The word ‘shemot’ means ‘names’. A name can never describe the essence of the person, and yet it identifies him or her. Likewise, G-d has many names which help us identify G-d’s nature and various attributes but can’t reflect the essence of G-dliness. Just as we strive to know a person beyond the name, so…
Consider a compulsive gambler in a casino. He is a high roller with plenty of money. He spends all night at the tables and loses the $100,000 he came with. But the casino says to him: ‘we know you’re good for your money – let us give you some chips on the house so you…
In this week’s Parsha of Shemot we read of the beginning of the descent of the Jewish people into Egypt. But the same section also narrates G-d’s promise of Israel’s future liberation. In the very throes of exile lie the seeds of redemption. Exile and redemption are two sides of the human condition. Yet they…
We slid into the Egyptian exile by trying to be more patriotic than the Egyptians. We built their cities and designed their buildings. Yet ultimately we were totally rejected. People don’t like ‘look-alikes’. They value pride in distinctiveness and principled people. Our agenda must be to share what is universal with our neighbours while maintaining…
When did a name first begin? A name belies the essence of the spiritual force that animates it. We are the Ivri descendants of 2 of the 12 tribes –Binyamin and Yehuda – hence we are Yehudim. But our characteristic is Ivri – the other-sider – the outsider – and that has been our historical…
In Judaism, the giving of a name is not an incidental matter. We are taught that when parents give names to their children, the names go to the core of the child’s soul. It is the singular occasion when people have true prophecy– when giving a name to a child. The Hebrew name describes the…
