בפרשת השבוע מסופר על גיוס התרומות הראשון והמוצלח ביותר בהיסטוריה היהודית לצורך בניית בניין. כשהתורה מתארת את העניין, היא מספרת שמשה רבנו אמור לקבל מנחות של זהב, כסף, נחושת, אבנים יקרות, אריגים, עצי שיטים, כישרונות... READ MORE →
One of the most puzzling, if not even disturbing subjects, discussed in biblical and halachic detail, appears in this week’s Torah reading. That subject matter concerns itself with the institution of slavery – of literally owning another human being and defining them as human chattel. Certainly, the entire subject matter grates on the ears and sensibilities of Western citizens in our current... READ MORE →
בפרשת השבוע מופיע אחד הנושאים הכי מתמיהים, ומטרידים אפילו, שנדונים בפרוטרוט בתורה ובהלכה. הנושא הזה הוא עבדות – הבעלות, פשוטו כמשמעו, של אדם אחד על בן אדם אחר והגדרתו כפריט רכוש אנושי. אין ספק שהנושא כולו צורם מאוד... READ MORE →
There are two different viewpoints as to the timing and to the nature of the visit of Yitro to the Jewish encampment in the desert of Sinai. One opinion is that he came before the revelation of God to the Jews and the granting of the Torah to them. The other opinion is that he came after Sinai and the Torah revelation. I think that these two different opinions really delve into the character and... READ MORE →
There are many different types of songs familiar to human society. There are songs of triumph and of resignation and acceptance. There are songs of joy and love and anthems of hatred and violence. There are songs of nostalgia and remembrance and songs of hope in future greatness. There are also hymns of faith and melodies of rebellion and change. In short, in human history, one can almost... READ MORE →
The story of the Jewish people’s suffering under Egyptian bondage reaches its climax in this week's Torah reading and in the beginning part of next week's Torah reading as well. The Torah does not really dwell on the history and political significance of this momentous event. It tells us of the plagues visited upon the Egyptians, of the stubbornness of Pharaoh and of the eventual capitulation... READ MORE →
The extended, tension filled, confrontation between Moshe and Pharaoh forms the backdrop for the story of the plagues and the redemption of the Jewish people from Egypt. Pharaoh, from the outset, is unwilling to consider the offer of Moshe to allow the Jewish people a three day furlough to worship God in the desert. The commentators to the Torah differ as to whether or not this was a sincere... READ MORE →
The status of the Jewish people in Egypt changed rather abruptly. For well over a century after the death of Yosef and the original family of Yaakov, the Jewish people resided in Egypt under favorable if not even idyllic conditions. They multiplied in terms of population, wealth and influence. Their success, to a certain extent, also became their undoing for the Torah tells us that they... READ MORE →
The last seventeen years of the lifetime of our father Yaakov are, so to speak, the best years of his long and eventful life. When appearing before the Pharaoh of Egypt, Yaakov freely admits that the first one hundred thirty years of his life were sparse and difficult. He experienced a lifetime of troubles and travails from the moment he was born holding on to the heel of his brother Eisav. ... READ MORE →
As the Torah’s narrative of the story of Yosef and his brothers reaches its dramatic climax in this week’s parsha, one may feel justifiably surprised that the brothers were so shocked at Yosef’s revelation to them. After all, there was no shortage of revelatory hints strewn by Yosef throughout the unfolding story. But the brothers, convinced of the rectitude of their actions and... READ MORE →
