The portion of Shemot describes the beginning of exile for the Israelites, while Moses argues with God as to whether he will take leadership and bring the redemption. To take a leadership role means to take responsibility over others, and that decision can be a bit scary. Being a leader means more effort, more caring, being on top of the process and working hard – things that are often not in our nature. However, if we decide to go for it we can connect to the energy of the redemption – meaning freedom, higher consciousness, clear vision and a better connection to the Light Force of the Creator.
The kabbalists explain that this story didn’t just happen 3,400 years ago, it is happening in our life every day, in everything. When we run away from our correction – from using tools such as the Proactive Formula and Restriction – we can find ourselves walking in a negative path that can prevent and block our way to the redemption. In this story, Moses tries to run away from his duty (like we often do) but eventually overcomes his fears, takes the leadership role and walks the Israelites to their redemption. By connecting to this portion on Shabbat we can link to the power of Moses to overcome our fears and take leadership.
What does exile mean for us? ‘Exile’, in this sense, refers to every situation in which we engage in our Desire to Receive for the Self Alone. Examples of this negative desire are: getting angry or impatient, eating junk food and avoiding the gym, staying in bed for 15 more minutes in the morning and arriving late to work, not following our doctor’s recommendations, and giving freedom to our addictions like internet shopping or drinking.
Moses, in our everyday lives, represents the power we can take over our negativity. A power that will help us achieve true redemption, freedom, peace of mind and happiness. The big question is, how do we do that?
The kabbalists explain that if we want to change our nature and break our klipot (veils of negativity created by our reactive, self-centered behavior) we must take action. For example: when we are afraid to do something for any reason, we can change the channel in our consciousness and understand that this fear is unreal, then take a deep breath and jump into the situation. Once we know that we have given a sincere effort, the rest will be manifested by the Light. Moses asked for help and his brother teamed up with him; he was scared to death to go to the king and start negotiating, but he did it and became more and more confident every time.
This week, it is important for us to start talking about the Final Redemption in our life; to at least start thinking about it. Once we do it, we will start to walk in the path of freedom, strength and self-confidence.
Most of us are detached from this concept. This portion specifically awakens us to the need for thinking and talking about the Final Redemption. The more we talk about it in everything we do, the sooner we will draw it into our life.
