Hot and Cold
There is a time when indifference can be a virtue: When we remain cool and collected in the presence of people whose passions are misplaced.
Daily Remembrance
Of all the Biblical experiences, the one that Judaism requires us to remember on a daily basis is the Exodus from Egypt.
Mitzraim, the Hebrew name for Egypt, our Sages tell us, is not only the name of a country; it is also a description of a state of mind that inhibits our potential for spiritual growth. Mitzraim cognate to the word Meitzarim (straits) is a reference to the constraints imposed on our soul by our bodies, physical needs, and environment. When we feel that we are in a rut, when we stagnate, it is a symptom of the Mitzraim syndrome we all suffer from in exile. And it is this dimension of Mitzraim that we are enjoined by the Torah to get out of every day.
For guidance as to how precisely we can accomplish this modern day liberation, we can turn to the Ten Plagues -the instruments G-d used to free the Israelites from ancient Egyptian bondage – and apply them to our own personal Mitzraim.
The first two plagues both involved the Nile River. The first one converted its waters to blood, while in the second one, the frogs emerged from the Nile River and spread through all of Egypt – even into the fiery ovens of the Egyptians.
The Ten Plagues were more than just ways of punishing the Egyptians. They were primarily tools to educate the Egyptians as well as the Jews as to G-d’s greatness. Rashi, for example, informs us that before G-d destroys a nation, He first destroys their idols. By striking the Nile, G-d destroyed their greatest idol and source of their evil ways.
Similarly, the plagues have much to offer us in the form of guidance and enlightenment on our path towards Redemption:
Indifference and Passion
The Rebbe explains that water, being cold in its natural state, represents the coldness we often exhibit towards matters of the spirit.
Blood, on the other hand, stands for life, enthusiasm and the passion we possess. The plague of blood thus symbolizes the conversion of icy indifference (regarding matters of holiness) into warmth and excitement.
A Jew is a member of a living people, the Torah says, because we cleave to the living G-d. A Jew’s existence is characterized by his/her passion for true life, which is anything connected to and associated with G-d. When we find ourselves in exile, in modern day Mitzriam’s, we discover that we no longer have this passion for Torah and Mitzvos. Our first step in the process of Redemption is thus to search for the fire and flame within our souls that has to be fanned into a roaring fire, until we can consciously feel the passion for G-d and G-dly pursuits.
Cooling our Enthusiasm for Materiality
Step number one is followed by step number two. It is not enough to instill life into our spiritual existence, but we must also look for ways to cool down the enthusiasm and obsession we have for materialism.
To be sure, the Torah does not want us to negate the physical world. G-d’s objective in creating the physical world was for us to elevate it and refine it. But, the only way we can accomplish the goal of bringing holiness into the physical is to cool down our ardor for the material aspects of existence. By accentuating the spiritual dimension of everything, while engaged in physical activities, we have the capacity to bring sanctity into them.
When Indifference is a Virtue
This second step towards Redemption is symbolized by the second plague of frogs. The cold blooded frogs that originated in the cold waters of the Nile River represent the detachment and coldness we must bring into our material concerns. There is a time when indifference can be a virtue; when we remain cool and collected in the presence of people whose passions are misplaced. The frogs even jumped into the ovens – to teach us to cool down the passion of Egyptian life – our obsession with materialism.
As we approach the final Redemption, we must realize that the way to redemption must follow the example of the Exodus from Egypt, as the prophet says: “As in the days that you left Egypt, I will show you wonders.”
The first two steps are to instill passion in spiritual matters and to reduce our love for materialism. This will lead us to the ultimate world of Redemption that will be characterized by the thirst and passion for G-d we will all possess. At that time, despite the proliferation of all material goods, they will not dampen our love for G-d and His Torah.
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Voeira by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
