How could it be that as the Jews left Egypt, they despoiled the Egyptians (va’yenatzlu) and took their goods (Exodus 12:36)? Based on this verse, many anti-Semites have claimed that Jews are thieves, ...

…and He will see the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, and the Lord will pass over the entrance, and He will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses to smite [you] -Exodus 12:23 Step ...

The Jewish tradition loves serious play with words. This week’s Torah portion begins with God’s telling Moses, “Go to Pharaoh” (Exodus 10:1) to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. The problem is, ...

The biblical term for midnight, the time Moses says God will slay the firstborn, is ka’chatzot halailah (“at about midnight”; Exodus 11:4). The prefix ka can be interpreted in a range of ways, ...

Our weekly Torah portion, Bo (Exodus 10:1–13:16), is packed with drama, bursting with the roots for Jewish observance. It begins with the familiar conclusion of the Ten Plagues, even if we know the ...

The more we define ourselves as the actors rather than as the characters we play, the more our characters can actually succeed at fulfilling their unique roles in the story HaShem placed us in. When a ...

In this week’s Torah portion, we meet Betzalel, son of Uri, son of Hur, from the tribe of Judah for the second time. In this week’s Torah portion, God threatens to destroy the entire nation of Israel ...

The central theme of Parshat Bo is the national consciousness developing within Israel. We saw last week that Parshat Va’eira focuses on the conflict between Moshe and Pharaoh and emphasizes the ...