A Post-Inauguration Edition

Oasis Songs: Musings from Rav D
Friday, January 24, 2024 / 24 Tevet 5785

Summary: Recently, we have witnessed a former president who seems above the law, a sitting president who abused his political power by pardoning his son, and health insurance executives who can make decisions that result in the death of, or serious harm to, countless people while remaining exempt from legal repercussions for their acts of structural immorality. These incidents define our epoch, in which many have lost hope in the American dream. The soul of our nation has been shaken.

Reading Time: Ten minutes

Bein Hashemashot: Looking for Trouble with Hope and Courage

The twilight of bein hashemashot, the ambiguous time between day and night, evokes a profound sense of uncertainty and anxiety. For the Sages of the Talmud, this liminal moment posed Jewish legal challenges—a space neither fully day nor fully night, a realm where duties could be misunderstood or incorrectly performed. Their solution was to eliminate the ambiguity by assigning bein hashemashot to either day or night, depending on what ensured that halachic obligations would be met without error. For example, in the laws of Shabbat, bein hashemashot is treated with stringency both as the end of Friday (beginning Shabbat) and the start of Saturday night (extending Shabbat). This dual stringency ensures that the sanctity of Shabbat is preserved without inadvertently violating its boundaries. This approach reflects a broader tendency within rabbinic thought: to build fences (hagdarot) around mitzvot, creating boundaries that prevent transgression but also reduce the complexity and growth that can arise from grappling with uncertainty.

Yet, it is precisely within the liminal, the ambiguous, and the troubled that some of the greatest moral and spiritual growth occurs. Those who dwell in this space, willingly seeking discomfort and confronting uncertainty, can be seen as “looking for trouble.” Far from being reckless, this pursuit is often an act of hope and courage—a recognition that meaningful transformation, whether personal or collective, often requires stepping into the unknown.

We see this same courage and determination in the firefighters battling the fires in Los Angeles. These brave individuals repeatedly choose to put themselves in harm’s way, facing the dangers of flames and smoke to protect life and property. Their actions, rooted in a profound sense of duty and hope, exemplify what it means to embrace the uncertainty and trouble of bein hashemashot moments in service of a higher purpose.

This concept is markedly exemplified in the life of Moses, particularly as it unfolds in Parashat Va’era, as well as in the lives of other moral exemplars like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Through their willingness to seek trouble, they illuminate the path to redemption, a central theme in Parashat Va’era, framed by the four expressions of divine deliverance: hotzeiti (I will bring you out), hitzalti (I will deliver you), ga’alti (I will redeem you), and lakachti (I will take you as My people).

The Liminal Journey of Moses

Moses’s life is a study in liminality. Born as a Hebrew but raised in Pharaoh’s palace, he exists between identities. His first act of moral courage—intervening to save a Hebrew slave from an Egyptian taskmaster—forces him into exile, where he builds a new life in Midian. But just as he settles into this life, God calls him at the burning bush, pushing him to return to Egypt and face Pharaoh, the oppressor he had fled.

In Parashat Va’era, Moses embodies the tension of bein hashemashot. Tasked with leading the Israelites out of bondage, he is thrust into the ambiguous space between liberation and enslavement. The Israelites, burdened by “shortness of breath and hard labor” (Exodus 6:9), are unable to hear his message of redemption. Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, and his defiance grows. Moses himself is uncertain, doubting his ability to fulfill God’s mission.

Yet Moses steps into this uncertainty, embracing the trouble it brings. Each plague disrupts the natural order, escalating tension between Moses and Pharaoh. Through this process, Moses grows into his role as a leader, not by avoiding trouble but by confronting it head-on. His willingness to dwell in the ambiguity of bein hashemashot becomes the crucible through which redemption is forged.

