on this page<\/a> about the Splitting of the Sea in honor of the end of Pesach<\/p>\r\nimage: by Bracha Lavee<\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":98605,"alt":"","title":"neh9-splitting of the sea - Lavee","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee.jpg","width":1024,"height":833,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee-300x244.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":244,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee-768x625.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":625,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee-1024x833.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":833,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee.jpg","1536x1536-width":1024,"1536x1536-height":833,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee.jpg","2048x2048-width":1024,"2048x2048-height":833,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee.jpg","post_full_size-width":1024,"post_full_size-height":833,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee-516x420.jpg","home_baner-width":516,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"Materials to enrich your holiday celebrations","tile_main_caption":"929 Presents: The End Of Pesach And The Splitting Of The Sea ","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Explore the posts on this page about the Splitting of the Sea ","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":98605,"alt":"","title":"neh9-splitting of the sea - Lavee","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee.jpg","width":1024,"height":833,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee-300x244.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":244,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee-768x625.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":625,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee-1024x833.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":833,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee.jpg","1536x1536-width":1024,"1536x1536-height":833,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee.jpg","2048x2048-width":1024,"2048x2048-height":833,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee.jpg","post_full_size-width":1024,"post_full_size-height":833,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee-516x420.jpg","home_baner-width":516,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Exodus","chapter":"5","chapter_main_number":"55","date":"20251113","wall_id":"55"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"597","name":"Pesach","old_id":"997"}]},{"order":2,"id":"104038","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Birthing a Nation ","post_title":"Birthing a Nation","slug":"birthing-a-nation","old_id":"104038","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":101758,"post_title":"Naomi Bromberg Bar-Yam","slug":"naomi-bromberg-bar-yam","old_id":"101758","first_name":"Naomi ","last_name":"Bromberg Bar-Yam ","description":"Naomi Bromberg Bar-Yam is a social worker and advocate in maternal and child health. She explores her work and life through Torah drashot, rituals and children\u2019s stories.","short_description":"Naomi Bromberg Bar-Yam is a social worker and advocate in maternal and child health. She explores her work and life through Torah drashot, rituals and children\u2019s stories.","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":101760,"alt":"","title":"-62028435af471--62028435af472Naomi Bromberg Bar-Yam.jpg","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2022\/02\/62028435af471-62028435af472Naomi-Bromberg-Bar-Yam.jpg.jpg","width":361,"height":449,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2022\/02\/62028435af471-62028435af472Naomi-Bromberg-Bar-Yam.jpg-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2022\/02\/62028435af471-62028435af472Naomi-Bromberg-Bar-Yam.jpg-241x300.jpg","medium-width":241,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2022\/02\/62028435af471-62028435af472Naomi-Bromberg-Bar-Yam.jpg.jpg","medium_large-width":361,"medium_large-height":449,"large":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2022\/02\/62028435af471-62028435af472Naomi-Bromberg-Bar-Yam.jpg.jpg","large-width":361,"large-height":449,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2022\/02\/62028435af471-62028435af472Naomi-Bromberg-Bar-Yam.jpg.jpg","1536x1536-width":361,"1536x1536-height":449,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2022\/02\/62028435af471-62028435af472Naomi-Bromberg-Bar-Yam.jpg.jpg","2048x2048-width":361,"2048x2048-height":449,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2022\/02\/62028435af471-62028435af472Naomi-Bromberg-Bar-Yam.jpg.jpg","post_full_size-width":361,"post_full_size-height":449,"home_baner":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2022\/02\/62028435af471-62028435af472Naomi-Bromberg-Bar-Yam.jpg-338x420.jpg","home_baner-width":338,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"51","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"God did not command the midwives how to act: they heard God's voice in the cry of every baby whose birth they attended\r\n\r\n","post_main_content_content":"
Immediately following the story of Shifra and Puah (Exodus 2:1-10) we read of the birth of a male child. When he was three months old and could no longer be hidden at home, his mother built a box and put it in the rushes at the edge of the Nile river.\u00a0 His sister kept watch. The Pharaoh's daughter was bathing there, and found the baby.\u00a0 She had compassion on the infant, knowing that he was Israelite. At that moment the baby's sister appeared offering to find a wet nurse who was, of course, the baby's mother.\u00a0 When the child weaned, he was returned to Pharaoh's daughter to be her son.<\/span><\/p>\r\nWhy are these two stories juxtaposed? Why are the mother, daughter, baby, and Pharaoh\u2019s daughter nameless? The story of the midwives\u2019 defiance spread quickly and other Israelite women acted similarly, finding ways to protect their babies whom these midwives had helped to birth.<\/span><\/p>\r\nThe Pharaoh\u2019s daughter heard the stories as well, and drew courage and inspiration from Shifra and Puah allowing her to defy her father's command. This, in turn, inspired other Egyptian women to act compassionately and save other infant Israelite babies.<\/span><\/p>\r\nSo, the midwives\u2019 deeds inspired both Israelite and Egyptian women to take strong, defiant action to protect children\u2019s lives.<\/span><\/p>\r\nGod did not command the midwives how to act. They heard God's voice in the cry of every baby whose birth they attended.<\/span><\/p>\r\nGod\u2019s reward<\/b><\/p>\r\n
