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Parshah Summary – P’shat
The parshah opens with Moses assembling the Children of Israel and reviewing the mitzvah of Shabbat, followed by instructions for constructing the Mishkan (Tabernacle). The Israelites bring the materials for its construction in abundance: gold, silver and copper; blue, purple, and red-dyed wool; goat hair, spun linen, animal skins, wood, olive oil, herbs and precious stones. They actually bring too much, and Moses has to tell them to stop.
A team of “wise-hearted” artisans build the Mishkan and its furnishings (as described in the previous Torah readings of Terumah, Tetzaveh, and Ki Tisa): three layers of roof coverings; 48 gold-plated wall panels, and 100 silver foundation sockets; the parokhet (veil) that separates between the Sanctuary’s two chambers, and the masakh (screen) at the fron, the ark, and its cover with the cherubim; the table and its showbread; the seven-branched menorah with its specially prepared oil; the golden altar and the incense burned upon it; the anointing oil; the outdoor altar for burnt offerings and all its implements; the hangings, posts and foundation sockets for the courtyard; and the basin with its pedestal, made out of copper mirrors…
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
וַיַּקְהֵ֣ל מֹשֶׁ֗ה אֶֽת־כׇּל־עֲדַ֛ת בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֑ם אֵ֚לֶּה הַדְּבָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֥ה יְיְ לַעֲשֹׂ֥ת אֹתָֽם׃ שֵׁ֣שֶׁת יָמִים֮ תֵּעָשֶׂ֣ה מְלָאכָה֒ וּבַיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י יִהְיֶ֨ה לָכֶ֥ם קֹ֛דֶשׁ שַׁבַּ֥ת שַׁבָּת֖וֹן לַיי כׇּל־הָעֹשֶׂ֥ה ב֛וֹ מְלָאכָ֖ה יוּמָֽת׃ Moses assembled the whole assembly of the Children of Israel, and said to them: These are the things that Hashem has commanded you to do: On six days work may be done, but on the seventh day, it shall be for you sacred; a Sabbath of Sabbaths for the Divine; whoever does any work on it shall die… - Shemot (Exodus) 35:1, 2 Parshat Vayak’hel
The Maggid of Zlotchov taught on this verse in which Moses is recounting the giving of the Ten Commandments: אָ֠נֹכִ֠י עֹמֵ֨ד בֵּין־יְהֹ–וָ֤ה וּבֵֽינֵיכֶם֙ – “I stood between the Divine and you…” -Devarim (Deutermonomy) 5:5.
“The ‘I’ stands between God and us; when you say ‘I,’ a wall stands between you and the Divine. But for one who offers the ‘I’ – there is no barrier. And this is what the words in the Song of Songs are referring to: אֲנִ֣י לְדוֹדִ֔י וְעָלַ֖י תְּשׁוּקָתֽוֹ – I am my beloved’s and his desire is toward me – when my ‘I’ has become my beloved’s, then it is toward me that His desire turns.” The “Beloved” is nothing other than Reality; everything is God. Each moment we remember that everything is God, we are instantly and effortlessly reunited with the Beloved. It is not that God has gone anywhere; there is nothing but God, only you have become used to It. It is like walking with a lover, hand in hand. At first, you are on fire with love. But, if you keep walking, at some point you start to think about something else. Eventually you wouldn’t even notice that you are holding hands. To be reunited, in such a case, is to become aware of what is already present – this is meditation. שֵׁ֣שֶׁת יָמִים֮ תֵּעָשֶׂ֣ה מְלָאכָה֒ – Six days shall work be done… It doesn’t say, “six days you shall work (ta’ase),” but rather “six days work shall be done (te’ase).” The passive form hints that a person should not identify with the work; there should be no sense of “I am doing this work.” וּבַיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י יִהְיֶ֨ה לָכֶ֥ם קֹ֛דֶשׁ שַׁבַּ֥ת שַׁבָּת֖וֹן – and on the seventh day, it should be for you sacred; a Sabbath of Sabbaths . . . It doesn’t say there should be a Sabbath among the weekdays, but rather a Sabbath among Sabbaths! Meaning, even the weekdays should be Sabbaths, in a sense. Work is being done, but there should be no sense of a “me” doing the work. There is only the One doer, and the One includes all the different beings doing their different jobs. That’s why one of the Divine Names is Elohim, which is a plural word, meaning “powers.” God is the Oneness of the many. שַׁבַּ֥ת שַׁבָּת֖וֹן לַיי כׇּל־הָעֹשֶׂ֥ה ב֛וֹ מְלָאכָ֖ה יוּמָֽת׃ – A Sabbath of Sabbaths to the Divine – all who work on it shall die… On the surface it seems to be saying that if a person does work on Shabbat they will die or be executed. But there is a different way to read the verse: not whoever does work on it, shall die, but rather, whoever does work, on it shall die. In other words, the “doer” of work during the week – the “I” that thinks it is the doer – should “die” on Shabbat. That is its gift and power – once you are able to “put yourself to death” as the “doer” on Shabbat, this also opens the possibility of dis-identifying with the “doer” on weekdays as well. Then all of life is Shabbat – that is liberation… How do you do it? Whenever you do anything, you can remind yourself: your strength is a gift. Your intelligence is a gift. Even the desire to do anything at all is a gift. It all comes from Beyond; everything comes into being through an infinite string of efforts from a vast עֲדַת adat – an assembly of countless beings… וַיַּקְהֵ֣ל מֹשֶׁ֗ה אֶֽת־כׇּל־עֲדַ֛ת – Moses assembled the whole assembly… And yet, there is only one person who can command this awareness from you, and that is you! That’s the paradox – you must be like Moses, assembling the entire assembly of Being before your mind in each moment. This is ע ayin – seeing the deeper Reality; the One that both includes and transcends the Many…
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Parshah Summary – P’shat
The parshah opens with Moses taking a census of the Children of Israel. Each person who is counted must contribute a makhazit hashekel – a half shekel of silver to the Sanctuary. Instructions are also given regarding the making of the Sanctuary’s water basin, anointing oil and incense. The “wise-hearted” artisans Betzalel and Aholiav are singled out as possessing hokhmat halev – “wisdom of the heart” – and are placed in charge of the Sanctuary’s construction.
Moses does not return when expected from Mount Sinai. The people lose faith, and make themselves a golden calf to worship. Hashem grows angry and proposes to destroy the errant nation, but Moses prays for them. Moses descends from the mountain carrying the edut – the “tablets of the testimony” engraved with the Ten Commandments. But when he sees the people dancing about their idol, he breaks the tablets, and destroys the golden calf. But then he pleads once again with God: “If You will not forgive them, blot me out from the book that You have written.” Hashem forgives them, but says that the effect will be felt for many generations, and as they continue their journey, Hashem will not be with them; only an angel will accompany them. But, Moses pleads that Hashem to continue to accompany them on their journey to the promised land. Moses then prepares a new set of tablets himself (as opposed the first set which were inscribed by God). On the mountain, Moses is also granted a vision of the “Thirteen Attributes of Compassion.” When Moses returns, his face is so radiant that he must cover it with a veil, which he removes only to speak with God and to teach Torah to the people.
