Shabbat Table Talk

Parashat Pesach Shabbat Chol ha-Moed
Erev Shabbat, 25 April 2008
Week of 20 to 26 April 2008
Torah portion: Ex. 33:12-34:26, Num. 28:19-28:25
Haftarah: Ezek. 37:1-37:14
Sunday Readings for 27 April: Acts 8:5-8, 14-17; I Pt. 3:15-18; Jn. 14:15-21

What joy! What relief! We are forgiven! We are reconciled! The covenant is restored! If only we really believed it. If only we really believed in the power of the grace of God in our lives. If only we really believed that the Exodus is about our personal relationship with the Divine. This is our story. If only we have the faith to really believe, we will be released from slavery and journey to freedom in the Promised Land!

A main theme in the Chol ha-Moed readings is the restoration of the covenant and the ongoing human struggle to remain faithful. We join the story in the aftermath of sin and idolatry. The tablets are smashed by Moshe. The covenant is broken. Moshe pleads with YHWH for assurance that he is in God’s favor. He expresses an all too familiar need for validation that he is loved despite his sin. In Exodus 34:8, “...quickly Moshe did-homage, on the ground, bowing low.” Fox refers to this passage as “perhaps the greatest moment of divine human intimacy in the Bible, it is the one most ripe for forgiveness.”

Forgiveness is given. The sin of idolatry has left no permanent stain on the relationship. God’s grace allows Israel to start over with the same covenant. Larsson describes this promised grace, evident in the giving of the “law” (Torah) as ‘grace upon grace’ (Ex. 34:6-7). The Hebrew word for grace (hesed) means the extra part of a ‘measure.’ It is free, “gratis”—grace. The original text clarifies the deep meaning of the word grace, a meaning that is often lost in the Christian tradition. God’s grace cannot be earned or bought. It is a grace given to Israel and all future generations and for all nations. It confirms for Israel that they are reconciled with God in a relationship that is abundant and overflowing. We are forgiven!

Do we believe it? Are we forgiven? Do we believe that we will receive “grace upon grace” despite our idolatry, our sin, our human failing? It was only forty days after the revelation at Sinai that the people sought other Gods. Ramban refers to this “inevitability of gradualness” which distinguishes any lasting transformation in human character. Leibowitz concurs: “One single religious experience, however profound, was not capable of changing the people from idol worshippers into monotheists.” Is the Torah telling us that sin is inevitable for all time? Are we doomed to be separated from God because we are human? Is there hope for reconciliation? Can the covenant be restored? The challenge for the Israelites was to accept the ‘law,’ follow the precepts of the Torah, and be mindful of God’s promise of mercy, forgiveness, and grace (Ex. 34:6). This struggle to remain faithful is the ongoing struggle of the human heart.

Are we mindful of this promise? It is a focal point of God’s revelation at Sinai:
“YHWH, YHWH,
GOD,
showing-mercy, showing favor,
long suffering in anger,
abundant in loyalty and faithfulness...”

This proclamation about the attributes of God is so central to the faith of the Jewish people that it is often used in festival liturgy and written on arks that house the Torah scrolls. It confirms for Moshe and for us that the covenant has been renewed. There is some ambiguity among scholars about whose voice is speaking in the passage. Is it God? Is it Moshe? Is it our voice? Is the ambiguity intentional? Is the distinction blurred because redemption will not be complete until our voice becomes one with God’s voice? (Kraus).

This is alluded to in the haftarah which addresses Ezekiel’s vision of Israel revived from dry bones. Did the people look around and, like Ezekiel, see nothing but dry bones? Did they, like Ezekiel, doubt God’s capacity to animate the dry bones? Was there a reluctance to really believe in the promise of the covenant? God’s assurance is clear: “I will put my breath (ruach) into you and you shall live” (Ezek. 14). Plaut confirms that this inner wisdom (ruach) emphasizes the knowledge that God has already spoken and acted in the lives of the Israelites. The divine promise is sure to be fulfilled.

Can the covenant be restored unless we really believe in the promise of God’s mercy, forgiveness, and grace? When we really listen to the divine spark within our own souls will we believe that we are loved accepted and forgiven? When we allow God’s voice to speak through us, will we be led out of the wilderness into the Promised Land? When we become active listeners to the voice of God within will we choose to love accept and forgive? Does true faith imply obedience to the encounter? Perhaps this is what James refers to in his epistle when he points out that faith alone is not sufficient, and that without works, our faith is dead. It also requires something of us. We must choose to respond to the divine voice within which continually calls us 'out of Egypt'.

What joy! What relief! We are forgiven! We are reconciled! The covenant is restored! I really believe it. I will attempt to be faithful to the covenant. I am assured by YAH that I am much more than the sum of my mistakes. The Torah assures me that I have found favor in God’s eyes. It is enough. Alleluia!

For Reflection and Discussion:[1] In our personal I-Thou relationships what obstacles prevent us from erasing the memory of broken tablets? [2] Do we like Ezekiel doubt God’s ability to breathe life in to our dry bones? What emotions drive this doubt? [3] Recall the times in your own life when you have turned back to Egypt. [4] Describe the challenges to really believing that you are loved accepted and forgiven.

Bibliography: Fox, The Five Books of Moses (New York, 1995); Goldstein (ed.), The Women’s Torah Commentary (Woodstock, 2000); Kraus, Beth El Temple Dvar Torah; Larsson, Bound For Freedom, The Book of Exodus in Jewish and Christian Traditions (Massachusetts, 1999); Leibowitz, New Studies in Shemot–Exodus (Israel, 1995); Plaut, The Torah, A Modern Commentary (New York, 1981);

~~~~~~~

This week’s teaching commentary was prepared by
Patricia O’Reilly, B.Ed, M.R.E., Ontario Institute for Studies in Education,
University of Toronto, Canada. Bat Kol alumna 2007.