*In loving memory of Marilyn Newman z"l on her 30th yahrzeit*
This Shabbat is a personal favourite for lots of reasons, highest amongst them being that it is the week on which I celebrated my Bar Mitzvah. Perhaps a very close second place reason is that it is the Shabbat after the 9th of Av. It is the Shabbat that ends the most difficult period of the Jewish calendar and ushers in the upcoming “festival season” round the corner.
Perhaps a highlight of an already noticeably action packed Torah portion is the second appearance of the Ten Commandments. The observant reader should be bothered more, not by the repetition but by the seeming contradictions between the two appearances.
Although there are multiple discrepancies between Exodus’s & Deuteronomy’s versions, there is a specific one that teaches us a critical lesson for humanity’s current predicament. In Exodus, when the Jewish people are told to observe the seventh day as a Shabbat, the reason given is in recognition of the completion of Creation. However in Deuteronomy the reason is the Exodus. Nachmanidies (Devarim 5:15), amongst many others, notices this contrast and points out that when we recite Kiddush at our Friday night dinner, we actually mention both reasons. But why the change and why the duality?
He offers an insight which can radically alter the way we relate to personal development and the approach we take to life’s greatest challenges. At its core, Shabbat is about recognising the Source of reality. It is about inculcating the knowledge of our Creator. The end goal is to ensure we as a people are focused on building the bridge of connection between created & Creator. So why the focus on Egypt?
Sometimes we need a tool. Sometimes we need a “means” to reach the end. Sometimes we need to experience something before we become one with the knowledge we seek to intake. Sometimes it is not until a child touches the oven tray that they appreciate the gravity of their parents warning. Intellectual awareness doesn’t touch our hearts without a medium. It was through the national experience of the Exodus that the Jewish people had that tool that would serve as a compass throughout Jewish history to refocus our awareness of that special connection humanity has with its Creator. So, says Nachmanidies, the goal of Shabbat is to focus on the very beginning, but the method is through appreciating the experience of the Exodus which nurtured a familial bond between the Jewish people and our Saviour.
In life we often find ourselves battling between what we know we should be doing and that which we feel like doing right now. The age-old challenge of living up to our values, what we know to be true and right, and avoiding our repetitive cycles of cognitive dissonance is being addressed right here. Find a way of bringing what is our minds into our hearts!
As the world gets used to new distancing laws, obligatory face coverings and changes to the way we interact with others, we are stuck with the battle between what we often know is the right thing to do, and the discomfort that goes along with it. Perhaps the message being taught here is to find tools to help build up the fortitude to do what’s right. Focus on the good you will be doing for others, not the pain you have to endure. Let the ends dictate the means.
*In loving memory of Marilyn Newman z"l on her 30th yahrzeit*
