Shemos - Seeds of Moshiach

you're listening to the weekly partial podcast with Ari goldwag recorded with A's never ending assistance in is 5785 2025 this week's par is par shamos it's the beginning of the book of Exodus the Jewish people are in Egypt they become slaves ainu was promised by Hashem interesting thing promised by Hashem that the Jewish people would be strangers in a Strange Land that they would be persecuted by those people and eventually they would come out with great rewards book is called Exodus but really it's called shamos which means the names the names of am Israel and appropo to today we're talking about Gula we're talking about Redemption the Jewish people's Redemption from Egypt the challenges they went through the hard labor that they had to endure the oppression the persecution I so today experiences a similar attempt by the nations of the world to prevent us from reaching our intended destination in Isel our intended greatness as the the chosen people and there's a lot to talk about and there's a lot to think about in our paraa and I'd like to share with you two intertwined ideas from the maish one that has to do with the names of is the names of the it's called Exodus and as we'll see it's called it's about Redemption and somehow in the names in the very names of am Israel in very names of the shat of the tribes the Redemption is right there in the names as we're going to see in the mes and we're going to speak about another aspect and that is the concept of the trials and tribulations and the difficulties that Isel goes through and as we are in gullis as we are in Exile and as we are redeemed we're specifically redeemed through the Exile we are specifically we in order to have the in order to have God's divine presence manifest upon us we need to go through the challenges and the difficulties and that's something that we see in our par let's read together I'm going to start not from the names even though that is the beginning of our par I'm going to start first from the mosu the ter introduces us to the goel to mhia to the Messiah of that generation mosha Moses he was the one he was himself thrown in the water put into a basket could have died ended up being saved and brought into the Palace of the king and eventually he goes out to help his brothers he kills an Egyptian he runs off and he becomes the son-in-law of yro of Jethro and becomes The Shepherd of his sheep and as he's out shepher as we all know the story so he sees a miraculous sight he sees the burning bush Now understand this Burning Bush you know as we'll see in the mes could have revealed himself to mosh raenu in any Myriad ways any one of myriad ways thousands of ways hasm could have appeared but he specifically appeared to mosha in a burning bush in a a thorn bush as we'll see what is the symbolism of the thorn bush why when Hashem wants to show that he's about to save am Israel why is it that he appears in this thorn bush so this is pretty famous we've spoken about in previous years but I want to bring out something deeper that's connected also to the names to the names of am Israel says the magish why does hasem appear in a thorn bush Hashem wanted am Israel to have a message in that generation and in all generations do you feel downtrodden do you feel suppressed do you feel persecuted whenever you feel that way I want you to know Hashem says I am there with you in your difficulty Hashem appears in a thorn bush a thorn bush if you get stuck in a thorn bu you know what happens it's not so pleasant let's just say it like that says the you don't know you don't sense it's not obvious says Hashem that I am in a place of pain just like Amel is in a place of pain I know what's going on I know how Amel feels about the hostages I know how torn they are about their release and the and the release of terrorists Etc I know how difficult it is to experience anti-Semitism Hashem says I know how hard it is to be a nation who no matter where you go times are tough and rough and constantly accompanied by difficulties but I want you to know that don't think that just because I am as it were aloof in my heavenly Abode that I'm not experiencing pain as well whenever Amel experiences pain aam says I am experiencing pain heavy idea and I want you to know says where am I speaking to you from says to I speaking to you from inside of a thorn bush and what that means a thorn bush is a place of kitum of of thorns and thistles it's a place that's unpleasant to be and I would add there's a fire that's going on here there's a there's a it seems to be consuming there's a consuming fire the challenges and the difficulties consume a person but the the bush does not get consumed okay that's the that's the M say is saying I want you to know I'm here with you now the M brings a conversation between and was a great or not sure had a conversation with a non-jewish woman or a non-jewish man I'm not sure particular non-jew asked the following question ofish what did Moshe see why did Moshe why did why was the vision that was given to mosha one of revealing himself within this thorn bush what it seems inappropriate as explained someone was saying the great God the creator of the universe where would he appear where should he appear in a SN in a bush should appear in A Mighty Oak hasem should appear in the AR The Cedars of Lebanon should appear if he's going to appear in a tree appear in a powerful tree why does Hashem appear in a lowly Bush a thorn bush of all things says to her look would have appear to to MH on a carab tree or a cedar tree or a or a any kind of tree you would have asked me the same question why this kind of tree okay so see I can't really give you a simple answer no matter what this as they explained the story was that way no matter what he would appear in you would ask the same question but but he says look let me give you let me attempt to give you a little bit of an explanation but you need to understand the mistake that you're making says to this person to this non-jew and will explain that there's a certain um there a certain ASA a certain Outlook inherent to the mistake of this of this question he sayses wants you to know he doesn't need to appear in a great Mighty cedar tree doesn't need to appear in a in a Niagara