Hebrew Voices #33 – The Lost Book of Jasher

The real book is written before the flood and was on the ark and passed to Abraham later to Jacob to Levi to Moses to Joshua was in the ark of the covenant and was in a false room take to Seville, Spain 🇪🇸 translated into Latin Hebrew and geeze

Im looking forward to that follow up study. I got an audio book of jasher and went through it a few months ago. People were referencing it so i needed to see if it was true, and i got progressively more and more aggravated as it went on. The audio book was incomplete and ended in the chapters 60s, and i was glad for that; its one thing to turn joseph into a sniveling little tattle tale, and the sons of israel into actual supermen, but when you tell me Job was actually the one who told pharaoh to kill all the firstborn israelites in egypt, we got a problem. Fiction or not, that really bothered me. Ive heard you talk about job a couple times, and i feel the same way, the man and his life are very important to me

Who is the artist and what is the name of the song used in your opening? I really like it. great episode by the way, what a blessing.

Neihemia and Professor Dan. This was such a blessing.

Enjoyed this. Very informative. We need truth.

Thank you, thank you, thank you Nehemia and Prof. Joseph Dan. Truly looking forward to your future interview. You both are a blessing…beacons of truth!

“ Defer HaYashar by Joseph Dan. 1986”

What was the name of the book that the Professor Dan wrote that he wanted you to read before the interview. Is there 1 in English?

Thank you Nehemiah i was about to completely swallow down whole as truth, the book of jasher, that i downloaded from u tube. I will read it but now i know that professor Dan and you show me that it was made in the medieval period. It is not the one in the book of joshua and 2nd samuel ib.c. watch your wall often. Does your friend keith johnston believe it is the ancient book of jasher? Thanks again from Ron Peloquin.

Another theory is that the Book of Jasher was not written in the 16th Century in Italy but in Spain in the Middle Ages.

In ancient Egypt there was fiction but it usually contained an historical element. Midrashim are legends, but how is one to be sure where they do not contain the truth? For instance, the Book of Jasher claims that Moses was a king in the land of Kush in the 55th year of the king of Egypt. Few pharaohs reigned that long but one, Thutmose III, did reign almost exactly that long. As I point out in my book, “Manetho Demystified”, Pseudo-Dionysius wrote: “In the Year 490, the king of Egypt died and Cencheres reigned for sixteen years. This was he who waged a contest with Moses with the help of Jannes and Jambres the magicians. It was about him that Moses said: He drowned Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea.”

One can see by the year given by Pseudo-Dionysius that he is following the number stated in the Book of Exodus for the sojourn of the Hebrews―430 years from the promise to Abraham―which is actually supposed to be the time when Moses fled from Egypt. So Pseudo-Dionysius is observing the same reckoning as Eusebius but supplies the year of the return of the lawgiver in order to confront a new pharaoh. According to the math of Eusebius, reckoning backwards from the reign of a Roman emperor, Moses left Egypt in 1510 BCE–in the Year 430. The Year 490, then, is 1450 BCE, the precise year that Thutmose III died after 54 years on the throne and Amenhotep II succeeded. The latter’s throne name was “Aakheperure” and he is the “Cencheres” of Pseudo-Dionysius for linguistic reasons I explain in my book. Marianne Luban

Thank you for this perspective / analysis!

Yes, this was a great episode! I am going back to listen for the third time. I am trying to relay these truths to my fellow brethren!

This teaching interview was simply awesome. Just awesome. So many need to hear this and listen to it. I will be sharing this. I have told my readers to tune in. I will make that point again with this teaching.

Great job, great interview and perfect timing. Thank you Nehemiah.

I think what he meant is that people believed what was written, that they didn’t consider it a myth.

Nice posts Nehemia. Got a question. The book Letters Beyond The Sambatyon is subtitled The Myth of the 10 Lost Tribes. It was edited by Simcha Shtull-Trauring. Its subtitle refers to myths. Prof Dan suggests that there were no “myths” but actually myths abounded. Is it they just didn’t have a word for “myth”? Was this because the were so convinced that the Hebrew tongue was so scared?

GREAT job guy’s the fairytales are myths and are busted my confirmation .

These magicians are mentioned in many sources such as the the Roman authors Pliny the Elder and Apuleius. There is also a separate Apocryphon of Jannes and Jambres and their names appear three times in Targum Pseudo-Jonathan:

Ex. 1:15 And Pharaoh said that while sleeping he saw in his dream,”And behold all the land of Egypt was on one scale of a balance, and a young lamb was on the other scale of the balance, and the scale of the balance of the lamb was tipping down.” Immediately he sent and called all the magicians of Egypt and told them his dream. Immediately Jannes and Jambres, the heads of the magicians, opened their mouth and said to Pharaoh, “A son is about to be born among the congregation of Israel by whose hands all the land of Egypt is about to be destroyed.” Therefore, Pharaoh king of Egypt took counsel and ordered the Jewish midwifes, the name of the one was Shifra and the name of the second was Puah (she is Miriam her daughter),
Ex. 7:11 But Pharaoh also summoned the wise men and the magicians, and they did so also, Jannes and Jambres, the magicians of Egypt, with their magic spells.
Num. 22:22 Then the anger of the Lord grew strong because he was going to curse them, so the angel of the Lord stationed himself on the path to be hostile to him while he was riding on his she-donkey with his two servants, Jannes and Jambres.

