by Rona Weinstein In Parashat T’rumah, our ancestors are still in the desert leading what I imagine to be physically-challenging lives. It comes as a startling surprise, at least to me, when God proposes that Moses take charge of one of the most complex building projects of all time.

by Dara Amram Parashat Mishpatim begins a section of the Torah, the Book of the Covenant. It expands upon last week’s Parashat Yitro and presents the basic laws comprising a just society.  This includes laws, ritual instructions, and moral exhortation. It starts by going right into the social justice code of the Torah. There are two understandings of our relationship between us and God. We undertake to accept God's laws, but we also accept a responsibility for the welfare of our fellow Jew. This week's parashah is the focus on that second responsibility, that of caring for each other. If we don't care for the welfare of the other, then we've failed to maintain our own social justice. The Torah is clearly telling us that we have a responsibility to include anyone into society even a Jew that we would have a reason to exclude.

by Sharon Zydney This week’s Torah portion, Yitro (Exodus 18:1-20:23) is by many considered the classic leadership parashah, outlining just how important it was (and still is) to share the burden and, as a leader, to not act alone. Yitro, after observing his son-in-law Moses being overwhelmed by the number of people coming to him for advice, proclaims that the “task is too heavy for you, you cannot do it alone (18:18).” To ease his burden, Yitro proposes a hierarchy with groupings in “thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens” and instructs Moses to find “capable men who fear God, trustworthy men who spurn ill-gotten gain (18:21).”

by Soozi Waxman This week’s Torah portion is B’shalach from Exodus 13:17-17:18. It begins with Pharaoh letting the Israelites go, then Moses leading them the long way instead of through the land of the Philistines, Pharaoh changing his mind and going after the Israelites, the Sea of Reeds parting and the Israelites crossing on dry land, Miriam with her timbriel singing with the women, and so many more!

by Robin Sobol No matter how bad things appear to be, somehow they will get better. This week’s Torah portion concludes the story of the Ten Plagues by teaching us about locusts, darkness, and the slaying of the first-born. In the previous week’s parashah, Pharaoh reacted to the first five plagues or signs from God by “stiffening his heart.”  After the fifth sign, God began to harden Pharaoh’s heart. In this parashah, the East wind ushered in a swarm of locusts; darkness came to Egypt, but the Israelites enjoyed light; and all the male first-borns were slayed. Finally, Pharaoh faced a difficult choice and let the Israelites go rather than continuing to sacrifice his people.

by Ellen Petracco This translation was taken from the JPS Tanakh ² God spoke to Moses and said to him, "I am the Lord. ³ I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai, but I did not make Myself known to them by My name YHVH. ⁴ I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. ⁵ I have now heard the moaning of the Israelites because the Egyptians are holding them in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. ⁶ Say, therefore, to the Israelite people: I am the Lord. I will free you from the labors of the Egyptians and deliver you from their bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and through extraordinary chastisements. ⁷ And I will take you to be My people, and I will be your God. And you shall know that I, the Lord, am your God who freed you from the labors of the Egyptians. ⁸ I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession, I the Lord." ⁹ But when Moses told this to the Israelites, they would not listen to Moses, their spirits crushed by cruel bondage. Just as Mosses is entering a new relationship with God, Women of Reform Judaism is entering into a new century of our organization. All year WRJ has been celebrating our Centennial with our sisterhoods. Our women have been very creative in the different ways that were celebrated.

by Andrea T. Cannon Parashat Sh’mot – otherwise known as the Book of Exodus – opens by introducing the story of the people of Israel as a nation. A new Pharaoh has come to power. He has forgotten Joseph’s role in saving Egypt and decides to enslave the Israelites as he is concerned that they have multiplied in size and will take control of Egypt.

by Judith Shor Ning What a delight to share this week’s parashah with you while celebrating Shabbat among my 700 closest friends and thousands (!) of our fellow congregants. We, here in San Diego, wish you could share this Centennial adventure with us. The portion for this week is Va-y’chi (Genesis 47:28-50:26). The end of Genesis, it is both a conclusion and a foreshadowing.

by Renee Morris Roth This week’s parashah, Vayigash, begins with the discovery of a silver goblet in Benjamin’s bag. Joseph insists that Benjamin stay a slave in Egypt and his brothers are to return home to their father. Judah begs Joseph to allow him to stay a slave in Egypt and Benjamin (Jacob’s favorite) to return to his father.