Right at the end of the book of Shemot, there is a textual difficulty so slight that it is easy to miss, yet – as interpreted by Rashi – it contains one of the great clues as to the nature of Jewish identity: moving testimony to the unique challenge of being a Jew. First, [...]
In the immensely lengthy and detailed account of the making of the Tabernacle, the Torah tells the story twice: first (Ex. 25:1 – 31: 17) as Divine instruction, then (chs. 35 – 40) as human implementation. In both cases, the construction of the building is juxtaposed to the command of the Sabbath (31: 12-17; [...]
Tetzaveh is the priestly sedra par excellence. The name of Moses does not appear – the only sedra of which this is true from the beginning of Exodus to the end of Deuteronomy. Instead, the place of honour is occupied by Aaron and his sons, the priests – their tasks, their vestments, their consecration. [...]
The sedra of Terumah describes the construction of the tabernacle, the first collective house of worship in the history of Israel. The first but not the last. It was eventually succeeded by the Temple in Jerusalem. I want to focus on one moment in Jewish history which represents Jewish spirituality at its very highest: [...]
Among the many legal provisions of this week’s sedra is one stated briefly and unemphatically, yet it has far-reaching implications as well as subtlety and moral beauty: “If you see your enemy’s ass sagging under its burden, you shall not pass by. You shall surely release it with him. (Ex. 23: 5)” The principle [...]
‘Now when Pharaoh let the people go, G-d did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, although it was nearer; for G-d said, “The people may have a change of heart when they see war, and return to Egypt.” So G-d led the people roundabout, by way of the [...]
The detail in the story of the exodus is highly emphasised in the Torah, yet at first sight it appears almost unintelligible. Here is the command: “Now the Lord had said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here, and [...]
As a child, I used to be fascinated by the cup of Elijah at the seder table. Would the prophet come when we opened the door after the meal? Would he be visible or invisible? Did the level of the wine gone down, however imperceptibly? The idea of the prophet who did not die, [...]