In this Torah portion, the Jews made one of history’s most dramatic and romantic statements. When G-d split the Red Sea, they were overcome with emotion. “This is my G-d,” they exclaimed, “and I will beautify Him.” They didn’t say this is G-d or even this is our G-d; they …
Read the full story »As the hostages return home, they revel in their freedom, but at some point, they will ask themselves why they were liberated. What is their new purpose? What must they do with their newfound freedom?
Before the Exodus from Egypt, G-d gave us two commandments: circumcision and the paschal lamb. Why were these two commandments essential to our freedom, and what do they say about freedom?
No-thing Meets G-d
G-d did not take us out of Egypt to free us from tyranny. He did it to bring us to Sinai and induct us into His service. We were trading in slavery to Pharaoh for servitude to G-d. Either way, we wouldn’t call the shots, so how was one freedom and the other slavery?
Two answers: Choice and master. (A) We choose to be indentured to G-d; no one forces us. (B) G-d is not a tyrant; He is the master of the universe. Slavery to Pharaoh is misery; servitude to G-d is transcendence.
G-d is the origin of existence. He preceded all that exists, will outlast all that exists, and everything that exists exists because of Him. Without Him, we would not be. In His presence, there is only Him—the apex from which all existence emerges. This apex is indefinable. There is no substance and no absence in the apex. No fill and no void. There just is. It’s all G-d.
Imagine being thrown into this apex; what would become of you? Well, you would cease to exist because the apex transcends existence. All you can find in the apex is G-d. So, if you get thrown into the apex, you would become part of G-d. In that space, everything is part of G-d.
(Everything is part of G-d in our space, too, but we are too oblivious to notice it. We are so filled with ourselves, our EGO, that we miss this critical detail. However, it is possible to miss it here since G-d is unknown and unknowable. But in G-d’s space, G-d is all there is. You can’t miss Him.)
Suppose you wake up one bright morning on this cheerful plane and discover that you are scheduled to be thrown into the apex; how would you feel? Would you shudder or rejoice? Fear or anticipate? The answer is both. You would fear losing yourself and rejoice over transcending yourself. You would not become greater; there is no you in the apex. You will be part of G-d. Subsumed by infinity.
Yes and No
You can now see why the Torah prescribes two types of commandments: things we must do and things we must never do. In short, let’s call them yes and no. The yes commandments introduce us to G-d. The no commandments take care of the critical piece that must come first. Surrender, letting go of being in control. You don’t get to do everything and anything you want. You are not in control. G-d is in control. Let go. Surrender, feel yourself floating up into transcendence, feel your ego draining, feel yourself subsumed in something higher and greater. Transcend yourself.
The no commandments are just as important as the yes commandments. They work in tandem. You can’t have one without the other. You can’t be filled with yourself and G-d simultaneously. You can’t be in control and surrender at the same time. It is one or the other. The more you love yourself, your ideas, perceptions, biases, pleasures, etc., the less you love G-d, surrender, transcendence, subsumption, etc.
The no commandments make space for G-d; the yes commandments fill that space with G-dliness. The yes commandments acknowledge that G-d is infinite, exquisite, vast, grand, all-knowing, almighty, and omnipotent. The no commandments acknowledge that G-d is unknown and unknowable. Therefore, don’t ask; just obey. If G-d said no, it’s no. . Trust G-d as you go down that cliff (or up that peak) with Him.
At The Time of The Exodus
Imagine G-d taking an ignorant, secular, pagan group of Jews from Egypt to the apex at Sinai. They were slaves in Egypt, but they were steeped in Egyptian culture. It was a wealthy superpower where stakeholders had anything they wished. They had armies of slaves at their beck and call. They had watering holes, theatres, palaces, pleasure crafts, indulgence, and abundance. They had whatever they wanted and could plunder at will. They were gluttonous, avaricious, decadent, hedonistic, and immoral.
This was the milieu in which this generation of Jews was raised. Sure, they were slaves, but when they aspired for freedom, they must have imagined it looking a lot like the lifestyle of their Egyptian overlords. Along comes Moses, who promises them freedom, but not the kind they were programmed to want. Let my people go, thundered Moses to Pharaoh, so they could come to Sinai and worship me.
