Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 9 Shevat 5784
Parsha Bo’: (Exodus 10:1 – 13:16)
Sixth Portion: Exodus 12:29 – 12:51

Good morning!  Many of us are going through a ROUGH ROUGH period right now. We are seeing direction, we are seeing stability – the chaos of the last moon cycle is fading away.  And. The results do not seem to be coming.  I was speaking last night with someone who is really important in my life, and we were discussing a slingshot. It almost feels like since the new moon, we have been pulled back and down – away from what we think the results we want and need.

We can release this energy now – and get better results than maybe we got a year ago.  Or? We can trust – and allow ourselves to be in this space – allowing the soil to be dug up – the old trees being removed – and wait.  This is not a waiting that is passive, sitting on the couch kind of waiting. This is waiting on the results and utilizing this time to prepare and get READY to CATCH the results that are coming our way.

As someone who is has a side business of spiritual coaching – what containers am I putting together in this time to catch the abundance that is coming?  What NEW structures or EXPANSION of current structures that are working can I be navigating as I am being stretched to greater CAPACITY during this period of time before the fullness of Shevat?

And. Aim. Just because our slingshot is being pulled back and ready to launch, doesn’t mean we are going to go where we want to. Where am I being aimed? How much do influence do I have on this? Do I know my purpose?

What is my purpose? Where do I want the slingshot to take me? If I don’t have this figured out, it’s ok – we live every moment as a slingshot – maybe this energy is going to slingshot us TO our purpose!

Let’s dig in!

We left off yesterday with the nation of Israel getting ready (oh look – they were getting ready for launch TOO!) to leave Egypt. They prepared themselves.  That’s the context for us to dig in:

29It came to pass at midnight, and the Lord smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who is in the dungeon, and every firstborn animal.

30And Pharaoh arose at night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was a great outcry in Egypt, for there was no house in which no one was dead.

I’ve said this before. Either it’s the Mandela effect, or the Patriarchy – but I always thought it was firstborn SONS. That is not what to Torah says. That is an aha moment. This slingshot? This death? It’s meant to be EXPANSIVE. It had a purpose. To launch the people to freedom!

That is painful. Because old structures had to pass away. Old trees that were deeply rooted (cough Pharaoh cough) had to be ripped from the ground so the soil could be turned for a NEW TREE to be planted.

How did Pharaoh respond?

31So he called for Moses and Aaron at night, and he said, “Get up and get out from among my people, both you, as well as the children of Israel, and go, worship the Lord as you have spoken.

32Take also your flocks and also your cattle, as you have spoken, and go, but you shall also bless me.”

Lol. The old tree really doesn’t want to release from the ground does it?

Even WHEN the firstborn children pass away, Pharaoh still wants to hold on – “but you shall also bless me.”

He won’t release his power.

Ok. So what is our takeaway?

In this time – what are we needing removed from our lives that is getting in the way of freedom? Like snakes attaching to our hair – getting caught up and unwilling to release us – or roots of a tree that just won’t let go? What is our purpose? The Torah tells us – freedom. Liberation.

Where in our lives is Pharaoh STILL holding on, even though we have ALL the motivation to be free?

How does Egypt respond?

33So the Egyptians took hold of the people to hasten to send them out of the land, for they said, “We are all dead.”

34The people picked up their dough when it was not yet leavened, their leftovers bound in their garments on their shoulders.

35And the children of Israel did according to Moses’ order, and they borrowed from the Egyptians silver objects, golden objects, and garments.

36The Lord gave the people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians, and they lent them, and they emptied out Egypt.

The Egyptians were like – we WANT you to go. And still? Pharaoh was going to hold on. “but you shall also bless me.”

I’m getting chills here.

Pharaoh IS Esau. We focus on Jacob. We focus on Israel. And. The Torah has a message for us through Esau and Pharaoh.

The message is for us.

Let’s time travel back to the moment. Esau comes to Isaac. He pleads for a blessing.

Genesis 27:36And he said, “Is it for this reason that he was named Jacob? For he has deceived me twice; he took my birthright, and behold, now he has taken my blessing.” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”

37And Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Behold, I made him a master over you, and I gave him all his brothers as servants, and I have sustained him with corn and wine; so for you then, what shall I do, my son?”

38And Esau said to his father, “Have you [but] one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father.” And Esau raised his voice and wept.

39And his father Isaac answered and said to him, “Behold, your dwelling place shall be the fat places of the earth and of the dew of the heaven from above.

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.”

Hashem hardened Pharaoh’s heart to point us back to Esau.

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.”

