Jewish Tradition

Q. I was wondering what your source is when you say according to “Jewish history” or “Jewish tradition” is. I listen to your mp3 tapes all the time in fact I burn them to a disc a listen to them during my morning drive to work. I have searched the Internet over and cannot find a Jewish tradition or Jewish history site. I really enjoy all the historical background that you add in all your sermons. If I could only find a preacher like you, I would show up every Sunday to church.

A. Thank you.  By Jewish History or Jewish tradition I mean information I’ve picked up from official Jewish writings that aren’t part of the Bible.  History books and commentary on the Old Testament, plus the so-called oral tradition that Jews believe God gave to Moses but wasn’t included in the Bible. These include the Mishna and Gemara, which together make up the Talmud. The Jews believe these are second only to the Bible in their authority.