The Hidden Orchard Podcast

The Hebrew word for faith is Emunah, but it is more than religious optimism. Emunah helps us understand trials and challenged, and even the paradox that trials may be the best way to develop this skill.     For more information, visit: https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/developing-our-emunah-in-the-field  

The Ana Bekoach (אָנָּא בְּכֹחַ) is a prayer of seven lines and forty-two words, typically sung on Friday evening as Shabbat arrives. Tradition holds that its first letters conceal a forty-two-letter name of G_D. It is attributed to Rabbi Nechunya ben HaKanah (1st century); the text as we have it first appears in medieval sources.   Lyrics (Transliterated):   אָנָּא בְּכֹחַ גְּדֻלַּת יְמִינְךָ תַּ...

Was Jesus a Pacifist? Understanding Jewish law helps uncover missing context behind his famous teaching about 'turning the other cheek." We explore why this teaching assumes a Torah community, and what happens when it is applied outside of one.   For more information: https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/turning-the-cheek-jesuss-teaching-on-pacifism    

David sits alone in a field at night. The sheep are resting, the stars are out, and he sings to G_D with nothing but his voice and a lyre. This is Psalm 8, מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד, a psalm of David, sung in Biblical Hebrew. 

In the Midrash, Isaac is called "the lamb"; he carries his own cross, and serves as an atonement for Israel. Explore the root of many themes that find their parallel in the Apostolic writings, and how these impact the Apostolic message.   For more information, visit: The Binding of Isaac: https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/isaac-the-lamb-and-the-cross-the-akeidah-behind-the-gospels/   The Crucifixio...

Are the Noahide laws an arbitrary list of rules made up by Rabbis, or are they Biblical instructions for the world to follow? In this article, we explore them one by one from the text.   Learn More: Noahide Laws https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/what-are-the-noahide-laws Acts 15 - Jerusalem Council https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/the-roots-of-gentile-inclusion-noahide-laws-and-the-jerusalem-counci...

The tradition of "Original Sin" presumes that all of humanity is born into moral guilt through the sin of Adam. Thus, all humans are doomed to eternal damnation from birth, unless they are "saved" before they take their final breath. But is this an accurate reading of the Biblical texts?   For more information, visit: Original Sin: https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/original-sin Eternal Punishment:...

Hidden in the Book of Genesis is a hint about the creation of humankind and our purpose on Earth. But you need to look at the Hebrew, as you won't find it in the English, Greek, or Latin.   For more information and visuals: https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/a-hidden-message-in-genesis-2-the-formation-of-humankind  

Many modern Bible readers approach the opening text of Genesis with a bias towards a Young Earth or Old Earth. Which side is right? Leveraging the work of Dr. Gerald Schroeder, we find a novel, yet science-based, approach to understanding the age of the universe.   For more info: https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/old-earth-young-earth-or-both

Jewish tradition recognizes three categories of people in the world, the Tzadik, the Rasha, and the Beinoni. From various sources, we unpack what it means to be an inbetweener and how we get the wrong idea about spiritual growth.     For Citations, visit: https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/three-types-of-people-the-tzadik-the-rasha-and-the-inbetweener/  

A close reading of the Book of Job provides an overlooked connection between the nations, judgment, the Noahide laws, and the fall holidays of the Bible.   Learn More: https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/the-nations-on-trial-rosh-hashanah-and-the-divine-council  

Paul's famous "submit to governing authorities" may not have been about Rome. Reading Romans 13 in its synagogue setting reveals a different take on who the "rulers" were and what Paul may have meant.   https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/rereading-romans-13-did-paul-say-to-obey-the-government/

Truly understanding the Bible means closing knowledge gaps most readers don't know exist. Going deeper isn't about acquiring more information; it's more like a complete change of operating system. Four shifts in thinking will help one begin the journey from Athens to Jerusalem.   For more information, visit: https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/athens-to-jerusalem-four-shifts-for-learning-the-bible/  ...

What if the world beneath us is not empty? Jewish tradition describes seven inhabited earths, a portal in Hebron, and the inner Earth palace where Messiah waits.   For more info, visit: https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/the-seven-earths-inner-earth-in-torah-midrash-and-zohar/  

She’ol, Hades & Gehenna: Mapping the Biblical Underworld. What is She'ol? Korach's descent into the earth opens a study of the Jewish concept of the underworld, its gates, chambers, and appearances of this tradition in the New Testament. https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/sheol-hades-gehenna-mapping-the-biblical-underworld/  

Learn how the Cursing of the Fig Tree, though taught as a pillar of Replacement Theology, might actually be a Midrash on two well-known prophetic passages. Subscribe for more like this.

Was Rabbinic Judaism a corruption of Biblical faith, or the reason Judaism survived? Explore the Pharisees, the destruction of the Temple, and the historical roots of Rabbinic tradition, and why many have gotten this wrong. For more on this topic, visit our Second Temple Judaism Category: https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/tag/second-temple-judaism/  

The outcome of the Jerusalem Council wasn't simply a welcome letter to the Gentiles; it was a framework for ongoing growth. And without the venue, the synagogue, the letter's guidance falls apart. For notes and more information, visit: https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/moses-is-preached-in-every-city-the-missing-key-to-the-jerusalem-decree/  

A strange encounter between a Rabbi and the daughter of the Roman emperor opens the door to a deeper mystery about humility, the soul, hidden wisdom, and the meaning behind Jesus’s teaching about “new wine.”   For more, visit: https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/the-mystery-of-wine-wisdom-emptying-our-vessel/  

One of the most direct critiques of Replacement Theology came from Jesus himself. And while commentators have spent centuries softening his words, Jesus's statement, "Salvation is from the Jews," makes a strong endorsement for the Oral Torah. For more, visit: https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/proofs-of-oral-torah-salvation-is-from-the-jews/

Thomas's refusal to believe in the resurrection without seeing Jesus's wounds is typically read as a failure of faith. But against the backdrop of rabbinic tradition, the Gospel of John affirms details of the Pharisaic tradition of the Resurrection of the Dead.   Visit: https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/was-thomas-a-doubter-the-pharisees-tradition-and-the-resurrection/  

As life draws to a close, the boundary between worlds begins to thin, and loved ones who have passed may come to guide the soul home. Ancient accounts from the Rabbinic literature seem to reflect modern end-of-life research, affirming the belief that no soul makes the journey alone. For more information, visit: https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/  

The story of Esther is about the hidden hand of Hashem. But hidden doesn't mean absent. Drawing on Esther Rabbah and other Midrashim, we explore how Divine providence operates through angels, accidents, and unseen nudges.   Visit: https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/angels-behind-the-scenes-hidden-miracles-in-esther/  

Drawing on the Mussar trait of Perishut (Abstinence), we explore the discipline of abstaining even from the permitted as a path to clarity, freedom, and holiness.   For more information, visit: https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/perishus-absintacence/  

Though traditionally perceived as a break from Jewish tradition, Jesus’s arguments with certain Pharisees were well within Rabbinic legal norms. This article explores the Jewish legal and practical frameworks behind Gospel debates and how misunderstandings have shaped centuries of Christian reading.