\"Because the midwives feared God, He made houses for them.\" (Ex 1:21) \u201cFor them\u201d <\/span>lahem<\/span><\/em> is a masculine pronoun. Until this point both narrative and dialogue have used feminine pronouns. \u201cFor them\u201d then, must not refer directly to the midwives. The reward for the midwives saving the male children was that the <\/span>children<\/em> <\/span>lived and established households of their own.<\/span><\/p>\r\nHouses connote permanence, stability. Why establish permanence in a land of slavery? To survive slavery (and further wanderings across the world and through history) the Israelites needed the stability of family, tradition, common history and custom to bind them to each other and their past. And with this, the collective strength to challenge unjust authority.<\/span><\/p>\r\nThe word <\/span>batim<\/span><\/em>,<\/span><\/i> houses, can also be read in Hebrew as two words, <\/span>bat yam<\/span><\/i>, \" they were made daughters of the sea.\" <\/span>Bat\/Bar<\/span><\/em> connotes responsibility (as in Bar\/Bat Mitzvah\u2019s responsibility for fulfilling mitzvot). The midwives' fear of God contributed to breaking of waters of laboring mothers and the breaking of the waters of the Red Sea leading to the birth of tiny babies and the nation of Israel. \"Because the midwives feared God, they were responsible for (crossing) the sea.\"<\/span><\/p>\r\nWe, too, must each take responsibility to oppose injustice and oppression where we see it, and in the way best suited to us. The ripples may reach far beyond our immediate actions.<\/span><\/p>\r\nimage:\u00a0\"The Mother of Moses\" by Simeon Solomon, 1860 \/ wikipedia commons 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Are an Exodus People ","post_title":"We Are An Exodus People","slug":"we-are-an-exodus-people","old_id":"40574","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":40575,"post_title":"Sharon 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is the God of Exodus who teaches humankind to respond to injustice with hope, courage and determination","post_main_content_content":"
The Torah begins in \"gan eden\" \u2014 the Garden of Eden, a place of pure perfection in which there is no suffering, no longing, no loss. But from the height of physical and spiritual fulfillment, the Book of Genesis goes on to narrate one story after another of descent and exile. It is a book of expulsion, punishment, and global destruction, of conflict within families and conflict between nations. Genesis concludes with the Israelite people\u2019s descent into Egypt, setting the stage for generations of slavery and suffering.<\/p>\r\n
But our story doesn\u2019t end with the Book of Genesis. We immediately turn to Exodus, a book that begins with the Israelites thrust into slavery, degraded, humiliated and tortured. But it quickly turns to a story of miracles, of plagues and wonders, of a fiery partnership between God and humankind, rooted in holiness in time (Shabbat) and in space (mishkan, the tabernacle). In contrast to Genesis, this book tells a story of ascent, of redemption. It is a story in which\u2014 from depths of darkness\u2014 we affirm the possibility of light. A story in which the people, for generations squeezed in the narrowness of Mitzrayim, Egypt, come to embody the expansiveness of human potential. A light unto the nations\u2014 a symbol for all time of the impossible made possible.<\/p>\r\n
It is the God of Exodus who teaches humankind to respond to injustice with hope, courage and determination. And it is the story of the Exodus that offers the most potent and undeniable counter-testimony to the reality of our world. Just when the darkness seems to eclipse any light, just when we\u2019re spent, ready to succumb to the triumph of evil, we\u2019re called to remember the great dream that was born with the writing of this epic story.<\/p>\r\n
Because the Jewish people ultimately is not a Genesis people. We are an Exodus people.<\/p>\r\n
The dream of the Exodus\u2014with its promise that the trajectory of our lives is from darkness to light, grief to celebration, degradation to dignity\u2014 has kept the Jewish people alive. It has given us the strength to survive years of scarcity and suffering, and the direction to live with gratitude and meaning in the years of abundance and blessing. Rav Kook taught that the whole world stands on our ability to dream great dreams. This story reminds us that our very survival rests on our ability to dream bold, impossible dreams.<\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":65337,"alt":"","title":"is11-peace-justice-world","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is11-peace-justice-world.jpg","width":1920,"height":730,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is11-peace-justice-world-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is11-peace-justice-world-300x114.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":114,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is11-peace-justice-world-768x292.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":292,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is11-peace-justice-world-1024x389.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":389,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is11-peace-justice-world.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":584,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is11-peace-justice-world.