According to the Talmud, a great teacher once escaped the besieged city of Jerusalem hidden inside a coffin. His students carried him through the city gates, past the guards, and out toward the Roman camp. The teacher was Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, and the request he made of the Roman commander that day would shape the future of the Jewish people for the next two thousand years.
That story opens Jewish History: Through the Lives of Israel’s Sages, one of two new courses now available on Bible Plus, Israel365’s video Bible study platform. The second, The 12 Tribes of Israel, takes viewers back to the sons of Jacob and the very beginning of the nation. Together, they span the story of Israel from its first family to its survival after the destruction of the Second Temple.
When a world collapses
In Jewish History, Rabbi Mark Fishman tells the story of the sages who lived in the same era as Jesus and carried Jewish faith forward after Rome destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem. Rather than presenting history as a list of dates, Rabbi Fishman teaches it through the lives of the people who lived it.
Viewers meet Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, who left Jerusalem to preserve a future for his people; Rabbi Akiva, who looked at the ruins of the Temple and laughed; and Rabban Gamliel of Yavna, who faced a question every community still struggles with: how do you move forward together when your wisest teachers disagree?
These are the stories of how faith survives catastrophe. For anyone who has ever wondered how the Jewish people endured the loss of their Temple, their capital, and their independence, Rabbi Fishman’s answers are both moving and surprisingly practical.
Twelve brothers, twelve paths
In The 12 Tribes of Israel, Rabbi Elie Mischel, Israel365’s Director of Education, begins with a question most readers of the Bible have never thought to ask: Why did God build Israel from twelve different tribes instead of one?
His answer reshapes how we see Jacob’s sons. Each tribe had its own character, its own strengths, and its own path to serving God. The course then follows the brothers one by one, beginning with Reuben, the firstborn who lost his birthright to Joseph yet was the only brother who tried to save him. It continues with Simeon, whose fierce passion rescued his sister and nearly destroyed his brother, and Levi, who shared that same fire and turned it toward holiness.
“Every tribe teaches us something different, something essential about the human character and our relationship with God,” Rabbi Mischel says in the course introduction. More of Jacob’s sons will be added in the months ahead.
Why Bible Plus
Bible Plus was created for people who love the Bible and want to understand it more deeply. Every course is taught by scholars and educators in Israel, who bring the original Hebrew, the teachings of the sages, and the setting of the Land into each lesson.
Today, more than 700 people study the Bible on Bible Plus. Members have access to over 50 courses and hundreds of videos covering the books and people of the Hebrew Bible, with a new course added every month. Lessons are short and can be watched at any pace on a computer, tablet, or phone, and members can track their progress and earn a certificate for each course they complete.
A Bible Plus membership costs $72 a year or $9.99 a month. Jewish History and The 12 Tribes of Israel are both included, along with an ever-growing course library.
Curious to see for yourself? You can watch the first part of The 12 Tribes of Israel course here.
