ACCESSING THE TABERNACLE AND ACCESSING THE SYNAGOGUE The sidrot from now till the end of Shemot, deal with the Mishkan or Tabernacle. Here is a guide to its essential components: Outer Court – enclosed by curtains supported by pillars, 100 cubits long and 50 cubits wide. The entrance was on the eastern side, while the...
OUR INTERCONNECTED WORLD The laws of charity are introduced in this week’s portion. The rabbis in the Midrash make use of what appears to be a strange homily to explain these laws: Come and see how all of G-d’s creatures borrow from one another. The day borrows from the night and the night borrows from...
DID JETHRO MISUNDERSTAND? The advice that Jethro gave to Moses about how to delegate and administer justice is famous and was accepted by Moses, and implemented. Jethro was concerned that Moses was carrying the burden of the people by himself and it was essential that he had others who could assist him in his role....
CLEAR VISION One of the key parts of the magnificent Song of the Sea that we sing this Shabbat, is the phrase, “this is my G-d and I will exalt Him…” (Shemot 15:2) Rashi, citing the Sages of the Midrash, tells us that at that moment, everyone enjoyed sublime heights of prophecy. “Even a maidservant...
DID G-D GIVE PHARAOH HEART DISEASE?! Throughout the episode of the Ten Plagues, described in last week’s sidra and this week’s sidra, we read of the ‘hardening of Pharaoh’s heart.’ For the first five plagues, it is Pharaoh who hardens his own heart. For the subsequent plagues, we read that it is G-d who hardens...
ENLISTED The drama of the Exodus story has begun. Moses’ initial meeting with Pharaoh has had its setback. G-d promises to redeem his people with no less than four expressions of liberation. Then, in the entire sheni or second portion, the narrative is interrupted with a genealogical list. We are treated to the family background...
RIGHTEOUS GENTILES We are introduced, in this week portion, to the first large-scale persecutor of the Jews in Pharaoh’s extermination policies of throwing Hebrew babies into the Nile. At the same time, the Torah informs us of gentiles who refused to obey such orders. Pharaoh instructs women who are called Hameyaldot Ha’Ivriyot – the Hebrew...
JOSEPH’S FINAL ALIYA The sidra of Vayechi and the book of Bereishit conclude with Joseph making his brothers promise that when they (i.e., their descendants) leave Egypt, they would take his remains with him. A number of commentators are puzzled by this request. Why doesn’t Joseph make his sons promise that they would do this...
REVERED OR REVILED The blurb on Niall Ferguson’s biography of Henry Kissinger (Volume I: The Idealist, 1923-1968) reads: No American statesman has been as revered or as reviled as Henry Kissinger. “Once hailed as ‘Super K’ – the ‘indispensable man’ whose advice has been sought by every president from Kennedy to Obama–he has also been hounded...
CHANUKAH POWER The festival of Chanukah recalls the military victory of the Maccabees over the vastly superior Greek army as well as the miracle of the jug of oil in the Temple, with the seal of the High Priest, which miraculously lasted for eight days, instead of just one. The great Chassidic leader, Rabbi Levi...
