KabbalaOnline.org "Keep Leaving Egypt" [Bo 5783]

ASCENT OF SAFED, P. O. BOX 296, SAFED 13102, email: director@ascentofsafed.com

The week of BO 5783

Dedicated in loving memory and for the merit of

DEVORAH bat ZE’EV & ESTHER ע"ה

May her soul have a great elevation above and continue to be a faithful advocate for her sons,

JOEL & IRA SUSSMAN AND FAMILIES שי'

In one of his talks, the Lubavitcher Rebbe discusses the story of the Exodus, the going out from Egypt, which is the main focus of this week’s Torah portion, Bo,and one of the foundations of Jewish life. The historical event of leaving Egypt is also synonymous with the birth of the Jewish people, because through it thechildren of Jacob transitioned from being slaves to Pharaoh with no clear self-identity to a nation and servants of G-d.

On a inner, spiritual level, we find many places in Jewish sources the explanation that leaving Egypt was not just a one-time event that happened a few thousand years ago. Rather, it is the continuous work of every Jew in all times. We are able to go out of our limitations (in Hebrew maitzarim, the inner meaning of the Hebrew word Mitzrayim, meaning Egypt) and boundaries.

It follows then that for us to truly fulfill the spiritual soul work of going out of Egypt, we have to really internalize it, meditate on how the original leaving from Egypt happened, and learn from it how to leave our personal Egypt – now.

One of the main preparations for the Exodus was the offering of a lamb. We are familiar with this from the Passover Seder. Moshe, commanded by G-d, told the Jewish people, “Each family should take a lamb and ‘ritually’ slaughter the Pesach offering”. This commandment was also set for all generations to come. From this it is easy to see that the Passover offering is one of the most important stages of preparation on the way out of Egypt.

The commandment of the Passover offering emphasized two primary parts. First the commandment to ritually slaughter it. Second, the commandment to eat it collectively, something unique to the Passover offering, unlike all the other offerings. By looking at these two stages, we can understand what is the appropriate preparation through which every Jew can come to a personal “going out of Egypt”, leaving all of one’s own limitations and boundaries.

So let’s begin.

Offering the Passover offering required certain self-sacrifice, as the Jews placed themselves in danger. Since the lamb was worshiped by the Egyptians, significant courage was needed to slaughter it as an offering to G-d. So the first part of the formula is self-sacrifice.

The Torah emphasizes that just self-sacrifice alone was not enough. This had to be connected with the slaughter and the eating. What is involved in ritual slaughter? The body is left complete. Only the blood is removed, the animal’s life force. The mission of a Jew is to remove and distance ourselves from the animal life force of every material object. After it is freed from its animal and material influence, we are supposed to offer it to G-d. This means to utilize it in our Divine service. This is the task of every Jew, to take everything in the world and use it for holiness. The main requirement is that there should not be any animal life force remaining. Our intention is to elevate the animal, not go down to its level.

The second stage is the eating. When a person eats something, it becomes part of us; part of our own blood and flesh. What is this related to in our Divine service? That this absolute self-sacrifice to G-d has to become a part of our inner reality and our identity until it encompasses all of our actions and habits. Everything a Jew does has to be permeated with self-sacrifice, the willingness to sacrifice ourselves for our G-dly mission. Without question, a Jew does what the Torah requires of us. The demands of the world are not part of the equation.

When a Jew is willing to offer themselves totally to G-d, to sacrifice themselves, they need not recoil when faced with base physical materialism. We do not need to hide in any ivory tower. The absolute opposite! We know exactly what to do. We have to eradicate the animal material life force and then harness the animal to serve the Divine. This is when we merit to "leave Egypt", to be extracted from all the large and small, open and hidden limitations of our own animal nature, of our material bodies, and can then become a true servant of the Almighty.

It is that simple.

[Adapted from Shulchan Shabbat. Volume 2. Page 96. Based on LIkutei Sichot. Volume 16. Page 111]

Last Shabbat, the Tsfat Chabad community was privileged to host the Chief Rabbi of Russia, Rabbi Berel Lazar. During a community farbrengen [1], he shared a personal story.

In connection with the ongoing war by Russia in the Ukraine, as in all other political and national secular issues, it is the policy of the Russian rabbinate not to voice an opinion. You can imagine the quandary of Rabbi Lazar when a few months ago, an important government official from the Russian Intelligence community, speaking publicly, not only denounced Ukraine as a neo-Nazi state, an enemy of Russia bringing NATO forces to the very border, but also denounced Ukraine as supporting many antisocial cults and anti-Russian groups, among them he specifically mentioned Chabad!

Rabbi Lazar was shocked and unsure how to handle the situation. To speak up was to break a rule of decades. To not speak was to allow an official to denigrate the entire Chabad community and endanger all their work. Feeling he had no choice, even though it put his entire mission - and even his life - in danger, Rabbi Lazar decided to speak out, demanding an immediate apology. Chabad Jews were not only loyal Russian citizens, as a community they devoted themselves to helping the less fortunate, bringing stability and improving the quality of the lives of thousands of Russian citizens. How dare this individual speak out against Chabad!

Everyone waited with baited breath for the reaction. It was not long in coming. The next day this official’s superior apologized for his subordinate’s words, saying it was his private opinion and not the opinion of the government. And just this last Friday, the person was fired. Chabad had won the battle and came out stronger as a result.

Rabbi Lazar shared his personal lesson. When you do what’s right, G-d does what’s left!

Shabbat Shalom, Shaul.

COMPLETE TRUTH IS TIFERET

Rabbi Shaul Leiter’s class on

the teachings of the Ba’al Shem Tov

from Keter Shem Tov

Monday, January 30, 2023

Israel 8PM/ UK 6PM/ NY 1PM/ LA 10AM

Please use the following link:

https://ascent-co-il.zoom.us/j/81906073996?pwd=ZUk4SlR6N1kvUldIUUh0WTB1VVNUQT09

Meeting ID: 819 0607 3996

Passcode: 068582

Find your local number: https://ascent-co-il.zoom.us/u/kd1BQirK3D

[1] Yiddish for “spending time together.” An informal, inspirational chassidic gathering where words of Torah are shared and melodies are sung over refreshments and spirits.

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