Chapter 30 pertains to Biblical oaths and vows. Abravanel questions the order or sequence: How does the subject of festival sacrifices (chapters 28 and 29) lead to our chapter dealing with oaths and vows? “And Moses spoke unto the heads of the tribes of the Children of Israel saying. This is the thing which God has commanded. When a man vows a vow to God or swears an oath to...
 

The subject matter of chapter 29 turns to the major Jewish festivals. Abravanel takes a deep dive into them. For our purposes here, we will focus on his treatment of the Feast of Booths, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles. To qualify, this blog only comprises one aspect of Abravanel’s study of this feast, which is called Sukkot in Hebrew. “And on the fifteenth day of the seventh...
 

Chapter 28 conveys laws concerning the daily sacrifices brought in the Temple; we speak of daily burnt offerings. Abravanel questions the placement of these verses here. Better, he writes, had they been taught elsewhere in the Torah, where the subject is broached (Exodus 28). Further, Abravanel wonders, if our chapter delves into burnt offerings, why not make it inclusive of sin offerings and guilt offerings? “And God spoke to Moses...
 

In chapter 26, the national census had concluded. The purpose of the headcount had a practical purpose: “To these the land shall be divided.” It also inspired potential claimants to Canaan to speak up. “Then drew near the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph. And these are the names...
 

Toward the end of a lengthy chapter 26, we find verses pertaining to the allotment of Canaan to the twelve tribes. Biblical commentators struggled with the subject of how the land was apportioned to the twelve tribes. Was the “pie” cut into twelve equal slices, regardless of the individual tribe’s population? Such a proposition, so fundamentally off, would fly in the face of divine justice and fairness. Moreover, it...
 

Before taking leave of King Balak of Moab, the prophet Balaam shared an open secret – really an axiom: The Maker does not suffer sexual promiscuity. At all. Privy to this truism, and openly seeking the demise of the Holy Nation, Balaam advised Balak to have Moabite women enter the Jewish camp. There, they should seduce the Hebrews. “And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit harlotry with...
 

King Balak of Moab, if anything, was determined (obsessed) to decimate the Jews. To do the hit job, he hired Balaam, a man whose prophetic powers were quite proficient. In the blog in chapter 23, we cited Abravanel’s opinion that God graced Balaam with four prophecies. In Numbers 24 we address Balaam’s third prophecy concerning the Hebrews. “And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling...
 

As stated in the prior chapter, King Balak of Moab turned to Balaam to help defeat and destroy the Hebrews. Here in chapter 23, we will take a closer look at Balaam’s prophecies. To be specific, God granted Balaam four prophecies regarding the Jewish people, as Abravanel develops in his commentary. Here we will examine the first of the four divine messages. “And God met Balaam and he said...
 

Until now, the Torah related adventures that befell the Hebrews as they trekked along desert highways, dramatic thrillers that occupied the encampment before they reached civilization. If we were to chart a geographic reference line, we would have the start point as the great wilderness and the end point corresponding to where Moses passes away. But now in chapter 22, the Torah’s emphasis changes, focusing on those sensational events...
 

One of the topics covered in Chapter 21 deals with Moses and the bronze serpent. The narrative raises more than a few eyebrows. What are readers to make of this bizarre passage? “And the people spoke against God and against Moses. Wherefore have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness, for there is no bread and there is no water…” Some background: “And the people spoke...
 

Chapter 20, among other things, pertains to the fateful event that dashed Moses’ and Aaron’s yearning to enter Canaan – “And God said unto Moses and Aaron. Because you believed not in Me, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the Children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” “And God spoke to Moses saying. Take the rod, and assemble...
 

Arguably, Numbers 19 opens a discussion of the most elusive of all divine commandments: the red heifer. “And God spoke to Moses and Aaron saying. This is the governing law which God has commanded saying. Speak unto the Children of Israel that they should take for you a red heifer, faultless, where there is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke.” Questions regarding it abound, as Abravanel and other...
 

Numbers 18 offers poetic closure to the previous chapters that featured Korah’s noxious rebellion against Aaron, the high priest. With the rebel’s attempted coup quelled, Aaron emerged from the trying ordeal with God’s confirmation, and favors. We shall elaborate. “All holy portions that the Children of Israel apportion to God, I give to you and your sons with you for an eternal statute.” Our chapter’s verses...
 

