This month, we read in the Torah about the Exodus from Egypt. After 400 years of servitude, God works through Moses to free the Israelites from slavery.
The Israelites leave Egypt on a 40-year journey to the Promised Land, a trip that, by design, does not take the most direct route. If the goal is for the Israelites to reach the Promised Land, why wouldn’t God lead them on the most direct path?
Think about places we may go daily. Do we not seek out the most efficient ways to reach our destinations? (We even debate with friends and family the fastest way to get from one place to another.) Why would God take the Israelites out of their way?
One possible reason is to impart the importance of the journey, as well as the destination. The journey serves as a time for the Israelites to free themselves from the slave mentality that was part of their lives for generations.
One aspect of a slave mindset that comes up throughout the journey is a longing for Egypt, specifically for Egyptian food. Commentators have remarked that these longings are actually the Israelites articulating the desire to be cared for.
The life of a slave demands less responsibility from the individual for taking care of basic needs. After generations of slavery, the Israelites needed time to transition from a life where their basic needs were met by someone else, albeit poorly, to a life where they provided for themselves. The journey enabled the Israelites to internalize the mindset of being free.
Another possibility is that the Israelites needed time to gel as a people. Although they shared a history, they had not yet determined the parameters of a present and future together. God helped shape this process through giving the Israelites the Torah, but as partners, the Israelites needed to accept and implement these laws.
Furthermore, the group that emerged from Egyptian slavery was not completely comprised of the descendants of Jacob. The Torah says that along with the Israelites came an erev rav (Exodus 12:38), a mixed multitude, people who shared a history but whose backgrounds differed.
Post-Exodus and onwards, the group we think of as Israelites was not a monolithic people, but a diverse group, a point to which I will refer later.
Whatever the purpose, the journey was an important time period that allowed for growth. Over the past few years, the Milwaukee Jewish Federation has been afforded the same opportunity.
In 2010, MJF Executive Vice President Rick Meyer and MJF President Jerry Benjamin initiated the process of Reimagining, an opportunity for the Milwaukee Jewish community to come together to envision how best the MJF can convene the community.
The same year, the MJF commissioned a Milwaukee Jewish community study to gather demographic data necessary to assess how to best serve the Milwaukee Jewish community’s needs.
On the journey, the MJF also transitioned in leadership. Rick Meyer retired, Sheryl Primakow served as interim executive director, and in 2012, the MJF welcomed President/CEO Hannah Rosenthal to the helm.
Through the past three years of transition and journey, the MJF has experienced tremendous growth in its ability to predict, plan for and lead the Jewish community through the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
Milwaukee is not alone in this endeavor. Today, Jewish communities across the world are rethinking their methods of organization in order to maximize development of Jewish identity and ensure Jewish continuity.
Even before the Pew Research Center’s study was released this past October, research and reality showed the organized Jewish community that we must be more responsive to change if we want to be relevant in the future.
I am proud to work for an organization engaged in this progressive conversation and I welcome other agencies, organizations and individuals to participate.
At this point, I will refer back to the mixed multitudes that joined the Israelites on the journey to the Promised Land. Today’s Jewish community is not monolithic. Each person has their own path to how they came to identify as Jewish and that identification varies by individual.
Our diversity has contributed to the richness of our tradition from biblical times until today, and we must be sure that our conversation includes multiple perspectives. The subject at hand is no less than how we can secure a vibrant Jewish community now and into the future.
We are reaching a point where MJF’s journey of transition is ending, and we are called to act. MJF’s action steps include building an inclusive community, engaging the younger generations, developing leaders and strengthening ties to Israel.
It doesn’t matter what your background is or what agency or organization you do or do not represent. What matters moving forward is that we enter the future, the Promised Land, together.
Rabbi Hannah Greenstein is vice president of outreach at the Milwaukee Jewish Federation.
Loading ...