Rabbi Leon Wiener Dow is the head of the beit midrash at Kolot, and I teach at Bina’s Secular Yeshiva in Tel Aviv. His latest book, The Going, A Meditation of Jewish Law, was the winner of the 2018 National Jewish Book Award in the area of Contemporary Jewish Life and Practice.
In this parsha G‑d legislates a series of laws for the people. These include the laws of the indentured servant; the punishment for murder, kidnapping and theft; civil laws pertaining to redress of damages, the granting of loans; the rules governing the conduct of justice by courts of law. Also included are laws warning against mistreatment of foreigners and the observance of the festivals (such as Sukkott).
Our conversation focuses on the scary transition from slavery to freedom.
Previous Talks on Mishaptim include: Rabbi Peter Berg, Rabbi Brigiitte Rosenberg, Rabbi Daniel Weiner, Rabbi Daniel Greyber. Check them out here.
Shmuel Rosner’s book #IsraeliJudaism, Portrait of a Cultural Revolution (with Prof. Camil Fuchs) is available on Amazon.
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