Parashat Beshalach
January 14, 2022
12 Sh'vat 5782
Parashat Beshalach
Exodus 13:17 - 13:16
The Tree Outside My Window
The tree outside my window
Is a source of life, of hope and possibility
It is also a source of danger
As the bird of prey watches,
Watches as the morning doves bask in the sun
As the wind brings the branches ever closer
Brushing against the windows
“Choose life” we are taught
Sometimes it’s easier to hide
But the tree can’t hide
She is there in all of her glory
She teaches us how to change and grow and become
Welcoming new guests with every season
Catching the snow as it falls
We need only look closely to learn the lesson we so need right now
“yes and…” adapting as we go forward
This week’s Torah portion, Parshat Beshalach, comes as we gather numerous strands together. It reminds us that the role of a leader is to do both the work and to inspire, and comes just as we are commemorating the life and work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. Moses is gone and so is Dr. King and it is up to us to keep the flame alive -- to look up and not down. With Tu B’Shvat beginning on Sunday night, we are reminded once more of our close ties to the natural world and our responsibility to care for it.
This is a week where inspiration swirls around us, in our texts, our history and the natural world, our task to take that inspiration and make it tangible and real so that we can all live better fuller lives.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Linda Shriner-Cahn