This week’s parasha, Beshalach, tells the story of Pharaoh finally allowing the Israelites to leave Egypt—only to change his mind and pursue them. It includes one of the most dramatic moments in the Torah: the Israelites standing at the edge of the Red Sea, trapped between the waters before them and Pharaoh’s army closing in behind them. Their reactions were filled with uncertainty, fear, and despair—except, as the Midrash teaches, for one man, Nachshon ben Aminadav.
Nachshon had a faith so deep that he stepped into the sea before it split. As the story goes, when the water reached his neck, the miracle occurred and the sea parted. (Sotah 37a, Mechilta d’Rabbi Yishmael).
Journaling is one of my most cherished spiritual practices; in one of my journaling pages, I wrote: “May I have the faith of Nachshon.”
THE FAITH-HOPE CONNECTION
Faith the ability to believe– in the darkest of times– that the light will one day shine again. Having faith is the quiet certainty that we are held, guided, and connected to something greater than ourselves.
Hope is the candle that continues to burn even when we are lost in the dark. It is a choice we can make on a daily basis. Choosing hope doesn’t mean ignoring pain or pretending challenges don’t exist. It means believing in the possibility that things will be better tomorrow than they are today. Choosing hope is like lighting a candle on a dark night—it doesn’t erase the night, but it makes the path visible. Every time we choose hope, we become bearers of light, illuminating not only our own journey but also the paths of those around us.
My friend, Rabbi Neil Brief ז״ל, whose yartzeit is next week, introduced me to the concept of gematria, known in English as numerology: the practice of assigning a numerical value to a name, word or phrase by reading it as a number. Rabbi Brief had the remarkable ability to calculate the numeric value of any word (where A=1, B=2, …, Z=26) instantaneously. He enjoyed looking for words with identical numeric values and tried to understand the relationship between them. One of the word pairs he often spoke about was faith and hope:
Faith = 44
Hope = 44
Rabbi Brief would say that having the identical numeric value symbolizes the deep connection between faith and hope—both are essential for resilience, spiritual growth, and finding light in difficult times. Faith grounds us and hope lifts us, and they both can help us navigate life’s challenges and find meaning in our journey.
One of my favorite parts of this parasha– Mi Chamocha— is familiar because it is a part of our Shabbat services; the song of heartfelt gratitude the Israelites sing after God parts the waters of the Red Sea and allows them to cross on dry land.
מִֽי־כָמֹ֤כָה בָּֽאֵלִם֙ יְהֹוָ֔ה מִ֥י כָּמֹ֖כָה נֶאְדָּ֣ר בַּקֹּ֑דֶשׁ נוֹרָ֥א תְהִלֹּ֖ת עֹ֥שֵׂה פֶֽלֶא:
Who is like You, Adonai? Who is like You, powerful in holiness? Too awesome for praises, performing wonders! (Exodus 15:11)
My prayer, Heartsong, was inspired by parashat Beshalach.
Heartsong
Eternal Protector—
Grant me the courage to enter
the waters of the unknown,
and the faith to believe You will always provide a path.
When I am stumbling across the desert of uncertainty and despair,
help me remember that You accompanied my ancestors
as they journeyed from slavery to freedom—
and that You are with me, too.
OPEN MY EYES
That I may see the miracles surrounding me.
OPEN MY LIPS
that my soul’s deep-seated gratitude
may burst forth in song.
OPEN MY HEART
that the notes I sing may become part
of the canvas of my prayer.
Heartsong is part of my collection of illustrated parasha prayers.
In addition to writing prayers inspired by the parashiyot, I often write prayers in response to what is going on in the world, and in my heart. Be the Light is my latest prayer.
Be the Light
In these tumultuous times
may the belief that
we can, we must, and we will
make a difference
inspire us to choose hope,
to build community
and to take action.
In Choosing Hope
may we bolster our ability
to be present to
the brokenness of our world
the wholeness of our souls
and the power of our prayers.
May our hearts remain open to possibility
and may we Be the Light
that helps dispel the darkness.
I know that many of you share my passion for journaling, and so I thought I’d share some journaling inspiration.
JOURNALING QUESTIONS:
What are you doing to stay hopeful right now?
When feeling trapped between a “sea” and a “Pharaoh”, what tools do you use to stay grounded?
How can you use your innate gifts to illuminate the darkness?
Please let me know if you’d like me to include journaling questions in future blog posts– you can leave a comment in the box at the top of the blog. And, you are welcome to share the blog and invite people to subscribe to my newsletter: www.JoanneFinkJudaica.com.
Keep hope in your heart, and shine your light!
L’shalom,
Joanne
Your art, your writing, your wisdom is speaking directly to my heart and my soul.
What’s funny is that I’ve been trying to write some similar to this all day long and you have inspired me to sit down and actually try to do it.
Thank you for being late and reminding us that “we can, we must, and we will. . .”
Looks like I have some work to do.
Shabbat Shalom with love, laughter got, and blessings,
Chava
I enjoyed reading this, you’ve covered everything so well.
Thank you. “ Faith grounds us and hope lifts us, and they both can help us navigate life’s challenges and find meaning in our journey.” 🙏
Joanne. I am so glad to see that you are blogging again. You are always so inspiring with your words and your art. I love the journaling prompts. While I may or may not journal, your prompts always give me something to think about and take to heart.
This is such a well-written post—thank you for sharing!