There must have been a moment of cognitive dissonance, a shock, as they absorbed this ultimate paradigm shift. They were going from slavery to servitude? Moses had to teach them the higher truth. They were going from slavery to transcendence. But they had never tasted transcendence. They did not know how to savor or anticipate it. Because transcendence does nothing for the body, it holds promise only for the soul.
G-d saw this and granted them two commandments: a yes commandment and a no commandment. The paschal lamb represents every yes commandment the Jews would receive at Sinai, and circumcision represents all the no commandments they would receive at Sinai.
Circumcision is a shocking commandment to those who have never heard of it. You want me to lob off a part of my manhood? Emasculate me? Madness! Unheard of! Never! And yet, Jews practice it joyfully and routinely around the world. You would think it would be anathema, yet it is ubiquitous. There can be only one reason for this strange phenomenon. It is practiced because it is G-d’s will. It is our way of making a statement. We declare to the world, G-d, and ourselves, I am not for me, I am for G-d. As Hillel said, “If I am only for me, what am I?” This is pure transcendence of self.
The paschal lamb is the classic yes commandment. Who doesn’t like roasted lamb chops? Everyone salivates over it. Everyone loves it. Yet, we don’t eat it for ourselves. We eat it for G-d. It is a sacred dish, a holy commandment. Not to fill my empty stomach but to fill the emptiness that is me with G-d.
These two commandments became the thesis for all of Judaism. Everything that would follow began at this moment with these two commandments. They set the stage, and the race to Sinai began. “When you take the nation out of Egypt, you will worship G-d on this mountain.
The Hostages Find Purpose
The hostages have discovered this transcendence in captivity. When you are in captivity, all the ordinary reasons for living disappear. You hold on to a bleak hope for the future, but you need a reason to live in the present. It is not for education, pleasure, wealth, or power. It is not even about what you will achieve in the future. The future is bleak and so distant as to be unknown.
The hostage discovers that life is inherently precious, profoundly meaningful: a treasure. One to which we must cling tenaciously and cherish with every fiber of our being. Life does not require justification. It justifies itself. Because life is a gift. Life energy is Divine energy, and as it pulses through our body, we are suffused with something holy, transcendent, and exquisite. Nothing in life holds a candle to the preciousness of life itself. No pleasure, joy, or experience can justify life. On the contrary, life justifies those pleasures.
Discovering that they were not alone in the tunnels but with G-d and with the love of their people gave them a reason to live. It gave them the ability to transcend. With time, they will realize they were saved to share this transcendence. They have a gift that can inspire us, and were saved to share it.
May all the hostages go free, in good health, and post hate, and may they all find meaning and purpose.
In a small village in Lithuania, a young boy named Berel received a bicycle as a gift. Berel loved his bike and drove it every day, including Shabbat. The Rabbi heard about this and announced that Berel should henceforth be referred to as Berel the goy—the non-Jew. Berel heard about …
Before New Year’s Day, 2000, the New York Times created a mock front page for New Year’s Day, 2100. They concocted all kinds of news stories for the front page, and since New Year’s will fall on Friday that year, the editors added the time for Shabbat candle lighting. At …
Jacob summoned his son Joseph to his deathbed to share last-minute blessings and instructions. The last agenda item was to grant Joseph’s descendants the region of Shechem in Israel (Genesis 48:22). This was the only part of Israel Jacob granted directly to his children.
Jacob explained that he was authorized to …
Some siblings are dependable. They show up to every family affair and are always in touch. They are the first to call when you return from a trip and always ask how you are doing. Some siblings are not quite like that. You hardly hear from them; they are always …
Before we light the Chanukah candles, we chant a blessing to thank G-d for the miracles he performed in those days at this time. The basic meaning is that G-d performed miracles for us many years ago during this time of year. A deeper meaning is that G-d performed miracles …
This week, we read about Judah’s encounter with Tamar. On the surface, it looked like an intimate rendezvous on the side of the road. On a deeper level, something historical and fundamental occurred. Judah, the leader among his brothers, fathered the ancestor of King David and Mashiach. Our sages saw …
This week, we read about the birth of Jacob’s children. Twelve of his thirteen children were born in this week’s Torah portion. Jacob’s children all followed their father’s lead, unlike his father and grandfather. Abraham had Ishmael, Isaac had Esau, and Jacob had thirteen children who emulated him.
We don’t raise …