Parsha

I have always found much of the end of Exodus tedious, centered as it is on the endless details of instruction for building the Tabernacle and weaving the priests’ garments.

This week’s Torah portion – Parashat Pekudei – concludes the description of the building of the Mishkan, a description that’s spread over five portions.

Although the Torah tells us that the cloud fills the sanctuary, there is predictable pushback against the idea of the cloud of glory being physical.

That the mishkan is the focus of the parasha speaks of the importance of the mishkan.

Imaginations are transformed when people sense their personal lives are part of a 'larger story.'

When locusts are swarming in the sky, or hail is pelting the ground, human beings are helpless. You cannot trap every frog that infests the land. But we all know how to counter darkness – candles.

The Jewish people are one nation with one heart. They should act together with concern. To stand by fellow Jews in distress, to aid those in need, to give their full support to Israel.

How was Joseph able to rise?

We must look closely: What was the background of this incitement? Why did the king of Egypt incite his nation against the Israelites and why was he so successful?

Judaism is not binary – it does not teach that there are forces of light and darkness that are wholly separate and distinct. Rather, there is an interdependence and an intertwining.