In Exodus 19, the children of Israel prepared for three days for the giving of the Aseret Hadibrot. During this time, they were commanded to create and maintain a heightened sense of purity. Moshe told them to set up boundaries around Mount Sinai to prevent them from approaching it until they heard the sound of […]
Distance and Intimacy at Mount Sinai Read More »
A sensitive reader cannot fail to note that the Ten Commandments, like many other legal passages in the Torah, are addressed explicitly to men. In accordance with the verses that begin the section on Matan Torah, in which Moses instructs the nation, “Be ready for the third day: do not go near a woman,” the
For Men Only? Gendered Language in the Aseret Ha-Dibrot Read More »
The Book of Ruth interweaves many complex interpersonal relationships. It is the story of husbands and wives, of a mother-in-law and her daughters-inlaw, and finally of distant relatives appreciating and understanding their familial responsibilities. Much has been written about these relationships. One aspect that has not received a lot of attention is the choice that
A Courageous Proposal: The First Heter Agunah in America Read More »
Barely three months after the Exodus from Egypt, we encounter the Israelites encamped at the foot of God’s mountain in the wilderness of Sinai (Exodus 19). They are poised to experience redemption. The drama of the ten plagues in Egypt; the long-awaited release from the rule of the Pharaoh; the despair and jubilation at the
Miriam’s Lesson from Matan Torah Read More »
Embedded in various rabbinic passages is a very basic principle, namely the force of the human element even in divinely given commandments. In Mishnat R. Eliezer (p. 266),1 for example, it is stated that the difference between the first tablets of the Ten Commandments and the second ones was that “in the first, the image
As the great-grandmother of King David and the first woman to have a book in the Bible named after her, Ruth must have been an extraordinary human being. Her constant devotion to Naomi throughout times of trouble is something we can admire, and her famous words of loyalty are recognized by all. However, Ruth is
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ COLUMN: One Act of Kindness Can Change the World Read More »
The most famous biblical account of a convert is that of Ruth, who followed her mother-in-law Naomi to the land of Israel. Ruth’s words are of transcendent beauty: “For whither you go I will go; and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people will be my people, and your God my God.” (Ruth 1:16)
Welcoming Converts to the Jewish People Read More »
Dedicated to the memory of Dr. Beth Samuels a”h, a woman of unwavering faith, who saw the awe of God in nature and the compassion of God in the human experience. THE CORE OF OUR FAITH: CREATION OR THE EXODUS? In the twelfth-century work Sefer HaKuzari (The Book of the Kuzari), R. Judah HaLevi tells
The Revelation at Mount Sinai: Creation, Exodus, and Faith Read More »
I just returned from Israel, my third trip in as many months. I went to celebrate the Bar Mitzvahs of three of my great-nephews. They were all quite amazing. One of the Bar Mitzvah boys is the youngest of five children and was born with Down syndrome. Yaakov davened Shaharit, read from the Torah, and
Making Our Own Miracles Read More »
It would seem that there is a biblical bias against naming women. Although in actual numbers, anonymous men outnumber anonymous women in the Bible, there are a larger proportion of female characters that are unnamed. It is clear that many biblical women are identified not by name but only as wives and mothers. Listings of
Named and Unnamed Women in the Bible Read More »
