Parshat Mishpatim; Exodus 21:1 -24:18 By: Rabbi Denise L. Eger

Parshat Mishpatim is the portion that follows the giving of the Ten Commandments in Parshat Yitro. According to tradition, these laws and rules, commandments and statutes are a continuation of the details of the law given at Mt. Sinai. Some midrashim tell us that this too was given at Sinai and that the Children of Israel heard these along with the first ten. These laws in Mishpatim detail not only ways in which we are to worship God but give rules for treating the widow and orphan and slaves, the least powerful in society. The laws of Mishpatim deal with laws of injury, morality, and property. These are the initial designs of a new nation.

Remember these are former slaves. They must build a society from the ground up. While these slaves were builders of cities they were not builders of society. They had 400 years of oppression and servitude overseen by cruel taskmasters. Now in their freedom they had to build a society of law and moral grounding. These slaves had to become free and the law and rules for society provide the template for how a free person can live in justice and peace. This was God’s gift to the Israelites in the revelation at Sinai!

With this portion, this group of slaves now has a more detailed guide for how to conduct their lives and what the expectations are of them to live as “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”

As the portion ends we begin to get the outline of the ways to celebrate and worship God. The three festivals, shalosh regalim, that today we observe as Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot are described for the first time. These are special festivals for God that requires the people to appear before God. While it doesn’t yet state where the people should appear—there is definitely a sense that this too will be revealed. God tells the people that the borders of their land will be from the Sea of Reeds to the Sea of Philistia and from the wilderness to the Euphrates. This is a vast swath of land extending way beyond the Jordan River. But God promises it all in Mishpatim but only if they keep far from idolatry and follow the angel that God will send before the people. (Ex. 23:20). This emissary must be heeded. And most importantly the angel will guide the Israelites on their journey toward the Promised Land. But the job of the Israelites is to resist the gods and goddess of the local people that they will encounter. This is perhaps even one of the most difficult challenges that will face the Israelite people and continues until today.

Parshat Yitro; Exodus 18: 1 - 20:23; By Rabbi Denise L. Eger

This week’s Torah portion is the major highlight of the Exodus story and the liberation from Egypt. For the past several weeks the story of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt has been center stage. The miracles of the Ten Plagues and the parting of the Yam Suf and the safe passage of the Israelites have occupied the unfolding story of our people. But now this week’s parasha, Yitro takes our people to the foot of Mt. Sinai where they are to receive that defining revelation of our people’s relationship with the Holy One of Blessing. This week’s portion describes the giving of the Ten Commandments. Amid smoke and thundering flashes of light, God’s voice emanates from the top of Mt. Sinai. God speaks the verses of loyalty, commitment and morality. The people hear it and proclaim their loyalty and commitment to this new morality.

These are more than just commands. These verses outline our responsibilities to God and one another. The Ten Commandments help this group of newly freed slaves begin to carve out a new existence. These verses of covenantal promise would help transform a group of slaves into a true People. At least that is the hope.
But Moses and Aaron quickly learn that receiving the Revelation from God and hearing it doesn’t change people. For in a couple of week’s we will see as Moses’ returns from Mt. Sinai that the people, although they experienced the Divine Revelation and accepted the terms of the covenantal promises, quickly reverted to idolatry as they made and worshipped at the feet of the Golden Calf.
The Ten Commandments as the core of our Torah tradition of obligations and responsibilities help to shape us into moral beings. The Ten Commandments help to elevate us and provide and shape a society of human beings who are aware of themselves, their fellow beings and are aware of the Holy Divine One! But hearing them revealed and living them are two separate moments.
The challenge for the Israelites then and for Jews now is to understand that these verses help to shape our soul and our humanity. Once we were slaves in Egypt. We were degraded and treated not as human beings but as pack animals. Ultimately, The Ten Commandments helped to take slaves and make them into free people who can be responsible for themselves. Not whipped by a taskmaster into submission. But it took time and it took practice.
In our day and time we can say no less. We are blessed with freedom of many choices but our society is unfortunately still structured in a way that much of it is dehumanizing and degrading. The Ten Commandments still at our core remind us that we are human and that to be a truly free one must be able to fulfill her or his basic responsibilities all the while uplifting the spirit of oneself and others. This is no easy task. It takes tremendous effort. It takes practice. It is always easier to tear down than do the hard work of building.
The Israelites were slaves in Egypt. They knew about building. They built the garrison cities for Pharaoh. But they didn’t know about soul building. How could they? The Israelites were in so much physical and emotional pain. They lived with fear every day. Their souls cried out the Torah teaches. This is the scream God heard.
The Ten Commandments was the road map to recovery for them and yes, for us. The Ten Commandments and our Jewish way of life help us build our soul, our resolve, our minds and our spirits and elevate our way of life from that of mere workers and pack animals to a life of meaning and holiness. But again, it takes practice. We can build the soul if we ignore the basic premises of our tradition.
In our day and time the search for meaning is rampant. Perhaps we just need to look once again at the foot of Mt. Sinai. Perhaps it was there all along!

