Community Torah Corner, January 5, 2024

“V”Eileh Shemot Bnai Yisrael Habaim Mitzraimah.” Thus begins the second book of the Torah. We are almost immediately thrust into the throes of Egyptian slavery while only two weeks ago we reveled in how our ancestor Joseph saved the entirety of the region from a devastating famine.

How quickly the world forgets the Jewish people and their contributions to society!

 

If we focus on the title of the parsha and of the second book of the Chumash, we can gain a keen insight on how we, the Jewish nation, should respond to ever-changing tides in the world around us. The name “Shemot” means names. Plain and simply our Jewish names. Chazal – our rabbis – teach us that the Jewish nation merited freedom from years of slavery and tyranny for a handful of seemingly minor observances.  They kept their mode of dress, their native language and perhaps most importantly, their Jewish names.

 

On the one hand, we can conjecture that Hashem HAD to save the Jewish people because those three defining acts were ALL they had left to their Jewish identity. Perhaps, after years of bondage the Jewish people became so assimilated that they were barely noticeable among the nation among which they lived.  Perhaps.

 

On the other hand, we have always faced adversity, persecution and exile. What saves us is how we maintain our Jewish identity. If we dress modestly, speak kindly and call ourselves by the names our parents and grandparents gave us, then we will know who we are. We spend so much time trying to fit it to society at large that we often forget who we really are. We are the sons and daughters of Abraham and Sarah. We are the “Am Hanivchar” – the Chosen Nation. This is not an elitist title. It is a burden of responsibility for us to bring Hashem’s word in to the world and to act in a sanctified manner guided by Torah and Mitzvot. Our ancestors sacrificed so much so that we can have so much. We owe it to them to do our very best to not only maintain, but to be proud of who we are. We should state our Jewish names with pride and with gusto.

 

I think this is especially poignant during these difficult days in our world. We seem to be taking hits from every corner of the world and sometimes our own immediate orbits feel unsafe. I have always said that the answer to antisemitism is for us to be MORE Jewish. The fact that you have taken upon yourselves to receive and give a Jewish day school education at GOA completely underscores this very point. You are engaged daily in fostering and bolstering your Jewish identities. Treasure every day that you get to do so, and never forget who you really are.

 

Shabbat Shalom