Parsha:

Beshalach,  Bo,  Va'era 

Description

The purported goal of Moses' negotiations with Pharaoh was to allow the Hebrews to go out into the desert for three days in order to worship their God. This request/demand appears to have been a ruse, as we never read of any such festival taking place. If a ruse, however, this raises serious difficulties with the entire enterprise of the Exodus. In addition, we explore the role of Shirah (song) in the Torah and propose that songs don't inherently belong in the Torah - raising the question of why the Song at the Sea is included. This lecture was presented at the annual Y'mei Iyyun in Tanakh sponsored by Michlelet Herzog.