By Rav Reuven Tradburks Yitro joins Moshe. He advises Moshe in delegating to judges. At Mt. Sinai, G-d offers the Jewish people to be a treasured people. The Ten Commandments are given at Sinai. The people quake in response. 1st aliya (18:1-12) Yitro, Moshe’s father in law,...
By Rav Reuven Tradburks Paro pursues, the sea splits, the people sing. The people traveled and complained for water in Mara, for bread and meat in the Desert of Sin and for water in Refidim. Amalek attacked and was defeated. 1st aliya (13:17-14:8) G-d guides the Jews...
By Rav Reuven Tradburks The 8th and 9th plagues occur. Before the 10th, death of the first born, the mitzvot of Korban Pesach and of Matza are given. The first-born die. The Jews are sent out of Egypt. Mitzvot are given to commemorate the momentous event...
By Rav Reuven Tradburks Parshat Vaera is the transition from Divine promises to Divine action. After Paro’s first refusal at the end of last week’s Parsha, G-d assures Moshe that He will release the Jewish people from slavery and bring them to the land of Israel....
By Rav Reuven Tradburks Parshat Shemot The Jewish people are in Egypt. A new Paro is concerned with the size of the Jewish people. He decrees hard labor, infanticide and then actively drowning the male babies. Moshe is born, raised in Paro’s daughter’s home. After seeing the...
By Rav Reuven Tradburks Vayechi means life, yet the parsha begins with talk of death and ends with death. Yaakov demands to be buried in Israel. Yosef swears he will. Yaakov elevates his grandchildren, Ephraim and Menashe to be equal to his children as tribes settling...
By Rav Reuven Tradburks The Parasha begins in the middle of the story. Yosef has just told Yehuda and all the brothers that Binyamin, the thief, will become a slave to Yosef. All the others are free to leave. Our Parasha begins with Yehuda’s long and...
By Rav Reuven Tradburks Yosef ascends from jail to complete control of Egypt. Paro has a dream. The Butler remembers Yosef in jail. Yosef tells Paro of 7 impending years of plenty followed by 7 of famine. Yosef is appointed to manage the hoarding of food...
By Rav Reuven Tradburks The sale of Yosef in Parshat Vayeshev is one of the most famous stories of the Torah. Yaakov settles, finally, in the land of Israel. Yosef is favored. Yosef has 2 dreams. Yaakov sends Yosef to inquire of his brother’s welfare. The...
By Rav Reuven Tradburks Our Parsha begins the conclusion of our Torah. The book of Devarim consists of Moshe’s long speech at the end of his life. His speech is crafted beautifully, a magnum opus of past, present and future. He began with a review of...
