At the beginning of parashat Va-era, God tells Moshe what to say to the Israelites (Ex: 6:6-8):
“אֲנִ֣י הֹ’ וְהוֹצֵאתִ֣י אֶתְכֶ֗ם מִתַּ֙חַת֙ סִבְלֹ֣ת מִצְרַ֔יִם וְהִצַּלְתִּ֥י אֶתְכֶ֖ם מֵעֲבֹדָתָ֑ם וְגָאַלְתִּ֤י אֶתְכֶם֙ בִּזְר֣וֹעַ נְטוּיָ֔ה וּבִשְׁפָטִ֖ים גְּדֹלִֽים׃ וְלָקַחְתִּ֨י אֶתְכֶ֥ם לִי֙ לְעָ֔ם וְהָיִ֥יתִי לָכֶ֖ם לֵֽאלֹהִ֑ים…וְהֵבֵאתִ֤י אֶתְכֶם֙ אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֤ר נָשָׂ֙אתִי֙ אֶת־יָדִ֔י לָתֵ֣ת אֹתָ֔הּ לְאַבְרָהָ֥ם לְיִצְחָ֖ק וּֽלְיַעֲקֹ֑ב וְנָתַתִּ֨י אֹתָ֥הּ לָכֶ֛ם מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה אֲנִ֥י הֹ’׃”
“I am HaShem, and I will free you from the labors of Egypt, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and through extraordinary chastisements. And I will take you to be My people and I will be your God…and I will bring you to the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession, I HaShem.”
Rabbi Kushner writes in the Etz Hayim commentary, that these 5 verbs in bold correspond to the 5 stages of the redemption. First God frees us from the physical enslavement of Egypt. Next God delivers us from the psychological mindset of being a slave, which may persist even after we are physically liberated. Third, God will redeem us so that we see ourselves as free. Though our minds are opened in the second stage, now freedom becomes part of our identity. Fourth, God takes us to be His people, inviting us into that special relationship we have even today as Jews with Hashem. This is one of the ultimate goals of the Exodus and in fact is mentioned explicitly each time Moshe and Aaron ask Pharaoh to “Let my people go.” It’s always, “let my people go, so that they may worship HaShem in the wilderness.”
The last stage, God takes us to the Land of Israel, fulfilling the ancient promise to our ancestors. Only there as a free people can we construct a model society based on the values and practices of Torah. It is not enough to just be free, but we are called to actualize God’s vision for us to thrive as a people in that land.
So, we see a progression that mirrors Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: Physiological needs (physical freedom), safety needs (mental deliverance), love and belonging (spiritual redemption), self-esteem (direct and unique relationship with the Divine) and self-actualization (taking us into the land to fulfill our purpose as Jews).
And these verbs are cited in the Jerusalem Talmud as a source for the 4 cups of wine at the Passover Seder — the fifth verb thus inviting a fifth cup which is reserved for Elijah the prophet. When we think about our own lives, what do we need to fully realize the vision of freedom offered in these verses?
By Rabbi Alex Freedman.
It may be snowing outside in Chicago, but the Torah has us thinking about springtime, as we begin the book of Exodus this week and turn our sights to Passover.
In Parashat Shmot, wicked Pharaoh sets everything in motion when he feels threatened by the growing Israelite community and desires to enslave them. Here is what he tells the Egyptian people: “Look, the Israelite people are much too numerous for us. Let us deal shrewdly with them, so that they may not increase; otherwise, in the event of war, they may join our enemies in fighting against us and rise from the ground.” (Ex. 1:9, 10; translation JPS).
The first time we read this, we may assume that this was a one-time speech, made by one ruler in one specific context. But the 19th century Rabbi Samson Rafael Hirsch sees the same words differently, as a pattern that would recur throughout history. Here is Hirsch:
“Alas, there is nothing new under the sun, and these machinations are as old as history itself. Whenever a despot has conspired to subjugate his own people, he has delivered to them some other nation to oppress as compensation for and distraction from the tyranny they themselves were suffering. This technique has been the source of many decrees issued against the Jews, and it may have lain at the root of the schemes of this first inventor of ‘Jew laws.’”
