We will be studying the daily portion of the Nevi'im and Ketuvim at a chapter a day using the OU Nach Yomi resources. However, we are starting off-cycle and will be breaking or delaying days that fall on Shabbat or Yom Tov. Although this is Jewish run and focused, anyone is welcome to join the discussion/study cohort; just please make sure you read and listen to the material first to keep the discussion on topic. Many thanks!
This is a blog devoted to the project of studying and discussing the later books of the Tanakh: the Prophets (Nevi'im) and the Writings (Ketuvim). We will be reading one chapter (perek) a day, except for on Yom Tov and Shabbat. Most discussions will be happening on our new discord server, send an ask for an invite! Most posts will be by @etz-ashashiyot, whose idea it was, with assistance from @resplendent-ragamuffin.
Anyone is allowed to participate by reading the text from Sefaria or their copy of the Tanakh and listening to the lecture (shiur) linked in each post.
I am Jewish and will be leading this discussion using Jewish methods of text study, but non-Jews are welcome here.
This is a sideblog of @etz-ashashiyot and @resplendent-ragamuffin, and so post replies will come from there.
Please add your thoughts in reblogs to help keep the discussion in one place.
I'd love to participate but am feeling in over my head due to all the Hebrew and background Jewish context. What should I do?
Totally understandable! I would suggest doing some background reading to get up to speed. I am also happy to answer questions to the best of my ability if you're still feeling lost after reviewing these resources.
Resources for Jewish Background Context and Judaism:
What is the Tanakh?
Why not just study Torah/the full Tanakh?
Jews study a portion of the Torah each week and traditionally chant it aloud at Shabbat morning services. This is called the weekly Torah portion or Parsha.
Therefore, most religiously involved Jews are already familiar with the Torah, but often less familiar with the later books of the Tanakh.
Some portions of the Nach also get read weekly as part of the Torah reading. This is called the Haftarah. However, these are just excerpts and do not cover the full Tanakh.
That sounds interesting! Where can I find a schedule for the parsha and haftarah? Hebcal, Chabad, Sefaria and other major Jewish websites list them up to date and for the future.
Isn't the Tanakh the same as the Christian Old Testament? Not exactly. There are many similarities and overlap, but the translations are different (different histories and theological motivations) and the books are ordered differently in the Old Testament in order to better set up the Jesus narrative.
This involves a lot of history that I wasn't taught. Not to worry! There's an app for that.
I'm struggling to follow the Hebrish (English with lots of Hebrew words and phrases) used by the podcast instructors. Here is a resource for looking up some of these. If you're still lost, please feel free to ask, although there's a chance I don't know either. Edit: @resplendent-ragamuffin has graciously been detailing them on each post and honestly, I've learned a lot from reading them, too!
Okay that's great, but why do some of these words seem to exchange the "T" sound for an "S" sound? That's a quirk of Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation; one explanation here.
I have some other question about Judaism that you didn't address here. Understandable! There's a lot to learn if you are from (for example) a Christian background and don't know much about Judaism, Jewish history, or Jewish culture. Jew FAQ is an excellent website for newcomers, as well as Essential Judaism by George Robinson (my favorite introductory book to recommend to people.)
