Shabbat Shalom GRJC
Weekly Emails to the Congregation
Parshat Yitro 2008
Shabbat Shalom to the GRJC family,
We light Shabbat candles this week at
4:46 pm. Friday evening services will begin at 8 pm and
Saturday morning services will begin at 9 am.
Cantor Ayelet Piatigorsky will be joining us this Shabbat.
Julie and Jonathan Jacoby of North Haledon, and family, will join
us for the naming of their daughter on Saturday morning.
Junior Congregation will begin at 10 am on Saturday morning.
We read this week from parshat Yitro in Sefer Shemot, the Book of
Exodus. The Israelites recently came out from Egypt, and
they marched safely through the Sea of Reeds. The first
thing the people request after crossing the Sea is clean water to
drink. God provides Moses with a way to “sweeten” the
brackish water they find in the desert. Then, the people
call out to Moses since they are hungry. God provides them
with both meat and with manna. Manna is the “Divine Frosted
Flakes”, a flaky substance that “tasted like wafers made with
honey.”
In this week’s reading, we find that Yitro, Moses’ father in law,
helps him to develop a judicial system for the nation. Moses
chooses judges to preside over constituencies of various sizes.
In 1943, Jewish psychologist Abraham Maslow developed a “hierarchy
of human needs.” The progression in the Torah that begins
with the Israelites seeking to satisfy their thirst and hunger
followed by the establishment of the judicial system corresponds
exactly to Maslow’s theory. Maslow suggests that our basic
needs include all those functions connected to homeostasis, or the
proper functioning of the human body, e.g. breathing, eating and
drinking. The Israelites seek to address these basic needs
immediately after they are free and begin their lives in the
wilderness. The next step in Maslow’s hierarchy involves the
safety needs, which include our desire for a safe and just world.
The establishment of the judicial system that relieves Moses of
his role as sole judge in Israel is the first step in creating a
system of justice for all the Israelites.
Maslow’s hierarchy continues with the subsequent categories:
love/relationship, esteem, and finally self-actualization.
If God fulfilled the basic needs of all the Israelites in the
desert, and if there was a judicial system with judges, and the
Torah then helped to solidify identity and connection to God, then
why were there so many subsequent complaints and rebellions?
What forces were at work that caused dissatisfaction among the
Israelites? Can we see reflections of any of these same
forces operating in our society?
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1. ALEPH CLASS HAVDALAH SERVICE AND FAMILY PROGRAM – Saturday
evening, Jan. 26th at 5:45 pm.
2. RECHOV (STREET) IN TEL AVIV – Sunday morning, Jan. 27th,
9:45 am – 1pm.
3. TU BI’SHEVAT SEDER – Sunday morning, 11:15 am – 1 pm, for
Kitah Achat and Shta’eem.
4. HEBREW CONVERSATION CLASS – Wednesday, January 30th, 8 pm.
A great way to learn to speak Hebrew with confidence.
5. BOWLING NIGHT – Feb. 2nd If you're planning to join us for a
fun evening at Bowler City (in Hackensack) on Saturday night, Feb.
2, (7:00-900 pm) please RSVP as soon as possible to the GRJC
office (201) 652-6624 or to Howard Sperling's e-mail address
hnsperl@verizon.net. The cost is $20 per person.
6. SAVE THE DATE – 2008 SCHOLAR IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM – February
8th and 9th. This year’s scholar Dr. David Freidenreich of
Franklin and Marshall College will offer three opportunities for
us as American Jews to encounter Islam. Please see the flyer
in the bulletin, and please let us know which events you would
like to attend.
With blessings,
Rabbi Tow
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