5101 US-42 • LOUISVILLE, KY 40241 • (502) 423-1818

Posts

Yitro (Exodus 18:1-20:23)

/in /by

This Week’s Torah Portion: Yitro (Exodus 18:1-20:23)

In this week’s Torah Portion Yitro, Moses writes and then reads aloud the words of the Torah and all the people respond “na’aseh v’nishma,” “We will do and we will hear” (24:7). The people of Israel accept the Torah as there own, but the rabbis notice that the order of their response to Moses seems backwards. Shouldn’t they have said: “We will listen to these words of Torah and then we will do them”?

I mean who says to God: “Yes I will do all that you ask,” and only then listens to what needs to be done? Apparently we do. And, in terms of the eternal covenant between God and the Children of Israel, this does make sense. If a friend or a parent or someone you love were to say: “Will you do something for me?” Might you not respond: “Sure, what is it?”

God is offering you the Torah, a path of justice and righteousness for you to walk. The question now becomes, what will you say, and what will you do?

Yitro Summary:

Yitro brings his daughter Zipporah and her two sons, Gershom and Eliezer, to his son-in-law Moses. (18:1-12)
Moses follows Yitro’s advice and appoints judges to help him lead the people. (18:13-27)
The Children of Israel camp in front of Mount Sinai. Upon hearing the covenant, the Israelites respond, “All that God has spoken we will do.” (19:1-8)
After three days of preparation, the Israelites encounter God at Mount Sinai. (19:9-25)
God gives the Ten Commandments aloud directly to the people. (20:1-14)
Frightened, the Children of Israel ask Moses to serve as an intermediary between God and them. Moses tells the people not to be afraid. (20:15-18)

B’shalach (Exodus 13:17−17:16)

/in /by

This Week’s Torah Portion: B’shalach (Exodus 13:17−17:16)

“Adonai said to Moses, ‘Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the Israelites to move on’”

Just before the greatest miracle in our History, the crossing of the Sea of Reeds, Adonai says to Moses, “Why are you crying? Do something.” What a great lesson. You want God’s help – work for it. Creating miracles in our lives is our responsibility.

B’shalach Summary:

The Children of Israel escape across the Sea of Reeds from Pharaoh and his army, who drown when God drives back the sea. (13:17-14:31)
Moses and the Israelites sing a song praising Adonai. (15:1-21)
In the wilderness, God provides the grumbling Israelites with quails and manna. God instructs the Israelites to gather and prepare on the sixth day food needed for Shabbat. (15:22-16:36)
The people complain about the lack of water. Moses hits a rock with his rod and brings forth water. (17:1-7)
Israel defeats Amalek, Israel’s eternal enemy. God vows to blot out the memory of Amalek from the world. (17:8-16)

“Adonai said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on”

Just before the greatest miracle in our History, the crossing of the sea of Reeds, Adonai says to Moses, why are you crying to me? Do something. What a great lesson. You want God’s help – work for it. Creating miracles in our lives is our responsibility.

Bo (Exodus 10:1−13:16)

/in /by

This Week’s Torah Portion: Bo (Exodus 10:1−13:16)

God commands Moses “Come to Pharaoh” (Exodus 10:1). Most translators “fixed” the Hebrew by translating the command into “Go to Pharaoh” and ruined the original meaning.

When Adonai says “Come to Pharaoh”, there is a great lesson here. To fight evil, to succeed in fighting evil, you need to come to it, to understand it, to enter it, and then to overcome evil. You only bring light if you are willing to overcome darkness.

Bo Summary:

God sends the plagues of locusts and darkness upon Egypt and forewarns Moses about the final plague, the death of every Egyptian firstborn. Pharaoh still does not let the Israelites leave Egypt. (10:1-11:10)
God commands Moses and Aaron regarding the Passover festival. (12:1-27)
God enacts the final plague, striking down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt except those of the House of Israel. Pharaoh now allows the Israelites to leave. (12:29-42)
Speaking to Moses and Aaron, God repeats the commandments about Passover. (12:43-13:16)

This Week’s Torah Portion: Bo (Exodus 10:1−13:16)

God commands Moses “Come to Pharaoh” (Exodus 10:1). Most translators “fixed” the Hebrew by translating the command into “Go to Pharaoh” and ruined the original meaning.
When Adonai says “Come to Pharaoh”, there is a great lesson here,
To fight evil, to succeed in fighting evil, you need to come to it, to understand it, to enter it, and then to overcome evil. You only bring light if you are willing to overcome darkness.

