Practical Judaism - Shemot

As global cultures have shifted in the past century, traditional conceptions of women in religion are starting to shift as well. Yet these ideas are not entirely new. Although the first Eastern European Jewish school for girls started in 1907, there was a school for Sephardic girls in London that had opened in 1731.

There are a variety of reasons that we may be happy at the exact same moment when someone else is in pain or failing. In the case of this teaching from the Talmud, the angels cheering on the Israelites were happy to see the slavemasters and charioteers of the Egyptian Pharoah drowning in the Sea of Reeds. The failure of the Egyptian army meant the survival of Israelite families. In this new (secular) year let us not rejoice at the downfall of others, but rather let's weep that suffering exists for anyone.

Clothing can be transformative. It can help us connect to our heritage. It can make us feel beautiful. It can take us from feeling down and out and transform us into feeling like we RUN the world! There is a teaching that says the Israelites were worthy of redemption because they stayed true to their heritage and to themselves in three ways: they did not change their names, language, or clothing. How does clothing impact the way that you think or feel?

In this week's torah portion of Vayechi, we conclude the Book of Genesis with a lesson on assertiveness and self-advocacy from Joseph as he gently reprimands his father, Jacob, for giving the correct blessing to the wrong child. What an act of bravery and courage! How rare it is to reprimand an authority figure, a hero, or a loved one!

In this week's parasha of Vayigash, the story of Joseph comes full circle. It starts off with him being hated by his brothers for his over-active imagination and wild dreams. But now, it is these very dreams and his ability to interpret dreams that allows for him to rise through the ranks of the Egyptian court. The quality that others perceive, or even we ourselves perceive, to be our greatest weakness is actually connected to our greatest strength. This week, let's NOT change a thing about ourselves!

What is the difference between a ceremony and a holiday? In a wedding ceremony, for example, you perform rituals and recite specific words with the intention that you will try your hardest to fulfill them. You are committing yourself to those ideas. A holiday is a celebration of someone else that did the hard work of dedicating themselves to an idea. You are merely applauding their efforts. Let us reflect on the areas of our lives where we are on auto-pilot and where we could use some rededication..

In this week's Torah portion of Vayishlach, Joseph has a dream of his brothers bowing down to him. This leads them into a furious rage and they sell him to slave traders heading to Egypt. When we have a dream, some may call us crazy or unrealistic. Others may be offended by our big ideas. Yet more often than not, when we stick to our dreams we are transformed by the journey, even if the destination we reach is not the one we had in mind. Meditation at the end of the episode.

In this week's Torah portion of Vayishlach, Jacob has his name changed to Israel - the one who wrestles with God (sar el). The concept of God is a tricky concept. In my experience, I have found two main obstacles for someone having a relationship with G-O-D. The first obstacles are the classical images of God, and the second is the name itself. "To wrestle with, or doubt, God is perhaps the strongest form of faith." - Rabbi Misha Clebaner

In this week's Torah portion of Vayetze, Jacob is exhausted from being on the run from his brother Esau after getting his blessing through deceptive means. He finds himself at a random location, later Jewish thinkers say that it is Jerusalem. The same commentators say that God made the sun set early so that Jacob would stop, rest, and spend the night there. "The better your sleep, the more clearly you can think while awake, and it may enable you to seek help when a problem arises. - Dr Joshi, Stanford

Step 1, find a red lentil recipe that you like. Step 2, enjoy the soup and the blessings in your life with humility and gratitude. Step 3, pay it forward and share blessings with others.