Moses

This month in Jewish history: The first permanent government of Israel

A highly abridged monthly version of Dust & Stars – Today in Jewish History.

DIZENGOFF SQUARE, named for the Tel Aviv founding father.
The Knesset building

Parashat Mishpatim: The long search for moral society

	Former hostage Eitan Mor attends a conference titled “Gaza: The Day After” at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem, on January 12, 2026.

First values, then holy places: Lesson from Sinai and Jerusalem - opinion

The God one seeks is found precisely in the confusing, unclear place.

Parashat Yitro: Illuminating the fog


Much like Moses we should prioritize Jewish unity over zealotry - opinion

Today, just as throughout all of Jewish history, our strength can only come from our shared differences, not in spite of them.

 Moses and Aaron with the 10 Commandments (illustrative).

Did the biblical prophet Moses promise his firstborn son to idolatry?

In a Midrash, Jethro tells Moses: “Your first child should be for idol worship, from here onwards,” – referring to subsequent children – “they will be for the sake of Heaven.” 

 COULD MOSES even countenance the possibility of raising a child in a non-heavenly path?

How could the Jews who left Egypt have achieved financial freedom?

Investing a few thousand dollars every year for 10-15 years could potentially leave you with a large nest egg. Before you know it, you could be financially independent.

Exodus from Egypt (Edward Poynter)

Passover Seder: Moses, matzah and modesty - opinion

Moses’s name is mentioned no less than 628 times in the Five Books of Moses, yet here, in the one place where he should shine the most, he is missing.

 BAKING MATZAH at Moshav Komemiyut.

What do Pharaoh, Moses teach Israel about its leadership crisis?

MIDDLE ISRAEL: There was a time when leaders thought of things larger than themselves.

DAVID BEN-GURION showing guests around Sde Boker.

What we can learn from the story of those who contributed eagerly, told to stop - opinion

In order to be of help to others, one must be on a certain moral and intellectual level, the writer explains.

 Money jar

Will Israel’s pro-judiciary revolt be violent?

MIDDLE ISRAEL: Unlike this government's many tin soldiers and draft dodgers, the dissidents who called for an armed struggle are real war heroes.

 PROTESTERS AGAINST the current government and the planned reforms rally in Tel Aviv on January 28.

Rabbi Pinto: “The Book of Deuteronomy is the greatest book of ethics”

In light of Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto’s renewed calls, many of his students joined the initiative to read the Book of Deuteronomy.


Parashat Beshalah: Searching for passion

Without our own passion and sacrifice, we have little to demand from the future. Don’t fear hardships or sacrifice – they will lead us to nobility and passion. 

 THE TORAH refers to Moshe’s hands as ‘hands of faith.’

Parashat Va’eira: Fact-checking

The small act of improving Moses’s speaking abilities would have gone a long way toward improving his ambitious agenda, yet God preserved Moses’s speech impediment.

 FEWER BULLHORNS, more introspection.