By Cantor Zöe Jacobs

At the turn of the 20th Century, George Santayana, the Spanish-born American philosopher, taught; “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”. This quote is inscribed on a plaque at Auschwitz concentration camp. Just a week before the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, and in a time when the need to fact-check and learn from history dominates the news, there is a message here that we must hear and take to heart.

This week, we begin reading the book of Exodus, and recount the story that most impacts who we are as a people; the story of our Exodus from slavery to freedom, which sets us on our journey to the Promised Land.

Only eight verses into Exodus, we are told: “A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph.” (Ex 1:8)

How this is possible? Joseph had worked with the King (Pharaoh) to save Egypt from famine, rising to become Prime Minister. Such was Joseph’s status that his father, Jacob, was honoured with a state funeral. Yet Exodus begins with this stark reminder: when we do not remember the past, we are doomed to repeat tragic mistakes.

And then, in the very next chapter, we are introduced to the greatest leader of our people: Moshe Rabbeinu – Moses, our teacher.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks writes that “the story of Moses is one of the great narratives of hope in the literature of humankind.” In these difficult times, we could certainly use such a narrative. Here are some of the places we can find it in Sh’mot, this first portion of the book of Exodus.

Firstly, it is impossible to miss the number of significant, named women who ensure Moses’s survival. From the midwives, Shifra and Pu’ah, who help save Israelite babies by acting with moral courage while avoiding direct defiance of Pharaoh’s orders, to Yocheved, who works within the system to raise her child and ensure he knows his story, to Pharaoh’s daughter, who boldly saves a baby she must know is an Israelite. These remarkable women teach us how to respond to authoritarianism with courage and humanity.

Moses also teaches us about the importance of paying attention to humanity and the world around us. A Midrash on this parsha (Sh’mot Rabbah 2:2) describes Moses’s life as a Shepherd: noticing that one sheep that had gone astray, Moses sought it out, carrying it back into the flock on his shoulders.

Furthermore, in this very portion, God sees that Moses “turned aside” to notice the burning bush (Ex 3:2-4). It is at that moment that Moses is chosen to become our leader. Among a people described as “stiff-necked”, Moses stands out by turning his head and observing the world around him.

In a time when we so desperately need the strength and warmth of community, we must learn from Moses’s example – his desire to care for every member of his flock. We should reflect on how we engage with each other and the world. We, too, must turn our heads, listen to one another, and fight to hold our communities together.

We are destined to re-read this story and to seek our own message. “Turn it and turn it for everything is in it” (Pirkei Avot 5:22). Why do we return to the text time and again? Not because the text changes, but because we do.

As we spend this week fervently hoping for the safe return of the hostages, I pray that we will also learn from history. As we begin this journey of Exodus, may we come together as one community, united on a journey toward a better future.

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