Daily Kavanot
Writings of reflection by the Stephen Wise Temple clergy.
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Daily Kavanah – Saturday, April 19, 2025
Passover marks the beginning of a nation. Many nations emerge after a triumph in battle, a revolution, the conquest of a land, or a fight for independence. Not so for the Jewish people. Our people were in the midst of physical and spiritual ruin. They were the most powerless of people. We were slaves, with seemingly little hope for a future. Through the power of God, a people ultimately emerged from what might have been the dustbin of history. They were tasked with bringing a set of values, given to us at Mt. Sinai, which became the basis of Western Civilization. Passover centers around an event which took place early in our people's history. Just as a people's earliest experiences can shape their development and destiny, an individual's earliest experiences can shape their development and future. Lest we forget what God did for us and what God did to the Egyptians, [...]
Daily Kavanah – Friday, April 18, 2025
“This is halachma anya—the bread of affliction—which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. Let all who are hungry, come and eat.” (Passover Haggadah)Every year, we begin telling the Passover story with these words. Rabbi Eliezer Davidovits (Slovakia, 1878–1942) reads this line as a kind of mini-sermon. He teaches that halachma anya symbolizes our suffering in Egypt. To the Egyptians, we were a people “dwelling in their shadow,” thus, they were obligated, he writes, to treat us with justice and compassion. Instead, they increased our pain.The Egyptians’ treatment of us was not only morally wrong, but also a profound misunderstanding of how God wants the world to be.The Torah tells us that God brought us out of Egypt with chozek yad—a mighty hand. This phrase appears three times in Exodus 13. Why?Davidovits teaches that chozek yad reflects the Egyptians’ mistaken view of power. They valued only yad yamin—the right hand, the strong hand. To them, power [...]
Daily Kavanah – Wednesday, April 16, 2025
When I think about Passover with my family growing up, I immediately smile. Passover seders have always been a big to-do; sometimes they were celebrated by having family and friends gather around the table at my parents’ house, other times by taking road trips to visit cousins up and down the East Coast. No matter where we were for seder though, I was always the youngest child. As the youngest child, I have been responsible for the Four Questions for as long as I can remember. Year after year, it has been my job and year after year, I hope that some guest will be younger than me and take over. There have been years when I have been more enthusiastic to chant by myself as well as years when I have tried, usually unsuccessfully, to encourage others to join me so that I didn’t have to sing alone. Finally, [...]
Daily Kavanah – Tuesday, April 15, 2025
My favorite line from the Passover story is one that is met with little fanfare. We cannot find it in the Haggadah and it receives minimal attention each year when its parashah arrives. When Moses, leading the Israelites out of Egypt, finds himself facing the Sea of Reeds with Pharaoh’s army bearing down upon Israel, he cries out to God for help. God’s reply is simply astonishing: “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to get going!” (Exodus 14:15). God’s reply challenges Moses to stop worrying and start moving by taking that first step into the unknown. Without those first steps, redemption remains firmly out of reach. God's directive to Moses emphasizes the need for human initiative to achieve Divine goals. It teaches us that we must be proactive; that we must take the first step even when the odds seem impossible to overcome. Miracles begin with us. They require [...]