Day 22: Step Back
Have you ever seen an image up close, only to stand back at a further distance and realize the changed perspective made the image look clearer, or perhaps even radically different? The same phenomenon happened to the Children of Israel at the Sea of Reeds. After the Israelites had crossed through, and the parted waters crashed down to drown the Egyptian army, “Israel saw Egypt dead on the shore of the Sea, and Israel saw the great power that God had wielded against Egypt, and the people feared the Infinite, and they trusted in the Infinite and in Moses, God’s servant” (Ex. 14:30-31). Reading this passage carefully, the 19th century commentator known as Malbim (Rabbi Meir Leibush ben Yehiel Michel Wisser) writes that the Israelites only realized what happened to the Egyptians after they crossed the Sea. Their vantage point as they were walking through the parted waters didn’t enable them to see the full scale of what was happening. Only when they stood on the shore could they see the Egyptian corpses and realize what had truly transpired. Perhaps God was trying to teach the Israelites that revelation is in many ways about perspective, about what we learn by stepping back and witnessing our reality from a different vantage point. According to the 20th century scholar Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, Torah is designed “to detach ourselves from what we have come to accept as normal, and [instead] view it critically.” Only when we step back can we see what is really going on, and know what needs to be repaired.
Day 23: In Moses We Trust
After the Israelites witnessed the miracle at the Sea of Reeds, “they trusted in the Infinite and in Moses, God’s servant” (Ex. 14:31). Why was Moses worthy of the people’s trust? Raised in Pharaoh’s palace (Exodus 2:9), it would be easy to characterize Moses as out-of-touch with the common person. Indeed, some leveled this criticism against him (2:14, 5:21). He is not a talented orator (4:10, et. al.) and seems to have a hot temper (2:12, et. al.). But while Moses is by no means perfect, he has qualities that make him worthy of the mantle of leadership. First, Moses is a man of questions. While he has only a handful of lines of dialogue before he receives God’s call, most of those are questions (cf. 2:13, 3:3, 3:11, etc.). And even Moses’ statements and actions prior to his commission that are not technically questions are investigatory in nature (cf. 2:11, 3:3). While we ultimately look to our leaders to make firm decisions, the best leaders are the ones who ask a lot of questions in order to get the information necessary to make deeply informed decisions. Second, Moses is humble, “more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3). Moses repeatedly insists to God that he is not suited to lead (Exodus 3:11, et. al.). Perhaps ironically, however, Moses’ failure to recognize his own greatness is precisely what makes him great. Arrogant people generally fail to recognize what they do not yet know and are thus incapable of intellectual, moral, and spiritual growth. Modest people, on the other hand, are aware of their intellectual deficiencies, skeptical of their own certainties, open to changing their minds based on learning new information, and eager to grow. Third, Moses is sensitive to others’ pain and passionate for justice. Good leaders take their followers down paths that will improve their lives. Great leaders recognize that this responsibility is most relevant to those who suffer the most – the poor, the vulnerable, and the disadvantaged. Moses repeatedly, and bravely, defends the weak when they are oppressed by the powerful, and uplifts the disadvantaged. When Moses sees an Egyptian beating an Israelite slave, he is so outraged by the injustice that he physically intervenes – a self-sacrificing act that forces him to flee Egypt, leaving behind the wealth and power of the palace (Exodus 2:11-15). When he sees some shepherds harassing a group of women, he rises to the women’s defense, chasing away the shepherds and even helping the women water their flock (2:17). It is telling that God only calls upon Moses to liberate the Israelites after these events take place, as if God chooses Moses because of these acts of moral courage. Indeed, Moses is so passionate about fair treatment, so sensitive to others’ suffering, that he is even willing to directly challenge God’s commitment to justice (5:22-23). Moses was worthy of the people’s trust because he was inquisitive, modest, and compassionate. In our time, faith in our leaders is historically low, and consequently, our society often feels stuck. Perhaps a new generation of leaders can learn from Moses’ model. We may not get to elect a Moses. But perhaps we can come close.
Day 24: Singing Divine Songs
I love musicals as much as the next guy, but every so often, I find it hard to suspend my disbelief that people could spontaneously burst into intricately composed songs and elaborately choreographed dances. Are we really to believe that these musical numbers are the characters’ natural reactions to the events of their lives? I wrestle with similar incredulity regarding the biblical story of the miracle at the Sea of Reeds. After God saves the Israelites, Moses and the Children of Israel immediately, and seemingly extemporaneously, respond with a lengthy, expertly crafted, song. Are we really to believe that they came up with one of history’s greatest pieces of poetry on the spot? The ancient sage Rabbi Nehemiah answers: “Anyone who accepts for themselves one mitzvah (sacred deed) faithfully, they become fit for the holy spirit to rest upon them...by virtue of our ancestors [faithfully observing the mitzvah of] believing in God, they became worthy, and the holy spirit rested upon them, and they uttered the song, as it is said, ‘They trusted in the Infinite, and in Moses, God’s servant’ (Ex. 14:31), and then [immediately thereafter] it is said, ‘Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song…’ (15:1)” (Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishmael, Parashat Beshallah). Revelation is the natural and inevitable consequence of relationship. We come to hear God’s voice by doing sacred deeds. When we wholeheartedly perform acts that connect us to that which is deepest within us, that which is woven between us, and that which is greatest beyond us, we hone our ability to intuit and utter godly words, and even sing divine songs.
