We are living in a time of profound problems that seem beyond our control and threaten our existence: whether climate change, the threats to democracy, the war in Ukraine, or the war between Israel and Hamas and the antisemitism that has become part of our discourse around the war. It is easy to feel overwhelmed and hopeless. But our Jewish tradition teaches us to not give in to despair.
In this week’s Torah portion Moses comes to the Israelites and tells them God will free them from their enslavement and bring them back to the Land of Israel. But they cannot hear God’s promise. Our Torah reads, “But when Moses told this to the Israelites, they would not listen to Moses, their spirits crushed by cruel bondage.” (Exodus 6:9) The Hebrew for crushed spirit is mikotzer ruach and can be translated as shortness of breath or spirit, since ruach can mean either one. Commenting on this verse, Nachmanides (14th Century Spain) wrote, “It was not because they did not believe in G-d and in His prophet [that they hearkened not]. Rather, they paid no attention to his words because…, as a person whose soul is grieved on account of his misery and who does not want to live another moment in his suffering even though he knows that he will be relieved later.” The physical condition of the Israelites sends them into a despair that prevents them from seeing a way out of their suffering.
Despair kills hope and keeps us from acting and making our lives and the world better. Faith gives us the strength to keep moving forward, even when conditions seem overwhelming. God promised the Israelites redemption through Moses, but they could not see it until their spirits could rise above their despair. Shimon Peres (z”l) said “Optimists and pessimists die the same way. They just live differently. I prefer to live as an optimist.”
Judaism teaches us that faith feeds optimism and optimism enables us to face and overcome life’s challenges. We always have a choice between despair and faith, optimism and pessimism. Which will you choose?
Vaera, Exodus 6:2-9:35, Parashat Hashavua for Shabbat January 13, 2024
January 11, 2024 by Dean Kertesz • Drashot
We are living in a time of profound problems that seem beyond our control and threaten our existence: whether climate change, the threats to democracy, the war in Ukraine, or the war between Israel and Hamas and the antisemitism that has become part of our discourse around the war. It is easy to feel overwhelmed and hopeless. But our Jewish tradition teaches us to not give in to despair.
In this week’s Torah portion Moses comes to the Israelites and tells them God will free them from their enslavement and bring them back to the Land of Israel. But they cannot hear God’s promise. Our Torah reads, “But when Moses told this to the Israelites, they would not listen to Moses, their spirits crushed by cruel bondage.” (Exodus 6:9) The Hebrew for crushed spirit is mikotzer ruach and can be translated as shortness of breath or spirit, since ruach can mean either one. Commenting on this verse, Nachmanides (14th Century Spain) wrote, “It was not because they did not believe in G-d and in His prophet [that they hearkened not]. Rather, they paid no attention to his words because…, as a person whose soul is grieved on account of his misery and who does not want to live another moment in his suffering even though he knows that he will be relieved later.” The physical condition of the Israelites sends them into a despair that prevents them from seeing a way out of their suffering.
Despair kills hope and keeps us from acting and making our lives and the world better. Faith gives us the strength to keep moving forward, even when conditions seem overwhelming. God promised the Israelites redemption through Moses, but they could not see it until their spirits could rise above their despair. Shimon Peres (z”l) said “Optimists and pessimists die the same way. They just live differently. I prefer to live as an optimist.”
Judaism teaches us that faith feeds optimism and optimism enables us to face and overcome life’s challenges. We always have a choice between despair and faith, optimism and pessimism. Which will you choose?