SPEAKING WITH SPIRITS was strictly forbidden by God. This might seem to be a quaint and antiquated notion, but the fact that we encounter the prohibition three times in our reading today indicates that this was a serious issue in ancient Canaan.

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THE SCAPEGOAT is a concept that originated at Mount Sinai. This week, we discuss God’s commandment to send a goat into the wilderness for Azazel, similar rites in northern Syria and southern Anatolia in the days of the patriarchs, and the role of Azazel (or Asael), one of the WatchersContinue Reading