Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 11 Shevat 5784
Parsha Be-Shallah: (Exodus 13:17 – 17:16)
First Portion: Exodus 13:17 – 14:8

Good morning! We are starting a new week – and amazing time as we come out of the “harshness” of the past two weeks and head towards the full moon. This week we are studying Parsha Be-Shallah which means “When He Sent.”

We’ve been discussing this idea of a slingshot. That this cycle is about the harshness of being pulled back and down from our goals – from where we want to be.  It’s frustrating doing a ton of work on ourselves, our relationships, our businesses, our jobs, and at the same time feel further away from where we want to be.

Why? Why is such a critical question. Why are we getting further away from all of this? Why does it seem like each step we move forward the distance grows from our goals? It’s disheartening isn’t it?

Maybe there is a shift here? Maybe we aren’t JUST slingshots – we are magnets. And if we want to go south, and take actions to go south, we lead with the southern pole of our magnet, right?

And? What if Hashem SENDS south our way? And we are leading with our southern pole? What happens?

Yeah – we push the “south” that Hashem is sending – away, don’t we? Two southern poles repel each other.

What if we are recalibrating our magnet – shifting our front pole from south to north? And if we lead with the north? When Hashem “sends” the south our way?  We are ready to RECEIVE and CATCH and ATTRACT it because we have our NORTHERN pole facing forward?

This is a significant shift for us this week – because the light of the full moon is approaching.  So if we are feeling disoriented? Ungrounded? We just need to ease into this – allow the discomfort to unfold.

Something to reflect on; Where am I feeling discomfort? How might this be shifting the magnet within?  How might this new approach ATTRACT what I am shooting for instead of REPELLING it?

Let’s dig into the Torah!  Yesterday we focused on the womb. The source of manifestation – creation. We are asked when we enter the promised land – to give over “Whatever opens the womb” to Hashem. With this context, let’s go!

17It came to pass when Pharaoh let the people go, that God did not lead them [by] way of the land of the Philistines for it was near, because God said, Lest the people reconsider when they see war and return to Egypt

So this is interesting, right? Hashem is taking the children of Israel “the long way.” How often do we get IMPATIENT with the process around us – it isn’t happening fast enough? Hashem explains to us WHY it doesn’t happen quickly.

“Lest the people reconsider when they see war and return to Egypt.”

This. This is why it takes so long.  Because Hashem does NOT want us going back into slavery. He wants us to be free.

Think about children born into rich families, right? Their work is going to be much more challenging to be spiritually free.  Christians have the story of the rich man passing through an eye of the needle.

Those of us who struggle to know where the money is going to come from to pay rent? It’s hard to fathom this.

And. We hear stories of humans living in poverty winning the lottery – and we end up WORSE than before we won.  We weren’t READY to receive that abundance. It was a fire hose that knocked us backwards.

The long way is more challenging because it requires patience. Heartbreak. Suffering. It seems cruel. And. It builds resilience and containers to receive the abundance of milk and honey coming our way.  This is why Hashem is taking all of us the long way. He doesn’t want us to face a war that pushes us back to slavery.  Can we embrace this?  Let’s keep going:

18So God led the people around [by] way of the desert [to] the Red Sea, and the children of Israel were armed when they went up out of Egypt.

19Moses took Joseph’s bones with him, for he [Joseph] had adjured the sons of Israel, saying, God will surely remember you, and you shall bring up my bones from here with you

20They traveled from Succoth, and they encamped in Etham, at the edge of the desert.

21And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to cause it to lead them on the way and at night in a pillar of fire to give them light, [they thus could] travel day and night.

22He did not move away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire at night [from] before the people.

Hashem could have given Moses a map. That is not what happened. Hashem asked them to keep their eyes on him – cloud by day, fire by night.

And I reflect on this elementally.  We see in the plagues in Egypt elemental components. Here we almost see the releasing, right?

A cloud is water and air mixing. Fire is earth (materials) and air mixing.

It’s integration of two elements together.

A cloud is potential energy for water – when a cloud releases its potential energy, it turns to water.

Fire is kinetic energy – once it consumes the materials of earth it is burning, it returns to potential energy – ready to go, but not there.

This is what guides us. The elements. Kinetic and potential energy. Harmony. Balance.

We don’t have a map – we have a compass. Compasses? Based on MAGNETS. Polarity.

Hashem gave us a compass.

And we continue to ask for a map. Because we want to know the steps of the journey ahead  – we aren’t comfortable being in this moment, are we? With just a compass?

Ok – let’s keep going:

14:1The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

2Speak to the children of Israel, and let them turn back and encamp in front of Pi hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; in front of Baal Zephon, you shall encamp opposite it, by the sea.

3And Pharaoh will say about the children of Israel, They are trapped in the land. The desert has closed in upon them.

4And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will be glorified through Pharaoh and through his entire force, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord. And they did so.

Lol. That’s REALLY interesting, isn’t? Here I am writing about a compass, and not having a map. And that being a struggle – what does the Torah do? Gives Moses a MAP!

It’s both and.  We look to the compass when we need to. We look to the map when it is given to us. When we are given clarity, we embrace that clarity. When we don’t have clarity, we look within for or compass to know what direction to go.

We need both. We are given both. At the same time.

We are explorers. We have a map, we have a compass. It’s like this is one master’s class on how to constantly orient ourselves.