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":730,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is11-peace-justice-world-1200x456.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":456,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is11-peace-justice-world-1105x420.jpg","home_baner-width":1105,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"We Are An Exodus People","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"It is the God of Exodus who teaches humankind to respond to injustice with hope, courage and determination","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":65337,"alt":"","title":"is11-peace-justice-world","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is11-peace-justice-world.jpg","width":1920,"height":730,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is11-peace-justice-world-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is11-peace-justice-world-300x114.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":114,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is11-peace-justice-world-768x292.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":292,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is11-peace-justice-world-1024x389.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":389,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is11-peace-justice-world.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":584,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is11-peace-justice-world.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":730,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is11-peace-justice-world-1200x456.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":456,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is11-peace-justice-world-1105x420.jpg","home_baner-width":1105,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","links":false,"send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Exodus","chapter":"1","chapter_main_number":"51","date":"20251109","wall_id":"51"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"391","name":"In\/Justice","old_id":"791"},{"term_id":"462","name":"Identity","old_id":"862"},{"term_id":"601","name":"Exodus","old_id":"1001"}]},{"order":4,"id":"40583","color":"#efefef","size":"1","name":"God's Promise is Not Enough ","post_title":"God's Promise is Not Enough","slug":"gods-promise-is-not-enough","old_id":"40583","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":33859,"post_title":"Avidan Freedman","slug":"avidan-freedman","old_id":"33859","first_name":"Avidan","last_name":"Freedman","description":"Rabbi Avidan Freedman is the Rabbi of Hevruta, the Shalom Hartman Institute's post high school program for Israelis and North Americans, and an educator in the institute's high school. He is an activist advocating for moral limits on Israeli arms exports, and on behalf of African refugees, and a proud husband and father of 5. He received his rabbinical ordination from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah in New York, and from the Israeli chief rabbinate.","credit":"","image_url":"","short_description":"Rabbi Avidan Freedman is the Rabbi of Hevruta, the Shalom Hartman Institute's post high school program for Israelis and North Americans, and an educator in the institute's high school. ","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":33860,"alt":"Avidan Freedman","title":"Avidan Freedman","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365.jpg","width":856,"height":1024,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365-251x300.jpg","medium-width":251,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365-768x919.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":919,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365-856x1024.jpg","large-width":856,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365.jpg","1536x1536-width":856,"1536x1536-height":1024,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365.jpg","2048x2048-width":856,"2048x2048-height":1024,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-800x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":800,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365-351x420.jpg","home_baner-width":351,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"51","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"We must build an anti-Egypt","post_main_content_content":"
The famous rabbinic question with which Rashi opens the book of Genesis asks: why didn't the Torah start with God's first commandment to the Jewish people? Rabbi Yitzchak's answer is that the storyline of Genesis provides an answer to those voices which accuse us of being foreign conquerors, by providing a moral justification for our claim to the land. \"He has told His people the power of His deeds, to give them an inheritance of nations.\"<\/p>\r\n
I imagine that anyone who has tried using Genesis to dissuade believers in \"Zionism is racism\/ colonialism\/ imperialism\/ apartheid\" has quickly discovered that Rabbi Yitzchak's statement, if it is to be plausible, must be understood as a way to explain ourselves to ourselves, and not as pro-Israel hasbara.<\/p>\r\n
That works reasonably well for the overall storyline of Genesis. But what about the story of the Jewish people's enslavement prior to their receiving the first mitzvah in chapter 12? What does that come to teach us about our inheritance of the land?<\/p>\r\n
On one level, the story outlines an archetypal pattern that repeats itself cyclically throughout exile, of a period of comfort, followed by mounting fear of the host nation, followed by gradually increasing degrees of oppression. As such, the story resonates with classical Zionist tropes, reminding us of the significance of a physical inheritance for the physical well-being of the Jewish people.<\/p>\r\n
