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February 7, 2025 - 7 Shvat 5785 Parashat B'Shalach - A Journey Through Time, Arriving Now
Persistence of Memory by Salvadore Dali
Dear Friends, Tomorrow is known as Shabbat Super Bowl and what makes this year’s celebration even more noteworthy is that next week's portion, Yitro, which begins on Super Bowl Sunday itself, happens to mention both chiefs and eagles in consecutive paragraphs. Coincidence? No such thing! Please scroll down to enjoy our "Super Bowl Torah" text and tune in the game on Sunday to see which prophesy plays out. On Monday evening, Biblical Smackdowns goers into the fifth round, when we will learn about Shechem the Hivite, who assaulted Jacob’s daughter, Dinah, and her brothers, who exacted revenge. Were the brothers in the right to defend their sister’s honor? Was the retribution an act of justice or just horrific cruelty? Please join us, ringside over Zoom on Monday at 7:30PM, for another lively debate and discussion. We would like to thank Marjorie Goldstein for sponsoring this Shabbat’s Kiddush luncheon in honor and memory of her late husband, Herb. Remembering a loved one is a Mitzvah, so please join us at the Kiddush table to share in Marj’s Mitzvah and consider sponsoring a Kiddush to honor or celebrate a person or event. Music is an incredibly powerful thing. It can lift us up - mentally, spiritually, and physically. It is an outlet, a release, to the entire range of human emotions - from joy and laughter to sadness and tears, from confrontation and discomfort to consolation, warmth, and hope. And everything in between. As memories of music and its associations are stored in a particular part of the brain, even those struggling with memory loss and forms of dementia can still recall every word and every note to the pieces that have been meaningful to them in their lives. The power of music lies precisely in its ability to cut through seemingly everything else in our lives and our world. Tali and I had the incredible privilege and pleasure of attending David Gray's concert at the Beacon Theater a couple of weeks ago. Though he has been one of my absolute favorite singer-songwriters for almost 30 years, I had never been able to see him perform live. So many of his songs have made up the soundtrack of my life, such an indelible presence in my life, yet the opportunity to attend a concert of his had yet to happen. It was beautiful. It was wonderful. And, of course, it was emotional. Seeing him, feeling his energy, and hearing so many songs that have held so much significance for me, after all this time, was almost overwhelming. It was a journey through the ups and downs, the complicated chapters of my life, with lyrics, notes, and chords sending me back in time, into memories so vivid, so specific and clear. Recalling where I had been through the years, navigating love and heartbreak like all of us, I was touched by the blessing of the music itself, and by the many blessings of my life at this moment; eternally grateful not just to enjoy this moment, but to do so holding the hand of my loving wife. That, I believe, is part of the magic of Torah; that, in returning to the unchanging words of our sacred tradition, we are somehow both transported through space and time and grounded very much in the present moment. It is an incredible, transcendent gift that sends us to revisit where we've been, in order to arrive at a deeper appreciation of the here and now. The words haven't changed, but we, and probably nearly everything else around us, has. That is most certainly true of Torah, in general, and all the more so for Shirat Ha-yam, the Song of the Sea, the centerpiece of this week's portion, Parshat B'shalach. It is where our daily prayer, “Mi Chamocha,” comes from, as both a singular moment of freedom and redemption in the history of our people, as well as, perhaps, celebrating moments of personal redemption for the soul, of triumphs of the spirit. We are grateful for what has happened and are reminded to continue seeking those moments, large and small, for ourselves, our loved ones, our communities, and the world beyond us. To borrow yet another concept from the band Phish, the annual repetition of Torah allows each of us, all of us, to go "backwards down the number line" in a meaningful, ongoing journey that lands solidly, on both feet, in the present. As we celebrate Shabbat together and hear the words sung by our ancestors when they finally tasted freedom, may we be moved to rediscover our past - the struggles, the triumphs, and everything in between - in a way that strengthens our character and resolve to live meaningfully right now. Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Joshua Strom
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