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, who are defeated by Moses’ prayers and an army raised by Joshua…
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
עׇזִּ֤י וְזִמְרָת֙ יָ֔הּ וַֽיְהִי־לִ֖י לִֽישׁוּעָ֑ה זֶ֤ה אֵלִי֙ וְאַנְוֵ֔הוּ אֱלֹהֵ֥י אָבִ֖י וַאֲרֹמְמֶֽנְהוּ׃ The Divine is my strength and song; The Divine has become my salvation. This is my God and I will praise Him; The God of my father, and I will exalt Him… - Shemot (Exodus) 15:2, “Song of the Sea,” Parshat Bo
A schoolmaster from the town of Goray used to travel to visit Reb Yaakov Yitzhak, the Seer of Lublin. During one of his visits, the rebbe told him, “In your town there is a holy spark. Please try to locate it and bring it to me.
When the schoolmaster arrived back home, he considered the learned townspeople one by one, but wasn’t able to identify any of them as the “holy spark” his rebbe spoke of. So, he decided to hide himself at night in the beit midrash – the House of Study – because he thought if there were someone saintly in his town, he might find them there. In the dead of night he waited several hours, crouching in the corner. Suddenly, he heard a noise – an odd youth by the name of Mendel had snuck into the room by himself. Mendel was an unusual character who was known to gesticulate awkwardly and make strange noises. But this night, the schoolmaster saw Mendel open a volume of Talmud and enthusiastically study out loud, singing the words in his own unique melody, all the while standing on one foot As the schoolmaster watched in awe, he accidentally lost his balance and knocked over a tin tzeddaka box (for charity) which crashed to the floor, spilling its jangling coins. Startled, the youth closed his book at once, strode suddenly over to the stove, clapped his hands loudly and started making strange noises. The schoolmaster stood up, approached the youth and said, “I know full well that your outlandish behavior is intended only to delude people. But your acting can’t fool me, for the Seer of Lublin told me to bring you to him.” Mendel lost no time and set out for Lublin. When Mendel’s father, who was a misnaged (opponent of Hasidism), found out that his son was on his way to the court of a famous hasidic rebbe, he rode after him in hot pursuit. When he caught up with his son, he challenged him: “Why do you forsake the tradition of your fathers?” his father scolded. Mendel replied, “In the Song of the Sea, when the Israelites were liberated from their slave identity and finally had the freedom to celebrate their true identity as children of God, first it is written: זֶ֤ה אֵלִי֙ וְאַנְוֵ֔הוּ zeh Eli v’anvehu – ‘This is my God and I will glorify Him,’ And only later is it written: זֶ֤ה אֵלִי֙ וְאַנְוֵ֔הוּ zeh Eli v’anvehu ‘The God of my father, and I will exalt Him…’ Mendel’s father was taken aback and silenced, but later he understood: each person must find their own unique path, and not merely copy the patterns given to them by tradition. That youth became the famous rebbe, Menakhem Mendel of Kotsk, the Kotzker Rebbe. The patterns of religious tradition are vital necessities, just like the patterns of life. Without the repetitive predictability of our lives – our homes, our activities, the days of the week and months of the year, life would be chaotic and therefore unsupportive. Similarly, the tapestry of tradition provides a setting for meaningful movement on the path of the spirit. The patterns of life and tradition are like a circle, reliably repeating themselves again and again to provide a foundation of support. This is why the letter ס samekh, which means “support,” has the shape of a circle. But there is a complementary, non-circular movement that is also necessary. Reality is not all repetition, but is rather a creative unfolding, ever changing. For our spiritual lives, as well as the whole of our lives, there is a creative uniqueness in each of us that must also be honored in order for the path to be alive, relevant and effective; the circle must at times be interrupted, disrupted, transformed. Why? Because while the circle is supportive, it is also deadening; its side-effects are complacency, taking-for-granted. To counter this, we need the remedy of disruption, of the unexpected… וַיָּבֹ֧אוּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל בְּת֥וֹךְ הַיָּ֖ם בַּיַּבָּשָׁ֑ה וְהַמַּ֤יִם לָהֶם֙ חוֹמָ֔ה מִֽימִינָ֖ם וּמִשְּׂמֹאלָֽם׃ And the Children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left… Sometimes we discover that Reality doesn’t correspond to the map of reality we hold in our minds. It can be a shock: something of which we are certain turns out to be completely wrong. When “being wrong” means that things turn out far better than we thought they would, we call that a “miracle.” The Egyptian army is behind us and the sea is front of us – we are doomed. And then, the sea