Weekly Torah Reading, Yitro, February 6, 2021

Exodus 18:1-20:23   The Missing Two Letters   Ancient readers asked a question about the Ten Commandments, one that occurs to few people nowadays: Why did they need to be written on two stone tablets? One rectangular tablet certainly would …

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Weekly Torah Reading Beshallaḥ January 30, 2021

Exodus 13:17-17:16 Two Great Songs   This week’s reading prominently features the Song of the Sea—the song that the Israelites sang after their miraculous crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 15). For this reason, this Shabbat is also known as …

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Weekly Torah Reading, Bo’, January 23, 2021

Exodus chapters 10:1-13:16 Laws Endowed with Life   Chapter 12 of this week’s reading contains the first commandments given to the people of Israel, starting with the laws of the new month and then moving on to the laws of …

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Weekly Torah Reading, Va’era, January 25, 2020

Exodus 6:2-9:35 The Divine Signature   The first two verses of this week’s reading have long posed a problem for interpreters. God says to Moses, “I am the Lord. But when I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, it was …

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Weekly Torah Reading, Shemot, January 9, 2021

Exodus 1:1-6:1 Destined for an Upgrade God first appeared to Moses at the burning bush on Mount Horeb, in Midian, where Moses had been shepherding his father-in-law’s flocks. He instructed Moses to go back to Egypt and demand that Pharaoh …

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Weekly Torah Reading, Vayḥi, January 2, 2021

Genesis 47:28-50:26 Jacob’s Staff   At the end of his life, Jacob gathered his sons together in order to give each of them his fatherly blessing. But in fact, his three oldest sons didn’t end up being blessed at all; …

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Weekly Torah Reading, Va-yiggash, December 26, 2020

Genesis 44:18-47:27 After They’ve Seen Paree   After Joseph revealed his true identity to him brothers, he sent them back to Canaan to tell their father Jacob the good news: his long-lost son Joseph was still alive and was, in …

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Weekly Torah Reading, Vayyiggash, December 19, 2020

Genesis 41:1-44:17 The Wagons Tell the Tale   When Jacob’s sons returned to Canaan to tell their father the good news—that his long-lost son Joseph was still alive—at first he didn’t believe them. Why should he? If what they were …

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