>> Torah no
11
m Fr o P Broadway ILITMAh:
to Obscurity
i••
Parshat Beshalach:
Exodus 13:17-17:16;
Judges 4:4-5:31.
From
A 'World Premiere Production
Why would one man give
up all his fame to move back
home to Michigan?
Find out this January!
11 WALK
rtIKE A MK
I 4 ECOD
All stage actors dream of
appearing in a New York show.
For Eric Gutman, the dream
became a reality when he was
cast in OFF BROADWAY
productions of FORBIDDEN
-
T
here they were: sandwiched
portion. "[The Israelites] came to Marah,
in between two of the greatest but they could not drink the water of
miracles in world history.
Marah because it was bitter," reads the
We read in the beginning of this
usual translation of Exodus 15:23. "And
week's Torah portion, Beshalach, that,
the people grumbled against Moses ..."
having left slavery in Egypt, our ances-
But the Besht reads the text differently.
tors walked across the Red
It was not that the waters were
Sea on dry land. Indeed,
bitter, but rather our ancestors
this Shabbat we will mark
had become so embittered
Shabbat Shirah — the
that they could not hydrate
Sabbath of Song, in which
themselves; they could not
we celebrate our ancestors'
satiate their souls. Couched in
joy after crossing the sea
between the two great mira-
on their way to freedom.
cles of the ancient world, they
Just next week we will read
still could not see beyond their
of the giving of the Ten
temporary suffering.
Commandments.
Moses cried out to the
But what came in
Lord,
Exodus tells us, and God
Rabbi Aaron
between those two miracles?
responded
by showing Moses
Starr
We read of our ancestors
an etz — a piece of wood —
lashing out in complaint to Moses: a
that Moses would throw into the water to
motif that will appear again and again
make it palatable.
for the remainder of our ancestors' wan-
Yet, the Besht teaches that perhaps
dering. How quick they were to forget
the Torah refers here not to an etz as a
the miracles wrought for them by God's
piece of wood but to the etz chayim, the
outstretched hand. How easily they
Torah — that tree of life to which we are
focused not on the blessings in their lives told to cling. Etz chayim hi rmachazikim
but the struggles.
bah, we read in Proverbs, "[The Torah] is
In truth, are we any different? For
a tree of life to all who hold fast to it, and
whatever reason, our minds are wired
all of its supporters are happy:'
so that (often) the negatives outweigh
And so the Baal Shem Tov taught:
the positives. Despite the intellectual
What is the secret to removing the bit-
awareness of all our blessings, it is hard
terness of our lives? Reaching out for the
to focus on the good. And, sadly, all
Tree of Life — that is to say, leading a
of us know people who spend way too
meaningful Jewish life and studying our
much time dwelling in the sorrow and
sacred Torah.
are unable to lift themselves up to focus
Unfortunately, all of us will face strug-
on God's gift of life or health, family or
gles in our lives. But if we truly seek God
friends, joy or good fortune.
and seek to live a life of Torah, then we
Yet, we know people, too, who despite
can learn to focus on the true blessings
suffering loss or illness, tragedy or mis-
and daily miracles our Creator showers
fortune, are still able to embrace that
upon us every day. "It is a Tree of Life to
which is good. From where do they draw all who hold fast to it, and all of its sup-
their strength?
porters are happy' ❑
Rabbi Abraham Twerski cites the
Aaron Starr is a rabbi at Congregation
teachings of the Baal Shem Tov (the
"Besht") with regard to this week's Torah Shaarey Zedek in Southfield.
• Do you tend to focus on the positives or negatives in your life? Why?
• What do you count among your greatest blessings?
• How might you seek to bring blessing, or the awareness of blessing, to
other people?
BROADWAY, FORBIDDEN
HOLLYWOOD and FORBIDDEN
CHRISTMAS.
His biggest claim to fame, though,
was starring in JERSEY BOYS on
BROADWAY, in Chicago and on
the national tour.
CC Ste
5 • 8 p.m.
Saturday, January 2. and 6 p.m•
January 26 • 2 p.m.
$27/Admission, $22 /JCC Member
hen Gottlieb
olidAg
Group discounts available
I !! 1' 1 1'1 1 111 1'1 1'1 !! I
43
For tickets call 248.661.1900 or go to theberman.org
3 PIA
THE BERMAN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
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January 9 • 2014
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