opens before us – a miracle! Or, we’re stranded out in the wilderness with no food or water – we are doomed for sure. But then: we wake up in the morning and a strange food covers the ground – manna from heaven! Another miracle! These fantastical examples highlight our capacity to realize the miraculous. But in truth, we don’t need fantastical events. As long as we are alive, we are being showered with miracles in each moment. In fact, you are the miracle – in this moment. But to realize this takes a turning of consciousness away from the circle of the expected, the reliable tapestry of conditioned mind, into the Mystery of the Present. The greatest of all miracles is constantly unfolding, and so it appears to be ordinary – until the mind that is present pierces the ordinary, straight through to the Divine miracle of Being. This is the meaning of Yisrael: seeing straight through (Yishar) to the Mystery that we call Divine (El). The conditioned patterns of life and tradition form a necessary support, but from this support we must spring into the unconditioned, into the unknown. How do we do it וַֽיהֹוָ֡ה הֹלֵךְ֩ לִפְנֵיהֶ֨ם יוֹמָ֜ם בְּעַמּ֤וּד עָנָן֙ לַנְחֹתָ֣ם הַדֶּ֔רֶךְ Hashem went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to guide them along the way… - Shemot (Exodus) 10:1, Parshat Bo The “pillar of cloud” means that which is beyond our perception; cloud is Mystery. Living through the conditioned mind, we rely on the support of things happening the way we expect. But as we move beyond the conditioned mind into the present, the “cloud” becomes visible; the truth is uncertainty. While uncertainty can tend to produce fear and anxiety, one of the fruits of meditation is the embrace of the unknown, which is foundation of creativity. Say “yes” to the Mystery; try something new, see what happens, surprise yourself. But what if you don’t have any new ideas? What if your creativity seems all dried up? וְלַ֛יְלָה בְּעַמּ֥וּד אֵ֖שׁ לְהָאִ֣יר לָהֶ֑ם לָלֶ֖כֶת יוֹמָ֥ם וָלָֽיְל ׃ … and by night, in a pillar of fire to shine for them, for traveling both by day and night. The “pillar of fire” means being still, alert, and present in the darkness of “night” – that is, the state of “not-yet.” Creativity is a kind of revelation; we cannot control it, but we can prepare ourselves receive it. This is why meditation is so vital: while fear and anxiety block the creative flow, embrace of the unknown is the precondition for it. Be the עַמּוּד אֵשׁ amud aysh – the pillar of fire – a still, alert presence in the darkness of the not-yet. As the Israelites follow the pillars of cloud and fire and are led to freedom through the Sea of Reeds, they break into singing praises for the miracle of their liberation. This famous “Song of the Sea” tells their story – it expresses their unique identity. Similarly, when you learn to follow the pillars of cloud and fire in your own life, you’ll be led on your own unique path of destiny. Present and free from complacency and resistance, your inner flower will blossom, in a way that is unique to you. Then, your life becomes your song – this is the path of ה hei, of creative, unique self-expression. On this Shabbat Shira, the Sabbath of Song, may the fire and cloud lead each one of us toward the full and beautiful unfolding of who we really are, to sing our unique songs that the One can only sing through the many, through each one of us uniquely. May our practice plant the seeds of redemption in the world, that human life become a celebration of creativity, and the plagues of war and violence become relics of history...
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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 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
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה בֹּ֖א אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֑ה כִּֽי־אֲנִ֞י הִכְבַּ֤דְתִּי אֶת־לִבּוֹ֙ וְאֶת־לֵ֣ב עֲבָדָ֔יו לְמַ֗עַן שִׁתִ֛י אֹתֹתַ֥י אֵ֖לֶּה בְּקִרְבּֽוֹ׃ Hashem said to Moses, “Come to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, so that I may place my signs within him…” - Shemot (Exodus) 10:1, Parshat Bo
There was a funny sketch from an old Electric Company episode. A man dressed in what looks like a navel uniform sits in a restaurant and orders from a waitress with puffy orange hair. “I’ll have a cup of coffee and a sweet roll,” says the man. “We are out of sweet rolls,” says the waitress. “A glass of milk and a sweet roll.” “We- are- out- of- sweet- rolls,” the waitress repeats a little bit more slowly. “Ice tea and a sweet roll.” “We are out of sweet rolls!” The redness of her hair starts migrating into her face, leaving her hair white. “Orange juice and a sweet roll?” She is about to explode: “WE ARE OUT OF SWEET ROLLS!!!” “Okay, then, I’ll just have a sweet roll.” “AAARRRRGH!!!!” She screams and runs out the door.
