And the bush was not consumed. . .

Rabbi Philip Weintraub

Congregation Agudas Israel

January 10, 2015

Parshat Shemot

I think of the names that open this week’s parsha, this week’s book of the Torah, Shemot (in English Exodus), 1 “Jacob, each coming with his household: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; 3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; 4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5 The total number of persons that were of Jacob's issue came to seventy, Joseph being already in Egypt. “ Yet I also think of the names of those who were/are? hostages yesterday in Paris-- Shmuel Yitzchok Ben Sara, Zerya Bas Susan, Andra Bas Jusian and Mordechai Ben Maya. A six-month-old baby is in the store.  I think about the life of traditional Jews, of which I count myself.  Once the Shabbat candles are lit, there is no going to the store for a forgotten item.  If we need something Friday afternoon, there is a mad dash to the store, with an eye on the watch or the phone to ensure we get back in time.  With no kosher supermarket in Newburgh, my mad dash is to Pricechopper, which while owned by Jews and sells kosher food, is a giant supermarket.  The customers on a Friday afternoon could be absolutely anyone!  In Paris, at the Hyper Cacher kosher supermarket, that is likely not the case.  The customers are far more likely to be Jewish.  Earlier this week they came for the cartoonists (of which one of them was Jewish) and now they again came for the Jews.

Our parasha opens with the mention of those names and how quickly their achievements are forgotten by those in power.  Joseph’s ingenuity saved the Egyptian people and cemented Pharaoh’s hold on power, yet a generation or two later and this is no longer part of the Egyptian story.  Sometimes even the greatest achievement is not eternally remembered!  While this may sound tragic, it is only the beginning.  Pharaoh and his advisors turn the Israelites into slaves and eventually work towards genocidal plans.  By the time we get to our reading, two chapters later, Moses, saved by Pharaoh’s daughter (irony much?), is a shepherd outside the land. What we read today is inscribed on the building where I studied for so many years,

ב  וַיֵּרָא מַלְאַךְ יְ-ה אֵלָיו, בְּלַבַּת-אֵשׁ--מִתּוֹךְ הַסְּנֶה; וַיַּרְא, וְהִנֵּה הַסְּנֶה בֹּעֵר בָּאֵשׁ, וְהַסְּנֶה, אֵינֶנּוּ אֻכָּל.

2 And the angel of the L-ORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

That phrase has been an inspiration to many.  It has been a light in dark times, a beacon of hope. As I heard that the hostages in Paris were freed, that some of those innocent shoppers were safe, I thought of this verse.

וְהַסְּנֶה, אֵינֶנּוּ אֻכָּל

What does it mean to burn yet not be consumed?  WE burn with the fire of outrage at those who think violence is the solution to all their problems.  We burn with the fire of hope that one day we will truly see peace.  We burn with the light of Torah, that leads us to holier, more meaningful lives. We may even burn with passion towards those we love or even for issues we care about--yet we must be careful not to be consumed and negate our selves.

For those who use terror, they are bushes who HAVE been consumed.  They have sacrificed self in their quest for a world where all look like themselves.  In response, many in history have been consumed with revenge.

So how do we live with fire, live with passion, live with energy, yet prevent ourselves from being totally consumed by these energies?

Even as we saw those who saw themselves as faithful commit acts of horrendous violence, in many cases, faith can keep us from making poor or evil choices.  Faith reminds us of the humanity of one another.  Our Torah teaches that ALL were created in the Divine image.

We can all see examples of those whose quest for mitzvot leaves them abandoning some of their love for others, but are Torah teaches also of the important of mitzvot ben adam l’havero, between one person and another.  The first question asked in heaven is “Were we honest in business?”--do we treat people fairly, honestly, appropriately? In this way, we see that passion for business is great, but the passion must be applied carefully, that we know when our efforts are legal and when they are not.

I need not give examples from personal relationships, but we can all think of personal experiences or ones whom we love who had passionate relationships that completely flamed out.  They lost their sense of self and were left brokenhearted.  Fire is great, but it must be carefully tended to burn for the long term.

The same is true in our daily lives.  We have to ensure that the work we do is sustainable, that we make ourselves sustainable.  If our focus is so singular, so particular, we may lose ourselves.  Passion, fire, is key, but it cannot be the only metric by which we live our lives.  If so, we may find ourselves burned out, lost, overwhelmed.

A life of passion can be a powerful one, yet we must guard ourselves from putting out the fire or pouring lighter fluid on it!

After shul today we will discuss matters of life and death, issues that oertain to us all. At this moment, I want to ask us all to say “Baruch Atah Adoshem Elokeinu Melech Haolam, Matir Asurim” Praise are you, Holy One, ruler of space and time who frees the captive.  May those who survived their captivity fight PTSD, discover reserves of strength and live full lives.  May those who did not survive see their souls rise to heaven, may their memory be a blessing.  Shabbat Shalom.