Nehemia Gordon How did Saul (Paul) in 2 Timothy 3:8-9 know the names of the two magicians who withstood Moses? Exodus 7:8-13 The Tanakh never mentioned the names! But one of the names are given in the Book of Jasher.

Anything in Rashi, Midrash, or Talmud not from the Tanakh is legend and/ or interpretation. Is that valid? Decide for yourself!

I am looking forward to reviewing your part 2… Ok then this brings me to my second question based on your first statement that the 16 century Author of Jasher took from Rashi and other sources. So just how much sources from Rashi / others did he take? Are these sources of Rashi valid and what sources were invented in the book of Jasher that are not valid?

I’m glad you acknowledge that the parallels between Jasher and Rashi (as well as the Midrash) prove nothing about the age of Jasher! The original, now lost, Sepher HaYashar is mentioned in Joshua so it must be from his period or earlier, i.e. around 1400 BCE. It’s quite clear that the Book of Jasher known from the Middle Ages is not from the time of Joshua or earlier. I go into great detail with proofs in part 2 entitled “The Book of Jasher Exposed“. The evidence includes:

1) Tribes and their associated geographical locations that post-date Joshua by over 1,500 years, such as the Hungarians on the Danube and the Franks in Paris.
2) Historical figures and places that post-date Joshua by centuries, such as Hannibal Barca, Rome, Carthage, etc.
3) Legends that post-date Joshua such as Aeneas and the Rape of the Sabine Women.
4) Greek and Latin words, such as “Africa” and “Aver” (air).
5) Anachronistic impossible things such as an aquaduct that crosses the Mediterranean Sea.

This is easy to say on both sides, so how do you know this that the author of Jasher used Rashi and not the other way around ? And where can we find any evidence of your statement?

The 16th century author of Jasher used Rashi and various Midrashim as his sources.

I do have a question referring to the book of Jasher and the commentaries of Rashi.

Shlomo Yitzchaki (Hebrew: רבי שלמה יצחקי‎‎; 22 February 1040 – 13 July 1105), in Latin: Salomon Isaacides, and today generally known by the acronym Rashi (Hebrew: רש”י‎, RAbbi SHlomo Itzhaki), was a medieval French rabbi and author of a comprehensive commentary on the Talmudand commentary on the Tanakh.

A modern translation of Rashi’s commentary on the Chumash, published by Artscroll

My question is why are the commentaries of Rashi in the published Artscroll Tanakh, word for word exactly like the stories found in the Book of Jasher?

I could take pictures and do a side by side comparison. And it’s the same!

We have three episodes on Enoch!

What about the Book of Enoch?

This was super! Really appreciated this.

I really enjoyed listening to this :–) thank you for doing this interview.

I always enjoy listening to you and your guests Nehemia, but I must say this is one is one of my favourites:). Thank you both for taking the time to share and teach such wonderful information; I do look forward to hearing you and Prof Dan speak more after you’v read his book(s):)

Speaking of authorial styles, I remember the time reading the book of Jonah in seminary from a Critical perspective, and having a sudden strong sense that it seemed to be purposely written as a theatrical farce – in no way detracting from its truth. How often I also realize that it seems that all biblical truth seems to be paradoxical – I call this principle “Holy Paradox”.

so insightful! Loved this episode, Thank you professor Dan. I appreciate your honesty and your research. Great job, once again, Nehemia! Blessed memory of Elie Wesel.

Something I’ve been wondering about for some time, thank you for addressing it! Look forward to the follow-ups.

What a treat. Thank you Professor Dan Thank you Nehemia.

That interview was so amazing on many levels. One of your best. Can’t wait for the next interview with him. Would love to have the messiah book translated into English……

I have three episodes on Enoch!

Feel up to dealing with the book of Enoch and its 364 day calendar?

Great interview! Thank you Nehemia for not only being the watchman on the wall, but also being a “Faith Detective”, investigating and uncovering the truth about the pertinent issues regarding our faith; as in Dragnet’s Detective Friday’s famous words, “Just the facts ma’am.” I look forward to the rest of your study on this subject. Please do the study on the “vav.”

I felt so privileged to hear this! Wow! Real sources! Thank you for doing this one, I know it helps keep “sources” in perspective when speaking with other believers. It’s funny that even way back when it was published the author didn’t expect anyone to take it seriously as Scripture. We all have SO much to learn. The longer I go in this walk of faith with Yehovah the less I have to say out of my own mouth. I think there is a proverb about wisdom and keeping silent. ? I’m looking forward to your conversation with him about the messiah in the “modern” age. Can’t wait!

Wow – what a delightful interview. I just have to pinch myself sometimes, that I have these amazing opportunities to learn from elite and more every-day sources within the Jewish community through your faithful heart, Nehemia. It would be fascinating to hear what Kabala is from him, and then your own thoughts later, too. Raw stream of Torah-consciosness. Hope it arrives early!

Interesting. I look forward to your follow-up on the Book of Jasher.

…what a personable man! (you too Nehemiah) I think the best line in this interview is when Prof. Dan said, “You’ll always have people who like to tell stories”! I laughed so hard that I had to go back and listen again to the parts I missed… Great interview!!!