Chinuch At Home - Jewish education for parents, teachers and homeschoolers

Home

Yitro is one of the most enigmatic of all of the personages that appear in the Torah. There are many Yitros in Yitro’s life and perhaps this is the reason that the rabbis taught us that he possessed seven different names. Each name perhaps represented a different Yitro at a different point of his life. We meet him at the crossroads of his life’s choices and beliefs. On one hand he is a priest or former priest of paganism in Midian. He has experimented with every form of religion in the world before coming to the faith of monotheism. He is influenced undoubtedly by his unexpected son-in-law, Moshe. But he is also greatly influenced by the Exodus from Egypt and the visible and impressive miracles that accompanied this event.

Be first to comment this article | Add as favourites (99) | Views: 999 | Read more...

Rabbi Wein on Beshalach

Victories and triumphs inevitably are followed by letdowns, frustrations and sometimes even disappointments. The high point of the story of the Exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt is recorded in this week’s parsha with the eternal song of Moshe and Israel at the Reed Sea.

Be first to comment this article | Add as favourites (100) | Views: 937 | Read more...

Rabbi Wein on Bo

Salvation and redemption do not come easily. In this week’s parsha the cost of Israel’s redemption is graphically detailed in the Torah. Though the major cost and punishment is meted out to the Egyptian Pharaoh and his nation, the oppressors and enslavers of the Jewish people, Midrash teaches us that the Jews also suffered great loss in this process of redemption and of gaining their freedom.

Be first to comment this article | Add as favourites (80) | Views: 991 | Read more...

Rabbi Wein on Vaera

Stubbornness can be a virtue or a terrible character defect. When it is a virtue we call it tenacity. When it is a defect it is just plain foolish and counter productive. Pharaoh’s stubbornness, as exhibited in this week’s parsha, is an example. His advisers inform him that Egypt is headed for disaster because of his stubbornness but he refuses to give in to the reality of the series of plagues that threaten to decimate Egyptian society.

Be first to comment this article | Add as favourites (84) | Views: 1067 | Read more...