Beshlach by

Baht Weiss

Why am I standing here? Why are you listening to me? Why do we come together in this sanctuary as a community? Each week we read another parsha and connect ourselves to our ancestors --those individuals that were part of clal Yisrael.

This week we see the beginning of a journey—the journey to establish ourselves as a people. In Beshlach, we find the Israelites fleeing from Egypt, following Moses’ lead, believing in the promise of their own homeland-of freedom and self-autonomy. This Promised Land they know nothing of, this journey is yet to unfold itself. The Israelites put their trust in Moses.

We all face our own personal journeys—times in our life when we feel our fate is out of our control—our destinations are unknown. We quickly learn things are not always in our own hands—there are times we feel low on hope, lacking in faith, and unsure of purpose.

How do we continue on our journey-persevere through our own hardships? We see the similar difficulties experienced by the Israelites as they travel-40 years through the desert. It would be a vast understatement to say the Israelites are not of the most optimistic and cheerful disposition at this moment in time. They are tired and scared. They want to get where they are going. Even slavery seems better to them than their current situation. They have left all that is familiar to them. They are in a foreign land. They have no idea what the future has in store for them. They fear for their lives. They cry out to Adonai and complain to Moses, “Was it for want of graves in Egypt that you brought us to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, taking us out of Egypt? Is it not this very thing we told you in Egypt, saying, “Let us be, and we will serve the Egyptians for it is better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness?”

How contradictory this sounds. On the one hand we have the Israelites crying out to God to help them and immediately following we see a protest against the deliverance that God has performed them, saying it would be better if God had not saved them. How can their be such an oscillation thanking God for miracles and complaining about their dire circumstances?

The Ramban explains this seemingly contradictory statement as representative of two conflicting groups. The Ramban believed there was a disagreement among the children of Israel. While one contingent of the group cried to God for help the other denied the prophet, Moses and did not accept God’s deliverance. Ramban explains that they were rebellious even at the Red Sea. Which group would you have been a part of?

It is also possible that the conflict was within each of the Israelites. Each one of them wrestling with their faith. Wanting to believe that God would help them but sincerely fearing for their lives.

How often we have heard the Exodus story and thought how lucky the Israelites were to be freed from slavery and guided to freedom. Each Pesach we retell the Exodus story with the themes of freedom and deliverance. Despite all this, we must not forget in-between Egypt and the Promised Land, between slavery and freedom; there were 40 years—a journey. So while this crying out of the people may sound contradictory—if we stop and think about how vulnerable and unsteady the Israelites must have felt. Their lives were out of their control. Moses may have been communicating with God for support and guidance along the journey. But what did they Israelites have to depend on? How could they help but feel dependant without the ability to rely on themselves. The Israelites are like sheep wandering through the desert—following a leader without any sort of foreknowledge or control. Not only would a situation such as this physically weaken a person, but it would also emotionally weaken a person’s faith in their own capabilities. The Israelites felt powerless. Weak. The only way they found that they could gain a sense of control was through exercising their voice.

Communication. This appears to be the key to the Israelites survival. When they were scared, unsure, fearful of their lives, and wanting to gain a sense of control-they asked questions…why are we here? Why have we been brought to die?

In our own congregations we see the reality. People feel powerless in synagogue. Yet they are seeking a way to have their own voice be heard. Powerful people- heads of corporations, lawyers, principals of schools, gold metal athletes—all successful in their secular lives-at the same time may feel powerless and ignorant within the synagogue walls. As the future rabbis, cantors and educators, as future Jewish leaders do we want our congregants to feel so helpless-especially within Reform Judaism, a movement that is attacked for being the least knowledgeable, the least committed—while it is important and natural to continue to educate ourselves we must also work to empower or congregations with knowledge.

Jews have been asking questions for thousands of years. The Israelites were vocal. They asked the right questions. When they had a fear, a doubt, a problem, they did not keep it inside. The Israelites expressed their emotions—they voiced their concerns to Moses and with each other. When they cry out to God, God hears their grumbles and their cries.

When the Israelites were thirsty but the water in Marah was too bitter to drink they asked, “What shall we drink?” and God instructed Moses to throw wood into the water and thus turned the water sweet. In our congregation so much of what our congregants consume is bitter-not palatable-it is our job to make our teaching sweet to them. When the people are thirsty, because the people ask, communicate their needs, their need can be meet-God provides them with water.

When the Israelites were hungry they grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and said, “If only we had died by the hands of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots, when we ate our fill of bread! For you have brought us out of the wilderness to starve this whole congregation to death!” Once again, God heard the people, and their pleas were answered. God rained manna down from heaven and thus, the people were provided for. While we have to make our teaching sweet and palatable—we must also provide educational sustenance.

As Jewish leaders—let us work to anticipate the concerns of those we serve. Let us be sensitive to their needs? As we learn about our ancestors, out prophets and leaders of days past, we see how human they are—how they too made mistakes. Let us learn from these mistakes. Perhaps if the Israelites had been partners with Moses, rather then followers-perhaps they would have gained a sense of self-worth. If a partnership had been formed between Moses and the people—if the sense of clal Yisrael had been established perhaps the Israelites would have felt like capable individuals.

As future rabbis, cantors, and educators we should strive to give our congregations that sense of self-empowerment. We should teach them the skills, give them the tools, to feel like an equal member of the community. Adult education classes, family education, Hebrew classes, text study—all this venues provide a way that Jews congregants can feel more valuable as members of the community. Giving lay people the opportunity to lead part of a service, organize a synagogue event; contribute an idea to the congregation. All these simple acts can have tremendous effects—they give the congregant a vested interest in the congregation. Synagogue does not become a place they come once, twice, several times a week, but rather a place where they feel part of a community that needs them. A mutual relationship.

The Israelites survived their journey because they refused to stay silent. They asked the right questions, they were vocal in expressing their needs. Moses was their leader—but a flawed leader—he had trouble relating to his people. Relationships are hard. We must constantly work at them. If Moses had been aware of the Israelites needs, if he had asked questions—asked for feedback, advice, participation, if he had clued the Israelites in along the way- perhaps the people would not have had to complain along the way. Then perhaps, Moses would have been a better leader, a leader who was permitted to enter the Promised Land.

It is only if we work together, only if we are open to different perspectives, only if we are willing to see other’s visions beyond our own, only if we allow our congregants to empower themselves-only then will we be clal Yisrael.