Va-eira (Exodus 6:2−9:35)

/in /by

This Week’s Torah Portion: Va-eira (Exodus 6:2−9:35)

“But by my name Adonai I did not make myself fully known to them” (Exodus 6:3). Adonai is revealing the real name of God, Adonai is telling Moses for the first time Adonai’s private name.
In basic training (boot camp) our commander was the closest persona to God I ever met. And we only called him “the commander”. On the last day of boot camp he revealed his real name. He became real, he became almost a friend. Adonai becomes closer to Moses and to us when called Adonai, the real name of God. It becomes a friendship.

Va-eira Summary:

Despite God’s message that they will be redeemed from slavery, the Israelites’ spirits remain crushed. God instructs Moses and Aaron to deliver the Israelites from the land of Egypt. (6:2-13)
The genealogy of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and their descendants is recorded. (6:14-25)
Moses and Aaron perform a miracle with a snake and relate to Pharaoh God’s message to let the Israelites leave Egypt. (7:8-13)
The first seven plagues occur. God hardens Pharaoh’s heart, and Pharaoh rescinds each offer to let the Israelites go. (7:14-9:35)

This Week’s Torah Portion: Va-eira (Exodus 6:2−9:35)

“But by my name Adonai I did not make myself fully known to them” (Exodus 6:3). Adonai is revealing the real name of God, Adonai is telling Moses for the first time Adonai’s private name.
In basic training (boots camp) our commander was the closest persona to God I ever met. And we only called him “the commander”. On the last day of boots camp he revealed his real name. He became real, he became almost a friend. Adonai becomes closer to Moses and to us when called Adonai, the real name of God. It becomes a friendship.

Va-eira Summary:

Despite God’s message that they will be redeemed from slavery, the Israelites’ spirits remain crushed. God instructs Moses and Aaron to deliver the Israelites from the land of Egypt. (6:2-13)
The genealogy of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and their descendants is recorded. (6:14-25)
Moses and Aaron perform a miracle with a snake and relate to Pharaoh God’s message to let the Israelites leave Egypt. (7:8-13)
The first seven plagues occur. God hardens Pharaoh’s heart, and Pharaoh rescinds each offer to let the Israelites go. (7:14-9:35)

Sh’mot (Exodus 1:1−6:1)

/in /by

This Week’s Torah Portion: Sh’mot (Exodus 1:1−6:1)

“We are family (Hey, y’all)
I got all my siblings with me …”

In Genesis, we were a family. In Exodus, we are called for the first time a People. No longer just a family, we became a Nation.
From the beginning of our story, with God’s promise to Abraham, “I will make you into a great nation” to the first time we are called a People, being Jewish is much more than a faith and a religion. Being Jewish is being part of a people, part of the people of Israel.

Sh’mot Summary:

The new king of Egypt makes slaves of the Hebrews and orders their male children to be drowned in the Nile River. (1:1-22)
A Levite woman places her son, Moses, in a basket on the Nile, where he is found by the daughter of Pharaoh and raised in Pharaoh’s house. (2:1-10)
Moses flees to Midian after killing an Egyptian. (2:11-15)
Moses marries Zipporah, the daughter of Midian’s priest. They have a son named Gershom. (2:16-22)
God calls Moses from a burning bush and commissions him to free the Israelites from Egypt. (3:1-4:17)
Moses and Aaron request permission from Pharaoh for the Israelites to celebrate a festival in the wilderness. Pharaoh refuses and makes life even harder for the Israelites. (5:1-23)

This Week’s Torah Portion: Sh’mot (Exodus 1:1−6:1)

“We are family (Hey, y’all)
I got all my siblings with me …”

In Genesis, we were a family. In Exodus, we are called for the first time a People. No longer just a family, we became a Nation.
From the beginning of our story, with God’s promise to Abraham, “I will make you into a great nation” to the first time we are called a People, being Jewish is much more than a faith and a religion. Being Jewish is being part of a people, part of the people of Israel.