In other words, Hirsch sees Pharaoh’s message to the Egyptians as a blueprint that other tyrants would echo against the Jewish people throughout history. The sense that there are too many Jews. The call to be shrewd with them. The sense that the Jews are a fifth column and may turn against the nation. The sense that a nation’s troubles are the fault of the Jews alone. Read in this light, Pharaoh’s words are even more frightening because our enemies have turned to this template again and again throughout history.
The first way we understand the Passover story is on its own terms as a story that happened a long time ago. A deeper way to consider the Exodus, though, is as the beginning of a pattern that would recur throughout Jewish history.
By Hazzan Jenna Greenberg.
Our final parasha of Breishit, Vayechi, begins with the news that Yaakov has lived (Vayechi) for the past 17 years in Egypt; his life has spanned 147 years and Yaakov feels his life coming to an end. So he said to Yosef, “If I have found favor in your eyes, then swear to me that you will not bury me in Egypt, but with my fathers in Canaan.” Yosef agreed, then later received word that his father was dying. So he took his two sons, Menashe and Ephraim, to see Yaakov. Yaakov sat up in bed, saying, “El Shaddai appeared to me in the land of Canaan and blessed me. God said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and will multiply you, and I will let you become a community of nations and will give this land to your seed after you as an everlasting possession.”
Shortly thereafter Yaakov added, “Now, bring your sons to me so that I may bless them.” But he did so in an unusual manner. With Menashe and Efraim kneeling in front of their nearly blind grandfather, Yosef assists by placing Yaakov’s right hand on Menashe, the older son, and his left hand on Efraim, the younger son. Yaakov then switches his hands, saying that Efrayim will be greater than Menashe.
Yaakov proceeds to bless the 2 boys with the words: Y’simcha Elohim K’Efraim v’chiM’nashe, May God make you like Efraim and like Menashe. In many families, these words are recited by parents to their sons on Friday nights, a minhag that was first recorded by Rabbi Aharon Berakhyah of Modena, Italy, 300 years ago.
Just prior to this blessing, Yaakov blesses not only Efraim and Menashe, but Yosef as well in 48:16: “HaMalakh haGoel Oti…May the angel who has delivered me from all evil, bless the lads. May they carry on my name and the name of my fathers, Avraham and Yitzchak. May they become teeming multitudes upon the earth.”
These beautiful words reflecting God’s blessings and protection, have been applied to Kriyat Sh’ma Al HaMita, the series of blessings and prayers recited in bed each night before going to sleep. This blessing, is textually and musically one of the most beautiful Jewish lullabies in our tradition, bringing a feeling of calm and comfort in those last moments before we fall asleep.
Just as we have that final ritual before entering the world of our dreams, we also have a final ritual at the end of this parasha, and at the end of each book of the Torah. This Shabbat morning, when we complete the book of Breishit, we will recite the words Hazak Hazak v’nithazeik: Be Strong, be Strong and let us be strengthened.
This Shabbat of Vayechi conveniently coincides with the secular new year, as this is our final Shabbat of 2023. Not only do we wish strength upon each of us as we continue on our journey through the next four books of the Torah, but we also wish strength upon ourselves and one another as we continue on our journeys through this new year ahead. Just like our biblical ancestors, may we always feel blessed and strengthened by God’s protective presence wherever we go and whenever we have opportunities to celebrate and sanctify the passing of time.
Shabbat Shalom and Happy New Year!
By Hazzan Jacob Sandler.
Getting to know our Jewish family story throughout the book of Genesis is such a gift. The twelve sons of Israel each have their own personalities but I would say six of them get more airtime throughout than the others.
Reuben, Shimon, Levi and Judah – Leah’s first four sons and Joseph and Benjamin – Rachel’s sons, get the most attention.