Day 25: We Could All be Prophets
According to legend, “a maidservant saw at the Sea [of Reeds] what [even] Isaiah, Ezekiel, and the other [great] prophets didn’t see” (Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishmael, Parashat Beshallah, commenting on Ex. 15:2). Putting aside the casual misogyny of this midrash, what the ancient sages are saying is that the gift of prophecy is not reserved only for a special cadre of great men. Rather, anyone and everyone has the capacity to experience and discern the Divine. Now, one might retort that the miracle at the Sea of Reeds was a singular circumstance. The average person will never experience such a wonder. Therefore, in effect, even if not in principle, most of us will never have a direct encounter with God. But consider this: if the maidservant mentioned in the midrash had closed her eyes at the Sea, she wouldn’t have seen the miracle; if the maidservant saw the split sea but had dismissed it as but an unusual weather event, she wouldn’t have witnessed a wonder; if the maidservant looked right at the glory of the Holy One but interpreted it as but an optical illusion, she would not understand that she had seen God. We, too, encounter miracles all the time, and we live in a world suffused with God’s presence. But most of us don’t bother to look; we fail to see. Each and every one of us has the capacity for prophecy. Each and every one of us can behold God as clearly as Isaiah or Ezekiel; perhaps even more so. But we can only live into that potential when we are open to seeing God in the world, when we are willing to see the miracles all around us, when we are disposed to discerning the Divine.
Day 26: Beautifying God
In the Song at the Sea, the Israelites sing, “This is my God, who I will beautify” (Ex. 15:2). The ancient sage Rabbi Yishmael asks in the midrash (Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishmael, Parashat Beshallah), “How is it possible for a [mere] human being to beautify their Creator?” In true rabbinic fashion, he answers his own question, saying that we beautify God by performing mitzvot, sacred deeds, as beautifully as possible; for example, using the most beautiful lulav (palm branch) we can acquire, or building the most beautiful, well decorated, sukkah (festive temporary shelter) we can. It’s not so much that performing mitzvot beautifully makes God more beautiful. Rather, just as the act of giving a thoughtful, precious, and exquisite gift to a lover strengthens the sentiments of both the receiver and the giver toward one another, putting in our effort, devoting our resources, and investing our creativity toward the performance of a mitzvah makes the deed more significant, deepening our appreciation for, and better able to adore, the One. Additionally, when we beautify a mitzvah, we remind ourselves that God’s perfection is diminished by division, domination, and destruction within creation. By beautifying mitzvot, we affirm that we mere mortals can improve upon creation, and in doing so, we might recommit ourselves to our true purpose, of repairing the world.
Day 27: Robin Revelation
Come springtime, I am awakened early each morning by the sound of robins singing in the trees outside my window. The birds begin their song well before the sun even begins to peek out above the horizon, around 3:30 or 4:00 A.M. (I’m sometimes too groggy to accurately read the clock, but it’s about the same time each day), an instinctive expression of joy at surviving the night, excitement about the coming day, and hope that a new day will dawn. It’s noteworthy that the Israelites’ first reaction to the miracle at the Sea of Reeds is similarly to erupt in song. Like the robins outside my window, the Israelites instinctively respond to their night turning to day by singing. And, like those robins, the Israelites’ song is intuitive. They didn’t learn it from somewhere else; rather, it welled up from deep within. There is a godly song of joy and hope inside each and every one of us. If we are paying attention to the moments when our night begins to turn to day, even and especially while it may still be dark out, we, too, can give that song expression.
Day 28: God the Warrior
Extolling God for the miracle at the Sea of Reeds, Moses and the Children of Israel sing, “The Infinite is a warrior” (Ex. 15:3). This appellation makes many uncomfortable. Is not ours a “compassionate and gracious God, patient and abounding in kindness” (Ex. 34:6)? How can a God of love and mercy also be a warrior? Because sometimes, the most loving thing one can do on someone’s behalf is go to battle for them. The sick person would want a loving and compassionate God to be at work in their body, and working through the hands of doctors and nurses, helping them fight off the illness. The oppressed person would want a kind and caring God helping them wage the inner battle against despair, and the external struggle for justice. A society beset by gun violence, ravaged by racism, inundated with injustices of all kinds -- as ours sadly and shamefully remains -- needs a God who is concerned for our wellbeing to embolden us to combat and eradicate these ills, and to break through the hardened hearts of policymakers who resist calls for justice. As scholar and activist Dr. Cornell West says, “justice is what love looks like in public.” A loving God sometimes must indeed be a warrior, particularly in defense of the vulnerable, who the Torah uniquely singles out as precious to God (Deut. 10:18). And we, too, who are called to love our neighbors (Lev. 19:18) and to “love the stranger” (Lev. 19:36, Deut. 10:19, et. al.) must similarly be prepared to fight on their behalf.
