Worth Fighting For

January 16-17, 2015 / 26 Tevet 5775

Shabbat Va’eira

Torah - Exodus 6:2 - 9:35     Haftarah - Ezekiel 28:25 - 29:21

“Worth Fighting For”

Dear Friends,

In this week’s Torah portion, God appeared to Moses to tell him that God would deliver the Children of Israel from Egypt.  But the Israelites, broken in spirit, paid no attention to Moses. Moses then asked God how Pharaoh could be persuaded to let the Israelites go.  God replied that Pharaoh's heart would be hardened, but after a sequence of "signs and wonders" the king would set the people free.

The obvious question to be raised is why God needed to harden Pharaoh’s heart before letting Israel go free.  With God so closely involved in this situation, couldn’t God simply create a miracle that would have ended the Egyptian slavery immediately?  The answer lies not with Pharaoh but with the Children of Israel.  They were so lost in the pain of slavery that they could not even envision a day when they would be free.  They had no belief in themselves as a people of dignity and liberty.  Frankly, if Pharaoh had suddenly decreed that all Israelites were free, I doubt they would have understood nor been ready to leave.

Hardening Pharaoh’s heart created a series of breakthroughs and hope followed by setback and disappointment.  Nine times, through the first nine plagues, the Children of Israel gradually woke up and began to understand their potential and their future.  Thus, by the time of the tenth plague, Israel was not only awake, they were packed and ready to run - with bread or without!

The same holds true for us.  While we often would like results to come easily and without effort, if they did, we would not understand nor appreciate the blessings.  Only with hard work, hope, setback, advances, disappointments and more hard work do we come to recognize the value and meaning of a true breakthrough.  Pharaoh’s heart was hardened to remind us that great results are worth fighting for.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow

We've Got Your Back

January 9-10, 2015  /  19 Tevet 5775

Shabbat Shemot

Torah - Exodus 1:1-6:1  /  Haftarah - Isaiah 27:6-28:13; 29:22-23

“We’ve Got Your Back”

Dear Friends,

        

In the opening chapters of the Book of Exodus, Moses is clearly concerned. Standing at the burning bush in Midian contemplating his return to Egypt to demand the release of the Hebrews from bondage, Moses asks God, “Who am I that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the Children of Israel out of Egypt?” To this question God answers, “Certainly I will be with you” (Exodus 3:12). Rabbi Amy Levin explains that Moses fears confronting Pharaoh alone. To ease this anxiety God tells Moses, “Don’t worry, you’ve got the ultimate team leader to guide you, to inspire you.  I’ve got your back.”

I have just returned from a two-week trip to Israel during which my wife Dawn and I visited with family and freinds and spent wonderful time with our daughter who is a soldier in the Israeli army.   On one afternoon, we drove up to the top of the Gilboa mountains from which we could see the valleys and hills of the lower Galilee and all the way to Jordan.  I was truck for the miracle of Israel, such a prosperous country amongst so much turmoil throughout the Middle East. Situated in a region surrounded by adversaries actively planning its destruction, Israel faces constant threats to the safety of its citizens. Yet, Israel proudly stands up to those threats and then goes on living.  In the international arena, countries from around the world unite to pass resolutions condemning and delegitimizing Israel. However, thanks to passionate Americans dedicated to a strong U.S.-Israel relationship, Israel doesn’t have to face these challenges alone. America truly does have Israel’s back.

On his recent trip to the Holy Land, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) expressed the United States’ unwavering support for Israel during a joint conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  “I wanted to come here in the most desperate way before the new Congress reconvenes, to let you and the people of Israel know that the United States Congress, above all entities in America, has your back in a very bipartisan way,” said Graham. “You can count on the United States Congress, Republican and Democrat, to be there for you when you need us the most.” Graham also emphasized Congress’ recent bipartisan resolutions that reaffirmed Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas’ terrorism.  In doing so, Senator Graham echoed a sentiment articulated by President Obama in 2012, who insisted that the United States will “always have Israel’s back” when it comes to security. Over the past several months, the Obama Administration has followed through on this commitment with concrete action. The recently passed budget agreement included $3.1 billion in total aid for Israel plus an additional $619.8 million in defense aid. Last month, the President signed into law the U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Act which significantly deepens the relationship between our two countries and enhances Israel’s security. Finally, the Obama Administration took decisive action to prevent the adoption of a counterproductive United Nations Security Council resolution which would have damaged the prospects of a resumption of the Israel-Palestinian peace process.

We must never allow ourselves to take America’s strong support for Israel for granted. Rather, we must recognize that as American Jews committed to a secure Israel, we too must always be willing and ready to stand up on behalf of the Jewish State and say, “We’ve got your back.”

 

Shabbat shalom.

Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow