Three Days in the Desert

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1. Expulsion or Redemption, Re-examining the story of the Exodus

   Rabbi Menachem Leibtag

   תאריך פרסום: תשע"ג | |

   We re-read the story of the Exodus from Egypt and ask: why was there an apparent need for trickery? If God told Moshe that He knows Pharaoh will refuse Moshe's request, why does God command Moshe to offer the pretense to Pharaoh of going on a three- day desert journey? What was God's plan in getting the Israelites out of Egypt? And what is gained by having the Israelites forced out of Egypt in the middle of the night? Our study leads us to explore the mindset of Bnei Yisrael, in addition to that of Pharaoh.

2. The 'Real' Story of the Exodus - Why the Book is Better than the Movie

   Rabbi Menachem Leibtag |

   There are many questions we can ask about the Exodus story. For example, why didn't Moshe tell Pharaoh the truth about where the nation of Israel wanted to go? What was Pharaoh afraid of? This shiur offers an in-depth reading of the Exodus story, and a different perspective which clarifies the inconsistencies in the story, suggesting that perhaps the problem isn't convincing Pharaoh to let Israel go, rather it is convincing Israel to leave. 

3. The Stealthy Exodus

   Rabbi Meir Spiegelman

   Why did God tell Moshe to lie to Pharaoh? The very first time that God was revealed to Moshe, at the burning bush, He commanded him to tell Pharaoh that Bnei Yisrael wanted to undertake a three-day journey in the desert and to sacrifice to God. Throughout the negotiations, Moshe consistently asks Pharaoh to free them from Egypt only for three days; he makes no mention of the fact that Bnei Yisrael will never return. Additionally, why did God strike Pharaoh with ten plagues, when the same end-result could clearly have been achieved through a much smaller number? Through an examination of the parallel between Yaakov's flight from Lavan and Bnei Yisrael's exodus from Egypt, we can understand that God required Pharaoh to release Bnei Yisrael completely, out of his own free will rather than out of coercion. Thus God ensured that no one would ever be able to claim that Bnei Yisrael were still his slaves, and Bnei Yisrael would be free to worship their only true master- God. 

4. What Happened to the Three Day Festival

   Rabbi Yitzchak Etshalom

   תאריך פרסום: 5777 | | Hour

   What happened to the "three - day festival?" Contrary to what might be expected when seeing the title, this shiur is not about the "three-day yom-tov" phenomenon.  Rather, we will address the issue of the three day festival that was the premise of Yetziat Mitzrayim (the Exodus from Egypt). Moshe asked Pharaoh for permission to take the Israelites to worship God for three days in the wilderness. Do the Israelites actually do this? As we explore this topic, we also must ask what sort of literature the Torah is, and why the Song of the Sea is not found in the Book of Tehillim (Psalms).