Vayeira
Five Lessons & Revelations from the Burning Bush
First G-dly vision of Moses at SNEH (Burning Bush). SNEH is mentioned 5 times.
Parallels 5 times OHR (light) is mentioned on the first day of Genesis.
G-dly revelation is compared to light (enlightenment). read more »
A Punishing Education
At first it seemed to be a confrontation between right and. might, with Moses representing the former and Pharaoh the latter. When the tyrant not only refused to liberate the Jews but responded by making it worse, it seemed that might would triumph. It was at that point, bondage’s blackest hour, that G-d turned the tables and displayed a little Divine might of His own. read more »
Hamotzi: All The Time
This week’s Biblical narrative opens at the low point of Moses’ mission. The messenger of G-d had requested that the Hebrew slaves be freed. Pharaoh’s response was to add oppressive measures. Soon enough, the Jews were complaining. Some were even wishing that Moses had never arrived. Even Moses himself had his doubts. read more »
Pharaoh the Slave
One thing makes G-d laugh, humans playing G-d. A marvelous example is the Tower of Babel. King Nimrod decided to build a ‘skyscraper’ that would literally “reach heaven.” From His vantage point however, their attempt was so pathetic and their tower so miniscule that G-d had to figuratively “come down” to see it. read more »
No Time!
Dickens said it best. We live in "the best of times and the worst of times." Our generation boasts of more time-saving devices than we can handle. We have more leisure time than ever, we receive and send our messages across the globe in microseconds and the One Minute Manager remains a financial best seller. Conversely, families have no time for each other, we're forever late to meetings and even political debate is dominated by sound-bytes. read more »
Seeing is Believing
When the Torah names a place, it not only describes a geographic location, but also a state of mind as well as a spiritual set of circumstances. In this context, Mitzrayim, the Hebrew name for Egypt, serves as a paradigm, revealing the true challenge of living in exile. read more »
The Meteorology of the Soul
The Nile turns into blood. Is that normal or miraculous? How about swarms of frogs? Natural or something out of The Twilight Zone? Obviously all of the plagues that beset the Egyptians were supernatural. How else could Moses prove that it was G-d Himself who was orchestrating the strategy against Pharaoh? read more »
Seperation of Church and State
A burning bush, a mission accepted and soon Moses and Aaron found themselves demanding of Pharoah freedom for all Jews. The Torah relates the Egyptian monarch's exact reply, "Why do you, Moses and Aaron, hinder the people from their work? Go about your own business." read more »
G-dplay Ain't No Game
One can read the Biblical portions at the beginning of the Book of Exodus from several perspectives. The most obvious angle is to look at the entire story through the eyes of the beleaguered Hebrew slaves. For a more personal point of view, one can opt to put themselves in the shoes (or is it the sandals?) of Moses, the fearless leader. Of course, one can always be radical and wish to play devil’s advocate, and try to imagine the entire experience from an Egyptian point of view. read more »
