Promises: Then and Now - D'var Torah for Parashat Va-era - December 27, 2013

Promises: From Exodus Chapter 6 – expressed to Moses before he appeared before Pharaoh

I am the Eternal

·      I will free you from the labors of the Egyptians

·      And deliver you from bondage

·      I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and through extraordinary chastisements.

·      I will take you to be my people and I will be your God.

·      And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and I will give it to you as a possession, I, the Eternal One.

Promises: A Modern Reinterpretation for our own lives

I am the Eternal

·      I will free you from the burdens of your lives when you approach me sincerely in meditation and prayer

·      I will deliver you from the challenges you face when you act as my eyes, ears, hands and heart, doing mitzvot for those whose lives you touch.

·      I will redeem you by helping you to turn those mitzvot into habits that will characterize who you are at the core of your being, as you recognize your own needs for healing and hope right along with the needs of the people around you.

·      I will take you, bind you together, and fashion you into a caring, loving, and compassionate community that will make a difference in the world through empathy that leads to service.

·      I will bring you to a land of promise in which you will know the true meaning of the mitzvah, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”