by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 30, 2024 | Kindness and Compassion, Yitro
At the start of the Torah portion of Yitro (Exodus 18:1-20:22), we read about Jethro’s visit to Moses in the desert before the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Moved by the news of the remarkable miracles God had performed for the Israelites, including the...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 29, 2024 | Good and Evil, Yitro
The placement of stories in the Bible is sometimes as instructive as the narratives themselves. The story of Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, in the Torah portion of Yitro (Exodus 18:1-20:22) is a prime example of this intricate storytelling. At first glance, the...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 23, 2024 | Shevat, Tu B'shvat
There are multiple places in the Bible in which humans are compared to trees. In Deuteronomy 20:19, for example, the Torah asks, “Are trees of the field human to withdraw before you into the besieged city?” While this understanding seems to imply that...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 23, 2024 | Education, Faith, Va'etchanan
Alert: Too many translations! Whenever we find a word that is translated differently by various Bible translations there is a good chance that the Hebrew word in question is worthy of study. This makes sense. If a word is straightforward and easy to translate in...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 22, 2024 | Beshalach, Holiness, Kindness and Compassion
In the Torah portion of Beshalach (Exodus 13:17-17:16) we read about the miraculous Splitting of the Sea. Emerging triumphantly from the Red Sea, the Israelites sang the ‘Song of Moses’, a heartfelt ode of gratitude. This song encapsulates their profound...
