In his introduction, Nachmanides describes the Book of Exodus as the Book of Exile and Redemption. The Exile began when Jacob’s family went to Egypt and the moment of the Redemption was reached when the erection of the Tabernacle was completed and the glory of the Lord rested within its precincts. The first paragraph in […]
The brief opening section of the Sidra narrates how Moses assembled the entire nation, men and women, in order to organise the raising of funds for the construction of the Tabernacle. He also told them that the construction of the Tabernacle would not override observing the Shabbat. The assembly took place on the day after […]
The Sidra this week has an unusual beginning, which cannot be found anywhere else. The first word in it is VE’ATAH, which means ‘AND YOU’. This is the first of four occasions when God addressed Moses in this way in relation to the construction of the Tabernacle. The first three instances are all in close […]
The Sidra of Mishpatim contains 53 consecutive laws. The mystics point out that the number 53 is equal to the numerical value of the Hebrew word GAN, which means ‘garden’. This imparts a message which teaches that when we observe the fundamental laws of our Torah, we can enjoy the world, in the same way […]
The Sidra of Vayechi begins with the information that Jacob lived in the Land of Egypt for 17 years, and that he was now 147 years old. It would seem that these 17 years were the happiest years of his life. The mediaeval commentator Rabbi David Kimchi makes the observation that Joseph was 17 when […]
Some commentators regard this Sidra as the most important one in the Torah. It contains the story of the Exodus which is the greatest event in the history of the Jewish people and has become a central tenet of our faith. The Sidra begins with an account of the last three plagues. Its middle section […]
This week’s Haftarah is distinguished by being the longest Haftarah of the year. It has more verses than the famous Haftarah of the entire Book of Jonah which we read during Minchah on Yom Kippur. It consists of two separate accounts of the war in which Israel won a decisive victory over the Canaanites, during […]
The sidra of Vayigash begins in the middle of chapter 44 and in the midst of the account of the most dramatic confrontation between Joseph and his brothers. In the last few verses of Mikketz, the Torah relates how Joseph accused his brothers of stealing the cup as soon as they arrived back in his […]
The Sidra of Mikketz describes Joseph’s meteoric and miraculous rise to power, after having been imprisoned for 12 years. When the Butler was released two years before him, Joseph had hoped that he would help him regain his freedom. On the day that the Butler left prison, Joseph specifically asked him to remember him to […]
The main stories in this Sidra focus on Joseph and Judah whose tribes became the leading tribes of the Israelite nation, later in Biblical history. In today’s Sidra Joseph and Judah play a major role, as individuals. They clashed bitterly. The Sidra recounts their terrible and tragic downfall. Joseph ended up in a pit; was […]