Come to Pharoah
THE BIG IDEA
To properly understand the conflict in the Middle East you have to have a working grasp of both spiritual history and the concept of spiritual destiny. The jewish people are not simply a religion or a race, rather, a unique mix of both, able to endure thousands of years of empires and exiles, remarkable achievements, and attempted annihilations. And while the return of Jews to the physical land of Israel is an essential part of the process, the creation and existence of a democratic nation state is hardly the reason to miraculously survive thousands of years of persecution.
It is also important to note that as an ancient people, the jewish nation, has historically proved to be just as petty, thoughtless, cruel and unjust as any group of people in the world, well….almost as bad. In the foundational story of our nation’s birth, it is generally agreed by the most highly regarded interpreters of the Torah, that during their time in Egypt the Hebrews had dissented to the 49th level of spiritual impurity (were really really awful people) - and had they dropped one degree lower would have merited total annihilation--- like Hamas.
And while spiritual lineage was the reason divinity responded to the cries of Abraham, Isaac and, Jacob’s descendants, it wasn’t enough to get the Israelites out of their situation, and it certainly isn’t enough to help us now. Real relationships are active and need constant work — and the same holds true with regards to divinity.
To get out of their Egyptian hell, spiritual action in the physical world was required— every Israelite family was obliged to take, tie, kill and eat the God of their oppressor at the appointed time, in the prescribed way, as screams of the deaths of the first born males echoed across Egypt.
And while we don’t live in a world where physical sacrifices are required or permitted, this week’s Torah Omens remind us of the moment we were initiated into a spiritual reality, a consciousness to which we are obliged to actively remember and mark UNTIL THIS DAY.
So come, take on your inner Pharoah,
Activate your ancient ability to see in the darkness of the plagues.
Activate the consciousness of your ancient birthright.
The new moon of Nissan was given to the Israelites as the time of redemption. Spiritual time. A calendar upon a calendar. The activation of our spiritual destiny, and the only thing that will truly save us from the endless cycles of suffering and pain that plagues us and our world.
We all know that the jewish people and nation of Israel are hardly a nation of saints, most of us aren’t even that good— but we do have revealed access to the good. The mysterious combination of our spiritual heritage AND our ability to perform symbolically meaningful actions (Torah) is the only thing that differentiates us - and can save us.
And so, this Shabbat, do your best to consciously mark holy time, contemplate and internalize that first moment the consciousness of spiritual time was given to our people, and recommit to your awareness of the spiritual responsibility we hold.
Our destiny isn’t just a land, it is a higher consciousness.