But even more important than the cautionary tale about exile is the cautionary tale about sovereignty, power and fear, and how they can cause a people to forget their ideals and commitments. More than anything, this is the message the Torah drills home as it envisions the society that we will build as the anti-Egypt, dedicated to caring for its most vulnerable citizens- the widow, the orphan, and especially the stranger. Our moral claim to the land is not only about our God-given right to this land<\/strong>. It is, the Torah and the prophets repeat countless times, also conditioned on the fulfillment of our mission, a mission seared into our collective identity by the experiences of these opening chapters of Exodus.<\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":51447,"alt":"","title":"dt23-slavery","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt23-slavery-1.jpg","width":1920,"height":1245,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt23-slavery-1-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt23-slavery-1-300x195.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":195,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt23-slavery-1-768x498.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":498,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt23-slavery-1-1024x664.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":664,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt23-slavery-1.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":996,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt23-slavery-1.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1245,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt23-slavery-1-1200x778.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":778,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt23-slavery-1-648x420.jpg","home_baner-width":648,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"God's Promise is Not Enough","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"We must build an anti-Egypt","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":51447,"alt":"","title":"dt23-slavery","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt23-slavery-1.jpg","width":1920,"height":1245,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt23-slavery-1-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt23-slavery-1-300x195.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":195,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt23-slavery-1-768x498.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":498,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt23-slavery-1-1024x664.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":664,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt23-slavery-1.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":996,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt23-slavery-1.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1245,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt23-slavery-1-1200x778.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":778,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt23-slavery-1-648x420.jpg","home_baner-width":648,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","links":false,"send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Exodus","chapter":"1","chapter_main_number":"51","date":"20251109","wall_id":"51"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"391","name":"In\/Justice","old_id":"791"},{"term_id":"430","name":"Land of Israel","old_id":"830"},{"term_id":"436","name":"Morality","old_id":"836"}]},{"order":5,"id":"40611","color":"#f2e9df","size":"1","name":"Moses and the Bildungsroman ","post_title":"Moses and the Bildungsroman","slug":"moses-and-the-bildungsroman","old_id":"40611","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":36423,"post_title":"Ari Hoffman","slug":"ari-hoffman","old_id":"36423","first_name":"Ari ","last_name":"Hoffman","description":"Ari Hoffman is a columnist for the Forward, where he writes about politics and culture. He is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at N.Y.U., and his writing has also appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Tablet Magazine, The New York Observer, and a range of other publications. He holds a doctorate in English Literature from Harvard and a law degree from Stanford.\r\n","short_description":"Ari Hoffman is a columnist for the Forward, where he writes about politics and culture, and is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at N.Y.U.","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":36424,"alt":"","title":"Ari Hoffman","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Ari-Hoffman-e1532985000400.jpg","width":1044,"height":1438,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Ari-Hoffman-e1532985000400-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Ari-Hoffman-e1532985000400-218x300.jpg","medium-width":218,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Ari-Hoffman-e1532985000400-743x1024.jpg","medium_large-width":743,"medium_large-height":1024,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Ari-Hoffman-e1532985000400-743x1024.jpg","large-width":743,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Ari-Hoffman-e1532985000400.jpg","1536x1536-width":1044,"1536x1536-height":1438,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Ari-Hoffman-e1532985000400.jpg","2048x2048-width":1044,"2048x2048-height":1438,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Ari-Hoffman-e1532985000400-871x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":871,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Ari-Hoffman-e1532985000400-305x420.jpg","home_baner-width":305,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"52","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"To discover a grander authenticity that burns incandescently and consummates rather than consumes","post_main_content_content":"Towards the end of the eighteenth century, the German writer Johann Wolfgang Goethe wrote a short novel about the maturation and education of a young man making his way in the world and searching for meaning and vocation. Wilhelm Meister\u2019s Apprenticeship <\/em>(1795) was an early work by the great master, but it would have significant influence on generations of writers. This influence would be most acutely felt in the genre of the bildungsroman,<\/em> the coming of age narrative. Leaving home, moving through institutions, seeking a place in society; these all became crucial to how we think about novels and what they, and we are about.