Exodus
The “Great Sabbath”
The Shabbat that precedes Pesach (Passover) is called ‘Shabbat HaGadol’ (the big/great Sabbath). There are several reasons for this. According to Jewish tradition, the first Shabbat HaGadol was the last Shabbat that the Jews were in...
Why Are We Commanded to Both Remember and Observe the Sabbath?
After leaving Egypt and seeing the wonders of God’s greatness at the splitting of the Reed Sea, the Children of Israel prepared themselves for three days to receive the Torah at Mount Sinai. The Torah describes how God descended upon...
Song of the Sea
After the Children of Israel passed through the Reed Sea, God closed the waters, wiping out the Egyptian army that was chasing them. The Hebrews celebrated by singing two songs; the first 18 verses of Exodus 15 make up the Song of the...
How is the Plagues of the Firstborn Different from all the Other Plagues?
The final plague that struck Egypt was exceptional in several respects. It hit both man and animal and, for the first time, a plague killed people outright. Unlike the other plagues which left the Jews untouched, the Jews were required...
Are the Israelites Guilty of Stealing the Egyptian’s Gold and Silver?
In 2003, about 3,300 years after the Hebrews left Egypt, Nabil Hilmy, dean of the faculty of law at Egypt’s Zagazig University, announced that he was suing the Jews for the gold and silver they took when they left Egypt. Calling the...
Can we Bring the Passover Sacrifice Today?
While still in Egypt, the Children of Israel were commanded to perform the ritual sacrifice of a lamb on the eve of the Exodus from Egypt. Unlike later Passover sacrifices that were slaughtered in one central location, the first Korban...
How Many Plagues Were There?
Every schoolchild knows that Egypt was struck by ten plagues before the Hebrews were set free. But a different count is given in Psalms and several different options for enumerating the plagues are given during the Seder on Passover. ...
God’s Outstretched Hand
Moses’ first encounter with God is fraught with unexpected challenges. God addresses the anticipated incredulity of the Hebrews, emphasizing the longstanding covenant with the patriarchs. He then addresses the probability that the...
Who was the Pharaoh of the Exodus?
There are several 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 famine (Genesis 12). But the influence of the Egyptian monarchs in the...
Weekly Torah Portion: God is a Gracious Host
The closing chapters of the Book of Exodus complete the section that deals with the construction of the Tabernacle. Â The last verses are particularly interesting. Â Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord...
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Are the Israelites Guilty of Stealing the Egyptian's Gold and Silver?