Parshat Beshallach; Exodus 13:1 -17:16; By Rabbi Denise L. Eger

This week we march to freedom! The Israelites upon their escape to freedom encounter the first of many obstacles on their journey to the Promised Land, the Yam Suf—Sea of Reeds. On one side the Egyptians are bearing down upon them. On the other side is the sea. The Israelites are seemingly trapped in the middle. But God comes to our aid and hears the cry of the Israelites again. God explains to Moses exactly what he must do. Moses lifts up his staff and holds it out over the sea and it the sea splits, allowing the Israelites to cross in safety to the opposite shore. The Egyptians chase after them and the sea comes crashing back upon the Egyptians. In this week’s portion, the threat of Egypt is truly thwarted! The sea swallows Pharaoh’s minions. Thus in Parshat Beshallach a cycle is completed. God has rescued the Children of Israel completely from the hands of Egypt and the plagues that began with the Nile River turning blood red ends with the blood of the Egyptians consumed by the Sea. No wonder we often mistake Yam Suf—Sea of Reeds with the Red Sea!

The miracle of the parting of the Yam Suf is surely one of the most important moments in the early formation of the Israelite people. God’s rescuing hand lifts and protects the Children of Israel even when impossible odds and impossible obstacles stand in their way. Moses and Miriam recognize this with the Shirat HaYam—the beautiful victory poem that is sung and danced to in this portion. This miraculous moment is transformed into ritual dance and song. This portion records that both Moses and Israel sing of God’s glory and then Miriam, prophetess and leader and the women of Israel celebrate this victory and the grandeur of God’s deliverance through their singing and dancing with timbrels. This is a moment of pure rejoicing that becomes part of the spiritual transformation of the people from slaves into a nation built on faith in the Holy One.

When we today chant this part of the portion, the special melody of Shirat HaYam-Poem of the Sea helps to convey the unique moment that this is in the life of our people. Traditionally we stand when it is read and chanted acknowledging the power of this miracle just as we re-enact the giving of Torah at Sinai by standing when we get to that portion next week! Shirat HaYam, the song of the Sea is read as part of Parshat Beshallach but also on the Seventh Day of Passover the day tradition teaches that Moses parted the Sea. But this is also a part of the daily service. So great is this miracle that it becomes woven into our daily consciousness. So great is the miracle of deliverance that it becomes a part of the daily promise of redemption.

The spirituality and the power of this section of our story are conveyed also by the unique layout of the text in the Torah. This section of Torah is written with a special brick pattern that looks like the two walls of water and a path in the middle where the people pass through. Even the physical pattern of the text, reinforces the miracle! Thus this miraculous memory is recorded in the Torah and its power is taught to us in many different ways; through the words themselves; through the music; through the visual layout; through the knowledge that both women and men participated in the performance of this song and through the way in which we still stand when it is read; and it is such an important passage and lesson that we visit it daily!

Thus this passage of Torah and indeed our passage to freedom and redemption from servitude is a spiritual lesson that deserves daily meditation and reflection. We must come to understand that even when obstacles stand before us, we must with faith imagine this moment and walk through the walls of water to another shore. Even in our fear, even in our worry, God’s rescuing power can be summoned in our day and time. We don’t have to cross alone. And so Shirat HaYam and Shabbat Shirah becomes an opportunity for each of us to reflect upon the idea that the saving power of God is not only something that happened once long ago but one that might indeed be woven into our lives today. Keep on marching to freedom and sing and dance along the way!

Parshat Bo; Exodus 10:1 -13:16 By: Rabbi Denise L. Eger

Parshat Bo is the dramatic moment when Pharaoh finally agrees to let the Children of Israel go free. The conclusion of the 10 plagues is revealed in this week’s portion, dramatically affecting the Pharaoh’s own family, with the final plague-the killing of the first born. Pharaoh’s own child dies as a consequence of his intransigence in acknowledging the sovereignty and power of the Hebrew God. Like most mortals, Pharaoh is only moved by tragedies affecting his own home his own family. His hubris as a leader of Egypt, failed to understand his role as caretaker of the entire nation of Egypt. His stubbornness failed him because he didn’t understand that when one part of his nation suffers so greatly, be it from plague or his own cruelty that the soul of a nation suffers, eating away at society. The Egyptian leader and Pharonic dynasties imagined they were Divine. But this week’s torah portion is a reminder that the Divine dimension is wholly other beyond the realm of humanity.

Pharaoh agrees to let the Children of Israel go out of slavery only when his own household is touched by death. But shortly afterward, he again has a change of heart and mind and pursues the Israelites into the desert—only to meet his own doom in the raging waters that rush over him as the Red Sea closes around him.

