The articles in this volume Israel Knohl : The Linking of Holiness Concepts and the broadening of the Borders of Holiness in the Editorial Layer of the Pentateuch. Alexander Rofé : Divorce in the Hebrew Bible and the Meaning of Sefer Keritut. Ishay Rosen-Zvi : A Protocol of the Yavnean Academy? Rereading Tosefta Sanhedrin. Shlomo Toledano : The Talmudic Methodology of Rabbi Bezalel Ashkenazi. Judith Weiss: The Two Zoharic Versions of the Legend of The Tanna and the Deadman. Iris Brown (Hoizman) : ‘The Violation of the Torah is Its True Fulfillment’;Ultra-Orthodox Ruling against the Halakhah for The Emendation of the Sinners – R. Hayim of Sanz as a Case Study.

Table of Contents: Alexander Rofé - Text-Criticism within the Philological-Historical Discipline: The Problem of the Double Text of Jeremiah Jonathan Ben-Dov - Hebrew and Aramaic Writing in the Pseudepigrapha and the Qumran Scrolls: The Ancient Near Eastern Background and the Quest for a Written Authority Itamar Kislev - The Commentaries of Ibn Ezra and Rashbam and the Dispute over the Ingredients of the Altar Incense Yair Lorberbaum - Changes in Maimonides’ Approach to Aggadah Rami Reiner - ‘A Tombstone Inscribed’: Titles Used to Describe the Deceased in Tombstones from Würzburg between 1147–1148 and 1346

Tarbiz is the only Hebrew academic journal that is devoted to the entire range of Jewish studies. Appearing quarterly, this journal is the principal forum for the expression of the most important developments in Jewish studies in our generation, and its contributors include the leading scholars in the various fields of Jewish studies in Israel and the world, as well as young scholars who are beginning to make their mark. Tarbiz was first published in 1930 at the Institute of Jewish Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, under the editorial pen of Prof. Jacob Nachum Epstein z"l.

Tarbiz is the only Hebrew academic journal that is devoted to the entire range of Jewish studies. Appearing quarterly, this journal is the principal forum for the expression of the most important developments in Jewish studies in our generation, and its contributors include the leading scholars in the various fields of Jewish studies in Israel and the world, as well as young scholars who are beginning to make their mark. Tarbiz was first published in 1930 at the Institute of Jewish Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, under the editorial pen of Prof. Jacob Nachum Epstein z"l.

This book examines the place of the Temple and its rituals in early Rabbinic (Tannaitic) discourse, through a specific case study: the reconstruction of the ritual of the suspected adulteress (Num 5:11-32) in Mishna Sotah. Numbers chapter five describes a ritual performed to test suspicions raised by a husband regarding his wife’s sexual fidelity. The jealous husband is required to bring his wife to the priest in the Temple, where she is subjected to an ordeal of a character unparalleled in Biblical law. The Mishnaic ritual differs significantly from the Biblical one, both in detail and overall character. The private priestly ritual becomes, in the Mishna, a grand public event (in which the Mishna invites “whoever wants to stare at her” to come and stare) directed by the Rabbis themselves. A new demand for objective evidence, to comply with standard Talmudic rules of evidence, is introduced. A number of procedures have been added at the beginning and during the course of the ritual. Even the conclusion of the ritual, the actual result of the test, has been radically altered. Why were these measures added to the Sotah ritual? Where were they taken from? How do they function in the context of Mishna Sotah as a whole? How do they relate to the Biblical ritual, on the one hand, and to the reality of the temple on the other? And, finally, what led the Rabbis to reinvent a ritual already described at length in the Bible? Through specific textual engagement with these questions the book suggests a new look at the Tannaitic discourse and the place of the temple in it.

Biblical Beliefs reveals and describes the many faces and range of faiths and beliefs in biblical thought. Biblical Beliefs disagrees with the view of Yechezkel Kaufman in his monumental work "The History of Israeli Faith".

Essays in this volume include: Mordechai Cogan – Some Text-Critical issues in the Hebrew Bible from an Assyriological Perspective Gary N Knoppers – Projected Age Comparisons of the Levitical Townlists: Divergent Theories and their significance Michael Avioz – The Date of the Destruction of the First Temple in Ancient Versions and Early Biblical Interpretation Moshe J Bernstein –"Rewritten Bible": A Generic Category which has outlived its usefulness?

The focus of the book is the discussion of the concept of divinity and worship that is reflected in the priestly philosophy and law, and changes found in this concept. It signs off by displaying the changes that occurred in the world of priesthood as an attempt to cope with the socio-religious crisis which led to the disconnect between morality and worship. The book examines the relationship between activity of the priests to the vision of the classical prophets, led by Isaiah Ben- amotz . In this book Knohl proposes that the Priestly Source (P) dates from a much earlier period than it is usually dated to, and consequently that the Holiness Code (H) represents an addition to the law code of P, rather than the standard interpretation which is the reverse. Knohl suggests that H might have been inserted into P in order for the Temple priesthood to respond to the growing Prophetic movements.

An introduction book to prophetic literature concentrates on the essence of prophecy as a phenomenon in the history of religion, in the history of prophecy in Israel and the different kinds of prophets in Israel.

This introduction is meant to accompany the reader in the scientific study of the book of Deuteronomy. It is meant for researchers, teachers, and students of Biblical texts in the advanced stages of first degree studies. The language is clear, not professional and the book explains basic issues so that any educated Hebrew speaker can read it. The book deals with ritual laws, legal matters and with speech and narrative elements.

In this volume the author attempts to describe the whole prophetical narrative in the Hebrew Bible, delimiting the extent of the single stories and establishing the date of their composition, their ideas, and message.The discussion centers on the problem of the literary genres, whether the stories are history, legend, parable or any other genre.The artistic value of some of these biblical masterpieces is highlighted. The conclusions bear upon the value of the prophetical stories as sources for the political and religious history of ancient Israel This third edition has been extensively revised and augmented. The second edition, published in 1986, was translated into English, Italian and Russian.