Book Description
What happened to the Jewish people in the forty years of wanderings, between the giving of the Torah and their entry into the Holy Land?
Where did they go, and what was the purpose of these destinations?
The Torah goes into very great detail about the travels and events that took place during these years, but the time, place, and specifics of many of the events have remained hidden between the profound words of the verses, leaving us with a blurred picture and understanding of this crucial period in Biblical and Jewish history.
In yet another fascinating and eye-opening study, bestselling author Rabbi Alexander Hool, fortified with detailed mapping and satellite imagery, combines a meticulous study of the text with a plethora of detail, gleaned from diverse Rabbinic sources — in a fresh and exciting attempt to unlock the subtle and cryptic Scripture, and fathom the events, the journeys, and the significance of the desert encampments.
“Everyone who reads [this book] will find it enlightening, enjoyable, and intriguing.”
HaRav Aharon Feldman
About The Author
Rabbi Alexander Hool grew up under the tutelage of his father, Rabbi Maurice Hool of Kingsbury, London, UK. He learned in Gateshead Yeshivah for many years under the direction of the Rosh Yeshivah, Rav Avrohom Gurwitz, and then moved to Israel where he has been studying in the Ponovezh Yeshivah and Kollel for over twenty years.
An eminent scholar, he has developed a particular expertise in history, dating, mathematics, and other unique and intriguing subjects. He is the author of the acclaimed work Toras Yom VoLaylah (on the complex halachic definitions of day, twilight, and night and their ramifications) and has published a fundamental study on ancient astronomy and its implications regarding the halachic dateline, as well as an analysis of the Murex Trunculus as a possible source of the ancient blue dye, techelet. Other recent publications include Shiur HaShiurim (a comprehensive investigation of the classification and calibration of measures and distances used in the Middle East before the Common Era), The Challenge of Jewish History (Mosaica, 2015), Searching for Sinai (Mosaica, 2018), and Pharaoh (Mosaica, 2020).
Praise
There is a well-known conundrum concerning Jewish history: The conventional chronology of the Western world — and academia — is in direct conflict with traditional Jewish sources over the history of … history. Incredibly, there is a gap of roughly 200 years: For instance, the Talmud says the Second Temple stood for roughly 400 years, while mainstream historians today conclude that it stood for almost 600 years. The Challenge of Jewish History is revolutionary; it questions all assumptions, dispels unfounded myths, and transports us back in time over 2,500 years.
“According to secular historians, the duration of the Second Temple period extends many more years than what we, as Orthodox Jews, traditionally believe… [M]any varied authors have tried to explain…however they have never entirely answered the problem. This author has shown through the power of his keen insight a clear path to answer the problem.”
–Rav Yisroel Belsky
“For many Jews, their faith in Jewish historical sources means that they feel the need to ignore the research of secular historians… Others…prefer to accept the findings of secular historians… However, Rabbi Alexander Hool, a brilliant scholar with a deep understanding of history, archaeology dating, and mathematics…decided to invest considerable time and energy researching this topic, and his conclusions…are creative, complex, and compelling.”
–Rabbi Johnny Solomon
“Everyone who reads [this book] will find it enlightening, enjoyable, and intriguing.”
HaRav Aharon Feldman
Elisheva W –
Book came in one day in perfect condition
Oracular Voice –
This book is just okay and lacks content, the author spaces out information to make it appear more ‘in depth’ but the content left me with more questions than answers! The wandering in the desert varies anywhere from, 38-57 years which left me more confused… How do we not know how long the wandering was?!
For Example it mentions two arks, a ‘Stationary’ ark, and ‘battle ark’… The Stationary Ark contains the cherubs apparently with the stone tablets, and broken pieces from Moses’s smashing one.
The battle arch is simply wooden container, no gold covering and only containing a ‘Torah Scroll’
but mentions NOTHING about what happened to it later on!
I wouldn’t recommend this book!!!
The Book “Hebrew Goddess” Depicts two different Arcs of the Covenant, One being depicted as a Male and Female at the Solomonic Temple, and second being Ezras Second Temple Herod Period with two matching human shaped cherubs with wings extended towards each other!
None of the arch’s appear to be the same, as they were apparently created anew each time!