As You Were There For Us
As You were there for us in our worst of times as a people in Egypt, so may You also be there for each of us now.
There is a connection between the allegories of creation and the Ten Plagues. All are stories of miraculous involvement of God in the world. But the Exodus from Egypt goes beyond story, beyond allegory, right to the heart of what we believe we are and what we, as Jews, are supposed to do being who we are.
May it be Your Will, Holy One of Blessing, to enable us to see Your involvement in our own lives and the lives of all humanity. May we be blessed with the courage to believe that which can't be proven, and the confidence to live our lives in accordance with our beliefs. May we see ourselves as if we personally struggled with slavery in Egypt, and learn from that experience to trust in Your compassion to lead us from our own personal darkness into the light. As You were there for us in our worst of times as a people, so may You also be there for each of us in our darkest hours.
© Rabbi H. Rafael Goldstein, (Chaplain of Banner Thunderbird Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, wrote this Torah Reflection. It is brought to you in collaboration with Bay Area Jewish Healing Center (a beneficiary of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties).
This article was reprinted with permission of its author and is provided to you by The Twin Cities Jewish Healing Program. Using the wisdom and traditions of Judaism, The Twin Cities Jewish Healing Program offers comfort, hope and strength to individuals experiencing loss, life challenges, illness, dying and grief. The Healing Program provides trained volunteers to visit Jews who request a visit in hospitals, nursing homes and in hospice care. The Healing Program's Francine and Neil Feinberg Healing Resource Library located at Jewish Family and Children's Service of Minneapolis has articles, books, audiotapes, and audiovisual tapes available for loan. For information about The Twin Cities Jewish Healing Program, its services, educational programs, and volunteer opportunities, call 952-542-4864.
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