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
כִּ֣י תִשָּׂ֞א אֶת־רֹ֥אשׁ בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֮ לִפְקֻדֵיהֶם֒ וְנָ֨תְנ֜וּ אִ֣ישׁ כֹּ֧פֶר נַפְשׁ֛וֹ לַיהֹוָ֖ה בִּפְקֹ֣ד אֹתָ֑ם וְלֹא־יִהְיֶ֥ה בָהֶ֛ם נֶ֖גֶף בִּפְקֹ֥ד אֹתָֽם׃ When you take a census of the Children of Israel according to their numbers, each shall give an atonement for their soul to the Divine when they are counted, so that there will not be a plague among them when they are counted… - Shemot (Exodus) 30:12, Parshat Ki Tisa
A disciple asked Rabbi Yekhiel Mikhal, the Maggid of Zlotchov: “Why is it that humility is the most important virtue, yet the Torah doesn’t command us to be humble? It only says that Moses was the most humble of men, but it doesn’t ever say that humility is a mitzvah.
“That’s because,” replied the master, “if humility were a mitzvah, we wouldn’t be able to accomplish it; we would end up having pride in our humility!” The essential quality of authentic spirituality involves wholeheartedly meeting Reality as it appears, on its own terms – which is to say, meeting the Divine in whatever happens. The opposite of this is ego, which instead is concerned with how things conform or don’t conform to our ideas of how we think things should be. In this evaluating of everything not on its own terms, but in relation only to the “me” of thoughts, opinions, and feelings, the ego centers itself as the main character in the story. To accomplish the task of transcending ego and meeting the Divine, that is, meeting Reality on its own terms, religion provides many traditions and devices, but the irony is that the ego can co-opt all of these for its own self-bolstering purpose. Thus, according to the maggid, humility must remain free from being a mitzvah; it cannot become a quantifiable task to be accomplished; it is at a level higher than any particular religious practice. וְלֹא־יִֽהְיֶ֥ה בָהֶ֛ם נֶ֖גֶף בִּפְקֹ֥ד אֹתָֽם: – … then there will be no plague among them when they are counted… The ego wants to “count” – there is a self-image to maintain; this is the נֶ֖גֶף negef, the root plague of being human… זֶ֣ה יִתְּנ֗וּ כָּל־הָֽעֹבֵר֙ עַל־הַפְּקֻדִ֔ים מַֽחֲצִ֥ית הַשֶּׁ֖קֶל... תְּרוּמָ֖ה לַֽיהֹ–וָֽה: This they shall give, all who pass through the counting: a half a shekel … an offering to the Divine. The ego is insatiable, never satisfied for long, because it is by nature incomplete; it is only a “half shekel.” The only way to become complete and avert the “plague” is to make it תְּרוּמָ֖ה לַֽיהֹ–וָֽה t’rumah Lashem – an “offering” to the Divine. How to do that? Notice within that impulse to “be” something – to be recognized, to be validated, to be seen in a certain way. Let that impulse be there, but don’t buy into it; don’t give the ego any reality. Recognize that it is just a bundle of thoughts and feelings.; this is meditation. Offer it up: “Oh Hashem, I am only here to serve your purpose; let me be in alignment with You so that I make partake in your Wholeness.” This is prayer. In that letting go of the incomplete self into the One through meditation, there can arise a Completeness that is not dependent any particular thing, but it emerges and blossoms as a quality of awareness – this is represented by the letter ג gimel, which describes the Divine as Gadol – Great, Vast, Transcendent, Whole. And as a counterpoint to this recognition of the Divine as Gadol, is a recognizing of the ego-self as katan – small, temporary, receiving its Being from the Greater Reality. This is humility – the antidote to ego, creating a fertile field from which gratitude can sprout; these are represented by the sefirah of Hod: humility and gratitude.
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Parshah Summary – P’shat
The parshah opens with the commandment (Tetzaveh, “you shall command”) that the Children of Israel should bring pure olive oil to kindle the Ner Tamid – the “everlasting flame” of the Menorah, which Aaron is to kindle each day, “from evening till morning…”
The priestly garments, to be worn by the kohanim while serving in the Sanctuary, are then described: 1) the ketonet – linen tunic; 2) the mikh-nasayim – linen breeches; 3) the mitznefet or mig-ba’at – linen turban; and 4) the avnet – a long sash wound above the waist. In addition, the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) wore: 5) the efod--an apron-like garment made of blue, purple, and red-dyed wool, linen, and gold thread; 6) the hoshen—a breastplate containing twelve precious stones inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; 7) the me-il—a cloak of blue wool, with gold bells and decorative pomegranates on its hem; and 8) the tzitz—a golden plate worn on the forehead, bearing the inscription “Holy to Hashem.” The parshah also describes instructions for the seven-day initiation of Aaron and his four sons—Nadav, Avihu, Elazar and Itamar—into the priesthood, and for the making of the golden altar, upon which the ketoret (incense) was burned.
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
וְאַתָּ֞ה תְּצַוֶּ֣ה אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְיִקְח֨וּ אֵלֶ֜יךָ שֶׁ֣מֶן זַ֥יִת זָ֛ךְ כָּתִ֖ית לַמָּא֑וֹר לְהַעֲלֹ֥ת נֵ֖ר תָּמִֽיד׃ You shall instruct the Children of Israel to bring you oil of olives, pure, crushed for illumination, to kindle a continuous flame… - Shemot (Exodus) 27:20, Parshat Tetzaveh
Someone once told me that she hadn’t done anything of value in her life, that she had messed up so much that her life was worthless. I encouraged her to notice that those were unhelpful thoughts, that she didn’t have to “buy in” to those thoughts.
