Dear family, friends, and honored guests,

Today I’ll be speaking about my Torah portion, Exodus 33:12 through 34:26, which is a special section of Torah we read twice a year, including on the holiday of Sukkot, which we are now celebrating.
 

In this section, Moses has been getting curious about God.

He’s wondering… if God is pleased with him for leading the Israelites, like He says He is, then shouldn’t God do something for him in return?
 

So Moses asks if God will show him His glory so that he can see God and get confirmation that God even exists at all.

God honors his request and places Moses in the crack of a large rock, explaining that no one can see God’s face and live.

So God places His hand over the crack of the rock, and when He lifts it, Moses will see His back but he will not see God’s face.....