Beshalach
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What Is a Miracle?
This is the D’var Torah I gave on Parashat Beshalach, including the crossing of the Sea of Reeds into freedom, in 5773 (2013). One day, little Noah comes home from Religious School, and his mother asks him what he learned. Noah says: Today we were learning about how the Israelites left Egypt. His mother says: Continue reading
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A Year of Jewish Ethics #12: Exodus and Freedom
In my overview of ethics and Exodus, you may have noticed I didn’t talk about one central idea: freedom! Well, the Jewish conception of freedom deserves its very own presentation. In Judaism freedom has many layers. The term for free people is b’nai chorin; a free person might be a bat chorin or a ben Continue reading
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Torah for This Week’s Reading
Here are a few of my pieces related to this week’s reading in the Torah on the first days of the Exodus, escaping from Pharaoh and crossing the Sea and heading into the desert toward Mt. Sinai: What Is a Miracle? (why miracles are not about natural/supernatural but the relation of real/ideal) Why Exodus Is the Continue reading
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Sing Freedom: Mi Chamocha Melodies
This coming Shabbat is Parashat Beshalach, including Shirat Ha-Yam, the song of the crossing of the sea into freedom in Exodus 15. Every day at our morning and evening services, we sing two excerpts from the song, from the exact middle and the end: Mi chamocha ba-elim AdonaiWho is like You, Adonai, among the godlike powersMi kamocha ne'dar bakodesh, Continue reading
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Parashat Beshalach: Shabbat Shirah and Tu Bishevat
Today, the basics and a bit more on two special dimensions of this Shabbat. The day we read Parashat Beshalach is always known as "Shabbat Shirah", the Shabbat of song. Often synagogues will give a special focus on music and singing. The specific song of this week is in the Torah reading — Exodus 15 Continue reading
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