Triennial Cycle III: Exodus 23:20-24:18
Humash Etz Hayim, page 474
Maftir, Exodus 30:11-16, page 523
Haftarah: 2 Kings 11:1-12:17, page 1276
I Samuel 20:18 & 42, page 1216
1. (23:20-33) An epilogue exhorting the Israelites to follow God’s law, emphasizing the rewards they will receive if they do so.
2. (24:1-18) The covenant is ratified through a formal ceremony of acceptance. Moses and the elders eat a meal and see a vision of God. Moses alone ascends the mountain to receive the stone tablets, remaining there for forty days and nights.
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Darshan – Rabbi Allen Berkowitz
Exodus 24:12
A Perplexing Verse and The Key to Being Jewish?
Question For Thought:
How would you fill in the blank? How would you answer this question?
Your birthright makes you a ‘Jew-by-chance’, but ____________ makes you a ‘Jew-by-choice’
A Perplexing Verse:
And God said to Moses: Go up the mountain to Me and remain there and I shall give you the stone tablets (‘luhot ha-even’) and the teaching (‘hatorah’) and the commandment (‘hamitzvah’) that I wrote to teach them.
Rashi (11th c. France):
These 3 categories are subcategories of the 10 Spoken Commandments.
All 613 commandments are connected with the Spoken 10.
Ramban (13th c. Spain):
‘the tablets’ = the 10 Spoken Commandments. These were written by God (and the rest were dictated to Moses).
‘the teaching’ = These dictated commandments were to be taught by Moses to the People Israel.
Sforno (16th c. Italy):
‘the teaching’ = refers to the intellectual/philosophical aspects of Torah.
‘the commandment’ = refers to the rituals performed.
Bible Commentary of Rav Kook Institute (20th c. Israel):
The verse says ‘to teach them’ and this means the tablets are for teaching law and ritual.