We slide into Avdut-servitude in just a few verses, after Joseph dies, and his brothers, and all that generation. The land became filled with us, then a new king arose over Egypt who knew not Joseph (Exodus 1:8). Is that the beginning of servitude? Now...

Shmot is a portion of opposites. It begins with the names of Jacob’s sons who traveled to Egypt. The 11 brothers are listed by name. Furthermore, we read that the number of souls who made this journey totaled 70. Memory is crucial to the Jewish people....

After I graduated from college, I spent a year working for Facing History and Ourselves, an international organization whose mission is to use lessons of history to challenge teachers and their students to stand up to bigotry and hate.One of Facing History’s...

“Behind every great man is a great women.”Though we don’t often hear this phrase anymore, it was once  touted by the early feminist movement. Today, we might alter the phrase and utilize the words “next to or beside.” But regardless of the...

“These are the names of the Children of Israel …” With these words, the book of Exodus begins. And with the recitation of the names, we encounter a new chapter in the life of our people and our history. We move beyond the family drama of the book...