Living Torah

Newsletter January 20, 2025 Together, we're #keepingitsacred...

No one should ever feel like the Torah is a dusty old book with no relevance to today. Take the readings of last week, this week, and next week, for example. Headlines that echo today's news stories.

Exodus 1:8:

וַיָּ֥קׇם מֶֽלֶךְ־חָדָ֖ש

 A new leader rises to power in Egypt; 

just as with the US inauguration today.

Exodus 3:2:

 וְהִנֵּ֤ה הַסְּנֶה֙ בֹּעֵ֣ר בָּאֵ֔שׁ וְהַסְּנֶ֖ה אֵינֶ֥נּוּ אֻכָּֽל׃

A bush is burned, but not consumed; 

just as with the recent wildfires much was burned, but our spirits are not consumed.

Exodus 12:31:

 וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ ק֤וּמוּ צְּאוּ֙

The captives are told to get up and go; just as 3 of the remaining hostages have been set free. Hallelujah!

These days, it feels like we are living in biblical times; the times of the Exodus story, with all the drama and the power, and high stakes.

The beauty of Torah is that we can read the text and feel all of the human feelings and emotions of our tradition through our new lens today.

That was part of the appeal of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He saw the struggle for Civil Rights within the texts themselves. He was immersed in the prophetic teachings of Isaiah and Micah, and called on their power to infuse the movement itself.

Like biblical Joseph, King was a dreamer:

Genesis 37:5

וַיַּחֲלֹ֤ם יוֹסֵף֙ חֲל֔וֹם וַיַּגֵּ֖ד לְאֶחָ֑יו

Once Joseph had a dream which he told to his brothers;

He envisioned a world of abundance like Micah:

Micah 4:4:

וְיָשְׁב֗וּ אִ֣ישׁ תַּ֧חַת גַּפְנ֛וֹ וְתַ֥חַת תְּאֵנָת֖וֹ וְאֵ֣ין מַחֲרִ֑יד

But every family shall sitUnder its own vine and fig treeWith no one to disturb them.

And of course he summoned the power of goodness like Amos:

Amos 5:24

וְיִגַּ֥ל כַּמַּ֖יִם מִשְׁפָּ֑ט וּצְדָקָ֖ה כְּנַ֥חַל אֵיתָֽן׃

But let justice well up like water,Righteousness like an mighty stream.

Within the pages of the Bible, we see the human struggle; within the pages, we see our own struggles. Even more so through the commentaries which draw deeper connections to the experience of our forbears. This is why we keep coming back to the texts and why it feels so connecting when we do. We are making our way through the human experience with all of its dread and triumph and gratitude and more; but we are not alone. We can find ourselves in the lessons of the past. We can dig through with our contemporaries as well, and together, we can find our way.

Together, we're reading and learning and commenting and holding space for and helping one another.

Together, we’re #keepingitsacred…

Rabbi Heather Miller,

Founder, Keeping It Sacred

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The above is an excerpt from a Keeping It Sacred newsletter. If you want to read the entire newsletter or any from our archives, please head over to: keepingitsacred.com/news 

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Thanks for your interest, and thanks for #keepingitsacred...