Our special guest this week is Rabbi Daniel Brenner, Chief of Education and Program at Moving Traditions. Prior to joining Moving Traditions, Rabbi Brenner was the founding Executive Director of Birthright Israel NEXT and he developed and directed graduate-level training programs at both Auburn Theological Seminary and CLAL -– The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership. A graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, Brenner's commentaries have been featured in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Jerusalem Post,Forward, Jewish Week and on the NPR show The Infinite Mind.
The week's Torah portion- Parashat Va'era (Exodus 6:2-9:35)- features Moses and Aaron's appearance before Pharaoh, their showdown with Pharaoh's sorcerers, and the first seven plagues of Egypt. Our discussion focuses, among other things, on the hardening of Pharaoh's heart and on the enigmatic question regarding God's role in it.
