DECEMBER 23 • 2021 | 33

SPIRIT

Embrace Yourself
S

o, they set
taskmasters over
them to oppress
them with forced labor;
and they built storage
cities” for Pharaoh Pithom
and Raamses. “But
the more they were
oppressed, the more
they increased
and spread out, so
that the Egyptians
came to dread the
Israelites.”
The last phrase
can be also be
translated as: “and
the Egyptians became
disgusted with
themselves due to
the Israelites.” Why
were the Egyptians
so intimidated or
annoyed by the Jewish
people? After all, we were
contributing members
of Egyptian society
and economy, harmless
newcomers who simply
wanted to live in peace.
Why did the Egyptians feel
that we would “join their
enemies and overtake them
in war?”
The answer is that it is,
indeed, irrational. People
that have intense dislike
for others seem not to need
justifiable reasons for doing
so. Their hatred extends
far and wide; their fears
are without basis, but they
make it seem that a basis
is obvious. The Egyptians
saw a new people coming
up and immediately were
turned off by them, but
they could not explain why
so they created all sorts of
far-fetched rationales.

We have all met people
that seem to dislike us
off the bat for no reason
whatsoever. Is it something
that should bother us?
The answer in this
week’s portion is no.
Being self-critical is
a positive idea but
being needlessly self-
conscious is not. The
Egyptian mentality
was to demean and
belittle those that
were different. The
Jewish mentality is to
either say, “Yes, I am
different; and that’s
actually pretty neat.
Why don’t you get
to know me and my
lifestyle a little better”
or, alternatively, “No,
we are actually all similar
to each other deep down.
There is no need to target
me.”
Love your neighbor as
yourself means that we have
to come to a place of self-
confidence and security
with who we are. We do
not need to look over our
shoulders at what we are
missing; we can look inside
ourselves and see what we
can contribute to the world.
We have to love ourselves
even if others find fault
with us.
Let us reject the pettiness
of the Egyptian way of
thinking and, instead,
baselessly love ourselves,
our fellow Jews and our
fellow human beings.
Shabbat Shalom.

Rabbi Yaacov Lasson is chaplain at

Ascension Providence Hospitals.

TORAH PORTION

Rabbi
Yaacov
Lasson

Parshat

Shemot:

Exodus 1:1-6:1;

Isaiah

27:6-28:13,

29:22-23.

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WE ARE OBSERVING ALL STATE COVID-19
GUIDELINES & RESTRICTIONS

248.709.9648

Let our experienced team at Le Shoppe Too & Changing
Hands handle your Estate Sale needs. Your items can
be valued and consigned or auctioned at our store.
We offer hands free-hassle free estate sales.

Call Leslie Weisberg today for a free consultation

changinghandsestates.com

3325 ORCHARD LAKE RD, KEEGO HARBOR, MI

248.481.8884

www.leshoppetoo.com

UPSCALE CONSIGNMENT & AUCTION HOUSE

ICONIC 20th CENTURY FURNITURE,
FINE-ART, HOME DECOR & LIGHTING

Support Local
Businesses

HOURS

TUES–SAT Noon–5pm | MON closed
SUN & evenings by appointment only

FREE
preliminary
art appraisals
Wednesday’s 12-4
with Terri

DFAA:

248.672.3207
DetroitFAA.com

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Let our experienced team at Le Shoppe Too
& Changing Hands handle your Estate Sale needs.

PHOTO CREDIT: JAMIE BUSH + CO. AND LAURA HULL

WE ARE OBSERVING ALL STATE COVID-19
GUIDELINES & RESTRICTIONS

248.709.9648

Let our experienced team at Le Shoppe Too & Changing
Hands handle your Estate Sale needs. Your items can
be valued and consigned or auctioned at our store.
We offer hands free-hassle free estate sales.

Call Leslie Weisberg today for a free consultation

changinghandsestates.com

3325 ORCHARD LAKE RD, KEEGO HARBOR, MI

248.481.8884

www.leshoppetoo.com

UPSCALE CONSIGNMENT & AUCTION HOUSE

ICONIC 20th CENTURY FURNITURE,
FINE-ART, HOME DECOR & LIGHTING

Support Local
Businesses

HOURS

TUES–SAT Noon–5pm | MON closed

SUN & evenings by appointment only

FREE
preliminary
art appraisals
Wednesday’s 12-4
with Terri

DFAA:

248.672.3207
DetroitFAA.com

DetroitFineArtAppraisals@gmail.com

Call Leslie Weisberg today for a
free consultation: 248.709.9648
changinghandsestates.com

Your items of high value can be:

Auctioned • Consigned
We offer hands free estate sales