Covenant Between the Pieces

Found 27 Search results

1. The Suffering of Hagar and the Enslavement in Egypt

   Prof. Jonathan Grossman

   God tells Avraham that his children will be enslaved in Egypt; and the angel describes – in similar terms – Hagar suffering Sarah’s oppression. The Torah links the enslavement in Egypt with Sarah’s treatment of Hagar.

2. The Thirteen Attributes of Mercy

   Prof. Jonathan Grossman

   Why, in the midst of the discussion about the future of Am Yisrael, do Moshe and God engage in a private discussion the Thirteen Attributes? The discussion between Moshe and God seeks to reinitiate the Covenant between the Pieces which was broken by the nation in the Sin of the Golden Calf.

3. The Covenant Between the Parts

   Rabbi Yaakov Medan

   Why did God decree that the descendants of Avraham will be exiled to Egypt? Shmuel believes Avraham's sin was a lack of emunah, while Rabbi Abahu and Rabbi Yohanan said the punishment was given due to another sin. This controversy mirrors their criticism of Avraham in the War of the Kings, and the nature and purpose of the Covenant between the Pieces.

4. By What Shall I Know? Question and Covenant

   Rabbi Chanoch Waxman

   We tend to think of a divine covenant, a treaty with God, as something good - not just good, but wholly good. It is a gift from God, granted to the forefathers and passed on to future generations. We expect our covenants to include the promise of nationhood, possession of the land of Israel, the promise of divine caring and perhaps some form of religious responsibility. However, we do not expect them to include suffering. The "covenant between the pieces" ("brit bein ha-betarim") shatters this expectation. In the very first formal covenant granted to Avraham by God, God promises suffering, and much of it.

5. The Covenant Between the Parts

   Rabbi Zeev Weitman

   What does Avraham mean when he asks "By what shall I know that I shall inherit it?" What is the significance of the actions of the covenant between the Parts? Is the enslavement in Egypt a divine decree, or a foretelling of the future to Avraham? And why do his descendants have to wait so long to inherit the land?

6. "By What Shall I Know:" Question and Covenant (Audio)

   Rabbi Chanoch Waxman | 24 minutes

   The "Covenant Between the Pieces" contains a positive promise, but it also describes a great deal of suffering. Is suffering necessary to the Divine Covenant? Does Abraham's possible questioning justify significant affliction for his descendants? An analysis of the story of Hagar, Sarah's Egyptian maidservant, helps to illuminate matters.

7. The Borders of the Land of Israel

   Rabbi Menachem Leibtag

   Why are the borders of the Land of Israel not defined more clearly? Should they include everywhere from the Nile to Euphrates, or do they range from Dan to Beer-Sheva? This shiur examines the biblical roots of this complicated problem.

8. Parshat Va'era

   Rabbi Menachem Leibtag

   According to the popular Midrash, Bnei Yisrael had fallen to the 49th level of "tumah" (spiritual impurity) in Egypt. However, there appears to be no foundation for this criticism in either Parshat Shmot or Va'eyra. What is the basis for this harsh condemnation? By exploring the verses serving as the biblical source for this Midrashic censure, we can enhance our understanding of several difficult psukim in Parshat Va'eyra, and also arrive at a better perception of the nature of Moshe Rabeinu's "shlichut" (mission) to take Bnei Yisrael out of Egypt.

9. The Freeing of Slaves

   Rabbi David Sabato

   During the time of the Babylonian siege, the king and princes of Jerusalem decided to free all the slaves in a sweeping manner in order to alleviate the situation of the city under siege. However, as soon as the Babylonian army left Jerusalem and the siege was lifted, the motive for liberating the slaves was canceled, and the people therefore restored the slaves to their previous status.

   As opposed to the breach of the covenant in chapter 11 in which Yirmiyahu describes the violation of many many mitzvot, here only one mitzva is violated. Why were the people punished so severely for the violation of a single commandment?

10. Super-blessed

    Rabbi Ben-Tzion Spitz

11. The Exile in Egypt and the Connection to Eretz Yisrael

    Hanan Porat

12. The Covenant of the Family

    Rabbi Dr. Yoel Bin Nun

13. Like Stars or Like Dust - Blessing or Warning?

    Rabbi David Silverberg

14. Adon Olam: The Burning Palace has an Owner

    Rabbi David Silverberg

15. Why Avraham's Belief is Called "Tzedaka"

    Rabbi David Silverberg

16. The Setting Sun in the Covenant Between the Pieces

    Rabbi David Silverberg

17. Revealing the Tetragrammaton- The Problem of a New Divine Name

    Rabbi Chanoch Waxman | Hour and 7 minutes

    Why does God tell Moshe that He never revealed the Tetragrammaton to our forefathers, when it was in fact revealed to them? How do we resolve this contradiction between Sefer Bereishit and Sefer Shemot? This shiur explores the various answers given by the commentaries, and also utilizes a literary approach of textual parallels in order to answer this question and also learn about the nature of divine promises.

