April 10, 2013

• Faith that Grows

  Remember how last week I said that I wanted to follow Moses and the Israelites out of Egypt all the way to Sinai during this year’s Counting of the Omer?   Well, I wrote about the dead-of-night crossing, the Lord blocking Egypt physically from seeing what happened, and how it was a sunset to sunrise event.  And then… I didn’t write anything more.

  Until this morning.  I was reading the sites I visit each morning, and I clicked my way to an article by Rav Moshe Weinberger.  He was teaching from some extra-Biblical thing (I don’t know what-all… I skip that stuff and go for the scripture)… and he said that the two things that happened after the Red Sea crossing were amazing.  I want to look at the first one, today… and the second, tomorrow Friday.

  The first thing that happened after the waters closed back down on the sea (Ex 14:31), is that Israel ‘feared the Lord’, and ‘believed the Lord’.  This. Is. Craziness!  Why?  Because they’d just been delivered from seven plagues that devastated Egypt.  They’d just been lead by a pillar of cloud (did you see my graphic?!) by day, and a pillar of fire, by night for SEVEN DAYS.  But it isn’t until AFTER the parting of the Red Sea that it says they ‘fear’ and ‘believe’ the Lord?  What the heck?  You’d think that – seeing everyone BUT them getting smitten with plagues would cause some serious faith changes.  You’d think that pillar of cloud/fire would inspire, too.  But it wasn’t until after the waters closed – NOT when they parted, it was when they CLOSED – that they were said to have believed.  Doesn’t that seem unbelievable?

  Here’s what Rav Wienberger says (and this is good!):

  “Every Jew has emunah in Ha’Shem on some level, whether revealed or hidden deep inside. …potential to give up his lifein order to stay true to his faith in Ha’Shem. But there are infinite levels of emunah. A Jew must strive to attain the level of (Shmos 17:12) “And his hands were faith.” On that level, a person’s emunah is so tangible, that he feels like he can touch it with his hands.”
  

  So when they experienced the first three plagues, they believed (they acknowledged that, yes Yehovah was real/active), and when they were led by the pillar of cloud/fire, they believed (they acknowledged that, yes Yehovah had a plan and was with them)… but it wasn’t until after the destruction of Egypt’s forces and the deliverance from the pagan lands that they had a belief that was more than just acknowledgement… it was a faith that began to grow.  A faith revealed, not just inside.

  Think of it in terms of a seed… their faith was a seed, and the seed was planted in safety from the elements [of the plagues, if you will], then covered [with the cloud/fire, if you will]… but it wasn’t until the water deliverance [of the sea, if you will] that that seed actually began to sprout and grow.  And from Red Sea to Sinai, in fifty days time, they really DO attain that level of emunah that is so tangible, it’s touchable with the hands!

  

  Oh, that I might have a faith that grows as theirs did!  That keeps getting more deeply rooted, that keeps stretching and reaching until I’m arms extended toward my Creator, tall and strong!  And isn’t it amazing… to read about this HUGE group of people, all starting to grow?  All finally more than just a seed?  I love it!

  • 11:41 am
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