Table for Five: Beshalach
One verse, five voices. Edited by Salvador Litvak, the Accidental Talmudist
It came to pass when Pharaoh let the people go, that God did not lead them [by] way of the land of the Philistines for it was near, because God said, Lest the people reconsider when they see war and return to Egypt. -Ex. 13:17
Rabbi Elchanan Shoff
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“God didn’t lead them [by] way of the land of the Philistines ki karov hu.” “For it was near” is certainly a fair translation of “ki karov hu.” Daas Zekenim, a medieval commentary on Torah offers another reading. “Ki karov hu,” actually means, “because he (Israel) is [His] close relative.” They cite Psalms (148:14) “the Israelites, His nation, [His] close relative.”
Esther Rbibo on How to Talk to Kids About Anti-Semitism
Esther Rbibo
A well-intentioned relative recently emailed me an article about the attack in Monsey, N.Y. He also sent a copy to my 12-year-old daughter. I perused the story, which included graphic details. I then deleted the email to my daughter on her computer. (I also emailed him to let him know what I had done and why.) I don’t usually do this sort of thing. But I thought it was too much for my sensitive kid. Was I being overprotective?
Like many parents, I struggle with how to support my children and talk to them about anti-Semitism and an increase in hate crimes, including the ransacking of Nessah Synagogue in Beverly Hills and anti-Semitic graffiti appearing in various places around Los Angeles.
Back to School 2020: Local Jewish Day Schools Have Plans for Both Distance and In-Person Learning
Most local private schools, including Jewish schools, resume at the end of August. But this year is anything but normal. Principals and administrators have spent much of the summer ironing out multiple plans to return, whether in-person, online, or some combination of the two. That’s because no one knew whether kids would be back in school; in school but in smaller groups; in ‘pods’ as they are known; or ‘distance learning’ from home.
As of press time, it was expected that all students in first through 12th grades would start the year at home. (Kindergarten students are legally allowed to learn in-person but it is up to individual schools whether to do so). Fortunately, schools have had several months of practice with distance learning.
Fighting a Virus: Local Community Mobilizes Over Coronavirus
On March 8, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued a statement saying that a Los Angeles resident who attended the America Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference in Washington, D.C., from March 1-3, tested positive for the novel coronavirus COVID-19. Last week, two other attendees from New York were diagnosed with the virus.
However, unlike the New York attendees who were reported to have had the virus before attending the conference, according to an email sent to parents at Gindi Maimonides Academy in West Los Angeles, Los Angeles County officials told the school the L.A. attendee contracted the virus at AIPAC.