Leaving Mitzrayim..Hope...and Choosing to Come to the Torah in a Public Setting

It is truly a pleasure to be on the bimah with Talya this evening.  I must say that tonight is the culmination of a process that began in a most unexpected and unusual way.  One Friday evening, after services, last Spring, Talya approached me and said she had changed her mind about a decision she had made as a child, she now wanted to study and prepare for a Bat Mitzvah ceremony.  I told her we could work together but that I wanted her to get back in touch with me after we both got back from our summer commitments.  As you can tell by her presence on our bimah this afternoon, that indeed did happen. 

In the course of our studying together, we had an opportunity to look at some Torah passages.  We talked about the hardness of Pharoah’s heart as he was approached by Moses and Aaron to let the people of Israel go free from bondage.  Talya indicated that Pharoah was similar to individuals who get stuck in patterns of thinking or behavior even though those patterns are self-destructive.  Being a theater buff, she immediately figured that Shakespeare must have read the book of Exodus when he created characters (like Othello) with fatal flaws that ultimately led to their destruction. Had they been willing to change, they would not have met their downfall.

Last Pesach I had the honor of having Talya at my seder table as we retold the story about the Exodus from Egypt.  It is the same story that we have been reading in the Torah for the past few weeks and leads to the crossing of the Sea of Reeds in this coming week’s portion.  It is no accident that Egypt is the land where the Israelites lived in bondage.  In Hebrew the word for Egypt is Mitzrayim which means “the narrow straits.”  Many equate the word as representing life when it is hard, oppressive, and filled with distress.  When the Israelites lived in Mitzrayim, they had little hope, little sense of what the future could bring.  Leaving mitzrayim required a journey, learning to trust that G-d was with them, that they could establish themselves within a community that had rules to promote life.  Some wanted to return to their “narrow straits” because it was something that was familiar.  They found it difficult to move forward as they only thought about the past. 

So much of Judaism is about hope.  We retell the Passover story each year in the Torah and at our seders because we attempt to relive what it is truly like to be redeemed.  We try to share the universal message that any personal challenge, any form of affliction that “narrows us” need not limit our sense of “hope for deliverance.”  As Jews we take the attitude that life can be creative and expansive, and that just as we are afforded the opportunity of refocusing our lives through teshuvah, we need to accept that others can do so as well.  When you think about it, the story of the Exodus from Egypt isn’t just a history lesson.  It is a lesson in the core values of Judaism.

At the end of today’s service, we will be gathering on the bimah to recite the Havdallah service which brings an end to Shabbat.  The theme of Havdallah is hope- “hope that G-d will watch over, answer, and deliver the people to a week of joy, happiness, light, and honor.” ( Ron Wolfson)

Talya, my wish for you is that this theme of hope will permeate your entire life from this day forth.  I know you have set goals for yourself, just like coming before the community today and leading this service was one of your goals.  Know that even when you face challenges, it can lead to amazing growth.   I’d like to conclude with a verse written by Debbie Friedman z’l, based on the words of Talmud Brachot, 17A.

May your eyes shine with the light of Torah
And your face be radiant as the brightness of the sky.
May your lips speak words of wisdom,
And may the world you live in be the world of your dreams.

May you see your world created in your lifetime.
May you see your visions come to be.
May your hope touch every generation to come.
These are the prayers we have for you.

May you be blessed with understanding,
With wisdom and compassion in your heart.
May your tongue be filled with song.
And your lips sing out for justice.
These are the prayers we have for you.