Reuben makes a lot of mistakes. He lays with Bilhah, his father’s concubine (Vayishlach), and though he convinces his brothers not to kill Joseph, he fails in his attempt to rescue Joseph from the pit. (Vayeshev)
Shimon and Levi massacred the Schemites after all that happened with Dinah (Vayishlach). Jacob expresses his disapproval of their actions. Shimon is held later as collateral when the other brothers go to bring Benjamin to Joseph (Miketz). And Levi would be the ancestral tribe of Moses, Aaron and Miriam along with all the other Kohanim like Pinchas, Elazar, Itamar– the priesthood. And for what it’s worth, I’m a Levite too. (Shemot)
Judah has a whole “B-Story” amidst the Joseph arc where he recognizes Tamar’s righteousness (Vayeshev) and it is her son Peretz who is an ancestor of King David. In this week’s parasha, (Vayigash) his growth is further shown as he stands up to take responsibility for Benjamin’s safe return. Ultimately, it is Judah’s name that we bear as Yehudim, as Jews and this tribe which produces the monarchy.
Joseph of course is the dreamer who rises to power in Egypt (Vayeshev, Miketz, Vayigash) and is able to save his family from famine. In later years, it was Joseph and his son Ephraim, who are the namesake for the Northern Kingdom of Israel after it split from Judah.
Benjamin is Joseph’s brother, his little brother. Joseph puts him through the worst of it, singling him out, but perhaps all just to bring the family back together. It is so clear in the parasha that Joseph has a unique relationship with Benjamin, son of his own mother. Benjamin would be the ancestor to Caleb, one of the two spies who didn’t report negatively about the land (Shlach Lecha), and is also the ancestor of Mordechai from the Purim story.
As we get closer to the end of Genesis, and our family story transitions to the story of our becoming a free nation, I find myself grateful to know these vignettes of our tribal ancestors.
Each one has moments of bravery and righteousness, and each one has moments of failure from which they grow. The biblical characters are never perfect and this gives each of us a model for how to make mistakes, learn from them, and be the best we can be. As I heard recently, Judaism is one of the smallest peoples but one of the largest families.
By Rabbi Alex Freedman.
We all know the two miracles of Hanukkah. But let’s also think deeply about the relationship between them.
Little kids learn about the holiday’s twin miracles. First there was the military victory of the few Jews defeating the many and mighty Syrian Greek army. What followed that was the little oil that lasted for eight days, instead of one.
In the Talmud and Siddur, it’s the miracle of the oil that is highlighted, not the military victory. Why might that be?
The book Iturei Torah (Mateh Moshe) suggests that with the military victory, it’s possible for an outsider to claim that it wasn’t really G-d that made the miracle happen, but that it can be explained another way. On the other hand, the miracle of the oil could only come from G-d. There is simply no natural explanation.
I think there’s something really powerful about who is responsible for each miracle. While G-d had a hand in the military victory, certainly the Maccabees fought and won with their own hands. This miracle resulted from people taking action to defend their land, their people, and their G-d. Whereas the miracle of the oil can only be attributed to G-d, not human hands.
The upshot: when G-d and people work together, miracles happen.
This is actually a pattern. The same can be said about the ultimate miracle, the splitting of the Red Sea to leave Egypt. If you read Exodus carefully, G-d causes the sea to split only when Moses raises his staff (or, according to the Midrash, when Nahshon courageously wades his way into the water). Once more, it’s G-d and people working together to make a miracle happen.
Miracles never happen without human involvement. G-d seems to need our actions as much as we need G-d’s.
Chag Chanukah Sameach!
By Hazzan Jenna Greenberg.
This question is answered by our rabbis with a mashal, a midrashic story from Bemidbar Rabbah:
To a king who had a loved one. The king said, “know that I will eat with you, so go and prepare for me”. The loved one went and prepared an ordinary couch, an ordinary lamp [menorah], an ordinary table. When the king came, he brought his assistants around him and a golden lamp before him. When the loved one saw all the glory of the king, he became ashamed and hid all he had prepared for the king, since they all were ordinary. The king said to him, “Did I not tell you I would eat with you? Why have you prepared nothing for me?” The loved one said to him, “I saw all the glory that you came with, and I was ashamed and hid all I had prepared for you, for they were all ordinary things.” The king said to him, “By your life [I swear] that I will ruin all my things that I brought with me, and for the sake of your love I will not use anything except your possessions!” And so, the Holy Blessed One is entirely light, as it is said (Daniel 2:22) “And light dwells with God”, and God says to Israel “Prepare for me a menorah and lights.”
