It was on this day in the year 19 B.C. that a dedication ceremony was held to initiate the expansion of the Temple under the auspices of Herod the Great. The historian Josephus recorded that: “In the fifteenth year of his reign, Herod rebuilt the Temple, and encompassed a piece of land about it with […]
It was on this day in the year 1488 that the first printed edition of the Tanach, that is the Torah, the Prophets and the different Hebrew writings, was printed in Soncino, Italy. This occurred in a time when other key events were taking place or were about to take place. This is just four […]
It was on this day in the year 1349 that Jews of Freiburg, Germany were massacred due to the Black Death riots that were sweeping across Europe. During the plague, thousands of Europeans died, with the glaring exception of Jewish populations. Thus, it was believed that the Jews, somehow, someway, were responsible for the plague […]
Today is the traditional date that witnessed the first controversy between the rival schools of Shammai and Hillel. These two Jewish schools of thought emerged in the first century A.D., a time that was characterized by great schism in Judaism. This was the time when the Saduccees, a very unpopular group but who nevertheless led […]
It was on this day, in the year 1969, that one-time Prime Minister of Israel, Levi Eshkol, passed away. Eshkol was actually the third Prime Minister of the Israeli State serving in that capacity from June 1963 until his death in February 1969. Eshkol was leading the nation during the historic and prophetically significant Six-Day […]
Tradition teaches that, on this day, many key events transpired, all of which centered around the culmination of Moses’ life and ministry. Tradition believes that on this day Moses was born in Egypt and, on this day years later, Moses died on Mt. Nebo. Before expiring, however, Moses would give his farewell benediction to the […]
According to Jewish tradition, it was on this day that Moses completed his review of the Torah for the people of Israel and was informed of his impending death. It’s recorded in Deuteronomy 31:9, 14: “So Moses wrote this law and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of […]
There’s an old song that says fame and fortune is just a passing thing. The song’s writer conveys the message that riches and being well recognized are not nearly as important as family, relationships and love because these are things that are eternal. Most people, whether they’re believers or not, would likely agree with that […]
It was on this day in the year 68 A.D. that the Roman commander, and soon to be Emperor Vespasian, occupied the city of Gedara on his march though the Galilee. This is recorded by the historian Flavius Josephus who said: “Vespasian marched to the city of Gadara, and took it upon the first onset, […]
It was on this day in the year 553 A.D. that Emperor Justinian of the Byzantine Empire issued an order that provided for the public reading of the Greek translation of the biblical portion, or the Torah portion, that was being read in Jewish synagogues each Sabbath. This decision acknowledged the benefit of everyone that […]
Jewish tradition believes that it was on this day that the the ninth plague, the plague of darkness, descended upon Egypt. It’s recorded in Exodus 10:21-23. “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt.’ So […]
It was on this day in the year 41 A.D. that a decree by Caius Caligula allowed graven images to be placed in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. This decree was eventually nullified by his assassination. So in ancient Judea, this day was celebrated as a holiday – not necessarily because of Caligula’s death but […]
