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Reb Lisa's Message

December 29, 2021


In Torah time, we are in the middle of the Exodus story. Some key words and phrases from this week’s parashah, Va’era: Pharaoh. Plagues. God hear’s our cries. Let my People go. Redemption. The Promised Land.


The Exodus story is epic and has staying power because it taps into archetypal truths. And there are times in our lives when these truths feel even more true. What do these words and phrases evoke for you?


We are entering our third year of a disrupted sense of safety, predictability, calm. Covid feels like a modern plague and we all want to reach the end of this nightmare. We want to reach the Promised Land, redemption. We are still very much in the narrow place we call Mitzrayim, Egypt. Does God hear our cries? Whatever we feel may be the Pharaoh in this contemporary story of tragedy and hardship, we want to shout, “Let my People Go! Enough already!” We’ve all seen the toll the Pandemic has taken on friends, families, co-workers, communities, industries, the marginalized.


If the archetypal truths of the Exodus story ring true in every era and situation, then we know there is a redemptive moment awaiting us. We may not be able to see our destination yet, or the way to the other side. But we hold the historical imprint of this possibility deep within.

May the potential of redemption and the Promised Land buoy us during this time of stress and constriction. May the new secular year bring increased resilience, stamina, protection. May we find the way through, together.



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