Articles in Shemot Parshah
Shemot: The Rightous Triumph
The Enemy’s Narrative
A recent headline in Time Magazine said it all: “Can Israel Survive It’s Assault On Gaza?” Note the tone of despair in our discourse as we voice concern for the survival of the attackers, rather than the attacked. Recent wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Lebanon and the current …
Shemot: Food for Thought at your Dinner Table
Sunday: Commitment at all Costs
When Pharaoh’s astrologers predicted the birth of a child, who would liberate his brethren from Egypt he instructed the Jewish midwives to kill all Jewish male newborns. Disregarding the danger to themselves, the midwives defied the royal decree and set a tone for future generations of …
Shemot: There is Always an Option
Only in America
High over the skies of Ohio I engaged my seat mate in discussion. His father is Protestant, his mother is Anglican and he, an earnest family man, wants to join the Anglican church. However, the only young congregation in his neighborhood with facilities for children is that of …
Shemot: Empathy in the Face of Suffering
A Mother’s Pain
A mother returned from her child’s funeral and approached the master. Through her tears, she begged him to tell her why her beloved child had had to die. The master asked her, “Do you really want to know?”
“Yes, of course I do” she replied.
“Are you sure?” asked the …
Shemot: Faith Based Relationship
Nurtured by a Miracle
Throughout the period of Jewish exile in Egypt, Jews experienced many miracles and divine interventions. Children were born in a miraculous fashion; they were raised in the fields by G-d and would arrive home, alive and healthy, at a mature age. They were fed, clothed and even …
Shemot: Insecure Aggression
Egyptian Thorns
In describing the relationship between Jews and Egyptians the Torah says “And they (Egyptians) were as thorns before the children of Israel” (Exodus 1, 12) The Kli Yakar offers two explanations. The first explanation, Egyptians observed the miraculous birth rate of the Jewish people and feared that G-d intended …
Shemot : Heaven And Earth
There was a steep mountain pass just outside Premishlan that was impassable during the winter because of its treacherous icy conditions. The Chassidic master, Rabbi Meir of Premishlan, would navigate this pass on a regular basis. When asked for his secret he answered simply, “One who is bound to the …
