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February 21, 2025 - 23 Shvat 5785 Parashat Mishpatim - Terms & Conditions
Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash
Dear Friends, There is one last round to Biblical Smackdowns and it is sure to be a knockout! As the Israelites mingled inappropriately with the Moabites and a plague spread amongst the people, as punishment, one man took matters into his own hands with a public execution that quelled the people's suffering. Was Pinchas a hero or a religious zealot? Please join us as we dive into the final match-up, over Zoom, on Monday, February 24th at 7:30PM. You should have received the Purim mailing by now, so please return your Mishloach Manot order form soon. If you need another copy of it, please scroll down in this email. We would like to thank Aaron Klein for sponsoring this Shabbat’s Kiddush luncheon in honor and memory of his parents, Selma and Robert. Honoring one’s parents is an important Mitzvah, so please join us at the Kiddush table to share in Aaron’s Mitzvah and consider sponsoring a Kiddush to honor or celebrate a person or event that is meaningful to you. I am away with my family this Shabbat, but Rabbi Jaymee Alpert will join us at the Bimah to lead services in my place. Please be sure to give her a warm welcome when you meet her and I look forward to seeing you next Shabbat. As someone who grew up at summer camp, beyond the experiences of playing sports, enjoying arts and music, campfires and the like, there are the small traditions that really make camp the most special place to be. Even the ones that may not be so much fun in the moment. In the bonding time each bunk does on the first night of camp, one of those traditions at Jewish summer camps is creating a bunk Brit, or covenant. This is, for all intents and purposes, an elevated way of establishing the rules the campers pledge to follow in order to make the most of the summer they'll have together. Perhaps not the most fun or exciting activity, but it's necessary and crucially important. After the theatrics of the plagues upon Egypt, the miracle of the sea opening for the Israelites and closing on Pharaoh's army, and the pyrotechnic light show that accompanied the giving of the Ten Commandments by God, Parshat Mishpatim serves to bring us back down to earth. If we are truly going to be a people, unified for the sake of everyone within, then we need to establish and agree to the Brit, the covenant, the rules of the game going forward, so to speak. And that is just what Parshat Mishpatim is. Now that we are fully formed as a nation, finally free after 430 years of slavery in Egypt, now we agree to the terms and conditions that have enabled us to still be here, singing "Am Yisrael Chai," after more than 3,000 years. So, if you're reading this week's portion and struggling to be inspired by its words, remember that portions like this are just as significant - if not even more so - as any other story or segment in our Torah. They are truly why we are still here today. Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Joshua Strom
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