The opening of Shemot (Exodus) marks the transition from Jews as a family to a nation. It is thus shocking to realize that the first one to identify us as a nation was Pharoah. What does it mean to be defined by those who hate us? By a history of oppression, by who opposes us and by what and whom we oppose? How can we understand ourselves not just as a people, an “am,” but rather as a “kehilah,” a community with a shared vision and mission? Rabbi Dov Linzer explains.
#ParshaWisdom - Shemot - Who (or What) Defines Us As a People?