Parashat Shemot 5783 — 01/14/2023
Beginning with Bereishit 5781 (17 October 2020) we embarked on a new format. We will be considering Rambam’s (Maimonides’) great philosophical work Moreh Nevukim (Guide for the Perplexed) in the light of the knowledge of Vedic Science as expounded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The individual essays will therefore not necessarily have anything to do with the weekly Torah portion, although certainly there will be plenty of references to the Torah, the rest of the Bible, and to the Rabbinic literature. For Bereishit we described the project. The next four parshiyyot, Noach through Chayei Sarah, laid out a foundational understanding of Vedic Science, to the degree I am capable of doing so. Beginning with Toledot we started examining Moreh Nevukim.
Shemot 1:1-6:1
Rambam considers his second reason for not beginning one’s studies with “divine science”:
The second cause is the insufficiency of the minds of all men at their beginnings. For man is not granted his ultimate perfection at the outset; for perfection exists in him only potentially, and in his beginnings he lacks this act. Accordingly it is said: And man is born a wild ass ( Job 11:12). Nor is it necessarily obligatory in the case of every individual who is endowed with something in potency, that this thing should become actual. Sometimes it remains in its defective state either because of certain obstacles or because of paucity of training in what transforms that potentiality into actuality. Accordingly it is clearly said: Not many are wise (Job 32:9). The Sages too, may their memory be blessed, have said: I saw the people who have attained a high rank, and they were few (Sukkah 45b, Sanhedrin 97b). For the obstacles to perfection are very many, and the objects that distract from it abound. When should he be able to achieve the perfect preparation and the leisure required for training so that what subsists in a particular individual in potency should be transformed into actuality?
There are several things going on here. First, Rambam assets, essentially, that nobody is born perfect. This should be obvious, especially in our days when people seem exceptionally broken, and get broken further as they go through life. I think the important question here is, “Why are people born imperfect?”
Perhaps the best place to start is to ask what perfection is when it comes to human life. In Jewish tradition perfection is always defined in relationship to Gd, Who alone is perfect. The closer one is to Gd, the more perfect one’s life is. There are two reasons for this, I think. First, closeness to Gd is closeness to absolute bliss. When one’s life is suffused with bliss one is completely satisfied, full, independent of any outside inputs. The Bliss of closeness to Gd so overshadows any paltry happiness in this world that the latter is as if non-existent. In addition, one’s life overflows with this bliss, creating an environment of peace and harmony, where people exhibit behavior that is life-supporting for both individuals and the group. So, both inner life and outer life are fulfilled.
In a larger sense, a human being’s coming to perfection brings fulfillment to the purpose of creation. Gd has no need to create – Gd is One, Unified and completely Self-sufficient. Our tradition tells us the Gd created the world in order to shower good on His creatures, as it says, “He opens His hand and satiates all that lives with favor” (Ps 145). However, any act of creation involves creating something that is not Gd (at least on the surface), and is therefore imperfect to some degree. However, this imperfection seeks to rectify itself. Something that is imperfect is lacking in something material or structural, and as we see in our own lives, and in the lives of even the simplest single-celled creature, whenever there is a lack the organism seeks to fill that lack.
The upshot of this analysis is that the course of creation (from the point of view of the creation itself) is first a separation from Gd, then a move towards reunification with Gd. Another way of saying this is that creation begins with a fall from perfection and then growth back towards perfection. The Torah is a record of this dynamic, from separation (of the “upper waters” from the “lower waters” on the 2 nd day of creation, to the sin of Adam and Eve that caused their expulsion from Paradise) to reunification (the Exodus, Revelation at Mt. Sinai). Clearly the path towards reunification is a long and winding road, and as a society we are still a long way from perfection.
For Rambam, the path to perfection is through refinement of the intellect. It is clear that our minds and intellects are lacking in clarity when we are born. When we are born we have enough on our plate just learning to perceive, to speak, and eventually to think. According to Piaget’s description of the stages of mental development one does not reach the stage of “formal operations” (e.g. logic, scientific thinking) until one’s teenage years. Once one does reach this level of development, one must consciously attempt to develop and refine the mind and the intellect; as Rambam states, some people don’t ever realize their full potential.
In Vedic Science we describe the process a little differently. Vedic Science focuses more on human consciousness, and perfection in human consciousness is the realization, on the level of experience, that Pure Consciousness is my own Self, and Pure Consciousness is the Self of everything in creation. Thus, creation is the expression of pure, unexpressed, unbounded, eternal Pure Consciousness.
The process of creation begins within Pure Consciousness, and is based on its nature as consciousness. Consciousness must be aware of something, and since Pure Consciousness is all that there is, it can only be aware of itself. Thus, Pure Consciousness takes on the roles both as Observer and Observed. This virtual “split” of Pure Consciousness into two aspects is enough to introduce duality, at least a virtual duality, within the nature of Pure Consciousness. Once there is duality, there can be flow, or vibration, between the two poles of this duality, and this is the beginning of the ramification of multiplicity from Unity.
In terms of human development, development of consciousness is first through the mind, then through the heart. When an individual’s nervous system is developed enough to experience thoughts at progressively subtler levels (beginning, normally, at age 10) one learns to meditate, which involves allowing the mind to settle down effortlessly until Pure Consciousness is experienced. Repeated alternation of the experience of Pure Consciousness with the 3 ordinary states of consciousness, waking, dreaming and sleeping, cultures the mind and nervous system to be able to maintain Pure Consciousness along with waking, dreaming and sleeping. At this point the mind is fulfilled, having expanded to the maximum extent possible. Since we act from whatever level our consciousness is at, our actions spring from Pure Consciousness, which is the basis of all cosmic activity. Therefore, our activity is completely in accord with natural law and contributes to the growth and evolution of everything in creation. However, our perception remains as it was, on the surface level of the object of perception.
