Shabbat Blast

We are in week 2 of Exodus and the people of Israel are stuck in their lifestyle.

We read, “And Moses spoke unto the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses for impatience of spirit and for cruel bondage.” The hardship that they experienced made them unable to shake themselves from their burdensome slumber, like a person who cannot emerge from a bad dream. We pass over this so easily, accepting that they will just remain slaves, but this is not true. They deeply want to leave. We know this because they cried out to God. Slavery does not make a person want to be a slave. It blinds the person to other realities, robbing them of a vision of a better life. Moses then comes along and it seems like he is their redeemer.

The problem with this scenario is that it tells us that all we need is an outside party to save us. Some outside influence will finally be what changes our lives. When we think of this truth in relation to our own behavior, the different ways in which we want to shake ourselves awake from the various destructive paths we reinforce day after day, we search for something to save us. Is it Oprah? Is it a new friendship, a subscription, a gym membership? With all of these outside influences, we must remember that while outside forces can help shape our vision and provide guidance, redemption begins with an internal cry to change and a source within us that believes that we can live a better life. We must attune ourselves to our inner selves, not only to the promotions that roll around January 1st.

May we find avenues for inner exploration this year. May we be our own salvation and find the Divine spark within that nurtures growth and redemption.

Shabbat shalom,

Rabbi Bernstein