28 | JANUARY 7 • 2021
I
t’s official: Israel will have
its fourth election in two
years. Israel’s Knesset, or
parliament, dissolved the
night of Dec. 22 after failing to
pass the 2020 budget, trigger-
ing an election that will take
place on March 23.
The exact date could change
through a government vote.
The election will be Israel’s
fourth in two years.
A coalition formed earlier
this year by Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu and the
centrist Blue and White leader
Benny Gantz had been shaky
from the start, as Netanyahu
balked at the stipulation that
Gantz become prime minister
after 18 months. The two also
fought publicly about a range
of issues.
“The reason we’re head-
ing to an election is because
Netanyahu refused to pass a
budget as required by law and
honor political agreements so
that he can remain in power
for the duration of his trial,”
said Yohanan Plesner, presi-
dent of the nonpartisan Israel
Democracy Institute think
tank, to NPR.
Netanyahu faces charges
of fraud, breach of trust and
accepting bribes in exchange
for positive news coverage
about him and his family.
On Dec. 22, Netanyahu
took to the TV to blame Blue
and White for the breakdown.
“We are against elections; this
is a wrong decision by Blue
and White,” Netanyahu said.
“But if elections are forced
upon us, I promise you we
will win.”
W
e spent the past hol-
iday season drawn
in by an array of
different lights and stories.
Chanukah candles
shared the story of a
miracle; decorative lights
in our neighborhoods
shared the stories of fam-
ily traditions; Saturn and
Jupiter in an apparent
conjunction in the sky
shared a story of cosmic
alignment, and the glow-
ing ball descending from
the top of One Times
Square shared the cele-
brating of another cycle
around the sun and an
opportunity for beginnings.
Each of these drew us in for
ritual moments of reflection and
inspiration; and, because of this,
maybe now we are more suscep-
tible to discover the light worth
giving our attention to in 2021.
Shemot, the opening Torah
portion in Exodus, is the
beginning of one of the
best known stories of all
time. The story follows
our hero Moses, who
tradition says was drawn
to “a blazing fire” before
approaching the burning
bush where he would meet
the Divine Spirit (Exodus
3:2).
Rashi suggests that the
flame was a “fire of the
heart,
” which I read to
mean, “it was inspiring.
”
For Moses, this flame inspired
curiosity and motivation. Some
say the bush ignited specifically
for him; others say the bush had
been burning for some time
and Moses was the first to pay
attention. However, most peo-
ple I know might not believe it
happened this way if it even hap-
pened at all.
It’s the miraculous parts of
our story, dramatic and designed
to pull us in, that sometimes
push us away. The drama of the
burning bush, the plagues or the
splitting sea are so fantastical
that it’s often easier to doubt the
stories’ credibility than to see
ourselves as participating char-
acters. I’ll admit I don’t know
exactly how this story happened,
but I do believe in the power of
our stories to inspire change and
our ability to bring them to life.
We held the shamash as we
lit the Chanukah menorah and
spoke of the miracles performed
for our ancestors and gazed at
the blazing fire. Today, the Torah
is inviting us to give our atten-
tion to another flame to nurture
and love — our own burning
bush — to guide us out of our
narrow place. Maybe this is a
flame we’re already familiar with,
like a new year resolution or a
quarterly goal. In three months,
the story we start this week will
invite us to a seder experience, as
if we lived this story.
Rituals are the sacred theater
that draw us in to pay attention
to our stories. They also can be
the habits to keep us accountable
to our highest goals, once a week
or once a year, with candles and
meditations. This year, as we
start the Book of Exodus and the
Book of 2021, allow our rich
tradition to provide the tools to
guide you through your own
story as you start your journey
to freedom.
Rabbi Jeff Stombaugh is executive
director of The Well.
SPIRIT
TORAH PORTION
Rabbi Jeff
Stombaugh
Parshat
Shemot:
Exodus 1:1-6:1;
Isaiah 27:6-
28:13;
29:22-23.
Journey to Freedom
I
sraelis began a third lockdown
Dec. 27, as the country bat-
tles yet another steep wave of
COVID-19 infections.
The lockdown comes as the
country aggressively works to vac-
cinate its citizens, allowing anyone
over 60 to get the vaccine, along
with health care workers and sol-
diers, and letting some vaccination
centers operate around the clock.
Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu shared a chart showing
that Israel had so far given doses
to over 4% of its population, by
far more per capita than any other
country around the world. He has
said he believes the country can
vaccinate a quarter of its residents
by the end of January.
The current lockdown will last
at least two weeks, through New
Year’s Eve and into 2021, but offi-
cials have cautioned Israelis to pre-
pare for longer.
GABE FRIEDMAN JTA
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu speaks to the media
at the Knesset building in
Jerusalem, Dec. 22, 2020.
YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90 VIA JTA
Election No. 4
in Two Years
Third Lockdown
JTA
ERETZ
in Two Years
Israel will have new election in March
Israel will have new election in March
after parliament of
cially dissolves.
after parliament of
cially dissolves.