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Highlighted Sermons
Rabbi Kevin Carp Lefkowitz
"Be Your Authentic Self"
Shabbat Miketz
December 24, 2022
Previously recorded sermons are available on our YouTube Channel by clicking here.
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Events and Services
Saturday, January 28, 9:30am - Women's League Shabbat
Monday, January 30, 7:30pm - Tongue Twisters of Tefillah
Tuesday, January 31, 7:00pm - Book Club Via Zoom
Wednesday, February 1,7:00pm Music with Richie Unterberger (Zoom)
Thursday, February 2, 8:15am - Torah Trope Class
Thursday, February 2, 11:00am - Talmud Study
Thursday, February 2, 7:00pm - Ladies Lounge
Saturday, February 4, 9:30am - Board Installation Shabbat
Saturday, February 4, 10:30am - Kid Shabbat
Sunday, February 5, 5:00pm - Cooking with Jared Skoff (Zoom)
Saturday, February 11, 9:30am -Guest Speaker Dr. Michael Berenbaum
Sunday, February 12, 8:30am - Banot Hiking Event
Sunday, February 19, 10:00am - Book Signing with Dr. Helman
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Commentary On This Week's Parsha
Bo
Chapter twelve of Exodus begins with an unusual detail. We read:
וַיּ֤אֹמֶר ה’ אֶל־משֶֹׁ֣ה וְאֶֽל־אַהֲר֔ןֹ בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרַ֖יִם לֵאמֽרֹ
God spoke to Moses and to Aharon in the land of Egypt saying:
Where else would this communication have taken place?! We know they are in Egypt!
This verse begins the chapter in which we receive the festival of Passover. It highlights the location to remind us of both the essence and origin of the holiday.
Passover marks our development into a nation. We could have received the holiday with the Torah at Sinai, or after crossing the wilderness and conquering the land of Canaan, but we receive Passover while still in Egypt.
Every year we remember the freedom we felt upon leaving Egypt and God’s role in our redemption. To understand redemption, we must first remember what it was like when we were slaves.
Passover provides an annual opportunity for us to re-evaluate our situation. In what ways are we or others trapped today? What can we do to advance redemption in our era?
Mentioning our people’s Egyptian origins also provides a lesson for how we engage with the realities of the Jewish world outside the land of Israel. Our people’s history is ours, regardless of the land in which we reside.
Though we are inextricably tied to Israel and have commandments that only apply to Israel, we cannot downplay the positive impact the Diaspora has had on Judaism. The Babylonian Talmud emerged in Babylonia. Jewish communities in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle east shaped our tradition for thousands of years. We should celebrate our unprecedented and miraculous access to Zion, but this verse reminds us not to overlook the ways Judaism has flourished outside the Holy Land.
If you would like to discuss this interpretation or any other on the parsha, please grab me at kiddush or send me an email at rabbilefkowitz@adatshalomla.org.