The new king of Egypt makes slaves of the Hebrews and orders their male children to be drowned in the Nile River. (1:1-22)
A Levite woman places her son, Moses, in a basket on the Nile, where he is found by the daughter of Pharaoh and raised in Pharaoh’s house. (2:1-10)
Moses flees to Midian after killing an Egyptian. (2:11-15)
Moses marries Zipporah, the daughter of Midian’s priest. They have a son named Gershom. (2:16-22)
God calls Moses from a burning bush and commissions him to free the Israelites from Egypt. (3:1-4:17)
Moses and Aaron request permission from Pharaoh for the Israelites to celebrate a festival in the wilderness. Pharaoh refuses and makes life even harder for the Israelites. (5:1-23)

Vayechi (Genesis 47:28-50:26)

/in /by

This Week’s Torah Portion: Vayechi (Genesis 47:28-50:26)

This week’s Torah Portion marks the end of the tales of Genesis, the legendary tales of the legendary lives of our ancestors from long ago: Abraham and Sarah; Isaac and Rebecca; Jacob, Rachel, and Leah; and finally Joseph. And while their lives were far from perfect, each in their own way displayed the courage, faith, determination, and wisdom to do more than just survive, but to fulfill their destiny as the ancestor of a people, our people, numbering like the stars in the sky and the sands of the sea.

We are the children of a hundred generations of our people, the descendants of greater ancestors than perhaps any of us can imagine ourselves to be. And yet, more importantly, we are and will be the ancestors which generations to come will look back upon as the builders and shapers of the world they will inhabit, for better and for worse, for blessing or for curse. Let us be good ancestors for ourselves, for our families, and for the generations yet to be.

Vayechi Summary:

Jacob blesses his grandchildren Ephraim and Manasseh. (48:1-20)
Jacob’s twelve sons gather around his deathbed, and each receives an evaluation and a prediction of his future. (49:1-33)
Joseph mourns his father’s death and has Jacob embalmed. Jacob is buried in Hebron in the cave of the field of the Machpelah in the land of Canaan. (50:1-14)
Joseph assures his concerned brothers that he has forgiven them and promises to care for them and their families. (50:15-21)
Just before he dies, Joseph tells his brothers that God will return them to the Land that God promised to the patriarchs. The Children of Israel promise Joseph that they will take his bones with them when they leave Egypt. (50:22-26)

Vayigash (Genesis 44:18−47:27)

/in /by

This Week’s Torah Portion: Vayigash (Genesis 44:18−47:27)

Here in Parashat Vayigash, Joseph stands at a crossroads and the entire history of the Jewish people stands in the balance. What path will he choose? Joseph’s brothers stand before him, the same brothers who had thrown him into a pit and sold him into slavery in Egypt. Many years have passed and despite all odds, Joseph stands now as second only to Pharaoh.

And now his brothers stand before him, not recognizing the brother they had betrayed so many years ago. Joseph could have them killed, or imprisoned, or sold as slaves – just as they had done to him. Or he could provide for them life giving food and a prosperous future under his protection in Egypt. What path will he choose? And then, Vayigash Yehudah, and then Judah draws near and offers his life in exchange for his brother Benjamin.

Joseph sees that his brothers have changed. Joseph sees that he has changed. And Joseph chooses to draw them near and forgive. Joseph chooses the path of repentance and return and we are the heirs of that choice. Seeking and granting forgiveness has been our path for righteous living ever since that day.

Vayigash Summary:

Judah pleads with Joseph to free Benjamin and offers himself as a replacement. (44:18-34)
Joseph reveals himself to his brothers and forgives them for selling him into slavery. (45:1-15)
Although the famine still rages, Pharaoh invites Joseph’s family to “live off the fat of the land.” (45:16-24)
Jacob learns that Joseph is still alive and, with God’s blessing, goes to Egypt. (45:25-46:33)
Pharaoh permits Joseph’s family to settle in Goshen. Pharaoh then meets with Jacob. (47:1-12)
With the famine increasing, Joseph designs a plan for the Egyptians to trade their livestock and land for food. The Israelites thrive in Egypt. (47:13-27)

Mikeitz (Genesis 41:1−44:17)

/in /by

This Week’s Torah Portion: Mikeitz (Genesis 41:1−44:17)

Joseph is a dreamer of dreams – always was, always will be.

In his youth, Joseph’s dreams all revolve around himself. And when he shares them with others, he seems either unaware or unconcerned about the impact they will have on the lives of those around him.

As Joseph grows, there grows within him a recognition of the significance of other people’s dreams. He listens to their words and interprets there meanings, but still he lacks the empathy to understand how these interpretations will affect the lives of others.

