Holy Instructions

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This week’s Torah Portion

Be-Shallach

Exodus 13:17 - 17:16

Here are the instructions Adonai gives us for finding G-d: observe and listen. As human beings, we are so accustomed to busying ourselves with actions. In Exodus 15:26 from this week’s parashah, we are told, “Adonai said, ‘If you hearken diligently to the voice of Adonai, your G-d, and do what is just in G-d’s eyes, give ear to Adonai’s commandments, and observe all his decrees, then any diseases that I placed in Egypt, I will not bring upon you, for I am Adonai, your Healer.’”

Hearken = Listen, and we are told to listen diligently to the voice of Adonai;

Act justly= acting godlike, i.e.: with honesty, truth, justice, fairness, kindness; imitating what is just in G-d’s eyes - Observe;

Give ear = Listen to Adonai’s commandments, or pay attention; and

Observe = watch, pay attention, and act with intention while thinking about acting according to what G-d wants, which is continually told to us in the Torah about how to treat others with respect, kindness, fairness, love, etc.

By listening and observing continually Adonai’s commandments, decrees, and laws, this is how we will find, see, hear, and know the healing aspect of G-d. This parashah is full of examples which teach us Adonai is always available - one only need to directly seek, observe, and listen, which all mean have faith G-d will provide, G-d will help, and G-d will heal. Just this one verse, which I quoted above, is incredibly profound. The healing is about so much more than one person’s wounds, or even one people’s wounds, whether they’re wounds of the body, the soul, or both. It is about “Tikkun Olam,” the kabballistic concept of participating in healing the world.

I didn’t forget: if you know me, you know my propensity for paying attention to every word, spoken or not - the above verse states, “...any diseases that I placed in Egypt, I will not bring upon you, for I am Adonai, your Healer.” This talk of diseases appears, on the surface, to be out of place in our story because Adonai brought plagues to Egypt, which most certainly would have caused diseases in and of themselves, but so far in the book of Exodus, Adonai keeps pointing out all of the miracles G-d wrought to open the world’s eyes to the fact there is only one G-d, who is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omnicient. The effects discussed are all given to us in the context of the power of G-d, from the viewpoint of instilling faith, and not from the perspective of the effects on individuals physically, but rather the spiritual effects. So, why talk of diseases here?

Not acting righteously, not having faith, not paying attention to the bigger picture, not treating others with dignity, respect, kindness, and fairness, and most of all, refusing to see, or know - as in knowing within the very depths of your being - there is a G-d, there is only one G-d, and Adonai is the only one human beings should serve: these are the diseases referred to. Again, the bigger picture here. Any one of these singularly, let alone combined, lead to turning away from the truth - THERE IS ONLY ONE G-D - and turning away, or not choosing to see this truth is what in fact creates all ills, both physically and spiritually for us, and for everything on, in, and of this earth.

By listening, observing, and acting, and then keeping up this cycle, this is how we could - and the Israelites and the Egyptians could as well - experience Adonai. Yes, Adonai sent plagues, which in and of themselves were easy enough to see, but seeing isn’t truly paying attention to nor observing. The importance of each plague, separately and together, was how they were started and stopped exactly when Moses, G-d’s prophet and messenger, said Adonai told him they would be. Notice how the last group of plagues did not affect the Israelites directly. Notice also how each plague was sent because the Egyptians under Pharaoh’s leadership subjugated, abused, and mistreated G-d’s chosen people, but maybe more to the point, people who were different than they were. They did this while worshipping false gods, idols, and elevating animals to a status above even themselves - remember the Egyptians worshipped certain animals like the lamb - and certainly they elevated the animals they thought were gods above other people, namely the Israelites. The Egyptians loved and worshipped money so much, they created slave labor - in other words, free labor - so the Egyptians could work less and keep more for themselves.

I say “people” because here’s a rather obvious, yet mostly ignored truth - LEADERS ONLY HAVE THE POWER THAT THEIR FOLLOWERS ALLOW THEM TO HAVE. Should I repeat this? Just because a leader gives an order doesn’t actually mean it must be carried out. If one - or even a few people - don’t obey, there are consequences which they alone experience firsthand. If a large group, or all of the people, refuse to follow an order, guess what? IT IS THE LEADER WHO EXPERIENCES FIRSTHAND THE CONSEQUENCES OF STUPID, ANGRY, UNJUST, IMMORAL, AND UNETHICAL LEADERSHIP, MEANING THEY NO LONGER WILL, IN FACT, BE THE LEADER, KING, PHARAOH. . .WHAT HAVE YOU. That’s right, a leader is only a leader if this person has people who follow.

By crying out to G-d, the Israelites were sent help. By asking for safety from their enemies, the Israelites received help. By asking for water, the Israelites received help in the form of drinkable water. By asking for food, the Israelites received food. Who did they need to ask? G-d - they needed to ask Adonai, have faith in Adonai, and PAY ATTENTION, in order to understand the relationship Adonai desires is one which works both ways. Act justly, kindly, respectfully, and turn towards G-d, keep Adonai always in one’s thoughts before and during actions, and Adonai will be seen and heard. Knowledge of Adonai is self-evident if one only pays attention outside of oneself.

The relevancy of all of this to the modern world should be obvious. Evil actions will be punished, and yes, innocent people are injured and killed from the evil actions of others, as well as from their own. Act justly, fairly, kindly, and respectfully, and this is how we engage Adonai’s help in HEALING THE WORLD.

December 21, 2012, is avidly discussed in every available medium. One thing which is roundly acknowledged is it will be a time of great change, a time of annihilation of evil from the earth and from our memories, and ultimately, a time of of peace and love will follow. In our parashah this week, the Torah says, in Exodus 17:14: “Adonai said to Moses, ‘Write this as a remembrance in the Book, and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I shall surely erase the memory of Amalek from under the heavens.” Amalek is not just a person - Essau’s grandson - and not just a people (his descendants), but also a symbol of those who practice evil. We are told here evil and the remembrance of it will be wiped out. We could drag this out by waiting for the earth’s natural disasters to do it for us, or we may actively choose to stop following orders that are evil, and stop acting as if we are god and there are no consequences for our own individual, active or passive, perpetuation of evil, or we could listen, observe, and act continuously in true, godlike fashion, meaning respectfully, justly, fairly, truthfully, and kindly because by listening and observing, we know G-d will be our Healer. Why? Because there is, in fact, a G-d - one who wished for us to KNOW G-d by acting justly, kindly, fairly, respectfully, truthfully, and above all else, with faith.

Shabbat Shalom,

I’d love to know what you think!

P.S.: it is no coincidence Martin Luther King Day is right around the corner. He had a dream too, that all men live together in peace. Let’s make it a reality, our Reality.

Holy Instructions

Friday, January 14, 2011