Remembering Shabbat

Found 5 Search results

1. "This Month Shall Be For You..." – Jewish Dates

   Rabbi Yaakov Medan

   The Torah commands that the days of the week are counted to lead up to Shabbat, and the months and years from the Exodus. Today this is uncommon; instead we refer to months by Persian and Babylonian names, and years by the creation of the earth. Perhaps the time has come to return to Jewish reference of months and years?

2. Shabbat

   Rabbi Yaakov Medan

   Shabbat plays a central role in Jewish life. By examining the different aspects of Shabbat mentioned in the Torah and specifically its juxtaposition to the building of the mishkan in this week's parsha, we can get a clear picture of what this day is all about. 

3. "This Month Shall Be For You..." – Jewish Dates (Audio)

   Rabbi Yaakov Medan | 18 minutes

   The Torah commands that the days of the week are counted to lead up to Shabbat, and the months and years from the Exodus. Today this is uncommon; instead we refer to months by Persian and Babylonian names, and years by the creation of the earth. Perhaps the time has come to return to Jewish reference of months and years?

4. Remembering Shabbat- Commentary and Halacha

   Dr. Baruch Alster | Hour and 4 minutes

   The mitzva of Shabbat is portrayed in both the ten commandments listed in sefer Shemot and in sefer Devarim- with a slight difference in wording. The medieval commentaries attempt to resolve this difference through a variety of explanations which shape their opinions of the very nature and essence of Shabbat. Through a discussion of these various opinions we learn about the proper method of interpreting not only the mitzva of Shabbat but also the rest of the Torah itself. 

5. Ramban on Bo: HaChodesh HaZeh Lachem - This Month is for You

   Rabbi Ezra Bick | 36 minutes

   Parashat Bo features the first mitzvah given to the Nation of Israel: that of sanctifying the months. Ramban explains that the Torah is teaching us that the Jewish people should count the months from this month of redemption in order to remember God’s miracles for us, and that the Torah purposely does not use names for months or days – so that as we count, we remember God’s wonders.  Why, then, do we use the Babylonian month names for the “Jewish calendar” today?

   Ramban points us to a verse from Yirmiahu, which seems to suggest that the redemption from Babylonia will surpass that of the Exodus from Egypt. Is that really a justification for changing the calendar? And how can we say that anything erases the Exodus?

   The exodus from the Babylonian exile does not negate the Exodus from Egypt – it extends it with the amazing realization that God, after exiling Israel, is willing to redeem us again.