Perhaps the most intellectually
demanding and spiritually defining moment of a people is a communal or national
revelation. According to the dictionary, a revelation is disclosure of the unknown
or unrealized. Normally we associate revelation as a theological process; but
there are personal revelations about life choices, relationships. For those us
less spiritually developed, we might think of a revelation as a type of sign
that should inspire us to make certain decisions. As individuals, we all have
an “Aha moment”, a moment of clarity when the unrevealed is fully disclosed
and we can proceed accordingly. But to have a national revelation; is
intellectually and spiritually demanding.
Yet, that is precisely what happened on Sunday night. On Sunday evening,
with over 114 million Americans and over 9 million Canadians watching Super
Bowl XLIX, those approximately 123 million people and millions of others around
the world who happened to be watching the final 30 seconds all had a
revelation. An answer, a truth was disclosed. All these millions of people saw
the answer on their televisions and computers. Even my 12 year old daughter who
had no idea who was playing in the Super Bowl when the game began and now was cheering
on the Seattle Seahawks experienced this revelation. Even my 14 year old
daughter who, with 30 seconds left, wondered what is the big deal, since there
is another inning to play; even she experienced the revelation that all these
millions of people were sharing. Even more amazing, only two people failed to
experience this revelation. Only two people failed to see the sign, or
understand what needed to be done. Only two people! Sadly it was the Offensive
Coordinator and Head Coach of Seattle that failed to experience the revelation
that the rest of us millions of people shared.
This week's Parsha is Yitro.
Named after Moshe father in-law, who happens to be a Midianite priest, the
Parsha begins with Moshe leading B'nai Yisroel toward the wilderness of Midian
where he meets up with his father in-law, his wife and his two sons. Yitro
suggests that Moshe should create a bureaucracy whereby others administer the
small everyday rulings required of a judge. Difficult legal issues would be
administered by Moshe. Moshe is then commanded by God to bring B'nai Yisroel to
Har Sinai. For three days they will purify themselves, clean their clothes, not
have marital relations, and purify their souls for a revelation. There with the
mountain smoking and thunder billowing from the heavens, God begins to speak.
B'nai Yisroel is absolutely petrified and fearing death, they beg Moshe to go
up the mountain as their Shaliach (appointed
messenger). Moshe ascends the mountain and receives the Aseret HaDibrot (the Ten
Commandments), then descends. Upon his descent he tells B'nai Yisroel the Aseret HaDibrot. The Parsha concludes
with B'nai Yisroel readily accepting the Ten Commandments, Moshe re-assures the
people not to fear the thunder and the flames, God attests to the fact that
B'nai Yisroel has accepted these commandments and then commands Moshe to build
and altar of earth.
While the Torah tells us that B’nai
Yisroel had fear, awe, and even trepidation; none are so blinded or paralyzed
that they fail to experience the revelation. VaYehi V’Yom HaShlishi B’HeYot HaBoker VaYehi Kolot UvRakim V’Anan
Kaveid Al HaHar V’ Kol Shofar Chazak Meod, VaYecherad Kol Ha’Am Asher
BaMachaneh – On the third day when it
was morning, there was thunder and lightning and a heavy cloud upon the
mountain, and the sound of the shofar was very powerful, and the entire people
was in the camp shuddered (Ex.19:16). Moses brings them towards God, they
stand at the bottom, the mountain is smoking and smoldering like a furnace and
even the mountain shudders (Ex.19:17-18). The people remain there watching this
supernatural and awesome sight. God
calls out to Moses and he ascends, leaving the nation at the foot of the
mountain, then he descends. The people stay there. Perhaps their scared,
perhaps they are in awe, perhaps they are paralyzed in disbelief, or maybe they
are experiencing some type of spiritual ecstasy. We don’t know except that they are
experiencing something. It is even fair to say that the people are experiencing
something slightly different from one another since they are individuals with
different perceptions. . “The substance
of this faith is that a person should determine in his mind that his is the
truth, and nothing else of any sort is possible instead” (Sefer HaChinuch
Yitro 25). Exodus Chapter 20 begins: VaYidaber Elokim et Kol Hadvarim Ha’Eilah
Leimor – God spoke all these
statements saying: Anochi Adoshem
Elokecha Asher Hotzeitecha M’Eretz Mitzrayim Mibeit Avadim – I am Hashem, your God, Who has taken you
out of the land of Egypt from the house of slavery. In that statement, in
that brief moment a national revelation occurred. Everyone standing at the foot
of that mountain had been slaves in Egypt and now were free. God’s introduction
and reminder of who God is and that God brought them out of Egypt is the basis
for revelation and faith. For a single moment, God’s reminder that God brought
them all out of Egypt makes them worthy of a national revelation. After that
moment, things became too powerful and Moshe heard the remainder of the
commandments and then taught it to B’nai Yisroel. However foundation had been
laid, the seed planted, the revelation disclosed.
When hundreds of millions of
people watched those final seconds of the Super Bowl, they all had a shared
common experience. Whether they cheered for New England, or Seattle; whether
they had money on the game or not; whether they knew anything about football or
not; whether they played football or not; whether they cared or not; if they
had the common experience of witnessing the final 65 seconds, then they all
shared that moment of disclosure and clarity along with my two daughters. All those
people, because they had a shared common experience had the truth – run the
ball 18 inches! Perhaps Seattle’s head
coach and offensive coordinator did not share in the common experience that we
had all witnessed. Therefore they were had the moment of clarity that comes
with revelation; a moment of clarity that everyone else shared.
Peace,
Rav Les
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