Numbers 17 is a continuation of the previous chapters pertaining to Korah’s attempt to wrest the priesthood away from Aaron, the high priest. Consequently, God seeks to instill within the Jew’s collective memory an object lesson: Never again should anyone usurp Aaron’s and his descendants’ divine, exclusive right to work the Holy Temple. “And God spoke to Moses saying. Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the...
 

The infamous and insidious insurgence led by Korah & Co. against Moses is the subject matter of Numbers 16. But who were the ringleaders, Abravanel asks? What brought these noisome plaintiffs to collude against the prophet? What rankled them? “Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took...
 

Numbers 15 concludes the Torah section of Shelach. At the end of this chapter, God commands Moses to instruct his brethren to wear tzitzit. What is the point of this four-cornered and distinctive, fringed garment? “And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that you may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of God…” “And God spoke to Moses saying. Speak unto the Children of Israel...
 

“And all the congregation lifted up their voice and cried. And the people wept that night.” The spy affair is broached in Numbers 13. The Hebrew’s reaction to the slanderous report gets recorded here in Numbers 14: “And all the congregation lifted up their voice and cried.” Abravanel zeroes in on God’s fateful response to the faithless people’s histrionics, one that both deeply frustrated and disappointed...
 

Numbers 13 introduces the scandal that would rock the Hebrews for forty years in the desert, and well beyond. We speak of the spy affair. “And God spoke to Moses saying. Send you men, that they spy out the land…” Here, we bring Abravanel’s opening remarks to the perfidious event that stoked the Maker’s wrath. In the course of time, He would snuff out the lives of the...
 

Numbers 12 again shows the Hebrews in a bad light. This time it’s a family affair. Moses’ siblings, Aaron and Miriam miserably misspoke, hurling reckless charges against the prophet. “And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses” introduces a nasty tirade that threatened to rock the family, had the Creator not come to Moses’ defense – to set the record straight. In his inimitable style, Abravanel rattles off a raft of...
 

Numbers 11 Torah portion Behaalotcha may well be summed up by paraphrasing a popular adage: You can take the nation out of Egypt, but you can’t take Egypt out of the nation. “And the people were as murmurers, speaking evil in the ears of God. And when God heard it, His anger was kindled. And the fire of God burnt among them, and devoured in the uttermost part of...
 

Numbers 10 comprises meaty topics for discussion. Here we bring Abravanel’s explanation of the verses quoting a conversation between Moses and Jethro, his father-in-law. “And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law. We are journeying unto the place of which God said: I will give it you. Come with us and we will do you good, for God has spoken...
 

A most mind-blowing aspect of the Hebrew’s desert trek gets duly recorded in Numbers 9: the cloud of glory. For the entire essay and in-depth explanation of the heavenly escort, see Abravanel’s World. For our purposes here, we shift to a stylistic query. “And on the day that the Tabernacle was built up, the cloud covered the Tabernacle, even the Tent of the Testimony. And at...
 

There are two topics discussed in Numbers 8. The first one talks about the menorah in the Tabernacle. The rest of the chapter’s verses delve into the subject of the tribe of Levi. “And God spoke to Moses saying. Speak to Aaron and say to him: When you light the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front candlestick.” In the menorah verses, Abravanel finds an opportunity to...
 

“And it came to pass on the day that Moses had made an end of setting up the Tabernacle…that the princes of Israel…brought their offering before God.” Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. In Numbers 7, Abravanel provides a helpful timeline and adds context, regarding the sequence of events in the...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. He takes on the fascinating phenomenon of the Nazir in Numbers 6. In particular, Abravanel explores the juxtaposition of our chapter dealing with the laws of Nazirites with the previous one pertaining to the sotah. What’s the connection, Abravanel asks, between a woman suspected of infidelity and...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. In Numbers 5, Abravanel tackles the eyebrow-raising subject of a sotah, literally a married woman who goes aside from her husband. Untoward behavior triggers a husband’s suspicions, jealousy. Is she disloyal, he obsesses? If the husband or witnesses actually barge in and see foul play, Torah...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Numbers 4 straddles two Torah portions: Bamidbar and Naso. A single thread crisscrosses both sections. That is, the respective roles of Levi’s three sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari feature front and center. “And God spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron saying. Do not cut off the tribe...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. In the first half of Numbers 4, he explains the prestigious role given to Kohath, son of Levi. “This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the Tent of Meeting – the holiest of matters.” Levi, son of Jacob had three sons: Gershon, Merari, and Kohath. In...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. The role of the Levites is covered extensively in Numbers 3. Among other things, Abravanel delineates their official functions. He also discusses the tribe’s population size, in relation to the other tribes. “And God spoke unto Moses saying. Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, also spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Numbers 2 paints a portrait of an orderly Hebrew encampment, a masterful one at that. A splendid arrangement with flags all around, it established crisp tribal associations and parameters. Just as importantly, Jews kept their distance from the Tabernacle, lest blurred lines breed contempt for the mystical Shechinah...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, also spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Not surprisingly, Numbers 1 deals with, well, numbers or tallying or counting. Abravanel also zeroes in on the counters. Who had been entrusted to take the census of the Hebrew fighters, a head count that reached hundreds of thousands? What lie behind the counting? “And God spoke...
 

Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible. Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Following is Abravanel’s shortened introduction to the Book of Numbers, the fourth book in...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Leviticus 27 concludes this third book of the five books of Moses. The subject matter covers donations to the Tabernacle. “And God spoke to Moses saying. Speak unto the Children of Israel and say unto them. When a man shall clearly utter a vow of persons unto God...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Leviticus 26 offers Bible students a study into Abravanel’s inimitable style. The topic of reward and punishment is, of course, a juicy one and of profound, general interest. For Abravanel, the discussion begins with a critical analysis of the classic Biblical commentators, before drawing his own conclusions...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Sabbaticals and jubilees are the main topics of discussion in Leviticus 25. Sabbaticals are observed in Israel at the end of seven-year cycles; jubilees every fifty years. Across the board, classical commentators contend that, essentially, both commandments are variations on the same theme. “And God spoke unto...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel ,sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. A quarrel between two men in the desert quickly escalated. It is duly recorded in the middle of Leviticus 24. And a horrid interjection it is, one that features blasphemy, cursing using God’s name. “And the son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Leviticus 23 pertains to the major Jewish festivals. In addition to Passover, Shavuot, and Succot, this includes Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Why observe them, Abravanel asks? “And God spoke unto Moses, saying. Speak unto all the Children of Israel, and say unto them: The appointed seasons of...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Leviticus 22 provides more painstaking detail, as to what constituted kosher animal sacrifices in the Tabernacle. Priests remained ever vigilant, and accepted those animals for sacrifices that met the Torah’s rigorous demands. In this way, they vetted for altar activity only those bulls, sheep, or goats that...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. In Leviticus 21, as in every other chapter in the Torah and prophets, Abravanel’s commentary goes through each verse methodically. However, his writings also comprise dozens and dozens of invaluable mini-essays (and some full-length discourses as well). And then sporadically, Abravanel provides Bible students with...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Arguably, Leviticus 20, parasha Kedoshim, speaks about one of the Torah’s most vicious and hateful crimes imaginable – the slaying of babies in the name of religion. Indeed, this insidious and reprehensible practice to Molech unmasks the grotesque face of idolatry. “And God spoke unto Moses saying: Moreover...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. In Leviticus 19, readers learn about Biblical values. For Abravanel, the topic boils down to three words – imitation of God (imitatio Dei). Let us elaborate on this heady topic of man striving to emulate the Maker, as a vehicle to acquire Biblical values. “And God spoke unto Moses...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Biblical ethics takes front and center stage in Leviticus Chapter 18. Neatly, Abravanel categorizes the two ancient cultures of Egypt and Canaan. Neither social structure, to be polite, were enviable from the perspective of upright conduct. “And God spoke unto Moses saying, speak unto the Children of Israel...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Leviticus Chapter 17 focuses on the laws concerning slaughtering animals during the desert years. Notwithstanding the importance of this particular commandment, Bible students will find an answer to an intriguing, albeit unrelated, question: How did Moses transmit the Torah to the Children of Israel? “And God spoke unto...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. The holy day of Yom Kippur is discussed in Leviticus 16. The day’s services in the Tabernacle had been conducted exclusively by Aaron, the high priest. Centuries later, when King Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem, Yom Kippur services were officiated by Aaron’s descendants. “And God...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Leviticus 15, parasha Metzora, discusses certain oozing conditions that afflict man, resulting in his spiritual defilement. (When the Temple stood, these conditions had even more practical ramifications.) Abravanel understood that this topic would tend to confuse Bible students, and so he prefaces his verse- by-verse commentary with...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. The topic of Biblical leprosy began in Leviticus 13 and continues into Chapter 14. Here the emphasis is on the cleansing of a Biblical leper, essentially a two-step cathartic process. Abravanel delves into the sacrifices (step two) a Biblical leper brings to the Tabernacle. From a leper...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Leviticus 13 covers the mysterious and elusive subject of Biblical leprosy. “And God spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying: When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, or a scab, or a bright spot, and it become in the skin of his...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. In Leviticus 12, we read about the laws of women who give birth, and their ensuing obligation to bring sacrifices to the Tabernacle. “And God spoke unto Moses, saying: Speak unto the Children of Israel saying, If a woman gives birth to a boy…gives birth to a...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel, (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Leviticus 11 discusses Jewish dietary laws. In typical Abravanel fashion, he dives into the subject of kashrut with fundamental questions. Here are two: Why did the Creator ban certain foods, as outlined in our chapter? Do dietary laws promote good health? “And God spoke unto Moses and Aaron...
 

