The resulting Mishna captures the structure of early Jewish traditions and ethics, including Sabbath laws and rituals for holidays and daily life.  The Misnah reads as a series of consensus legal opinions from Rabbis addressing a variety of ethical questions and disputes. Importantly, the Mishna established a variety of civil laws governing marriage and interpersonal disputes. Importantly, Pirkei Avot, or Ethics of the Fathers, captures wisdom from a ancient Rabbis that have informed modern Jewish interpretations and ethics.

The Mishna was studied, debated and recorded in what would become the Gemara. Dispersed throughout Israeli and Babylonia, Rabbis over the course of the next few centuries began to develop the modern tradition of semantic and logical analysis of religious texts. Today, the modern tradition of Jewish learning involves discussion, analysis and debate, which stems from early traditions as captured in the Talmud. Each section of the Gemara involves a close textual analysis of the Mishna along with discussions of scholarly interpretations. Both practicing Jews and aspiring community and religious leaders study Talmudic literature as a lens into the “living Torah” or the ongoing debates over Jewish ethics, laws and traditions.

Faced with servitude under the Pharaoh, the Israelites began their exodus when the Ten Plagues afflicted the Egyptians. The commemorating of Passover begins each year on the last day of the plagues, when the Israelites began their exodus to freedom led by Moses.

Pesach begins with Seder meals remembering the Exodus, as recounted in the Haggadah. The Sedar recounts the lessons and struggles of the Israelites, and explores the roots of traditions, such as eating matzah (unleavened bread) and avoid chametz during the holiday.

An Overview of the Passover Seder

The Seder recalls the experience of the Israelites in ancient Egypt through each of its traditions. Beginning with Kiddush, the sanctity of the holiday is established and the first cup of win is consumed while reclining - a symbol of freedom. Four total cups of wine are consumed to further express gratitude over liberation for the Jewish people.

Next, the Seder continues with Karpas, which involves dipping a vegetable into salt water, representing the sorrow and triumph of the Israelites. Then, the Matzah is split, representing the parting of the Sea of Reeds - the two pieces form the Afikoman and the bread of affliction, demonstrating the dual nature of the story of Exodus.

The first of the Four Questions marks the beginning of the Haggadah by asking “why is this night different from all other nights?” In response, the Passover story is recounted and a second cup of wine is consumed.

Matzah is then consumed while reclining after saying the blessing before the bread, along with a special blessing over the matzot. Next, bitter herbs are dipped in charoset over the blessing over the maror - a symbol of the bittersweet exodus. Next, the korech, formed from matzot and maror, is consumed along with bitter herbs and the formal meal begins with a hard-boiled egg.

The meal celebrates the joy of the holiday, and the meal concludes by consuming the Afikoman and two cups of wine while saying the blessing over the wine. Many Seder traditions involve singing traditional songs of praise.

Summary of Passover Torah Portions

The first Torah reading on Pescach recounts the last of the plagues, which struck the Egyptian first born and marked the initial Exodus to Mount Sinai. During the second day of Passover, the Torah portion marks the beginning of Shavuot and recalls the Counting of the Omer, which marks the 49 days leading up to the festival. During, the third through the sixth day of Passover, Chol Hamoed, the Torah portions establish a number of Jewish laws, including avoiding Chametz, wearing tefillin and the guidelines for the festival. The seventh day returns to a complete holiday celebrating with a Torah portion remembering the parting of the Sea, while the final day of the Holiday establishes the annual festivals which have become a Jewish tradition.

Formal Torah readings are led by a rabbi, who uses a yad to guide the reader through the text, and, often, leads a discussion of the meaning of a specific Torah portion. Shabbat and holiday readings take on particular importance, as important dates on the Jewish calendar coincide with key events in Jewish history. Service participants follow the ext through a Chumash, a bound version of the contents of the Tanakh.

Importantly, the Torah Ark plays a crucial role in services - storing the Torah between readings, and serving as a focus point of the service. Each Torah scroll is adorned with a breastplate, scroll handles and an ornament which form the kele koshes (or “sacred vessels”) of the scroll. The dedication to preservation of the traditions of Sefer Torah has united Jews for centuries around a common goal.

Patriarchs
Avraham, meaning “father of many” the first patriarch is considered the first Jew. Leading the Israelites to Canaan, he entered into a covenant that established modern monotheism as the basic for Judaism. The father of Isaac and husband of Sarah, Abraham is best known for Akedat Yitzchak (the “binding of Isaac”), where the intervention of an angel at Mount Moriah saved his son from sacrifice. Yitzchak, the only son of Abraham and Sarah remained in Canaan throughout his life. His marriage to Rebekah produced Esau and Jacob, important figures in Jewish history. The father of twelve sons and a daughter during his marriages to Leah and Rachel, Jacob wrestles with an Angle who declares he with then be called Yisrael (Israel, or “one who has struggled with the Lord”) upon his return to Canaan.

Matriarchs
Sarah (also known as “Sarai” earlier in the Torah), the wife of Abraham, is known for her beauty and intelligence. As the first matriarch, she is widely admired for her poise and was protected by an angel in Egypt, later giving birth to Isaac after her youth was restored by a miracle. Issac’s wife, Rebekah (or “Rivka”) was chosen on the basis of her character after helping Eliezer, Avaraham’s servant, through the desert. Rachel fell in love with, and married, Jacob after he was cajoled into marrying her sister Leah (by her father, Laban) hidden by a veil at the ceremony for seven years - Leah later gave birth to six sons and a daughter during their marriage. As a result of the veiling, modern Jewish wedding traditions require a bridal unveiling during the ceremony.

In an analysis from Rabbi Avraham Fischer, the Rabbi focuses on the core role of personal responsibility in the Jewish tradition and the “mitzvah of confession”. Importantly, the Rabbi focuses on the learning processes that emanates from repentance, citing Rambam’s interpretation that sinners learn from their transgressions in the context of Jewish ethics and law. While traditional interpretations focus on Yom Kippur as an outlet for forgiveness, the Rabbi highlights the importance of ethical learning on an ongoing basis.

In this context, Moshe led the Levites to help serve Aaron, and his direct family, the Kohanim, in helping to transport the Tabernacle. In the context of a shifting landscape, the religious leaders were to follow an orderly process of transporting the elements of the Tabernacle. The importance of order and logical process is a tradition that influences modern Jewish practice and law in both religious and civil life.  In the context of the impending challenges to an emerging nation forged from the various tribes, Moses aimed to ensure that each person clearly understood their role in helping to advance the cause of greater Israel.

The importance of the wilderness is a common theme in Rabbinic analysis of the Parsha. Rabbi Aaron Alexander discusses the significance of maintaining “sacred experiences we carry in our hearts.” While the surroundings one find him or herself in can vary, the importance of a mikdash ma’at, or personal holy space, is paramount: just as the wilderness challenged the early Jewish tribes in their quest for Israel, so does the chaos of modern life “offer opportunities for order and interaction.”