How many times have you gotten some message over and over again in your life, but you didn’t listen? Or perhaps you couldn’t listen? וַיְחַזֵּ֥ק יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶת־לֵ֣ב פַּרְעֹ֑ה וְלֹ֥א שִׁלַּ֖ח אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ But Hashem strengthened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go… Moses and Aaron present plague after plague to Pharaoh in order to persuade him to let go of the Israelites. During each plague Pharaoh relents, but after each one subsides, he contracts into his old position – what does he think he’s accomplishing? Why not do the thing that will be of obvious benefit? But that’s exactly what the ego does: it brings suffering upon itself over and over again, rather than learning the all-important lesson: Let go! Why is it often so difficult to let go? וַ֠יֵּהָפֵ֠ךְ לְבַ֨ב פַּרְעֹ֤ה וַעֲבָדָיו֙ אֶל־הָעָ֔ם וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ מַה־זֹּ֣את עָשִׂ֔ינוּ כִּֽי־שִׁלַּ֥חְנוּ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מֵעׇבְדֵֽנוּ׃ Pharaoh and his courtiers had a change of heart about the people and said, “What is this we have done, releasing Israel from our service?” One common reason is the fear that if you were to let go, it would be irresponsible of you and everything would fall apart. There tends to be an unconscious belief that worrying is necessary. Actually, the opposite is true. When we lose our wellbeing because we’re struggling with our problems, we now have two problems: both the difficult situation and the inner tension and negativity generated by our struggling and worrying. And with all that inner tension, how are we going to improve things? But when we bring our awareness to our resistance and see it clearly for what it is, there is a higher wisdom that can flow into our lives – this is the fruit of meditation. New possibilities can appear that were previously hidden. That’s because awareness is much bigger than our limited, conditioned point of view. The ego/personality is “Pharaoh” – king of Mitzrayim – of narrowness, of limitedness, mindlessly repeating the same old patterns over and over again. But our awareness is Divine – meaning, it is beyond the individual personality. It is Reality looking through our eyes – courageous, creative, present and free. Mottel of Kashlin was a businessman who had extensive dealings in Warsaw and spoke Polish fluently. One day Reb Yitzhak of Vorki called for him with a request. The Polish government had issued a decree to burn all extant copies of the Shulkhan Arukh, Hoshen Mishpat – The Code of Jewish Law that deals with civil and criminal matters. The goal was to force Jews to take their litigation to the Polish courts rather than the rabbinical courts. No books had been burned yet, and Reb Yitzhak wanted Mottel to approach a certain powerful Polish minister and convince him to retract the decree… “But that minister has a raging temper!” Mottel protested. “He threatens to shoot anyone who comes with requests like that!” The tzaddik replied, “When Hashem sent Moses to save his people, he didn’t tell him to go to Pharaoh. He said: ‘Bo el Paro בֹּ֖א אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֑ה – Come to Pharaoh…’ Moses was afraid, so Hashem reassured him that the Divine Presence would be with him.” So Mottel set out to confront the minister, calm and unafraid. When he arrived, he spoke eloquently and convincingly. The powerful man was awestruck by the presence of the brave yet calm and joyful hasid who stood before him, and granted his request. This Presence-quality of courage to fully step into this moment is the Path of כ Kaf. In this week of Shabbat Bo, the Sabbath to Come, may the wisdom to not be caught by fear and worry come into our lives through this supreme gift of awareness. May this awareness come to transform all the manifestations of Pharaoh that are given to each of one of us. May our practice add to the forces of evolution and may our world be swiftly freed from the plagues of violence and narrowness that continue to cause unimaginable suffering.