<\/p>\r\nToday\u2019s chapter is a bildungsroman<\/em> in miniature, a capsuled biography. Moses is found floating, with eyes peeking out in concern and hands extending to grasp the river-riding infant. Like any narrative, this one feels immersive because of its exceptional editing. The child who was helpless becomes the prince whose identity lies elsewhere, groans muffled by damask and glittering gold. A stroll out of the palace reveals the glory of Egypt rests on the bricks of brutality just as much as the munificence of the Nile. This encounter engenders both character and plot; Moses discovers himself, only to find himself in the narrative he would come to define as both scribe and protagonist. In the resonant phrase of Wallace Stevens, there he \u201cfound himself more truly and more strange,\u201d a stranger in a strange land.<\/p>\r\nMoses\u2019s bildungsroman<\/em> continues to resonate because it thoroughly partakes of the modern while also tracking on to the arc of the religious. It demands that we continually create ourselves, and that our story is soldered from this project of self-fashioning. At the same time, it charts this growth against an essential optimism. We aim to discover a grander authenticity that burns incandescently and consummates rather than consumes. Freedom is found, and a leader, and a people, are born.<\/p>\r\nimage; Goethe, age 38, painted by Angelica Kauffman 1787 \/ wikipedia<\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":104120,"alt":"","title":"-625c768e6e2ff--625c768e6e301ex2-Der_junge_Goethe,_gemalt_von_Angelica_Kauffmann_1787.jpg","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/09\/625c768e6e2ff-625c768e6e301ex2-Der_junge_Goethe_gemalt_von_Angelica_Kauffmann_1787.jpg.jpg","width":800,"height":1061,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/09\/625c768e6e2ff-625c768e6e301ex2-Der_junge_Goethe_gemalt_von_Angelica_Kauffmann_1787.jpg-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/09\/625c768e6e2ff-625c768e6e301ex2-Der_junge_Goethe_gemalt_von_Angelica_Kauffmann_1787.jpg-226x300.jpg","medium-width":226,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/09\/625c768e6e2ff-625c768e6e301ex2-Der_junge_Goethe_gemalt_von_Angelica_Kauffmann_1787.jpg-768x1019.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":1019,"large":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/09\/625c768e6e2ff-625c768e6e301ex2-Der_junge_Goethe_gemalt_von_Angelica_Kauffmann_1787.jpg-772x1024.jpg","large-width":772,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/09\/625c768e6e2ff-625c768e6e301ex2-Der_junge_Goethe_gemalt_von_Angelica_Kauffmann_1787.jpg.jpg","1536x1536-width":800,"1536x1536-height":1061,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/09\/625c768e6e2ff-625c768e6e301ex2-Der_junge_Goethe_gemalt_von_Angelica_Kauffmann_1787.jpg.jpg","2048x2048-width":800,"2048x2048-height":1061,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/09\/625c768e6e2ff-625c768e6e301ex2-Der_junge_Goethe_gemalt_von_Angelica_Kauffmann_1787.jpg.jpg","post_full_size-width":800,"post_full_size-height":1061,"home_baner":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/09\/625c768e6e2ff-625c768e6e301ex2-Der_junge_Goethe_gemalt_von_Angelica_Kauffmann_1787.jpg-317x420.jpg","home_baner-width":317,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"Moses and the Bildungsroman","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"To discover a grander authenticity that burns incandescently and consummates rather than 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Moses' life parallels many complexities of modern American family life. He was raised in an open adoption. According to the midrash, his birth parents divorced and remarried before he was born. He lived with his birth family until he was weaned, around age 3-4, and then lived with his adoptive single mother.<\/span><\/p>\r\nWith his birth family, Moses developed a strong identification with his people and their destiny. With his adoptive royal family, he developed confidence and skills which allowed him to challenge a different Pharaoh and lead the Israelites to freedom and responsibility.<\/span><\/p>\r\nIn the home of Jethro (Yitro), his mentor and father-in-law, these pieces of Moses' identity came together and his mission was revealed.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\u2026<\/span><\/p>\r\n2:18-22 The girls came home early today from the well. The shepherds from the next village are giving them trouble again. The girls said that an Egyptian man saved them and fed the sheep. Zipporah reported that he was dressed in fine but haggard clothes. The girls were frightened, otherwise, surely, they would have invited this newcomer to join us for a meal.<\/span><\/p>\r\nWe fetched the Egyptian. His name is Moses and he has agreed to stay with us for a time. He said he comes from a slave family but he was raised by the Pharaoh's daughter. One day he saw his cousin beaten by a taskmaster. Moses was so angry he killed the taskmaster. Now the Pharaoh is after him. I don\u2019t know how much of the story to believe, but it\u2019s clear he's been on the run for some time now. From the way he helped my daughters, he is a man of justice and action. Moses needs quiet but he must not be idle; he needs a task, perhaps a wife as well.<\/span><\/p>\r\n...<\/span><\/p>\r\nMoses is good with the sheep, hard working, responsible. The quiet here calms him. Moses has told me more of his story. He is dedicated to his slave people, but he is afraid to return. I've never heard of a runaway slave so dedicated to freeing his fellow slaves. On the other hand, Moses has a comfortable life with us. I wonder whether he will some day return to Egypt.