Noah7Laws/REDEMPTION
Rabbi Dr. Zvi Aviner
NoahideSevernCommadments.com
We are reading nowadays the Book of Exodus as a part of the yearly cycle of the Parshah reading.
The Book of The Exodus is also known as the Book of Ge-Ulah, Redemption, since it describes the Redemption of the Israelites from slavery to Egypt as well as a model for all redemptions, be it slavery to an external oppressor or slavery to internal slavery to sin.
Sin
What kind of Sin? Like IDOLATRY. Mankind should get rid of its slavery or passion to IDOLATRY. There are forms of idolatry that are very attractive.
But it can be a passion or fascination for commit any other sin, such as ADULTERY. Or, for example, a fascination with alcohol or drugs. Leading to slavery.
Ge-ula, therefore, is a huge important topic that affects each nation and each person in every generation.
In this aspect, the Book of Exodus is a direct continuation of the Book of Genesis. How?
The Book of Gensis defines what Sin is. It presents the CREATOR in chapter One, then Sin in the story of Eden. Sin there is not only the prohibition to eat of the Forbidden Fruit, but also, according to tradition, the transgression of the Six Commandments that Adam and Eve received in Eden.
There, in Eden, Adam and Eve violated IDOLATRY by not listening to Hashem, and ADULTERY when Eve – a married woman -conferred privately with the Serpent,
From thereon the Book of Genesis describes how Mankind continued to stumble over the rest of the Six Commandments of Adam, generation after generation.
Thus-
Noah’s Generation stumbled over BLOODSHED,
Abraham’s generation over THEFT,
Jacob over INJUSTICE.
Jacob’s sons then stumbled over BLASPHEMY by selling their brother, and by this they found themselves enslaved to Egypt which was at the bottom of holiness.
The Book of Exodus begins by describing how the Israelites were caught by the claws of Pharoh who enslaves them with no chance t of escaping.
Egypt is the house of bondage, and any nation caught in it has ever escaped.
Egypt is not only the most powerful Empire in the world, but also the most spiritually opposed society to the Torah values.
They violated all the Seven Commandments of Noah, practiced witchcraft and worshipping death. They also practiced all sorts of sexual perversion and incest withing the family. They stood at the 49th lowest level of anti-holiness level.
Israel, captured in Egypt like a dove in a trap, needed REDEMTION.
That was the message of the Burning Bush.
Hashem told Moses that the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob knew Him as a CREATOR, as a JUDGE and as a Merciful Attribute YHVH, but the time has come for the whole world to know Him also as a REDEEMER, the One who saves the captured from the captor, the oppressed from the hands of the oppressor, the enslaved from the hands of their masters.
Hence the purpose of the plagues inflicted on Egypt and the Exodus was to let the Egyptians and Israel know Hashem in the new capacity as a REDEEMER.
What does it mean to know Hashem?
In Hebrew, the world for to know – daat – refers to an intimate acquaintance with the subject, like in the verse “And Adam knew his wife Eve, and she bore him a son.”
From the three classical levels of Wisdom –Chochma, Bina and Daat, the first two are theoretical, mental, logical, whereas the Daat is practical, down to Earth.
Daat can refer to emotional Love, like Adam and Eve, or to engaging yourself with the subject day and night, as Maimonides puts it.
Hence the purpose of the Exodus was to bring the Israelites and the whole world to develop an intimate , practical acquaintances with Hashem as a REDEEMER.
That make sense. Being enslaved by Pharaoh also meant being attracted to Pharaoh’s gorgeous culture and faith. Similarly, being attracted and enslaved by a sin, also means glorification of that sin.
The only way of Redemption would be to develop an intimate, practical down-to-Earth passion and love to Hashem, that could counteract the opposite slavery and glorification of the sin.
The process of REDEMPTION is therefore a battle of the heart, of passion against passion.
We see it in the story of Eden.
When Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge, daat of Good and Evil, they developed the daat, passion to do either Bad things or good things in Hashem’s eyes, called Yezer Rah and Yezer Tov.
When a person is caught in the claws of his Yezer Ra, his own Serpent or own Pharaoh, the only way to his redemption is to stir up his own Yezer Tov in himself, which would counteract his slavery to sin.
