ANCIENT HEBREW

By Tsivya Fox November 20, 2016 , 8:30 am
“Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said: ‘Because the LORD hath looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me.’” Genesis 29:32 (The Israel Bible™)

image: https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/abraham.jpg
Abraham journeying to the land of Israel with his sons, Isaac and Ishmael. (József Molnár, 1850/Wikimedia Commons)
Many people have either a Biblical Hebrew name or a name which connects to the Bible. In Jewish tradition, one’s name contains a spiritual dimension. Naming a child is not just a random happening that parents impose upon their children. The Bible is actually replete with stories which reflect the importance of a name.

“There are generally three ways in which a Hebrew name expresses something important about a person,” explained Roni Segal, academic adviser for eTeacher, an online language academy specializing in Biblical Hebrew, to Breaking Israel News. “Sometimes the name represents the essence of a person. Sometimes it reflects an aspect from the birth the child and sometime it shows the purpose of the person in this world.”

The essence of the first man is reflected in his name. Called Adam, we know that he was created from the earth – adama (אדמה) in Hebrew.

Biblical Father Jacob’s name is Yaakov in Hebrew. This name is used to record the unusual circumstances of his birth. Jacob emerged from his mother’s womb holding the heel of his twin brother, Esau.

Heel in Hebrew is akev (עָקֵב) the same root as Yaakov. Already from the womb, Jacob was on the heels of Esau, chasing the rights of the first-born child. The Bible records that Esau received his name because he emerged hairy, as if he were “completely made”. In Hebrew, asah means to “make” (עשה).

Similarly, although Biblical commentators state that Moses – Moshe (משה) in Hebrew – had no less than ten names, he is generally referred to only by his Egyptian name, Moshe. Exodus 2:10 explains that Pharaoh’s daughter saw a child in a basket floating down the Nile River. She drew him out and became his step-mother, a dangerous act as it was decreed that all Jewish males be killed. She named him Moshe, which literally means “to draw out”. This is the name used throughout the Bible to give honor to this act of great self-sacrifice.

There are several times in the Bible when God changes a person’s name to better reflect their purpose in this world. For instance, Abraham’s original name was Abram

(אַבְרָם֙). Abram means “high father.” By changing his name to Abraham (אַבְרָהָם), his future mission is reflected; Abraham means the “father of multitudes”. He becomes the father to all who believe in one God.

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God also changed the name of Abraham’s wife. In order for Abraham to fulfill his mission, he needed his wife by his side in a similarly lofty spiritual level. Therefore, God changed her name from Sarai (שָׂרי), which means “princess”, to Sarah (שָׂרה) meaning the “mother of nations”. Together they become the parents of innumerable disciples.

Lastly, we have Biblical צother Leah naming her children to represent her feelings and desires at the time of their births. We know that Jacob’s first choice for a wife was Leah’s sister Rachel. But Leah’s father tricked him into marrying her first. In order to provide Leah with appeasement for being the second-choice wife, God opened Leah’s womb and she merited to give birth to four sons.

Each of their names tells of Leah’s emotional state at the time. Her first son, Reuven

(רְאוּבֵן) is named from the Hebrew word ra’a (רָאָה) to which means “see”. The Bible states, “God saw my pain at being the less-desired wife and my husband will see that I deserve to be married to him.”

Leah’s second son is Shimon (שִׁמְעוֹן). Shimon comes from the Hebrew word shema

(שָׁמַע) which means “hear”. Leah expresses that God heard her cries and blessed her with a second son.

Levy (לֵוִי) is related to the Hebrew word for attach, y’lavey (יִלָּוֶה). Jacob named him Levy to express that he will be more attached to Leah through this child.

Most telling is the fourth son’s name, Yehuda (יְהוּדָה). Yehuda comes from the Hebrew word for praise, oh-deh (אוֹדֶה). With this birth, Leah publicly praises God for giving her a great portion in the creation of the tribes of the Jewish people. Additionally, it also represents her essence. She is known for praising God both in challenging and good times.