While the menorah in this story refers to the original seven-branched candelabra in the Temple, we can bring this idea into our Chanukah candle-lighting experiences that begin this evening and will last for the next 8 nights. As with many midrashim with these two characters, the king represents God and the beloved friend is us, the Jewish people.
There are many lessons that this story teaches. The idea that sticks out most to me is that we all have the ability to bring more light into the world, regardless of how ordinary or extraordinary our candles are. We do what we can with the means that we have. We all have God’s divine spark within each of us and that, in and of itself, is extraordinary. What matters to God is that we fulfill the mitzvah of lighting the candles, regardless of the types of candles or chanukiot that we light.
No matter how ordinary our simplest candles and most basic chanukiot are, we are not ordinary. We are extraordinary, as individuals, and as a community. We are extraordinary because the divine flame burns equally in each of us. Let us celebrate the light within us by adding our light to the world, being an or lagoyim, a light unto the nations. We are living in dark times, both seasonally and emotionally. May the lights that we kindle shed light to all humanity, helping good to overcome evil, helping light reign over darkness.
Chag Chanukah Sameach!
By Hazzan Jacob Sandler
Ovadiah is one of the lesser known prophets. His book in the Tanakh is only a single chapter. His book is also, in its entirety, the haftarah for parashat Vayishlach. Ovadiah is believed to be a contemporary of Eliyahu HaNavi (Elijah), but many scholars believe his work was finished or edited after the destruction of the first Temple in 586 B.C.E. by the Romans. Ovadiah prophesies the downfall of Edom, descendents of Esau. Interestingly, the parashah shows us a warm reunion between Jacob and his brother. The rivalry that began in their mother’s womb seemed as bygones after 20 years apart. Historically, Edom became the name for the Roman empire and the Christian world, and Ovadiah’s vision makes sense after the Romans destroyed the first Temple.
As I was reviewing the haftarah, one verse that stood out to me was Obadiah 1:10, “For the outrage (heb. Hamas) to your brother Jacob, disgrace shall engulf you…” and the verses that follow are a litany of rhetorical questions and rebuke. I hear the Edomites called out for their role in Israel’s “day of calamity” – it seems in their haughtiness that Edom was either complicit or even celebrating. Anytime the word Hamas comes up, I have the same reaction I imagine you all did. The Hebrew word literally means “corruption”, “lawlessness”, “outrage”, “oppression” and “destruction”. These words that follow are the ones I want to share with those who tear down posters of hostages, or call for Jewish destruction in the name of ‘liberation’ or ‘justice.’
“How could you gaze with glee on your brother that day, on his day of calamity! How could you gloat over the people of Judah on that day of ruin! How could you loudly jeer on a day of anguish…as you did, so shall it be done to you; your conduct shall be requited.” Obad. 1:12-15
I can’t help but feel as if the war in Israel is biblical in nature. I continue to find comfort in the words of the Prophets, and in the stories of our Torah. Each prophet in their own time calls on our people to be our best ethical selves, to draw closer to God, and have faith that redemption, liberation and peace will come, and those enemies who rise up against us will face judgment. Ultimately, I pray that this cycle of violence and vengeance will end. I pray that the House of Jacob and the House of Esau can reconcile, weeping and embracing as they do in Genesis. In the words of Bernie Taupin, sung by Elton John “He’s my brother. Let us live in peace” (Border Song).
By Rabbi Alex Freedman.
