Showing posts with label Red Sea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Red Sea. Show all posts

February 9, 2020

From Victims To Victors

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called, "From Victims To Victors."
The critical image of transformation of the Israelites going from the very depths of slavery to the lofty heights of redemption, the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai, and going to the Promised Land is relived again in our very own times. This happened immediately after the Holocaust, when the Jews left the death camps of Europe (in fact, many coming by boat over the Mediterranean Sea instead of on foot over the Red Sea as in biblical times) to come to Israel. Here too, the Jews went on to fight as free men in the War of Independence for the founding of the State of Israel just like the Israelites fought the Amalekites in the desert and the Seven Nations to receive the Promised Land of Israel. Furthermore, just like we received the Torah after the redemption from Egypt, we are seeing an incredible resurgence of Torah learning in Israel today.

In both cases of redemption, we had to transform from being victims of slavery and persecution to instead taking the reins in our hands, and with Hashem's help, determining our own destiny and becoming the victors! Incredibly, just as the Israelites were redeemed by Hashem from Egypt and brought to conquer the Promised land 3300 years ago, so too were we, Jews, brought from the ashes of Auschwitz to the shores of the Israel to fight and become "a free nation in our Land, the Land of Zion, Jerusalem" (Hatikvah). And just like the redemption from Egypt resulted in the building of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) to worship Hashem in the desert, so too will we soon relive the redemption in the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. Again, in the right time, we will need to have faith and courage to rebuild it with our very hands, and this will happen speedily and truly in our days. May Hashem let it be!


(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

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March 22, 2013

The Miracle Of The Red Sea

After being sick the last week with the flu and still on antibiotics, I ventured out today and took the girls hiking in Harpers Ferry. 

It was just a little cold--um, maybe a lot cold--but we slogged through the trails anyway and had a great time.

The water falling off the cliffs was still freezing on the rocks underneath and it made for some nice pictures.

One interesting photo that I've attached was of the water that had a veneer of red over the top--first it looked like maybe it was a tarp, but up close, we saw it was just like a carpet of red algae over the water--it was pretty spectacular. 

I couldn't help thinking how perfect this is for Passover that begins on Monday evening, because it brought alive the image to me of G-d delivering the Israelites from servitude and splitting the real Red Sea for them to cross through to freedom.  

While we didn't attempt to cross this red water, it was an amazing natural sight to behold (thank you G-d). ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
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November 12, 2012

The Chariots Are Coming


Took a long hike today for Veterans Days.

Along the hike, I found a tall branch (maybe 10 feet) that I took for a hiking stick. 

It was a little big for the job, but felt good through the trail to have it. 

At one point, I decided to just have some fun and pretended that I was Moses leading the Israelites to The Promised Land. 

I am not much of an actor, but this was me at it--impromptu. 

Anyway, always good to practice my leadership skills--now back to splitting the Red Sea. ;-)

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