The first case of antisemitism is recorded in the beginning of Exodus. Pharaoh is terrified that the Children of Israel, quickly turning from a clan into a nation, will join with a foreign enemy and turn on their Egyptian hosts. Rabbi...
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...
While Israel was being blessedly prolific in Egypt and growing into a nation, Pharaoh ordered the midwives to kill the male Jewish babies. Shiphrah and Puah defied Pharaoh’s order and received God’s blessing for their courage. Their...
By interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams, Joseph essentially saves Egypt and his own family. There is no doubt the famine would have caught the Egyptians off guard. The Nile River allowed the Egyptians to live independently from the whims of...
Joseph has been called the biblical King of Dreams. Truly, Genesis relates three pairs of dreams that changed his life and guided his destiny while also affecting the fates of the Children of Israel and Egypt. The first two dreams came...
In this verse, God commands Moses and Aaron to confront Pharaoh and demand that he let the Children of Israel leave Egypt. He warns them that Pharaoh will tell them to perform a sign in order to prove that they were indeed sent by God....
The first portion of the Book of Exodus is one of transformation – the children of Israel, the family of Jacob, become the "Hebrews" and the Children of Israel, with a national focus. The family of Amram and Yocheved become the first...
