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January 20, 2023 (27 Tevet 5783) Four the Sake of Torah Dear Holy Friends, I hope this correspondence finds you well and in good health. We look forward to you joining us in our beautiful sanctuary this Saturday morning at 10:30am for Shabbat services, which will also be available on our regular Zoom prayer link. Beginning in February, our Shabbat morning services will commence a little earlier, at 10:15am. We would also like to thank Elaine Lyubormirsky for sponsoring this Shabbat’s Kiddush luncheon to honor the yahrzeit of her late father Isaak Khimishman, so please join us. This coming week, we are thrilled to invite you to join our new, four-part adult education program entitled, Torah Tipping Points: Extending the Torah’s Reach in New Ways. The sessions will take place on Monday evenings over Zoom, starting this Monday, January 23rd, when we will welcome our first guest, Rabbi Robert Alpert. Rabbi Alpert is a tremendous scholar, who has completed the first-ever English translation of a 15th century Italian commentary on the Mishna, called “The Bartuenura.” I am looking forward to our interview session to learn more about his life, better understand how he gravitated to scholarship, and how he considers the potential impact of his new publication. In this week’s Torah portion of Va’era, we read the most important verses pertaining to the Passover Seder. Yes, even though it is only January, the following biblical verses situate us amidst our families’ seder celebration. In prophetically describing Hashem’s plans for the Egyptians and the Hebrews, the Exodus text reads: לָכֵ֞ן אֱמֹ֥ר לִבְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֮ אֲנִ֣י יְהֹוָה֒ וְהוֹצֵאתִ֣י אֶתְכֶ֗ם מִתַּ֙חַת֙ סִבְלֹ֣ת מִצְרַ֔יִם וְהִצַּלְתִּ֥י אֶתְכֶ֖ם מֵעֲבֹדָתָ֑ם וְגָאַלְתִּ֤י אֶתְכֶם֙ בִּזְר֣וֹעַ נְטוּיָ֔ה וּבִשְׁפָטִ֖ים גְּדֹלִֽים׃ Say, therefore, to the Israelite people: I am יהוה. I will take you out from the labors of the Egyptians and save you from their bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and through extraordinary chastisements. וְלָקַחְתִּ֨י אֶתְכֶ֥ם לִי֙ לְעָ֔ם וְהָיִ֥יתִי לָכֶ֖ם לֵֽאלֹהִ֑ים וִֽידַעְתֶּ֗ם כִּ֣י אֲנִ֤י יְהֹוָה֙ אֱלֹ֣הֵיכֶ֔ם הַמּוֹצִ֣יא אֶתְכֶ֔ם מִתַּ֖חַת סִבְל֥וֹת מִצְרָֽיִם׃ And I will take you to be My people, and I will be your God. And you shall know that I, יהוה, am your God who freed you from the labors of the Egyptians. וְהֵבֵאתִ֤י אֶתְכֶם֙ אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֤ר נָשָׂ֙אתִי֙ אֶת־יָדִ֔י לָתֵ֣ת אֹתָ֔הּ לְאַבְרָהָ֥ם לְיִצְחָ֖ק וּֽלְיַעֲקֹ֑ב וְנָתַתִּ֨י אֹתָ֥הּ לָכֶ֛ם מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה אֲנִ֥י יְהֹוָֽה׃ I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession, I יהוה.” These biblical verses (Exodus 6:6-8) provide the framework for our entire Passover ritual. If you have ever wondered why we have four cups of wine, four questions, four sons, and four names for the holiday, you now know that all these symbolic 4s are meant to parallel and confirm Hashem’s plan for the redemption of our people. While this Passover preview is fun (and perhaps even unsettling), I still find it fascinating to note that, regardless of the ritual or custom, our traditions always rely on offering a “Torah-based” foundation for our religious and ethical paradigm. In fact, we find the instruction to study Torah wherever we turn in Jewish tradition. Torah study was encouraged not only to sharpen one’s mind, but also to serve as a guide for living a moral life. The logic goes this way: One who takes Torah study seriously will most likely choose the right path in life. For this reason, the mitzvah of Torah study outweighs all other commandments. The rabbis of the Talmud wrote: “These are the things for which a person enjoys the dividends in this world while the principal remains for the person to enjoy in the world to come. They are honoring parents, performing deeds of lovingkindness, and making peace between one person and another, but the study of the Torah is equal to them all.” (Talmud Shabbat 127a). Furthermore, the Mishna in Pirke Avot connects Torah study to our daily lives by instructing us to “make our home a regular meeting place for scholars” (1:4) and “make the study of Torah our primary pursuit” (1:14), such that “one who has acquired Torah will acquire eternal life” (2:8). Clearly, these Tannaitic authors embrace the powerful word of Proverbs 3:18, which close our Torah service each Shabbat with the song of Etz Chayim: “The Torah is a tree of life to those who cling to it. All who uphold it are happy” (Proverbs 3:18). May this Shabbat offer us all the impetus to reengage in our own Torah study and partner with others in our community to learn and grow. May our ultimate reward be the opportunity to bring the Holy Words of Scripture to the world, leading humankind to Divine Joy and Perfect Peace. Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Eric L. Wasser, EdD, Hon.DM
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