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January 30, 2004/Shevat 7 5764, Vol. 56, No. 19
A glorious vision then and now
Torah study
RABBI LISA IZES
Bo/Exodus 10:1-13:16
Focal point
So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, "Thus says Adonai, the God of the Hebrews, 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go that they may worship Me.' " (Exodus 10:3)
Moses replied, "We will all go, young and old: we will go with our sons and daughters, our flocks and herds; for we must observe Adonai's festival." (Exodus 10:9)
D'var Torah
When I read Parashat Bo, I imagine that Moses had some kind of glorious vision that fortified him and gave him the strength to face Pharaoh yet again. Remembering the beauty of this vision, Moses was unyielding during this audience with his royal relative: The Israelites would all go forth from Egypt together.
The people would gather, families clustering together, finding strength and support for the unknown adventure ahead. It was only as a community that they would survive the harsh unknown. Everyone would have someone to care for, and everyone would have someone to look after them as well.
In Moses' vision, this feeling of kinship would fuse them to one another. Moses foresaw this image and knew in his heart that this was what God had meant their freedom to be.
Sadly, the story of what happened at the time of the Exodus was not as Moses anticipated. When the Israelites left Egypt, it seems they scurried out. Those who were most agile were at the front of the group, looking out for themselves and their own.
How do we know this? Torah teaches that when Amalek attacked the Israelites after their crossing of the sea, he "cut down all the stragglers in (the) rear." (Deuteronomy 25:18) Those who were ailing, weak, or alone were the first victims.
We have the best intentions of creating warm and welcoming communities that honor every person with the same compassion and the same respect. However, our realities do not always match our declarations. We have been charged with the awesome responsibility of creating sacred communities. Knowing that it is not too late to achieve the dream that Moses had for us, we must be on our way. The path lies before us, and all that remains is for us to go forward.
By the way
O, let my land be a land where Liberty/ Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath/ But opportunity is real, and life is free/ Equality is the air we breathe ...
Say who are you that mumbles in the dark?/ And who are you that draws your veil across the stars?
(Langston Hughes, "Let America Be America Again," in A Patriot's Handbook: Songs, Poems, Stories and Speeches Celebrating the Land We Love, (New York: Hyperion, 2003), p. 54)
Your guide
- Do you consider the ideal of Moses' glorious vision a realistic possibility for us to strive toward today? How are the various communities of which you are a part missing the mark with respect to being inclusive of all people?
- Can there really be freedom for anyone if there isn't freedom for everyone?
Rabbi Lisa Izes is assistant director of the Union for Reform Judaism, Department of Jewish Family Concerns.
Torat Hayim, produced by the Union of Reform Judaism, is on the Internet at uahc.org/torah/index.shtml.
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