Torah Readings
First Scroll
Exodus 14:30-15:18 - The Song at the Red Sea
Second Scroll
Deuteronomy 4:32-39 - Uniqueness of the God of Israel
Haftarah Reading
2 Samuel 22:1-7,17-31 - David's song of thanksgiving
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This week Shabbat and the final day of Pesach (in Israel and Progressive communities) coincide, leaving us to take a break from the normal pattern of Torah readings to focus just on the last day of our holiday of Matzah.
This holiday at the end of Pesach marks the day when the Children of Israel reached the Red Sea and were delivered to the other side, with the Egyptian chariots being drowned. One midrash says that only Pharaoh himself survived this, so that he could go back to Egypt and tell the story of what happened.
So the first Torah reading for this festival recounts the moments immediately following the Israelites being delivered across the sea - and seeing the Egyptians dead on the shore (a particularly lovely image). Those of you who were following the traditional seder closely will have been enthralled with the Rabbinic discussion of how many plagues the Egyptians suffered at the sea - 50? 200? Even 250? However many, it is the story of a particularly impressive miracle, even in the context of all of the other miracles of the Exodus.
If it is obvious why we read this first reading - as it is the story associated with this day - what is the second about? Our list of readings describes it as the "uniqueness of the God of Israel". In summary, has anyone ever seen anything like the Exodus? Has a god ever gone and taken a people from another with such great signs? The answer given, of course, is no and seeing this greatness should inspire belief.
It is an interesting reading to close Pesach with, especially for those of us who try to see the universal themes in our festival, such as the need to be part of freeing other enslaved peoples. This instead offers a very particularist view of the Exodus - that we are special, our story is special and our God is special.
We ought to see it as a challenge. Left to their own devices, nobody had before seen anything as amazing as a people being freed from under the might of a greater nation. Humanity had never achieved this before, until the story of our tradition came along. This is given as a testament to God's greatness, but it is surely also a tale of humanity's flaws. Our Pesach story teaches us that we are made free for a reason and with a mission - we were shown that a suffering people could be made free, and now we have to continue the holy task of spreading the value of freedom further.
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We hope you had an excellent seder and that you and your families are enjoying a Chag Sameach in the sun - perfect for a bit of a matzah ramble in your local area. If you're already bored of Matzah, make sure you look at the website of our American counterparts where you'll find a series of recipes to sample. You have heard all the usual facts about the festival from the Haggadah, but maybe could freshen up your festival with 9 things you may not know about Pesach. Chol HaMoed, the intermediate days of the festival, are also supposed to be a time of semi-celebration throughout and of making time for joy, even if one has to do some work to avoid personal loss. So make sure you enjoy the week and make it special for you and your family.
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Many of our communities have shared their Pesach events with us and are happy to welcome anyone who wishes to join. Have a look at the listings on RJ Communities TV to see which events might appeal to you.
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We are offering safeguarding training sessions both for trustees and for designated safeguarding leads in June. Click here to find out more and to register.
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This time of year doesn't just mean celebrating Pesach, but also the start of the counting of the Omer - the seven week period from the Exodus at Pesach to receiving the Torah at Shavuot. It just so happens that this year that countdown also coincides with the countdown to the planned easing of lockdown restrictions in May - when those in England are expecting to be able to see others indoors again. Lots of reasons to mark this period then! PJ Library has resources on counting the omer with children, including some creative ideas to make the count memorable. We also have a video from the BimBam archive giving a Judaism 101 about the counting of the Omer. And "Color the Omer" is one example of a creative new way of marking this time with artistic expression, mindfulness and Jewish wisdom.
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