“But it’s TRUE!” she insisted. “What is true,” I said, “is that those thoughts are present, the feelings that come with those thoughts are present, the sense of your body breathing right now is present, the sound of my voice is present… that is TRUE.” She started to relax a little bit, barukh Hashem, because as we know, she could have punched in the mouth instead. When a person is captivated by thoughts and feelings, it is not always helpful to point it out; one has to be ready for that kind of pointing. We may or may not be able to help another person get free from the web of ego, but there is one person we can always help – and that is ourselves. Notice: there is, right now, an Absolute Truth, and that is the Truth of whatever is arising in your experience, in this moment. The point of this Truth, however, is not necessarily the experience; the point is noticing that you are noticing; the point realizing that you are the awareness that notices. When you can see clearly – here is a thought, here is a feeling, here is a sensation – then there can be this profound shift in your identity: you are not trapped by any thought or feeling. You are the openness within which this moment unfolds. This is freedom from the constriction and angst of ego, represented by Mitzrayim, slavery in Egypt. And from this perspective of inner freedom, then you can easily inquire: is this or that thought helpful? Is this or that thought destructive? Spiritual teachings often come in diametrically opposed pairs. There’s a teaching of the Hasidic master, Rabbi Simkha Bunim, that everyone should carry two slips of paper, one in each pocket. On one should be written, “I am but dust and ashes,” (Genesis 18:27) and on the second, “For me the world was created.” (Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin, 37b) As one goes through life, one should develop the wisdom to know when to take out which slip of paper. Could there be more diametrically opposed messages? How could both these statements be true? The point is, our thoughts are not “true” or “not true,” they are either useful or not useful. From a spiritual point of view, they are useful if they move us from ego to freedom, from resistance and resignation to acceptance and empowerment. This is important. Yes, acceptance means letting go and letting things be as they are (“I am but dust and ashes.”) But that doesn’t mean passivity or weakness; often, it means the acceptance of responsibility (“For me the world was created.”) This moment, this situation, as it is right now, is. How shall we respond? Shall we turn away, deny and ignore? Or, shall we address this moment as it is and step up to what must be done? This too is acceptance, this too is freedom – not freedom from responsibility, but freedom from resistance to accepting the responsibility that has come to you. There is a hint in this verse: וְאַתָּ֞ה תְּצַוֶּ֣ה אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְיִקְח֨וּ אֵלֶ֜יךָ שֶׁ֣מֶן זַ֥יִת זָ֛ךְ כָּתִ֖ית לַמָּא֑וֹר לְהַעֲלֹ֥ת נֵ֖ר תָּמִֽיד: You shall instruct the Children of Israel to take for you oil of olives, pure, crushed, for illumination, to kindle a continuous flame... On the literal level, this is an instruction for operating the Menorah, the ritual lamp in the Mishkan, the Tabernacle in the wilderness. But on a deeper level, there is an interesting feature about this verse: on one hand, the olive oil is being used to kindle a flame, but on the other hand, the flame is called ner tamid – a continuous flame – implying that it’s already burning. This is a wonderful metaphor for consciousness. On one hand, as human beings, we are already conscious. The oil is already burning so to speak – the ner tamid, the continuous flame of our consciousness, is the space within which these words are being perceived right now. The question is, are you conscious of your consciousness? You are already aware, but are you aware that you are the awareness? שֶׁ֣מֶן זַ֥יִת זָ֛ךְ כָּתִ֖ית לַמָּא֑וֹר... Olive oil, pure, crushed for illumination… To wake up from the dream of ego, to become aware on this deeper level, we have to purify awareness from its identification with thoughts and feelings; this is זָךְ zakh – “crushed.” Like the olive, there’s a hard pit at the core; that’s the ego. How do we do this? Be the loving Presence that surrounds your ego. No need to try to get rid of it – that’s just more ego! Instead, accept the fullness of your experience as it is, resistance and all, feelings and all, without “adding to the story” – without “buying in,” so to speak. לְהַעֲלֹ֥ת נֵ֖ר תָּמִֽיד – to kindle the continuous flame… In other words, by accepting the moment and fully feeling your feelings, you illuminate the awareness that is already there, causing it to burn more brightly, liberating it from being trapped in the forms of thoughts and feelings, yet also present with your thoughts and feelings – this is meditation, represented by the first letter, א aleph…
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Parshah Summary – P’shat
The parshah opens with Hashem calling upon the Children of Israel to contribute thirteen materials toward the building of the Mishkan, the Sanctuary — gold, silver and copper; blue, purple and red-dyed wool; flax, goat hair, animal skins, wood, olive oil, spices and gems. On Mount Sinai, Moses is given detailed instructions on how to construct this Sanctuary so that it could be readily dismantled, transported and reassembled as the people journeyed through the desert. Within the Mishkan’s innermost chamber, behind a woven curtain, the ark containing the tablets of the testimony engraved with the Aseret Hadibrot (the Ten Commandments) would be housed.
Upon the ark’s cover would be two winged keruvim (cherubim) hammered out of pure gold. In the outer chamber would be the seven-branched menorah, and the table upon which the Leḥem haPanim, the “showbread,” literally the “Bread of the Faces,” was arranged. These sacramental loaves were to always be present, and thus might more accurately be translated as “Presence Bread.” The Sanctuary’s three walls would be fitted together from 48 upright wooden boards, each of which was overlaid with gold and held up by a pair of silver foundation sockets. The roof would be formed of three layers of coverings: tapestries of multicolored wool and linen; a covering made of goat hair; a covering of ram and “takhash” skins. Across the front of the Sanctuary would be an embroidered screen held up by five posts. Surrounding the Sanctuary and the copper-plated altar in front of it would be an enclosure of linen hangings, supported by 60 wooden posts with silver hooks and trimmings, and reinforced by copper stakes.
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
וְעָ֥שׂוּ לִ֖י מִקְדָּ֑שׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתוֹכָֽם׃ Let them make for Me a sanctuary, and I will dwell among/within them… - Shemot (Exodus) 25:8, Parshat Terumah
A hasid once came to Rabbi Menahem Mendel of Kotsk in search of a blessing for his poverty and troubles. “Don’t worry,” the rabbi tried to comfort him, “Pray with all your heart, and surely HaRakhaman – the Merciful One – will have rakhmanus on you.”
“But I don’t know how to pray,” said the hasid. “Well then,” replied the rabbi, “you indeed have much to worry about.” The Kotzker Rebbe’s answer points to the vital practice of prayer in spiritual life. But it leaves us wondering: how can we pray? יהוה מָגֵן בַּעֲדִי כְּבוֹדִי וּמֵרִים רֹאשִׁי... וְאַתָּ֣ה You, Hashem, are a shield for me – My Presence, lifting up my head… - Psalm 3:4 This verse describes the Divine with opposing images: on one hand, God is a magein, a “shield” – something external that can protect against danger. כְּבוֹדִי... – my Presence… On the other hand, God is k’vodi – literally “my Presence,” or “my glory” or “my honor.” In other words, God is a dimention of my own being, not something external. How can we know that? וּמֵרִים רֹאשִׁי... – lifting up my head… In other words, transcending the mind: to the degree we can manage to be aware of our thoughts, rather than become absorbed in them, we can become aware of ourselves as awareness, as k’vodi, “my Presence.” This is meditation. But this experience of our Essence is subtle and fragile. How can this realization become integrated into our lives with people? How can we live in the world of time from this deeper dimension? מָגֵן בַּעֲדִי – a shield for me… For this we need protection from our ordinary conditioning; we need prayer. Prayer is an embodying of our Inner Reality in a palace of words, an expression of the ineffable in the holy sounds of language. This is magein ba-adi – a “shield for me.” Normally, our patterns of thought, feeling, and words tend to conceal the Divine essence; no matter how much we uncover It through meditation, it is doomed to fall back into hiddenness again and again. The remedy is to craft a form that reveals It as well as conceals It. This is the role of prayer and words of Torah in general – to give form to the Formless, to “shield” us against the spirit-deadening powers of the mundane. וְעָ֥שׂוּ לִ֖י מִקְדָּ֑שׁ – Make for me a a Sanctuary… The Exodus from Egypt was an uncovering, a going forth from the familiar and habitual, into the freedom and discomfort of the unknown. Even the receiving of the Torah thus far has been a revelation outdoors, up on a mountaintop, far above the throng of human life. But the content of the revelation always points back to life; it doesn’t emphasize transcendence, but rather the expressing the transcendent in the imminent. This movement is embodied symbolically as the building of the Mikdash. וְשָׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתוֹכָֽם׃ – and I will dwell within them… Moses leaves the world of form to connect with the transcendent, but it is through the building of sacred form that the transcendent becomes part of communal life. For us, our spiritual practice must contain both of these poles as well. It doesn’t matter so much which pole comes first, as long as the other follows. Our awareness may begin to glow and shine within the silence of meditation, overflowing into the sacred vessels that are the words of prayer, or we may begin with chanting the words, allowing them to draw us back into the majesty of silence. Either way, it is through the interplay of silence and sound, of ayin and yesh, that the transformational power of prayer and meditation work their magic; prayer and meditation are the tones and rhythm of the music of the soul.
