This week our Torah portion is parashat Shemot, beginning the Book of Exodus. In a flash, the generation of Joseph and his brothers have passed, and a new king arises in the land of Egypt ‘who did not know Joseph.’ The children of Israel ‘were fruitful, teemed, increased….and the land became filled with them,’ much to the chagrin of Pharaoh, who began to devise a solution to his Jewish problem – and thus began the servitude of Israel in Egypt. This week’s Jerusalem Lights podcast examines the Egyptian exile, which caused Israel to strive for perfection in the face of adversity. Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman fast forward to today, and draw uncanny parallels between the deep, dark exile of ancient Egypt, and today’s mob-rule enforced, lethal new normal of cancel culture, where all can be sacrificed on the altar of inclusion and diversity. A timeless Torah lesson on the recurrent template of exile and redemption.
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Rabbi Chaim Richman
Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone
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