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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; and 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
וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֵלָ֖יו אֲנִ֥י יְהֹוָֽה׃ וָאֵרָ֗א אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֛ם אֶל־יִצְחָ֥ק וְאֶֽל־יַעֲקֹ֖ב בְּאֵ֣ל שַׁדָּ֑י וּשְׁמִ֣י יְהֹוָ֔ה לֹ֥א נוֹדַ֖עְתִּי לָהֶֽם׃ God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Divine. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El Shaddai, but My name “Being” I did not make known to them… - Shemot (Exodus) 6:2, 3; Parshat Vaeira
A student once wrote me that he often feels like his mind is a train station and his thoughts are the trains, constantly taking off every few seconds. He said that he wants to just “let the trains go” and stay in the “train station,” but he feels compelled to hop on every “train” that leaves, compulsively journeying with every thought that arises. “When will I learn to relax and just stay in the train station?” he wondered. In seeking in inner freedom, we can become frustrated with our lack of control over our minds. We might even feel that meditation is making it worse, forcing us to sit in the chaos of our own thoughts, just as Moses felt when his initial efforts were met with Pharaoh actually increasing the suffering of his brethren.
וַיָּ֧שָׁב מֹשֶׁ֛ה אֶל־יְהוָ֖ה וַיֹּאמַ֑ר אֲדֹנָ֗י לָמָ֤ה הֲרֵעֹ֙תָה֙ לָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה לָ֥מָּה זֶּ֖ה שְׁלַחְתָּֽנִי׃ Then Moses returned to the Divine and said, “My Lord, why did You bring harm upon this people? Why did You send me? Moses is on his Divine-given mission to free the Israelites, but he’s feeling like a failure. Similarly, when we commit to getting free from our own minds, we may feel like failures as well. Those trains can be so tempting! Part of the problem is expressed in the metaphor of “staying in the train station.” That doesn’t sound very enticing, does it? Going on many different journeys, on the other hand, that’s enticing! And this is why we get carried away so easily with our thoughts: they promise adventure. They promise understanding. They promise new ideas, new plans, cherished memories and fantasies of possibility. No wonder we get carried away so easily by those trains. If we want to get free from our own minds, we need to be seduced by something more powerful, more compelling than our own thoughts. This is the hidden message of the Divine response to Moses: וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה עַתָּ֣ה תִרְאֶ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֶֽעֱשֶׂ֖ה לְפַרְעֹ֑ה כִּ֣י בְיָ֤ד חֲזָקָה֙ יְשַׁלְּחֵ֔ם וּבְיָ֣ד חֲזָקָ֔ה יְגָרְשֵׁ֖ם מֵאַרְצֽוֹ׃ Then Hashem said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh: he shall let them go because of a mighty hand; indeed, because of a mighty hand he shall drive them from his land.” Pharaoh, the symbol of ego and enslavement to the mind, will let them go free because of a “mighty hand.” What is this mighty hand? What could be greater than the enticingly seductive power of thought? וָאֵרָ֗א – I appeared… For one who seeks to develop their spiritual potential, there comes a time when God “appears.” This is not primarily a matter of belief, or of being convinced of the truth of spiritual ideas; it is the awakening of a dimension of experience. This awakening can manifest in three ways: אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֛ם אֶל־יִצְחָ֥ק וְאֶֽל־יַעֲקֹ֖ב – to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob… In Kabbalah, the patriarchs represent the three primary sefirot, or Divine qualities, on the Tree of Life: Hesed, Gevurah and Tiferet, which in turn hint at three different ways that awakening manifests. Hesed is the heart; this the feeling of a fundamental love and benevolence toward all beings. Gevurah is a restraint of mental movement, the relaxing of the ordinary tendency to be constantly thinking, and this comes about through a shift of emphasis from navigation in time to Presence-In-The-Moment; this is achieved through resting awareness in the body and the senses. Tiferet is Wisdom-In-Action, and harmonizes the two: movement in time, motivated by love, while living in the present. בְּאֵ֣ל שַׁדָּ֑י – as El Shaddai… The Divine Name Shaddai שַׁדָּי comes from שדיים Shaddaim, which means “breasts” – perhaps deriving from an ancient goddess image. El Shaddai would then mean “Breasted God,” expressing the Divine as the Source of nourishment and nurturance. This is the aspect of spirituality we can understand, the tangible benefits we can get from meditating regularly: an open heart, a quiet mind, and