Ten Commandments
Why Are We Commanded to Keep the Pieces of the Broken Tablets?
As part of building the Tabernacle, God instructed Moses to place the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments into the Ark of the Covenant. But, as we know, there were two sets of tablets; the first, inscribed by the finger of God, was cast...
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...
The Portion of Va’etchanan
In this week’s portion, Moses continues his farewell speech to the people. Here, he repeatedly warns the people against falling into the trap of idolatry. He reminds them of the incident at Ba’al Pe’or, in which the people sinned and a...
The Portion of Yitro
This portion tells of a visit from Moses’s father-in-law, the eponymous Jethro, and of the Revelation at Sinai. It marks a turning point in the narrative, as from this point forward, more of the text is spent on expounding the law than...
