Exodus
- Beauty, Exodus, Faithfulness, Freedom, Instructions, Komps Kaos, Oppression, Parsha, Pekudei, Physical Presence, Priests, Promises, Redemption, Relationship, Shemot, Slavery, Tabernacle, Temple, Tent of Meeting
Enduring Beauty
Every year when I read Exodus, I begin to feel like the last few weeks’ parshiyot are a long repetition (in case that wasn’t obvious to you from my recent reflections). Maybe they’re…
- Commandments, Communication, Craftsmen, Exodus, Israelites, Komps Kaos, Listening, Moses, Parsha, Shemot, Sinai, Tabernacle, Tent of Meeting, Vayakhel
A Long Game of Telephone
We’ve been reading about the Tabernacle for a while now. You can probably list off many of the instructions for building the Tent of Meeting with your eyes closed. This week, we’ll hear…
- Attributes, Birthday, Characteristics, Creativity, Exodus, Golden Calf, Ki Tisa, Komps Kaos, Moses, Parsha, Radiance, Shemot, Sinai, Tabernacle, Tablets, Tent of Meeting
Charactering the Creator
Almost every week I say to someone, “This parsha is one of my favorites” – and this week, that’s definitely true! Full of stories and one of the most diverse parshiyot, Ki Tisa…
- Altar, Clothing, Consecration, Exodus, Holiness, Komps Kaos, Menorah, Moses, Offering, Parsha, Priests, Shemot, Sinai, Splendor, Tabernacle, Tent of Meeting, Tetzaveh
The Best Dressed Priests
Do you think about how your religious leaders or representatives dress? Is there anything special about what they wear to do their job? what they wear every day? Do you think their clothing…
- Cooperation, Craftsmen, Details, Exodus, Invitation, Israelites, JTS, Komps Kaos, Moses, Offering, Parsha, Partnership, Physical Presence, Shemot, Sinai, Tabernacle, Tent of Meeting, Terumah, Wandering
Containing the Divine
The presence of G!d is with the Israelites, traveling with the people and resting where they stop. How do they know, and how do we know as readers? Besides the Torah saying as…
- Commandments, Community, Exodus, Interpretation, Israelites, Judges, Komps Kaos, Law, Mishpatim, Mitzvah, Moses, Narrative, New York, Parsha, Rules, Shemot, Sinai, Torah
Judging Rules
Parashat Mishpatim begins with, “And these are the judgments which you will set before them.” Sometimes the word for judgments, the title of this parsha, mishpatim, gets translated as rules…which isn’t quite right.…
- Advice, Burden, Delegation, Exodus, Fiddler on the Roof, Judges, Komps Kaos, Parsha, Shemot, Sinai, Trust, Wandering, Yitro
We All Need Advising Sometimes…
In this parsha, Moses’ father-in-law claims a new status in history: Advisor. How does he come to hold this position? He recognizes that Moses has been acting alone in judging the Hebrew people.…
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Ravaging Redemption
In the midst of celebrating our “national” freedom from slavery to the Egyptians (and isn’t that somewhat problematic – the overuse of the word “national,” often leading to a nationalistic attachment to an…
- Aaron, Deities, Egypt, Exodus, Freedom, Israelites, Komps Kaos, Miriam, Moses, Oppression, Parsha, Pharaoh, Plagues, Redemption, Slavery, Vaeira
Promises, Promises
I know this is repetitive, but G!d’s promise in Exodus 6:6-7 still connects me to this parsha undeniably. Through years of Seders, the four (five?) promises are engraved in my heart and mind.…
- Aaron, Burning Bush, Egypt, Exodus, Goshen, Israelites, Joseph, Komps Kaos, Miriam, Moses, Names, Nile River, Parsha, Pesach, Pharaoh, Redemption, Shabbat, Shemot, Shul, Stories
Naming a Nation
Just before the new civil year, we begin reading our second book in the Torah: Shemot (names), or Exodus. By this point in the cycle, we get it – the Torah’s big on…