Moadim L’simcha! (may the intermediate days of this Pesach festival
be joyous!)
This week we take a break from the weekly Torah portion
cycle to read selections chosen for the Shabbat during the intermediate days of
Pesach (Passover.)
From Torah we read Exodus 33:12-34:26, which is the account
of Moses persuading God to forgive the people after the sin of the Golden Calf.
This section includes God’s putting Moses in the cleft of the rock and passing
by which declaring the 13 attributes of God’s mercy. It also includes laws of
the Passover festival.
In the Haftarah, we read Ezekiel 37:1-14, which is the
well-known vision of the dry bones assembling themselves, growing flesh, and
coming back to life.
And the Megilah, or scroll from the Writings, is Song of
Songs. Song of Songs is a cycle of beautiful love poetry with springtime
motifs.
As we study together, we’ll look at each of these sources as
well as some Midrash and liturgical texts and explore themes of resurrection,
renewal and rebirth. Yes – resurrection is a Jewish concept! And it is a
perfect theme as the green shoots finally begin to poke out of the cold ground.
No comments:
Post a Comment