Parsha Va'era

This week, Rabbi Miriam is joined by her former teacher, Father Patrick Moriaty. He share a 90-second video sermon on Parashat Va'era.

Rabbi Miriam reflects:

There aren't many Christian priests who know the word "parasha" but this extraordinary man, Father Patrick Moriarty, does. He taught me religious studies at school, and is in large part responsible for my decision to study Theology, then a bit more Judaism, which led to a bit more Jewish study and a bit more. And here we are.

Father Patrick was the head of a Jewish school for years and knows our community well. I'm proud to call him a friend on a personal and communal level, as well as - always - my teacher.

It's always fascinating seeing the Torah through the eyes of those of other faiths who also treat it as a sacred text. I really appreciate how Father Patrick grapples with our text in parashat Va'era and its stark portrayal of salvation for the good Israelites, and punishment for Pharaoh's wicked Egypt. For anyone who has seen the Prince of Egypt movie, the filmmakers had the same discomfort and reworked the biblical story accordingly. Some call it a distortion of the text... others call it midrash! And by the way, our own commentators make similarly bold revisions.

Shabbat shalom!