Rabbi Sharon Shalom, the Director of the International Center for the Study of Ethiopian Jewry at Ono Academic College published a commentary on the weekly Torah portion, Va’era, in the magazine “Shabbaton”.  Among other issues, he addresses:

  • Why did God reveal his true name to the Israelites enslaved in Egypt and not to the forefathers?
  • What is the source of the custom that husbands and brides to be don’t see each other the week before their wedding?
  • Why is it a good idea to see a picture of a potential partner before going out on the first date?

Rabbi Shalom plumbs the depths of the wisdom of the Ethiopian Jewish tradition, and in particular the advice he received from his mother, uncle and grandmother, of sainted memory, to answer these questions.  Rabbi Shalom concludes by quoting the response given by Prof. Tova Hartman, the Dean of the School of Humanities at Ono Academic College, to the question, “Why did God stop speaking to us?  Prof. Hartman answered, “God did not stop talking to us. We are the ones who stopped listening to Him”.

The full article can be found at https://shabaton1.co.il/?p=17747