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26

July 27 • 2017

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Parshat D’varim:
Deuteronomy 1:1-
3:22; Isaiah 1:1-1:27.

his week’s portion kicks off
the last of the Five Books of
Moses.
Most of the book is Moses’ final
speech to the Israelites before they
enter the Promised Land, in which
he recaps their travels, battles and
the various miracles they
witnessed.
because of that which God
One of the most interest-
did for me when I went out
ing parts of this portion is
from Egypt [paraphrase of
Moses’ use of language. In
Exodus 13:8].” (Sound famil-
particular, he frames his
iar from Passover?)
storytelling as: “I did this,
We’re meant to view our-
and then you (collectively)
selves as having gone out
did that.” What’s strange
of Egypt and experiencing
Rabbi Dan
about his choice of lan-
what our ancestors did, and
Horwitz
guage is that the people he’s
so, too, we’re potentially
addressing were not alive for
held accountable for the
a good chunk of his histori-
actions of those who came
cal accounting; and if any
before us. What gives?
of them were, they were under age
What are the benefits and short-
20 at the time any of the reported
comings of a collective, cross-gen-
events took place.
erational identity? Much has been
Yet, he chooses to address the
written about the hyper-individual-
collective as having been present
ism that permeates contemporary
and as having been responsible for
American life. Perhaps for those who
the victories and defeats the nation
came before us, who experienced
faced along the way while wander-
struggles different (and arguably
greater) than our own due to being
ing in the desert.
Jewish, the collective identity piece
While the new Israelite genera-
was a bit stronger …
tion might have appreciated being
Do you think the way we currently
lumped in with their parents when
act in our lives and communities
their parents did things right, I have
to imagine that they struggled when would be different if we envisioned
ourselves as part of a collective
they were chastised and lumped in
spanning generations rather than as
with their parents when it came to
individuals?
their parents’ shortcomings.
This week, let us reflect on our
Can any of us honestly say we’d be
comfortable being held accountable identities and how we view our-
selves in relationship to others.
for the faults of our parents?
Are we learning from the suc-
Why would Moses lump the cur-
rent generation in with the past one? cesses and mistakes of those who
came before us? Are we living lives
Frankly, we shouldn’t be surprised,
that our children, and theirs after
given the other instances we’ve
found of such grouping in the Torah. them, will be inspired by and seek to
emulate?
For example, we should remember
Let us commit to leaving legacies
that God (as portrayed in the Torah)
that our descendants are anxious
isn’t always happy and smiling and
to inherit, and to transmitting the
is willing to hold children account-
collective narrative of our people in
able for the sins of their parents:
such a way that they willingly and
“You shall not bow down to them
[idols] or serve them; for I am a jeal- joyously adopt it as their own. •
ous God, punishing the children of
Dan Horwitz is the rabbi and founding director
those that hate me unto the third
of The Well, a pluralistic Jewish community-
and fourth generation [paraphrase
building, education and spirituality outreach
of Exodus 20:4].”
initiative of the Lori Talsky Zekelman Fund at
So, too, we’re reminded that the
Temple Israel geared to the needs of young
adults and those who haven’t connected with
exodus from Egypt did not happen
traditional institutions in Metro Detroit. For
just to/for our ancestors: “And you
information, visit www.meetyouatthewell.org.
shall tell your son on that day: It is