Dear Friends, We are shocked and saddened by the acts of pure evil and terror that were perpetrated in the heart of Paris during the last 48 hours. Our hearts and prayers are with the victims and their families. Tonight, before Shabbat, please gather your families, give some charity, light your Shabbat candles and bring some goodness and kindness into our dark and confused world. Please have in mind and say a prayer for the victims and their families. This week we begin reading the new book of Shemot. The Torah portion opens with the story of the enslavement and persecution of the Jewish people in Egypt. We read about the birth of Moshe and his appointment by G-d as the redeemer of the Jewish people. Our sages, in defining the theme of the books of the Torah, tell us that the Book of Shemot is about the exodus from Egypt, redemption, the Revelation at Mount Sinai and the constitution of the Jewish people as a light unto the nations. The book of Bereishit, however, is the story of the beginnings, our forefathers, Joseph and his brothers and our descent into Egypt. Why then, does the Book of Shemot begin with the enslavement and the suffering, which is more connected to the pre-redemption part the story, which is the theme of Bereishit? The Rebbe explains that the experience in Egypt was critical in preparing and refining the Jewish people to receive the Torah and assume their exalted position as the moral compass of the world. So in essence, the enslavement was a stage in and part of the redemption and integral to the emergence of the Jewish people on the world stage as G-ds Chosen people. That is why the remembrance of our enslavement in Egypt is one of the pillars of our Jewish tradition, the focus of the holiday of Passover, and is mentioned in the Torah more than any other mitzvah! This reinforces our belief that the suffering and evil that we are experiencing in our time, will galvanize and empower the forces of good and holiness to bring this world to its ultimate purpose of a world redeemed with the coming of our righteous Messiah speedily in our time. With best wishes to you and your loved ones for a good and peaceful Shabbat, Rabbi Chaim Block
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 18:01:21 +0000
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