Written by Rabbanit Nechama Goldman Barash (Pardes Faculty) – 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 Shabbat we finish reading the Book of Exodus. It tells the story of a people who went down to Egypt as free individuals, who became enslaved and lost almost all traces of their identity. They were finally delivered by the strong arm of God from the bonds of Egyptian slavery in order to begin the arduous process of becoming the nation of Israel, discovering the complexities of freedom and the consequences of free will alongside the growing knowledge of God via Divine revelation.
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