Through Pharaoh’s dreams, Joseph learns to enter into the dreams of others for good: seeing what others must see, saying what others fear to say. Joseph learns that the dreams and fears of others matter to his life, and that through our lives we can make a difference in fulfilling the best of our dreams together.

We are all Joseph, still dreaming of a better world and sharing such dreams with others, but still needing to enter those dreams to bring them to fruition, still believing in a greater redemption which awaits us and all the world. It says in the Talmud: “May the world we live in be the world of your dreams.” (Talmud Berachot 17a) May this be our blessing. Amen.

Mikeitz Summary:

Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s two dreams and predicts seven years of prosperity followed by seven years of famine. (41:1-32)
Pharaoh places Joseph in charge of food collection and distribution. (41:37-49)
Joseph marries Asenath, and they have two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. (41:50-52)
When Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt to buy food during the famine, Joseph accuses them of spying. He holds Simeon hostage while the rest of the brothers return to Canaan to retrieve Benjamin for him. (42:3-42:38)
The brothers return to Egypt with Benjamin and for more food. Joseph continues the test, this time falsely accusing Benjamin of stealing and declaring that Benjamin must remain his slave. (43:1-44:17)

Vayeishev (Genesis 37:1-40:23)

/in /by

This Week’s Torah Portion: Vayeishev (Genesis 37:1-40:23)

God’s name never appears in the entire opening chapter of Parashat Vayeishev. That is a pretty rare thing in the Torah, most Torah portions begin with God’s name, you would think God’s name would be mentioned, particularly because Vayeishev marks the beginning of the Joseph tales, his journey from slavery to redemption which will parallel the story of Exodus soon to come. Where is God in the story of Joseph?

God is there, just not in name. God is there in the hard times so it is sometimes difficult to see. Joseph’s brothers throw him into a pit and plot to kill him, but then a caravan just happens to pass by, so they sell him into slavery instead. Joseph becomes a slave, but then Potiphar buys him and raises him to rule over his entire household. Potiphar’s wife falsely accuses Joseph and he is sent to prison, but there he meets the cupbearer to Pharaoh and miraculously finds himself standing before Pharaoh interpreting his dreams. Pharaoh places him in charge of all Egypt and most miraculously, his brothers somehow find their way down to Egypt seeking life giving food from the brother they once threw in a pit and sold as a slave.

Where is God in the story of Joseph? God is there in every difficult step along the way.

Vayeishev Summary:

Jacob is shown to favor his son Joseph, whom the other brothers resent. Joseph has dreams of grandeur. (Genesis 37:1-11)
After Joseph’s brothers had gone to tend the flocks in Shechem, Jacob sends Joseph to report on them. The brothers decide against murdering Joseph but instead sell him into slavery. After he is shown Joseph’s coat of many colors, which had been dipped in the blood of a kid, Jacob is led to believe that Joseph has been killed by a beast. (Genesis 37:12-35)
Tamar successively marries two of Judah’s sons, each of whom dies. Judah does not permit her levirate marriage to his youngest son. She deceives Judah into impregnating her. (Genesis 38:1-30)
God is with Joseph in Egypt until the wife of his master, Potiphar, accuses him of rape, whereupon Joseph is imprisoned. (Genesis 39:1-40:23)

Vayishlach (Genesis 32:4−36:43)

/in /by

This Week’s Torah Portion: Vayishlach (Genesis 32:4−36:43)

“Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” (Genesis 32:28)
We are called Israel because we continue to struggle with the Divine. Trying to understand what God wants us to be! Trying to become what we ought to be! Trying to understand our sacred texts that our tradition bestowed us with!

Vayishlach Summary:

Jacob prepares to meet Esau. He wrestles with a “man,” who changes Jacob’s name to Israel. (32:4-33)
Jacob and Esau meet and part peacefully, each going his separate way. (33:1-17)
Dinah is raped by Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, who was chief of the country. Jacob’s sons Simeon and Levi take revenge by murdering all the males of Shechem, and Jacob’s other sons join them in plundering the city. (34:1-31)
Rachel dies giving birth to Benjamin and is buried in Ephrah, which is present-day Bethlehem. (35:16-21)
Isaac dies and is buried in Hebron. Jacob’s and Esau’s progeny are listed. (35:22-36:43)

“Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” (Genesis 32:28)
We are called Israel because we continue to struggle with the Divine. Trying to understand what God wants us to be! Trying to become what we ought to be! Trying to understand our sacred texts that our tradition bestowed us with!