Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 16 Tevet, 5785
Good morning! As we continue our journey in Exodus, Moses and Hashem are having a dialogue about the plan to free the slaves in Egypt. And instead of trusting Hashem, Moses acts like a whiner, and Hashem shows immense patience for him.
Read below for more details on the portion today.
In this moment, energy is shifting. We are navigating the shadow of limitation. If you are feeling confined, restrained, there is a purpose to this energy.
We are looking to get a more clear picture of our reality. Instead of fighting with our limitations, can we embrace them? Love them? Contemplate them?
The truth is? Our bodies are limited. Our souls are UNLIMITED. This tension can become EXHAUSTING if we ignore it. Our deepest longings resist the limitations around us. And? It allows us clarity.
This blessing from the Dalai Lama was a beautiful reminder for us last year, and I share it this year as we face our limitations:
- May you have strength in the face of any pain and suffering you are experiencing
- May you be free from anger, fear and sadness.
- May you be open to receive others’ love and care
- May you be filled with compassion for yourself and others
I want to dig into this. The limitations around us? Show us our strength. What we are capable of.
The anger, fear and sadness? Can only be freed if we ALLOW them to be released. To give space to them.
A friend and I were discussing this; and they said “I’m just frustrated with the wallowing sensation – it’s not productive.”
(Of course) I challenged this. Wallowing is safe. It’s beautiful. We don’t like wallowing as a culture because it DOES feel unproductive. However, wallowing is SUPER productive. Here’s the definition:
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roll about or lie relaxed in mud or water, especially to keep cool, avoid biting insects, or spread scent.
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What if? Wallowing is productive? It releases the sadness? Anger? Fear? Wallowing frees us.
So go. Wallow. Roll in the mud. Roll in the anger, sadness and fear. And see what happens?
Here are my thoughts from last year:
Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 23 Tevet 5784
Parsha Shemot: (Exodus 1:1 – 6:1)
Fifth Portion: Exodus 3:16 – 4:17
Good morning! The context for us:
Yesterday’s message:
- It’s going to be ok.
- We are ready.
- It’s time.
- “I will be what I will be” is what we should be looking for
And today, as I look back on my thoughts from the past two years? This is what is sticking with me from the Dalai Lama:
- May you have strength in the face of any pain and suffering you are experiencing
- May you be free from anger, fear and sadness.
- May you be open to receive others’ love and care
- May you be filled with compassion for yourself and others
May WE have strength in the face of pain and suffering we are experiencing
May WE be free from anger, fear, and sadness
May WE be open to receive others’ love and care
May WE be filled with compassion for ourselves and others.
This is a great foundation for us today. Let’s dig in. Hashem and Moses are discussing the plan for the Israelites to be led from Israel. Moses is SUPER resistant to Hashem’s direction.
Just imagine this. We are experiencing the burning bush. We hear Hashem’s voice. And we just. Resist.
Moses had an agitated heart, but it was active. Hashem was working with Moses to provide peace. I almost hear the Mantra from the Dalai Lama as a way to help Moses. But let’s see what happens. Hashem lays out the plan:
16Go and assemble the elders of Israel, and say to them, ‘The Lord God of your forefathers has appeared to me, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, “I have surely remembered you and what is being done to you in Egypt.” ‘
17And I said, ‘I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt, to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivvites, and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.’
18And they will hearken to your voice, and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt, and you shall say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has happened upon us, and now, let us go for a three days’ journey in the desert and offer up sacrifices to the Lord, our God.’
19However, I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to go, except through a mighty hand.
20And I will stretch forth My hand and smite the Egyptians with all My miracles that I will wreak in their midst, and afterwards he will send you out.
21And I will put this people’s favor in the eyes of the Egyptians, and it will come to pass that when you go, you will not go empty handed.
22Each woman shall borrow from her neighbor and from the dweller in her house silver and gold objects and garments, and you shall put [them] on your sons and on your daughters, and you shall empty out Egypt.”
Basically Hashem tells Moses:
- Go to Egypt.
- Gather the leaders of the Israelites and tell them you heard my voice!
- Tell them I have heard them
- Tell them I will save them – and bring them to a land with milk and honey
- Watch as they listen to you
- They will go WITH you to Pharaoh and you will ask to go on a three day journey to sacrifice to Me!
- If Pharoah listens? Cool. But guess what?
- Pharoah isn’t going to let you go. He needs a mighty hand to convince him
- And I will do just that. I will smith the Egyptians with Miracles. And Pharoah will send you out.
- And not only that? The Israelites will find favor with the Egyptians.
- They will give you parting gifts
- Egypt will empty out.
Keep in mind, the ORIGINAL plan was three days. But because Pharaoh wouldn’t listen, the Israelites would take EVERYTHING.
Now before we go further. I want to pause. When we read Torah we don’t often put ourselves into the story as Pharoah. But I am reflecting on where in my life am I being Pharoah?
