Every woman deserves a diamond bracelet from Tapper's. For a great holiday value, choose from our exciting new Diamond and 14 kt. Gold Collection. THE BIRMINGHAM TEMPLE A Congregation of Humanistic Judaism A WORKSHOP FOR INTERMARRIED COUPLES AND FAMILIES Saturday January 25, 1997 9:00 am — 3:00 pm This workshop will address issues pertaining to intercultural relationships, providing a full, enlightening, provocative, and enjoyable experience for all involved. It examines issues of personal identity, raising children, developing a shared philosophy of life and celebrating two cultures. For information or to register call The Birmingham Temple at (810) 477-1410. Registration fee is $15.00 per person and includes lunch. GROUP LEADERS: Janis Levin-Gorelich, Humanist Leader Judith Schneider, ACSW Rabbi Sherwin T. Wine, Rabbi, Birmingham Temple The Birmingham Temple A Congregation of Humanistic Judaism 28611 West Twelve Mile Road • Farmington Hills, MI 48334 • (810) 477-1410 Free At Last: Now What? Shabbat Bo: Exodus 10:1-13:16; Jeremiah 46:13-28. RABBI DANIEL NEVINS SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS D ramatic passages in our lives have a way of dis- rupting the continuum of time. Suddenly, our personal narra- tives are split into two epochs: before and after. Marriage, par- enthood, relocation, divorce, dis- ease or death in our families become defining moments, break- ing our lives into discrete stages of personal development. What is true for indivith lals also characterizes the life of a nation. The most dramatic passage, the event that still serves as a refer- ence point for the birth of our peo- ple, is the subject of this week's Torah portion. The Exodus story unfurls slow- ly in the first 15 chapters of She- mot. The climactic splitting of the sea is yet to come. But I see the turning point, the moment when our emancipation becomes real. `This month is for you the first of months; it is the first of the months of the year." This appar- ently simple verse has a rich his- tory of rabbinic interpretation, for it is the first mitzvah directed to the Israelites as a nation. Indeed, Rashi rhetorically asked why any of the Torah before this passage was even necessary. Following the Midrash, I read this verse in a highly literal fash- ion. "This month is for you" — Moses, at this very moment, you are being transformed; "the first of the month": Whatever came be- fore is pre-history; you are now a new people, and your first re- sponsibility is to mark the time. In the classical Midrash, God actually points out the new moon to Moses so that he will be able to train the people in this technical skill. In my imagination, God elab- orates with a rationale such as this: "Moses, do not mistake this identification of the new moon for a minor mitzvah. Mark this pas- sage to freedom in your very cal- endar, making it the first of months. Do this zekher liy'tziat mitzrayim — "remembering the Exodus from Egypt" — so that your identity will always be se- cure, and our covenant will re- main firm forever." This then is a moment of great transition, not just from slavery to freedom, but also from the his- tory of individuals to the forma- tion of a nation. Prior to this mitzvah, the Torah addresses in- Daniel Nevins is a rabbi at Adat Shalom Synagogue. dividual families. Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of time for the entire world. But the spring month of Nissan is for us, the Jew- ish people, the first chapter in our national history. Now that we have achieved peoplehood, what kind of people will we be? We have become b'ruii possessors of freedom, chorim no longer subject to the dictates of a foreign oppressor. But everyone knows that with freedom comes responsibility. Indeed, immedi- ately after the declaration of the new moon, God instructs Moses on several additional mitzvot re- lating to Passover. And yet, if you read on, it is striking that between the Exodus and the revelation at Mount Sinai, months pass. Where is the re- sponsibility that comes with free- dom? Why don't we receive the Torah as soon as we become free? A beautiful Midrash found in the name of Rav Yehudah bar Shalom asks this very question. We are told that Israel came to Sinai "in the third month" after the Exodus. Why the delay? He answers: Seeing that the people were still suffering from the wounds of slavery, the Holy One said, "I will wait until they heal, and then I will give them the Torah." There is greater wisdom in this Midrash, which can be applied to our lives as well. When we make a traumatic transition in life, we need time for healing before we can fully assume our new re- sponsibilities. The major transitions in our lives can be disorienting — our identities evolve as do the de- mands made on us. At such times, the rituals of Judaism create op- portunities to reflect on these changes. Whether the transition is joyous or tragic, we ought nev- er assume that it will be un- eventful. If we can recognize the change and mark it well, then our new identities will come naturally to us. This is the example that God has set out for us in the Torah por- tion of Bo. ❑ — Publicity Deadlines The normal deadline for local news and publicity items is noon Thursday, eight days prior to is- sue date..The deadline for out- of-town obituaries is 10 a.m. Tuesday, three days prior to issue date.