VA'EIRA (6:2)
Moreover, I have heard the groan of the Children of Israel
whom Egypt enslaves and I have remembered my covenant.
Therefore say to the Children of Israel,
“I am HASHEM and I shall take you out from
under the burdens of Egypt; I shall rescue you from their
service; I shall redeem you with an outstretched arm and
with great judgments. I shall take you to Me for a people
and I shall be a G-d to you; and you shall know that I am HASHEM your G-d, who takes you out from under the burdens of Egypt. I shall bring you to the land about which I raised My hand to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I shall give it to you as a heritage-I am HASHEM!” (6:5-9)
This week's parsha, Va'eira, begins with Hashem repeating Moshe's mission - telling him to once again encourage the Jews not to loose faith. Moshe does what Hashem says, yet the Jews are not encouraged by his words.
"And they did not listen to Moshe, because of shortness of breath, and hard work." (6:9)
The Jews were so overcome by the burden of slavery that they no longer had the patience nor the interest to embrace Moshe's message of redemption and freedom.
"Moshe spoke before Hashem, saying, 'Even the Children of Israel have not listened to me, so how will Pharaoh do so?" (6:9)
Moshe is disappointed that somehow G-d has not acted as predictably and swiftly as Moshe thought he would in the process of redeeming Israel from Egyptian bondage. His complaint to God that "You have not saved Your people" is an understandable one, Pharaoh had increased the Jews' workload. Things had gone from bad to worse for the Jewish people. Moshe is disheartened, and questions his mission. How easy it is to become
impatient and not impart the enthusiasm needed to convince a person to change their lives, not to mention a nation. Perhaps the people did not want to hear about this mission of departure from the only home that they knew, despite the terrible conditions. Sometimes it is difficult to just walk away from a bad situation,; as time progresses, we get accustomed to the situation, and we have no energy to even think of change. Freedom is a struggle, it does not come about easily. Even Moshe Rabbeinu who was the one human being that “G-d Knew” and spoke with “face to face” had difficulty with this.
Many have known disappointments and setbacks, however we need to continue to work toward our goals with the understanding that G-d will help. Ultimately, Moshe and his brother Aaron are the leaders who energize the people and go to Pharaoh on behalf of the Jewish nation.
The United States has just gone through the inauguration of a new president. This is the leader who speaks of change within the United States. Millions of people watched and attended this historical event and whether President Obama is able to do all he has declared he will remains to be seen. But what is interesting is that at least for the past few days he has been able to offer hope, inspiration and energy to many who need it.
The Jewish nation has many eloquent speakers who continue to inspire us, but we must never forget that “our” leader made the Jewish people a promise. Throughout history the odds against the Jewish people’s survival has been overwhelming, yet we have survived and thrived while our enemies have perished. The very existence of the Jew, despite the adversity and aversion that we sometimes experience is uncontestable proof to this promise. We must continue to move forward and energize each other with determination to continue on the path of our forefathers. The exodus from Egypt was the beginning of our journey, which enabled us to move as a people to claim Israel as our own. Let us each keep this energy alive and share it with others, let us to continue to make a difference..
Shabbat Shalom,
Miriam
The people that most inspire me are my grandchildren. They have become great little cooks and a recipe that they have given me I would like to share with you, exactly as I received it. What better than a nice cup of warm soup to go with the sushi.
Vegetable Sushi
Cook 3 cups of rice in a rice cooker .Make sure to rinse rice before cooking.
Slice vegetables very thin
Put rice on nori
Put vegetables on rice
Roll it and slice it.
yum
Wonton Soup
18 - 24 won ton wrappers
Filling:
1/2 pound boneless chicken, chopped finely
1 tablespoon soy sauce
a few drops sesame oil
1 teaspoon sherry
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 green onion, finely minced
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 dashes of white pepper
Other:
Water for boiling won tons
4 1/2 - 5 cups chicken stock
green onion, thinly sliced, as desired
a few drops sesame oil (optional)
Preparation:
Combine all the filling ingredients in a bowl, mixing well. Lay one won ton skin in front of you. Cover the remaining won ton skins with a damp towel to keep them from drying out.
Filling the won tons: Moisten all the edges of the won ton wrapper with water. Place a heaping teaspoon of won ton filling in the center.
Fold the won ton wrapper in half lengthwise, making sure the ends meet. Press down firmly on the ends to seal.
Use thumbs to push down on the edges of the filling to center it. Keeping thumbs in place, fold over the won ton wrapper one more time. Push the corners up and hold in place between your thumb and index finger. Wet the corners with your fingers. Bring the two ends together so that they overlap. Press to seal. Repeat with remaining won tons.
Boiling the won tons: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the won tons, making sure there is enough room for them to move about freely. Let the won tons boil for 5 - 8 minutes, until they rise to the top and the filling is cooked through. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon.
To make the soup: bring the chicken stock to a boil. Add the won tons and bring the soup back to a boil. Add the green onion, remove the pot from the heat and add the sesame oil, stirring. Ladle into soup bowls, allowing 6 won tons per person.
This weeks parsha is sponsored on behalf of the recent wedding of Justin Weprin to Devorah Lipkind!
May you continue on the path of Torah and Mitzvos
Mazel Tov
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Shabbat Shalom!.
Shabbat Shalom!.
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Shabbat Shalom!.
Shabbat Shalom!.
