The Burning Bush

Found 16 Search results

The Two Consecrations of Moshe
Prof. Jonathan Grossman
Why is Moshe sent on his mission to Egypt twice? The second consecration includes a new and important element: God's covenant with the forefathers. The covenant is mentioned here, and not previously, because of the change in Moshe's attitude toward the redemption of Bnei Yisrael. He now understands that the reasons behind the redemption involve more than morality: they are embedded in a historical - national covenant.
Yirmiyahu and Moshe - Two Models of Prophecy
Haftarot: Pinhas
Rabbi Mosheh Lichtenstein
The haftara describes Jeremiah's initiation as a prophet. This lesson compares Jeremiah's initiation with Moshe's consecration. Moshe refuses his appointment, while Jeremiah requests reinforcement. The different reactions stem from the different roles they are expected to fill.
The Appointment of Moshe
Parashat Va'era
Rabbi Chanoch Waxman
Early in Parashat Va’era God commands Moshe to rescue Bnei Yisrael from Egypt. However, Moshe was already consecrated for this mission once, by the Burning Bush. What is the significance of this duality? Why is there a need for two consecrations? An analysis of each episode reveals the different reasons for saving the Children of Israel; each consecration focuses on another aspect of redemption.
Parashat Yitro
Prof. Jonathan Grossman
"When the horn ("yovel") sounds long, they shall ascend the mountain." What is the sounds that permits the nation to ascent onto the mountain that was previously forbidden to touch? After the divine presence had descended, the nation was meant to climb the mountain and meet God’s presence “face to face.” But the nation was scared and requested continued mediation from Moshe. While the fear of God is positive, there is a spiritual price to pay for preventing the direct encounter with God.
The Appointment of Moshe (Audio)
Rabbi Chanoch Waxman | 21 minutes
God’s mission and Moshe’s response from the Burning Bush appear to be briefly repeated in Parashat Va'era. The “second” mission responds to the problematic outcome of the first mission, but why are two parts necessary for the redemption? A textual comparison of the two missions reveals two distinct aspects of God’s redemption of the Israelites: compassionate empathy, and fulfilling the Covenant of the Forefathers (Brit Avot).
The Angel of the Lord and the Battle of Yericho
Rabbi Michael Hattin
This lesson will discuss the appearance of God’s angel on the eve of the conquest wars. Yehoshua’s discussion with the angel will be compared to Moshe’s revelation in the Burning Bush, including the command to both to remove their shoes. The sanctity of the land that Yehoshua stands on - Eretz Canaan - demands that despite the upcoming warfare, the people and their victorious armies must never lose site of the land's sanctity, of a man's inherent worth, of the vision of a better world in which warfare is outdated and killing obsolete.
The Waters of Sinai
Rabbi Chanoch Waxman
Why does the Torah repeat the requirement to distance the nation from the mountain? Is this the first arrival of Bnei Yisrael at Sinai, or had they been there before, in the story of Massa u-Meriva? Why does the Torah parallel God's revelation at Sinai with the nation's previous request for water?
Seeing Ten Commandments in the Burning Bush
Rabbi David Fohrman |
In this video, Rabbi Fohrman connects the Ten Commandments to the story of Moses and the Burning Bush, arguing that the text is certainly meant to hark back - but why? Want to see more videos like this? Check out https://www.alephbeta.org/
Revealing the Tetragrammaton- The Problem of a New Divine Name
Rabbi Chanoch Waxman | Hour and 7 minutes
Why does God tell Moshe that He never revealed the Tetragrammaton to our forefathers, when it was in fact revealed to them? How do we resolve this contradiction between Sefer Bereishit and Sefer Shemot? This shiur explores the various answers given by the commentaries, and also utilizes a literary approach of textual parallels in order to answer this question and also learn about the nature of divine promises.
Miracles in the Book of Joshua
Dr. Ruth Walfish | Hour and 8 minutes
The book of Yehoshua is the point of transfer from a miraculous supernatural existence that Bnei Yisrael experienced in their years of sojourn through the desert to a more mundane, natural existence in the Land of Israel. This lecture points to a number of parallel events that occurred in both the desert and in the beginning of the book of Yehoshua, and draws comparisons between them, illustrating this gradual transition from the supernatural to mundane.
The Two Consecrations of Moshe
Prof. Jonathan Grossman
At the beginning of our parsha we read of Moshe's appointment as God's agent to secure the release of the Hebrew slaves from Egypt. All the elements that we would expect to find in such a consecration are present: the problem of slavery, Moshe's task, and the ultimate goal - redemption. However, this entire section seems superfluous - Moshe was already appointed as God's messenger at the burning bush! What need is there for a second consecration?

A deeper analysis reveals that each consecration carries a unique purpose in Moshe’s inauguration as the redeemer of Israel. Only at the beginning of Parshat Vaera can God disclose to His chosen messenger the second factor of the redemption, the national-historical element. After Moshe senses and identifies totally with the plight of Bnei Yisrael, he is prepared to learn about the national redemption, the redemption that sets this nation apart from the rest of the world.
The Moral of Yehoshua's Encounter with the Angel
Dr. Adina Sternberg | Hour and 2 minutes
What is the deeper messages that emerge from the story of Yehoshua’s encounter with the angel? Through an in-depth exploration of the text and classical commentaries, we gain a deeper understanding of the story, and a greater understanding of Divine promises and reliance on God. We also learn how to analyze Tanakh texts in general by exploring their greater contexts and literary illusions to other Tanakh texts in order to uncover deeper messages.
Vaera: Approaching Bnei Yisrael
Rabbi Jonathan Snowbell | 18 minutes
The bush is engulfed in flames, but not burnt. This marvel appears to be a test of sorts - it is only after Moshe stops and sees this vision that God begins to speak to him. Can Moshe see an "impossible" vision? Optimism and the ability to visualize the seemingly impossible may prove crucial to Moshe's mission and how he relates to the developing events, and to Bnei Yisrael.
Parashat Shemot - Sneh and Sinai
Rabbi Chanoch Waxman | 30 minutes
We will talk about story story of the sneh (the Burning Bush)- the first encounter between God, Moshe, and Bnei Yisrael and the beginning of Moshe’s Divine mission. It is a story of theophany at the sneh, but also the story of the recruitment of Moshe. Why does God choose Moshe? What special aspect of his charater makes him the right person for this mission?

Moshe is the first one to ask this question. Many commentators look to the past (Chapter 2 of Exodus, for example). In this shiur, we will pursue something a bit different. We will look at God’s response toanswer why Moshe is the one, and we will look for the significance of the parallels between the story of the sneh and the story of Bnei Yisrael at Sinai.

Sinai is an expansion- a macrocosm of the event at the sneh.
Parshat Shemot Part 3: Delivering Israel from Slavery: Moshe Encounters God
Dr. Yael Ziegler | 33 minutes
This podcast discusses the commissioning of Moshe as a messenger of God. We learn why Moshe was selected and we address fundamental questions about our relationship with God.

Courtesy of www.tanachstudy.com
From Sinai, Back to Sinai
Rabbi Yitzchak Etshalom | 54 minutes
Through a two-part discussion of the sequential narrative of the book of Exodus, and specifically the date of Matan Torah relating to the manna and the story of Moshe at the burning bush, we can gain a deeper understanding of Moshe as the representative of God.

Courtesy of www.tanachstudy.com