Bible
How to keep farming when God says to stop
According to Jewish law, farmers are supposed to leave their fields fallow every seventh year — which happens to be right now. But among farmers who pay attention to the decree, called “shmita,” there are all sorts of technicalities that allow them to keep on growing.
A history of Hebrew, told one word at a time
Before it became the predominant language of Israel, Hebrew hadn’t been spoken for 1,700 years. That’s presenting a challenge for the editors of the “Historical Dictionary of the Hebrew Language.”Before it became the predominant language of Israel, Hebrew hadn’t been spoken for 1,700 years. That’s presenting a challenge for the editors of the “Historical Dictionary of the Hebrew Language.”
Camel bones challenge the timing of some Bible stories
New archaeological research on camel bones clarifies when the beasts of burden were domesticated in ancient Israel. The science is cool, but it throws several Bible/Torah stories into doubt. Or does it? PRI’s The World’s history guy, Chris Woolf, investigates.
