This week’s Haftarah is distinguished by being the longest Haftarah of the year. It has more verses than the famous Haftarah of the entire Book of Jonah which we read during Minchah on Yom Kippur. It consists of two separate accounts of the war in which Israel won a decisive victory over the Canaanites, during […]
Today’s Sidra begins on a note of joy and happiness. It focuses on the light of the Menorah and tells us that Aaron was commanded to light its lamps so that six flames, three on each side, should be directed towards the central flame. According to another interpretation, he was instructed to ensure that all […]
This Shabbat has a special name. It is called Shabbat Shirah, because it contains the famous Song of the Sea. The Sidra takes its name from the second word which means when he expelled. The Israelites were now in the desert. We are told that God decided not to take them on the short route, […]
The first section of today’s Sidra describes the Israelites’ journey out of the land of Egypt. They travelled from Sukkot to Etam, which was situated on the edge of the desert. The Torah tells us the route by which the Almighty decided to take them. There were three possible routes: the North Eastern route, […]