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| Reading of the Torah, Aish Synagogue, Tel Aviv, Israel. Wikipedia |
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| "Passage of the Red Sea", St. Nicholas "Nadeina" church in Yaroslavl (Wikipedia) |
The bitter root of spiritual hearing impairment is the bitter root of terror. This is the terror that comes to someone who looks down from a high, narrow bridge. It is just as Rebbe Nachman of Breslov says, "This world is a narrow bridge. The main thing is not to be afraid." The fear of spiritually falling comes from our own sight, from looking down and imagining what would happen if we fall. Israel saw what happened to Pharaoh and to Egypt. They knew they had crossed the Red Sea on a narrow spiritual bridge. Miriam led all Israel in a song of joy and praise!
But immediately then they found themselves in the dead wilderness and when they finally came to water it was poisonously bitter. In Miriam's merit, G-d showed Moshe a sweeting tree to cast into the waters, to make them pure to drink. This was an object lesson for Israel. It is an object lesson also for all who have entered into the redemption that is in Mashiach Yehoshua of Israel. We will learn that the bitter waters, the waters of Marah, are the waters of our own sight and imagination and fear of spiritually falling from the narrow bridge of this world.
It is written that when Moshe had cast the tree into the waters and the waters had become sweet that, "[G-d] made a statue and an ordinance for them there and tried them. And He said, If you carefully listen to the voice of Hashem your G-d, and you do what is right in His eyes, and you pay attention to His commandments, and keep His statutes, I will not put on you all the plagues that I have put on Egypt, for I am Hashem your Healer."
We can understand from this that G-d was making it clear to Israel that it was through His Torah that they would be sealed from the judgments that He would bring upon the nations, which He had begun to demonstrate upon Egypt. We can understand that He was making it clear to Israel that their crossing of the Red Sea was not the end of their redemption, but only the beginning of it. The promise of the redemption was not only that Israel would be redeemed from Egypt and from the judgment of G-d upon the world and its empires.
The promise of the redemption was that Israel would be redeemed from its own evil inclination, from whatever prevented it from being transformed from the ways of sin to keeping the Torah of G-d from the heart. For, if this redemption of the heart and hearts of Israel did not come there would be no redemption at all. Even the redemption out of Egypt would have been in vain. For without Israel being sealed in heart and mind by the Torah, in the end, all the plagues that came upon Egypt would all come upon Israel as well. Just as the waters of Egypt were turned to poison and blood, so Israel would find only poisonous, bitter waters to drink. However, the redemption of Israel would not fail. It was begun by G-d's word and it would be completed by G-d's word. It was guaranteed by G-d's word to Abraham.
If the Jew looks down from the hight of the narrow bridge of the covenant of G-d with Abraham and his offspring and sees Pharaoh and his armies, and many other enemies of Israel, falling into the depths of the sea of G-d's judgments and then imagines themselves slipping and falling they could be overcome with the fear of their imagined fall. Those also who have been redeemed from the idolatry in their heart by the offering up of that lamb, Mashiach Yehoshua of Israel, have also been elevated to the high point of that high narrow bridge of redemption, and if they consider that high elevation through the understanding of their own sight they can be overcome with terror.
The deepest darkness of separation from G-d is a long way down. Even the nations who are living in darkness are afraid of this darkness. Those who have been raised up out of such darkness could not see it clearly before they were redeemed out of the nations. Now, if they depend on their sight, the temptation to terror is overwhelming. So now, the voice of G-d speaks to them, saying, Don't look down! Yet they do look down and are overcome with fear. And the fear deafens them to the voice of G-d. And they do not clearly hear the promise of G-d that seals Israel, and would seal them, against the plagues which He brings upon Egypt and the nations. They hear only the rumbling of the certain judgment that is coming and do not hear clearly what the voice of the seven thunders is saying.
Here is the fear that has deafened the nations, even those who have been called out of the nations, (for all of this is a testimony to Israel): the nations see that Yehoshua came to his own, to the Jewish nation, and his own did not receive him... immediately, they look down into the depths of the darkness and do not look upward to the Redeemer of Israel. The frightened nations see that to as many as receive him he gives the power to become his brothers and sisters, the children of G-d. They do not hear the voice of the Spirit of G-d telling them that this is the sign of G-d's mercy to Israel. In their fearfulness they imagine that this is the sign of Israel's condemnation for having rejected their Messiah. As they measure, so it is measured to them.
Instead of being comforted and reassured through the certainty of the covenant of G-d with Israel, they begin to imagine that the Torah is a word of condemnation and not a word of promise. From then on, they begin to be overcome by fear of loosing their own grip on the narrow bridge of redemption, of somehow slipping away... Their fear grows and spreads to their neighbours. They have heard the word of G-d, but immediately, because of their fear of the chastisement of Israel have turned that chastisement into condemnation in their own imagination, and thus their fear impairs their further hearing of the voice of the word of G-d to Israel, comforting her and reassuring her in her chastisement. They cannot find the tree that purifies the bitter waters of judgment which is in the hand of Moshe.