“By reading the Bible in the language it was written, Hebrew, we understand much deeper God’s messages for His children and all of mankind,” shared Segal.
Find out more about Biblical Hebrew by clicking here.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/78843/hebrew-reveals-deep-hidden-meanings-biblical-names/#BtG1X744tDVLHWqW.99


Mysterious Roman Gate Found in Seat of Ancient Sanhedrin
By Tazpit Press Service February 16, 2017 , 10:30 am
“For he said unto Yehudah: ‘Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars; the land is yet before us, because we have sought Hashem our God; we have sought Him, and He hath given us rest on every side.’ So they built and prospered.” II Chronicles 14:7 (The Israel Bible™)

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The Beit Shearim dig. (TPS)
A Haifa University archaeological dig at Beit Shearim (“House of Gates” in Hebrew) has uncovered a Roman wall and gate that has caused researchers to reconsider previously held notions regarding second and third century CE Jewish life in Judea.

Beit Shearim, located near present day Qiryat Tivon, where the foothills of the Lower Galilee begin to rise up above the Jezreel and Zvulun Vallies, was the seat of the Sanhedrin in the second century CE, and where its illustrious head, Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi, lived and held court.

The find has researchers intrigued, especially the name “The Gates” inscribed above the gate. “Until now we have never discovered any evidence of a relatively small settlement of this type being surrounded by a wall during this period”, said Dr. Adi Erlich-Zinman, who is heading the excavation.

“However we are also reasonably sure that the inscription does not refer to the gate, since there is no evidence of any Roman wall in the region having the words ‘the gate’ written above the gate…This means we have to rethink things.”

The finds at the site include the threshold of a large gate with a tower built of large dressed stones.

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Beit Shearim, in the Lower Galilee, was a Jewish settlement in the Roman period that culminated in second and third centuries CE. Despite the fact that it was the Seat of the Sanhedrin, it was a relatively small settlement, reflecting the condition of the Jewish community in the Land of Israel in that period, shortly after the defeat of the disastrous Bar Kochba rebellion.

“Small communities in general, and Jewish ones in particular, were not surrounded by a wall during this period…Until this find, no evidence of such a small settlement being surrounded by a wall has ever been uncovered in Israel.

“Even much larger Jewish towns like Jotapata (Yodfat), which had walls, did not have the kind of ornate gate we see here,” said Dr. Erlich.

According to Dr. Erlich, one of the more likely explanations was that Beit Shearim served not just as the Seat of the Sanhedrin, but as the Seat of the area’s tax collector. This means the town despite its small size had what we would call today a high socio-economic ranking, attracting both wealthy Roman and Jewish residents. This would explain why it was fortified.

The number of other large public buildings discovered at the site give credence to the theory that the town served as the regional tax collection base during the reign of Queen Berenice.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/83723/archeological-dig-uncovers-mysterious-roman-wall/#MO8FHPV44MRARr90.99


https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/81129/a-hebrew-discovery-that-will-shake-bible-critics-to-the-core/#6hk3DtyvHX2XfXRe.97
This Ancient Hebrew Discovery is About to Rewrite History as We Know it
By Tsivya Fox December 30, 2016 , 8:00 am
“And Pharaoh called Yosef’s name Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Poti-phera priest of On. And Yosef went out over the land of Egypt.” Genesis 41:45 (The Israel Bible™)

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Murals of Egyptian soldiers accompanied by ancient hieroglyphics. (Aleksandr Denisyuk/Shutterstock)
After years of intense study, Dr. Douglas Petrovich has gathered sufficient evidence to claim that the ancient Israelites took Egyptian hieroglyphics and transformed it into a writing system of 22 alphabetic letters which correspond to the widely recognized Hebrew alphabet used today.

Archaeologist, epigrapher and professor of ancient Egyptian studies at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Canada, Dr. Petrovich used Hebrew and the Bible to translate inscriptions found on 18 ancient stone slabs. His findings have truly rocked Bible critics to the core.

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Dr. Douglas Petrovich (Photo: Twitter)
“Judaism has always believed that ‘God looked into the Hebrew Bible and created the world’ making Hebrew the oldest known language,” noted Roni Segal, academic adviser for The Israel Institute of Biblical Studies, an online language academy specializing in Biblical Hebrew, to Breaking Israel News. “However, to find an archaeologist making a similar claim is fascinating.”

