A thought on Parshas Va'era

"...V'lo shamu el Moshe me'kotzer ruach u'me'avoda kashoh..."
"...and
they did not listen to Moshe because of shortness of breath and hard
work..." (6:9)

Despite Moshe's prophetic assurances that the redemption was near, and
despite the wonders and signs which might have convinced the Jewish
people that HaShem was with them, our verse tells us how this was not
enough for the enslaved nation. We could not accept his promises and
encouragement because we were "short of breath and overworked."

Now, that is one way to translate the words. It is possible to
understand that being oppressed is so discouraging and mind-dulling
that the slaves could just not work up the inspiration and enthusiasm
to believe that things would get better. However, there are other ways
to translate the words.

Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel offers us an alternative interpretation. Kotzer
ruach can imply being out of breath, but the word 'ruach' can also
refer to the spirit rather than the wind or breath. Avoda kashoh can
mean hard work but it can also mean difficult service. He contends,
based on Chazal, that many of the Jews in Egypt had become so estranged
from their faith, and had become so tainted by the pagan atmosphere
around them, that they actually lacked faith in HaShem. They had
questions. They wondered about Who runs the world, and some of them
even courted ideas about pagan practices. We actually talk about this
every Pesach in the Hagada when we quote the words of the prophet
Jeremiah (16:7) who refers to the Jews in Egypt as being stripped bare
of their faith and connection with the Above.

Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel suggests that the Jews did not listen to Moshe
because they had developed a cutting off of their spirit from its true
Divine Source. That was kotzer ruach. He suggests that the dulling of
the spiritual connection came about through avoda kashoh - engaging in
rituals and services which were primitive, heathen and strange
practices. When a Jew courts the practices of the nations, and mimics
their styles and modes of being, this interferes with his or her
alignment with what is truly spiritual. This had an effect in Egypt of
our devaluing and being impervious to the pure and inspirational words
of Moshe Rabbeinu. We were not moved by his holy words, and the words
of HaShem, because our spirituality had been diluted and tainted owing
to our swaying from the Pure Source.

This afternoon I was walking in Jerusalem and saw a Hebrew magazine on
the ground. In Hebrew letters, it announced that it was about "karma."
That is veering from our Torah source. Replacing our sacred values and
concepts with those generated by other cultures and their belief
systems deadens our spirit. There is no room for substitutes when it
comes to following the mitzvos in serving HaShem.Torah is the real
thing, and the only real thing.

The thirsty cobblestones of the old city are drinking up the rainfall
which greets us this cool evening. Wishing you a good Shabbos from
Jerusalem. D Fox