Remove, Save, Redeem, Take, Bring You In
A few words from today’s aliyah or reading from the weekly Torah portion. This is after Moshe complains to Gd that since his arrival the suffering of the Jewish people has only increased. They will no longer listen to him, and neither will Pharoah.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe teaches that to be in the here and now means to connect with the daily reading, 7 days of the week, 7 aliyot in each Torah portion. This is an incredibly poignant teaching today.
Gd declares the following:
וְגַ֣ם ׀ אֲנִ֣י שָׁמַ֗עְתִּי אֶֽת־נַאֲקַת֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר מִצְרַ֖יִם מַעֲבִדִ֣ים אֹתָ֑ם וָאֶזְכֹּ֖ר אֶת־בְּרִיתִֽי׃
I have now heard the moaning of the Israelites because the Egyptians are holding them in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant.
לָכֵ֞ן אֱמֹ֥ר לִבְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֮ אֲנִ֣י יְהֹוָה֒ וְהוֹצֵאתִ֣י אֶתְכֶ֗ם מִתַּ֙חַת֙ סִבְלֹ֣ת מִצְרַ֔יִם וְהִצַּלְתִּ֥י אֶתְכֶ֖ם מֵעֲבֹדָתָ֑ם וְגָאַלְתִּ֤י אֶתְכֶם֙ בִּזְר֣וֹעַ נְטוּיָ֔ה וּבִשְׁפָטִ֖ים גְּדֹלִֽים׃
Say, therefore, to the Israelite people: I am Gd. I will remove you from the labors of the Egyptians and deliver you from their bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and through extraordinary judgements.
וְלָקַחְתִּ֨י אֶתְכֶ֥ם לִי֙ לְעָ֔ם וְהָיִ֥יתִי לָכֶ֖ם לֵֽאלֹהִ֑ים וִֽידַעְתֶּ֗ם כִּ֣י אֲנִ֤י יְהֹוָה֙ אֱלֹ֣הֵיכֶ֔ם הַמּוֹצִ֣יא אֶתְכֶ֔ם מִתַּ֖חַת סִבְל֥וֹת מִצְרָֽיִם׃
And I will take you to be My people, and I will be your God. And you shall know that I, Gd, am your God who freed you from the labors of the Egyptians.
וְהֵבֵאתִ֤י אֶתְכֶם֙ אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֤ר נָשָׂ֙אתִי֙ אֶת־יָדִ֔י לָתֵ֣ת אֹתָ֔הּ לְאַבְרָהָ֥ם לְיִצְחָ֖ק וּֽלְיַעֲקֹ֑ב וְנָתַתִּ֨י אֹתָ֥הּ לָכֶ֛ם מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה אֲנִ֥י יְהֹוָֽה׃
I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession, I am Gd.”
These are the 4 expressions of redemption from Egyptian slavery which we read during the Pesach seder. The 5th, “HeVayti” or Bring you into refers to the ultimate purpose of the redemption, bringing us into the Land of Yisrael,
Given the events of today, the return of 3 hostages and the release of murderers into Israel, I ask where are we and where are Gd’s promises? Which one of the expressions is playing out now?
I feel joy for those being freed and for their families, pain for those whose friends and family were killed by the murderers being released and disgust for the Israeli officials and Western countries pressuring Israel to bow to such extortion.
Meir
♥️