Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 25 Tevet 5784
Parsha Shemot: (Exodus 1:1 – 6:1)
Seventh Portion: Exodus 5:1 – 6:1

Shabbat Shalom!  It is the final rest before the new moon of Shevat.

Today’s portion is fascinating to me. You see, I have been doing this for three years already.  And for some reason – today’s portion? I have not dug into.  Until now, I haven’t chewed on it. And that FASCINATES me – and I am curious to dig and discover why my life has resisted this portion.

Let’s GO!!!!!

Here’s the context.

Yesterday we read – Hashem was working everything out.  Moses was on a journey with Hashem. Aaron was on a journey with Hashem. The elders were on a journey with Hashem.  Yesterday? Was the fulcrum. Everyone’s realities came crashing together. Moses and Aaron met together. They embraced. They kissed.  Their realities connected in the physical realm. That is the kiss.

I also reflect how the kiss is the way Hashem breathed life into us.  Into Adam/Chavah.  The kiss is the beginning.

This is something new.

And. I hear. “Who can say for certain?” (Thank you to a friend who sent me the song “To Where you are” by Josh Groban.

I feel compelled to put the lyrics here before we dig into today’s portion:

Who can say for certain?
Maybe you’re still here.
I feel you all around me.
Your memories so clear.
Deep in the stillness.
I can hear you speak.
You’re still an inspiration.
Can it be?

That you are my
Forever love
And you are watching over me.
From up above?

Fly me up to where you are!
Beyond the distant star
I wish upon tonight.
To see you smile.
If only for a while.
To know you’re there.
A breath away’s not far to where you are.

Are you gently sleeping.
Here inside my dream?
And isn’t faith believing
All power can’t be seen.

As my heart holds you.
Just one beat away.
I cherish all you gave me.
Every day.

‘Cause you are my
Forever love
Watching me.
From up above

And I believe
That angels breathe
And that love will live on
And Never leave

Fly me up to where you are!
Beyond the distant star
I wish upon tonight.
To see you smile.
If only for a while.
To know you’re there.
A breath away’s not far to where you are.

I know you’re there.
A breath away’s not far to where you are.

Now. Before we dig in. I have an ask. Something for us to do.

Reread the lyrics I just posted.  And be curious:

• The first time you read them; who is “I” in the song? Who is “You” in the song?
• Reread this again. This time. Consider. The “I” is us. And the “You?”  Maybe that is Hashem. In us. Above us. Around us.
• Read it a third time. Imagine within us – there is a divine energy and feminine energy.
  • Naturally, who is “I” when you read these lyrics for you? Is it the feminine within us? The masculine? Who is “You?”
• Read it a fourth time. And. And reverse the roles. If the third run through you read “I” from your internal masculine energy? Try to read it through your feminine energy as the “I” and your masculine energy as “you.”  If you read “I” the third time with your internal feminine energy? Try to read “I” with your masculine energy, and read “You” with your feminine.

And it’s ok. If I lost you in any of these steps? You can come back to it.

But this is the key.

This unlocks the kiss. The kiss from Aaron and Moses.

27The Lord said to Aaron, “Go toward Moses, to the desert.” So he went and met him on the mount of God, and he kissed him.

Are we ready? The elders all bowed down. They were prostrated. They were surrendered. “We don’t know for certain” what is going to happen here. Let’s jump in with NO expectations:

1And afterwards, Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, “So said the Lord God of Israel, ‘Send out My people, and let them sacrifice to Me in the desert.’ “

2And Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I should heed His voice to let Israel out? I do not know the Lord, neither will I let Israel out.”

3And they said, “The God of the Hebrews has happened upon us. Now let us go on a three day journey in the desert and sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest He strike us with a plague or with the sword.”

Moses and Aaron confront Pharoah. And. What is it they want for Israel?

• To go to the desert.
• To sacrifice to Hashem.

Full stop.

Consider this.

They were not asking for their freedom.

They wanted to go to a desert.  They wanted to sacrifice.

Um. If I am feeling stuck. If I am feeling enslaved? If I am feeling like I have no control. Going to a desert? Sacrificing? That does NOT sound fun.   I want FREEDOM. LIBERATION.

Think about this for ourselves. When we feel stuck. Does it feel good to go to a desert? A dry place with no water? We hear the word sacrifice – but do we FEEL the depths of that in this passage?

Dry. Pain. This is how Hashem was going to rescue the Israelites from Slavery?

Um. No thank you. That’s my first reaction here.

Dry. Pain.

Slavery. Stuck.

If those are the two choices? What would we choose?

Honestly? The comfort of slavery and being stuck might seem like a nice choice – its safe. Leaving just so I can experience dry pain? Yeah. Not sure my heart would be in that.

And Pharoah’s response?