It is generally accepted that hieroglyphics are one of the oldest forms of written communication. Following Petrovich’s study of the inscribed Egyptian stone slabs, he asserted that the writings are actually an early form of Hebrew. He believes that the stones recall the Bible’s descriptions about the Israelites living in Egypt and concludes that they transformed Egyptian hieroglyphics into Hebrew more than 3,800 years ago.

Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt with Yaakov; every man came with his household: Reuven, Shimon, Levi, and Yehudah; Yissachar, Zevulun, and Binyamin; Dan and Naftali, Gad and Asher. And all the souls that came out of the loins of Yaakov were seventy souls; and Yosef was in Egypt already. And Yosef died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.” (Exodus 1:1-6)

Petrovich’s theory is that the Israelites sought to communicate in writing with other Israelites in Egypt. They therefore simplified Pharaoh’s complex hieroglyphic writing system into a 22 letter alphabet.

“There is a connection between ancient Egyptian texts and preserved alphabets,” Petrovich stated recently while promoting his forthcoming book on the subject. “I absolutely was surprised to find [a reference to] Moses, because he resided in Egypt for less than a year at the time of his provoking of astonishment there.”

Petrovich’s big discovery came in January 2012 while conducting research at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. He deciphered the word “Hebrews” in a text from 1874 BCE, which is the earliest known alphabet to date. The Bible notes that the Israelites spent 434 years in Egypt, from 1876 BCE to 1442 BCE.

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Petrovich explains that only an early version of Hebrew, which he calls “Hebrew 1.0”, works at translating the Egyptian inscriptions. “There were many ‘A-ha!’ moments along the way, because I was stumbling across Biblical figures never attested before in the epigraphical record, or seeing connections that I had not understood before,” he divulged.

While Bible critics claim that the dates the Israelites’ resided in Egypt are unreliable, Petrovich is proud to use the Bible as his source for proving his translations. He also found the Biblical figure Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his half-brothers and became the most powerful leader of Egypt after Pharaoh, as well as Joseph’s wife Asenath and their sons Manasseh and Ephraim.

Additionally, Bible-esque statements have also been deciphered. The statement, “Wine is more abundant than the daylight, than the baker, than a nobleman,” was found inscribed on a slab dating back to 1834 BCE. This most likely refers to a time when drink was plentiful but food was scarce. The Bible notes that the Israelites, including Joseph and his family, moved to Egypt because of a famine in the Holy Land.

Another sentence reads, “The one having been elevated is weary to forget,” which reflects on the Biblical verse:

And unto Yosef were born two sons before the year of famine came, whom Asenath the daughter of Poti-phera priest of On bore unto him. And Yosef called the name of the first-born Manasseh: ‘for God hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house.’ (Genesis 41:50-51)

Hebrew, as the world’s oldest alphabet, was first claimed in the 1920’s by German scholar Hubert Grimme. “Although Grimme identified some of the Egyptian inscriptions as Hebrew, he was unable to identify all of the alphabet correctly,” explained Segal. “Petrovich’s translation along with his connecting the texts to the Bible are a very exciting discovery.”

Using Hebrew 1.0, Petrovich translated inscriptions from four different sites in Egypt and the Sinai. “My discoveries are so controversial because if correct, they will rewrite the history books and undermine much of the assumptions and misconceptions about the ancient Hebrew people and the Bible that have become commonly accepted in the scholarly world and taught as factual in the world’s leading universities,” he said. “Truth is un–killable, so if I am correct, my findings will outlast scholarly scrutiny. I have no doubt whatsoever that Hebrew is the world’s oldest alphabet.”
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/81129/a-hebrew-discovery-that-will-shake-bible-critics-to-the-core/#Xdd6WupqE1hBRgmv.99

On the Heels of Hanukkah: The Biblical Significance of a Rare Underwater Find
By Tsivya Fox December 28, 2016 , 7:30 am
“In those days also saw I the Yehudim that had married women of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab; and their children spoke half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Yehudim’ language, but according to the language of each people.” Nehemiah 13:23-24 (The Israel Bible™)

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The Roman-era rectangular stone discovered underwater at the Tel Dor archaeology site, south of Haifa. (Jenny Carmel)
Last month, archaeologists in Israel retrieved from under the water a massive, inscribed slab of stone dating back to the second century CE. The stone was found at the Tel Dor archaeological site, an area located on Israel’s Mediterranean coast about 30 km south of Haifa.