- Where is Hashem asking me to do something small and temporary?
- Like let something go for three days I have been holding onto?
- Where is Hashem using a mightier and mightier hand to convince me to let something go?
- Will I need to get to the point it will be a RELIEF to let those things go and lose EVERYTHING in the process?
May WE have strength in the face of pain and suffering we are experiencing
May WE be free from anger, fear, and sadness
May WE be open to receive others’ love and care
May WE be filled with compassion for ourselves and others.
What if. The answer to our pain and suffering; our anger, fear and sadness is to let something go we are holding onto? To be OPEN to receive others’ love and care? To show COMPASSION for ourselves and others?
What if THIS is another path to freedom?
I almost see Elsa from frozen taking out her bun and swinging her hair saying “Let it go!”
How can Moses go to Egypt if he is unwilling to let go of this stuff he is holding onto? Because here is how Moses responds:
1Moses answered and said, “Behold they will not believe me, and they will not heed my voice, but they will say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’ “
I almost chuckle here. Hashem lays out a plan. Moses IMMEDIATELY goes back to step one – “they aren’t going to believe me!” It’s almost like he stopped listening after this verse:
16Go and assemble the elders of Israel, and say to them, ‘The Lord God of your forefathers has appeared to me, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, “I have surely remembered you and what is being done to you in Egypt.”
Hashem seems patient. He helps Moses out here:
2And the Lord said to him, “What is this in your hand?” And he said, “A staff.”
3And He said, “Cast it to the ground,” and he cast it to the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses fled from before it.
4And the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch forth your hand and take hold of its tail.” So Moses stretched forth his hand and grasped it, and it became a staff in his hand.
5″In order that they believe that the Lord, the God of their forefathers, has appeared to you, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”
6And the Lord said further to him, “Now put your hand into your bosom,” and he put his hand into his bosom, and he took it out, and behold, his hand was leprous like snow.
7And He said, “Put your hand back into your bosom,” and he put his hand back into his bosom, and [when] he took it out of his bosom, it had become again like [the rest of] his flesh.
8″And it will come to pass, that if they do not believe you, and they do not heed the voice of the first sign, they will believe the voice of the last sign.
9And it will come to pass, if they do not believe either of these two signs, and they do not heed your voice, you shall take of the water of the Nile and spill it upon the dry land, and the water that you take from the Nile will become blood on the dry land.”
What is now interesting here? It is almost as if Moses sowed doubt in Hashem. Like – doesn’t Hashem know WHICH sign will convince them? He can see beyond time, can’t he?
I believe these verses (4:2-9) are Hashem playing out Moses’ doubts. He doesn’t just say “trust me.” He tells Moses – look – here are three signs. If they don’t believe the first two, they will heed the third sign.
Full stop. I just remembered something. The first plague of the blood? It is written differently than the other plagues. When we get there, we need to remember this! The plague of blood was NOT just for Pharaoh – it was for the leaders of Israel.
So – great. Hashem gives Moses signs. Moses is ready to go! Nope:
10Moses said to the Lord, “I beseech You, O Lord. I am not a man of words, neither from yesterday nor from the day before yesterday, nor from the time You have spoken to Your servant, for I am heavy of mouth and heavy of tongue.”
Moses doubts his voice is powerful enough to have the leaders believe him. Hashem tries to convince him:
11But the Lord said to him, “Who gave man a mouth, or who makes [one] dumb or deaf or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?
12So now, go! I will be with your mouth, and I will instruct you what you shall speak. “
Hashem SEES Moses’ power. More than Moses sees it.
How often do we doubt our own power? This is crucial!
Ok. How does Moses respond?
13But he said, “I beseech You, O Lord, send now [Your message] with whom You would send.”
Oh Moses. Your heart is STILL agitated. You are waiting for “I will be who you want me to be” instead of “I will be who I will be.” Hashem finally reacts in anger:
14And the Lord’s wrath was kindled against Moses, and He said, “Is there not Aaron your brother, the Levite? I know that he will surely speak, and behold, he is coming forth toward you, and when he sees you, he will rejoice in his heart.
15You shall speak to him, and you shall put the words into his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will instruct you [both] what you shall do.
16And he will speak for you to the people, and it will be that he will be your speaker, and you will be his leader.
17And you shall take this staff in your hand, with which you shall perform the signs.”
Having the Lord’s wrath kindled against us? Seems like a REALLY scary thing doesn’t it? And? Hashem still loves Moses. He provides a way.
It seems as if Moses NEEDED Hashem to get angry with him in order to accept the peace in his heart.
And. Hashem gave Moses what he asked for – He gave Moses Aaron.
These are my thoughts today! I am curious to yours!
May WE have strength in the face of pain and suffering we are experiencing
May WE be free from anger, fear, and sadness
May WE be open to receive others’ love and care
May WE be filled with compassion for ourselves and others.
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