Va'era

One of the ways in which we show our devotion to G'd and Torah is through the placement of mezuzot throughout our homes. Arlene Groch recently started her own webstore featuring her beautiful mezuzot. Arlene Groch has painted, sculpted, and created jewelry for decades. During the past several years polymer clay has been her chosen medium --- and her passion --- because it is incredibly versatile as well as light-weight and durable. Individual pieces may contain Swarovsky crystals, gold filled or sterling silver wire, or other fine materials. The colors, patterns, textures and forms of jewelry and Mezuzah cases you'll see on this site were created by blending the clays to create unique colors, and/or by painting, sculpting, carving, stamping, silk-screening, texturing, curing, sanding and polishing. The design possibilities are endless, thus fostering experimentation and creativity.


In this week's parsha VA'AERA God tells Moses God's true name, Yud - Hey - Vav - Hey, saying that God had appeared to our ancestors as El Shaddai. God promises Moses that He will bring the people forth from Egypt. The people do not listen to Moses because their spirits have been downtrodden. Moses and Aaron go before Pharaoh. Aaron throws down his rod and it turns into a snake. Pharaoh's magicians do the same, turning their rods into snakes, but Aaron's rod swallows their rods.

With this we begin the story of the Ten Plagues. This portion tells the story of the first seven plagues the story of the last three plagues is told next week. Moses and Aaron meet Pharaoh at the Nile River early in the morning. Aaron strikes the river with his rod and the river turns to blood. All the fish die. This plague is followed in this week's reading by frogs, lice, swarms of flies or wild animals, cattle disease, boils, and a fiery hail. Each time Pharaoh hardens his heart, and refuses to let the Israelites go.

The plagues seem to come in sets of three. The first of each three is preceded by Moses asking Pharaoh to let the people go, with a warning about what is to come. The second is done in front of Pharaoh. The third is done outside Pharaoh's presence. The plagues build up towards a climax, ending next week with the slaying of the firstborns.

For the first number of plagues, the Torah says that Pharaoh hardened his heart or the heart of Pharaoh was hardened. Only after the sixth plague does it say that God hardened Pharaoh's heart. It seems that if someone does the wrong act often enough, it becomes second nature, as if God is doing it.

Va-Yakhel

On Matters of the Heart

By Michelle Young

In this week's Torah portion, Vayakhel, Moses assembles the entire Israelite community and tells them what God has commanded. He instructs the people to "take gifts" to God to help create the sacred Mishkan--the Tabernacle. (Exodus 35:4-9) As a result, "Men and women, all whose hearts moved them, all who would make an elevation offering of gold to Adonai, came bringing brooches, earrings, rings, and pendants--gold objects of all kinds." (Exodus 35:22)

The Torah in this instance states that the motivation for the Israelites' actions came from their hearts. Visualizing the many people who, "moved by their hearts," brought their valuables to support the greater needs of the community evokes a striking image. It makes us wonder how were they able to respond so quickly and collectively. What made their hearts quicken?

Our tradition states: "Do not stand too long, for standing too long is harmful to the heart." (Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Baba Batra 16b) A heart that is not used, one that is not active and thus becomes insensitive to the needs and pressures of the outside community, deteriorates and can no longer contribute to the health of the entire body.
What, on the other hand, does having a heart that is moved--or, as various translations indicate, having a heart that is "lifted" or a "willing heart"--mean? Our tradition teaches us about many different aspects of the heart: We read of Pharaoh's heart that was "hardened" toward the Jewish people. We sing the lyrics "So long as still within the innermost heart a Jewish spirit sings… our hope is not lost" in Hatikvah [the national anthem of the State of Israel]. During t'filah (prayer) we pray to love God with all of our heart and with all of our soul.

It is a Yiddish saying, however, that I believe encapsulates the meaning of the heartfelt actions described in Parashat Vayakhel: Di klainer hartz nemt arum di groisseh velt, "The heart is small and embraces the whole wide world."

The heart is indeed small--just the size of a fist--but it helps us cope with the many challenges that we face in our communities. Like this hand tucked inside each of us, the heart has the power to strike like a fist or to gather and embrace like an open hand. It is up to each of us to learn how to move our heart to embrace the world

I love the quote from above During t'filah (prayer) we pray to love God with all of our heart and with all of our soul. It makes me think of mezuzot- again. I guess anything makes me think of mezuzot since I have so many beautiful ones cataloged in my del.icio.us account. These mezuzot I show here today are by the artist
Ira Sherman; he and his wife are Judaica creators although they work in different media. Ira Sherman is an artist of rare versatility and a master of metalsmithing. In all his varied artistic fields of jewelry design, sculpture, architectural metal work and Judaica, there emerges a passion and unique aesthetic that is recognizable in everything he creates. The single mezuzah with the surrounding orb was one of the winners of the 2002 Spertus Prize for Judaica. Enjoy looking