Getting to Sinai
Tuesday, April 17th, 2007by Dr. Aryeh Cohen
Presented at the ICUJP Jubilee for Justice and Peace
April 16, 2007
The Jewish community is in the midst of the most extended liturgical period on the calendar. We just finished celebrating the eight days of Passover. We celebrated the moment when God Godself came down—not by way of an angel or an agent, but in Gods own glory—God, as the rabbis tell us, came down and saved the Israelites from the hold of slavery and oppression in Ancient Egypt.
One week later we celebrated the moment when God split the Red Sea and allowed the Israelites to cross through on dry ground while Pharoah watched as his armies were drowned in the waters of righteous rage.
These two moments were moments of God’s acting and the people’s salvation. Our tradition tells us that even lowliest person saw more of God’s revelation at the sea than the Prophet Ezekiel ever merited seeing.
These moments were, however, moments when God acted and revealed Godself to the nation of Israel. Israel did not have to act.