Shemot

The exile and the redemption in Exodus were not a one-time event, but merely the paradigm for an event that recurs again and again throughout our history—exile followed by redemption followed by exile again—and thus the metamorphosis of the Jewish people continues.

It can be a great accomplishment for a person to admit, “I have sinned this time.” But there is a higher level, where a person’s soul searching moves him to such a degree that he declares, “G-d is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.”

Just as there are first fruits of the soil, there are also first deeds and first dreams. Here as well, people become more sophisticated as they mature, as do their aspirations and dreams. Nevertheless, there is a special significance to one’s first dreams.

Man’s glory is his free will, for his ability to decide is a kind of act of G‑d. Man can use his free will to his own detriment, or as an expression of glory and dignity.

On the plane of the soul there can be no criterion by which to determine who is higher and who is lower. As a result, it can truly be said that “all the people in the community are holy.”

The contraction that manifests itself in Parshat Mishpatim exists in the nature of the world as well. In our lives, the most profound and uplifting things are found precisely in the mundane details of the daily routine.

"The Tabernacle was based precisely on the totality of what the people have inside them, on each person’s generosity and capacity for giving: the small and the great, the rich and the generous. From the combination of all of them together, from top to bottom, a sanctuary is made, and in the entirety of what is built, G‑d’s glory resides."

"In Parshat Tetzaveh we see that there are functions that are indispensable for the Tabernacle’s overall structure to work and achieve its purpose; without them, it simply does not respond"

Fundamental hatred does not derive from any reason whatsoever, nor does it end when the hater recognizes and is rationally aware of the other's virtues.

the People made the calf because they wanted a relatable, tangible object on which holiness could rest.

Even someone with a thorough knowledge of the laws of Shabbat must grapple with the complicated question of what exactly is considered work by the Torah’s definition.