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April 19, 2025 - 22 Nisan 5785 Passover - Parashat B'shalach - Of Clouds & Fire
Dear Friends, For various reasons, I have always been into theology. Probably since long before I even knew the word itself. The fundamental questions we're unlikely ever to have answers to, at least not in this lifetime, drive me and so many towards a quest for deeper understanding: Why are we here? How should we conduct ourselves? What are we supposed to do in our limited time here? What happens to us when we die? Viewed one way, the Torah is our ancestors' answers to some of these questions. To read, for example, of the blessings and curses that will befall the Israelites depending on their course of action, shares a unique perspective of what they hoped for, as well as what they feared. To see the punishments visited upon the traitors who worshipped the Golden Calf or upon Korach and his rebels, is to glimpse our forebears' sense of justice being served. Perhaps nowhere else in our Torah do we experience God as the active, intervening, and supernatural force as we do in Parshat B'shalach, from which we read this Shabbat for the 7th day of Pesach. The devastating plagues upon Egypt, the dramatic splitting of the Sea of Reeds, and its closing upon Pharaoh and his army all point to a God who is, as the kids say, the main character. So, I am all the more fascinated at the ways God appears to the people in this seminal moment. Like the famous scene in Ghostbusters where our heroes are told to "Choose the form of the Destructor," it seems that God could choose any form God wants to be. Just a few verses into our Parasha, we read: "יהוה went before them in a pillar of cloud by day, to guide them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light, that they might travel day and night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people." Why these pillars? If God could be anything, why a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night? Because, I believe, the cloud and the fire represent all that we are looking for in relationships, whether with the Divine or with human beings, whether in the wilderness of the desert or the wilderness of life. The cloud is soft, comforting, nurturing, and supportive. Just the image of the white, puffy cloud on a warm, sunny day is one that is soothing and calming. It deflects the rays of the sun so that we feel its warmth without being overwhelmed by it, like Jonah after the gourd providing shade withers and dies. It can also keep us hidden from those who would seek to harm us. The fire at night brings light and warmth, at the darkest and most vulnerable time of the day, allowing us both to see and be seen. It is the heat of love and dedication, a fierce barrier of loyalty and protection, a sense of security in a frightening world allowing us, we pray, to lie down to sleep in peace. If there are places in our tradition where we should aspire to the concept of Imitatio Dei, of striving to be as much like God as human beings can be, this is a wonderful place to begin. While we certainly can't make ourselves literally into pillars of cloud or fire, we can learn from their symbolism and significance how to be present for each other, for our family and friends. We can and should aspire to be nurturing, comforting, protective, passionate, loyal, and loving parents, children, friends, and partners. And, we should firmly reject any false dichotomies that would force us to choose between the two. We must endeavor to be both. May the depictions of Adonai with our ancestors at the shores of the sea inspire us to be the best people we can be, for ourselves and each other. Shabbat Shalom and Chag Pesach Kasher v'Sameach, Rabbi Joshua Strom
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