an ability to be in harmony with the flow of life. וּשְׁמִ֣י יְהֹוָ֔ה לֹ֥א נוֹדַ֖עְתִּי לָהֶֽם׃ – but My name “Being” I did not make Myself known to them… We can understand the effects of Presence, of being with Being; we can understand El Shaddai. But, Being Itself remains always a Mystery. For many, as long as there is identification with the mind and thought, the unknowability of God will be deeply disturbing; ordinary responses to this deep frustration might be to stuff the mind full of religious beliefs or to ignore the issue altogether. But there is another way… אֲנִ֣י יְהֹוָה֒ וְהוֹצֵאתִ֣י אֶתְכֶ֗ם מִתַּ֙חַת֙ סִבְלֹ֣ת מִצְרַ֔יִם וְהִצַּלְתִּ֥י אֶתְכֶ֖ם מֵעֲבֹדָתָ֑ם... I am Being, Existence Itself; I will free you from the suffering of Egypt and deliver you from their bondage… Meaning: the אֲנִי ani, the “I” is not separate from Existence, not separate from God. We cannot grasp It, but we are It. Furthermore, since every experience, every perception, every thought and every feeling are inseparable from this awareness that we are, the main thing we need do is stop resisting what happens, thereby ceasing resistance to our own being, and consequently, to God – this is freedom from the suffering of Egypt, from Mitzrayim, which literally means “resistance,” or “constriction” – this is meditation. How do we accomplish this? The key is: don’t try to control your mind! Don’t try to discipline yourself to “stay in the train station” while your thoughts tempt you with all kinds of things. Instead, accept the moment with simplicity; be the awareness that has no dimension or form – this is the path of the letter י yud, which means “hand” – the יָד חֲזָקָה yad hazakah, the “mighty hand” of God. Know that your awareness is not just a train station, not just the place from which the “trains” of thought arise, but is rather an Ocean of Mystery, complete, whole and ever-creative, ever-renewing. Consciousness is the true adventure. Let yourself be seduced by That. Let yourself fall in love with That, and don’t worry about the trains. Thoughts can be enticing, but the awareness that you are is infinitely more vast and powerful – the יָד חֲזָקָה yad hazakah, the “mighty hand” of freedom – if you let yourself be seduced by this simplicity…
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Parshah Summary – P’shat
The parshah opens with the Children of Israel prospering and increasing in Egypt, when a new king 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 Yocheved, 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 Moses. As a young man, Moses leaves the palace and discovers the hardship of his brethren. He sees an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, and kills the Egyptian. The next day he sees two Hebrews fighting; when he rebukes them, they reveal that they know about his murder from 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.” Moses’ brother, Aaron, is appointed to serve as his spokesman. In Egypt, Moses and Aaron assemble the elders of Israel to tell them that the time of their redemption has come, but Pharaoh refuses to let them go, and even intensifies their suffering. Moses returns to Hashem to protest: “Why have You done evil to this people?” Hashem assures Moses that the redemption is close at hand...
Torah of Awakening: Jewish Meditation Teaching
וְאֵ֗לֶּה שְׁמוֹת֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הַבָּאִ֖ים מִצְרָ֑יְמָה אֵ֣ת יַעֲקֹ֔ב אִ֥ישׁ וּבֵית֖וֹ בָּֽאוּ׃ These are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each coming with their household… - Shemot (Exodus) 1:1, Parshat Shemot
Rabbi Bunam taught on Psalm 147:
“In Psalm 147 we read, ‘הָ֭רֹפֵא לִשְׁבוּרֵי לֵב – healer of broken hearts…’ Why are we told that? It is because it is actually a good thing to have a broken heart, as it is written: זִבְחֵי אֱלֹהִים רוּחַ נִשְׁבָּרה לֵב־נִשְׁבָּר וְנִדְכֶּה אֱלֹהִים לֹא תִבְזֶֽה׃ Sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit; a contrite and crushed heart, oh God, you will not despise… Psalm 51:19 “But further on in Psalm 147 we read, ‘וּמְחַבֵּשׁ לְעַצְּבוֹתָֽם – and binds up their wounds…’ Meaning, God does not entirely heal those with broken hearts, but only eases their suffering, so they not be tormented and dejected by their brokenness. For dejection is not a good thing. A broken heart prepares a person for true service of God, but dejection corrodes it. We must distinguish carefully between the two, as we must distinguish between true joy and mere careless levity; they are so easily confused, yet they are as far removed from one another as the ends of the earth.” Simḥa Bunam’s teaching points out a subtle truth: that while the suffering