Of Creation, Exodus and Universal Harmony
Tech Tribe Dispatch #254
💡 Think:
Tonight, we celebrate the holiday of Shavuot. Central to the celebration is the giving of Ten Commandments, and thus the entirety of the Torah, on Mt. Sinai.
It was a sublime moment, an epoch in world history.
But there’s something about the commandments, specifically the first one that seems out of place:
“I am the L-rd, your G-d, Who took you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”
Think for a moment about those words. We’re talking about the first of the Ten Commandments. We’re talking about the ultimate expression of the unity of G-d . . . why is the Creator of All, called the one “Who took you out of the land of Egypt?”
Wouldn’t it have been greater if G-d said: “I am the L-rd, your G-d, Who Created the Heavens and Earth”?
I mean, what’s a bigger deal The Exodus or Creation?
The answer lies in the very accomplishment of the Torah itself.
If we look at the Ten Commandments . . . Why are they so special?
Don’t Steal? Don’t Murder? Don’t covet?
For basically not being a schmuck, we needed the THX Dolby Digital Surround Sound experience of Sinai?
These commandments should be self-evident!
Rather the entire purpose of the Torah is that the “I” of G-d — the essence of the Holy One who is so sublime, so profound, that no name can express it — that transcendent “I” should drawn down and revealed in the most basic and mundane parts of our lives. Don’t murder! Don’t steal!
We bring down the infinite essence of G-d into the dross physicality of the world.
And that’s why it’s the G-d of the transcendent Exodus, that breaks boundaries, that we refer to. Not the G-d Who created the Heavens and the Earth. On some level, G-d as the Creator is involved with limited, finite things.
The Torah let's us take G-d in His Transcendent, nameless essence . . . and bring it down into the most basic parts of our daily lives.
🏃 DO:
🍰 Last chance! Shavuot: An Evening of Revelation. Join us on Wednesday, June 12, for an al fresco feast, drinks and the Ten Commandments, as we celebrate Shavuot!
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📽️ Reel:
A thought before Shavuos, from our Jews in Tech Schmooze.
📚 Read:
📜 600-year-old manuscript reveals lost French-Jewish intellectual stream
🔥 Lit:
This week, light Shavuot Holiday candles in NYC at 8:09 PM
For Shabbat candle-lighting time in your area click here.
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