Seeking Trouble as a Path to Redemption

The four expressions of redemption in Parashat Va’era, Exodus 6:6-7, offer a framework for understanding how seeking trouble can lead to transformation:
1. Hotzeiti (I Will Bring You Out): The first step in redemption is to leave a place of constriction. For Moses, this means leaving the safety of Midian and returning to Egypt. For individuals and communities, it often means stepping out of comfort zones and confronting the systems or beliefs that confine us.

Rashi comments on Exodus 6:6, explaining that hotzeiti refers to the physical removal of the Israelites from the burdens of slavery. This first step emphasizes the necessity of recognizing and breaking free from oppressive conditions, even if doing so invites uncertainty.

2. Hitzalti (I Will Deliver You): Deliverance involves active engagement with the forces of oppression. Moses does not passively wait for God to free the Israelites: he confronts Pharaoh repeatedly, demanding justice. Seeking trouble in this context means becoming an agent of change, even when the path is fraught with danger.

The Ramban (Nachmanides) on Exodus 6:6 notes that hitzalti implies God’s direct intervention in protecting the Israelites from the Egyptians. This stage underscores the importance of divine-human partnership—Moses acts boldly while trusting in God’s ultimate deliverance.

3. Ga’alti (I Will Redeem You): Redemption requires transformation. The plagues in Egypt were not merely punitive: they revealed the power of God and the need for change. Redemption involves grappling with the deeper truths that trouble unveils, allowing them to reshape our understanding of ourselves and our world.

The Sforno, a 15th century Italian scholar, interprets ga’alti as a spiritual redemption, wherein the Israelites are liberated from their psychological and emotional enslavement. This stage reflects the inner work required to confront and transform personal and communal trauma.

4. Lakachti (I Will Take You as My People): The ultimate goal of redemption is not individual liberation but collective transformation. Moses’s mission was not only to free the Israelites but to forge them into a covenantal community. This step reminds us that seeking trouble is not a solitary endeavor; rather, it is a shared journey toward a greater purpose.

Ibn Ezra emphasizes that lakachti signifies the establishment of a unique relationship between God and the Israelites. This covenantal bond reflects the culmination of the redemptive process, where individual and collective identities are elevated and aligned with divine purpose.

The Courage to Linger in Liminality

Both Chazal and Tibetan Buddhists recognize that lingering in liminality can be unsettling. The Sages’ fences around mitzvot and their efforts to resolve the ambiguity of bein hashemashot reflect an understandable desire for clarity. Yet, as Moses and other moral exemplars show us, lingering in this space is often where the most profound growth occurs.

Tibetan teacher Pema Chödrön reflects on this process in her teachings on mindfulness in The Wisdom of Escape (3):

“To lead a life that goes beyond pettiness and prejudice and always wanting to make sure that everything turns out on our own terms, we need to be open enough and brave enough to allow ourselves to feel what we feel and to be with our emotional discomfort without avoiding it.”

Similarly, in Never Turn Away: The Buddhist Path Beyond Hope and Fear, Rigdzin Shikpo writes:

“You will live through the experience. But by entering into the situation with openness, you have a chance to see its nature. You get to taste the whole situation, just as you would in formless meditation. You get to treat it as a guest rather than an adversary.”

These teachings encourage embracing discomfort as an opportunity for insight, paralleling the Jewish tradition’s engagement with challenging times as avenues for growth and redemption.

Moses’s journey in Parashat Va’era reminds us that seeking trouble—stepping into uncertainty, confronting oppression, and embracing transformation—is not an act of despair but one of hope. It is a recognition that redemption, whether personal or collective, requires courage, persistence, and a willingness to dwell in the discomfort of the unknown.

As we reflect on this parashah, let us consider how we can embrace the bein hashemashot moments in our own lives. How can we confront the areas of turmoil within ourselves and our communities? How can we, like Moses, seek trouble with hope and courage, trusting that the path of redemption lies not in avoiding ambiguity but in transforming it?

May we find the strength to do so, stepping into the twilight with faith and determination, knowing that the promise of redemption awaits on the other side.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rav D

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