With the passage of time, the senses begin to refine as well as the mind. One’s heart expands and appreciates creation more and more, seeing the finer values of life in every bit of life, in every object of perception. Eventually, the finest value of the object is transcended, and the Pure Consciousness inside the observer recognizes and enlivens the Pure Consciousness that is at the basis of the object of perception, and we awaken to the reality that Pure Consciousness is the all-pervasive, underlying reality of all existence, subjective and objective. Pure Consciousness, which has virtually split and ramified into whole worlds, both subtle and gross, is now re-unified, but on a higher level, because Pure Consciousness is no longer just alone, aware of itself, but has been unified with all its expressions as well. And the whole is more than the sum of the parts.
I think you can see the parallels in the two descriptions of the process of creation/manifestation and its growth to fulfillment in the fulfillment of the individual human being. I believe that Rambam is bringing out a great truth here, that for creation to be fulfilled, there must first be a separation and then a return to the Perfect. And that means that each one of us has a path to tread to get to the goal.
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Commentary by Steve Sufian
Parashat Shemot
“Shemot” means “Names.” Gd is One with Infinite qualities, infinite names but we call Gd “HaShem,” the Name, symbolizing that Gd is beyond words, beyond names, so we call Gd, ”the Name” symbolizing that Gd is Infinite yet always One.
The parshah begins with telling the names of the twelve children of Israel. Reuben, Simon, Levi…
An example of the symbolism of “twelve” is the twelve cranial nerves in the physiology. These are responsible for many functions including equilibrium control, eye movement, hearing and facial sensation. From this standpoint, the twelve sons of Israel symbolize the whole range of functions of the physiology and of Gd as the Essence of physiology.
The story of the evolving nature of the human physiology and the Cosmic Physiology begins with: “A new pharaoh arose in Egypt who knew not Joseph.”
Joseph and his family brought Canaan (synchronicity, Wholeness) to Egypt (Mitzraim, restrictions). “Knew not Joseph” symbolizes “knew not Wholeness.”
This parshah concludes with Gd telling Moses that redemption is close at hand, redemption from the collapse of Wholeness in the awareness of the Egyptian people and several hundred years of slavery for the Children of Israel.
The pharaoh of Joseph’s time knew Joseph, and thus knew Wholeness and respected all representatives of Wholeness. When a pharaoh arose who knew not Joseph, it means he was lost in restrictions and could not see and respect Wholeness and its representatives.
As a result, this pharaoh saw Joseph and the Children of Israel as threats and not as blessings. He reduced them to slavery and began murdering the newborn males. Of course, for this to have happened, there must have been some diminishing of purity, of wholeness, on the part of the Israelites, not just ritual impurity but some diminishing of their “Loving Gd with all their heart, their soul, all their might” and some diminishing of their “loving their neighbor as their self, their Self.”
The most important lesson we learn in this parshah is to honor these two commandments of Gd so that we are always happy, loving and perceived that way by others. Then everyone, including the most powerful rulers and the most desperate criminals would always see us as friends and never even think of doing us harm.
When the Children of Israel in Egypt had been reduced to slavery and Pharaoh was murdering the male children, the cries of the Israelites rose to Gd and Gd decided the time for the Exodus had come – the return to Canaan, to Wholeness.
Gd spoke to Moses from a burning bush, a bush that was not consumed by the flames, and told Moses that He will rescue the Children of Israel and lead them to a land flowing with milk and honey. He told Moses to speak to Pharaoh to release the Children of Israel for three days to make offerings to their Gd in the desert. Gd also tells Moses that Pharaoh will refuse and that Gd will with a mighty hand perform miracles and then Pharaoh will let the Children of Israel go and they will leave and not go empty handed but with all of the wealth of Egypt.
Moses asked Gd what name shall he tell the Children of Israel when they ask him who sent him.
Gd responds, “Ehyeh hasher Ehyeh”: I Will Be what I Will Be.” But Gd also says tell them the Gd of their forefathers, of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has sent you so they will have confidence that Gd who rescued their forefathers will rescue them
We can learn from this that Gd the Totality who “Will Be what He Will Be” cannot be interfered with and does answer prayers: Gd will answer ours but perhaps our troubles are long-standing, like the slavery of the Children of Israel in Egypt. Then perhaps Gd will answer the prayers step-by-step, perhaps by sending us some person with wisdom, such as a business advisor, a teacher, a health professional, to lead us out of our troubles. Some person who has a history of success.
Perhaps Gd will answer our prayers by giving us some flash of insight, which like the burning bush, continues, does not pass away, gives us confidence it is reliable advice we can act on.
Perhaps Gd will answer our prayers by giving us continual Awareness of Gd, of Wholeness, Gd’s Infinite Freedom : “I Will Be What I Will Be” This Direct Experience of Wholeness, All-in-All, restores us and makes us aware that the “I” we thought we were is really a role the One-and-Only I is playing and we Are this I, Forever Free.
We need to be alert and open for we do not know how Gd will answer our prayers and transform our problems into blessings.: Gd Will Be What Gd Will Be.
And we need to be the leaders of our own lives: we need to be our own Moses and to continue communicating with Gd—through prayer, through our good lives, through whatever means we have to “love Gd with all our heart and soul” and to “love our neighbor as ourself” so that through our love we become open to Gd’s Love, Gd’s Blessings, Gd’s restoration to us of our birthright: Oneness with the One, the “I will Be What I will Be.”
Baruch HaShem.