Moshe and God

Found 18 Search results

1. Ha'azinu

   Dr. Mordechai Sabato

   Ha'azinu is "shira," a song. Unlike the other songs in the Torah, which fulfill a historical purpose - the Jews really did sing a song of rejoicing after the splitting of the sea, Ha'azinu is a "song on demand" - God told Moshe to compose the song. What is the meaning of a "song" in the context of Moshe's farewell speeches to the Jewish people? And why are they told to sing?

2. Moshe's Struggle to Attain Forgiveness after the Golden Calf

   Rabbi Dr. Daniel Tropper

   תאריך פרסום: תשסט | |

   Why did Moshe Rabbeinu break the luhot habrit? Rabbi Daniel Tropper explores this question through the analysis of related midrashim, and explains Moshe's role of reconciling God and Am Yisrael following the sin of the Golden Calf. Through a close reading of the story one can reach a new understanding of Moshe's strategic actions and powerful leadership skills as he defends his nation and mends the broken relationship between God and Am Yisrael. 

    

3. Moshe: National Leader and Divine Representative

   Rabbi Yair Kahn

   The story of the beginning of Moshe's leadership in the beginning of sefer Shemot seems to be interrupted by the list of the family lineage of Moshe and Aharon, which seems entirely out of place. However, a close examination of the verses in question will reveal a sharp difference regarding the role of Moshe Rabbeinu, as described at the beginning and the end of the chapter, and Moshe's lineage is critical specifically for the role described at the end. By noticing these differences we can gain a new understanding about Moshe's leadership and his unique role as the representative of God. 

4. Ramban on Yitro: Hearing God's Voice at Har Sinai

   Rabbi Ezra Bick | 36 minutes

   We examine Ramban’s comments on verse 9, wherein God tells Moshe that He will come in the “thickness of cloud” so that the people will hear God speaking to Moshe and believe in Moshe forever. What was the purpose of God speaking to Moshe in front of Bnei Yisrael? Why was it insufficient for Moshe to receive all of the Torah without Bnei Yisrael present?  And why was some content experienced this way, and not all? Experiencing a shared prophetic experience adds a meaningful dimension to the acceptance of the Torah and to the appreciation of prophecy.

5. Moshe - Tanakh Profiles

   Rabbi Jonathan Mishkin

6. "I Will Be What I Will Be"

   Rabbi Itai Elitzur

7. Moshe

   HaTanakh.com Staff

8. Noah vs. Moshe: Isolationism or Involvement

   Rabbi David Silverberg

9. The Confrontation of Moshe and Pharaoh

   Rabbi Ezra Bick

   Starting with this plague of locust, we find a noticeable stress on the comings and goings of Moshe, beyond merely as a necessary detail to explain where he is.  It seems as though the coming before Pharaoh, and the leaving his presence, is an independent focus of the story, without reference to what happens or is spoken during the encounter.

   The nature of the parasha break of Bo is clear - starting with this plague of locust, God is telling Moshe that the confrontation with Pharaoh is to be a personal one - he is to go to face Pharaoh directly and engage in a test of wills with him.  The verbal content of Moshe's speeches is now secondary in importance to the actual personal appearance that he must make. Moshe is to overcome Pharaoh on the personal level. Why is this necessary?

   God sends Moshe to battle Pharaoh so that Moshe should experience first-hand the clash of titans, the battle of God's word against the vainglory of human power, of emperors and tyrants.  This is qualitatively different than merely observing the battle from the side-lines, as the Egyptians and the Jews were doing.  God wants Moshe's personal involvement, and he switches Moshe's role from the representative of the Jewish people, speaking in God's name, to the representative of God Himself.

   This is the moment when Moshe becomes more than a leader.  This is when he begins to become "ish ha-elokim," who will bring the Torah down from the mountain.

