"God didn't lead them the Way of the Philistines lest they see war" - but they did see war! They had a direct confrontation with the Egyptian military!
Why did God orchestrate a head-on collision with Pharaoh and his chariots just days after they had freed themselves from Egypt?
Now that we are leaving Egypt, the Torah begins to craft how the memory of this critical moment will be remembered. Chapter 13 is filled by techniques that will help us understand the Exodus and its significance in our lives.
Today we discuss four elements that were instructed before we departed Egypt. These are four building blocks of Jewish Identity:
1. Jewish Time
2. Family and the Jewish Home
3. Choosing to be Jewish
4. Hippazon. The Speed of Redemption - Window of Opportunity.
Our chapter instructs the Israelites to borrow objects of silver and gold from their neighbours. These were items that they were not intending to return. Why does God issue this strange command? Is it honest?
Today we address:
1. The central role of children in the Exodus
2. The request for a religious furlough of 3 days. Why does Moses ask for a religious holiday; why not simply ask for freedom?
"And God hardened Pharaoh’s heart." Is that fair? Doesn’t thiscontravene the principle of free choice?
How is Pharaoh culpable if God is hardening his heart?
Why did God need Ten Plagues?
Couldn't he have released the Israelites with just one massive attack?
In this class, we explain the unique structure - literary and theological - of the 10 plagues.
The 10 plagues do not merely bring the infrastructure of Egypt to its knees, but they are in fact a battle against the gods of Egypt.
Chapter 6 is a perplexing narrative.
God says he has never been known by the name YHVH. Is that possible?
And we see a family tree of Moses' origins! Why does this prosaic text appear at the most nail-biting juncture of the story?
Moses and Aharon approach Pharaoh but things worsen severely - Pharaoh stops providing straw for the bricks, the the workload is now more intense, the slaves are lashed and beaten. Pharaoh succeeds in turning the people against their new leader. And Moshe begins to protest to God!
Moses doubts whether the Israelites will believe him.
God responds with 3 signs.
We discuss the symbolism of these signs.
Thanks to Rabbi Prof. Yonatan Grossman whose teachings were enormously useful in preparing this podcast.
Why does God appear to Moshe in a burning bush? What is the symbolism of that image?
In this chapter we meet Moses. What values does he exhibit? What are his influences?
Today we frame the Book of Exodus and then speak about Pharaoh's campaign to fight the demographic expansion of the Israelites.
Yaakov gives his funeral instructions not once but twice! Why does he repeat it?
And how did Yoseph invest his children and the entire Jewish people with a faith in Redemption?
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In this chapter, as Jacob is about to die, he is surrounded by his 12 sons and he addresses each one in turn.
Is there a single theme that unifies all these blessings? Are they all blessings?
Yaakov is sick. Yoseph takes his sons to visit.
The Midrash says that Yaakov is the first person ever to get sick. What did they mean by this?
And here we see a special blessing to Efrayim and Menashe. What can we learn from this scene?
In our chapter we read about Joseph's economic management of the famine.
Joseph saved Egypt but also ended up nationalizing all the assets of the country.
Does his policy express care and compassion, or exploitation and opportunistic power? Should we laud Yoseph or be critical of him?
If Jacob went to Egypt to visit his son, why didn't he return to Canaan?
If the brothers went to Egypt to survive the famine, why didn't they return home?
As we shall see, ch.46 is in fact the start of the Exile, predicted in Genesis ch.15 - in the Brit Bein Habetarim.
But why Exile?
How can the stories we tell of our lives reshape our experience of reality? That is the question we will ponder as we read Joseph's explanation of his story, that he is a tool in God's plan. Will this have the ability to reshape the traumas of the past?