In this week’s parasha, Bo, the Israelites are finally freed from their subjugation in Egypt. We read that in their haste to leave, they bound up their unleavened dough in their garments (Exodus 12:34). Intriguingly, the very next verse says that the Israelites took from the Egyptians “silver items, gold items, and garments”. This is significant in light of the famous Midrash that the Israelites merited to be saved because they preserved three things throughout their long enslavement: their cuisine, their language, and their clothing (see Pesikta Zutrata on Ki Tavo, 46a).* In other words, the Israelites preserved their unique Hebrew foods (included in which is observing the mitzvah of not consuming the gid hanashe, which began with Jacob), their divine Hebrew language, and also their unique mode of dress. What was this dress, and how was it different from the garments of the Egyptians?
Tag Archives: Chatam Sofer
The Birth of Ultra-Orthodox Judaism
A short video on the little-known event in 1865 that is said to have officially launched “Ultra-Orthodoxy”.
The Myth of Moses Mendelssohn
Was Moses Mendelssohn really out to destroy traditional Judaism? Did he launch Reform Judaism? Find out who Mendelssohn really was and why he became such a notorious figure in the Orthodox Jewish world. (Also discussed is a brief explanation of the three major Kabbalistic movements that arose in the 18th century.)