David Frankel

Rabbi Dr. David Frankel teaches Hebrew Bible and Jewish studies to Israeli M.A. and Rabbinical students at the Schechter Institute of Jerusalem.

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About

Rabbi Dr. David Frankel did his doctorate at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His publications include The Murmuring Stories of the Priestly School, The Land of Canaan and the Destiny of Israel, and many scholarly articles. He teaches Hebrew Bible to Israeli M.A. and Rabbinical students at the Schechter Institute in Jerusalem, where he lives with his wife and five children.

Programs

Who Really Wrote the Torah?

According to the main current of Jewish tradition, Moses wrote the entire Torah as dictated by God. Modern scholarship, however, suggests that it was written by different groups at different historical periods, each with its own distinct theological agenda. What is the basis for this new understanding? Who were these authors and why did they write? And what does this all mean for Judaism today?

This Land is Your Land: Is the Bible Opposed to Territorial Compromise?

Many Jews on the religious right reject the option of territorial compromise. They claim that the Torah demands that we maintain Jewish sovereignty over the entire land of promise. In this talk I present an overview of the Messianic theology that informs these groups. I further show that a balanced look at biblical and post-biblical tradition implies the very opposite of what they claim.

Biblical Views on Intermarriage

Intermarriage is prevalent in contemporary Jewry and is the focal point of much contemporary debate. How was this issue dealt with in biblical times? Was intermarriage always seen as a threat? Was conversion seen as the resolution to the problem? In this talk I discuss the conflicting biblical positions on these issues and consider what they might imply for our day.

Judaism without Sinai? Discerning the Tension between the Torah and the Prophets

The Sinai theophany is virtually absent from the Bible, outside of Exodus, Deuteronomy and the (very late) book of Nehemiah. In this talk, I call attention to an alternative tradition that sees Israel’s laws as deriving from multiple small revelations from prophets throughout history. The tension between fixed and continuous revelation continues to this day.

Additional Lecture Topics

Alternative Facts: Did the Jews Really Leave Egypt? How Should we Deal with Morally Difficult Texts? Witchcraft, Divination and Magic in the Biblical World Does the Bible Prohibit Homosexuality? Does the Hebrew Bible Foretell the Story of Jesus? Jewish-Christian Polemics in the Middle Ages (and more...)

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Books

The Land of Canaan and the Destiny of Isarel

Theologies of Territory in ...

2011

Eisenbrauns

The Murmuring Stories of the Priestly School

A Retrieval of Ancient Sace...

2001

Brill Academic Publishers

Interested in booking David Frankel to speak at your next event? Contact Jewish Speakers Bureau (infREMOVEo@jewREMOVEishspeakerREMOVEsbureau.com), America's only speakers bureau for Jewish-interest speakers, authors, entertainers, and experts.