of “dejection” can be dangerous to our spiritual life, some amount of suffering, what he calls a שָׁבוּר לֵב lev shavur, a “broken heart,” is helpful, perhaps even necessary. This is because without the reminder of some emotional pain, the tendency is to “fall asleep” spiritually and forget all about the constant effort required to be present. We could more precisely define שָׁבוּר לֵב, “broken heart,” as Presence-In-Suffering, while “dejection” would be unconscious suffering, being taken over by negativity. Cultivating a broken heart, then, is a practice; it is a way of relating to our suffering with consciousness. A total absence of emotional pain, however, can be a hindrance, because then we have no opportunity to practice שָׁבוּר לֵב lev shavur. If our tendency is to fall asleep when life is easeful, we will likely be asleep when adversity comes along, at least until the moment when we allow the adversity to “wake us up” and pierce through the callousness of our hearts once again. We can see this dynamic playing out in the parshah: וְאֵ֗לֶּה שְׁמֹות֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הַבָּאִ֖ים מִצְרָ֑יְמָה – These are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt… The Children of Israel went down into Egypt out of necessity – there was a famine, and they needed nourishment. At first, Egypt was a place of satisfaction, and only gradually did it become a place of great suffering… וַיָּשִׂ֤ימוּ עָלָיו֙ שָׂרֵ֣י מִסִּ֔ים לְמַ֥עַן עַנֹּת֖וֹ בְּסִבְלֹתָ֑ם – And they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor… Eventually, when their suffering broke through the callousness of their hearts and ripened into prayerfulness, they became motivated to escape Egypt and return home. וַיֵּאָנְח֧וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל מִן־הָעֲבֹדָ֖ה וַיִּזְעָ֑קוּ וַתַּ֧עַל שַׁוְעָתָ֛ם אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים מִן־הָעֲבֹדָֽה׃ The Children of Israel were groaning from their labors and cried out; and their cry for help from the labor rose up to God. Similarly, when our experience is pleasant and easeful, it is easy to sink into “Egypt” without even knowing it – meaning, it is easy to drop into a lower state of consciousness, taking the easefulness for granted, lacking gratitude and appreciation for the gift of Being. But eventually, adversity will come along, and with it a new potential emerges: the suffering itself can wake up from our “bondage” to callousness, breaking open the doorway of the heart. But why should easefulness give rise to this callousness of ego? וַֽיְהִ֗י כׇּל־נֶ֛פֶשׁ יֹצְאֵ֥י יֶֽרֶךְ־יַעֲקֹ֖ב שִׁבְעִ֣ים נָ֑פֶשׁ וְיוֹסֵ֖ף הָיָ֥ה בְמִצְרָֽיִם׃ – And all the souls that went out from Jacob’s loins were seventy souls, and Joseph was in Egypt… Joseph – יוֹסֵף Yosef – comes from הוֹסָפָה hosaphah, meaning “increase.” Joseph represents the power of proliferation, of becoming more, and this is the tendency of the thoughts in our minds. Of course, thought is a wonderful thing, just as Egypt was a salvation from famine at first, thanks to Joseph. But when thought becomes so incessant that we lose connection with the space of awareness within which thought arises, that is, we lose Presence, then we’ve become stuck in Egypt, in Mitzrayim, the place of narrowness. Then, when adversity comes, the degree to which we’ve become trapped gets revealed with the reactivity that arises, and the suffering that comes along with it. But, not to worry – suffering contains within it its own solution! The force of our suffering can motivate “Pharaoh” to “let go,” if we become present with it – this is the hint of the ten plagues. Meaning: consciousness that has become trapped in identification with thought – called “ego” – is can be motivated to let go of its identification when it becomes present and fully feels the suffering that it unconsciously created. The key is not to get rid of our suffering, but to use suffering in the right way: be present with it, accept it fully, let it do its job and ultimately let it go. In that openness to whatever arises in our experience lies the key to liberation – this is meditation. The suffering may persist for some time, but eventually it burns itself out, just as Pharaoh eventually relents after the plagues. Of course, we need not wait for a broken heart to wake up; we can practice the art of Presence regardless of our momentary experience. Give thanks for the great and constant blessing of Being, root your awareness in your body, let go of the stream of thinking, and know yourself as the Light of Presence that you are…
Read past teachings on Shemot HERE.
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