Shira Milgrom

Every Jew Is Part of the Covenant In his final appeal to the people of Israel, Moses reminds them that the covenant they are establishing with God will be valid for eternity.

The Torah reading for the Shabbat of Sukkot (Exodus 33:12–34:26) includes the reconciliation between God and Moses following the Golden Calf, the inscription of the second set of the Ten Commandments, and the verbal covenant that accompanies this second giving.

Central to the "Torah"—my father, Jacob Milgrom, z"l, taught me and countless others—was the revolution of priestly theology. In the priestly view, sin was not a separate demonic force; rather, sin was/is of human volition—human beings bring sin and goodness both into the world.

At the edge of the Promised Land, Moses convenes his people one last time, to draw them into the covenant between them and their God.