Don Isaac Abravane, sometimes spelled Abarbanell (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. In Leviticus 10, he tackles one of the Torah’s most controversial topics: the untimely deaths of Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron the high priest. “And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took each of them his censer, and put fire therein, and laid incense thereon...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. He sets forth a religious axiom in Leviticus 9: Divine Providence. Support comes from a later verse in our chapter. “And there came forth fire from before God, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat. And when all the people saw it, they shouted...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. In Leviticus 8, he takes pains to prove Moses’ integrity, an honest broker. Specifically, Abravanel learns from our verses a basic tenet of Judaism: Moses simply acted as God’s conduit, and had not acted on his own. Abravanel illustrates. “And God spoke to Moses saying. Take Aaron...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. In Leviticus 7, he explains God’s attitude toward penitents. “And this is the law of the guilt offering; it is most holy.” Abravanel observes that both guilt and sin offerings are described in the Torah as “most holy.” On the surface, this runs counterintuitively to our logic...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator.Parasha Tzav, Leviticus 6 discusses one aspect of a priest’s daily tasks in the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle’s priestly sanitation department, let us call it, swept up the altar’s ashes, charred remains from the previous day’s sacrifices. “And the priest shall put on his linen...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. The subject of sin offerings began in Leviticus 4, and continues in chapter 5. Our verse discusses the sin offering of a poor man. Given his dearth of cash (he can’t rub two nickels together), what are his options for atoning for wrongdoing? “But if his means...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific Biblical commentator. Leviticus 4 covers the subject of sin offerings in the Tabernacle. Here, Abravanel transports Bible students beyond textual explanation, pivoting into theology. We shall explain. “And God spoke to Moses saying, speak unto the Children of Israel saying. If any one shall sin through error, in any of...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a seminal Jewish thinker, penetrating scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Leviticus (Vayikra) 3 is devoted to peace offerings brought to the Tabernacle. Abravanel explains the sequence, and importance, of peace offerings coming after the Bible speaks about burnt offerings (Leviticus 1) and meal offerings (Leviticus 2). “And if his offering be a sacrifice of peace offerings, if he offer of the...
 

“And when any one brings a meal offering unto God, his offering shall be of fine flour. And he shall pour oil upon it, and frankincense thereon.” Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible. Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a seminal Jewish thinker, penetrating scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Leviticus (Vayikra) 1 deals with animal sacrifices, specifically burnt offerings. The wording, Abravanel notes, “When any man of you brings an offering unto God”, appears clumsy. The words “of you” seem superfluous. If we omit them, the verse would read succinctly: “When any man brings an offering…” “And God called unto...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a seminal Jewish thinker, penetrating scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. His lengthy introduction to Leviticus provides Bible students an excellent and thorough overview of one of the Bible’s least understood and appreciated subjects: animal sacrifice. See Abravanel’s World for the discourse in its entirety. “And God called unto Moses, and spoke unto him out of the Tent of the...
 

“And it came to pass in the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month, that the Tabernacle was erected…Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting and the glory of God filled the Tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of God filled the Tabernacle.” Bible studies with Don...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a profound Jewish thinker, seminal scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. His preface to the Book of Exodus affords Bible students a compact overview of Genesis as well as the second book of the five books of Moses. Here we bring a synopsis of it. “Now these are the names of the Sons of Israel, who came into Egypt with Jacob; every...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a seminal Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. We read about the priestly garments in Exodus 39. Specifically, we refer to the manufacturing of the ephod, onyx stones, breastplate, robe etc. “And of the blue and purple and scarlet, they made plaited garments. And he made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple. They made shoulder pieces for it. And...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abravanel (1437-1508) was a seminal Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Exodus 38 examines another aspect of the Tabernacle – through the lens of an accountant or auditor, sort of. “These are the accounts of the Tabernacle…” “These are the accounts of the Tabernacle, even the Tabernacle of Testimony, as they were rendered according to the commandment of Moses, through the service of the...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a seminal Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Exodus 37 continues to discuss the Tabernacle. We add a parenthetical note on Biblical measurements: one cubit roughly equals eighteen inches “And Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits in length, one and a half cubits in width, and one and a half cubits in height.”. Constructing the Tabernacle had...
 