The 85 cm, 600 kilogram (1300 pounds) stone is inscribed with seven lines of clearly visible Greek writing. Following its translation, it was discovered that the writings divulge the name of the Roman procurator, Gargilius Antiquus who ruled in Judea prior to the second century during the Bar-Kochba Revolt. Researchers are assuming that the slab is from the base of a statue from Roman times.

“This is only the second time that a reference to the name Judea was revealed in any inscription from the Roman period,” University of Haifa archaeologist Professor Assaf Yasur-Landau, who managed the excavation, and Dr. Gil Gambash, the head of the Maritime Civilizations Department, who helped decipher the inscription, said in a joint statement.

“This is a significant discovery, especially on the heels of the holiday of Hanukkah which commemorates the Israelites’ success over Greek rule in the Holy Land,” said Roni Segal, academic adviser for eTeacher, an online Hebrew language academy, to Breaking Israel News. “It is fascinating that the Talmud states that one may fulfill the Rabbinical dictate to read the weekly Torah portion by scrolls written only in Hebrew or Greek.”

Segal is referring to the fact that the Greeks conquered and lived in the Holy Land from around 330 BCE until the seventh century. The holiday of Hanukkah commemorates the miracles that occurred in 165 BCE. At that time, a weak Jewish army, led by the Maccabees, successfully defeated the much larger and stronger Syrian-Greek army who had invoked numerous prohibitions in order to destroy the Jews’ connection to God and His Bible.

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Additionally, the Greeks defiled the Holy Temple in Jerusalem by bringing idols into the sanctuary. Following the war, the Jews entered the Holy Temple and discovered one sealed flask of pure olive oil which was used to light the menorah in the Temple. Due to the small amount of oil it contained, the flask’s contents should have been enough to only last one night. God, however, brought about a miracle and caused the oil to burn for eight days, allowing enough time for more pure oil to be pressed and prepared for the menorah.

Another significant occurrence relating to the Greeks occurred in 246 BCE. The Greek-Egyptian emperor Ptolemy forced 72 Biblical sages to translate the Hebrew Torah into Greek. Locking them in separate rooms, each was ordered to produce a translation of the holy scroll.

“Hebrew is a complex language with many nuances,” continued Segal to Breaking Israel News. “Studying the Bible in its original language leads to a much deeper and clearer understanding of God’s word. Yet, God made a revealed miracle and all of these sages presented the exact same translation in Greek, known as the Septuagint or ‘of the seventy’, even altering the text 13 times to protect the sanctity of the Bible.”

As exciting as finding this Greek slab is, historically it also is a reminder of a tragic time in the Holy Land’s history. The Romans abolished the province of Judea and erased all traces of its name. Therefore, with the slab identifying Antiquus as the ruler of Judea in 131 CE, this is a particularly unique find.

“Yet, as Jews all over the world celebrate Hanukkah, we remember that the ancient Greeks are long gone and the Jewish people continue to live on,” Segal said with a smile. “And, Judea has been reestablished with the State of Israel and continues to thrive in a miraculous way.”
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80957/heels-of-hanukkah-biblical-significance-rare-underwater-find/#GEuYMCcHWv5wVd7f.99

https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/78843/hebrew-reveals-deep-hidden-meanings-biblical-names/#Thr8lqyLDQlsk2Ek.97
How Hebrew Reveals Deep Hidden Meanings of Biblical Names
By Tsivya Fox November 20, 2016 , 8:30 am
“Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said: ‘Because the LORD hath looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me.’” Genesis 29:32 (The Israel Bible™)

image: https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/abraham.jpg
Abraham journeying to the land of Israel with his sons, Isaac and Ishmael. (József Molnár, 1850/Wikimedia Commons)
Many people have either a Biblical Hebrew name or a name which connects to the Bible. In Jewish tradition, one’s name contains a spiritual dimension. Naming a child is not just a random happening that parents impose upon their children. The Bible is actually replete with stories which reflect the importance of a name.

