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The Rohingya are the largest minority group in the country of Myanmar. They are the “other.” Their skin color is different, their facial features are different, their language is foreign and they practice Islam as opposed to Buddhism. And Myanmar is blaming all the nation's problems on them.

So, the Rohingya are fleeing and searching for a place to go. Many are going to Bangladesh; however, Bangladesh simply cannot absorb many more refugees. Many are pressing their luck and heading elsewhere, and one family is headed our way this Wednesday. With our help, they will try and start over again in Atlanta.

Our Sinai Community has adopted this family. We do not know much, but we know we have adopted a 20-year old couple with a 1 year old child, and another on the way.

So what do we do? How do we welcome this family into our own on March 21st? For starters, does anyone speak Rohingya? This obscure language is not even on Google translate. We need help communicating. We are asking you to search your networks far and wide to connect us with someone who can translate. There are many other tasks to complete in a very short period of time. If you are interested in helping, we invite you to please email templesinairrf@gmail.com or donate to the Temple Sinai Refugee Relief Fund on our website.

As Jews, we are taught that there are three compartments in our souls: Egypt, the Desert, and the Promised land. As we will see in just a couple of short weeks, Avadim hayinu...We were once slaves in Egypt.

Then, we gained our freedom, but spent 40 years wandering through the desert, looking for our home. It was not an easy time...it was filled with many ups and downs and growing pains until we reached our promised land, the Land of Israel.

I wonder: Why would our Torah tell us that we were wandering, without a home, displaced, for 40 years... if not to teach us something about our lives today, in 2018?

This Passover season, the season of our redemption, may we help others reach their promised land and guide others to a life free from torture, war, famine, and pain. May this be God’s will and our own.