As the drama of Egyptian exile begins to unfold in this week's Torah portion of Shemot, the family of Jacob begins to transition into the nation of Israel.
The deepest truth is that this exile was written into Israel's destiny long before...it has its roots in Abraham's prophetic experience at the "Covenant between the Portions,"recorded in Genesis 15.
In this week's podcast, Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman reflect on this connection, and explore the understanding of the sages that the Egyptian exile was a crucible for the spiritual development of the nation of Israel.
Plus: Jim Long fills us in on the latest developments in historical and archeological research of ancient Egypt.