By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant This week’s Torah parsha, Bo, continues with the story of Exodus. God had already inflicted seven devastating plagues on Egypt, subsequent to the Pharaoh’s perpetual denial to free the enslaved Israelites. In parsha Bo, it becomes apparent that from the very first time that God approached Moses (behind […]
Posts with the Bissel of Torah tag
A ‘Bissel’ of Torah: VA’EIRA (EXODUS 6:2-9:35)
By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant Last week’s Torah parsha, Shemot, ended with Moses and Aaron both discouraged, as the Pharaoh of Egypt denied their request to free the enslaved Israelites. This week’s parsha, Va’eira, describes with precise detail, the first seven of the ten plagues which would eventually decimate all of Egypt. A […]
A ‘Bissel’ of Torah: SHEMOT (EXODUS 1:1-6:1)
By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant The opening chapters of Exodus plunge us into a midst of epic events. Moses passes from Prince of Egypt, to Midianite shepherd, to leader of the Israelites. The narrative begins with a new Pharaoh of Egypt, “who did not know of Joseph” (1). However, the descendants of Jacob […]
A ‘Bissel’ of Torah: VAYIGASH (GENESIS 44:18-47:27)
by Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant Last week’s parsha, Mikietz, ended with a somewhat disturbing enigma. Jacob’s ten sons had returned to Egypt to procure additional food as the famine continued. Based on the demand of the ‘Viceroy of Egypt’ (now, their brother Joseph, whom they did not recognize), they were also to bring […]
A ‘Bissel’ of Torah: MIKEITZ (GENESIS 41:1-44:7)
By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant Twelve years pass, with Joseph still languishing in an Egyptian jail. Suddenly, he finds himself not only free, but also the ‘Viceroy’ of Egypt. The swiftness with which this change occurred was nothing short of a miracle. One night, the Pharaoh of Egypt had two highly disquieting and […]