Melech ben Ya'aqov

A Thorough Refutation of the Rabbinical Idea that Yom HaTeruah is Rosh HaShana.  On the first day of the seventh biblical month, the Torah commands us to celebrate Yom HaTeruah, as it says in Leviticus 23:24, "Speak to the children of Israel and say, In the seventh month on the first of the month shall be for you a day of rest, a remembrance through noise-making (zikaron teruah), a holy convocation." This commandment is reiterated in Numbers 29:1.  read article »

Melech ben Ya'aqov

9 January 2005

Hanukah: What Exactly are We Celebrating Here Anyway?  Hanukah is a holiday the very reason for whose existence is to commemorate the struggle and ultimate victory of Torah over pagan culture. The Pharisees (Rabbis) have always presented themselves as the upholders of true Torah. How ironic then, for those who do not yet truly know the Pharisees, that they inserted pagan elements into the celebration of Hanukah.  read article »

Melech ben Ya'aqov

27 October 2004

There is a common misconception that Karaites do not believe in an afterlife or in the resurrection of the dead.  This misconception comes mostly from statements made by Josephus concerning the Sadducees (i.e. Antiquities, Book 18, Chapter 1, Sections 3-4), since the Sadducees are considered the ideological ancestors of the Kariates. In fact, very little is known about the Sadducees and their belief system and it is very possible that the statements made by Jospehus represent the views of one particular group of Sadducees.  read article »

Melech ben Ya'aqov

February 1999

If Trend Continues, Passover Will Be In May and Rosh Hodesh One Day Later.  The Jewish calendar, laid out by Hillel II in the year 4119 (358 – 359 C.E.) and in use now for approximately 1,650 years, may have slowly drifted off track according to new research done by leading experts in the field of Biblical Astronomy.  read article »