…called himself dust and ashes that he challenged God on the justice of His proposed punishment of Sodom and the cities of the plain. It was Moshe, the humblest of men, who urged God to forgive the people, and if not, “blot me out of the book You have written” (Shemot 32:32). Despite their humility, these were among the boldest…
The opening chapters of Exodus plunge us into the midst of epic events. Almost at a stroke the Israelites are transformed from protected minority to slaves. Moses passes from prince of Egypt to Midianite shepherd to leader of the Israelites through a history-changing encounter at the Burning Bush. Yet it is one small, often overlooked episode that deserves to be…
…go back. Even after all the signs, all the miracles and all the wonders, God knew that if they saw war, they would turn back and go back to Egypt (Shemot 13:7). And so the people respond. At the Red Sea, they said to Moses, “hamibli ein kvarim b’mitzrayim l’kachtanu lamut bamidbar?” Was it that we were short of graves…
…of Shemoth – is signaled in an extraordinarily subtle verse immediately prior to the battle against Amalek. God had performed a miracle for the Israelites of the most majestic kind. For them, he had divided the waters of the sea – and for once, the Israelites believed. “The Israelites saw the great power that God had unleashed against Egypt, and…
…years. There it is, as an ideal set forth at the very beginning of the Torah. But as a reality it takes 4,000 years. Let’s take an even stronger example, the meta-narrative of Judaism. The essential narrative of the book of Shemot [Exodus] is about the liberation of slaves. It is about the creation of a society of free human…
…to threaten Israel. It is Isaiah who uses it to defend Israel. And that is why we have to read the next passage, which is from Shemot Rabba, which is all based on the Isaiah passage (Shemot Rabbah 46:4). Mahu ananchnu hachomer v’atah yotzrenu, ”what is the meaning of the line in Isaiah – we are the clay and you…
The sedra of Tetzaveh, as commentators have noted, has one unusual feature: it is the only sedra from the beginning of Shemot to the end of Devarim that does not contain the name of Moses. Several interpretations have been offered: The Vilna Gaon suggests that it is related to the fact that in most years it is read during the…
…book of Shemot. However it is almost impossible to visualise it. The description is written as a series of instructions as to how to make the various components. It is more a construction manual than a pictorial description. Even here the emphasis is not on seeing but on hearing and doing. Perhaps the most remarkable phenomenon is that the Bible,…
…is a better judge of the character of the children and the family than Avraham is. Rivka, Rachel, these are strong women. But I think it’s at the beginning of Sefer Shemot– Fania Oz-Salzberger: You have to add Leah as well. I would not leave Leah out. Rabbi Sacks: And Leah, who is extraordinary… You know, we were reading in…
…new way. No longer was the emphasis on the Divine encounter, as it had been in Shemot, or on sacrifices as it was in Vayikra, but rather on the laws in their social context. He spoke about justice, and care for the poor, and consideration for employees, and love for the stranger. He set out the fundamentals of Jewish faith…