It is impossible, therefore, to hear clearly what the seven thunders of judgment are saying if we are in any way looking down upon Israel, or upon the stumbling of Israel. For the secret of what the voice of the seven thunders is saying is the secret of comfort and reassurance that the Comforter sent by Yehoshua is whispering in the ear of Israel. It is impossible to hear this whisper unless one's ear is very close to the Torah ear of Israel. Only from that position will it be possible to go on to the next post in this series. Believe, therefore, in the prayer of Yehoshua for the forgiveness of the nation of Israel, as G-d defines that nation through His Torah, and let us go on...
But immediately then they found themselves in the dead wilderness and when they finally came to water it was poisonously bitter. In Miriam's merit, G-d showed Moshe a sweeting tree to cast into the waters, to make them pure to drink. This was an object lesson for Israel. It is an object lesson also for all who have entered into the redemption that is in Mashiach Yehoshua of Israel. We will learn that the bitter waters, the waters of Marah, are the waters of our own sight and imagination and fear of spiritually falling from the narrow bridge of this world.
It is written that when Moshe had cast the tree into the waters and the waters had become sweet that, "[G-d] made a statue and an ordinance for them there and tried them. And He said, If you carefully listen to the voice of Hashem your G-d, and you do what is right in His eyes, and you pay attention to His commandments, and keep His statutes, I will not put on you all the plagues that I have put on Egypt, for I am Hashem your Healer."
We can understand from this that G-d was making it clear to Israel that it was through His Torah that they would be sealed from the judgments that He would bring upon the nations, which He had begun to demonstrate upon Egypt. We can understand that He was making it clear to Israel that their crossing of the Red Sea was not the end of their redemption, but only the beginning of it. The promise of the redemption was not only that Israel would be redeemed from Egypt and from the judgment of G-d upon the world and its empires.
The promise of the redemption was that Israel would be redeemed from its own evil inclination, from whatever prevented it from being transformed from the ways of sin to keeping the Torah of G-d from the heart. For, if this redemption of the heart and hearts of Israel did not come there would be no redemption at all. Even the redemption out of Egypt would have been in vain. For without Israel being sealed in heart and mind by the Torah, in the end, all the plagues that came upon Egypt would all come upon Israel as well. Just as the waters of Egypt were turned to poison and blood, so Israel would find only poisonous, bitter waters to drink. However, the redemption of Israel would not fail. It was begun by G-d's word and it would be completed by G-d's word. It was guaranteed by G-d's word to Abraham.
If the Jew looks down from the hight of the narrow bridge of the covenant of G-d with Abraham and his offspring and sees Pharaoh and his armies, and many other enemies of Israel, falling into the depths of the sea of G-d's judgments and then imagines themselves slipping and falling they could be overcome with the fear of their imagined fall. Those also who have been redeemed from the idolatry in their heart by the offering up of that lamb, Mashiach Yehoshua of Israel, have also been elevated to the high point of that high narrow bridge of redemption, and if they consider that high elevation through the understanding of their own sight they can be overcome with terror.
The deepest darkness of separation from G-d is a long way down. Even the nations who are living in darkness are afraid of this darkness. Those who have been raised up out of such darkness could not see it clearly before they were redeemed out of the nations. Now, if they depend on their sight, the temptation to terror is overwhelming. So now, the voice of G-d speaks to them, saying, Don't look down! Yet they do look down and are overcome with fear. And the fear deafens them to the voice of G-d. And they do not clearly hear the promise of G-d that seals Israel, and would seal them, against the plagues which He brings upon Egypt and the nations. They hear only the rumbling of the certain judgment that is coming and do not hear clearly what the voice of the seven thunders is saying.
Here is the fear that has deafened the nations, even those who have been called out of the nations, (for all of this is a testimony to Israel): the nations see that Yehoshua came to his own, to the Jewish nation, and his own did not receive him... immediately, they look down into the depths of the darkness and do not look upward to the Redeemer of Israel. The frightened nations see that to as many as receive him he gives the power to become his brothers and sisters, the children of G-d. They do not hear the voice of the Spirit of G-d telling them that this is the sign of G-d's mercy to Israel. In their fearfulness they imagine that this is the sign of Israel's condemnation for having rejected their Messiah. As they measure, so it is measured to them.
Instead of being comforted and reassured through the certainty of the covenant of G-d with Israel, they begin to imagine that the Torah is a word of condemnation and not a word of promise. From then on, they begin to be overcome by fear of loosing their own grip on the narrow bridge of redemption, of somehow slipping away... Their fear grows and spreads to their neighbours. They have heard the word of G-d, but immediately, because of their fear of the chastisement of Israel have turned that chastisement into condemnation in their own imagination, and thus their fear impairs their further hearing of the voice of the word of G-d to Israel, comforting her and reassuring her in her chastisement. They cannot find the tree that purifies the bitter waters of judgment which is in the hand of Moshe.
It is impossible, therefore, to hear clearly what the seven thunders of judgment are saying if we are in any way looking down upon Israel, or upon the stumbling of Israel. For the secret of what the voice of the seven thunders is saying is the secret of comfort and reassurance that the Comforter sent by Yehoshua is whispering in the ear of Israel. It is impossible to hear this whisper unless one's ear is very close to the Torah ear of Israel. Only from that position will it be possible to go on to the next post in this series. Believe, therefore, in the prayer of Yehoshua for the forgiveness of the nation of Israel, as G-d defines that nation through His Torah, and let us go on...