10. Parashat Vaera - Moshe the Liberator

    Rabbi Ezra Bick | 30 minutes

    Parashat Vaera is notorious for the confusion at the beginning - there is blatant repetition of the command to tell Pharaoh the message, and Moshe's complaint. We compare our parasha to the previous Parasha- Parashat Shemot, to look at Moshe's two missions. Moshe appears to believe he has two missions: one to Pharaoh and one to the Jews. What are these different missions? Is God only concerned with the mission to Pharaoh?

    Moshe wishes to uplift the spirit of Bnei Yisrael, but is mistaken in his approach: Moshe's mission to Bnei Yisrael will be completed through his mission to Pharaoh. Rather than by oratory, Bnei Yisrael will be liberated by God as the collapse of Egypt and the breaking of their yoke of slavery occurs before their eyes, in a way that is drawn-out enough to transform the way they see themselves.

11. Tablets, Temples, and Tefilot

    Shani Taragin | 55 minutes

    Two of the tragedies that befell Am Yisrael on 17 Tammuz are the breaking of the first set of luchot by Moshe following the Sin of the Golden Calf, and the beginning of the destruction of the first Beit Hamikdash. By placing the mourning for the luchot and the Beit Hamikdash on the same day, Chazal are pointing out important parallels between them, in order to understand the tragedy of the day. By exploring the differences between the first and second luchot and appreciating the relationship between them, we can better understand the differences between the first and second Beit Hamikdash, and learn about the partnership between God and Am Yisrael as we learn from the past and look towards the future. 

    Courtesy of  tanachstudy.com

12. Who Am I?

    Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

    “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” said Moshe to God. “And how can I possibly get the Israelites out of Egypt?” On the surface the meaning is clear. Moshe is asking two things. The first: who am I, to be worthy of so great a mission? The second: how can I possibly succeed?

    God never answered the first question. Perhaps in a strange way Moshe answered himself. In Tanakh as a whole, the people who turn out to be the most worthy are the ones who deny they are worthy at all. Through a close examination of the text we can understand Moshe’s question leading to a deeper exploration about worthiness and identity.  

     

    This article is part of the Covenant & Conversation series.

    To read more from Rabbi Sacks or to subscribe to his mailing list, please visit http://www.rabbisacks.org/. You can also follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. 

13. Who Am I? (Audio)

    Rabbi Jonathan Sacks | 9 minutes

    “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” said Moshe to God. “And how can I possibly get the Israelites out of Egypt?” On the surface the meaning is clear. Moshe is asking two things. The first: who am I, to be worthy of so great a mission? The second: how can I possibly succeed?

    God never answered the first question. Perhaps in a strange way Moshe answered himself. In Tanakh as a whole, the people who turn out to be the most worthy are the ones who deny they are worthy at all. Through a close examination of the text we can understand Moshe’s question leading to a deeper exploration about worthiness and identity.  

     

    This lecture is part of the Covenant & Conversation series.

    To read more from Rabbi Sacks or to subscribe to his mailing list, please visit http://www.rabbisacks.org/. You can also follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. 

14. 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

15. When God calls out to a human being

    Rabbanit Dr. Michal Tikochinsky

16. Moshe: Birth of a Leader

    Dr. Yael Ziegler | Hour and 5 minutes

    Who was Moshe? Why was he chosen as a leader? This lecture weaves together midrashim, parshanim, and close attention to the literary reading of the text itself to see if we can get some deeper insights into the story of Moshe, and to understand how his early life experiences helped shape his future as a leader.

    Courtesy of www.tanachstudy.com

17. The Mishneh Torah: Humankind's Role in the Writing of God

    Rabbi Dr. Katriel (Kenneth) Brander

    תאריך פרסום: 2022 | | Hour and 5 minutes

    In this lecture, we’ll be delving into the meaning behind the second name of the book of Decarim, the Mishna Torah, and try to understand its implications on our engagement with God and the development of the Torah.

     

     

    In memory of Belda and Marcel Lindenbaum

18. Flawless Transmission

    Rabbi Ben-Tzion Spitz