The lesson for all of us and particularly for those who are in leadership capacities is that suffering must not be ignored. Injustice and cruelty affect an entire nation. Although the human tendency is to ignore it, pretend it isn’t there. Many only want to face it when it touches their own lives. But part of the Jewish way of being in the world is that our mitzvah system helps us to be more aware. We have holy and sacred rules of behavior that guide us toward creating just societies—where the worker is paid his/her days wages. Where the poor are cared for and the powerless in society (in the Torah characterized as the widow, orphan and alien in our midst) must be looked after by society as a whole.
The obligation is not upon others but upon us.

In our North American society we must become keenly aware of the suffering and cruelty that surround us on a daily basis. If we are to really create a society that meets its dreams that everyone can have a piece of the pie, then we all need to be engaged in the process of transforming society. Public policy must not be left to corporate interests or politicians. It must be in the hands of the public. Homelessness can be solved, the health care crisis can be averted, and economic empowerment of the poor can and must be a priority. But we must set aside the hubris of thought that says this isn’t my problem or Not In My Back Yard.

I hope we can learn before it is too late—that leadership demands humility and the ability to collaborate with others. Leadership demands that we not wait until our own house is affected. From a Jewish perspective leadership also demands that we remember to place the Divine aspect at the core of our work and ask God’s guidance and blessing to direct our efforts to bring healing, justice and hope to others. May this be our call and our prayer.

Parshat Vayera; Exodus 6:2-9:35 By: Rabbi Denise L. Eger

At this time of year when the secular year changes, we are bombarded with New Year’s resolutions. Many people make lists of changes for the New Year and certainly we hear about the resolutions of others. Stop smoking. Exercise more. Organize the closets. Pay off debt. These are just a few of the resolutions that annually make the top ten lists of things to do differently in 2008. Many of us engage in this process and year in and year out the same few things appear on our lists! In part this is because we set unrealistic goals for ourselves. Perhaps we ought to not begin with cleaning out our entire closet—but perhaps one shelf or drawer a week. Perhaps we ought not to exercise seven days a week but begin more modestly if we have been a member of the supreme couch potato league last year. These are strategies that actually might help us fulfill our resolutions. But most likely, many of us will hold onto our resolutions for a short while. But soon give them up as overwhelming or forgotten in the heap of responsibilities at home or at work.

I am always amazed at the crowds in the gym during January. The machines and classes are full. It takes longer to get on a treadmill or it is more difficult to find mat space in that yoga class you have been taking. All because of New Year’s resolutions. The January surge of good intentions quickly falls away in February and once again it is easy to climb aboard the elliptical or have enough room for a good downward dog!

But all because most of us revert to old habits and old ways. We say we are going to change. We might have even gone through life changing experiences but we don’t really change. Instead we change our minds—whether consciously or unconsciously. We get stubborn and dig in our heels. Why clean closets and be organized when one can keep the clutter and catch a flick instead? Is our capacity to change so limited? If we can change our minds and not fulfill the resolutions we have made, can’t we also change our behaviors and actions if we really want to?

This week’s Torah portion Vayera examines this idea through the words and actions of the Pharaoh of Egypt. This is the week the 10 plagues begin. Moses coached and instructed by God demands the freedom of the Israelites from Egyptian servitude. Pharaoh coolly and cruelly refuses. He is entrenched in his ways. Even the first six plagues which are documented in this week’s parasha, from the turning of the River Nile to Blood to the thunder and hail does not ultimately help change Pharaoh’s mind. Oh he changes for a short while when affected by the difficulties of the plagues. But as the Exodus text tells us, “But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he became stubborn and would not heed them, as God had spoken (Ex. 8:11).” As soon as the trauma ends, Pharaoh quickly reverts back to his old ways. He consciously changes his mind but refuses to acknowledge the force of God in the world.

As we know things don’t go well for Pharaoh. In the end the 10 Plagues descend upon Egypt and his own household, killing his own first born son and the Israelites do leave even though again he changes his mind. His stubbornness and his unwillingness to entertain the idea that with God’s help, might and strength all things are possible leads to his defeat.

This doesn’t mean that God is going to do the right number of reps on the ab board for you or that God will instantly stop your craving for a cigarette. But this week’s portion and its reflection on the ideas of faith and belief ought to inspire each of us to help fulfill our New Year’s resolutions rather than stubbornly revert to our old ways. Perhaps a prayer before ascending the treadmill is appropriate to give you the courage to make it through the next half an hour of cardio. Perhaps when reaching for that midmorning cookie, you might stop yourself with a mantra of hope that the Divine energy of the Shekinah can boost your willpower to resist the call of the sugar. Will prayer and reflection stop all our cravings? Probably not, but it is as good a place to begin as any. And perhaps by training our faith muscles we might actually boost our immunity to skepticism, cynicism and scorn!

Now that is one way to make the New Year a year of joy and blessing! Count me in!