeeded by his brother, Bardiya, for a few months. Darius the Great then became emperor after a coup the same year. Haggai’s prophecies occurred in … More Haggai

A popular objection to Judaism and to Torah, in general, is that there are too many rules, that the standard for being righteous is set so high that it is unachievable. Generally speaking, this argument originates with Christian reasoning for the necessity of a “new” covenant, although I’ve seen similar arguments made by some Jewish … More You Can’t Follow All of the Rules!

One of the more fascinating quirks of biblical phrasing is the tendency of the authors of the TaNaKh, to say nothing of its translators, to use intimate, emotional language to describe political decisions and actions, and to portray the following of tradition such that it can be attributed to chance.  The stories of David ha … More The Hidden Story of Bathsheba

I frequently interact with people who are new to Judaism and Karaism, and it often happens that they ask me for book recommendations.  The following are the books I recommend about Karaism in the order I would suggest reading them. As It Is Written. This is a slim volume containing a very basic introduction to … More A Reading List