Sephardic Minyan Bar Yochai, Sunnyvale, California

1972

In the Paracha Vaéra (וארא-and I appeared), Exodus 6: 2-9: 35, God turns out to Moses and promises to end the slavery of the Hebrews. To force Pharaoh to release them, The Lord sends a series of wounds.

Exodus 7:17
הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי מַכֶּה בַּמַּטֶּה אֲשֶׁר-בְּיָדִי, עַל-הַמַּיִם אֲשֶׁר בַּיְאֹר–וְנֶהֶפְכוּ לְדָם.
Behold, I am going to strike the waters of the Nile with the stick that I have in my hand, and they will turn to blood.

This transformation of the waters into blood is the first of the seven plagues mentioned in this parsha.

Sunnyvale is a city located in Silicon Valley. It houses the Synagogue Bar Yohai Sephardic Minyan, which is the center of an Orthodox community of more than 100 people. The synagogue is on the campus of the South Peninsula Hebrew Day School (SPHDS), which provides Jewish education to more than 250 children in the region.

Blood-red waters:
Sunnyvale is known for its proximity to the San Francisco Bay Salt Ponds, which were created during the Gold Rush era. These salt marshes are particularly visible from the air due to their bright colors, ranging from red to green-blue. These colors are the result of marine life, shrimp, algae and microorganisms, which thrive in the different salinity levels of the tanks.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *