Our sages broadly
discuss the use of “coming” instead of “going” to Pharaoh, and conclude that coming implies that Moses
would do so accompanied by the Creator of all.
“The Lord said to Moses: ‘Come (Bo) to Pharaoh,
because I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may
place these signs of Mine in his midst’.” (Exodus 10:1)
In fact, there is no other way to either go
or come to anywhere or anything we personally don’t have the power to transmute
or transform, because any possible power only comes from the Creator. Dealing
with ego is not an exception.
Ego, as well as our basic human instincts,
is one of the most complex aspects of our consciousness we can’t completely
control. This is not about controlling them but to direct them toward our
individual and collective well being. Regarding these aspects we need in
particular the company and guidance of God’s ways and attributes.
Our sages reveal
for us that the “hardening” of Pharaoh’s heart is what contemporary psychiatry
calls “the losing of free will”. This happens when one is unable to distinguish
between good and evil.
It is a critical
point in human consciousness when one only perceives negativity and does harm
to others and himself because he can’t see any goodness at all. This is the
result of obsessive negative patterns of perception and behavior that lead to
one-sided approach to life.
The lesson to be
learned in this biblical passage is not easy to grasp because it involves a
deeper comprehension of the dynamics of our relationship with the Creator
and His creation.
Losing free will
as an impairment of perception has to be indeed extreme in order to make a
clear contrast between darkness and light. In other words, darkness must be
obscure enough to be able to fully recognize the light when it is fully
manifest.
The primordial
message here is that we have to be accompanied by God’s love in our dealings
with material illusions and potentially negative aspects of our own
consciousness, simply because we can’t do it on our individual understanding.
There are material fantasies and illusions that are too far beyond our
“control”.
This is the risk
one takes by allowing his/her ego to be in control of those illusions. Hence
the Creator “hardened” the hearts of Pharaoh and his servants to tell us that
He is in charge and in control of His Creation. God does it in His ways,
not ego’s ways.
“(…) and in order
that you tell to the ears of your son and your son's son how I made a mockery
of the Egyptians, and My signs that I placed in them, and you will know that I
am the Lord.” (10:2)
Our
oral tradition tells us that four fifths of the Israelites “died” in the
darkness of their selfishness and egotism, which didn’t let them help those in
need around them.
“They
did not see each other, and no one rose from his place for three days, but for
all the children of Israel there was light in their dwellings.” (10:23)
Egotism
in its darkest expression is a real killer of anything considered cherished and
loved in the eyes of human consciousness.
The story of the Exodus is indeed the confrontation of total darkness with total light, with no penumbra or “gray” in between. It is either one or the other as widely stated in Judaism’s ethics. This is why Moses did not compromise on Pharaoh’s requests.
“But
Moses said: ‘You too shall give sacrifices and burnt offerings into our hands,
and we will make them for the Lord our God. And also our cattle will go with
us; not a hoof will remain, for we will take from it to worship the Lord our
God (…)’.” (10:25-26)
With
no exceptions, all aspects, traits, and dimensions of our consciousness (higher
and lower) must be united and together under
the guidance of God’s ways and attributes. This occurs when we allow (Moses)
our highest awareness of God to guide the entire consciousness in consonance
with His will.
“So
the Lord gave the people favor in Pharaoh’s eyes; also the man Moses was highly
esteemed in the eyes of Pharaoh's servants and in the eyes of the people.”
(11:3)
Again we are reminded that every aspect of God’s creation is under His will.
“This
month shall be to you the head of the months; to you it shall be the first of
the months of the year.” (12:2)
This
commandment joins our daily prayers to remember our exit and redemption from
Egypt. It also reminds us that in every moment of our life we have to make the
right choice. It is the choice between remaining in the bondage of ego’s
materialistic illusions, and exiting from them through the redemption that only
God's love can give us in the midst of our worst ordeals.
It
is the reminder that we must always keep in our hearts and souls.
“And
this day shall be for you as a memorial, and you shall celebrate it as a
festival for the Lord; throughout your generations, you shall celebrate it as
an everlasting statute.” (12:14)
Humbleness
is the vessel represented by the unleavened bread that our ancestors ate in
their transition from darkness to light.
“And
you shall watch over the unleavened cakes, for on this very day I have taken
your legions out of the land of Egypt (…), you shall not eat any leavening;
throughout all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened cakes.” (12:17-20)
This
is remarked again (13:3-7).
The
unleavened bread is reiterated as the essential symbol of the way in which we
abandon the land of egotism and gross materialism.
“And
you shall tell your son on that day, saying: ‘Because of this, the Lord did for
me when I went out of Egypt’.” (13:8)
The portion ends telling us to permanently bear this awareness in mind, heart and soul.
“And
it shall be for a sign upon your hand and for ornaments between your eyes, for
with a mighty hand did the Lord take us out of Egypt.” (13:16)
Only
God’s love takes us from our darkness into His light.
No comments:
Post a Comment