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Parshah Summary – P’shat
The parshah continues with the giving more mitzvot at Sinai, this time focusing on civil laws, including the laws of the indentured servant, the penalties for murder, kidnapping, assault and theft, compensation damages, the granting of loans, the responsibilities of the “Four Guardians” (unpaid guardian, paid guardian, renter and borrower), the rules governing the conduct of justice by courts, and laws warning against mistreatment of the ger, the stranger – “for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” Also included are other ritual laws: the seasonal festivals, the agricultural offerings that are to be brought to be brought the Temple in Jerusalem; the prohibition against cooking meat with milk, and the mitzvah of prayer. The parshah also contains the special words that the Children of Israel proclaim at Sinai: נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָֽע na-aseh v’nishmah – “We will do and we will hear.” The parshah concludes with Moses ascending the mountain and remaining there for forty days and forty nights to receive the rest of the Torah.
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
כִּֽי־תֵצֵ֨א אֵ֜שׁ וּמָצְאָ֤ה קֹצִים֙ וְנֶאֱכַ֣ל גָּדִ֔ישׁ א֥וֹ הַקָּמָ֖ה א֣וֹ הַשָּׂדֶ֑ה שַׁלֵּ֣ם יְשַׁלֵּ֔ם הַמַּבְעִ֖ר אֶת־הַבְּעֵרָֽה׃ When a fire goes out and finds thorns, and it consumes stacked or standing (grain), or a field, the igniter of the fire shall make restitution… Sh’mot (Exodus) 22:5, Parshat Mishpatim
A disciple of Rabbi Moshe of Kobrin awoke one morning overcome with worry, so instead of going to work, he went straight to the rebbe’s house. The rebbe was just sitting down to eat breakfast, and pronounced the brakha over his bowl of porridge: “Blessed are You… בִּדְבָרוֹ שֶׁהַכֹּל נִהְיֶה – She-hakol nihyeh bidvaro – by whose Word all things exist.” The rebbe did not greet him, but just went ahead and ate his breakfast, while the man waited.
Finally, the rebbe said, “Zalman, I thought you were like your father, but I see you are not like him. Your father once came to me with a huge burden of problems. Just as he entered, he heard me say, ‘she-hakol nihyeh bidvaro,’ just as you did. When I finished, I saw he was preparing to leave. ‘Abramele,’ I called to him, ‘didn’t you have something on your mind?’ ‘No,’ he said, and left. “Do you understand? When a person hears that all things exist only because of God’s Word, what more is there to talk about? This is the answer to all questions and worries.” Rabbi Moshe gave his hand to Zalman, who held it in silence for some time, then he bade his master farewell and left. The root of all angst of the soul stems from what the Torah calls the עֵץ הַדַּעַת טוֹב וָרָע eitz hada-at tov vara – “The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad.” That is, our ability to project our imagination into the future or the past and envision different possibilities. What shall we choose? What are we afraid to lose? What if this or that happens? What if things had gone a different way? Or, it could also be our resistance the present moment, our saying “no” to what is actually present. This ability to envision and judge is not a problem in itself; that is what allows us to be creative and to make choices. But the problem comes when our ability to judge pushes us out of alignment with the present moment, which really means that we get pushed out of alignment with ourselves. While we are focused and worried about something “out there,” we have unknowingly created a split within ourselves. בִּדְבָרוֹ שֶׁהַכֹּל נִהְיֶה – She-hakol nihyeh bidvaro – “By whose Word all things exist.” The truth of a spiritual teaching is not in its factuality, but in its ability to cut to the core of the one single problem: non-alignment with the moment. The true teaching at once sheds light on the root of the problem and simultaneously burns away all impediments, bringing one back to unity. כִּֽי־תֵצֵ֨א אֵ֜שׁ וּמָצְאָ֤ה קֹצִים֙... –When a fire goes out and finds thorns… The קֹצִים֙ kotzim – “thorns” – are resistance to the present moment; the true teachings, the mishpatim, are like a fire that “goes out” and burns up resistance… וְנֶאֱכַ֣ל גָּדִ֔ישׁ א֥וֹ הַקָּמָ֖ה... – and it consumes stacked or standing (grain)… It then consumes the “stacked” and the “standing.” The “stacked” is the way we frame reality, the way we “stack” our thoughts and words together to describe what we think is going on. The “standing” means the grain that is growing from the ground, which represents our thoughts and feelings that spontaneously arise, before we “stack” them into bundles of words and judgements. א֣וֹ הַשָּׂדֶ֑ה שַׁלֵּ֣ם יְשַׁלֵּ֔ם הַמַּבְעִ֖ר אֶת־הַבְּעֵרָֽה׃ – or a field, the igniter of the fire shall make whole… Finally, the “field” is awareness itself, within which everything else arises. The true teaching is one that will ignite all these levels and return us to our state of radiance, the inner light of consciousness in which true Wholeness is found. Practicing this true teaching is meditation. The phrase for “making restitution” is שַׁלֵּם יְשַׁלֵּם shalem yishalem – literally, “Whole shall make Whole” – hinting at the quality of Wholeness inherent within the שָּׂדֶה sadeh – the “field” of awareness itself, which becomes revealed through הַמַּבְעִ֖ר אֶת־הַבְּעֵרָֽה hamavir et haberah – the “igniter of the flame” – that is, the true teaching… This שְׁלֵמוּת Shleimut, this Wholeness of the consciousness, is ever available to the one who knows how to discover It, again; this is the Meditation Path of ג Gimel.