<\/span><\/p>\r\nThree of my daughters are of marriageable age. Who would make a suitable match for Moses? How I wish their mother was alive. It is difficult to be responsible for the happiness and productivity of two people together. Perhaps I should let them decide. No, this is my responsibility; it is far too important. Zipporah is most suitable. Her quiet strength and spiritual awareness will help Moses. In time, they could become soulmates.<\/span><\/p>\r\n...<\/span><\/p>\r\nI am a grandfather! Moses named him Gershom, \"stranger there.\" Midian is still not his home and we are still not really his family. 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To Do When There is No One ","post_title":"What To Do When There is No One","slug":"what-to-do-when-there-is-no-one","old_id":"40779","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":40756,"post_title":"Sharon Weiss-Greenberg","slug":"sharon-weiss-greenberg","old_id":"40756","first_name":"Sharon ","last_name":"Weiss-Greenberg ","description":"Dr. Sharon Weiss-Greenberg is the Director of Development and Communications for Eli Talks. She was previously the Executive Director of Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance (Jofa). She recently made Aliyah with her husband and two sons. ","short_description":"Dr. Sharon Weiss-Greenberg is the Director of Development and Communications for Eli Talks. \r\n","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":40757,"alt":"","title":"sharon WG","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/sharon-WG-e1537708674611.jpg","width":248,"height":250,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/sharon-WG-e1537708674611-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/sharon-WG-300x300.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/sharon-WG-e1537708674611.jpg","medium_large-width":248,"medium_large-height":250,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/sharon-WG-e1537708674611.jpg","large-width":248,"large-height":250,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/sharon-WG-e1537708674611.jpg","1536x1536-width":248,"1536x1536-height":250,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/sharon-WG-e1537708674611.jpg","2048x2048-width":248,"2048x2048-height":250,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/sharon-WG-e1537708674611.jpg","post_full_size-width":248,"post_full_size-height":250,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/sharon-WG-e1537708674611.jpg","home_baner-width":248,"home_baner-height":250}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"52","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Moses takes his first halting steps towards leadership","post_main_content_content":"
\u201cHe (Moses) turned this way and that, seeing no one about, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\nA number of medieval commentators explain that Moses, in his prophetic wisdom, saw that no \u05d0\u05d9\u05e9, no person of significance, or import would ever stem in the future from the Egyptian before him. This interpretation is concluded from the word choice of \u05d0\u05d9\u05e9, person.<\/span><\/p>\r\nMakes sense. Until you re-read the previous verse.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\u201cSome time after that when Moses had grown up, he went out to his kinfolk and witnessed their labors. He saw an Egyptian [person] beating a Hebrew [person], one of his kinsmen.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\nWait a minute. There was another player in this story who is characterized with the same descriptor \u05d0\u05d9\u05e9, person. It is quite a stretch then to claim that the Egyptian was not a person, given that the same exact language describes him as that of Moses\u2019 kinsmen.<\/span><\/p>\r\nPerhaps, with the enormous caveat that I am not condoning nor promulgating punishment without trial, Moses simply saw that nobody was going to do anything. Here was an Egyptian man powerfully beating a Jewish man. It would seem odd that this was happening in complete isolation. Moses looked around to see if anyone was ready to save the Jewish slave\u2019s life. Not was there anyone of significance or importance but was there someone, anyone, willing to DO something of importance, that is, of saving someone\u2019s life.<\/span><\/p>\r\nThe manner in which this story plays out makes sense given what we know about Moses. He doesn\u2019t want to be a leader. He declines his position multiple times directly to God\u2019s face. Moses looks desperately around for someone to do the right thing. To save this helpless slave. When he realizes that if he does not exercise leadership, nobody will, he moves forward with this damning act which leads to his exile.<\/span><\/p>\r\nThere are two important outcomes here. First, there is a message of humility. Being aware that we should scan the crowd to determine if, when, and most importantly, who is available to step up to the plate. It is only in the absence of other candidates, coupled with the heightened element of danger and risk, that Moses moves forward as he does. <\/span><\/p>\r\nSecond, the Egyptian task master is described as a person of significance. Moses buries him, even after he ended up killing him in his attempt to intervene. Respect of all people, even those who committed terrible wrongs, must always persevere.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":"","post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"What To Do When There is No One","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Moses takes his first halting steps towards 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Deepest Meanings of Hineini ","post_title":"The Deepest Meanings of Hineini","slug":"the-deepest-meanings-of-hineini","old_id":"40815","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":33926,"post_title":"Nina Beth Cardin","slug":"rabbi-nina-beth-cardin","old_id":"33926","first_name":"Nina Beth","last_name":"Cardin","description":"Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin is a community rabbi who lives in Baltimore and is still seeking a more dynamic word than green or sustainability to describe how we should rightly and joyfully live on this earth.