ualit

Torah Portion

EIGHT Y

L as t Calls

TODAY'S REAL HEROES

Freedom Is Something
That Has No Ending

faith and the need to keep their faith
and their freedom alive.
All people have basic needs: food,
shelter, safety. As these basic needs are
met, we then fulfill the need for edu-
cation and spirituality. So it was with
the Children of Israel and so it must
continue to be with us today.
The strength of our faith provides
us with the knowledge that our free-
his week's Torah portion is
dom to live as Jews must be cared for,
one of action adventures
must be defended. Throughout the
and a lesson in what it
year, celebrations remind
means to have
us of the oppression we
faith and be free.
suffered as a people and
Synopsis: Pharaoh lets the
how we were rescued.
people of Israel go; then he
These reminders come,
has a change of heart and
not
just as remembrances,
pursues them. At the shore of
but also as lessons to keep
the Red Sea, the people
up the fight to stay fee. At
panic. Moses is told by God
Passover, we recount the
to hold his hand high; the sea
deliverance from Egypt's
splits; the children of Israel
Pharaoh and other
pass safely through, but the
Egyptians drown. Once on
SY MANELLO pharaohs who sought to
enslave us. At Chanukah
the opposite shore, the people
Editorial
we
sing, "In every age a
sing the Song of the Sea
Assistant
hero or sage came to our
("Shirat haYam') as this initial
aid."
step of their wanderings clos-
We must continue our faith and
es.
work to keep the faith alive, especially
The journey then continues with
by observing customs and rejoicing in
the crises in the desert: lack of water,
the spirit that the Shabbat provides.
then food. Moses hits the rock; water
We must support our brethren in
flows. God causes manna to fall from
Israel, who are actively defending our
the heavens to feed the people. The
homeland; and we must, through our
portion ends with the defeat of
continued study, secure our knowl-
Amalek.
edge of Judaism and belief in God. It
Questions arise as to why the
is an ongoing process.
Israelites' faith was so fickle. Here
"Freedom is a thing that has no
they were rescued from their com-
ending. In needs to be cared for. It
plaints of slavery in Egypt, and they
needs defending" ("The Lonesome
are borne across the sea safely. They
Train" by Carl Sandburg).
complain about lack of water and it is
provided. They complain about food
and the manna falls. Each new crisis
raises new complaints and a steady
questioning of God.
It seems that as they encounter
each new threat to their freedom and
survival, they forget about God. This
Do you have constant faith?
mentality was the basis for the 40
What challenges to faith do you
years of wandering in the desert:
encounter on a daily basis? How
Deliverance from oppression was only
well do you succeed? What do
the first step in the process of prepara-
you do when your faith is put to
tion to enter the Promised Land.
the test? Discuss some ways you
The lengthy sojourn is really road
can support the defense of the
of learning mapped out by God, so
freedom of the Jewish people
the people would learn His ways and
here and in Israel.
from their own experience. The
emphasis becomes one on a life of

Shabbat Shirah;
Beshallach:
Exodus 13:17-17:16;
Judges 4:4-5:31.

T

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Heroes are born in every generation!!

Jewish Apartments & Services is proud to
announce the call for nominations for the 2003
Eight Over Eighty Celebration to be held on May 4,
2003. We will be honoring eight seniors eighty years
or older who have dedicated their time, talents,
their lives, to our community. All monies from this
event will go directly to food subsidies to assist
residents of Jewish Apartments & Services who
have an income of less than $6,200 per year.

Jewish

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The Senior Adult
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Please contact the Development Department of Jewish
Apartments & Services to receive a nomination form at
(248) 592-1101, or email Pwurdock@jasmi.org .

Completed nomination forms are due no later than
January 31, 2003.

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