Author: Shlomo Bar-Ayal

Taking God’s name in vain does not only have to do with using God’s name inappropriately in speech but also committing acts of evil in God’s name.

God took us out of Egyptian slavery for a purpose. To show the world that it should be moral. That is why the 10 Commandments start with “I am the Lord your God Who took you out of Egypt.” I have a reason for that event.

Jethro comes to visit Moses, and gives him advise on how to delegate. This teaches us that we do not have all the wisdom in the world.

The commandment to destroy all of Amalek is unique. We are not commanded to destroy another nation. The reason could be that Amalek had no reason to attack the Jews & was against the moral compass that the Jews were about to receive.

The pillar of fire and the splitting of the sea are testament to God’s presence in this world. That God takes an active tole on our lives.

When Moses led the Jews to the lip of the Sea of Reeds, with the Egyptian army racing to them, he prayed to God for help. God replied, don’t just pray, get into the water. God wants action, not just prayers.

Only one fifth of the slaves in Egypt left. The issue is that many people are afraid of freedom because it means being responsible for your actions.

The mistake that Pharaoh made was that he assumed that the Jews would return after worshiping God. It never occurred to him that serving God means even in secular affairs.

Leaving Egypt the Jews learn that they have to take responsibility for their freedom, because if you don’t stand up for yourself, no one else will.

In the final plague, the first born of any coupling was killed. That meant that a family could have more than one son die if the couple were unfaithful. This shows that there are not secrets from God.