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Parshah Summary – P’shat
Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro (Yitro), hears of the great miracles of the Exodus, and comes from Midian to the Israelite camp, bringing with him Moses’ wife and two sons. Jethro advises Moses to appoint a hierarchy of judges to assist him in the task of governing and administering justice to the people.
The Children of Israel camp opposite Mount Sinai, where they are told that God has chosen them to be a “kingdom of priests” and a “holy nation.” The people respond by proclaiming, “All that God has spoken, we shall do.” On the sixth day of the third month (Sivan), seven weeks after the Exodus, the entire nation of Israel assembles at the foot of Mount Sinai for the giving of the Torah. The Divine Presence descends on the mountain amidst thunder, lightning, billows of smoke and the blast of the shofar, and Moses is summoned. God proclaims the Aseret Hadibrot, the Ten Commandments, instructing the Children of Israel to be aware of the Divine Oneness as the power of liberation, not to worship idols or misuse the Divine Name, to keep Shabbat, to honor their parents, not to murder, not to misuse intimacy, not to steal, and not to lie about others or be jealous of others.
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
עַתָּ֣ה יָדַ֔עְתִּי כִּֽי־גָד֥וֹל יְהֹ–וָ֖ה מִכׇּל־הָאֱלֹ–הִ֑ים... Now I know that Hashem is greater than all the gods… - Shemot (Exodus) 20:1, 2 Parshat Yitro
Rabbi Abraham was asked: “Our sages say: (Pirkei Avot 4:3) ‘There is no thing that does not have its place.’ And so human beings too have their place. Then why do people sometimes feel so crowded?” He replied: “Because each wants to occupy the place of the other.”
The fruit of meditation could be described as alignment with the place in which we stand – the dropping away of resistance to the moment as it appears, and the embrace or at least acceptance of the task we are given. This state of alignment gives birth to the many middot, such as generosity and kindness, creativity, wonder and awe of the outer universe and expansive bliss of the inner universe, and many more. But, if we are fixated on achieving those qualities, we sabotage the process, because they must arise from alignment from where we are now, not where we imagine we would like to be. עַתָּ֣ה יָדַ֔עְתִּי – Now I know… When Moses’ father-in-law Jethro (Yitro) comes to rejoin Moses and the Israelites, Moses tells him the whole story of how they escaped from Egypt, to which Jethro replies that now he knows Hashem is greater than all the gods. The word for “gods” is elohim – an interesting word, because not only does elohim mean “gods,” but it is also itself a Name of God. In fact, it is the name used in the beginning of the Torah when God creates the universe: בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹ–הִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃ In the beginning, Elohim created the heavens and the earth. - Bereisheet (Gensis) 1:1 In this opening Torah verse, Elohim the Creator is the Source of all diversity. This plurality is hinted at by the name Elohim, which is a plural word, as in, “gods.” In this sense, then, Elohim could mean “God of Plurality.” כִּֽי־גָד֥וֹל יְהֹ–וָ֖ה – For Hashem is great… But what does Hashem mean? This is the four letter unpronounceable Name יה–וה YHVH that means “Existence” or “Being.” גָד֥וֹל יְהֹ–וָ֖ה מִכׇּל־הָאֱלֹ–הִ֑ים – Hashem is greater than Elohim… Understood this way, Jethro is saying that Being greater than Plurality. In other words, there are many Divine qualities – kindness, creativity, inwardness, and so on. But of all of them, the simple quality of Being is the greatest, because it is the Source of all the others. The good news is that you don’t have to achieve Being. Everything is already Being. But it is from a rootedness in Being that the many middot can arise as expressions of Being; they are qualities we must bring to the work we do in the world and upon ourselves. זָכ֛וֹר֩ אֶת־י֥֨וֹם הַשַּׁבָּ֖֜ת לְקַדְּשֽׁ֗וֹ׃ – Remember the sabbath day, to sanctify it… But to do this, we must remember to practice Being – this is Shabbat. שֵׁ֤֣שֶׁת יָמִ֣ים֙ תַּֽעֲבֹ֔ד֮ וְעָשִׂ֖֣יתָ כׇּֿל־מְלַאכְתֶּֽךָ֒׃ Six days you shall labor and do all your work… Working to cultivate and express the Divine qualities is crucial; this work makes up the majority of what we are here to do. וְי֨וֹם֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔֜י שַׁבָּ֖֣ת – But the seventh day is a Sabbath… In other words, work must be oriented around rest; Shabbat is smaller, but it is the Center. How do we do this? עַתָּ֣ה יָדַ֔עְתִּי – Now I know… Jethro is giving us the answer: Atah yadati- “Now I know!” In other words, to truly know the Greatest Quality, you have to connect with the Now. This moment has a texture, a flavor, an aliveness, if you would but take a Shabbat to taste It, to feel It, to dive into It. Beneath all the doing, the cultivating, the creating, is the Divinity of this moment, always available, yet easily obscured. This awakening to the dimension of Being is the Path of Malkhut, also known as Sh’khinah, the Divine Presence that shines from all things…
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Parshah Summary – P’shat
The parshah opens with Pharaoh changing his mind about allowing the Children of Israel to leave Egypt, and chasing after them to force their return. The Israelites become terrified, finding themselves trapped between Pharaoh’s armies and the sea. God tells Moses to raise his staff over the water; the sea splits to allow the Israelites to pass through, and then closes over the pursuing Egyptians. Moses and the Children of Israel sing a song of praise and gratitude, while Miriam and others play drums.
In the desert the people suffer thirst and hunger, and repeatedly complain to Moses and Aaron. The bitter waters of Marah miraculously become sweet when Moses throws wood into it, and later Moses brings forth water from a rock by striking it with his staff. A miraculous kind of bread, “manna” (man) rains down from the heavens before dawn each morning, and quails appear in the Israelite camp each evening. The Children of Israel are instructed to gather a double portion of manna on Friday, as there will be none on Shabbat, the day of rest. Some go out on Shabbat to gather manna anyway, but find nothing. Aaron preserves a small quantity of manna in a jar, as a testimony for future generations. In Rephidim, the people are attacked by the Amalekites, but when Moses stood on a hill with his hands raised to heaven, Israel would begin to win the battle, and when he became tired and lowered his hands, Israel would begin to lose. So, Moses’ brother Aaron and Israelite named Hur supported Moses’ hands on either side to help them up, and Israel was victorious.