“There are generally three ways in which a Hebrew name expresses something important about a person,” explained Roni Segal, academic adviser for eTeacher, an online language academy specializing in Biblical Hebrew, to Breaking Israel News. “Sometimes the name represents the essence of a person. Sometimes it reflects an aspect from the birth the child and sometime it shows the purpose of the person in this world.”

The essence of the first man is reflected in his name. Called Adam, we know that he was created from the earth – adama (אדמה) in Hebrew.

Biblical Father Jacob’s name is Yaakov in Hebrew. This name is used to record the unusual circumstances of his birth. Jacob emerged from his mother’s womb holding the heel of his twin brother, Esau.

Heel in Hebrew is akev (עָקֵב) the same root as Yaakov. Already from the womb, Jacob was on the heels of Esau, chasing the rights of the first-born child. The Bible records that Esau received his name because he emerged hairy, as if he were “completely made”. In Hebrew, asah means to “make” (עשה).

Similarly, although Biblical commentators state that Moses – Moshe (משה) in Hebrew – had no less than ten names, he is generally referred to only by his Egyptian name, Moshe. Exodus 2:10 explains that Pharaoh’s daughter saw a child in a basket floating down the Nile River. She drew him out and became his step-mother, a dangerous act as it was decreed that all Jewish males be killed. She named him Moshe, which literally means “to draw out”. This is the name used throughout the Bible to give honor to this act of great self-sacrifice.

There are several times in the Bible when God changes a person’s name to better reflect their purpose in this world. For instance, Abraham’s original name was Abram

(אַבְרָם֙). Abram means “high father.” By changing his name to Abraham (אַבְרָהָם), his future mission is reflected; Abraham means the “father of multitudes”. He becomes the father to all who believe in one God.

image: https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/wp-content/uploads/useful_banner_manager_banners/446-EN_BIB_Journey_600X150.jpg

God also changed the name of Abraham’s wife. In order for Abraham to fulfill his mission, he needed his wife by his side in a similarly lofty spiritual level. Therefore, God changed her name from Sarai (שָׂרי), which means “princess”, to Sarah (שָׂרה) meaning the “mother of nations”. Together they become the parents of innumerable disciples.

Lastly, we have Biblical צother Leah naming her children to represent her feelings and desires at the time of their births. We know that Jacob’s first choice for a wife was Leah’s sister Rachel. But Leah’s father tricked him into marrying her first. In order to provide Leah with appeasement for being the second-choice wife, God opened Leah’s womb and she merited to give birth to four sons.

Each of their names tells of Leah’s emotional state at the time. Her first son, Reuven

(רְאוּבֵן) is named from the Hebrew word ra’a (רָאָה) to which means “see”. The Bible states, “God saw my pain at being the less-desired wife and my husband will see that I deserve to be married to him.”

Leah’s second son is Shimon (שִׁמְעוֹן). Shimon comes from the Hebrew word shema

(שָׁמַע) which means “hear”. Leah expresses that God heard her cries and blessed her with a second son.

Levy (לֵוִי) is related to the Hebrew word for attach, y’lavey (יִלָּוֶה). Jacob named him Levy to express that he will be more attached to Leah through this child.

Most telling is the fourth son’s name, Yehuda (יְהוּדָה). Yehuda comes from the Hebrew word for praise, oh-deh (אוֹדֶה). With this birth, Leah publicly praises God for giving her a great portion in the creation of the tribes of the Jewish people. Additionally, it also represents her essence. She is known for praising God both in challenging and good times.

“By reading the Bible in the language it was written, Hebrew, we understand much deeper God’s messages for His children and all of mankind,” shared Segal.

Find out more about Biblical Hebrew by clicking here.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/78843/hebrew-reveals-deep-hidden-meanings-biblical-names/#BtG1X744tDVLHWqW.99