\r\n","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"short_description":"Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin is a community rabbi who lives in Baltimore","link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":33925,"alt":"","title":"Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Nina-Beth-Cardin.jpg","width":300,"height":300,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Nina-Beth-Cardin-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Nina-Beth-Cardin.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Nina-Beth-Cardin.jpg","medium_large-width":300,"medium_large-height":300,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Nina-Beth-Cardin.jpg","large-width":300,"large-height":300,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Nina-Beth-Cardin.jpg","1536x1536-width":300,"1536x1536-height":300,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Nina-Beth-Cardin.jpg","2048x2048-width":300,"2048x2048-height":300,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Nina-Beth-Cardin.jpg","post_full_size-width":300,"post_full_size-height":300,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Nina-Beth-Cardin.jpg","home_baner-width":300,"home_baner-height":300}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"53","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"A response of sacred and undiluted presence, a readiness to receive and respond, brave and humble","post_main_content_content":"One day, when Moses was tending his flock in the wilderness, having fled from Egypt and now living with his wife and sons in Midian, he came upon an unusual site: a lone bush among the desert scruff, ablaze. So he paused to look at it. And as he stood a while gazing upon the bush, he slowly began to realize that this was not just an unusual site (nothing else around it was burning); it was astonishing: a bush aflame but not being consumed. Riveted by this vision, he chose to draw closer, to get a better look.<\/span><\/p>\r\nAnd it was in that moment that God seemed to finally choose Moses.<\/span><\/p>\r\nPerhaps it was because of his intense curiosity, his ability to bear witness to the inexplicable and not shrink from its presence.<\/span><\/p>\r\nPerhaps it was because Moses held off judgment, refusing to give in to superstitions or conjure up easy or fantastical explanations but rather chose to be present to the moment of awe and mystery.<\/span><\/p>\r\nOr perhaps it was because this time, Moses chose not to run away from power and danger but toward it.<\/span><\/p>\r\nWhatever it was, God chose Moses and called his name. \u201cMoses, Moses.\u201d And Moses answered, as did Abraham and Jacob before him and Samuel after him: \u201cHineni, here I am.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\nA stunning response. \u201cHineni\u201d is a pure, astonished, unguarded affirmation given before all the facts are known. It is a spontaneous, unequivocal commitment promising: \u201cI am <\/span>here<\/b>\u201d, where and as you found me, fully attentive, focused, all in. And \u00a0even more, \u201c<\/span>I <\/b>am here\u201d- all of me, with all that I am and all that I can be.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\u201cHineni\u201d is a response of sacred and undiluted presence, a response in which the self sheds all reservations, which expands the boundaries of self, indicating a readiness to receive and respond to whatever experience is about to unfold. It is brave and humble.<\/span><\/p>\r\nIt is the kind of response we offer only a few times in our lives. When we promise ourselves to the one we love not knowing what the future might bring; when we gaze into a newborn\u2019s eyes and promise we will never let them down. When we promise ourselves \u2013 as we enter a new era of our lives - to be all that we can be.<\/span><\/p>\r\nIt is no doubt the kind of response God was hoping for. The story of the Jewish people could now continue. <\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":56946,"alt":"","title":"isam3-hineni","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/isam3-hineni.jpg","width":200,"height":201,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/isam3-hineni-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/isam3-hineni.jpg","medium-width":200,"medium-height":201,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/isam3-hineni.jpg","medium_large-width":200,"medium_large-height":201,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/isam3-hineni.jpg","large-width":200,"large-height":201,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/isam3-hineni.jpg","1536x1536-width":200,"1536x1536-height":201,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/isam3-hineni.jpg","2048x2048-width":200,"2048x2048-height":201,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/isam3-hineni.jpg","post_full_size-width":200,"post_full_size-height":201,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/isam3-hineni.jpg","home_baner-width":200,"home_baner-height":201}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"The Deepest Meanings of Hineini","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"A response of sacred and undiluted presence, a readiness to receive and respond, brave and