Post Redeeming the Firstborn and the Exodus Judaism is an ethnic identity that bears with it many religious obligations. It is widely known that Jews circumcise their sons on the eighth day, a ritual called brit milah,… Read More
Post Midian: Cradle of the Exodus or Israel’s Enemy? After killing an Egyptian taskmaster, Moses fled Egypt and ran to Midian where, according to the sages, he lived in exile for 40 years. While in Midian, he married Zipporah,… Read More
Post Who was the Pharaoh of the Exodus? There are several Egyptian Pharaohs mentioned in the Torah. The first contact with an Egyptian ruler described in the Bible takes place when Abraham goes to Egypt to escape a… Read More
Post All Are Equal in the House of God The message of the half-shekel tax is that all are represented equally in the Temple. The community of God must include everyone…. Read More
Post The Portion of Vayakhel The portion of Vayakhel is often read together with the following portion, Pekudei. They deal with the fulfillment of the instructions from the last three portions regarding the Tabernacle. In… Read More
Post The Tabernacle: Giving From the Heart The Torah describes how the Children of Israel brought so many voluntary offerings for the construction of the Tabernacle that Moses called a stop to donations. The people gave so… Read More
Post The House of Jacob The mission to influence the world requires engagement with it. This engagement can sometimes challenge us. We must fortify our private lives of faith as we reach out to others…. Read More
Post Yeast, Honey, and Salt By telling us that all offerings must include salt and that no offerings may include honey, the Torah teaches us a powerful lesson about our own worship of God…. Read More
Post Strangers, Widows, and Amalek As you read this on your phone or your computer, you’re probably thinking – if this essay is about Amalek and the commandment in the Bible is to obliterate them… Read More
Post The Past Assures the Future See that the Lord your God has placed the land before you; ascend, take possession, as the Lord, God of your fathers, spoke to you; do not fear, and do… Read More