Pharaoh was unwilling to truly grieve.  NOT EVEN for his firstborn. NOT EVEN for the firstborn of everyone in Egypt. He was the Leader. And. He was arrogant.  Arrogance is the shadow of Leadership (thank you to Kristina Sullivan who is teaching me about Gene Keys and Shadow work – if you want someone to really push your journey – besides me – she is AMAZING!).

How do we release the slingshot? Grieve. Release our arrogance. Esau grieved and was healed. Pharaoh would not release. All Pharaoh wanted was blessing.

Which I think points us all to our grief.

It is this question. This is the slingshot question.

“Why have I not been blessed?”

We have a lot to unpack with this, but for now – we need to digest that question. This is THE question to dig into for the next week until the full moon.  What trees are needing to be uprooted that is getting in your way.  EVEN FOR ESAU – who we read in the Torah almost superficially – he received a blessing. Grief.  That is the path to freedom!

And let’s see what today’s portion says about the results:

37The children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot, the men, besides the young children.

38And also, a great mixed multitude went up with them, and flocks and cattle, very much livestock.

Full stop. “A GREAT MIXED MULTITUDE” went up with them.  This MEANS – there were Egyptians who CHOSE to align with Israel and release their allegiance to Pharaoh. They were free.

I get this question often with my Torah thoughts.  “Is the Torah for me? I am not Jewish.” My response? The Torah is for EVERYONE.  Because just like we are learning to synthesize and integrate the yin and yang, the masculine and feminine, survival and stability…we are learning to synthesize the Jew and Non-Jew.  For my Christian friends, it’s the synthesis of The Jew and Gentile.

And it comes back to sovereignty. 1 +  1 = 3.

More on that as we go.  Let’s keep going with the portion today.

39They baked the dough that they had taken out of Egypt as unleavened cakes, for it had not leavened, for they were driven out of Egypt, and they could not tarry, and also, they had not made provisions for themselves.

40And the habitation of the children of Israel, that they dwelled in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.

41It came to pass at the end of four hundred and thirty years, and it came to pass in that very day, that all the legions of the Lord went out of the land of Egypt.

42It is a night of anticipation for the Lord, to take them out of the land of Egypt; this night is the Lord’s, guarding all the children of Israel throughout their generations.

Wow. “It is a night of anticipation for the Lord.”  Just take that in. Breathe that in. We look around us. It seems dark. It seems harsh.  And. This is a night of anticipation for the Lord.

This night is Hashem’s.  These two weeks of Harshness belong to Him.

Hashem is guarding ALL of the children of Israel FOREVER.

The Moon will reach full light in less than a week. The Sun is coming out of winter and heading into spring. The incredible potential energy in this moment – it’s significant. Be here. Don’t get ahead of the timeline. Don’t get stuck behind. Just be. Grieve. Expand our capacity. And be ready to GOOOOOOO!!!!!

Let’s finish:

43The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the statute of the Passover sacrifice: No estranged one may partake of it.

44And every man’s slave, purchased for his money you shall circumcise him; then he will be permitted to partake of it.

45A sojourner or a hired hand may not partake of it.

46It must be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the meat out of the house to the outside, neither shall you break any of its bones.

47The entire community of Israel shall make it.

48And should a proselyte reside with you, he shall make a Passover sacrifice to the Lord. All his males shall be circumcised, and then he may approach to make it, and he will be like the native of the land, but no uncircumcised male may partake of it.

49There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who resides in your midst.”

50All the children of Israel did; as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

51It came to pass on that very day, that the Lord took the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt with their legions.

Here’s the TL:DR version.

• Who can join us?
  • Anyone purchased (we will get to the purchasing laws in Leviticus – this isn’t chattel slavery we are talking about) needs to be circumcised and they can join us
  • A proselyte residing with us – they need to be circumcised and they may partake it
• Who does Hashem say may not?
  • Sojourners and Hired Hands
    • People passing through. People not ROOTED in our family of Israel.

All are welcome home. Those who just want to pass through? You are honored guests. Those who want to stay, you may stay. Provided you are circumcised as a dude.  That’s it.

Adam and Chavah had only ONE requirement in the garden – DON’T DO SOMETHING.

Now? There is only ONE requirement to return – Circumcision.

And? I’d argue? That comes with and through grief. That is the true blessing. Grief.

Those are my thoughts.  What are yours?

Here are my thoughts from the past two years:

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts 5 Shevat, 5783

As we remember my father’s Yahrzeit again I am reminded of the “harshness” of the first part of Shevat. My father passed. My mom passed (this year it falls on the evening of February 2nd), my marriage ended (the same day as my mom’s Yahrtziet – the 12th of Shevat).

