בס”ד Exodus 21:1-24:18 Witchcraft and Sorcery Defined “You shall not allow a sorceress to live” (Exodus 22:17). In the Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 511) this commandment is defined as a prohibition against the practice of witchcraft or sorcery. In order to understand this commandment, we have to know how the Torah… Read More »Parshat Mishpatim – Divination and Spells Versus Divine Service
בס”ד Exodus 18:1-20:23 וַיִּשְׁמַ֞ע יִתְר֨וֹ כֹהֵ֤ן מִדְיָן֙ חֹתֵ֣ן מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֵת֩ כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשָׂ֤ה אֱלֹהִים֙ לְמֹשֶׁ֔ה וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל עַמּ֑וֹ כִּֽי־הוֹצִ֧יא יְהֹוָ֛ה אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃ Now Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel His people, how that the L-RD had brought Israel out… Read More »Parshat Yitro – Hearing the Still, Small Voice
בס”ד Exodus 13:17-17:16 And the name of the place was called Massah, and Meribah, because of the striving of the children of Israel, and because they tried the L-rd, saying: ‘Is the L-rd among us, or not?’ Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. (Exodus 17:7-8) In this… Read More »Parshat Beshalach – Knowing and Believing
בס”ד Exodus 10:1-13:16 Distinction between Darkness and Darkness? And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Stretch out thy hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt (Exodus 10:21) In this verse, there is a clear distinction between darkness and darkness… Read More »Parshat Bo – The Coin of Darkness
בס”ד Exodus 6:2-9:35 One Story or More then One? At first glance, the Torah portions from Shemot to Beshalach contain one story—the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. The sequence of events is familiar to all of us: the cruel enslavement of the Israelites; Moses cast upon the water in… Read More »Parshat Va’eira – So that Egypt will know G-d
בס”ד Exodus 1:1 – 6:1 A New King? What is the significance in the fact that the “new king arose, a king that did not know Yosef” (Exodus 1:8)? There are two Divine Attributes, personality traits of G-d’s, that become apparent to us through the way He guides the events… Read More »Parshat Shemot – The King that Did Not Know Joseph
בס”ד Genesis 47:28-50:26 Genesis 47:28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; so the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were a hundred forty and seven years. What is the significance of Torah’s mention of the the fact that “Jacob lived in the land of… Read More »Parshat Vayechi – What is True Living?
בס”ד Genesis 44:18-47:27 Genesis 45:1-5 1 Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried: ‘Cause every man to go out from me.’ And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. 2 And he wept aloud;… Read More »Parshat Vaygash – Meeting the Real Self
בס”ד Genesis 41:1-44:17 And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river. (Genesis 41:1) At the End In the Midrash, there are two perspectives on this verse, specifically with regard to the phrase קץ, ketz, “at the… Read More »Parshat Miketz – Is There an End to Darkness?
בס”ד Genesis 37:1–40:23 Spirit of King Messiah “And the earth was null and void, and darkness covered the deep, and the Spirit of G-d hovered above the waters” (Genesis 1:2). The “Spirit of G-d” mentioned in the verse refers to the spirit of the king messiah. In fact, the numerical… Read More »Parshat Vayeshev – The Scheme of Redemption
