This week we begin the central story of our people, the liberation from Egyptian slavery. This story contains so much, let me suggest three critically important themes that begin in this week’s Torah portion and continue throughout the Book of Exodus.
First, God cares deeply about the human condition and despises oppression. One of the central messages of the Book of Exodus is that God acts in history on behalf of the oppressed. No one is lower in society than a slave. God intervenes in human history to free the Israelites from slavery. In Exodus God humiliates Pharoah and elevates the Israelite slaves. We would be well advised to remember this when we look at our own society.
Second, we must discover who we are and our purpose in life. Moses is the central character in the Book of Exodus and throughout the rest of the Torah. He begins his life as an adopted member of Pharaoh’s household and is raised as an Egyptian prince. In the Book of Exodus he goes on a journey of discovery to find his true identity, as an Israelite. Once he learns who he is, he can then find his real purpose in life. This is true for each of us as well. The courage to explore who we genuinely are is the key to finding our purpose and calling in life.
Finally, commitment to Jewish identity is the key to Jewish survival. Our Sages of blessed memory, say that one of the reasons God heard the Israelites cries and helped them achieve freedom is that they never forgot their Hebrew names, they never became totally assimilated into Egyptian society.
Like Moses, finding our Jewish identity and celebrating it is a source of freedom and growth. These three themes continue to play themselves out throughout Jewish history: a commitment to social justice, a commitment to finding our personal identity and calling, and a commitment to living an authentic Jewish life.
Shemot, Exodus 1:1-6:1, Parshat Ha Shavua for Shabbat, Saturday, December 25, 2021
December 24, 2021 by Dean Kertesz • Drashot
This week we begin the central story of our people, the liberation from Egyptian slavery. This story contains so much, let me suggest three critically important themes that begin in this week’s Torah portion and continue throughout the Book of Exodus.
First, God cares deeply about the human condition and despises oppression. One of the central messages of the Book of Exodus is that God acts in history on behalf of the oppressed. No one is lower in society than a slave. God intervenes in human history to free the Israelites from slavery. In Exodus God humiliates Pharoah and elevates the Israelite slaves. We would be well advised to remember this when we look at our own society.
Second, we must discover who we are and our purpose in life. Moses is the central character in the Book of Exodus and throughout the rest of the Torah. He begins his life as an adopted member of Pharaoh’s household and is raised as an Egyptian prince. In the Book of Exodus he goes on a journey of discovery to find his true identity, as an Israelite. Once he learns who he is, he can then find his real purpose in life. This is true for each of us as well. The courage to explore who we genuinely are is the key to finding our purpose and calling in life.
Finally, commitment to Jewish identity is the key to Jewish survival. Our Sages of blessed memory, say that one of the reasons God heard the Israelites cries and helped them achieve freedom is that they never forgot their Hebrew names, they never became totally assimilated into Egyptian society.
Like Moses, finding our Jewish identity and celebrating it is a source of freedom and growth. These three themes continue to play themselves out throughout Jewish history: a commitment to social justice, a commitment to finding our personal identity and calling, and a commitment to living an authentic Jewish life.
~Rabbi Dean Kertesz