Friday Shabbat Shalom

Immersed in the drama of liberating his enslaved people, Moses prepares to appear before Pharaoh, to insist that the Israelites be allowed to leave Egypt. God instructs his servant, Moses, "Go to Pharaoh. For I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his courtiers, in order that I may display these My signs among them..." [Shemot/ Exodus 10:1]

As we enter the Book of Exodus with last week's Parashat Shemot and this week's Parashat Va'eira, I want to bring you a great insight… There are many life-metaphors to be found in the wonderful world of boats. Boats and people both embark on journeys, and both can reach their destinations or sink.

In Parashat Shemot, we find a clear instance of what we now call “antisemitism,” a term coined in 1879 by Wilhelm Marr, an anti-Jewish agitator in Germany, as a more modern, euphemistic and non-religious substitute for the German term, judenhass, Jew-hatred.

Vayehi literally means “and he lived” and yet, we learn about Jacob and Joseph’s death in this parsha. Vayehi begins in a way that is unique among the weekly parshiyot-- between every two other parshiyot in the Torah, we find a line break or space in the Torah scroll. But Vayehi is the exception. It begins without any clear demarcation from the end of Parashat Vayiggash, the parasha that comes before it. Perhaps one reason might be to cover up the loss of Jacob?

Joseph forgives. That, as I have argued before, was a turning point in history. For this was the first recorded act of forgiveness in literature… When he first reveals himself to them, he says, "And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you" (Gen. 45:5).

Hanukkah, which occurs during the darkest time of the year, reminds us to be agents of light, kindness, goodness and blessing. We have the ability to see, create and acknowledge the miracles that surround us and share that spark of divinity with the world around us.

On Sunday, “An Audience with Adele” (the singer) was broadcast on ITV in England. At the event, Adele took a question from British actor Emma Thompson, who asked if there was someone who supported, inspired or protected her "from all the trials and tribulations of life" when she was a child.

Would you take the shoes off your feet and give them to a barefoot, homeless person? That is what Rabbi Gabriel Benayon, who serves as a Chabad Rabbi in Panama City, Panama, did when visiting in New York this past month for the annual conference of Chabad rabbis.