by Rabbi Pesach Wolicki | f 23, 2023 | Terumah
The Torah portions of Terumah and Tetzaveh (Exodus 25:1-30:1) deal exclusively with one topic; collecting materials and building the Tabernacle, the portable temple that the children of Israel built in the desert. However, these sections do not describe the actual...
by Rabbi Pesach Wolicki | f 16, 2023 | Mishpatim
After the revelation at Mount Sinai, when God spoke the Ten Commandments to the nation of Israel, the Torah portion of Mishpatim (Exodus 21:1–24:18) opens with two chapters of laws (Ex. 22-23) spoken by God to Moses at that time. Then, in chapter 24, the Bible tells...
by Rabbi Pesach Wolicki | f 9, 2023 | Holiness, Shabbat, Yitro
In the course of my work, I frequently conduct Bible studies in Christian churches and seminaries. One of my main goals in these teachings is to sensitize my audience to the precise meaning of the text. Anyone who has heard me teach will be familiar with my constant...
by Rabbi Pesach Wolicki | f 2, 2023 | Beshalach, God, Miracles
The Torah portion of Beshalach (Exodus 13:17-17:16) opens with a description of the Exodus from Egypt. After the Children of Israel journeyed for a few days, God commanded Moses to tell them to backtrack slightly and camp in a very specific location for a very...
by Rabbi Pesach Wolicki | f 26, 2023 | Bo, Light Unto the Nations
The opening verses of Exodus 12 introduce God’s instructions to the children of Israel regarding the preparations for the Passover lamb. God begins his words to Moses by telling him that the month in which the Exodus falls shall forever be known as the first month....
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 19, 2023 | Free Will, God, Va'eira
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz People are complicated but God has us figured out, as the prophet Jeremiah said: Most devious is the heart; It is perverse—who can fathom it? I Hashem probe the heart, Search the mind— To repay every man according to his ways, With the proper...