humble","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":56946,"alt":"","title":"isam3-hineni","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/isam3-hineni.jpg","width":200,"height":201,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/isam3-hineni-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/isam3-hineni.jpg","medium-width":200,"medium-height":201,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/isam3-hineni.jpg","medium_large-width":200,"medium_large-height":201,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/isam3-hineni.jpg","large-width":200,"large-height":201,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/isam3-hineni.jpg","1536x1536-width":200,"1536x1536-height":201,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/isam3-hineni.jpg","2048x2048-width":200,"2048x2048-height":201,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/isam3-hineni.jpg","post_full_size-width":200,"post_full_size-height":201,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/isam3-hineni.jpg","home_baner-width":200,"home_baner-height":201}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","links":false,"send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Exodus","chapter":"3","chapter_main_number":"53","date":"20251111","wall_id":"53"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"608","name":"Promise","old_id":"1008"}]},{"order":9,"id":"40801","color":"#e6f5f3","size":"1","name":"Ehyeh: Jewish vs. Greek Understandings ","post_title":"Ehyeh: Jewish vs. Greek Understandings","slug":"ehyeh-jewish-vs-greek-understandings","old_id":"40801","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":33923,"post_title":"Jonathan Sacks","slug":"rabbi-lord-jonathan-sacks","old_id":"33923","first_name":"Jonathan ","last_name":"Sacks","description":"An international religious leader, philosopher, and award-winning author of over 35 books, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks served as the International President of 929.\r\nRabbi Sacks served as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth years between 1991 and 2013, and was knighted by Her Majesty The Queen in 2005 and made a Life Peer. Rabbi Sacks passed away on 7th November 2020, aged 72. He was one of the greatest Jewish thinkers of the 20th century, who bridged the religious and secular world through his ground-breaking canon of work.","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"short_description":"Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z\"k (1948-2020) was the former Chief Rabbi of the Commonwealth, and the International 929 president.","link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":36222,"alt":"","title":"JSacks","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594.jpg","width":437,"height":548,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594-239x300.jpg","medium-width":239,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-768x448.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":448,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-1024x597.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":597,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594.jpg","1536x1536-width":437,"1536x1536-height":548,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594.jpg","2048x2048-width":437,"2048x2048-height":548,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594.jpg","post_full_size-width":437,"post_full_size-height":548,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594-335x420.jpg","home_baner-width":335,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"53","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"The God of Israel is the God of the future tense","post_main_content_content":"[When Moses] encounters God at the burning bush, God summons him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, but Moses is reluctant. Who am I, he asks, to be worthy of such a task? God reassures him, and then Moses asks, Who are you? When the Israelites ask, who has sent you, what shall I say? God replies in a cryptic three word phrase, <\/span>Ehyeh asher ehyeh<\/span><\/em> (Ex. 3: 14).<\/span><\/p>\r\nIt is fascinating to see how Christian Bibles translate this clause. Here are some recent examples:<\/span><\/p>\r\nI am who I am.<\/span><\/p>\r\nI am what I am.<\/span><\/p>\r\nI am that I am.<\/span><\/p>\r\nI am \u2013 that is who I am.<\/span><\/p>\r\nThese are all mistranslations, and the error is there from the beginning. In Greek, \u00a0<\/span>Ehyeh asher ehyeh<\/span><\/i> became <\/span>ego eimi ho on<\/span><\/i>, and in Latin, <\/span>ego sum qui sum<\/span><\/i>: 'I am he who is.' To early and medieval Christians alike, this was God's way of describing himself as 'Being-itself, timeless, immutable, incorporeal, understood as the subsisting act of all existing.' The mistake of all these translations is obvious to the merest beginner in Hebrew. The phrase means, 'I will be what I will be.' The verb <\/span>does not use the present tense<\/span><\/i>\u2026<\/span><\/p>\r\nGod does <\/span>not<\/span><\/i> describe himself as the non-Jewish translations would have it. 'I am that I am' is a translation that owes everything to the philosophical tradition of ancient Greece, and nothing to the thought of ancient Israel. The God of pure being, first cause, prime mover, necessary existence, is the god of the philosophers, not the God of the prophets.<\/span><\/p>\r\nWhat then is the meaning of 'I will be what I will be'? What this means is that God cannot be predicted or controlled. He cannot be confined to categories or known in advance. He is telling Moses, 'You cannot know how I will appear <\/span>until<\/span><\/i> I appear; how I will act <\/span>until<\/span><\/i> I act. My mercy, my compassion, my strategic interventions into history, cannot be controlled or foretold. I will be what, when and how I choose to be. I am the God of the radically unknowable future, the God of surprises. You will know me when you see me, but not before.'<\/span><\/p>\r\nTo be sure, in one sense, the future is connected to the past. God keeps his promises. That is an essential element of Jewish faith. But this very fact reveals the difference between <\/span>predictability<\/span><\/i> on the one hand, and <\/span>faithfulness<\/span><\/i> on the other. Objects fall, gas expands, particles combine: these things are predictable. But people freely honour obligations they have undertaken because they are faithful. That is the difference God never fails to teach Moses and the prophets. <\/span><\/p>\r\nGod's name tells us that he is not an entity knowable by philosophy or science, deducible from the past. God awaits us in the unknown and unknowable future. That is the first stage of the argument: <\/span>