Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Let's be brutally honest. Sometimes life can be unbearable. Sometimes we find ourselves in a situation beyond our control. We can't see any way of digging ourselves out. How are we supposed to deal with suffering in this life? Why do we have to suffer anyway? Is there really a purpose? And if so, what is it? Well, I believe that the Torah has a lesson for how to handle every aspect of life. Life. And this week's Torah portion is no exception. So let's see if we can work through this troubling topic together in this week's five minute Torah.
[00:00:38] This week, we are digging into a new book of the Torah and studying the portion of Shamot exodus one one through six one. And here are the three things that you need to know about it. Number one, the enslavement of Israel and the birth of a redeemer. When Joseph died, things went south quickly for the Israelites. A campaign of oppression eventually landed the descendants of Jacob into a life of slavery. But no matter how hard they were oppressed, they multiplied. To us, that sounds like a blessing. But to Egypt, the Israelites were like a cancerous growth that needed excision. So Pharaoh commanded all of the male israelite babies to be thrown into the Nile river. However, God spared the life of an israelite baby boy when he was put into the river by his mother and adopted by Pharaoh's daughter. His name, Moses. And he would one day grow up to be the first redeemer of Israel. Number two, the plight of Moses, a stranger in a strange land. When Moses grew up, he saw the horrible treatment of his brothers and sisters and tried to do something about it. He killed an Egyptian who was beating a hebrew slave. But instead of ingratiating him to his brothers, it backfired. Scorned by both the Egyptians and the Hebrews, he fled from Egypt to Midian. There he eventually married Zipporah, the daughter of Yitro, the priest of Midian, and had two sons. For 40 years, he tended the flocks of his father in law, becoming comfortable in a land that was not his own. Meanwhile, the cry of the Israelites rose to heaven. And number three, the burning bush and the reluctance of Moses. One day, as Moses was tending his father in law's sheep, he turned aside to investigate a bush that was on fire but not being consumed. God called out to him from the bush and told him that he had heard the cry of the Israelites and was sending Moses to deliver them from the hand of pharaoh. At first, Moses couldn't believe that this was possible, but God validated it with miraculous signs. Eventually, Moses traveled to Egypt and demanded that pharaoh let the Israelites go so that they could worship their God. As a result, Pharaoh increased the workload of the Israelites while maintaining their daily production quota. When the Israelites blame Moses for their additional burden, he cries out to the Lord, asking, why did you ever send me? Our portion ends with the Lord's response, saying, now you shall see what I will do to pharaoh. For with a strong hand, he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.
[00:03:08] This week's Torah commentary is called from survivors to thrivers and comes from my book, five minute Torah, volume two. The beginning of Exodus picks up where the end of Genesis leaves off. After Joseph passes away and his generation is gone, the Hebrews multiply in the land of Egypt. It seems like the honeymoon will continue on. However, just a few verses into Exodus, we read about a new pharaoh coming to power who did not know Joseph. This is where things turn south for the Hebrews. Now there arose a new king over Egypt who did not know Joseph, and he said to his people, behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them lest they multiply. And if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land. Therefore, they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for pharaoh store cities Pithum and Ramesses. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. Exodus one, eight through twelve. Well, the blessing of Jacob upon Ephraim and Manassa had come to pass, and the Hebrews had proliferated into, quote, a multitude in the midst of the earth. Genesis 40 816. However, fearing the growing number of these Hebrews, the new pharaoh came up with a plan to ensure that this growing minority would not overrun Egypt. He set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. Thus began the oppression of the children of Israel in the land of Egypt. In this week's Torah portion, we read several descriptions of how the Hebrews were mistreated, including the cruel decree that all of the newborn boys were to be thrown into the Nile. Life for the descendants of Jacob was harsh, to say the least. Each day was a struggle for survival, but somehow they not only survived, but also thrived. Immediately after learning about the taskmasters, Pharaoh said over the Hebrews, we read, but the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. Exodus 112. After the hebrew midwives were instructed to kill the baby boys. We read, and the people multiplied and grew very strong. Exodus 120 no matter what the Egyptians did to try to destroy the family of Jacob, they could not succeed. The God of Jacob had other plans for its people. Many times we feel the crushing blows of life beating us down beyond what we can withstand. Rather than thriving, like the Hebrews, we go into survival mode, and our world comes crashing down around us. What was their secret? And how can we move from surviving to thriving in difficult circumstances? First we need to understand that the fundamental nature of suffering is not to destroy us, but to transform us. The Talmud offers a practical approach to understanding sufferings in these terms. Rabba says, if a man sees that painful sufferings visit him, let him examine his conduct as is said. Let us test and examine our ways and return to the lord from lamentations 340. If he examines and finds nothing objectionable, let him attribute it to the neglect of the study of Torah, as it is said, blesses the man whom you discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of your Torah. From psalm 90 412. If he did attribute it thus and still did not find this to be the cause, let him be sure that these are chastenings of love, as it is said, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves. From proverbs 312. This is from tractate Barakot, five a. As this passage suggests, sometimes suffering is meant to cause us to repent. Sometimes it is to drive us back to the word of God. Sometimes, however, it's simply because our heavenly Father desires so for an unknown good. In an oft quoted passage, James, the brother of our master, reminds us of this same principle. Count it all, joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness, and let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James one, verses two through four. Paul has a similar understanding. He says, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans five three through five. Paul also understands that all suffering will eventually be beneficial. In the end, he reminds the congregation in Corinth, if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. Two Corinthians one six when an immense amount of pressure and heat is applied to a lump of carbon over a long period of time, it doesn't merely crumble, produces a diamond. The apostles understood that suffering is supposed to produce fruit, but it's all about our mindset. Although it's extremely difficult, if we keep these principles in mind, during our times of suffering, we can be like the Hebrews in Egypt and be transformed from mere survivors to thrivers. It's difficult to undergo hardships, especially when they carry with them painful experiences that drag out for what seems to be a lifetime. We have two choices of how to handle these situations. We can either let them define us as a victim and thereby destroy us, or we can allow them to be a means of transformation and growth in our lives. While the second option is far easier to say than do, especially in the midst of our trials, we were given the example of the children of Israel and the encouragement of the apostles to guide us through life's difficulties. No matter what you've gone through or are currently going through, God has a plan for you in your life. Despite the suffering you're experiencing. He can bring you through it, redeem those negative events and use them to create something beautiful in your life. While I'm on this topic, I'd like to offer up one more tip from my past failures. As a parent. I have a huge amount of influence in the lives of my children, particularly in shaping their perspective of God. When we complain about how difficult life is, rather than expressing gratitude for even the smallest things in life, this tells our children that serving God is simply a hardship and something to be endured rather than a privilege and a blessing. I think this is a big factor that causes children to walk away from the faith of their parents, no matter how godly their parents may be. We have to turn the tide and live a life of gratitude, seeing every difficulty and trial as an opportunity for God to refine us and mold us into his image. Do you have a story of how your attitude during a particularly difficult situation affected people you love, either for the good or the bad? I would love to hear it and learn from it, and I'm sure others would as well. Well, that's all for this week. Don't forget to hit the like button and make sure you're subscribed and that notifications are turned on last. If you'd like to help support the work that goes on behind these videos, please feel free to hit the super thanks button or make a contribution using one of the links below. I'll see you again soon with another messianic insight into the eternal Torah of God. Blessings from Amet Tatorah.