4But the king of Egypt said to them, “Why, Moses and Aaron, do you disturb the people from their work? Go to your own labors.”

5And Pharaoh said, “Behold, now the people of the land are many, and you are stopping them from their labors.”

6So, on that day, Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying,

7″You shall not continue to give stubble to the people to make the bricks like yesterday and the day before yesterday. Let them go and gather stubble for themselves.

8But the number of bricks they have been making yesterday and the day before yesterday you shall impose upon them; you shall not reduce it, for they are lax. Therefore they cry out, saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’

9Let the labor fall heavy upon the men and let them work at it, and let them not talk about false matters.”

10So the taskmasters of the people and their officers came out and spoke to the people, saying, “So said Pharaoh, ‘I am not giving you stubble.

11You go take for yourselves stubble from wherever you find [it], because nothing will be reduced from your work.’ “

12So the people scattered throughout the entire land of Egypt, to gather a gleaning for stubble.

13And the taskmasters were pressing [them], saying, “Finish your work, the requirement of each day in its day, just as when there was stubble.”

14And the officers of the children of Israel whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had appointed over them were beaten, saying, “Why have you not completed your quota to make bricks like the day before yesterday, neither yesterday nor today?”

Pharoah was trying to CONTROL the people. Make it harder for them, wasn’t he?

And. I reflect here. Hashem was making the choice EASIER for the Israelites, wasn’t he?

Dry. Pain.

Slavery. Stuck.

Pharoah just made it MORE uncomfortable to remain stuck and enslaved.

I reflect on this from the perspective of Hashem.  I see the love here.

How often, when we feel stuck; does the universe seem to create MORE harshness for us to remain stuck, so that we will choose – Dry. Pain. Desert. Sacrifice.

And remember – it was a three day journey to even GET to the desert TO make the sacrifice.

Dry. Pain.

This is the way out of slavery.

This is the way out of stuckness.

This is the way to leave Egypt.

And. It’s just the first step.

How did the Israelite leaders (who prostrated themselves before Hashem when Moses and Aaron laid out the plan) respond?

15So the officers of the children of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why do you do this to your servants?

16Stubble is not given to your servants, but they tell us, ‘Make bricks,’ and behold, your servants are beaten, and your people are sinning.”

17But he said, “You are lax, just lax. Therefore, you say, ‘Let us go, let us sacrifice to the Lord.’

18And now, go and work, but you will not be given stubble. Nevertheless, the [same] number of bricks you must give.”

19The officers of the children of Israel saw them in distress, saying, “Do not reduce [the number] of your bricks, the requirement of each day in its day.”

They complained to Pharoah.  These elders – who were ready to be FREED from Slavery? Complained to their slave master. They looked to the slave master for comfort. Because being stuck? Being a slave? Got much more uncomfortable.

Dry. Desert.

What did the elders do next?

20They met Moses and Aaron standing before them when they came out from Pharaoh’s presence.

21And they said to them, “May the Lord look upon you and judge, for you have brought us into foul odor in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants, to place a sword into their hand[s] to kill us.”

They complained to Moses. They complained to Hashem.  WHY? Why are you making this harder? How is this saving us from Slavery?  This is harsh. This is cruel. WHY?

And Moses himself – started to question Hashem:

22So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “O Lord! Why have You harmed this people? Why have You sent me?

23Since I have come to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has harmed this people, and You have not saved Your people.”

What does this mean for us?

We all feel stuck. We want liberation. We want freedom.

And. We want it the way we want it.

Dry. Pain.

We cannot ignore this.

Because in Genesis? We saw the path to freedom and liberation – was the blessing of Esau.

Grief.

Genesis 27:40:

40And you shall live by your sword, and you shall serve your brother, and it will be, when you grieve, that you will break his yoke off your neck.”

Grief. That’s the path to freedom. Until we grieve – we will be at war within. We will serve external forces like Pharaoh.

Dry. Pain.

Grief.

And spoiler alert? What is the balm for Dryness?

Water.

Tears.

Flow.

We must allow ourselves Dry Pain – and leave our comfort of being stuck – to shed the tears to heal and grieve. THIS IS THE PATH to spiritual freedom and liberation.

This was how it is supposed to go down.

And. Hashem knows.

We won’t likely choose this path. We won’t choose a three day journey to the desert to sacrifice. We won’t choose dry pain over stuck slavery.

Here is how Hashem responded to Moses:

1And the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh, for with a mighty hand he will send them out, and with a mighty hand he will drive them out of his land.”

The Israelites aren’t going to make the choice here. The slavemaster HIMSELF will send them out.

The slave master will send us out into freedom.

And – another spoiler alert?

It’s not gonna be pretty.

Those are my thoughts. What are yours?