This week's Torah portion, Bo, places us deep in the dramatic arc of the Exodus. The final plagues strike Egypt, Pharaoh finally relents, and the Israelites prepare for freedom. Yet what stood out to me in re-reading this portion was the verse that focuses on legacy and learning.
As the Israelites are commanded to prepare the Passover offering, the Torah anticipates a future conversation: "And when your children ask you, 'What do you mean by this rite?'" (Exodus 12:26). Redemption is not meant to be a story locked in the past. It is meant to be retold, explained, and made meaningful again and again for the next generation. Our freedom endures only if we teach it.
This verse reminds us that Jewish continuity depends on curiosity and response. Children ask, and adults are obligated to answer—not with silence or shortcuts, but with stories, rituals, and meaning. Education is not a one-time transmission of facts; it is an ongoing relationship across generations.
One of the ways that we ensure the endurance of our stories is by having built in ways of telling them over and over. The Exodus story is perhaps the one that we tell the most. Bo commands us to observe Passover, and tell the story at its own dedicated holiday. But also, every time we pray, we sing of our freedom with Mi Chamocha. And we get multiple Torah portions that tell the story every year, and blockbuster movies to boot!
One of the most powerful tools we have for the transmission of story is music. Long before words are fully understood, melodies are felt and remembered. Songs carry history, values, and emotion in ways that transcend age, language, and time. A tune learned in childhood can resurface decades later, instantly reconnecting us to a moment, a community, or a belief. One of the greatest privileges of being a cantor is using music to help people access their memories and build new ones. One of the ways that we are really demonstrating L'dor Vador- from generation to generation- is our new music madrichim program. I am working with eight teenage song leaders to lead and teach music in our J-Quest program and with our youth choir, Shir Joy.
Another way that we are continuing the chain of transmission of music and story is by celebrating the musical influences in my life. For Shabbat Shira on the 30th, the Shabbat of Song, my musical collaborator from Santa Fe, Fred Milder, is coming out for a very special service featuring his original jazzy compositions. Our choir has really been enjoying sinking their teeth into his rhythms. And next Saturday, the 31st, we will also celebrate my current musical collaborator, Fred Kagan, who is hosting a wonderful house concert featuring both Fred's!
We can't wait to celebrate the timeless power of music with you. Just as the Israelites sang at the Sea, we continue to sing our story—teaching our children who we are and where we come from. Through questions, answers, and song, we ensure that the journey from slavery to freedom is never forgotten.