Judges
- 5784, Advice, Delegation, Exodus, Greeting, Jacob, Jethro, Judges, Laban, Leaders, Matriarchs, Moses, Parsha, Rachel, Relationship, Rulers, Shemot, Tzipporah, Yitro
Greetings…
I’ve been reading about greetings in the Bible recently – in particular, a long discussion in The Lost Matriarch (Jerry Rabow) about Jacob’s greeting of Rachel, then Laban. In Parashat Yitro, the simplicity and…
- 5784, Aaron, Bo, Egypt, Exodus, Ibn Ezra, Judges, Midrash, Moses, Parsha, Pharaoh, Plagues, Prophet, Rashi, Shemot, Vaera, Voice
How to be אלהים…
As G!d continued to guide Moshe and share what would be involved in being an agent of redemption from slavery for the Hebrew people in parashat Vaera, G!d stated at the beginning of chapter…
- Deuteronomy, Devarim, Dissertation, Judges, Kings, Messiah, Moses, Parsha, Priests, Prophet, Redemption, Sacrifice, Shoftim
Prophets, Priests, & Kings
Shoftim has it all…every popular messiah-type, that is! After declaring how the shared responsibility of community judgment should be directed, along with an all-too-familiar helping of laws to keep the community pure, the…
- Commandments, Community, Exodus, Interpretation, Israelites, Judges, Komps Kaos, Law, Mishpatim, Mitzvah, Moses, Narrative, New York, Parsha, Rules, Shemot, Sinai, Torah
Judging Rules
Parashat Mishpatim begins with, “And these are the judgments which you will set before them.” Sometimes the word for judgments, the title of this parsha, mishpatim, gets translated as rules…which isn’t quite right.…
- Advice, Burden, Delegation, Exodus, Fiddler on the Roof, Judges, Komps Kaos, Parsha, Shemot, Sinai, Trust, Wandering, Yitro
We All Need Advising Sometimes…
In this parsha, Moses’ father-in-law claims a new status in history: Advisor. How does he come to hold this position? He recognizes that Moses has been acting alone in judging the Hebrew people.…
- Aaron, Advice, Commandments, Counsel, Eliezer, Exodus, Gershom, Hebrew, Israelites, Jethro, Judges, Leaders, Moses, Mountain, Sinai, Tzipporah, Utterances, Wisdom
Words of Wisdom, Motions of Might
Always a good week in February, this week between Sarah’s birthday and mine I enjoyed nice warm weather, some good conversations with friends, and a great Kabbalat Shabbat service last night. My dad…
- Complete, Deuteronomy, Israelites, Judges, Justice, Kings, Moses, Parsha, Prophet, Pursue, Shabbat, Shoftim
Running after Justice
Following a week of a parsha filled with laws, and continuing the speech about blessings and curses, Parashat Shoftim gives tangible instructions for a newly solidifying society to appoint judges. The verses begin…
- Cincinnati, Deuteronomy, Instructions, Israelites, Judges, Justice, Kings, Land, Moving, Parsha, PhD, Shoftim, Torah, Wandering
Wandering Through the Moves
I arrived in Cincinnati late Tuesday night and completed my Ph.D. orientation this week. Last week I missed commenting on Parashat Re’ei, and this week we’re on to Parashat Shoftim! It’s fitting that…
