.(02-,)$0,/<
23(1+286($7
+,//(/
Hey! My family is going.
Yours should come, too!
Sounds fun! Saves me
from having to make
dinner. What a bonus!
When is it?
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
at 5:30 p.m.
I can’t wait. They’ll have
activities in the MakerSpace
and other hands-on fun.
RSVP to Melanie Weber
at 248-539-1490 or
mweber@hillelday.org
-RLQXVDW+LOOHO·V.(PRML
)DPLO\2SHQ+RXVH
:HGQHVGD\-DQXDU\DWSP
(QMR\DIDPLO\GLQQHUGHVVHUWDQGDFWLYLWLHVZLWKRXU
DZDUGZLQQLQJIDFXOW\LQRXUVWDWHRIWKHDUW,QQRYDWLRQ+XE
/HDUQLQJ&RPPXQLWLHVDQG0DNHU6SDFH
1958-2018
+LOOHOGD\RUJEarly Childhood Center, ages 2-5 Day School, grades K-8
0LGGOHEHOW5RDG)DUPLQJWRQ+LOOV0,
26
January 4 • 2018
jn
spirit
torah portion
How Best To Serve
T
Parshat Shemot:
Exodus 1:1-6:1;
Isaiah 27:6-28:13;
29:22-23.
his week’s parshah describes
the beginning of the Egyptian
servitude and Moshe’s rise to
leadership.
After the burning bush, Moshe took
his wife, Tzipora, and his two sons,
Gershom and Eliezer, down to Egypt.
Moshe mounted his family on the
donkey. Rashi, the classic biblical com-
mentator, writes, “This was
We are naturally drawn after
the donkey that Avrohom sad-
the pleasures and desires of
dled to sacrifice his son. Upon
the world. Our “saddling” is
this donkey will Moshiach be
to control those desires.
revealed.”
Moshe, the giver of the
What forces Rashi to give
Torah, led the Jewish people
this explanation is that in
after they had been puri-
Hebrew the article “the” indi-
fied by 210 years of slavery.
cates specificity, not just any
Egypt is known as the gold
Rabbi
Herschel
donkey, a known donkey. At
smelter.
Gold ore is heated at
Finman
this point in the Chumash,
a tremendous temperature
there has only been one don-
to burn off the dross. The
key, Avrohom’s.
Egyptian bondage effectively purified
With this explanation, Rashi
the Jewish people to allow them to
answers the question as to why do we
appreciate the revelation of the Torah
need to know that Moshe mounted
and serve HaShem on a higher level.
his family on a donkey. It would have
Moshe mounted his family on the
sufficed for us to be informed that
donkey. He utilized it as a tool for serv-
Moshe and his family went to Egypt.
ing the Almighty. We, in our service to
Moshe argued with HaShem for
HaShem, must raise our level of obser-
an entire week at the burning bush.
vance, not only to control our desires
He in no way wanted to be the leader
of the physical world, but to utilize
of the Jewish people. One of the rea-
the physical world as a tool to serve
sons given is that Moshe knew that
HaShem. Moshiach will be revealed on
he would die in the desert and not
a donkey. The world and its pleasures
lead the Jewish people into Israel.
will no longer pose any contradiction
He reckoned, “Why bother starting
to godliness, but, on the contrary, the
a project if you can’t finish it.” As a
physical world will reveal godliness.
perk, the Almighty allowed Moshe the
There is another difference between
use of this special donkey, to indicate
Avrohom, Moshe and Moshiach.
that the redemption from Egypt and
Avrohom just saddled the donkey; no
Moshiach’s imminent redemption of
one rode it. It was used for carrying
the Jewish people were one long con-
wood. Moshe’s family rode the don-
tinuum.
key; Moshe himself did not. Moshiach
Rashi describes Avrohom’s, Moshe’s
will ride the donkey himself. Each
and Moshiach’s use of the donkey
one’s usage of the donkey refers to a
in three ways. Avrohom saddled,
greater level of purification. May we
Moshe mounted and Moshiach will
soon merit witnessing the revelation
be revealed. These three verbs rep-
of Moshiach, with his donkey and all
resent three epochs of Judaism. The
the other promises made. •
Baal Shem Tov relates the Hebrew
word for donkey, chamor, to the word
Herschel Finman is the co-director, with his wife,
chomer, physicality. The fact that
Chana, of Jewish Ferndale. He is also the host
Avrohom, Moshe and Moshiach all
of the Jewish Hour Radio program heard on
rode this donkey indicates that the
WLQV 92.7 FM Sundays 11-noon. He is best
way to inaugurate the Messianic era is contacted on www.rabbifinman.com.
by purifying the chomer, our physical
environment, making it a vehicle for
CONVERSATIONS
the revelation of HaShem.
How can we best utilize the physical
Avrohom saddled the donkey. Being
world to reveal its purpose? How
before the giving of the Torah, he
does revealing the world’s purpose
could only conquer and dominate the
make us better people? What will it
world and its pleasures. This is the
take for Moshiach to come?
beginning of our serving the Creator.