We the People

by Rabbi Zalman Mendelsohn, Chabad Lubavitch of Wyoming

Much of the legal debate in this country surrounds the Constitution. “Is it constitutional?” is the common refrain to new and old laws.  Essentially, all Supreme Court cases hinge upon the principle of constitutionality.

The American Constitution, of course, was written – by and large – by the founding fathers of our country. We have, at times, added amendments to the Constitution. But, generally speaking, it is a body of work representing the thinking and values of the early thinkers of the United States of America.

The current civilization of America is a product of the founders and their Constitution. To this day, it remains the guiding document that forges the peoplehood of America.

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Contrast that with the story told in the Book of Shemot, Exodus.  In this week’s parsha, bearing the same name as the book, we begin the story of Jewish enslavement in Egypt. Eventually – 210 years after arrival – the Children of Israel will leave Egypt a free people.  They will receive the Torah and begin a journey back to their homeland.

Imagine yourself a Jewish resident in Egypt.  You have a clear tradition of your past. You know that you are strangers in a foreign land. You recognize that you stem from a different culture. Indeed, there are founding fathers whose rich lives define the history of your peoplehood.

Yet, the Book of Shemot is not about the Patriarchs and Matriarchs. In fact, slavery and freedom – and even the giving of the Torah – all occur to the children, not the fathers and mothers.  Remarkably, our emergence as a nation and G-d’s charging us with the mandate of Torah, happen to the children alone.

What is the message of this sequence of events? Why is the Torah given to a nation much after their founders have disappeared from the scene? Would we not have been so much more capable of enduring exile if the Torah were given to the Jewish people before our enslavement?

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The Chassidic teachers differentiate between the books of Genesis and Exodus as follows: Bereishit is about trailblazing. It’s about preparation. It’s about Patriarchs who are loftier than the world around them. It’s a story of giants.

Shemot is about ordinary people. It’s about slaves in exile. People living in a foreign land. It’s about pain, suffering and breaking free.

They could not be more different. In Chassidic parlance, Bereishit represents the divine flow of energy from above to below; from Heaven to Earth. Shemot is the flow of energy from below to above; from Earth to Heaven.

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Enter, the purpose of Torah. Torah was not given simply as an instruction from Above so we could become Heavenly. The objective of Torah is to transform Earth itself. To that end, we need to be of the earth, so we can transform it.

The Patriarch modality is indeed exalted. But holiness alone is insufficient to achieve G-d’s goal. That’s why their imprint on the world was ephemeral. Certainly monumental, but not the lasting game plan. 

The long-term mandate is to transform the material into the spiritual; the earthly into the heavenly.

It’s specifically the children, enduring the burden of exile, who can relate to the world in all its frailties – and uplift it.  The permanent effect on the universe is accomplished by average individuals who understand the earth, are a product of its problems – yet rise to the heights of holiness.

The Torah – our priceless and eternal guidance – is given by our Creator to the people.