Time of Freedom?
The sages refer to the holiday of Passover as zman chay’roo’tay’noo, the time of our freedom. This may seem obvious, since Passover celebrates the redemption of the Jewish people from…
Fast of the Firstborn
There has always been a lot of pressure on firstborn children, as they were often expected to care for the family property or business in order to ensure stability within the community.…
Development of the Haggadah
On Passover night we are commanded v'hee'ga'd'ta and you shall tell, the story of the Exodus. (Notice the shared root of hee'ga'd'ta and Haggadah.) The Passover Haggadah serves as a…
Into The Fire
It is written in the Book of Daniel (Chapter 3) that Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon and a committed idolater, had a statue that was 60 cubits (90-120 feet) high and six cubits (9-12…
A Product of His Environment
Moses was an expert at recognizing the small details that affected his life. His life had lots of ups and downs. Cast into the Nile in a basket as a baby to avoid being drowned by…
What Wood?
A large portion of the Book of Exodus describes the lengthy instructions for the building of the Mishkan (the portable Tabernacle) and its actual construction. Among the many fascinating…