In Converting to Judaism, Parashat HaShavua and Parashat Ki Tisa
This week's parashah tells us of the giving of the Laws to Moshe on Mt. Sinai, and it's aftermath. But what exactly is Divine Law? And do human beings have any say in what the Law is to be? An incident much later in the Torah hints at the dynamic relationship between the Children of Israel and the Laws of God.
God has made two unconditional promises to the Jewish people: one that we are eternal, that we will not disappear; and the second that He will ultimately redeem us. Unfortunately, He has also warned us that a certain kind of irrational hatred will be our lot throughout the generations.
By Yael Shahar
This week’s parashah takes place in the midst of the dramatic ceremony of the Covenant at Sinai. The Israelites have accepted the terms and conditions and now stand poised to sign on the dotted line. Now comes the small print: the actual terms and conditions they are to keep. But there’s something very odd about the way the names of God come up in presenting these laws.... The names of God hint at the nature of law, causality, and justice.
Is it appropriate to sing God's praises, when God is utterly silent to our distress? Jewish tradition has addressed the question in different ways throughout history. Some of these answers may be helpful to us, living through a period that includes both unimaginable lows and historic highs.
By Yael Shahar
One of the more perplexing aspects of the Exodus story is the repeated “hardening” of Pharaoh’s heart. This phrase—together with another that is equally mysterious—is the key to understanding the true miracle of the Exodus. Virtually every encounter with Pharaoh involves a dialog between two key concepts: the hardening of the heart is paired with God’s showing Pharaoh, the Egyptians, or the Israelites “that I am Hashem.” Why is it so important that the Egyptians learn the mysterious name of God? Surely the primary target for this lesson would be the Israelites themselves! The solution to both questions is bound up in the true miracle of the Exodus—and it isn’t what we commonly think!
When the light of the setting sun announces the entrance of Shabbat, a miracle happens: the light assumes the quality of light in a Rembrandt painting. The light slows down. It strolls! There is no way to see the strolling of the light unless one actually opens the door to let it in. One cannot talk about mystery. One must be grasped by it. And that is only possible when insight and creative inaction become one.
Moshe was a warrior for justice. On three separate occasions, he fought for justice for others. He was simply unable stand idly by when he saw suffering. But this very inability to countenance injustice was also the source of Moshe's greatest tragedy.
By Yael Shahar
What is behind Yaakov's sudden adoption of Yosef's two sons? And why does he make Yosef swear to bury him in the land of Canaan? Is his son's word not enough? It seems that Yaakov--or rather, Yisrael--is once more taking the helm of the family, and he is about to hatch his most daring plot of all!
Since October 7, all of the parshiot have had multiple meanings for our current situation. This week’s parshah, Vayishlach, in particular, is one that I’ve been dreading. It speaks directly to one excruciating element of our national pain from that day, and asks how we should respond to that pain.
By Yael Shahar
In this week's parashah, Yaakov has his first vision of the God of his ancestors. It is significant that this encounter finds him in a state of vulnerability, a state of uncertainty. It is uncertainty that clears the way for us to accept the miracle of the encounter.
This week marks the Sloshim, 30 days since the massacres of October 7. The Jewish laws of mourning focus first on the dead, on dignity from death to burial. The focus then turns to the needs of the close relatives of the deceased, with Shiva, the seven days of intense mourning, to the Sloshim, which—with the exception of the death of one’s parents—marks the end of the mourning period. However, even 30 days later, we as a nation find it hard to get past the mourning.
We have become used to thinking of the diaspora as a place of danger; Israel of safety. The fact the biggest murder of Jews in one day since the Holocaust took place in Israel is simply unfathomable. The question is inevitable: Where was God? A strange Midrash on this week's parashah may hint at an answer.