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
וַיְהִ֗י בְּשַׁלַּ֣ח פַּרְעֹה֮ אֶת־הָעָם֒ וְלֹא־נָחָ֣ם אֱלֹהִ֗ים דֶּ֚רֶךְ אֶ֣רֶץ פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים כִּ֥י קָר֖וֹב ה֑וּא כִּ֣י ׀ אָמַ֣ר אֱלֹהִ֗ים פֶּֽן־יִנָּחֵ֥ם הָעָ֛ם בִּרְאֹתָ֥ם מִלְחָמָ֖ה וְשָׁ֥בוּ מִצְרָֽיְמָה׃ And it was, when Pharaoh sent forth the people, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was nearer; for God said, “The people may have a change of heart when they see war, and return to Egypt.” - Shemot (Exodus) 13:17, Parshat B’shalakh וַיָּבֹ֖א עֲמָלֵ֑ק וַיִּלָּ֥חֶם עִם־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בִּרְפִידִֽם׃ Amalek came and attacked Israel at Rephidim… - 17:8
Once, when Rabbi Pinhas of Koretz felt confused about his faith in God, he could think of no way to help himself except to travel to the Baal Shem Tov. But just then, he heard that the master had just arrived in Koretz. Filled with happiness, he ran to the inn. There he found a number of hasidim gathered about the Baal Shem, who was expounding the Torah verse in which Moses’ hands, held up during the battle with Amelek, are spoken of us being emunah, Faith – that is, Trust and Simplicity.
“It sometimes happens,” said the Baal Shem, “that a person grows confused about their faith. The remedy is to implore God to strengthen it. For the real harm Amalek inflicted on Israel was to chill their trust in God and infect their simple faith with worry. That’s why Moses taught them to implore God to strengthen their faith, by stretching to heaven his hands which were, in themselves, like Trust and Simplicity. In the hour of struggle against the powers of evil, this is the only thing that matters.” When Rabbi Pinhas heard this, his hearing it was itself a prayer, and with this prayer he felt his faith grow strong. Trust and Simplicity, which together comprise אֱמוּנָה Emunah, Faith, are tools we need at different stages of the spiritual process, for different reasons. וַיְהִ֗י בְּשַׁלַּ֣ח פַּרְעֹה֮ אֶת־הָעָם֒ – And it was, when Pharaoh sent forth the people… As a symbol for ego, Pharaoh “sending forth the people” points to the dual role of ego: on one hand, the arising of ego enslaves our consciousness; ego wants to survive and enhance itself, and uses powerful emotions to compel us to serve its agenda. On the other hand, its insatiable appetite for control is what eventually gives away its game; when we recognize that we are being manipulated by our emotions to no good end, we may be motivated to “go out from Egypt” – that is, to escape the control of ego/Pharaoh. In this way, ego defeats itself – Pharaoh himself “sends forth the people.” But, it is rare that meditation results in immediate transformation; usually, we have to persist in meditation for years before getting dramatic results. It is then that we need אֱמוּנָה Emunah – trust in the process and simple dedication to persist in our meditation. Then, when we finally do break through, there can be a sense at all our work has paid off. Tasting the magnificent brightness of freedom from ego and the profound relief that comes from letting go of its burden, our motivation to practice can be greatly renewed and reinforced. פֶּֽן־יִנָּחֵ֥ם הָעָ֛ם בִּרְאֹתָ֥ם מִלְחָמָ֖ה וְשָׁ֥בוּ מִצְרָֽיְמָה... – “The people may have a change of heart when they see war, and return to Egypt.” At this stage, meditators often go through a kind of “honeymoon” period, in which life feels bright and easy. This is like God leading the Children of Israel on an easier, roundabout way, free from conflict, so that they stay motivated to keep going and not return to “Egypt” – that is, not return to the ordinary motivations of ego. וַיָּבֹ֖א עֲמָלֵ֑ק וַיִּלָּ֥חֶם – Amalek came and attacked… But then, there is another problem: when things are so bright and easy, there is an unconscious tendency to expect the ease to continue, to become infected with an unconscious sense of entitlement; this is the ego’s second strategy for reestablishing its control, represented by the attack of the Amalekites… כִּי קָרוֹב הוּא... – which was close... At this point, we need אֱמוּנָה Emunah again to keep us on track, hinted by this phrase, ki karov hu. In the plain sense, this is referring to the road which would have been the closer path for the Israelites to take. But the word הוּא Hu, “It,” is also a Divine Name. The word קָרוֹב karov means close, but it can also mean intimate, connected. So on this deeper level, it’s saying that the Divine is present on the road of battle, that is, the experience of conflict and dis-ease. Have faith in that, because at first you won’t experience it – instead you’ll experience the pain of more resistance, the ego rearing its ugly head once again. But know: כִּי קָרוֹב הוּא ki karov Hu – beneath all the suffering is the spacious Openness and Wholeness of this moment, the Divine Presence that is not separate from your own presence, your own consciousness. You can always access this Presence, again and again, by becoming present – that is, by being קָרוֹב karov, coming close to your actual experience in this moment, especially in suffering. Don’t resist the resistance; use it: do the inner alchemy of transforming it through prayer: calling out from the heart that leads to the simple acceptance of this moment; this is the interplay between prayer and Jewish meditation.
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Parshah Summary – P’shat
The parshah begins with last three of the Ten Plagues: a swarm of locusts devours all the crops and greenery; a thick darkness envelops the land; and on the 15th of the month of Nissan at midnight, all the firstborn of Egypt die.
The first specifically Jewish mitzvah is then given to the Children of Israel: to establish a calendar based on the monthly rebirth of the moon. The Israelites are also instructed to bring a “Passover offering” – a lamb or goat is to be slaughtered, and its blood sprinkled on the doorposts and lintel of every Israelite home, so that God should “pass over” (Pesakh) those homes when the plague of the firstborn takes place. The roasted meat of the offering is to be eaten that night together with matzah and bitter herbs. The death of the firstborn finally breaks Pharaoh’s resistance, and he drives the Children of Israel from his land. So hastily do they depart that there is no time for their dough to rise, hence the practice of eating matzah in commemoration of the Exodus. Before they go, they ask their Egyptian neighbors for gold, silver and garments—fulfilling the promise made to Abraham that his descendants would leave Egypt with great wealth. The Children of Israel are instructed to consecrate all firstborn, and to observe the anniversary of the Exodus each year by removing all hameitz, leaven, from their possession for seven days, eating matzah, and telling the story of their redemption to their children. They are also instructed to wear tefillin on the arm and head as a reminder of the Exodus and their commitment to God as the Power of Liberation…
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֔ה בִּנְעָרֵ֥ינוּ וּבִזְקֵנֵ֖ינוּ נֵלֵ֑ךְ בְּבָנֵ֨ינוּ וּבִבְנוֹתֵ֜נוּ בְּצֹאנֵ֤נוּ וּבִבְקָרֵ֙נוּ֙ נֵלֵ֔ךְ כִּ֥י חַג־יְהֹוָ֖ה לָֽנוּ׃ Moses said: “With our young ones and with our elders we will go, with our sons and with our daughters, with our sheep and with our oxen we will go— for it is a festival of the Divine for us.” - Shemot (Exodus) 10:9, Parshat Bo
Several years ago, I gave my thirteen-year-old son an electric guitar after he expressed a desire to play. I was concerned that it would just be another expensive fad for him, but then he surprised me by spending an enormous amount of time learning guitar from videos – The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Queen – the rock guitar classics. Some days he would sit and practice for nearly six hours at a time.
