From the Pulpit

Rabbi Mordechai Levin, Beth El Synagogue

Have you seen a burning bush recently? The Hebrew Bible describes the first divine revelation to Moses with a remarkable scene. Tending his flock in the wilderness, Moses arrived at a mountain, Horeb, and unexpectedly saw an amazing sight that defied nature's laws. A bush was ablaze, yet the fire did not consume the bush. God told Moses to remove his shoes as a sign of respect because he was standing on holy ground, and told him that he would be his envoy to Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of slavery.

In the desert, a flaming bush was not an unusual sight. But according to the story, this bush was different: It was not consumed. Others probably passed by the bush and failed to perceive that it defied natural law. The text says that Moses paid attention and became aware of what was happening in front of him.

Each one of us stands in front of our own “burning bush.” It is not literally a bush, and it is not on fire. It is something meaningful standing or happening right before our eyes. It may be our loved ones or friends, a newborn baby or a life at its sunset. It may be a moment of revelation, an instant of insight when we become enlightened about something that we did not understand before. It may be a moment in which we feel the presence of God in our lives. There are amazing things in front of us, if we only open our eyes to see them as Moses did.

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