The Tabernacle appeal Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a seminal Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Exodus 36, we learn additional details regarding the Hebrew’s generous financing of the Tabernacle. As discussed in an earlier blog, Abravanel breaks down the benefactors into two categories – those who donated valuables (gold, silver etc.) and those who labored to build God’s sacred house. “And all...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a seminal Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Exodus 35 enshrines the greatness of the Jewish nation, recording their can-do spirit and generosity. Bible students will learn of the outpouring of volunteerism that inspired them in a most holy task: building the Tabernacle. “And Moses assembled all the congregation of the Children of Israel…And Moses spoke…take you...
 

“And God descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of God. And God passed by before him and proclaimed: God, the Lord, God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth; keeping mercy unto the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. And will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children...
 

Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible. “And I will send an angel before you. And I will drive out the Canaanite….” Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Exodus chapter 33 dives...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Exodus chapter 32 presents readers with one of the most sordid and reprehensible scandals in the Pentateuch: The Golden Calf “And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him: Make us a god who shall go before us. For...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel, (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Exodus chapter 31 introduces Bible students to the chief and assistant superintendents, two men of renown to whom the Tabernacle’s construction was entrusted. Bezalel assumed the top honors, Oholiab his most able assistant: “And I, behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Midway through Exodus chapter 30, we read about another consecrated fixture of the Tabernacle: the copper wash basin. “And God spoke unto Moses saying, you shall also make a wash basin of brass…to wash, and you shall place it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and you shall put...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Toward the end of Exodus chapter 29, the Bible describes the inauguration of the Tabernacle altar. Two acts readied the altar: anointing oil and the offering of two daily sacrifices. “Now this is that which you shall offer upon the altar: two one-year-old lambs each and every day. The one...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Exodus chapter 28 begins with God’s appointment of Aaron, Moses’ brother, to the priesthood, together with Aaron’s four sons. Abravanel questions the timing of this divine promotion: Why now? “And you shall bring near unto you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the Children of Israel, that they minister...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. At the conclusion of Exodus chapter 27, we read about sanctuary’s lampstand. Abravanel finds something unusual about the chapter’s closing two verses. Consequently, he rejects the notion that they convey a divine commandment – “And you shall command the Children of Israel, that they bring you pure olive oil…” Similarly, Abravanel dismisses the idea...
 

Jewish Action Magazine Vol. 84 No.3 page 38 Jewish Action: If you could pick one figure in Jewish history who respresents hope and optimism and the ability to reinvent and start anew, who would that person be? Dr. Abramson: I could think of many individuals but my favorite is Don Yitzchak Abarbanel, who went trhough tremndous tribulations. In his golden years he elects to remain with the Jews rather...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel, also spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Exodus chapter 26 continues to discuss the Tabernacle, a topic introduced in the previous chapter. Abravanel draws our attention to a grammatical inconsistency in our lead verse (“Moreover, you shall make…”) when compared to the verb’s conjugation in chapter 25 (“Make an ark…and you shall overlay it with pure...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Exodus chapter 25, parshat Terumah, we read about the divine commandment to build for God a sanctuary in the tabernacle. We also learn how this sacred structure was to be financed. “And God spoke unto Moses saying: Speak to the Children of Israel, that they take for Me an offering. Of every man whose...
 

“And Moses wrote all the words of God, and rose up early in the morning, and built an altar under the mountain, and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.” Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible. Don Isaac...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. The subject of the three major Jewish festivals is broached in Exodus chapter 23. Attendance in Jerusalem’s Holy Temple during those holidays is compulsory: “Three times in the year all your males shall appear before God Almighty.” “Three times you shall keep a feast unto Me in the year.” Abravanel writes, as we have...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In the latter part of Exodus Chapter 22, we read about sexual mores. For Abravanel, the seventh commandment prohibiting adultery, like each of the Ten Commandments, is not meant to be construed narrowly. Rather, it along with each of the other commandments in the Decalogue, contains subcategories. “And if a man seduces a virgin who...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In the book of Exodus, parashat Mishpatim, it delves into divine, judicial statutes that comprise large swathes of Jewish law or jurisprudence. This subject matter continues into the upcoming chapters, as well. “And these are the statutes which you shall set before them.” For the full discussion of Jewish jurisprudence, see Abravanel’s World. However...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. We read in Exodus chapter 20 that the Ten Commandments were transmitted to the Hebrews on Mount Sinai. “And God spoke all these words saying: I am God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me…” Abravanel discusses exactly what...
 

Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible. Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Exodus chapter 19 sets the backdrop for mankind’s defining moment: The transmission of the Torah on Mount Sinai...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. We read in Exodus chapter 20, parshat Yitro, that the Ten Commandments were transmitted to the Hebrews on Mount Sinai. “And God spoke all these words saying: I am God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me…” Abravanel discusses...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Exodus chapter 19 sets the backdrop for mankind’s defining moment: The transmission of the Torah on Mount Sinai. “In the third month after the Children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came into the wilderness of Sinai.” Abravanel asks about the timing of the watershed event...
 

Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible. “And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people. And the people stood about Moses from the morning unto evening.” Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Chapter 17 finds the Hebrews trudging along desert dunes, increasingly becoming road weary. Unbearable thirst made them more than cantankerous; they totally lost it. “And God said unto Moses: Pass on before the people, and take with you the elders of Israel, and your staff wherewith you smote the river, and take in your hand...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Exodus Chapter 16 we read about the Hebrews one month into their desert sojourns. By that time, the nation began to experience extreme hardships due to dwindling food and water supplies. “And they journeyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the Children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Chapter 15 pertains to the Jew’s jubilation after experiencing the miracle at the Red Sea. Abravanel takes the opportunity to digress from his verse-to-verse commentary and discuss song or poetry, from a Jewish retrospective. The Hebrew essay is lengthy. Please see Abravanel’s World. “Then sang Moses and the Children of Israel...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Exodus, Chapter 14 captures the dramatic story of the utter demise of Pharaoh and his army. Down to the last man, they all drowned in the Red Sea. “And God said to Moses saying: Speak unto the Children of Israel, that they turn back and encamp before Pi-hahiroth…And Pharaoh will say of...
 

Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible. Chapter 13 tracks the escape route of the departing Hebrews from Egypt. “And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not by the way of the...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Exodus Chapter 12 pertains to the Pascal lamb sacrifice, providing a plethora of details about it. When was it sacrificed? What type of animal could be used? How was it eaten? These are a sampling of some salient aspects of the divine commandment given to the Jewish nation. “And God said unto Moses and Aaron...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. Chapter 11 delves into the tenth and final plague: the slaying of Egypt’s first born. It also touches on Pharaoh’s obstinacy, before relating Moses’ and Aaron’s pivotal roles in the Exodus. “And God said unto Moses: Pharaoh will not hearken unto you, that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Exodus Chapter 10, Bible students read about plagues number eight and nine to hit Egypt: locusts and darkness. (The tenth and final plague is a subject for the next chapter.) “And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh and said unto him: Thus says God, the God of the Hebrews. How long will you...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Exodus Chapter 9, the Bible details additional plagues to hit Egypt, including boils. On this particular plague, Abravanel notes an anomaly, giving way to a question: Of all ten plagues, why does God speak to both Moses and Aaron in the case of boils? In all other instances, the Creator solely addressed Moses. “And...
 

Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible. Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Exodus Chapter 8, Bible students read about the third plague to attack Egypt with a vengeance: lice. “And...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Exodus chapter 7, Bible students encounter the most fundamental theological assumption of all: free choice. Indeed, no topic is more central to Judaism. Predictably, every major commentator has weighed in on free choice, featured front and center in the verse: “And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart unto you, and multiply My signs and...
 

Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike, offering enduring interpretations of the Bible. “And God spoke unto Moses, and said unto him: I am God…And moreover I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel. Wherefore say unto the children of Israel: I am God...
 

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical commentator. In Exodus Chapter 5, Moses and Aaron petition Pharaoh in the name of God: Let My People Go. The king was unmoved, let alone impressed. “And Pharaoh said: Who is God that I should harken unto His voice to let Israel go? I know not God…” “And afterward Moses and Aaron came, and said unto...
 

 

 

There are no articles in this category. If subcategories display on this page, they may have articles.

Subcategories