The Israelites once depended on having a particular structure through which to meet the Holy One. Losing this familiar rhythm was hard, and left some people uncertain and anxious about how they could reconnect with each other and their guiding values. But on the other side of this loss…people began to find God any place or time they chose to act in godly ways.
Read MoreMoses and the Israelites [having] narrowly escape Egypt…now must now traverse a seemingly endless wilderness. People quarrel with each other, and Moses tries to mediate their disputes. They struggle to find food and water, and Moses responds by trying to ensure everyone has what they want to eat. In disbelief, Yitro, Moses’ father-in-law hears what Moses has been doing, and famously scolds him:
לֹא־טוֹב֙ הַדָּבָ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַתָּ֖ה עֹשֶֽׂה׃ / The thing you are doing is not good…
Focused on making it through each day, Moses completely loses perspective; forgets what an impossible situation he’s in.
Read MoreTorah tells us to meet God we must first meet Pharaoh right here. Who is Pharaoh? He is essentially recognizable by his heart, repeatedly described as “hard”, or “heavy”.… At first, Pharaoh sets his own course. But, with every plague, it becomes more difficult for him to change. His reactions become engrained in habit, until his heart closes completely. Maybe we recognize this in ourselves. Can see Pharaoh’s hardened heart right here in our midst.
Read MoreThis is the God we meet in the book of Exodus: Ehyeh asher Ehyeh, variously translated ‘I Am That I Am’ and ‘I Will Be What I Will Be’. God is not some distant supreme being, orchestrating our every step, but a God of becoming; a Presence unfolding alongside and through us, that takes notice of us when we take notice of one another.
Read MoreOur act of pouring a cup and opening the door to welcome Elijah each year [is] a test of our ability and desire to welcome others — to open our door, our hearts, even to people or experiences we may consider unpleasant or undesirable. [T]his moment in the seder is our chance to make sure our values actually translate into action: How wide do we open our doors, and the doors of our hearts? How ready do we feel to welcome a stranger to our table?
Read MoreWhen confronted with life’s intrinsic uncertainties Jacob is not so generous. We all recognize ourselves in Jacob. Over the past almost 9 months, of pandemic and political turmoil, we’ve been starkly aware of all that is out of our control. We’ve had good reason to want to close down, every excuse not to be our best selves.
Read MoreWhen we are indifferent towards the suffering of another, anochi, anochi: there is my “self” here and other “selves” separate from my reality, and capacity to care. By contrast, we all know the sense of wholeness that comes from being truly present to another person. This feeling, Kedushat Levi claims, moves us -- if only for a moment -- from the world of separation, into the world of wholeness, and unifies God, makes God echad, one.
Read MoreThese days, many of us are doing nothing – not to rest, but because we are trying to survive a pandemic. Many of you have told me how hard it is to do nothing right now: the feelings of pain, loneliness, boredom, frustration and helplessness. Your anger and grief about all you can’t do – attend birthdays or funerals, hug your families and friends; your deep desire to be, to do something. Alongside these feelings of loss, we experience another loss: When we aren’t doing anything, we sometimes come to believe we have lost our value, perhaps even our connection with that thing that is greater than us, which some of us call “God.”
Read MoreAaron’s response shows, even though Jewish tradition is full of words, there are times, like the times we are in now, when no words are adequate, when silence is exactly the right response. Loving silence doesn’t try to give reasons, or fix, or do -- it just is there, with you.
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