This is all connected to the Exodus story.

Our freedom and liberation is directly connected to our prisons. We must go through this harshness – the same way the Jews went through slavery in Egypt. How much sweeter liberation and healing is, after we understand the harshness and coldness of our own prisons.

There is light and love out there. I’m still reflecting on the message from yesterday. “Love evokes love.”

Today I’m even more aware of this because I failed yesterday. I reacted out of fear, anxiety, and harshness. I did not respond out of love, compassion, and kindness. There is still more work to do!

What are your thoughts?

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for Shevat 5, 5782.

Today is the Yahrtziet of my Father’s passing. It is a special day remembering his life.

Today is also the day we study the exodus of Egypt. The literal leaving. The death of the first born.

It was at Midnight that God struck every first born in the land of Egypt. Every first born.

Now. Right away. Something I observe. I don’t see “firstborn son” as I had always been taught. I see “firstborn.” I looked back at when Moses spoke to Pharaoh: it just says “firstborn.”

I’m reflecting on this; why do we assume it was just the sons? Maybe we don’t? I don’t know. But it says the firstborn. So that is something I reflect on.

I am the first born of my father. It would have been me. My oldest daughter is my first born. It would have been her. That’s where my brain goes.

There was a great outcry in Egypt because there was no house “devoid of a corpse.” It’s not like today where we spread out as a family. If a firstborn died, they could be on the other side of the world.

I also reflect on how there are few possibilities for this; was the death a violent death that woke everyone up while they slept? Or was it when the sun rose, everyone realized what happened? Or did they stay up all night because they wanted to see what happened? Again; just where my brain goes.

Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron at night (was this the same night the children died?) and told them to go.

The Egyptians wanted the Jews gone QUICKLY because they were dying.

The Jews picked up their dough when it was not yet leavened – they took their leftovers of unleavened bread and butter herbs. They followed the order of Moses and requested from the Egyptians silver and golden objects and robes. God granted them favor in the eyes of the Egyptians and they granted their request. They emptied out egypt.

The Jews journeyed from Raamses to Succoth (which was a miraculous journey in terms of length) – 600,000 men on foot, besides the children.

In addition (now get this!) a great mixed multitude of converts from other nations went with them!!!!

Stop here. This is amazing. We don’t talk about this. The Zohar mentions this;

The mixed multitude included all the magicians and sorcerers of Egypt. Originally, they attempted to stand up against the miracles of God, but when they saw what Moses performed in Egypt they sided with Moses.

God said to Moses, “Do not accept them”

Moses replied, “Master of the universe! They saw Your mighty deeds, and they want to convert. Let them see Your mighty deeds every day, and they will know that there is no God besides You!” And Moses accepted them.

Later, however God’s objection against Moses was vindicated, because it was the mixed multitude who were responsible for making the Golden Calf.

So that is interesting!!!

Then we learn they took the dough and made cakes of unleavened bread because they hadn’t made provisions for themselves when leaving Egypt.

The children of Israel inhabited Egypt for 430 years. On the very day 430 years ended they left Egypt.

The night this happens was something God had in mind from the beginning! It was perfect timing.

Then Hashem speaks to Moses and Aaron and gives them mitzvahs regarding the Passover Sacrifice:

1. No stranger may eat the Passover sacrifice
2. Any slave belonging to a person that was purchased for money shall be circumcised and then he will be permitted to eat from it.*
3. A resident alien or a circumcised non Jewish hired worker may not eat from it
4. It must be eaten within one house. You must not take any of the meat outside the house
5. You must not break any of its bones
6. The entire community of Israel shall make it
7. When a convert joins you, he should make. Passover sacrifice to God. In order for him to offer it, all his male family members shall be circumcised. Then he will be like a native of the land.
8. No uncircumcised male may eat of it.
9. The native born Jew and the convert who joins you share the same law (for all the commandments of the Torah as well).

One thing Rabbi Aaron Ha-Levi writes is concerning the bones. Why can’t we break bones? He writes “because the children of Israel are considered royalty on Passover, for whom such behavior is inappropriate. Each year we remember how, in an instant, we were elevated from slaves to kings!”

We learn that all the children of Israel did as God had commanded Moses and Aaron. They did it exactly.

It happened on that very day. God took the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

Personally I reflect on how the Yahrtziet of my father’s passing is tied to the exodus of Egypt. In many sense of the word, my freedom and liberation journey really began when he passed. It was/is a rough journey of course, but I am processing the connection here.

Anyway: what are your thoughts?