The games we play

I started playing a new game this week. It's called Yukon and looks a lot like solitaire, but about seven times more complicated. As in solitaire, you can only put black on red or vice verse and you the only card you can move to an open space is a king. However, on each pile is six cards that you have to sort through in order to win. You can move more than one card at a time, as long as the card at the bottom of the pile you're moving is usable.

The game requires more skill, attention, and brain dexterity than solitaire, and I must always stay a step ahead. If I try to play half-heartedly, I lose quickly. By letting my eyes scan the board and giving each move time, I simply feel my way through the card game. Not every game concludes in a win (in fact, I've only won twice in the 22 games I've played-although it feels like more), but there is a sense of puzzle unscrambling that leaves me content when I press the symbol for a new game.

This week, something else new occurred; not just in my life, but in that of the Jewish people. This week marks the beginning of reading the next book of the Torah, Shemot. We have finally gotten to the content and have begun to meet the characters who will lead us through the next four books. Consequently, we are faced with both their flaws and positive characteristics and must make our own decisions as to their true character.

Just like in a game, we must acquaint ourselves with the rules of this new game, this new story, the new pace at which the Torah tells the tale. We must know that Moses has a speech problem, as he tells God, בי אדוני לא איש דברים (Shemot 4:10), I am not a man of things/words and notice the trouble God goes to in order to convince Moses that he is indeed God (the burning bush, turning Moses's hand leperous and back, turning the man's staff into a snake and back (ibid 3:2, 4:2-4, 6-7).

The foundation that must be laid in order to ensure the story makes sense and that the right people are included is immense. In fact, the parsha doesn't even really begin until the eight verse, where Moses himself is finally mentioned. Before that, we are given a listing of all the family of Jacob who remained alive in Egypt after his passing. This naming is an example of not following the rules, or simply making them up as one goes along. A commentary from the Lubavitcher Rabbi, used by chabad of California, suggests that names have such an important meaning because they are our identity. Especially in the Torah, where a person's name often describes some aspect of his character, this list represents the unflappability of the Jewish people. They don't make their names more Egyptian, nor are they boastful of them. Rather, they demonstrate their steadfast loyalty to their Jewish identity.

We too are living within a game, but one that may seem mundane on a daily basis. Take for example my lack of feeling in general for this coming Shabbat. It didn't hold much excitement and I was feeling down. Yet, as life threw many curveballs at me as I attempted to navigate the trip (forgetting shoes and food at school), I realized that in the end, this simply allowed me to prepare to welcome Shabbat. Now, I am looking forward to the quiet that Shabbat offers and the reflection that usually accompanies it.

Moses was lacking noise in his life and God definitely brought in color. Slowly, Moses gets used to his role in power, as I got used to my experience of figuring out the details of both my trip to Jerusalem and this card game. My prayer for this coming week is that you accept the game in your life and ensure that you have set a sturdy foundation, that you understand the rules (or are at least willing to adapt to them as necessary).