Falls it's true you see the wonders of hasm in those things but but you should know you can find even in the lowliest thing even in the most a thorn bush not something that people respect Hashem is everywhere Hashem can be found everywhere that's what he told her or him okay is was the lowest of the Nations at that time Israel was completely swallowed up assimilated within the culture of Egypt we were nothing we had no we had no defining factors or very few defining factors maybe we had our own Hebrew names our own language our own clothes but culturally we were exactly the same as the Egyptians we were no different we were the lowliest of the nation we were subsumed and we were slaves comes down onto a very lowly a lonly thorn bush in order to teach although they're so lowly they seem to be so far they seem to be insignificant they're nothing hem is going to appear on themm is going to manifest through them will be one of the most not one of the the most powerful force civilization wise through all of history have the greatest impact on mankind is going to reveal himself through them the GU says the non Jew says oh hasm only appears to to oh you know the the Muslims have a billion people the Christians have a billion people only appears and only manifests on very powerful Nations we've we're the ones no no no I'm Israel is weak Amel is strong Amel is in a certain way pathetic humble though humbled though and that's where has appears on Hari as we know Kaz say elsewhere is the lowest of the mountains it's not a place of great stature but indeed the one who seems to have lowly stature is raised up as he say inem lowers those who are Hoy those who are Hoy they insert their own understandings into the to reality that have nothing to do with Hashem they they color they color God's will with their own will am is lowly Amel is a thorn bush don't think don't think that this Outlook of greatness and and GAA and and Hess that's the way to be a to be a vehicle for for God to manifest in the world that's not the case hasem appears specifically through am who are lowly specifically on a mountain like Ci which is lowly specifically on a thorn bush which is lowly and insignificant specifically through experiences that are rejected we don't want to experience any difficulty that's just not what we want we even say that in our prayers we don't want to be sick we don't want you don't want pain but understand says understand says the M if you want to find God this is where you find God you find God in the pain you got you find God in the loneliness you find God in humility in submission not like Islam's submission which the word Islam means submission not like Islam submission of greatness and Hess and five prayers a day we are so holy submission to God's will true humility AMU send somebody else it's not me that's amel's character mus reflects that character that's why he's chosen now I want to go back to the book is called Exodus in English the the book of redemption but it's called sh which means the names the book of names says the an unbelievable thing why does the book of Exodus begin with the names of the tribes because the names of the tribes interestingly signify Redemption they signify Redemption and we're going to go through it and see how each of the names signifies a different aspect of the of the G of the Redemption but before we get into it I want to point out something in the story The T in in braus gives us the entire story of yobu marrying these two sisters raal and Leia and then B and Zila the maid the maid servants and having all the his 12 sons his 12 tribes and there's a there's a a met there's a difficulty in the story ra and Leia there's a competition between them Leia feels hated r at first is unable to have kids she ends up having Y and binyamin but she's for a long time unable to have kids there's a pain there's a challenge there's a difficulty there's a there's a a competition between sisters and it's reflected in the names look at the names Leia calls Ruan see Ruan look I made I I had a son now my husband will like me Shimon hasem heard my hasem heard my prayers he heard that I'm hated Le now maybe my husband will accompany me even even ra when she when she names ysf she says saely let me have another child and she dies in child birth with that other child bin there's a lot of pain here in all of the names of the tribes there's so much pain pain of competition pain of childlessness and the M tells us something amazing and that is that these very names these very names which expressed Leu and ru's unst their challenge their difficulty their pain these very names represent Redemption Ru means see see this son see this son so Leia was saying in the context of let my husband see my son and love me but the me says it signifies hm sees the pain of see your son hem see your child and the pain that we have Shimon Al shame why is he called Shimon where is the Redemptive aspect of the name of Shimon which was Hashem heard my pain hasem heard my my the fact that I'm hated which is what Leia said heard the pain of is when we go through pain when we go through challenges we we turn to asem we we reach out and it inspires Hashem as it were to look at us and to have compassion on us here it mentions our other mes which we read is said Le now maybe my husband I hope my husband will accompany me Le means to accompany and it also signifies that a that God himself accompanies excuse me isem accompanies us in our pain in our Difficulty says I with them in their pain as was signified in the fact that God appeared in the SN in the burning bush yehud represents the fact that we thanked God now I will thank God I've had four kids I've have more than my portion and thanks Hashem in the process of gula essential to G is gratitude for the G gratitude for the salvations that I've experienced in the past and I will experience them again I so sings at the thank you God for raising us up from the depths from being so low to being so great means there is reward the reward of as they leave Egypt after all the difficulties after all of the pain they were promised prom would leave with great reward as we mentioned earlier also is similar to there's an aspect again of accompanying and connecting to and being close to