When the Torah was first written by Moses, it was in partial form. Indeed our reading this week, parashat Mishpatim, is sometimes called Sefer HaBrit (סֵפֶר הַבְּרִית), the Book of the Covenant, because it lists various social laws that Moses wrote down (Exod. 24:7). It is therefore a subset of the Torah -- a separate scroll -- that elaborated on the terms of the covenant initially made at Mount Sinai (i.e., the giving of the Ten Commandments). After it was written, Moses built an altar at the foot of Mount Sinai with twelve pillars (one for each tribe of Israel), and ordered sacrifices to the LORD to be made. He then took the sacrificial blood from the offerings, threw half upon the altar and read the covenant to the people. The people ratified the covenant with the words: כּל אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּר יהוה נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע / kol asher diber Adonai naaseh vnishma (all that the LORD says we will do and obey (Exod. 24:7). Upon hearing their ratification, Moses took the other half of the sacrificial blood and threw it on the people saying, Behold the blood of the covenant (דַּם־הַבְּרִית) that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words (Exod. 24:8).
Posted on: Fri, 24 Jan 2014 00:14:23 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015