Harmonizing Your Inner Tribes, Session 2: Taking the Long Way
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ShareThe Exodus as a map for inner development and integration
The Israelites’ movement out of mitzrayim, the “narrow place” or Egypt, was catalyzed by the ten plagues. The plagues are explored as ways in which historical trauma is internalized in the individual and in the Jewish collective psyche. Movement out of a constricted state of consciousness requires that we work through the limitations imposed on our awareness through post-traumatic stress and internalized antisemitism. Each plague [can be] explored as a way in which our connection to the larger reality has been occluded, and how becoming conscious of and working through these cultural complexes can lead us out of the exile of constricted consciousness. -- Shoshana Fershtman, PhD
Avot deRabbi Natan 9:2
Our ancestors tested the Holy Blessed One ten different times, but they were punished only for the sin of slander ([which was one of them]). These are the ten: Once at the sea, once when the manna was first given, once when the manna stopped coming down, once at the first appearance of quails, once at the latter appearance of quails, once at Marah, once at Refidim, once at Horev, once [at the Calf, and once] with the spies. And the sin of the spies was the worst of them all, as it says (Numbers 14:22), “They have tested Me these ten times, and have not heeded My voice…"
(א) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה בֹּ֖א אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֑ה כִּֽי־אֲנִ֞י הִכְבַּ֤דְתִּי אֶת־לִבּוֹ֙ וְאֶת־לֵ֣ב עֲבָדָ֔יו לְמַ֗עַן שִׁתִ֛י אֹתֹתַ֥י אֵ֖לֶּה בְּקִרְבּֽוֹ׃ (ב) וּלְמַ֡עַן תְּסַפֵּר֩ בְּאׇזְנֵ֨י בִנְךָ֜ וּבֶן־בִּנְךָ֗ אֵ֣ת אֲשֶׁ֤ר הִתְעַלַּ֙לְתִּי֙ בְּמִצְרַ֔יִם וְאֶת־אֹתֹתַ֖י אֲשֶׁר־שַׂ֣מְתִּי בָ֑ם וִֽידַעְתֶּ֖ם כִּי־אֲנִ֥י יְהֹוָֽה׃
(1) Then יהוה said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh. For I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his courtiers, in order that I may display these My signs among them, (2) and that you may recount in the hearing of your child and of your child’s child how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and how I displayed My signs among them—in order that you may know that I am יהוה.”
(ג) חָשְׁבוּ כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּהְיוּ רוֹעִין אֶת מִקְנֵיהֶם, שָׁלַח בָּהֶן אֶת הַדֶּבֶר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: הִנֵּה יַד ה' הוֹיָה וְגוֹ'. חָשְׁבוּ כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּהְיוּ מְחַמִּין לָהֶן חַמִּין, שָׁלַח בָּהֶן אֶת הַשְּׁחִין. חָשְׁבוּ לְסָקְלָם בָּאֲבָנִים, הֵבִיא עֲלֵיהֶם אֶת הַבָּרָד. חָשְׁבוּ כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּהְיוּ כּוֹרְמֵיהֶן, הֵבִיא עֲלֵיהֶם אֶת הָאַרְבֶּה וְאָכַל אִילָנוֹתֵיהֶן, וַיֹּאכַל אֶת כָּל עֵשֶׂב הָאָרֶץ וְאֵת כָּל פְּרִי הָעֵץ. חָשְׁבוּ לַחֲבֹשׁ אוֹתָם בְּבֵית הָאֲסוּרִין, הֵבִיא עֲלֵיהֶם אֶת הַחֹשֶׁךְ. חָשְׁבוּ לַהֲרֹג אוֹתָם, וַה' הִכָּה כָל בְכוֹר. חָשְׁבוּ לְשַׁקֵּעַ אוֹתָן בַּמַּיִם, וְנִעֵר פַּרְעֹה וְחֵילוֹ בְיַם סוּף (תהלים קלו, טו).
(3) They forced the Israelites to pasture their flocks, and so he sent the murrain against them, as it is said: Behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thy cattle (Exod. 9:3). They compelled the Israelites to keep the heated things warm, and so He afflicted them with boils. They plotted to have them stoned to death and so He sent hail upon them. They planned to make the Israelites their gardeners, and so He brought against them the locusts, which consumed their trees, and ate all the grass and fruit in the land. They conspired to imprison them, and so He brought darkness upon them. They planned to kill the Israelites, and so He smote all their firstborn. They wanted to drown them in water, and so He overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea (Ps. 136:15).
