“…Speak to Bnei Yisrael and have a contribution taken for me…” – Shemos 25:2 דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִקְחוּ לִי תְּרוּמָה – שמות כה, ב According to one opinion in the Zohar (vol. 2 p. 224a), both the commandment to build the Mishkan, as well as Bnei Yisrael’s donation of materials for its construction, took place immediately after the Giving of […]

“…And you shall make two golden cherubim…” – Shemos 25:18 וְעָשִׂיתָ שְׁנַיִם כְּרֻבִים זָהָב – שמות כה, יח The Keruvim had facial features like those of a baby (see Rashi). This symbolized G-d’s affection for the Jewish people, which is comparable to the love one has for a small child. As the Baal Haturim on this verse cites from the […]

“…And it came to pass on the third day as morning dawned, there was thunder and lightning… and the entire nation that was in the camp shuddered…” – Shemot 19:16 וַיְהִי בַיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי בִּהְיֹת הַבֹּקֶר וַיְהִי קֹלֹת וּבְרָקִים . . וַיֶּחֱרַד כָּל הָעָם אֲשֶׁר בַּמַּחֲנֶה – שמות יט, טז If to instill fear alone, the thunder and lightning storm that […]

“….And they stood at the bottom of the mountain….” – Shemot 19:17 וַיִּתְיַצְּבוּ בְּתַחְתִּית הָהָר – שמות יט, יז According to the Talmud, the words “at the bottom of the mountain” mean that G-d raised Mt. Sinai over Bnei Yisrael and said to them, “If you accept the Torah, that’s great. But if not, you will be summarily buried beneath […]

“….G-d spoke all these words, to say….” – Shemot 20:1 וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹקִים אֵת כָּל הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה לֵאמֹר – שמות כ, א The Midrash (Mechilta) explains that the word לאמר, to say, in the verse that introduces the sounding of the Ten Commandments, is not an instruction to those being addressed to repeat what they are being told to others, as […]

“…And Miriam, the prophetess, Aharon’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women came out after her with tambourines and with dancing….- Shemot 15:20 וַתִּקַּח מִרְיָם הַנְּבִיאָה אֲחוֹת אַהֲרֹן אֶת הַתֹּף בְּיָדָהּ וַתֵּצֶאןָ כָל הַנָּשִׁים אַחֲרֶיהָ בְּתֻפִּים וּבִמְחֹלֹת – שמות טו, כ The drowning of the Egyptians in the sea (after Bnei Yisrael had safely passed through) […]

“….And Moshe said to Yehoshua, “Choose men for us, and go out and fight against Amalek…” – Shemot 17:9 וַיֹּאמֶר משֶׁה אֶל יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בְּחַר לָנוּ אֲנָשִׁים וְצֵא הִלָּחֵם בַּעֲמָלֵק – שמות יז, ט When Bnei Yisrael were under imminent threat of attack by Pharaoh and his army, Moshe told them not to fear the Egyptians nor to wage war against […]

“….But the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea…” – Shemot 14:29 וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הָלְכוּ בַיַּבָּשָׁה בְּתוֹךְ הַיָּם – שמות יד, כט Our Sages taught, “Everything that exists on land also exists in the sea” (Talmud, Chulin 127a). The difference between them is only the extent to which their inhabitants are visible to the […]

….And Moshe said to Yehoshua, “Choose men for us, and go out and fight against Amalek” – Shemot 17:9 וַיֹּאמֶר משֶׁה אֶל יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בְּחַר לָנוּ אֲנָשִׁים וְצֵא הִלָּחֵם בַּעֲמָלֵק  – שמות יז, ט The Ananei Hakavod, the protective Clouds of Glory, sheltered all Bnei Yisrael who lived and traveled within them from enemy attack. Amalek was capable of attacking only […]

“….And there was thick darkness over the entire land of Egypt…” – Shemot 10:22 וַיְהִי חשֶׁךְ אֲפֵלָה בְּכָל אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם – שמות י, כב Rashi notes that one of the purposes of the Plague of Darkness was to allow for the Egyptians’ homes to be searched by the Jews. This would enable the fulfillment of G-d’s directive (Shemos 3:22 and […]

