Our guest this week is Rabbi Edwin Goldberg, Senior Rabbi of Temple Sholom in Chicago. Rabbi Goldberg received rabbinic ordination and a doctorate in Hebrew Literature from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Before coming to Chicago, he served for seventeen years as the senior rabbi of Temple Judea in Coral Gables, Florida. Prior to his arrival at Temple Judea, he served as the assistant rabbi at the Isaac M. Wise Temple in Cincinnati, Ohio (a congregation which includes the historic Plum Street Temple) and as the associate rabbi at Temple Israel of Hollywood, in Los Angeles. Rabbi Goldberg serves on the national advisory board of the Union for Reform Judaism Press, the publishing arm of Reform Judaism, and on the President’s Rabbinical Council of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. He is also the author of several books including, Midrash for Beginners; Heads and Tales: Stories of the Sages to Enlighten Our Minds; Swords and Plowshares: Jewish Views of War and Peace; Love Tales from the Talmud, and most recently: Saying No and Letting Go: Jewish Wisdom on Making Room for What Matters Most.
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 on the idea of God as a leader and on his special relationship with Moses.
Our Past discussions of parashat Va’era:
Rabbi Adam Kligfeld on the theological implications of God’s role in the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart
Rabbi Daniel Brenner on the enigmatic nature of God’s interaction with Pharaoh