(ח) וַיּוּשַׁ֞ב אֶת־מֹשֶׁ֤ה וְאֶֽת־אַהֲרֹן֙ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֔ה וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֔ם לְכ֥וּ עִבְד֖וּ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֑ם מִ֥י וָמִ֖י הַהֹלְכִֽים׃ (ט) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֔ה בִּנְעָרֵ֥ינוּ וּבִזְקֵנֵ֖ינוּ נֵלֵ֑ךְ בְּבָנֵ֨ינוּ וּבִבְנוֹתֵ֜נוּ בְּצֹאנֵ֤נוּ וּבִבְקָרֵ֙נוּ֙ נֵלֵ֔ךְ כִּ֥י חַג־יְהֹוָ֖ה לָֽנוּ׃ (י) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֗ם יְהִ֨י כֵ֤ן יְהֹוָה֙ עִמָּכֶ֔ם כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר אֲשַׁלַּ֥ח אֶתְכֶ֖ם וְאֶֽת־טַפְּכֶ֑ם רְא֕וּ כִּ֥י רָעָ֖ה נֶ֥גֶד פְּנֵיכֶֽם׃ (יא) לֹ֣א כֵ֗ן לְכֽוּ־נָ֤א הַגְּבָרִים֙ וְעִבְד֣וּ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֔ה כִּ֥י אֹתָ֖הּ אַתֶּ֣ם מְבַקְשִׁ֑ים וַיְגָ֣רֶשׁ אֹתָ֔ם מֵאֵ֖ת פְּנֵ֥י פַרְעֹֽה׃ {ס}
(8) So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh and he said to them, “Go, worship your God יהוה ! Who are the ones to go?” (9) Moses replied, “We will all go—our young and our old —we will go with our sons and daughters, our flocks and herds; for we must observe יהוה’s festival.” (10) But he said to them, “יהוה be with you—the same as I mean to let your dependents go with you! Clearly, you are bent on mischief. (11) No! You gentlemen go and worship יהוה, since that is what you want.” And they were expelled from Pharaoh’s presence.
ONE OF THE KEYS to freedom lies in Moses’ insistence that the whole of the people must be freed together. When Pharaoh offers freedom if the feminine and child parts are left behind in bondage, Moses refuses, for he understands that to be free is to be whole and integrated. When Pharaoh offers freedom to the people if they will leave their animal selves behind, again Moses refuses, knowing that without the acknowledgment of all aspects of our selves, we cannot serve God.
The challenge before us is to accept and honor all parts of the self as the pre-requisite to freedom. In answering the call of Bo, we are led onto the path of healing and wholeness. -- Rabbi Shefa Gold
(מב) לֵ֣יל שִׁמֻּרִ֥ים הוּא֙ לַֽיהֹוָ֔ה לְהוֹצִיאָ֖ם מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם הֽוּא־הַלַּ֤יְלָה הַזֶּה֙ לַֽיהֹוָ֔ה שִׁמֻּרִ֛ים לְכׇל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לְדֹרֹתָֽם׃ {פ}
(42) That was for יהוה a night of vigil to bring them out of the land of Egypt; that same night is יהוה’s, one of vigil for all the children of Israel throughout the ages.
(יז) וַיְהִ֗י בְּשַׁלַּ֣ח פַּרְעֹה֮ אֶת־הָעָם֒ וְלֹא־נָחָ֣ם אֱלֹהִ֗ים דֶּ֚רֶךְ אֶ֣רֶץ פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים כִּ֥י קָר֖וֹב ה֑וּא כִּ֣י ׀ אָמַ֣ר אֱלֹהִ֗ים פֶּֽן־יִנָּחֵ֥ם הָעָ֛ם בִּרְאֹתָ֥ם מִלְחָמָ֖ה וְשָׁ֥בוּ מִצְרָֽיְמָה׃ (יח) וַיַּסֵּ֨ב אֱלֹהִ֧ים ׀ אֶת־הָעָ֛ם דֶּ֥רֶךְ הַמִּדְבָּ֖ר יַם־ס֑וּף וַחֲמֻשִׁ֛ים עָל֥וּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃
(17) Now when Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although it was nearer; for God said, “The people may have a change of heart when they see war, and return to Egypt.” (18) So God led the people round about, by way of the wilderness at the Sea of Reeds. Now the Israelites went up armed out of the land of Egypt.
Umberto Cassuto, Commentary on the Book of Exodus, on the meaning of "hamushim", which is usually translated as "armed": “On the basis of the Arabic, in proper military formation. They went not like a mob of slaves escaping from their masters, in confusion and disorder, but well organized…”
(ג) עד בכור השבי. אף השבויים שהיו בשעבודם, וכי אם מצריים חטאו השבויים מה חטאו, אלא שהיו אומרים יהו בשעבודנו ולא יצאו, לפיכך עד בכור השבי, וכל שכן בכור השפחה אשר אחר הרחים, בשביל מה, בשביל בכור השפחה שהיו משעבדים בהם, וכל שכן בכור בהמה, ולמה בכור בהמה, שהיו להם אלוה, שנאמר הן נזבח את תועבת מצרים וגו' (שמות ח כב):
"...from the first-born of Pharaoh who sat on the throne to the first-born of the captive who was in the dungeon." Even the captives who were enslaved. Granted that the Egyptians sinned, but what sin did the captives commit? Rather the captives were punished because they said, "We like our enslavement" and refused to leave, which is why their first-born were killed, and all the more so the maidservant behind the spinning wheel. Why were the first born of the animals killed? Because the Egyptians worshipped them...
...
Going home the longest way around,
we tell stories, build
from fragments of our lives
maps to guide us to each other.
We make collages of the way
it might have been
had it been as we remembered,
as we think perhaps it was,
tallying in our middle age
diminishing returns.
Last night the lake was still;
all along the shoreline
bright pencil marks of light, and
children in the dark canoe pleading,
“Tell us scary stories.”
Fingers trailing in the water,
I said someone I loved who died
told me in a dream
to not be lonely, told me
not to ever be afraid.
And they were silent, the children,
Listening to the water
Lick the sides of the canoe.
It’s what we love the most
can make us most afraid, can make us
for the first time understand
how we are rocking in a dark boat on the water,
taking the long way home. --Pat Schneider