I wondered what would happen if I told him that he had to sit for six hours and practice? That would probably not have worked, and I might be arrested for child abuse. Maybe Mozart’s father could get away with that kind of thing back in the day. But now, that kind of intensity would have to come from an inner passion; in our family, you wouldn’t sit and practice for six hours unless you really wanted to. Passion and joy are totally different from self-discipline, from making and sticking to commitments and obligations. Passion and joy are also things we have as children; they’re not something we have to develop, like the adult qualities of being responsible, of following through with plans and so on. Obviously, adult qualities are also necessary. In fact, it is doubtful he would have been able to sit down and teach himself guitar like that had I not been requiring him to practice piano and drums from a very young age. I imposed an adult-based discipline structure on him, and that gave him a basic foundation of musical skill. That skill is useful for musical greatness, but not sufficient. For greatness you need to become passionately obsessed. And that kind of passion is a child-like quality; it doesn’t have to be developed or created, only uncovered and unleashed. This is especially true with spirituality. It is essential to have a committed practice, to study the teachings regularly, to put spirituality on your to-do list and use your adult mind to make it a priority. But if that’s all you’ve got, it won’t go very deep. You may master texts and rituals and words, but they will remain on the surface. You can use your adult mind to set aside times for prayer, but once you start praying, you’ve got to become like a child and cry and sing out from the heart. You can use your adult mind to set aside times for meditation, but once you start meditating, you’ve got to be really curious like a child – What is happening right now? What is my mind actually doing ayway? – rather than merely doing a technique. בִּנְעָרֵ֥ינוּ וּבִזְקֵנֵ֖ינוּ... – With our children and our elders… Pharaoh gives permission for Moses to lead his people from Egypt, but he says that only the men are allowed to go. And that is what the ego whispers to us: “It’s okay, you can do your spiritual practice – just put it on your agenda. Be adult about it.” But Moses says, “No, we’re all going – our children and elders both must both go celebrate the festival!” If we want our spiritual life to be a true celebration, and not be coopted by ego/Pharaoh, we’ve got to invoke the child within. Certainly, we need the z’keinim – the elders – as well, but once the adult mind has performed its function, once the adult mind has done its organizing and planning, give the adult a break and bring forth the child within. Only then can you really practice b’khol levav’kha – meditating and praying with all your heart, with all your being. This quality of spontaneous joy is represented by the sefirah of Yesod, Foundation – because all our practice, indeed all of life, must be built upon it.
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Parshah Summary – P’shat
The parshah opens with Hashem telling Moses, “Va-era – I appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,” and promising to bring the Children of Israel to the Promised Land. Moses and Aaron repeatedly come before Pharaoh to demand, “Let My people go,” but Pharaoh refuses. In response, Aaron’s staff turns into a snake and swallows the staves of the Egyptian sorcerers which had also turned into snakes, but Pharaoh remains obstinate.
A series of plagues then begin to descend upon the Egyptians: The waters of the Nile turn to blood; swarms of frogs overrun the land; lice infest human and beast alike; wild animals invade the cities; a pestilence kills the domestic animals; painful boils afflict the Egyptians. For the seventh plague, fire and ice combine to descend from the skies as a devastating hail. Still, “the heart of Pharaoh was hardened and he would not let the Children of Israel go.
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
וַיַּ֣רְא פַּרְעֹ֗ה כִּ֤י הָֽיְתָה֙ הָֽרְוָחָ֔ה וְהַכְבֵּד֙ אֶת־לִבּ֔וֹ וְלֹ֥א שָׁמַ֖ע אֲלֵהֶ֑ם כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר דִּבֶּ֥ר יְהֹ–וָֽה׃ But when Pharaoh saw that there was spaciousness, he became stubborn and would not heed them, as Hashem had spoken. - Shemot (Exodus) 8:11; Parshat Va-era
There was once an old hasid who lived by himself, for his wife had died years earlier. He wasn’t interested in getting remarried; instead, he prayed constantly that Shekhinah, the Divine “Bride,” would appear to him on Friday night, on Shabbat. One day, a majestic Voice came to him and said, “I will come visit you this Friday night.”
“So wonderful! Thank you!” said the hasid, “May I invite guests?” “Of course!” said Sh’khinah. He was so excited to invite his friends. On Friday he spent all day making the most sumptuous Shabbos feast. He cleaned the house, beautifully decorated the dining room, and set off to shul for Shabbat prayers. Afterward, his friends accompanied him back to his house. He had prepared the table in advance, and couldn’t wait to show them into the dining room and witness the manifestation of the Divine Presence at his Shabbos table. But, when they entered the dining room, all were shocked to see a huge dog on top of the table, eating up the challah and other delicacies! He grabbed a broom, started beating the dog and shooed it out the door. “Oy! I am so sorry! This is so terrible – the food has become unfit, and now I have nothing to serve you.” Shocked and dismayed, his friends left. The man sat at the table for a while in grief. “I’m sure Shekhinah will not appear now, after what happened.” After some time, he took some wine and began chanting Kiddush, the sanctification of Shabbat. But as he finished the words, m’kadesh HaShabbat, a queenly and radiant woman appeared before him, only she was all bruised! “You have come!” exclaimed the hasid, “But what happened to you? Are you okay? You must have been in some kind of accident!” “It was no accident,” she said, “it was you!” The hasid was taken aback – “Me??” “Yes! I wanted to enjoy your delicious Shabbos feast, so I came in the form of a dog – who could enjoy food more than a dog? But you beat me and kicked me out!” The hasid then understood – he hadn’t recognized the form that She had taken, and he begged forgiveness. This moment is the form the Divine is now taking. How can we welcome Her in? The practice of welcoming the moment is represented by the letter ב bet, which means “house,” pointing to the quality of hospitality. And, just as ב bet is also the number two, welcoming the moment has two main aspects: first, welcoming the “guests” into your space, and second, allowing the “guests” to leave. Both aspects need to be there for genuine hospitality to exist; a home is a wonderful thing, but not if you are trapped inside. On the literal level this is obvious, but this is true on the inner level as well. In meditation, you may try to control your mind and attempt to keep your thoughts out. But this aggressive and manipulative approach isn’t really meditation; the essence of meditation is not controlling thought, but transcending thought. Meaning: meditation is the shift of self-sense from the thinking mind to the space of awareness behind and beyond the thinking mind. How do we do that? Through the attitude of welcome; be the open space that allows present experience to be as it is. Welcome your thoughts in, but also allow them to leave. When we refrain from becoming involved with the stream of