In fact, the true REDEEMER is the person himself. Hashem only helps us to encourage our Yezer Tov to take over and chase away our Yezer Harah. The road to redemption is the road taken to get to know and love Hashem and the Torah. That road is described for us in the Book of Exodus. It comes in four stages:
Stagec1: No words
The story starts when the Israelites are so deeply subdued that they can’t even speak or complain. They can only moan and sigh, with no words. Yet they recognize that they are subdued. That recognition, says the Sefat Emeth, is the first stage of their REDEMPTION. Similarly, the first stage of redemption for one caught by sin is to. exit his denial, how hard this might be.
Stage 2: Defiance
The second stage of the redemption in Egypt was for the Israelites to slaughter the Egyptian idol, holy cow, in public. It was an act of defiance, a declaration of an open battle against the yoke of the captor.
Stage 3: Leaving Pharaoh
Next came the Night of the Exodus, when Pharaoh himself cried out to Moses and Aaron – Go out and worship your God.
This seems to be the ultimate moment of redemption –the master himself releasing the slave from his territory. Here is the moment when the former alcoholic locks up his bottles in the closet, guarded by heavy keys. Alcohol is exterritorial.
That is also the Passover night seder when we celebrate REDEMPTION.
Pursuing Israel
And yet, despite the celebration, Pharaoh wakes up the next morning, marsha his army and pursue Israel, attempting to enslave them again.
Hence Sin never gives up. You’d think it is locked in the closet, yet it would run out to haunt you again.
Stage 3: Drawn in the Sea
Seeing Pharaoh behind them, and the sea in front of them, the Israelites panics and wish to return to Egypt. The entire impact of the ten plagues has been evaporated as if never happened.
Similarly, when the alcoholic or the drug addic faces a new crisis, he or she would be tempted to fall back into the old comfort of his slavery. Gone are the expensive rehabilitation efforts, gone is the thrill of freedom, back is the old warmth of sin.
The Israelites cry and pray, and Hashem responds by the greatest miracle ever – the splitting of the Reed Sea and the drowning of Pharaoh’s army, while Israel comes out intact.
On the surface, that was the ultimate moment of Israel redemption. What else could be achieved than seeing your master drawn forever, by the open glory of Hashem as a King and a REDEEMER?
It is like the alcoholic who cleanse his closet of all the bottles and throws them away in the river or sea, physically detaching himself away from their attraction as far as possible. Israel spirit is so elevated that they chant the famous Song of the Sea, equivalent to Haleluyah. For a sinner, this is the moment to celebrate his apparent independence from his enslaver.
Bitter Water
But only three days later, facing Bitter Water, the Israelites despair and wish again to return to Egypt. The hardship of reality has wiped out the thrill of the Sea miracle. Gone is the recognizing of the Glory of Hashem as a King, back is the glory of Pharaoh as a king. The mere knowledge of Hashem as a king is not enough to hold them back when they face hard reality. A new step in the process of redemption. Is needed.
Stage 4: The Mana
In His words to Moses in Egypt at the beginning of the plagues, Hahem mentions four stages of Redemption –
1 I shall exit them from their sorrow
2 I shall save them from the hard work
3 I shall redeem them
4 so that you will know me
Those stages are the base for the four ups of redemption we drink at the SEDER NIHGT.
We’ve discussed three. What remains is the forth cup, the road to know Hashem on the intimate daat level.
At the place of the Bitter Water, Hashem sweetened the water but also gave Israel new Torah Commandments to engage themselves with.
These four Commandments are:
1 Honoring one’s father and mother
2 Laws of Justice (Noahite number five)
3 Circumcision laws
4 Remembering the Sabbath of CREATION
Were they obligated to perform Circumcision?
At that point the Israelites wee considered Noahites. Joseph had attempted to circumcise the Egyptians as part of teaching them Abraham’s faith. Hence at that point, Circumcision was potentially applicable to all Noahites.
Let’s note that those four Commandments have one thing in common – they are positive Commandents, telling us what to do.
Thus,
Honoring our parents means taking certain steps to fulfil that obligations.
Seeking Justice, Commandment number five, calls for the establishing of Court houses in every district.
Remembering the Sabbath means, at that point, learning the story of CREATION as in Genesis Chapter One.
What is the Sabbath to do with REDEMTION?
