Thursday, January 20, 2011

D'var Torah: B'shalakh (from 11th Annual Conference)

This week’s parsha, B’shalakh, is a parsha of miracles: we learn about the parting of the Red Sea and the description of the chase is truly dramatic. We see the miracle of the provision of food in the barren desert and the transforming of bitter water into drinkable water. We follow how Moses takes instruction from God in order to conjure water from a rock. We read how Aaron and Hur accompany Moses up the mountain and with upraised arms, defeats the enemy Amalek.

This Shabbat is Shabbat shira, named for the triumphant poem sung by the Israelites after the final defeat of Pharoah. Here, the children of Israel feel the release from physical enslavement – here they revel in their awesome rescue and the miserable demise of their enemies.

This marks the beginning of their wanderings and their transformative journey from Hebrew slave to Hebrew nation. The children of Israel have entered into the wilderness already with their historical narrative – they have a collective history and even carry part of their history with them – the bones of Joseph. This is the generation that experiences redemption directly but now they must unite together to form a nation. In this parsha, the scene is set and God begins his work in creating the Jewish people.

So what does it take to create a nation apart from physical redemption? Let us consider the importance of spiritual, psychological and emotional redemption. How might we choose, now that we can make choices, to worship our God, to behave towards one another, and to express our feelings? As we progress through the readings in the Torah, the blueprint for Jewish nationhood unfolds.

Bonnie Rubinstein, in last year’s dvar Torah from ve-yakel & pekudei discussed the creation of the mishkan – the tabernacle – and in effect, the creation of sacred spaces. She talked about how we as educators create the sacred space of our classroom. From the four walls, we design an environment for children to find wonder and to form a community.

In B’shalakh which precedes pekudei, we can find the notion of sacred time. The children of Israel are instructed to gather a double portion of mannah on the sixth day and on the seventh day they will not be able to gather it. ‘Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath of the Lord; you will not find it today on the plain. Six days you shall gather it; on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none’ And a few lines later Moses reiterates ‘ Mark that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you two days’ food on the sixth day. Let everyone remain where he is: let no one leave his place on the seventh day.’ EX:16.29

Rashi explains that this prohibition to leave one’s place, is in reality, a prohibition of going out to the field to try and collect mannah.
Why is this description of collecting the mannah so important? Why is it repeated? Here we have the foundations of Jewish time. For six days God worked and created, and on the seventh day, He rested. Here we acknowledge the wonders of God’s creation and we reconnect historically and spiritually. The concept of kodesh and hol (the secular and the holy) in temporal terms is the foundation to the rhythms of Jewish life and the cornerstone to structure, routine and continuity.

As early childhood educators, we know how crucial routine and rhythm are to the security and well-being of young children. We observe the boys and girls to ascertain what activities are appropriate at different times of day and we honor their needs. Creating a Jewish classroom, however, is also about creating a Jewish sense of time. Imagine your classroom without your kabbalat Shabbat routine! If you do daily brachot, or tefilot, and then took that routine away, what would make your classroom Jewish? We are not a religion focused on objects – we are a religion which revolves around time, which uses time to unite in remembering and worshiping and of course, celebrating.

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