18. Lekh Lekha: Sequencing Avraham's Prophecies

    Rabbi David Silverberg

    תאריך פרסום: 2006 | | 35 minutes

    In the Covenant Between the Parts, God tells Avraham that his descendants will be oppressed and enslaved in a foreign land for 400 years. In Shemot, however, the Torah relates that Bnei Yisrael were in Egypt for 430 years! How can we account for this discrepancy? Rashi and other commentators offer explanations, and also provide different readings of the sequencing of Avraham's journeys and prophecies.

19. From Breishit to Shmot

    Rabbi Menachem Leibtag

    When Yaakov and family depart for Egypt, are they planning to make Egypt their permanent home, or are they planning just a short visit?

    Yaakov fears that his departure to Egypt may be against God's will or possibly even a threat to his bechira. The unique Korbanot that Yaakov offers in Beer Sheva are thanksgiving for the reunification of the family and the realization of the completion of the twelve tribes.

    God's message to Yaakov reveals the upcoming slavery in Egypt but also the growth of an entire out of the seventy descendants to Egypt.

20. What Does the Story of Yosef Come to Teach Us?

    Rabbi Elchanan Samet

    What is the subject of the story of Yosef and his brothers, and what does it come to teach us? in order to address this question, we examine the schematic structure of this long story, such that we will be able to discern at a glance its major parts and their interrelationship. Through this examination, we learn about the beginning of the exile, and the significance of the Torah's use of the words "these are the generations" in sefer Bereishit. We also notice that the story of Yosef and his brothers is a variation on one of the central themes of the Torah as a whole: sin – punishment – teshuva – redemption. All of these components in this biblical process turn, in our story, on the value of family unity and responsibility for its continued existence.

21. Morality, Justice and our Rights to the Land of Israel: Abraham

    Rabbi Dr. Daniel Tropper | Hour and 6 minutes

    Parashat Lekh Lekha seems to begin a series of stories that appear random in terms of their sequence and content. We find, however, that there is structure and purpose to these stories. What is Avraham's mission, and how do these stories cohere into a greater narrative that reflect Avraham's aspirations, missions, setbacks, success and enduring messages? How do the setbacks, too, impart messages about morality and the Land of Israel that continue to play out throughout the generations? 

22. The Triumphant Matriachs: From Sari to Sara

    Rabbi Dr. Daniel Tropper | Hour

    Last year, we focused on Avraham's journey. This shiur will center around the same chapters, but from Sara's perspective. What characterizes Sara's approach to challenges? How does Sara relate to God's promise of offspring to Avraham? 

    
     

23. Night Vision and Prophecy of Exile

    Rabbi David Silverberg

24. Ramban

    Part 3

    Dr. Avigail Rock

    Additional characteristics of the Ramban’s commentary on the Torah:

    The Secret Torah — “Al Derekh Ha-Emet”

    When the Ramban prefaces an explanation with these words, his intent is to cite a commentary based on sod (literally, secret), the hidden, mystical elements of Jewish tradition. His Kabbalistic commentaries cannot be understood by a reader unschooled in fundamental Kabbalistic concepts.

    Citation and Incorporation in the Commentary of the Ramban

    Psychological Sensitivity

    The Ramban explains the verses using an analysis of the motivations of the dominant personalities, based on his reasoned assessment of the characters and the situations in which they find themselves.

    Serus Ha-Mikra

    Another exegetical tool employed by the Ramban in his commentary is serus ha-mikra, the inversion or transposition of the verse. Sometimes, in order to understand the intent of the verse, one should read it as if the sequence of the words is different.

    Abbreviation and Elaboration

    When there is a certain lack of correlation between the initial description of an event and the later recapitulation of the same event, the Ramban explains the lack of correlation using the following rule: “It is the way of the verses to abbreviate it in one place and to elaborate in another place.”

    There is no doubt that the Ramban is one of the most influential figures in terms of shaping the world of biblical exegesis and the Jewish worldview generally.

25. Parshat Lech Lecha Part 4: Berit Ben Habetarim

    Rabbi Alex Israel | 27 minutes

    Many questions emerge from the chapter of Brit Bein Habetarim- The Covenant of the Pieces. Through a close examination of the text we can understand the powerful message behind this covenant- outlining the trajectory of events in the future of the nation. 

    Courtesy of www.tanachstudy.com

26. The Covenant of Circumcision and the Covenant Between the Pieces

    Rabbi Dr. Yoel Bin Nun

    Some of the words and phrases in the opening verses of Parashat Va'era are taken from the covenant of circumcision, while others are taken from the covenant of the pieces. What is the significance of this? A close analysis of the text reveals that the beginning of Moshe’s mission marks the point at which Avraham's two covenants join into a single covenant of the exodus from Egypt.

27. "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.