Oh, what a question.
To me, this is a surprising finding of the Bible prophecy.
The Torah says that time will come when the REDEMPTION of Mankind from the paws of IDO;ATRY will depend on the understanding what the Sabbath is.
Half of humanity will see it in Sunday,
The other half will see it in Friday.
Whereas the correct one, that Noahites and Israelites recognize, is the Sabbath day of Genesis Chapter One, and everything connected with it. The correct Names of Hashem, the judgement of Man if he has elevated himself to be Very Good, and more.
The key for Mankind to redeem itself from the attractive idolatry is to learn about and be attracted to the Real Sabbath day.
Wow!
Those who see Friday as their Sabbath – believe in the harsh Allah, Din, Sword
Those who see Sunday as their Sabbath – worship Mercy,
But Israel sees the Sabbath as it is and believes in Hashem-ELoHeeM Oneness
Hence recognizing the real Sabbath is the end of idolatry
Here Hashem, as a REDEEMER, knows that engaging Israel with positive Commandments would tilt their heart towards loving him and away from their attraction to the Filth of the Egyptian faith. Learning Torah is one more step away from Pharaoh.
Today, we still count the 49 days between the Exodus night of Passover and Giving the Torah on Mt. Sinai. We count the hard days it took the Israelites to detach themselves from Pharaoh, day by day, a struggle after a struggle.
The Trial of the Mana
On that journey of REDEMPTION, the Israelites keep failing whenever they encounter hardship.
At one point they face such a shortage of bread, that they wish to return to Egypt. They pray, however, and Hashem responds by showering on them the Mana, but on condition that they would abide by new Laws of the Sabbath never given before.
These laws are: (1) They should collect on Friday twice the regular amount (2) Cook and prepare on Friday whatever they would need on the Sabbath (3) they should not travel on the Sabbath.
What was new here?
Prior to that point, all they had to do for the Sabbath was to remember it, recall it in the frame of the story of CREATION.
Henceforth they should also take a positive action to prepare for it, now, in our Sixth Day of CREATION in which we currently live.
We should not eat on the Sabbath food that wasn’t prepared for it on the Sixth Day.
We should not use anything on the Sabbath unless it has been designated for this on the Sixth Day.
For the Sabbath is the ultimate day of redemption from the mundane things, the desires and aspirations that occupy our heart during the week.
The Sabbath is a day of freedom from the Yezer Harah, giving the room for the Yezer Tov to take over.
Moreover, Hashem informs Moses that the Mana is given to test the faith and trust of the people in Him. They should double their cooking on Friday believing that there would be no new food on the Sabbath.
By this, Hashem inform the people that life itself is a test, and that we all travel from one test to the next.
Redemption therefore is never final. We only take the road towards it. The Serpent in us, the Yezer Harah in us, the Pharaoh in us are alive and kicking. We can only develop the Yezer Tov in us to counteract its magic. We can do that by remembering the Sabbath, and by pro- acting positively to develop in us the love for Hashem and His Commandments.
For Noahides, that traveling to redemption remains discretional, with no formal obligation. Moses did not wish to add any formal obligation apart from what Noah himself had done. He therefore left the formal obligations at the level of the Seven ones ordained by Noah, the father of Mankind. To Israel, though, Moses made these ideas obligatory.
But there is a deeper reason why Moses preferred Noah. Noah presents the epitome of Oneness.
Noah came from Enosh who was the priest of Mercy,
Naama his wife came from the opponent Children of ELoHeeM clan who followed the harsh ways of ELoHeeM
And in their marriage, despite the ban, Noah and Naama practiced and implemented Hashem ELoHeeM Oneness. That is why they were saved.
The Rabbis said who is Noah’s name mentioned twice side by side (as Noah Noah)?
Because Noah means REST, the Sabbath.
Noah saw two Sabbaths – our weekly one and the eternal Sabbath reign inside his Ark.
In fact, if you wish to know what oneness means, the only place in the Torah for that is given in the description of the Heavenly Court session before and after the Flood.
WHAT IS THE ROAD FOR REDEMTION? GOING BACK TO NOAH AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THE SABBATH IS, AND WHAT ONENESS IS, AND WHAT OUR TRIAL AND TRIBULATIONS STAND FOR.