Let’s close the portion as Hashem shows us what happens:

5It was reported to Pharaoh that the people had fled; and Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, What is this that we have done, that we have released Israel from serving us?

6So he [Pharaoh] harnessed his chariot, and took his people with him.

7He took six hundred select chariots and all the chariots of Egypt, with officers over them all.

8And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and he chased after the children of Israel, and the children of Israel were marching out triumphantly.

Pharaoh – still grieving – had his heart hardened by Hashem – why? To show US the grief. To reorient ourselves to our moment. Are we Pharaoh? Do we allow our hearts to be hardened? Is this the war Hashem warns us about – and why he is taking us the slow way? He wants us to be free. We have a choice – allow our hearts to be hardened – or embrace the softness within and allow ourselves to grieve.

What are YOUR thoughts?

Here are my thoughts from the past two years:

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 7 Shevat, 5783

Good morning! We have a new passage this week!

Reading through it some things jump out at me;

The fact that the Israelites were armed leaving Egypt. Hashem is their protector. Why did they need to be armed?

Sometimes Hashem asks us to protect ourselves. I look at this within me, how am I protecting my heart and trusting Hashem at the same time? There seems to be a paradox here.

I’m also becoming more aware of the difference between tactics and motives. How often do we confuse tactics for motives?

As an example. I’ve been digging into my internal self critic. We all know our internal critic. That voice that tells us that despite what we see and experience, there is something we are missing, doing wrong, making a mistake. We aren’t good enough. That voice.

But have we ever stopped and asked ourselves; what is the motive of the inner critic? Are they trying to harm us? Or is it something else? Maybe they are trying to get our attention. The way Hashem was using the Jews to get the attention of the Egyptians?

Over the last 24 hours, I’ve been learning to engage the inner critic. By being curious. Avoiding judgment. And what I’m discovering is they are on my side. They want what’s best for me.

Unfortunately their tactics are TOXIC. They learned those tactics from the outside. My parents. People who have hurt me who I thought cared about me. That inner critic just learned the wrong lessons.

As we’ve discussed it (internally – I’m not “hearing voices” by the way – it’s more a conversation I’m having with myself) my inner critic doesn’t realize the hurt they are causing. I’ve been helping them achieve their goal – which is wanting the best for me. It’s been an interesting process for sure. And I’m just starting to learn.

Likewise, there was a lot going on in todays portion. The Jews were free. But they were ready for battle. And they were being set up as bait. And they were protected.

All to teach the Egyptians about God, and to reinforce the Jews could trust Hashem’s protection.

What do you think?

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for Shevat 7, 5782

We are starting a new Parsha!!! This week we will be studying Parsha Be-Shallah which means “When he sent.”

We experience the departure from Egypt and the splitting of the Red Sea.

Todays portion starts off with us learning that when Pharaoh sent the people away, God sent them on a roundabout route because God said “when the people see a war they may regret leaving and return to Egypt.” So they avoided the Philistines.

We also learn that the children of Israel were armed when they left Egypt.

Moses took Joseph’s bones with him because Joseph made his brothers swear they would make their children swear to take his bones out of Egypt.

God went before the the children of Israel by day in a pillar of cloud to guide them along their route and in a pillar of fire at night to give them light so they could travel both day and night.

We learn God did not move away the pillar of cloud by day until the pillar of fire was fully illuminated and he did not move the pillar of fire at night until the pillar of cloud had risen fully.

I have learned about the pillar of fire and pillar of cloud prior; but hadn’t given much thought to the transition. This is interesting to me that the Torah speaks directly about what the transition looked like.

While this was going on, we learn Pharaoh has a change of heart, we also learn God is the one who provokes Pharaoh to have a change of heart. It’s like God dangles the carrot in front of Pharaoh.

We discover God speaks to Moses and tells him to speak to the children of Israel “to let them turn back (in order to confuse Pharaoh) and encamp in front of the Mouth of the Rocks (Pithom), between amigdol and the sea.”

God tells Moses to encamp opposite the Egyptian deity of Baal-zephon by the sea (in order to confuse the Egyptians further).

God tells Moses that “Pharaoh will say about the children of Israel ‘They are trapped in the land. The desert has closed in upon them.’ I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. I will be glorified through (wreaking vengeance on) Pharaoh and his whole army, and Egypt will know that I am God.”

Um. Hold up. God is using the children of Israel as bait. It’s not a carrot, it’s a fishing hook. It’s for a purpose. God wants Egypt to know He is God.

The children of Israel did as they were commanded to do.

The portion today closes with learning that on the fourth day (after leaving Egypt) it was reported to Pharaoh that the Jews had fled. Pharaoh and his servants had a “change of heart.” They looked at one another and said “what have we done? We have sent away Israel from serving us!”

Pharaoh gets in his chariot and persuaded his people to come with him.

My reaction to this is “how?” We know the people respected Moses. They wanted the Jews gone. But in four days, they were tired and wanted things to go back to the way they were. They ignored the plagues. They wanted things to go back to the way they used to be.

Sound familiar? To current events? Despite all the suffering, let’s just get back to normal!

Pharaoh took 600 select chariots and all the remaining chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. We learn that Pharaoh may have had second thoughts, but Hashem hardened his heart. He chased after the children of Israel.

The final sentence of todays portion says, “The Children of Israel went out triumphantly.”

That’s an interesting ending. Despite all that we going on; Israel was triumphant!

What are your thoughts?