Our guest this week is Rabbi Nina Mandel. Rabbi Mandel is the full-time spiritual leader at Congregation Beth-El in Sunbury, PA. She is a 2003 graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and is currently the president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association. In addition to her work at the synagogue, Rabbi Mandel is an adjunct lecturer at Susquehanna University and Bucknell University. She also holds a Master’s degree in Anthropology from New York University and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania.
This week's Torah Portion – Parashat Shemot (Exodus 1:1-6:1) – features the beginning of the epic story of Moses and the exodus from Egypt. The portion features a description of the oppression of the people of Israel by Pharaoh, the birth of Moses, his flee to Midian, the story of the burning bush, and Moses' return to Egypt. Our discussion focuses on Moses’ hesitance about articulating God’s message in front of Pharaoh.
Our past discussions of Shemot:
Rabbi Sybil Sheridan on the decline in the status of the Children of Israel
Rabbi Amy Eilberg on the threat that the People of Israel represent to Pharaoh.
