“God is merciful and forgiving” is the bottom line of our parasha, and probably of most Torah portions. In Exodus 33:14, we get a glimpse of the great mercy, forgiveness, and love that God had for his covenant people: “Then he (God) responded (to Moshe): “My face will go (on the journey to Israel with the people), and I will lead you!”
Read MoreIn Parashat Tetzaveh we get the first explicit mention of Aaron and his sons as priests of Israel. The first order of business seems to be their wardrobe: “Make sacral vestments for your brother Aaron, for dignity and adornment” (28:3). As they say, “The ephod makes the man,” and Aaron’s family gets an entire chapter devoted to the rich attire that signifies its priestly role.
Read MoreWhat happens when God shows up? The book of Exodus is a powerful series of answers to this question. This week’s parasha, Terumah, describes the various furnishings of the Tabernacle, prompting another tantalizing question: What happens when God moves in next door?
Read MoreThe story of our relationship with God is told through our lives, and our lives are the only book that some people will ever read about God. What kind of book do we want people to read from our lives—a law code or one that stems from and exhibits the same grace Hashem gave to Israel when he established a relationship with us?
Read MoreParashat Yitro can aid us in better understanding how people come to faith in the God of Israel and his Messiah. That process is surprising and we have much to learn.
Read MoreWhen the Israelites left Egypt they did not have a choice about their route. They moved according to the Lord’s plan. We can learn much that is applicable to our own life journey from the opening verses of this week’s Torah portion.
Read MoreIt’s still mid-winter in most of the world, but our Torah readings this week and last remind us that Passover is not far off. This week’s reading includes the verses underlying the section in the Haggadah that opens, The Torah speaks of four sons—one wise, one wicked, one simple, and one who does not know how to ask.
Read MoreDuring the Passover Seder we drink four cups of wine. This is a very old tradition dating back to the Mishnah, and our Sages over the centuries have given various reasons why there are four cups. But there is also a fifth cup, which we don’t drink.
Read MoreBefore Moshe could save the Jewish people, six women saved his skin. In the opening pages of Exodus, when Moshe finally gets to tell his own story, he takes special care to honor the women to whom he owes his very existence.
Read MoreThis week, as we are reading Parashat Vayechi (“And he lived”), the United States is honoring the memory of President Jimmy Carter, who passed away on January 5. In Israel the country mourns hostage Youssef al-Zidayne, whose body was discovered in a Gaza tunnel on January 8, along with evidence that his son Hamza was also dead.
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