What Exile Does to Us

This week’s Torah reading describes how Moses came to the Jewish people with a promise of redemption. At first, they eagerly accepted his words; they believed his prophecy and prostrated themselves to G-d in grateful appreciation.

But then something changed. Pharaoh refused to listen to Moses and instead intensified the people’s labor. Very quickly, their newfound faith began to fade. They lost trust in Moses and came to him with complaints.

The Torah explains why: “They did not believe Moses because of shortness of spirit and hard work.” It is difficult to believe in redemption when a whip is at your back. And when the day’s labor finally ends, one may lack the strength to dream of anything beyond a brief respite from making bricks. Freedom itself feels unimaginable.

This is the problem with exile: it makes us nearsighted.

We see only what is directly before us and lose sight of our true identity.

Each of us possesses a soul that is “an actual part of G-d,” and that G-dly essence cannot be confined by any exile. From this perspective, it is exile, not redemption, that is incomprehensible.

The Jewish people soon saw this proven in reality. Pharaoh’s power collapsed before them, bearing eternal witness to G-d’s presence on earth. Moments earlier they were slaves; soon after, miracle upon miracle led them out of Egypt, marching proudly with the wealth of the land.

This is not merely ancient history. The story’s enduring power lies in its relevance. Mitzrayim, the Hebrew name for Egypt, relates to meitzarim, “boundaries” or “limitations.” On a personal level, Egypt represents the forces that confine us and prevent us from becoming who we truly are.

Many of us are still “slaves in Egypt,” consumed by work and routines that dull, rather than awaken, our spiritual awareness.

There is more to life than the material reality we see. That is what leaving Egypt means. In every generation, and in a sense, every day, we are called to experience an exodus: to move beyond our limitations and give expression to the divine spark within us.

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom!

Shabbat candle lighting time in NYC: Friday, 4:29 PM