Timeless Torah

Dickens said it best. We live in "the best of times and the worst of times." Our generation boasts of more time-saving devices than we can handle. We have more leisure time than ever, we receive and send our messages across the globe in microseconds and the One Minute Manager remains a financial best seller. Conversely, families have no time for each other, we're forever late to meetings and even political debate is dominated by sound-bytes.

Why are we so busy? I have a theory based on spiritual cycles. Try this on for size. Whenever Redemption is imminent the Yetzer Horah, that's the evil inclination, burdens us with a staggering workload.

This brilliant theory, if it suits you, is not my own. It was first proposed by the Biblical commentary, the S'forno, on this week's Torah portion.

G-d had told the Children of Israel that He was going to redeem them from slavery. The commentator explains that Hashem also guaranteed them that if they thought about this promise and absorbed it into their consciousness, they would then be worthy of entering the Land of Israel. However, as the Torah relates, "They did not listen to Moses because of their impatience and cruel bondage." Since they failed to properly contemplate their salvation, only their children, the next generation, would enter the Promised Land.

Apparently, the human mind is capable of great feats. Even though the slaves were reeling from their endless drudgery, they had the ability to concentrate on a very foreign idea - freedom.

It seems that the technique of overwhelming us is a tested strategy of our nemesis, the Yetzer Horah. Our enemy is well aware of the impact that a few moments of serious reflection can have. He knows that if we manage to find some quiet time to think about what we are doing, we can radically alter the course of our lives. To prevent this, he keeps us constantly distracted with our many responsibilities, so that we continue in our daily grind without giving thought to life's true goals.

A story is told of a Rabbi who was once approached by a businessman who said that he was extremely busy, but could manage to find a half hour a week to devote to some good cause - could the Rabbi suggest a mitzvah? The Rabbi replied, "Study a little Torah and you will soon discover that you have more time than you think."

We are busy. Our obligations are endless. Still, if we could but muster the presence of mind to think clearly, we would recognize that we can, and must, make time.
Even Moses Couldn’t Understand

Can you imagine anyone more importan tthan G-d? Any messenger more devoted to his task than Moses? Any mission more worthwhile than emancipating an entire nation from the bitter plight of bondage? Of course not! In that case, why did this most virtuous of errands initially fail so miserably? In fact, not only was it unsuccessful, it backfired.

The story is that Moses is sent by the Almighty to request the release of the Jewish people from Egypt. Instead of granting the request, Pharaoh becomes enraged and increases the amount of labor, forcing the Jews to now find their own straw without diminishing the daily output of bricks.

Moses is more than taken aback. Turning to the One who sent him he complains, “Why have you dealt badly with this people?” Rather than answering his question directly, G-d replies that the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, also underwent many trials and tribulations, suffered many setbacks, yet they did not question the Almighty’s intentions!

This poses an interesting difficulty. No person, not even the Patriarchs, ever spoke to G-d face to face as did Moses. No individual ever attained the spiritual heights to which Moses ascended. How then did Moses doubt G-d’s will, while our forefathers did not?

In Kabballistic literatire we discover the difference between Moses and the Patriarchs. Moses, who transmitted G-d’s wisdom as it is found in the Torah, embodies the attribute of knowledge. Relative to him, the Fathers personified individuals who served G-d through their emotional powers.

That is not to say that we do not find the trait of knowledge by an Abraham or Jacob, nor any emotion in Moses. Nonetheless, Moses’ primary characterisitc was reason, while the Fathers’ dominant nature was emotion.

We can now understand why Moses, despite his greater spiritual acheivements, questioned G-d. Knowledge and intelligence seek to comprehend. And when they encounter something incomprehensible, this acts as a barrier to their going furhter in the service of G-d.

The Fathers, however, based their devotion to G-d on faith, a completely emotional perspective that demands no rational explanation or justification.

This is the moral and underlying reproof of G-d to Moses. The possibility of redemption from Pharaoh, the mightitest ruler of his day, cannot be held up to the analytical light of logic and rationally demonstrated. Quite the opposite; reason dictates that Egypth will never willingly release their slaves. But faith is not troubled by Pharaoh’s armys or his taskmasters. It believes what no man can truly know: G-ds power and will are unstoppable.

Whenever we may be faceed with a personal crisis we must remember the question of Moses, “Why you have dealt badly?” and the response from Heaven; some things you just can’t understand.