When you Choose Shabbat, you choose to learn that every Shabbat is different and special and this Shabbat is special indeed as it is also Shabbat Mevarchim.
This week I learned that Parashat Vaera, aka Va’era or Va’iera, (Exodus 6:2 through 9:35), is the 14th weekly Torah portion in the annual cycle of Torah readings. According to Wikipedia, Vaera contains 6,701 Hebrew letters, 1,748 words, 121 verses and 222 lines of the Torah Scroll. The underlying narrative of Vaera, (וָאֵרָא), translated as “and I appeared“, continues the narrative of the Passover Haggadah; the story of the first seven plagues that befell Egypt.
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Rabbi Michael D Klein of Temple Torat Emet offers his insights on this week’s Torah reading, Vaera for Shabbat January 25, 2025 aka 25 Tevet 5785:
“When we contemplate the nature of the main characters of the Exodus narrative we usually focus on Moses, Aaron, and Pharaoh. Oft times, we neglect to focus on the female characters who, behind the scenes, played pivotal roles in the story but are not given the credit they deserve. Many of these characters are women, individuals who shaped the lives of Moses and Aaron and even Pharaoh.
Consider Yocheved and Miriam, Moses and Aaron’s mother and sister who were responsible for saving Moses’ life by placing him in a basket of reeds in the Nile to save his life against the evil decree of Pharaoh. Yocheved and Miriam are also responsible for nursing and nurturing young Moses and imparting him with his Jewish identity and consciousness of Jewish heritage. Miriam also plays a key role in helping celebrate the crossing of the Yam Suf and for helping to find wells of water in the desert. Shifra and Puah, the midwives who saved the lives of myriads of Jewish babies by defying Pharaoh’s decree are among the unsung heroines of the story. Often overlooked, is Bithia, Pharaoh’s daughter, who knowingly adopts the young Jewish boy, Moses, and helps nurture him in Pharaoh’s court. Many sages believe she also converts to Judaism and leaves Egypt when Israel is liberated. Finally, all the Jewish wives, who continued to support and encourage their husbands despite bitter slavery and helped keep Jewish families together despite unbearable hardship.
This Shabbat, we honor the brave women of our Sisterhood, who assist our Temple and community with their acts of lovingkindness and courage and help sustain their families and our community with their steadfastness and wisdom. Just as the great women of the Exodus narrative, they continue to support us and lead us and help encourage us as wives and mothers to be the best we can be. Kol Hakavod on another successful Sisterhood Shabbat of leadership for our Temple.”
Questions to contemplate:
- G-d makes 5 promises to the Jewish people. Why then does it say that the people did not hearken immediately to these promises?
- Why was the act of turning the Nile to blood so terrifying to the Egyptians?
- How does the succession of plagues serve to break the will of the Egyptian people?
- How many groups of plagues were there? What was unique about the message of each group?
Rabbi Michael D. Klein attended Yeshiva College of South Florida and served as Torah Reader, Hebrew teacher, Chazzan and spiritual leader of various synagogues throughout South Florida. In January 2015 he became Ritual Director, Bnai/Bnot Mitzvah instructor and 7th grade Hebrew instructor for Temple Torat Emet of Boynton Beach. In October 2019 he was accepted into an accelerated track and received his smicha from Yeshiva Adath Wolkowisk and has been the Rabbinic leadership of Temple Torat Emet since August 2020. In September of 2022 he was appointed Rabbinic and Spiritual Advisor of the Florida Region of FJMC.
Choose Shabbat; choose to celebrate, to light candles, sing songs and learn a little Torah.
This moment of Jewish learning is brought to you by the Florida Region of the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs (FJMC). We serve the needs of affiliated Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods throughout the State of Florida. Learn more about the FJMC Florida Region and our growing network of Jewish Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods at: www.floridaregionfjmc.org and please visit & LIKE our Facebook Group at: www.facebook.com/FloridaRegionFJMC.
The FJMC is a confederation of over 200 Jewish Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods representing over 20,000 members across the United States, Canada, Latin America, and beyond. Learn how YOUR Jewish Men’s Club or Brotherhood can affiliate with the FJMC at: https://fjmc.org/for-clubs/affiliating-with-the-fjmc/.
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