Slavery. The story of the Exodus from Egypt is universal and it is epic and it is an archetype that spans across the centuries. It is a deeply personal story. The Children of Israel stand at the edge of the wilderness and beckon us to become a part of a mixed multitude marching toward freedom. Their march, their courage and their doubt, touch our well-protected self, which tugs and pokes around our soul.
Excerpt from Omer: A Counting by Rabbi Karyn D. Kedar
Over and over again we are commanded to love the stranger in our midst. Because of our collective consciousness we know the plight of the stranger and we empathize with the fear and longing for roots and the tragedy of simply not belonging. As we enter into this seven-week counting of the Omer, let those who are invisible among us become visible to our hearts. Let us find a way to make our country compassionate, tolerant and a place where loving-kindness, chesed, is the law of the land. We stand with Ruth.
Rabbi Karyn Kedar is the Senior Rabbi at B’nai Jehoshua Beth Elohim in Deerfield, IL. She is the author of Omer: A Counting, as well as many other publications.
Each week of the Omer, Rabbis Organizing Rabbis will post a piece in the series, We Stand With Ruth.
One reply on “We Stand With Ruth: An Omer Series from Rabbis Organizing Rabbis”
Being a First Generation American, and born in a refugee camp, I heartily agree with your message.
But when half the population of the earth lives with an income of under $5 a day, and so many are oppressed both nearby and far away, let as also allow them to yearn to be free, and do not prefer simply those that are near by or have reached us without our assent.
Leon