Moses

The first hero of the Passover holiday is Moses, the spiritual leader. This is a special quality within a person that leads him to the exodus from Egypt.

If we don’t talk about Moses as a quality within a person but as a character, then he wasn’t a born leader. Moses is a person who is closed within himself, who wants to achieve, to be aware of the surrounding world, his characteristics, himself.

Moses lived in the palace of Pharaoh and used all the benefits that were due him as a prince. In the palace they respected him and he learned the Egyptian wisdom, magic, everything that was used in Egypt in his time in the construction of the pyramids, in perceiving the universe through astronomy and everything that had been developed back then. Moses was a scientist and so all this was very attractive, but he was not connected either with the Egyptians or with the people. He was simply a prince.

When he was in exile from Egypt, the Creator called for him to return to Egypt and he obeyed, but without any personal intention. When he returned to Egypt, he went to his grandfather, Pharaoh, and his stepmother, Batya, as an opponent, standing before them and saying to Pharaoh, “Let my people go” (Exodus 5:1). But Pharaoh opposed this and argued, “The children of Israel are living here with their families and cattle; they manage their households and have been mine for quite some time already. They don’t intend to go anywhere.” Imagine a situation in which we apparently demand from President Obama, “Let the Jews go to Israel.” And he would answer, “I don’t intend to free them; I need them for the development of the economy, science, and commerce. Try approaching them and listen to what they will answer.”

After all, the Jews were living very well in Egypt. They used all the benefits even more than the Egyptians themselves. So it was impossible to approach them in any form, even from the point of view of Pharaoh and from the point of view of the Jewish people themselves. The people of Israel were fat, lazy, and under the influence of traditions, culture, science, arts and entertainments of the Egyptians. They had everything they needed, including huge pastures for their cattle. One can say that they lived in the best place in the world.

The moment Moses began to ask Pharaoh to free the people of Israel from Egypt, they began to feel the evil side of Pharaoh: blows, pressure, oppression, taxes, great persecutions, and pogroms. Generally, everything that we have seen throughout the history of the Jews suddenly began to appear in Egypt with the people who had been totally pampered in every way! And so the attitude of Pharaoh towards Moses became sharply negative. In spite of this, Moses went to Pharaoh according to the command of the Creator and demanded from him, “Let my people go!”

Moses was afraid of Pharaoh and the Creator, and didn’t know what to do. He tried to convince the Creator that he was tongue-tied and stuttered, that he was not a natural leader. But the Creator replied, “I know whom to choose, so onward!” And he went. Moreover, when the Creator said, “Let’s go together. I will harden the heart of Pharaoh so much that it will be preferable for us to go together.”

The wisdom of Kabbalah talks about the deepest and innermost characteristics of a person, which he must discern within himself specifically through the pathway of spiritual development in which a person begins to search within himself for the characteristics of Pharaoh, Moses, the Creator, the people of Israel, Egypt, and all the rest of the images in the Torah.

Ultimately, he reaches a state of absolute darkness when he understands that he cannot leave Egypt, he doesn’t want to leave it, and doesn’t know what forces will make it possible for him to do this. And then at night an immense power, a storm breaks out, lightning and thunder in the spiritual sense. The person is found in a terrible panic! But he runs after the Creator.

The exodus from Egypt happens in haste; from where and to where is unknown. What matters is that the Creator wants this, and the person carries out His will.

There is nothing else! What matters is what the Creator wants and that we follow Him because it is impossible to get our bearings by using our feelings or knowledge—neither through the heart or the mind. Only the upper force shows a person where he or she should go. The Creator leads you by a pillar of fire or cloud, and you go; it cannot be in any other way.

To be completely purified from Egypt and take everything above your reason and feeling, you must leap into the sea! The sea is a terrible state in which it is up to the person to take a step absolutely contrary to all of his emotions and reason! After that, nothing is left of what was his! He exists completely pure. In this state, a spiritual birth happens. After full purification of emotional and physical memory, a new life begins.
[181934]
From KabTV’s “News with Michael Laitman” 4/11/16