Thanksgiving often feels like a Jewish holiday to me. So much so that my instinct before the big Thursday meal is to say Kiddush! First, there’s the ample food and warm company around the table. Next, there’s the day off from work and school. Finally, the theme – gratitude – is a central Jewish value. In fact, gratitude is so important to Jewish tradition that we try to practice it every day. It’s even encoded into our name, Jews.
We should be aware of our blessings far more than once a year. That’s why for Jews, our thanksgiving – expressing gratitude to G-d for the blessings in our lives – is a daily practice. It’s why we have prayers every day. It’s why we say blessings before/after meals and momentous events. The very first prayer of the morning captures this: Modeh Ani. I am thankful. “Modeh” and “Todah Rabbah” share the same root word of “Thanks.”
One real challenge of praying the same prayers and blessings over and over is that they become routine and mere words. I experience this challenge myself too. But nevertheless we should strive for an attitude of gratitude on a daily basis. I believe that even when my prayers aren’t fully heartfelt, my intentions are since I’m setting aside precious time.
To be a Jew is to be part of a grateful people. This is true historically since we have needed countless blessings in order to survive and thrive as we do today. And it’s true linguistically as well. The Jews are יהודים, or those descended from the tribe of Judah, יהודה. Our ancestor Judah is given this name by his mother Leah because she affirms, “This time I will thank G-d. הפעם אודה את השם” (Gn. 29:35). The root thank “Odeh” becomes the basis of “Judah,” whose children became the “Jews.” So we are the people who are grateful. We read that verse from the Torah this week in Parashat VaYetze, which just so happens to be the Torah reading for the week of Thanksgiving. Coincidence?
The rabbis ask, Why does Leah thank G-d only after this fourth son of hers? They answer that Leah could foresee that there would be 12 sons born to four women, which meant that each should be allotted three. Her fourth, therefore, was above and beyond, more than she deserved.
That’s a goal of Jewish prayer and Thanksgiving, for us to pause and realize we have more than we deserve. As Gilbert Chesterton said, “When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.”
Before eating dinner this Thursday night, many American families will go around the table saying, “I am grateful for X.” This is a wonderful thing. The Jewish reflex, I believe, is to go one step further and say, “Thank you, G-d, for X.”
Hag Thanksgiving Sameach!
By Rabbi Michael Schwab.
On Tuesday, I, along with at least 150 people from NSS Beth El, who came by car, bus, and plane, joined nearly 300,000 people at the rally for Israel in Washington, DC. Nearly 300,000! This broke the record for the largest gathering of the Jewish people in the United States, which was set when American Jews marched for Soviet Jewry in 1987. There were Jews from all over the United States, from Canada, from Israel and likely for several other countries. There were multiple groups of non-Jews of various backgrounds. I heard Hebrew, English, Yiddish, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese and more. There were people putting on tefillin, davening and reading Torah, and secular Jews who joined in for the singing along with them. I saw joy and sadness. I saw gratitude and love. Perhaps mostly, I saw determination and conviction. We chanted “Never again!” and we chanted “Bring them home!”, many of us crying as we chanted.
The speakers were outstanding ranging from campus advocates, supporters from around the world, families of hostages, Israeli representatives and the top leadership from both the Republican and Democratic parties in Congress from both houses. One of the most meaningful moments of the rally was when these important political leaders, who are often vociferous opponents of each other, stood arm in arm, hand in hand, on the dais in front of the entire crowd. Their message was clear: Hamas is a terrorist organization that unleashed horror upon Israel and the threat of Islamic Jihad is real and must be stopped to safeguard Israeli citizens. The resulting rise of antisemitism in America is unacceptable and should be fought with all of our collective strength. And Israel has every right to defend its citizens.
I think, though, that what I was most proud of at the rally was the atmosphere. There was no graffiti or vandalism. There were no calls for violence against the Palestinian people or maligning anyone except Hamas and their supporters. There was no physical violence at all. People were waving American flags and Israeli flags. People were holding posters of those held hostage and of other messages of support. Banners spoke of Jewish pride, Jewish unity and Jewish aspirations. The rally was full of students from schools all over the country. No one climbed on top of statues or buildings or disrespected the host city of Washington DC. No one took down U.S. flags to raise Israeli flags. In fact, there was great pride in being American and great gratitude for American institutions and leaders. And I witnessed many people thanking law enforcement and emergency medical professionals for being there as we walked out. And when the rally was over, people walked peacefully to their cars, buses and trains.
