This week’s Torah portion, Mishpatim, abounds in legal statements. No wonder – its very name can be translated as legal ordinances. Legal norms in Mishpatim cover a wide spectrum of topics, ranging from treatment of slaves and socially disadvantaged individuals to observance of Shabbat and festivals. According to Sefer HaHinuch, a medieval treatise enumerating and […]

In this week’s parasha Yitro, we read about the most important event in the history of Jewish people – the revelation of Torah on Sinai. Thus, many Jews coming to the synagogue on Shabbat Yitro spend the first minutes of the Torah reading preparing themselves emotionally and intellectually for the covenantal words of Exodus 20:2, […]

Thoughts on Parashat Yitro One by now classical problem of Western philosophical thought is the dispute regarding the nature of moral norms – whether they are in essence objective or perhaps conventional – that is established based on a social contract – or if maybe they are something utterly subjective. Various thinkers have provided different […]

In this week’s Torah portion, Beshalach, we read the Song of the Sea (Exodus 15:1-18), a poem which was sung by the Israelites after they had crossed the Sea of Reed. Immediately afterwards, we read the following verse: [perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]‘Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a […]

Thoughts on Parashat Beshalach Then I will stiffen Pharaoh’s heart and he will pursue them, that I may gain glory through Pharaoh and all his host; and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD. And they did so. (Ex 14: 4.) Is this not the very thing we told you in Egypt, saying, […]

Then the LORD said to Moses, [perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“Go to Pharaoh. For I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his courtiers, in order that I may display these My signs among them and that you may recount in the hearing of your sons and of your sons’ sons […]