Moshe finally finds his identity at the sneh the burning bush and understands his mission: It is not to lead Bnai Yisrael to the Land of Israel—he is unable to do so, and he does not—but to provide an identity for the Israelites, a community, a bayit.
Candlelighting, Readings: Shabbat Candles: p. Torah: Ex. But the grim beginning of Shemot is redeemed by one word. At the beginning of the Moses narrative there is the curious use of a single word, and the exploration of this word illumines the larger narrative. Get The Jewish Week in your inbox. Ordinary lives filled with miracles. Those are the kinds we live. None of it was an accident, or happenstance. God made us out of love. He made us because love compelled him to create something to love.
You were made to be loved. Our purpose withstands any mistake we can possibly make. So hold your head high. Tackle those finals. Like Like. You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Google account. You are commenting using your Twitter account. Metaphorically speaking, if we are trees and we drop seeds but none of them grow If we drop seeds and some of them grow and become trees of their own but none of them have seeds of their own The reason why the plants and trees must have seeds inside of them is so that in due time those plants and trees will drop their seeds into the earth and further the cycle of creating life.
So what would God call good? Anything that produces life and contains the potential for more life within it.
Think of a seed becoming an orchard. Or, more practically speaking, think of a conversation or story that stirred you to bring forth life from inside of you and offer it in a way that had the potential to call forth life in another.
The Hebrew word is tov. Kapsner argues that the repetition of the word good in Genesis 1 brings us to a dynamic fullness. Things are as they should be, but they are also flourishing. They are moving toward a God-ordained reproduction and growth.
God himself lies behind the goodness that infuses creation because he is good. He is flourishing and dynamic, life-giving and in harmony. God gives his life to men and women and lives with them. He is the source of their life and nourishes their souls. His life flows through them as they work together to bring nurture, care and flourishing to the plants and animals in the Garden of Eden. As God communes with them, so they carry his image and become majestic in their bearing.
They are not clothed in fine robes and wearing crowns made of gold, they are naked and they feel no shame. There is nothing that shields them from each other or from their God. They are open to each other and open to Him. This is good. The connected relationships as a means to flourishing is life-giving.
With the fall the nature of the relationship with God, others and self is broken. Life ebbs away. The light begins to dim. The flame flickers for a while longer before each brief candle is extinguished.
God, what you have meant for good we have turned to evil. We have cut ourselves off and hidden ourselves from the wellspring of life. May we become open and healed. May we regain the tree of life by seeking your heart and your reconciliation. In our relationships may we be open and courageous to rediscover the truth. You are indeed a good God. You are indeed the most honest God and Person of all mankind. Mold us and change us to open our hearts and minds to be open and courageous.
Give us boldness today like our ancestors have had in the past. We thank you for listening to our prayer. How can you be an instrument in restoring the flow of good from a gracious God to his estranged creation?
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