The Torah tells us how GOD redeems the Bene-Israelites miraculously from the clutches of Egypt to grant them Freedom - a basic right of every Human being. To achieve this He brought on Egypt ten plagues, the final one being as heavy as the loss of every firstborn of Egypt. Even after letting them go Pharaoh changes his mind and follows them with his powerful army to be finally destroyed at the parting of the Red Sea.
Then the Bene Israelites are led through the wilderness in the scorching sun, without water or food. No doubt the miraculous events did help out. They were granted nourishment with the Manna straight from the skies; water was brought out from the rocks, flocks of Quails descended on their camp to feed them meat, no shoes got worn and no clothes got torn. But If GOD could do so many miracles in Egypt, the question is, couldn’t GOD make another miracle to make this wilderness experience pleasant? Nothing is impossible for Him.
In the last blog I proposed how these challenges were a training to overthrow the psychology of the slave. In light of Parashat Yitro I propose the following:
The Torah not only wants us to know a 4000 year old story of our ancestors but since it is a prophetic tradition it is also relevant for us today. If meeting challenges once made free men out of slaves, it is a hint for us to know how to make Men out of ourselves. Our Life is one such wilderness wherein we are faced with numerous hardships. Taken in the right perspectives these are the opportunities for our betterment. Each such challenge is meant to help us recognize an aspect of our personalities and maybe correct or sharpen it. The journey of Life then is about facing the ups and downs dealt to us to reach deeper and deeper into our own reality.
The Climax of this redemption story is in Parashat Yitro - the receiving of the Ten Commandments wherein the Bene- Israelites are subjects to an amazing prophetic experience where they transcend themselves to be able to listen to the Decalogue- the Ten Commandments (Ten Utterances to be more precise).
Parashat Yitro reveals to us an important lesson on Life management. It hints to the possibility of a similar climax of our Life - the highest pinnacle that this life can achieve. Life dishes out challenges not to bog us down but to build us up. Every problem has to be accepted as an invitation to growth. The Torah teaches us that GOD’s way of mentoring us is showering us with challenges with a seasoning of miraculous luck and providence. This helps us to keep our faith and march ahead to the ultimate reality of plumbing the depth of encountering ourselves - building and rectifying and in that an opportunity to experience the revelation of GOD Himself.
Shabbat Shalom.
Rabbi Joshua
