Dr. Brachi Elitzur

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Who is Targeted by the Theological Display of the Plagues in Egypt?
Dr. Brachi Elitzur
Moshe must lead the nation in a process of building faith in God, and the means that was chosen in order to fulfill this theological mission is Pharaoh. Pharaoh's starting point, his stubbornness, and his refusal to view the wonders that are occurring before his very eyes as proof of the existence of a God who rules over creation, are what make him a perfect model for the building of the nation's faith, layer by layer. Pharaoh's gradual acknowledgment of God leads to a parallel process of the building of faith amongst his spectators - Am Yisrael.
"Who is This Man Who Walks in the Field Towards Us?"
Dr. Brachi Elitzur
What is Yitzchak's mission? Yitzchak is born into something that already exists, and his job is to preserve it even under the most difficult conditions. The enthusiasm aroused by Avraham's revolution has died down; the environment is sometimes even suspicious and hostile. Yitzchak is "he who sows with tears," his spirit unbroken by the treachery of the land and the jealousy of those around him, faithfully maintaining his father's achievements and bequeathing them to his own progeny. Yitzchak is a man of the Land of Israel, stubbornly holding onto its soil and bearing the message of his rootedness in it as the sole condition for ensuring its continuation.
"And He Prostrated Himself, and He Kissed Him"
Dr. Brachi Elitzur
The ambiguous expression surrounding the reunion between Moshe and his father-in-law as described in Parshat Yitro allows for two different understandings of who it is who prostrates himself and kisses the other. The dual meaning indicates a mutual covenant between the two men, and represents Yitro’s acceptance into the Jewish nation.
Aharon's Part in the Sin of the Golden Calf – From the Torah to Chazal
Dr. Brachi Elitzur
The discussion in rabbinical literature of Aharon's role in the sin of the golden calf, familiar to us from Rashi's commentary, is characterized by a defense of Aharon's motives and a focus on the sophistication of his strategy. The forgiving approach characterizing most of Chazal's teachings from Eretz Yisrael (as opposed to those in Bavel) concerning Aharon's role is an exception to the ambivalent evaluation suggested by the teachings surrounding the sins of other important figures. In this article we will try to trace the attitude towards Aharon's sin in the matter of the golden calf from the Chumash through the post-biblical literature, and try to understand the reasons for the development of this across-the-board defense and justification of Aharon in the period of the Mishna and the Talmud.
"May Our Eyes Behold Your Return to Tzion"
Dr. Brachi Elitzur
In this article we shall try to review testimonies concerning the attitude towards the building of the Mishkan and the Temple, and the Divine service performed in them, among those generations in which the issue was of immediate pertinence. We will examine the attitude of the generations that had to decide whether or not to build a Sanctuary in their days. We will examine the degree to which the Sanctuary was central in the lives of those generations that merited the existence of a Sanctuary in their time. Finally, we will look at testimonies describing the responses of the people to the reality of the Destruction. While our findings will reflect mainly the attitude towards the Sanctuary during the First and Second Temple periods, they may serve as a basis for an understanding of why in our days, too, the importance of building a Temple at the present time is not a matter of consensus throughout the religious Jewish spectrum in Israel and worldwide.
"This one shall comfort us for our work" The Story of the Flood and the Principle of Teshuva (Repentance)
Dr. Brachi Elitzur
A major part of Parashat Noach is devoted to a description of the construction of the ark, its size and structure, the materials used to build it, and the animals brought inside it. The extensive detail raises to two questions. First, if there is a Divine promise that there will be no repeat of the Flood, what is the point of this detailed description, as it will have no relevant application in the future? Second, it would seem that notwithstanding the tremendous efforts invested in building the ark, the salvation of Noach, his family, and the animals aboard with them could not have been possible without a Divine miracle. If a miracle was necessary in any case, then why the need for all the hard work? Would the miracle not have been even more impressive had Noach and his family remained at home and all the animals remained in their natural habitats, with the Flood simply passing over them, like the death of the firstborn later on in Egypt?
"Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not their own" Why the decree of exile?
Dr. Brachi Elitzur
Midrashei Chazal offer many instances of judgmental evaluations of biblical characters that are different – sometimes even quite contrary – to the impression we receive from a reading of the plain level of the biblical narrative. Often, a midrash will judge a person favorably concerning an act that seems, on the literal level, to be a sin; there are also instances in which the midrash attributes a sin to a character even where no such act is mentioned in the text, nor is there any sign of any rebuke or punishment. An example of this phenomenon is the accusation of Avraham, by no less than four different sages, of bearing responsibility for the decree of subjugation that Bnei Yisrael will suffer in Egypt for 210 years. This article explains the seemingly unbridgeable gap between Avraham's character as depicted in the biblical text, and as reflected in the midrash and the question of Divine retribution on a nation that has not yet been born, which already pervades the decree of future subjugation. Through an exploration of the midrashim and the biblical text we can understand that the sages are attempting to inculcate values for the guidance of national and political life for the generations to come.
The Taking of the Blessings – Means vs. Ends
Dr. Brachi Elitzur
At the center of our parasha is the story of how Yaakov obtains the blessings meant for Esav, his brother. In the midrashim that serve as background to Rashi's well-known explanations, Chazal take a positive view of Yaakov's actions, justifying and legitimizing his taking of the blessings, while Esav stands accused of the most demonic sins in the history of man, sins whose connection with the plain text seems far-fetched. In this shiur, we will explore the difficulty of discovering the textual evaluation of Yaakov's act. Close examination of the literary devices employed by the text will reveal an ambivalent and undecided stance in relation to the act of deception, and we will try to understand what message this equivocation means to convey.
Yaakov – The Exiled Man
Dr. Brachi Elitzur
Yaakov's request of God as he is about to leave Eretz Yisrael may point to the main challenge that he faces, and his success will serve as a model for later generations.
Royal propaganda in the story of Yehuda and Tamar
Dr. Brachi Elitzur
Within this overall narrative, we find some episodes that appear, at first glance, to be of marginal importance, and their contribution to the advancement of the plot is not immediately apparent. The most obvious example is the story of Yehuda and Tamar. Other than the identity of the characters involved, which anchors this episode within the family history of Yaakov's sons, there is no clear connection between this narrative and the sale of Yosef with its significant repercussions in Chevron and in Egypt. Ancient midrashim and later commentators alike tried to find some link between the narratives, proposing both psychological explanations (describing Yehuda's pangs of conscience and consequent depression as the motivation behind the story) and the connection between the sin and its punishment (with Yehuda's embroilment in the affair concerning Tamar viewed as repayment for his dominant role in the sale). Nevertheless, the seeming out-of-place story demands some explanation indicating a broader connection with the surrounding plot.

We address this question after examining the unique midrashic approach to the story of Yehuda and Tamar.