Parashat Beshalach (when he let go) Exodus 13:17-17:16
HafTorah Judges 4:4 -5:31
Dear friends,
As the first step towards celebrating the festival of Passover, we now approach the first of many special Shabbaths, namely Shabbat Shirah, the Sabbath of Song. Our Torah portion in the Book of Exodus is Beshalach which details the beginning of the long journey to freedom in the Promised Land.
We encounter the colossal "parting of the sea" and sing the song which celebrates that critical event and for which this Shabbat is named. We also learn that freedom is not easily achieved, and it is so difficult to stop thinking like a slave. This lesson is particularly relevant as we continue to suffer from a pandemic and all its ramifications and as a result, pine for earlier days. The children of Israel constantly complain when their needs (water, food, security) are not immediately gratified. As they still think like slaves and are not able to take responsibility for themselves, they constantly grumble to Moses and even demand to return to Egypt where their needs were taken care of, however harshly.
Like our ancestors, we too are facing monumental problems, but we have a long history of being free and we now need to draw on the resources we have acquired to solve our own problems. More on this theme at our Shabbat services tonight at 7:30 pm and tomorrow morning at 9:30 am on Zoom and in-person. On Saturday, we will sing the song of Moses as Miriam did at the Sea of Reeds and our Haftorah will be a story regarding the great leader Deborah from the Book of Kings.
Looking forward to being with you this Shabbat! Ron Becker
Ron Becker
Spiritual Leader
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JCC is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Shabbat Service
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JCC is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Saturday Morning Service
Time: Jan 30, 2021 09:30 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
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