Torah Portion
The Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit
and Temple Israel invite the community to hear
Our Love For Each Other
Leads Us To Love God
the strangers among us just as we love
and are bidden to love one another.
According to the Talmud (Baba Metzia
59b), in no less than 36 places — or
even 46 according to another opinion
— does the Torah command us con-
cerning our treatment of strangers. In
ith this week's Torah
fact, Maimonides (1135-1204), in his
portion, we begin the
comprehensive work of Jewish law, the
familiar story of the
Mishnah Torah, writes, "Anyone who is
plagues in Egypt and
insolent or cruel or hateful toward his
the resultant exodus of the Jewish
fellowman or doesn't extend kindness to
people from slavery.
others is seriously suspected of perhaps
As the Torah tells us (Deuteronomy
being a Gibeonite (not a true member
4:20): "God took you out of the iron
of the Jewish people) because
those who are of the Jewish
smelter of Egypt to become
His people ..." It seems that
people, the holy nation, are
modest, compassionate and
the suffering of the Jewish peo-
extend kindness to others."
ple in Egypt is likened to the
The Torah further requires
refining process of a smelter,
which, as a result, produced a
us in numerous verses to
nation capable of becoming
"remember that you were
slaves in the land of Egypt"
God's own.
This slavery in Egypt, it
(Deuteronomy 5:15, 15:15,
would appear, was the
16:12, 24:18, 24:22) when it
promised destiny of the Jews.
RABBI ELIEZER commands us concerning a
Abraham, the progenitor of
variety of mitzvot. Likewise,
COHEN
the Jewish people, had been
in reference to our treatment
Special to the
told generations before, at the
of our own slaves
Jewish News
very covenant establishing
(Deuteronomy), of our own
Abraham's descendants as
poor and underprivileged
God's people, "... your descendants will
(Deuteronomy 24:22), in our celebrations
be strangers in a land not theirs and they of joyous holidays (Deuteronomy 16:12)
will enslave and afflict them for 400
and in our rendering of justice (24:18),
years ..." (Genesis 15:13). It was not only
we are told to champion the needy. We
inevitable that the people would be
are commanded to remember that we,
enslaved, but that the slavery and suffer-
too, were slaves in Egypt.
ing were prerequisites for them to
It seems then that the Jewish people
become God's holy nation. The obvious
had to undergo the suffering of the
question is this: Why was this suffering
Egyptian slavery in order to become a
absolutely necessary to produce the
nation imbued with love and concern
Jewish people?
for all — especially those who are differ-
I believe that if we look carefully, the
ent from us — before we were ready to
Torah gives us the answer. The Torah
receive the Torah at Sinai and become
tells us (Exodus 23:9), "Do not oppress
God's holy nation.
the stranger; you know the soul of the
Holiness and sanctity, a relationship
stranger because you were strangers in
with God, must be predicated on our
the land of Egypt." The refinement
loving and absolutely empathetic rela-
under fire of the Egyptian "smelter" was
tionship with our fellow man. The
to produce in the Jew the empathy for
Jewish people without loving concern
the stranger, the "other," and so produce
for all would not be the Jewish people,
a nation where oppression of the
and a "religious Jew" without such love
stranger would be an abomination. In
for those who are different and needy is
fact, the Torah goes further. Besides for-
not truly "religious" at all.
bidding oppression of the stranger in
two places (Exodus 23:9, 22:20) because
"you were strangers in Egypt," it further
obligates us to "love the stranger as
yourself because you were strangers in
How has the suffering of the Jews
Egypt" (found both in Leviticus 19:34
throughout history changed the
and Deuteronomy 10:19).
Jewish
people? How have we
The Torah obligates us to be a nation
demonstrated
our love for the
that not only tolerates those who are dif-
stranger?
Are
we
truly different
ferent, but also demands that we love
from other people in this respect?
What more could we do?
Rabbi Eliezer Cohen is rabbi of
Shabbat Vaera:
Exodus 6:2-9:35;
Ezekiel 28:25-29:21.
W
p46i IC,tryn /Caktr,
Regional Director, Great Lakes Council and Chicago Federation,
Union of America Hebrew Congregations
speak on her latest book
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1/1,4;spers: sto.rt̀es
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Lessons
Thursday, January 13, 2000
7:30 p.m. • Free of Charge • All Invited
Jewish Community Center • D. Dan & Betty Kahn Building
Eugene & Marcia Applebaum Jewish Community Campus
For reservations, call the JCC
Jewish Life & Learning Department at (248) 661-7649.
Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit
D. Dan & Betty Kahn Building • Eugene & Marcia Applebaum Jewish Community Campus
6600 West Maple Road • West Bloomfield, MI
Jimmy Prentis Morris Building • A. Alfred Taubman Jewish Community Campus
15110 West Ten Mile Road • Oak Park, MI
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Take a journey through the eyes of an educator, law enforcement person,
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Feel the excitement and spark when Dr. Isaiah McKinnon shares his
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• To have Dr. Isaiah (Ike) McKinnon featured
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1/7
2000
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