{"id":86189,"date":"2021-01-07T10:29:45","date_gmt":"2021-01-07T08:29:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=86189"},"modified":"2021-01-07T10:29:45","modified_gmt":"2021-01-07T08:29:45","slug":"shemot-talking-with-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/shemot-talking-with-god\/","title":{"rendered":"Shemot: Talking with God"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[],"acf":{"old_id":"86189","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":86186,"related_cahpter":"1130","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"I am not the same person I was seven years ago....","content":"
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This week\u2019s parsha, Shemot, is the same Torah portion that I read from the bima at Temple Beth Emeth in Ann Arbor, MI, thirteen-and-a-half years after officially claiming Judaism as an adult b\u2019nai mitzvah. What a wonderful opportunity to be able to turn and return to this portion again now, 7 years later. And what an auspicious number \u2013 seven years \u2014 as we enter a Shmita year beginning Rosh Hashana 2021.<\/p>\n

In my dvar back then, I spoke about Moses, who has just received God\u2019s call. He is no doubt struck with awe and fear, but after a series of objections Moses accepts God\u2019s mission to lead the Jewish people out of Egypt. One of the things that struck me at the time was the casual nature of the conversation Moses has with God. \u201cVayomer Moshe el haElohim<\/em> \u2014 Moses said to God.\u201d God is referred to as Elohim \u2014 the basic name for God.<\/p>\n

The casualness of the God\u2019s name showed me that there is no right or wrong way to talk to God. I don\u2019t have to wait for a sign that God is ready to listen. I don\u2019t have to wait for a sign that I am worthy to talk to God. All I need to do is open my heart and my mouth. No angst. No struggles. Ask questions, but overall, easy and natural.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t matter as I stood on that bima that I am a Jew by choice who married a man who was raised Catholic. It didn\u2019t matter that I didn\u2019t grow up in a Jewish home or go to Hebrew school. God was there for me.<\/p>\n

I am not the same person I was 7 years ago. Not surprisingly, I can see the changes most markedly in the faces of my children who no longer closely resemble their baby pictures. And as I look into that infamous burning bush I see in multiple dimensions, I feel a myriad of sensations; I hear the multitude of voices past and present; I think not only of God and me, but of all living beings.<\/p>\n

And, my, how the world has changed. What hasn\u2019t changed however is that just as I was not alone on that bima that cold winter evening, held by my local community inside the synagogue, I am not alone now. I continue to find strength and courage from Judaism and from the wider community. Perhaps what God is asking me to do this coming year is to refrain from feeding my fears. Give my anxiety a rest. I\u2019m not sure at this moment what that will look like, but I\u2019m willing to give it a try.<\/p>\n

The next shmita year begins next Rosh Hashanah 2021, almost a year from now. We have time to prepare. As we move through 5781 we invite you to join us in preparation for the upcoming shmita year \u2013 a sabbatical year for the Earth but also for ourselves, our communities, and our world. Each week we will share thoughts on how the weekly parsha can help guide our thinking around shmita themes of work and rest, wealth and debt, responsible land use, fair labor practices, private and public property ownership, and physical and spiritual revitalization.<\/p>\n

Join us for the journey.<\/p>\n

See here for more information on the Hazon Shmita project, and its blogs.<\/a><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":81608,"id":81608,"title":"shmita","filename":"shmita.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/shmita.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/bereishit-the-sabbatical-paradigm\/shmita\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"shmita","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":81605,"date":"2020-10-15 14:26:00","modified":"2021-02-01 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New Weekly Series: The \"Shmitah Parasha\" Blog","main_caption":"Shemot: Talking with God ","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"in conjunction with Hazon.org","preview_embedded":"","preview_image":{"ID":81608,"id":81608,"title":"shmita","filename":"shmita.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/shmita.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/bereishit-the-sabbatical-paradigm\/shmita\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"shmita","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":81605,"date":"2020-10-15 14:26:00","modified":"2021-02-01 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