by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 4, 2024 | Revelation and Prophecy, Shavuot (Pentecost), Yitro
Jean-Jacques Rousseau once observed the remarkable resilience and enduring nature of Jewish people. In an unpublished document discovered after his death, Rousseau wrote: The Jews provide us with an astonishing spectacle: the laws of Numa, Lycurgus, Solon are dead;...
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 20, 2023 | Shabbat, Yitro
On January 1, 2000, the New York Times published a special Millennium Edition. This unique issue featured three distinctive front pages, each offering a fascinating glimpse into a different millennium. The first front page transported readers back to January 1, 1900....
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 8, 2023 | Yitro
This portion tells of a visit from Moses’s father-in-law, the eponymous Jethro, and of the Revelation at Sinai. It marks a turning point in the narrative, as from this point forward, more of the text is spent on expounding the law than telling the story. Jethro’s...
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...