what was the sum what was the total what was the result of the Gula of the Redemption it wasn't just Exodus leaving Egypt it was Gula Redemption which means we get to a state where manifests upon brings his his divine presence into the Mish into the into the sanctuary we find that the bdes the temple which corresponds to the Mishka in the sanctuary is called the B same language as it's a place where God manifests where God rests as it were Benjamin what does the name mean it means that hasem show shows his great strength to is the right hand is the strong hand it's brought it brings about the destruction of am Israel's enemies and it brings about the raising up of am Israel from a lowly Nation to a great and honored and revered Nation dun one of the tribes is referred to his name was dun so his name hints to the fact that there will be a judgment the word Dan means to judge there will be a judgment on the nation who persecutes you refers once again The Exodus is not just leaving Egypt it's getting a mishan as we said a place for God's divine presence it's receiving the T which ensures that will continue throughout the thousands of years of their gulus of their Exile and even when we're in is to be a place of manifestation of hem by doing hashem's will that's the to the because is referred to as sweeter than honey the word is the same root as the word the the name of God one of the 12 tribes is similar to a concept that we find in regards to how am was sustained in the wilderness through the the miraculous man the Mana God the description of it the way it looks is ker God like a certain shape which is the word God so each of the names of the tribes represents a different aspect of the G when you heard about the amazing thing that happened with the beepers and we were able to in one Fell Swoop cause great damage to the to the terrorist structures ofah everyone said wow it's amazing who put that idea in the minds of the military of Israel of Israel and so it was when Amel came out of Egypt the nations of the world were dumbfounded they were ecstatic in their praise as means Asher means the the root of it is oer which with an Al which means incredible Joy incredible treasure everyone treasured the amazing feet of that he did on behalf of says in which seems to be refer to when mhia comes but the mes understands it to be referring back to those times as well all of the Nations will praise you they will say what a treasure you have you will be the desired land everyone will be streaming to S Israel to Jerusalem to hear about the Miracles like Isel comes and he hears about the Miracles he wants to hear it from their mouths the amazing things that does in the process of the word means to add because there was a g of redemption then understand the Exodus the Redemption that we experienced then wasn't the one- time deal we say is going to redeem us and and save us again whatever happened then when we read these P we need to notice that it's what's going on now as we head into the Final Redemption it's going to happen again says the M that's what Yosef represents give me another time it doesn't just mean give me another son which is RA man personal Redemption it means give me another Redemption give am Israel not just the Redemption from Egypt but an ultimate Redemption a Redemption from the oppression of the M the evil Kingdom of Adam of the west of is says in Isaiah 11 verses 11 through 15 the entire check that out those Pim it says says that is going to do it again that which he did then he's going to do again I is going to experience another Redemption it comes out an amazing thing the book of names this is the book of names because the names represent the Redemption am is the people who are Yash our name means so much the names which were named to the 12 tribes in so much pain in so much constraint so much restriction so much difficulty constriction those names were the source of redemption of is of endless giving us miraculous food hasem giving us theem bringing his upon us giving us the power judging the Nations all of these things are contained within the names which were named in pain in challenge inside of that thorn bush those names reflect the ultimate Redemption of am Israel the pain the difficulty the the feeling of what are our leaders doing how embarrassing let's finish off our enemies the pain why are they why are all of the news channels so anti-semitic why is it so negative towards Amel it's so painful but understand KES wants a nation that's humble he brings his divine presence onto a nation that starts off with two sisters fighting with two sisters feeling unloved or unable to have kids with with a with a downtrodden Nation of slaves with a who can't even speak he's heavy of of mouth maybe he stutters or maybe he just doesn't have the flow of the words he can't think of the words but it's specifically this kind of person this kind of nation the nation that goes through challenges and difficulties that AES brings through to the other side and says these are the people upon whom I wish to manifest through whom I will reveal myself to the entire world for all of history I'm with you there in your thorn bush it's not a coincidence I don't appear on a cedar tree I don't appear on on an oak tree a tall Mighty arzon Cedars of Lebanon that's not where I appear I don't appear on Mighty mountains who appears and manifests on little har little Mount Si little am Israel little ER Israel United States is huge shouldn't Hashem up here there no little Israel not on the 135 countries of of Islam one little country one little people that's where Hashem appears I want to bless you I ask you to bless me Hashem should help us to recognize what it means to be a place of manifestation for in the world hasm should help us to face our challenges knowing that this is what makes us great should help us to see our own names the names that we the the concepts that we have that represent perhaps Challenge and difficulty that those are the things that bring about our ultimate Redemption thank you so much for listening have a wonderful shamas this podcast was made possible through the gracious donations of listeners like you for more podcasts like this please visit www.wag.com or search on iTunes Ari goldwag [Music]