The Tribes Go Marching
In the Exodus story we have 13 tribes, each named for a son or grandson of Jacob. Thirteen? No, no,…
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Turning Back: From Etham to Pi-Hahiroth
The Exodus begins with a brisk walk to Succoth, followed by a supernaturally fast day-and-night journey to Etham. It’s there…
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I Call to You: Jonah’s Prayer
In my search for prayers and songs original to Tanakh, but earlier than The Song of the Sea, my Rabbi…
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God Language
In Judaism, God has many names. Some are quite ancient, others not so much. And many stem from the fact…
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From Succoth to Etham
After the Hebrews leave the Delta area of Egypt where they lived for many generations, they travel to Succoth. Their…
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Domesticated Animals of the Exodus
The Hebrews had cattle, sheep, goats, donkeys, dogs, and birds of various kinds. Whether they graze on grass, shrub, or…
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Exodus Travelers: How Many Were There?
As a followup to Imagine Yourself in a Crowd, let’s explore the numbers of people (etc) involved in the Exodus….
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The Road to Succoth
The Exodus begins on Nissan 15. They make it to Mount Sinai on Sivan 1, 44 days later. After the…
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Finding North in the Ancient World
Question: Would a modern-day teen, trained in using the north star for directions when camping/hiking, notice a difference in how…
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An Exodus Calendar
What day of the week was the first Passover?How long did the matzoh last in the desert?When did we first…
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Phoebe’s Hair
One of my viewpoint characters is Phoebe, a 12 year girl from 1995 Arizona with a black mom and a…
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Imagine Yourself in a Crowd
One of the pitfalls of writing a book about large numbers of people, is you have to deal with the…
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Egyptian Wheat Porridge
My Hebrew characters in Egypt have porridge for breakfast every day. Why? Because it feels like the right sort of…
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How much bread did an Egyptian slave eat?
And how much flour did it take to make it? Bread is the staple food of the Ancient Egyptians and…
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Rachamana D’Aney
During the High Holy Days season, my synagogue—and many synagogues around the world—sing Rachamana D’Aney, a heart-wrenching plea to the…
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The Kindertransport
As Nazi Germany increased its power and scapegoated Jews and others it deemed “undesirable,” many sought to leave Germany (and…
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Native Peoples of Yavapai County
Among my child characters from Barberry Lake, Arizona, are 3 siblings. Zachery James, age 10, and his twin sisters, Helena…
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The Story of Barberry Lake
Barberry Lake, Arizona is a small fictional town with not quite 20,000 people, in the mountains of Central Arizona, in…
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The Lake of Barberry Lake
About a mile outside of the center of town is the lake the town is named for. It has a…
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