Message From The Rabbi

Rabbi Spike Anderson

As we approach Passover, I want to bring your attention to something that is really worth noting about the Jewish story, and the lessons it brings us.

We Jews were slaves in Egypt for more than 400 years (longer than America has been a country), and for dozens of generations, we Jews were born into slavery.

Passover commemorates how God, through Moses and the 10 plagues, brought us out of Egypt into the desert Wilderness, where we would eventually get to Canaan (Israel) and the freedom of having a sovereign nation.

On the eve of our departure, Moses addresses the Israelite people.

What he does not talk about is almost as important as what he does say.

He does not speak of the grueling journey ahead, the challenges we will face, or the obstacles we will overcome.

Instead, he tells our ancestors to remember this day, where we have come from, and where we are going.  He instructs us, for every generation to come, that we are to “tell your son/child on that day, saying, ‘It is because of this that God acted on my behalf when I left Egypt.’ (Ex 13:8)

In this moment, say our sages, Moses commands us to be a nation of teachers for the generations to follow.

In Judaism, teachers are venerated.  As such, Jewish tradition refers to Moses as Moshe Rabbeinu …Moses, our teacher.  

Our tradition does not lionize his leadership, his military ability, or even his accolades as the greatest (and most humble) prophet who ever lived.   Any of these would have made sense.

Instead, Moses is simply known as ‘our teacher.’

I love this.

In this spirit, about every other year we are blessed to bring a Scholar-In-Residence to Temple Emanu-El to teach us at a very high level.

This week we welcome Dr. Tuvia Book, who is a prolific writer, a profound Zionist, a decorated IDF combat medic, and a good friend of mine.

Dr. Book is also one of the best teachers I have ever learned from… and it’s a pleasure to bring the Torah he teaches to our congregational community.

I truly hope that everyone can come to at least one of his classes, lectures, or Friday night service (with Shabbat supper beforehand).

We are eternally a nation of teachers.

This week, we get to learn from one of the best.

I’m looking forward to seeing you here at Temple Emanu-El.

B’shalom,

Rabbi Spike

Thursday, March 27
7:00pm-8:30pm
Rebels, Rogues, and Rabbis! The Bar Kokhba Revolt
Dr. Book will give a lecture in our Sanctuary on the cataclysmic event that changed the Jewish people’s trajectory for the next 2,000 years.
Register
 
Friday, March 28
6:15pm-7:30pm
Scholar in Residence Shabbat Dinner
Register
 
7:30pm-8:30pm
Scholar in Residence Shabbat
Gaza from the Front Lines: The Power of the Jewish Spirit
An insider’s look at the complexities of the land, the people, the army, and what the future might hold for Israel.
Register
 
Saturday, March 29
9:00am-10:30am
Extended Chevrah Torah-The Women of the IDF
Dr. Book will walk us through the emerging role and status of women in the IDF, including the history, effectiveness, and legal issues of co-ed units.
Register
 
Sunday, March 30
11:15am-12:15pm
The IDF Reaction in the Gaza Conflict
Utilizing declassified IDF footage, video clips, and Dr. Book's personal experience as a combat medic in the current Gaza War, we will examine the ethical approach of the IDF with a terrorist entity embedded in a civilian population.
Register