Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

On Wednesday in the U.S., a new president was inaugurated. In the ceremony, President Joe Biden raised his right (strong) hand, took an oath of office, and rested his left (weaker) hand on a Bible.

This presidential ritual reminds me of the Mitzvah of Tefillin. Two of the four Biblical references are found in this week's portion, Parshat Bo. 

We are taught that God freed the Israelites with a strong hand. While the verse speaks metaphorically about God, we Jews bind the Tefillin with our strong hand and wear it on our weak hand. Thus, right handed people don Tefillin on the left hand. Left handed people don Tefillin on the right hand. Based on the juxtaposition of  "You shall bind" followed by  "You shall write (referring to the Mezuzah)," the writing hand is considered the strong hand in Jewish law.

I pray that our usage of Tefillin and the president's oath of office result in fulfilling our sacred tasks with faith, truth, honesty, and transparency.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Howard Morrison