thinking, thoughts will come and go, and through this practice, the thought stream can come to subside altogether, on its own. וַיָּ֥קׇם מֶֽלֶךְ־חָדָ֖שׁ עַל־מִצְרָ֑יִם אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־יָדַ֖ע אֶת־יוֹסֵֽף׃ A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph… - Sh’mot (Exodus) 1:8 At the end of Bereisheet, Pharaoh generously welcomes the Children of Israel into Egypt. But as Sh’mot begins, a new Pharaoh enslaves the Hebrews and won’t let them leave; hospitality turns into control. This is how the mind tends to work – we are open and welcoming to thoughts that arise, and then we unconsciously become involved with our thoughts, seeking through them to gain some sense of control over our experience. This is the “enslavement” of consciousness through identification with thought and feeling, the creation of ego, represented by Pharaoh. If we try to get free by seeking to control the mind and not think, this is just more ego, more of that impulse to control our experience. וְהַכְבֵּד֙ אֶת־לִבּ֔וֹ וְלֹ֥א שָׁמַ֖ע – His heart became heavy/stubborn, and he didn’t listen… Sh’mot (Exodus) 8:11 Moses is pleading with Pharaoh to let the Children of Israel go free, but Pharaoh is both “stubborn” and “not listening” – these are the two basic qualities of ego: the “stubbornness” of the heart is emotional resistance, not accepting the moment as it is, seeking instead to control one’s experience. This resistance arises in the vacuum created by the absence of Presence, the absence of fully “listening,” fully opening to whatever is present. The remedy is to bring consciousness into connection with the fullness of the moment for its own sake, not for the sake of a certain experience, even a spiritual experience. It is to honor the appearance of Reality in this moment, even if it appears as a dog on the dining room table; this is meditation. וָאֵרָא – Va-era – “And I appear…” The ו vav at the beginning of the word means “and,” hinting that Reality is constantly appearing in new ways, now this way, now that way, as expressed by the Name given to Moses at the Burning Bush:
אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֶֽהְיֶ֑ה – Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh
“I Will Be Whatever I Will Be.” This is the Path of ב Bet – of Welcoming the Divine in all Her Forms… מַה טֹּֽבוּ אֹהָלֶֽיךָ יַעֲקֹב מִשְׁכְּ֒נֹתֶֽיךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל Mah Tovu Ohalekha Ya–akov, Mishk’notekha Yisrael! How good are your tents, O Jacob, Your Places of Presence, O Israel! From Morning Blessings liturgy (Scale: b2, b3, #4)
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Parshah Summary – P’shat
The parshah opens with the Children of Israel prospering and increasing in Egypt, while a new king now sits on the throne. Threatened by their growing numbers, this new Pharaoh enslaves them and orders the Hebrew midwives, Shifrah and Puah, to kill all male babies at birth. When they do not comply, he commands his people to cast the Hebrew baby boys into the Nile. A child is born to Yokheved, and she puts him in a basket on the river, while the baby’s sister, Miriam, stands watch from afar. Pharaoh’s daughter discovers the boy, raises him as her son, and names him Mosheh, Moses.
As a young man, Moses leaves the palace and sees an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, and kills the Egyptian. The next day he sees two Hebrews fighting; when he rebukes them, they reveal they know of his murder of the previous day, and Moses is forced to flee to Midian. There he rescues Jethro’s daughters, marries Tzipporah, and becomes a shepherd of his father-in-law’s flocks. Hashem appears to Moses as a burning bush, and instructs him to go to Pharaoh and demand: “Let My people go.”
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וַיֹּ֤אמֶר מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶל־הָ֣אֱלֹהִ֔ים מִ֣י אָנֹ֔כִי כִּ֥י אֵלֵ֖ךְ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֑ה וְכִ֥י אוֹצִ֛יא אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃ וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ כִּֽי־אֶֽהְיֶ֣ה עִמָּ֔ךְ But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring out the Children of Israel from Egypt?” The response: “For I will be with you…” - Shemot (Exodus) 3:11-12, Parshat Sh’mot
A hasid came to Rabbi Yitzhak with the question: “I cannot understand the story the Talmud tells about Rabbi Zera,” he said. “The story goes that when his disciples asked him how he has lived so long, he answered that he had never rejoiced over another’s misfortune. How can this be a special merit? No sage would ever rejoice in someone’s misfortune!” The rabbi said: “This is what it means: that he could not rejoice in his own good fortune when he heard of another’s misfortune.”
This is a difficult story. Does it mean to teach that we should not be happy about the blessings in our own lives while others are suffering? Wouldn’t this attitude condemn all of us to perpetual misery? And furthermore, doesn’t this violate the mitzvah to be happy? וּשְׂמַחְתֶּ֗ם לִפְנֵי֮ יְהֹ-וָ֣ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶם֒ And you shall rejoice before Hashem your God… - Deuteronomy (Devarim) 12:12 There is a hint in our parshah: מִ֣י אָנֹ֔כִי... כִּֽי־אֶֽהְיֶ֣ה עִמָּ֔ךְ – “Who am I?”…“I will be with you…” On the surface, God is reassuring Moses not to worry, that God will help him in his mission. But look at what the words are actually saying: Moses asks the deepest question: Mi anokhi? Who am I? The Divine answer is, Ehyeh imakh – I will be with you… In other words, Ehyeh imakh is who Moses really is! When Moses inquires into his own deepest identity, he discovers that he is “I will be with you.” This is, in fact, who we all are at the very root of our being – Presence – meaning, awareness – awake to whatever arises in its field. Presence has many qualities, but this particular middah is what we might “Presence With,” and is one of the many fruits of meditation. It is represented by the letter ח het, which is shaped like the “hovering eagle” over its young: כְּנֶ֙שֶׁר֙ יָעִ֣יר קִנֹּ֔ו עַל־גֹּוזָלָ֖יו …like an eagle rousing its nest, hovering over its eaglets.” - Devarim (Deuteronomy) 32:11 This “hovering” quality has a dual nature: on one hand, “hovering” means to neither flee nor approach; if the eagle were to abandon its young, they would die. But if the eagle were to land on top of them, it would crush them. So “hovering” means to be in a state of simply being-with, not pushing or pulling. On the other hand, there is an activity of the eagle – feeding the young. The hint is that in simply being present with another, neither pulling nor pushing, but simply listening and having empathy, this in itself is itself nourishing; it is a fundamental lifeline. And so here we have an answer to Rabbi Yitzhak’s understanding of the story of Rabbi Zera. It’s not saying that one should not be happy, but rather that one should not chase happiness by pushing away the suffering of others. We must feel along with those whom we encounter, not run away from their experience, not only for their sake, but for our own: when we refuse to be Present-With, we cut ourselves off from the nourishment of Presence that we need so deeply. How do we access this nourishment? אֶֽהְיֶ֣ה עִמָּ֔ךְ – “I will be with you…” We can use this verse to remind ourselves when we encounter the suffering of others. Instead of becoming annoyed and pushing them away, remember: Ehyeh imakh. Open yourself to fully be with the one before you. Presence nourishes; Presence heals…
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