“….This month shall be for you the head of the months…” – Shemot 12:2 הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לָכֶם רֹאשׁ חֳדָשִׁים – שמות יב, ב The first mitzvah given to the Jews (as a nation) was to determine and sanctify the day that will be Rosh Chodesh, the first of every month, in effect creating the Jewish calendar (see Rashi on Beraishis […]

“….And you shall keep it for inspection until the fourteenth day of this month…” – Shemot 12:6 וְהָיָה לָכֶם לְמִשְׁמֶרֶת עַד אַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר יוֹם לַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה – שמות יב, ו Bnei Yisrael were commanded to designate a lamb on the 10th of Nissan to be slaughtered as the Pesach offering four days later. Rashi comments (on Shemos 12:6) that these […]

“….And the blood will be for you for a sign upon the houses where you will be, and I will see the blood and spare you, and there will be no destructive plague in you when I smite the land of Egypt….” – Shemot 12:13 וְהָיָה הַדָּם לָכֶם לְאֹת עַל הַבָּתִּים אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם שָׁם וְרָאִיתִי אֶת הַדָּם וּפָסַחְתִּי עֲלֵכֶם וְלֹא […]

“….And there was hail, and fire flaming within the hail….” – Shemot 9:24 וַיְהִי בָרָד וְאֵשׁ מִתְלַקַּחַת בְּתוֹךְ הַבָּרָד – שמות ט, כד In the seventh of the Ten Plagues that G-d brought upon the Egyptians, a devastating hail rained down upon Egypt, striking all people and livestock that were not indoors and crushing all of Egypt’s remaining crops and […]

“…..And the river will swarm with frogs, and they will emerge and come inside your home and your bedroom and upon your bed, and inside the homes of your servants and among your people, and into your ovens and your kneading troughs….” – Shemot 7:28 וְשָׁרַץ הַיְאֹר צְפַרְדְּעִים וְעָלוּ וּבָאוּ בְּבֵיתֶךָ וּבַחֲדַר מִשְׁכָּבְךָ וְעַל מִטָּתֶךָ וּבְבֵית עֲבָדֶיךָ וּבְעַמֶּךָ וּבְתַנּוּרֶיךָ וּבְמִשְׁאֲרוֹתֶיךָ […]

“….And all the water that was in the Nile turned to blood…” – Shemot 7:20 וַיֵּהָפְכוּ כָּל הַמַּיִם אֲשֶׁר בַּיְאֹר לְדָם – שמות ז, כ  The Jewish people were so oppressed in Egypt that even Moshe struggled to understand how this could be part of G-d’s plan. Their misery was so profound that they refused to accept Moshe’s message from […]

“…And Aharon stretched forth his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frog came up and covered the land of Egypt…..” – Shemot 8:2 וַיֵּט אַהֲרֹן אֶת יָדוֹ עַל מֵימֵי מִצְרָיִם וַתַּעַל הַצּפַרְדֵּעַ וַתְּכַס אֶת אֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם – שמות ח, ב Our Sages place great emphasis on the importance of executing a mitzvah project from start to finish and […]

“….But i will harden pharaoh’s heart, and i will increase my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt….” – Shemot 7:3 ״….ואני אקשה את לב פרעה והרבתי את אותותי ואת מופתי בארץ מצרים….״ – שמות ז, ג G-d struck the Egyptians with the Ten Plagues as punishment for their cruel enslavement of Bnei Yisrael. These supernatural Plagues also […]

“….Moshe became frightened and said, “Indeed, the matter has become known!….” – Shemot 2:14 ״….ויירא משה ויאמר אכן נודע הדבר…״ – שמות ב, יד   The redemption from Egypt marked the birth of the Jewish people, when the Bnei Yisrael were chosen by G-d to be His nation. This elite status was not something we earned through our merits. In […]

“…..Moshe took his wife and sons and mounted them on the donkey….” – Shemot 4:20 ״….ויקח משה את אישתו ואת בניו וירכבם על החמור….״ – שמות ד, כ The Torah specifies the means of transportation that Moshe provided for his family because the donkey they rode wasn’t quite your average donkey. Rather, when he set out on his journey to […]