Shabbat Greetings

This week, we begin the second book of the Torah, Exodus, with the portion, Shemot  (Exodus 1:1 – 6:1) which begins in a place that feels painfully familiar: a world where some lives are treated as expendable, where power hardens hearts, and where suffering becomes background noise. A new Pharaoh arises “who did not know Joseph,” and that forgetting gives way to fear, exploitation, and economic oppression. The Israelites are worked to exhaustion, their labor enriching an empire that refuses to see their humanity.

Before redemption ever appears, the Torah offers something quieter and deeply pastoral: moments of human courage. Shifra and Puah, midwives, protect babies who cannot protect themselves. Pharaoh’s daughter reaches into the Nile and lifts a crying child from the water. Moses intervenes again and again, first on behalf of a beaten slave, a frightened shepherdesses, and ultimately an entire people. These are not grand speeches or sweeping reforms; they are small, risky acts of care.

Many today feel overwhelmed by rising costs, insecure work, unequal access to healthcare, housing, and dignity itself. Like the Israelites, people labor hard and still struggle to get by. The Torah reminds us that God hears the cries of those worn down by systems they did not create but God’s response begins with human beings who choose not to look away.

Pastorally, the Torah also honors those who are tired. Not everyone can confront Pharaoh. But each of us can be Shifra, Puah, or Bat-Paroh (Pharoah’s daughter) in someone’s life: noticing, protecting, advocating, offering dignity where it is threatened.

Standing up for those who cannot defend themselves is not only an act of justice; it is an act of compassion. And in a world aching under economic strain and moral fatigue, Shemot assures us that even small acts of courage matter. Redemption does not begin with power; it begins with presence, empathy, and the refusal to let another human being stand alone.

SHABBAT SHALOM