Torah Class - Parshat Vaera: To Question Without Questioning

·1 hr 8 min·5 clips

Moses demands of God, 'Why have you harmed this people?' after their plight worsens following his mission.

Rabbi Zushe Greenberg leads a weekly Torah class on Parshat Vaera, titled 'To Question Without Questioning.' The episode begins by recounting Moses's initial reluctance to redeem the Jews from Egypt, his excuses to God, and the subsequent mission that backfires when Pharaoh worsens their slavery. Moses faces blame from Jewish officers and turns to God with the poignant question, 'Why have you harmed this people?' This sets up the central theme: the tension between questioning God's methods and maintaining faith. The rabbi contrasts Moses with the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who never questioned God, and explains that Moses's outcry stemmed from care for others, not doubt. He distinguishes between 'asking questions' to understand and 'questioning' as doubting, emphasizing that a believer's cry shows empathy. The discussion expands to include biblical examples like Jeremiah and Daniel omitting praises of God during tragedies, highlighting honesty in prayer. Attendees engage with questions about the Holocaust, free will, and modern suffering, leading the rabbi to stress that Jews should never become complacent in exile but must demand redemption. The class concludes by linking Moses's experience to the inheritance of faith from the patriarchs, enabling every Jew to serve God with certainty even in darkness.

As heard by us

A Torah class turns Moses' excuses into a thoughtful study of prayer, compassion, and action.

This single-episode Torah class reads Parshat Vaera as a lesson in spiritual reflex. Moses' doubts at the burning bush, from wondering whether the people will believe him to asking that someone else be sent, become a way into a harder question: when suffering is visible, does…

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want a Torah class that lets the question "Why?" become a push toward care, prayer, and action.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Rabbi Zushe Greenberg