I agree with a colleague who wrote after the event that after forty days of tension, worry, anger, sadness and stress, on Tuesday I smiled and felt happy for a few hours because the rally reminded me of who we are as a Jewish people and how incredible it is that I live in a country where we could assemble like that in safety and whose leaders seem to understand the gravity of the situation. I felt like we were not alone and that with continued effort, determination, perseverance, and hard work we will indeed overcome not only the threat to Israel but the threat to Jews worldwide. It will not be easy at all, but we will persevere! Am Yisrael Chai — B’yachad N’natzeiach, the people of Israel will thrive and together we will succeed!
By Hazzan Jenna Greenberg.
וְאָֽהַבְתָּ֥ לְרֵעֲךָ֖ כָּמ֑וֹךָ
You should love your fellow as yourself
Lev. 19:18
A few years back, PJ Library put out a wonderful children’s book, Do Unto Otters, based on this famous verse.
Talmud Shabbat 31a:6 helps us understand this pasuk for Jews (and really all humans) of all ages:
“There was another incident involving one non-Jew who came before Shammai and said to Shammai: Convert me on condition that you teach me the entire Torah while I am standing on one foot. Shammai pushed him away with the builder’s cubit in his hand. This was a common measuring stick and Shammai was a builder by trade. The same gentile came before Hillel. He converted him and said to him: ‘That which is hateful to you do not do to another; that is the entire Torah, and the rest is its interpretation. Go study.’”
Practicing kindness to ourselves and to others is first and foremost, the holiest mitzvah, found at the heart of the Torah, both literally and figuratively. And it is central to Hillel’s summary of the Torah to the convert in this well-known talmudic story.
The word rei’ah can be translated as neighbor, fellow or friend, and is even a Hebrew name (my niece’s name in fact!). While the verse that makes this word so famous comes from Parashat Kedoshim in the middle of the Torah, we also learn a great deal about what it means to be kind to others, to be a good neighbor, from this week’s parsha, Chayei Sarah.
Shortly after Sarah’s death at the beginning of Chayei Sarah, Avraham needed to
make burial arrangements for his beloved wife: Then Avraham rose from beside
his dead, and spoke to the Hittites, saying: “I am a ger v’toshav (resident alien) among you; sell me a burial site among you, that I may remove my dead for burial.” (Gen. 23:4)
Avraham mentioned his status as ger v’toshav, because a resident alien was unable
to purchase real estate.
Midrashic commentary continues: Avraham is uncertain whether his neighbors accept him as a fellow resident or tolerate him as an alien in their midst. The Hittite’s answer surprises him: “Hear us, my lord: you are the elect of God among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places; none of us will withhold his burial place from you for burying your dead.” (Gen. 23:5-6) Avraham is surprised because the Hittites have gone beyond acceptance and toleration. They truly admire him for the quality of his faith: “you are the elect of God among us.”
This opening section of Chayei Sarah is a paragon for how to respect our
neighbors, regardless of our differences.
Sarah’s burial plot was the first parcel of real estate acquired by Avraham in the promised land, Cana’an, Eretz Yisrael, Medinat Yisrael. And we sadly know that the kindness of the Hittites to Avraham is only a dream right now; to live in peace with our neighbors has been our never ending challenge and goal. To be able to respect one another’s differences is to value all of humanity, to love our fellows as ourselves.
We, Jews, are living in surreal times, where our home is being threatened. We should not live in horror. We should not live in fear.
I pray for an end to this war, for a time when we can live in peace with our neighbors, for a time when the Hittite’s attitude toward Avraham prevails, for a time when the Prophet Isaiah’s vision will be fulfilled: “A nation shall not raise a sword against a nation, and they shall not learn any more war.”
Shalom l’Yisrael
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